Jeremiah 37
1 After Jehoiakim died, [his son Jehoiachin became king for only three months, after which] King Josiah’s son Zedekiah became the King of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, appointed him to be the new king.
Et regnavit rex Sedecias filius Josiæ pro Jechonia filio Joakim, quem constituit regem Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis in terra Juda:
2 But King Zedekiah and his palace officials and the other people in the land paid no attention to the messages that Yahweh gave me.
et non obedivit ipse, et servi ejus, et populus terræ, verbis Domini, quæ locutus est in manu Jeremiæ prophetæ.
3 However, [one day] King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, who was the son of Maaseiah, to me. They requested me to pray to Yahweh our God for our [nation].
Et misit rex Sedecias Juchal filium Selemiæ, et Sophoniam filium Maasiæ, sacerdotem, ad Jeremiam prophetam, dicens: Ora pro nobis Dominum Deum nostrum.
4 At that time I had not yet been put in prison, so I could come and go wherever and whenever I wanted to, [without being hindered].
Jeremias autem libere ambulabat in medio populi: non enim miserant eum in custodiam carceris.
5 [At that time], the army of [Hophra], the King of Egypt, came [to the southern border of Judah]. When the army of Babylonia heard about that, they stopped surrounding Jerusalem and left there [to fight against the army from Egypt].
Igitur exercitus Pharaonis egressus est de Ægypto, et audientes Chaldæi qui obsidebant Jerusalem, hujuscemodi nuntium, recesserunt ab Jerusalem.
6 Then Yahweh gave this message to me:
Et factum est verbum Domini ad Jeremiam prophetam, dicens:
7 “[I], Yahweh, the God whom [you] Israelis [say you belong to], say this: ‘The King of Judah has sent [messengers] to you to ask me [what is going to happen]. Tell the king that even though the army of the King of Egypt came to help him, they are about to return to Egypt.
Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israël: Sic dicetis regi Juda, qui misit vos ad me interrogandum: Ecce exercitus Pharaonis, qui egressus est vobis in auxilium, revertetur in terram suam in Ægyptum:
8 Then the army of Babylonia will return here and capture this city and burn everything in it.’
et redient Chaldæi, et bellabunt contra civitatem hanc, et capient eam, et succendent eam igni.
9 [So], this is what I say [to you Israelis]: ‘You should not deceive yourselves, thinking that the army from Babylonia has gone and will not return. That is not true.
Hæc dicit Dominus: Nolite decipere animas vestras, dicentes: Euntes abibunt, et recedent a nobis Chaldæi: quia non abibunt.
10 And even if your soldiers could destroy almost all of the soldiers from Babylonia who are attacking you, and allow only a few of them who were wounded to remain alive in their tents, they would come out [of their tents] and burn this city completely!”’”
Sed etsi percusseritis omnem exercitum Chaldæorum qui præliantur adversum vos, et derelicti fuerint ex eis aliqui vulnerati, singuli de tentorio suo consurgent, et incendent civitatem hanc igni.
11 When the army from Babylonia left Jerusalem because the army from Egypt was approaching,
Ergo cum recessisset exercitus Chaldæorum ab Jerusalem, propter exercitum Pharaonis,
12 I started to leave the city. I intended to go to the area [where the descendants of] Benjamin live, in order to take possession of my share of the property from my family.
egressus est Jeremias de Jerusalem ut iret in terram Benjamin, et divideret ibi possessionem in conspectu civium.
13 But as I was walking out the Benjamin Gate, a guard seized me and said, “You are deserting [us and going] to [the soldiers from] Babylonia!” The man who seized me was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah.
Cumque pervenisset ad portam Benjamin, erat ibi custos portæ per vices, nomine Jerias filius Selemiæ filii Hananiæ: et apprehendit Jeremiam prophetam, dicens: Ad Chaldæos profugis.
14 But I [protested and] said, “That is not true! I was not intending to do that!” But Irijah would not pay attention to what I said. He took me to the [king’s] officials.
Et respondit Jeremias: Falsum est: non fugio ad Chaldæos. Et non audivit eum, sed comprehendit Jerias Jeremiam, et adduxit eum ad principes:
15 They were very angry with me. They [commanded the guards to] beat me and [then to] put me in the house where Jonathan the king’s secretary stayed. They had changed Jonathan’s house to make it become a prison.
quam ob rem irati principes contra Jeremiam, cæsum eum miserunt in carcerem qui erat in domo Jonathan scribæ: ipse enim præpositus erat super carcerem.
16 They put me in a dungeon/cell in that prison, and I remained there for several days.
Itaque ingressus est Jeremias in domum laci et in ergastulum: et sedit ibi Jeremias diebus multis.
17 Then King Zedekiah secretly sent a servant to me, who took me to the palace. There the king asked me, “Do you have any messages from Yahweh?” I replied, “Yes, [the message is that] you will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
Mittens autem Sedecias rex, tulit eum: et interrogavit eum in domo sua abscondite, et dixit: Putasne est sermo a Domino? Et dixit Jeremias: Est: et ait: In manus regis Babylonis traderis.
18 Then I asked the king, “What crime have I committed [RHQ] against you or against your officials or against the Israeli people, with the result that you have [commanded that] I be put in a prison?
Et dixit Jeremias ad regem Sedeciam: Quid peccavi tibi, et servis tuis, et populo tuo, quia misisti me in domum carceris?
19 Your prophets predicted that the army of the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land. Why were [RHQ] [their messages] not fulfilled?
ubi sunt prophetæ vestri, qui prophetabant vobis, et dicebant: Non veniet rex Babylonis super vos, et super terram hanc?
20 Your majesty, I plead with you to listen to me. Do not send me back to the dungeon/cell in the house of Jonathan your secretary, because [if you do that, ] I will die there.”
Nunc ergo audi, obsecro, domine mi rex: valeat deprecatio mea in conspectu tuo, et ne me remittas in domum Jonathan scribæ, ne moriar ibi.
21 So King Zedekiah commanded that [I not be sent back to the prison cell. Instead, ] I was allowed to be watched by the guards in the courtyard [of the palace]. [The king] also [commanded that they should] bring me a loaf of fresh bread every day, until there was no bread left in the city. So [they put me] in that courtyard and I remained there.
Præcepit ergo rex Sedecias ut traderetur Jeremias in vestibulo carceris, et daretur ei torta panis quotidie, excepto pulmento, donec consumerentur omnes panes de civitate: et mansit Jeremias in vestibulo carceris.
