Cedekijas cerības ir veltas
(2Ķēn 24:172L 36:10)1 Un par ķēniņu kļuva Cedekija, Jošijāhu dēls, – Jehojākīma dēla Konjāhu vietā, – viņu par ķēniņu Jūdas zemei iecēla Bābeles ķēniņš Nebūkadnecars. 2 Bet viņš neklausījās – ne viņš, ne viņa kalpi, ne vienkāršie ļaudis – Kunga vārdos, ko viņš runāja caur pravieti Jeremiju.
3 Un ķēniņš Cedekija sūtīja Jehūhalu, Šelemjas dēlu, un priesteri Cefanju, Maasējas dēlu, pie pravieša Jeremijas, sacīdams: “Lūdz jel par mums Kungu, mūsu Dievu!” 4 Jeremija vēl joprojām bija kopā ar tautu, un viņu vēl nebija ielikuši cietumā. 5 Bet no Ēģiptes tuvojās faraona karaspēks, un kaldieši, kas bija aplenkuši Jeruzālemi, padzirdējuši baumas par tiem, devās projām no Jeruzālemes.
6 Un Kunga vārds nāca pār pravieti Jeremiju: 7 “Tā saka Kungs, Israēla Dievs: tā sakiet Jūdas ķēniņam, kurš jūs sūtīja izjautāt mani: redzi, faraona karaspēks, kas jums nāk palīgā, atgriezīsies savā zemē Ēģiptē, 8 bet kaldieši nāks atpakaļ un cīnīsies pret šo pilsētu, viņi to ieņems un nodedzinās ar uguni!”
9 Tā saka Kungs: “Nepieviliet paši sevi, sacīdami: aiziet aizies no mums kaldieši, – jo tie neaizies! 10 Pat ja jūs sakausiet visu kaldiešu karaspēku, kas karo pret jums, un tiem paliks vien ievainotie – ik vīrs savā teltī –, tie celsies un nodedzinās šo pilsētu ar uguni!”
Jeremija tiek apcietināts
11 Un, kad kaldiešu karaspēks atkāpās no Jeruzālemes faraona karaspēka priekšā, 12 tad Jeremija no Jeruzālemes devās uz Benjāmina zemi, lai tur saņemtu savu mantojuma daļu līdz ar citiem. 13 Viņš bija Benjāmina vārtos, un tur bija arī amatvīrs, vārdā Jirija, Šelemjas dēls, Hananjas dēls, un tas sagrāba pravieti Jeremiju, sacīdams: “Tātad tu grasies bēgt pie kaldiešiem!?” 14 Bet Jeremija teica: “Meli! Es pie kaldiešiem nebēgu!” Bet Jirija neklausījās viņā, sagrāba Jeremiju un atveda pie augstmaņiem. 15 Un augstmaņi noskaitās uz Jeremiju, sita viņu un ielika viņu cietumā rakstveža Jonatāna namā, kur bija ierīkojuši cietumu. 16 Tā Jeremija nokļuva cietuma mūros un mita tur daudzas dienas.
17 Un ķēniņš Cedekija sūtīja pēc viņa, ņēma viņu un slepeni pratināja savā namā: “Vai ir kaut kas no Kunga?” Un Jeremija teica: “Ir!” – un sacīja: “Tu tiksi atdots Bābeles ķēniņam!”
18 Un Jeremija teica ķēniņam Cedekijam: “Ko es esmu nogrēkojies pret tevi un taviem kalpiem, un pret šo tautu, ka tu ieliki mani cietumā? 19 Kur ir jūsu pravieši, kas jums pravietoja, sacīdami: Bābeles ķēniņš nenāks pret jums un pret šo zemi! – 20 Tagad klausies jel, mans kungs, ķēniņ, lai nāk mana lūgšana tavā priekšā: neliec man atgriezties rakstveža Jonatāna namā, ka es tur nemirstu!” 21 Un ķēniņš Cedekija pavēlēja, un tie ielika Jeremiju cietuma pagalmā un deva viņam ik dienas maizes klaipu no cepēju ielas, līdz maize pilsētā beidzās. Bet Jeremija palika cietuma pagalmā.
King Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah To Pray
1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had removed Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim from being the king of Judah and had made Josiah's son Zedekiah king instead. 2 But Zedekiah, his officials, and everyone else in Judah ignored everything the Lord had told me.
3-5 Later, the Babylonian army attacked Jerusalem, but they left after learning that the Egyptian army was headed in this direction.
One day, Zedekiah sent Jehucal and the priest Zephaniah to talk with me. At that time, I was free to go wherever I wanted, because I had not yet been put in prison. Jehucal and Zephaniah said, “Jeremiah, please pray to the Lord our God for us.”
6-7 Then the Lord told me to send them back to Zedekiah with this message:
Zedekiah, you wanted Jeremiah to ask me, the Lord God of Israel, what is going to happen. So I will tell you. The king of Egypt and his army came to your rescue, but soon they will go back to Egypt. 8 Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem, and this time they will capture the city and set it on fire. 9 Don't fool yourselves into thinking that the Babylonians will leave as they did before. 10 Even if you could defeat their entire army, their wounded survivors would still be able to leave their tents and set Jerusalem on fire.
Jeremiah Is Put in Prison
11 The Babylonian army had left because the Egyptian army was on its way to help us. 12 So I decided to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of the Benjamin tribe to claim my share of my family's land. 13 I was leaving Jerusalem through Benjamin Gate, when I was stopped by Irijah, the officer in charge of the soldiers at the gate. He said, “Jeremiah, you're under arrest for trying to join the Babylonians.”
14 “I'm not trying to join them!” I answered. But Irijah wouldn't listen, and he took me to the king's officials. 15-16 They were angry and ordered the soldiers to beat me. Then I was taken to the house that belonged to Jonathan, one of the king's officials. It had been turned into a prison, and I was kept in a basement room.
After I had spent a long time there, 17 King Zedekiah secretly had me brought to his palace, where he asked, “Is there any message for us from the Lord?”
“Yes, there is, Your Majesty,” I replied. “The Lord is going to let the king of Babylonia capture you.”
18 Then I continued, “Your Majesty, why have you put me in prison? Have I committed a crime against you or your officials or the nation? 19 Have you locked up the prophets who lied to you and said that the king of Babylonia would never attack Jerusalem? 20 Please, don't send me back to that prison at Jonathan's house. If you do, I will die there.”
21 King Zedekiah had me taken to the prison cells in the courtyard of the palace guards. He told the soldiers to give me a loaf of bread from one of the bakeries every day until the city ran out of grain.
