Jeremiah 51

1 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.

1 Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana: “Tazama nitaamsha roho ya mwangamizi dhidi ya Babeli na watu wakaao Leb-Kamai.

2 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.

2 Nitawatuma wageni Babeli kumpepeta na kuiharibu nchi yake; watampinga kila upande katika siku ya maafa yake.

3 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!

3 Usimwache mpiga upinde afunge kamba upinde wake, wala usimwache avae silaha zake. Usiwaonee huruma vijana wake; angamiza jeshi lake kabisa.

4 And they will fall slain in the land of the Chaldeans, and pierced through in her streets.

4 Wataanguka waliouawa katika Babeli, wakiwa na majeraha ya kutisha barabarani zake.

5 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.”

5 Kwa maana Israeli na Yuda hawajaachwa na Mungu wao, Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, ingawa nchi yao imejaa uovu mbele zake yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.

6 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.

6 “Kimbieni kutoka Babeli! Okoeni maisha yenu! Msiangamizwe kwa sababu ya dhambi zake. Ni wakati wa kisasi cha Bwana, atamlipa kile anachostahili.

7 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.

7 Babeli alikuwa kikombe cha dhahabu katika mkono wa Bwana; aliufanya ulimwengu wote ulewe. Mataifa walikunywa mvinyo wake; kwa hiyo sasa wameingiwa na wazimu.

8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.

8 Babeli ataanguka ghafula na kuvunjika. Mwombolezeni! Tafuteni zeri ya kutuliza maumivu yake, labda anaweza kupona.

9 “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.”

9 “ ‘Tungemponya Babeli, lakini hawezi kuponyeka; tumwacheni, na kila mmoja wetu aende nchi yake mwenyewe, kwa kuwa hukumu yake inafika angani, inapanda juu hadi mawinguni.’

10 “The LORD has brought forth our vindication; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD our God has accomplished.”

10 “ ‘Bwana amethibitisha haki yetu; njooni, tutangaze katika Sayuni kitu ambacho Bwana Mungu wetu amefanya.’

11 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.

11 “Noeni mishale, chukueni ngao! Bwana amewaamsha wafalme wa Wamedi, kwa sababu nia yake ni kuangamiza Babeli. Bwana atalipiza kisasi, kisasi kwa ajili ya Hekalu lake.

12 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.

12 Twekeni bendera juu ya kuta za Babeli! Imarisheni ulinzi, wekeni walinzi, andaeni waviziao! Bwana atatimiza kusudi lake, amri yake juu ya watu wa Babeli.

13 You who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut.

13 Wewe uishiye kando ya maji mengi na uliye na wingi wa hazina, mwisho wako umekuja, wakati wako wa kukatiliwa mbali.

14 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.”

14 Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote ameapa kwa nafsi yake mwenyewe: ‘Hakika nitakujaza na watu, kama kundi la nzige, nao watapiga kelele za ushindi juu yako.’

15 The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.

15 “Aliiumba dunia kwa uweza wake; akaweka misingi ya ulimwengu kwa hekima yake na akazitandaza mbingu kwa ufahamu wake.

16 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.

16 Atoapo sauti yake, maji yaliyo katika mbingu hunguruma, huyafanya mawingu yainuke kutoka miisho ya dunia. Hupeleka umeme wa radi pamoja na mvua, naye huuleta upepo kutoka ghala zake.

17 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.

17 “Kila mtu ni mjinga na hana maarifa; kila sonara ameaibishwa na sanamu zake. Vinyago vyake ni vya udanganyifu, havina pumzi ndani yavyo.

18 They are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish.

18 Havifai kitu, ni vitu vya kufanyia mzaha, hukumu yavyo itakapowadia, vitaangamia.

19 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.

19 Yeye Aliye Fungu la Yakobo sivyo alivyo, kwani ndiye Muumba wa vitu vyote, pamoja na kabila la urithi wake: Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote ndilo jina lake.

20 “You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.

20 “Wewe ndiwe rungu langu la vita, silaha yangu ya vita: kwa wewe navunjavunja mataifa, kwa wewe naangamiza falme,

21 With you I shatter the horse and rider; with you I shatter the chariot and driver.

21 kwa wewe navunjavunja farasi na mpanda farasi, kwa wewe navunjavunja gari la vita na mwendeshaji wake,

22 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.

22 kwa wewe napondaponda mwanaume na mwanamke, kwa wewe napondaponda mzee na kijana, kwa wewe napondaponda kijana wa kiume na mwanamwali,

23 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.

23 kwa wewe nampondaponda mchungaji na kundi, kwa wewe nampondaponda mkulima na maksai, kwa wewe nawapondaponda watawala na maafisa.

24 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.

24 “Mbele ya macho yako nitamlipiza Babeli na wote waishio Ukaldayo kwa ajili ya makosa yote waliyofanya katika Sayuni,” asema Bwana.

