Jeremia 38
1 Nao Shefatia mũrũ wa Matani, na Gedalia mũrũ wa Pashuri, na Jehukali mũrũ wa Shemalia, o na Pashuri mũrũ wa Malikija nĩmaiguire ũrĩa Jeremia eeraga andũ othe, rĩrĩa oigire atĩrĩ,
Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard what Jeremiah was telling everyone:
2 “Jehova ekuuga atĩrĩ: ‘Mũndũ ũrĩa wothe ũgũikara itũũra-inĩ rĩĩrĩ inene nĩakooragwo na rũhiũ rwa njora, kana ngʼaragu, kana mũthiro, no ũrĩa ũgwĩtwara kũrĩ andũ a Babuloni nĩagatũũra muoyo. Nĩakahonokia muoyo wake; nĩagatũũra muoyo.’
This is what the Lord says: Anyone who remains in this city will die from war and famine and disease, but anyone who goes over to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be to save their lives.
3 Ningĩ, Jehova ekuuga atĩrĩ: ‘Itũũra rĩĩrĩ inene no nginya rĩkaneanwo kũrĩ mbũtũ cia ita cia mũthamaki wa Babuloni, ũrĩa ũkaarĩtunyana.’”
This is what the Lord says: Be sure of this—Jerusalem will be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. He is going to capture it.
4 Hĩndĩ ĩyo anene makĩĩra mũthamaki atĩrĩ, “Mũndũ ũyũ aagĩrĩire ooragwo. Nĩaratũma thigari iria itigaire gũkũ itũũra-inĩ rĩĩrĩ inene ciĩtigĩre, o ũndũ ũmwe na andũ aya othe, nĩ ũndũ wa maũndũ macio arameera. Mũndũ ũyũ ndarĩ ũndũ mwega areciirĩria andũ aya tiga o ũũru.”
The officers told the king, “This man deserves to die because he's demoralizing the defenders left in the city, and all the people too, by telling them this. This man isn't trying to help these people, he's only going to destroy them.”
5 Mũthamaki Zedekia agĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Arĩ moko-inĩ manyu; mũthamaki ndangĩgirĩrĩria mwĩke ũrĩa inyuĩ mũkwenda.”
“Well, you can do whatever you want to him,” King Zedekiah replied. “I can't stop you.”
6 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio makĩnyiita Jeremia makĩmũikia irima rĩa maaĩ rĩa Malikija, ũrĩa mũrũ wa mũthamaki, rĩrĩa rĩarĩ kũu nja ĩyo ya arangĩri. Magĩikũrũkia Jeremia irima rĩu rĩa maaĩ na mĩkanda; no rĩtiarĩ na maaĩ, no mũtondo rĩarĩ, nake Jeremia agĩtoonyerera kũu mũtondo-inĩ ũcio.
So they took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern belonging to Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the guard's courtyard. They lowered Jeremiah down with ropes into the cistern. It didn't have any water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
7 No rĩrĩ, Ebedi-Meleku ũrĩa Mũkushi, ũmwe wa arĩa mehokeirwo wĩra wa kũu nyũmba-inĩ ya ũthamaki, nĩaiguire atĩ nĩmaikĩtie Jeremia irima rĩu rĩa maaĩ. Hĩndĩ ĩyo mũthamaki aikarĩte Kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa Benjamini,
Ebed-melech the Cushite, a royal official in the king's palace, found out that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. The king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,
8 Ebedi-Meleku akiuma hau nja ya nyũmba ya ũthamaki, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ,
so Ebed-melech left the palace and went to talk to the king
9 “Mũthamaki mwathi wakwa, andũ aya nĩmekĩte ũũru nĩ ũndũ wa maũndũ maya mothe mekĩte Jeremia ũrĩa mũnabii. Nĩmamũikĩtie irima rĩa maaĩ, akuĩre kuo nĩ ngʼaragu, tondũ mĩgate ĩkirie gũthira gũkũ itũũra-inĩ inene.”
“My lord the king, all these terrible things these men have done to Jeremiah the prophet are evil. They've put him in the cistern, and he'll starve to death there because there's no more bread left in the city.”
