A Warning for the People of Jerusalem
The Lord said:
1 Run for your lives,
people of Benjamin.
Get out of Jerusalem.
Sound a trumpet in Tekoa
and light a signal fire
in Beth-Haccherem.
Soon you will be struck
by disaster from the north.
2 Jerusalem is a lovely pasture,
3 but shepherds will surround it
and divided up,
then let their flocks
eat all the grass.
4 Kings will tell their troops,
“If we reach Jerusalem
in the morning,
we'll attack at noon.
But if we arrive later,
5 we'll attack after dark
and destroy its fortresses.”
6 I am the Lord All-Powerful,
and I will command these armies
to chop down trees
and build a ramp up to the walls
of Jerusalem.
People of Jerusalem,
I must punish you
for your injustice.
7 Evil pours from your city
like water from a spring.
Sounds of injustice and violence
echo within your walls;
victims are everywhere,
wounded and dying.
8 Listen to me,
you people of Jerusalem
and Judah.
I will abandon you,
and your land will become
an empty desert.
9 I will tell your enemies
to leave your nation bare
like a vine stripped of grapes.
I, the Lord All-Powerful,
have spoken.
Jeremiah's Anger
10 I have told the people
that you, Lord,
will punish them,
but they just laugh
and refuse to listen.
11 Your anger against Judah
flames up inside me,
and I can't hold it in
much longer.
The Lord's Anger Will Sweep Everyone Away
The Lord answered:
Don't hold back my anger!
Let it sweep away everyone—
the children at play
and all adults,
young and old alike.
12 I'll punish the people of Judah
and give to others
their houses and fields,
as well as their wives.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 Everyone is greedy and dishonest,
whether poor or rich.
Even the prophets and priests
cannot be trusted.
14 All they ever offer
to my deeply wounded people
are empty hopes for peace.
15 They should be ashamed
of their disgusting sins,
but they don't even blush.
And so, when I punish Judah,
they will end up on the ground,
dead like everyone else.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The People of Judah Rejected God's Way of Life
16 The Lord said:
My people, when you stood
at the crossroads,
I told you, “Follow the road
your ancestors took,
and you will find peace.”
But you refused.
17 I also sent prophets
to warn you of danger,
but when they sounded the alarm,
you paid no attention.
18 So I tell all nations on earth,
“Watch what I will do!
19 My people ignored me
and rejected my laws.
They planned to do evil,
and now the evil they planned
will happen to them.”
20 People of Judah,
you bring me incense from Sheba
and spices from distant lands.
You offer sacrifices of all kinds.
But why bother?
I hate these gifts of yours!
21 So I will put stumbling blocks
in your path,
and everyone will die,
including parents and children,
neighbors and friends.
An Army from the North
22 The Lord said,
“Look toward the north,
where a powerful nation
has prepared for war.
23 Its well-armed troops are cruel
and never show mercy.
Their galloping horses sound
like ocean waves
pounding on the shore.
This army will attack you,
lovely Jerusalem.”
24 Then the people said,
“Just hearing about them
makes us tremble with fear,
and we twist and turn in pain
like a woman giving birth.”
25 The Lord said,
“Don't work in your fields
or walk along the roads.
It's too dangerous.
The enemy is well armed
26 and attacks without warning.
So mourn, my people, as though
your only child had died.
Wear clothes made of sackcloth
and roll in the ash pile.”
The Lord's People Must Be Tested
The Lord said:
27 Jeremiah, test my people
as though they were metal.
28 And you'll find they are hard
like bronze and iron.
They are stubborn rebels,
always spreading lies.
* 29-30 Silver can be purified
in a fiery furnace,
but my people are too wicked
to be made pure,
and so I have rejected them.
Jerusalem tja koverwa i ovanavita
1 Tjiwaṋa tja Benjamin, taurireye kondjamo! Heneye mOjerusalem! Posiseye ohiva mOtekoa, nu mu zike mo otjihako tjomuriro mObet-Hakerem! Otjiwonga nomanyoneno omanene vi ri pokuya okuza komukuma wokokunene kweyuva. 2 Otjihuro tja Sion otjiwa otjimanise, nungwari ami me tji yandeke; 3 ozombara maze ya okutura mo novimbumba vyazo vyovita. Maze tono ozondanda okukondorokisa otjihuro, nu auhe ma katura puma vanga. 4 Ozo maze tja nai: “Rirongereye, mu karwise Jerusalem! Riṱuneye! Matu ketjirwisa mutenya!” Nungwari tjazumba ozo maze tja nai: “Owee, oruveze rwa kapita, eyuva ri ri pokutoka, novizire vyomapeta mavi rire ovire. 5 Riṱuneye! Matu ketjirwisa ouṱuku; eṱe matu kahahaura ozondjuwo zatjo zouhona.”
6 Muhona Omunamasaaehe wa rakiza ozombara nḓa okuka omiti nokutunga ozondunduvahi okukovera Jerusalem. Eye wa tja nai: “Ami me vere otjihuro hi, orondu otjo tje ura nomaṋiṋikiziro. 7 Otja ondjombo punga ai ṱakamisira omeva wayo koupe, Jerusalem opunga atji ṱakamisira ouvi watjo koupe. Ami me zuu outwe nomaṋiṋikiziro motjihuro; akuhe me munu ko omitjise novirwaro porwavyo. 8 Vature va Jerusalem, oumba mbwi ngau rire omaronga ku eṋe, tjapo ami me mu pe etambo; ami me tjiti otjihuro tjeṋu okurira okuti onguza, poṋa pu pe hi na maape tura ovandu.”
