Jeremias 40

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were carried away captive to Babylon. 2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, "Yahweh your God pronounced this evil on this place; 3 and Yahweh has brought it, and done according as he spoke. Because you have sinned against Yahweh, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing has come on you. 4 Now, behold, I release you today from the chains which are on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will take care of you; but if it seems bad to you to come with me into Babylon, don’t. Behold, all the land is before you. Where it seems good and right to you to go, go there." 5 Now while he had not yet gone back, "Go back then," he said, "to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people; or go wherever it seems right to you to go."

So the captain of the guard gave him food and a present, and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah, and lived with him among the people who were left in the land.

7 Now when all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, women, children, and of the poorest of the land, of those who were not carried away captive to Babylon, 8 then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men came to Gedaliah to Mizpah. 9 Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying, "Don’t be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you. 10 As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to stand before the Chaldeans who will come to us; but you, gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken."

11 Likewise when all the Jews who were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, 12 then all the Jews returned out of all places where they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, to Mizpah, and gathered very much wine and summer fruits.

13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, 14 and said to him, "Do you know that Baalis the king of the children of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?"

But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam didn’t believe them.

15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, "Please let me go, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man will know it. Why should he take your life, that all the Jews who are gathered to you should be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?"

16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely of Ishmael."

Ka Noho a Heremaia ki te Taha o Keraria te Kāwana

1 Ko te kupu i puta mai ki a Heremaia, he mea nā Ihowā, i muri i te tukunga a Neputarārana rangatira o ngā kaitiaki i a ia kia haere atu i Rama, i tāna tikinga i a ia, i te mea kei te here ia, he mea mekameka, i roto i ngā whakarau katoa o Hiruhārama, o Hūrā, e whakaraua ana ki Papurōna. 2 Nā, ka mau te rangatira o ngā kaitiaki ki a Heremaia, ā, ka mea ki a ia, "Nā Ihowā, nā tōu Atua tēnei kino i kōrero mō tēnei wāhi. 3 Nā, kua tākina nei e Ihowā, kua oti i a ia tāna i kōrero ai; nō te mea kua hara koutou ki a Ihowā, ā, kīhai i whakarongo ki tōna reo, koia tēnei mea i pā ai ki a koutou. 4 Nā, ināianei, ka wetekina koe e ahau i tēnei rā i ngā mekameka i runga i ōu ringa nā. Ki te pai koe ki te haere tahi i ahau ki Papurōna, haere mai, ā, māku koe e āta tirotiro; ki te kino ki a koe te haere tahi mai i ahau ki Papurōna, kauaka. Nanā, kei tōu aroaro te whenua katoa; nā, ko tāu wāhi e kite ai koe he pai, he āta tāu hei haerenga atu mōu, haere ki reira." 5 Kīanō ia i hoki noa, ka mea tērā, "Kāti, hoki atu ki a Keraria tama a Ahikama, tama a Hapana, kua meinga hoki ia e te kīngi o Papurōna hei kāwana mō ngā pā o Hūrā, ā, ka noho ki a ia i roto i te iwi; māu rānei e haere ki te wāhi e tau ana ki tāu titiro, kia haere ki reira."

Nā, ka hōmai e te rangatira o ngā kaitiaki he ō mōna, me tētahi hākari, ā, tukua ana ia kia haere. 6 Kātahi a Heremaia ka haere ki a Keraria tama a Ahikama ki Mihipa; ā, noho ana ki a ia i roto i te iwi i mahue iho ki te whenua.

7 Nā, i te rongonga o ngā rangatira katoa o ngā ope i ngā pārae, rātou ko ā rātou tāngata, kua oti a Keraria tama a Ahikama te mea hei kāwana mō te whenua e te kīngi o Papurōna, ā, kua tukua ki a ia ngā tikanga mō ngā tāne, mō ngā wāhine, mō ngā tamariki, mō ngā rawakore o te whenua, mō te hunga hoki kīhai i whakaraua ki Papurōna; 8 kātahi rātou ka haere mai ki a Keraria, ki Mihipa – arā a Ihimaera tama a Netania, a Hohanana rāua ko Honatana, ngā tama a Karea, a Heraia tama a Tanahumete, ngā tama a Ēpai Netopati, a Hetania tama a tētahi Maakati, ēnei, me ā rātou tāngata. 9 Ā, ka oati a Keraria tama a Ahikama, tama a Hapana, ki a rātou ko ā rātou tāngata, ka mea, "Kaua e wehi ki te mahi ki ngā Karari; e noho ki te whenua, e mahi ki te kīngi o Papurōna, ā, ka whai pai koutou. 10 Ko ahau nei ia, nanā, ka noho ahau i Mihipa, hei tū atu i mua i ngā Karari e haere mai ana ki a tātou. Tēnā ko koutou, kohikohia e koutou ngā wāina me ngā hua raumati, me te hinu, whaowhina ki ā koutou oko, ā, ka noho i roto i ō koutou pā i riro rā i ā koutou."

11 Waihoki, i te rongonga o ngā Hūrai katoa i Moapa, i roto i ngā tama a Āmona, i Ēroma, i roto hoki i ngā whenua katoa, kua waiho e te kīngi o Papurōna he mōrehu o Hūrā, ā, kua meinga e ia a Keraria tama a Ahikama, tama a Hapana, hei kāwana mō rātou; 12 kātahi ngā Hūrai katoa i ngā wāhi katoa i peia atu ai rātou ka hokihoki mai, ā, haere mai ana ki te whenua o Hūrā, ki a Keraria, ki Mihipa, ā, kohikohia ana e rātou he wāina, he hua raumati, tōna nui.

13 I haere mai anō a Hohanana tama a Karea, rātou ko ngā rangatira katoa o ngā ope i ngā pārae ki a Keraria, ki Mihipa, 14 i mea ki a ia, "E mōhio ana rānei koe, kua ungā mai e Paarihi kīngi o ngā tama a Āmona a Ihimaera tama a Netania ki te whakamate i a koe?" Otiia kīhai a Keraria tama a Ahikama i whakapono ki a rātou.

15 Kātahi a Hohanana tama a Karea ka kōrero puku ki a Keraria, i Mihipa, ka mea, "Tēnā, tukua ahau kia haere, ā, māku e patu a Ihimaera tama a Netania, ā, e kore e mōhiotia e tētahi tangata. Kia patua koe e ia hei aha? Pēnā ka marara noa iho ngā Hūrai katoa kua huihui mai nei ki a koe, mōtī iho ngā mōrehu o Hūrā."

16 Otiia, i mea a Keraria tama a Ahikama ki a Hohanana tama a Karea, "Kaua tēnei e meatia e koe; he teka hoki tāu kōrero mō Ihimaera."