Is Anyone Honest and Faithful?
The Lord said to me:
1 “Search Jerusalem
for honest people
who try to be faithful.
If you can find even one,
I'll forgive the whole city.
2 Everyone breaks promises
made in my name.”
3 I answered, “I know
that you look for truth.
You punished your people
for their lies,
but in spite of the pain,
they became more stubborn
and refused to turn back
to you.”
4 Then I thought to myself,
“These common people
act like fools,
and they have never learned
what the Lord their God
demands of them.
5 So I'll go and talk to the leaders.
They know what God demands.”
But even they had decided
not to obey the Lord.
6 The people have rebelled
and rejected the Lord
too many times.
So enemies will attack
like lions from the forest
or wolves from the desert.
Those enemies will watch
the towns of Judah,
and like leopards
they will tear to pieces
whoever goes outside.
Enemies Will Punish Judah
The Lord said:
7 People of Judah,
how can I forgive you?
I gave you everything,
but you abandoned me
and worshiped idols.
You men go to prostitutes
and are unfaithful
to your wives.
8 You are no better than animals,
and you always want sex
with someone else's wife.
9 Why shouldn't I punish
the people of Judah?
10 I will tell their enemies,
“Go through my vineyard.
Don't destroy the vines,
but cut off the branches,
because they are the people
who don't belong to me.”
11 In every way, Judah and Israel
have been unfaithful to me.
* 12 Their prophets lie and say,
“The Lord won't punish us.
We will have peace
and plenty of food.”
13 They tell these lies in my name,
so now they will be killed in war
or starve to death.
14 I am the Lord God All-Powerful.
Jeremiah, I will tell you
exactly what to say.
Your words will be a fire;
Israel and Judah
will be the fuel.
15 People of Israel,
I have made my decision.
An army from a distant country
will attack you.
I've chosen an ancient nation,
and you won't understand
their language.
16 All of them are warriors,
and their arrows bring death.
17 This nation will eat your crops
and livestock;
they will leave no fruit
on your vines or fig trees.
And although you feel safe
behind thick walls,
your towns will be destroyed
and your children killed.
Israel Refused To Worship the Lord
18 The Lord said:
Jeremiah, the enemy army won't kill everyone in Judah. 19 And the people who survive will ask, “Why did the Lord our God do such terrible things to us?” Then tell them:
I am the Lord,
but you abandoned me
and worshiped other gods
in your own land.
Now you will be slaves
in a foreign country.
20 Tell these things to each other,
you people of Judah,
you descendants of Jacob.
21 You fools! Why don't you listen
when I speak?
Why can't you understand
22 that you should worship me
with fear and trembling?
I'm the one who made the shore
to hold back the ocean.
Waves may crash on the beach,
but they can come no farther.
23 You stubborn people have rebelled
and turned your backs on me.
24 You refuse to say,
“Let's worship the Lord!
He's the one who sends rain
in spring and autumn
and gives us a good harvest.”
25 That's why I cannot bless you!
* 26 A hunter traps birds
and puts them in a cage,
but some of you trap humans
and make them your slaves.
27 You are evil, and you lie and cheat
to make yourselves rich.
You are powerful
28 and prosperous,
but you refuse to help the poor
get the justice they deserve.
29 You need to be punished,
and so I will take revenge.
30 Look at the terrible things
going on in this country.
I am shocked!
31 Prophets give their messages
in the name of a false god,
my priests don't want
to serve me,
and you—my own people—
like it this way!
But on the day of disaster,
where will you turn for help?
Ouvi wa Jerusalem
1 Vature va Jerusalem,
tuurungeye omivanda vyeṋu!
Yevayeveye! Rimunineye oveni!
Paheye nawa poṋa pomarandisiro!
Mamu sora okumuna omundu umwe
ngu ma tjiti imbi mbi ri ovisemba,
nu ngu ma kondjo okukara
nouṱakame ku Ndjambi are?
Tji mwe mu munu, Muhona
ma isire Jerusalem.
2 Nandarire kutja mu tja mu
rikotamena ku Muhona,
kamu tjiti otja pu mu heya.
3 Tjiri, Muhona u paha ouṱakame.
Eye we mu tona,
nungwari eṋe kamu karere ko na tja;
eye we mu tona okuhihamisa,
nungwari eṋe mwa panḓa okurihonga.
Eṋe mwa ri ovirangaranga,
nu mwa panḓa okuritanaura.
4 Ami mbe ripura nai:
“Imba owo ovandu vokehi uriri,
nu kave nozondunge,
owo ve ritjinda ouyova;
kave tjiwa kutja Ndjambi wawo
u vanga tjike,
nokutja Muhona u vanga
kutja ve tjite tjike.
5 Ami me i kovandu ovanauvara
ne kahungira puna wo,
orondu owo, tjiri, mave tjiwa imbi Ndjambi
wawo mbye vanga,
na imbi Muhona mbye vanga kutja ve tjite.”
Nungwari owo avehe wina va imbirahi
ouvara wa Muhona,
nu ve panḓa okukara nonḓuviro ku ye.
6 Ozongeyama movihwa opu maze zu okuvezepa;
nozombungu zokuti onguza maze ve nyondorora,
novitotongwe mavi yekuveyeva movihuro vyawo.
