Disaster Because of Idolatry
1This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt: 2“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins 3because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew. 4Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’ 5But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods. 6Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.
7“Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant? 8Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse44:8 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed; also in verse 12; similarly in verse 22. and an object of reproach among all the nations on earth. 9Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? 10To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your ancestors.
11“Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah. 12I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach. 13I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem. 14None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”
15Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah, 16“We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! 17We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. 18But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.”
19The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?”
20Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, 21“Did not the Lord remember and call to mind the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your ancestors, your kings and your officials and the people of the land? 22When the Lord could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today. 23Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see.”
24Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt. 25This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’
“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! 26But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign Lord lives.” 27For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed. 28Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.
29“ ‘This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’ 30This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’ ”
Masautso Chifukwa cha Kupembedza Mafano
1Uthenga umene Yeremiya analandira wonena za Ayuda onse amene ankakhala ku Igupto, ku mizinda ya Migidoli, Tapanesi ndi Mefisi, ndiponso ku Patirosi ndi uwu: 2“Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, Mulungu wa Israeli akuti: Inu mwaona mavuto aakulu amene ndinawabweretsa pa Yerusalemu ndi mizinda yonse ya Yuda. Lero mizinda yonseyo yasanduka mabwinja, yopanda munthu wokhalamo. 3Zimenezi zinachitika chifukwa cha zoyipa zomwe anachita. Iwo anaputa mkwiyo wanga pofukiza lubani ndi potumikira milungu ina imene iwo kapena inu ngakhalenso makolo anu sanayidziwe. 4Kawirikawiri Ine ndakhala ndikutuma atumiki anga, aneneri, amene anati, ‘Musachite chinthu chonyansachi chimene Ine ndimadana nacho!’ 5Koma iwo sanamvere kapena kulabadira; sanatembenuke kusiya zoyipa zawo kapena kuleka kufukiza lubani kwa milungu ina. 6Nʼchifukwa chake mkwiyo wanga unayaka ngati moto kutentha mizinda ya ku Yuda ndi misewu ya mu Yerusalemu ndi kuyisandutsa bwinja mpaka lero.
7“Ndiye tsopano Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, Mulungu wa Israeli, akunena kuti, ‘Chifukwa chiyani mukufuna kudziwononga chotere? Kodi mukufuna kuti amuna, akazi, ana ndi makanda onse aphedwe ndi kuti mu Yuda musatsale ndi munthu mmodzi yemwe? 8Chifukwa chiyani mukuputa mkwiyo wanga popembedza mafano pofukiza lubani kwa milungu ina mʼdziko lino la Igupto mʼmene mukukhalamo. Kodi mukuchita zimenezi kuti mudziwononge nokha ndi kuti mudzisandutse chinthu choseketsa ndi chonyozeka pakati pa mitundu yonse ya dziko lapansi? 9Kodi mwayiwala zoyipa zimene anachita makolo anu, mafumu a ku Yuda ndi akazi awo, ndiponso zoyipa zimene munachita inuyo ndi akazi anu mʼdziko la Yuda ndi mʼmisewu ya mu Yerusalemu? 10Koma mpaka lero simunalape. Simunandilemekeze kapena kumvera malamulo anga amene ndinayikira inuyo ndi makolo anu.
11“Nʼchifukwa chake Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, Mulungu wa Israeli akunena kuti, ‘Ine ndatsimikiza zobweretsa mavuto pa inu ndi kuwatheratu anthu a ku Yuda. 12Ndidzatenga anthu otsala a ku Yuda amene atsimikiza zopita ku Igupto ndi kukakhala kumeneko. Onse adzathera ku Igupto. Adzaphedwa ndi lupanga kapena kufa ndi njala. Kuyambira wamngʼono mpaka wamkulu, adzaphedwa ndi lupanga kapena kufa ndi njala. Adzasanduka chinthu chotembereredwa ndi chochititsa mantha, chinthu choseketsa ndi chonyozeka. 13Ndidzalanga Ayuda okhala ku Igupto ndi lupanga, njala ndi mliri, ngati mmene ndinalangira anthu a ku Yerusalemu. 14Motero mwa anthu amene anapita ku Igupto palibe ndi mmodzi yemwe adzapulumuke, kapena kukhala ndi moyo, kapena kubwerera ku Yuda. Palibe amene adzabwerere kupatula othawa nkhondo.’ ”
15Tsono amuna onse amene anadziwa kuti akazi awo ankafukiza lubani kwa milungu ina, ndiponso akazi onse amene anali pamenepo, gulu lalikulu la anthu, pamodzi ndi anthu onse amene amakhala ku Patirosi mʼdziko la Igupto, anati kwa Yeremiya, 16“Ife sitimvera uthenga umene watiwuza mʼdzina la Yehova! 17Koma tidzachitadi chilichonse chimene tinanena kuti tidzachita: Tidzafukiza lubani kwa mfumukazi yakumwamba ndipo tidzayipatsa nsembe yachakumwa ngati mmene tinkachitira ifeyo ndi makolo athu, mafumu athu ndi akuluakulu mʼmizinda ya ku Yuda ndi mʼmisewu ya mu Yerusalemu. Nthawi imeneyo ife tinali ndi chakudya chochuluka ndipo tinali pabwino, sitimapeza mavuto. 18Koma kuchokera nthawi imene tinasiya kufukiza lubani ndi kupereka chopereka cha chakumwa kwa mfumukazi yakumwamba, ifeyo takhala tikusowa zinthu ndipo takhala tikuphedwa ndi lupanga ndi kufa ndi njala.”
