< Jeremiah 20 >

1 Pashhur, son of Immer, was a priest and the official in charge of the Lord's Temple. When he heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,
Kwathi uPhashuri umphristi indodana ka-Imeri, induna enkulu ethempelini likaThixo, ezwe uJeremiya ephrofitha lezizinto,
2 he beat Jeremiah the prophet and had him put in the stocks at the Upper Benjamin Gate, near to the Lord's Temple.
wenza ukuthi uJeremiya umphrofethi atshaywe njalo wamvalela esitokisini eSangweni laPhezulu koBhenjamini ethempelini likaThixo.
3 The following day, when Pashhur had Jeremiah released from the stocks, Jeremiah told him, “The Lord doesn't call you Pashhur (tear in pieces), but Magor-missabib (terror is everywhere).
Ngosuku olwalandelayo, uPhashuri esemkhupha esitokisini, uJeremiya wathi kuye, “Ibizo lakho oliphiwe nguThixo akusiPhashuri, kodwa uMagori-Misabibi,
4 For this is what the Lord says: I'm going to make you terrified—you and all those you love. Enemies will kill them as you watch. I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will kill some, and the rest he will take away into exile in Babylon.
ngoba uThixo uthi: ‘Ngizakwenza ubelucuku ngokwakho lakubo bonke abangane bakho; uzababona ngamehlo akho besiwa ngenkemba yezitha zabo. UJuda wonke ngizamnikela enkosini yaseBhabhiloni, ezabathumba ibase eBhabhiloni loba ibabulale ngenkemba.
5 I'm going to give it all away. All the wealth of this city, all the results of hard work, all the valuables, all the crown jewels of Judah's kings—I'm going to hand it over to their enemies, who will take it as plunder and carry it off to Babylon.
Yonke inotho yedolobho leli ngizayipha izitha zabo lazozonke izithelo zalo, zonke izinto zalo eziligugu kanye lemfuyo yonke yamakhosi akoJuda zizayithumba njengempango ziyithwalele eBhabhiloni.
6 You, Pashhur, and everyone who lives with you, will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon. You will die there and be buried—you and all those you love, those to whom you prophesied lies.”
Wena Phashuri, labo bonke abahlala endlini yakho lizathunjwa liye eBhabhiloni. Uzafela khonale, ungcwatshwe khonale, wena kanye labangane bakho bonke ophrofetha amanga kubo.’”
7 You fooled me, Lord, and I let myself be fooled! You're stronger than me—you've won! I've become a joke people laugh at all day long. Everyone is mocking me.
Awu Thixo, wangiyenga, ngayengeka; wangehlula wanqoba. Ngiyahlekwa insuku zonke; bonke bayangiklolodela.
8 This is because every time I open my mouth I have to shout out warnings of violence and destruction. The Lord's message has become the reason people criticize and ridicule me the whole time.
Zonke izikhathi lapho ngikhuluma, ngiyakhala ngimemezela ukuba kube lodlakela lokuchitheka. Ngakho ilizwi likaThixo selingilethele isithuko lensolo ilanga lonke.
9 If I tell myself, “I won't talk about him anymore, I won't even mention his name,” then his message is like a fire trapped within me, burning me from the inside out. I'm getting tired of holding it in. I just can't win.
Kodwa nxa ngisithi, “Kangiyikumqamba loba ngikhulume ngebizo lakhe futhi,” ilizwi lakhe lisenhliziyweni yami njengomlilo, umlilo ovalelwe emathanjeni ami. Sengidiniwe ngokuligodla ngaphakathi; impela, ngingeke nganelise.
10 I've heard many people gossiping: “He's the one who says, ‘terror is everywhere!’ He has to be reported! Report what he's doing!” All my good friends are waiting for me to slip up. “Maybe he'll make a mistake so we can defeat him and get our revenge on him,” they say.
Ngizwa abanengi benyenyeza besithi, “Kulokuthuthumela indawo yonke! Mmangaleleni! Kasimangalele!” Abangane bami bonke balindele ukuwa kwami, besithi, “Mhlawumbe uzakhohliseka; besesimehlula siphindisele kuye.”
11 But the Lord stands beside me like a powerful warrior. So those who are attacking me will fall. They won't win! Because they're not successful they will be totally disgraced. Their shame won't ever be forgotten.
Kodwa uThixo ulami njengebutho elilamandla; ngakho abangihluphayo bazakuwa banganqobi. Bazakwehluleka njalo bayangeke kakhulu; ihlazo labo kaliyikukhohlakala lanini.
12 Lord Almighty, you know without question who is living right. You examine people's thoughts and feelings. So let me see your punishment fall on them, because I've trusted you to judge my case.
Awu Thixo Somandla, wena ohlola abalungileyo, uhlole inhliziyo lengqondo, kangibone ukuphindisela kwakho kubo, ngoba indaba yami ngiyinikele kuwe.
13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he saves the poor from the power of the wicked.
Hlabelani uThixo! Limdumise uThixo! Uhlenga impilo yabaswelayo ezandleni zababi.
14 May the day I was born be cursed! May the day my mother gave birth to me never be blessed!
Kaluqalekiswe usuku engazalwa ngalo! Usuku umama angizala ngalo kalungabusiswa!
15 May the man be cursed who brought my father the news that made him really happy, saying, “You have a son.”
Kaqalekiswe umuntu owayabikela ubaba izindaba, owamemeza wathaba, esithi, “Uzalelwe indodana!”
16 May that man be like the towns that the Lord destroyed without mercy. May he hear shouts of alarm in the morning and war-cries at noon,
Lowomuntu kabe njengamadolobho uThixo awachitha kungekho sihawu. Kezwe ukulila ekuseni, lomkhosi wempi emini.
17 because he should have killed me in the womb so that my mother would have been my grave, remaining pregnant forever.
Ngoba kangibulalelanga esiswini, umama enjengengcwaba lami, isisu sakhe sikhukhumele kokuphela.
18 Why was I born only to see trouble and sadness, and to end my life in shame?
Ngaphumelani esiswini ukuba ngibone uhlupho losizi njalo akuthi ngiphethe insuku zami ngiphakathi kwehlazo?

< Jeremiah 20 >