Onhumwafo yaJeremia e i shangela eenghwate domuBabilon
1 Eendjovo odo edi donhumwafo oyo omuxunganeki Jeremia ei i tuma, ya dja muJerusalem, e i tumina ovakulunhu veenghwate ovo va hangika ve nomwenyo natango novapristeli novaxunganeki novanhu aveshe, ava Nebukadnesar e va kufa muJerusalem nokwe va twala kuBabilon, 2 konima yaasho ohamba Jekonia nomumbada nomalenga novakulunhu vomuJuda novomuJerusalem novahambwidi novahambuli voiidilifo, eshi va dja mo muJerusalem. 3 Onhumwafo okwe i tumikida Eleasa yaSafan naGemarja yaHilkia, ovo Sedekia, ohamba yaJuda e va tuma kuNebukadnesar, ohamba yaBabilon, kuBabilon ndele tai ti ngaha: 4 “Omwene wovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael, ota lombwele ngaha eenghwate adishe odo nde di kufa muJerusalem nonde di tembula muBabilon: 5 Dikeni omaumbo, mu kale mo, twikeni oikunino, nye mu lye oiimati yayo. 6 Homboleni ovakainhu, nye mu dale ounona ovamati noukadona, novana veni oukadona va hombolwe kovana veni ovalumenhu vo va dale ovamati noukadona. Hapupaleni ko, inamu ninipala. 7 Ndele oshilando osho nde mu twala eenghwate, shi haleleni ouwa nye mu shi ilikanene kOmwene, osheshi ombili yasho oyo ombili yeni yo. 8 Osheshi Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael, ota ti: ‘Taleni, muha kotokelwe kovaxunganeki ava hava kala mokati keni nokeemhule deni, nye inamu lineekela eendjodi davo. 9 Osheshi vo otave mu xunganekele oipupulu medina lange; Ame inandi va tuma, Omwene osho ta ti.’
10 “Osheshi Omwene ota ti ngaha: ‘Omido 70 domuBabilon nge da xula, Ame ohandi ke mu dimbulukwa noku mu wanifila eudaneko lange liwa, ndi mu alulile ponhele ei. 11 Osheshi omadiladilo ange nde e mu diladilila ondi a shii, Omwene osho ta ti, omadiladilo ombili, hao omupya. Ame ohandi mu pe efimbo lokomesho pamwe neteelelo liwa. 12 Opo nee nye otamu ka ifana nge ndele tamu ke uya ko ndele tamu ilikana nge, ndele Ame handi ke mu uda. 13 Ndele onye otamu ka konga nge, ndele tamu mono nge, ngeenge tamu kongo nge nomutima weni aushe. 14 Ndele Ame handi itavele, mu mone nge, Omwene osho ta ti, nonda hala oku mu alula moupika weni nohandi mu kongolola mo moiwana aishe nomeenhele adishe, oko nde mu undulila ko, Omwene osho ta ti. Ndele handi ke mu shunifila konhele oyo nde mu tele ko, eshi nde mu twala moukwatwa.’
15 “Onye ngeenge tamu ti: ‘Omwene okwe tu papudulila ovaxunganeki muBabilon,’ 16 opo nee Omwene ta ti ngaha mokupopya ohamba i li omutumba kolukalwapangelo laDavid novanhu aveshe ve li moshilongo eshi, ovamwaxo ovo inava ya pamwe nanye moukwatwa; 17 Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ota ti: ‘Tala, Ame ohandi va tumine eongamukonda nondjala noudu wolutapo, nohandi va ningi ngaashi eenghwiyu da nyonauka, itadi liwa. 18 Ndele Ame ohandi ke va shikulifa eongamukonda nondjala noudu wolutapo, nohandi ke va ninga etilifohaluko momauhamba aeshe kombada yedu, notava ningi efingo noixuna nesheko noiyolifa mokati koiwana aishe oko handi va tumine ko, 19 osheshi inava pwilikina eendjovo dange, Omwene osho ta ti, eshi Ame inandi fya ounye efiku nefiku moku va tumina ovapiya vange ovaxunganeki. Ndelenee nye inamu pwilikina, Omwene ta ti.’ 20 Ndelenee onye ovapika amushe, pwilikineni eendjovo dOmwene, onye amushe ovo nde mu kufa muJerusalem nonde mu twala kuBabilon. 21 ‘Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael, mokupopya Ahab yaKolaja naSedekia yaMaasea, ava have mu xunganekele oipupulu medina lange, Ye ota ti: Tala, Ame ohandi va yandje momake aNebukadnesar, ohamba yaBabilon, ye ote ke va dipaifa moipafi yeni. 22 Ndele vo otava ka ninga ondjovo yefingo keenghwate adishe domuJuda, di li muBabilon, tapa tiwa: “Omwene ne ku ninge ngaashi Sedekia naAhab, ovo va yofwa momundilo kohamba yaBabilon,” 23 osheshi ova longa oshilonga shoixuna muIsrael nova haela novakainhu vookaume kavo, nova popya eendjovo medina lange inandi di va lombwela. Ndele Ame ou ondi shi shii, Aame ondobwedi, Omwene osho ta ti.’ ”
24 Ndele Shemaia, Omunehelami mu lombwela u tye: 25 “Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael, ota ti: Ove eshi wa tuma onhumwafo ei medina loye kovanhu aveshe ve li muJerusalem nokomupristeli Sefania yaMaasea nokovapristeli aveshe notai ti: 26 ‘Omwene okwe ku lenga u ninge omupristeli ponhele yomupristeli Jehoiada motembeli yOmwene, opo mu kale ovataleli vokupashukila omalai aeshe novaxunganeki, u va tule meti, ove u va mangife omalyenge mofingo. 27 Omolwashike ino hanyena omuxunganeki Jeremia, Omuanatot, ou te mu xunganekele? 28 Onghee hano okwe tu tumina ondaka ei kuBabilon, tai ti: “Natango oku na omafiku mahapu. Dikeni omaumbo mu kale mo, twikeni oikunino mu lye oiimati yayo.” ’ ” 29 Ndele onhumwafo ei oya leshelwa momatwi omuxunganeki Jeremia komupristeli Sefania. 30 Opo nee ondjovo ei yOmwene oya hanga omuxunganeki Jeremia ndele tai ti: 31 “Shangela eenghwate adishe ondjovo ei ove u tye: ‘Omwene ota popi Shemaia, Omunehelami ngaha: Shaashi Shemaia e mu xunganekela, Ame nande inandi mu tuma, nokwa hongaula mu lineekele oipupulu, 32 onghee Omwene ta ti. Tala, Ame onda hala okuhandukila Shemaia, Omunehelami noludalo laye. Ye ota ka kala ehe namukwao, ou ta kala mokati kovanhu ava. Omesho aye itaa ka tala ouwa ou handi ke u ningila oshiwana shange, Omwene osho ta ti, osheshi ye okwa udifa eliteeko okuliteeka Omwene.’ ”
