UJeremiya 7
1 Ilizwi elafika kuJeremiya livela eNkosini lisithi:
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Mana esangweni lendlu yeNkosi umemezele khona lelilizwi uthi: Zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, lina bonke bakoJuda, abangena kulamasango ukuzakhonza iNkosi.
"Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah, who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.
3 Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu wakoIsrayeli: Lungisani indlela zenu lezenzo zenu, khona ngizalenza ukuthi lihlale kulindawo.
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
4 Lingathembi lina emazwini amanga okuthi: La alithempeli leNkosi, ithempeli leNkosi, ithempeli leNkosi.
Do not trust in lying words, saying, "The LORD's temple, The LORD's temple, The LORD's temple, are these."
5 Ngoba uba lilungisisa lokulungisa izindlela zenu lezenzo zenu; uba lisenza lokwenza isahlulelo phakathi komuntu lomakhelwane wakhe;
For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if you thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor;
6 lingacindezeli owezizweni, intandane, lomfelokazi, lingachithi igazi elingelacala kulindawo; futhi lingalandeli abanye onkulunkulu ukuze kube kubi kini;
if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your own hurt:
7 khona ngizalenza ukuthi lihlale kulindawo, elizweni engalinika oyihlo, kusukela endulo kuze kube nininini.
then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, from of old even forevermore.
8 Khangelani, lina lithembela emazwini amanga angasizi lutho.
Look, you trust in lying words, that can't profit.
9 Lizakweba, libulale, lifebe, lifunge amanga, litshisele uBhali impepha, lilandele abanye onkulunkulu elingabaziyo yini?
Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known,
10 Beselisiza lime phambi kwami kulindlu, ebizwa ngebizo lami, lithi: Sikhululwe ukuze senze zonke lezizinengiso.
and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, "We are delivered"; that you may do all these abominations?
11 Indlu le, ebizwa ngebizo lami, isibe lubhalu lwabaphangi emehlweni enu yini? Khangelani, mina sengibonile, itsho iNkosi.
Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Look, I, even I, have seen it, says the LORD.
12 Ngoba yanini khathesi endaweni yami eseShilo, lapho engamisa khona ibizo lami kuqala, libone engikwenzileyo kiyo ngenxa yobubi babantu bami uIsrayeli.
But go now to my place which was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
13 Khathesi-ke, ngoba lenzile yonke le imisebenzi, itsho iNkosi, njalo ngikhulumile lani, ngivuka ngovivi ngikhuluma, kodwa kalizwanga, ngalibiza, kodwa kaliphendulanga;
Now, because you have done all these works, says the LORD, and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear; and I called you, but you did not answer:
14 ngakho ngizakwenza kulindlu, ebizwa ngebizo lami, elithemba kiyo, lakundawo engayinika lina laboyihlo, njengalokho engakwenza eShilo.
therefore I will do to the house which is called by my name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.
15 Njalo ngizalixotsha lisuke ebusweni bami, njengalokho ngaxotsha bonke abafowenu, inzalo yonke kaEfrayimi.
I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.
16 Ngakho wena ungabakhulekeli lababantu, ungabaphakamiseli ukukhala loba umkhuleko, ungalabheli kimi, ngoba kangiyikukuzwa.
Therefore do not pray for this people, neither lift up a cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me; for I will not hear you.
17 Kawukuboni yini abakwenza emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema?
Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
18 Abantwana batheza inkuni, laboyise baphembe umlilo, labesifazana baxove inhlama, ukuze benzele indlovukazi yamazulu amaqebelengwana, bathululele abanye onkulunkulu iminikelo yokunathwayo, ukuze bangithukuthelise.
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
19 Bathukuthelisa mina yini? itsho iNkosi. Kabazenzeni yini kuze kusanganiseke ubuso babo?
Do they provoke me to anger?" says the LORD. "Do they not provoke themselves, to the confusion of their own faces?"
20 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, intukuthelo yami lolaka lwami kuzathululelwa kulindawo, phezu komuntu, laphezu kwenyamazana, laphezu kwezihlahla zasendle, laphezu kwesithelo somhlabathi; njalo kuzakutsha, kungacitshwa.
