Jeremiah Speaks in the Temple
(Jeremiah 26.1-6)1-3 The Lord told me to stand by the gate of the temple and tell the people who were going in that the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said:
Pay attention, people of Judah! Change your ways and start living right, then I will let you keep on living in your own country. 4 Don't fool yourselves! My temple is here in Jerusalem, but that doesn't mean I will protect you. 5 I will keep you safe only if you change your ways and are fair and honest with each other. 6 Stop taking advantage of foreigners, orphans, and widows. Don't kill innocent people. And stop worshiping other gods. 7 Then I will let you enjoy a long life in this land I gave your ancestors.
8 But just look at what is happening! You put your trust in worthless lies. 9 You steal and murder; you lie in court and are unfaithful in marriage. You worship idols and offer incense to Baal, when these gods have never done anything for you. 10 And then you come into my temple and worship me! Do you think I will protect you so that you can go on sinning? 11 You are thieves, and you have made my temple your hideout. But I've seen everything you have done.
12 Go to Shiloh, where my sacred tent once stood. Take a look at what I did there. My people Israel sinned, and so I destroyed Shiloh!
13 While you have been sinning, I have been trying to talk to you, but you refuse to listen. 14 Don't think this temple will protect you. Long ago I told your ancestors to build it and worship me here, but now I have decided to tear it down, just as I destroyed Shiloh. 15 And as for you, people of Judah, I'm going to send you away from my land, just as I sent away the people of Ephraim and the other northern tribes.
Punishment for Worshiping Other Gods
16 Jeremiah, don't pray for these people! I, the Lord, would refuse to listen. 17 Do you see what the people of Judah are doing in their towns and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 Children gather firewood, their fathers build fires, and their mothers mix dough to bake bread for the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven. They even offer wine sacrifices to other gods, just to insult me. 19 But they are not only insulting me; they are also harming themselves by doing these shameful things.
20 And now, I, the Lord All-Powerful, will flood Judah with my fiery anger until nothing is left—no people or animals, no trees or crops.
It Is Useless To Offer Sacrifices
21 The Lord told me to say to the people of Judah:
I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, but I won't accept sacrifices from you. So don't even bother bringing them to me. You might as well just cook the meat for yourselves.
22 At the time I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, I didn't command them to offer sacrifices to me. 23 Instead, I told them, “If you listen to me and do what I tell you, I will be your God, you will be my people, and all will go well for you.” 24 But your ancestors refused to listen. They were stubborn, and whenever I wanted them to go one way, they always went the other. 25 Ever since your ancestors left Egypt, I have been sending my servants the prophets to speak for me. 26 But you have ignored me and become even more stubborn and sinful than your ancestors ever were!
Slaughter Valley
The Lord said:
27 Jeremiah, no matter what you do, the people won't listen. 28 So you must say to them:
People of Judah, I am the Lord your God, but you have refused to obey me, and you didn't change when I punished you. And now, you no longer even pretend to be faithful to me.
29 Shave your head bald
and throw away the hair.
Sing a funeral song
on top of a barren hill.
You people have made me angry,
and I have abandoned you.
30 You have disobeyed me by putting your disgusting idols in my temple, and now the temple itself is disgusting to me. 31 At Topheth in Hinnom Valley you have built altars where you kill your children and burn them as sacrifices to other gods. I would never think of telling you to do this. 32 So watch out! Someday that place will no longer be called Topheth or Hinnom Valley. It will be called Slaughter Valley, because you will bury your dead there until you run out of room, 33 and then bodies will lie scattered on the ground. Birds and wild animals will come and eat, and no one will be around to scare them off. 34 When I am finished with your land, there will be deathly silence in the empty ruins of Jerusalem and the towns of Judah—no happy voices, no sounds of parties or wedding celebrations.
1 Muhona wa hungira embo ndi ku Jeremia a tja: 2 “Twende u kakurame pomuvero omunene wondjuwo ya Muhona, a rire pu wa kazuvarisira ombuze ndji: ‘Purateneye kembo ra Muhona, eṋe amuhe vandu va Juda mbu mu hitira momivero mbi okukerikotamena ku Muhona.’ ” 3 Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, ma tja nai: “Rundurureye ongaro nozondjito zeṋu, nami me mu yandjere kutja mu ture mba. 4 Iseye okukara nongamburiro momambo omawovise otja inga: ‘Eṱe katu notjipo orondu indji ondjuwo ya Muhona, indji ondjuwo ya Muhona, tjiri, ondjuwo ya Muhona oyo ndji!’
5 “Rundurureye ongaro nozondjito zeṋu, nu amu tjiti oviṋa, mbi mu tjita. Tjitasaneye ousemba. 6 Amu ṋiṋikiza ko ovandu wozonganda nozosewa novahepundu. Amu zepa ko ovandu ovehinandjo mehi ndi. Iseye okurikotamena koomukuru varwe, orondu mokutjita nao mamu yandekwa. 7 Tji mwe ritanaura, ami me mu turisa muno mehi, ndi mba yandja kooiho mukururume ri rire ouini wawo oukarerere.
