1 Toe Sef tja, die seun van Mattan, en Ged lja, die seun van Pashur, en Jugal, die seun van Sel,mja, en Pashur, die seun van Malk¡a, die woorde hoor waarmee Jeremia die hele volk bly toespreek het, naamlik:
2 So spreek die HERE: Wie in hierdie stad bly, sal sterwe deur die swaard, die hongersnood of die pes, maar wie na die Chaldeërs uitgaan, sal lewe, en sy siel sal vir hom 'n buit wees, en hy sal lewe.
3 So spreek die HERE: Hierdie stad sal sekerlik oorgegee word in die mag van die leër van die koning van Babel, en hy sal dit inneem.
4 Toe het die vorste aan die koning gesê: Laat hierdie man tog gedood word, want so maak hy die hande van die krygsmanne slap wat in hierdie stad nog oor is en die hande van die hele volk deur sulke woorde tot hulle te spreek; want die man soek nie die vrede van hierdie volk nie, maar die onheil.
5 En koning Sedek¡a het gesê: Kyk, hy is in julle mag, want die koning kan niks teen julle doen nie.
6 Toe neem hulle Jeremia en gooi hom in die put van Malk¡a, die seun van die koning, wat in die voorhof van bewaking was; en hulle het Jeremia met toue laat afsak. En in die put was geen water nie, maar modder; en Jeremia het in die modder gesak.
7 En toe Ebed-Meleg, die Kusiet, 'n hofdienaar wat in die paleis van die koning was, hoor dat hulle Jeremia in die put gegooi het -- die koning het toe in die Benjaminspoort gesit --
8 het Ebed-Meleg uit die paleis van die koning gegaan en met die koning gespreek en gesê:
9 My heer die koning, hierdie manne het verkeerd gehandel in alles wat hulle die profeet Jeremia aangedoen het, wat hulle in die put gegooi het; hy sal tog sterwe van honger op die plek waar hy is; want daar is geen brood meer in die stad nie.
10 Toe gee die koning aan Ebed-Meleg, die Kusiet, bevel en sê: Neem hiervandaan dertig manne met jou saam en trek die profeet Jeremia uit die put op voordat hy sterwe.
11 Daarop het Ebed-Meleg die manne met hom saamgeneem en ingegaan in die paleis van die koning onder die voorraadkamer en daarvandaan verslyte en geskeurde lappe geneem wat hy na Jeremia in die put met toue laat afsak het.
12 En Ebed-Meleg, die Kusiet, het vir Jeremia gesê: Sit tog die verslyte en geskeurde lappe onder jou armholtes onder die toue; en Jeremia het so gedoen.
13 En hulle het Jeremia aan die toue opgetrek en hom uit die put uitgehaal. En Jeremia het in die voorhof van bewaking gebly.
14 Toe stuur koning Sedek¡a en hy laat die profeet Jeremia na hom bring in die derde ingang wat by die huis van die HERE was; en die koning het vir Jeremia gesê: Ek wil jou iets vra; steek vir my niks weg nie.
15 Maar Jeremia het Sedek¡a geantwoord: As ek u dit te kenne gee, sal u my nie sekerlik doodmaak nie? En as ek u raad gee, sal u na my nie luister nie.
16 Toe sweer koning Sedek¡a vir Jeremia in die geheim en sê: So waar as die HERE leef wat aan ons hierdie lewe verleen het -- ek sal jou nie doodmaak en jou nie oorgee in die hand van hierdie manne wat jou lewe soek nie!
17 Daarop sê Jeremia vir Sedek¡a: So spreek die HERE, die God van die leërskare, die God van Israel: As u vrywillig uitgaan na die vorste van die koning van Babel, sal u siel lewe en sal hierdie stad nie met vuur verbrand word nie; en u sal lewe, u en u huis.
18 Maar as u nie uitgaan na die vorste van die koning van Babel nie, sal hierdie stad in die hand van die Chaldeërs oorgegee word, en hulle sal dit met vuur verbrand; en u self sal uit hulle hand nie vryraak nie.
19 Toe sê koning Sedek¡a vir Jeremia: Ek is bevrees dat hulle my in die hand van die Jode wat na die Chaldeërs oorgeloop het, sal oorgee en dat die met my die spot sal drywe.
20 Maar Jeremia antwoord: Hulle sal u nie oorgee nie. Luister tog na die stem van die HERE in wat ek aan u sê; dan sal dit goed met u gaan en u siel sal lewe.
21 Maar as u weier om uit te gaan -- dit is die woord wat die HERE my laat sien het:
22 Kyk, al die vroue wat in die paleis van die koning van Juda oorgebly het, is uitgelei na die vorste van die koning van Babel, terwyl hulle gesê het: Die manne met wie u vriendskap gehou het, het u verlei en u oorweldig; toe u voete in die modder ingesak het, het hulle agteruitgewyk.
