Jeremiah 38
1 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard what Jeremiah was telling everyone:
Sefatia, Matan ƒe vi, Gedalia, Pasur ƒe vi, Yehukal, Selemia ƒe vi kple Pasur, Malkiya ƒe vi, wose nya si Yeremia gblɔ, esi wònɔ gbɔgblɔm na dukɔ la be,
2 This is what the Lord says: Anyone who remains in this city will die from war and famine and disease, but anyone who goes over to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be to save their lives.
“Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: ‘Ame si anɔ du sia me la, atsi yi nu, dɔwuame alo dɔvɔ̃ ƒe asi me, gake ame si tsɔ eɖokui de asi na Babiloniatɔwo la, atsi agbe. Eƒe agbe azu afunyinu nɛ, ale wòanɔ agbe.’
3 This is what the Lord says: Be sure of this—Jerusalem will be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. He is going to capture it.
Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye si, ‘Woatsɔ du sia ade asi na Babilonia fia ƒe aʋakɔ kokoko eye woaxɔe.’”
4 The officers told the king, “This man deserves to die because he's demoralizing the defenders left in the city, and all the people too, by telling them this. This man isn't trying to help these people, he's only going to destroy them.”
Tete dumegãwo gblɔ na fia la be, “Ŋutsu sia dze na ku. Ele dzi ɖem le ƒo na aʋakɔ la kple ame siwo susɔ ɖe du sia me to nya siwo gblɔm wòle na wo me. Ŋutsu sia mele woƒe nyui dim o, negbe woƒe gbegblẽ.”
5 “Well, you can do whatever you want to him,” King Zedekiah replied. “I can't stop you.”
Fia Zedekia ɖo eŋu na wo be, “Fia la mate ŋu awɔ naneke atsi tsitre ɖe mia ŋuti o, eya ta ele miaƒe asi me.”
6 So they took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern belonging to Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the guard's courtyard. They lowered Jeremiah down with ropes into the cistern. It didn't have any water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ale wolé Yeremia tsɔ de Malkiya, fia la ƒe vi ƒe vudo si le fiasã ƒe dzɔlawo ƒe xɔxɔnu la me. Wode kae heɖiɖii ɖe vudo si me tsi mele o negbe ba koe le eme la me, eye Yeremia ɖo to ɖe ba la me.
7 Ebed-melech the Cushite, a royal official in the king's palace, found out that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. The king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,
Ke Kusitɔ aɖe, Ebed Melek, ame si nye dɔnunɔlawo dometɔ ɖeka le fiasã me la se be wolé Yeremia de vudo me. Esi fia la nɔ anyi ɖe Benyamingbo la nu la,
8 so Ebed-melech left the palace and went to talk to the king
Ebed Melek tso le fiasã la me yi ɖe egbɔ eye wògblɔ nɛ bena,
9 “My lord the king, all these terrible things these men have done to Jeremiah the prophet are evil. They've put him in the cistern, and he'll starve to death there because there's no more bread left in the city.”
“Nye aƒetɔ fia, ŋutsu siawo wɔ ŋutasẽnu ɖe Nyagblɔɖila Yeremia ŋu, le nu siwo katã wowɔ la me. Wotsɔe de vudo me afi si dɔ awui le wòaku nenye be abolo vɔ le dua me.”
10 So the king gave the order to Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men with you and go and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
Tete fia la ɖe gbe na Kusitɔ, Ebed Melek be, “Kplɔ ŋutsu blaetɔ̃ tso teƒe sia ne miayi aɖaɖe Nyagblɔɖila Yeremia le vudo la me hafi wòava ku.”
11 Ebed-melech took the men and went to the storehouse under the palace. He took some rags and old clothes from there and then went to the cistern where he lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah.
Ale Ebed Melek kplɔ ŋutsuawo ɖe asi eye woyi ɖe xɔ si le nudzraɖoƒe la te, le fiasã la me. Etsɔ avɔ vuvu kple awu vuvu aɖewo le afi ma, hetsɔ wo sa ɖe ka ŋuti heɖiɖii ɖe Yeremia gbɔ le vudo la me.
12 Ebed-melech the Cushite called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags and old clothes under your arms to protect you from the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,
Kusitɔ, Ebed Melek gblɔ na Yeremia be, “Tsɔ avɔ vuvuawo kple awu vuvuawo de wò axatome be kawo magabebe wò o.” Yeremia wɔe nenema.
13 and using the ropes they pulled him up and took him out of the cistern. Jeremiah stayed there in the guard's courtyard.
Eye wohee kple ka do goe le vudo la me. Ale Yeremia tsi dzɔlawo ƒe xɔxɔnu.
14 Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and met him at the third Temple entrance. “I need to ask you something,” the king told Jeremiah. “You mustn't hide anything from me.”
Tete Fia Zedekia dɔ amewo ɖa be woayɔ Nyagblɔɖila Yeremia vɛ eye wòna wokplɔe yi ɖe Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ la ƒe agbo etɔ̃lia nu. Fia la gblɔ nɛ be, “Mele nya aɖe bia ge wò; mègaɣla naneke ɖem o.”
15 “If I tell you then you'll definitely have me killed,” Jeremiah replied. “Even if I were to give you advice, you wouldn't listen to me anyway.”
