1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, 3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; 4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; 5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. 6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. 7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. 8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. 9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: 10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. 11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
12 ¶ I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. 15 For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you. 16 Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD’s house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. 17 Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste? 18 But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
19 ¶ For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city, 20 Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem; 21 Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem; 22 They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.
Juda inoshingila Nebukadineza
1 Mu kutangisa kwe kubusa kwa Zedekiya nkololo wa Josiya mambo we Juda, dama ileli likazha kuna Jeremiya lidwa kuna Yahwe liti, 2 Yahwe bakati kundili, “Zwithamile misungo ne majokwi ngono uatilike mu ntshibha uwo. 3 Utumile dama kuna mambo we Edomu ne kuna mambo we Moabu ne kuna mambo we Baamoni ne kuna mambo we Tire ne kuna mambo we Sidoni nge batumwa bakazha ku Jerusalema kuna Zedekiya mambo we Juda. 4 Ngono ubalaile kuna botetshi babo uti, ‘Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati: Idwani botetshi benyu muti: 5 “Ndimi nge simba langu gulu nenge luboko gwangu kwakatambunuka ndakathama shango ne bathu bayo ne phuka dzimu ili, ndoipa mmwe ne mmwe wandinoshaka. 6 Ngwenu ndalonga shango idzedzi dzose mu luboko gwe nlanda wangu Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni, naikobo ndampa ne phuka dze shango kuti dzin'shingile. 7 Zwitjaba zose zowon'shingila kose ne bakololo babe ne bana be bakololo babe kuswikila tjibaka tje shango iye na itjobo tjaswika, ipapo zwitjaba zwinjinji nabo mambo bakulu banowon'thama nlanda wabo.
8 “ ‘ “Koga ha itjaba kene mbuso ungasishingile Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni kene kuli kulonga ntshibha wawo mu jokwi la mambo we Bhabhiloni, ndowoloba shamu itjaba itjetjo nge thumo nenge bhamba nenge bugwele, kojalo Yahwe, kuswikila ndatjikolomola tjose nge luboko gugwe. 9 Ndizo musiteedze balebesambeli benyu ne bakandili benyu ne bawoloti benyu ne hwosana dzenyu ne mashabi enyu banomudwa beti, Musishingile mambo we Bhabhiloni. 10 Ngoti manyepkhwa itjetjo tjabanolebela mbeli kumuli, kunoyita kuti bamuyise kulekule ne shango yenyu kuti bamutate ngono mukaloba. 11 Koga itjaba tjinowolonga ntshibha watjo mu jokwi la mambo we Bhabhiloni kakale kan'shingila, ndowoletja itjaba itjetjo tjikasala mu shango yatjo kuti tjiilime kakale tjigale muili.” ’ ”
12 Ndakapa ndayidzo iyeyi zwayo Zedekiya mambo we Juda nditi, “Longani mitshibha yenyu mu jokwe la mambo we Bhabhiloni kakale mu nshigile kose ne bathu babe ngono mutjile. 13 Ini iwe ne bathu babo mungafa nge thumo nenge bhamba nenge bugwele Yahwe sekwa bakaleba ngekwe itjaba tjisingawoshingila mambo we Bhabhiloni kene? 14 Musiteedze matama e balebesambeli banoti kumuli, ‘Musishingile mambo we Bhabhiloni,’ ngoti manyepkhwa abanomulebeselambeli. 15 Andizobatuma kojalo Yahwe koga banolebesambeli manyepkhwa nge zina langu, kunoyita kuti ndibatatile kutjena ngono bakaloba, iwe ne balebesambeli banomulebeselambeli.”
16 Ipapo ndakalebeleka ne bapirisiti ne bathu bose nditi, “Yahwe bakati: Musitongoteedza matama e balebesambeli banomulebeselambeli beti, ‘Bonani, zwija zwe Ng'umba ya Yahwe zwabe pejo ne bgwiliziwa kudwa mu Bhabhiloni,’ ngoti manyepkhwa abanolebesambeli ku muli. 17 Musibateedze, shingilani mambo we Bhabhiloni ndizo mutjile. Ini nzi nkulu iwoyu ungabe dongo kene? 18 Ha bali balebesambeli, ha kuna dama la Yahwe mu bali ngabakumbile muna Yahwe Masimbawose kuti zwitjaba zwakasala mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne mu ng'umba ya mambo we Juda ne mu Jerusalema zwisiyende ku Bhabhiloni. 19 Ngoti Yahwe Masimbawose bakati ngekwe phanda ne gungwa ne zwigadziko zwe makumbgwana ne zwija zose zwakasala mu nzi iwoyu nkulu, 20 zwakabe zwisatogwa ndi Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni paakatapa Jekoniya nkololo wa Jehoyakimu mambo we Juda ne makulukota e Juda ne Jerusalema kudwa mu Jerusalema ebayisa ku Bhabhiloni, 21 ee Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati ngekwe zwija zwakasala mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne mu ng'umba ye mambo we Juda ne mu Jerusalema: 22 Zowotolegwa ku Bhabhiloni ngono zowogalako kudzina zhuba landinowobe ne hanya nge kwazo, kojalo Yahwe. Ipapo ndowozwibgwiliza azwibiga mu tjimo mu bugalo igogu.”