Yeremiya 38
1 Awo Sefatiya mutabani wa Mattani ne Gedaliya mutabani wa Pasukuli ne Yukali mutabani wa Malukiya ne bawulira ebigambo Yeremiya bye yali agamba abantu bonna nti,
[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 “Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama nti, ‘Buli muntu anaasigala mu kibuga kino ajja kufa ekitala, enjala oba kawumpuli, naye buli afuluma n’agenda eri Abakaludaaya ajja kuba mulamu.’
[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 Era bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama nti, ‘Ekyamazima ekibuga kino kya kuweebwayo eri eggye lya kabaka w’e Babulooni; anaakiwamba.’”
Yahweh also says that the army of the King of Babylon will certainly capture this city [DOU].”
4 Awo abakungu ne bagamba kabaka nti, “Omusajja ono asaana kuttibwa. Amalamu abaserikale abasigadde mu kibuga amaanyi, era n’abantu bonna, olw’ebintu by’abagamba. Omuntu ono tanoonya bulungi bw’abantu naye kuzikirizibwa kwabwe.”
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 Kabaka Zeddekiya n’addamu nti, “Ali mu mikono gyammwe, siyinza kubawakanya.”
King Zedekiah said, “All right, do to him what you want to; I do not have the power to stop you.”
6 Awo ne batwala Yeremiya ne bamuteeka mu kinnya kya Malukiya mutabani wa kabaka ekyali mu luggya lw’abakuumi. Yeremiya ne baamussaayo n’emiguwa mu kinnya. Tekyalimu mazzi wabula ebitosi, era omwo Yeremiya mwe yabbika.
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 Naye Ebedumeleki Omuwesiyopya omu ku balaawe b’omu lubiri lwa kabaka bwe yawulira nga batadde Yeremiya mu kinnya, nga ne kabaka atudde ku mulyango gwa Benyamini,
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 Ebedumeleki n’ava mu lubiri n’agenda eri kabaka n’amugamba nti,
Ebed-Melech went out of the palace and said to the king,
9 “Mukama wange kabaka, abantu bano bakoze bubi mu byonna bye bakoze nnabbi Yeremiya okumusuula mu kinnya, gy’anafiira enjala nga tekyali mugaati gwonna mu kibuga.”
“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 Awo kabaka n’alagira Ebedumeleki Omuwesiyopya nti, “Twala abasajja amakumi asatu okuva wano musitule nnabbi Yeremiya okuva mu kinnya nga tannafa.”
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 Awo Ebedumeleki n’atwala abasajja ne bagenda mu kisenge wansi w’etterekero ly’ensimbi mu lubiri. Nakwata ebigoye ebimu ebikadde n’engoye enziinaziina n’abissa awamu n’emiguwa eri Yeremiya mu kinnya.
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 Ebedumeleki Omuwesiyopya n’agamba Yeremiya nti, “Teeka ebigoye bino ebikadde wansi w’enkwawa zo okunyweza emiguwa wansi w’emikono gyo.” Yeremiya n’akola bw’atyo.
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 Ne bamusikayo n’emiguwa ne bamuggya mu kinnya. Yeremiya n’asigala mu luggya lw’abakuumi.
Then they pulled me out of the well. I [returned] to the courtyard where the palace guards stayed, and I stayed there.
14 Kabaka Zeddekiya n’atumya nnabbi Yeremiya bamuleete ku mulyango ogwokusatu ogwa yeekaalu ya Mukama. Kabaka n’agamba Yeremiya nti, “Nnina kye ŋŋenda okukubuuza. Tobaako ky’onkweka.”
[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 Yeremiya n’agamba Zeddekiya nti, “Bwe nnaakuddamu tonzite? Ne bwe nnaakuwa amagezi tojja kumpuliriza.”
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 Naye kabaka Zeddekiya n’alayira ekirayiro mu kyama eri Yeremiya nti, “Nga Katonda bw’ali omulamu, eyatuwa omukka gwe tussa, sijja kukutta wadde okukuwaayo eri abo abanoonya okukutta.”
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 Awo Yeremiya n’agamba Zeddekiya nti, “Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama Katonda ow’Eggye, Katonda wa Isirayiri nti, ‘Singa weewaayo eri abakungu ba kabaka w’e Babulooni, ojja kukuumibwa bulungi tootuukibweko kabi konna, n’ekibuga kino tekijja kwokebwa; ggwe n’ab’omu maka go munaabeera balamu.
[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 Naye bw’oteweeyo eri abakungu ba kabaka w’e Babulooni, ekibuga kino kijja kuweebwayo eri Abakaludaaya bakyokye; nawe wennyini tojja kubawona.’”
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 Kabaka Zeddekiya n’agamba Yeremiya nti, “Ntya Abayudaaya abaddukidde mu Babulooni, kubanga Abakaludaaya bayinza okumpaayo gye bali ne bambonyaabonya.”
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 Yeremiya n’amuddamu nti, “Tebaakuweeyo. Ggwe gondera Mukama Katonda ng’okola kye nkugamba. Olwo binaakugendera bulungi, nawe tojja kuttibwa.
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 Naye bwonoogaana okwewaayo, kino Mukama kyandaze:
But if you refuse to surrender, this is what Yahweh has revealed to me:
22 Abakazi bonna abasigadde mu lubiri lwa kabaka wa Yuda bajja kuleetebwa eri abakungu ba kabaka w’e Babulooni, bakugambe nti, “‘Mikwano gyo gye weesiga baakubuzaabuza ne bakuwangula. Kaakano otubidde mu ttosi. Mikwano gyo gikudduseeko.’
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 “Bakazi bo n’abaana bo bonna balireetebwa eri Abakaludaaya. Ggwe kennyini tojja kubasumattuka ojja kukwatibwa kabaka w’e Babulooni; n’ekibuga kino kijja kwokebwa.”
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 Awo Zeddekiya n’agamba Yeremiya nti, “Tobuulirako muntu n’omu ku bye twogedde, bw’onookikola ojja kufa.
Then Zedekiah said to me, “Do not tell anyone what you told me; if you tell anyone, my officials may kill you.
25 Abakungu bwe banaawulira nti wayogeddeko nange ne bajja ne bakubuuza nti, ‘Tubuulire kye wagambye kabaka ne kabaka kye yakuzeemu, totukweka kintu kyonna sikulwa nga tukutta,’
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 bagambe nti, ‘Mbadde neegayirira kabaka aleme kunzizaayo eri mu nnyumba ya Yonasaani okufiira eyo.’”
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 Abakungu bonna ne bajja eri Yeremiya okumubuuza, n’abaddamu byonna nga kabaka bye yamulagira okwogera. Ne bataddayo ku mubuuza kintu kyonna, kubanga tewaali n’omu eyali awulidde bye yali ayogedde ne kabaka.
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 Yeremiya n’asigala mu luggya lw’abakuumi okutuusa olunaku Yerusaalemi lwe kyawambibwa. Yerusaalemi bwe kiti bwe kyawambibwa:
So I remained being guarded in the courtyard [of the palace], until the day that [the army of Babylonia] captured Jerusalem.