Therefore thus says the LORD: "Look, my anger and my wrath shall be poured out on this place, on man, and on animal, and on the trees of the field, and on the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched."
21 Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Fakani iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa kanye lemihlatshelo yenu, lidle inyama.
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat meat.
22 Ngoba kangikhulumanga kuboyihlo, njalo kangibalayanga ngosuku engabakhupha ngalo elizweni leGibhithe, mayelana lendaba zeminikelo yokutshiswa kumbe imihlatshelo.
For I did not speak to your fathers, nor command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
23 Kodwa ngabalaya le into ngisithi: Lalelani ilizwi lami, njalo ngizakuba nguNkulunkulu wenu, lina-ke libe ngabantu bami; njalo hambani ngayo yonke indlela engililaya yona, ukuze kulilungele.
but this thing I commanded them, saying, 'Listen to my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.'
24 Kodwa kabalalelanga, kabathobanga indlebe yabo; kodwa bahamba ngamacebo, ngenkani yenhliziyo yabo embi, bahlehlela nyovane, hatshi-ke phambili.
But they did not listen nor turn their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
25 Kusukela osukwini oyihlo abaphuma ngalo elizweni leGibhithe kuze kube yilolusuku, ngithume kini zonke inceku zami, abaprofethi, insuku ngensuku ngivuka ngovivi, ngithuma.
Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
26 Kanti kabangilalelanga, njalo kababekanga indlebe yabo, kodwa benza intamo yabo yaba lukhuni; benza kubi kulaboyise.
yet they did not listen to me, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff: they did worse than their fathers."
27 Ngakho uzakhuluma wonke lamazwi kibo, kodwa kabayikukulalela; futhi uzababiza, kodwa kabayikukuphendula.
"You shall speak all these words to them; but they will not listen to you: you shall also call to them; but they will not answer you.
28 Ngakho uzakuthi kibo: Lesi yisizwe esingalaleli ilizwi leNkosi, uNkulunkulu waso, lesingemukeli ukulaywa; iqiniso liphelile, liqunyiwe emlonyeni waso.
You shall tell them, 'This is the nation that has not listened to the voice of the LORD their God, nor received instruction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
29 Gela inwele zakho, wena Jerusalema, uzilahle, uphakamise isililo emadundulwini; ngoba iNkosi isalile yasidela isizukulwana solaka lwayo.
Cut off your hair, and throw it away, and take up a lamentation on the bare heights; for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.'"
30 Ngoba abantwana bakoJuda benzile ububi emehlweni ami, itsho iNkosi; babekile izinengiso zabo endlini ebizwa ngebizo lami, ukuze bayingcolise.
"For the people of Judah have done that which is evil in my sight," says the LORD: "they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it.
31 Bakhile-ke indawo eziphakemeyo zeTofethi, ezisesihotsheni sendodana kaHinomu, ukuze batshise amadodana abo lamadodakazi abo ngomlilo; engingabalayanga khona, lokungavelanga enhliziyweni yami.
They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.
32 Ngakho khangela, insuku ziyeza, itsho iNkosi, lapho engasayikubizwa ngokuthi yiTofethi, loba isihotsha sendodana kaHinomu, kodwa isihotsha sokubulala; ngoba bazangcwaba eTofethi, kuze kungabi landawo.
Therefore look, the days come," says the LORD, "that it shall no more be called Topheth, nor The Valley of Ben Hinnom, but The Valley of Slaughter: for they shall bury in Topheth, until there is no place to bury.
33 Lezidumbu zalababantu zizakuba yikudla kwenyoni zamazulu, lezezinyamazana zomhlaba, kungekho ozazethusa.
The dead bodies of this people shall be food for the birds of the sky, and for the animals of the earth; and none shall frighten them away.
34 Khona ngizakwenza kuphele emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema ilizwi lenjabulo, lelizwi lentokozo, ilizwi lomyeni, lelizwi likamakoti, ngoba ilizwe lizakuba lunxiwa.
Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall become a waste."
