Jeremiah in a Dry Well
1 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard that I was telling the people that 2 the Lord had said, “Whoever stays on in the city will die in war or of starvation or disease. But those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will not be killed; they will at least escape with their life.” 3 I was also telling them that the Lord had said, “I am going to give the city to the Babylonian army, and they will capture it.”
4 Then the officials went to the king and said, “This man must be put to death. By talking like this he is making the soldiers in the city lose their courage, and he is doing the same thing to everyone else left in the city. He is not trying to help the people; he only wants to hurt them.”
5 King Zedekiah answered, “Very well, then, do what you want to with him; I can't stop you.” 6 So they took me and let me down by ropes into Prince Malchiah's well, which was in the palace courtyard. There was no water in the well, only mud, and I sank down in it.
7 However, Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who worked in the royal palace, heard that they had put me in the well. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate. 8 So Ebedmelech went there and said to the king, 9 “Your Majesty, what these men have done is wrong. They have put Jeremiah in the well, where he is sure to die of starvation, since there is no more food in the city.” 10 Then the king ordered Ebedmelech to take with him three men and to pull me out of the well before I died. 11 So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes. 12 He told me to put the rags under my arms, so that the ropes wouldn't hurt me. I did this, 13 and they pulled me up out of the well. After that I was kept in the courtyard.
Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah's Advice
14 On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the Temple, and he said, “I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth.”
15 I answered, “If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you won't pay any attention.”
16 So King Zedekiah promised me in secret, “I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you.”
17 Then I told Zedekiah that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, “If you surrender to the king of Babylonia's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. 18 But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will burn it down, and you will not escape from them.”
19 But the king answered, “I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured.”
20 I said, “You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey the Lord's message; then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. 21 But the Lord has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. 22 In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went:
‘The king's best friends misled him,
they overruled him.
And now that his feet have sunk in the mud,
his friends have left him.’”
23 Then I added, “All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians, and you yourself will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia, and this city will be burned to the ground.”
24 Zedekiah replied, “Don't let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. 25 If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. 26 Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there.” 27 Then all the officials came and questioned me, and I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. 28 And I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Jeremiya unolashigwa mu tshime le vula
1 Ngono kwakati Shefatiya nkololo wa Matani na Gedaliya nkololo wa Phashihuri na Jukali nkololo wa Shelemiya na Phashihuri nkololo wa Malikhiya behwa matama akabe elebgwa ndi Jeremiya ku bathu bose eti, 2 “Yahwe bakati, ‘Iye unosala mu nzi nkulu iwoyu unowobulawa nge thumo kene ne bhamba kene nge bugwele, koga iye unoyenda ku Bakhaladiya unowotjila, unowowana butjilo gugwe guli ndipo ye ngwa ngono katjila.’ 3 Yahwe bakati, ‘Nge malebeswa nzi nkulu iwoyu unowolongwa mu luboko gwe babhayani be mambo we Bhabhiloni ngono unowotapiwa.’ ”
4 Ipapo makulukota kadwa mambo kati, “Nlume iwoyu wakafanila kuti abulawe. Unonyadza moyo babhayani basala mu nzi iwoyu nkulu nenge bathu bose nge zwithu zwaanoleba ku bali. Nlume iwoyu aatoshakila bathu ibaba bubuya koga unoshaka kubalobesa.”
5 Mambo Zedekiya kashandula eti, “Bonani umu maboko enyu, ngoti mambo akuna tjabangamuthama.”
6 Ndizo bakatola Jeremiya bakanlashila mu tshime la Malikija nkololo wa mambo, lakabe lili mu nsha we balindi. Bakalonga Jeremiya nge mitjili mu tshime, lakabe lisina vula kuzhe kwe dope koga ngono Jeremiya kanyumbgwila mu dope.
7 Ngono kukati Ebedimeleki we N'topiya ngomwa yakabe ishinga mu ng'umba ya mambo ehwa kuti bakalonga Jeremiya mu tshime, ipapo mambo kabe aligele ku nkoba we Nkoba we Bhenjamini, 8 Ebedimeleki kadwa pa ng'umba ya mambo ngono kanodwa mambo eti, 9 “Tetshi wangu mambo, balume ibaba bathama tjakabipa muna zose zwabathamila Jeremiya nlebesambeli, banlashila mu tshime, iko kwaanofila ko ebulawa nge zhala ngoti akutjina zojiwa mu nzi nkulu.”
