Yeremia 38
1 Matan babarima Sefatia, Pashur babarima Gedalia, Selemia babarima Yukal ne Malkia babarima Pashur tee nsɛm a na Yeremia reka akyerɛ nnipa no nyinaa se,
Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard what Jeremiah was telling everyone:
2 “Sɛɛ na Awurade se: Obiara a ɔbɛtena kuropɔn yi mu no bewu wɔ afoa, ɔkɔm anaa ɔyaredɔm ano, nanso obiara a ɔbɛkɔ Babiloniafo afa no benya nkwa. Obenya ne ti adidi mu, ɔbɛtena nkwa mu.
This is what the Lord says: Anyone who remains in this city will die from war and famine and disease, but anyone who goes over to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be to save their lives.
3 Na sɛɛ na Awurade se, ‘Ampa ara, wɔde saa kuropɔn yi bɛhyɛ Babiloniahene asraafo nsa, na wɔn na wobedi so.’”
This is what the Lord says: Be sure of this—Jerusalem will be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. He is going to capture it.
4 Ɛno nti adwumayɛfo no ka kyerɛɛ ɔhene no se, “Ɛsɛ sɛ wokum saa ɔbarima yi. Ɔde nsɛm a ɔreka no bu asraafo a wɔaka wɔ kuropɔn yi mu ne nnipa no nyinaa aba mu. Saa ɔbarima yi nhwehwɛ saa nnipa yi yiyedi na mmom wɔn sɛe.”
The officers told the king, “This man deserves to die because he's demoralizing the defenders left in the city, and all the people too, by telling them this. This man isn't trying to help these people, he's only going to destroy them.”
5 Ɔhene Sedekia buae se, “Ɔwɔ mo nsam, ɔhene rentumi nyɛ biribiara ntia mo.”
“Well, you can do whatever you want to him,” King Zedekiah replied. “I can't stop you.”
6 Enti wɔfaa Yeremia de no kɔhyɛɛ ɔhene babarima Malkia abura a ɛwɔ awɛmfo adiwo no mu. Wɔde ntampehama gyaagyaa no too abura no mu; na nsu nni mu, mmom dontori na na ɛwɔ mu, enti Yeremia kɔhyɛɛ dontori no mu.
So they took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern belonging to Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the guard's courtyard. They lowered Jeremiah down with ropes into the cistern. It didn't have any water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
7 Na Ebed-Melek Kusni odwumayɛni a ɔwɔ ahemfi hɔ tee sɛ wɔde Yeremia akɔto abura no mu. Bere a ɔhene no te Benyamin Pon hɔ no,
Ebed-melech the Cushite, a royal official in the king's palace, found out that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. The king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,
8 Ebed-Melek fii ahemfi hɔ kɔka kyerɛɛ no se,
so Ebed-melech left the palace and went to talk to the king
9 “Ɔdɛɛfo, nea saa nnipa yi ayɛ nyinaa yɛ amumɔyɛsɛm a etia odiyifo Yeremia. Wɔatow no akyene abura mu, baabi a ɔkɔm bekum no wɔ bere a brodo asa wɔ kuropɔn yi mu.”
“My lord the king, all these terrible things these men have done to Jeremiah the prophet are evil. They've put him in the cistern, and he'll starve to death there because there's no more bread left in the city.”
10 Na ɔhene hyɛɛ Kusni, Ebed-Melek se, “Fa mmarima aduasa fi ha ka wo ho, na munkoyi odiyifo Yeremia mfi abura no mu, ansa na wawu.”
So the king gave the order to Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men with you and go and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
11 Ɛno nti Ebed-Melek faa mmarima no kaa ne ho, na wɔkɔɔ ɔdan bi a ɛwɔ adekorabea ase, wɔ ahemfi hɔ. Ɔkɔsesaw ntamagow ne ntade dedaw de kyekyeree ntampehama ho, gyaa mu maa Yeremia wɔ abura no mu.
Ebed-melech took the men and went to the storehouse under the palace. He took some rags and old clothes from there and then went to the cistern where he lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah.
12 Na Kusni, Ebed-Melek ka kyerɛɛ Yeremia se, “Fa ntamagow ne ntade dedaw no hyehyɛ wo mmotuam, na ntampehama no ammia wo.” Na Yeremia yɛɛ saa,
Ebed-melech the Cushite called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags and old clothes under your arms to protect you from the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,
13 Wɔde ntampehama no twetwee no yii no fii abura no mu. Na Yeremia tenaa awɛmfo adiwo hɔ.
and using the ropes they pulled him up and took him out of the cistern. Jeremiah stayed there in the guard's courtyard.
14 Na Ɔhene Sedekia soma ma wɔkɔfaa odiyifo Yeremia baa Awurade asɔredan ano kwan a ɛto so abiɛsa hɔ. Ɔhene ka kyerɛɛ Yeremia se, “Merebebisa wo asɛm bi, mfa biribiara nsie me.”
Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and met him at the third Temple entrance. “I need to ask you something,” the king told Jeremiah. “You mustn't hide anything from me.”
