A Yoke on the Prophet's Neck
1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Mwanzo wa kumiliki kwake Sedekia, mwana wa Yosia, mfalme wa Yuda, neno hili likamjia Yeremia, kutoka kwa Bwana, kusema,
2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,
Bwana ameniambia hivi, Jifanyizie vifungo na nira, ukajivike shingoni;
3 and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;
kisha uvipeleke kwa mfalme wa Edomu, na mfalme wa Moabu, na mfalme wa wana wa Amoni, na mfalme wa Tiro, na mfalme wa Sidoni, kwa mikono ya wajumbe watakaofika Yerusalemu kwa Sedekia, mfalme wa Yuda.
4 and command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;
Uwaagize waende kwa bwana zao, na kuwaambia, Bwana wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, asema hivi, Mtawaambia bwana zenu maneno haya;
5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.
Mimi nimeiumba dunia hii, wanadamu na wanyama walio juu ya uso wa nchi, kwa uweza wangu mkuu, na kwa mkono wangu ulionyoshwa; nami nawapa watu kama inipendezavyo.
6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
Na sasa nimetia nchi hizi zote katika mkono wa Nebukadreza, mfalme wa Babeli, mtumishi wangu; na wanyama wa mwituni pia nimempa wamtumikie.
7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
Na mataifa yote watamtumikia yeye, na mwanawe, na mwana wa mwanawe, hata utakapowadia wakati wa nchi yake mwenyewe, ndipo mataifa mengi na wafalme wakuu watamtumikisha yeye.
8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
Na itakuwa, taifa lile na mfalme yule asiyetaka kumtumikia Nebukadreza, huyo mfalme wa Babeli, na kutia shingo zao katika nira ya mfalme wa Babeli, mimi nitaliadhibu taifa lile kwa upanga, na kwa njaa, na kwa tauni, asema Bwana, hata nitakapokuwa nimewaangamiza kwa mkono wake.
9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
Lakini, katika habari zenu, msisikilize manabii wenu, wala wabashiri wenu, wala ndoto zenu, wala watambuzi wenu, wala waganga wenu, wanaowaambia, ya kwamba, Hamtamtumikia mfalme wa Babeli;
10 for they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.
maana wanawatabiria uongo, ili kuwatoa ninyi mbali na nchi yenu; niwafukuze mkaangamie.
11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
Bali taifa lile watakaotia shingo zao katika nira ya mfalme wa Babeli, na kumtumikia, taifa hilo nitawaacha wakae katika nchi yao wenyewe, asema Bwana; nao watailima, na kukaa ndani yake.
12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
Nikamwambia Sedekia, mfalme wa Yuda, kwa mfano wa maneno hayo yote, nikisema, Tieni shingo zenu katika nira ya mfalme wa Babeli, mkamtumikie yeye na watu wake, mpate kuishi.
13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
Mbona mnataka kufa, wewe na watu wako, kwa upanga, na kwa njaa, na kwa tauni, kama Bwana alivyosema katika habari ya taifa lile, lisilotaka kumtumikia mfalme wa Babeli?
14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
Wala msisikilize maneno ya manabii wawaambiao ninyi, ya kwamba, Hamtamtumikia mfalme wa Babeli; maana wanawatabiria uongo.
15 For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.
Kwa maana mimi sikuwatuma, asema Bwana, bali wanatabiri uongo kwa jina langu; nipate kuwatoeni nje, mkaangamie, ninyi, na manabii hao wanaowatabiria.
16 Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
Pia nalisema na makuhani, na watu wote, nikisema, Bwana asema hivi, Msisikilize maneno ya manabii wenu, wanaowatabiria, wakisema, Tazameni, vyombo vya nyumba ya Bwana, baada ya muda kidogo, vitaletwa tena toka Babeli; maana wanawatabiria uongo.
17 Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?
Msiwasikilize; mtumikieni mfalme wa Babeli, mkaishi; kwani mji huu kufanywa ukiwa?
18 But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
Lakini ikiwa hao ni manabii, na ikiwa neno la Bwana liko kwao, basi na wamwombe Bwana wa majeshi, kwamba vyombo vile vilivyosalia katika nyumba ya Bwana, na katika nyumba ya mfalme wa Yuda, na hapa Yerusalemu, visiende Babeli.
19 For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city,
Maana Bwana wa majeshi asema hivi, katika habari za nguzo, na katika habari za bahari, na katika habari za matako yake, na katika habari za mabaki ya vyombo vilivyoachwa katika mji huu,
20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;
ambavyo Nebukadreza, mfalme wa Babeli, hakuvichukua, hapo alipomchukua Yekonia, mwana wa Yehoyakimu, mfalme wa Yuda, toka Yerusalemu mpaka Babeli, pamoja na wakuu wote wa Yuda, na Yerusalemu;
21 yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem;
naam, Bwana wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, asema hivi, katika habari za vyombo vilivyobaki katika nyumba ya Bwana, na katika nyumba ya mfalme wa Yuda, na hapa Yerusalemu;
22 they shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.
Vitachukuliwa mpaka Babeli, navyo vitakaa huko, hata siku ile nitakapovijilia, asema Bwana; hapo ndipo nitakapovileta tena, na kuvirudisha mahali hapa.
