Yeremia 37
1 Sasa Sedekia mwana wa Yosia alitawala kama mfalme badala ya Yehoyachin mwana wa Yehoyakimu. Nebukadreza mfalme wa Babeli alikuwa amemfanya Sedekia mfalme juu ya nchi ya Yuda.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon replaced Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim with Zedekiah son of Josiah as the ruling king of Judah.
2 Lakini Sedekia, wajakazi wake, na watu wa nchi hawakusikiliza maneno ya Yahwe ambayo alitangaza kwa mkono wa Yeremia nabii.
But Zedekiah and his officers and everyone else in the country refused to obey what the Lord had said through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 Kwa hiyo Mfalme Sedekia, Yehukali mwana wa Shelemia, na Zefania mwana wa Maaseia kuhani alituma ujumbe kwa Yeremia nabii. Walisema, “Omba kwa niaba kwa Yahwe Mungu wetu.”
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 Sasa Yeremia alikuwa anakuja na kwenda miongoni mwa watu, kwa kuwa alikuwa bado hajawekwa ndani ya gereza.
(At this time Jeremiah could come and go freely, because as yet they hadn't put him in prison.)
5 Jeshi la Farao lilitoka Misri, na Wakaldayo waliozingira Yerusalem walisikia habari kuhusu wao na kuondoka Yerusalem.
Pharaoh's army was advancing from Egypt, and when the Babylonian army heard about it, they moved away from Jerusalem.
6 Kisha neno la Yahwe lilikuja kwa Yeremia nabii na kusema,
Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet:
7 “Yahwe, Mungu wa Israel, asema hivi: Hiki ndivyo utakavyosema kwa mfalme wa Yuda, kwa sababu amekutuma wewe kutafuta ushauri toka kwangu, 'Ona, jeshi la Farao, ambalo lilikuja kukusaidia, liko tayari kurudi Misri, kwenye nchi yao.
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 Wakaldayo watarudi. Watapigana dhidi ya mji huu, kuuteka, na kuuchoma.'
Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem. They will capture it and burn it down.
9 Yahwe asema hivi: Msidaganyane kwa kusema, “Hakika Wakaldayo wanatuacha sisi,' kwa kuwa hawatatuacha.
This is what the Lord says: Don't fool yourselves by saying, “The Babylonians are gone for good,” because they're not!
10 Hata kama mmelishinda jeshi la Wakaldayo lote ambalo linapigana nanyi ili kwamba wanaume waliojeruhiwa walibakizwa katika mahema yao, wangeweza kunyanyuka na kuchoma mji huu.”
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 Basi ilikuwa wakati jeshi la Wakaldayo lilipoondoka Yerusalem wakati jeshi la Farao lilikuwa linakuja,
When the Babylonian army moved away from Jerusalem because of the threat of Pharaoh's army,
12 kisha Yeremia alienda toka Yerusalem kwenda nchi ya Benjamini. Alitaka kumiliki njia ya nchi huko miongoni mwa watu wake.
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 Kama alivyokuwa katika mlango wa Benjamini, mlinzi mkuu aliyekuwa hapo. Jina lake lilikuwa Yeria mwana wa Shelemia mwana wa Hanania. Alimshika kwa kumnyakua Yeremia nabii na kusema, “Mnatoka jangwani kwa Wakaldayo.”
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 Lakini Yeremia alisema, “Hiyo si kweli. Siendi jangwani kwa Wakaldayo.” Lakini Yeria hakumsikiliza. Alimchukua Yeremia na kumleta kwa maafisa.
“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 Maafisa walikuwa wamemkasirikia Yeremia. Walimpiga na kumweka gerezani, ambayo ilikuwa nyumba ya Yonathani mwandishi, kwa kuwa waligeuza kuwa gereza.
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 Kwa hiyo Yeremia alikuwa amewekwa kwenye kifungo cha chini, ambako alikuwa huko kwa siku nyingi.
Jeremiah was placed in a cell in the underground dungeon and was kept there for a long time.
17 Kisha mfalme Sedekia alimtuma mtu mmoja aliyemleta kwenye ikulu. Kwenye nyumba yake, mfalme alimuuliza binafsi, “Kuna neno: Utatiwa kwenye mkono wa mfalme wa Babeli.”
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 Kisha Yeremia alisema kwa mfalme Sedekia, “Kwa namna gani nimekutenda dhambi, mjakazi wako, au watu hawa kwamba umeniweke mimi kwenye gereza?
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 Wako wapi nabii wako, wale waliotabiri kwa ajili yako na kusema mfalme wa Babeli hatakuja dhidi yako au dhidi ya nchi hii?
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 Lakini sasa sikiliza, bwana wangu mfalme! Acha ombi langu liwe mbele yako. Usinirudie mimi kwenye nyumba ya Yonathani mwandishi, au nitakufa huko.”
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 Kwa hiyo mfalme Sedekia alitoa amri. Wajakazi wake walimwekea mipaka Yeremia katika uwanja wa walinzi. Alipewa mkate kila siku kutoka mtaa wa waokaji mkate, mpaka mkate wote mjini uliisha. Basi Yeremia alibaki kwenye uwanja walinzi.
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.
