A Warning for the People of Jerusalem
The Lord said:
1 Run for your lives,
people of Benjamin.
Get out of Jerusalem.
Sound a trumpet in Tekoa
and light a signal fire
in Beth-Haccherem.
Soon you will be struck
by disaster from the north.
2 Jerusalem is a lovely pasture,
3 but shepherds will surround it
and divided up,
then let their flocks
eat all the grass.
4 Kings will tell their troops,
“If we reach Jerusalem
in the morning,
we'll attack at noon.
But if we arrive later,
5 we'll attack after dark
and destroy its fortresses.”
6 I am the Lord All-Powerful,
and I will command these armies
to chop down trees
and build a ramp up to the walls
of Jerusalem.
People of Jerusalem,
I must punish you
for your injustice.
7 Evil pours from your city
like water from a spring.
Sounds of injustice and violence
echo within your walls;
victims are everywhere,
wounded and dying.
8 Listen to me,
you people of Jerusalem
and Judah.
I will abandon you,
and your land will become
an empty desert.
9 I will tell your enemies
to leave your nation bare
like a vine stripped of grapes.
I, the Lord All-Powerful,
have spoken.
Jeremiah's Anger
10 I have told the people
that you, Lord,
will punish them,
but they just laugh
and refuse to listen.
11 Your anger against Judah
flames up inside me,
and I can't hold it in
much longer.
The Lord's Anger Will Sweep Everyone Away
The Lord answered:
Don't hold back my anger!
Let it sweep away everyone—
the children at play
and all adults,
young and old alike.
12 I'll punish the people of Judah
and give to others
their houses and fields,
as well as their wives.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 Everyone is greedy and dishonest,
whether poor or rich.
Even the prophets and priests
cannot be trusted.
14 All they ever offer
to my deeply wounded people
are empty hopes for peace.
15 They should be ashamed
of their disgusting sins,
but they don't even blush.
And so, when I punish Judah,
they will end up on the ground,
dead like everyone else.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The People of Judah Rejected God's Way of Life
16 The Lord said:
My people, when you stood
at the crossroads,
I told you, “Follow the road
your ancestors took,
and you will find peace.”
But you refused.
17 I also sent prophets
to warn you of danger,
but when they sounded the alarm,
you paid no attention.
18 So I tell all nations on earth,
“Watch what I will do!
19 My people ignored me
and rejected my laws.
They planned to do evil,
and now the evil they planned
will happen to them.”
20 People of Judah,
you bring me incense from Sheba
and spices from distant lands.
You offer sacrifices of all kinds.
But why bother?
I hate these gifts of yours!
21 So I will put stumbling blocks
in your path,
and everyone will die,
including parents and children,
neighbors and friends.
An Army from the North
22 The Lord said,
“Look toward the north,
where a powerful nation
has prepared for war.
23 Its well-armed troops are cruel
and never show mercy.
Their galloping horses sound
like ocean waves
pounding on the shore.
This army will attack you,
lovely Jerusalem.”
24 Then the people said,
“Just hearing about them
makes us tremble with fear,
and we twist and turn in pain
like a woman giving birth.”
25 The Lord said,
“Don't work in your fields
or walk along the roads.
It's too dangerous.
The enemy is well armed
26 and attacks without warning.
So mourn, my people, as though
your only child had died.
Wear clothes made of sackcloth
and roll in the ash pile.”
The Lord's People Must Be Tested
The Lord said:
27 Jeremiah, test my people
as though they were metal.
28 And you'll find they are hard
like bronze and iron.
They are stubborn rebels,
always spreading lies.
* 29-30 Silver can be purified
in a fiery furnace,
but my people are too wicked
to be made pure,
and so I have rejected them.
Kyila'baazii Muyidri Yerusalema rote
1 Ami lidri Benjamina ro, mìmu ri ami opane! Mìmu ni Yerusalema yasi! Mìvo cekuṛe Tekoa ya ago nyèŋga bere taka'daro Beta Hakerema ya. Tana rriti ndi 'ditufu amba be ka oye ikyine ni mä'dudrisi. 2 'Bakici Zaiona ro orivoya liŋgyiekye, oko eperena 'da; 3 'bädri'bai ndi kyila'bai ànyaro be ikyinayi 'da Yerusalema dri. Ànya otonayi zoi boŋgoro ànyaro 'da gbikyi lomvo igyesi, ago 'dialo otona gawa 'da vose nda kolebe otone kigye 'do ya. 4 Ànya atanayi 'da ekye: “Nyèderu Yerusalema gotane! Mì'di mògota kitudiri si.” 'Dooko ànya ogo atana kpa 'da ekye: “Ama te kandrakozi be, tana kitu kate oci ago lindri tandrole ro kate oca dämbäṛä. 5 Mìŋga mì'de mogota ŋgäkyi si; mòtoŋgona vo mbaraekye 'bakici ana ro 'da.”
6 OPI Mbaraekye ozo ota te ekye: “Te ice kwoi ogane ago odrone donjo drî Yerusalema ro umuza. Ono ni 'bakici se ezane owo, tana te orivoya twi 'dieza be. 7 Oso koro kabe gyi iro o'bana a'done i'dwero 'do ronye, Yerusalema ka takozi anyaro o'bana kpa a'done oso inye. Eri ta siomba ro ndi ta 'ditufu robe tana te 'bakici ono ya; ma toto alo adravo ndi laza be ondrena. 8 Ami lidri Yerusalema ro, mimba ami dri ukyi me'be ami 'da; ago motoza 'bakici amiro 'da tandro ro, vose 'diaza unina ko orine kigye.”
