Two Baskets of Figs
1 The Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the Temple. (This was after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had taken away Jehoiakim's son, King Jehoiachin of Judah, as a prisoner from Jerusalem to Babylonia, together with the leaders of Judah, the craftworkers, and the skilled workers.) 2 The first basket contained good figs, those that ripen early; the other one contained bad figs, too bad to eat. 3 Then the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
I answered, “Figs. The good ones are very good, and the bad ones are very bad, too bad to eat.”
4 So the Lord said to me, 5 “I, the Lord, the God of Israel, consider that the people who were taken away to Babylonia are like these good figs, and I will treat them with kindness. 6 I will watch over them and bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not pull them up. 7 I will give them the desire to know that I am the Lord. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God, because they will return to me with all their heart.
8 “As for King Zedekiah of Judah, the politicians around him, and the rest of the people of Jerusalem who have stayed in this land or moved to Egypt—I, the Lord, will treat them all like these figs that are too bad to be eaten. 9 I will bring such a disaster on them that all the nations of the world will be terrified. People will make fun of them, make jokes about them, ridicule them, and use their name as a curse everywhere I scatter them. 10 I will bring war, starvation, and disease on them until there is not one of them left in the land that I gave to them and their ancestors.”
Ovimbamba vivari vyomakuyu
1 Muhona we ndji raisira ovimbamba vivari vyomakuyu mbya tuwa momurungu wondjuwo ya Muhona. Imbi vya tjitwa, indu Nebukadnesar, ombara ya Babilon, tja za nokuhuura Jojakin, omuzandu wa Jojakim, ombara ya Juda, nokumutwara kObabilon okuza mOjerusalem puna ovahongore va Juda novaungure ozonongo novahambure vovipate. 2 Motjimbamba otjitenga mwa ri nomakuyu omawa, nga tenga okuhora; mu ihi otjikwao mwa ri omakuyu omavi, omavi tjinene nai nga tji ye ha pwire okuriwa. 3 Muhona wa tja nai ku ami: “Jeremia, mo munu tjike?”
Ami mba zira e tja: “Omakuyu. Inga omawa, omawa tjinene; nu inga omavi, omavi tjinene nai nga tji ye ha pwire okuriwa.”
4 Muhona otja tja nai ku ami: 5 “Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, me munu kutja ovandu mba mba twarewa kObabilon va sana nomakuyu omawa nga, nu ami me tara nondjingonekero ku wo. 6 Ami meve tjevere notjari, nu meve kotora kehi ndi. Meve tungu, nu hi nokuvehaṋa; meve kunu, nu hi nokuvezukura. 7 Ami meve pe omitima vyokundjizemburuka kutja owami ngu mbi ri Muhona. Nu owo otji mave rire otjiwaṋa tjandje, ami me rire Ndjambi wawo, tjinga amave ritanaurire ku ami nomitima vyawo avihe.
8 “Otja tjinga ame tjiti komakuyu omavi, ovinene nai nga tji ye ha pwire okuriwa, ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, otjinga ame tjiti ku Sidkija, ombara ya Juda, novaingona ve, na kovature va Jerusalem mba sewa po, tjiva mba kara mehi ndi na tjiva mba tjindira kOengipte. 9 Ami me eta otjiwonga otja ihi kombanda yawo, kokutja oviwaṋa avihe mouye vi urumisiwe. Oviwaṋa mbi mavi ve hembe nokuvenyekerera nokuveyora, nu mavi ungurisa ena rawo otja osengiro ngamwa akuhe ami ku mbe ve rimba. 10 Ami meve etere ovita nondjara nomutjise omuzeu, nga tji pe hi nokusewa omundu umwe wawo mehi, ndi mba yandjere ku wo na kooihe mukururume.”
