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.
Okulongela Kalunga kuhe nelidilululo, kaku noshilonga
1 Ondjovo yOmwene, ei ya hanga Jeremia, otai ti: 2 “Inda u ka kale ofika poshivelo shotembeli yOmwene, ove u ka udife ko ondjovo ei, u tye: Udeni ondjovo yOmwene, onye amushe vomuJuda, hamu uya mo moivelo ei okwiilikana Omwene.” 3 Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael ota ti ngaha: Wapekeni eendjila deni noilonga yeni, opo nee Ame ohandi mu pe onhele okukala apa. 4 Inamu lineekela eendjovo doipupulu, eshi tava ti: Otembeli yOmwene, otembeli yOmwene, otembeli yOmwene oyo ei. 5 Ndelenee ngeenge tamu wapaleke eendjila deni neenghedi deni, nongeenge tamu kala nokudiinina etokolo liyuki mokukalafana kweni 6 novaendanandjila neefiye novafiyekadi itamu va hepeke nongaashi itamu tileshi ohonde ihe netimba ponhele ei noitamu shikula oikalunga yokoilongo, i mu twale moshiponga, 7 opo nee Ame ohandi mu itavelele okukala monhele ei, medu eli nde li pa ooxokulu fiyo alushe. 8 Ndelenee tala, nye hamu lineekele eendjovo doipupulu dihe nekwafo lasha. 9 Ongahelipi hano? Nye otamu vake nokudipaa nokuhaela nokwaana nokutwimina Baal nokufimaneka oikalunga yokoilongo muhe i shii, 10 ndele tamu uya ndele tamu holoka koshipala shange mongulu ei ya lukilwa edina lange, ndele tamu ti: Fye otwa mangululwa, opo tu wanife vali oixuna ei aishe. 11 Omwa tala ongulu ei ya lukilwa edina lange, oya ninga ekololo lovanyeki? Naame yo osho handi i tale, Omwene osho ta ti. 12 Indeni konhele yange ei ya li muSilo oko nda nangekele pehovelo edina lange, nye mu tale nhumbi nde i ninga omolwowii wovanhu vange Ovaisraeli. 13 Hano paife, osheshi mwa longa oilonga aishe ei, Omwene osho ta ti, nande nde mu popifa manga ku yela, nye inamu uda, ndele nande Ame nde mu ifana pombada, nye inamu itavela nge, 14 osho hano ongulu ei ya lulikwa edina lange, ndele tamu i lineekele, nonhele ei nde i mu pa, onye nooxokulu, nda hala ndi ninge ngaashi nda ninga Silo. 15 Ndele handi ke mu kandula po koshipala shange ngaashi nda kandula po ovakweni nepata alishe laEfraim.
16 Ndelenee oove, ino ilikanena ovanhu ava oku va tumbulila omaindilo, u fininike nge, osheshi Ame itandi ku udu. 17 Ove ku wete osho tave shi ningi moilando yaJuda nomomapandavanda aJerusalem? 18 Ovana ohava tyava oikuni, ooxe ohava tema omundilo, ovakainhu ohava pilula ondobo, va yofele ohamba yomukainhu yomeulu omingome, ndele hava yambele oikalunga oikunwayambo, va handukife nge. 19 Ndele vati, Ame, tava ningi nge nai, Omwene osho ta ti, havo vene tave lififa ohoni moipafi yavo? 20 Onghee hano Omwene Kalunga ota ti: “Tala, okuhanduka kwange noupyuhandu wange otau ka paukila onhele ei, kombada yovanhu noyoinamwenyo, kombada yomomiti domomapya nokombada yoiimati aishe yomoshilongo; otau xwama, ndelenee itau dimi.”
21 Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael ota ti ngaha: Wedeni ko komaxwikiloyambo eni omatomenoyambo nye mu lye ombelela. 22 Osheshi Ame inandi lombwela ooxokulu, eshi nde va tembula muEgipiti ngaashi inandi va pa oshipango shexwikiloyambo ile etomenoyambo, 23 ndelenee onde va lombwela nda tya: Dulikeni kondaka yange, opo nee handi ka kala Kalunga keni, ndele nye otamu ka ninga ovanhu vange. Kaleni nokweenda shili nondjila ei handi i mu lombwele, opo mu kale nawa. 24 Ndelenee inava uda vo inava ameka omatwi avo kwaame, ndelenee ova enda pamhangela yavo vene nomoukukutu womitima davo dii; va pa nge ombuda, hashipala shavo. 25 Okudja kefiku olo ooxokulu va tembuka medu laEgipiti fiyo onena, onde mu tumina ovapiya vange aveshe ovaxunganeki, omafiku nomafiku, inandi fya ounye. 26 Ndelenee inava uda nge nongaashi inava ameka omatwi avo kwaame, vo ova li ve noshityani ve dule ooxekulu yavo owii. 27 Ove nge to va lombwele eendjovo odo adishe, vo itave ke ku uda. Ndele ove nge to va ifana mokule, ndelenee itava itavele; 28 opo nee va lombwela u tye: Oshiwana osho tuu eshi sha kala inashi dulika kondaka yaKalunga kavo, ndele inashi hala okulombwelwa. Oshili oya kana, itai udika momakanya avo.
29 Kulula ko eexwiki doye dokomutwe, Jerusalem, u di ekeleshi ove u ka lile eenghali keemhunda, osheshi Omwene okwa ekelashi nokwa kandula po epupi la hangika kehandu laye. 30 Osheshi ovana vaJuda ova ninga osho shii koshipala shange, Omwene osho ta ti. Ova tula oinima yoixuna mongulu yange ya lukilwa nge, ndele ve i nyateka. 31 Ndele molufilu laBen-Hinnom ova tungila mo Tofet eenduba dedu dokuyambela, opo va xwikile ko ovana ovamati noukadona, ndelenee Ame inandi shi va lombwela nongaashi inandi shi diladila nande. 32 Onghee taleni hano, omafiku otae uya, Omwene osho ta ti, itapa tumbulwa vali nande Tofet ile olufilu laBen-Hinnom, ndelenee otapa tiwa edipaelofilu, ndele muTofet omo tamu pakwa oimhu, osheshi kape nonhele pamwe. 33 Ndele oimhu yovanhu ava otai ningi yeedila dokeulu noyoifitukuti yedu; nokape nomunhu te i te po. 34 Ndele Ame ohandi xulike mo moilando yaJuda nomomapandavanda aJerusalem ondaka yekuwililo noyenyakuko, ondaka yomuhomboli nondaka yomuhombolwa, osheshi oshilongo eshi otashi ka ninga omakulukuma ongaho.
