Jeremi 38
1 Shefatia, mwana mobali ya Matani; Gedalia, mwana mobali ya Pashuri; Yukali, mwana mobali ya Shelemia; mpe Pashuri, mwana mobali ya Malikiya, bayokaki makambo oyo Jeremi azalaki koyebisa bato nyonso. Azalaki koloba:
[Four officials, ] Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malkijah, heard what I had been telling all the people.
2 « Tala liloba oyo Yawe alobi: ‹ Moto nyonso oyo akotikala kati na engumba oyo akokufa na mopanga, na nzala makasi to mpe na bokono oyo ebomaka; kasi ye oyo akobima mpo na kokende komikaba epai ya bato ya Babiloni akobika, akokufa te; bomoi na ye ekozala bomengo na ye ya bitumba, mpe akotikala na bomoi. ›
[I had been telling them] that Yahweh was saying, “Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die. They will be killed by [their enemies’] swords or from famines or from diseases. But those who surrender to the Babylonian army, they will be spared. They will not be killed.
3 Tala liloba oyo Yawe alobi: ‹ Engumba oyo ekokweya na maboko ya basoda ya mokonzi ya Babiloni, oyo akobotola yango. › »
Yahweh also says that the army of the King of Babylon will certainly capture this city [DOU].”
4 Bakalaka balobaki na mokonzi: — Moto oyo asengeli kokufa! Maloba na ye ezali kolembisa basoda mpe bato oyo batikali kati na engumba oyo; azali koluka bolamu ya bato oyo te, kasi azali nde koluka mabe na bango.
So those officials [went] to the king and said, “This man [Jeremiah] should be executed! Because of what he is saying, he is discouraging our soldiers who remain in the city. He is also discouraging the people. He is not saying things that will help us; he is saying things that will defeat us.”
5 Mokonzi Sedesiasi azongisaki: — Azali na maboko na bino; mokonzi akoki koboya likanisi na bino te!
King Zedekiah said, “All right, do to him what you want to; I do not have the power to stop you.”
6 Boye, bakamataki Jeremi mpe babwakaki ye kati na libulu ya Malikiya, mwana mobali ya mokonzi; libulu yango ezalaki kati na lopango ya bakengeli. Bakitisaki Jeremi kati na libulu na nzela ya basinga; libulu ezalaki na mayi te, kaka na potopoto; mpe Jeremi azindaki makasi kati na potopoto yango.
So those officials took me from my cell and lowered me by ropes into a well in the courtyard. The well belonged to Malkijah, who was a son of the king. There was no water in the well, but there was [a lot of] mud, so I sank [down deep] into the mud.
7 Ebedi-Meleki, moto ya Kushi, kalaka ya lokumu oyo azalaki kosala kati na ndako ya mokonzi, ayokaki ete babwaki Jeremi kati na libulu. Boye, wana mokonzi avandaki na Ekuke ya Benjame,
But Ebed-Melech, a palace official from Ethiopia, heard [someone say] that I was in the well. [At that time] the king was deciding/judging people’s cases at the Benjamin Gate.
8 Ebedi-Meleki abimaki na ndako ya mokonzi mpe akendeki koloba na mokonzi:
Ebed-Melech went out of the palace and said to the king,
9 — Mokonzi, nkolo na ngai, kati na nyonso oyo basali mosakoli Jeremi, bato oyo basali mabe penza! Basili kobwaka ye kati na libulu epai wapi akokufa na nzala, mpo ete mapa ezali lisusu te kati na engumba!
“Your majesty, those men have done a very evil thing. They have put the prophet Jeremiah in a well. [Almost] all the food in the city is gone, [so they will not be able to bring him any food] and as a result he will die from hunger!”
10 Mokonzi apesaki mitindo oyo epai ya Ebedi-Meleki, moto ya mokili ya Kushi: — Kamata awa mibali tuku misato elongo na yo, mpe bobimisa mosakoli Jeremi wuta na libulu liboso ete akufa.
So the king told Ebed-Melech, “Take thirty of my men/soldiers with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the well, in order that he does not die!”
11 Ebedi-Meleki akamataki mibali yango mpe akendeki na ndako ya mokonzi, kati na shambre oyo ezalaki na se ya ebombelo bomengo; azwaki kuna bilamba ya kala mpe oyo epasuka, mpe akitisaki yango na nzela ya basinga epai ya Jeremi kati na libulu.
So Ebed-Melech took thirty men with him and they went into a room in the palace below the room where they stored very valuable things. There they found some old rags and discarded clothing. They took those things and went to the well. They fastened them to a rope and lowered the rope to me.
12 Ebedi-Meleki, moto ya Kushi, alobaki na Jeremi: — Tia bilamba oyo na se ya mapeka na yo, likolo ya basinga oyo mpo na kobatela mapeka na yo. Jeremi asalaki se bongo.
Then Ebed-Melech called down to me, “Put these rags underneath your armpits, to protect you from [being injured by] the ropes!” So I did that.
13 Babendaki ye na basinga mpe babimisaki ye na libulu. Mpe Jeremi avandaki kati na lopango ya bakengeli.
Then they pulled me out of the well. I [returned] to the courtyard where the palace guards stayed, and I stayed there.
14 Mokonzi Sedesiasi atindaki ete bamemela ye mosakoli Jeremi mpe bakotisa ye na Ekuke ya misato ya Tempelo ya Yawe. Mokonzi alobaki na Jeremi: — Nazali na likambo moko ya kotuna epai na yo; kobombela ngai eloko moko te!