23 Hulle sal dan al u vroue en u kinders na die Chaldeërs uitlei; ook sal u self uit hulle hand nie vryraak nie; maar u sal deur die hand van die koning van Babel gevang word, en hierdie stad sal met vuur verbrand word.
24 Toe sê Sedek¡a vir Jeremia: Laat niemand van hierdie woorde weet nie, dat jy nie sterwe nie.
25 En as die vorste hoor dat ek met jou gespreek het en by jou kom en aan jou sê: Vertel ons tog wat jy met die koning gespreek het; steek dit nie vir ons weg nie, en ons sal jou nie doodmaak nie; en wat het die koning met jou gespreek? --
26 dan moet jy hulle antwoord: Ek het my smeking eerbiedig voor die koning gebring, dat hy my nie moet laat terugbring in die huis van Jonatan, om daar te sterwe nie.
27 Toe het al die vorste by Jeremia gekom en hom uitgevra; en hy het aan hulle mededeling gedoen volgens al hierdie woorde wat die koning hom beveel het. Toe het hulle hom met rus gelaat; want die saak het nie bekend geword nie.
28 En Jeremia het in die voorhof van bewaking gebly tot op die dag dat Jerusalem ingeneem is. En toe Jerusalem ingeneem is --
1 Now it came to the ears of Shephatiah, the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah, the son of Pashhur, and Jucal, the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur, the son of Malchiah, that Jeremiah had said to all the people,
2 These are the words of the Lord: Whoever goes on living in this town will come to his death by the sword or through need of food or by disease: but whoever goes out to the Chaldaeans will keep his life out of the power of the attackers and be safe.
3 The Lord has said, This town will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will take it.
4 Then the rulers said to the king, Let this man be put to death, because he is putting fear into the hearts of the men of war who are still in the town, and into the hearts of the people, by saying such things to them: this man is not working for the well-being of the people, but for their damage.
5 Then Zedekiah the king said, See, he is in your hands: for the king was not able to do anything against them.
6 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the water-hole of Malchiah, the king's son, in the place of the armed watchmen: and they let Jeremiah down with cords. And in the hole there was no water, but wet earth: and Jeremiah went down into the wet earth.
7 Now it came to the ears of Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an unsexed servant in the king's house, that they had put Jeremiah into the water-hole; the king at that time being seated in the doorway of Benjamin:
8 And Ebed-melech went out from the king's house and said to the king,
9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have put into the water-hole; and he will come to his death in the place where he is through need of food: for there is no more bread in the town.
10 Then the king gave orders to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take with you three men from here and get Jeremiah out of the water-hole before death overtakes him.
11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king, to the place where the clothing was kept, and got from there old clothing and bits of old cloth, and let them down by cords into the water-hole where Jeremiah was.
12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put these bits of old cloth under your arms under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
13 So pulling Jeremiah up with the cords they got him out of the water-hole: and Jeremiah was kept in the place of the armed watchmen.
14 Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and took him into the rulers' doorway in the house of the Lord: and the king said to Jeremiah, I have a question to put to you; keep nothing back from me.
15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I give you the answer to your question, will you not certainly put me to death? and if I make a suggestion to you, you will not give it a hearing.
16 So King Zedekiah gave his oath to Jeremiah secretly, saying, By the living Lord, who gave us our life, I will not put you to death, or give you up to these men who are desiring to take your life.
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, These are the words of the Lord, the God of armies, the God of Israel: If you go out to the king of Babylon's captains, then you will have life, and the town will not be burned with fire, and you and your family will be kept from death:
18 But if you do not go out to the king of Babylon's captains, then this town will be given into the hands of the Chaldaeans and they will put it on fire, and you will not get away from them.
19 And King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, I am troubled on account of the Jews who have gone over to the Chaldaeans, for fear that they may give me up to them and they will put me to shame.
20 But Jeremiah said, They will not give you up: be guided now by the word of the Lord as I have given it to you, and it will be well for you, and you will keep your life.
21 But if you do not go out, this is what the Lord has made clear to me:
22 See, all the rest of the women in the house of the king of Judah will be taken out to the king of Babylon's captains, and these women will say, Your nearest friends have been false to you and have got the better of you: they have made your feet go deep into the wet earth, and they are turned away back from you.
23 And they will take all your wives and your children out to the Chaldaeans: and you will not get away out of their hands, but will be taken by the hands of the king of Babylon: and this town will be burned with fire.
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, Let no man have knowledge of these words, and you will not be put to death.
25 But if it comes to the ears of the rulers that I have been talking with you, and they come and say to you, Give us word now of what you have said to the king and what the king said to you, keeping nothing back and we will not put you to death;
26 Then you are to say to them, I made my request to the king, that he would not send me back to my death in Jonathan's house.
27 Then all the rulers came to Jeremiah, questioning him: and he gave them an answer in the words the king had given him orders to say. So they said nothing more to him; for the thing was not made public.
28 So Jeremiah was kept in the place of the armed watchmen till the day when Jerusalem was taken.