< Jeremiah 19 >

1 This is what the Lord says: Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take some of the elders of the people and leaders of the priests with you,
Lokhu yikho akutshoyo uThixo: “Hamba uyethenga udiwo kumbumbi wezimbiza. Thatha abanye abadala babantu labanye babaphristi
2 and go through the Broken Pottery Gate to the valley of Ben-hinnom. Announce this message I'm giving you.
uhambe labo esigodini seBheni-Hinomu, eduze lentuba yeSango loDengezi. Umemezele amazwi engikutshela wona,
3 Tell them, Listen to what the Lord says, kings of Judah and people living in Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring down on this place such a disaster that it will make the ears of anyone who hears about it ring.
uthi, ‘Zwanini ilizwi likaThixo, lina makhosi akoJuda lani bantu abahlala eJerusalema. UThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, uthi: Lalelani! Ngizaletha umonakalo kule indawo ozabanda indlebe zomuntu wonke owuzwayo.
4 My people have deserted me and have made this a place where foreign gods are worshiped. They have burned incense in it to other gods that they and their forefathers and the kings of Judah never knew anything about. They have filled this place with the blood of innocent people.
Ngoba bangidelile kwathi indawo le bayenza eyabonkulunkulu bezizweni; kuyo batshisele imihlatshelo onkulunkulu abangabaziyo, bona labokhokho babo kanye lamakhosi akoJuda, njalo indawo le sebayigcwalisa igazi labantu abangelacala.
5 They have built pagan shrines to Baal where they burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal. This is something I never commanded or even mentioned. I never even thought of such a thing!
Sebakhele uBhali izindawo eziphakemeyo ukuba batshise amadodana abo emlilweni njengeminikelo yokutshiswa kuBhali, into engingazange ngibalaye kumbe ngitsho ukuthi bayenze, kumbe ukuthi ike ifike engqondweni yami.
6 So watch out! The time is coming, declares the Lord, when instead of Topheth and the Valley of Hinnom this place will be called the Valley of Killing.
Ngakho qaphelani, insuku ziyeza, kutsho uThixo, lapho abantu bengayikubiza indawo le ngokuthi Thofethi loba iSigodi seBheni-Hinomu kodwa iSigodi sokuBulala.
7 Right here in this place I'm going to spoil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will let their enemies who want to kill them come and do exactly that. Their dead bodies will be food for birds of prey and wild animals.
Kuyonale indawo ngizawachitha amacebo kaJuda laweJerusalema. Ngizabenza bafe ngenkemba phambi kwezitha zabo, lasezandleni zalabo abafuna ukubabulala, njalo ngizanikela izidumbu zabo ukuba zibe yikudla kwezinyoni zasemoyeni lezinyamazana zeganga.
8 I'm going to make this city desolate, a place that is mocked. Everyone who passes by will be horrified, shocked by all its damage.
Idolobho leli ngizalichitha ngilenze libe yinto yokwesatshwa lenhlekisa; bonke abadlula khona bazathuthumela njalo baklolode ngenxa yamanxeba alo wonke.
9 The siege brought by their enemies who want to kill them will be so terrible that I will make them eat each other, even their own sons and daughters.
Ngizabenza badle inyama yamadodana abo leyamadodakazi abo, njalo labo bazadlana inyama ngesikhathi esinzima sokuvinjezelwa kwabo yizitha ezifuna ukubabulala.’
10 Then smash the jar in front of the people with you.
Emva kwalokho bulala udiwo labo abahamba lawe bekhangele,
11 Tell them: this is what the Lord Almighty says: I'm going to smash this nation and this city, just like a clay jar is smashed so it can't ever be repaired. People will bury their dead in Topheth until it's full.
ubususithi kubo, ‘UThixo uSomandla uthi: Ngizasiphahlaza isizwe lesi kanye ledolobho leli njengokuphahlazwa kodiwo lombumbi lolu olungeke lulungiswe futhi. Abafileyo bazabangcwaba eThofethi kuze kusweleke indawo.
12 This is what I'm going to do to this place and to the people who live here, declares the Lord. I will turn this city into Topheth.
Lokhu yikho engizakwenza kule indawo lakulabo abahlala lapha, kutsho uThixo. Idolobho leli ngizalenza lifanane leThofethi.
13 All the houses of Jerusalem and the palaces of the kings of Judah will become unclean just like Topheth, because they are all the houses whose rooftops they used to burn incense to the sun, moon, and stars, and poured out drink offerings to other gods.
Izindlu zaseJerusalema kanye lezamakhosi akoJuda zizangcoliswa njengale indawo, iThofethi, zonke izindlu lapho abazatshisela khona impepha phezu kwezimpahla kuwo wonke amaxuku ezinkanyezi, bathelela abanye onkulunkulu umnikelo wokunathwayo.’”
14 Jeremiah returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to deliver this message. He went and stood in the court of the Lord's Temple and announced to everyone,
UJeremiya wabuya evela eThofethi, lapho uThixo ayemthume ukuyaphrofetha khona, wasesima egumeni lethempeli likaThixo wathi ebantwini bonke,
15 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Watch out! I am about to bring down on this city and on all its surrounding villages every disaster I warned them about, because they have stubbornly refused to listen to what I say.
“UThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, uthi: ‘Lalelani! Ngizakwehlisela kulelidolobho lasemizini elizungezileyo wonke umonakalo engawutshoyo, ngoba izintamo zabo zilukhuni njalo bayala ukulalela amazwi ami.’”

< Jeremiah 19 >