Jeremiah in prison
1Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin37:1 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim. 2Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
3King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehukal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: ‘Please pray to the Lord our God for us.’
4Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. 5Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt, and when the Babylonians37:5 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 9, 13 and 14 who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
6Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet: 7‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: tell the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of me, “Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt. 8Then the Babylonians will return and attack this city; they will capture it and burn it down.”
9‘This is what the Lord says: do not deceive yourselves, thinking, “The Babylonians will surely leave us.” They will not! 10Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian37:10 Or Chaldean; also in verse 11 army that is attacking you and only wounded men were left in their tents, they would come out and burn this city down.’
11After the Babylonian army had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 12Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property among the people there. 13But when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, ‘You are deserting to the Babylonians!’
14‘That’s not true!’ Jeremiah said. ‘I am not deserting to the Babylonians.’ But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.
16Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time. 17Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked him privately, ‘Is there any word from the Lord?’
‘Yes,’ Jeremiah replied, ‘you will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.’
18Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, ‘What crime have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison? 19Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, “The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land”? 20But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I shall die there.’
21King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
Yeremiya asibibwa mu Kkomera
137:1 a 2Bk 24:17 b Ez 17:13 c 2Bk 24:8, 12; 2By 36:10; Yer 22:24Nebukadduneeza kabaka w’e Babulooni n’afuula Zeddekiya mutabani wa Yosiya kabaka wa Yuda okuba kabaka wa Yuda mu kifo kya Koniya mutabani wa Yekoyakimu. 237:2 2Bk 24:19; 2By 36:12, 14Wabula ye wadde abakungu be wadde abantu ab’omu nsi tebaafaayo ku bigambo Mukama bye yali ayogedde ng’ayita mu nnabbi Yeremiya.
337:3 a Yer 29:25; 52:24 b 1Bk 13:6; Yer 21:1-2; 42:2Wabula kabaka Zeddekiya n’atuma Yekukaali mutabani wa Seremiya ne Zeffaniya mutabani wa Maaseya kabona eri nnabbi Yeremiya, bamutegeeze nti, “Tusabire eri Mukama Katonda waffe.”
437:4 nny 15; Yer 32:2Awo Yeremiya yali alina eddembe okujja nga bw’ayagala mu bantu, kubanga yali tannaba kuteekebwa mu kkomera. 537:5 a Ez 17:15 b Yer 34:21 c 2Bk 24:7Eggye lya Falaawo lyali livudde e Misiri era Abakaludaaya abaali balumbye Yerusaalemi bwe baakiwulira, ne bava e Yerusaalemi.
6Awo ekigambo kya Mukama ne kijjira nnabbi Yeremiya nga kigamba nti, 737:7 a 2Bk 22:18 b Yer 2:36; Kgb 4:17“Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama, Katonda wa Isirayiri nti, Mugambe kabaka wa Yuda eyabatumye okunnebuuzako nti, ‘Eggye lya Falaawo erizze okubayambako, lijja kuddayo mu nsi yaalyo e Misiri. 837:8 Yer 34:22; 39:8Abakaludaaya bakomewo balumbe ekibuga kino; bajja kukiwamba bakyokye.’
937:9 Yer 29:8“Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama nti, Temwerimbarimba nga mulowooza nti, ‘Abakaludaaya ddala baakutuleka.’ Tebajja kubaleka. 10Wadde nga mwandiwangudde, eggye lyonna erya Babulooni eribalumbye, abatuusiddwako ebisago bokka nga be basigadde mu weema zaabwe, bandivuddeyo ne bookya ekibuga kino.”
1137:11 nny 5Awo eggye ly’Abakaludaaya nga livudde mu Yerusaalemi olw’eggye lya Falaawo, 1237:12 Yer 32:9Yeremiya n’ava mu kibuga agende mu bitundu bya Benyamini afune omugabo gwe ogw’ebintu mu bantu eyo. 13Naye bwe yatuuka ku mulyango gwa Benyamini, Omukulu w’abaserikale eyali ayitibwa Iriya mutabani wa Seremiya mutabani wa Kananiya n’amukwata n’agamba nti, “Ogenda kwegatta ku Bakaludaaya!”
1437:14 Yer 40:4Yeremiya n’amuddamu nti, “Ompayiriza! Sigenda kusenga Bakaludaaya.” Naye Iriya n’atamuwuliriza; n’akwata Yeremiya n’amutwala eri abakungu. 1537:15 a Yer 20:2 b Yer 38:26Baanyiigira Yeremiya ne bamukuba ne bamusibira mu nnyumba ya Yonasaani omuwandiisi, gye baali bafudde ekkomera.
16Yeremiya yateekebwa mu kasenge akaali mu kkomera mwe yamala ebbanga eddene. 1737:17 a Yer 15:11 b Yer 38:16 c Yer 21:7Awo kabaka Zeddekiya n’amutumya n’amuleeta mu lubiri gye yamubuuliza mu kyama nti, “Olinayo ekigambo kyonna okuva eri Mukama?” Yeremiya n’addamu nti, “Weewaawo, ojja kuweebwayo eri kabaka w’e Babulooni.”
1837:18 1Sa 26:18; Yk 10:32; Bik 25:8Awo Yeremiya n’agamba Kabaka Zeddekiya nti, “Musango ki gwe nzizizza gy’oli oba eri abakungu bo oba abantu bano; mulyoke munteeke mu kkomera? 19Bannabbi bo baluwa abakulagula nti, ‘Kabaka w’e Babulooni tajja kukulumba ggwe wadde ensi eno? 20Naye kaakano mukama wange kabaka nsaba owulirize, nkwegayirira, tonzizaayo mu nnyumba ya Yonasaani omuwandiisi, kuba nandifiira eyo.’ ”
2137:21 a Is 33:16; Yer 38:9 b 2Bk 25:3; Yer 52:6 c Yer 32:2; 38:6, 13, 28Kabaka Zeddekiya n’alyoka alagira Yeremiya okuteekebwa mu luggya lw’abakuumi n’aweebwanga omugaati buli lunaku okuva ew’omufumbi waagyo mu Yerusaalemi, okutuusa emigaati lwe gyaggwa mu kibuga. Awo Yeremiya n’asigala mu luggya lw’abaserikale abakuumi.
