Jeremiah Is Put in Prison
1Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, appointed Zedekiah to be king of Judah. He was the son of Josiah. Zedekiah ruled in place of Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiakim. 2Zedekiah and his attendants didn’t pay any attention to what the Lord had said through Jeremiah the prophet. And the people of the land didn’t pay any attention either.
3But King Zedekiah sent Jehukal to Jeremiah the prophet. Zedekiah sent Zephaniah the priest along with him. Jehukal was the son of Shelemiah. Zephaniah was the son of Maaseiah. Jehukal and Zephaniah brought the king’s message to Jeremiah. It said, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us.”
4At that time Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people. Jeremiah had not yet been put in prison. 5The armies of Babylon were attacking Jerusalem. They received a report that Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt to help Zedekiah. So armies of Babylon pulled back from Jerusalem.
6A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. 7The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, “The king of Judah has sent you to ask me for advice. Tell him, ‘Pharaoh’s army has marched out to help you. But it will go back to its own land. It will return to Egypt. 8Then the armies of Babylon will come back here. They will attack this city. They will capture it. Then they will burn it down.’
9“The Lord says, ‘Do not fool yourselves. You think, “The Babylonians will leave us alone.” But they will not! 10Suppose you destroy all the armies of Babylon that are attacking you. Suppose only wounded men are left in their tents. Even then they will come out and burn down this city.’ ”
11The armies of Babylon had pulled back from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army. 12So Jeremiah started to leave the city. He was planning to go to the territory of Benjamin. Jeremiah wanted to get his share of the property among the people there. 13He got as far as the Benjamin Gate. But the captain of the guard arrested him. He said, “You are going over to the side of the Babylonians!” The captain’s name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah. Shelemiah was the son of Hananiah.
14Jeremiah said to Irijah, “That isn’t true! I’m not going to the side of the Babylonians.” But Irijah wouldn’t listen to him. Instead, he arrested Jeremiah. He brought Jeremiah to the officials. 15They were angry with him. So they had him beaten. Then they took him to the house of Jonathan the secretary. It had been made into a prison. That’s where they put Jeremiah.
16Jeremiah was put into a prison cell below ground level. He remained there a long time. 17Then King Zedekiah sent for him. King Zedekiah had Jeremiah brought to the palace. There the king spoke to him in private. The king asked, “Do you have a message from the Lord for me?”
“Yes,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
18Then Jeremiah continued, “Why have you put me in prison? What crime have I committed against you? What have I done to your attendants or these people? 19Where are your prophets who prophesied to you? They said, ‘The king of Babylon won’t attack you. He won’t march into this land.’ 20But now please listen, my king and master. Let me make my appeal to you. Please don’t send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary. If you do, I’ll die there.”
21Then King Zedekiah gave the order. His men put Jeremiah in the courtyard of the guard. They gave him a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers. They did it every day until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
Yeremia Gerezani
137:1 2Fal 14:17; 1Nya 3:16; Eze 17:13; 2Nya 36:10; 24:8, 12; Yer 22:24Sedekia mwana wa Yosia akafanywa kuwa mfalme wa Yuda na Nebukadneza mfalme wa Babeli, naye akatawala mahali pa Yehoyakini37:1 Yehoyakini ni jina jingine la Yekonia au Konia. mwana wa Yehoyakimu. 237:2 2Fal 24:19; 2Nya 36:12-14; Mit 29:12Lakini sio Sedekia, wala watumishi wake, wala watu wa nchi walisikiliza maneno ya Bwana aliyonena kupitia kwa nabii Yeremia.
337:3 2Fal 25:18; Yer 52:24; Hes 21:7; 1Sam 12:19; Yer 38:14; Kut 8:28; 1Fal 13:6Hata hivyo, Mfalme Sedekia akamtuma Yehukali mwana wa Shelemia, pamoja na kuhani Sefania mwana wa Maaseya kwa nabii Yeremia na ujumbe huu: “Tafadhali utuombee kwa Bwana, Mungu wetu.”
437:4 Yer 32:2Wakati huu Yeremia alikuwa huru kuingia na kutoka katikati ya watu, kwa sababu alikuwa bado hajatiwa gerezani. 537:5 Mwa 15; 18; Yer 34:21; 31:1; Isa 30:5; 2Fal 24:7; Eze 17:15Jeshi la Farao lilikuwa limetoka Misri, nao Wakaldayo waliokuwa wameuzunguka Yerusalemu kwa majeshi waliposikia taarifa kuhusu jeshi hilo walijiondoa Yerusalemu.
