Jeremiah 38
1 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehukal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard the words that Jeremiah was declaring to all the people. He was saying,
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 “Yahweh says this: Anyone staying in this city will be killed by sword, famine, and plague. But anyone who goes out to the Chaldeans will survive. He will escape with his own life, and live.
“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 Yahweh says this: This city will be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”
Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye si, ‘Woatsɔ du sia ade asi na Babilonia fia ƒe aʋakɔ kokoko eye woaxɔe.’”
4 So the officials said to the king, “Let this man die, for in this way he is weakening the hands of the fighting men who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people. He is proclaiming these words, for this man is not working for safety for this people, but disaster.”
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 So King Zedekiah said, “Look, he is in your hand since there is no king able to resist 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 Then they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malkijah, son of the king. The cistern was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah down on ropes. There was no water in the cistern, but it was muddy, and he sank down 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 Now Ebed-Melek the Cushite was one of the eunuchs in the king's house. He heard that they had placed Jeremiah in the cistern. Now 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-Melek went from the king's house and spoke with the king. He said,
Ebed Melek tso le fiasã la me yi ɖe egbɔ eye wògblɔ nɛ bena,
9 “My master the king, these men have done evil with the way they have treated Jeremiah the prophet. They threw him into a cistern for him to die in it from hunger, since there is no more food 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 Then the king gave a command to Ebed-Melek the Cushite. He said, “Take command of thirty men from here and take 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 So Ebed-Melek took command of those men and went to the king's house, to a storeroom for clothing under the house. From there he took rags and worn-out clothing and then let them down by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.
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-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and worn-out clothing under your arms and on top of the ropes.” So 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 Then they pulled Jeremiah by the ropes. In this way they brought him up from the cistern. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.
Eye wohee kple ka do goe le vudo la me. Ale Yeremia tsi dzɔlawo ƒe xɔxɔnu.
14 Then King Zedekiah sent word and brought Jeremiah the prophet to himself, to the third entrance in Yahweh's house. The king said to Jeremiah, “I want to ask you something. Do not keep the answer 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 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I answer you, will you not certainly kill me? But if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”
Yeremia gblɔ na Zedekia be, “Ne mena ŋuɖoɖo wò la, màwum oa? Ne meɖo aɖaŋu na wò gɔ̃ hã la, màɖo tom o.”
16 But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private and said, “As Yahweh lives, the one who made us, I will not kill you or give you into the hand of those men who are seeking your life.”
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 So Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Yahweh, God of hosts, God of Israel, says this: If you indeed go out to the officials of the king of Babylon then you will live, and this city will not be burned. You and your family will live.
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 do not go out to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans. They will burn it, and you will not escape from their hand.”
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 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “But I am afraid of the people of Judah who have deserted to the Chaldeans, because I might be given over into their hand, for them to treat me badly.”
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 Jeremiah said, “They will not give you over to them. Obey the message from Yahweh that I am telling you, so that things will go well for you, and so that you will 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 go out, this is what Yahweh has shown me.
Ke ne ègbe, mèna ta o la, nu si Yehowa ɖe fiam lae nye esi:
22 Look! All the women who are left in your house, king of Judah, will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. These women will say to you, 'You have been deceived by your friends; they have ruined you. Your feet are now sunk into the mud, and your friends will run away.'
‘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 For all of your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from their hand. You will be captured by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned.”
“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 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not inform anyone about these words, so that you do not 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 officials hear that I have talked with you, and if they come and say to you, 'Tell us what you said to the king and do not hide it from us, or we will 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 must say to them, 'I made a humble plea before the king that he would not 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 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, so he answered them as the king had instructed him. So they stopped talking with him, because they had not heard the conversation between Jeremiah and the king.
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 So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard 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:
