1 I wish that my eyes
were fountains of tears,
so I could cry day and night
for my people
who were killed.
2 I wish I could go into the desert
and find a hiding place
from all who are treacherous
and unfaithful to God.
The Lord Answers Jeremiah
3 The Lord replied:
Lies come from the mouths
of my people,
like arrows from a bow.
With each dishonest deed
their power increases,
and not one of them will admit
that I am God.
4 Jeremiah, all your friends
and relatives
tell lies about you,
so don't trust them.
5 They wear themselves out,
always looking for a new way
to cheat their friends.
6 Everyone takes advantage
of everyone else,
and no one will admit
that I am God.
7 And so I will purify
the hearts of my people
just as gold is purified
in a furnace.
I have no other choice.
8 They say they want peace,
but this lie is deadly,
like an arrow that strikes
when you least expect it.
9 Give me one good reason
not to punish them
as they deserve.
I, the Lord All-Powerful,
have spoken.
Jeremiah Weeps for His People
10 I weep for the pastureland
in the hill country.
It's so barren and scorched
that no one travels there.
No cattle can be found there,
and birds and wild animals
have all disappeared.
11 I heard the Lord reply,
“When I am finished,
Jerusalem and the towns of Judah
will be piles of ruins
where only jackals live.”
Why the Land Was Destroyed
12 I said to the Lord, “None of us can understand why the land has become like an uncrossable desert. Won't you explain why?”
13 The Lord said:
I destroyed the land because the people disobeyed me and rejected my laws and teachings. 14 They were stubborn and worshiped Baal, just as their ancestors did. 15 So I, the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, promise them poison to eat and drink. 16 I'll scatter them in foreign countries that they and their ancestors have never even heard of. Finally, I will send enemy soldiers to kill every last one of them.
The Women Who Are Paid To Weep
17 The Lord All-Powerful said,
“Make arrangements now
for the women who are paid
to weep at funerals,
especially the women
who can cry the loudest.”
18 The people answered,
“Let them come quickly
and cry for us,
until our own eyes
are flooded with tears.
19 Now those of us on Zion cry,
‘We are ruined!
We can't stand the shame.
Our homes have been destroyed,
and we must leave our land.’
20 “We ask you women
to pay attention
to what the Lord says.
We will teach you a funeral song
that you can teach
your daughters and friends:
21 ‘We were in our fortress,
but death sneaked in
through our windows.
It even struck down
children at play
and our strongest young men.’
22 “The Lord has told us
the ground will be covered
with dead bodies,
like ungathered stalks of grain
or manure in a field.”
What the Lord Likes Best
23 The Lord says:
Don't brag about your wisdom
or strength or wealth.
24 If you feel you must brag,
then have enough sense
to brag about worshiping me,
the Lord.
What I like best
is showing kindness,
justice, and mercy
to everyone on earth.
25-26 Someday I will punish the nations of Egypt, Edom, Ammon, and Moab, and the tribes of the desert. The men of these nations are circumcised, but they don't worship me. And it's the same with you people of Judah. Your bodies are circumcised, but your hearts are unchanged.
1 M be lafiriŋ ne
n kuŋo ye ke woyoo ti,
n ñaalu ye ke ñaajii daloo ti,
fo n si kumboo suuto tili,
ñiŋ kamma ì ye n na kanu moolu mennu faa.
2 M be lafiriŋ ne
ŋa jiyaa dulaa soto keñewuloo* kono,
komeŋ jamfajaŋ taamalaa.
Fo n si n na moolu bula,
ŋa taa ka bo ì kono,
kaatu ì bee jeenelaa,
aduŋ ì mu fisiriwallee kafoo le ti.
3 Yaawe* ko:
“Ì neŋ kolomoolu be jenkeriŋ ne ko kalandiŋo,
aduŋ ì maŋ tara tooñaa ye,
ì be faniyaa le ye bankoo kaŋ.
Ì ka tu kuruŋyaa le laa la kuruŋyaa kaŋ,
ì maŋ nte Yaawe horoma fereŋ.
4 Wo to moo-wo-moo si i kekuu a siiñoo to,
moo kana laa hani a baadiŋ kiliŋ na,
kaatu baadiŋo bee, baadiŋ neeneerilaa,
moo-wo-moo ka tara a siiñoo tiñaa la taariŋ.
5 Moo-wo-moo ka a siiñoo neenee le,
hani kiliŋ buka tooñaa fo.
Ì ye ì neŋolu kuluu faniyaa le la,
ì ka kuu jawoo ke, ì korita tuubiseyi la.
6 Ka mantoora jurumi mantoora kaŋ moolu ye,
aniŋ ka neeneeri laa neeneeri kaŋ,
ì maŋ lafi ka nte Yaawe loŋ.”
Yaawe le ye a fo.
7 Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo* ye ñiŋ ne fo ko:
“A juubee, m be ì jarabi la le ka ì kotobo,
wo koolaa m be muŋ ne ke la, n na moolu kekuwo kamma la?
8 Ì neŋ kolomoo be saŋarariŋ ne ko kalabeñoo,
a ka neeneeri kumoo doroŋ ne fo.
Moo-wo-moo ka kayiroo le fo a siiñoo ye a daa to,
bari a sondomoo kono,
a ka ñapinkaŋo le feere a kamma.
