Jeremaya 37
1 Emesịa, Nebukadneza eze Babilọn mere Zedekaya nwa Josaya eze Juda, nʼọnọdụ Konaya nwa Jehoiakim.
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 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 King Zedekiah and his palace officials and the other people in the land paid no attention to the messages that Yahweh gave me.
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, [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 Nʼoge a, Jeremaya nweere onwe ya ijegharị nʼetiti ndị Izrel, nʼihi na ha etinyebeghị ya nʼụlọ mkpọrọ.
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 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.
[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 Mgbe ahụ, okwu Onyenwe anyị ruru Jeremaya onye amụma ntị sị ya,
Then Yahweh gave this message to me:
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.
“[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 Mgbe ahụ, ndị agha Babilọn ga-alọghachikwa ibuso obodo a agha. Ha ga-emeri ya, dọta ya nʼagha, kpọọkwa ya ọkụ.’
Then the army of Babylonia will return here and capture this city and burn everything in it.’
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.
[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 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.”
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 Mgbe ndị agha Babilọn si na gburugburu Jerusalem wezuga onwe ha nʼihi ọbịbịa ndị agha Fero na-abịa,
When the army from Babylonia left Jerusalem because the army from Egypt was approaching,
12 Jeremaya sitekwara na Jerusalem pụọ malite ịgawa nʼala ndị Benjamin, nʼihi iketa oke ruuru ya site nʼaka ndị bi nʼebe ahụ.
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 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!”
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 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.
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 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.
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 E tinyere Jeremaya nʼime ụlọ mkpọrọ olulu, ebe ọ nọrọ ogologo oge.
They put me in a dungeon/cell in that prison, and I remained there for several days.
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.”
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 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 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 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?’
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 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.”
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 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.
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.
