إرْمِيا 37

١ 1 وَحَكَمَ الْمَلِكُ صِدْقِيَّا بْنُ يُوشِيَّا مَكَانَ كُنْيَاهُو بْنِ يَهُويَاقِيمَ، لأَنَّ نَبُوخَذْنَصَّرَ مَلِكَ بَابِلَ وَلّاهُ عَلَى أَرْضِ يَهُوذَا.

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.

٢ 2 وَلَمْ يُطِعْ هُوَ وَلا عَبِيدُهُ وَلا سُكَّانُ الْبِلادِ كَلامَ الرَّبِّ، الَّذِي نَطَقَ بِهِ عَلَى لِسَانِ إِرْمِيَا النَّبِيِّ.

But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

٣ 3 وَبَعَثَ الْمَلِكُ صِدْقِيَّا يَهُوخَلَ بْنَ شَلَمْيَا، وَصَفَنْيَا بْنَ مَعْسِيَّا الْكَاهِنَ إِلَى إِرْمِيَا النَّبِيِّ قَائِلاً: «تَضَرَّعْ إِلَى الرَّبِّ إِلَهِنَا مِنْ أَجْلِنَا»،

Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us!”

٤ 4 وَكَانَ إِرْمِيَا فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ طَلِيقاً يَتَجَوَّلُ بَيْنَ الشَّعْبِ، إِذْ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَدِ اعْتُقِلَ بَعْدُ فِي السِّجْنِ.

Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.

٥ 5 وَزَحَفَ جَيْشُ فِرْعَوْنَ مِنْ مِصْرَ، فَبَلَغَ خَبَرُهُمُ الْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ الَّذِينَ يُحَاصِرُونَ أُورُشَلِيمَ، فَفَكُّوا عَنْهَا الْحِصَارَ.

Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

٦ 6 فَأَوْحَى الرَّبُّ بِهَذِهِ النُّبُوءَةِ إِلَى إِرْمِيَا قَائِلاً:

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet:

٧ 7 «هَذَا مَا يُعْلِنُهُ الرَّبُّ إِلَهُ إِسْرَائِيلَ: هَذَا مَا تُبَلِّغُونَهُ لِمَلِكِ يَهُوذَا الَّذِي بَعَثَكُمْ إِلَيَّ لِتَسْتَشِيرُونِي: إِنَّ جَيْشَ فِرْعَوْنَ الزَّاحِفَ لإِغَاثَتِكُمْ عَلَى وَشْكِ الْعَوْدَةِ إِلَى أَرْضِهِ، مِصْرَ.

“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt.

٨ 8 فَيَعُودُ الْكَلْدَانِيُّونَ وَيُحَارِبُونَ هَذِهِ الْمَدِينَةَ وَيَسْتَوْلُونَ عَلَيْهَا وَيُحْرِقُونَهَا بِالنَّارِ.

Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down.

٩ 9 لِذَلِكَ يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ لَا تَخْدَعُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ قَائِلِينَ: سَيَنْسَحِبُ عَنَّا الْكَلْدَانِيُّونَ، فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَنْسَحِبُونَ.

This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will go away for good,’ for they will not!

١٠ 10 وَحَتَّى لَوْ قَضَيْتُمْ عَلَى مُحَارِبِيكُمْ مِنْ جَيْشِ الْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ بِأَسْرِهِ، وَلَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْهُمْ سِوَى الْجَرْحَى الْقَابِعِينَ فِي خِيَامِهِمْ، فَإِنَّهُمْ سَيَهُبُّونَ وَيُحْرِقُونَ هَذِهِ الْمَدِينَةَ بِالنَّارِ».

Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.”

١١ 11 وَلَمَّا فَكَّ جَيْشُ الْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ الْحِصَارَ عَنْ أُورُشَلِيمَ لِمُوَاجَهَةِ زَحْفِ جَيْشِ فِرْعَوْنَ،

When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,

١٢ 12 غَادَرَ إِرْمِيَا أُورُشَلِيمَ لِيَنْطَلِقَ إِلَى أَرْضِ بِنْيَامِينَ لِيَحْصُلَ عَلَى نَصِيبِهِ الَّذِي اشْتَرَاهُ هُنَاكَ بَيْنَ الشَّعْبِ.

Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there among the people.

١٣ 13 فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ بَوَّابَةَ بِنْيَامِينَ قَبَضَ عَلَيْهِ رَئِيسُ الْحُرَّاسِ وَاسْمُهُ يَرْئِيَّا بْنُ شَلَمْيَا بْنِ حَنَنِيَّا قَائِلاً لإِرْمِيَا النَّبِيِّ: «أَنْتَ هَارِبٌ لِلانْضِمَامِ إِلَى الْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ».

But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, seized him and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”

١٤ 14 فَأَجَابَهُ إِرْمِيَا: «هَذَا كَذِبٌ، أَنَا لَسْتُ هَارِباً لِلانْضِمَامِ إِلَى الْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ». فَلَمْ يُصْغِ إِلَيْهِ يَرْئِيَّا بَلِ اعْتَقَلَهُ وَأَتَى بِهِ إِلَى الرُّؤَسَاءِ.

“That is a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials.

١٥ 15 فَثَارَ غَضَبُ الرُّؤَسَاءِ عَلَى إِرْمِيَا وَضَرَبُوهُ، وَزَجُّوهُ فِي بَيْتِ يُونَاثَانَ الْكَاتِبِ الَّذِي حَوَّلُوهُ إِلَى سِجْنٍ.

The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.

١٦ 16 فَعِنْدَمَا دَخَلَ إِرْمِيَا إِلَى زِنْزَانَاتِ الْجُبِّ مَكَثَ هُنَاكَ أَيَّاماً كَثِيرَةً.

So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon and remained there a long time.

١٧ 17 ثُمَّ اسْتَدْعَاهُ الْمَلِكُ صِدْقِيَّا، وَسَأَلَهُ فِي قَصْرِهِ سِرّاً: «هَلْ عِنْدَكَ كَلِمَةُ وَحْيٍ مِنْ عِنْدِ الرَّبِّ؟» فَأَجَابَهُ إِرْمِيَا: «نَعَمْ». ثُمَّ أَضَافَ: «إِنَّكَ سَتُسَلَّمُ إِلَى يَدِ مَلِكِ بَابِلَ».

Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

١٨ 18 ثُمَّ قَالَ إِرْمِيَا لِلْمَلِكِ صِدْقِيَّا: «بِمَاذَا أَسَأْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى رِجَالِكَ وَإِلَى هَذَا الشَّعْبِ حَتَّى زَجَجْتُمْ بِي فِي السِّجْنِ؟

Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people, that you have put me in prison?

١٩ 19 وَأَيْنَ أَنْبِيَاؤُكُمُ الَّذِينَ تَنَبَّأُوا لَكُمْ قَائِلِينَ: إِنَّ مَلِكَ بَابِلَ لَنْ يَزْحَفَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَلَى هَذِهِ الأَرْضِ؟

Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or this land’?

٢٠ 20 وَالآنَ اسْمَعْ يَا سَيِّدِي الْمَلِكَ، وَلْيَحْظَ تَوَسُّلِي بِقُبُولِكَ، لَا تُرْجِعْنِي إِلَى بَيْتِ يُونَاثَانَ الْكَاتِبِ لِئَلَّا أَمُوتَ».

But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”

٢١ 21 فَأَصْدَرَ الْمَلِكُ صِدْقِيَّا أَمْرَهُ بِايْدَاعِ إِرْمِيَا دَارَ الْحَرَسِ وَأَنْ يُقَدَّمَ لَهُ رَغِيفٌ مِنَ الْخُبْزِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ مِنْ سُوقِ الْخَبَّازِينَ إِلَى أَنْ يَنْفَدَ الْخُبْزُ كُلُّهُ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ. وَهَكَذَا مَكَثَ إِرْمِيَا فِي دَارِ الْحَرَسِ.

So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.