Jeremiah in a Dry Well
1 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard that I was telling the people that 2 the Lord had said, “Whoever stays on in the city will die in war or of starvation or disease. But those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will not be killed; they will at least escape with their life.” 3 I was also telling them that the Lord had said, “I am going to give the city to the Babylonian army, and they will capture it.”
4 Then the officials went to the king and said, “This man must be put to death. By talking like this he is making the soldiers in the city lose their courage, and he is doing the same thing to everyone else left in the city. He is not trying to help the people; he only wants to hurt them.”
5 King Zedekiah answered, “Very well, then, do what you want to with him; I can't stop you.” 6 So they took me and let me down by ropes into Prince Malchiah's well, which was in the palace courtyard. There was no water in the well, only mud, and I sank down in it.
7 However, Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who worked in the royal palace, heard that they had put me in the well. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate. 8 So Ebedmelech went there and said to the king, 9 “Your Majesty, what these men have done is wrong. They have put Jeremiah in the well, where he is sure to die of starvation, since there is no more food in the city.” 10 Then the king ordered Ebedmelech to take with him three men and to pull me out of the well before I died. 11 So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes. 12 He told me to put the rags under my arms, so that the ropes wouldn't hurt me. I did this, 13 and they pulled me up out of the well. After that I was kept in the courtyard.
Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah's Advice
14 On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the Temple, and he said, “I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth.”
15 I answered, “If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you won't pay any attention.”
16 So King Zedekiah promised me in secret, “I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you.”
17 Then I told Zedekiah that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, “If you surrender to the king of Babylonia's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. 18 But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will burn it down, and you will not escape from them.”
19 But the king answered, “I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured.”
20 I said, “You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey the Lord's message; then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. 21 But the Lord has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. 22 In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went:
‘The king's best friends misled him,
they overruled him.
And now that his feet have sunk in the mud,
his friends have left him.’”
23 Then I added, “All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians, and you yourself will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia, and this city will be burned to the ground.”
24 Zedekiah replied, “Don't let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. 25 If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. 26 Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there.” 27 Then all the officials came and questioned me, and I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. 28 And I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Jeremija tiek ieslodzīts ūdenstvertnē
1 Un Šefatja, Matāna dēls, un Gedaljāhu, Pašhūra dēls, un Jehūhals, Šelemjas dēls, un Pašhūrs, Malkijas dēls, dzirdēja vārdus, ko Jeremija teica visai tautai:
2 “Tā saka Kungs: kas paliks šai pilsētā, tas mirs no zobena, bada un mēra, bet, kas ies pie kaldiešiem, tas dzīvos, un viņa dzīvība būs viņa laupījums!
3 Tā saka Kungs: šī pilsēta tiks atdot atdota Bābeles ķēniņa karaspēka rokās, un viņš to ieņems!” 4 Un augstmaņi teica ķēniņam: “Lai jel šo vīru nonāvē, jo viņš padara mīkstas to karavīru rokas, kuri ir palikuši šai pilsētā, un visas tautas rokas, runādams uz tiem šādus vārdus, šis vīrs nemeklē tautai labu, bet ļaunu!” 5 Un ķēniņš Cedekija teica: “Redzi, viņš ir jūsu rokās, jo ķēniņš neko nevar darīt pret jums!” 6 Un tie paņēma Jeremiju un iemeta viņu akā, kas piederēja ķēniņa dēlam Malkijam, tā atradās cietuma pagalmā. Viņi nolaida Jeremiju lejā ar virvēm, bet akā nebija ūdens, tikai mēsli, un Jeremija mirka mēslos.
