King Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah To Pray
1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had removed Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim from being the king of Judah and had made Josiah's son Zedekiah king instead. 2 But Zedekiah, his officials, and everyone else in Judah ignored everything the Lord had told me.
3-5 Later, the Babylonian army attacked Jerusalem, but they left after learning that the Egyptian army was headed in this direction.
One day, Zedekiah sent Jehucal and the priest Zephaniah to talk with me. At that time, I was free to go wherever I wanted, because I had not yet been put in prison. Jehucal and Zephaniah said, “Jeremiah, please pray to the Lord our God for us.”
6-7 Then the Lord told me to send them back to Zedekiah with this message:
Zedekiah, you wanted Jeremiah to ask me, the Lord God of Israel, what is going to happen. So I will tell you. The king of Egypt and his army came to your rescue, but soon they will go back to Egypt. 8 Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem, and this time they will capture the city and set it on fire. 9 Don't fool yourselves into thinking that the Babylonians will leave as they did before. 10 Even if you could defeat their entire army, their wounded survivors would still be able to leave their tents and set Jerusalem on fire.
Jeremiah Is Put in Prison
11 The Babylonian army had left because the Egyptian army was on its way to help us. 12 So I decided to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of the Benjamin tribe to claim my share of my family's land. 13 I was leaving Jerusalem through Benjamin Gate, when I was stopped by Irijah, the officer in charge of the soldiers at the gate. He said, “Jeremiah, you're under arrest for trying to join the Babylonians.”
14 “I'm not trying to join them!” I answered. But Irijah wouldn't listen, and he took me to the king's officials. 15-16 They were angry and ordered the soldiers to beat me. Then I was taken to the house that belonged to Jonathan, one of the king's officials. It had been turned into a prison, and I was kept in a basement room.
After I had spent a long time there, 17 King Zedekiah secretly had me brought to his palace, where he asked, “Is there any message for us from the Lord?”
“Yes, there is, Your Majesty,” I replied. “The Lord is going to let the king of Babylonia capture you.”
18 Then I continued, “Your Majesty, why have you put me in prison? Have I committed a crime against you or your officials or the nation? 19 Have you locked up the prophets who lied to you and said that the king of Babylonia would never attack Jerusalem? 20 Please, don't send me back to that prison at Jonathan's house. If you do, I will die there.”
21 King Zedekiah had me taken to the prison cells in the courtyard of the palace guards. He told the soldiers to give me a loaf of bread from one of the bakeries every day until the city ran out of grain.
Yeremiya ye Mansa Sedekiya dandalaa
1 Babiloni mansakewo Nebukanesa ye Sedekiya, Yosiya dinkewo le tomboŋ ka ke Yahuuda mansa ti. A siita mansayaa la Yehoyahini le noo to, Yehoyakimu dinkewo. 2 Bari Sedekiya niŋ a la mansakundaa dookuulaalu, ka taa bankoo moo koteŋolu maŋ soŋ ka i lamoyi kiilaariyaa kumoolu la, Yaawe* ye mennu fo ka bo niŋ nte Yeremiya la.
3 Mansa Sedekiya naata Yehukali kii, Selemiya dinkewo, aniŋ Piriisi* Sefaniya, Maaseya dinkewo ka a fo n ye ko: “Duwaa ka Yaawe, ǹ na Alla daani ǹ ye.”
4 Wo tumoo ì maŋ nte Yeremiya soroŋ bunjawoo kono foloo, n ka tara taa niŋ naa la moolu kono le, ko n lafita a la ñaameŋ. 5 Wo waatoo la, Misira mansakewo Firawoona la kelediŋ kafoo le wulita ka bo naŋ Misira. A ye a tara le Babiloni kelediŋolu ye Yerusalaamu murubeŋ, ì ye a suki. Kabiriŋ ì ye a moyi ko, Misira kelediŋolu le ka naa ì kaŋ, ì ye Yerusalaamu bula, ì taata.
