1 Johanan, Jezaniah, the other army officers, and everyone else in the group, came to me 2 and said, “Please, Jeremiah, pray to the Lord your God for us. Judah used to have many people, but as you can see, only a few of us are left. 3 Ask the Lord to tell us where he wants us to go and what he wants us to do.”
4 “All right,” I answered, “I will pray to the Lord your God, and I will tell you everything he says.”
5 They answered, “The Lord himself will be our witness that we promise to do whatever he says, 6 even if it isn't what we want to do. We will obey the Lord so that all will go well for us.”
7 Ten days later, the Lord gave me an answer for 8 Johanan, the officers, and the other people. So I called them together 9 and told them that the Lord God of Israel had said:
You asked Jeremiah to pray and find out what you should do. 10 I am sorry that I had to punish you, and so I now tell you to stay here in Judah, where I will plant you and build you up, instead of tearing you down and uprooting you. 11 Don't be afraid of the King of Babylonia. I will protect you from him, 12 and I will even force him to have mercy on you and give back your farms.
13 But you might keep on saying, “We won't stay here in Judah, and we won't obey the Lord our God. 14 We are going to Egypt, where there is plenty of food and no danger of war.”
15 People of Judah, you survived when the Babylonian army attacked. Now you are planning to move to Egypt, and if you do go, this is what will happen. 16-17 You are afraid of war, starvation, and disease here in Judah, but they will follow you to Egypt and kill you there. None of you will survive the disasters I will send.
18 I, the Lord, was angry with the people of Jerusalem and punished them. And if you go to Egypt, I will be angry and punish you the same way. You will never again see your homeland. People will be horrified at what I do to you, and they will use the name of your city as a curse word.
Jeremiah Gives a Warning
19 I told the people:
You escaped the disaster that struck Judah, but now the Lord warns you to stay away from Egypt. 20 You asked me to pray and find out what the Lord our God wants you to do, and you promised to obey him. But that was a terrible mistake, 21 because now that I have given you the Lord's answer, you refuse to obey him. 22 And so, you will die in Egypt from war, hunger, and disease.
Moolu ye Yeremiya daani ka duwaa ì ye
1 Bituŋ Yahuuda kelediŋ kuntiyolu bee, ka taa ì niŋ Yohanani, Kareya dinkewo, Yesaniya, Hosaya dinkewo, aniŋ moolu bee, biriŋ moondiŋ fo moo baa, naata nte Yeremiya kaŋ. 2 Ì ko n ye ko, “Dukaree, i lamoyi ǹ na daaniroo la, i ye duwaa ka Yaawe* i la Alla daani ntolu ñiŋ moo toomaalu ye. Ko i faŋo ñaa be ǹ na teŋ ñaameŋ, ntolu jamaa le mu nuŋ, bari saayiŋ ǹ tooriŋ doroŋ ne tuta. 3 Yaawe i la Alla si a fo ǹ ye, ǹ ñanta taa la daameŋ, aniŋ ǹ ñanta meŋ ke la.”
4 Ŋa ì jaabi ko, “Ŋa ali moyi le. M be duwaa la le ka Yaawe ali la Alla daani, ali la daaniroo kaŋ. Niŋ a ye n jaabi feŋ-wo-feŋ na, m be a fo la ali ye le, n te feŋ tu la ali ye kooma.”
5 Bituŋ ì ko n ye ko, “Yaawe tilinta le, a faŋo ye ke ǹ seede koyoo ti, niŋ a ye a tara ǹ te baara la kumoolu bee la, a be i niŋ mennu kii la ǹ kaŋ. 6 A keta a betemaa ti baŋ, waraŋ a jawumaa, m̀ be Yaawe ǹ na Alla la kumoo muta la le, m̀ be i kii kaŋ ate meŋ kaŋ teŋ. Niŋ ŋà wo ke, i si a je ǹ si kayiroo soto, a ye a tara ŋà ǹ na Alla la kumoo muta.”
