Jeremiah 38
1 [Four officials, ] Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malkijah, heard what I had been telling all the people.
Nao Shefatia mũrũ wa Matani, na Gedalia mũrũ wa Pashuri, na Jehukali mũrũ wa Shemalia, o na Pashuri mũrũ wa Malikija nĩmaiguire ũrĩa Jeremia eeraga andũ othe, rĩrĩa oigire atĩrĩ,
2 [I had been telling them] that Yahweh was saying, “Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die. They will be killed by [their enemies’] swords or from famines or from diseases. But those who surrender to the Babylonian army, they will be spared. They will not be killed.
“Jehova ekuuga atĩrĩ: ‘Mũndũ ũrĩa wothe ũgũikara itũũra-inĩ rĩĩrĩ inene nĩakooragwo na rũhiũ rwa njora, kana ngʼaragu, kana mũthiro, no ũrĩa ũgwĩtwara kũrĩ andũ a Babuloni nĩagatũũra muoyo. Nĩakahonokia muoyo wake; nĩagatũũra muoyo.’
3 Yahweh also says that the army of the King of Babylon will certainly capture this city [DOU].”
Ningĩ, Jehova ekuuga atĩrĩ: ‘Itũũra rĩĩrĩ inene no nginya rĩkaneanwo kũrĩ mbũtũ cia ita cia mũthamaki wa Babuloni, ũrĩa ũkaarĩtunyana.’”
4 So those officials [went] to the king and said, “This man [Jeremiah] should be executed! Because of what he is saying, he is discouraging our soldiers who remain in the city. He is also discouraging the people. He is not saying things that will help us; he is saying things that will defeat us.”
Hĩndĩ ĩyo anene makĩĩra mũthamaki atĩrĩ, “Mũndũ ũyũ aagĩrĩire ooragwo. Nĩaratũma thigari iria itigaire gũkũ itũũra-inĩ rĩĩrĩ inene ciĩtigĩre, o ũndũ ũmwe na andũ aya othe, nĩ ũndũ wa maũndũ macio arameera. Mũndũ ũyũ ndarĩ ũndũ mwega areciirĩria andũ aya tiga o ũũru.”
5 King Zedekiah said, “All right, do to him what you want to; I do not have the power to stop you.”
Mũthamaki Zedekia agĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Arĩ moko-inĩ manyu; mũthamaki ndangĩgirĩrĩria mwĩke ũrĩa inyuĩ mũkwenda.”
6 So those officials took me from my cell and lowered me by ropes into a well in the courtyard. The well belonged to Malkijah, who was a son of the king. There was no water in the well, but there was [a lot of] mud, so I sank [down deep] into the mud.
Nĩ ũndũ ũcio makĩnyiita Jeremia makĩmũikia irima rĩa maaĩ rĩa Malikija, ũrĩa mũrũ wa mũthamaki, rĩrĩa rĩarĩ kũu nja ĩyo ya arangĩri. Magĩikũrũkia Jeremia irima rĩu rĩa maaĩ na mĩkanda; no rĩtiarĩ na maaĩ, no mũtondo rĩarĩ, nake Jeremia agĩtoonyerera kũu mũtondo-inĩ ũcio.
7 But Ebed-Melech, a palace official from Ethiopia, heard [someone say] that I was in the well. [At that time] the king was deciding/judging people’s cases at the Benjamin Gate.
No rĩrĩ, Ebedi-Meleku ũrĩa Mũkushi, ũmwe wa arĩa mehokeirwo wĩra wa kũu nyũmba-inĩ ya ũthamaki, nĩaiguire atĩ nĩmaikĩtie Jeremia irima rĩu rĩa maaĩ. Hĩndĩ ĩyo mũthamaki aikarĩte Kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa Benjamini,
8 Ebed-Melech went out of the palace and said to the king,
Ebedi-Meleku akiuma hau nja ya nyũmba ya ũthamaki, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ,
9 “Your majesty, those men have done a very evil thing. They have put the prophet Jeremiah in a well. [Almost] all the food in the city is gone, [so they will not be able to bring him any food] and as a result he will die from hunger!”
“Mũthamaki mwathi wakwa, andũ aya nĩmekĩte ũũru nĩ ũndũ wa maũndũ maya mothe mekĩte Jeremia ũrĩa mũnabii. Nĩmamũikĩtie irima rĩa maaĩ, akuĩre kuo nĩ ngʼaragu, tondũ mĩgate ĩkirie gũthira gũkũ itũũra-inĩ inene.”