Ovandu mbo tji mave piti, owo mave hahaurwa,
orondu ourunde wawo ouingi tjinene,
nu movikando pekepeke va poka ku Ndjambi.
7 Muhona wa pura a tja:
“Ovandu vandje meve isirire tjike omauvi wawo?
Ovanatje vawo ve ndji esa,
nave rikotamena koomukuru vovisenginina.
Ami mba parura ovandu vandje nga tji ve kuta,
nungwari owo va katuka otukupo,
nu va kara puna ovakorondu.
8 Owo va ri otja oukambe outwezu mbwa ṋunisiwa,
nu mbwe ura nozonḓuma,
auhe aa nanukire omukazendu womukwao.
9 Ami hi nokusokuveverera oviṋa otja imbi,
nokusutisa otjiwaṋa otja ihi are?
10 Ami me hindi ovanavita okukakonda
omivite vyotjiwaṋa tjandje,
nungwari kakukevinyona oparukaze.
Meve raere kutja ve pore otutavi,
orondu otutavi twi katwandje.
11 Ovaisrael nOvajuda kava ri
nouṱakame ku ami oparukaze.
Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona,
owami ngu mba hungire.”
Muhona ma imbirahi Israel
12 Otjiwaṋa tja Muhona tje mu pataṋa natji tja: “Eye, tjiri, ke na tji ma sora. Eṱe katu nokukara nomayuva omazeu; katu nokumuna ovita poo ondjara.” 13 Owo va tjere ovaprofete katjiṋa, owo ombepo uriri nu kave nombuze, ndji za ku Muhona. 14 Muhona, Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe, opa tjera nai ku ami: “Jeremia, mena rokutja ovandu mba va hungira oviṋa mbi, ami me sanisa embo randje komuriro motjinyo tjoye, nowo mave sana kozonguṋe, nomuriro mau ve seseta.”
15 Tjiwaṋa tja Israel, Muhona ma eta otjiwaṋa okuza kokure okuyekumurwisa. Otjo otjiwaṋa otjinamasa tji tji ha haverwa, notjikuru tjeraka ndi mu he ri i. 16 Ovayumbe vawo vouta ovarwe ozombangaṋe mbe zepa nokuhinotjari. 17 Owo mave sasaura ovihape novikurya vyeṋu; mave zepa ovanatje veṋu ovazandu novakazona, nozonyanda nozongombe zeṋu wina; nu mave yandeke omivite nomikuyu vyeṋu. Ovihuro mbya zeuparisiwa ku mwe riyameka, mavi nyonwa i ovimbumba vyawo vyovita.
18 Muhona ma tja nai: “Nungwari nangarire momayuva ngo, ami himee yandeke otjiwaṋa tjandje okumana. 19 Owo tji mave pura kutja okutjavi tji mba tjita oviṋa mbi, ve raera nai, Jeremia: ‘Otja indu tji mwa humburuka na ami namu kakarera oomukuru wozonganda mehi reṋu oveni, eṋe otjinga amamu kakarera ovandu wozonganda mehi ndi he ri oreṋu.’ ”
Ndjambi ma rongo otjiwaṋa tje
20 Muhona ma tja nai: “Raera ozondekurona za Jakob, nu u zuvarise nai kotjiwaṋa tja Juda: 21 Purateneye, mayova nomahipa, mbu mu nomeho, nungwari mbu mu ha munu, nu mbu mu nomatwi, nungwari mbu mu ha zuu. 22 Owami Muhona; okutjavi tji mu he ndji tira? Okutjavi tji mu ha zezera komurungu wandje? Ami mba twa po ozondunduvahi zeheke okurira omuruko wokuvare, omuruko omukarerere okuvare mbu ku ha tanana. Okuvare nanda ku riyumbu, kamaaku ruruma kombanda yawo; ozongazona nandi za hwaara kamaaze u teya. 23 Nungwari ove, tjiwaṋa, oove otjirangaranga notjipirukire; ove wa yepa mondjira nu we ndji esa. 24 Ko na pu we ripura okundjiyozika, nandi mbe ku rokisira ombura yokurooro noyoruteṋi moruveze orusemba, nandi mbe ku pa oruveze rwomakondero ombura aihe. 25 Moruveze rwanao, ourunde woye wa tjaera ondaya yoviṋa mbi oviwa kove.
26 “Ovanauvi ve ri mokati kotjiwaṋa tjandje, owo ve rangavara otja ovayeve mbe yara ozongwehe okukambura ozonḓera, nungwari tjandje owo va twa po ozombate zawo okupata ovandu. 27 Otja omuyeve tje urisa otjiwongo tje nozonḓera, owo otji ve urisa ozondjuwo zawo novipunda. Opu va za okurira ovanamasa novatumbe, 28 nopu va za okuṋuna nokuparuka nawa. Owo kave yandisa ozondjito zawo zouvi. Kave yandja ousemba kozosewa, nu kave raisa omausemba kovaṋiṋikiziwa.
29 “Nungwari, ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, meve verere oviṋa mbi; ami me sutisa otjiwaṋa otja ihi. 30 Otjiṋa otjitirise notjiurumise tja tjitwa mehi: 31 Ovaprofete ve hungira ovizeze porwavyo; ovapristeri ve honapara otja ovaprofete punga amave ve rakiza, notjiwaṋa tjandje katji panḓa. Nungwari owo mave tjiti vi, avihe mbi tji vya yanda?”
