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 ta kala moshilongo Gedalja omupangeli muJuda
1 Ondjovo yOmwene ya hanga Jeremia, Nebusaradan, elenga ekulunhu lovanangeli, eshi e mu efa a dje muRama, oko e mu ila fimbo a li a mangwa nomalyenge e li meenghwate adishe domuJerusalem nodomuJuda da li di nokutwalwa kuBabilon. 2 Elenga ekulunhu lovanangeli okwa tuma ko nokwa ifana Jeremia, ndele te mu lombwele: “Onhele ei Omwene Kalunga okwe i xunganekela omupya, 3 ndele Omwene okwe u eta nokwe u wanifa, ngaashi Ye a popya, osheshi nye omwa nyona kOmwene noinamu pwilikina ondaka yaye, onghee mwa hangika kwoo. 4 Hano tala, nena eli ame ohandi ku mangulula momalyenge aa oye okomake. Ngeenge oshe ku wapalela okuya naame kuBabilon, tu yeni hano, ndele ame ohandi ku kalele noshisho. Ndelenee ngeenge inashi ku wapalela u ye pamwe naame kuBabilon, kala po hano. Tala, oshilongo ashishe oshe ku yeululilwa. Konhele we i hokwa noi ku wapalela oko inda u ka kale.” 5 Ndele fimbo ye ina fikama, ye okwa tya: Shuna hano kuGedalja yaAhikam yaSafan ou a ningwa omupangeli woilando yaJuda okohamba yaBabilon, ove u ka kale puye mokati kovanhu, ile keshe apa ove mwene wa hala okuya, inda. Opo nee elenga ekulunhu lovanangeli okwe mu pa onghuta neeshali dimwe nokwe mu lekela. 6 Ndele Jeremia okwa ya kuGedalja yaAhikam kuMispa nokwa kala puye mokati kovanhu ava va fyaala moshilongo.
7 Opo nee omalenga omatanga ovakwaita aa a kala meefuka novanhu vavo, eshi va uda ohamba yaBabilon ya nangeka Gedalja yaAhikam a ninge omupangeli woshilongo nokwe mu pa ovalumenhu novakainhu nounona neehepele vomoshilongo, ava inava twalwa kuBabilon, 8 ove uya kuGedalja kuMispa, ovo ava: Ismael yaNetanja naJohanan naJonatan, ovana vaKarea naSeraja yaTanhumet novana vaEfai Omunetofa naJesanja yaMaakati pamwe novalumenhu vavo. 9 Ndele Gedalja yaAhikam yaSafan okwe va anena eano, ovo novanhu vavo, ndele ta ti: “Inamu tila okulongela Ovakaldea. Kaleni moshilongo nye mu longele ohamba yaBabilon, opo mu kale nawa. 10 Ndele taleni, ame ohandi kala muMispa ndi yakule Ovakaldea ovo tave ke uya kufye. Ndelenee ongeleni omaviinyu noiimati nomaadi, nye mu a tuvikile moitoo, ndele nye kaleni moilando yeni mwe i nangala.” 11 NOvajuda yo aveshe ve li muMoab nomokati kovana vaAmmoni nomuEdom, naava va kala momadu aeshe makwao va uda ohamba yaBabilon ya fiya muJuda oixupe, ndele okwe va pa Gedalja yaAhikam yaSafan, omupangeli wavo, 12 opo Ovajuda aveshe ova aluka ko akushe oko va taataelwa ndele ve uya koshilongo kuGedalja kuMispa. Ndele ova ongela omaviinyu noiimati ihapu.
13 Ndelenee Johanan yaKarea novakulunhu vomomatanga ovakwaita ava va kala meefuka ove uya kuGedalja kuMispa. 14 Ndele ove mu lombwela tava ti: Ou shii tuu nokutya, Baalis, ohamba yovana vaAmmoni, okwa tuma Ismael yaNetanja e ku dipae? Ndelenee Gedalja yaAhikam ine va itavela. 15 Opo nee Johanan yaKarea okwa lombwela Gedalja kuMispa meholeko, ndele ta ti: Lekele nge ndi ye ndi ka dipae Ismael yaNetanja, nokape nomunhu te shi udu. Omolwashike ye e ku dipae, nOvajuda ava va ongalela pwoove ova halakanifwe noixupe yaJuda i xule po? 16 Ndelenee Gedalja yaAhikam okwa lombwela Johanan yaKarea ta ti: Ahowe, ino shi ninga, osheshi oto popi oipupulu nokulundila Ismael.
