Yeremia 37
1 Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar de Yosia babarima Sedekia dii Yudahene; osii Yehoiakim babarima Yehoiakin anan mu.
After Jehoiakim died, [his son Jehoiachin became king for only three months, after which] King Josiah’s son Zedekiah became the King of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, appointed him to be the new king.
2 Ɔno, nʼasomfo ne nnipa a wɔwɔ asase no so antie Awurade asɛm a ɔnam odiyifo Yeremia so kae no.
But King Zedekiah and his palace officials and the other people in the land paid no attention to the messages that Yahweh gave me.
3 Ɔhene Sedekia somaa Selemia babarima Yehukal ne Maaseia babarima ɔsɔfo Sefania se, wɔnkɔka nkyerɛ Yeremia se, “Yɛsrɛ wo, bɔ Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn, mpae ma yɛn.”
However, [one day] King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, who was the son of Maaseiah, to me. They requested me to pray to Yahweh our God for our [nation].
4 Na Yeremia de ne ho a otumi di nnipa no mu akɔneaba, efisɛ na wɔmfaa no ntoo afiase ɛ.
At that time I had not yet been put in prison, so I could come and go wherever and whenever I wanted to, [without being hindered].
5 Na Farao asraafo afi Misraim reba, na Babiloniafo a wɔatua Yerusalem no tee wɔn nka no, wofii Yerusalem.
[At that time], the army of [Hophra], the King of Egypt, came [to the southern border of Judah]. When the army of Babylonia heard about that, they stopped surrounding Jerusalem and left there [to fight against the army from Egypt].
6 Na Awurade asɛm baa odiyifo Yeremia nkyɛn se,
Then Yahweh gave this message to me:
7 “Sɛɛ na Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, se: Monka nkyerɛ Yudahene a, ɔsomaa mo se mummebisa me hɔ biribi no se, ‘Farao asraafo a wofii adi sɛ wɔrebɛboa mo no bɛsan akɔ wɔn ankasa asase, Misraim so.
“[I], Yahweh, the God whom [you] Israelis [say you belong to], say this: ‘The King of Judah has sent [messengers] to you to ask me [what is going to happen]. Tell the king that even though the army of the King of Egypt came to help him, they are about to return to Egypt.
8 Na Babiloniafo no bɛsan abɛtow ahyɛ saa kuropɔn yi so; wobegye na wɔahyew kurow no dwerɛbee.’
Then the army of Babylonia will return here and capture this city and burn everything in it.’
9 “Sɛ Awurade se ni: Monnnaadaa mo ho nsusuw sɛ, ‘Ampa ara Babiloniafo no befi yɛn so akɔ.’ Wɔrenkɔ!
[So], this is what I say [to you Israelis]: ‘You should not deceive yourselves, thinking that the army from Babylonia has gone and will not return. That is not true.
10 Sɛ mudi Babiloniafo asraafo a wɔatow ahyɛ mo so no so ma ɛka apirafo wɔ wɔn ntamadan mu mpo a, wobefi adi abɛhyew kuropɔn yi dwerɛbee.”
And even if your soldiers could destroy almost all of the soldiers from Babylonia who are attacking you, and allow only a few of them who were wounded to remain alive in their tents, they would come out [of their tents] and burn this city completely!”’”
11 Babilonia asraafo no fii Yerusalem, esiane Farao asraafo no nti akyiri no,
When the army from Babylonia left Jerusalem because the army from Egypt was approaching,
12 Yeremia yɛɛ ahoboa sɛ ɔrefi kuropɔn no mu, akɔ Benyamin mantam mu akogye nʼagyapade mu kyɛfa wɔ nkurɔfo a wɔwɔ hɔ no nkyɛn.
I started to leave the city. I intended to go to the area [where the descendants of] Benjamin live, in order to take possession of my share of the property from my family.
13 Nanso okoduu Benyamin Pon ano no, awɛmfo no so panyin a wɔfrɛ no Yiria a ɔyɛ Selemia babarima ne Hanania nena kyeree no kae se, “Woreguan agya yɛn akɔ Babiloniafo afa!”
But as I was walking out the Benjamin Gate, a guard seized me and said, “You are deserting [us and going] to [the soldiers from] Babylonia!” The man who seized me was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah.
14 Yeremia buae se, “Ɛnyɛ nokware. Merenguan nkɔ Babiloniafo afa.” Nanso Yiria antie, na mmom ɔkyeree Yeremia de no kɔmaa ne mpanyimfo.
But I [protested and] said, “That is not true! I was not intending to do that!” But Irijah would not pay attention to what I said. He took me to the [king’s] officials.
15 Wɔn bo fuw Yeremia, na wɔma wɔboroo no de no too afiase wɔ ɔkyerɛwfo Yonatan fi a na wɔde ayɛ afiase no.
They were very angry with me. They [commanded the guards to] beat me and [then to] put me in the house where Jonathan the king’s secretary stayed. They had changed Jonathan’s house to make it become a prison.
16 Wɔde Yeremia too asase ase afiase, ma odii nna bebree wɔ hɔ.
They put me in a dungeon/cell in that prison, and I remained there for several days.
17 Akyiri no, ɔhene Sedekia soma ma wɔkɔfaa no baa ahemfi, ɛhɔ na obisaa no wɔ kokoa mu se, “Woanya asɛm bi afi Awurade nkyɛn ana?” Yeremia buae se, “Yiw, wɔde wo bɛma Babiloniahene.”
Then King Zedekiah secretly sent a servant to me, who took me to the palace. There the king asked me, “Do you have any messages from Yahweh?” I replied, “Yes, [the message is that] you will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
18 Afei Yeremia bisaa ɔhene no se, “Dɛn bɔne na mayɛ atia wo, anaa wʼadwumayɛfo anaa nnipa yi a enti wɔde me ato afiase yi?
Then I asked the king, “What crime have I committed [RHQ] against you or against your officials or against the Israeli people, with the result that you have [commanded that] I be put in a prison?
19 Ɛhe na wʼadiyifo a wɔhyɛɛ nkɔm kyerɛɛ wo se, ‘Babiloniahene rentow nhyɛ wo so anaa asase yi so’ no wɔ?
Your prophets predicted that the army of the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land. Why were [RHQ] [their messages] not fulfilled?
20 Na afei, ɔdɛɛfo, mesrɛ wo tie. Ma memfa me nkotosrɛ nto wʼanim: Mfa me nkɔto ɔkyerɛwfo Yonatan fi hɔ bio, anyɛ saa a mewu wɔ hɔ.”
Your majesty, I plead with you to listen to me. Do not send me back to the dungeon/cell in the house of Jonathan your secretary, because [if you do that, ] I will die there.”
21 Ɔhene Sedekia hyɛɛ sɛ wɔmfa Yeremia nkɔto awɛmfo adiwo hɔ, na wɔmma no brodo a efi brodotofo borɔn so da biara nkosi sɛ kuropɔn no mu brodo nyinaa bɛsa. Enti Yeremia kaa awɛmfo adiwo hɔ.
So King Zedekiah commanded that [I not be sent back to the prison cell. Instead, ] I was allowed to be watched by the guards in the courtyard [of the palace]. [The king] also [commanded that they should] bring me a loaf of fresh bread every day, until there was no bread left in the city. So [they put me] in that courtyard and I remained there.
