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 Yelemis Pov Rau Hauv Lub Qhovtshij Qhuav
1Mathas tus tub Sefatiyas, Pasehus tus tub Nkedaliyas, Selemiyas tus tub Yehukas, thiab Makhiyas tus tub Pasehus hnov tus TSWV tej lus uas kuv qhia lawv 2hais tias, “Yog leejtwg nyob hauv lub nroog no yuav tuag tas rau hniav ntaj hniav riam lossis kev tshaib kev nqhis lossis kab mob kev nkeeg. Tiamsis yog leejtwg mus thawj cov Npanpiloos, nws yuav dim txojsia tsis raug luag tua.” 3Kuv hais rau lawv hais tias tus TSWV hais li no: “Kuv yuav muab lub nroog no cob rau tus vajntxwv uas kav tebchaws Npanpiloos tej tubrog, thiab lawv yuav txeeb tau lub nroog.” 4Cov nomtswv thiaj mus hais rau vajntxwv hais tias, “Tsimnyog muab tus txivneej no tua povtseg. Rau qhov nws hais tej lus no ua rau cov tubrog uas nyob hauv lub nroog poob siab, thiab nws hais ib yam li ntawd rau cov neeg uas tseem nyob hauv lub nroog. Nws tsis nrhiav kev pab sawvdaws; nws tsuas xav kom sawvdaws ntxhov siab xwb.” 5Vajntxwv Xedekiyas teb hais tias, “Cia li ua raws li nej hais! Nej yuav ua li cas rau nws los nyob ntawm nej; kuv tsis txwv nej li.” 6Yog li ntawd, cov nomtswv thiaj tuaj coj kuv mus thiab muab hlua dauv kuv rau hauv vajntxwv tus tub Makhiyas lub qhovtshij uas nyob hauv lub tshavpuam ntawm vajntxwv lub loog. Lub qhovtshij ntawd tsis muaj dej, tsuas muaj av nkos xwb, kuv thiaj nyob tsau tsawv cov av nkos ntawd. 7Enpemelej uas yog neeg Sudas ua haujlwm nyob hauv vajntxwv lub loog hnov hais tias, lawv coj kuv mus tso rau hauv lub qhovtshij qhuav lawm. Thaum ntawd vajntxwv tseem nrog nws cov nomtswv sablaj ntawm lub Roojvag Npeenyamees. 8Yog li ntawd, Enpemelej thiaj mus qhia rau vajntxwv hais tias, 9“Vajntxwv, tej uas cov neeg no ua rau Yelemis, lawv ua tsis yog lawm. Lawv coj nws mus kaw rau hauv lub qhovtshij qhuav, ces nws yeej yuav tuag tshaib xwb, rau qhov tsis muaj mov nyob hauv lub nroog no li lawm.” 10Thaum vajntxwv hnov li ntawd, nws kom Enpemelej coj peb tug neeg nrog nws tuaj rub kuv tawm hauv lub qhovtshij ntawd los ua ntej kuv tuag. 11Enpemelej thiaj coj cov txivneej ntawd nrog nws mus hauv chav tsev rau khoom hauv vajntxwv lub loog thiab muab tej qub ris tsho ua hlua dauv los rau kuv. 12Nws hais kom kuv muab tej qub ris tsho ntawd xiab kuv ob lub qhovtso, txoj hlua thiaj tsis zawm kuv. Kuv thiaj ua li ntawd, 13lawv thiaj muab hlua rub kuv tawm hauv lub qhovtshij qhuav los. Lawv coj kuv rov los nyob hauv chav uas muaj tubrog zov hauv vajntxwv lub loog.
