The Lord Will Fight against Jerusalem
1 King Zedekiah of Judah sent for Pashhur son of Malchiah and for a priest named Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. Then he told them, “Talk with Jeremiah for me.”
So they came to me and said, 2 “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia has attacked Judah. Please ask the Lord to work miracles for our people, as he has done in the past, so that Nebuchadnezzar will leave us alone.”
3-7 I told them that the Lord God of Israel had told me to say to King Zedekiah:
The Babylonians have surrounded Jerusalem and want to kill you and your people. You are asking me to save you, but you have made me furious. So I will stretch out my mighty arm and fight against you myself. Your army is using spears and swords to fight the Babylonians, but I will make your own weapons turn and attack you. I will send a horrible disease to kill many of the people and animals in Jerusalem, and there will be nothing left to eat. Finally, I will let King Nebuchadnezzar and his army fight their way to the center of Jerusalem and capture everyone who is left alive, including you and your officials. But Nebuchadnezzar won't be kind or show any mercy—he will have you killed! I, the Lord, have spoken.
8 Then I told them that the Lord had said:
People of Jerusalem, I, the Lord, give you the choice of life or death. 9 The Babylonian army has surrounded Jerusalem, so if you want to live, you must go out and surrender to them. But if you want to die because of hunger, disease, or war, then stay here in the city. 10 I have decided not to rescue Jerusalem. Instead, I am going to let the king of Babylonia burn it to the ground. I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Warns the King of Judah
* 11 Pay attention, you that belong
to the royal family.
12 Each new day, make sure
that justice is done,
and rescue those
who are being robbed.
Or else my anger will flame up
like a fire that never goes out.
13 Jerusalem,
from your mountaintop
you look out over the valleys
and think you are safe.
But I, the Lord, am angry,
14 and I will punish you
as you deserve.
I'll set your palace on fire,
and everything around you
will go up in smoke.
Yerusalaamu la boyoo bankeeta
1 Yaawe* la kumoo naata nte Yeremiya kaŋ, tuma meŋ na Mansa Sedekiya ye Malikiya dinkewo Pasihuri, aniŋ Maaseya dinkewo Piriisi* Sefaniya kii n kaŋ, ì ko n ye ko: 2 “Dukaree, Yaawe ñininkaa ǹ ye, kaatu Babiloni mansakewo Nebukanesa be pareeriŋ ne ka m̀ boyinkaŋ keloo la. Tumandoo Yaawe be kaawakuwo ke la ǹ ye le ko, a ye a ñoŋ jamaa ke ñaameŋ koomanto. Niŋ wo keta, a be muru la a koo la le ka fata m̀ ma.”
3 Bari ŋa ì jaabi le ko, ì si a fo Sedekiya ye, 4 Yaawe Banisirayila la Alla ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: “A juubee, m be kelejooraŋolu murundi la ali faŋolu le kaŋ, mennu be ali bulu, ali ye mennu taa ka Babiloni mansakewo kele, meŋ niŋ a la kelediŋolu ye ali suki tata sansaŋo kono. M be ì samba la naŋ ñoo kaŋ ñiŋ saatewo teema le. 5 Nte faŋo le be ali kele la niŋ m bulu sembemaa baa la, aniŋ n na kamfaa, jusukandoo, aniŋ diminnaa fijoo la. 6 M be ñiŋ saatewo moolu busa la le, hadamadiŋolu niŋ beeyaŋolu kafuriŋo. Alibalaa kuuraŋ jawoo le be ì faa la. 7 Niŋ wo keta fokabaŋ, m be Yahuuda mansakewo Sedekiya niŋ a la mansakundaa dookuulaalu, ka taa ì niŋ ñiŋ saatewo moolu duŋ na Babiloni mansakewo Nebukanesa niŋ a la moolu bulu le, ì jawoolu, mennu be ì niyo nooma. Wo le be ke la moolu ti mennu kanata hawusaroo* ma, konkoo, aniŋ alibalaa kuuraŋo. Nebukanesa be ì faa la hawusaroo la le. A te balafaa la ì ye, waraŋ ka yamfa ì ye, waraŋ ka hiina ì la.” Yaawe le ye a fo.
8 “Wo koolaa fanaa, a fo ñiŋ moolu ye, nte Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: A juubee, ŋa sila fula le landi ali ñaa koto, meŋ keta baluwo niŋ saayaa ti. 9 Moo-wo-moo tuta siiriŋ ñiŋ saatewo kono, hawusaroo le be a faa la, waraŋ konkoo, waraŋ alibalaa kuuraŋo. Bari niŋ moo-wo-moo fintita banta, ka taa a faŋ seyi Babiloninkoolu ma, mennu be ali la saatewo suki kaŋ, wo maarii be baluu la le. A la baluwo be ke la le ko, ì ye meŋ kumakaa ka bo keloo kono. A niyo si kana, a ye baluu. 10 Ŋa n ñaa tiliŋ ñiŋ saatewo la le ka kasaaroo naati a kaŋ, a maŋ ke kuu kendoo ti. A be duŋ na Babiloni mansakewo bulu le, a ye dimbaa duŋ a la ka a jani.” Yaawe le ye a fo.
Yahuuda mansa buŋo kiitindoo
11 Yaawe tententa ka a fo ko, “Wo koolaa fanaa, a fo Yahuuda mansa buŋo ye, ì ye i lamoyi nte Yaawe la kumoo la. 12 Nte Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko:
Alitolu Mansa Dawuda koomalankoolu,
ali kiitii tilindiŋo taamandi fanikee-wo-fanikee,
ka moo-wo-moo bondi a toorandilaa bulu,
ì ye meŋ nakari,
niŋ wo nte, n na kamfaa si mala ko dimbaa.
A si mala, moo te soto noo la ka a faa,
ali la kuu jawu kewolu kamma la.
13 A juubee, m be i kele la le,
ite Yerusalaamu, wulumbaŋo santo siilaa,
ite meŋ be tintindiŋ konko beroo kaŋ.”
Yaawe le ye a fo.
“I ka a fo ko, ‘Jumaa le si ntolu boyinkaŋ noo,
waraŋ jumaa le si duŋ noo ntolu la buŋolu kono?’
14 M be i kuluu la i kekuwolu la le.
M be dimbaa le duŋ na i la sutoo la,
ka feŋo bee jani meŋ ye i murubeŋ.”
Yaawe le ye a fo.
