Jeremiah 38
1 And Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,
UShefathiya indodana kaMathani, loGedaliya indodana kaPashuri, loJukali indodana kaShelemiya, loPashuri indodana kaMalikiya, sebezwile amazwi uJeremiya ayewakhuluma kubo bonke abantu esithi:
2 Thus says Jehovah: He who abides in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, but he who goes forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life shall be to him for a prey, and he shall live.
Itsho njalo iNkosi: Osala kulumuzi uzakufa ngenkemba, ngendlala, langomatshayabhuqe wesifo; kodwa ophuma aye kumaKhaladiya uzaphila, ngoba uzakuba lempilo yakhe ibe yimpango, aphile.
3 Thus says Jehovah: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.
Itsho njalo iNkosi: Lumuzi uzanikelwa isibili esandleni sebutho lenkosi yeBhabhiloni, elizawuthumba.
4 Then the rulers said to the king, Let this man, we pray thee, be put to death, inasmuch as he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them. For this man seeks not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
Iziphathamandla zasezisithi enkosini: Ake abulawe lumuntu, ngoba ngalindlela uyekethisa izandla zamadoda empi asele kulumuzi, lezandla zabo bonke abantu, ngokukhuluma kibo amazwi anje; ngoba lumuntu kadingi ukuthula kwalababantu, kodwa okubi.
5 And Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand, for the king is not he who can do anything against you.
Inkosi uZedekhiya yasisithi: Khangela, usesandleni senu, ngoba inkosi kayilakho okuphambene lani ngalutho.
6 Then they took Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard. And they let Jeremiah down with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
Basebemthatha uJeremiya, bamphosela emgodini kaMalikiya indodana yenkosi, owawusegumeni lentolongo, bamehlisa uJeremiya ngamagoda; kwakungelamanzi emgodini, kodwa udaka; uJeremiya wasetshona odakeni.
7 Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin),
Kwathi uEbedimeleki umEthiyophiya indoda umthenwa, owayesendlini yenkosi, esizwa ukuthi uJeremiya bamfake emgodini (lapho inkosi yayihlezi esangweni lakoBhenjamini),
8 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spoke to the king, saying,
uEbedimeleki waphuma endlini yenkosi, wakhuluma lenkosi esithi:
9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the dungeon. And he is likely to die in the place where he is because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.
Nkosi yami, nkosi, abantu laba benzile okubi ngakho konke abakwenze kuJeremiya umprofethi, abamphosele emgodini, ngoba uzakufa endaweni yakhe ngenxa yendlala, ngoba kakusekho isinkwa emzini.
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from here thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.
Inkosi yasimlaya uEbedimeleki umEthiyophiya, isithi: Thatha lapha amadoda angamatshumi amathathu ngaphansi kwesandla sakho, umenyule uJeremiya umprofethi emgodini engakafi.
11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
Ngakho uEbedimeleki wathatha amadoda ngaphansi kwesandla sakhe, wangena endlini yenkosi waze waba ngaphansi kwesiphala, wathatha khona izidwedwe ezidabukileyo lezidwedwe ezigugileyo, wazehlisela kuJeremiya emgodini ngamagoda.
12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Now put these rags and worn-out garments under thine armpits under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
UEbedimeleki umEthiyophiya wasesithi kuJeremiya: Ake ufake izidwedwe ezidabukileyo lezigugileyo ngaphansi kwamakhwapha akho ngaphansi kwamagoda. UJeremiya wasesenza njalo.
13 So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
Basebemdonsa uJeremiya ngamagoda, bamenyula emgodini. UJeremiya wasehlala egumeni lentolongo.
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entry that is in the house of Jehovah. And the king said to Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.
Inkosi uZedekhiya yasithuma yathatha uJeremiya umprofethi yamusa kuye, ekungeneni kwesithathu okusendlini yeNkosi. Inkosi yasisithi kuJeremiya: Ngizakubuza udaba, ungangifihleli lutho.
15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I declare it to thee, will thou not surely put me to death? And if I give thee counsel, thou will not hearken to me.
