Jeremiab ge ǁgamo tsaub ǃnâ ra aoǂgāhe
1 Matanni ôab Sefatjab tsî Pashuri ôab Gedaljab tsî Selemjab ôab Jukali tsî Malkiab ôab Pashuri tsîgu ge Jeremiab ge ǁaesa mîba mîdi hoade ge ǁnâu, mîb geo, 2 nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî: “Nē ǃās ǃnâ ga hâ khoe-i hoa-i ge torob ǃnâ tamas ka io ǃâtsūǀkhāb xa tamas ka io ǂhīǁōb xa nî ǁō, xawe Xaldeaǁîn ǃoa ga ǃgûǂoa-i ge nî ûi. ǁÎn ge ûitsamase nî ûiǂoa.” 3 ǃAruǀîb ge ǃKhūba ge mî: “Nē ǃās ge ǂanǂansase Babilons gao-aob di toroǂnubisa nî māǁnâhe tsî ǁîn xa nî ūhe.”
4 O gu ge ǂamkhoega gao-aob ǃoa ge mî: “Ab nē khoeba ǃgamhe. ǁÎb ge ǃās ǃnâ ǃgau hâ toroǃkhamaogu tsî hoaraga ǁaes tsîna ra ǂkhabuǂâi kai, nēti i mîde ǁîna mîbas ǀkha. Nē khoeb ge ǁaes di ǃgâiba ôa tama hâ, xawe ǁîn di tsūba ra ôa.”
5 Ob ge gao-aob Sedekiaba ge mî: “ǁÎb ge sago ǃomǁae hâ, tita ge xū-i xare-e sago ǃoagu a dī ǁoa.” 6 O gu ge Jeremiaba ū tsî gao-aob ôab Malkijab di tsaub, ǃûi-aogu di ai-ommi ǃnâ ge hâ ib ǃnâ ge ǂgā. Tsaub ǃnâ i ge ǁgam-e ge ǀkhai i, ǂgoab ǀguib ge ge hâ i tsîb ge Jeremiaba ǂgoab ǃnâ ge ǁgôa.
7 Tsî Etiopiaǁîb Ebed-Meleki, gao-ommi ǂamkhoe ge ib ge Jeremiab ge tsaub ǃnâ ǂgāhe ǃkhaisa ge ǁnâu. Gao-aob ge ǁnā ǁaeb ai Benjamindao-ams tawa ge ǂnôa i, 8 tsîb ge Ebed-Meleka gao-omma xu ǂoa tsî ǁîba sī ge mîba: 9 “ǃGôahesa gao-aotse, nē khoegu ge kēbo-aob Jeremiab ǀkha tsūse go dī; ǁîgu ge ǁîba tsaub ǃnâ go ǂgā tsîb ge ǁîba ǁnāpa ǃâs xa nî ǁō, pere-i ǃās ǃnâ a ǀkhai xui-ao.” 10 Ob ge gao-aoba Etiopiaǁîb Ebed-Meleka ge mîmā: “ǃNona khoega nēpa xu ūsao, î kēbo-aob Jeremiaba tsauba xu ūǂui, ǁōb nîs aiǃâ.” 11 Ob ge Ebed-Meleka ǁnā khoega ūsao tsî gao-ommi di ǁui-ommi ǃnaka hâ ǃnā-oms ǃnâ ǂgâ tsî ǀorotoa hâ ǃkhain tsî doa hâ saran tsîna ge ū, tsî ǁîna tsurigu ǀkha Jeremiab ǃoa tsaub ǃnâ ge ǁgôa kai. 12 Tsîb ge Etiopiaǁîb Ebed-Meleka Jeremiab ǃoa ge mî: “Nē ǀoro ǃkhain tsî doa hâ saran tsîna sa gamǃnâra ǃnâ tsurigu ǃnaka ǁgui.” Ob ge Jeremiaba ǁnāti ge dī. 13 O gu ge Jeremiaba tsurigu ǀkha tsauba xu ge ǂgaeǂui, tsîb ge ǁîba ǃûi-aogu di ai-ommi ǃnâ ge hâ.
Sedekiab ge Jeremiab ai ra ǀape-ôa
14 Gao-aob Sedekiab ge kēbo-aob Jeremiaba ǂgai kai tsî ǁîba ǃnonaǁî dao-ams ǃKhūb ommi dis tawa ge ǃkhōǃoa. Gao-aob ge Jeremiab ǃoa ge mî: “Xū-e ta ge nî dî tsi, xuige tā xū-i xare-e tita xu gaugau re.”