8 “Tareye, eṋe mu riyameka komambo omawovise nge hi nombatero. 9 Eṋe mu vaka, mu zepa nu mu katuka otukupo, mu yana ovizeze, mu punguhira Baal ozombunguhiro, nu mu rikotamena koomukuru mbu mu hi na mwe ve tjivirwe rukuru. 10 Eṋe mu tjita avihe mbi mbi mba tonda, tjazumba otji mu ya namu kurama momurungu wandje, mondjuwo yandje omuini, amu tja: ‘Eṱe katu noumba!’ 11 Mamu tjangovasi ondjuwo yandje oyo ondimba yovapunde are? Osemba, ami wina me i vara nao. 12 Twendeye kOsilo, koṋa ami rukuru ku mba toororere okurikotamenenwa, nu mu katare ihi ami tji mba tjita ku tjo mena romauvi wotjiwaṋa tjandje Israel. 13 Eṋe mwa tjita omauvi aehe nga, nu nandarire kutja mba hungira kuna eṋe potuingi, eṋe mwa panḓa okupuratena. Kamu vangere okuitavera, indu tji mbe mu isana. 14 Komuhingo mbwi, ihi tji mba tjita kOsilo, otjinga ame tjiti kondjuwo yandje ndji, eṋe ku mwe riyameka. Poṋa mba pu mba yandjere kooiho mukururume na ku eṋe, ami opu me tjitire po otjiṋa tjingetjo hi tji mba tjita kOsilo. 15 Ami me mu ramba komurungu wandje otja tji mba rambere ovazamumwe veṋu, imbwi omuhoko auhe wa Efraim. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba hungire.”
Okuhinonḓuviro kwotjiwaṋa
16 Muhona wa tja nai: “Jeremia, o kumbire otjiwaṋa hi. O hekene tjo. O riyarikaṋa ku ami, orondu ami hi nokupuratena kove. 17 Ko nokumuna imbi owo mbi mave tjiti movihuro vya Juda na momivanda vya Jerusalem are? 18 Ovanatje mave tyora ozonguṋe, ooihe mave yakisa omuriro, novakazendu mave rungu oruhere okutereka omavanda womukuru oserekaze wotjisenginina ngu ve isana kutja ‘Ombara oserekaze yEyuru.’ Owo wina ve punguhira oomukuru varwe ozombunguhiro zomavinu kokutja ve ndji hihamise omutima. 19 Nungwari owami, tjiri, ngu mave hihamisa omutima are? Kako, owo mave rihihamisa oveni, nu mave riṱisa oveni ohoṋi. 20 Komuhingo mbwi ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, otji me tirire omazenge wandje omandandi kondjuwo ndji. Ami me ye tirire kovandu na kovipuka wina, nangarire komiti na kovikunwa. Omazenge wandje maye sana komuriro mbu hi na indu maau zemisiwa i omundu.”
21 Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, ma tja nai: “Tjiwaṋa tjandje, punguhireye uriri ozombunguhiro zeṋu ozoningiririsiwa nozovinamuinyo kotjipunguhiro, nu mu rye onyama aihe yozombunguhiro nḓa! 22 Ami hi yandjere omarakiza wozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa poo wozombunguhiro ngamwa azehe zarwe kooiho mukururume, indu tji mbe ve pitisire mOengipte. 23 Nungwari ami mbe ve rakizire kutja ve kare nonḓuviro ku ami, kokutja ami mbi rire Ndjambi wawo, nowo ve rire otjiwaṋa tjandje; nu mbe ve raera kutja ve ryange mondjira, ndji mbe ve rakizire, kokutja ve ṋingapare.
24 “Nungwari owo kave karere nonḓuviro, nu kave ningire ko na tja. Moruveze rwanao owo va tjita imbi ngamwa omitima vyawo omirangaranga nominauvi mbi vye ve raera okutjita; nowo va ririra ko ovavi moruveze rwokurira ovasemba. 25 Okuza keyuva ndo ooiho mukururume ndi va pitire mOengipte nga ku ndinondi ami mba kara pokuhinda ovakarere vandje avehe, imba ovaprofete, ku eṋe. 26 Nungwari kape na umwe ngwa puratena ku ami poo ngwa ninga ko na tja. Moruveze rwanao eṋe mwa ririra ko ovirangaranga novapirukire kooiho mukurume.
27 “Nambano, Jeremia, ove mo hungire omambo nga aehe kovandu votjiwaṋa tjandje, nungwari owo kave nokupuratena kove; ove mo ve isana, nungwari kave nokuitavera ko. 28 Ove mo ve raere kutja omuhoko wawo kau nonḓuviro ku ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, Ndjambi wawo, nu kau rihongo okuyakura omavyuriro. Ouṱakame kau tji po; nu kau tji tamunwa rukwao.”
Ozondjito zouvi momukutu wa Ben-Hinom
29 “Kareye noruhoze, tjiwaṋa tja Jerusalem;
horeye ozondjise zeṋu nu mu ze imbirahi!
Imbureye eimburiro romutambo kozondomba zozondundu,
orondu ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, mba ṱomazenge,
mba nakaura nu mba nyengwa otjiwaṋa tjandje.
30 “Otjiwaṋa tja Juda tja tjita ondjito ombi. Otjo tja twa oviserekarera vyovisenginina vyatjo oviyaukise ami mbi mba tonda mondjuwo yandje, nu atji i yamburura. 31 Momukutu wa Ben-Hinom ovandu va tunga mo otjipunguhiro tjena Tofet, kokutja ve ningiririsire ko ovanatje vawo ovazandu novakazona. Ami hi na pu mbe ve rakizire okutjita otjiṋa hi, notjo katji na pu tja ri momeripuriro wandje. 32 Nambano oruveze maru ya otjipunguhiro hi mu tji hi nokuisanewa rukwao Tofet poo Omukutu wa Ben-Hinom, nungwari mu matji isanewa Omukutu wOmazepero. Owo mave paka ovandu mo, orondu kape nokukara poṋa parwe pu mave ve paka. 33 Oturova twotjiwaṋa hi matu rire ovikurya vyozonḓera zeyuru novipuka vyokuti, nu kape nokukara omundu, nangarire umwe, ngu me vi tirisa. 34 Ehi mari rire okuti onguza. Movihuro vya Juda na momivanda vya Jerusalem ami me yandisa ozombosiro zondjoroka nozenyando, nozombosiro ozondjorokise zomikandi vyotukupo.
