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 pov rau hauv lub qhov dej qhuav
1Mathas tus tub Sefathiya, thiab Pasaw tus tub Kedaliya, thiab Selemiya tus tub Yukhas thiab Makhia tus tub Pasaw lawv tau hnov tej lus uas Yelemi hais rau cov pejxeem sawvdaws tias, 2“Yawmsaub hais li no tias, ‘Leejtwg tseem nyob hauv lub nroog no mas yuav tuag hniav ntaj hniav riam thiab tuag tshaib tuag nqhis thiab tuag mob kis. Yog leejtwg tawm mus zwm rau cov Kheedia mas yuav dim txojsia. Nws yuav tau txojsia ua nqe zog hauv tshav rog los.’ 3Yawmsaub hais li no tias, ‘Lub nroog no yuav raug muab cob rau hauv Npanpiloo tus vajntxwv cov tub rog txhais tes, mas lawv yuav txeeb tau.’ ” 4Cov thawj thiaj hais rau vajntxwv Xedekhiya tias, “Cia li muab tus yawg no tua pov tseg, vim nws ua rau cov tub rog uas tseem tshuav nyob hauv lub nroog no thiab cov pejxeem sawvdaws txhais tes tsaug leeg tag rau qhov uas nws hais tej lus li no rau lawv. Tus yawg no tsis nrhiav txojkev noj qab nyob zoo rau haiv neeg no, nws tsuas yog nrhiav kev txom nyem los xwb.” 5Vajntxwv Xedekhiya hais tias, “Tus yawg no twb nyob hauv nej txhais tes lawm, vajntxwv tsis fim yuav tav tau nej.” 6Lawv txawm coj Yelemi mus thiab muab hlua tso nws nqes rau hauv vajntxwv tus tub Makhia lub qhov dej uas nyob hauv cov tub rog zov vajntxwv lub loog. Lub qhov dej ntawd tsis muaj dej, tsuas yog muaj av nplaum xwb, Yelemi thiaj zom rau hauv cov av nplaum ntawd. 7Thaum Enpemelej uas yog neeg Khuj⚓ yog ib tug nraug sam nyob hauv vajntxwv lub tsev hnov tias lawv muab Yelemi tso rau hauv lub qhov dej ntawd, ces thaum vajntxwv nyob ntawm lub Rooj Loog Npeeyamee, 8Enpemelej txawm tawm hauv vajntxwv lub tsev mus hais rau vajntxwv tias, 9“Au vajntxwv uas yog kuv tus tswv, cov neeg no ua phem heev rau qhov uas lawv ua txhua yam no rau xibhwb Yelemi uas cev Vajtswv lus, lawv muab nws pov rau hauv lub qhov dej. Nws yuav tuag tshaib rau hauv xwb, rau qhov hauv lub nroog no tsis tshuav ib lub ncuav noj kiag li lawm.” 10Ces vajntxwv thiaj hais rau Enpemelej uas yog neeg Khuj tias, “Cia li coj peb caug leej⚓ ntawm no nrog koj mus, mas rub Yelemi uas cev Vajtswv lus tawm hauv lub qhov dej los ua ntej uas nws tsis tau tuag.” 11Enpemelej thiaj coj neeg nrog nws mus rau ntawm vajntxwv lub tsev chav uas rau qhov txhia chaw uas muaj ib lub phij xab rau khaubncaws, mas rho tej khaubncaws qub thiab tej khaub hlab los, muab hlua khi tso mus rau Yelemi hauv lub qhov dej. 12Mas Enpemelej uas yog neeg Khuj hais rau Yelemi tias, “Cia li muab tej khaubncaws thiab tej khaub hlab tiag txoj hlua hauv koj qhov tsos.” Yelemi ua raws li ntawd. 13Lawv txawm muab txoj hlua rub Yelemi tawm hauv lub qhov dej los. Mas Yelemi tseem nyob hauv cov tub rog zov vajntxwv lub loog.