15 Ob ge Jeremiaba Sedekiab ǃoa ge mî: “Mîba tsi ta kao, amase ǃgam tets tide? ǀApemā tsi ta ka, xawets ge ǃgâ te tide.”
16 Gao-aob Sedekiab ge Jeremiaba ǂganǃgâsib ǃnâ nūs ǀkha ge mîmâiba: “ǃKhūb sakhom ǀomra ge dīb a ûitsama ǃkhais ao ta ge ǃgam tsi tide; ǁkhāti ta ge ǁnāgu hîa sa ûiba ra ôagu ai māǁnâ tsi tide.”
17 Ob ge Jeremiaba Sedekiab ǃoa ge mî: “Nētib ge ǃKhūb Elob Hoaǀgaixab, Israeli di Eloba ra mî. Babilons gao-aob di ǂamkhoegu aits ga māǁnâsen, ob ge sa ûiba nî sâuhe tsîs ge nē ǃāsa khauǃkhūhe tide. Sats tsî sa ǀaokhoen tsîdu ge nî ûi. 18 Xawe Babilons gao-aob di ǂamkhoegu aits ga māǁnâsen tama io, os ge nē ǃāsa Xaldeaǁîn ǃomǁae nî māǁnâhe tsîn ge ǁîna ǁîsa nî khauǃkhū tsî sats tsîn ge ǁîn ǃomǁaeba xu ûiǂoa tide.”
19 Ob ge gao-aob Sedekiaba Jeremiab ǃoa ge mî: “Tita ge ǁnā Jodeǁîn, Xaldeaǁîn ǃoa ge ǃgûn xa ra ǃao. ǀNîsin ge Xaldeaǁîna ǁîn ai nî māǁnâ te tsîn ge ǁîna nî tsûtsû te.”
20 Ob ge Jeremiaba ge mî: “Sats ge ǁîn ai māǁnâhe tide. ǃKhūb di mîs hîa ta ra mîba tsisa ǁnâuǀnam re, ots ge nî ǃgâibahe tsîb ge sa ûiba nî sâuhe. 21 Xawe māǁnâsensats ga ǂkhāo, nēs ge ǃKhūb ge ǂhaiǂhaiba te ǃkhaisa: 22 Judab gao-ommi ǃnâ ge ǃgau khoedi hoadi ge Babilons gao-aob di ǂamkhoega ǃoa nî ǂgaeǂguiǂuihe tsî di ge nî mî:
“ ‘Sa ǃgâi ǀhōsagu ge satsa ge ǂgaeǂhapu,
ǁîgu ge satsa ge dan.
Sa ǂaira go ǂgoab ǃnâ tsōǂgâ,
o gu ge satsa xu go ūbēsen.’ ”
23 “Sa tarekhoedi hoadi tsî sa ôan hoan tsîn ge Xaldeaǁîn ǃoa nî ǂgaeǂguiǂuihe. Sats tsîn ge Xaldeaǁîna xu ûiǂoa tide tsî Babilons gao-aob xa ǃkhōsis ǃnâ nî ūhe, tsî ǃās ge nî khauǃkhūhe.”
24 Ob ge Sedekiaba Jeremiab ǃoa ge mî: “Tā i khoe-i xare-e nē ǃhoaǁares xa ǂan, îts tā ǁō. 25 Ti ǂamkhoegu ga sats ǀkha ta goro ǃhoasa ǁnâu tsî sats tawa hā tsî mîo: ‘Mîba ge re tare-ets go gao-aoba mîbas tsî tare-eb go gao-aoba sats ǃoa mîsa; tā xū-i xare-e sige xu gaugau, ǃgam tsi ge tide xuige.’ 26 O ǁîga mîba: Tita ge gao-aob ai goro ǀkhomabasen, îb tā Jonatanni omsa ǃoa sî-oa te ǁnāpa ta nî ǁōse.” 27 Tsî gu ge ǂamkhoegu hoaga Jeremiab ǃoa hā tsî ǁîba ge dî, ob ge ǁîga gao-aob ge mîmā bi khami ge ǃeream. O gu ge ǁîba ge ǁnāxū, ǀgui khoe-i tsîn ge nē ǁgamǁaresa ǁnâu tama hâ i xui-ao. 28 Tsîb ge Jeremiaba ǃûi-aogu di ai-ommi ǃnâ ge hâǀgara, Jerusalems ge ūhe tsēs kōse.
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.
