Jeremiæ 38
1 Audivit autem Saphatias filius Mathan, et Gedelias filius Phassur, et Iuchal filius Selemiae, et Phassur filius Melchiae, sermones, quos Ieremias loquebatur ad omnem populum, dicens:
Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard what Jeremiah was telling everyone:
2 Haec dicit Dominus: Quicumque manserit in civitate hac, morietur gladio, et fame, et peste: qui autem profugerit ad Chaldaeos, vivet, et erit anima eius sospes et vivens.
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 Haec dicit Dominus: Tradendo tradetur civitas haec in manu exercitus regis Babylonis, et capiet eam.
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 Et dixerunt principes regi: Rogamus ut occidatur homo iste: de industria enim dissolvit manus virorum bellantium, qui remanserunt in civitate hac, et manus universi populi, loquens ad eos iuxta verba haec: siquidem homo iste non quaerit pacem populo huic, sed malum.
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 Et dixit rex Sedechias: Ecce ipse in manibus vestris est: nec enim fas est regem vobis quidquam negare.
“Well, you can do whatever you want to him,” King Zedekiah replied. “I can't stop you.”
6 Tulerunt ergo Ieremiam, et proiecerunt eum in lacum Melchiae filii Amelech, qui erat in vestibulo carceris: et submiserunt Ieremiam funibus in lacum, in quo non erat aqua, sed lutum: descendit itaque Ieremias in coenum.
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 Audivit autem Abdemelech Aethiops vir eunuchus, qui erat in domo regis quod misissent Ieremiam in lacum: porro rex sedebat in porta Beniamin.
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 Et egressus est Abdemelech de domo regis, et locutus est ad regem, dicens:
so Ebed-melech left the palace and went to talk to the king
9 Domine mi rex, male fecerunt viri isti omnia quaecumque perpetrarunt contra Ieremiam prophetam, mittentes eum in lacum ut moriatur ibi fame, non sunt enim panes ultra in civitate.
“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 Praecepit itaque rex Abdemelech Aethiopi, dicens: Tolle tecum hinc triginta viros, et leva Ieremiam prophetam de lacu antequam moriatur.
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 Assumptis ergo Abdemelech secum viris, ingressus est domum regis, quae erat sub cellario: et tulit inde veteres pannos et antiqua vestimenta, quae computruerant, et submisit ea ad Ieremiam in lacum per funiculos.
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 Dixitque Abdemelech Aethiops ad Ieremiam: Pone veteres pannos, et haec scissa et putrida sub cubito manuum tuarum: et super funes: fecit ergo Ieremias sic:
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 Et extraxerunt Ieremiam funibus, et eduxerunt eum de lacu: mansit autem Ieremias in vestibulo carceris.
and using the ropes they pulled him up and took him out of the cistern. Jeremiah stayed there in the guard's courtyard.
14 Et misit rex Sedechias, et tulit ad se Ieremiam prophetam ad ostium tertium, quod erat in domo Domini: et dixit rex ad Ieremiam: Interrogo ego te sermonem, ne abscondas a me aliquid.
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 Dixit autem Ieremias ad Sedechias: Si annunciavero tibi, numquid non interficies me? et si consilium dedero tibi, non me audies.
“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 Iuravit ergo rex Sedechias Ieremiae clam, dicens: Vivit Dominus, qui fecit nobis animam hanc, si occidero te, et si tradidero te in manus virorum istorum, qui quaerunt animam tuam.
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 Et dixit Ieremias ad Sedechias: Haec dicit Dominus exercituum Deus Israel: Si profectus exieris ad principes regis Babylonis, vivet anima tua, et civitas haec non succendetur igne: et salvus eris tu, et domus tua.
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 Si autem non exieris ad principes regis Babylonis, tradetur civitas haec in manus Chaldaeorum, et succendent eam igne: et tu non effugies de manu eorum.
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 Et dixit rex Sedechias ad Ieremiam: Solicitus sum propter Iudaeos, qui transfugerunt ad Chaldaeos: ne forte tradar in manus eorum, et illudant mihi.
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 Respondit autem Ieremias: Non te tradent. audi quaeso vocem Domini, quam ego loquor ad te, et bene tibi erit, et vivet anima tua.
“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 Quod si nolueris egredi: iste est sermo, quem ostendit mihi Dominus:
But if you refuse to hand yourself over, this is what the Lord has told me:
22 Ecce omnes mulieres, quae remanserunt in domo regis Iuda, educentur ad principes regis Babylonis: et ipsae dicent: Seduxerunt te, et praevaluerunt adversum te viri pacifici tui, demerserunt in coeno, et in lubrico pedes tuos, et recesserunt a te.
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 Et omnes uxores tuae, et filii tui educentur ad Chaldaeos: et non effugies manus eorum, sed in manu regis Babylonis capieris: et civitatem hanc comburet igne.
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 Dixit ergo Sedechias ad Ieremiam: Nullus sciat verba haec, et non morieris.
Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Nobody can find out about this conversation, otherwise you'll die.
25 Si autem audierint principes quia locutus sum tecum, et venerint ad te, et dixerint tibi: Indica nobis quid locutus sis cum rege, ne celes nos, et non te interficiemus: et quid locutus est tecum rex:
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 Dices ad eos: Prostravi ego preces meas coram rege, ne me reduci iuberet in domum Ionathan, et ibi morerer.
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 Venerunt ergo omnes principes ad Ieremiam, et interrogaverunt eum: et locutus est eis iuxta omnia verba, quae praeceperat ei rex, et cessaverunt ab eo: nihil enim fuerat auditum.
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 Mansit vero Ieremias in vestibulo carceris usque ad diem, quo capta est Ierusalem: et factum est ut caperetur Ierusalem.
Jeremiah remained there in the guard's courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