10 So the king told Ebed-Melech, “Take thirty of my men/soldiers with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the well, in order that he does not die!”
Hĩndĩ ĩyo mũthamaki agĩatha Ebedi-Meleku ũcio Mũkushi, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ: “Oya andũ mĩrongo ĩtatũ kuuma haha mũthiĩ nao mũkarute Jeremia ũcio mũnabii kuuma irima rĩu rĩa maaĩ atanakua.”
11 So Ebed-Melech took thirty men with him and they went into a room in the palace below the room where they stored very valuable things. There they found some old rags and discarded clothing. They took those things and went to the well. They fastened them to a rope and lowered the rope to me.
Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Ebedi-Meleku akĩoya andũ acio, agĩthiĩ nao, nao magĩtoonya kanyũmba kaarĩ rungu rwa harĩa haaigagwo mũthiithũ wa indo cia bata kũu thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya ũthamaki. Akĩoya ndangari imwe cia nguo ngũrũ, na nguo iria nduĩku ciarĩ kuo, agĩciikũrũkĩria Jeremia na mĩkanda kũu irima rĩa maaĩ.
12 Then Ebed-Melech called down to me, “Put these rags underneath your armpits, to protect you from [being injured by] the ropes!” So I did that.
Ebedi-Meleku ũcio Mũkushi, akĩĩra Jeremia atĩrĩ: “Ĩkĩra nguo icio ngũrũ na ndangari icio njegeeke, wĩrigĩrĩrie gũkerwo nĩ mĩkanda ĩyo.” Nake Jeremia agĩĩka o ũguo,
13 Then they pulled me out of the well. I [returned] to the courtyard where the palace guards stayed, and I stayed there.
nao makĩmũguucia na mĩkanda ĩyo, makĩmũruta irima rĩu rĩa maaĩ. Nake Jeremia agĩikara kũu nja ĩyo ya arangĩri.
14 [One day] King Zedekiah summoned me, and I was brought to the king, [who was waiting for me] at the entrance of the temple. He said to me, “I want to ask you something. I want you [to answer me truthfully, and] and to not conceal anything.”
Mũthamaki Zedekia agĩtũmanĩra Jeremia ũcio mũnabii, akiuga areehwo itoonyero-inĩ rĩa gatatũ rĩa hekarũ ya Jehova. Mũthamaki akĩĩra Jeremia atĩrĩ, “Nĩngũkũũria ũndũ. Nawe ndũkaahithe ũhoro o na ũrĩkũ.”
15 I replied, “If I tell you [the truth], you will [command that I] be executed. And if I give you [good] advice, you will not pay attention to what I say.”
Jeremia akĩĩra Zedekia atĩrĩ, “Ingĩkuumburĩra ũhoro-rĩ, githĩ ndũkũnjũraga? O na ingĩgũtaara-rĩ, wee ndũngĩĩthikĩrĩria.”
16 But King Zedekiah secretly promised me, “[Tell me the truth]! And as surely as Yahweh lives, I will not [cause] you to be executed, and I will not hand you over to those who are wanting to kill you.”
Nake Mũthamaki Zedekia akĩĩhĩta mwĩhĩtwa na hitho harĩ Jeremia, akiuga ũũ: “Ti-itherũ o ta ũrĩa Jehova atũũraga muoyo, o we ũrĩa watũheire muoyo ũyũ tũrĩ naguo-rĩ, niĩ ndigũkũũraga kana ngũneane moko-inĩ ma acio mendaga gũkũruta muoyo.”
17 [So] then I said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, you and your family will (be spared/not be killed), and this city will not be burned.
Nake Jeremia akĩĩra Zedekia atĩrĩ, “Ũũ nĩguo Jehova Ngai-Mwene-Hinya-Wothe, o we Ngai wa Isiraeli, ekuuga: ‘Ũngĩĩneeana kũrĩ anene a mũthamaki wa Babuloni, muoyo waku nĩũkũhonokio, o na itũũra rĩĩrĩ inene rĩtigaacinwo; wee na andũ a nyũmba yaku nĩmũgũtũũra muoyo.
18 But if you refuse to surrender to them, you will not escape. And the army from Babylonia will capture this city and completely burn it.’”
No ũngĩrega kwĩneana kũrĩ anene a mũthamaki wa Babuloni, itũũra rĩĩrĩ nĩrĩkũneanwo kũrĩ andũ a Babuloni, nao marĩcine na mwaki rĩthire; na wee mwene ndũkahonoka kuuma moko-inĩ mao.’”
