Jeremiah 37
1 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon replaced Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim with Zedekiah son of Josiah as the ruling king of Judah.
Inkosi uZedekhiya indodana kaJosiya wabusa-ke esikhundleni sikaKoniya indodana kaJehoyakhimi, uNebhukadirezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni ambeka abe yinkosi elizweni lakoJuda.
2 But Zedekiah and his officers and everyone else in the country refused to obey what the Lord had said through Jeremiah the prophet.
Kodwa kawalalelanga, yena lenceku zakhe labantu belizwe, amazwi eNkosi eyayiwakhulume ngesandla sikaJeremiya umprofethi.
3 However, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us!”
Inkosi uZedekhiya yasithuma uJehukali indodana kaShelemiya loZefaniya indodana kaMahaseya umpristi kuJeremiya umprofethi, isithi: Ake usikhulekele eNkosini uNkulunkulu wethu.
4 (At this time Jeremiah could come and go freely, because as yet they hadn't put him in prison.)
UJeremiya wangena-ke waphuma phakathi kwabantu, ngoba babengakamfaki entolongweni.
5 Pharaoh's army was advancing from Egypt, and when the Babylonian army heard about it, they moved away from Jerusalem.
Ibutho likaFaro laliphumile-ke eGibhithe; kwathi amaKhaladiya ayevimbezela iJerusalema esizwa amahungahunga ngabo, enyuka asuka eJerusalema.
6 Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet:
Laselifika ilizwi leNkosi kuJeremiya umprofethi lisithi:
7 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, instructs you to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask me for help: Look! Pharaoh's army, which set out to help you, is going to return home to Egypt.
Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Lizakutsho njalo enkosini yakoJuda elithume kimi ukungibuza: Khangela, ibutho likaFaro eliphumele ukulisiza lizabuyela elizweni lalo, iGibhithe.
8 Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem. They will capture it and burn it down.
AmaKhaladiya azabuya futhi, alwe emelene lalumuzi, awuthumbe, awutshise ngomlilo.
9 This is what the Lord says: Don't fool yourselves by saying, “The Babylonians are gone for good,” because they're not!
Itsho njalo iNkosi: Lingakhohlisi imiphefumulo yenu lisithi: AmaKhaladiya isibili azasuka kithi; ngoba kawayikusuka.
10 In fact, even if you were able to kill the whole Babylonian army attacking you, leaving only wounded men in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.
Ngoba loba lilitshaya ibutho lonke lamaKhaladiya alwa emelene lani, kusale amadoda agwaziweyo phakathi kwabo, azasukuma, yileyo laleyo ethenteni layo, awutshise lumuzi ngomlilo.
11 When the Babylonian army moved away from Jerusalem because of the threat of Pharaoh's army,
Kwasekusithi ibutho lamaKhaladiya selenyukile lisuka eJerusalema ngenxa yebutho likaFaro,
12 Jeremiah was on his way out of Jerusalem to go to his home in the territory of Benjamin to claim his share of his family's property.
uJeremiya waphuma eJerusalema ukuya elizweni lakoBhenjamini ukuthi amonyuke phakathi kwabantu.
13 However, when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the guard captain, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, arrested him, saying, “You're defecting to the Babylonians!”
Kwasekusithi esesesangweni lakoBhenjamini, kwakukhona lapho induna yabalindi obizo layo lalinguIrija, indodana kaShelemiya, indodana kaHananiya; yasimbamba uJeremiya umprofethi, isithi: Uhlubukela kumaKhaladiya.
14 “That's not true,” Jeremiah replied. “I'm not defecting to the Babylonians!” But Irijah refused to listen to him. He arrested Jeremiah and took him before the officers.
UJeremiya wasesithi: Ngamanga; kangihlubukeli kumaKhaladiya. Kodwa kamlalelanga; ngokunjalo uIriya wambamba uJeremiya, wamletha kuziphathamandla.
15 The officers were furious with Jeremiah. They had him beaten and locked up in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which had been turned into a prison.
Iziphathamandla zasezithukuthela ngoJeremiya, zamtshaya, zamfaka entolongweni, endlini kaJonathani umbhali, ngoba zaziyenze yaba yintolongo.
16 Jeremiah was placed in a cell in the underground dungeon and was kept there for a long time.
UJeremiya esengene endlini yomgodi lezitokisini, uJeremiya esehlale khona insuku ezinengi,
17 Some while later King Zedekiah secretly sent for him and had him brought to the royal palace where he asked, “Is there a message from Lord for me?” “Yes there is,” Jeremiah replied. “You are going to be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
inkosi uZedekhiya yasithuma, yamthatha; inkosi yasimbuza endlini yayo ensitha yathi: Likhona yini ilizwi elivela eNkosini? UJeremiya wasesithi: Likhona. Wathi: Uzanikelwa esandleni senkosi yeBhabhiloni.
18 Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or these people, for you to put me in prison?
UJeremiya wathi futhi enkosini uZedekhiya: Ngoneni kuwe lezincekwini zakho lakulababantu ukuthi lingifake entolongweni?
19 Where are your prophets now, the ones who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon won't come and attack you and this country’?
Bangaphi khathesi abaprofethi benu abaprofetha kini besithi: Inkosi yeBhabhiloni kayiyikufika imelane lani kumbe imelane lalelilizwe?
20 Now please listen to me, my lord the king, and respond positively to my request. Don't send me back to prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, otherwise I'll die there.”
Khathesi-ke, ake uzwe, nkosi yami, nkosi, kakuthi ukuncenga kwami kuwe phambi kwakho, ungangibuyiseli endlini kaJonathani umbhali, hlezi ngifele khona.
21 King Zedekiah gave the order for Jeremiah to be held in the guard's courtyard and be provided with a loaf of bread every day from a bakery until there was no bread left in the city. So Jeremiah stayed in the guard's courtyard.
Ngakho inkosi uZedekhiya yalaya ukuthi bamfake uJeremiya egumeni lentolongo, lokuthi anikwe isinkwa sibe sinye ngosuku esivela esitaladini sabaphekizinkwa, size siphele sonke isinkwa emzini. Ngokunjalo uJeremiya wahlala egumeni lentolongo.
