The Lord Will Destroy the People of Judah
1 The Lord told me to speak with the Jews who were living in the towns of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis in northern Egypt, and also to those living in southern Egypt. He told me to tell them:
2 I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel. You saw how I destroyed Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. They lie empty and in ruins today, 3 because the people of Judah made me angry by worshiping gods that had never helped them or their ancestors.
4 Time after time I sent my servants the prophets to tell the people of Judah how much I hated their disgusting sins. The prophets warned them to stop sinning, 5 but they refused to listen and would not stop worshiping other gods. 6 Finally, my anger struck like a raging flood, and today Jerusalem and the towns of Judah are nothing but empty ruins.
7 Why do you now insist on heading for another disaster? A disaster that will destroy not only you, but also your children and babies. 8 You have made me angry by worshiping idols and burning incense to other gods after you came here to Egypt. You will die such a disgusting death, that other nations will use the name of Judah as a curse word. 9 When you were living in Jerusalem and Judah, you followed the example of your ancestors in doing evil things, just like your kings and queens. 10 Even now, your pride keeps you from respecting me and obeying the laws and teachings I gave you and your ancestors.
11 I, the Lord All-Powerful, have decided to wipe you out with disasters. 12 There were only a few of you left in Judah, and you decided to go to Egypt. But you will die such horrible deaths in war or from starvation, that people of other countries will use the name of Judah as a curse word. 13 I punished Jerusalem with war, hunger, and disease, and that's how I will punish you. 14 None of you will survive. You may hope to return to Judah someday, but only a very few of you will escape death and be able to go back.
The People Refuse To Worship the Lord
15 A large number of Jews from both northern and southern Egypt listened to me as I told them what the Lord had said. Most of the men in the crowd knew that their wives often burned incense to other gods. So they and their wives shouted:
16 Jeremiah, what do we care if you speak in the Lord's name? We refuse to listen! 17 We have promised to worship the goddess Astarte, the Queen of Heaven, and that is exactly what we are going to do. We will burn incense and offer sacrifices of wine to her, just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders did when we lived in Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah. We had plenty of food back then. We were well off, and nothing bad ever happened to us. 18 But since the time we stopped burning incense and offering wine sacrifices to her, we have been dying from war and hunger.
19 Then the women said, “When we lived in Judah, we worshiped the Queen of Heaven and offered sacrifices of wine and special loaves of bread shaped like her. Our husbands knew what we were doing, and they approved of it.”
20 Then I told the crowd:
21 Don't you think the Lord knew that you and your ancestors, your leaders and kings, and the rest of the people were burning incense to other gods in Jerusalem and everywhere else in Judah? 22 And when he could no longer put up with your disgusting sins, he placed a curse on your land and turned it into a desert, as it is today. 23 This disaster happened because you worshiped other gods and rebelled against the Lord by refusing to obey him or follow his laws and teachings.
24-25 Then I told the men and their wives, that the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said:
Here in Egypt you still keep your promises to burn incense and offer sacrifices of wine to the so-called Queen of Heaven. 26 Keep these promises! But let me tell you what will happen. As surely as I am the Lord God, I swear that I will never again accept any promises you make in my name. 27 Instead of watching over you, I will watch for chances to harm you. Some of you will die in war, and others will starve to death. 28 Only a few will escape and return to Judah. Then everyone who went to live in Egypt will know that when I say something will happen, it will—no matter what you say.
29 And here is how you will know that I will keep my threats to punish you in Egypt. 30 I will hand over King Hophra of Egypt to those who want to kill him, just as I handed Zedekiah over to Nebuchadnezzar, who wanted to kill him.
Aajuda taa geelelwa iimenka
1 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje kombinga yAaisraeli ayehe ya li muEgipiti, miilando Migdol, Takpanhes naMemfis nomuumbugantu woshilongo. 2 Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, okwa ti: “Ne yene omwa monene ehanagulo ndiyaka ndu undulile Jerusalem niilando yaJuda ayihe. Ngashingeyi oyi li momakulukuma natango, nokape na ngoka e li mo, 3 oshoka aantu yamo oya longo uuwinayi noya geyitha ndje. Oya yambele iikalunga omafikilondjambo e taa simaneke iikalunga mbyoka oohekulu nenge yo yene inaaye yi longela. 4 Okuza konale onda dhiginine oku mu tumina aapiya yandje aahunganeki, mboka ye mu lombwele, mwaa ninge iihuna yi thike mpaka handi yi tondo. 5 Ihe ne inamu pulakena nenge mu pupe ko nando. Inamu etha nando uuwinayi weni wokuyambela iikalunga omafikilondjambo. 6 Onkee onda poolele iilando yaJuda nomapandaanda gaJerusalem ongeyo nuupyundjahi wandje noku yi tomeka omulilo. Oya ningi omakulukuma niihaluthi, ngaashi yi li ngashingeyi.
7 “Onkee ano ngame, Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, otandi mu pula ngashingeyi kutya omolwashike tamu iyetele omukundu gu thike mpoka? Omwa hala mu etele aantu ayehe oshiponga shi ye kaalumentu, kaakiintu, kaagundjuka nokuuhanona, opo kaaku hupe nando ogumwe gwomune? 8 Omolwashike tamu geyitha ndje, sho tamu longele iimenka notamu yambele iikalunga muEgipiti, moka mwa tembukile? Otamu shi ningi, opo mu iyone po, opo oshigwana kehe kombanda yevi shi mu dhine nokutumbula edhina lyeni, nge tashi tukana? 9 Mwa dhimbwa nale iilonga yuukolokoshi ya ningwa miilando yaJuda nomomapandaanda gaJerusalem koohokulu, kaakwaniilwa yaJuda naanyekadhi yawo, nokune naakiintu yeni? 10 Ihe sigo onena inamu ifupipika. Inamu simaneka ndje nenge mu kale paipango yandje mbyoka nde yi mu pe, one noohokulu.
