Zedekiah's Request to Jeremiah
1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia made Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah in the place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim. 2 But neither Zedekiah nor his officials nor the people obeyed the message which the Lord had given me.
3 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to ask me to pray to the Lord our God on behalf of our nation. 4 I had not yet been put in prison and was still moving about freely among the people. 5 The Babylonian army had been besieging Jerusalem, but when they heard that the Egyptian army had crossed the Egyptian border, they retreated.
6 Then the Lord, the God of Israel, told me 7 to say to Zedekiah, “The Egyptian army is on its way to help you, but it will return home. 8 Then the Babylonians will come back, attack the city, capture it, and burn it down. 9 I, the Lord, warn you not to deceive yourselves into thinking that the Babylonians will not come back, because they will. 10 Even if you defeat the whole Babylonian army, so that only wounded men are left, lying in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city to the ground.”
Jeremiah Is Arrested and Imprisoned
11 The Babylonian army retreated from Jerusalem because the Egyptian army was approaching. 12 So I started to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of Benjamin to take possession of my share of the family property. 13 But when I reached the Benjamin Gate, the officer in charge of the soldiers on duty there, a man by the name of Irijah, the son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah, stopped me and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”
14 I answered, “That's not so! I'm not deserting.” But Irijah would not listen to me. Instead, he arrested me and took me to the officials. 15 They were furious with me and had me beaten and locked up in the house of Jonathan, the court secretary, whose house had been made into a prison. 16 I was put in an underground cell and kept there a long time.
17 Later on King Zedekiah sent for me, and there in the palace he asked me privately, “Is there any message from the Lord?”
“There is,” I answered, and added, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylonia.” 18 Then I asked, “What crime have I committed against you or your officials or this people, to make you put me in prison? 19 What happened to your prophets who told you that the king of Babylonia would not attack you or the country? 20 And now, Your Majesty, I beg you to listen to me and do what I ask. Please do not send me back to the prison in Jonathan's house. If you do, I will surely die there.”
21 So King Zedekiah ordered me to be locked up in the palace courtyard. I stayed there, and each day I was given a loaf of bread from the bakeries until all the bread in the city was gone.
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.
