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37 Mbreti Sedekia, bir i Josias, që Nebukadnetsari, mbret i Babilonisë, e kishte bërë mbret në vendin e Judës, mbretëroi në vend të Koniahut, birit të Jehojakimit.

Por as ai, as shërbëtorët e tij, as populli i vendit nuk i dëgjuan fjalët që Zoti kishte shqiptuar me anë të profetit Jeremia.

Mbreti Sedekia dërgoi Jehukalin, birin e Shelemiahut, dhe priftin Sofoni, birin e Maasejahut, te profeti Jeremia për t’i thënë: "Oh, lutju për ne Zotit, Perëndisë tonë".

Jeremia shkonte e vinte në popull, sepse akoma nuk e kishin shtënë në burg.

Ndërkohë ushtria e Faraonit kishte dalë nga Egjipti; sapo Kaldeasit që rrethonin Jeruzalemin e mësuan këtë lajm, u larguan nga Jeruzalemi.

Atëherë fjala e Zotit iu drejtua profetit Jeremia, duke thënë:

"Kështu thotë Zoti, Perëndia i Izraelit: Do t’i thoni kështu mbretit të Judës që ju ka dërguar për t’u konsultuar me mua: Ja, ushtria e Faraonit, që kishte dalë për t’ju ndihmuar, do të kthehet në vendin e vet, në Egjipt.

Kaldeasit do të kthehen dhe do të luftojnë kundër këtij qyteti, do ta shtien në dorë dhe do ti vënë flakën".

Kështu thotë Zoti: "Mos gënjeni veten duke thënë: "Kaldeasit do të ikin me siguri nga ne," sepse nuk do të ikin.

10 Edhe sikur të arrini ta mundni tërë ushtrinë e Kaldeasve që luftojnë kundër jush dhe të mbeteshin vetëm disa të plagosur, këta do të ngriheshin secili në çadrën e vet dhe do t’i vinin flakën këtij qyteti".

11 Ndodhi që, kur ushtria e Kaldeasve u largua nga Jeruzalemi për shkak të ushtrisë së Faraonit,

12 Jeremia doli nga Jeruzalemi për të shkuar në vendin e Beniaminit për të marrë pjesën e tij të trashëgimisë në mes të popullit.

13 Por, kur arriti te porta e Beniaminit, ku ishte një kapiten roje që quhej Irijah, biri i Shelemiahut, bir i Hananiahut, ky e arrestoi profetin Jeremia, duke thënë: "Ti je bërë me Kaldeasit".

14 Jeremia u përgjigj "Nuk është e vërtetë, unë nuk po bëhem me Kaldeasit," por ai nuk ia vuri veshin. Kështu Irijahu e arrestoi Jeremian dhe e çoi te princat.

15 Princat u zemëruan me Jeremian, e rrahën dhe e futën në burg në shtëpinë e shkruesit Jonathan të cilën e kishin kthyer në burg.

16 Kur Jeremia hyri në shtëpinë e burgut të nëndheshëm, në qeli, mbeti aty shumë ditë.

17 Pastaj mbreti Sedekia dërgoi ta marrin, e pyeti fshehurazi në shtëpinë e tij dhe i tha: "A ka ndonjë fjalë nga ana e Zotit?". Jeremia u përgjigj: Po, kaa". Dhe shtoi: "Ti do të jepesh në dorë të mbretit të Babilonisë".

18 Përveç kësaj Jeremia i tha mbretit Sedekia: "Çfarë faji kam kryer kundër teje, kundër shërbëtorëve të tu ose kundër këtij populli, që më fute në burg?

19 Ku janë tani profetët tuaj që ju profetizonin duke thënë: "Mbreti i Babilonisë nuk do të vijë kundër jush as kundër këtij vendi"?

20 Tani dëgjo, të lutem, o mbret imzot, lutja ime të jetë e pëlqyer para teje dhe mos më kthe në shtëpinë e shkruesit Jonathan, që të mos vdes atje".

21 Atëherë mbreti Sedekia urdhëroi që Jeremia të ruhej në oborrin e burgut dhe t’i jepej çdo ditë një copë bukë nga rruga e furrtarëve, deri sa të mbarohej gjithë buka e qytetit. Kështu Jeremia mbeti në oborrin e burgut.

Jeremiah in Prison

37 Zedekiah(A) son of Josiah was made king(B) of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin[a](C) son of Jehoiakim. Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention(D) to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

King Zedekiah, however, sent(E) Jehukal(F) son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah(G) son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: “Please pray(H) to the Lord our God for us.”

Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison.(I) Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt,(J) and when the Babylonians[b] who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew(K) from Jerusalem.(L)

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire(M) of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marched(N) out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt.(O) Then the Babylonians will return and attack this city; they will capture(P) it and burn(Q) it down.’

“This is what the Lord says: Do not deceive(R) yourselves, thinking, ‘The Babylonians will surely leave us.’ They will not! 10 Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian[c] army that is attacking you and only wounded men were left in their tents, they would come out and burn(S) this city down.”

11 After the Babylonian army had withdrawn(T) from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 12 Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property(U) among the people there. 13 But when he reached the Benjamin Gate,(V) the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”(W)

14 “That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested(X) Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten(Y) and imprisoned(Z) in the house(AA) of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.

16 Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time. 17 Then King Zedekiah sent(AB) for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked(AC) him privately,(AD) “Is there any word from the Lord?”

“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be delivered(AE) into the hands of the king of Babylon.”

18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crime(AF) have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Where are your prophets(AG) who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’? 20 But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there.”(AH)

21 King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread(AI) in the city was gone.(AJ) So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.(AK)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 37:1 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin
  2. Jeremiah 37:5 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 9, 13 and 14
  3. Jeremiah 37:10 Or Chaldean; also in verse 11

37 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.

And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the Lord our God for us.

Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison.

Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

Then came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah saying,

Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.

And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.

Thus saith the Lord; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.

10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

11 And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,

12 Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people.

13 And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.

14 Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

15 Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the Lord? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

18 Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?

19 Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

20 Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.