Selemaia 42

1 Pea naʻe haʻu ʻo ofi ʻae houʻeikitau kotoa pē, mo Sohanani ko e foha ʻo Kalia, pea mo Seasania ko e foha ʻo Hosaia, pea mo e kakai kotoa pē mei he iiki ʻo aʻu ki he lalahi,

Then Johanan and Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the [other] leaders of the [Israeli] soldiers [who had not surrendered to the army of Babylonia], and many [HYP] [other] people, including those who were important and those who were not important, came

2 Pea naʻa nau lea kia Selemaia ko e palōfita, “ʻOku mau kole kiate koe, tuku ke lelei ʻi ho ʻao ʻemau kole, pea hūfia ʻakimautolu kia Sihova ko ho ʻOtua, koeʻuhi ko kimautolu kotoa pē ʻoku toe; (he ko e toenga tokosiʻi ʻakimautolu ʻoe tokolahi, ʻo hangē ko ia ʻoku ke mamata ki ai: )

to me. They said, “Please listen to our request and pray to Yahweh our God for all of us. Although we were previously a huge number of people, you can see that now we are only a small number of people [who have survived].

3 Koeʻuhi ke fakahā kiate kimautolu ʻe Sihova ko ho ʻOtua ʻae hala te mau ʻalu ai, pea mo e meʻa te mau fai.”

[Pray] that Yahweh our God will show us what we should do and where we should go.”

4 Pea pehē ʻe Selemaia, “Ko e palōfita kiate kinautolu, kuo u fanongo kiate kimoutolu; vakai, te u lotu kia Sihova ko homou ʻOtua ʻo hangē ko hoʻomou ngaahi lea; pea ʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ko e meʻa kotoa pē ʻe tali ai ʻe Sihova kiate kimoutolu, te u fakahā ia kiate kimoutolu; ʻe ʻikai te u taʻofi ha meʻa meiate kimoutolu.”

I replied, “Okay, I will pray to Yahweh our God, like you have requested, and I will tell you what he says. I will (tell you everything/not hide anything from you).”

5 Pea naʻa nau toki pehē kia Selemaia, “Ke ʻiate kitautolu ʻa Sihova ko e fakamoʻoni angatonu mo moʻoni, kapau ʻe ʻikai te mau fai ʻo hangē ko e ngaahi meʻa kotoa pē ʻaia ʻe fekau ai koe ʻe Sihova ko ho ʻOtua kiate kimautolu.

They replied to me, “We hope/wish that Yahweh our God will be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to do everything that he tells us to do.

6 Kapau ʻoku lelei ia pe kovi, te mau talangofua ki he leʻo ʻo Sihova ko hotau ʻOtua, ʻaia ʻoku mau fekau koe ki ai; koeʻuhi ke lelei ia kiate kimautolu, ʻoka mau ka talangofua ki he leʻo ʻo Sihova ko hotau ʻOtua.”

We are requesting you to ask Yahweh our God what we should do. [When he replies], we will obey him, whether we like what he says or not. We will do that because [we know that] things will go well for us if we obey him.”

7 Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē ʻi he hili ʻae ʻaho ʻe hongofulu, naʻe hoko mai ʻae folofola ʻa Sihova kia Selemaia.

[So I prayed] to Yahweh, and ten days later he gave me his reply.

8 Pea ne ui kia Sohanani ko e foha ʻo Kalia, mo e houʻeikitau kotoa pē naʻe ʻiate ia, pea mo e kakai kotoa pē ʻo fai mei he iiki ʻo aʻu ki he lalahi,

So I summoned Johanan and all his [other] soldiers and all the [other] people, including those who were important and those who were not important.

9 Pea ne pehē kiate kinautolu, “ʻOku pehē mai ʻa Sihova, ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli, ʻaia naʻa mou fekau au ki ai ke ʻatu hoʻomou kole ʻi hono ʻao;

I said to them, “You told me to tell Yahweh, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], what you were requesting. This is what he replied:

10 ‘Kapau ʻoku mou loto ke nofo ʻi he fonua ni te u langa ʻakimoutolu pea ʻe ʻikai veteki hifo ʻakimoutolu, te u tō ʻakimoutolu pea ʻe ʻikai taʻaki hake ʻakimoutolu: he ʻoku ou fakatomala ʻi he kovi kuo u fai kiate kimoutolu.

‘You [should] stay here in this land. If you do that, I will cause your [nation] to be strong and not be weak. I will cause you to prosper and not be exiled [again]. I am sorry about the disasters that I [was forced to] cause you to experience.

11 Pea ʻoua naʻa manavahē ki he tuʻi ʻo Papilone, ʻaia ʻoku mou manavahē ki ai;’ ʻoku pehē ʻe Sihova, ‘ʻOua naʻa manavahē kiate ia: he ʻoku ou ʻiate kimoutolu ke fakamoʻui ʻakimoutolu, pea ke fakahaofi ʻakimoutolu mei hono nima.

But do not be afraid of the king of Babylon [any more], because I will (be with/help) you. I will rescue you [DOU] from his power [MTY].

12 Pea te u fakahā ʻeku ngaahi ʻaloʻofa kiate kimoutolu, koeʻuhi ke ne ʻofa kiate kimoutolu, pea pule kiate kimoutolu ke mou liliu ki homou fonua.

