Jeremiæ 37

1 et regnavit rex Sedecias filius Iosiae pro Iechonia filio Ioachim quem constituit regem Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis in terra Iuda

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 et non oboedivit ipse et servi eius et populus terrae verbis Domini quae locutus est in manu Hieremiae prophetae

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 et misit rex Sedecias Iuchal filium Selemiae et Sophoniam filium Maasiae sacerdotem ad Hieremiam prophetam dicens ora pro nobis Dominum Deum nostrum

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 Hieremias autem libere ambulabat in medio populi non enim miserant eum in custodiam carceris

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 igitur exercitus Pharao egressus est Aegyptum et audientes Chaldei qui obsidebant Hierusalem huiuscemodi nuntium recesserunt ab Hierusalem

[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 et factum est verbum Domini ad Hieremiam prophetam dicens

Then Yahweh gave this message to me:

7 haec dicit Dominus Deus Israhel sic dicetis regi Iuda qui misit vos ad me ad interrogandum ecce exercitus Pharaonis qui egressus est vobis in auxilium revertetur in terram suam in Aegyptum

“[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 et redient Chaldei et bellabunt contra civitatem hanc et capient eam et incendent igni

Then the army of Babylonia will return here and capture this city and burn everything in it.’

9 haec dicit Dominus nolite decipere animas vestras dicentes euntes abibunt et recedent a nobis Chaldei quia non abibunt

[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 sed et si percusseritis omnem exercitum Chaldeorum qui proeliantur adversum vos et derelicti fuerint ex eis aliqui vulnerati singuli de tentorio suo consurgent et incendent civitatem hanc igni

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 ergo cum recessisset exercitus Chaldeorum ab Hierusalem propter exercitum Pharaonis

When the army from Babylonia left Jerusalem because the army from Egypt was approaching,

12 egressus est Hieremias de Hierusalem ut iret in terram Beniamin et divideret ibi possessionem in conspectu civium

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 cumque pervenisset ad portam Beniamin erat ibi custos portae per vices nomine Hierias filius Selemiae filii Ananiae et adprehendit Hieremiam prophetam dicens ad Chaldeos profugis

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 et respondit Hieremias falsum est non fugio ad Chaldeos et non audivit eum sed conprehendit Hierias Hieremiam et adduxit eum ad principes

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 quam ob rem irati principes contra Hieremiam caesum eum miserunt in carcerem qui erat in domo Ionathan scribae ipse enim praepositus erat super carcerem

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 itaque ingressus est Hieremias in domum laci et in ergastula et sedit ibi Hieremias diebus multis

They put me in a dungeon/cell in that prison, and I remained there for several days.

17 mittens autem rex Sedecias tulit eum et interrogavit in domo sua abscondite et dixit putasne est sermo a Domino et dixit Hieremias est et ait in manu regis Babylonis traderis

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 et dixit Hieremias ad regem Sedeciam quid peccavi tibi et servis tuis et populo tuo quia misisti me in domum carceris

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 ubi sunt prophetae vestri qui prophetabant vobis et dicebant non veniet rex Babylonis super vos et super terram hanc

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 nunc ergo audi obsecro domine mi rex valeat deprecatio mea in conspectu tuo et ne me remittas in domum Ionathan scribae ne moriar ibi

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 praecepit ergo rex Sedecias ut traderetur Hieremias in vestibulo carceris et daretur ei torta panis cotidie excepto pulmento donec consumerentur omnes panes de civitate et mansit Hieremias in vestibulo carceris

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.