Yeremia 37
1 Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar de Yosia babarima Sedekia dii Yudahene; ɔsii Yehoiakim babarima Yehoiakin anan mu.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.
2 Ɔno, nʼasomfoɔ ne nnipa a wɔwɔ asase no so antie Awurade asɛm a ɔnam odiyifoɔ Yeremia so kaeɛ no.
But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 Ɔhene Sedekia somaa Selemia babarima Yehukal ne Maaseia babarima ɔsɔfoɔ Sefania sɛ, wɔnkɔka nkyerɛ Yeremia sɛ, “Yɛsrɛ wo, bɔ Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn mpaeɛ ma yɛn.”
Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us!”
4 Na Yeremia de ne ho, di nnipa no mu akɔneaba, ɛfiri sɛ na wɔmfaa no ntoo afiase.
Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.
5 Na Farao akodɔm afiri Misraim reba, na Babiloniafoɔ a wɔatua Yerusalem no tee wɔn nka no, wɔfirii Yerusalem.
Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
6 Ɛna Awurade asɛm baa odiyifoɔ Yeremia nkyɛn sɛ,
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet:
7 “Yei ne deɛ Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn, seɛ: Monka nkyerɛ Yudahene a, ɔsomaa mo sɛ mommɛbisa me hɔ biribi no sɛ, ‘Farao akodɔm a wɔfirii adi sɛ wɔrebɛboa mo no bɛsane akɔ wɔn ankasa asase so, Misraim so.
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt.
8 Na Babiloniafoɔ no bɛsane abɛto ahyɛ saa kuropɔn yi so; wɔbɛgye na wɔahye no dworobɛɛ.’
Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down.
9 “Sɛ Awurade seɛ nie: Monnnaadaa mo ho nnwene sɛ, ‘Ampa ara Babiloniafoɔ no bɛfiri yɛn so akɔ.’ Wɔrenkɔ!
This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will go away for good,’ for they will not!
10 Sɛ modi Babiloniafoɔ akodɔm a wɔato ahyɛ mo so no so ma ɛka apirafoɔ wɔ wɔn ntomadan mu mpo a, wɔbɛfiri adi abɛhye kuropɔn yi dworobɛɛ.”
Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.”
11 Babilonia akodɔm firii Yerusalem, ɛsiane Farao akodɔm no enti akyi no,
When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,
12 Yeremia yɛɛ ahoboa sɛ ɔrefiri kuropɔn no mu, akɔ Benyamin mantam akɔgye nʼagyapadeɛ mu kyɛfa wɔ nkurɔfoɔ a wɔwɔ hɔ no mu.
Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there among the people.
13 Nanso, ɔkɔduruu Benyamin Ɛpono ano no, awɛmfoɔ no so panin a wɔfrɛ no Yiria a ɔyɛ Selemia babarima ne Hanania nana kyeree no kaa sɛ, “Woredwane agya yɛn akɔ Babiloniafoɔ afa!”
But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, seized him and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”
14 Yeremia buaa sɛ, “Ɛnyɛ nokorɛ. Merennwane nkɔ Babiloniafoɔ afa.” Nanso, Yiria antie, na mmom ɔkyeree Yeremia de no kɔmaa ne mpanimfoɔ.
“That is a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials.
15 Wɔn bo fuu Yeremia, na wɔmaa wɔboroo no de no too afiase wɔ ɔtwerɛfoɔ Yonatan efie a na wɔde ayɛ nneduadan no.
The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.
16 Wɔde Yeremia too asase ase afiase, ma ɔdii nna bebree wɔ hɔ.
So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon and remained there a long time.
17 Akyire yi, ɔhene Sedekia soma ma wɔkɔfaa no baa ahemfie, ɛhɔ na ɔbisaa no wɔ kɔkoam sɛ, “Woanya asɛm bi afiri Awurade nkyɛn anaa?” Yeremia buaa sɛ, “Aane, wɔde wo bɛma Babiloniahene.”
Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”
18 Afei, Yeremia bisaa ɔhene no sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn bɔne na mayɛ atia wo, anaa wʼadwumayɛfoɔ anaa nnipa yi a enti wɔde me ato afiase yi?
Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people, that you have put me in prison?
19 Ɛhe na wʼadiyifoɔ a wɔhyɛɛ nkɔm kyerɛɛ wo sɛ, ‘Babiloniahene rento nhyɛ wo so anaa asase yi so’ no wɔ?
Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or this land’?
20 Na afei, ɔdɛɛfoɔ, mesrɛ wo, tie. Ma memfa me nkotosrɛ nto wʼanim: Mfa me nkɔto ɔtwerɛfoɔ Yonatan efie hɔ bio, anyɛ saa a mɛwu wɔ hɔ.”
But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”
21 Ɔhene Sedekia hyɛɛ sɛ wɔmfa Yeremia nkɔto awɛmfoɔ adihɔ hɔ, na wɔmma no burodo a ɛfiri burodotofoɔ borɔno so da biara nkɔsi sɛ kuropɔn no mu burodo nyinaa bɛsa. Enti Yeremia kaa awɛmfoɔ adihɔ hɔ.
So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