Yaawe ye jaabiroo dii Yeremiya la
7 Tili taŋ koolaa, Yaawe la kumoo naata n kaŋ. 8 Wo le to ŋa Yohanani, Kareya dinkewo aniŋ kelediŋ kuntiyolu bee kumandi naŋ ñoo kaŋ, ka taa moolu bee, biriŋ moondiŋ fo moo baa. 9 N ko ì ye ko, “Yaawe, Banisirayila la Alla, ali ye n kii meŋ kaŋ ka ali la daaniroo sindi a ma, a ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: 10 ‘Niŋ a ye a tara tooñaa, ali be tu la sabatiriŋ ñiŋ bankoo kaŋ ne, wo to m be ali wulindi la le ka loo, n te ali boyindi la duuma, m be ali tutu la le, n te ali wutu la, kaatu ŋa kasaaroo meŋ naati ali kaŋ, a ye n niyo toora baake le. 11 Ali kana sila Babiloni mansakewo la, meŋ na kuwo be ali silariŋ. Ali kana sila a la, kaatu nte Yaawe be ali fee le, ka ali tanka, aniŋ ka ali kiisa a bulu. 12 M be balafaa yitandi la ali la le. Wo be a tinna le a ye balafaa soto ali ye, ka ali tu, ali ye sabati ali fansuŋ bankoo kaŋ.’
13 “Bari niŋ a ye a tara ali ko, ali te sabati la ñiŋ bankoo kaŋ, ali ye Yaawe, ali la Alla le la kumoo soosoo. 14 Niŋ ali ka a fo ko: ‘Hanii, ntolu be taa Misira bankoo kaŋ ne, kele te boyi la ǹ kaŋ daameŋ, sako ka kelebina feekaŋo moyi, waraŋ konko si m̀ muta, aduŋ ǹ si sabati jee.’ 15 Wo to ali i lamoyi Yaawe be kumoo meŋ fo la ali ye, alitolu Yahuuda moo toomaalu. Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo*, Banisirayila la Alla ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: ‘Niŋ ali ye ali ñaalu tu balandiŋ ñiŋ ne kaŋ, ka taa Misira bankoo kaŋ, ka sabati jee, 16 wo to ali silata hawusari keloo meŋ na, a be ali tarandi la jee le. Ali silata konkoo meŋ fanaa la, a be ali nooma la jee le, aduŋ ali be faa la jee le. 17 Moolu mennu bee ye ì ñaalu tu balandiŋ ñiŋ kaŋ, ka taa Misira, ka sabati jee, ì be faa la niŋ hawusaroo* le la, konkoo, aniŋ alibalaa kuuraŋo. Too te soto la meŋ be tu la baluuriŋ ì kono ka bo kasaaroo la m be meŋ naati la ì kaŋ.’
18 “Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo, Banisirayila la Alla le ye ñiŋ fo ko: ‘N na kamfaa niŋ n na jusukandoo kupita Yerusalaamu moolu kaŋ ñaameŋ, m be a kupi la ali fanaa kaŋ wo le ñaama, niŋ ali taata Misira. Ali be ke la moolu ye danka moolu le ti, ali la kuwo ye ke kijabo kuwo ti, ka ke jutunna moo ti, aniŋ jelefeŋo, aduŋ ali ñaa te loo la ali la bankoo kaŋ kotenke.’
19 “Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo alitolu Yahuuda moo toomaalu ye ko, ali kana taa Misira. Ali si a loŋ a ye koyi ali ma ko a ye ali dandalaa le bii. 20 Ali ye ali faŋolu neenee jawuke le. Alitolu le ye n kii Yaawe, ali la Alla kaŋ, ali ko ŋa duwaa ka Yaawe daani ali ye, aduŋ ali ko a ye feŋ-wo-feŋ fo, n si a fo ali ye, ali be a ke la le. 21 A fele bii, ŋa a fo ali ye le, bari ali maŋ Yaawe ali la Alla la kumoo muta feŋ-wo-feŋ ne ti, a ye n kii ka meŋ fo ali ye. 22 Wo to saayiŋ, ali si ñiŋ loŋ a ye koyi ali ma ko, ali be faa la niŋ hawusaroo le la, konkoo, aniŋ alibalaa kuuraŋo wo dulaa to, ali be lafiriŋ ka taa sabati daameŋ.”