I will be merciful to you by causing him to act kindly toward you. So as a result, he will allow you to stay here in your land.’

13 “‘Pea kapau te mou lea ʻo pehē, “ʻE ʻikai te mau nofo ʻi he fonua ni,” pe fai talangofua ki he leʻo ʻo Sihova ko homou ʻOtua.

But if you refuse to obey Yahweh our God, and if you say ‘We will not stay here;

14 ‌ʻO lea pehē, ‘ʻE ʻikai; ka te mau ʻalu ki he fonua ko ʻIsipite, pea ʻe ʻikai te mau mamata ai ki he tau, pe fanongo ki he meʻalea, pe fiekaia, pea te mau nofo ʻi ai:”’

instead, we will go to Egypt. There we will not experience [any] wars, we will not hear trumpets [signaling our soldiers to prepare for battles], and we will not be hungry,’

15 Pea ko ia mou fanongo ni ki he folofola ʻa Sihova, ʻakimoutolu ʻae toenga ʻo Siuta; ʻoku pehē ʻe Sihova ʻoe ngaahi kautau, ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli; ‘Kapau, ʻoku pau ke hanga atu homou mata ke ʻalu ki ʻIsipite, pea ʻāunofo ʻi ai;

then listen to what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt, and you go and live there,

16 Pea ʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ko e heletā ʻaia naʻa mou manavahē ki ai, te ne tuli ʻo maʻu ʻakimoutolu ʻi he fonua ko ʻIsipite, pea mo e honge, ʻaia naʻa mou manavahē ki ai, te ne muimui ʻo ofi kiate kimoutolu ʻi ʻIsipite, pea te mou mate ʻi ai.

you will experience those wars and famines that you are afraid of, and you will [all] die there.

17 Pea ʻe hoko ʻo pehē ki he kau tangata kotoa pē, ʻe fakahangatonu honau mata ke ʻalu ki ʻIsipite ke ʻāunofo ki ai; te nau mate ʻi he heletā, mo e honge, pea mo e mahaki fakaʻauha: pea ʻe ʻikai toe ha tokotaha ʻiate kinautolu, pe hao mei he kovi ʻaia te u fakahoko kiate kinautolu.’

That is what will happen to all you who are determined to go to Egypt and live there. [Some of you] will be killed by the swords [of your enemies, and others of you will die] from famines and from diseases. None of you will escape the disasters that I will bring on you.’

18 He ʻoku pehē ʻe Sihova ʻoe ngaahi kautau, ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli; ‘ʻO hangē kuo lilingi ʻeku tuputāmaki mo hoku houhau ki he kakai ʻo Selūsalema; ʻe pehē hono lilingi atu ʻa hoku houhau kiate kimoutolu, ʻoka mou ka ʻalu ki ʻIsipite: pea te mou hoko ko e fehiʻanekina, mo e meʻa fakaofo, mo e fakamalaʻia, pea mo e ongoongo kovi; pea ʻe ʻikai te mou toe mamata ki he potu ni.’

And the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], also says this: ‘Because I was very angry, I severely punished [MTY] [all] the people of Jerusalem. I will do the same things to you when you go to Egypt. [The result will be that] people will curse you. They will be horrified about [what has happened to] you. They will make fun of you, and you will never see this land again.’

19 “Kuo folofola ʻe Sihova kiate kimoutolu ʻo pehē, ʻakimoutolu ʻae toenga kakai ʻo Siuta; “ʻOua naʻa mou ʻalu ki ʻIsipite: ka mou ʻilo fakapapau kuo u akonaki kiate kimoutolu ʻi he ʻaho ni.

You little group of people of Judah who are still alive, [listen to me]: Yahweh has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ [So] do not forget what I have warned you today.

20 He naʻa mou fai kākā ʻi homou loto, ʻi hoʻomou fekau au kia Sihova ko homou ʻOtua, ʻo pehē, ‘Hūfia ʻakimautolu kia Sihova ko hotau ʻOtua; pea hangē ko e meʻa kotoa pē ʻoku folofola ʻaki ʻe Sihova ko hotau ʻOtua, ko ia ʻe fakahā kiate kimautolu, pea te mau fai ia.’

I know that you were lying when you requested me to pray to Yahweh our God.

21 Pea kuo u fakahā ia kiate kimoutolu ʻi he ʻaho ni; ka ʻoku ʻikai te mou talangofua ki he leʻo ʻo Sihova ko homou ʻOtua, ʻi ha meʻa ʻe taha ʻaia kuo ne fekau ai au kiate kimoutolu.

And today I have told you exactly what he said, but [I know that] you will not obey Yahweh our God now, just as you have not obeyed him previously.

22 Pea ko ia mou ʻilo fakapapau, te mou mate ʻi he heletā, mo e honge, pea mo e mahaki fakaʻauha, ʻi he potu ʻaia ʻoku mou holi ke ʻalu ʻo ʻāunofo ai.”

You want to go to Egypt and live there. So now, you can be sure of this: [All of] you will die there. [Some of you will be killed] by the swords [of your enemies and others will die] from famines or from diseases.”