UJeremiya 31

31 ¹“Ngaleso sikhathi,” kusho uBaba wethu, “ngiyakuba nguBaba wayo yonke imindeni yakwa-Israyeli, bona babe ngabantwana bami.”

²Nakhu okushiwo nguBaba wethu: Abantu abasinda enkembeni bathola umusa ehlane; u-Israyeli waya ukuyothola ukuphumula.

³Esekude uBaba wethu wabonakala kimi: “Ngikuthandile ngothando olungunaphakade; ngakho ngikudonsele kimi ngothando oluthembekile.”

⁴“Ngiyakuphinda ngikwakhe, uyakwakhiwa, ntombi emsulwa yakwa-Israyeli! Uyakuphinda uthathe izigubhu zakho uphumele emgidweni wabajabulayo. ⁵Uyakuphinda utshale izivini ezintabeni zaseSamariya; abatshali bayakutshala bajabulele isithelo.” ⁶Ngokuba luyakufika usuku lapho abalindi beyakumemeza ezweni elinezintaba lakwa-Efrayimi: “Vukani, sikhuphukele eZiyoni, kuBaba wethu!”

⁷Ngokuba nakhu okushiwo nguBaba wethu: Hlabelelani ngenjabulo ngenxa kaJakobe, nimemeze ngenxa yesizwe esikhulu kunazo zonke; memezelani, nidumise, nithi, ‘Baba wethu, sindisa abantu bakho, insali yakwa-Israyeli!’ ⁸“Bheka, ngiyakubaletha bevela ezweni lasenyakatho ngibaqoqe emikhawulweni ekude yomhlaba—phakathi kwabo izimpumputhe nabaqhugayo, owesifazane okhulelweyo nobelethayo. Ndawonye bayakubuyela lapha, ixuku elikhulu. ⁹Ngokukhala bayakuza, nangokunxusa umusa ngiyakubahola; ngibahambise ngasemifuleni yamanzi, endleleni elingene lapho bengayikukhubeka khona, ngokuba sengibe nguyise ka-Israyeli, u-Efrayimi uyizibulo lami.”

¹⁰Zwanini izwi likaBaba wethu, zizwe, nilimemezele emazweni asogwini akude; nithi, “Lowo owahlakaza u-Israyeli uyakumqoqa, amgcine njengomalusi egcina umhlambi wakhe.” ¹¹Ngokuba uBaba wethu umhlengile uJakobe wamkhulula esandleni esinamandla kunaye. ¹²Bayakuza bahlabelele kakhulu endaweni ephakeme yaseZiyoni, bakhazimule ngenxa yobuhle bukaBaba wethu—ngenxa yamabele, newayini elisha, namafutha, nangenxa yamazinyane omhlambi nawenkomo. Ukuphila kwabo kuyakuba njengensimu ethelelwayo, abasayikuphinde badangaliswe usizi.

¹³“Khona-ke amantombazane ayakujabula emgidweni, nezinsizwa namaxhegu ndawonye. Ngiyakuphendula ukulila kwabo kube yintokozo; ngiyakubaduduza ngibanike injabulo esikhundleni sosizi lwabo. ¹⁴Ngiyakugcwalisa abapristi ngenala, nabantwana bami bayakusutha ngobuhle bami,” kusho uBaba wethu.

¹⁵Nakhu okushiwo nguBaba wethu: Kuzwakala izwi eRama—ukukhala nokulila okubuhlungu. URasheli ukhalela abantwana bakhe; uyenqaba ukududuzwa ngenxa yabantwana bakhe, ngokuba abasekho. ^a a v15 UMathewu ubona lesi sililo sigcwaliseka ekukhaleni eBhetlehema lapho uHerode ebulala abantwana (uMathewu 2:18) — futhi isithembiso sikaBaba wethu sokubuya emavesini alandelayo sikhomba ithemba elingaphesheya kosizi.

¹⁶Nakhu okushiwo nguBaba wethu: Yibambe izwi lakho ekukhaleni, namehlo akho ezinyembezini, ngokuba umsebenzi wakho unomvuzo, kusho uBaba wethu; bayakubuya ezweni lesitha. ¹⁷“Likhona ithemba ngekusasa lakho, kusho uBaba wethu, nabantwana bakho bayakubuyela ezweni labo. ¹⁸Ngimzwile ngempela u-Efrayimi ekhala, ethi: ‘Wangiqondisa, ngaqondiswa, njengethole elingafundisiwe; ngibuyise ukuze ngibuye, ngokuba unguBaba wami.’ ¹⁹Ngokuba emva kokuba sengifulathele, ngaphenduka; emva kokuba sengifundisiwe, ngashaya ithanga lami. Ngaba namahloni ngadumazeka, ngokuba ngathwala ihlazo lobusha bami. ^b b v19 Ukushaya ithanga kwakuyisenzo sasendulo esibonisa usizi olujulile noma ukwesaba okukhulu. ²⁰U-Efrayimi uyindodana yami ethandekayo na? Uyingane yami engiyithandayo na? Ngokuba njalo lapho ngikhuluma ngimelene naye, ngisamkhumbula yena. Ngakho inhliziyo yami iyamhawukela; ngiyakumhawukela nokumhawukela,” kusho uBaba wethu. ²¹“Zimisele izikhombandlela wena; zenzele izibonakaliso. Beka ingqondo yakho emgwaqweni omkhulu, indlela owahamba ngayo. Buya, ntombi emsulwa yakwa-Israyeli, buyela emizini yakho. ²²Koze kube nini uzulazula, ndodakazi engathembekile? Ngokuba ngidalile into entsha emhlabeni: owesifazane uyakuzungeza indoda.”

²³Nakhu okushiwo nguBaba wamabutho asezulwini, uBaba ka-Israyeli: Lapho ngibuyisa inhlanhla yabo, bayakuphinda basho lokhu ezweni lakwaJuda nasemizini yalo: ‘UBaba wethu akubusise, khaya lokulunga, ntaba engcwele!’ ²⁴UJuda nayo yonke imizi yakhe bayakuhlala khona ndawonye—abalimi nalabo abahamba nemihlambi yabo. ²⁵“Ngokuba ngiyakuqabula umphefumulo okhatheleyo ngigcwalise wonke umphefumulo odangele ngosizi.”

²⁶Kulokhu ngaphaphama ngabuka, ubuthongo bami babumnandi kimi.

²⁷“Ziyeza izinsuku, kusho uBaba wethu, lapho ngiyakuhlwanyela indlu yakwa-Israyeli nendlu yakwaJuda ngembewu yomuntu neyezilwane. ²⁸Njengoba ngabalinda ukuba ngisiphule, ngidilize, ngichithe, ngibhubhise, ngilethe ingozi, kanjalo ngiyakubalinda ukuba ngakhe ngitshale,” kusho uBaba wethu. ²⁹“Ngalezo zinsuku abasayikusho ukuthi: ‘Oyise badla amagilebhisi amuncu, kwaba buthi amazinyo abantwana babo.’”

³⁰“Yilowo nalowo uyakufela isono sakhe. Lowo odla amagilebhisi amuncu, amazinyo akhe ayakuba buthi.”

³¹“Ziyeza izinsuku, kusho uBaba wethu, lapho ngiyakwenza isivumelwano esisha nendlu yakwa-Israyeli nendlu yakwaJuda. ^c c v31 UJesu wasungula lesi sivumelwano esisha eSidlweni Sokugcina, ngegazi lakhe (uLuka 22:20); incwadi yamaHebheru imbiza ngomlamuleli oqinisa isithembiso sikaBaba wethu (amaHebheru 8:8-12). ³²Asiyikuba njengesivumelwano engasenza nawokhokho babo ngosuku engababamba ngaso ngesandla ukubakhipha ezweni laseGibhithe—isivumelwano sami abasephula, noma ngingumyeni kubo,” kusho uBaba wethu. ³³“Kodwa yilesi isivumelwano engiyakwenza nendlu yakwa-Israyeli emva kwalezo zinsuku, kusho uBaba wethu: Ngiyakuyifaka imfundiso yami ngaphakathi kwabo, ngiyibhale ezinhliziyweni zabo. Ngiyakuba nguBaba wabo, bona babe ngabantwana bami. ³⁴Akusayikuba khona ofundisa umakhelwane wakhe noma umfowabo, ethi, ‘Yazi uBaba wethu,’ ngokuba bonke bayakungazi, kusukela komncane kubo kuze kube komkhulu, kusho uBaba wethu. Ngokuba ngiyakuxolela ububi babo, ngingabe ngisasikhumbula isono sabo.”

³⁵Nakhu okushiwo nguBaba wethu, onika ilanga ukuba kube ukukhanya emini nokumiswa kwenyanga nezinkanyezi ukuba kube ukukhanya ebusuku, ohlokoza ulwandle ukuze amagagasi alo ahlokome— uBaba wamabutho asezulwini yigama lakhe:

³⁶“Uma lokhu okumisiweyo kungasuka phambi kwami, kusho uBaba wethu, khona-ke abantwana bakwa-Israyeli bayakuyeka ukuba yisizwe phambi kwami kuze kube phakade.” ³⁷Nakhu okushiwo nguBaba wethu: Uma amazulu aphezulu engalinganiswa nezisekelo zomhlaba ngezansi zihlolwe, khona-ke ngiyakubalahla bonke abantwana bakwa-Israyeli ngenxa yakho konke abakwenzileyo, kusho uBaba wethu.

³⁸“Ziyeza izinsuku, kusho uBaba wethu, lapho umuzi uyakwakhiwa kabusha kimi, kusukela eMbhoshongweni wakwaHananeli kuze kube seSangweni leNgonsi. ³⁹Intambo yokulinganisa iyakwelulela phambili, iqonde egqumeni laseGarebi, bese iphendukela eGowa. ⁴⁰Sonke isigodi sezidumbu nomlotha, nawo wonke amasimu kuze kufike eSigodini saseKidroni, kuze kufike engonsini yeSango lamaHhashi ngasempumalanga, siyakuba ngcwele kuBaba wethu—asisayikuphinde sisishulwe noma sidilizwe.”