Jeremiah Is Held Prisoner in a Dry Well
1 One day, Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jehucal, and Pashhur heard me tell the people of Judah 2-3 that the Lord had said, “If you stay here in Jerusalem, you will die in battle or from disease or hunger, and the Babylonian army will capture the city anyway. But if you surrender to the Babylonians, they will let you live.”
4 So the four of them went to the king and said, “You should put Jeremiah to death, because he is making the soldiers and everyone else lose hope. He isn't trying to help our people; he's trying to harm them.”
5 Zedekiah replied, “Do what you want with him. I can't stop you.”
6 Then they took me back to the courtyard of the palace guards and let me down with ropes into the well that belonged to Malchiah, the king's son. There was no water in the well, but I sank down in the mud.
7-8 Ebedmelech from Ethiopia was an official at the palace, and he heard what they had done to me. So he went to speak with King Zedekiah, who was holding court at Benjamin Gate. 9 Ebedmelech said, “Your Majesty, Jeremiah is a prophet, and those men were wrong to throw him into a well. And when Jerusalem runs out of food, Jeremiah will starve to death down there.”
10 Zedekiah answered, “Take 30 of my soldiers and pull Jeremiah out before he dies.”
11 Ebedmelech and the soldiers went to the palace and got some rags from the room under the treasury. He used ropes to lower them into the well. 12 Then he said, “Put these rags under your arms so the ropes won't hurt you.” After I did, 13 the men pulled me out. And from then on, I was kept in the courtyard of the palace guards.
King Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah
14 King Zedekiah had me brought to his private entrance to the temple, and he said, “I'm going to ask you something, and I want to know the truth.”
15 “Why?” I replied. “You won't listen, and you might even have me killed!”
16 He said, “I swear in the name of the living Lord our Creator that I won't have you killed. No one else can hear what we say, and I won't let anyone kill you.”
17 Then I told him that the Lord had said: “Zedekiah, I am the Lord God All-Powerful, the God of Israel. I promise that if you surrender to King Nebuchadnezzar's officers, you and your family won't be killed, and Jerusalem won't be burned down. 18 But if you don't surrender, I will let the Babylonian army capture Jerusalem and burn it down, and you will be taken prisoner.”
19 Zedekiah answered, “I can't surrender to the Babylonians. I'm too afraid of the people of Judah who have already joined them. The Babylonians might hand me over to them, and they would torture me.”
20 I said, “If you will just obey the Lord, the Babylonians won't hand you over to those Jews. You will be allowed to live, and all will go well for you. 21 But the Lord has shown me that if you refuse to obey, 22 then the women of your palace will be taken prisoner by Nebuchadnezzar's officials. And those women will say to you:
Friends you trusted led you astray.
Now you're trapped in mud,
and those friends you trusted
have all turned away.
23 The Babylonian army will take your wives and children captive, you will be taken as a prisoner to the King of Babylonia, and Jerusalem will be burned down.”
24 Zedekiah said, “Jeremiah, if you tell anyone what we have talked about, you might lose your life. 25 And I'm sure that if my officials hear about our meeting, they will ask you what we said to each other. They might even threaten to kill you if you don't tell them. 26 So if they question you, tell them you were begging me not to send you back to the prison at Jonathan's house, because going back there would kill you.”
27 The officials did come and question me about my meeting with the king, and I told them exactly what he had ordered me to say. They never spoke to me about the meeting again, since no one had heard us talking.
28 I was held in the courtyard of the palace guards until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Yeremaya Koro Gyiako ya
1 Sefatia ŋgwa Matana ro, Gedalaya ŋgwa Pasura ro, Jeukala ŋgwa Selemaya ro, ndi Pasura ŋgwa Malekaya robe eriyitate ekye ma taiti lidri ri makye: 2 “OPI atate ekye: 'dise aza korite 'bakici ya odrana ndi ni kyila ri kode mä'bu ri kode adravo kozi ri. Oko 'dise aza kabe ofo tesi ago kabe yi ozo kyila'bai Babelona'bai ro ri 'do änina ko ufune; nda orina ndi lidriidri ro. 3 Ya oye 'bakici ono ozone kyila'bai Babelona'bai ro rigye, ago ànya urunayi 'da.”
4 'Dooko dri'bai losi ro atayite 'bädri'ba ri ekye: “Mi'ba äfu mano gi ono. Tana nda ka kyila'bai se 'bakici ono ya ono o'bana a'done agoago ako ago nda ka kpa lidri se ke'bebe 'bakici ya ono o'bana a'done oso inye ata inye'do si. Tana mano ono ka ko ojo lidri opane; oko nda le toto ànya oyene koziro.”
5 'Dooko 'Bädri'ba Zedekia zatadrite ekye: “Kado yi, nda orivoya drì amiro ya; mänina ko ami lagane zo.” 6 Ta'dota ànya ruyi mate ago voyi ma te iba si koro Malekaya ŋgwa 'bädri'ba ro roya, se orivoya goko zo'desi miri ro roya. Gyi i'do koro se ana ya, oko toto koro ayani kigye, ago macite andrwi kigye.
