< Yeremia 38 >
1 Matan babarima Sefatia, Pashur babarima Gedalia, Selemia babarima Yukal ne Malkia babarima Pashur tee nsɛm a na Yeremia reka kyerɛ nnipa no nyinaa sɛ,
Now it came to the ears of Shephatiah, the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah, the son of Pashhur, and Jucal, the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur, the son of Malchiah, that Jeremiah had said to all the people,
2 “Yei ne deɛ Awurade seɛ: Obiara a ɔbɛtena kuropɔn yi mu bɛwu wɔ akofena, ɛkɔm anaa ɔyaredɔm ano, nanso obiara a ɔbɛkɔ Babiloniafoɔ afa no bɛtena nkwa mu. Ɔbɛnya ne tiri adidi mu, ɔbɛtena nkwa mu.
These are the words of the Lord: Whoever goes on living in this town will come to his death by the sword or through need of food or by disease: but whoever goes out to the Chaldaeans will keep his life out of the power of the attackers and be safe.
3 Na yei ne deɛ Awurade seɛ, ‘Ampa ara, wɔde saa kuropɔn yi bɛhyɛ Babiloniahene akodɔm nsa, na wɔn na wɔbɛdi so.’”
The Lord has said, This town will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will take it.
4 Ɛno enti adwumayɛfoɔ no ka kyerɛɛ ɔhene no sɛ, “Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔkum saa ɔbarima yi. Ɔde nsɛm a ɔreka no bu asraafoɔ a wɔaka wɔ kuropɔn yi mu ne nnipa no nyinaa aba mu. Saa ɔbarima yi nhwehwɛ saa nnipa yi yiedie na mmom wɔn sɛeɛ.”
Then the rulers said to the king, Let this man be put to death, because he is putting fear into the hearts of the men of war who are still in the town, and into the hearts of the people, by saying such things to them: this man is not working for the well-being of the people, but for their damage.
5 Ɔhene Sedekia buaa sɛ, “Ɔwɔ mo nsam, ɔhene rentumi nyɛ biribiara ntia mo.”
Then Zedekiah the king said, See, he is in your hands: for the king was not able to do anything against them.
6 Enti wɔfaa Yeremia de no kɔhyɛɛ ɔhene babarima Malkia abura a ɛwɔ awɛmfoɔ adihɔ no mu. Wɔde ntampehoma gyaagyaa no too abura no mu; na nsuo nni mu, mmom atɛkyɛ na na ɛwom, enti Yeremia kɔhyɛɛ atɛkyɛ no mu.
So they took Jeremiah and put him into the water-hole of Malchiah, the king's son, in the place of the armed watchmen: and they let Jeremiah down with cords. And in the hole there was no water, but wet earth: and Jeremiah went down into the wet earth.
7 Na Ebed-Melek Kusni odwumayɛni a ɔwɔ ahemfie hɔ tee sɛ wɔde Yeremia akɔto abura no mu. Ɛberɛ a ɔhene no te Benyamin Ɛpono hɔ no,
Now it came to the ears of Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an unsexed servant in the king's house, that they had put Jeremiah into the water-hole; the king at that time being seated in the doorway of Benjamin:
8 Ebed-Melek firii ahemfie hɔ kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ,
And Ebed-melech went out from the king's house and said to the king,
9 “Ɔdɛɛfoɔ, deɛ saa nnipa yi ayɛ nyinaa yɛ amumuyɛsɛm a ɛtia odiyifoɔ Yeremia. Wɔato no atwene abura mu, baabi a ɛkɔm bɛkum no wɔ ɛberɛ a burodo asa wɔ kuropɔn yi mu.”
My lord the king, these men have done evil in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have put into the water-hole; and he will come to his death in the place where he is through need of food: for there is no more bread in the town.
10 Ɛna ɔhene hyɛɛ Kusni, Ebed-Melek sɛ, “Fa mmarima aduasa firi ha ka wo ho, na monkɔyi odiyifoɔ Yeremia mfiri abura no mu, ansa na wawu.”
Then the king gave orders to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take with you three men from here and get Jeremiah out of the water-hole before death overtakes him.
11 Ɛno enti, Ebed-Melek faa mmarima no kaa ne ho, na wɔkɔɔ ɛdan bi a ɛwɔ adekorabea ase, wɔ ahemfie hɔ. Ɔkɔsesaa ntomago ne ntadeɛ dada de kyekyeree ntampehoma ho, gyaa mu maa Yeremia wɔ abura no mu.
So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king, to the place where the clothing was kept, and got from there old clothing and bits of old cloth, and let them down by cords into the water-hole where Jeremiah was.
12 Na Kusni, Ebed-Melek ka kyerɛɛ Yeremia sɛ, “Fa ntomago ne ntadeɛ dada no hyehyɛ wo mmɔtoam, na ntampehoma no ammia wo.” Na Yeremia yɛɛ saa,
And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put these bits of old cloth under your arms under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
13 Wɔde ntampehoma no twetwee no de yii no firii abura no mu. Na Yeremia tenaa awɛmfoɔ adihɔ hɔ.
So pulling Jeremiah up with the cords they got him out of the water-hole: and Jeremiah was kept in the place of the armed watchmen.
14 Na Ɔhene Sedekia soma ma wɔkɔfaa odiyifoɔ Yeremia baa Awurade asɔredan ano ɛkwan a ɛtɔ so mmiɛnsa hɔ. Ɔhene ka kyerɛɛ Yeremia sɛ, “Merebɛbisa wo asɛm bi, mfa biribiara nsie me.”
Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and took him into the rulers' doorway in the house of the Lord: and the king said to Jeremiah, I have a question to put to you; keep nothing back from me.
