Jeremia 37
1 Na rĩrĩ, Zedekia mũrũ wa Josia nĩatuirwo mũthamaki wa Juda nĩ Nebukadinezaru mũthamaki wa Babuloni, nake agĩthamaka ithenya rĩa Jekonia mũrũ wa Jehoiakimu.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon replaced Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim with Zedekiah son of Josiah as the ruling king of Judah.
2 No rĩrĩ, we mwene o na kana arĩa maamũtungatagĩra, na andũ a bũrũri ũcio matiarũmbũirie ciugo iria Jehova aarĩtie na kanua ka Jeremia ũcio mũnabii.
But Zedekiah and his officers and everyone else in the country refused to obey what the Lord had said through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 Nake Mũthamaki Zedekia agĩtũma Jehukali mũrũ wa Shelemia marĩ na Zefania mũrũ wa Maaseia ũrĩa mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai mathiĩ kũrĩ Jeremia ũcio mũnabii, mamũtwarĩre ndũmĩrĩri ĩno: “Twagũthaitha ũtũhooere kũrĩ Jehova, Ngai witũ.”
However, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us!”
4 Na rĩrĩ, ihinda rĩu Jeremia aarĩ na wĩyathi wa gũceeranga gatagatĩ-inĩ ka andũ, nĩgũkorwo ndaakoretwo aikĩtio njeera.
(At this time Jeremiah could come and go freely, because as yet they hadn't put him in prison.)
5 Hĩndĩ ĩyo mbũtũ cia ita cia Firaũni nĩcioimagarĩte kuuma bũrũri wa Misiri, na rĩrĩa andũ a Babuloni arĩa maarigiicĩirie Jerusalemu maiguire ũhoro wacio, makĩhũndũka, makĩehera kũu Jerusalemu.
Pharaoh's army was advancing from Egypt, and when the Babylonian army heard about it, they moved away from Jerusalem.
6 Hĩndĩ ĩyo ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova ĩgĩkinyĩra Jeremia ũcio mũnabii, akĩĩrwo atĩrĩ,
Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet:
7 “Jehova, Ngai wa Isiraeli, ekuuga atĩrĩ: Ĩra mũthamaki wa Juda, ũcio ũgũtũmĩte ũũke ũhooe kĩrĩra harĩ niĩ, atĩrĩ, ‘Mbũtũ cia ita cia Firaũni icio irooka gũgũteithia-rĩ, nĩigũcooka bũrũri wacio, kũu bũrũri wa Misiri.
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, instructs you to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask me for help: Look! Pharaoh's army, which set out to help you, is going to return home to Egypt.
8 Hĩndĩ ĩyo nao andũ a Babuloni nĩmagacooka gũkũ na matharĩkĩre itũũra rĩĩrĩ inene, marĩtunyane na marĩcine na mwaki.’
Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem. They will capture it and burn it down.
9 “Jehova ekuuga atĩrĩ: Tigai kwĩheenia, mũgĩĩciiria atĩrĩ, ‘Andũ a Babuloni ti-itherũ nĩmegũtigana na ithuĩ matweherere.’ Matigeeka ũguo!
This is what the Lord says: Don't fool yourselves by saying, “The Babylonians are gone for good,” because they're not!
10 O na mũngĩhoota mbũtũ ciothe cia ita cia andũ a Babuloni icio iramũtharĩkĩra, na gũtuĩke atĩ no andũ arĩa matiihangĩtio matigĩtwo hema-inĩ ciao-rĩ, no moime kũu hema-inĩ na macine itũũra rĩĩrĩ na mwaki.”
In fact, even if you were able to kill the whole Babylonian army attacking you, leaving only wounded men in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.
11 Thuutha wa mbũtũ icio cia ita cia andũ a Babuloni kwehera kũu Jerusalemu nĩ ũndũ wa mbũtũ cia Firaũni,
When the Babylonian army moved away from Jerusalem because of the threat of Pharaoh's army,
12 Jeremia nĩoimagarire kuuma itũũra-inĩ rĩu inene nĩguo athiĩ bũrũri wa Benjamini akenyiitĩre igai rĩake rĩa gĩthaka gatagatĩ-inĩ ka andũ arĩa maarĩ kuo.
Jeremiah was on his way out of Jerusalem to go to his home in the territory of Benjamin to claim his share of his family's property.
13 No rĩrĩa aakinyire Kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa Benjamini, mũnene wa arangĩri ũrĩa wetagwo Irija mũrũ wa Shelemia, mũrũ wa Hanania, akĩmũnyiita, akiuga atĩrĩ, “Wee nĩ kũũra ũroora ũthiĩ ũkeneane kũrĩ andũ a Babuloni!”
However, when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the guard captain, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, arrested him, saying, “You're defecting to the Babylonians!”
14 Jeremia akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Aca ũguo tiguo! Niĩ ti kũũra ndĩroora ngeneane kũrĩ andũ a Babuloni.” No Irija akĩrega kũmũthikĩrĩria; handũ ha ũguo akĩnyiita Jeremia, akĩmũtwara kũrĩ anene.
“That's not true,” Jeremiah replied. “I'm not defecting to the Babylonians!” But Irijah refused to listen to him. He arrested Jeremiah and took him before the officers.
15 Anene acio nĩmarakarĩire Jeremia, na magĩathana ahũũrwo na ahingĩrwo nyũmba ya Jonathani ũrĩa mwandĩki, ĩrĩa maatuĩte njeera.
The officers were furious with Jeremiah. They had him beaten and locked up in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which had been turned into a prison.
16 Nake Jeremia agĩtoonyio mungu-inĩ warĩ kanyũmba ga thĩinĩ mũno kũu kĩoho-inĩ, kũrĩa aikarire matukũ maingĩ.
Jeremiah was placed in a cell in the underground dungeon and was kept there for a long time.
17 Na thuutha ũcio Mũthamaki Zedekia agĩtũmana areehwo kũu nyũmba-inĩ ya ũthamaki. Arĩ kũu, mũthamaki akĩmũũria na hitho atĩrĩ, “Hihi nĩ harĩ ndũmĩrĩri yumĩte kũrĩ Jehova?” Nake Jeremia akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Ĩĩ, nĩ kũrĩ; wee nĩũkaneanwo moko-inĩ ma mũthamaki wa Babuloni.”
Some while later King Zedekiah secretly sent for him and had him brought to the royal palace where he asked, “Is there a message from Lord for me?” “Yes there is,” Jeremiah replied. “You are going to be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
18 Ningĩ Jeremia akĩĩra Mũthamaki Zedekia atĩrĩ, “Nĩ ũndũ ũrĩkũ ngwĩhĩtie we mwene, kana ndungata ciaku, o na kana andũ aya, nĩguo njikio njeera?
Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or these people, for you to put me in prison?
19 Marĩ ha anabii acio aku, acio maakũrathĩire ũhoro atĩrĩ, ‘Mũthamaki wa Babuloni ndagagũtharĩkĩra wee o na kana bũrũri ũyũ’?
Where are your prophets now, the ones who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon won't come and attack you and this country’?
20 Na rĩu-rĩ, wee mũthamaki mwathi wakwa, ĩtĩkĩra gũthikĩrĩria. Njĩtĩkĩria ndeehe mathaithana makwa mbere yaku: Ndũkanjookie nyũmba ya Jonathani ũrĩa mwandĩki, ndigakuĩre kuo.”
Now please listen to me, my lord the king, and respond positively to my request. Don't send me back to prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, otherwise I'll die there.”
21 Nake Mũthamaki Zedekia akĩruta watho, akiuga atĩ Jeremia aigwo kũu nja ĩrĩa ya arangĩri, na aheagwo mũgate o mũthenya ũrutĩtwo barabara-inĩ ya arugi mĩgate, o nginya rĩrĩa mĩgate ĩgaathira kũu itũũra-inĩ inene. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Jeremia agĩikara kũu nja ĩyo ya arangĩri.
King Zedekiah gave the order for Jeremiah to be held in the guard's courtyard and be provided with a loaf of bread every day from a bakery until there was no bread left in the city. So Jeremiah stayed in the guard's courtyard.
