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.
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 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 King Zedekiah and his palace officials and the other people in the land paid no attention to the messages that Yahweh gave me.
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, [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 Na rĩrĩ, ihinda rĩu Jeremia aarĩ na wĩyathi wa gũceeranga gatagatĩ-inĩ ka andũ, nĩgũkorwo ndaakoretwo aikĩtio njeera.
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 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.
[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 Hĩndĩ ĩyo ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova ĩgĩkinyĩra Jeremia ũcio mũnabii, akĩĩrwo atĩrĩ,
Then Yahweh gave this message to me:
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.
“[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 Hĩndĩ ĩyo nao andũ a Babuloni nĩmagacooka gũkũ na matharĩkĩre itũũra rĩĩrĩ inene, marĩtunyane na marĩcine na mwaki.’
Then the army of Babylonia will return here and capture this city and burn everything in it.’
9 “Jehova ekuuga atĩrĩ: Tigai kwĩheenia, mũgĩĩciiria atĩrĩ, ‘Andũ a Babuloni ti-itherũ nĩmegũtigana na ithuĩ matweherere.’ Matigeeka ũguo!
[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 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.”
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 Thuutha wa mbũtũ icio cia ita cia andũ a Babuloni kwehera kũu Jerusalemu nĩ ũndũ wa mbũtũ cia Firaũni,
When the army from Babylonia left Jerusalem because the army from Egypt was approaching,
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.
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 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!”
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 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.
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 Anene acio nĩmarakarĩire Jeremia, na magĩathana ahũũrwo na ahingĩrwo nyũmba ya Jonathani ũrĩa mwandĩki, ĩrĩa maatuĩte njeera.
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 Nake Jeremia agĩtoonyio mungu-inĩ warĩ kanyũmba ga thĩinĩ mũno kũu kĩoho-inĩ, kũrĩa aikarire matukũ maingĩ.
They put me in a dungeon/cell in that prison, and I remained there for several days.
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.”
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 Ningĩ Jeremia akĩĩra Mũthamaki Zedekia atĩrĩ, “Nĩ ũndũ ũrĩkũ ngwĩhĩtie we mwene, kana ndungata ciaku, o na kana andũ aya, nĩguo njikio njeera?
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 Marĩ ha anabii acio aku, acio maakũrathĩire ũhoro atĩrĩ, ‘Mũthamaki wa Babuloni ndagagũtharĩkĩra wee o na kana bũrũri ũyũ’?
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 Na rĩu-rĩ, wee mũthamaki mwathi wakwa, ĩtĩkĩra gũthikĩrĩria. Njĩtĩkĩria ndeehe mathaithana makwa mbere yaku: Ndũkanjookie nyũmba ya Jonathani ũrĩa mwandĩki, ndigakuĩre kuo.”
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 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.
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.
