Jeremaya 37
1 Emesịa, Nebukadneza eze Babilọn mere Zedekaya nwa Josaya eze Juda, nʼọnọdụ Konaya nwa Jehoiakim.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon replaced Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim with Zedekiah son of Josiah as the ruling king of Judah.
2 Ma Zedekaya na ndị ozi ya, na ndị Juda niile egeghị ntị nʼokwu Onyenwe anyị nke o si nʼọnụ Jeremaya onye amụma gwa ha.
But Zedekiah and his officers and everyone else in the country refused to obey what the Lord had said through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 Zedekaya bụ eze, ziri Jehukal nwa Shelemaya, na Zefanaya onye nchụaja, bụ nwa Maaseia ozi sị ha, jekwuru Jeremaya onye amụma gwa ya okwu sị, “Biko, kpeere anyị ekpere, rịọrọ anyị Onyenwe anyị Chineke anyị arịrịọ.”
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 Nʼoge a, Jeremaya nweere onwe ya ijegharị nʼetiti ndị Izrel, nʼihi na ha etinyebeghị ya nʼụlọ mkpọrọ.
(At this time Jeremiah could come and go freely, because as yet they hadn't put him in prison.)
5 Nʼihi na mgbe ndị agha Babilọn gbara Jerusalem gburugburu na-ebuso ya agha, ndị agha Fero sitere Ijipt na-apụkwute ha ibuso ha agha. Mgbe ndị agha Babilọn nụrụ na ndị agha Ijipt na-abịa, ha mere ngwangwa si nʼibuso Jerusalem agha wezuga onwe ha.
Pharaoh's army was advancing from Egypt, and when the Babylonian army heard about it, they moved away from Jerusalem.
6 Mgbe ahụ, okwu Onyenwe anyị ruru Jeremaya onye amụma ntị sị ya,
Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet:
7 “Ihe ndị a ka Onyenwe anyị bụ Chineke Izrel kwuru, Ihe ndị a ka ị ga-agwa eze Juda onye zitere ozi sị gị rịọọ m arịrịọ, ‘Ndị agha Fero ahụ si nʼIjipt pụta bịa inyere unu aka ga-emesịa laghachi nʼala ha bụ Ijipt.
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 Mgbe ahụ, ndị agha Babilọn ga-alọghachikwa ibuso obodo a agha. Ha ga-emeri ya, dọta ya nʼagha, kpọọkwa ya ọkụ.’
Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem. They will capture it and burn it down.
9 “Ihe ndị a ka Onyenwe anyị kwuru, Unu arafula onwe unu site nʼiche echiche sị, ‘Ndị Babilọn agaghị abịakwa ibuso anyị agha.’ E, ha agaghị abịakwa ọzọ.
This is what the Lord says: Don't fool yourselves by saying, “The Babylonians are gone for good,” because they're not!
10 A sịkwa na ndị agha unu enwee ike merie ndị agha Babilọn ahụ ga-abịa ibuso unu agha, a sịkwa na ọ bụ naanị ndị e merụrụ ahụ bụ ndị fọdụrụ nʼetiti ha, ndị a ga-esi nʼogige ndị agha Babilọn pụta bịa kpọọ obodo a ọkụ.”
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 Mgbe ndị agha Babilọn si na gburugburu Jerusalem wezuga onwe ha nʼihi ọbịbịa ndị agha Fero na-abịa,
When the Babylonian army moved away from Jerusalem because of the threat of Pharaoh's army,
12 Jeremaya sitekwara na Jerusalem pụọ malite ịgawa nʼala ndị Benjamin, nʼihi iketa oke ruuru ya site nʼaka ndị bi nʼebe ahụ.
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 Ma mgbe o ruru nʼọnụ ụzọ ama Benjamin, onyeisi ndị agha aha ya bụ Irija nwa Shelemaya, nwa Hananaya jidere ya, boo ya ebubo sị ya, “Ọ bụ ọsọ ka ị na-agba! Ị na-achọ ịgbakwuru ndị Babilọn!”
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 Ma Jeremaya zara sị ya, “Ọ bụ okwu ụgha ka ị na-ekwu. Anaghị m agba ọsọ ịgbakwuru ndị Babilọn.” Ma Irija egeghị ya ntị, kama o jidere Jeremaya kpụta ya nʼihu ndịisi ọchịchị.
“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 Ha were iwe megide Jeremaya, nye iwu ka e tie ya ihe, kpọchiekwa ya nʼụlọ Jonatan, ode akwụkwọ. Nʼihi na ha ji ụlọ ahụ mere ụlọ mkpọrọ nʼoge a.
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 E tinyere Jeremaya nʼime ụlọ mkpọrọ olulu, ebe ọ nọrọ ogologo oge.
Jeremiah was placed in a cell in the underground dungeon and was kept there for a long time.
17 Emesịa, Zedekaya bụ eze nyere iwu ka a kpọta ya nʼụlọeze. Mgbe a kpọtara ya, Zedekaya jụrụ ya ajụjụ na nzuzo sị ya, “I nwere okwu site nʼaka Onyenwe anyị?” Jeremaya zara sị ya, “E, lee, a ga-arara gị nyefee gị nʼaka eze Babilọn.”
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 Mgbe ahụ, Jeremaya gwara Zedekaya, bụ eze okwu ọzọ sị ya, “Ihe ọjọọ dị aṅaa ka m mere megide gị, maọbụ megide ndị ọrụ gị, maọbụ megide ndị a, unu ji tinye m nʼụlọ mkpọrọ?
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 Ebee ka ndị amụma unu nọ, bụ ndị ahụ na-eburu unu amụma na-asị unu, ‘Eze Babilọn agaghị ebuso unu agha, ọ gaghị ebusokwa ala a agha?’
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 Ugbu a, biko, onyenwe m eze, biko gee m ntị. Biko, nụrụ arịrịọ m: Ezighachila m nʼụlọ Jonatan, ode akwụkwọ, nʼihi na ọ bụrụ na i mee otu a, aga m anwụ nʼebe ahụ.”
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 Zedekaya bụ eze, nyere iwu ka e debe Jeremaya nʼogige ndị nche. O nyekwara iwu ka a na-enye ya achịcha e si nʼụlọ ndị na-eme achịcha na-ewebata ụbọchị niile, tutu ruo mgbe achịcha e nwere nʼobodo ahụ gwụsịrị. Ya mere, o mere ka Jeremaya nọgide nʼogige ndị nche.
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.