[One day] King Zedekiah summoned me, and I was brought to the king, [who was waiting for me] at the entrance of the temple. He said to me, “I want to ask you something. I want you [to answer me truthfully, and] and to not conceal anything.”
15 Jeremi alobaki na mokonzi Sedesiasi: — Soki nayebisi yo yango, okoboma ngai te? Ezala napesi yo toli, okoyokela na yo ngai te.
I replied, “If I tell you [the truth], you will [command that I] be executed. And if I give you [good] advice, you will not pay attention to what I say.”
16 Kasi mokonzi Sedesiasi alapaki ndayi na nkuku epai ya Jeremi: — Na Kombo na Yawe oyo apesaka biso pema, nakoboma yo te, mpe nakokaba yo te na maboko ya bato oyo balingi koboma yo!
But King Zedekiah secretly promised me, “[Tell me the truth]! And as surely as Yahweh lives, I will not [cause] you to be executed, and I will not hand you over to those who are wanting to kill you.”
17 Bongo Jeremi alobaki na Sedesiasi: — Tala liloba oyo Yawe, Mokonzi ya mampinga mpe Nzambe ya Isalaele, alobi: « Soki kaka omipesi epai ya bakonzi ya basoda ya mokonzi ya Babiloni, yo mpe libota na yo bokokufa te, mpe engumba oyo ekobebisama na moto te.
[So] then I said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, you and your family will (be spared/not be killed), and this city will not be burned.
18 Kasi soki oboyi komipesa epai ya bakonzi ya basoda ya mokonzi ya Babiloni, engumba oyo ekokweya na maboko ya bato ya Babiloni mpe bakotumba yango, bongo ezala yo, okobika te na maboko na bango. »
But if you refuse to surrender to them, you will not escape. And the army from Babylonia will capture this city and completely burn it.’”
19 Mokonzi Sedesiasi alobaki na Jeremi: — Nazali kobanga Bayuda oyo bakei na ngambo ya bato ya Babiloni, mpo ete bato ya Babiloni bakoki kokaba ngai na maboko na bango mpe bakonyokola ngai.
The king replied, “But I am afraid [to surrender to the soldiers from Babylon], because their officers may hand me over to the people of Judah who have already joined the soldiers from Babylonia, and those people from Judah will mistreat me.”
20 Jeremi azongisaki: — Te, bakokaba yo te! Nabondeli yo, tosa Yawe mpe sala makambo oyo nazali koyebisa yo; bongo nyonso ekotambola malamu mpo na yo mpe okobikisa bomoi na yo.
I replied, “If you obey Yahweh by doing what I tell you to do, they will not hand you over to our people. Things will go well for you, and you will remain alive.
21 Kasi soki oboyi komipesa epai na bango, tala makambo oyo Yawe atalisi ngai:
But if you refuse to surrender, this is what Yahweh has revealed to me:
22 « Bakomema basi nyonso oyo bavandaka kati na ndako ya mokonzi ya Yuda epai ya bakonzi ya basoda ya mokonzi ya Babiloni, mpe basi yango bakoloba: ‹ Baninga na yo ya motema bakosi yo mpe balongi yo. Matambe na yo ezindi na potopoto, baninga na yo bakimi yo! › »
All the women who remain in your palace will be brought out and given to the officers of the king of Babylon. Then those women will say to you: ‘You had friends whom [you thought] you could trust, but they have deceived you and caused you to make a wrong decision. Now [it is as though] you are stuck in mud, and your friends have abandoned you.’
23 Bakomema basi na yo nyonso mpe bana na yo nyonso epai ya bato ya Babiloni; mpe yo moko okobika te na maboko na bango, mokonzi ya Babiloni akokanga yo mpe akobebisa engumba oyo na moto.
All of your wives and children [in the city] will be led out to the soldiers from Babylonia, and you also will not escape. [The soldiers of] the King of Babylon will seize you, and they will burn down this city.”
24 Sedesiasi alobaki na Jeremi: — Tika ete moto moko te ayeba makambo oyo, mpe okokufa te.
Then Zedekiah said to me, “Do not tell anyone what you told me; if you tell anyone, my officials may kill you.
25 Soki bakalaka bayoki ete tosololi na yo mpe bayei kotuna yo: « Yebisa biso makambo oyo oyebisi mokonzi mpe oyo mokonzi ayebisi yo. Kobombela biso eloko te, soki te, tokoboma yo. »
If my officials find out that I talked to you, perhaps they will come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you and the king were talking about. If you do not tell us, we will kill you.’
26 Loba bango: « Nakomisi libondeli na ngai liboso ya mokonzi mpo ete azongisa ngai na ndako ya Jonatan te, noki te nakokufela kuna. »
If that happens, [just] tell them that you pleaded with me not to send you back to the [dungeon/cell in] Jonathan’s house, [because you were afraid that] you would die [if you were put there again].”
27 Bakalaka nyonso bayaki epai ya Jeremi mpe batunaki ye mituna; ye mpe ayebisaki bango makambo nyonso, ndenge kaka mokonzi atindaki ye. Boye, lokola bazalaki lisusu na likambo ya koloba na ye te, pamba te moto moko te ayokaki masolo na ye na mokonzi, babendanaki na kimia.
And [that is what happened]. The king’s officials came to me and asked [why the king had summoned me. But] I told them what the king told me to tell them. So they did not ask me any more [questions], because no one had heard what the king and I had said to each other.
28 Jeremi atikalaki kati na lopango ya bakengeli kino na mokolo oyo babotolaki engumba Yelusalemi.
So I remained being guarded in the courtyard [of the palace], until the day that [the army of Babylonia] captured Jerusalem.