10 Ipapo mambo kadwa Ebedimeleki we N'khushi kati, “Tola balume bali makumi matatu (30) bayende nawe unodusa Jeremiya nlebesambeli mu tshime asathu akafa.”
11 Ndizo Ebedimeleki katola balume ibabo akangina mu ng'umba ya mambo ku mabiganyilo e zwiambalo ngono katola masaka makulukugwe ne zwiambalo zwikulukugwe ngono kazwilashila kuna Jeremiya mu tshime nge misungo. 12 Ebedimeleki we N'khushi wakadwa Jeremiya kati, “Longa masaka ne zwiambalo mu apkhwa dzidzo ne misungo kusi kwazo.” Jeremiya kathama sa ikoku. 13 Ipapo bakakweba Jeremiya ne misungo bakan'dusa mu tshime. Jeremiya kagala kakale mu nsha we babhayani.
Zedekiya unobhuzwisisa Jeremiya kakale
14 Mambo Zedekiya katuma bathu kuti ban'danile Jeremiya we nlebesambeli ngono bakan'zhisa ku nkoba we butatu we Ng'umba ya Yahwe. Ngono mambo bakadwa Jeremiya bakati, “Ndowokubhuzwa tjimwe, usitongondisumbikila tjimwe.”
15 Jeremiya kadwa Zedekiya kati, “Ha ndimubudza matama, atenditi mowondibulaya? Kakale nenguba ndingamukumbuludza amunganditeedze.”
16 Koga Mambo Zedekiya katuna kuna Jeremiya ngekwa kasumbikala kati, “Ha Yahwe batjatjila, ibo bakathama butjilo gwedu, andingakubulaye kene kukulonga mu maboko e balume ibaba banoshaka butjilo gugo.”
17 Ipapo Jeremiya kadwa Zedekiya kati, “Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose, Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Aungamilidza maboko ukazwipa ku balauli be babhayani be mambo we Babhabhiloni ipapo butjilo gugo gowotjengetiwa ne nzi iwoyu aungatjapisiwe nge moto ngono iwe ne be nsha uwo mowotjila. 18 Koga ausingamilidze maboko awo ukazwipa ku balauli be babhayani be mambo we Bhabhiloni nzi iwoyu nkulu unowolongwa mu maboko e Bakhaladiya ngono banowoupisa nge moto, iwe aungapudzumuke mu maboko abo.’ ”
19 Mambo Zedekiya kadwa Jeremiya kati, “Ndotja Bajuta bakathoba beyenda ku Bakhaladiya pamwe swiyo bangadwa bendilonga mu maboko abo kuti bandidziyidze.”
20 Jeremiya kashandula eti, “Abanga mulonge mu maboko abo, teedzani hwi la Yahwe muna tjandinomubudza ngono kowomululwamila koga ne butjilo gwenyu gowotjengetiwa. 21 Koga amusinga milidze maboko enyu mukazwipa kuna mbono iyeyi Yahwe yabandilakidza: 22 Bakadzi bose bakasala mu ng'umba ye bumambo ya mambo we Juda banowotolegwa ku balauli be babhayani be Bhabhiloni. Bakadzi ibabo banowoti kukuli,
“ ‘Bakwinya babo banogalikabgwe,
bakakudiyila ntome.
Makumbo awo atjimwila mu dope,
bakwinya babo bakufupatila.’
23 “Bakadzi babo bose ne bana banowoyisiwa ku Bakhaladiya ngono iwe nge kuko aungapudzumuke mu maboko abo koga unowobhakhwa nge mambo we Bhabhiloni ne nzi iwoyu nkulu unowopisiwa nge moto.”
24 Ipapo Zedekiya kadwa Jeremiya kati, “Kushete wawabudza ngekwe ndebeleko iyeyi kusaka jalo unowofa. 25 Ha balauli be babhayani bangahwa kuti ndalebeleka nawe bebe bezha kukuli beti, ‘Tibudze tjawabudza mambo ne tjawadwiwa ndi mambo, usitisumbikile kusaka jalo towokubulaya,’ 26 ipapo ubadwe uti, ‘Ndabe ndikumbila mambo kuti basindibgwilize ku ng'umba ya Jonathani kunofila ko.’ ”
27 Balauli bose be babhayani bakazha kuna Jeremiya kuwombhuzwisisa ngono kababudza kose kwaadwiwa ndi mambo kuti akulebe. Ndizo bakasiti tjimwe ku nli ngoti akuna wakabe ahwa ndebeleko ya Jeremiya na mambo.
28 Jeremiya kagala ku nsha we balindi kuswikila zhuba Jerusalema layaka tapiwa.