1
Bwana asema hivi, Angalia, nitaamsha juu ya Babeli, na juu yao wakaao Leb-kamai upepo uharibuo.
This is what the LORD says: “Behold, I will stir up against Babylon and against the people of Leb-kamai the spirit of a destroyer.
2
Nami nitapeleka wageni mpaka Babeli, watakaompepea; nao wataifanya nchi yake kuwa tupu; kwa kuwa katika siku ya taabu watakuwa juu yake pande zote.
I will send strangers to Babylon to winnow her and empty her land; for they will come against her from every side in her day of disaster.
3
Juu yake apindaye upinde, mwenye upinde na apinde upinde wake, na juu yake ajiinuaye katika dirii yake; msiwaachilie vijana wake; liangamizeni jeshi lake lote.
Do not let the archer bend his bow or put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; devote all her army to destruction!
4
Nao wataanguka, hali ya kuuawa, katika nchi ya Wakaldayo, hali ya kutumbuliwa katika njia kuu zake.
And they will fall slain in the land of the Chaldeans, and pierced through in her streets.
5
Kwa maana Israeli, wala Yuda, hakuachwa na Mungu wake, Bwana wa majeshi; ijapokuwa nchi yao imejaa hatia juu yake aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
For Israel and Judah have not been abandoned by their God, the LORD of Hosts, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel.”
6
Kimbieni kutoka kati ya Babeli, kila mtu na ajiokoe nafsi yake; msikatiliwe mbali katika uovu wake; maana ni wakati wa kisasi cha Bwana, atamlipa malipo.
Flee from Babylon! Escape with your lives! Do not be destroyed in her punishment. For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He will pay her what she deserves.
7
Babeli umekuwa kikombe cha dhahabu mkononi mwa Bwana; kilicholevya dunia yote; mataifa wamekunywa mvinyo wake; kwa sababu hiyo mataifa wameingiwa na wazimu.
Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.
8
Babeli umeanguka na kuangamia ghafula; mpigieni yowe; twaeni zeri kwa maumivu yake; ili labda apate kuponywa.
Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.
9
Tungependa kuuponya Babeli, Lakini haukuponyeka; Mwacheni, nasi twendeni zetu, Kila mtu hata nchi yake mwenyewe; Maana hukumu yake inafika hata mbinguni, Nayo imeinuliwa kufikilia mawinguni.
“We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches to the clouds.”
10
Bwana ameitokeza haki yetu; Njoni, tutangaze katika Sayuni Habari za kazi ya Bwana, Mungu wetu.
“The LORD has brought forth our vindication; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD our God has accomplished.”
11
Inoeni hiyo mishale; zishikeni ngao kwa nguvu; Bwana ameziamsha roho za wafalme wa Wamedi; kwa sababu shauri lake ni juu ya Babeli auangamize; maana ni kisasi cha Bwana, kisasi cha hekalu lake.
Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the vengeance of the LORD—vengeance for His temple.
12
Twekeni bendera juu ya kuta za Babeli, yatieni malindo nguvu, wawekeni walinzi, tengenezeni waviziao; kwa maana Bwana ameazimia na kutenda yote aliyoyasema juu yao wakaao Babeli.
Raise a banner against the walls of Babylon; post the guard; station the watchmen; prepare the ambush. For the LORD has both devised and accomplished what He spoke against the people of Babylon.
13
Ewe ukaaye juu ya maji mengi, uliye na hazina nyingi, mwisho wako umewadia, kadiri ya tamaa zako.
You who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut.
14
Bwana wa majeshi ameapa kwa nafsi yake, akisema, Hakika nitakujaza watu, kama nzige, nao watapiga kelele juu yako.
The LORD of Hosts has sworn by Himself: “Surely I will fill you up with men as with locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you.”
15
Ameiumba dunia kwa uweza wake, Ameuthibitisha ulimwengu kwa hekima yake, Na kwa ufahamu wake amezitandika mbingu.
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
16
Atoapo sauti yake pana mshindo wa maji mbinguni, Naye hupandisha mawingu toka ncha za nchi; Huifanyia mvua umeme, Huutoa upepo katika hazina zake.
When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.
17
Kila mtu amekuwa kama mnyama, hana maarifa; Kila mfua dhahabu amefedheheshwa na sanamu yake ya kuchonga; Maana sanamu yake ya kuyeyuka ni uongo, Wala hamna pumzi ndani yake.
Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For his molten images are a fraud, and there is no breath in them.
18
Ni ubatili tu, ni kazi za udanganyifu; Wakati wa kujiliwa kwao watapotea.
They are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish.
19
Yeye, Fungu la Yakobo, siye kama hawa; Maana ndiye aliyeviumba vitu vyote; Na Israeli ni kabila ya urithi wake; Bwana wa majeshi ndilo jina lake.
The Portion of Jacob is not like these, for He is the Maker of all things, and of the tribe of His inheritance—the LORD of Hosts is His name.
20
Wewe u rungu langu na silaha zangu za vita; kwa wewe nitawavunja-vunja mataifa; na kwa wewe nitaharibu falme;
“You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.
21
na kwa wewe nitamvunja-vunja farasi, na yeye ampandaye; na kwa wewe nitalivunja-vunja gari la vita, na yeye achukuliwaye ndani yake;
With you I shatter the horse and rider; with you I shatter the chariot and driver.
22
na kwa wewe nitawavunja-vunja mwanamume na mwanamke; na kwa wewe nitawavunja-vunja mzee na mtoto; na kwa wewe nitawavunja-vunja kijana mwanamume na kijana mwanamke;
With you I shatter man and woman; with you I shatter the old man and the youth; with you I shatter the young man and the maiden.
23
na kwa wewe nitamvunja-vunja mchungaji na kundi lake; na kwa wewe nitamvunja-vunja mkulima na jozi yake ya ng'ombe; na kwa wewe nitawavunja-vunja maliwali na maakida.
With you I shatter the shepherd and his flock; with you I shatter the farmer and his oxen; with you I shatter the governors and officials.
24
Nami nitamlipa Babeli, na wote wakaao ndani ya Ukaldayo, mabaya yao yote, waliyoyatenda katika Sayuni mbele ya macho yenu, asema Bwana.
Before your very eyes I will repay Babylon and all the dwellers of Chaldea for all the evil they have done in Zion,” declares the LORD.
25
Tazama, mimi ni juu yako, Ee mlima uharibuo, asema Bwana; wewe uiharibuye dunia nzima; nami nitaunyosha mkono wangu juu yako, na kukufingirisha chini toka majabalini; nami nitakufanya kuwa mlima ulioteketezwa.
“Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who devastate the whole earth, declares the LORD. I will stretch out My hand against you; I will roll you over the cliffs and turn you into a charred mountain.
26
Wala hawatatwaa kwako jiwe moja liwe la pembeni, wala jiwe moja liwe msingi; bali wewe utakuwa ukiwa daima, asema Bwana.
No one shall retrieve from you a cornerstone or a foundation stone, because you will become desolate forever,” declares the LORD.
27
Itwekeni bendera katika nchi, pigeni tarumbeta kati ya mataifa, yawekeni mataifa tayari juu yake; ziiteni juu yake falme za Ararati, na Mini, na Ashkenazi; agizeni jemadari juu yake; wapandisheni farasi, kama tunutu.
“Raise a banner in the land! Blow the ram’s horn among the nations! Prepare the nations against her. Summon the kingdoms against her—Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a captain against her; bring up horses like swarming locusts.
28
Wekeni mataifa tayari juu yake, wafalme wa Wamedi, na maliwali wake, na maakida wake, na nchi yote ya mamlaka yake.
Prepare the nations for battle against her—the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the lands they rule.
29
Nayo nchi yatetemeka, nayo ina utungu; maana makusudi ya Bwana juu ya Babeli yasimama, kuifanya nchi ya Babeli ukiwa, isikaliwe na mtu.
The earth quakes and writhes because the LORD’s intentions against Babylon stand: to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.
30
Mashujaa wa Babeli wameacha kupigana; Wanakaa katika ngome zao; Ushujaa wao umewapungukia; Wamekuwa kama wanawake; Makao yake yameteketea; Makomeo yake yamevunjika.
The warriors of Babylon have stopped fighting; they sit in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become like women. Babylon’s homes have been set ablaze, the bars of her gates are broken.
31
Tarishi mmoja atapiga mbio kumlaki mwingine, Na mjumbe mmoja atapiga mbio kumlaki mwenziwe, Ili kumpasha habari mfalme wa Babeli, Ya kuwa mji wake umetwaliwa kila upande.
One courier races to meet another, and messenger follows messenger, to announce to the king of Babylon that his city has been captured from end to end.
32
Navyo vivuko vimeshambuliwa, Nayo makangaga wameyatia moto, Nao watu wa vita wameingiwa na hofu.
The fords have been seized, the marshes set on fire, and the soldiers are terrified.”
33
Kwa maana Bwana wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, asema hivi; Binti Babeli amekuwa kama sakafu ya kufikichia wakati wa kukanyagwa kwake; bado kitambo kidogo na wakati wa mavuno utafika kwake.
For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “The Daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled. In just a little while her harvest time will come.”
34
Nebukadreza, mfalme wa Babeli, amenila, ameniseta, amenifanya kuwa chombo kitupu; amenimeza kama joka, amelijaza tumbo lake vitu vyangu vya anasa; amenitupa
“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he filled his belly with my delicacies and vomited me out.
35
Udhalimu niliotendwa mimi, na uliotendwa mwili wangu, umpate Babeli; ndivyo atakavyosema yeye akaaye Sayuni; na Yerusalemu atasema, Damu yangu na iwe juu yao wakaao katika Ukaldayo.
May the violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,” says the dweller of Zion. “May my blood be on the dwellers of Chaldea,” says Jerusalem.
36
Basi, Bwana asema hivi, Tazama, nitakutetea, nami nitatwaa kisasi kwa ajili yako; nami nitaikausha bahari yake, nitaifanya chemchemi yake kuwa pakavu.
Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance on your behalf; I will dry up her sea and make her springs run dry.
37
Na Babeli utakuwa magofu, makao ya mbwa-mwitu, ajabu, na mazomeo, pasipo mtu wa kukaa huko.
Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals, an object of horror and scorn, without inhabitant.
38
Watanguruma pamoja kama wana-simba; watanguruma kama simba wachanga.
They will roar together like young lions; they will growl like lion cubs.
39
Wakiingiwa na ukali, nitawafanyizia karamu yao, nami nitawalevya, wapate kufurahi, na kulala usingizi wa milele, wasiamke tena, asema Bwana.
While they are flushed with heat, I will serve them a feast, and I will make them drunk so that they may revel; then they will fall asleep forever and never wake up, declares the LORD.
40
Nitawatelemsha kama wana-kondoo machinjoni, kama kondoo waume pamoja na mabeberu.
I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with male goats.
41
Jinsi Sheshaki alivyotwaliwa! Naye sifa ya dunia yote alivyoshambuliwa! Jinsi Babeli alivyokuwa ukiwa katikati ya mataifa.
How Sheshach has been captured! The praise of all the earth has been seized. What a horror Babylon has become among the nations!
42
Bahari imefika juu ya Babeli, Umefunikwa kwa wingi wa mawimbi yake.
The sea has come up over Babylon; she is covered in turbulent waves.
43
Miji yake imekuwa maganjo; Nchi ya ukame, na jangwa; Nchi asimokaa mtu ye yote, Wala hapiti mwanadamu huko.
Her cities have become a desolation, a dry and arid land, a land where no one lives, where no son of man passes through.
44
Nami nitafanya hukumu juu ya Beli katika Babeli, nami nitavitoa katika kinywa chake alivyovimeza; wala mataifa hawatamwendea tena; naam, ukuta wa Babeli utaanguka.
I will punish Bel in Babylon. I will make him spew out what he swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him; even the wall of Babylon will fall.
45
Enyi watu wangu; tokeni katikati yake, mkajiokoe nafsi zenu na hasira kali ya Bwana, kila mmoja wenu.
Come out of her, My people! Save your lives, each of you, from the fierce anger of the LORD.
46
Wala isizimie mioyo yenu, wala msiiogope habari itakayosikiwa katika nchi; maana habari itakuja mwaka mmoja, na baadaye mwaka wa pili habari itakuja, na udhalimu katika nchi, mwenye kutawala akishindana na mwenye kutawala.
Do not let your heart grow faint, and do not be afraid when the rumor is heard in the land; for a rumor will come one year—and then another the next year—of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.
47
Basi angalia, siku zitakuja, ambazo katika siku hizo, nitafanya hukumu juu ya sanamu za Babeli, na nchi yake yote itatahayarika; na watu wake wote waliouawa wataanguka katikati yake.
Therefore, behold, the days are coming when I will punish the idols of Babylon. Her entire land will suffer shame, and all her slain will lie fallen within her.
48
Ndipo mbingu, na nchi, na vitu vyote vilivyomo, vitaimba kwa furaha juu ya Babeli; kwa maana watu waangamizao watamjilia kutoka kaskazini, asema Bwana.
Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon because the destroyers from the north will come against her,” declares the LORD.
49
Kama vile Babeli alivyowaangusha watu wa Israeli waliouawa, ndivyo watakavyoanguka katika Babeli watu wa nchi yake nzima waliouawa.
“Babylon must fall on account of the slain of Israel, just as the slain of all the earth have fallen because of Babylon.