6 Bituŋ Yaawe la kumoo naata n kaŋ ko: 7 “Nte Yaawe, Banisirayila la Alla ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: Ali a fo Yahuuda mansakewo ye, meŋ ye ali kii ka naa yaamaroo ñini nte Yaawe bulu, ‘A juubee, Firawoona la kelediŋ kafoo, meŋ wulita ka naa ali maakoyi, sambii ì be seyi la Misira, ì la bankoo kaŋ. 8 Wo to le Babiloninkoolu be muru la naŋ ka keloo boyi ñiŋ saatewo kaŋ. Ì be jee muta la le, ì ye a jani.’
9 “Nte Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: Ali kana ali faŋolu neenee, ka a miira ko Babiloninkoolu be ali tu la jee le, kaatu ì te ali tu la jee. 10 Hani niŋ a ye a tara ali ye Babiloni kelediŋolu bee noo le, mennu ka naa ali kele, fo a tuta kee baramariŋolu doroŋ na ì la tiriliisoolu* kono, ì si wuli naŋ ì ye ñiŋ saatewo jani, fo a niŋ bankoo ye tembe.”
Ì ye Yeremiya soroŋ bunjawoo kono
11 Babiloni kelediŋolu ye Yerusalaamu saatewo bula wo le ñaama, kaatu Firawoona la kelediŋ kafoo le ka naa ì kaŋ. 12 Nte Yeremiya naata wuli ka bo Yerusalaamu ka taa Benjamini tundoo kaŋ, ka taa n na keetaafeŋo kamma n na moolu yaa. 13 Bari kabiriŋ m futata saatee dundaŋ daa to, ì ka meŋ kumandi Benjamini Dundaŋ Daa la, kantarilaa kuntiyo, meŋ too mu Iriya ti, Selemiya dinkewo, Hananiya mamariŋo ye m muta. A ko n ye ko, “I be jamfaa le siti kaŋ ka taa Babiloninkoolu yaa!”
14 Ŋa a jaabi ko, “Wo mu faniyaa le ti! Nte maŋ tara jamfaa la ka taa Babiloninkoolu yaa.” Bari Iriya maŋ soŋ na i lamoyi la n na. A ye m muta le, a ye n samba maralilaalu yaa. 15 Ì kamfaata n kamma baake le. Ì ye kaŋo dii ka m busa, ì naata n dundi bunjawoo kono, Safeerilaa Yonatani la buŋo kono, kaatu ì ye jee ke bunjawoo le ti.
16 Ì ye n dundi duuma bunjawoo kono wo le ñaama, koomanto ì ka jiyo ke daameŋ, n tuta jee, fo waati jaŋ. 17 Mansa Sedekiya naata kiilaa kii, ì ye n samba a ye naŋ a la mansasuwo kono. Jee to, a ye n kullootoo ñininkaa ko, “Fo i ye kuma le soto Yaawe bulu baŋ?”
Ŋa a jaabi ko, “Haa, ŋa kumoo soto le.” N tententa ka a fo a ye ko, “I be duŋ na Babiloni mansakewo bulu le.”
18 N ko a ye fanaa ko, “Nte ye muŋ kuu jawu le ke ite la, waraŋ i la mansakundaa dookuulaalu la, waraŋ moo koteŋolu la, ka a tinna ali ye n dundi bunjawoo kono? 19 Ali la wo annabiyomoolu lee saayiŋ, mennu ko ali ye ko, Babiloni mansakewo te naa ali boyinkaŋ na, waraŋ ka Yahuuda bankoo boyinkaŋ? 20 Bari saayiŋ, m maarii Mansa, dukaree i lamoyi n na. N na daaniroo mu ñiŋ ne ti ko: Kana m murundi Safeerilaa Yonatani la buŋo to. Niŋ i ye wo ke, m be faa la jee le.”
21 Bituŋ Mansa Sedekiya naata kaŋo dii ka m muta kelediŋ kantarilaalu la luwo to. Ì ka mbuuru kuŋ kiliŋ ne dii n na luŋ-wo-luŋ, ka bo mbuuru janilaalu yaa, mbeedoo kaŋ. Ì ye a ke wo le ñaama, fo mbuuroo banta saatewo kono. Bituŋ wo ñaama le mu, nte Yeremiya tuta kantarilaalu la luwo to.
