1
Neno hili ndilo alilosema Bwana, katika habari za Babeli, na katika habari za Wakaldayo, kwa kinywa cha Yeremia, nabii.
This is the word that the LORD spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans:
2
Tangazeni katika mataifa, Mkahubiri na kutweka bendera; Hubirini, msifiche, semeni, Babeli umetwaliwa! Beli amefedheheka; Merodaki amefadhaika; Sanamu zake zimeaibishwa, Vinyago vyake vimefadhaika.
“Announce and declare to the nations; lift up a banner and proclaim it; hold nothing back when you say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces.’
3
Maana toka kaskazini taifa linakuja juu yake, litakaloifanya nchi yake kuwa ukiwa; wala hapana mtu atakayekaa humo; wamekimbia, wamekwenda zao, mwanadamu na mnyama pia.
For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee.”
4
Katika siku hizo, na wakati huo, asema Bwana, wana wa Israeli watakuja, wao na wana wa Yuda pamoja; Wataendelea njiani mwao wakilia, nao watamtafuta Bwana, Mungu wao.
“In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, the children of Israel and the children of Judah will come together, weeping as they come, and will seek the LORD their God.
5
Watauliza habari za Sayuni, na nyuso zao zitaelekea huko, wakisema, Njoni ninyi, mjiunge na Bwana, kwa agano la milele ambalo halitasahauliwa.
They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and join themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.
6
Watu wangu wamekuwa kondoo waliopotea, wachungaji wao wamewapoteza; wamewapotosha milimani; wamekwenda toka mlima hata kilima, wamesahau mahali pao pa kupumzika.
My people are lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, causing them to roam the mountains. They have wandered from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place.
7
Watu wote waliowaona wamewala; na adui zao walisema, Sisi hatuna hatia, kwa kuwa hao wametenda dhambi juu ya Bwana, aliye kao la haki, yaani, Bwana, tumaini la baba zao.
All who found them devoured them, and their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the LORD, their true pasture, the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’
8
Kimbieni kutoka kati ya Babeli, mkatoke katika nchi ya Wakaldayo, mkawe kama mabeberu mbele ya makundi.
Flee from the midst of Babylon; depart from the land of the Chaldeans; be like the he-goats that lead the flock.
9
Kwa maana juu ya Babeli nitaamsha na kuleta kusanyiko la mataifa makubwa, toka nchi ya kaskazini; nao watajipanga juu yake; kutoka huko atatwaliwa; mishale yao itakuwa kama ya mtu shujaa aliye stadi; hapana hata mmoja utakaorudi bure.
For behold, I stir up and bring against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north. They will line up against her; from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.
10
Nao Ukaldayo utakuwa mateka; wote wautekao watashiba, asema Bwana.
Chaldea will be plundered; all who plunder her will have their fill,” declares the LORD.
11
Kwa sababu mnafurahi, kwa sababu mnashangilia, enyi mnaouteka urithi wangu, kwa sababu mmewanda kama mtamba akanyagaye nafaka, nanyi mnalia kama farasi wenye nguvu;
“Because you rejoice, because you sing in triumph—you who plunder My inheritance—because you frolic like a heifer treading grain and neigh like stallions,
12
mama yenu atatahayarika sana; yeye aliyewazaa atafadhaika; tazama, atakuwa taifa lililo nyuma katika mataifa yote, atakuwa jangwa, nchi ya ukame, na nyika.
your mother will be greatly ashamed; she who bore you will be disgraced. Behold, she will be the least of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13
Kwa sababu ya ghadhabu ya Bwana haitakaliwa na mtu, bali itakuwa ukiwa mtupu; kila mtu apitaye karibu na Babeli atashangaa, atazomea kwa sababu ya mapigo yake yote.
Because of the wrath of the LORD, she will not be inhabited; she will become completely desolate. All who pass through Babylon will be horrified and will hiss at all her wounds.
14
Jipangeni juu ya Babeli pande zote, Ninyi nyote mpindao upinde; Mpigeni, msiuzuie hata mshale mmoja; Kwa maana amemtenda Bwana dhambi.
Line up in formation around Babylon, all you who draw the bow! Shoot at her! Spare no arrows! For she has sinned against the LORD.
15
Mpigieni kelele pande zote; amejitoa; Maboma yake yameanguka, kuta zake zimebomolewa; Kwa maana ni kisasi cha Bwana; mlipizeni kisasi; Kama yeye alivyotenda, mtendeni yeye.
Raise a war cry against her on every side! She has thrown up her hands in surrender; her towers have fallen; her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the LORD, take out your vengeance upon her; as she has done, do the same to her.
