Jeremiya unosunungugwa
1 Dama lakazha kuna Jeremiya lidwa kuna Yahwe shule Nebuzaradani ntungamili we balindi asino kun'sunungula kuti ayende ku Rama. Wakatola Jeremiya akasungwa nge dziketani ali pakati kwe basungwa bose be Jerusalema ne be Juda bakabe betapigwa ku Bhabhiloni. 2 Ntungamili we balindi wakatola Jeremiya ngono kandwa kati, “Yahwe Ndzimu uwo baleba nge kwakayipa ngekwe pathu ipapa, 3 naikobo Yahwe bazhisa kakale bashingikadza sekwa bakaleba ngoti makatjinyila Yahwe, amuzoteedza hwi labo, ndizo bubi gwa muwila. 4 Ngwenu bona, ndokusunungula mu ketani dzi mu maboko awo. Ha kwakakululwamila mbeli kuko kuti uzhe nami ku Bhabhiloni, izha, ndowokutjengeta ngono ha kusakakululwamila mbeli kuko kuyenda ku Bhabhiloni, letja! Bona, shango yose i mbeli kuko, yenda kwakalulwama mbeli kuko.” 5 Ne kwakajalo kwati Jeremiya wakati asathu kati unoyenda Nebuzaradani kapapha kati, “Yenda kuna Gedaliya nkololo wa Ahikamu, nkololo wa Shafani iye mambo we Bhabhiloni waakabiga kutungamila mizi mikulu ye Juda, unogala naye pakati kwe bathu kene uyende kumwe ne kumwe kwaunoshaka.” 6 Ipapo Jeremiya kayenda kuna Gedaliya nkololo wa Ahikamu ku Mizipa kanogala naye pakati kwe bathu bakabe basala mu shango.
Gedaliya unobulawa
(2 Bomambo 25:22-24)7 Ngwenu kwakati batungamili be babhayani bakabe bali ku shango, ibo ne balume babo behwa kuti mambo we Bhabhiloni wakabiga Gedaliya nkololo wa Ahikamu nlauli we shango kakale wambiga ntungamili we balume ne bakadzi ne bana bakabe bali bashayi basina tjabo mu shango bakabe basatapigwa ku Bhabhiloni, 8 bakayenda kuna Gedaliya ku Mizipa, kwakabe kuli bo Ishimaeli nkololo wa Nethaniya na Johanani nkololo wa Kareya na Seraya nkololo wa Tanihumeti ne bakololo ba Efayi we Netofa na Jezaniya nkololo wa Maaka ne balume babo. 9 Gedaliya nkololo wa Ahikamu, nkololo wa Shafani katuna kugadzikanya mimoyo yabo ne balume babo eti, “Musitje kushingila Bakhaladiya. Galani mu shango, shingilani mambo we Bhabhiloni, ngono kowomululwamila. 10 Koga nge kwangu, ndowogala ku Mizipa kumumilila mbeli kwe Bakhaladiya banowozha kutili, koga imwi kubunganyani nkumbi we zhambi ne mitjelo ye tjilimo ne mafuta ngono muzwibiganye mu hali dzenyu, mugale mu mizi yenyu mikulu yamatapa.”
11 Kwakati Bajuta bose mu Moabu ne Amoni ne Edomu ne shango dzimwe behwa kuti mambo we Bhabhiloni wasiya limbelimbe mu Juda kakale wabiga Gedaliya nkololo wa Ahikamu, nkololo wa Shafani kube nlauli wabo, 12 bakabgwilila bose ku shango ye Juda kuna Gedaliya ku Mizipa bedwa ku shango dzose dzabakabe bapalalila kudzili. Ngono bakakubunganya nkumbi we zhambi ne mitjelo ye tjilimo minjinji kwazo.
Gedaliya unobulawa
(2 Bomambo 25:25-26)13 Johanani nkololo wa Kareya ne batungamili bose be babhayani bakabe bali ku shango, bakazha kuna Gedaliya ku Mizipa 14 ngono bakandwa bakati, “Apa unoziba kuti Bhaalisi mambo we Baamoni batumila Ishimaeli nkololo wa Nethaniya kuti akubulaye kene?” Koga Gedaliya nkololo wa Ahikamu kasibadume.
15 Ipapo Johanani nkololo wa Kareya kalebeleka nge kwakasumbikala na Gedaliya ku Mizipa kati, “Ima ndiyende ndinobulaya Ishimaele nkololo wa Nethaniya kusina unoziba nge kwako. Ini akafanila kukubulaya kuti Bajuta bose bakakukubunganila bapalale, ne limbelimbe le Juda lilobe kene?” 16 Koga Gedaliya nkololo wa Ahikamu kadwa Johanani nkololo wa Kareya kati, “Usithame uijalo! Ngoti tjaunoleba ngekwa Ishimaele ate malebeswa.”
Jeremiah Is Set Free
1 I was led away in chains along with the people of Judah and Jerusalem who were being taken to Babylonia. Nebuzaradan was the officer in charge of the guard, and while we were stopped at Ramah, the Lord caused him to set me free. 2 Nebuzaradan said:
Jeremiah, the Lord your God warned your people that he would bring disaster on this land. 3 But they continued to rebel against him, and now he has punished them just as he threatened.
4 Today I am taking the chains off your wrists and setting you free! If you want to, you can come with me to Babylonia, and I will see that you are taken care of. Or if you decide to stay here, you can go wherever you wish. 5 King Nebuchadnezzar has chosen Gedaliah to rule Judah. You can live near Gedaliah, and he will provide for you, or you can live anywhere else you choose.
Nebuzaradan gave me a supply of food, then let me leave. 6 I decided to stay with the people of Judah, and I went to live near Gedaliah in Mizpah.
The Harvest Is Brought In
7-8 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, together with Johanan and Jonathan, the two sons of Kareah, had been officers in Judah's army. And so had Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah from Maacah. They and their troops had been stationed outside Jerusalem and had not been captured. They heard that Gedaliah had been chosen to rule Judah, and that the poorest men, women, and children had not been taken away to Babylonia. So they went to Mizpah and met with their new ruler.
9 Gedaliah told them, “There's no need to be afraid of the Babylonians. Everything will be fine, if we live peacefully and obey King Nebuchadnezzar. 10 I will stay here at Mizpah and meet with the Babylonian officials on each of their visits. But you must go back to your towns and bring in the harvest, then store the wine, olive oil, and dried fruit.”
11-12 Earlier, when the Babylonians had invaded Judah, many of the Jews escaped to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and several other countries. But these Jews heard that the king of Babylonia had appointed Gedaliah as ruler of Judah, and that only a few people were left there. So the Jews in these other countries came back to Judah and helped with the grape and fruit harvest, which was especially large that year.
Gedaliah Is Murdered
13 One day, Johanan got together with some of the other men who had been army officers, and they came to Mizpah and met with Gedaliah. 14 They said, “Gedaliah, we came to warn you that King Baalis of Ammon hired Ishmael to murder you!”
Gedaliah refused to believe them, 15 so Johanan went to Gedaliah privately and said, “Let me kill Ishmael. No one will find out who did it. There are only a few people left in Judah, but they are depending on you. And if you are murdered, they will be scattered or killed.”
16 Gedaliah answered, “Don't kill Ishmael! What you've said about him can't be true.”