Jeremia 38

1 Shefatia wuod Matan, Gedalia wuod Pashur, Jehukal wuod Shelemia, kod Pashur wuod Malkija nowinjo gima Jeremia ne nyiso ji duto sa mane owacho ni,

[Four officials, ] Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malkijah, heard what I had been telling all the people.

2 “Ma e gima Jehova Nyasaye wacho: ‘Ngʼato angʼata modak e dala maduongʼni noneg gi ligangla, kech kata masira, to ngʼato angʼata manodhi ir jo-Babulon nobed mangima. Notony gi ngimane; mi nobed mangima.’

[I had been telling them] that Yahweh was saying, “Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die. They will be killed by [their enemies’] swords or from famines or from diseases. But those who surrender to the Babylonian army, they will be spared. They will not be killed.

3 Kendo ma e gima Jehova Nyasaye wacho: ‘Dala maduongʼni nyaka chiwne jolweny mar ruodh Babulon ma nokawe.’”

Yahweh also says that the army of the King of Babylon will certainly capture this city [DOU].”

4 Eka jotelo nowachone ruoth niya, “Ngʼatni onego negi. Onyoso chuny jolweny modongʼ e dala maduongʼ ni, kaachiel gi ji duto, gi gigo mowachonegi. Ngʼatni ok dwar dhi maber mar jogi to mana kethruokgi.”

So those officials [went] to the king and said, “This man [Jeremiah] should be executed! Because of what he is saying, he is discouraging our soldiers who remain in the city. He is also discouraging the people. He is not saying things that will help us; he is saying things that will defeat us.”

5 Ruoth Zedekia nowacho niya, “En e lwetu. Onge gima ruoth nyalo timo mondo okwed wachu.”

King Zedekiah said, “All right, do to him what you want to; I do not have the power to stop you.”

6 Omiyo negikawo Jeremia ma giketo e bur mar Malkija, wuod ruoth, mane nitiere e laru mar jarito. Ne giloro Jeremia gi tonde ei burno; ne onge pi e iye, chwodho ema ne nitie, kendo Jeremia nonimo ei chwodho.

So those officials took me from my cell and lowered me by ropes into a well in the courtyard. The well belonged to Malkijah, who was a son of the king. There was no water in the well, but there was [a lot of] mud, so I sank [down deep] into the mud.

7 To Ebed-Melek, ja-Kush, ma jatelo e kar dak ruoth, nowinjo nine giseketo Jeremia ei bur. Ka ruoth ne obet e Dhoranga Benjamin,

But Ebed-Melech, a palace official from Ethiopia, heard [someone say] that I was in the well. [At that time] the king was deciding/judging people’s cases at the Benjamin Gate.

8 Ebed-Melek nowuok oa e kar dak ruoth kendo owachone ni,

Ebed-Melech went out of the palace and said to the king,

9 “Jaduongʼ ma ruodha, jogi osetimo gima mono kuom gigo duto magisetimone janabi Jeremia. Giwite e bur, kama kech biro nege motho ka makati duto orumo e dala maduongʼ.”

“Your majesty, those men have done a very evil thing. They have put the prophet Jeremiah in a well. [Almost] all the food in the city is gone, [so they will not be able to bring him any food] and as a result he will die from hunger!”

10 Eka ruoth nomiyo Ebed-Melek ja-Kush chik, “Kaw chwo piero adek koa kae kendo ugol janabi Jeremia e bur kapok otho.”

So the king told Ebed-Melech, “Take thirty of my men/soldiers with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the well, in order that he does not die!”

11 Omiyo Ebed-Melek nokawo jogo kendo odhigo e agola manie bwo kar keno mar dala ruoth. Ne okawo lewni moyiech kod lewni moti kanyo kendo nolorogi piny gi tol ne Jeremia ei bur.

So Ebed-Melech took thirty men with him and they went into a room in the palace below the room where they stored very valuable things. There they found some old rags and discarded clothing. They took those things and went to the well. They fastened them to a rope and lowered the rope to me.

12 Ebed-Melek ja-Kush nowacho ne Jeremia niya, “Ket lewni mokengoregi kod lewni moti e yuothi mondo kik tol ridhi.” Jeremia notimo kamano,

Then Ebed-Melech called down to me, “Put these rags underneath your armpits, to protect you from [being injured by] the ropes!” So I did that.

13 mine giywaye gi tol ma gigole oko mar bur. Kendo Jeremia nodongʼ e laru mar jarito.

Then they pulled me out of the well. I [returned] to the courtyard where the palace guards stayed, and I stayed there.

14 Eka Ruoth Zedekia nooro wach mondo okelne janabi Jeremia kendo nokelnego e kar donjo mar adek mar hekalu mar Jehova Nyasaye. Ruoth nowachone niya, “Adhi penji gimoro. Kik ipanda wach.”

[One day] King Zedekiah summoned me, and I was brought to the king, [who was waiting for me] at the entrance of the temple. He said to me, “I want to ask you something. I want you [to answer me truthfully, and] and to not conceal anything.”