Xedekhiya rov nug Yelemi
14Vajntxwv Xedekhiya txib neeg mus coj Yelemi uas cev Vajtswv lus los cuag nws ntawm txojkev uas nkag lub rooj loog uas peb rau hauv Yawmsaub lub tuam tsev. Vajntxwv hais rau Yelemi tias, “Kuv yuav nug koj ib nqes, koj tsis txhob zais ib yam dabtsi ntawm kuv kiag li.” 15Yelemi thiaj hais rau Xedekhiya tias, “Yog kuv hais rau koj, koj yeej yuav muab kuv tua pov tseg xwb. Yog kuv qhia dabtsi rau koj, koj yeej yuav tsis mloog kuv hais.” 16Mas vajntxwv Xedekhiya cog lus twv rau Yelemi twjywm tias, “Yawmsaub uas tsim peb tus ntsuj plig muaj txojsia nyob pom, kuv yuav tsis tua koj lossis muab koj cob rau hauv cov neeg nrhiav kev txov koj txojsia txhais tes.” 17Yelemi thiaj hais rau Xedekhiya tias, “Yawmsaub uas yog Vajtswv muaj hwjchim loj kawg nkaus thiab yog cov Yixayee tus Vajtswv hais li no tias, ‘Yog koj yeem muab koj tus kheej cob rau Npanpiloo tus vajntxwv cov thawj, mas lawv yuav tseg koj txojsia thiab lub nroog no yuav tsis raug hluavtaws hlawv. Koj thiab koj cuab neeg yuav muaj txojsia nyob. 18Tiamsis yog koj tsis yeem muab koj cob rau Npanpiloo tus vajntxwv cov thawj, lub nroog yuav raug muab cob rau hauv cov Kheedia txhais tes, mas lawv yuav muab hluavtaws hlawv pov tseg, thiab koj yuav khiav tsis dim hauv lawv txhais tes.’ ” 19Vajntxwv Xedekhiya hais rau Yelemi tias, “Kuv ntshai cov Yudai uas nyiag kev khiav mus rau cov Kheedia lawm, tsam ces kuv raug muab cob rau cov neeg ntawd ces lawv tsim txom kuv.” 20Yelemi hais tias, “Luag yuav tsis muab koj cob rau lawv. Cia li mloog Yawmsaub tej lus raws li kuv hais rau koj, mas koj thiaj noj qab nyob zoo thiab lawv thiaj tseg koj txojsia. 21Tiamsis yog koj tsis yeem muab koj tus kheej cob rau lawv, mas Yawmsaub qhia zaj yog toog rau kuv pom li no. 22Kuv pom cov pojniam sawvdaws uas tshuav nyob hauv Yuda tus vajntxwv lub tsev raug muab coj mus pub rau Npanpiloo tus vajntxwv cov thawj, thiab lawv hais tias, “ ‘Koj cov phoojywg uas koj tso siab dag ntxias koj thiab kov yeej koj lawm. Nimno koj txhais kotaw zom rau hauv pas iav, mas lawv tso koj tseg lawm.’ 23“Koj cov pojniam sawvdaws thiab koj cov tub yuav raug muab coj mus rau cov Kheedia, thiab koj tus kheej yuav tsis dim hauv lawv txhais tes. Koj yuav raug Npanpiloo tus vajntxwv ntes, thiab lub nroog no yuav raug hluavtaws hlawv pov tseg.” 24Xedekhiya txawm hais rau Yelemi tias, “Tsis txhob cia leejtwg paub tej lus no koj thiaj li tsis tuag. 25Yog cov thawj hnov tias kuv tau nrog koj hais lus, thiab lawv tuaj cuag koj hais tias, ‘Cia li qhia saib koj hais li cas rau vajntxwv thiab vajntxwv hais li cas rau koj. Tsis txhob zais ib yam dabtsi ntawm peb mas peb thiaj tsis muab koj tua pov tseg,’ 26koj cia li hais rau lawv tias, ‘Kuv taij thov vajntxwv kom tsis txhob xa kuv rov qab mus tuag rau hauv Yaunathas lub tsev.’ ” 27Mas cov thawj sawvdaws kuj tuaj cuag Yelemi thiab nug nws, mas nws kuj teb lawv raws li vajntxwv qhia rau nws. Ces lawv txawm tseg tsis nug nws vim qhov uas ob tug sib tham tsis muaj leejtwg hnov. 28Yelemi txawm nyob hauv cov tub rog uas zov vajntxwv lub loog mus txog hnub uas Yeluxalees poob lawm.