10 Hĩndĩ ĩyo mũthamaki agĩatha Ebedi-Meleku ũcio Mũkushi, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ: “Oya andũ mĩrongo ĩtatũ kuuma haha mũthiĩ nao mũkarute Jeremia ũcio mũnabii kuuma irima rĩu rĩa maaĩ atanakua.”
So the king gave the order to Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men with you and go and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
11 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Ebedi-Meleku akĩoya andũ acio, agĩthiĩ nao, nao magĩtoonya kanyũmba kaarĩ rungu rwa harĩa haaigagwo mũthiithũ wa indo cia bata kũu thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya ũthamaki. Akĩoya ndangari imwe cia nguo ngũrũ, na nguo iria nduĩku ciarĩ kuo, agĩciikũrũkĩria Jeremia na mĩkanda kũu irima rĩa maaĩ.
Ebed-melech took the men and went to the storehouse under the palace. He took some rags and old clothes from there and then went to the cistern where he lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah.
12 Ebedi-Meleku ũcio Mũkushi, akĩĩra Jeremia atĩrĩ: “Ĩkĩra nguo icio ngũrũ na ndangari icio njegeeke, wĩrigĩrĩrie gũkerwo nĩ mĩkanda ĩyo.” Nake Jeremia agĩĩka o ũguo,
Ebed-melech the Cushite called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags and old clothes under your arms to protect you from the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,
13 nao makĩmũguucia na mĩkanda ĩyo, makĩmũruta irima rĩu rĩa maaĩ. Nake Jeremia agĩikara kũu nja ĩyo ya arangĩri.
and using the ropes they pulled him up and took him out of the cistern. Jeremiah stayed there in the guard's courtyard.
14 Mũthamaki Zedekia agĩtũmanĩra Jeremia ũcio mũnabii, akiuga areehwo itoonyero-inĩ rĩa gatatũ rĩa hekarũ ya Jehova. Mũthamaki akĩĩra Jeremia atĩrĩ, “Nĩngũkũũria ũndũ. Nawe ndũkaahithe ũhoro o na ũrĩkũ.”
Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and met him at the third Temple entrance. “I need to ask you something,” the king told Jeremiah. “You mustn't hide anything from me.”
15 Jeremia akĩĩra Zedekia atĩrĩ, “Ingĩkuumburĩra ũhoro-rĩ, githĩ ndũkũnjũraga? O na ingĩgũtaara-rĩ, wee ndũngĩĩthikĩrĩria.”
“If I tell you then you'll definitely have me killed,” Jeremiah replied. “Even if I were to give you advice, you wouldn't listen to me anyway.”
16 Nake Mũthamaki Zedekia akĩĩhĩta mwĩhĩtwa na hitho harĩ Jeremia, akiuga ũũ: “Ti-itherũ o ta ũrĩa Jehova atũũraga muoyo, o we ũrĩa watũheire muoyo ũyũ tũrĩ naguo-rĩ, niĩ ndigũkũũraga kana ngũneane moko-inĩ ma acio mendaga gũkũruta muoyo.”
King Zedekiah solemnly promised Jeremiah in private, “As the Lord lives, who gave us this life, I won't have you killed, and I won't hand you over to those who want to kill you.”
17 Nake Jeremia akĩĩra Zedekia atĩrĩ, “Ũũ nĩguo Jehova Ngai-Mwene-Hinya-Wothe, o we Ngai wa Isiraeli, ekuuga: ‘Ũngĩĩneeana kũrĩ anene a mũthamaki wa Babuloni, muoyo waku nĩũkũhonokio, o na itũũra rĩĩrĩ inene rĩtigaacinwo; wee na andũ a nyũmba yaku nĩmũgũtũũra muoyo.
Then Jeremiah told Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you hand yourself over to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you'll live. Jerusalem won't be burned down, and you and your family will survive.
18 No ũngĩrega kwĩneana kũrĩ anene a mũthamaki wa Babuloni, itũũra rĩĩrĩ nĩrĩkũneanwo kũrĩ andũ a Babuloni, nao marĩcine na mwaki rĩthire; na wee mwene ndũkahonoka kuuma moko-inĩ mao.’”