Israel otjiwaṋa otjipirukire
9 Muhona Omunamasaaehe wa tja nai ku ami: “Israel matji kohororwa tjimuna omuvite ku kwa nikorwa omandjembere aehe. Otji mo sokuyama auhe ngu mo sora, ngunda ape noruveze.”
10 Ami mba zira nai: “Owaṋi ngu ma puratene ku ami tji me hungire ku wo nokuveronga? Owo ovirangaranga, nu ve panḓa okuzuva ombuze yoye; owo ve yora imbi ove mbi we ndji raera kutja mbi ve tjivise, nu kave nonyuṋe mu vyo. 11 Omazenge woye ku wo ye ndji nyosa momutima wandje wina, Muhona; nu ami hi nokusora okuyeyarura pehi.”
Muhona wa tja nai ku ami: “Tirira omazenge wandje kovanatje momivanda na poṋa pu pe woronganena omitanda. Ovarumendu novakazendu mave huurwa, nangarire omukururume ke nokuyamwa. 12 Ozondjuwo zawo maze yandjewa ku varwe, nomahi wawo womakunino novakazendu vawo wina. Ami me kavera ovandu avehe, mba tura mehi ndi. 13 Auhe, omunene nokaṱiṱi, u kara neraru rovimariva vyouhasemba, nangarire ovaprofete novapristeri ve tikura ovandu. 14 Owo ve tjita aayo ovirwaro vyotjiwaṋa tjandje vya ri ozonganununa uriri. Owo ve tja: ‘Ohange! Ohange’, nungwari tjandje kape nohange. 15 Va ṱohoṋi mena rokutja va tjita oviṋa oviyaukise mbi are? Kako, owo kave ṱire ohoṋi oparukaze; kamaave raisa ohoṋi yawo. Nowo otji mave u otja imba ovakwao tji va wa; ami tji mbe ve vere, ma rire ondjandero yawo. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba hungire.”
Israel ma imbirahi ondjira ya Ndjambi
16 Muhona wa tja nai kotjiwaṋa tje: “Kurameye pomahakaeneno wozondjira, nu mu yevayeve. Konḓononeye ozondjira ozonguru, na pu pe nondjira, ndji yenda kouṋingandu. Ryangeye mu yo, neṋe mamu kara norusuvo.”
Nungwari otjiwaṋa tja tja nai: “Ayee, kako, katu nokuryanga mu yo!” 17 Muhona otja zika ovatjevere kutja ovandu ve puratene kombosiro yohiva. Nungwari owo va tja: “Eṱe katu nokupuratena ko.”
18 Muhona arire tja tja: “Purateneye, eṋe viwaṋa, nu mu zuve imbi mbi mavi tjitwa kotjiwaṋa tjandje. 19 Purateneye, eṋe mahi! Ami me eta otjiwonga kotjiwaṋa hi kutja tji rire omberero komeripuriro wawo omavi aehe, owo tjinga ava imbirahi omahongero wandje nave ha karere nonḓuviro komambo wandje. 20 Mbi na ko na tja novyomoro omuwa mbi ve ndji etere okuza kOseba poo novizumba vyehi rokokure are? Ami hi nokuyakura ko ozombunguhiro zawo ozoningiririsiwa, nu hi nonyuṋe mozombunguhiro zawo zovinamuinyo. 21 Nu ami otji me putarisa otjiwaṋa hi, notjo matji u. Ooihe novanatje vawo mave ṱu, nomapanga novararanganda wina.”
Omarwisiro okuza komukuma wokokunene kweyuva
22 Muhona ma tja nai: “Otjiwaṋa matji zu kehi rokeyuva kokunene; otjiwaṋa otjinamasa tjokokure matji rirongerere ovita. 23 Owo va toora omauta nomangaruvyo wawo; owo ovanautwe, nu kave notjari. Ve hwaara tjimuna ozongazona zokuvare, tji mave kavire oukambe wawo nu ve rirongerera okurwisa Jerusalem.”
24 Ovature va Jerusalem mave tja nai: “Eṱe twa zuva ombuze ndji, narire tji twe rihahiza; eṱe twa wirwa i ombamisiro nomihihamo tjimuna ozongama zomukazendu mombandukiro. 25 Eṱe katu sokuyenda pendje mokuti poo okuryanga mozondjira, ovanavita na eṱe tjinga ave ripangaṋa novirwise, nomburuma aye tu wira.”
26 Muhona ma tja nai kotjiwaṋa tje: “Rizariseye ozombanda zomakutu nu mu rangere momutwe. Kareye noruhoze orunene otja omundu tji ma riri omuatje we omuzandu omukwatwa erike, orondu ingwi ngu meya okumuyandeka ma rwisa tjimanga. 27 Jeremia, rora otjiwaṋa tjandje otja tji mo roro otjitenda, u mune kutja otjo tja sana pi. 28 Otjo atjihe otjirangaranga otjipirukire, otjikukutu tjimuna ongoporo notjitenda. Otjo tja zunḓaka, nu tji taka omambo. 29 Omupepo u rurumisa omuriro nomasa, nungwari ovitenda mbya imbirahiwa kavi zuzuka nu kavi zu po. Kahepero okukara pokukohorora otjiwaṋa tjandje, orondu imba ovanauvi kave nokuisiwa mo mu tjo. 30 Owo mave isanewa kutja ‘Osilveri ndja imbirahiwa,’ orondu ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mbe ve imbirahi.”
