Jeremiah Is Set Free
1 I was led away in chains along with the people of Judah and Jerusalem who were being taken to Babylonia. Nebuzaradan was the officer in charge of the guard, and while we were stopped at Ramah, the Lord caused him to set me free. 2 Nebuzaradan said:
Jeremiah, the Lord your God warned your people that he would bring disaster on this land. 3 But they continued to rebel against him, and now he has punished them just as he threatened.
4 Today I am taking the chains off your wrists and setting you free! If you want to, you can come with me to Babylonia, and I will see that you are taken care of. Or if you decide to stay here, you can go wherever you wish. 5 King Nebuchadnezzar has chosen Gedaliah to rule Judah. You can live near Gedaliah, and he will provide for you, or you can live anywhere else you choose.
Nebuzaradan gave me a supply of food, then let me leave. 6 I decided to stay with the people of Judah, and I went to live near Gedaliah in Mizpah.
The Harvest Is Brought In
7-8 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, together with Johanan and Jonathan, the two sons of Kareah, had been officers in Judah's army. And so had Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah from Maacah. They and their troops had been stationed outside Jerusalem and had not been captured. They heard that Gedaliah had been chosen to rule Judah, and that the poorest men, women, and children had not been taken away to Babylonia. So they went to Mizpah and met with their new ruler.
9 Gedaliah told them, “There's no need to be afraid of the Babylonians. Everything will be fine, if we live peacefully and obey King Nebuchadnezzar. 10 I will stay here at Mizpah and meet with the Babylonian officials on each of their visits. But you must go back to your towns and bring in the harvest, then store the wine, olive oil, and dried fruit.”
11-12 Earlier, when the Babylonians had invaded Judah, many of the Jews escaped to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and several other countries. But these Jews heard that the king of Babylonia had appointed Gedaliah as ruler of Judah, and that only a few people were left there. So the Jews in these other countries came back to Judah and helped with the grape and fruit harvest, which was especially large that year.
Gedaliah Is Murdered
13 One day, Johanan got together with some of the other men who had been army officers, and they came to Mizpah and met with Gedaliah. 14 They said, “Gedaliah, we came to warn you that King Baalis of Ammon hired Ishmael to murder you!”
Gedaliah refused to believe them, 15 so Johanan went to Gedaliah privately and said, “Let me kill Ishmael. No one will find out who did it. There are only a few people left in Judah, but they are depending on you. And if you are murdered, they will be scattered or killed.”
16 Gedaliah answered, “Don't kill Ishmael! What you've said about him can't be true.”
Jeremia ma kara puna Gedalja
1 Muhona wa hungira ku ami, indu Nebusaradan, omuhongore otjiuru, tja zire nokundjikutura mOrama. Ami mba twarerwe ngo momapando puna ovakwetu avehe, mba za mOjerusalem na Juda, nu mbaa ve twarewa otja ovahuurwa kObabilon.
2 Omuhongore otjiuru we ndji twara peke na tja: “Muhona, Ndjambi woye wa tanda okueta otjiwonga kehi ndi, 3 nu nambano eye wa yenenisa imbi mbya tja ma tjiti. Oviṋa mbi avihe vya tjitwa, orondu otjiwaṋa tjoye tja tura ondjo komurungu wa Muhona, natji ha kara nonḓuviro ku ye. 4 Nambano ami me isa ko omapando pomaoko woye nu me ku kutura. Tji movanga okuyenda kObabilon puna ami, tjita nao, nami me kemuṱakamisa. Nungwari tji u hi nokuvanga okuyenda, kara. Tara, ehi arihe ri ri kamwaha kove, nu mo i akuhe ku movanga.”
5 Tjazumba Jeremia ngunda e hiya zira, Nebusaradan wa tja nai: “Yaruka ku Gedalja, omuzandu wa Ahikam nondekurona ya Safan, ombara ya Babilon ngu ya zika okurira ongooneya yovihuro vya Juda. Ove mo yenene okutura puna ye mokati kotjiwaṋa poo okuyenda ngamwa akuhe ku movanga.” Eye we ndji pa otjiyandjewa novikurya okutwaerera, ne ndji esa kutja mbi yende. 6 Ami mba kakara puna Gedalja mOmispa, ne katura puna otjiwaṋa tji tja sewa nomuinyo mehi ndo.
Gedalja ma rire omunane omunene wokehi yombara ya Juda
(2Ozo 25:22-24)7 Ovahongore tjiva vOvajuda novarwe wovita ingee mba ri mokuti kave riyandjere. Owo va zuva kutja ombara ya Babilon ya zika Gedalja okurira ongooneya wokehi yombara mehi, nokutja ye mu zika okurira omutye wa imba avehe mbe ha twarerwe kObabilon, ihi otjiwaṋa otjisyona tjinene nai mehi. 8 OoIsmael, omuzandu wa Netanja, na Johanan, omuzandu wa Kareak, na Seraja, omuzandu wa Tanhumet, novazandu va Efai, Omunetofa, na Jaasanja, Omumaaka, otji va ire puna ovarwe wovita ku Gedalja kOmispa. 9 Gedalja we ve yanena na tja ku wo: “Kahepero eṋe okutira okuriyandja mouvara wombara ya Babilon. Tureye mehi ndi, mu karere ombara ya Babilon, notji mamu kara nawa. 10 Ami omuini me tura mOmispa nu me mu karere po, Ovababilon tji ve ya muno. Nungwari eṋe mamu sora okuworonganisa nokupwika omavinu, novihape, nomaze womiṋinga, nu wina mamu yenene okutura movihuro, mbi mamu kambura okuisapo ouini weṋu.” 11 Nu wina, Ovaisrael avehe mba ri mOmoab na mOamon na mOedom na momahi warwe aehe va zuva kutja ombara ya Babilon ya yandjere Ovaisrael tjiva okutura mOjuda, nokutja oyo ya ziki Gedalja okurira ongooneya yawo. 12 Nowo otji va za movirongo mu va rimbirwe nave yaruka kOjuda. Owo ve ya ku Gedalja mOmispa, nu imo va wonga mo omavinu novihape ovingi.
Gedalja ma ṱu
(2Ozo 25:25-26)13 Kombunda yanao, Johanan novahongore vovarwe wovita mbe he riyandjere, ve ya ku Gedalja kOmispa 14 nave pura nai ku ye: “Ko nokutjiwa kutja Baalis, ombara ya Amon, wa tuma Ismael okuyekukuzepa are?” Nungwari Gedalja ka kamburire ko. 15 Tjazumba Johanan arire tja hungire ku ye mongumumu na tja: “Ndji esa mbi kazepe Ismael, nu kape na umwe ngu ma tjiwa kutja owaṋi ngwa tjiti nao. Ma sokuyandjererwa tjike okukuzepa? Ihi matji piza Ovajuda avehe mbe ku woronganena, nu matji eta omayandekero kotjiwaṋa atjihe tji tja sewa mOjuda.”
16 Nungwari Gedalja wa zira nai ku Johanan: “O tjiti nao! Imbi mbi mo hungirire Ismael, kauatjiri!”
