Jeremiah in a Dry Well
1 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard that I was telling the people that 2 the Lord had said, “Whoever stays on in the city will die in war or of starvation or disease. But those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will not be killed; they will at least escape with their life.” 3 I was also telling them that the Lord had said, “I am going to give the city to the Babylonian army, and they will capture it.”
4 Then the officials went to the king and said, “This man must be put to death. By talking like this he is making the soldiers in the city lose their courage, and he is doing the same thing to everyone else left in the city. He is not trying to help the people; he only wants to hurt them.”
5 King Zedekiah answered, “Very well, then, do what you want to with him; I can't stop you.” 6 So they took me and let me down by ropes into Prince Malchiah's well, which was in the palace courtyard. There was no water in the well, only mud, and I sank down in it.
7 However, Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who worked in the royal palace, heard that they had put me in the well. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate. 8 So Ebedmelech went there and said to the king, 9 “Your Majesty, what these men have done is wrong. They have put Jeremiah in the well, where he is sure to die of starvation, since there is no more food in the city.” 10 Then the king ordered Ebedmelech to take with him three men and to pull me out of the well before I died. 11 So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes. 12 He told me to put the rags under my arms, so that the ropes wouldn't hurt me. I did this, 13 and they pulled me up out of the well. After that I was kept in the courtyard.
Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah's Advice
14 On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the Temple, and he said, “I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth.”
15 I answered, “If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you won't pay any attention.”
16 So King Zedekiah promised me in secret, “I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you.”
17 Then I told Zedekiah that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, “If you surrender to the king of Babylonia's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. 18 But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will burn it down, and you will not escape from them.”
19 But the king answered, “I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured.”
20 I said, “You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey the Lord's message; then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. 21 But the Lord has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. 22 In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went:
‘The king's best friends misled him,
they overruled him.
And now that his feet have sunk in the mud,
his friends have left him.’”
23 Then I added, “All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians, and you yourself will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia, and this city will be burned to the ground.”
24 Zedekiah replied, “Don't let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. 25 If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. 26 Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there.” 27 Then all the officials came and questioned me, and I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. 28 And I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Jeremia mondjombo ndja pwira
1 Sefatia, omuzandu wa Matan, na Gedalja, omuzandu wa Pashuri, na Jukal, omuzandu wa Selemja, na Pashur, omuzandu wa Malkija, va zuva kutja ami ee raere otjiwaṋa kutja 2 Muhona wa tjere nai: “Ngamwa auhe ngu ma kara motjihuro ma ṱu movita poo ma ṱu i ondjara poo i omutjise omuzeu. Nungwari ngamwa auhe ngu ma piti ne keriyandja omuini kOvababilon ke nokuṱa; eye, tjiri, ma yama omuinyo we.” 3 Ami wina mbe ve raera kutja Muhona wa tjere nai: “Otjihuro hi matji yandjewa mouvara wotjimbumba tja Babilon tjovita, notjo matji tji kambura.”
4 Ovahongore arire tji va i kombara ave katja: “Omurumendu ngwi nga ṱe. Mokuhungira nai eye ma mumaparisa ovarwe wovita mbe ri motjihuro, nu ma tjiti otjiṋa tjingetjo ku ngamwa auhe ngwa sewa motjihuro. Eye ke nokukondja okuvatera otjiwaṋa; ma vanga okutjiyandeka uriri.”
5 Ombara Sidkija wa zira a tja: “Osemba uri! Tjiteye ku ye otja pu mamu vanga, ami hi nokumutjaera.” 6 Otji ve ndji toora nave ndji raurire nongoze mondjombo yohivirikwa Malkija, ndja ri morupanda rwondjuwo youhona. Mu yo kamwa ri omeva, mwa ri omunoko porwe, nami arire tji mba ṱomwine momunoko mbwi.