15 Yeremia ka kyerɛɛ Sedekia se, “Sɛ mema wo mmuae a, worenkum me ana? Mpo sɛ mitu wo fo a, worentie me.”
“If I tell you then you'll definitely have me killed,” Jeremiah replied. “Even if I were to give you advice, you wouldn't listen to me anyway.”
16 Nanso ɔhene Sedekia kaa saa ntam yi kokoa mu kyerɛɛ Yeremia se, “Sɛ Awurade a ɔma yɛn nkwa no te ase yi, merenkum wo na meremfa wo nhyɛ wɔn a wɔpɛ sɛ wokum wo no nsa.”
King Zedekiah solemnly promised Jeremiah in private, “As the Lord lives, who gave us this life, I won't have you killed, and I won't hand you over to those who want to kill you.”
17 Afei Yeremia ka kyerɛɛ Sedekia se, “Sɛɛ na Asafo Awurade Nyankopɔn, Israel Nyankopɔn, no se: ‘Sɛ wode wo ho ma Babiloniahene adwumayɛfo a, wɔrenkum wo na wɔrenhyew kuropɔn yi, wo ne wʼabusuafo bɛtena nkwa mu.
Then Jeremiah told Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you hand yourself over to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you'll live. Jerusalem won't be burned down, and you and your family will survive.
18 Na sɛ woremfa wo ho mma Babiloniahene adwumayɛfo a, wɔde saa kuropɔn yi bɛma Babiloniafo, na wɔbɛhyew no dwerɛbee; na wo ankasa rentumi nguan mfi wɔn nsam.’”
But if you don't hand yourself over to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you yourself won't escape being captured.”
19 Ɔhene Sedekia ka kyerɛɛ Yeremia se, “Misuro Yudafo a wɔkɔ Babiloniafo afa no, efisɛ ebia Babiloniafo no de me bɛma wɔn na wɔayɛ me ayayade.”
But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the those people of Judah who have gone over to the Babylonians, because the Babylonians might hand me over the them so they could abuse me.”
20 Yeremia buae se, “Wɔremfa wo mma wɔn. Tie Awurade asɛm na yɛ nea meka kyerɛ wo. Ɛno na ɛbɛma asi wo yiye na woanya nkwa.
“They won't hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “If you obey what the Lord says by doing what I tell you, then things will go well for you and you'll live.
21 Nanso sɛ woamfa wo ho amma Babiloniafo no de a, nea Awurade ayi akyerɛ me ni:
But if you refuse to hand yourself over, this is what the Lord has told me:
22 Mmea a wɔaka wɔ Yudahene ahemfi hɔ nyinaa no, wɔde wɔn befi adi abrɛ Babiloniahene adwumayɛfo no. Saa mmea no bɛka akyerɛ wo se, “‘Wɔdaadaa wo na wodii wo so wo nnamfonom a wugye wɔn di no. Wʼanan amem wɔ dontori mu; wo nnamfonom agyaw wo hɔ kɔ.’
All the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah will be led out and handed over to the officials of the king of Babylon Those women will say: ‘Those good friends of yours! You were taken in by them and conquered by them. Your feet got stuck in the mid, so they abandoned you.’
23 “Wɔde wo yerenom nyinaa ne wo mma bɛbrɛ Babiloniafo no. Wo de, worentumi nguan mfi wɔn nsam, na mmom Babiloniahene bɛkyere wo, na wɔbɛhyew saa kuropɔn yi.”
All your wives and children will be handed over to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape, for you will be captured by the king of Babylon, and Jerusalem will be burned down.”
24 Na Sedekia ka kyerɛɛ Yeremia se, “Mma obiara nte saa nkɔmmɔdi yi, anyɛ saa a, wubewu.
Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Nobody can find out about this conversation, otherwise you'll die.
25 Sɛ adwumayɛfo no te sɛ me ne wo kasae, na wobebisa wo se, ‘Ma yɛnte nea woka kyerɛɛ ɔhene ne nea ɔhene nso ka kyerɛɛ wo; mfa nsie yɛn anyɛ saa a yebekum wo a,’
If the officers find out that I've talked with you, and they come and ask you, ‘Tell us what you and the king were talking about! Don't hide anything from us, or we'll kill you;’
26 ɛno de ka kyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Na meresrɛ ɔhene sɛ ɔmmfa me nsan nkɔ Yonatan fi mma me nkowu wɔ hɔ.’”
then you are to tell them, ‘I was asking the king to grant my request not to return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”
27 Adwumayɛfo no nyinaa baa Yeremia hɔ bebisaa no, na ɔkaa nea ɔhene hyɛɛ no se ɔnka no nyinaa. Enti wɔanka hwee ankyerɛ no bio, efisɛ obiara ante ɔne ɔhene nkɔmmɔtwetwe no.
When all the officers came to Jeremiah wanting to know, he repeated to them exactly what the king had told him to say. So they didn't ask him anything more because no one had heard what had been said.
28 Na Yeremia tenaa ɔwɛmfo adiwo hɔ kosii da a wɔfaa Yerusalem. Sɛnea wɔfaa Yerusalem ni:
Jeremiah remained there in the guard's courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
