UJeremiya 38
1 UShefathiya indodana kaMathani, loGedaliya indodana kaPhashuri, uJewukhali indodana kaShelemiya, loPhashuri indodana kaMalikhija bakuzwa uJeremiya ayekutshela abantu bonke esithi,
Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,
2 “UThixo uthi: ‘Lowo ozasala kulelidolobho uzabulawa yinkemba, yindlala kumbe yisifo; kodwa lowo ozakuya kumaKhaladiya uzasila. Uzaphunyuka lokuphila kwakhe; uzaphila.’
“The LORD says, ‘He who remains in this city will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live. He will escape with his life and he will live.’
3 Njalo uThixo uthi: ‘Idolobho leli lizanikelwa impela ebuthweni lenkosi yaseBhabhiloni ezalithumba.’”
The LORD says, ‘This city will surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will take it.’”
4 Izikhulu zasezisithi enkosini, “Umuntu lo kumele abulawe. Wenza amabutho asala kulelidolobho aphelelwe lithemba, kanye labantu bonke, ngenxa yezinto azitshoyo kubo. Umuntu lo kadingi okuhle kwabantu laba, kodwa ukubhujiswa kwabo.”
Then the princes said to the king, “Please let this man be put to death, because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them; for this man doesn’t seek the welfare of this people, but harm.”
5 UZedekhiya inkosi waphendula wathi, “Usezandleni zenu. Inkosi ingeke yenze lutho ukuba iliphikise.”
Zedekiah the king said, “Behold, he is in your hand; for the king can’t do anything to oppose you.”
6 Ngakho bamthatha uJeremiya bamfaka emgodini kaMalikhija, indodana yenkosi, owawusegumeni labalindi. UJeremiya bamehlisela phansi phakathi komgodi ngemichilo; wawungelamanzi, kuludaka kuphela, ngakho uJeremiya watshona edakeni.
Then they took Jeremiah and threw him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard. They let down Jeremiah with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
7 Kodwa u-Ebhedi-Meleki, umKhushi, isikhulu endlini yobukhosi, wezwa ukuthi basebefake uJeremiya emgodini. Kwathi-ke inkosi ihlezi eSangweni lakoBhenjamini,
Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king was then sitting in Benjamin’s gate),
8 u-Ebhedi-Meleki waphuma esigodlweni wathi kuyo,
Ebedmelech went out of the king’s house, and spoke to the king, saying,
9 “Nkosi yami lombusi wami, abantu laba benze ububi kukho konke abakwenze kuJeremiya umphrofethi. Sebemphosele emgodini lapho azalamba khona aze afe kungaselakudla edolobheni.”
“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon. He is likely to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.”
10 Ngakho inkosi yalaya u-Ebhedi-Meleki umKhushi yathi, “Thatha amadoda angamatshumi amathathu lapha likhuphe uJeremiya umphrofethi emgodini engakafi.”
Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he dies.”
11 Ngakho u-Ebhedi-Meleki wathatha amadoda lawo waya lawo endlini engaphansi kwendlu yengcebo esigodlweni. Wathatha amanikiniki amadala lezigqoko ezigugileyo khonapho wakwehlisela phansi kuJeremiya emgodini ngemichilo.
So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12 U-Ebhedi-Meleki umKhushi wathi kuJeremiya, “Faka amanikiniki la amadala lezigqoko lezi ezigugileyo emakhwapheni akho ukuze imichilo ingakulimazi.” UJeremiya wenza njalo,
Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these rags and worn-out garments under your armpits under the cords.” Jeremiah did so.
13 basebemdonsela phezulu ngemichilo, bamkhupha emgodini. UJeremiya wahlala egumeni labalindi.
So they lifted Jeremiah up with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
14 Inkosi uZedekhiya wabiza uJeremiya umphrofethi wasiwa entubeni yesithathu yethempeli likaThixo. Inkosi yasisithi kuJeremiya, “Ngizakubuza okuthize. Ungangifihleli lutho.”
Then Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah the prophet to himself into the third entry that is in the LORD’s house. Then the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.”
15 UJeremiya wathi kuZedekhiya, “Ngingakuphendula kawuyikungibulala na? Loba ngingakweluleka, kawuyikungilalela.”
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? If I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”
16 Kodwa inkosi uZedekhiya wafunga isifungo lesi ngasese kuJeremiya, wathi, “Ngeqiniso elinjengoba uThixo ekhona, yena owasinika ukuphefumula, angiyikukubulala loba ngikunikele kulabo abafuna ukukubulala.”
So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the LORD lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”
17 Lapho-ke uJeremiya wathi kuZedekhiya, “UThixo uNkulunkulu uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, uthi: ‘Ungazinikela ezikhulwini zenkosi yaseBhabhiloni, impilo yakho izaphepha njalo ledolobho leli kaliyikutshiswa ngomlilo; wena labendlu yakho lizasila.
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “The LORD, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you will go out to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul will live, and this city will not be burned with fire. You will live, along with your house.
18 Kodwa nxa ungazinikeli ezikhulwini zenkosi yaseBhabhiloni, idolobho leli lizanikelwa kumaKhaladiya azalitshisa ngomlilo; njalo wena uqobo kawuyikuphunyuka ezandleni zawo.’”
But if you will not go out to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you won’t escape out of their hand.’”
19 INkosi uZedekhiya wasesithi kuJeremiya, “Ngiyabesaba abakoJuda asebe kumaKhaladiya, ngoba amaKhaladiya anganginikela kubo bangiphathe kubi.”
Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.”
20 UJeremiya wathi, “Kabayikukunikela. Lalela uThixo ngokwenza lokhu engikutshela khona. Lapho-ke kuzakulungela, njalo lempilo yakho izaphepha.
But Jeremiah said, “They won’t deliver you. Obey, I beg you, the LORD’s voice, in that which I speak to you; so it will be well with you, and your soul will live.
21 Kodwa ungala ukuzinikela, nanku okuvezwe nguThixo kimi:
But if you refuse to go out, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:
22 Bonke abesifazane abasele endlini yobukhosi yenkosi yakoJuda bazakhutshelwa phandle ezikhulwini zenkosi yaseBhabhiloni bathi kuwe: ‘Bakukhohlisile bakwehlula abangane bakho abathenjiweyo. Inyawo zakho zitshonile edakeni; abangane bakho bakudelile.’
‘Behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house will be brought out to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women will say, “Your familiar friends have turned on you, and have prevailed over you. Your feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned away from you.”
23 Abafazi bakho kanye labantwana bazakhutshelwa phandle kumaKhaladiya. Lawe uqobo kawuyikuphunyuka ezandleni zawo, kodwa uzathunjwa yinkosi yaseBhabhiloni; njalo idolobho leli lizatshiswa ngomlilo.”
They will bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans. You won’t escape out of their hand, but will be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. You will cause this city to be burned with fire.’”
24 UZedekhiya wasesithi kuJeremiya, “Akungabi lomuntu omazisa inkulumo le, hlezi ufe.
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and you won’t die.
25 Izikhulu zingezwa ukuthi ngike ngakhuluma lawe, besezisiza kuwe zithi, ‘Sitshele lokho okutshiloyo enkosini kanye lokutshiwo yinkosi kuwe; ungasifihleli funa sikubulale,’
But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and tell you, ‘Declare to us now what you have said to the king; don’t hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; also tell us what the king said to you;’
26 wena zitshele uthi, ‘Kade ngincenga inkosi ukuthi ingangibuyiseli endlini kaJonathani ukuyafela khona.’”
then you shall tell them, ‘I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.’”
27 Lakanye izikhulu zonke zaya kuJeremiya zambuza, yena wazitshela konke inkosi eyayimlaye ukuthi akutsho. Ngakho kazisatshongo lutho kuye futhi, ngoba kakho owayeyizwile inkulumo yakhe lenkosi.
Then all the princes came to Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, for the matter was not perceived.
28 UJeremiya wahlala egumeni labalindi kwaze kwaba lusuku lokuthunjwa kweJerusalema. IJerusalema lathunjwa kanje:
So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.
