Yeremiya 34
1 Nebukadduneeza kabaka w’e Babulooni n’amaggye ge gonna, n’abantu bonna ab’ensi ze yali afuga bwe baali balwanyisa Yerusaalemi n’ebibuga ebikyetoolodde, ekigambo kya Mukama ne kijjira Yeremiya nga kigamba nti,
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with the armies of all the kingdoms that he ruled, and they fought against Jerusalem and the other towns [in Judah]. At that time, Yahweh gave me this message:
2 “Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama, Katonda wa Isirayiri nti, Genda eri Zeddekiya kabaka wa Yuda omugambe nti, ‘Bw’ati bw’ayogera nti, Nnaatera okuwaayo ekibuga kino eri kabaka w’e Babulooni, era agenda kukyokya.
“Go to Zedekiah the King of Judah, and say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], says: “I am about to enable the army of the King of Babylon to capture this city, and they will burn it down.
3 Tolisumattuka mukono gwe era oliwambibwa otwalibwe gy’ali. Oliraba kabaka w’e Babulooni n’amaaso go, olyogera naye nga mutunuuliraganye, era olitwalibwa e Babulooni.
You will not escape from them; they will capture you and take you to the king of Babylon. And [then] they will take you to Babylon.”’
4 “‘Wabula wulira ekisuubizo kya Mukama, ggwe Zeddekiya kabaka wa Yuda. Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama ku bikukwatako nti, Tolifa kitala;
But King Zedekiah, listen to this that Yahweh has promised: ‘You will not be killed in a battle [MTY];
5 olifa mu mirembe. Ng’abantu bwe bakuma ebyoto mu nnyimbe za bakitaawo, bakabaka abasooka, bwe batyo bwe balikuwa ekitiibwa nga bakujjukira nga bakukungubagira nga bagamba nti, “Woowe mukama waffe!” Nze kennyini mpa ekisuubizo kino, bw’ayogera Mukama.’”
you will die peacefully. [When you die], people will burn incense to honor/remember you just as they did for your ancestors who were kings before you became king. They will mourn for you, crying, “We are very sad that our king is dead!” I, Yahweh, promise that will happen.’”
6 Awo Yeremiya nnabbi bino byonna n’abibuulira Zeddekiya kabaka wa Yuda, mu Yerusaalemi,
[So] I took that message to King Zedekiah.
7 nga amaggye ga kabaka w’e Babulooni bwe galwanyisa Yerusaalemi n’ebibuga ebirala ebya Yuda, Lakisi ne Azeka, ebyali bikyanywereddewo. Bino bye bibuga byokka ebyaliko eminaala egyali gisigadde mu Yuda.
At that time the army of Babylonia had surrounded Jerusalem and Lachish and Azekah. Those [three] cities were the only cities in Judah that had high walls around them that still had not been captured.
8 Kino kye kigambo ekyajjira Yeremiya okuva eri Mukama nga kabaka Zeddekiya amaze okukola endagaano n’abantu bonna mu Yerusaalemi okulangirira nti abaddu baweereddwa eddembe.
King Zedekiah had decreed that the people must free their slaves.
9 Buli muntu yenna yali ateekwa okuta omuddu we Omwebbulaniya, abasajja n’abakazi; nga tewali n’omu alina kukuumira Muyudaaya munne mu busibe.
[He decreed that] the people must free their Hebrew slaves, [both the] men slaves and the women [slaves]. No one would be allowed to force a fellow Jew to [continue to] be his slave.
10 Abakungu bonna n’abantu abaayingira mu ndagaano eno bakkiriziganya nti baali bakusumulula abaddu baabwe abasajja n’abakazi baleme kubakuumira mu buddu nate. Era ne babasumulula.
The officials and the rest of the people had obeyed [what the king decreed],
11 Naye oluvannyuma ne bakyuka ne bazzaayo abaddu be baali bawadde eddembe.
but later they changed their minds. They forced the men and women whom they had freed to become their slaves again.
12 Ekigambo kya Mukama ne kijjira Yeremiya nti,
[So] Yahweh gave me this message [to tell to them]:
13 “Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama, Katonda wa Isirayiri nti, Nakola endagaano ne bajjajjammwe bwe nabaggya mu nsi y’e Misiri, mu nsi ey’obuddu. Nagamba nti,
“I, Yahweh, the God whom you Israelis [say you belong to], (made an agreement with/gave this command to) your ancestors [long ago], when I rescued them from being slaves in Egypt.
14 ‘Buli mwaka ogw’omusanvu buli omu ku mmwe ateekwa okuta Mwebbulaniya munne eyeetunda gy’ali. Bwakuweererezanga emyaka omukaaga, oteekwa okumuta agende.’ Naye bakitammwe tebampuliriza wadde okunfaako.
I told them that they must free all their Hebrew slaves after the slaves had worked for them for six years. But your ancestors did not pay any attention to what I said.
15 Emabegako mmwe mwennyini mwenenya ne mukola ekisaanidde mu maaso gange. Buli omu ku mmwe yalangirira eddembe eri abantu b’ensi ye, era ne mukola n’endagaano mu nnyumba yange eyitibwa Erinnya lyange.
Recently, you obeyed my command and stopped doing what was wrong and did what was right. You made a solemn agreement at my temple [that you would free your slaves], and [then] you freed them.
16 Naye kaakano mwekyusizza ne mwonoona erinnya lyange; buli omu ku mmwe yeddiza abaddu abasajja n’abakazi be mwali mutadde bagende gye baali beeyagalidde. Mubawalirizza babeere abaddu bammwe nate.
But now you have disregarded what you solemnly promised, and you have shown contempt for what I [MTY] said by taking back the women and men whom you had freed and said they could live wherever they wanted to. [Now] you have forced them to be your slaves again.
17 “Noolwekyo, bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama nti, Temuŋŋondedde; temutadde bantu ba nsi yammwe. Kale kaakano nangirira ‘eddembe’ gye muli, bw’ayogera Mukama, ‘eddembe’, okuttibwa n’ekitala, ne kawumpuli n’enjala. Ndibafuula ekyenyinyalwa eri obwakabaka bwonna obw’oku nsi.
Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh, say: ‘Because you have not obeyed me by freeing your fellow Israelis, I will free you to [be destroyed by] the swords [of your enemies] and by famines and diseases. All the nations of the earth will be horrified because of [what happens to] you.
18 Abasajja abamenye endagaano yange ne batatuukiriza bweyamo buli mu ndagaano gye baakola mu maaso gange, nzija kubakolako ng’ennyana gye basalamu ebitundu ebibiri ne bayita wakati w’ebitundu byayo.
Because you have disregarded what I said in my agreement with you, I will do to you just like you did to the calves that you cut in half to show that you would surely do what you solemnly promised that you would do. I will [enable your enemies to] cut you into pieces, you officials of Judah and you officials of Jerusalem, and you officials in the palace, and you priests and all you common people. I will do that because you have disregarded what you solemnly promised [about freeing your slaves].
19 Abakulembeze b’omu Yuda ne Yerusaalemi, n’abakungu b’embuga ya kabaka, ne bakabona n’abantu bonna ab’omu nsi abaatambulira wakati w’ebitundu by’ennyana,
20 ndibawaayo eri abalabe baabwe abanoonya obulamu bwabwe. Emirambo gyabwe gya kufuuka mmere eri ebinyonyi eby’omu bbanga era n’eri ensolo ez’omu nsiko.
I will enable your enemies to capture you, and they will kill you. And your bodies will be food for vultures and wild animals.
21 “Ndiwaayo Zeddekiya kabaka wa Yuda n’abakungu be bonna eri abalabe baabwe ababanoonya okubatta, n’eri eggye lya kabaka w’e Babulooni, eribadde lizzeeyo emabega.
I will enable the army of the king of Babylon to capture King Zedekiah and his officials. Although the king of Babylon and his army have left Jerusalem [for a short time],
22 Ŋŋenda kuwa ekiragiro, bw’ayogera Mukama, era ndibakomyawo mu kibuga kino. Balikirwanyisa bakitwale, bakyokye. Era ndizikiriza ebibuga bya Yuda waleme kubaawo abibeeramu.”
I will summon them back again. [This time], they will fight against this city and capture it and burn it down. I will make [sure] that all the towns in Judah are destroyed, [with the result that] no one will live there [any more].’”