Jeremiah's Letter to the People of Judah in Babylonia
1-2 I had been left in Jerusalem when King Nebuchadnezzar took many of the people of Jerusalem and Judah to Babylonia as prisoners, including King Jehoiachin, his mother, his officials, and the metal workers and others in Jerusalem who were skilled in making things. So I wrote a letter to the priests, the prophets, the leaders, and the rest of our people in Babylonia. 3 I gave the letter to Elasah and Gemariah, two men that King Zedekiah of Judah was sending to Babylon to talk with Nebuchadnezzar. In the letter, I wrote 4 that the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said:
I had you taken from Jerusalem to Babylonia. Now I tell you 5 to settle there and build houses. Plant gardens and eat what you grow in them. 6 Get married and have children, then help your sons find wives and help your daughters find husbands, so they can have children as well. I want your numbers to grow, not to get smaller.
7 Pray for peace in Babylonia and work hard to make it prosperous. The more successful that nation is, the better off you will be.
8-9 Some of your people there in Babylonia are fortunetellers, and you have asked them to tell you what will happen in the future. But they will only lead you astray with their dreams. And don't let the prophets fool you, either. They speak in my name, but they are liars. I have not spoken to them.
10 After Babylonia has been the strongest nation for 70 years, I will be kind and bring you back to Jerusalem, just as I have promised. 11 I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13 You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you 14 and accept your worship. Then I will gather you from all the nations where I scattered you, and you will return to Jerusalem.
15 You feel secure, because you think I have sent prophets to speak for me in Babylonia.
16-19 But I have been sending prophets to the people of Judah for a long time, and the king from David's family and the people who are left in Jerusalem and Judah still don't obey me. So I, the Lord All-Powerful, will keep attacking them with war and hunger and disease, until they are as useless as rotten figs. I will force them to leave the land, and all nations will be disgusted and shocked at what happens to them. The nations will sneer and make fun of them and use the names “Judah” and “Jerusalem” as curse words.
And you have not obeyed me, even though 20 I had you taken from Jerusalem to Babylonia. But you had better listen to me now. 21-23 You think Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah are prophets because they claim to speak for me. But they are lying! I haven't told them anything. They are also committing other horrible sins in your community, such as sleeping with the wives of their friends. So I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar, who will put them to death while the rest of you watch. And in the future, when you want to put a curse on someone, you will say, “I pray that the Lord will kill you in the same way the king of Babylonia burned Zedekiah and Ahab to death!”
A Message for Shemaiah
24-25 The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, told me what would happen to Shemaiah, who was one of our people in Babylonia. After my letter reached Babylonia, Shemaiah wrote letters to the people of Jerusalem, including the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and the other priests. The letter to Zephaniah said:
26 After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the Lord chose you to be the priest in charge of the temple security force. You know that anyone who acts crazy and pretends to be a prophet should be arrested and put in chains and iron collars. 27 Jeremiah from the town of Anathoth is pretending to be a prophet there in Jerusalem, so why haven't you punished him? 28 He even wrote a letter to the people here in Babylonia, saying we would be here a long time. He told us to build homes and to plant gardens and grow our own food.
29 When Zephaniah received Shemaiah's letter, he read it to me. 30 Then the Lord told me what to write in a second letter 31 to the people of Judah who had been taken to Babylonia. In this letter, I wrote that the Lord had said:
I, the Lord, have not chosen Shemaiah to be one of my prophets, and he has misled you by telling lies in my name. 32 He has even talked you into disobeying me. So I will punish Shemaiah. He and his descendants won't live to see the good things I will do for my people. I, the Lord, have spoken.