7 Nungwari Omukusi Ebedmelek, omukarere ohongora wondjuwo youhona, wa zuva kutja owo ve ndji pundisa mondjombo. Moruveze ndo tjandje ombara ya haama pOmuvero wa Benjamin okupangura. 8 Ebedmelek otja ya ngo, na katja nai kombara: 9 “Muhona ombara, otjiṋa ovandu mba tji va tjiti, otjivi. Va pundisa Jeremia mondjombo, eye, tjiri, mu ma kozewa i ondjara, tjinga amu hi novikurya motjihuro.” 10 Tjazumba ombara otji ya rakiza Ebedmelek kutja a toore ovarumendu vetatu, nu ve kendjinane mondjombo, ngunda ambi hiya koka. 11 Ebedmelek otja ya puna ovarumendu vetatu mba ketuwo romapwikiro rondjuwo youhona, a katoora ozombanda nḓa tauka, ne ze raurire ku ami mondjombo kongoze. 12 Eye we ndji raera kutja mbi twe ozombanda nḓa momakwapa, ozongoze aze he ndji hihamisa. Ami mba tjita nao, 13 nowo arire tji ve ndji nana ave ndji pitisa mondjombo. Kombunda yanao otji mba katizirwa morupanda romatjeverero.
Sidkija ma ningire ondunge ku Jeremia
14 Otjikando tjimwe ombara Sidkija otja hinda ombuze yokutja mbi etwe ku ye pomahitiro oyetjatatu wondjuwo ya Muhona; neye wa tja nai ku ami: “Ami me ku pura epuriro, nami me vanga kutja u ndji raere ouatjiri auhe.”
15 Ami mba zira e tja: “Tji mbe ku raere ouatjiri, mo ndji zepa, nu tji mbe ku pe ondunge, komoo kara ko na tja.”
16 Ombara Sidkija otje ndji kwizikira mongumumu na tja: “Tjiri, tjimbe tja Ndjambi omunamuinyo, Ndjambi ngwe tu pa omuinyo, ami hi nokukuzepa, nu hi nokukuyandja momake wovarumendu mbu mave vanga okukuzepa.”
17 Otji mba raera Sidkija kutja Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, wa tjere nai: “Tji we riyandja mouvara wovahongore vombara ya Babilon, omuinyo woye mau yamwa, notjihuro hi katji nokunyosiwa. Ove neṱunḓu roye amuhe mamu yamwa. 18 Nungwari tji u hi nokuriyandja mouvara wawo, otjihuro hi matji yandjewa kOvababilon, nowo mave tji nyosa, nove komoo poṋa momake wawo.”
19 Nungwari ombara Sidkija wa zira a tja: “Ami me tira Ovajuda ovakwetu, mba konda rukuru kOvababilon. Ngahino me yandjewa momake wawo, nowo mave ndji tatumisa.”
20 Ami mba zira e tja: “Tjiri, ko nakuyandjewa momake wawo. Me riyarikaṋa kove kutja u kare nonḓuviro kombuze ya Muhona ndji mba hungira; mo kara nawa, nomuinyo woye mau yamwa. 21 Nungwari Muhona we ndji raisire motjirimunikise imbi mbi mavi tjitwa, tji wa panḓa okuriyandja. 22 Motjirimunikise hi ami mba muna mo ovakazendu avehe, mba sewa mondjuwo youhona yombara ya Juda, amave twarewa kovahongore vombara ya Babilon; nowo va kayenda amave ravaere nai:
‘Omapanga wombara wakatjotjiri ye i pukisa,
owo ye i nyengura.
Nambano owo ye i esa,
ozombaze zayo tjinga aza ṱomwina momunoko.’ ”
23 Ami otji mba weza e tja: “Ovakazendu novanatje voye avehe mave twarewa kOvababilon, nove omuini ko nokupoṋa momake wawo. Mave ku kambura nave ku yandja kombara ya Babilon; notjihuro hi matji nyosiwa.”
24 Sidkija wa zira a tja: “Ape ningi umwe ngu ma zuu omahungi nga, tjapo mo tu. 25 Ovahongore tji va zuu kutja ami mba hungire na ove mave ya kove nave ku pura imbi mbi twa hungire. Owo mave ku kwizikire kutja kave nokukuzepa tji we ve serekarerere oviṋa avihe. 26 Ve raera uriri kutja ove we riheke ku ami e he ku yarura kotjovakamburwa kondjuwo ya Jonatan kutja o ha kaṱira ngo.” 27 Tjazumba ovahongore avehe, tjiri, ve ya nave ndji pura; nami mbe ve serekarerera nawanawa otja ombara pu ye ndji raerere okuhungira. Kapa ri otjiṋa tji va sere okutjita, orondu kapa ri umwe ngwa zuva omahungi nga. 28 Nami otji mba ṱizirwa morupanda romatjeverero ngandu meyuva ndi Jerusalem ndi tja kamburwa.