19 The king replied, “But I am afraid [to surrender to the soldiers from Babylon], because their officers may hand me over to the people of Judah who have already joined the soldiers from Babylonia, and those people from Judah will mistreat me.”
Mũthamaki Zedekia akĩĩra Jeremia atĩrĩ, “Nĩndĩretigĩra Ayahudi arĩa meneanĩte kũrĩ andũ a Babuloni, nĩ ũndũ andũ a Babuloni mahota kũũneana kũrĩ Ayahudi acio nao maanyamarie.”
20 I replied, “If you obey Yahweh by doing what I tell you to do, they will not hand you over to our people. Things will go well for you, and you will remain alive.
Nake Jeremia akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Matigaakũneana kũrĩ o. Wee athĩkĩra Jehova, wĩke ũguo ndĩrakwĩra. Hĩndĩ ĩyo nĩũkona wega, naguo muoyo waku nĩũkahonokio.
21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what Yahweh has revealed to me:
No rĩrĩ, warega kwĩneana, ũũ nĩguo Jehova anguũrĩirie:
22 All the women who remain in your palace will be brought out and given to the officers of the king of Babylon. Then those women will say to you: ‘You had friends whom [you thought] you could trust, but they have deceived you and caused you to make a wrong decision. Now [it is as though] you are stuck in mud, and your friends have abandoned you.’
Andũ-a-nja othe arĩa matigaire thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya mũthamaki wa Juda nĩmagatwarĩrwo anene a mũthamaki wa Babuloni. Andũ-a-nja acio nao magaakwĩra atĩrĩ: “‘Arata acio aku wehokeete nĩmakũhĩtithirie na magĩgũkĩria hinya. Magũrũ maku nĩmatoonyereire mũtondo-inĩ; nao arata aku nĩmagũtiganĩirie.’
23 All of your wives and children [in the city] will be led out to the soldiers from Babylonia, and you also will not escape. [The soldiers of] the King of Babylon will seize you, and they will burn down this city.”
“Atumia aku othe na ciana ciaku nĩmakaneanwo kũrĩ andũ a Babuloni. Wee mwene ndũkehonokia moko-inĩ mao, no nĩũkanyiitwo nĩ mũthamaki wa Babuloni; narĩo itũũra rĩĩrĩ inene nĩrĩgacinwo rĩthire.”
24 Then Zedekiah said to me, “Do not tell anyone what you told me; if you tell anyone, my officials may kill you.
Hĩndĩ ĩyo Zedekia akĩĩra Jeremia atĩrĩ, “Ndũkareke mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ amenye ũhoro wa mĩario ĩno, ndũkae kũũragwo.
25 If my officials find out that I talked to you, perhaps they will come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you and the king were talking about. If you do not tell us, we will kill you.’
Anene mangĩigua atĩ nĩtwaranĩirie nawe, nao moke kũrĩ we makũũrie atĩrĩ, ‘Twĩre ũrĩa wĩrĩte mũthamaki, na ũrĩa nake mũthamaki akwĩrĩte; ndũgatũhithe ũndũ kana tũkũũrage,’
26 If that happens, [just] tell them that you pleaded with me not to send you back to the [dungeon/cell in] Jonathan’s house, [because you were afraid that] you would die [if you were put there again].”
hĩndĩ ĩyo nawe ũmeere atĩrĩ, ‘Nĩgũthaitha ndĩrathaithaga mũthamaki ndakae kũnjookia nyũmba-inĩ kwa Jonathani, ndigakuĩre kuo.’”
27 And [that is what happened]. The king’s officials came to me and asked [why the king had summoned me. But] I told them what the king told me to tell them. So they did not ask me any more [questions], because no one had heard what the king and I had said to each other.
Anene acio othe nĩmookire kũrĩ Jeremia, makĩmũũria ũhoro ũcio, nake akĩmeera ũrĩa wothe aathĩtwo nĩ mũthamaki oige. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio matiamwĩrire ũndũ ũngĩ, nĩgũkorwo gũtirĩ mũndũ waiguĩte ũrĩa maarĩtie na mũthamaki.
28 So I remained being guarded in the courtyard [of the palace], until the day that [the army of Babylonia] captured Jerusalem.
Nake Jeremia agĩikara kũu kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa arangĩri nginya mũthenya ũrĩa itũũra rĩa Jerusalemu rĩatunyanirwo.
