A Message for Zedekiah
1 The Lord spoke to me when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army, supported by troops from all the nations and races that were subject to him, were attacking Jerusalem and its nearby towns. 2 The Lord, the God of Israel, told me to go and say to King Zedekiah of Judah, “I, the Lord, will hand this city over to the king of Babylonia, and he will burn it down. 3 You will not escape; you will be captured and handed over to him. You will see him face-to-face and talk to him in person; then you will go to Babylonia. 4 Zedekiah, listen to what I say about you. You will not be killed in battle. 5 You will die in peace, and as people burned incense when they buried your ancestors, who were kings before you, in the same way they will burn incense for you. They will mourn over you and say, ‘Our king is dead!’ I, the Lord, have spoken.”
6 Then I gave this message to King Zedekiah in Jerusalem 7 while the army of the king of Babylonia was attacking the city. The army was also attacking Lachish and Azekah, the only other fortified cities left in Judah.
Deceitful Treatment of Slaves
8 King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem had made an agreement to set free 9 their Hebrew slaves, both male and female, so that no one would have an Israelite as a slave. 10 All the people and their leaders agreed to free their slaves and never to enslave them again. They did set them free, 11 but later they changed their minds, took them back, and forced them to become slaves again.
12 Then the Lord, 13 the God of Israel, told me to say to the people: “I made a covenant with your ancestors when I rescued them from Egypt and set them free from slavery. I told them that 14 every seven years they were to set free any Hebrew slave who had served them for six years. But your ancestors would not pay any attention to me or listen to what I said. 15 Just a few days ago you changed your minds and did what pleased me. All of you agreed to set all Israelites free, and you made a covenant in my presence, in the Temple where I am worshiped. 16 But then you changed your minds again and dishonored me. All of you took back the slaves whom you had set free as they desired, and you forced them into slavery again. 17 So now, I, the Lord, say that you have disobeyed me; you have not given all Israelites their freedom. Very well, then, I will give you freedom: the freedom to die by war, disease, and starvation. I will make every nation in the world horrified at what I do to you. 18-19 The officials of Judah and of Jerusalem, together with the palace officials, the priests, and all the leaders, made a covenant with me by walking between the two halves of a bull that they had cut in two. But they broke the covenant and did not keep its terms. So I will do to these people what they did to the bull. 20 I will hand them over to their enemies, who want to kill them, and their corpses will be eaten by birds and wild animals. 21 I will also hand over King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials to those who want to kill them. I will hand them over to the Babylonian army, which has stopped its attack against you. 22 I will give the order, and they will return to this city. They will attack it, capture it, and burn it down. I will make the towns of Judah like a desert where no one lives. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Sedekiab ǃoa hâ ǂhôas
1 Mîs ǃKhūb dis ge Jeremiaba ge hāba, Babilons gao-aob Nebukadnesari ge ǁîb di toroǂnubis hoaragas tsî ǃhūbaib gaosidi ǁîb ǃnaka hâdi hoadi tsî ǁaedi tsîn ǀkha Jerusalems tsî ǁîs ǀgūse ǂnôa ǃādi ǃoagu torodī ǁaeb ai. 2 “Nētib ge ǃKhūb Israeli di Eloba ra mî: ǃGû, î Judab gao-aob Sedekiaba sī mîba: Tita ǃKhūta ge nē ǃāsa Babilons gao-aob ǃomǁae nî māǁnâ, tsîb ge ǁîba ǁîsa nî khauǃkhū. 3 Sadu ge ǁîba xu ûiǂoa tide, xawe ǃkhōhe tsî ǁîba nî māǁnâhe tsîts ge ǁîb ǀkha aisa xu ais ǁga mûgu tsî ǁîb ǀkha nî ǃhoa, ǁnās khaoǃgâts ge Babilons ǃoa nî ǃgû. 4 Xawe ǃKhūb di mîsa ǁnâu re, Judab gao-aots Sedekiatse. Sats ge torob ǃnâ ǁō tide. 5 Sats ge ǂkhîb ǃnâ nî ǁō tsîn ge khoena sa aboxagu, sa aiǃâ ge hâ i gao-aogan gere ǀanǀanba khami sats tsîna nî ǀanǀanba tsîn ge sats tsîna āba tsî ‘Ae sida gao-aotse’ ti nî mî. Tita ǃKhūta ge ti go mî.”
6 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge kēbo-aob Jeremiaba nē mîdi hoade Judab gao-aob Sedekiaba Jerusalems ǃnâ sī ge mîba, 7 Babilons gao-aob Jerusalems ǃoagu tsî ǃgau hâ omǂnamisa ǃāra Judab dira, Lakis tsî Asekas tsîra ǃoagu ra ǃkham hîa.