9 Fo m maŋ ñaŋ na ì jarabi la ñiŋ kuwolu la baŋ?
Fo m maŋ ñaŋ na juloo joo la ñiŋ banku siifaa to baŋ?”
Yaawe le ye a fo.
10 M be kumboo la le ka lemba konkoolu ye,
ŋa beeyaŋ daañini dulaalu la kuwo saŋawoosii,
kaatu ì jaata le ka kenseŋyaa,
hani moo buka tambi niŋ jee la,
ninsi kumakaŋ buka moyi jee.
Kunoolu borita jee la le, aniŋ wulakono daafeŋolu.
11 Yaawe ko:
“M be Yerusalaamu ke la tumbuŋo le ti,
a ye ke kunkuwuloolu la daakaa ti.
M be Yahuuda saatewolu kenseŋyandi la le,
moo te sabati la jee.”
12 Jumaa le la ñaameŋo ye a sii ka ñiŋ kuwo bee fahaamu,
Yaawe ye a fo jumaa le ye, fo a maarii si a fataŋ-fansi moolu ye?
Muŋ ne ye a tinna bankoo bee tumbunta fereŋ,
a kenseŋyaata ko keñewuloo,
aduŋ moo le faŋo buka tambi niŋ jee la?
13 Yaawe ko, “Meŋ ye wo saabu wo le mu, ì ye ì koo dii n na luwaa la le, ŋa meŋ landi ì ye. Ì maŋ n na kumakaŋo muta, waraŋ ka a taamandi ko ŋa a fo ì ye ñaameŋ. 14 Ì ye wo tu jee le, ì kanjaaramaalu bulata kuwolu nooma ì faŋolu sondomoolu ye ì samba mennu kaŋ. Ì ka Baali* jalaŋolu le batu ko ì mumuñolu ye ì karandi a la ñaameŋ.”
15 Wo kamma la Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo, Banisirayila la Alla, ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: “A juubee, m be ñiŋ moolu domorindi la domori kunaŋo le la, ŋa ì mindi kunoo la. 16 M be ì janjandi la banku koteŋolu kaŋ ne taariŋ, itolu niŋ ì mumuñolu nene maŋ mennu loŋ. M be keloo le naati la ì kaŋ niŋ hawusaroo* la, fo ŋa ì baŋ kasaara la.”
Yerusalaamu moolu ye maakoyiroo kumboo
17 Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo ye ñiŋ ne fo ko:
“Ali miirali ke, ali ye musu saŋakumboolaalu kumandi,
ali ye kiilaa kii a noolaa baalu ye ì kono.
18 Ì ye i tariyaa naŋ,
ì ye naa lemba ali ma,
fo ali ñaalu ye faa niŋ ñaajiyo la,
ñaajiyo ye buruntu ali ñaasiŋolu la.
19 Lembakaŋo moyi naŋ Siyoni* ko:
‘Hee, ǹ kasaarata le!
Maloo feeneeta ǹ kaŋ ne!
Fo ǹ si bo ñiŋ bankoo kaŋ doroŋ,
kaatu ì ye ǹ na buŋolu boyi le.’ ”
20 Yeremiya ko:
“Silaŋ, alitolu musoolu, ali ali tuloo loo Yaawe la kumoo la,
ali tuloo ye a la kumakaŋo moyi.
Ali ali dimmusoolu karandi saŋa lembañaa la,
moo-wo-moo si a siiñoo karandi saŋawoosiyo la.
21 Saayaa dunta naŋ ǹ na palanteeroolu le la,
a ye i seyiŋ ǹ na mansabuŋolu kono,
a ye dindiŋolu siyo kuntu mbeedoolu kaŋ,
ka taa fondinkewolu, bendulaa kenoolu to.”
22 Yaawe ko n si ñiŋ ne fo ko:
“Moo furewolu be tara la fayiriŋ ne,
ì jambandimaa kene fanuŋolu kono.
Ì be ke la le ko niŋ katirilaalu ye siimaŋo kati,
ì ye a bulumaalu tu fatafatariŋ kooma,
moo maŋ soto ka ì sika.”
23 Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko:
“Moo ñaamendiŋ kana kibiri a la ñaameŋo la,
sako moo bambandiŋ si kibiri a la bambaŋo la,
waraŋ naafulutii si kibiri a la naafuloo la.
24 Niŋ meŋ be kibiri la,
a si kibiri ñiŋ na ko,
a ye nte Yaawe* la kuwo fahaamu le ka n loŋ,
ka ñiŋ loŋ ko,
nte le mu Yaawe ti,
n ka taama kanu bambaloo le la,
nte le ka kiitiyo teyi,
aniŋ ka tiliŋo taamandi duniyaa kono,
aduŋ wolu le mu kuwolu ti mennu ka n seewoo.”
Yaawe le ye a fo.
25-26 Yaawe ko, “A juubee, luŋ be sii la m be ñiŋ banku moolu jarabi la le: Misirankoolu, Yahuuda moolu, Edomunkoolu, Ammoninkoolu, Mowabinkoolu, ka taa lasiloolu mennu be sabatiriŋ keñewuloo dandaŋolu la. Ñiŋ banku moolu sunnata ñaa-wo-ñaa, wo maŋ a tinna ì ka nte batu. Alitolu Banisirayilankoolu fanaa be wo le ñaama. Ali balajaatoolu sunnata le, bari ali sondomoolu maŋ faliŋ.”
