The Lord Will Destroy the People of Judah
1 The Lord told me to speak with the Jews who were living in the towns of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis in northern Egypt, and also to those living in southern Egypt. He told me to tell them:
2 I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel. You saw how I destroyed Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. They lie empty and in ruins today, 3 because the people of Judah made me angry by worshiping gods that had never helped them or their ancestors.
4 Time after time I sent my servants the prophets to tell the people of Judah how much I hated their disgusting sins. The prophets warned them to stop sinning, 5 but they refused to listen and would not stop worshiping other gods. 6 Finally, my anger struck like a raging flood, and today Jerusalem and the towns of Judah are nothing but empty ruins.
7 Why do you now insist on heading for another disaster? A disaster that will destroy not only you, but also your children and babies. 8 You have made me angry by worshiping idols and burning incense to other gods after you came here to Egypt. You will die such a disgusting death, that other nations will use the name of Judah as a curse word. 9 When you were living in Jerusalem and Judah, you followed the example of your ancestors in doing evil things, just like your kings and queens. 10 Even now, your pride keeps you from respecting me and obeying the laws and teachings I gave you and your ancestors.
11 I, the Lord All-Powerful, have decided to wipe you out with disasters. 12 There were only a few of you left in Judah, and you decided to go to Egypt. But you will die such horrible deaths in war or from starvation, that people of other countries will use the name of Judah as a curse word. 13 I punished Jerusalem with war, hunger, and disease, and that's how I will punish you. 14 None of you will survive. You may hope to return to Judah someday, but only a very few of you will escape death and be able to go back.
The People Refuse To Worship the Lord
15 A large number of Jews from both northern and southern Egypt listened to me as I told them what the Lord had said. Most of the men in the crowd knew that their wives often burned incense to other gods. So they and their wives shouted:
16 Jeremiah, what do we care if you speak in the Lord's name? We refuse to listen! 17 We have promised to worship the goddess Astarte, the Queen of Heaven, and that is exactly what we are going to do. We will burn incense and offer sacrifices of wine to her, just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders did when we lived in Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah. We had plenty of food back then. We were well off, and nothing bad ever happened to us. 18 But since the time we stopped burning incense and offering wine sacrifices to her, we have been dying from war and hunger.
19 Then the women said, “When we lived in Judah, we worshiped the Queen of Heaven and offered sacrifices of wine and special loaves of bread shaped like her. Our husbands knew what we were doing, and they approved of it.”
20 Then I told the crowd:
21 Don't you think the Lord knew that you and your ancestors, your leaders and kings, and the rest of the people were burning incense to other gods in Jerusalem and everywhere else in Judah? 22 And when he could no longer put up with your disgusting sins, he placed a curse on your land and turned it into a desert, as it is today. 23 This disaster happened because you worshiped other gods and rebelled against the Lord by refusing to obey him or follow his laws and teachings.
24-25 Then I told the men and their wives, that the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said:
Here in Egypt you still keep your promises to burn incense and offer sacrifices of wine to the so-called Queen of Heaven. 26 Keep these promises! But let me tell you what will happen. As surely as I am the Lord God, I swear that I will never again accept any promises you make in my name. 27 Instead of watching over you, I will watch for chances to harm you. Some of you will die in war, and others will starve to death. 28 Only a few will escape and return to Judah. Then everyone who went to live in Egypt will know that when I say something will happen, it will—no matter what you say.
29 And here is how you will know that I will keep my threats to punish you in Egypt. 30 I will hand over King Hophra of Egypt to those who want to kill him, just as I handed Zedekiah over to Nebuchadnezzar, who wanted to kill him.