Khobon hâǃnâ ǃgomsigu
8 ǃKhūb di mîs Jeremiaba ge hābas, gao-aob Sedekiab ge Jerusalems di ǁanǂgāsaben hoan ǀkha ǃgaeǀhaosa dī ǃnubai, ǁîn di ǃnoraǃnorahes ǂama, 9 î-i mâ-i hoa-e ǁî-i Hebreǁî khobo-e, aoreb kas, tares kas hoasa ǃnora kai, î-i tā ǀgui-i tsîna ǁî-i Jodeǁî ǃgâsa-e khobose ūhâ. 10 O gu ge ǂgaeǂgui-aogu hoagu tsî hoaraga ǁaes, nē ǃgaeǀhaos, mâ-i hoa-i ǁî-i khobo-e nî ǃnoraǃnoras dis ǃnâ ge amǃnâxan hoana nēsa ǁnâuǀnam tsî ǁîna ge ǃnora kai. 11 Xawen ge ǁnās khaoǃgâ ǂâi-oa tsî ǁîn di khobogu tsî khobodi hîan ge ǃnora kaina ū-oa tsî ǁkhawa ge khobodī.
12 Mîs ǃKhūb dis ge Jeremiaba ge hāba: 13 “Nētib ge ǃKhūb Israeli di Eloba ra mî: Tita ge sa aboxan ǀkha ǃgaeǀhao-e ge dī, ǁîna ta ge Egipteba xu, khobosis omma xu ǂgaeǂguiǂui ǃnubai, tsî ge mî. 14 ‘Mâ hûǁî kurib hoabats ge sa Hebreǁî ǃgâsa-i, sats ai ǁamaxūhe tsî ǃnani kuriga ǃoaba tsi hâ-i hoa-e nî ǃnora kai.’ Xawen ge sa aboxana tita ǃgaoǃgâ tamas ka io tita ǃgâ tama ge i. 15 Sadu ge ǀgūǁae ǂâi-oa tsî ti mûǁae a ǃgâina goro dī, sadu ǀgūkhoena ǃnora kais ǀkha. Tsî du ge ǃgaeǀhao-e, ti ǀons ǃoa ǂgaihe hâ ommi ǃnâ ge dī. 16 Xawe du ge ǁkhawa unusen tsî ti ǀonsa ge ǃanuoǃnâ kai, mâ-i hoa-i âdu ge ǁî-i khobob tsî khobos, hîan ge ǁîn ǂâis ǃoa ǃnora kai hâ ina ǁkhawa sadu khobose ū-oa ǃkhais ǀkha. 17 ǁNā-amagab ge ǃKhūba ra mî: Sadu ge tita ǃgâ tama i tsî mâ-i hoa-i âdo ǁî-i ǃgâsa-i tsî ǀgūkhoe-e ǃnorasasiba ǁapoǁapoba tama ge i. ǁNā-amaga ta ge tita sado ǃnorasasib gôab tsî ǂhīǁōb tsî ǃâtsūǀkhāb diba ra ǁapoǁapoba,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.“Tita ge sado ǃhūbaib di gaosidi hoadi ǃnâ ǃaoǃaoxūse nî dī. 18 Tsî ta ge ǁnā aogu ti ǃgaeǀhaosa ge ǃûǂam tsî ti ǃgaeǀhaos, ti ais aiǃâ gu ge dīs di mîde ǃkhōǀgaipe tama iga, tsâub hîa du ǀgam ǃâkha ǃnâ ǃgaoǃā tsî ǁîkha ǁaegu ra ǃgûǃkharub khami nî dī. 19 Judab tsî Jerusalems di ǂamkhoegu, gao-ommi di ǂamkhoegu, pristergu tsî hoaraga ǁaes ǃhūb dis tsîn, ǁnā ǃâkha tsâub dikha ǁaegu ra ǃkharun, 20 ǁîna ta ge ǁîn khākhoen di ǃomǁae tsî ǁnān, ǁîn ûiba ra ôan ǃomǁae nî māǁnâ. ǁÎn di sorodi ge ǀhomanin tsî ǀgurun tsîna ǂûse nî ība. 21 Tsî Judab di gao-aob Sedekiab tsî ǁîb ǂamkhoegu tsîga ta ge ǁîgu khākhoen ǃomǁae tsî ǁnān, ǁîgu ûiba ra ôan ǃomǁae nî māǁnâ, Babilons gao-aob di toroǂnubis, sado xu ge ǂgae-oasens di ǃomǁae. 22 Tita ge mîmā tsî ǁîna nē ǃās ǁga ǁkhawa nî oaǀkhī-ū, tsîn ge ǁîs ǃoagu ǃkham, ǁîsa ū tsî nî khauǃkhū. Tita ge Judab di ǃāde nî ǃū-aisa kai, khoe-i xare-i ǁîde ǁanǃnâ tamase”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.