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 Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke unto all the people, saying:
UShefathiya indodana kaMathani, loGedaliya indodana kaPhashuri, uJewukhali indodana kaShelemiya, loPhashuri indodana kaMalikhija bakuzwa uJeremiya ayekutshela abantu bonke esithi,
2 'Thus saith the LORD: He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey, and he shall live.
“UThixo uthi: ‘Lowo ozasala kulelidolobho uzabulawa yinkemba, yindlala kumbe yisifo; kodwa lowo ozakuya kumaKhaladiya uzasila. Uzaphunyuka lokuphila kwakhe; uzaphila.’
3 Thus saith the LORD: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.'
Njalo uThixo uthi: ‘Idolobho leli lizanikelwa impela ebuthweni lenkosi yaseBhabhiloni ezalithumba.’”
4 Then the princes said unto the king: 'Let this man, we pray thee, be put to death; forasmuch as he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them; for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.'
Izikhulu zasezisithi enkosini, “Umuntu lo kumele abulawe. Wenza amabutho asala kulelidolobho aphelelwe lithemba, kanye labantu bonke, ngenxa yezinto azitshoyo kubo. Umuntu lo kadingi okuhle kwabantu laba, kodwa ukubhujiswa kwabo.”
5 Then Zedekiah the king said: 'Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.'
UZedekhiya inkosi waphendula wathi, “Usezandleni zenu. Inkosi ingeke yenze lutho ukuba iliphikise.”
6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard; and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the pit there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
Ngakho bamthatha uJeremiya bamfaka emgodini kaMalikhija, indodana yenkosi, owawusegumeni labalindi. UJeremiya bamehlisela phansi phakathi komgodi ngemichilo; wawungelamanzi, kuludaka kuphela, ngakho uJeremiya watshona edakeni.
7 Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an officer, who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the pit; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;
Kodwa u-Ebhedi-Meleki, umKhushi, isikhulu endlini yobukhosi, wezwa ukuthi basebefake uJeremiya emgodini. Kwathi-ke inkosi ihlezi eSangweni lakoBhenjamini,
8 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spoke to the king, saying:
u-Ebhedi-Meleki waphuma esigodlweni wathi kuyo,
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 pit; and he is like to die in the place where he is because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.'
“Nkosi yami lombusi wami, abantu laba benze ububi kukho konke abakwenze kuJeremiya umphrofethi. Sebemphosele emgodini lapho azalamba khona aze afe kungaselakudla edolobheni.”
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying: 'Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the pit, before he die.'
Ngakho inkosi yalaya u-Ebhedi-Meleki umKhushi yathi, “Thatha amadoda angamatshumi amathathu lapha likhuphe uJeremiya umphrofethi emgodini engakafi.”
11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence worn clouts and worn rags, and let them down by cords into the pit to Jeremiah.
Ngakho u-Ebhedi-Meleki wathatha amadoda lawo waya lawo endlini engaphansi kwendlu yengcebo esigodlweni. Wathatha amanikiniki amadala lezigqoko ezigugileyo khonapho wakwehlisela phansi kuJeremiya emgodini ngemichilo.
12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah: 'Put now these worn clouts and rags under thine armholes under the cords.' And Jeremiah did so.
U-Ebhedi-Meleki umKhushi wathi kuJeremiya, “Faka amanikiniki la amadala lezigqoko lezi ezigugileyo emakhwapheni akho ukuze imichilo ingakulimazi.” UJeremiya wenza njalo,
13 So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the pit; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
basebemdonsela phezulu ngemichilo, bamkhupha emgodini. UJeremiya wahlala egumeni labalindi.
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that was in the house of the LORD; and the king said unto Jeremiah: 'I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.'
Inkosi uZedekhiya wabiza uJeremiya umphrofethi wasiwa entubeni yesithathu yethempeli likaThixo. Inkosi yasisithi kuJeremiya, “Ngizakubuza okuthize. Ungangifihleli lutho.”