16
Mpanzi mkatilie mbali na Babeli, Naye ashikaye mundu wakati wa mavuno; Kwa sababu ya kuuogopa upanga uoneao, Watageuka kila mtu kwa watu wake, Nao wataikimbilia kila mmoja nchi yake.
Cut off the sower from Babylon, and the one who wields the sickle at harvest time. In the face of the oppressor’s sword, each will turn to his own people, each will flee to his own land.
17
Israeli ni kondoo aliyetawanywa; simba wamemfukuzia mbali; kwanza mfalme wa Ashuru amemla, na mwisho Nebukadreza huyu, mfalme wa Babeli, amemvunja mifupa yake.
Israel is a scattered flock, chased away by lions. The first to devour him was the king of Assyria; the last to crush his bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”
18
Basi, Bwana wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, asema hivi, Tazama, mimi nitamwadhibu mfalme wa Babeli, na nchi yake, kama nilivyomwadhibu mfalme wa Ashuru.
Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.
19
Nami nitamleta Israeli tena malishoni kwake, naye atalisha juu ya Karmeli, na Bashani, na nafsi yake itashiba juu ya milima ya Efraimu, na katika Gileadi.
I will return Israel to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan; his soul will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.
20
Katika siku hizo na wakati huo, asema Bwana, uovu wa Israeli utatafutwa, wala uovu hapana; na dhambi za Yuda zitatafutwa, wala hazitaonekana; maana nitawasamehe wale niwaachao kuwa mabaki.
In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, a search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for Judah’s sins, but they will not be found; for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.
21
Panda juu ya nchi ya Merathaimu, naam, juu yake, na juu yao wakaao Pekodi; ua, ukaangamize nyuma yao, asema Bwana, ukatende kama nilivyokuagiza, yote pia.
Go up against the land of Merathaim, and against the residents of Pekod. Kill them and devote them to destruction. Do all that I have commanded you,” declares the LORD.
22
Pana mshindo wa vita katika nchi, Mshindo wa uharibifu mkuu.
“The noise of battle is in the land—the noise of great destruction.
23
Imekuwaje nyundo ya dunia yote Kukatiliwa mbali na kuvunjwa? Imekuwaje Babeli kuwa ukiwa Katikati ya mataifa?
How the hammer of the whole earth lies broken and shattered! What a horror Babylon has become among the nations!
24
Nimekutegea mtego, Ee Babeli, nawe ukanaswa, nawe ulikuwa huna habari; umeonekana, ukakamatwa, kwa sababu ulishindana na Bwana.
I laid a snare for you, O Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it. You were found and captured because you challenged the LORD.
25
Bwana amefungua akiba yake ya silaha, naye amezitoa silaha za ghadhabu yake; maana Bwana, Bwana wa majeshi, ana kazi atakayofanya katika nchi ya Wakaldayo.
The LORD has opened His armory and brought out His weapons of wrath, for this is the work of the Lord GOD of Hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
26
Njoni juu yake toka mpaka ulio mbali; Zifungueni ghala zake; Mfanyeni kuwa magofu na kumharibu kabisa; Msimsazie kitu cho chote.
Come against her from the farthest border. Break open her granaries; pile her up like mounds of grain. Devote her to destruction; leave her no survivors.
27
Wachinjeni mafahali wake wote; Na watelemkie machinjoni; Ole wao! Maana siku yao imewadia, Wakati wa kujiliwa kwao.
Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has come—the time of their punishment.
28
Sauti yao wakimbiao na kuokoka, Kutoka katika nchi ya Babeli, Ili kutangaza Sayuni kisasi cha Bwana, Mungu wetu, Kisasi cha hekalu lake.
Listen to the fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon, declaring in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance for His temple.
29
Waiteni wapiga mishale juu ya Babeli, Naam, wote waupindao upinde; Pangeni hema kumzunguka pande zote; Ili asiokoke hata mtu mmoja wao; Mlipeni kwa kadiri ya kazi yake; Mtendeni sawasawa na yote aliyoyatenda; Kwa sababu amefanya kiburi juu ya Bwana, Juu yake aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
Summon the archers against Babylon, all who string the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her according to her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has defied the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
30
Kwa sababu hiyo vijana wake wataanguka katika njia kuu zake, na watu wake wa vita, wote pia, watanyamazishwa katika siku hiyo, asema Bwana.
Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets, and all her warriors will be silenced in that day,” declares the LORD.
31
Tazama, mimi ni juu yako, Ewe mwenye kiburi, asema Bwana, Bwana wa majeshi; maana siku yako imewadia, wakati nitakapokujilia.
“Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts, “for your day has come, the time when I will punish you.
32
Na mwenye kiburi atajikwaa, na kuanguka, wala hapana atakayemwinua; nami nitawasha moto katika miji yake, nao utawala wote wamzungukao pande zote.
The arrogant one will stumble and fall with no one to pick him up. And I will kindle a fire in his cities to consume all those around him.”
33
Bwana wa majeshi asema hivi, Wana wa Israeli, na wana wa Yuda, wameonewa pamoja; na wote waliowachukua mateka wanawashika sana; wanakataa kuwaacha.
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “The sons of Israel are oppressed, and the sons of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to release them.
34
Mkombozi wao ni hodari; Bwana wa majeshi ndilo jina lake; yeye atawatetea kwa bidii, apate kuistarehesha nchi, na kuwasumbua wakaao katika Babeli.
Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of Hosts is His name. He will fervently plead their case so that He may bring rest to the earth, but turmoil to those who live in Babylon.
35
Upanga u juu ya Wakaldayo, asema Bwana, na juu yao wakaao Babeli, na juu ya wakuu wake, na juu ya watu wake wenye hekima.
A sword is against the Chaldeans, declares the LORD, against those who live in Babylon, and against her officials and wise men.
36
Upanga u juu ya hao wajisifuo, nao watapumbazika; upanga u juu ya mashujaa wake, nao watafadhaika.
A sword is against her false prophets, and they will become fools. A sword is against her warriors, and they will be filled with terror.
37
Upanga u juu ya farasi zao, na juu ya magari yao ya vita; na juu ya watu wote waliochanganyika ndani yake, nao watakuwa kama wanawake; upanga u juu ya hazina zake, nazo zitaibwa.
A sword is against her horses and chariots and against all the foreigners in her midst, and they will become like women. A sword is against her treasuries, and they will be plundered.
38
Ukosefu wa mvua u juu ya maji yake, nayo yatakaushwa; maana ni nchi ya sanamu za kuchongwa, nao wameingiwa na wazimu kwa ajili ya sanamu.
A drought is upon her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is a land of graven images, and the people go mad over idols.
39
Basi, wanyama wakali wa jangwani, pamoja na mbwa-mwitu, watakaa huko, na mbuni watakaa ndani yake; wala haitakaliwa na watu milele; wala hapana mtu atakayekaa huko tangu kizazi hata kizazi.
So the desert creatures and hyenas will live there and ostriches will dwell there. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation.
40
Kama vile vilivyotokea Mungu alipoangusha Sodoma na Gomora, na miji iliyokuwa karibu nayo, asema Bwana; kadhalika hapana mtu atakayekaa huko, wala hapana mwanadamu atakayekaa huko kama wageni wakaavyo.
As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighbors,” declares the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.
41
Angalia, watu wanakuja watokao kaskazini; na taifa kubwa, na wafalme wengi wataamshwa toka pande za mwisho za dunia.
Behold, an army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are stirred up from the ends of the earth.
42
Wanashika upinde na mkuki; Ni wakatili, hawana huruma; Sauti yao inanguruma kama bahari, Nao wamepanda farasi; Kila mmoja amejipanga kama aendaye vitani, Juu yako, Ee binti Babeli.
They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Babylon.
43
Mfalme wa Babeli amesikia habari zao, Na mikono yake imekuwa dhaifu; Dhiki imemshika, na maumivu, Kama ya mwanamke katika utungu wake.
The king of Babylon has heard the report, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.
44
Angalia, atapanda kama simba toka kiburi cha Yordani juu ya malisho yasiyonyauka; lakini nitamkimbiza ghafula ayaache; na yeye aliye mteule nitamweka juu yake; maana ni nani aliye kama mimi? Tena ni nani atakayeniandikia muda? Tena ni mchungaji yupi atakayesimama mbele zangu?
Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan to the watered pasture. For in an instant I will chase Babylon from her land. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? For who is like Me, and who can challenge Me? What shepherd can stand against Me?”
45
Basi, lisikieni shauri la Bwana, Alilolifanya juu ya Babeli; Na makusudi yake aliyoyakusudia Juu ya nchi ya Wakaldayo. Hakika watawaburura, naam, wadogo wa kundi; Hakika malisho yao yatafadhaika kwa ajili yao.
Therefore hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Babylon and the strategies He has devised against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away; certainly their pasture will be made desolate because of them.
46
Kwa mshindo wa kutwaliwa Babeli nchi yatetemeka, Na kilio chake chasikiwa katika mataifa.
At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will quake; a cry will be heard among the nations.