15 Jeremia nowachone Zedekia niya, “Ka adwoki, donge ibiro nega? Kata ka anangʼadni rieko, bende iniwinja.”

I replied, “If I tell you [the truth], you will [command that I] be executed. And if I give you [good] advice, you will not pay attention to what I say.”

16 To Ruoth Zedekia nokwongʼore gi kwongʼruokni lingʼ-lingʼ ne Jeremia: “Akwongʼora gi nying Jehova Nyasaye mangima, mosemiyowa muya, ok ananegi kata chiwi ne jogo madwaro ngimani.”

But King Zedekiah secretly promised me, “[Tell me the truth]! And as surely as Yahweh lives, I will not [cause] you to be executed, and I will not hand you over to those who are wanting to kill you.”

17 Eka Jeremia nowachone Zedekia niya, “Ma e gima Jehova Nyasaye Maratego, ma Nyasach Israel, wacho: ‘Ka ichiwori ne jotelo mag ruodh Babulon, ngimani noweni kendo dala maduongʼni ok nowangʼ, in kod joodi unubed mangima.

[So] then I said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, you and your family will (be spared/not be killed), and this city will not be burned.

18 To ka ok ichiwori ne jotend ruodh Babulon, dala maduongʼni nomi jo-Babulon kendo giniwangʼe; un uwegi ok unutony e lwetgi.’”

But if you refuse to surrender to them, you will not escape. And the army from Babylonia will capture this city and completely burn it.’”

19 Ruoth Zedekia nowachone Jeremia niya, “Aluoro jo-Yahudi mosedhi ir jo-Babulon, nimar jo-Babulon nyalo chiwa e lwetgi mi gisanda.”

The king replied, “But I am afraid [to surrender to the soldiers from Babylon], because their officers may hand me over to the people of Judah who have already joined the soldiers from Babylonia, and those people from Judah will mistreat me.”

20 Jeremia nodwoke niya, “Ok ginichiwi.” Luor Jehova Nyasaye kitimo gima anyisi. Eka inine maber, kendo ngimani noweni.

I replied, “If you obey Yahweh by doing what I tell you to do, they will not hand you over to our people. Things will go well for you, and you will remain alive.

21 To ka itamori chiwori, ma e gima Jehova Nyasaye osefwenyona:

But if you refuse to surrender, this is what Yahweh has revealed to me:

22 Mon duto mane odongʼ kar dak mar ruodh Juda nokelne jotelo mar ruodh Babulon. Mon-go nowachni ni: Osiepegi mane igenogo nowuondi kendo noloyi. Tiendegi oselingʼore e chwodho; osiepegi oseweyi.

All the women who remain in your palace will be brought out and given to the officers of the king of Babylon. Then those women will say to you: ‘You had friends whom [you thought] you could trust, but they have deceived you and caused you to make a wrong decision. Now [it is as though] you are stuck in mud, and your friends have abandoned you.’

23 “Mondeu duto kod nyithindu nokelne jo-Babulon. Un uwegi ok unutony e lwetgi to enomaku gi ruodh Babulon; kendo dala maduongʼni nowangʼ mapodhi.”

All of your wives and children [in the city] will be led out to the soldiers from Babylonia, and you also will not escape. [The soldiers of] the King of Babylon will seize you, and they will burn down this city.”

24 Eka Zedekia nowachone Jeremia niya, “Kik iwe ngʼato ongʼe twak-wani, ka ok kamano to inyalo tho.

Then Zedekiah said to me, “Do not tell anyone what you told me; if you tell anyone, my officials may kill you.

25 Ka jotelo owinjo nine awuoyo kodi, kendo gibiro iri ma giwacho, ‘Nyiswa gima ne iwachone ruoth kendo gima ruoth nowachoni; kik ipandwa ka ok kamano to wabiro negi,’

If my officials find out that I talked to you, perhaps they will come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you and the king were talking about. If you do not tell us, we will kill you.’

26 to nyisgi ni, ‘Ne asayo ruoth mondo kik oora adog e od Jonathan mondo atho kanyo.’”

If that happens, [just] tell them that you pleaded with me not to send you back to the [dungeon/cell in] Jonathan’s house, [because you were afraid that] you would die [if you were put there again].”

27 Jotelo duto nobiro ir Jeremia mi gipenje, kendo nonyisogi gik moko duto mane ruoth ochike mondo awachi. Omiyo onge gima negichako ginyise, nimar onge ngʼama nowinjo twakgi gi ruoth.

And [that is what happened]. The king’s officials came to me and asked [why the king had summoned me. But] I told them what the king told me to tell them. So they did not ask me any more [questions], because no one had heard what the king and I had said to each other.

28 Kendo Jeremia nodongʼ e laru mar jarito nyaka odiechiengʼ ma Jerusalem nokaw. Ma e kaka Jerusalem ne okaw:

So I remained being guarded in the courtyard [of the palace], until the day that [the army of Babylonia] captured Jerusalem.