Jeremiah 21

1 Zedekiah siangpahrang mah Malkiah capa Pashur hoi Maaseiah ih capa qaima Zephaniah to Jeremiah khaeah patoeh naah, Angraeng ih lok Jeremiah khaeah angzoh. Nihnik mah,

Yahweh gave me another message when King Zedekiah [of Judah] sent [a man who was also named] Pashhur, the son of Malkijah, and a priest named Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, [to talk to me. They pleaded with me], saying,

2 Babylon siangpahrang Nebuchadnezzar loe kaicae tuk hanah amsak boeh pongah, misanawk hnukbang ah angnawn o thai han hoi kaicae kheah Angraeng mah dawnrai hmuen to sak hanah na hni paeh, tiah a naa hoi.

“[The army of] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking Judah. Please speak to Yahweh for us. [Ask him if he will help us]. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar’s [army] to leave by performing a miracle for us, like the miracles he performed [previously].”

3 Toe Jeremaih mah nihnik khaeah, Zedekiah khaeah thui pae hoih,

I replied to them, “[Go back to King] Zedekiah. Tell him,

4 Israel Angraeng Sithaw mah, Khenah, sipae tasa bangah nangcae takui khoep, Babylon siangpahrang hoi Khaldian kaminawk tukhaih, na ban ih maiphaw maicanawk to nangmacae nuiah kam laemsak let han, nihcae to hae vangpui thungah ka pakhueng han.

‘This is what Yahweh, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says: “I will cause your weapons to be useless in fighting against the king of Babylon and his army that is outside the walls of Jerusalem, attacking. I will enable them to enter into the center of this city.

5 Kai mah roe mah, palungphuihaih hoiah ban ka phok han, thui laek ai palungphuihaih hoi ka ban thacakhaih hoiah nang to kang tuk han.

I myself will fight against your [army] with my very great power, [MTY, DOU] because I am very angry with you.

6 Hae vangpui thungah kaom kaminawk, kami hoi moinawk boih ka thuitaek han; nihcae loe zit kaom kasae nathaih hoiah dueh o boih tih.

I will send a very (terrible plague/big sickness) on the people of this city, and on their domestic animals, and [many of] them will die.”

7 To pacoengah Judah siangpahrang Zedekiah, anih ih tamnanawk, anih ih kaminawk hoi hae vangpui ih kasae nathaih thung hoiah maw, sumsen hoiah maw, khokhahaih thung hoiah maw anghmat kaminawk loe, Babylon siangpahrang Nebuchadnezzar ih ban hoi nihcae hinghaih pakrong a misanawk ban ah ka paek han; anih mah loe paquem mak ai, tahmenhaih tawn mak ai, palungnathaih tawn ai ah sumsen hoiah hum tih, tiah thuih, tiah a naa.

And Yahweh says there are many people in this city who want to kill you. So, he will enable [the army of] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and other people in this city to capture [you], King Zedekiah, and your officials, and [all the other] people who do not die from the plague. His army will slaughter your soldiers; they will not act mercifully toward you(pl) or pity you at all. [DOU]’

8 To pacoengah kaminawk khaeah, Angraeng mah, Khenah, nangcae hmaa ah hinghaih loklam hoi duekhaih loklam to ka suek.

And tell this to [all] the people: ‘Yahweh says that you must decide whether you want to die or to remain alive.

9 Hae vangpui thungah kaom mi kawbaktih doeh sumsen, khokhahaih, kasae nathaih hoiah dueh o tih; toe nangcae takui khoep khaldian kaminawk khaeah kacawn kami loe hing tih; lomh ih hmuen baktiah a hinghaih to loih tih.

Everyone who remains in Jerusalem will die. They will be killed in battles or die from being hungry or from diseases. But those who surrender to the army of Babylon that is surrounding your city will remain alive. They will escape dying.

10 Hae vangpui nuiah hoihaih sah ai, sethaih sak han ih ni ka poek boeh, tiah Angraeng mah thuih; nihcae to Babylon siangpahrang ban ah ka paek han, anih mah hmai hoiah qoeng tih, tiah thuih, tiah a naa.

[That will happen] because I, Yahweh, have decided to cause this city to experience disasters, not to experience something good. The army of the king of Babylon will capture this city and will destroy it [completely] by fire.’”

11 To pacoengah, Judah siangpahrang imthung takoh khaeah, Angraeng ih lok hae tahngai oh, tiah thui paeh;

[Yahweh also told me to] say this to the family of the king of Judah: “Listen to this message from Yahweh!

12 Aw David imthung takoh, Angraeng mah, Akhawnbang kruek katoeng hmuen to sah oh, naeh ih kami to pacaekthlaek kaminawk ih ban thung hoiah pahlong oh, to tih ai nahaeloe na sak o ih zaehaih pongah, palung ka phuihaih hmai baktiah amngaeh ueloe, mi mah doeh paduek thai ai ah kangh moeng tih.

This is what he says to you descendants of King David: ‘Every day, make fair decisions for the people whom you judge. Help those who have been robbed. Rescue/Save them from those [SYN] who (oppress them/treat them cruelly). If you do not do that, I will be angry and punish [MTY] you with a fire that will be impossible to extinguish, because of [all] the sins that you have committed.

13 Khenah, Aw azawn ah kaom kaminawk, azawn ah kaom thlung, nang to misa ah kang suek boeh, tiah Angraeng mah thuih; nangcae mah, Mi mah maw kaicae hae tuh tih? Mi mah maw kaicae ohhaih ahmuen thungah akun tih, tiah na thuih o.

I will fight against you people [of Jerusalem], you who live on top of a rocky hill above the valley. [I will fight against] you people who boast, saying, “No one can attack us and break through [our defenses].”

14 Na sakhaih hoi katingah kang thuitaek han, tiah Angraeng mah thuih; nangcae ih taw to hmai ka thlaek han, na taengah kaom hmuennawk to hmai mah kang boih tih, tiah thuih, tiah a naa.

I will punish you for your wicked deeds like you deserve to be punished; [It will be as though] I will light a fire in your forests that will burn up everything around you!’”