7 Un kūšietis Ebed-Melehs, einuhs, kas bija ķēniņa pilī, padzirdēja, ka Jeremiju iemetuši akā. Bet ķēniņš sēdēja Benjāmina vārtos. 8 Un Ebed-Melehs izgāja no ķēniņa nama un runāja ar ķēniņu: 9 “Mans kungs, ķēniņ, šie vīri izturējušies pret Jeremiju ļauni – iemetuši viņu akā, un tur apakšā viņš nomirs badā, jo pilsētā vairs nav maizes!” 10 Un ķēniņš pavēlēja kūšietim Ebed-Meleham: “Ņem trīsdesmit vīru un izvelc pravieti Jeremiju no akas, pirms viņš mirst!” 11 Ebed-Melehs paņēma sev līdzi vīrus, aizgāja uz ķēniņa namu, uz mantnīcu, paņēma no turienes skrandas un lupatas un ar virvēm tās nolaida Jeremijam. 12 Un kūšietis Ebed-Melehs teica Jeremijam: “Liec sev padusēs skrandas un lupatas zem virvēm!” – un Jeremija tā darīja. 13 Un viņi izvilka Jeremiju ar virvēm un izcēla viņu no cietuma akas, tā Jeremija tika cietuma pagalmā.
Cedekija atkal slepus iztaujā Jeremiju
14 Un ķēniņš Cedekija sūtīja pēc Jeremijas un pieņēma viņu pie trešās ieejas Kunga namā, un ķēniņš Jeremijam teica: “Es tev ko jautāšu, neslēp no manis neko!” 15 Jeremija teica Cedekijam: “Ja es tev ko sacīšu, vai tu mani nenonāvēsi? Ja es tev došu padomu, tu manī neklausīsies!” 16 Bet ķēniņš Cedekija slepeni zvērēja Jeremijam, sacīdams: “Dzīvs Kungs, kas mums radīja dvēseli! Es tevi nenonāvēšu un neatdošu to vīru rokā, kuri lūko pēc tavas dzīvības!”
17 Un Jeremija teica Cedekijam: “Tā saka Kungs, Pulku Dievs un Israēla Dievs: ja ietin iesi pie Bābeles ķēniņa augstmaņiem, tad tu paliksi dzīvs un šī pilsēta netiks nodedzināta ar uguni, un dzīvs būsi tu un tavs nams! 18 Bet, ja tu neiesi pie Bābeles ķēniņa augstmaņiem, tad šī pilsēta tiks atdota kaldiešu rokās un tie to nodedzinās ar uguni, un tu neizglābsies no viņu rokas!”
19 Un ķēniņš Cedekija teica Jeremijam: “Es bīstos no tiem jūdiem, kuri ir aizbēguši pie kaldiešiem, ka viņi mani neatdod to rokās un tie man ko nenodara.”
20 Jeremija teica: “Viņi neatdos! Klausi jel Kunga balsi, ko es runāju uz tevi, un tev būs labi un tu būsi dzīvs! 21 Bet, ja tu liegsies iet, redzi, ko man Kungs parādīja: 22 redzi, visas sievietes, kas bija palikušas Jūdas ķēniņa namā, tika aizvestas pie Bābeles ķēniņa augstmaņiem, un viņas teiks:
pievīluši un pārspējuši tevi
tavi ļaudis,
kad tavas kājas grimst sūdos,
tie tevi pametuši! –
23 Visas tavas sievas un tavus dēlus aizvedīs pie kaldiešiem, un tu neizglābsies no viņu rokas, jo tu būsi sakampts Bābeles ķēniņa rokā un šī pilsēta tiks nodedzināta ar uguni!”
24 Un Cedekija teica Jeremijam: “Lai neviens neuzzina par šiem vārdiem, un tu nemirsi! 25 Ja augstmaņi padzirdēs, ka es esmu runājis ar tevi, tad tie nāks pie tevis un teiks tev: stāsti jel mums, ko tu sacīji ķēniņam, neslēp no mums neko, un mēs tevi nenonāvēsim! Un ko tev sacīja ķēniņš? – 26 Bet tu tiem saki: es nācu pie ķēniņa ar savu lūgumu, lai viņš man neliek iet atpakaļ uz Jonatāna namu, ka es tur nenomirstu.”
27 Un visi augstmaņi nāca pie Jeremijas un jautāja viņam, un viņš pastāstīja viņiem to, ko bija vēlējis teikt ķēniņš, un viņi vairs nerunāja ar viņu, jo nebija nekā, ko dzirdēt.
28 Un Jeremija palika cietuma pagalmā līdz tai dienai, kad ieņēma Jeruzālemi.
Un Jeruzāleme tika ieņemta.