Xedekiyas Rov Nug Yelemis Dua
14Vajntxwv Xedekiyas kom neeg tuaj coj kuv mus cuag nws ntawm lub Tuamtsev lub qhov rooj peb. Vajntxwv hais rau kuv hais tias, “Kuv yuav nug koj ib los, koj cia li qhia ncaj rau kuv tsis txhob zais li.” 15Kuv teb nws hais tias, “Yog kuv qhia tseeb rau koj, koj yuav muab kuv tua povtseg thiab yog kuv pab koj tuavxam los koj yuav tsis mloog kuv tej lus.” 16Vajntxwv Xedekiyas coglus twjywm rau kuv hais tias, “Vajtswv yog tus muaj sia nyob, nws pub peb muaj sia, nws nyob saud pom, kuv yuav tsis tua koj lossis muab koj cob rau cov neeg uas xav muab koj tua povtseg.” 17Kuv hais rau Xedekiyas hais tias tus TSWV uas yog cov Yixalayees tus Vajtswv uas muaj hwjchim loj kawg nkaus hais li no, “Yog koj yeem mus thawj tus vajntxwv uas kav tebchaws Npanpiloos tej tubrog, luag yuav tsis tua koj thiab tsis hlawv lub nroog no. Koj thiab koj tsevneeg yuav muaj sia nyob, 18tiamsis yog koj tsis yeem mus thawj luag, ces kuv yuav muab lub nroog no cob rau tus vajntxwv uas kav tebchaws Npanpiloos cov tubrog. Lawv yuav muab lub nroog no hlawv thiab koj yuav khiav tsis dim ntawm lawv li.” 19Tiamsis Vajntxwv Xedekiyas teb hais tias, “Kuv ntshai nyob tsam cov Npanpiloos muab kuv cob rau peb cov neeg Yudas uas twb khiav mus thawj lawv lawm tsimtxom xwb.” 20Kuv hais rau vajntxwv hais tias, “Yuav tsis muaj leejtwg muab koj cob rau cov neeg ntawd. Kuv thov kom koj ua raws li tus TSWV tej lus uas kuv qhia rau koj no; koj thiaj tsis raug luag tua thiab nyob tso siab plhuav. 21Tiamsis yog koj tsis yeem mus thawj cov tubrog Npanpiloos, ces yuav muaj raws li tus TSWV ua rau kuv ua yogtoog pom lawm. 22Hauv zaj yogtoog ntawd kuv pom tej pojniam uas seem nyob hauv tus vajntxwv uas kav tebchaws Yudas lub loog raug luag coj mus cob rau tus vajntxwv uas kav tebchaws Npanpiloos tej tubrog. Koj cia li mloog tej lus uas cov pojniam sib tham thaum lawv taug kev, lawv hais tias, ‘Vajntxwv tej phoojywg tau dag ntxias nws lawv yuam nws ua raws li lawv siab xav. Nimno nws ob txhais kotaw zom pas av lawm, nws tej phoojywg khiav tas thiab tso nws tseg.’ ” 23Tom qab ntawd kuv hais tias, “Luag yuav coj koj tej pojniam tubse mus cob rau cov Npanpiloos, txawm yog koj los yuav tsis dim li. Tus vajntxwv uas kav tebchaws Npanpiloos yuav ntes koj thiab muab lub nroog no hlawv povtseg.” 24Vajntxwv Xedekiyas teb hais tias, “Koj tsis txhob qhia tej no rau leejtwg paub, luag thiaj tsis tua koj. 25Yog cov nomtswv paub hais tias kuv tuaj nrog koj tham, lawv yuav nug koj saib wb tau sib tham dabtsi. Lawv yuav hais tias yog koj qhia tej no rau lawv, lawv yuav tsis tua koj povtseg. 26Koj cia li hais rau lawv hais tias yog koj tuaj thov kom kuv tsis txhob xa koj rov mus kaw kom tuag rau tom tsev lojcuj xwb.” 27Tom qab ntawd cov nomtswv txawm tuaj nrhiav kuv thiab nug kuv. Kuv qhia rau lawv raws li uas vajntxwv hais rau kuv, ces lawv txawm tsis nug kuv ntxiv lawm, rau qhov tsis muaj leejtwg hnov zaj uas wb sib tham ntawd li. 28Luag kav kuv nruj nyob rau hauv chav uas muaj tubrog zov hauv vajntxwv lub loog mus txog hnub uas luag txeeb tau lub nroog Yeluxalees lawm.