Day of Disaster
1Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2“You must not marry and have sons or daughters in this place.” 3For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers: 4“They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like dung lying on the ground. They will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”
5For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity from this people,” declares the Lord. 6“Both high and low will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut themselves or shave their head for the dead. 7No one will offer food to comfort those who mourn for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console them.
8“And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink. 9For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place.
10“When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’ 11then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. 12But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me. 13So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’
14“However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 15but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors.
16“But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks. 17My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. 18I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.”
19Lord, my strength and my fortress,
my refuge in time of distress,
to you the nations will come
from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,
worthless idols that did them no good.
20Do people make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!”
21“Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name is the Lord.
Siku Ya Maafa
1Kisha neno la Bwana likanijia: 216:2 Mwa 19:14; Mt 19:12; 1Kor 7:26-27“Kamwe usioe na kuwa na wana wala binti mahali hapa.” 316:3 Yer 6:21Kwa maana hili ndilo asemalo Bwana kuhusu wana na binti wazaliwao katika nchi hii, na kuhusu wale wanawake ambao ni mama zao, na wale wanaume ambao ni baba zao: 416:4 Yer 25:33; 9:22; Za 83:10; Kum 28:26; Za 79:1-3; Yer 14:15; 19:7“Watakufa kwa magonjwa ya kufisha. Hawataombolezewa wala kuzikwa, lakini watakuwa kama mavi yaliyosambaa juu ya ardhi. Watakufa kwa upanga na kwa njaa, nazo maiti zao zitakuwa chakula cha ndege wa angani, na cha wanyama wa nchi.”
5Kwa kuwa hili ndilo asemalo Bwana: “Usiingie katika nyumba ambayo kuna chakula cha matanga, usiende kuwaombolezea wala kuwahurumia, kwa sababu nimeziondoa baraka zangu, upendo wangu na huruma zangu kutoka kwa watu hawa,” asema Bwana. 616:6 Yer 9:21; Eze 9:5-6; Law 19:28; 21:5; Isa 22:12; 1:20“Wakubwa na wadogo watakufa katika nchi hii. Hawatazikwa wala kuombolezewa, na hakuna atakayejikatakata au kunyoa nywele za kichwa chake kwa ajili yao. 716:7 Mit 3:6; Eze 24:17; Hos 9:4; 2Sam 3:35; Yer 22:10; Mao 1:9, 16Hakuna yeyote atakayewapa chakula ili kuwafariji wale waombolezao kwa ajili ya wale waliokufa, hata akiwa amefiwa na baba au mama, wala hakuna yeyote atakayewapa kinywaji ili kuwafariji.
816:8 Kut 32:6; Mhu 7:2-4; Yer 15:17“Usiingie katika nyumba ambayo kuna karamu, na kuketi humo ili kula na kunywa. 916:9 Isa 51:3; Amo 6:4-7; Yer 7:34; Isa 22:12-14; Ufu 18:23; Eze 26:13Kwa kuwa hili ndilo asemalo Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, aliye Mungu wa Israeli: ‘Mbele ya macho yako na katika siku zako, nitakomesha sauti zote za shangwe na za furaha, na pia sauti za bibi arusi na bwana arusi mahali hapa.’
1016:10 Kum 29:24; Yer 5:19“Utakapowaambia watu hawa mambo haya yote na wakakuuliza, ‘Kwa nini Bwana ameamuru maafa makubwa kama haya dhidi yetu? Tumefanya kosa gani? Tumetenda dhambi gani dhidi ya Bwana, Mungu wetu?’ 1116:11 Amu 2:12-13; Za 106:35-43; 1Fal 9:9; Neh 9:26-29; Ay 31:27; Kum 29:25-26Basi waambie, ‘Ni kwa sababu baba zenu waliniacha mimi, wakafuata miungu mingine ili kuitumikia na kuiabudu. Waliniacha mimi na hawakuishika sheria yangu,’ asema Bwana. 1216:12 Kut 32:8; Amo 2:4; Mhu 9:3; Yer 13:10; 2Tim 3:13; Yer 7:26; Eze 20:30‘Lakini ninyi mmetenda uovu zaidi kuliko baba zenu. Tazama jinsi ambavyo kila mmoja wenu anafuata ukaidi wa moyo wake mbaya, badala ya kunitii mimi. 1316:13 Kum 4:26-28; Yer 15:4-5; 2Nya 20:7; Yer 5:19; Kum 28:36Kwa hiyo nitawaondoa katika nchi hii na kuwatupa katika nchi ambayo ninyi wala baba zenu hamkuijua, nako huko mtaitumikia miungu mingine usiku na mchana, kwa maana sitawapa fadhili zangu huko.’
1416:14 Kum 15:15; Yer 23:7-8; 29:10; 31:27, 38; 30:3“Hata hivyo, siku zinakuja,” asema Bwana, “wakati ambapo watu hawatasema tena, ‘Hakika kama Bwana aishivyo, aliyewapandisha Waisraeli kutoka Misri,’ 1516:15 Isa 11:11-12; Za 53:6; Yer 3:18; 23:8; 30:3; Eze 38:14; Yoe 3:1; Kum 30:3bali watasema, ‘Hakika kama Bwana aishivyo, aliyewatoa wana wa Israeli kutoka nchi ya kaskazini na nchi zote alizokuwa amewafukuzia.’ Maana nitawarudisha katika nchi niliyowapa baba zao.
1616:16 Amo 4:2; Hab 1:14-15; Amo 9:3; Mik 7:2; 1Sam 26:20“Lakini sasa nitawaagiza wavuvi wengi,” asema Bwana, “nao watawavua. Baada ya hilo, nitawaagizia wawindaji wengi, nao watawawinda kwenye kila mlima na kilima, na katika nyufa za miamba. 1716:17 Mhu 12:14; Mk 4:22; Mit 5:21; Sef 1:12; Yer 32:19; Mwa 3:8; Ebr 4:13Macho yangu yanaziona njia zao zote, hazikufichika kwangu, wala dhambi yao haikusitirika. 1816:18 Hes 35:34; Isa 40:2; Eze 43:7; Ufu 18:6; Isa 65:6; Yer 12:3; Za 101:3Nitawalipiza maradufu kwa ajili ya uovu wao na dhambi yao, kwa sababu wameinajisi nchi yangu kwa maumbo yasiyo na uhai ya vinyago vyao vibaya, na kuujaza urithi wangu na sanamu za kuchukiza.”
1916:19 Yer 3:17; Za 4:2; Isa 2:2; Za 18:2; 2Sam 22:3; Yer 14:22; Isa 40:19; 1Sam 12:21Ee Bwana, nguvu zangu na ngome yangu,
kimbilio langu wakati wa taabu,
kwako mataifa yatakujia
kutoka miisho ya dunia na kusema,
“Baba zetu hawakuwa na chochote zaidi ya miungu ya uongo,
sanamu zisizofaa kitu
ambazo hazikuwafaidia lolote.
2016:20 Isa 37:19; Rum 1:23; Gal 4:8; Za 115:4-7; Yer 2:11Je, watu hujitengenezea miungu yao wenyewe?
Naam, lakini hao si miungu!”
2116:21 Kut 3:15“Kwa hiyo nitawafundisha:
wakati huu nitawafundisha
nguvu zangu na uwezo wangu.
Ndipo watakapojua
kuwa Jina langu ndimi Bwana.