1 Muhona wa hungira notjinyo tjandje kOvaisrael avehe, mba tura mOengipte movihuro mbi ooMigdol na Takpanhes na Memfis, na motukondwa twokeyuva kokumuho kwehi. 2 Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, wa tja nai ku ami: “Eṋe oveni mwa muna omanyoneno ngu mba eta kOjerusalem na kovihuro ovikwao avihe vya Juda. Nandarire nambano ovyo omatundu, nu kape na umwe ngwa tura mu vyo. 3 Ihi tja tjitwa nai, ovature vavyo tjinga ava tjitire ourunde, nu ave ndji pindikisire mokupunguhira oomukuru varwe ozombunguhiro na mokukarera oomukuru, owo na eṋe nooiho mukururume mbu mu hi na mwe ve tjivirwe. 4 Ami mba kara pokumutumina ovakarere vandje avehe, imba ovaprofete, mbe mu raera kutja amu ha tjiti oviṋa oviyaukise ami mbi mba tonda. 5 Nungwari eṋe kamu puratenene ko, nu kamu ningire ko na tja. Eṋe kamu isire ozondjito zeṋu ozombi zokupunguhira oomukuru varwe ozombunguhiro. 6 Ami otji mba tirira omazenge nomapindi wandje kovihuro vya Juda na momivanda vya Jerusalem, ne vi nyosa nomuriro. Ovyo vya isiwa omatundu navi rire ombunikiro ondjaukise otja tjinga avi ri ndinondi.
7 “Komuhingo mbwi ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, me pura nambano kutja okutjavi tji mu ritjitira oviṋa ovivi otja imbi. Mu vanga okueta oviwonga kovarumendu novakazendu novanatje novanyame kutja ape ha hupu umwe wovandu veṋu are? 8 Eṋe mu ndji pindikisira tjike tji mu rikotamena koviserekarera vyovisenginina mokupunguha ozombunguhiro koomukuru varwe muno mOengipte mu mwe ya okutura? Mwa tjitira kutja mu rinyone oveni, kokutja oviwaṋa avihe mouye vi mu nyekerere nu vi ungurise ena reṋu otja osengiro are? 9 Mwa zemba ozondjito azehe zourunde, nḓa tjitwa movihuro vya Juda, na momivanda vya Jerusalem i ooiho mukururume nozombara za Juda novakazendu vazo, na eṋe novakazendu vazo, na eṋe novakazendu veṋu are? 10 Nungwari eṋe nga ku ndinondi kamuye risusuparisa. Kamuye ndji yozika, nu kamuya ṱakamisa omatwako nomazikamisiro wandje ngu mba yandjere ku eṋe na kooiho mukururume.
11 “Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, otji me taurire mu eṋe, nu e yandeke otjiwaṋa tja Juda atjihe. 12 Ami me yandeke Ovajuda avehe, mba sewa po nu mbe rimanene okukatura kOengipte. Avehe vawo, ovanene nouṱiṱi, mave kokere mOengipte, nu mave ṱu movita poo i ondjara. Owo mave rire ombunikiro ondjaukise; ovandu mave ve nyekerere nu mave ungurisa ena rawo otja osengiro. 13 Otja punga amba verere Jerusalem novita nondjara nomutjise omuzeu, opunga ame vere imba Ovajuda mba tura mOengipte. 14 Kape na umwe wawo ngwe ya kOengipte okuyekutura, ngu ma taura poo ngu ma hupu. Kape na umwe wawo ngu ma yaruka kOjuda, ku ve zera okukatura rukwao. Kape na ngu ma yaruka posi yovataure tjiva.”
15 Ovarumendu avehe, mbaa ve tjiwa kutja ovakazendu vawo ave punguhire oomukuru varwe ozombunguhiro, novakazendu avehe, mba kuramene mbo, nOvaisrael mba turire komukuma wokeyuva kokumuho kwa Engipte, avehe kumwe, mba ri otjimbumba otjinene, va tja nai ku ami: 16 “Eṱe matu panḓa okupuratena komambo ngu we tu raera mena ra Muhona. 17 Eṱe matu tjiti oviṋa avihe mbi twa tja matu tjiti: Matu twimisa ovyomoro omuwa komukuru wetu Ombara Oserekaze yEyuru, nu matu i tiririre ozombunguhiro zomavinu tjimuna eṱe nootate mukururume nozombara zetu novahongore vetu tjiyatu tjiti movihuro vya Juda na momivanda vya Jerusalem. Momayuva ngo eṱe twa ri novikurya ovingi, twa ningaparere nu katwa ri noumba. 18 Nungwari okuza ndi tji twa isa okutwimisira omukuru wetu Ombara Oserekaze yEyuru ovyomoro omuwa, na indu tji twa isa okuitiririra ozombunguhiro zomavinu, otji twa yaruka okukara nouhepe, novandu vetu va ṱa movita nokuṱa i ondjara.”
