1 Kwakati Jeremiya asinopedza lebeleka ne bathu bose matama wose a Yahwe Ndzimu wabo, tjimwe ne tjimwe Yahwe tjabakabe bantuma kubabudza, 2 Azariya nkololo wa Hoshaya na Johanani nkololo wa Kareya ne balume bose be misholo inopanda bakadwa Jeremiya bakati, “Unonyepa! Yahwe Ndzimu wedu abazokutuma kuti ulebe uti, ‘Amuzofanila yenda ku Egipiti kunogala ko.’ 3 Koga Bharuku nkololo wa Neriya ndiye unofulila kuti usitongodumana naswi kuti utilonge mu maboko e Bakhaladiya kuti ndizo batibulaye kene batitapile ku Bhabhiloni.”
4 Ndizo Johanani nkololo wa Kareya ne batungamili be balauli be babhayani bose ne bathu bose bakasiteedze hwi la Yahwe kuti bagale mu shango ye Juda. 5 Koga Johanani nkololo wa Kareya ne batungamili be balauli be babhayani bakatola malimbelimbe wose e Juda bakabe bashanduka kuwogala mu shango ye Juda bedwa ku zwitjaba zose zwabakabe batatigwa kuzwili. 6 Bakatola bakadzi ne bana ne bakololokadzi ba mambo ne nthu mmwe ne mmwe iye Nebuzaradani ntungamili we balindi baakabe asiya na Gedaliya nkololo wa Ahikamu, nkololo wa Shafani na Jeremiya we nlebesambeli na Bharuku nkololo wa Neriya. 7 Ndizo bakayenda ku shango ye Egipiti ngoti abazoteedza hwi la Yahwe. Ngono bakanoswika ku Tahefanesi.
8 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kuna Jeremiya bali ku Tahefanesi liti, 9 “Tola mabgwe makulukulu, uabumbile ne vu uwalile ne daka pa nkoba unongina ku ng'umba ye bumambo ya Faro ku Tahefanesi, uthame Bajuta bakakulinga. 10 Ipapo ubadwe uti, ‘Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, “Bonani, ndowotuma Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni, nlanda wangu, ngono unowobiga tjigalo tje bumambo pezhugwi kwe mabgwe iyawa andasumbika ngono unowowala denga lile le bumambo pezhugwi kwabo. 11 Unowozha kanginilila shango ye Egipiti, ezhisa bugwele kuna ibabo balingisanyiwa ne bugwele, kutapiwa kuna bakalingisanyiwa ne kutapiwa ne thumo kuna bakalingisanyiwa ne thumo. 12 Unowopisa nge moto ng'umba dze kunamata dze midzimu ye Egipiti, unowopisa ng'umba dzabo dze kunamata katapa midzimu yabo. Koga se nlisi unozwipomba nge hazu, unowozwipomba ne Egipiti ngono kadwa ipapo ali mu mbakiso. 13 Ikoku ku ng'umba inonamatigwa zhuba mu Egipiti unowokolomola phanda dzakayengemala kapisa ng'umba dzinonamatigwa midzimu ye Egipiti.” ’ ”
The People Go to Egypt
1 I told the people everything the Lord had told me. 2 But Azariah, Johanan and some other arrogant men said to me, “You're lying! The Lord didn't tell you to say that we shouldn't go to Egypt. 3 Baruch son of Neriah must have told you to say that. He wants the Babylonians to capture us, so they can take us away to Babylonia or even kill us.”
4 Johanan, the other army officers, and everyone else refused to stay in Judah in spite of the Lord's command. 5 So Johanan and the officers led us away toward Egypt. The group that left Judah included those who had been scattered in other countries and who had then come back to live in Judah. 6 Baruch and I and others in the group had been staying with Gedaliah, because Nebuzaradan, the Babylonian officer in charge of the guard, had ordered him to take care of the king's daughters and quite a few men, women, and children.
7 The people disobeyed the Lord and went to Egypt. The group had settled in Tahpanhes, 8 when the Lord told me:
9 Jeremiah, carry some large stones to the entrance of the government building in Tahpanhes. Bury the stones underneath the brick pavement and be sure the Jews are watching.
10 Then tell them that I, the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, have sent for my servant, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. I will bring him here and have him set up his throne and his royal tent over these stones that I told you to bury. 11 He will attack Egypt and kill many of its people; others will die of disease or be dragged away as prisoners. 12-13 I will let him set Egypt's temples on fire, and he will either burn or carry off their idols. He will destroy the sacred monuments at the temple of the sun-god. Then Nebuchadnezzar will pick the land clean, just like a shepherd picking the lice off his clothes. And he will return safely home.