UJeremiya 17

17 ¹Isono sakwaJuda siqoshwe ngosiba lwensimbi, sibhalwe ngesihloko sedayimane esibhebheni senhliziyo yabo nasezimpondweni zama-altare abo,

²“kuyilapho abantwana babo bekhumbula ama-altare abo nezinsika zabo zika-Ashera eduze kwezihlahla eziluhlaza emagqumeni aphakeme. ^a a v2 Izinsika zika-Ashera kwakuyizinto zokhuni ezibaziweyo ezazimiselwe ukukhonzwa kuka-Ashera, unkulunkulukazi wenzalo wamaKhanani. ³Ntaba yami esemmangweni, umcebo wakho nayo yonke ingcebo yakho ngizakunikela kube yimpango, nezindawo zakho eziphakeme, ngenxa yesono esisezweni lakho lonke. ⁴Ngesandla sakho siqu uzakulahlekelwa yifa engakunika lona, futhi ngizakwenza ukhonze izitha zakho ezweni ongalaziyo, ngokuba uphembe umlilo entukuthelweni yami ozakusha kuze kube phakade.

⁵Yilokhu uBaba wethu akushoyo: Uqalekisiwe lowo othemba abantu nje, encike emandleni abantu, onhliziyo yakhe ifulathela kimi. ⁶Uzakuba njengesihlahlana sasehlane esingatholi ukukhululeka ngisho nalapho kufika, ehlala ezindaweni ezomileyo zasehlane, ezweni losawoti lapho kungahlali muntu khona. ⁷Kodwa ubusisiwe lowo othemba kimi, onethemba likhona kimi. ⁸Uzakuba njengesihlahla esitshalwe ngasemanzini, esinaba izimpande zaso ngasemfuleni. Asesabi lapho kufika ukushisa; amaqabunga aso ahlala eluhlaza. Asikhathazeki ngomnyaka wesomiso futhi asiyeki ukuthela izithelo. ⁹Inhliziyo iyakhohlisa kunakho konke, ayinakwelatshwa—ngubani ongayiqonda? ¹⁰Mina, uBaba wenu, ngihlola inhliziyo ngivivinye ingqondo, ukuze ngivuze umuntu ngamunye ngokwezindlela zakhe, ngokufanele imisebenzi yakhe. ¹¹Njengethendele elichamusela amaqanda engawazalanga, unjalo lowo ozuza ingcebo ngokungalungile. Phakathi kokuphila kwakhe ingcebo izakumshiya, ekugcineni uzakuba yisiwula.”

¹²Isihlalo sobukhosi esikhazimulayo, esiphakanyisiwe kwasekuqaleni, siyindawo yendlu yethu engcwele. ¹³Baba wethu, themba lika-Israyeli, bonke abakushiyayo bayakuhlazeka. Labo abaphambuka kuwe bayakulotshwa othulini, ngokuba bamlahlile uBaba wethu, umthombo wamanzi okuphila.

¹⁴Ngiphulukise, Baba wami, ngizakuphulukiswa; ngisindise, ngizakusindiswa, ngokuba nguwe engikudumisayo. ¹⁵Bheka, bahlala bethi kimi: “Liphi izwi likaNkulunkulu? Malize manje!” ¹⁶Kodwa mina angibalekanga ekubeni ngumalusi ekukhonzeni kwakho, futhi angilangazelelanga usuku lokuphelelwa yithemba. Uyakwazi lokho okuphuma ezindebeni zami; kwakusobala phambi kwakho. ¹⁷Ungabi yingebhe kimi; uyisiphephelo sami ngosuku lwenhlekelele. ¹⁸Mabahlazeke abangishushisayo, kodwa kungabi yimi; mabaphahlazeke, kodwa kungabi yimi. Behlisele usuku lwenhlekelele; ubaphahlaze ngokubhujiswa okuphindwe kabili.

uBaba Ubiza Ukwethembeka ngeSabatha

¹⁹Lokho uBaba wethu akusho kimi: Hamba uyokuma eSangweni labantu, lapho amakhosi akwaJuda engena aphume khona, nasemasangweni onke aseJerusalema,

²⁰ubatshele uthi: Zwanini izwi likaBaba wethu, makhosi akwaJuda, nina nonke bakwaJuda, nani nonke baseJerusalema eningena ngalawa masango. ²¹Yilokhu uBaba wethu akushoyo: Qaphelani ukuphila kwenu—ningathwali mthwalo ngeSabatha, noma niwungenise ngamasango aseJerusalema. ²²Ningathwali mthwalo niwukhiphe ezindlini zenu ngeSabatha, ningenzi namsebenzi, kodwa ligcineni liyingcwele iSabatha, njengoba ngabayala okhokho benu. ²³Kepha abazange balalele noma banake; baqinisa izintamo zabo, benqaba ukuzwa noma ukwamukela ukuqondiswa. ²⁴Kodwa uma ningilalela ngempela, kusho uBaba wethu, ningangenisi mthwalo ngamasango alo muzi ngeSabatha, kodwa ligcine liyingcwele iSabatha, ningenzi msebenzi ngalo, ²⁵khona-ke amakhosi nezikhulu ezihlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavide bazakungena ngamasango alo muzi, begibele izinqola namahhashi—bona, nezikhulu zabo, namadoda akwaJuda, nabahlali baseJerusalema—futhi lo muzi uzakuhlala unabantu kuze kube phakade. ²⁶Abantu bazakuvela emizini yakwaJuda, nasezindaweni ezizungeze iJerusalema, nasezweni lakwaBenjamini, nasemathafeni, nasezintabeni, naseNegebi, bephethe iminikelo yokushiswa, nemihlatshelo, neminikelo yempuphu, nempepho, neminikelo yokubonga, beyiletha endlini kaBaba wethu. ²⁷Kodwa uma ningangilaleli—ukuba ligcinwe liyingcwele iSabatha, ningathwali mthwalo niwungenise ngamasango aseJerusalema ngeSabatha—ngizakuphemba umlilo emasangweni alo ongacimeki, oshwabadela izigodlo zaseJerusalema.