19 Novakazendu va weza okuhungira ave tja: “Eṱe tjiyatu tereke omavanda, nga ri nosaneno yOmbara Oserekaze yEyuru, nokuitwimisira ovyomoro omuwa nokuitiririra ozombunguhiro zomavinu, ovarumendu vetu ave tjaterwa i imbi mbi matu tjiti.”
20 Ami arire tji mba ziri otjiwaṋa atjihe, ovarumendu novakazendu, novandu avehe mbe ndji zira komuhingo mbo, e tja: 21 “Ozombunguhiro eṋe nooiho mukururume nozombara zeṋu novahongore veṋu novandu avehe vehi nḓuyamu punguhire movihuro vya Juda na momivanda vya Jerusalem, mamu tjangovasi Muhona keeze tjiwa poo we ze zemba are? 22 Meyuva tjingero ndo ehi reṋu otji ra rira ongaango namu ha tura omundu. Oro ra rira ombunikiro ondjaukise, novandu ve ungurisa ena raro otja osengiro, Muhona tjinde e hi nokuuhara ama zara ozondjito zeṋu ozombi ozondjaukise. 23 Oumba mbwi wa nambano weya ku eṋe, tjinga amwa twimisira oomukuru varwe ovyomoro omuwa, namwa tura ondjo komurungu wa Muhona mokuhinokukara nonḓuviro komatwako na komazikamisiro na komaraerero we aehe.”
24-25 Ami mba raera otjiwaṋa atjihe, tjinene ovakazendu avehe, omambo, nga hungirwa i Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, kotjiwaṋa tja Juda atjihe tji tji tura mOengipte, indu tja tja nai: “Eṋe novakazendu veṋu mwa tjita omakwizikiro omanene kombara Oserekaze yEyuru. Eṋe mwa kwizika kutja mamu i twimisire ovyomoro omuwa, nokutja mamu i tiririre ozombunguhiro zomavinu; nu mwa yenenisa omakwizikiro weṋu nga. Osemba, vari! Ṱakamiseye omakwizikiro weṋu. Yeneniseye otuyano tweṋu! 26 Nungwari nambano purateneye koruyano ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, ndu mba tjita mena randje enamasa ku eṋe Ovaisrael amuhe moengipte: Ami himee yandjere rukwao ngamwa auhe weṋu okutamuna ena randje mokutjita oruyano ama tja: ‘Ami me yana ku Muhona Ndjambi omunamuinyo!’ 27 Orondu ami hi nakumuṋingaparisa rukwao, nungwari me mu yandeke. Amuhe mamu tu movita poo mamu ṱu i ondjara, nga tji pe hi nokusewa omundu. 28 Nungwari tjiva veṋu mave taurire onḓiro nave yaruka kOjuda okuza kOengipte. Tjazumba imba mba hupu, mave tjiwa kutja omambo nge nouatjiri owauṋe, owandje poo owawo. 29 Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, me mu pe otjiraisiro tjokutja me mu verere mehi ndi, nokutja omakwizikiro wandje wokumuyandeka maye yenenisiwa. 30 Ami me yandja Hofra, ombara ya Engipte, kovanavita na ye mbu mave vanga okumuzepa tjimuna tji mba yandjere Sidkija, ombara ya Juda, mouvara wa Nebukadnesar, ombara ya Babilon, ngwa ri omunavita na ye, nu ngwa vangere okumuzepa.”