But if you don't hand yourself over to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you yourself won't escape being captured.”
19 Mũthamaki Zedekia akĩĩra Jeremia atĩrĩ, “Nĩndĩretigĩra Ayahudi arĩa meneanĩte kũrĩ andũ a Babuloni, nĩ ũndũ andũ a Babuloni mahota kũũneana kũrĩ Ayahudi acio nao maanyamarie.”
But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the those people of Judah who have gone over to the Babylonians, because the Babylonians might hand me over the them so they could abuse me.”
20 Nake Jeremia akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Matigaakũneana kũrĩ o. Wee athĩkĩra Jehova, wĩke ũguo ndĩrakwĩra. Hĩndĩ ĩyo nĩũkona wega, naguo muoyo waku nĩũkahonokio.
“They won't hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “If you obey what the Lord says by doing what I tell you, then things will go well for you and you'll live.
21 No rĩrĩ, warega kwĩneana, ũũ nĩguo Jehova anguũrĩirie:
But if you refuse to hand yourself over, this is what the Lord has told me:
22 Andũ-a-nja othe arĩa matigaire thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya mũthamaki wa Juda nĩmagatwarĩrwo anene a mũthamaki wa Babuloni. Andũ-a-nja acio nao magaakwĩra atĩrĩ: “‘Arata acio aku wehokeete nĩmakũhĩtithirie na magĩgũkĩria hinya. Magũrũ maku nĩmatoonyereire mũtondo-inĩ; nao arata aku nĩmagũtiganĩirie.’
All the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah will be led out and handed over to the officials of the king of Babylon Those women will say: ‘Those good friends of yours! You were taken in by them and conquered by them. Your feet got stuck in the mid, so they abandoned you.’
23 “Atumia aku othe na ciana ciaku nĩmakaneanwo kũrĩ andũ a Babuloni. Wee mwene ndũkehonokia moko-inĩ mao, no nĩũkanyiitwo nĩ mũthamaki wa Babuloni; narĩo itũũra rĩĩrĩ inene nĩrĩgacinwo rĩthire.”
All your wives and children will be handed over to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape, for you will be captured by the king of Babylon, and Jerusalem will be burned down.”
24 Hĩndĩ ĩyo Zedekia akĩĩra Jeremia atĩrĩ, “Ndũkareke mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ amenye ũhoro wa mĩario ĩno, ndũkae kũũragwo.
Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Nobody can find out about this conversation, otherwise you'll die.
25 Anene mangĩigua atĩ nĩtwaranĩirie nawe, nao moke kũrĩ we makũũrie atĩrĩ, ‘Twĩre ũrĩa wĩrĩte mũthamaki, na ũrĩa nake mũthamaki akwĩrĩte; ndũgatũhithe ũndũ kana tũkũũrage,’
If the officers find out that I've talked with you, and they come and ask you, ‘Tell us what you and the king were talking about! Don't hide anything from us, or we'll kill you;’
26 hĩndĩ ĩyo nawe ũmeere atĩrĩ, ‘Nĩgũthaitha ndĩrathaithaga mũthamaki ndakae kũnjookia nyũmba-inĩ kwa Jonathani, ndigakuĩre kuo.’”
then you are to tell them, ‘I was asking the king to grant my request not to return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”
27 Anene acio othe nĩmookire kũrĩ Jeremia, makĩmũũria ũhoro ũcio, nake akĩmeera ũrĩa wothe aathĩtwo nĩ mũthamaki oige. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio matiamwĩrire ũndũ ũngĩ, nĩgũkorwo gũtirĩ mũndũ waiguĩte ũrĩa maarĩtie na mũthamaki.
When all the officers came to Jeremiah wanting to know, he repeated to them exactly what the king had told him to say. So they didn't ask him anything more because no one had heard what had been said.
28 Nake Jeremia agĩikara kũu kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa arangĩri nginya mũthenya ũrĩa itũũra rĩa Jerusalemu rĩatunyanirwo.
Jeremiah remained there in the guard's courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