UJeremiya wasesithi kuZedekhiya: Uba ngikutshela, kawuyikungibulala lokungibulala yini? Loba ngikweluleka, kawuyikungilalela.
16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, As Jehovah lives, who made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, nor will I give thee into the hand of these men who seek thy life.
Inkosi uZedekhiya yasifunga kuJeremiya ekusithekeni isithi: Kuphila kukaJehova owasenzela lumphefumulo: Isibili kangiyikukubulala, futhi isibili kangiyikukunikela esandleni salamadoda adinga umphefumulo wakho.
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, Thus says Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel. If thou will go forth to the king of Babylon's rulers, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and thou shall live, and thy house.
UJeremiya wasesithi kuZedekhiya: Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu wamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Uba uphuma isibili uye kuziphathamandla zenkosi yeBhabhiloni, umphefumulo wakho uzaphila, lalumuzi kawuyikutshiswa ngomlilo; uzaphila wena lendlu yakho.
18 But if thou will not go forth to the king of Babylon's rulers, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shall not escape out of their hand.
Kodwa uba ungaphumi uye kuziphathamandla zenkosi yeBhabhiloni, lumuzi uzanikelwa esandleni samaKhaladiya, awutshise ngomlilo; lawe kawuyikuphunyuka esandleni sawo.
19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who have fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they abuse me.
Inkosi uZedekhiya yasisithi kuJeremiya: Ngiyawesaba amaJuda ahlubukele kumaKhaladiya, hlezi anginikele esandleni sawo, angiklolodele.
20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of Jehovah, in that which I speak to thee, so it shall be well with thee, and thy soul shall live.
UJeremiya wasesithi: Kawayikukunikela; ake ulalele ilizwi leNkosi njengalelo engilikhuluma kuwe, khona kukulungele, futhi umphefumulo wakho uzaphila.
21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that Jehovah has shown me:
Kodwa uba usala ukuphuma, yileli ilizwi iNkosi engibonise lona lokuthi:
22 Behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's rulers. And those women shall say, Thy familiar friends have set upon thee, and have prevailed over thee. Since thy feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned back away.
Khangela-ke, bonke abesifazana abasele endlini yenkosi yakoJuda bazakhitshelwa kuziphathamandla zenkosi yeBhabhiloni, bathi: Abangane bakho bakukhuthazile, bakwehlula; inyawo zakho zitshone odakeni; babuyele emuva.
23 And they shall bring out all thy wives and thy sons to the Chaldeans. And thou shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. And thou shall cause this city to be burned with fire.
Njalo azakhuphela abafazi bonke bakho lamadodana akho kumaKhaladiya; lawe kawuyikuphunyuka esandleni sawo, kodwa uzabanjwa ngesandla senkosi yeBhabhiloni, lalumuzi uzawutshisa ngomlilo.
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shall not die.
UZedekhiya wasesithi kuJeremiya: Kakungabi khona umuntu owaziyo lamazwi, khona ungayikufa.
25 But if the rulers hear that I have talked with thee, and they come to thee, and say to thee, Declare to us now what thou have said to the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death, also what the king said to thee,
Kodwa nxa iziphathamandla zisizwa ukuthi ngikhulume lawe, zize kuwe zithi kuwe: Ake usitshele, ubusithini enkosini, ungakufihli kithi, khona kasiyikukubulala; njalo inkosi ikhulumeni kuwe;
26 then thou shall say to them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house to die there.
uzakuthi-ke kuzo: Mina ngiwise ukuncenga kwami phambi kwenkosi ukuthi ingangibuyiseli endlini kaJonathani ukuze ngifele khona.
27 Then all the rulers came to Jeremiah, and asked him. And he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him, for the matter was not perceived.
Zasezifika zonke iziphathamandla kuJeremiya, zambuza; yena waziphendula njengawo wonke lamazwi inkosi ewalayileyo. Zasezithula kuye, ngoba udaba lwalungezwakali.
28 So Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.
UJeremiya wasehlala egumeni lentolongo kwaze kwaba lusuku iJerusalema eyathunjwa ngalo; wayekhona lapho iJerusalema ithunjwa.