11 “Onkee ano ngame, Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, otandi mu galukile notandi ka hanagula po Juda ashihe. 12 Otandi ka nakula po oshihupe ashihe shAajuda mboka ya tokola oku ka tula muEgipiti. Ayehe otaa ka hanagulwa po. Oyo ayehe, aanene naashona, otaa ka sila miita nenge mondjala. Otaa ka ninga ehalutho; aantu otaa ke ya dhina nokutumbula edhina lyawo, nge taa tukana. 13 Otandi ka geela mboka ya kala muEgipiti, ngaashi nda geele Jerusalem — niita, ondjala nelega. 14 Kape na nando ogumwe gwomAajuda mboka ya yile kuEgipiti, ta ka hunuka po nenge a hupe ko. Kape na nando ogumwe gwomuyo ta ka shuna we kuJuda, kevi lyondjuulukwe yawo, a ka kale ko, shila oontauki dhimwe po.”
15 Aalumentu ayehe mboka ya li ye shi kutya aakadhi oya yambele iikalunga, naakulukadhi ayehe mboka ya li ya thikama mpoka onyankanyanka, pamwe nAaisraeli ayehe mboka ya kala muumbugantu waEgipiti, oya lombwele ndje ya ti: 16 “Otatu tindi okupulakena shoka we tu lombwele medhina lyOmuwa. 17 Otatu ka ninga ashihe shoka twa ti, otatu shi ningi. Otatu ka yambela oshikalunga oshikiintu shetu, omunyekadhi gwokegulu, iitsinino notatu mu tilile oondjambo dhomaviinu, ngaashi naanaa tse nootatekulu naakwaniilwa yetu nomalenga getu ya li haa ningi momikunda dhaJuda nomomapandaanda gaJerusalem. Otwa kala tu na eloolo lyiikulya nelago, katu na ombudhi yasha. 18 Ihe sho twe etha okusaagelela omunyekadhi gwokegulu noku mu tilila oondjambo dhomaviinu, inatu mona we sha, naantu yetu oya sile miita nomondjala.”
19 Aakulukadhi oya gwedha ko taa ti: “Sho twa telekele omunyekadhi gwokegulu iikwiila ya mbumbingwa ye mu fa notwe mu tilile oondjambo dhomaviinu, aalumentu yetu oya li ye shi tseya.”
20 Onda lombwele aalumentu naakiintu ayehe mboka ya yamukula ndje pahedhi ndjika nda ti: 21 “Omuwa ina dhimbulukwa ando a dhiladhile olwithi lwiitsinino mbyoka mwe yi fikile momikunda dhaJuda nomomapandaanda gaJerusalem, ne noohokulu, aakwaniilwa yeni, omalenga geni naantu yomoshilongo? 22 Ngashingeyi evi lyeni oli li momakulukuma kaamu na omuntu. Olya ningi ehaluthi, naantu otaa tumbula edhina lyalyo, nge taa tukana, oshoka Omuwa ina vula we okwiidhidhimikila iilonga yeni iiwinayi noyuukolokoshi u thike mpoka. 23 Oshiponga shika oshe mu adha, oshoka omwa yambele iikalunga omafikilondjambo e tamu yono kOmuwa, sho inaamu vulika kiipango, komalombwelo nokomautho ge.”
24-25 Onda lombwele aantu ayehe, unene aakulukadhi, shoka Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, a li ta lombwele Aajuda mboka ye li muEgipiti. Onda ti: “Ne amuhe naakiintu yeni omwa uvanekele omunyekadhi gwokegulu omauvaneko. Omwa uvaneke mu mu yambele omafikilondjambo noku mu tilila oondjambo dhomaviinu, nomwa dhiginine omauvaneko geni. Eewa ano! Dhiginineni utale omauvaneko geni! Gwanitheni egano lyeni! 26 Ihe pulakeneni wo kegano ndyoka ngame, Omuwa, nde li ganene Aaisraeli ayehe muEgipiti medhina lyandje lyoonkondo. Itandi ka etha we tuu nande omuntu a gane medhina lyandje ta ti: ‘Otandi gana kuKalunga omunamwenyo!’ 27 Otandi ke shi tonatela, mwaa kale mu na elago, ihe otamu ka hanagulwa po. Amuhe otamu ka sa, ngele kiita nenge kelega, sigo mwa pu po thilu. 28 Aashona yowala yomune taa ka hupa ko keso notaa ka za muEgipiti taa yi kuJuda. Nena oshihupe shomune otashi ka tseya kutya oohapu dhaguni po dha tsu, odhandje nenge odheni. 29 Ongame, Omuwa, tandi ke mu pa eyeleko kutya otandi ke mu geela mehala ndika, nokutya euvaneko lyandje lyoku mu etela oshiponga otali ka gwanithwa. 30 Hofra, omukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti, otandi ke mu gandja miikaha yaatondi ye mboka ya hala oku mu dhipaga, naanaa ngaashi nda gandja Sedekia, omukwaniilwa gwaJuda, miikaha yaNebukadnezzar, omukwaniilwa gwaBabilon, omutondi gwe nokwa hala oku mu dhipaga.”
