Judah Is Like Two Baskets of Figs
1King Jehoiachin was forced to leave Jerusalem. He was the son of Jehoiakim. Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The officials and all the skilled workers were forced to leave with him. After they left, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs. They were in front of his temple. 2One basket had very good figs in it. They were like figs that ripen early. The other basket had very bad figs in it. In fact, they were so bad they couldn’t even be eaten.
3Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good. But the others are so bad they can’t be eaten.”
4Then a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 5“I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I say, ‘I consider the people who were forced to leave Judah to be like these good figs. I sent them away from this place. I forced them to go to Babylon. 6My eyes will watch over them. I will be good to them. And I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up. I will not tear them down. I will plant them. I will not pull them up by the roots. 7I will change their hearts. Then they will know that I am the Lord. They will be my people. And I will be their God. They will return to me with all their heart.
8“ ‘But there are also bad figs. In fact, they are so bad they can’t be eaten,’ says the Lord. ‘Zedekiah, the king of Judah, is like these bad figs. So are his officials and the people of Jerusalem who are still left alive. I will punish them whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. 9I will make all the kingdoms on earth displeased with them. In fact, they will hate them a great deal. They will shake their heads at them. They will curse them and make fun of them. All this will happen no matter where I force them to go. 10I will send war, hunger and plague against them. They will be destroyed from the land I gave them and their people of long ago.’ ”
Vikapu Viwili Vya Tini
124:1 2Fal 24:16; 2Nya 36:9; Kut 23:19; Kum 26:2; Amo 8:1-2Baada ya Yekonia24:1 Yekonia au Konia ni jina jingine la Yehoyakini. mwana wa Yehoyakimu mfalme wa Yuda, pamoja na maafisa, mafundi stadi na wahunzi wa Yuda, kuchukuliwa kutoka Yerusalemu kwenda Babeli na Nebukadneza mfalme wa Babeli kwenda uhamishoni huko Babeli, Bwana akanionyesha vikapu viwili vya tini vilivyowekwa mbele ya Hekalu la Bwana. 224:2 Wim 2:13; Isa 5:4Kikapu kimoja kilikuwa na tini nzuri sana, kama zile za mavuno ya kwanza. Kikapu cha pili kilikuwa na tini dhaifu sana, mbovu mno zisizofaa kuliwa.
324:3 Yer 1:11; Amo 8:1-2Kisha Bwana akaniuliza, “Je, Yeremia, unaona nini?”
Nikamjibu, “Ninaona tini zile zilizo nzuri ni nzuri sana, lakini zilizo dhaifu ni mbovu mno zisizofaa kuliwa.”
4Kisha neno la Bwana likanijia: 524:5 Yer 29:4, 20“Hili ndilo Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli, asemalo: ‘Kama zilivyo hizi tini nzuri, ndivyo ninavyowaona kuwa bora watu wa uhamisho kutoka Yuda, niliowaondoa kutoka mahali hapa kwenda katika nchi ya Wakaldayo. 624:6 Kum 30:3; Eze 11:17; Yer 42:10; 30:9; Amo 9:14-15Macho yangu yatakuwa juu yao kwa ajili ya kuwapatia mema, nami nitawarudisha tena katika nchi hii. Nitawajenga wala sitawabomoa, nitawapanda wala sitawangʼoa, 724:7 Law 26:12; Ebr 8:10; Yer 32:40; 2Nya 6:37; Eze 11:19; Isa 11:9; 51:18; Zek 2:11nitawapa moyo wa kunifahamu mimi, kwamba mimi ndimi Bwana. Watakuwa watu wangu, nami nitakuwa Mungu wao, kwa maana watanirudia kwa moyo wao wote.
824:8 Yer 29:17; 39:6-9; 44:26; 46:14; 32:4-5; 44:30“ ‘Lakini kama zilivyo zile tini dhaifu, ambazo ni mbovu mno zisizofaa kuliwa,’ asema Bwana, ‘ndivyo nitakavyomtendea Sedekia mfalme wa Yuda, maafisa wake na mabaki wengine kutoka Yerusalemu, wawe wamebaki katika nchi hii, au wanaishi Misri. 924:9 Yer 25:18; 34:17; Kum 28:25; 2Fal 22:19; Yer 29:18; Dan 9:7; Yer 15:4Nitawafanya kuwa chukizo kabisa na kitu cha kulaumiwa katika mataifa yote ya dunia, watakuwa aibu na kitu cha kudharauliwa, chombo cha dhihaka na kulaaniwa, popote nitakapowafukuzia. 1024:10 Isa 51:19; Ufu 6:8; Yer 27:8; 9:16; 15:2; Kum 28:21Nitautuma upanga, njaa na tauni dhidi yao hadi wawe wameangamia kutoka nchi niliyowapa wao na baba zao.’ ”