6Ndipo neno la Bwana likamjia nabii Yeremia kusema: 737:7 Mwa 25:22; 2Fal 22:18; 18:21; Yer 2:12; 36; Mao 4:17“Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli: Mwambie mfalme wa Yuda aliyekutuma uniulize mimi, ‘Jeshi la Farao lililotoka kuja kukusaidia litarudi katika nchi yake yenyewe, yaani Misri. 837:8 Yer 21:10; 39; 8; Mit 21:30; Yer 38:3, 8Kisha Wakaldayo watarudi na kushambulia mji huu, watauteka na kuuchoma moto.’
937:9 Yer 29:8; Mk 13:5“Hili ndilo Bwana asemalo: Msijidanganye wenyewe mkifikiri, ‘Hakika Wakaldayo watatuacha na kwenda zao.’ Hakika hawatawaacha! 1037:10 Law 26:36-38; Isa 30:17; Yer 21:4-5, 10Hata kama mngelishinda jeshi lote la Wakaldayo linalowashambulia ninyi, na wakawa ni watu waliojeruhiwa tu waliobaki kwenye mahema yao, wangetoka na kuuchoma mji huu moto.”
11Baada ya jeshi la Wakaldayo kujiondoa kutoka Yerusalemu kwa sababu ya jeshi la Farao, 1237:12 Yer 32:9Yeremia akaanza kuondoka mjini ili kwenda nchi ya Benyamini ili akapate sehemu yake ya milki miongoni mwa watu huko. 1337:13 Yer 20:2; 21:9Lakini alipofika kwenye Lango la Benyamini, mkuu wa walinzi, ambaye jina lake lilikuwa Iriya mwana wa Shelemia mwana wa Hanania, akamkamata Yeremia na kusema, “Wewe unakwenda kujiunga na Wakaldayo!”
1437:14 Isa 58:6; Yer 40:4Yeremia akasema, “Hiyo si kweli, mimi sijiungi na Wakaldayo.” Lakini Iriya hakumsikiliza; badala yake, akamkamata Yeremia na kumpeleka kwa maafisa. 1537:15 Yer 20:2; 38:26; Ebr 11:36; Mdo 5:40; 12:6; 1Fal 22:27Wakamkasirikia Yeremia, wakaamuru apigwe, na akafungwa katika nyumba ya Yonathani mwandishi waliyokuwa wameifanya gereza.
16Yeremia akawekwa kwenye chumba kilichofukuliwa chini, kilichojengwa kwa zege ndani ya gereza chini ya ngome, akakaa huko kwa muda mrefu. 1737:17 Yer 15:11; 38:16; 21:7; Mwa 25:22Kisha Mfalme Sedekia akatumana aletwe katika jumba la kifalme, mahali alipomuuliza kwa siri, “Je, kuna neno lolote kutoka kwa Bwana?”
Yeremia akajibu, “Ndiyo, utatiwa mikononi mwa mfalme wa Babeli.”
1837:18 1Sam 16:18; Yn 10:32; Mdo 25:8Kisha Yeremia akamwambia Mfalme Sedekia, “Nimefanya kosa gani dhidi yako na maafisa wako au watu hawa, hata ukanitia gerezani? 1937:19 Yer 14:13; Eze 13:2Wako wapi manabii wako waliokutabiria wakisema, ‘Mfalme wa Babeli hatakushambulia wewe wala nchi hii?’ 20Lakini sasa, bwana wangu mfalme, tafadhali sikiliza. Niruhusu nilete maombi yangu mbele yako, usinirudishe kwenye nyumba ya Yonathani mwandishi, nisije nikafia humo.”
2137:21 Law 26:26; 2Kor 4; 6; Isa 33:16; 2Fal 25:3; Yer 52:6; 39:13-14Ndipo Mfalme Sedekia akatoa maagizo Yeremia awekwe katika ua wa walinzi, na apewe mkate kutoka mitaa ya waokaji kila siku mpaka mikate yote katika mji itakapokwisha. Kwa hiyo Yeremia akabaki katika ua wa walinzi.
