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.
Shefania mwanakomana waMatani naGedharia mwanakomana waPashuri mwanakomana waMarikiya vakanzwa zvaitaurwa naJeremia kuvanhu vose paakati,
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.
“Zvanzi naJehovha: ‘Ani naani achagara muguta rino achafa nomunondo, nenzara kana denda, asi ani naani achazvipira kuvaBhabhironi achararama. Achatiza noupenyu hwake; achararama.’
3 Yahweh also says that the army of the King of Babylon will certainly capture this city [DOU].”
Zvakare, zvanzi naJehovha: ‘Zvirokwazvo guta rino richaiswa mumaoko ehondo yamambo weBhabhironi, ndiye acharikunda.’”
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.”
Ipapo machinda akati kuna mambo, “Munhu uyu anofanira kufa. Ari kuodza mwoyo yavarwi vakasara muguta rino, pamwe chete navanhu vose, nezvinhu zvaanotaura kwavari. Uyu munhu haatsvaki zvakanakira vanhu ava asi kuparadzwa kwavo.”
5 King Zedekiah said, “All right, do to him what you want to; I do not have the power to stop you.”
Mambo Zedhekia akapindura akati, “Ari mumaoko enyu, Mambo haana zvaangagona kupikisana nemi.”
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.
Saka vakatora Jeremia vakamuisa mugomba raMarikiya, mwanakomana wamambo, rakanga riri muruvazhe rwavarindi. Vakaburutsira Jeremia mugomba netambo: rakanga risina mvura mariri, asi madhaka bedzi, nokudaro Jeremia akanyura mumadhaka.
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.
Asi Ebhedhi-Mereki muEtiopia aiva muchinda mumuzinda woushe, akazvinzwa kuti vakanga vaisa Jeremia mugomba. Panguva yakanga yakagara mambo paSuo raBhenjamini,
8 Ebed-Melech went out of the palace and said to the king,
Ebhedhi-Mereki akabuda mumuzinda woushe akati kwaari, “Ishe wangu mambo, varume ava vaita zvakaipa kwazvo pane zvose zvavaita kumuprofita Jeremia.
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!”
Vamukanda mugomba umo maachaziya nenzara akafa kana chingwa chapera muguta.”
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!”
Ipapo mambo akarayira Ebhedhi-Mereki muEtiopia, akati, “Tora varume makumi matatu pano uende navo munobudisa muprofita Jeremia mugomba asati afa.”
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.
Saka Ebhedhi-Mereki akatora varume akaenda navo kumba yaiva pasi pechivigiro chepfuma mumuzinda wamambo. Akatorawo mamvemve nenguo tsaru kubva ipapo ndokuzvidzikisa pasi netambo kuna Jeremia mugomba.
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.
Ebhedhi-Mereki muEtiopia akati kuna Jeremia, “Isa mamvemve nenguo dzakasakara idzi muhapwa dzako kuti zviputire tambo.” Jeremia akaita saizvozvo,
13 Then they pulled me out of the well. I [returned] to the courtyard where the palace guards stayed, and I stayed there.
ndokubva vamukweva netambo ndokumubudisa kubva mugomba. Nokudaro Jeremia akaramba ari paruvazhe rwavarindi.
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.”
Ipapo mambo Zedhekia akatuma nhume akauyisa muprofita Jeremia pamukova wechitatu wokupinda patemberi yaJehovha. Mambo akati kuna Jeremia, “Ndinoda kukubvunza chimwe chinhu. Usandivanzira chinhu.”
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 akati kuna Zedhekia, “Kana ndikakupai mhinduro, hamuzondiurayi here? Kunyange ndikakupai zano, hamunganditeereri.”
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.”
Asi mambo Zedhekia akapikira Jeremia mhiko iyi pakavanda achiti, “Zvirokwazvo naJehovha mupenyu, iye akatipa mweya watinofema, handingakuurayi kana kukuisa mumaoko eavo vanotsvaka kukuuraya.”
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.
Ipapo Jeremia akati kuna Zedhekia, “Zvanzi naJehovha Mwari Wamasimba Ose, Mwari waIsraeri: ‘Kana ukazvipira kuvaranda vamambo weBhabhironi, upenyu hwenyu hucharwirwa uye guta rino haringapiswi; imi nemhuri muchararama.
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.’”
Asi kana mukaramba kuzvipira kuvaranda vamambo weBhabhironi, guta rino richaiswa mumaoko avaBhabhironi uye vacharipisa; nemi pachenyu hamungapukunyuki pamaoko avo.’”
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.”
Mambo Zedhekia akati kuna Jeremia, “Ndinotya vaJudha vakaenda kuvaBhabhironi, kuti vaBhabhironi vangangondiisa mumaoko avo vakandiitira zvakaipa.”
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.
Jeremia akati kwaari, “Havangakuisiyi kwavari. Teererai Jehovha nokuita zvandakuudzai. Ipapo zvichakunakirai imi, uye upenyu hwenyu huchararamiswa.
21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what Yahweh has revealed to me:
Asi kana mukaramba kuzvipira, hezvino zvandakaratidzwa naJehovha.
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.’
Vakadzi vose vakasara mumuzinda wamambo weJudha vachabudiswa vachiendeswa kumachinda amambo weBhabhironi. Vakadzi ivavo vachati kwamuri: “‘Vakakutsausai uye vakakukundai, ivo shamwari dzamaivimba nadzo. Tsoka dzenyu dzanyura mumadhaka; shamwari dzenyu dzakakutizai.’
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.”
“Vakadzi venyu vose navana vachabudiswa vachiendeswa kuvaBhabhironi. Nemi pachenyu hamungapukunyuki mumaoko avo, asi muchabatwa namambo weBhabhironi; uye guta rino richapiswa.”
24 Then Zedekiah said to me, “Do not tell anyone what you told me; if you tell anyone, my officials may kill you.
Ipapo Zedhekia akati kuna Jeremia, “Ngakurege kuva nomunhu anoziva zvatakurukura izvi nokuti ungafa.
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.’
Kana machinda akanzwa kuti ndakataura newe, vakauya kwauri vachiti, ‘Tiudze zvawataura kuna mambo uye zvarehwa namambo kwauri; usativanzira kuti tirege kukuuraya,’
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].”
ipapo uvaudze kuti, ‘Ndanga ndichikumbira kuna mambo kuti arege kundidzoserazve kuimba yaJonatani kuti ndinofirako.’”
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.
Machinda ose akauya kuna Jeremia ndokumubvunza, iye akavaudza zvinhu zvose zvaakanga arayirwa namambo kuti ataure. Naizvozvo vakarega kutaura naye zvakare, nokuti hapana akanga anzwa zvaakanga akurukura namambo.
28 So I remained being guarded in the courtyard [of the palace], until the day that [the army of Babylonia] captured Jerusalem.
Naizvozvo Jeremia akaramba ari muruvazhe rwavarindi kusvikira pazuva rakapambwa Jerusarema.