25 “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.

25 “Mimi niko kinyume nawe, ee mlima unaoharibu, wewe uangamizaye dunia yote,” asema Bwana. “Nitanyoosha mkono wangu dhidi yako, nikuvingirishe kutoka kwenye kilele cha mwamba, na kukufanya mlima ulioteketezwa kwa moto.

26 No one shall retrieve from you a cornerstone or a foundation stone, because you will become desolate forever,” declares the LORD.

26 Hakuna jiwe litakalochukuliwa kutoka kwako kwa ajili ya kufanywa jiwe la pembeni, wala jiwe lolote kwa ajili ya msingi, kwa maana utakuwa ukiwa milele,” asema Bwana.

27 “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.

27 “Twekeni bendera katika nchi! Pigeni tarumbeta katikati ya mataifa! Andaeni mataifa kwa ajili ya vita dhidi yake, iteni falme hizi dhidi yake: Ararati, Mini na Ashkenazi. Wekeni jemadari dhidi yake, pelekeni farasi wengi kama kundi la nzige.

28 Prepare the nations for battle against her—the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the lands they rule.

28 Andaeni mataifa kwa ajili ya vita dhidi yake, wafalme wa Wamedi, watawala wao na maafisa wao wote, pamoja na nchi zote wanazotawala.

29 The earth quakes and writhes because the LORD’s intentions against Babylon stand: to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.

29 Nchi inatetemeka na kugaagaa, kwa kuwa makusudi ya Bwana dhidi ya Babeli yanasimama: yaani, kuangamiza nchi ya Babeli ili pasiwe na yeyote atakayeishi humo.

30 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.

30 Mashujaa wa Babeli wameacha kupigana, wamebaki katika ngome zao. Nguvu zao zimekwisha, wamekuwa kama wanawake. Makazi yake yameteketezwa kwa moto, makomeo ya malango yake yamevunjika.

31 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.

31 Tarishi mmoja humfuata mwingine, na mjumbe humfuata mjumbe, kumtangazia mfalme wa Babeli kwamba mji wake wote umetekwa,

32 The fords have been seized, the marshes set on fire, and the soldiers are terrified.”

32 Vivuko vya mito vimekamatwa, mabwawa yenye mafunjo yametiwa moto, nao askari wameingiwa na hofu kuu.”

33 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.”

33 Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, Mungu wa Israeli, asemalo: “Binti Babeli ni kama sakafu ya kupuria wakati inapokanyagwa; wakati wa kumvuna utakuja upesi.”

34 “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.

34 “Nebukadneza mfalme wa Babeli ametula, ametufanya tuchangayikiwe, ametufanya tuwe gudulia tupu. Kama nyoka ametumeza na kujaza tumbo lake kwa vyakula vyetu vizuri, kisha akatutapika.

35 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.

35 Jeuri iliyofanyiwa miili yetu na iwe juu ya Babeli,” ndivyo wasemavyo wakaao Sayuni. “Damu yetu na iwe juu ya wale waishio Babeli,” asema Yerusalemu.

36 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.

36 Kwa hiyo, hili ndilo Bwana asemalo: “Tazama, nitatetea shauri lako na kulipiza kisasi kwa ajili yako; nitaikausha bahari yake na kuzikausha chemchemi zake.

37 Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals, an object of horror and scorn, without inhabitant.

37 Babeli utakuwa lundo la magofu na makao ya mbweha, kitu cha kutisha na kudharauliwa, mahali asipoishi mtu.

38 They will roar together like young lions; they will growl like lion cubs.

38 Watu wake wote wananguruma kama simba wadogo, wanakoroma kama wana simba.

39 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.

39 Lakini wakati wakiwa wameamshwa, nitawaandalia karamu na kuwafanya walewe, ili wapige kelele kwa kicheko, kisha walale milele na wasiamke,” asema Bwana.

40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with male goats.

40 “Nitawateremsha kama wana-kondoo waendao machinjoni, kama kondoo dume na mbuzi.

41 How Sheshach has been captured! The praise of all the earth has been seized. What a horror Babylon has become among the nations!

41 “Tazama jinsi Sheshaki atakamatwa, majivuno ya dunia yote yatakavyonyakuliwa. Babeli atakuwa mwenye hofu kiasi gani kati ya mataifa!

42 The sea has come up over Babylon; she is covered in turbulent waves.

42 Bahari itainuka juu ya Babeli; mawimbi yake yenye kunguruma yatamfunika.

43 Her cities have become a desolation, a dry and arid land, a land where no one lives, where no son of man passes through.

43 Miji yake itakuwa ukiwa, kame na jangwa, nchi ambayo hakuna yeyote anayeishi ndani yake, ambayo hakuna mtu anayepita humo.

44 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.

44 Nitamwadhibu Beli katika Babeli, na kumfanya atapike kile alichokimeza. Mataifa hayatamiminika tena kwake. Nao ukuta wa Babeli utaanguka.

45 Come out of her, My people! Save your lives, each of you, from the fierce anger of the LORD.

45 “Tokeni ndani yake, enyi watu wangu! Okoeni maisha yenu! Ikimbieni hasira kali ya Bwana.

46 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.

46 Msikate tamaa wala msiogope tetesi zitakaposikika katika nchi; tetesi moja inasikika mwaka huu, nyingine mwaka unaofuata; tetesi juu ya jeuri katika nchi, na ya mtawala dhidi ya mtawala.

47 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.

47 Kwa kuwa hakika wakati utawadia nitakapoziadhibu sanamu za Babeli; nchi yake yote itatiwa aibu, na watu wake wote waliouawa wataangukia ndani yake.

48 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.

48 Ndipo mbingu na dunia na vyote vilivyomo ndani yake vitapiga kelele za shangwe juu ya Babeli, kwa kuwa kutoka kaskazini waharabu watamshambulia,” asema Bwana.

49 “Babylon must fall on account of the slain of Israel, just as the slain of all the earth have fallen because of Babylon.

49 “Babeli ni lazima aanguke kwa sababu ya kuwaua Waisraeli, kama vile waliouawa duniani kote walivyoanguka kwa sababu ya Babeli.

50 You who have escaped the sword, depart and do not linger! Remember the LORD from far away, and let Jerusalem come to mind.”

50 Wewe uliyepona upanga, ondoka wala usikawie! Mkumbuke Bwana ukiwa katika nchi ya mbali, na utafakari juu ya Yerusalemu.”

51 “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.”

51 “Tumetahayari, kwa maana tumetukanwa na aibu imefunika nyuso zetu, kwa sababu wageni wameingia mahali patakatifu pa nyumba ya Bwana.”

52 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish her idols, and throughout her land the wounded will groan.

52 “Lakini siku zinakuja,” asema Bwana, “nitakapoadhibu sanamu zake, na katika nchi yake yote waliojeruhiwa watalia kwa maumivu makali.

53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, the destroyers I send will come against her,” declares the LORD.

53 Hata kama Babeli ikifika angani na kuziimarisha ngome zake ndefu, nitatuma waharabu dhidi yake,” asema Bwana.

54 “The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!

54 “Sauti ya kilio inasikika kutoka Babeli, sauti ya uharibifu mkuu kutoka nchi ya Wakaldayo.

55 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.

55 Bwana ataiangamiza Babeli, atanyamazisha makelele ya kishindo chake. Mawimbi ya adui yatanguruma kama maji makuu, ngurumo ya sauti zao itavuma.

56 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.

56 Mharabu atakuja dhidi ya Babeli, mashujaa wake watakamatwa, nazo pinde zao zitavunjwa. Kwa kuwa Bwana ni Mungu wa kisasi, yeye atalipiza kikamilifu.

57 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.

57 Nitawafanya maafisa wake na wenye busara walewe, watawala wao, maafisa, pamoja na wapiganaji wao; watalala milele na hawataamka,” asema Mfalme, ambaye jina lake ni Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote.

58 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.”

58 Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote asemalo: “Ukuta mnene wa Babeli utasawazishwa, na malango yaliyoinuka yatateketezwa kwa moto; mataifa yanajichosha bure, taabu ya mataifa ni nishati tu ya miali ya moto.”

59 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.

59 Huu ndio ujumbe Yeremia aliompa afisa Seraya mwana wa Neria mwana wa Maaseya, alipokwenda Babeli pamoja na Sedekia mfalme wa Yuda, katika mwaka wa nne wa utawala wake.

60 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.

60 Yeremia alikuwa ameandika ndani ya kitabu kuhusu maafa yote yatakayoipata Babeli, yaani yote yaliyokuwa yameandikwa kuhusu Babeli.

61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud,

61 Yeremia akamwambia Seraya, “Utakapofika Babeli, hakikisha kwamba umesoma maneno haya yote kwa sauti kubwa.

62 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.’

62 Kisha sema, ‘Ee Bwana, umesema utaangamiza mahali hapa ili mtu wala mnyama asiishi ndani yake, napo patakuwa ukiwa milele.’

63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and cast it into the Euphrates.

63 Utakapomaliza kusoma hiki kitabu, kifungie jiwe kisha ukitupe ndani ya Mto Frati.

64 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.

64 Kisha sema, ‘Hivi ndivyo Babeli utakavyozama na usiinuke tena, kwa sababu ya maafa nitakayoleta juu yake. Nao watu wake wataanguka.’” Maneno ya Yeremia yanaishia hapa.