Zedekiah's Request to Jeremiah
1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia made Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah in the place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim. 2 But neither Zedekiah nor his officials nor the people obeyed the message which the Lord had given me.
3 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to ask me to pray to the Lord our God on behalf of our nation. 4 I had not yet been put in prison and was still moving about freely among the people. 5 The Babylonian army had been besieging Jerusalem, but when they heard that the Egyptian army had crossed the Egyptian border, they retreated.
6 Then the Lord, the God of Israel, told me 7 to say to Zedekiah, “The Egyptian army is on its way to help you, but it will return home. 8 Then the Babylonians will come back, attack the city, capture it, and burn it down. 9 I, the Lord, warn you not to deceive yourselves into thinking that the Babylonians will not come back, because they will. 10 Even if you defeat the whole Babylonian army, so that only wounded men are left, lying in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city to the ground.”
Jeremiah Is Arrested and Imprisoned
11 The Babylonian army retreated from Jerusalem because the Egyptian army was approaching. 12 So I started to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of Benjamin to take possession of my share of the family property. 13 But when I reached the Benjamin Gate, the officer in charge of the soldiers on duty there, a man by the name of Irijah, the son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah, stopped me and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”
14 I answered, “That's not so! I'm not deserting.” But Irijah would not listen to me. Instead, he arrested me and took me to the officials. 15 They were furious with me and had me beaten and locked up in the house of Jonathan, the court secretary, whose house had been made into a prison. 16 I was put in an underground cell and kept there a long time.
17 Later on King Zedekiah sent for me, and there in the palace he asked me privately, “Is there any message from the Lord?”
“There is,” I answered, and added, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylonia.” 18 Then I asked, “What crime have I committed against you or your officials or this people, to make you put me in prison? 19 What happened to your prophets who told you that the king of Babylonia would not attack you or the country? 20 And now, Your Majesty, I beg you to listen to me and do what I ask. Please do not send me back to the prison in Jonathan's house. If you do, I will surely die there.”
21 So King Zedekiah ordered me to be locked up in the palace courtyard. I stayed there, and each day I was given a loaf of bread from the bakeries until all the bread in the city was gone.
Ombuze ya Jeremia kombara Sidkija
1 Nebukadnesar, ombara ya Babilon, wa zika Sidkija, omuzandu wa Josija, okurira ombara mOjuda, moruveze rwa Jojakin, omuzandu wa Jojakim. 2 Nungwari Sidkija novahongore ve novature vehi kave karere nonḓuviro kombuze Muhona ndja yandjere ku ami.
3 Ombara Sidkija wa tuma Jukal, omuzandu wa Selemja, nomupristeri Sefanja, omuzandu wa Maaseja, okukaningira kutja mbi kumbire otjiwaṋa tjetu ku Muhona, Ndjambi wetu. 4 Ami tjandje ingee hiya tuwa motjovakamburwa, nu ee ryanga noukutuke mokati kotjiwaṋa. 5 Otjimbumba tja Babilon tjovita tja koverere Jerusalem, nungwari otjo tji tja zuva kutja otjimbumba tja Engipte tjovita tja kondo omuruko wa Engipte, otjimbumba tja Babilon tjovita otji tja yaruka ombunda.
6 Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, otje ndji raera 7 kutja mbi tje nai ku Sidkija: “Tjiri, otjimbumba tja Engipte tjovita tji ri mondjira okuyekukuvatera, nungwari matji yaruka kehi ratjo. 8 Ovababilon otji mave kotoka, ave rwisa otjihuro, ave tji kambura nave tji nyosa. 9 Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, me mu rongo kutja amu he riwovisa mokutjangovasi Ovababilon kave nokukotoka, orondu owo mave kotoka. 10 Nangarire kutja mwa havere otjimbumba atjihe tja Babilon tjovita, nga tji pa hupu ovarumendu ozondjahe porwe mba saravara mozondanda zawo, ovarumendu mbo mave sekama nave nyosa otjihuro hi okumana.”
Jeremia ma kamburwa na tuwa motjovakamburwa
11 Otjimbumba tja Babilon tjovita tja yaruka ombunda okuza mOjerusalem, otjimbumba tja Engipte tjovita tjinga atji ri popezu. 12 Ami otji mba vanga okuza mo mOjerusalem nokuyenda kehi ra Benjamin okukarumata eṱa randje mouini weṱunḓu retu. 13 Nungwari tji mba vaza Omuvero wa Benjamin, omunene wovatjevere ngwa ri moviungura, wena Jirija, omuzandu wa Selemja, omuzandu wa Hananja, we ndji tjaera na tja: “Kurama, ove movanga okukonda kOvababilon!”
14 Ami mba zira e tja: “Ka tjiperi! Ami hi nokukonda kOvababilon!” Nungwari Jirija ka vangere okupuratena ko ku ami; eye we ndji kambura ne ndji twara kovahongore. 15 Owo ve ndji pindikira tjinene nave rakiza kutja mbi tonwe nave ndji patere mondjuwo ya Jonatan, omutjangerepo wouhona, ndja isiwa po otjovakamburwa. 16 Ami mba tuwa metuwo romehi ne ṱizirwa mo oruveze orure.
17 Eyuva rimwe ombara Sidkija wa hinda omundu ku ami, nu tji mbe ya, eye arire tje ndji purire peke mondjuwo youhona a tja: “Pe nombuze yorive ndja zu ku Muhona are?”
Ami mba zira e tja: “Ii, opu i ri; ove mo yandjewa mouvara wombara ya Babilon.” 18 Ami mba pura ombara Sidkija e tja: “Ami mba tjita ouvi watjike kove poo kovahongore voye poo kotjiwaṋa hi, tji we ndji twa motjovakamburwa nai? 19 Ovaprofete veṋu mbe mu raera kutja ombara ya Babilon kai nokurwisa eṋe poo indi ehi, nambano ve ri pi? 20 Nambano, muhona ombara, ami me riyarikaṋa kutja u puratene ku ami nu u tjite imbi mbi me ningire kove. Arikana, o ndji yarura motjovakamburwa mondjuwo ya Jonatan. Tji wa tjiti nao, ami, tjiri, me ṱire moṋa mwi!”
21 Ombara Sidkija otja rakiza kutja mbi paterwe morupanda romatjeverero rwondjuwo youhona. Ami mba kara mo, neyuva arihe ee pewa omboroto ombomba okuza kovatereke, nga ozomboroto azehe motjihuro tji papu.
