Jeremiah 40
1 Ramah kah Imtawt boeiping Nebuzaradan loh Jerusalem neh Judah hlangsol boeih lakli kah thirhui neh a khih te a loh tih Babylon la a poelyoe. Tedae Jeremiah amah a hlah hnukah BOEIPA taengkah ol ha pawk.
[The soldiers from Babylonia] captured me and many other people from Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah. They [planned to] take us to Babylon. So they fastened chains around our wrists and took us to Ramah [town north of Jerusalem]. While we were there, I was released. [This is how it happened]:
2 Imtawt boeiping loh Jeremiah te a loh tih a taengah, “BOEIPA na Pathen loh he hmuen he thae a phoei coeng.
[Nebuzaradan, ] the captain of the [king’s] bodyguards, [found that I was there]. He summoned me and said to me, “Yahweh your God said that he would cause this land to experience a disaster.
3 BOEIPA taengah na tholh uh dongah ni a. thui bangla BOEIPA loh a thoeng sak tih a saii. A ol te na hnatun uh pawt dongah ni he ol he a ol bangla nangmih taengah a thoeng.
And now he has caused it to happen. He has done just what he said [that he would do], because you people sinned against Yahweh and refused to obey him.
4 Tihnin ah na kut dongkah thirhui dong lamloh nang kan hlam coeng ne. Na mik dongah a then atah kamah taengah Babylon la na lo mako. Na lo vaengah ka mik he nang soah ka khueh bitni. Tedae na mik ah a thae atah kai taengah Babylon la na lo ham khaw paa mai. Khohmuen pum he na mikhmuh ah na hmuh coeng. Na mikhmuh ah a then ham neh a thuem ham atah cet khaw cet mai.
But today I am going to take the chains off your wrists and release you. If you want to come with me to Babylon, [that will be fine]. I will take care of you. But if you do not want to come with me, do not come. [Stay here]. Look, the entire country is available; you can choose whatever part you want to go to. You can go wherever you wish.” [Then he took the chains off my wrists].
5 Tedae na caeh pawt dongah Shaphan koca Ahikam capa Gedaliah taengla cet. Anih te Babylon manghai loh Judah khopuei rhoek ham a tuek coeng. Te dongah anih neh pilnam lakli ah khosa. Na mikhmuh ah a thuem sarhui atah cet khaw cet mai,” a ti nah. Te phoeiah anih te imtawt boeiping loh buhkak neh buham a paek tih a tueih.
He said, “If you [decide to] stay here, go to Gedaliah. The King of Babylon appointed him to be the governor of Judah. [You will be allowed to] stay here with the people [that he is governing]. But you can do whatever you want to.” Then Nebuzaradan gave me some food and some money, and he allowed me to go.
6 Te phoeiah Jeremiah te Mizpah kah Ahikam capa Gedaliah taengla cet tih khohmuen kah aka om pilnam lakli ah kho a sak.
I returned to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and I stayed in Judah with the people who still remained in the land.
7 Babylon manghai loh Ahikam capa Gedaliah te khohmuen kah ham a tuek. Babylon la a poelyoe pawh khohmuen kah khodaeng huta camoe hlang boeih anih a hung sak te kohong kah caem mangpa boeih neh a hlang rhoek loh a yaak uh.
The [Israeli] soldiers [who had not surrendered to the army of Babylonia] were roaming around in the countryside. Then their leaders heard someone say that the King of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to be the governor of the very poor people [who were still in Judah], who had not been taken to Babylon.
8 Te dongah Mizpah kah Gedaliah taengla Nethaniah capa Ishmael, Kareah capa Johanan neh Jonathan, Tanhumeth capa Seraiah, Netophah koca ah Netophah Ephai, Maakathi capa Jezaniah neh a hlang rhoek te ha pawk uh.
So they went [to talk] to Gedaliah at Mizpah. [Those who went included] Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai from Netophath, and Jezaniah from Maacah, and the soldiers who were with them.
9 Te vaengah amih ham te Shaphan koca Ahikam capa Gedaliah loh a toemngam tih a hlang rhoek taengah, “Khalden taengah thohtat ham te rhih boeh, a khohmuen ah kho na sak uh tih Babylon manghai taengah na thohtat uh daengah ni, nangmih ham a voelphoeng eh.
Gedaliah solemnly promised that the soldiers from Babylonia would not harm them. He said, “Do not be afraid to do things for them. Stay [here] in this land and do things for the King of Babylon. If you do that, things will go well for you.
10 Kai kamah he mamih taengla aka pawk Khalden rhoek kah a hmai ah aka pai ham ni Mizpah ah ka om. Tedae nangmih tah khohal misur neh situi te tung uh lamtah na ampul khuiah khueh uh. Na khopuei ah te khosa uh lamtah lo uh.
As for me, I will stay [here] at Mizpah to be your representative to the [officials from] Babylonia who come to [talk with] us. But you should [return to your towns, and eat the things that are produced on your land]. Harvest the grapes and the fruit [that ripen in] the (summer/hot season) and the olives, [make wine and olive oil, ] and store it.”
11 Babylon manghai loh Judah ah a meet a paih tih amih ham Shaphan koca Ahikam capa Gedaliah a khueh te Moab neh Ammon koca rhoek taengah, Edom neh diklai pum kah Judah boeih long khaw a yaak uh.
Then the Jews who had fled to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other [nearby] countries heard people say that the King of Babylon had allowed a few people [to remain] in Judah, and that he had appointed Gedaliah to be their governor.
12 Te dongah Judah rhoek he hmuen takuem lamloh boeih mael uh. Te ah te a heh uh coeng dae Judah khohmuen Mizpah kah Gedaliah taengla ha pawk uh. Te dongah khohal misur khaw a coi uh tih muep kum uh.
So they [began to] return to Judah. They stopped at Mizpah to [talk with] Gedaliah. Then [they went to various places in Judea, and] they harvested a great amount of grapes and summer fruit.
13 Te phoeiah kohong kah Kareah capa Johanan neh caem mangpa boeih khaw Mizpah kah Gedaliah taengla pawk uh.
[Some time later, ] Johanan and all the [other] leaders of the Israeli soldiers [who had not surrendered to the army of Babylonia] came to Gedaliah at Mizpah.
14 Te vaengah anih te, “Ammon koca kah manghai Baalis loh na hinglu ngawn ham Nethaniah capa Ishmael han tueih te na ming khaw na ming van nim,” a ti na uh. Tedae Ahikam capa Gedaliah loh amih te a tangnah moenih.
They said to him, “Do you know that Baalis, the king of the Ammon [people-group], has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to assassinate you?” But Gedaliah did not believe what they said.
15 Te vaengah Kareah capa Johanan loh Gedaliah te Mizpah ah a huep la, “Ka cet laeh vetih Nethaniah capa Ishmael te ka ngawn mako, hlang loh ming aih mahpawh, na hinglu aka ngawn ham te baham nim? Na taengkah aka tingtun Judah pum he a taek a yak uh vetih Judah kah a meet khaw milh hae ni,” a ti nah.
Later Johanan talked with Gedaliah privately. He said, “Allow me to go and murder Ishmael secretly. It would not be good [RHQ] to allow him to come and murder you! If you are killed, what will happen to all the Jews who have returned to this area? They will be scattered, and the other people who remain in Judah will all be killed!”
16 Ahikam capa Gedaliah loh Kareah capa Johanan te, “Te hno te saii rhoe saii boeh, Ishmael kawng te a honghi ni na thui,” a ti nah.
But Gedaliah said to Johanan, “[No], I will not allow you to do that. [I think that] you are lying about Ishmael.”
