Jeremi 1
1 Nan liv sa a, nou jwenn sa Jeremi, pitit gason Ilkija a, te di ak sa l' te fè. Li te yonn nan prèt ki te rete lavil Anatòt, nan pòsyon tè branch fanmi Benjamen an.
[I], Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, [am writing] these messages. [I am] a priest, from Anathoth [town] in the area where the tribe of Benjamin [lives].
2 Lè Seyè a te pale ak Jeremi an, Jozyas, pitit gason Amon an, t'ap mache sou trèzan depi li te wa peyi Jida.
Yahweh started to give me these messages when Josiah had been ruling Judah for almost 13 years.
3 Apre sa, Seyè a pale avè l' ankò. Lè sa a, se Jojakim, pitit gason Jozyas la, ki te wa nan peyi Jida. Anpil fwa menm apre sa, Seyè a pale avèk Jeremi, rive sou onzyèm lanne rèy wa Sedesyas, pitit gason Jozyas la, jouk senkyèm mwa nan lanne sa a, lè yo depòte moun lavil Jerizalèm yo.
Yahweh continued to give me more messages when Josiah’s son Jehoiakim was the king, and he continued to do that until Zedekiah had been the king of Judah for almost eleven years. It was in August of that year that the people of Jerusalem were (exiled/taken as prisoners) [to Babylonia].
4 Seyè a pale avè m', li di m' konsa:
[One day] Yahweh gave me this message:
5 -Mwen te konnen ou anvan menm mwen te ba ou lavi nan vant manman ou. Mwen te mete ou apa pou mwen anvan menm ou te fèt. Mwen te chwazi ou pou ou te yon pwofèt pou nasyon yo.
“I knew you before I [finished] forming you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I (set you apart/chose you) and I appointed you to be [my] prophet [whose messages would be] for [all] nations.”
6 Mwen reponn li: -Aa! Seyè Bondye sèl mèt! Se timoun mwen ye. Mwen pa konn pale.
I replied, “O, Yahweh my God, I am [not qualified to] speak [for you], because I am very young!”
7 Men, Seyè a di mwen: -Pa di se timoun ou ye. Ou gen pou ou ale bò kot tout moun m'ap voye ou. W'a di yo tou sa m'a ba ou lòd di yo.
Yahweh replied, “Do not say that, because you must go to everyone to whom I will send you, and you must tell them everything that I tell you to say.
8 Ou pa bezwen pè pesonn. Paske m'ap kanpe la avè ou pou m' pwoteje ou. Se mwen menm Seyè a ki di ou sa.
And you must not be afraid of the people [to whom you will speak], because I will protect you [from being harmed by them]. [This will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it!”
9 Apre sa, Seyè a lonje men l', li manyen bouch mwen. Epi li di m': -Men mwen mete pawòl mwen nan bouch ou.
Then [it was as though] Yahweh touched my mouth and said, “Listen to me! I am (putting my message into your mouth/telling you what you must speak).
10 Jòdi a, m'ap ba ou otorite sou pèp yo ak sou gouvènman yo, pou ou derasinen, pou ou koupe, pou ou kraze, pou ou demoli, pou ou bati, pou ou plante.
Today I am appointing you to warn nations and kingdoms. You will tell them that I will completely destroy and get rid of [DOU] some of them and that I will establish [MET] others and cause them to be strong.”
11 Seyè a pale avè m', li di m' ankò: -Kisa ou wè la a, Jeremi? Mwen reponn li: -Mwen wè yon branch zanmann.
Then Yahweh said to me, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”
12 Lè sa a, Seyè a di: -Se sa menm! Mwen menm, m'ap veye pou sa m' di a rive vre.
Yahweh said, “That is correct. And [because the word for ‘almond’ resembles the word for ‘watching’], it means that I am watching [what will happen], and I will make certain that what I have said to you [about destroying nations] will happen.”
13 Apre sa, Seyè a pale avè m' yon lòt fwa ankò, li di m': -Kisa ou wè la a? Mwen reponn li: -Mwen wè yon chodyè dlo k'ap bouyi sou yon dife. Vapè dlo cho a ap desann soti nan nò.
[Then] Yahweh spoke to me again and said, “What do you see [now]?” I replied, “I see a pot full of boiling [water] [MTY]. It is tipping [toward me] from the north.”
14 Lè sa a Seyè a fè m' konnen: -Yon gwo malè pral soti nan nò, l'ap tonbe sou tout moun ki rete nan peyi a.
Yahweh replied, “[Yes! It means that] from the north great trouble/destruction will [spread] [MET] over this land, [like boiling water] [MET] pouring [from a pot].
15 Paske m'ap rele tout ras moun ki rete nan peyi sou bò nò yo pou yo vini. Se mwen menm Seyè a ki di sa. Y'a vini, y'a mete fotèy wa yo devan pòtay lavil Jerizalèm. Y'ap fè wonn miray ranpa l' yo, y'ap atake tout lavil nan peyi Jida yo.
Listen to what I say: I am summoning [the armies of] kingdoms that will come from the north [of Judah] to Jerusalem. Their kings will set up their thrones at the gates of this city [to indicate that they are now the kings of Judah]. [Their armies] will attack [and break down] the walls of this city, and [they will do the same thing to] all the [other] towns in Judah.
16 M'a pini moun nan peyi a jan m' te di l' la, paske yo te fè sa ki mal. Yo vire do ban mwen, y' al boule lansan pou lòt bondye. Yo fè zidòl, lèfini yo fè sèvis pou yo.
I will punish [MTY] my people because of all the evil things that they have done; they have abandoned me and they worship gods/idols. They worship idols that they have made with their own hands!
17 Men ou menm, Jeremi, mete gason sou ou! Leve non! Di yo tou sa mwen ba ou lòd di. Ou pa bezwen pè yo. Si ou pè yo, m'ap fè ou pi pè yo lè w'a devan yo.
So, get up and put on your clothes [to get ready for action]! Then go to the people of Judah and tell them everything that I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, because [if you are afraid of them], I will cause you to be truly terrified in front of them!
18 Jòdi a m'ap ba ou fòs pou kenbe tèt ak tout moun nan peyi Jida a, ak wa l' yo, ak chèf li yo, ak prèt li yo, ak tout rès pèp la. W'ap tankou yon lavil ak gwo miray ranpa, tankou yon poto fè, tankou yon miray fèt an kwiv.
But listen! I will cause you to be [strong, like] [MET] a city that has strong walls around it. You will be [as strong as] [MET] an iron pillar or a bronze wall. None of the kings or officials or priests will be able to defeat you.
19 Yo tout pral leve dèyè ou. Men, yo p'ap ka fè ou anyen. Paske m'ap kanpe la avè ou pou m' delivre ou. Se mwen menm, Seyè sèl Mèt la, ki di sa.
They will oppose you, but they will not be able to defeat you, because I will be with you and will protect you. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it!”
