Jeremiah Must Live His Message
1 The Lord said to me:
2 Jeremiah, don't get married and have children—Judah is no place to raise a family. 3 I'll tell you what's going to happen to children and their parents here. 4 They will die of horrible diseases and of war and starvation. No one will give them a funeral or bury them, and their bodies will be food for the birds and wild animals. And what's left will lie on the ground like manure.
5 When someone dies, don't visit the family or show any sorrow. I will no longer love or bless or have any pity on the people of Judah. 6 Rich and poor alike will die and be left unburied. No one will mourn and show their sorrow by cutting themselves or shaving their heads. 7 No one will bring food and wine to help comfort those who are mourning the death of their father or mother.
8 Don't even set foot in a house where there is eating and drinking and celebrating. 9 Warn the people of Judah that I, the Lord All-Powerful, will put an end to all their parties and wedding celebrations. 10 They will ask, “Why has the Lord our God threatened us with so many disasters? Have we done something wrong or sinned against him?”
11 Then tell them I have said:
People of Judah, your ancestors turned away from me; they rejected my laws and teachings and started worshiping other gods. 12 And you have done even worse! You are stubborn, and instead of obeying me, you do whatever evil comes to your mind. 13 So I will throw you into a land that you and your ancestors know nothing about, a place where you will have to worship other gods both day and night. And I won't feel the least bit sorry for you.
14 A time will come when you will again worship me. But you will no longer call me the Living Lord who rescued Israel from Egypt. 15 Instead, you will call me the Living Lord who rescued you from that country in the north and from the other countries where I had forced you to go.
Someday I will bring you back to this land that I gave your ancestors. 16 But for now, I am sending enemies who will catch you like fish and hunt you down like wild animals in the hills and the caves.
17 I can see everything you are doing, even if you try to hide your sins from me. 18 I will punish you double for your sins, because you have polluted my own land. You have filled it with lifeless idols that remind me of dead bodies.
The Lord Gives Strength
I prayed to the Lord:
19 Our Lord, you are the one
who gives me strength
and protects me like a fortress
when I am in trouble.
People will come to you
from distant nations and say,
“Our ancestors worshiped
false and useless gods,
20 worthless idols
made by human hands.”
21 Then the Lord replied,
“That's why I will teach them
about my power,
and they will know that I
truly am the Lord.”
Ehalo lyOmuwa mokukalamwenyo kwaJeremia
1 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje ishewe a ti: 2 “Ino hokana, u kale u na aanona mehala ndika. 3 Otandi ke ku lombwela shoka tashi ka ningilwa aanona mboka taa valelwa mpaka, naakuluntu yawo. 4 Otaa ka sa komikithi omidhigu, nokaku na ngoka te ya lili nenge te ya fumvike. Omidhimba dhawo otadhi ka lala dha fa oondumba dhuuhoho mepya. Otaa ka dhipagelwa miita, nenge taa ka sa po kondjala, nomidhimba dhawo otadhi ka ninga oondya dhoondhila nodhiithitukuti.
5 “Ino ya megumbo tamu lilwa oosa. Ino sila nando olye oluhodhi. Itandi ka yambeka we oshigwana shika, nenge ndi shi hololele ohole nohenda. 6 Ayehe, aayamba naathigona, oye na okusa moshilongo shika, ihe kaku na ngoka te ya lili oosa nenge e ya fumvike. Kaku na ngoka ti ishata oonsha nenge a kulule omutse gwe, e ya lile. 7 Kape na oshikwiila tashi pewa aalilasa mokuhupulutha oonakusilwa, kape na oshinuwa shehupulutho tashi pewa ngoka a silwa he nenge yina.
8 “Ino ya megumbo mu na onshingo. Ino kuutumba pamwe naamboka taa li e taa nu. 9 Pulakena shoka ngame, Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, tandi ti: ‘Otandi ka mweneka ekugililo lyenyanyu nondigolo nomatanto goshituthi shohango.’ Aantu yaampaka otaye ke shi mona tashi ningwa.
10 “Nge to ya hokololele ayihe mbika, otaye ke ku pula taa ti: ‘Omolwashike Omuwa a tokola e tu geele nonyanya? Ondjo yetu oyini, notwa yono ngiini kOmuwa Kalunga ketu?’ 11 Ya lombwela kutya Omuwa okwa ti: ‘Oohokulu oya pilamene ndje noya longele nokusimaneka iikalunga, oye etha ndje noinaa vulika komautho gandje. 12 Ihe ne omwa ningi nayilela mu vule oohokulu. Ne amuhe aatangalali naakolokoshi noinamu vulika kungame. 13 Omolwashoka otandi ke mu tidha mo moshilongo shika noku mu fala koshilongo inaashi tseyika nokoohokulu. Oko tamu ka longela iikalunga uusiku nomutenya, noitandi mu sile nando ohenda.’ ”
Okugaluka muupongekwa
14 Omuwa ota ti: “Ethimbo otali ya, uuna aantu itaa ka gana we medhina lyOmuwa omunamwenyo ngoka e ya tembudha mo muEgipiti, 15 ihe otaa gana medhina lyOmuwa omunamwenyo ngoka e ya tembudha mo moshilongo shokuumbangalantu nomiilongo ayihe moka nde ya halakanithile mo. Otandi ke ya kongolola ko ndi ya ete koshilongo shawo yene, kevi ndyoka nde li pe oohekulu. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.”
Egeelo tali ya
16 Omuwa ota ti: “Otandi tumu aayuli yoohi oyendji, ye ye ya kwate po aantu yandje. Opo ihe otandi ka tuma aakongo oyendji, ye ye ye ya yewe koondundu adhihe nokiikulundundu nomomakolombongo goondundu. 17 Ondi wete ashihe taye shi ningi. Kape na shoka sha holekwa ndje; uulunde wawo itau kana mo momeho gandje. 18 Otandi ndambula ofuto yawo okufutila uukolokoshi nuulunde wawo, oshoka oya nyateke evi lyandje niimenka yawo iinyanyalithi, mbyoka yaa na omwenyo, noye li udhitha niiyelekela yawo yiifundja.”
Egalikano lyaJeremia lyokwiinekela Omuwa
19 Omuwa, ongoye awike to gamene ndje noto koleke ndje; oto kwatha ndje momathimbo guudhigu. Iigwana otayi ke ya kungoye tayi zi kooha dhuuyuni e tayi ti: “Ootatekulu oyi iningi oshege, oya kala niimenka yowala yaa na ekwatho lyasha. 20 Omuntu ota vulu tuu okwiihambulila ookalunga? Aawe, ngele ote shi ningi, kaye shi ookalunga.”
21 Omuwa ota ti: “Osho ano tandi tseyithile iigwana ayihe oonkondo dhandje nomatha gandje: Otayi ka tseya kutya ongame Omuwa.”
