Jeremiah's Letter to the People of Judah in Babylonia
1-2 I had been left in Jerusalem when King Nebuchadnezzar took many of the people of Jerusalem and Judah to Babylonia as prisoners, including King Jehoiachin, his mother, his officials, and the metal workers and others in Jerusalem who were skilled in making things. So I wrote a letter to the priests, the prophets, the leaders, and the rest of our people in Babylonia. 3 I gave the letter to Elasah and Gemariah, two men that King Zedekiah of Judah was sending to Babylon to talk with Nebuchadnezzar. In the letter, I wrote 4 that the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said:
I had you taken from Jerusalem to Babylonia. Now I tell you 5 to settle there and build houses. Plant gardens and eat what you grow in them. 6 Get married and have children, then help your sons find wives and help your daughters find husbands, so they can have children as well. I want your numbers to grow, not to get smaller.
7 Pray for peace in Babylonia and work hard to make it prosperous. The more successful that nation is, the better off you will be.
8-9 Some of your people there in Babylonia are fortunetellers, and you have asked them to tell you what will happen in the future. But they will only lead you astray with their dreams. And don't let the prophets fool you, either. They speak in my name, but they are liars. I have not spoken to them.
10 After Babylonia has been the strongest nation for 70 years, I will be kind and bring you back to Jerusalem, just as I have promised. 11 I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13 You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you 14 and accept your worship. Then I will gather you from all the nations where I scattered you, and you will return to Jerusalem.
15 You feel secure, because you think I have sent prophets to speak for me in Babylonia.
16-19 But I have been sending prophets to the people of Judah for a long time, and the king from David's family and the people who are left in Jerusalem and Judah still don't obey me. So I, the Lord All-Powerful, will keep attacking them with war and hunger and disease, until they are as useless as rotten figs. I will force them to leave the land, and all nations will be disgusted and shocked at what happens to them. The nations will sneer and make fun of them and use the names “Judah” and “Jerusalem” as curse words.
And you have not obeyed me, even though 20 I had you taken from Jerusalem to Babylonia. But you had better listen to me now. 21-23 You think Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah are prophets because they claim to speak for me. But they are lying! I haven't told them anything. They are also committing other horrible sins in your community, such as sleeping with the wives of their friends. So I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar, who will put them to death while the rest of you watch. And in the future, when you want to put a curse on someone, you will say, “I pray that the Lord will kill you in the same way the king of Babylonia burned Zedekiah and Ahab to death!”
A Message for Shemaiah
24-25 The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, told me what would happen to Shemaiah, who was one of our people in Babylonia. After my letter reached Babylonia, Shemaiah wrote letters to the people of Jerusalem, including the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and the other priests. The letter to Zephaniah said:
26 After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the Lord chose you to be the priest in charge of the temple security force. You know that anyone who acts crazy and pretends to be a prophet should be arrested and put in chains and iron collars. 27 Jeremiah from the town of Anathoth is pretending to be a prophet there in Jerusalem, so why haven't you punished him? 28 He even wrote a letter to the people here in Babylonia, saying we would be here a long time. He told us to build homes and to plant gardens and grow our own food.
29 When Zephaniah received Shemaiah's letter, he read it to me. 30 Then the Lord told me what to write in a second letter 31 to the people of Judah who had been taken to Babylonia. In this letter, I wrote that the Lord had said:
I, the Lord, have not chosen Shemaiah to be one of my prophets, and he has misled you by telling lies in my name. 32 He has even talked you into disobeying me. So I will punish Shemaiah. He and his descendants won't live to see the good things I will do for my people. I, the Lord, have spoken.
Leetaroo moolu ye mennu tarata mutoo kono
1 Ñinnu le mu kumakaŋolu ti nte Yeremiya ye mennu safee ka ì kii ka bo Yerusalaamu ka taa alifaalu kaŋ, mennu tuta baluuriŋ, ì tarata mutoo kono, ì niŋ piriisoolu*, annabiyomoolu, aniŋ moolu bee. Nebukanesa ye wo moolu le samba mutoo kono, ka bo Yerusalaamu ka taa Babiloni. 2 Ñiŋ leetaroo keta waati le ti, kabiriŋ ì ye Mansa Yehoyahini, aniŋ a baamaa faŋo samba mutoo kono ka bo Yerusalaamu, ka taa mansakundaa alifaalu, Yerusalaamu niŋ Yahuuda muumewo maralilaalu, bulukalaŋ dookuulaalu, aniŋ tunkannaalu. 3 Elasa, Safani dinkewo aniŋ Kemariya, Hilikiya dinkewo le ye leetaroo samba, Yahuuda mansakewo Sedekiya ye mennu kii Babiloni mansakewo Nebukanesa kaŋ. Ñinnu le keta leetaroo kumoolu ti:
4 Yaawe* Alihawaa Maariyo*, Banisirayila la Alla ye ñiŋ ne fo moolu bee ye, a ye a tinna ì ye mennu samba mutoo kono, ka bo Yerusalaamu ka taa Babiloni:
5 “Ali buŋolu loo, ali ye tara sabatiriŋ ì kono. Ali naakoolu fii, ali kali ì fiifeŋolu domo. 6 Ali musoolu futuu, ali ye dinkewolu niŋ dimmusoolu soto. Ali musoolu ñini ali dinkewolu ye, ali ye ali dimmusoolu nii ka futuu, fo ì fanaa si dinkewolu niŋ dimmusoolu soto. Ali siyaa jee, ali yaatewo kana talaa. 7 Ali saatewo la kayiroo ñiniŋ fanaa, ŋa a tinna ì ye ali samba mutoo kono daameŋ to. Ali a la kuwo duwaa nte Yaawe yaa, kaatu a la kayiroo mu ali la kayiroo le ti. 8 Haa, nte Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo, Banisirayila la Alla le ye ñiŋ fo ko: Ali kana soŋ ali la annabiyomoolu niŋ ali la juubeerilaalu, mennu be ali kono, ì ye ali neenee. Ali kana i lamoyi ì la siibootoo kumoolu la. 9 Ì ka faniyaa kiilaariyaa kumoolu le fo ali ye n tooyaa la. Nte maŋ ì kii.” Yaawe le ye a fo.
10 “Nte Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: Niŋ Babiloni la sanji taŋ woorowula maraloo kumfaata, m be ali hati la le, ŋa kuu kendoo timmandi ali ye, ŋa ali laahidi meŋ na, ka ali seyindi naŋ. 11 Kaatu ŋa a loŋ ne, ŋa feeroolu mennu soto ali ye, feeroolu mennu mu ali ye kayiroo ti, ì te ke la ali ye kooroo ti. Wo feeroolu le be ali la jikoo timmandi la ñaato siniŋ. Nte Yaawe le ye a fo. 12 Wo to le ali be n kumandi la, ali ye naa n kaŋ ka duwaa, aduŋ m be n danku la ali ma le. 13 Ali be n ñini la le, ali ye n je. Niŋ ali ye n ñini ali sondomoo bee la, 14 ali be n je la le. Nte Yaawe le ye a fo, aduŋ m be ali samba la naŋ ne ka bo bankoolu bee kaŋ, ŋa ali janjandi daamennu to. M be ali murundi la ali la firiŋo to le, ka ali murundi dulaa to ŋa ali bondi daameŋ ka ali samba mutoo kono.” Yaawe le ye a fo.
15 A si ke noo ali ka ñiŋ ne fo ko, “Yaawe ye annabiyomoolu dii ǹ na Babiloni bankoo kaŋ jaŋ ne.”
16 Bari Yaawe kumata mansakewo la kuwo to le, meŋ na siŋo be Dawuda la mansasiiraŋo to. A kumata moolu bee fanaa la kuwo to le mennu be siiriŋ Yerusalaamu saatewo kono jaŋ. Wolu le keta ali baadiŋolu ti, ì maŋ ali niŋ mennu samba ñoo la mutoo kono. A ko: 17 “Nte Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: A juubee, m be keloo le naati la ì kaŋ niŋ hawusaroo* la, konkoo, aniŋ alibalaa kuuraŋo. M be ì ke la le ko sooto diŋolu mennu fiinata, ka tiñaa fo ì te domo noo la. 18 M be tara la ì bayindi kaŋ niŋ hawusaroo le la, konkoo, aniŋ alibalaa kuuraŋo. M be ì la kuwo ke la duniyaa mansamarali bankoolu bee ye masilaŋo le ti, ì ye ke danka moolu ti, moo ñewundiŋolu, jelefeŋolu, aniŋ jutunna moolu, bankoolu bee kaŋ, ŋa ì bayi ka taa daamennu to, 19 kaatu ì maŋ n na kumoolu muta.” Yaawe le ye a fo. “N tuta wo kumoolu kii la ì kaŋ ne ka bo n na dookuulaalu, annabiyomoolu la, bari ì maŋ soŋ i lamoyi la.” Yaawe le ye a fo.
20 A ko: “Wo to ali i lamoyi nte Yaawe la kumoo la, alitolu mutamoolu, ŋa mennu bayi Yerusalaamu ka taa Babiloni. 21 Nte Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo, Banisirayila la Alla ye ñiŋ ne fo Kolaya dinkewo Ahabu, aniŋ Maaseya dinkewo Sedekiya la kuwo to, mennu ka faniyaa kiilaariyaa kumoolu fo n tooyaa la: M be ì duŋ na Babiloni mansakewo Nebukanesa bulu le, aduŋ a be ì faa la ali faŋolu ñaa la le. 22 Meŋ be ke la ì la, mutamoolu mennu bota Yahuuda, ì be Babiloni bankoo kaŋ, be wo le ke la dankari kumoo ti. Ì be kali a fo la le ko: ‘Allamaa Yaawe ye ì ke ko Sedekiya niŋ Ahabu, Babiloni mansakewo ye mennu kendoo jani dimbaa kono.’ 23 Ì ye kuu fuuriŋ baalu le ke Banisirayila kono. Ì niŋ ì siiñoolu la musoolu ye jeenoo ke le, ì ye faniyaa kumoo fo n tooyaa la, m maŋ ì yaamari meŋ na. Nte ŋa wo loŋ ne, ŋa a seedeyaa.” Yaawe le ye a fo.
Yeremiya ye leetaroo kii Semaya ye Babiloni
24 Yaawe ko, “Yeremiya, a fo Semaya Nehelaminkoo ye ko: 25 Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo, Banisirayila la Alla ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: Ate Sefaniya ye Yerusalaamu moolu bee safee leetaroo la a faŋo tooyaa la le. A ye a kii Piriisi Sefaniya le ye, Maaseya dinkewo, aniŋ piriisi doolu bee, ka a fo a ye ko:
26 Sefaniya, Yaawe ye ite le ke piriisoo ti Yehoyada noo to, ka tara marariŋ Batudulaa Buŋo* ma. Ñiŋ ñaamaatoo meŋ ye a faŋ ke annabiyomoo ti, i ñanta le ka a bula kutiŋo la, ka newo soroŋ a kaŋo la. 27 Wo to muŋ ne ye a tinna i maŋ Yeremiya jalayi, meŋ bota Anatoti? Wo ka tu kiilaariyaa kumoolu le fo la ali ye taariŋ. 28 Kaatu ko, a ye kiilaariyaa kumoolu le kii ǹ ye naŋ Babiloni, ka a fo ko: ‘Ali be mee la mutoo kono le. Ali buŋolu loo, ali ye tara sabatiriŋ ì kono. Ali naakoolu fii, ali kali ì fiifeŋolu domo.’ ”
29 Piriisi Sefaniya ye leetaroo ñiŋ karaŋ nte Yeremiya faŋo ñaa la le. 30 Bituŋ Yaawe la kumoo naata n kaŋ ko: 31 “Kiilaariyaa kumoo kii mutamoolu bee kaŋ, ka a fo ì ye, Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo Semaya Nehelaminkoo la kuwo to ko: Semaya tarata kiilaariyaa kumoo fo kaŋ ali ye le taariŋ, ka ali landi faniyaa la, a ye a tara nte Yaawe maŋ a kii. Wo kamma la, 32 nte Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: A juubee, m be Semaya Nehelaminkoo kuluu la le, aniŋ a koomalankoolu. Moo te tu la baluuriŋ a ye ñiŋ moolu kono, sako a si kuu kendoolu je a ñaa la, m be mennu ke la n na moolu ye, kaatu a la kumoo le ye a tinna ali balanta nte Yaawe ma.” Yaawe le ye a fo.
