1Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehukal⚓ son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, 2“This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians⚓ will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’ 3And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’ ” 4Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.” 5“He is in your hands,” King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing to oppose you.” 6So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. 7But Ebed-Melek, a Cushite,⚓ an official⚓ in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, 8Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, 9“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.” 10Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” 11So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Again
14Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the Lord. “I am going to ask you something,” the king said to Jeremiah. “Do not hide anything from me.” 15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.” 16But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has given us breath, I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.” 17Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live. 18But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will not escape from them.’ ” 19King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.” 20“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared. 21But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me: 22All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you: “ ‘They misled you and overcame you— those trusted friends of yours. Your feet are sunk in the mud; your friends have deserted you.’ 23“All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon; and this city will⚓ be burned down.” 24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you may die. 25If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’ 26then tell them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.’ ” 27All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king. 28And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured. This is how Jerusalem was taken:
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Muab Yelemi nrum rua huv lub qhov dej qhuav
1Mathaa tug tub Sefathiya, hab Pasaw tug tub Kentaliya, hab Selemiya tug tub Yukhaa hab Makhia tug tub Pasaw puab tau nov tej lug kws Yelemi has rua cov pejxeem suavdawg tas, 2“Yawmsaub has le nuav tas, ‘Leejtwg tseed nyob huv lub nroog nuav mas yuav tuag nav ntaaj nav rag hab tuag tshaib tuag nqhes hab tuag mob kis. Yog leejtwg tawm moog zwm rua cov Kheentia mas yuav dim txujsa. Nwg yuav tau txujsa ua nqe zug huv tshaav rog lug.’ 3Yawmsaub has le nuav tas, ‘Lub nroog nuav yuav raug muab cob rua huv Npanpiloo tug vaajntxwv cov tub rog txhais teg, mas puab yuav txeeb tau.’ ” 4Cov thawj txhad has rua vaajntxwv Xentekhiya tas, “Ca le muab tug yawm nuav tua pov tseg, vem nwg ua rua cov tub rog kws tseed tshuav nyob huv lub nroog nuav hab cov pejxeem suavdawg txhais teg tsaug leeg taag tsua qhov kws nwg has tej lug le nuav rua puab. Tug yawm nuav tsw nrhav txujkev noj qaab nyob zoo rua haiv tuabneeg nuav, nwg tsuas yog nrhav kev txom nyem lug xwb.” 5Vaajntxwv Xentekhiya has tas, “Tug yawm nuav tub nyob huv mej txhais teg lawm, vaajntxwv tsw fem yuav taav tau mej.” 6Puab txawm coj Yelemi moog hab muab hlua tso nwg nqeg rua huv vaajntxwv tug tub Makhia lub qhov dej kws nyob huv cov tub rog zuv vaajntxwv lub loog. Lub qhov dej hov tsw muaj dej, tsuas yog muaj aav nplaum xwb, Yelemi txhad zum rua huv cov aav nplaum hov. 7Thaus Enpemelej kws yog tuabneeg Khuj⚓ yog ib tug nraug saam nyob huv vaajntxwv lub tsev nov tas puab muab Yelemi tso rua huv lub qhov dej hov, tes thaus vaajntxwv nyob ntawm lub Rooj Loog Npeeyamee, 8Enpemelej txawm tawm huv vaajntxwv lub tsev moog has rua vaajntxwv tas, 9“Au vaajntxwv kws yog kuv tug tswv, cov tuabneeg nuav ua phem heev tsua qhov kws puab ua txhua yaam nuav rua xwbfwb Yelemi kws cev Vaajtswv lug, puab muab nwg nrum rua huv lub qhov dej. Nwg yuav tuag tshaib rua huv xwb, tsua qhov huv lub nroog nuav tsw tshuav ib lub ncuav noj hlo le lawm.” 10Tes vaajntxwv txhad has rua Enpemelej kws yog tuabneeg Khuj tas, “Ca le coj peb caug leej⚓ ntawm nuav nrug koj moog, mas nqug Yelemi kws cev Vaajtswv lug tawm huv lub qhov dej lug ua ntej kws nwg tsw tau tuag.” 11Enpemelej txhad coj tuabneeg nrug nwg moog rua ntawm vaajntxwv lub tsev chaav kws rau hov txhua chaw kws muaj ib lub swb xaab rau khaubduag, mas rhu tej khaubduag qub hab tej khaub hlaab lug, muab hlua khi tso moog rua Yelemi huv lub qhov dej. 12Mas Enpemelej kws yog tuabneeg Khuj has rua Yelemi tas, “Ca le muab tej khaubduag hab tej khaub hlaab tag txuj hlua huv koj qhov tsus.” Yelemi ua lawv le ntawd. 13Puab txawm muab txuj hlua nqug Yelemi tawm huv lub qhov dej lug. Mas Yelemi tseed nyob huv cov tub rog zuv vaajntxwv lub loog.
