UJeremiya 3

3 ¹Bathi: Uma indoda ihlukanisa nomkayo, umkakhe amshiye ayende kwenye indoda, iyakubuyela kuye futhi na? Angithi lelo zwe belingangcoliswa ngokuphelele na? Wena uziphingise nezithandani eziningi—kepha ubungabuyela kimi na? kusho uBaba wakho.

²Phakamisela amehlo akho emagqumeni angenalutho ubuke: yikuphi lapho ungonakaliswanga khona na? Eceleni kwezindlela wawuhlezi ulindele izithandani, njengomhambuma ehlane. Ulingcolisile izwe ngobufebe bakho nangobubi bakho. ³Ngakho-ke izihlambi zemvula zigodliwe, nemvula yentwasahlobo ayifikanga. Kepha unebuso elingenamahloni lesifebe; uyenqaba ukuba namahloni. ⁴Awukangimemezanga yini khona manje kimi, uthi, ‘Baba wami, wena ungumngane wobusha bami’? ⁵“Uyakuhlala ethukuthele kuze kube phakade na? Uyakugcina intukuthelo yakhe kuze kube sekupheleni na?” Nawu ukukhuluma kwakho, kodwa wenza bonke ububi onamandla okubenza.

Odade Ababili Abamkhohlwa uBaba Wabo

⁶uBaba wethu wathi kimi ezinsukwini zenkosi uJosiya: “Uyakubonile yini lokho u-Israyeli ongathembekile akwenzile na? Wenyukela kuwo wonke amagquma aphakeme, ngaphansi kwazo zonke izihlahla ezinamagatsha, wazenza isifebe khona. ⁷Ngacabanga ukuthi emva kokuba enze konke lokhu uyakubuyela kimi, kodwa akabuyanga, udadewabo okhohlisayo uJuda wakubona. ⁸Wabona ukuthi ngenxa yakho konke ukuphinga kuka-Israyeli ongathembekile ngamxosha ngamnika incwadi yesahlukaniso. Nokho udadewabo okhohlisayo uJuda akesabanga; naye waya wazenza isifebe. ⁹Ngenxa yokuthi ubufebe bakhe babuyinto encane kuye, wangcolisa izwe, ephinga namatshe nezihlahla. ¹⁰Naphezu kwalokho, udadewabo ongathembekile uJuda akabuyelanga kimi ngayo yonke inhliziyo yakhe, kodwa wenza sengathi nje, kusho uBaba wakho.”

¹¹uBaba wethu wathi kimi: U-Israyeli ongathembekile ulunge kakhulu kunoJuda okhohlisayo.

¹²Hamba umemezele ubhekise enyakatho uthi: Buya, wena Israyeli ongathembekile, kusho uBaba wakho. Ngeke ngikubuke ngentukuthelo, ngokuba nginomusa, kusho uBaba wakho; ngeke ngihlale ngithukuthele kuze kube phakade. ¹³Vuma nje icala lakho—ukuthi wamhlubuka uBaba wakho, wasabalalisa uthando lwakho kubezizwe ngaphansi kwazo zonke izihlahla ezinamagatsha, awulilalelanga izwi lami, kusho uBaba wakho. ¹⁴Buyani, nina bantwana abangathembekile, kusho uBaba wakho, ngokuba ngingumyeni wenu. Ngiyakunithatha—oyedwa emzini nababili emndenini— nginilethe eZiyoni. ¹⁵Ngiyakuninika-ke abelusi abavumelana nenhliziyo yami, abayakunondla ngolwazi nangokuqonda.

¹⁶Kuyakuthi lapho senivamile nanda ezweni, ngalezo zinsuku, kusho uBaba wakho, akusayikuba khona oyakuphinda athi, ‘Umphongolo wesivumelwano sikaBaba wethu.’ Ngeke usafika engqondweni, ngeke usakhunjulwa, ngeke usalangazelelwa, futhi ngeke kwenziwe omunye.

¹⁷“Bayakuyibiza-ke iJerusalema ngokuthi yiSihlalo sobukhosi sikaBaba wethu, futhi zonke izizwe ziyakubuthana khona ukuze zihloniphe igama likaBaba wethu. Abasayikulandela izinhliziyo zabo ezinenkani nezimbi. ¹⁸Ngalezo zinsuku indlu yakwaJuda iyakuhlangana nendlu yakwa-Israyeli, bayakufika ndawonye bevela ezweni lasenyakatho beze ezweni engalinika okhokho benu libe yifa. ¹⁹Mina ngokwami ngathi, ‘Yeka ukuthi ngingakubeka ngenjabulo enjani phakathi kwabantwana bami ngikunike izwe elimnandi, ifa elihle kakhulu kunesaso sonke isizwe!’ Futhi ngacabanga ukuthi uyakungibiza ngokuthi ‘Baba wami’ ungaphenduki ekungilandeleni. ²⁰Kodwa njengomfazi ongathembeki kumyeni wakhe, kanjalo anithembekanga kimi, nina ndlu ka-Israyeli, kusho uBaba wakho.

²¹Kuzwakala izwi emagqumeni angenalutho— ukukhala nokunxusa kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli—ngokuba baphambukisile indlela yabo bamkhohlwa uBaba wabo.

²²“Buyani, nina bantwana abangathembekile; ngiyakuphulukisa ukungathembeki kwenu.” “Nampa thina, siza kuwe, ngokuba wena unguBaba wethu. ²³Ngempela ukuxokozela okusemagqumeni nasezintabeni kuyinkohliso; ngempela insindiso yakwa-Israyeli ikuBaba wethu. ²⁴Kusukela ebusheni bethu leyo nto ehlazisayo idlile izithelo zomsebenzi wokhokho bethu—imihlambi yabo yezimvu neyezinkomo, amadodana namadodakazi abo. ²⁵Masilale phansi ehlazweni lethu, amahloni ethu asimboze. Ngokuba sonile kuBaba wethu—thina nokhokho bethu—kusukela ebusheni bethu kuze kube namuhla, asililalelanga izwi likaBaba wethu.”