Yeremia 37
1 Babilonia fia Nebukadnezar tsɔ Yosia ƒe vi, Zedekia ɖo fiae ɖe Yuda, ɖe Yehoyakim ƒe vi, Yehoyatsin teƒe.
After Jehoiakim died, [his son Jehoiachin became king for only three months, after which] King Josiah’s son Zedekiah became the King of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, appointed him to be the new king.
2 Ke eya loo, alo eƒe dɔlawo alo ame siwo le anyigba dzi la meɖo to nya siwo Yehowa gblɔ to Nyagblɔɖila Yeremia dzi o.
But King Zedekiah and his palace officials and the other people in the land paid no attention to the messages that Yahweh gave me.
3 Ke hã la, Fia Zedekia dɔ Yehukal, Selemia ƒe vi kple nunɔla Zefania, Maaseya vi ɖo ɖe Nyagblɔɖila Yeremia gbɔ be woagblɔ nɛ be: “Míeɖe kuku, do gbe ɖa na Yehowa míaƒe Mawu la ɖe mía ta.”
However, [one day] King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, who was the son of Maaseiah, to me. They requested me to pray to Yahweh our God for our [nation].
4 Ke azɔ la, ablɔɖe le Yeremia si be wòado ɖe dukɔ la dome agagbɔ, elabena womedee gaxɔ me haɖeke o.
At that time I had not yet been put in prison, so I could come and go wherever and whenever I wanted to, [without being hindered].
5 Farao ƒe aʋakɔwo ho tso Egipte eye esi Babiloniatɔ siwo ɖe to ɖe Yerusalem se esia la, woho dzo le Yerusalem.
[At that time], the army of [Hophra], the King of Egypt, came [to the southern border of Judah]. When the army of Babylonia heard about that, they stopped surrounding Jerusalem and left there [to fight against the army from Egypt].
6 Yehowa ƒe nya va na Nyagblɔɖila Yeremia be,
Then Yahweh gave this message to me:
7 “Ale Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔe nye esi: Gblɔ na Yuda fia, ame si dɔ wò be nàbia gbem la be, ‘Farao ƒe aʋakɔ siwo ho be woava akpe ɖe ŋutiwò la agbugbɔ ayi ɖe Egipte, woƒe anyigba dzi.
“[I], Yahweh, the God whom [you] Israelis [say you belong to], say this: ‘The King of Judah has sent [messengers] to you to ask me [what is going to happen]. Tell the king that even though the army of the King of Egypt came to help him, they are about to return to Egypt.
8 Ekema Babiloniatɔwo atrɔ gbɔ, ava dze du sia dzi, axɔe ahatɔ dzoe wòabi azu dzowɔ.’
Then the army of Babylonia will return here and capture this city and burn everything in it.’
9 “Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: Migable mia ɖokuiwo, asusu be, ‘Babiloniatɔwo aɖe asi le yewo ŋuti o.’ Womaɖe asi o!
[So], this is what I say [to you Israelis]: ‘You should not deceive yourselves, thinking that the army from Babylonia has gone and will not return. That is not true.
10 Kura gɔ̃ hã, ne miaɖu Babiloniatɔ siwo ho aʋa ɖe mia ŋu la ƒe aʋakɔwo katã dzi eye abixɔlawo koe asusɔ ɖe woƒe asaɖa me hã la, woado ava xɔ du sia atɔ dzoe.”
And even if your soldiers could destroy almost all of the soldiers from Babylonia who are attacking you, and allow only a few of them who were wounded to remain alive in their tents, they would come out [of their tents] and burn this city completely!”’”
11 Esi Babiloniatɔwo ƒe aʋakɔwo ho dzo le Yerusalem, le Farao ƒe aʋakɔwo ta la,
When the army from Babylonia left Jerusalem because the army from Egypt was approaching,
12 Yeremia do le dua me be yeayi ɖe Benyaminyigba dzi be yeaxɔ yeƒe gome ɖe ame siwo le afi ma la dome.
I started to leave the city. I intended to go to the area [where the descendants of] Benjamin live, in order to take possession of my share of the property from my family.