15 Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah: 'If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not hearken unto me.'
UJeremiya wathi kuZedekhiya, “Ngingakuphendula kawuyikungibulala na? Loba ngingakweluleka, kawuyikungilalela.”
16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly unto Jeremiah, saying: 'As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.'
Kodwa inkosi uZedekhiya wafunga isifungo lesi ngasese kuJeremiya, wathi, “Ngeqiniso elinjengoba uThixo ekhona, yena owasinika ukuphefumula, angiyikukubulala loba ngikunikele kulabo abafuna ukukubulala.”
17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah: 'Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If thou wilt go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, thou, and thy house;
Lapho-ke uJeremiya wathi kuZedekhiya, “UThixo uNkulunkulu uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, uthi: ‘Ungazinikela ezikhulwini zenkosi yaseBhabhiloni, impilo yakho izaphepha njalo ledolobho leli kaliyikutshiswa ngomlilo; wena labendlu yakho lizasila.
18 but if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.'
Kodwa nxa ungazinikeli ezikhulwini zenkosi yaseBhabhiloni, idolobho leli lizanikelwa kumaKhaladiya azalitshisa ngomlilo; njalo wena uqobo kawuyikuphunyuka ezandleni zawo.’”
19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah: 'I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.'
INkosi uZedekhiya wasesithi kuJeremiya, “Ngiyabesaba abakoJuda asebe kumaKhaladiya, ngoba amaKhaladiya anganginikela kubo bangiphathe kubi.”
20 But Jeremiah said: 'They shall not deliver thee. Hearken, I beseech thee, to the voice of the LORD, in that which I speak unto thee; so it shall be well with thee, and thy soul shall live.
UJeremiya wathi, “Kabayikukunikela. Lalela uThixo ngokwenza lokhu engikutshela khona. Lapho-ke kuzakulungela, njalo lempilo yakho izaphepha.
21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shown me:
Kodwa ungala ukuzinikela, nanku okuvezwe nguThixo kimi:
22 Behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say: Thy familiar friends have set thee on, and have prevailed over thee; thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.
Bonke abesifazane abasele endlini yobukhosi yenkosi yakoJuda bazakhutshelwa phandle ezikhulwini zenkosi yaseBhabhiloni bathi kuwe: ‘Bakukhohlisile bakwehlula abangane bakho abathenjiweyo. Inyawo zakho zitshonile edakeni; abangane bakho bakudelile.’
23 And they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans; and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon; and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.'
Abafazi bakho kanye labantwana bazakhutshelwa phandle kumaKhaladiya. Lawe uqobo kawuyikuphunyuka ezandleni zawo, kodwa uzathunjwa yinkosi yaseBhabhiloni; njalo idolobho leli lizatshiswa ngomlilo.”
24 Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah: 'Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
UZedekhiya wasesithi kuJeremiya, “Akungabi lomuntu omazisa inkulumo le, hlezi ufe.
25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee: Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king; hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee;
Izikhulu zingezwa ukuthi ngike ngakhuluma lawe, besezisiza kuwe zithi, ‘Sitshele lokho okutshiloyo enkosini kanye lokutshiwo yinkosi kuwe; ungasifihleli funa sikubulale,’
26 then thou shalt say unto them: I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there.'
wena zitshele uthi, ‘Kade ngincenga inkosi ukuthi ingangibuyiseli endlini kaJonathani ukuyafela khona.’”
27 Then came all the princes unto 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 reported.
Lakanye izikhulu zonke zaya kuJeremiya zambuza, yena wazitshela konke inkosi eyayimlaye ukuthi akutsho. Ngakho kazisatshongo lutho kuye futhi, ngoba kakho owayeyizwile inkulumo yakhe lenkosi.
28 So Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And it came to pass, when Jerusalem was taken —
UJeremiya wahlala egumeni labalindi kwaze kwaba lusuku lokuthunjwa kweJerusalema. IJerusalema lathunjwa kanje:
