UJeremiya 37
1 Inkosi uZedekhiya indodana kaJosiya wabusa-ke esikhundleni sikaKoniya indodana kaJehoyakhimi, uNebhukadirezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni ambeka abe yinkosi elizweni lakoJuda.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon replaced Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim with Zedekiah son of Josiah as the ruling king of Judah.
2 Kodwa kawalalelanga, yena lenceku zakhe labantu belizwe, amazwi eNkosi eyayiwakhulume ngesandla sikaJeremiya umprofethi.
But Zedekiah and his officers and everyone else in the country refused to obey what the Lord had said through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 Inkosi uZedekhiya yasithuma uJehukali indodana kaShelemiya loZefaniya indodana kaMahaseya umpristi kuJeremiya umprofethi, isithi: Ake usikhulekele eNkosini uNkulunkulu wethu.
However, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us!”
4 UJeremiya wangena-ke waphuma phakathi kwabantu, ngoba babengakamfaki entolongweni.
(At this time Jeremiah could come and go freely, because as yet they hadn't put him in prison.)
5 Ibutho likaFaro laliphumile-ke eGibhithe; kwathi amaKhaladiya ayevimbezela iJerusalema esizwa amahungahunga ngabo, enyuka asuka eJerusalema.
Pharaoh's army was advancing from Egypt, and when the Babylonian army heard about it, they moved away from Jerusalem.
6 Laselifika ilizwi leNkosi kuJeremiya umprofethi lisithi:
Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet:
7 Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Lizakutsho njalo enkosini yakoJuda elithume kimi ukungibuza: Khangela, ibutho likaFaro eliphumele ukulisiza lizabuyela elizweni lalo, iGibhithe.
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, instructs you to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask me for help: Look! Pharaoh's army, which set out to help you, is going to return home to Egypt.
8 AmaKhaladiya azabuya futhi, alwe emelene lalumuzi, awuthumbe, awutshise ngomlilo.
Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem. They will capture it and burn it down.
9 Itsho njalo iNkosi: Lingakhohlisi imiphefumulo yenu lisithi: AmaKhaladiya isibili azasuka kithi; ngoba kawayikusuka.
This is what the Lord says: Don't fool yourselves by saying, “The Babylonians are gone for good,” because they're not!
10 Ngoba loba lilitshaya ibutho lonke lamaKhaladiya alwa emelene lani, kusale amadoda agwaziweyo phakathi kwabo, azasukuma, yileyo laleyo ethenteni layo, awutshise lumuzi ngomlilo.
In fact, even if you were able to kill the whole Babylonian army attacking you, leaving only wounded men in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.
11 Kwasekusithi ibutho lamaKhaladiya selenyukile lisuka eJerusalema ngenxa yebutho likaFaro,
When the Babylonian army moved away from Jerusalem because of the threat of Pharaoh's army,
12 uJeremiya waphuma eJerusalema ukuya elizweni lakoBhenjamini ukuthi amonyuke phakathi kwabantu.
Jeremiah was on his way out of Jerusalem to go to his home in the territory of Benjamin to claim his share of his family's property.
13 Kwasekusithi esesesangweni lakoBhenjamini, kwakukhona lapho induna yabalindi obizo layo lalinguIrija, indodana kaShelemiya, indodana kaHananiya; yasimbamba uJeremiya umprofethi, isithi: Uhlubukela kumaKhaladiya.
However, when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the guard captain, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, arrested him, saying, “You're defecting to the Babylonians!”
14 UJeremiya wasesithi: Ngamanga; kangihlubukeli kumaKhaladiya. Kodwa kamlalelanga; ngokunjalo uIriya wambamba uJeremiya, wamletha kuziphathamandla.
“That's not true,” Jeremiah replied. “I'm not defecting to the Babylonians!” But Irijah refused to listen to him. He arrested Jeremiah and took him before the officers.
15 Iziphathamandla zasezithukuthela ngoJeremiya, zamtshaya, zamfaka entolongweni, endlini kaJonathani umbhali, ngoba zaziyenze yaba yintolongo.
The officers were furious with Jeremiah. They had him beaten and locked up in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which had been turned into a prison.
16 UJeremiya esengene endlini yomgodi lezitokisini, uJeremiya esehlale khona insuku ezinengi,
Jeremiah was placed in a cell in the underground dungeon and was kept there for a long time.
17 inkosi uZedekhiya yasithuma, yamthatha; inkosi yasimbuza endlini yayo ensitha yathi: Likhona yini ilizwi elivela eNkosini? UJeremiya wasesithi: Likhona. Wathi: Uzanikelwa esandleni senkosi yeBhabhiloni.
Some while later King Zedekiah secretly sent for him and had him brought to the royal palace where he asked, “Is there a message from Lord for me?” “Yes there is,” Jeremiah replied. “You are going to be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
18 UJeremiya wathi futhi enkosini uZedekhiya: Ngoneni kuwe lezincekwini zakho lakulababantu ukuthi lingifake entolongweni?
Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or these people, for you to put me in prison?
19 Bangaphi khathesi abaprofethi benu abaprofetha kini besithi: Inkosi yeBhabhiloni kayiyikufika imelane lani kumbe imelane lalelilizwe?
Where are your prophets now, the ones who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon won't come and attack you and this country’?
20 Khathesi-ke, ake uzwe, nkosi yami, nkosi, kakuthi ukuncenga kwami kuwe phambi kwakho, ungangibuyiseli endlini kaJonathani umbhali, hlezi ngifele khona.
Now please listen to me, my lord the king, and respond positively to my request. Don't send me back to prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, otherwise I'll die there.”
21 Ngakho inkosi uZedekhiya yalaya ukuthi bamfake uJeremiya egumeni lentolongo, lokuthi anikwe isinkwa sibe sinye ngosuku esivela esitaladini sabaphekizinkwa, size siphele sonke isinkwa emzini. Ngokunjalo uJeremiya wahlala egumeni lentolongo.
King Zedekiah gave the order for Jeremiah to be held in the guard's courtyard and be provided with a loaf of bread every day from a bakery until there was no bread left in the city. So Jeremiah stayed in the guard's courtyard.