15 Yeremia ka kyerɛɛ Sedekia sɛ, “Sɛ mema wo mmuaeɛ a, worenkum me anaa? Mpo sɛ metu wo fo a, worentie me.”
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I give you the answer to your question, will you not certainly put me to death? and if I make a suggestion to you, you will not give it a hearing.
16 Nanso ɔhene Sedekia kaa saa ntam yi kɔkoam kyerɛɛ Yeremia sɛ, “Sɛ Awurade a ɔma yɛn nkwa no te ase yi, merenkum wo, na meremfa wonhyɛ wɔn a wɔpɛ sɛ wɔkum wo no nsa.”
So King Zedekiah gave his oath to Jeremiah secretly, saying, By the living Lord, who gave us our life, I will not put you to death, or give you up to these men who are desiring to take your life.
17 Afei Yeremia ka kyerɛɛ Sedekia sɛ, “Yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade Onyankopɔn, Israel Onyankopɔn, no seɛ: ‘Sɛ wode wo ho ma Babiloniahene adwumayɛfoɔ a, wɔrenkum wo na wɔrenhye kuropɔn yi, wo ne wʼabusuafoɔ bɛtena nkwa mu.
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, These are the words of the Lord, the God of armies, the God of Israel: If you go out to the king of Babylon's captains, then you will have life, and the town will not be burned with fire, and you and your family will be kept from death:
18 Na sɛ woremfa wo ho mma Babiloniahene adwumayɛfoɔ a, wɔde saa kuropɔn yi bɛma Babiloniafoɔ, na wɔbɛhye no dwerɛbee; na wʼankasa rentumi nnwane mfiri wɔn nsam.’”
But if you do not go out to the king of Babylon's captains, then this town will be given into the hands of the Chaldaeans and they will put it on fire, and you will not get away from them.
19 Ɔhene Sedekia ka kyerɛɛ Yeremia sɛ, “Mesuro Yudafoɔ a wɔkɔ Babiloniafoɔ afa no, ɛfiri sɛ, ebia Babiloniafoɔ no de me bɛma wɔn na wɔayɛ me ayakayakadeɛ.”
And King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, I am troubled on account of the Jews who have gone over to the Chaldaeans, for fear that they may give me up to them and they will put me to shame.
20 Yeremia buaa sɛ, “Wɔremfa wo mma wɔn. Tie Awurade asɛm na yɛ deɛ meka kyerɛ woɔ. Ɛno na ɛbɛma asi wo yie na woanya nkwa.
But Jeremiah said, They will not give you up: be guided now by the word of the Lord as I have given it to you, and it will be well for you, and you will keep your life.
21 Nanso sɛ woamfa wo ho amma Babiloniafoɔ no de a, deɛ Awurade ayi akyerɛ me nie:
But if you do not go out, this is what the Lord has made clear to me:
22 Mmaa a wɔaka wɔ Yudahene ahemfie hɔ nyinaa no, wɔde wɔn bɛfiri adi abrɛ Babiloniahene adwumayɛfoɔ no. Saa mmaa no bɛka akyerɛ wo sɛ, “‘Wɔdaadaa wo na wɔdii wo so wo nnamfonom a wogye wɔn die no. Wo nan amem wɔ atɛkyɛ mu; wo nnamfonom agya wo hɔ kɔ.’
See, all the rest of the women in the house of the king of Judah will be taken out to the king of Babylon's captains, and these women will say, Your nearest friends have been false to you and have got the better of you: they have made your feet go deep into the wet earth, and they are turned away back from you.
23 “Wɔde wo yerenom nyinaa ne wo mma bɛbrɛ Babiloniafoɔ no. Wo deɛ worentumi nnwane mfiri wɔn nsam, na mmom Babiloniahene bɛkye wo, na wɔbɛhye saa kuropɔn yi.”
And they will take all your wives and your children out to the Chaldaeans: and you will not get away out of their hands, but will be taken by the hands of the king of Babylon: and this town will be burned with fire.
24 Na Sedekia ka kyerɛɛ Yeremia sɛ, “Mma obiara nte saa nkɔmmɔdie yi, anyɛ saa a, wobɛwu.
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, Let no man have knowledge of these words, and you will not be put to death.
25 Sɛ adwumayɛfoɔ no te sɛ me ne wo kasaeɛ, na wɔbɛbisa wo sɛ, ‘Ma yɛnte deɛ woka kyerɛɛ ɔhene ne deɛ ɔhene nso ka kyerɛɛ woɔ; mfa nsie yɛn anyɛ saa a yɛbɛkum wo a,’
But if it comes to the ears of the rulers that I have been talking with you, and they come and say to you, Give us word now of what you have said to the king and what the king said to you, keeping nothing back and we will not put you to death;
26 ɛnneɛ ka kyerɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Na meresrɛ ɔhene sɛ ɔmmfa me nsane nkɔ Yonatan efie mma me nkɔwu wɔ hɔ.’”
Then you are to say to them, I made my request to the king, that he would not send me back to my death in Jonathan's house.
27 Adwumayɛfoɔ no nyinaa baa Yeremia hɔ bɛbisaa no, na ɔkaa deɛ ɔhene hyɛɛ no sɛ ɔnka no nyinaa. Enti, wɔanka hwee ankyɛre no bio, ɛfiri sɛ obiara ante ɔne ɔhene nkɔmmɔdie no.
Then all the rulers came to Jeremiah, questioning him: and he gave them an answer in the words the king had given him orders to say. So they said nothing more to him; for the thing was not made public.
28 Na Yeremia tenaa ɔwɛmfoɔ adihɔ hɔ kɔsii da a wɔfaa Yerusalem. Sɛdeɛ wɔfaa Yerusalem nie:
So Jeremiah was kept in the place of the armed watchmen till the day when Jerusalem was taken.