7 Caoko Ebedemeleka Kusa'ba, roti se kabe losi oye zo'desi miri ro 'bädri'ba roya ana, eritate ekye ànya voyi mate koro ya. Tu gi ana si 'dooko 'bädri'ba ka vure ope Dereŋwa Benjamina ro kala. 8 Ta'dota Ebedemeleka oyite lau ago, ni zo'desi miri ro yasi atate 'bädri'ba ri ekye: 9 “'Desi 'bädri'ba maro tase lidri kwoi koyeyibe nebi Yeremaya ri ono orivoya koziro. Ànya voyi Yeremaya te koro ya, vose nda odrana ndi ni mä'bu ri kigye ono ya, tana yauono ŋgaonya aza te i'do 'bakici ya.” 10 'Dooko 'bädri'ba ozotate Ebedemeleka ri lidri nätu urune oyine tro nda be ma Yeremaya ewene ni koro yasi teinye märi odraako. 11 Ta'dota Ebedemeleka oyite lidri se kai be vo ŋgaodroro zo'desi miri ro roya ago ruyi boŋgo nyakaca azaka teni lau se evoyite märi koro ya iba si. 12 Ebedemeleka atate märi boŋgo nyakaca se ana o'bane lakole kävute maro ro iba be yasi. Ndi mayete oso inye, 13 ago ànya eweyi ma te tesi iba si ni koro yasi. 'Do vosi marite goko ya.
Zedekia ka Taeji ta Tazevoedre Yeremaya rota
14 Tu aza si oko 'Bädri'ba Zedekia zo lazote mavo ago ezi mate ndare ecivo nina Yekalu roya, ago nda atate märi ekye: “Ma oye mi ejine taeji alodi aza si, ago nyada'do taaza ko ni märi.”
15 Mazatadrite makye: “Ondro ka'do miti taŋgye bete miri, mifuna ma ko ya? Ago ondro ka'do medre tazevona ca miri, minina ko ta maro erine.”
16 'Dooko 'Bädri'ba Zedekia 'ba tao'ba te märi ndrwiro ekye: “Ma ma äṛu Lu se lidriidriro, se kozo adri beni ämäri ono si, anjioko märi mi ufune kode ozone lidri se koleyibe mi ufune iyi rigye i'do.”
17 'Dooko matate Zedekia ri makye: “OPI Mbaraekye, Lu Yisaraele ro, ekye: Ondro ka'do nyozovote dri'bai kyila'bai 'bädri'ba Babelona ro ri, apana adri miro ndi, ago änina ko 'bakici ono ozane riya asi si. Apana mi 'da ndi katidri miro be. 18 Oko ondro ka'do nyozovo kote, 'dooko ozona 'bakici ono ndi Babelona'bai rigye, ago ànya ozanayi 'da riya asi si, ago minina ko voopane ni ànyari.”
19 Oko 'bädri'ba zatadrite ekye: “Ma orivoya turiro ni lidri 'bädri amaro Yuda ro se kumuyibe Babelona'bai re ono ri. Ozona ma ndi ànya rigye ago o'binayi ma ndi.”
20 Matate makye: “Änina ko mi ozone ànya rigye. Molo'baru miri miro lazo OPI ro se mabe atana miri ono; 'dooko ta cini a'dona ndi kadoro miri, ago apana adri miro ndi. 21 Oko ondro ka'do migatezo voozone OPI ka'da tase ka oyebe a'done ono te märi rulofo ya. 22 Mandre 'ditoko se cini ke'bebe zo'desi miri ro 'bädri'ba Yuda ro roya kai ate orona dri'bai kyila'bai ro 'bädri'ba Babelona ro re ago kayi ugu ata ekye:
‘Bereazii se kadopara 'bädri'ba ro kwoi odoyi nda te,
ànya miriyi nda teni.
Ago yauono pa ndaro cite akpo koro ya,
ago bereazii ndaro e'beyi nda te,’ ”
23 “Äruna 'ditoko cini miro ndi ŋgàga cini miro be 'da Babelona ya, ago mi andivo minina ko voopane ni ànya rigyesi. 'Bädri'ba Babelona ro uruna mi 'da kamba'ba ro, ago azana 'bakici ono 'da riya asi si.”
24 Zedekia logo tate ekye: “Mi'ba 'diaza kuni tagi matabe ono ko, ago 'dooko äfuna mi ko. 25 Ondro ka'do dri'bai losi ro keriyi ta bete ekye ma'dote atavoya mibe, ànya ikyinayi 'da mire ago ejinayi mi 'da ekye: ‘Nyiti tase nyatabe 'bädri'ba be 'do ämäri, nyada'do ta aza koni ämäri ago mänina ko mi ufune?’ 26 Oko nyiti toto ànyari mikye: ‘Ma'do rulo'bavoya 'bädri'ba ri ukyi nda logo ma 'da kovole kamba ya zo Jonatana roya odrane lau.’ ” 27 'Dooko dri'bai cini losi ro ikyiyite mare ago ejiyi mate, ago mitita te ànyari oso se 'bädri'ba katabe märi itine ànyari 'do ronye. 'Dooko ànya go atayi kote märi, tana 'diaza eri tase màtabe 'bädri'ba be ana kote. 28 Ndi a'ba mate orine goko zo'desi miri ro roya madale tu Yerusalema uru ro sa gwo.