19Akazi anawonjezera kunena kuti, “Pamene tinkafukiza lubani kwa mfumukazi yakumwamba ndi kuyipatsa chopereka cha chakumwa, kodi suja amuna athu ankavomereza mmene timayipangira mfumukazi yakumwambayo makeke abwino olembapo chinthunzi chake ndi kuyipatsa chopereka cha chakumwa?”
20Yeremiya atamva kuyankha kumeneku anawawuza kuti, 21“Kodi mukuganiza kuti Yehova nʼkuyiwala kuti inuyo ndi makolo anu, mafumu anu ndi akuluakulu anu, ndiponso anthu onse, munkafukiza lubani kwa mafano a mʼmizinda ya ku Yuda ndi mʼmisewu ya mu Yerusalemu? 22Ndiye Yehova sakanathanso kupirira ndi machitidwe anu ndi zonyansa zimene munkachita. Nʼchifukwa chake dziko lanu linasanduka chipululu, chinthu choopsa ndi chotembereredwa. Dziko lopandamo anthu monga zilili lero lino. 23Mavuto awa akugwerani chifukwa munkafukiza lubani ndipo munkachimwira Yehova pokana kumvera mawu ake ndi kutsatira malamulo ndi malangizo ake.”
24Kenaka Yeremiya anawuza anthu onse, makamaka akazi kuti, “Imvani mawu a Yehova, anthu onse a ku Yuda amene muli mu Igupto. 25Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, Mulungu wa Israeli akuti: Inu ndi akazi anu munalonjeza ndi pakamwa panu, ndipo malonjezowo mwakwaniritsa. Inu munanena kuti, ‘Tidzachita zimene tinalonjeza, kufukizira lubani mfumukazi yakumwamba ndi kuyipatsa chopereka cha zakumwa.’ Tsopano chitanitu zimene munalonjezazo! Kwaniritsani malumbiro anu.
“Yambani, chitani zimene munalonjeza! Kwaniritsani malumbiro anu! 26Koma imvani mawu a Yehova, inu Ayuda nonse amene mukukhala mu Igupto: Yehova akuti, ‘Ine ndikulumbira mʼdzina langa lopambana kuti palibe wochokera ku Yuda amene akukhala mu Igupto amene adzatchule dzina langa polumbira kuti, ‘Pali Ambuye Yehova wamoyo.’ 27Pakuti ndionetsetsa kuti ndiwachitire choyipa, osati chabwino. Anthu a ku Yuda amene akukhala ku Igupto adzaphedwa pa nkhondo. Ena adzafa ndi njala mpaka onse atatheratu. 28Amene adzapulumuke ku lupanga ndi kubwerera ku dziko la Yuda kuchokera ku Igupto adzakhala ochepa kwambiri. Choncho otsala onse a ku Yuda amene anapita kukakhala ku Igupto adzadziwa kuti mawu woona ndi ati, anga kapena awo.
29“Ine Yehova ndikukupatsani chizindikiro chakuti ndidzakulangani ku malo ano. Motero mudzadziwa kuti mawu anga akuti ndidzakulangani ndi woona. 30Yehova akuti, ‘Ine ndidzamupereka Farao Hofira mfumu ya Igupto kwa adani ake amene akufuna kumupha, monga momwe ndinaperekera Zedekiya mfumu ya Yuda kwa Nebukadinezara mfumu ya ku Babuloni, mdani wake amene ankafuna kumupha.’ ”