13 Gake esi wòɖo Benyamin ƒe Agbo nu la, agbonudzɔlawo ƒe amegã si ŋkɔe nye; Iriya, Selemia ƒe vi, Hananiya ƒe vi, lée hegblɔ be, “Èsi, be yeayi ɖe Babiloniatɔwo dzi!”
But as I was walking out the Benjamin Gate, a guard seized me and said, “You are deserting [us and going] to [the soldiers from] Babylonia!” The man who seized me was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah.
14 Yeremia ɖo eŋu be, “Alakpae, nyemele sisim be mayi ɖe Babiloniatɔwo dzi o.” Ke Iriya gbe meɖo toe o, ke boŋ elé Yeremia eye wòkplɔe yi ɖe dumegãwo gbɔe.
But I [protested and] said, “That is not true! I was not intending to do that!” But Irijah would not pay attention to what I said. He took me to the [king’s] officials.
15 Wodo dziku ɖe Yeremia ŋu vevie, wona woƒoe hetsɔe de ga me ɖe agbalẽŋlɔla Yonatan ƒe aƒe si wotsɔ wɔ gaxɔe la me.
They were very angry with me. They [commanded the guards to] beat me and [then to] put me in the house where Jonathan the king’s secretary stayed. They had changed Jonathan’s house to make it become a prison.
16 Ale wotsɔ Yeremia de gaxɔ dometɔ si sesẽ hedo viviti la me, afi si wònɔ ɣeyiɣi didi aɖe.
They put me in a dungeon/cell in that prison, and I remained there for several days.
17 Tete Fia Zedekia dɔ ame ɖa be woaɖakplɔe vɛ eye wokplɔe va fiasã la mee, afi si wòbiae le, le bebeme be, “Gbe aɖe va tso Yehowa gbɔa?” Yeremia ɖo eŋu be, “Ɛ̃, woakplɔ wò ade asi na Babilonia fia.”
Then King Zedekiah secretly sent a servant to me, who took me to the palace. There the king asked me, “Do you have any messages from Yahweh?” I replied, “Yes, [the message is that] you will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
18 Tete Yeremia gblɔ na Fia Zedekia be, “Agɔ kae medze le dziwò, wò dumegãwo alo ame siawo dzi, be nètsɔm de gaxɔ me?
Then I asked the king, “What crime have I committed [RHQ] against you or against your officials or against the Israeli people, with the result that you have [commanded that] I be put in a prison?
19 Afi ka wò nyagblɔɖila siwo gblɔ nya ɖi na wò be, ‘Babilonia fia mava dze dziwò alo anyigba sia dzi o la le?’
Your prophets predicted that the army of the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land. Why were [RHQ] [their messages] not fulfilled?
20 Ke azɔ la, nye aƒetɔ fia, meɖe kuku, ɖo to nàsee. Na matsɔ nye biabia aɖo ŋkuwòme: Mègatrɔm ɖo ɖe agbalẽŋlɔla Yonatan ƒe aƒe me o, ne menye nenema o la, maku ɖe afi ma.”
Your majesty, I plead with you to listen to me. Do not send me back to the dungeon/cell in the house of Jonathan your secretary, because [if you do that, ] I will die there.”
21 Tete fia Zedekia ɖe gbe be, woatsɔ Yeremia ada ɖe dzɔlawo ƒe xɔxɔnu eye woatsɔ abolo ɖeka nɛ gbe sia gbe tso aboloƒolawo ƒe ablɔ me, va se ɖe esime abolo vɔ le dua me. Ale Yeremia tsi dzɔlawo ƒe xɔxɔnu.
So King Zedekiah commanded that [I not be sent back to the prison cell. Instead, ] I was allowed to be watched by the guards in the courtyard [of the palace]. [The king] also [commanded that they should] bring me a loaf of fresh bread every day, until there was no bread left in the city. So [they put me] in that courtyard and I remained there.
