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.”
Jeremiab ge Gedaljab tawa sī ra hâ
1 Mîs ǃKhūb dis ge Jeremiaba ge hāba, ǃûi-aogu di danab Nebusaradanni ge Ramas tawa ǃnora kai bis khaoǃgâ. Jeremiab ge khedegu ǀkha ǃgaehe hâse nau ǃkhōsaben ǁaegu Jerusalems tsî Judab tsîra xu Babilons ǃoa ǃkhōsabese ge ǃgû-ūhe hâ i.
2 ǃÛi-aogu di danab ge Jeremiaba ū tsî ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “ǃKhūb sa Elob ge nē ǂkhawadība nē ǃās ǂama ge mîmā, 3 tsîb ge ǁîsa mîb ge khami go ī kai. Sadu ge ǃKhūb ǃoagu ǁore tsî ǁîb di domma ǁnâuǀnam tama i, ǁnā-amagas ge nē ǂkhôab go sadu ǂama hāsa. 4 Nēsi ta ge sa ǃomkha ai hâ khedega satsa xu nî xoreǁnâ. ǃGâibahets kao tita ǀkha Babilons ǃoa ǃgû re, tita ge nî ǃkhōǂhomi tsi, xawe tita ǀkhats ga Babilons ǃoa ǃgû ǂgao tama i, o tā sao. Hoaraga ǃhūb ge satsa hâba, ǃgâibahets ka tsî ǂhanuba tsi ka ǀkhāb hoab ǁga ǃgû re.”
5 Jeremiab nî ǃereams aiǃâb ge Nebusaradanna ge mî: “Gedaljab, Ahikammi ôa tsî Safanni ǁnurib, Babilons gao-aob xa ge Judab ǃādi ǂama ǂgaeǂgui-aose mâiheb ǃoa oa, îts ǁîb ǀkha sī ǁaes ǁaegu ǁan; tamas ka io ǂgaots ra ǀkhā-i hoa-e ǃoa ǃgû.” Ob ge ǃûi-aogu di danaba ǁîba ǂûn tsî ǀkhaexū-i tsîna mā tsî ge ǃgû kai. 6 ǁNātib ge Jeremiaba Ahikammi ôab Gedaljab ǁga Mispas tawa ge sī tsîb ge ǁîb ǀkha ǃhūb ǃnâ ge ǃgau hâ i ǁaes ǁaegu ge ǁan.
Gedaljab ge Judaba ra ǂgaeǂgui
(2 Gao-aogu 25:22-24)7 Tsî toroǂnubidi di ǂgaeǂgui-aogu noxopa ge ǃaub ǃnâ hâ i gu tsî ǁîgu di toroǃkhamaogu tsîgu ge ge ǁnâu, Babilons gao-aob ge Ahikammi ôab Gedaljaba ǃhūb di ǂgaeǂgui-aose mâi tsîb ǁîba hoan xa ǀgâsan, aogu, taradi tsî ǀgôan ǃhūb ǃnâ ǃgau hân, Babilons ǃoa ge ǃkhōsabese ǃgû-ūhe tama īna nî kōǃgâ ǃkhaisa. 8 O gu ge Gedaljab ǁga ge ǃgû, Mispas tawa: Netanjab ôab Ismaeli, Kareaxi ôab Johananni, Tanhumeti ôab Serajab, Efaib Netofatǁîb ôakha tsî Jesanjab Maakaǁîb di ôab tsî ǁîgu di toroǃkhamaogu tsîga. 9 Ob ge Gedaljab, Ahikammi ôa tsî Safanni ǁnuriba ǁîga nūs ǀkha ge mîmâiba: “Xaldeaǁîna ǃoabasa tā ǃao. ǃHūb ǃnâ hâ, î Babilons gao-aoba ǃoaba, o du ge ǃgâi ûiba nî ūhâ. 10 Tita ge Mispas ǃnâ nî ǁan, sado ta sada ǃoa ra hā Xaldeaǁîn tawa nî mâǂgâbase, xawe sado ǂauxûi-i, ǁkhunaǂûn tsî ǀkhera-oli-i tsîna ǀhaoǀhao tsî sadu xapan ǃnâ sâu, î ǃādi hîa du ge ūdi ǃnâ ǁan.” 11 Hoaraga Jodeǁîn Moab ǃnâ tsî Amonǁîn ǁaegu tsî Edommi tsî nau ǃhūgu hoagu ǃnâ hân ge ge ǁnâu, Babilons gao-aob ge ǀnî khoena Judab ǃnâ hâǃgau kai tsî Ahikammi ôa tsî Safanni ǁnurib Gedaljaba ǁîn ǂama ǂgaeǂgui-aose mâi ǃkhaisa. 12 On ge hoaraga Jodeǁîna, ǁîde ǃoan ge doeǁgabēhe hâ i ǃāde xu Judab ǁga oa tsî Gedaljab tawa Mispas ǃnâ ge sī. Tsîn ge kaise ǀoasa ǂauxûib tsî ǁkhunaǂûn tsîna ge ǀhaoǀhao.
Gedaljab di ǃgamhes
(2 Gao-aogu 25:25-26)13 Kareaxi ôab Johananni tsî toroǂnubidi di ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ǃaub ǃnâ ge hâ igu hoagu tsîn ge Gedaljab tawa Mispas ǃnâ hā 14 tsî ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “ǀŪts a Amonǁîn di gao-aob Baalisi ge Netanjab ôab Ismaela satsab nî ǃgamga sî ǃkhaisa?” Xaweb ge Ahikammi ôab Gedaljaba ǁîga ǂgom tama ge i. 15 Ob ge Kareaxi ôab Johananna Gedaljaba ǂganǃgâsase Mispas ǃnâ ge mîba: “A ta ǃgû tsî Netanjab ôab Ismaela sī ǃgam; ǀgui khoe-i tsîn ge tari-i go dīsa ǂan tide. Tare-i ǃaromab satsa nî ǃgam tsîn hoaraga Jodeǁîn sats tawa ǀhao hâna nî ǀgaruǀgaruhe tsîn Judab ǃnâ ǃgau hârona nî hîkākāhe?”
16 Xaweb ge Ahikammi ôab Gedaljaba Kareaxi ôab Johananna ǃoa ge mî: “Tā ǁnāsa dī, sats ge ama tamana Ismaeli xa ra ǃhoa.”