Yeremia gblɔ na Zedekia be, “Ne mena ŋuɖoɖo wò la, màwum oa? Ne meɖo aɖaŋu na wò gɔ̃ hã la, màɖo tom o.”
16 King Zedekiah solemnly promised Jeremiah in private, “As the Lord lives, who gave us this life, I won't have you killed, and I won't hand you over to those who want to kill you.”
Ke Fia Zedekia ka atam sia na Yeremia le bebeme be, “Meta Yehowa, ame si na agbegbɔgbɔ mí la ƒe agbe be, nyemawu wò loo, alo atsɔ wò ade asi na ame siwo le wò ku dim la o.”
17 Then Jeremiah told Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you hand yourself over to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you'll live. Jerusalem won't be burned down, and you and your family will survive.
Tete Yeremia gblɔ na Zedekia be, “Ale Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Mawu, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔe nye esi: ‘Ne ètsɔ ɖokuiwò de asi na Babilonia fia ƒe amegãwo la, àɖe wò agbe eye womatɔ dzo du sia hã o, ale wò ŋutɔ kple wò ƒometɔwo siaa miatsi agbe.
18 But if you don't hand yourself over to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you yourself won't escape being captured.”
Ke ne ègbe be yematsɔ ɖokuiwò ade asi na Babilonia fia ƒe amegãwo o la, woatsɔ du sia ade asi na Babiloniatɔwo woatɔ dzoe keŋkeŋ eye wò ŋutɔ hã màdo le woƒe asi me o.’”
19 But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the those people of Judah who have gone over to the Babylonians, because the Babylonians might hand me over the them so they could abuse me.”
Fia Zedekia gblɔ na Yeremia be, “Mele vɔvɔ̃m na Yudatɔ siwo si yi ɖe Babiloniatɔwo gbɔ, elabena Babiloniatɔwo ate ŋu atsɔm ade asi na wo eye woawɔ fum.”
20 “They won't hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “If you obey what the Lord says by doing what I tell you, then things will go well for you and you'll live.
Yeremia ɖo eŋu nɛ be, “Womatsɔ wò ade asi na wo o. Ɖo to Yehowa, nàwɔ nu si megblɔ na wò, ekema eme anyo na wò eye àɖe wò agbe.
21 But if you refuse to hand yourself over, this is what the Lord has told me:
Ke ne ègbe, mèna ta o la, nu si Yehowa ɖe fiam lae nye esi:
22 All the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah will be led out and handed over to the officials of the king of Babylon Those women will say: ‘Those good friends of yours! You were taken in by them and conquered by them. Your feet got stuck in the mid, so they abandoned you.’
‘Woakplɔ nyɔnu siwo katã susɔ ɖe Yuda fia ƒe fiasã me la vɛ na Babiloniatɔwo ƒe amegãwo. Nyɔnuawo agblɔ na wò be: “‘Xɔ̃wò siwo dzi nèka ɖo la kplɔ wò trae, eye woɖu dziwò. Wò afɔ ɖo ba, eye xɔ̃wòwo kaka le ŋuwò.’
23 All your wives and children will be handed over to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape, for you will be captured by the king of Babylon, and Jerusalem will be burned down.”
“Woakplɔ srɔ̃wòwo katã kple viwòwo ayi na Babiloniatɔwo, wò ŋutɔ màsi le wo ƒe asi me o, ke boŋ Babilonia fia alé wò eye wòatɔ dzo du sia keŋkeŋ.”
24 Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Nobody can find out about this conversation, otherwise you'll die.
Tete Zedekia gblɔ na Yeremia be, “Mègana ame aɖeke nanya nu le dzeɖoɖo si yi edzi le mía dome la ŋuti o, ne menye nenema o la, àku.
25 If the officers find out that I've talked with you, and they come and ask you, ‘Tell us what you and the king were talking about! Don't hide anything from us, or we'll kill you;’
Ne adzɔ be dumegãwo ase be meƒo nu kpli wò, eye woava gbɔwò agblɔ be: ‘Gblɔ nu si nègblɔ na fia la kple ale si fia la ɖo eŋui na wò la na mí, mègaɣla ɖeke ɖe mí o, ne menye nenema o la, àku’ la,
26 then you are to tell them, ‘I was asking the king to grant my request not to return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”
ekema gblɔ na wo be, ‘Ɖeko mele kuku ɖem na fia la be megatrɔm ɖo ɖe Yonatan ƒe aƒe me, ne maku ɖe afi ma o.’”
27 When all the officers came to Jeremiah wanting to know, he repeated to them exactly what the king had told him to say. So they didn't ask him anything more because no one had heard what had been said.
Kasia, dumegãwo katã va ƒo kɔ ɖe Yeremia ŋu hebia gbee tso gododo la ŋu eye wògblɔ nu si fia la de se nɛ be wòagblɔ la na wo. Ale womegabia nya aɖekee o, elabena ame aɖeke mese dzeɖoɖo si yi dzi le wo kple fia la dome o.
28 Jeremiah remained there in the guard's courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Ale Yeremia tsi dzɔlawo ƒe xɔxɔnu va se ɖe esime woxɔ Yerusalem du la. Yerusalem du la xɔxɔ yi ale:
