¹Shoko, rakasvika kuna Jeremiya, richibva kuna Jehovha, panguva iyo Nebhukadhinezari mambo weBhabhironi, nehondo yake yose, noushe hwose bwenyika hwakanga hwakabatwa naye, namarudzi ose, vachirwa neJerusaremu namaguta ose aro, richiti,

¹The word which came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion, and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying:

²Zvanzi naJehovha, Mwari waIsiraeri, Enda, undotaura naZedhekia mambo waJudha; uti kwaari, Zvanzi naJehovha, tarira, ndichaisa guta rino muruoko rwamambo weBhabhironi, iye ucharipisa nomoto;

²Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:

³newe haungapukunyuki paruoko rwake, asi zvirokwazvo uchabatwa, nokuiswa muruoko rwake; meso ako achaona meso amambo weBhabhironi, muchataurirana nemiromo yenyu, iwe uchaenda Bhabhironi.

³and thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.

⁴Asi chinzwa shoko raJehovha, iwe Zedhekia mambo waJudha, zvanzi naJehovha pamusoro pako, iwe haungaurawi nomunondo;

⁴Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O Zedekiah king of Judah: thus saith Jehovah concerning thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword;

⁵iwe uchafa norugare; sezvavakapisira madzimababa ako, iwo madzimambo akare akakutangira, saizvozvo vachakupisirawo; vachakuchema vachiti, Haiwa ishe! nekuti ndini ndakataura shoko iro, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha.

⁵thou shalt die in peace; and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings that were before thee, so shall they make a burning for thee; and they shall lament thee, [saying], Ah Lord! for I have spoken the word, saith Jehovah.

⁶Ipapo muporofita Jeremiya akataura mashoko aya ose kuna Zedhekia mambo waJudha paJerusaremu,

⁶Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

⁷nenguva yakarwa hondo yamambo weBhabhironi neJerusaremu uye namaguta ose aJudha akanga asara, neRakishi neAzeka, nekuti ndiyo yakanga yasara pamaguta aJudha, ari maguta akakombwa norusvingo.

⁷when the king of Babylon's army was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these [alone] remained of the cities of Judah [as] fortified cities.

⁸Shoko, rakasvika kuna Jeremiya, richibva kuna Jehovha, mambo Zedhekia aita sungano navanhu vose vakanga vari Jerusaremu, achivaparidzira kuti vakasunungurwa,

⁸The word that came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people that were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;

⁹kuti mumwe nomumwe unofanira kutendera muranda wake, nomumwe nomumwe mushandiri wake, waiva muHebheru, murume kana mukadzi, kuti aende hake; kuti kurege kuva nomuJudha unoita hama yake muranda.

⁹that every man should let his man-servant, and every man his maid-servant, that is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that none should make bondmen of them, [to wit], of a Jew his brother.

¹⁰Machinda ose navanhu vose vakateerera, ivo vakanga vatenda sungano, kuti mumwe nomumwe atendere muranda wake nomumwe nomumwe mushandiri wake kuti vaende havo, kuti kurege kuzova nomunhu unovaita varanda; vakateerera, vakavatendera kuenda.

¹⁰And all the princes and all the people obeyed, that had entered into the covenant, that every one should let his man-servant, and every one his maid-servant, go free, that none should make bondmen of them any more; they obeyed, and let them go:

¹¹Asi pashure vakashanduka, vakadzosa varanda navashandiri, vavakanga vambotendera kuenda, vakavamanikidzazve kuti vave varanda navashandiri.

¹¹but afterwards they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.

¹²Ipapo shoko raJehovha rakasvika kuna Jeremiya richibha kuna Jehovha, richiti,

¹²Therefore the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

¹³Zvanzi naJehovha, Mwari waIsiraeri, Ndakaita sungano namadzibaba enyu, panguva yandakavabudisa munyika yeEgipita, muimba youranda, ndichiti,

¹³Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,

¹⁴Kana makore manomwe apera, munofanira mumwe nomumwe kutendera hama yake muHebheru kuti aende hake, iye wakange akatengeswa kwauri, akakubatira makore matanhatu, unofanira kumutendera kuti aende hake, abve kwauri; asi madzibaba enyu haana kunditeerera, kana kurerekera nzeve dzavo.

¹⁴At the end of seven years ye shall let go every man his brother that is a Hebrew, that hath been sold unto thee, and hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.

¹⁵Zvino imwi makanga madzoka henyu, mukaita zvakarurama pamberi pangu, zvamakaparidzira mumwe nomumwe hama yake kuti ungasunungurwa; makanga maita sungano pamberi pangu muimba panodamwa zita rangu.

¹⁵And ye were now turned, and had done that which is right in mine eyes, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

¹⁶Asi makadzoka, mukamhura zita rangu, mukadzosa mumwe nomumwe muranda wake nomumwe nomumwe mushandiri wake, vamakanga matendera kuti vaende havo nokuda kwavo, mukavamanikidzazve kuti vave varanda navashandiri venyu.

¹⁶but ye turned and profaned my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and ye brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

¹⁷Naizvozvo zvanzi naJehovha, Hamuna kunditeerera, mukaparidzira mumwe nomumwe hama yake nomumwe nomumwe wokwake kuti ungasunungurwa hake; tarirai, ini ndinokuparidzirai kuti muchasunungurirwa munondo, nehosha yakaipa, nenzara, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha; ndichakuitai chinhu chinotyisa ushe hwose bwenyika.

¹⁷Therefore thus saith Jehovah: ye have not hearkened unto me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim unto you a liberty, saith Jehovah, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth.

¹⁸Varume vakadarika sungano yangu, vakasaita mashoko esungano yavakaita neni, ndichavaita semhuru yavakagura napakati vakapfuura napakati penhindi dzayo;

¹⁸And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, that have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me, when they cut the calf in twain and passed between the parts thereof;

¹⁹machinda aJudha, namachinda eJerusaremu, navaranda vavo, navapristi, navanhu vose venyika, vakapfuura napakati penhindi dzemhuru,

¹⁹the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, that passed between the parts of the calf;

²⁰ivo ndichavaisa mumaoko avavengi vavo, nomumaoko avanotsvaka kuvauraya, zvitunha zvavo zvichava zvokudya zveshiri dzokudenga nezvezvikara zvenyika.

²⁰I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life; and their dead bodies shall be for food unto the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the earth.

²¹Naiye Zedhekia mambo waJudha namachinda ake ndichavaisa mumaoko avavengi vavo nomumaoko ehondo yamambo weBhabhironi, vakaenda vachibva kwamuri.

²¹And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, that are gone away from you.

²²Tarirai, ndichavaraira nokuvadzosera kuguta rino, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha; vacharwa naro, nokurikunda, nokuripisa nomoto; ndichaita maguta aJudha matongo, asina vanogaramo.

²²Behold, I will command, saith Jehovah, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.