< Jeremiah 34 >
1 This is the Lord's message that came to Jeremiah when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, all his army, along with troops from all the countries he ruled and other nations were attacking Jerusalem and all its nearby towns:
Ketika Nebukadnezar raja Babel dengan angkatan perangnya yang diperkuat oleh pasukan-pasukan dari segala bangsa dan negara yang takluk kepadanya datang menyerang Yerusalem dan kota-kota di sekitarnya, TUHAN berbicara kepadaku.
2 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go and talk to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him that this is what the Lord says: Listen! I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he is going to burn it down.
Ia menyuruh aku pergi kepada Zedekia raja Yehuda, dan berkata begini, "Aku, TUHAN Allah Israel, akan menyerahkan kota ini kepada raja Babel dan ia akan membakarnya.
3 You yourself won't escape being captured by him. You will certainly be taken prisoner and brought before him to speak with him personally and see him face to face. You will be taken to Babylon.
Engkau tak akan lolos, melainkan ditangkap dan diserahkan kepadanya. Engkau akan bertemu dan berbicara sendiri dengan dia, lalu engkau akan pergi ke Babel.
4 Listen to what the Lord is telling you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says about you: You won't be killed;
Tetapi dengarkan perkataan-Ku ini mengenai engkau, Zedekia! Engkau tidak akan tewas dalam pertempuran,
5 you will die in peace. You will have a proper funeral with incense burned for you as they did for your forefathers, the kings who ruled before you. They will weep for you, crying, “The king is dead.” I myself am telling you this, declares the Lord.
melainkan mati dengan tentram. Dan sebagaimana rakyat membakar kemenyan ketika memakamkan leluhurmu yang memerintah sebelum engkau, begitu pula rakyat akan membakar kemenyan untukmu. Mereka akan berkabung dan berkata, 'Aduh! Raja kami sudah tiada!' Aku, TUHAN, telah berbicara."
6 Jeremiah the prophet told Zedekiah king of Judah all this there in Jerusalem.
Maka pesan TUHAN itu kusampaikan kepada Raja Zedekia di Yerusalem,
7 At this time the king of Babylon's army was attacking the city and the Judean towns of Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities that had not yet been conquered in Judah.
ketika pasukan raja Babel sedang menyerang kota itu. Mereka juga menyerang kota Lakhis dan Aseka, dua kota berbenteng yang masih bertahan di Yehuda.
8 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a agreement with everyone in Jerusalem to announce a proclamation of freedom.
Raja Zedekia dan penduduk Yerusalem mengadakan perjanjian untuk membebaskan
9 This meant that every slave owner should free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female. No one was to force their fellow citizens to remain slaves any longer.
budak-budak Ibrani mereka, baik laki-laki maupun perempuan supaya tak ada seorang pun dari bangsa Israel yang memperbudak orang sebangsanya.
10 All the officials and all the people who accepted this agreement did what they said. They freed their male and female slaves, not forcing them to remain slaves any longer. They obeyed and let them go free.
Seluruh rakyat dan para pejabat pemerintah yang telah mengadakan perjanjian untuk membebaskan budak-budak mereka dan tak akan memperbudaknya lagi, betul-betul melepaskan budak-budak mereka itu.
11 However, later on they changed their minds and took back the male and female slaves they'd freed, forcing them back into slavery.
Tapi kemudian mereka berubah pikiran, lalu mengambil kembali budak-budak itu, dan memaksanya menjadi budak lagi.
12 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,
Maka TUHAN, Allah Israel, menyuruh aku berkata begini kepada orang-orang itu, "Ketika Aku membawa leluhurmu keluar dari Mesir dan membebaskan mereka dari perbudakan, Aku telah membuat perjanjian dengan mereka.
13 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a agreement with your forefathers when I led them out of Egypt, out of the prison-house of slavery, saying:
14 Every seventh year, each of you are to set free all fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. They can serve you for six years, but then you must set them free. But your forefathers didn't pay attention and didn't obey what I told them.
Aku berkata bahwa semua budak Ibrani yang telah melayani enam tahun lamanya, harus dibebaskan pada akhir tahun ketujuh. Tapi leluhurmu tidak mau memperhatikan atau mendengarkan apa yang Kukatakan itu.
15 A little while ago you decided to do what's right, which made me happy. You all announced that you would free your slaves. You made a agreement before me in my Temple.
Beberapa hari yang lalu kamu mengubah kelakuanmu dan melakukan yang menyenangkan hati-Ku. Kamu semua menyetujui untuk membebaskan budak-budak sebangsamu, dan membuat perjanjian dengan Aku di dalam Rumah-Ku.
16 But now you've changed your minds and dishonored me. Each of you took back the male and female slaves you'd set free to do whatever they wanted. You forced them to become your slaves again.
Pejabat-pejabat pemerintah Yehuda dan Yerusalem bersama para pegawai istana, imam-imam dan semua pengawas tanahmu telah mensahkan perjanjian itu dengan menyembelih sapi, memotongnya menjadi dua, dan berjalan di antara kedua potongan itu. Tapi, kemudian kamu berubah pikiran dan menghina Aku. Budak-budak yang sudah kamu bebaskan sesuai dengan keinginan mereka, kamu ambil kembali dan paksakan untuk menjadi budak lagi. Karena itu, Aku, TUHAN, berkata bahwa kamu telah melanggar perintah-Ku, dan tidak mentaati syarat-syaratnya, sebab kamu tidak membebaskan sesamamu bangsa Israel. Nah, sekarang baiklah Aku memberikan kebebasan kepadamu: kebebasan untuk tewas dalam pertempuran atau oleh wabah penyakit atau oleh kelaparan. Aku akan memperlakukan kamu seperti kamu memperlakukan sapi yang kamu sembelih itu. Aku akan membuat segala bangsa di dunia merasa ngeri melihat apa yang Kulakukan terhadap kamu.
17 So this is what the Lord says: You haven't obeyed me. You haven't announced freedom for your slaves, your own people. So now I announce “freedom” for you, declares the Lord: Freedom to be killed by war, by disease, and by famine! I will make all the kingdoms of the world horrified by you.
18 They have broken my agreement, and have not kept the terms of the agreement they promised before me. So I'm going to cut them up just like the calf they cut in half to pass between its two pieces.
19 I will hand them over to their enemies who are trying to kill them. This includes the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and everyone else who passed between the pieces of the calf.
20 Their dead bodies will become food for birds of prey and wild animals.
Aku akan menyerahkan kamu kepada musuh yang ingin membunuh kamu. Mayatmu akan dimakan burung dan binatang buas.
21 I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials to their enemies who are trying to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon which had paused its attack on you.
Zedekia raja Yehuda dan para pejabat pemerintahnya akan Kuserahkan kepada orang-orang yang ingin membunuh mereka. Aku akan menyerahkan mereka kepada tentara Babel, yang kini telah meninggalkan kamu.
22 Listen! I will give the order, declares the Lord, and bring them back to Jerusalem. They will attack it, capture it, and burn it. I'm going to destroy the towns of Judah so nobody will live there.
Aku akan memberi aba-aba supaya mereka kembali ke kota ini, lalu menyerang, merebut, dan membakarnya. Kota-kota Yehuda akan Kujadikan seperti padang gurun yang tidak didiami orang. Aku, TUHAN, telah berbicara."