Yisaraele Ogbo'ba
9 OPI Mbaraekye atate märi ekye: “Nyoto lidri Yisaraele ro se ke'be be 'do ro oso doŋgo opi'ba kabe ogo vole topine 'do ronye.”
10 Mazatadrite makye: “Matana a'di ri ago mozona miomba a'di ri erine ya? Ànya orivoya biako ago gayizo ta erine; ànya guyi tase mi OPI nyitibe ono ṛo ugu. 11 Ta'dota tase mi OPI nya'dobe kyilaro ànya yibe ono ma kpa sina, ago mänina kote drina o'bine maya tona.”
'Dooko OPI atate märi ekye: “Miso kyila maro ŋgàga dri litiŋwai drisi ago vo kalakoto ro agoànji ro yasi. Äruna àgo ndi 'ditoko be 'da, ago ca 'dise pari odeodero iyi. 12 Ozona zoi ànyaro 'da 'diazaka ri, ago ämvu ànyaro ndi tro 'ditoko ànyaro be kpa inye. Mozona drì maro 'da lidri wari ono ro ezane. 13 'Dicini 'desiro ndi giṛiŋwa ro be, kayi ojo drinju'du usune ta'diriako si; ca nebii ndi kohanii be kayi lidri oco. 14 Ànya kayi ojo laza lidri maro ro edene oso ŋgaawi ronye. Ànya kayi ata ekye, ‘ŋga cini orivoya liatokpe,’ oko se ŋga cini a'do ko liatokpe ro. 15 Inye'do ànya a'do gindi driupiro tase undiro ànya koyeyibe ono tana roya? Hwa, ànya a'doyi kote driupiro cu alona; ànya niyi kpa ko a'done mi nyäswänyäswäro be. Ta'doro ànya o'dena 'da oso 'diazaka kole'debe ronye; ondro meza ànya te, 'dooko ädu ànyaro te ni wo. Ma, OPI, matani.”
Yisaraele ka Liti Lu ro Ogana Zo
16 OPI atate lidri ndaro ri ekye: “Nyèdre liti lewevo yasi ago mìndrevo. Nyèji ta litiŋwai se kyeno kai ro, ago nyèji ta liti se orivoya kadoro para ndra 'do ro. Nyàba kigyesi, 'dooko nyùsuna taliatokpe ndi.”
Oko ànya atayite ekye: “Hwa, mä̀nina ko abane kigyesi!” 17 'Dooko OPI ka'da vookwa'bai te ànya dri ovo cekuṛei ro erine. Oko ànya atayite ekye: “Màle ko tana erine.”
18 Ta'dota OPI atate ekye: “Nyèri dri, ami tu'dei, ago mìni ami lowa tase ka oyebe a'done lidri maro ri ono kadoro. 19 Nyeri dri, 'bädri! Ma oye taezaro ezine lidri ono dri ta tase cini ànya korabe ono rota, tana ànya gayizo ota maro erine ago gayi ota maro tezo. 20 Ŋga ŋgutruro se ànya kayibe ezina ni Seba yasi, kode ŋga tägyi tagyiriro se kayibe ezina ni wari lozo yasi ono kadona märi e'diya? Märi tadri ŋgapäṛi ànyaro ro olene ago märi a'done yai'dwesi ta tori olo ànyaro rota te i'do. 21 Ka'do inye ma'bana tedro 'da lidri kwoi ri o'deza. Täpii ndi ŋgwàagoro be todranayi 'da, ago bereazii ndi oriazii be kpa inye.”
Voeŋgo Kyila be ni Mä'dudrisi
22 OPI ka ata ekye: “Lidri ka eziikyi ni 'bädri mä'dudrisi yasi; tu'de 'desi aza orivoya lozo di ka ruede kyila oyene. 23 Ànya ruyi kusui ànyaro te ndi bandoi be; ànya orivoya siomba be ago yauniako. Ànya kayi amo oso ärru gyi'desi ro ronye, imuvoya farasii ànyaro si. Ara ànya te orivoya nja kyila oyene Yerusalema be.”
24 Lidri Yerusalema ro kayi ata ekye: “Mèri lazo na te, ago drì amaro todrate mbaraako; rriti mudri amaro te, lomvoluwu amaro te oso lomvoluwu toko se kabe uti 'do ro ronye. 25 Màle kote ofone lozo tesi kode abane litiŋwai drisi; tana kyila'baazii amaro te orivoya ŋga kyila robe ago ama te turituriro lamadri cini yasi.”
26 OPI ka ata lidri ndaro ri ekye: “Mìso boŋgo guniya ro nyèreṛi torofo yasi. Mì'be kuku miendre amba be oso abe liyi ta ŋgwaagoro se alodiŋwa se kodrate 'do rota ronye, tana 'dise ka oyebe ami tufune 'do ka oye ŋgagotane ätruku'du. 27 Yeremaya, ma'ba mite a'done oso mo'di ojo'ba ronye lidri maro lako, tana nyojo ago mini a'do anyaro robe. 28 Tana ànya cini orivoya ogbo'bai taeriako, ugu aba be kyere oyebe. Ànya ṛatararo oso atala ndi logo be ronye. Ànya cini kayi taoye koziro. 29 Okovo asi ca eme ca zwiṛi tukuvudri ya, caoko äṛize logo ro ala kote ago leŋga kote tesi. Takado aza i'do ugu lidri maro wäṛine, tana ànya se koziro iyi ana kote tesi. 30 Äzina ànya te äṛize, tana Ma, OPI, maga ànya tezo.”