50
Ninyi mliojiepusha na upanga, Enendeni zenu, msisimame; Mkumbukeni Bwana tokea mbali, Na Yerusalemu ukatiwe mioyoni mwenu.
You who have escaped the sword, depart and do not linger! Remember the LORD from far away, and let Jerusalem come to mind.”
51
Twaona haya kwa kuwa tumesikia mashutumu; Fedheha imetufunikiza nyuso zetu; Kwa sababu wageni wamepaingia Patakatifu pa nyumba ya Bwana.
“We are ashamed because we have heard reproach; disgrace has covered our faces, because foreigners have entered the holy places of the LORD’s house.”
52
Kwa sababu hiyo siku zinakuja, asema Bwana, nitakapozihukumu sanamu zake; na katika nchi yake yote waliojeruhiwa wataugua.
“Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish her idols, and throughout her land the wounded will groan.
53
Babeli ujapopanda mbinguni, na ujapopafanya mahali pa juu penye nguvu zake kuwa ngome, hata hivyo toka kwangu wenye kuangamiza watamwendea, asema Bwana.
Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, the destroyers I send will come against her,” declares the LORD.
54
Sauti ya kilio kutoka Babeli, Na ya uangamivu mkuu toka nchi ya Wakaldayo!
“The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55
Maana Bwana amwangamiza Babeli, Na kuikomesha sauti kuu ndani yake; Na mawimbi yake yavuma kama maji mengi, Mshindo wa sauti zao wafanya makelele;
For the LORD will destroy Babylon; He will silence her mighty voice. The waves will roar like great waters; the tumult of their voices will resound.
56
Kwa maana mwenye kuangamiza amefika kwake; Naam, amefika Babeli; Na mashujaa wake wametwaliwa; Pinde zao zimevunjika kabisa; Maana Bwana ni Mungu wa kisasi; Hakika yake yeye atalipa.
For a destroyer is coming against her—against Babylon. Her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken, for the LORD is a God of retribution; He will repay in full.
57
Nami nitawalevya wakuu wake, na watu wake wenye hekima, maliwali wake, na maakida wake, na mashujaa wake; nao watalala usingizi wa milele, wasiamke, asema Mfalme, Bwana wa majeshi, ambaye jina lake ni Bwana.
I will make her princes and wise men drunk, along with her governors, officials, and warriors. Then they will fall asleep forever and not wake up,” declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts.
58
Bwana wa majeshi asema hivi, Kuta pana za Babeli zitabomolewa kabisa, na malango yake marefu yatateketezwa; nao watu watajitaabisha kwa ubatili, na mataifa kwa moto; nao watachoka.
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Babylon’s thick walls will be leveled, and her high gates consumed by fire. So the labor of the people will be for nothing; the nations will exhaust themselves to fuel the flames.”
59
Neno ambalo Yeremia, nabii, alimwamuru Seraya, mwana wa Neria, mwana wa Maaseya, alipokwenda Babeli pamoja na Sedekia, mfalme wa Yuda, katika mwaka wa nne wa kumiliki kwake. Basi Seraya alikuwa msimamizi mkuu wa nyumba ya mfalme.
This is the message that Jeremiah the prophet gave to the quartermaster Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with King Zedekiah of Judah in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign.
60
Naye Yeremia akaandika katika kitabu habari ya mabaya yote yatakayoupata Babeli, maneno hayo yote yaliyoandikwa juu ya Babeli.
Jeremiah had written on a single scroll about all the disaster that would come upon Babylon—all these words that had been written concerning Babylon.
61
Naye Yeremia akamwambia Seraya, Utakapofika Babeli, basi angalia uyasome maneno haya yote,
And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud,
62
ukaseme, Ee Bwana, umenena habari za mji huu kwamba utakatiliwa mbali, usikaliwe na awaye yote, wala wanadamu wala wanyama, lakini uwe ukiwa hata milele.
and say, ‘O LORD, You have promised to cut off this place so that no one will remain—neither man nor beast. Indeed, it will be desolate forever.’
63
Tena itakuwa utakapokwisha kukisoma kitabu hicho, utakifungia jiwe, na kukitupa katika mto Frati;
When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and cast it into the Euphrates.
64
nawe utasema, Hivyo ndivyo utakavyozama Babeli, wala hautazuka tena, kwa sababu ya mabaya yote nitakayoleta juu yake; nao watachoka. Maneno ya Yeremia yamefika hata hapa.</p>
Then you are to say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again, because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will grow weary.’” Here end the words of Jeremiah.