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.
Jeremia tu uvithile motempeli
1 Ndjika oyo ohapu ndjoka ya adha Jeremia ya zi kOmuwa tayi ti: 2 “Thikama pomweelo gwongulu yOmuwa, ngoye u ka uvithe elaka ndika tali ti: ‘Uveni oohapu dhOmuwa, ne Aajuda mboka hamu pitile momiyelo ndhika, mu ka simaneke Omuwa.’ ”
3 Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, ota ti: “Yelitheni oondjila niilonga yeni, ongame notandi mu etha mu kale mehala ndika. 4 Inamu inekela oohapu dhomakoto mu tye: ‘Ndjika otempeli yOmuwa, uuyapuki wOmuwa, otempeli yOmuwa!’ 5 Opalekeni oondjila dheni ne mu ethe iilonga iiwinayi tamu yi ningi. Uthileni aantu ayehe pauyuuki. 6 Inamu hepeka aakwiilongo, oothigwa naaselekadhi. Inamu dhipaga aantu yaa na ondjo moshilongo shika. Inamu longela iikalunga yaakwiilongo, oshoka otashi mu yono po. 7 Ngele otamu lunduluka, otandi mu etha mu kale mo moshilongo shika nde shi pe oohokulu shi ninge eliko lyawo lyaaluhe. 8 Taleni, ne otamu inekele oohapu dhomakoto.
9 “Ohamu yaka, ohamu dhipaga, ohamu hondele, ohamu gana iifundja, ohamu yambele Baal omafikilondjambo nohamu longele iikalunga inaamu yi tseya nale. 10 Otamu longo iinima mbyoka handi tondo notamu ya tamu thikama koshipala shandje motempeli e tamu ti: ‘Otwa hupithwa!’ 11 Otamu dhiladhila kutya otempeli yandje oyo oshiholameno shaayugi? Ondi wete shoka tamu ningi.
12 “Indeni kuShilo, ehala lyotango ndyoka nda hogolola li ninge eha lyelongelokalunga, mu tale shoka nde li ningile moluulunde waantu yandje Aaisraeli. 13 Omwa yono ayihe; nando nda popi kune olwindji, omwa tindi okupulakena. Inamu zimina, sho nde mu ithana. 14 Shoka nda ningile Shilo, osho tandi ningile otempeli yandje ndjika mwi inekela. Mehala ndika nde li mu pe noohokulu, osho tandi ka ninga, ngaashi nda ningile Shilo. 15 Otandi mu tidha po koshipala shandje, ngaashi nda tidhile po Aaisraeli aakweni. Ongame Omuwa nda popi.”
Okwaavulika kwaantu
16 Omuwa okwa ti kuJeremia: “Ngoye ino galikanena aantu mbaka. Ino kuga nenge u galikane omolwawo; ino indila ndje, oshoka itandi ku pulakene. 17 Ou wete tuu shoka taa ningi miilando yomuJuda nomomapandaanda gaJerusalem? 18 Aanona otaa tyaya iikuni, aasamane taa tema omulilo, naakiintu taa telekele omunyekadhi gwokegulu iikwiila. Otaa saagelele iikalunga omayambo gomaviinu, opo ye ehameke ndje. 19 Ihe ongame tuu shili ngoka taye ehameke? Aawe, otayi iyalula yo yene notayi isitha ohoni yo yene. 20 Onkee ano ngame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, otandi ka poolela ondjahi yandje ya hwama kotempeli ndjika. Otandi ke yi tilila aantu niinamwenyo sha faathana, nokuli nokomiti nokiimeno. Ondjahi yandje otayi ka fa omulilo nokaku na ngoka te gu dhimi po.
21 “Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, ota popi ta ti: Gwedheni omafikilondjambo koontselelandjambo ne mu lye po onyama ayihe ne yene. 22 Oshoka sho nda popitha oohokulu nonde ya tembudha muEgipiti, inandi ya pa oshipango shasha kombinga yomafikilondjambo noontselelandjambo. 23 Ihe onde ya lombwele nda ti: ‘Vulikeni kungame, notandi ningi Kalunga keni, one notamu ningi aantu yandje. Endeni momapola ngoka tandi mu lombwele, opo mu kale nawa.’ 24 Ihe yo inaa vulika nenge ya pupe ko. Oya kala muutangalali wawo nomeikukutiko lyomitima dhawo omiwinayi. Oya ningi aawinayi peha lyokuninga aawanawa. 25 Okuza kesiku ndyoka oohokulu ya zi muEgipiti sigo okesiku lyonena, onda dhiginine oku mu tumina aahunganeki, aamati yandje. 26 Ihe kakwa li ngoka a pulakene nenge a pupe ko. Omwa tangalala owala, nomu na iipotha mu vule oohokulu.
27 “Sho to ya lombwele oohapu ndhika, itaye ku pulakene; sho to ya ithana, itayi itaale. 28 Ya lombwela ano kutya oshigwana shawo inashi vulika kungame, Omuwa Kalunga kasho, nenge shi ilonge komageelo gasho. Oshili oye ekelwahi, itayi tumbulwa we.”
Iinonoma mesilu Ben Hinnom
29 “Lileni ne Aajerusalem;
kululii ko omafufu geni mu ga ekelehi.
Lileni oosa koondungu dhoondundu,
oshoka ongame, Omuwa, nda geya
nonde ekelehi aantu yandje.
30 “Aajuda oya ningi nayi. Oya tula iimenka yawo iinyanyalithi motempeli yandje. Osho ngeyi ya nyateke otempeli yandje. 31 Mesilu Ben Hinnom oya tungile mo oshiyambelo sha lukwa Tofet, opo ya fikile ko oyana aamati naakadhona momulilo. Ngame inandi shi ya lombwela, noinashi ya nando okuli momadhiladhilo gandje. 32 Ethimbo otali ya, uuna itaashi ka ithanwa we Tofet nenge esilu Ben Hinnom, ihe Esilu lyonakupila. Oko taa ka fumvika aantu, oshoka kape na we eha lyokufumvika. 33 Omidhimba otadhi ka ninga oondya dhoondhila nodhiithitukuti, nokape na ngoka te yi tidha po. 34 Oshilongo otashi ka mbugala. Miilando yaJuda nomomapandaanda gaJerusalem otandi ka hulitha ekugililo lyenyanyu nondigolo nomatanto goshituthi shohango.”