Xentekhiya rov nug Yelemi
14Vaajntxwv Xentekhiya khaiv tuabneeg moog coj Yelemi kws cev Vaajtswv lug lug cuag nwg ntawm txujkev kws nkaag lub rooj loog kws peb rua huv Yawmsaub lub tuam tsev. Vaajntxwv has rua Yelemi tas, “Kuv yuav nug koj ib nqais, koj tsw xob zais ib yaam daabtsw ntawm kuv hlo le.” 15Yelemi txhad has rua Xentekhiya tas, “Yog kuv has rua koj, koj yeej yuav muab kuv tua pov tseg xwb. Yog kuv qha daabtsw rua koj, koj yeej yuav tsw noog kuv has.” 16Mas vaajntxwv Xentekhiya cog lug twv rua Yelemi tuabywv tas, “Yawmsaub kws tswm peb tug ntsuj plig muaj txujsa nyob pum, kuv yuav tsw tua koj lossws muab koj cob rua huv cov tuabneeg nrhav kev txuv koj txujsa txhais teg.” 17Yelemi txhad has rua Xentekhiya tas, “Yawmsaub kws yog Vaajtswv muaj fwjchim luj kawg nkaus hab yog cov Yixayee tug Vaajtswv has le nuav tas, ‘Yog koj yeem muab koj tug kheej cob rua Npanpiloo tug vaajntxwv cov thawj, mas puab yuav tseg koj txujsa hab lub nroog nuav yuav tsw raug suavtawg hlawv. Koj hab koj cuab tuabneeg yuav muaj txujsa nyob. 18Tassws yog koj tsw yeem muab koj cob rua Npanpiloo tug vaajntxwv cov thawj, lub nroog yuav raug muab cob rua huv cov Kheentia txhais teg, mas puab yuav muab suavtawg hlawv pov tseg, hab koj yuav tswv tsw dim huv puab txhais teg.’ ” 19Vaajntxwv Xentekhiya has rua Yelemi tas, “Kuv ntshai cov Yutai kws nyag kev tswv moog rua cov Kheentia lawm, tsaam tes kuv raug muab cob rua cov tuabneeg hov tes puab tswm txom kuv.” 20Yelemi has tas, “Luas yuav tsw muab koj cob rua puab. Ca le noog Yawmsaub tej lug lawv le kuv has rua koj, mas koj txhad noj qaab nyob zoo hab puab txhad tseg koj txujsa. 21Tassws yog koj tsw yeem muab koj tug kheej cob rua puab, mas Yawmsaub qha zaaj yug quas toog rua kuv pum le nuav. 22Kuv pum cov quaspuj suavdawg kws tshuav nyob huv Yuta tug vaajntxwv lub tsev raug muab coj moog pub rua Npanpiloo tug vaajntxwv cov thawj, hab puab has tas, “ ‘Koj cov phoojywg kws koj tso sab daag ntxag koj hab kov yeej koj lawm. Nwgnuav koj txhais kwtaw zum rua huv paag av, mas puab tso koj tseg lawm.’ 23“Koj cov quaspuj suavdawg hab koj cov tub yuav raug muab coj moog rua cov Kheentia, hab koj tug kheej yuav tsw dim huv puab txhais teg. Koj yuav raug Npanpiloo tug vaajntxwv nteg, hab lub nroog nuav yuav raug suavtawg hlawv pov tseg.” 24Xentekhiya txawm has rua Yelemi tas, “Tsw xob ca leejtwg paub tej lug nuav koj txhad le tsw tuag. 25Yog cov thawj nov tas kuv tau nrug koj has lug, hab puab tuaj cuag koj has tas, ‘Ca le qha saib koj has le caag rua vaajntxwv hab vaajntxwv has le caag rua koj. Tsw xob zais ib yaam daabtsw ntawm peb mas peb txhad tsw muab koj tua pov tseg,’ 26koj ca le has rua puab tas, ‘Kuv taij thov vaajntxwv kuas tsw xob xaa kuv rov qaab moog tuag rua huv Yaunathaa lub tsev.’ ” 27Mas cov thawj suavdawg kuj tuaj cuag Yelemi hab nug nwg, mas nwg kuj teb puab lawv le vaajntxwv qha rua nwg. Tes puab txawm tseg tsw nug nwg vem qhov kws ob tug sws thaam tsw muaj leejtwg nov. 28Yelemi txawm nyob huv cov tub rog kws zuv vaajntxwv lub loog moog txug nub kws Yeluxalee poob lawm.