¹Zvino Zedhekia mwanakomana waJosiya wakabata ushe ari mambo panzvimbo yaKonia mwanakomana waJehoiakimu, wakange apiwa ushe munyika yaJudha naNebhukadhirezari mambo waBhabhironi.

¹And reign doth king Zedekiah son of Josiah instead of Coniah son of Jehoiakim whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had caused to reign in the land of Judah,

²Asi iye, kunyange varanda vake, kana vanhu venyika, havana kuteerera mashoko aJehovha, aakataura nomuporofita Jeremiya.

²and he hath not hearkened, he, and his servants, and the people of the land, unto the words of Jehovah, that He spake by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet.

³Zvino mambo Zedhekia wakatuma Jehukari mwanakomana waSheremiya, naZefaniya mwanakomana womupristi Maaseia, kumuporofita Jeremiya, achiti, Tinyengeterere hako zvino kuna Jehovha Mwari wedu.

³And Zedekiah the king sendeth Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, unto Jeremiah the prophet, saying, `Pray, we beseech thee, for us unto Jehovah our God.`

⁴Zvino Jeremiya wakange achingopinda nokubuda hake pakati pavanhu, nekuti vakanga vachigere kumusunga mutirongo.

⁴And Jeremiah is coming in and going out in the midst of the people, (and they have not put him in the prison-house),

⁵Hondo yaFarao yakanga yabvawo Egipita; zvino vaKaradhea, vakanga vakakomba Jerusaremu, vakati vachinzwa zvavo, vakarega kukomba Jerusaremu.

⁵and the force of Pharaoh hath come out of Egypt, and the Chaldeans, who are laying siege against Jerusalem, hear their report, and go up from off Jerusalem.

⁶Ipapo shoko raJehovha rakasvika kumuporofita Jeremiya, richiti,

⁶And there is a word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

⁷Zvanzi naJehovha, Mwari waIsiraeri, itiyi kuna mambo waJudha wakakutumai kuzondibvunza, Tarirai, hondo yaFarao, yakauya kuzokubatsirai, ichadzokera Egipita kunyika yavo.

⁷`Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Thus do ye say unto the king of Judah, who is sending you unto Me, to seek Me: Lo, the force of Pharaoh that is coming out to you for help hath turned back to its land, to Egypt,

⁸VaKaradhea vachauyazve vachirwa neguta rino; vacharikunda, nokuripisa nomoto.

⁸and the Chaldeans have turned back, and fought against this city, and captured it, and burnt it with fire.

⁹Zvanzi naJehovha, Musazvinyengera henyu, muchiti, Zvirokwazvo, vaKaradhea vachabva kwatiri, nekuti havangabvi.

⁹`Thus said Jehovah: Lift not up your souls saying, The Chaldeans surely go from off us, for they do not go;

¹⁰nekuti kunyange maikunda henyu hondo yose yavaKaradhea, vanorwa nemi, kukangosara kwavari vanhu vakakuvadzwa chete, kunyange zvakadaro vaisimuka, mumwe nomumwe mutende rake vakapisa guta rino nomoto.

¹⁰for though ye had smitten all the force of the Chaldeans who are fighting with you, and there were left of them wounded men — each in his tent — they rise, and have burnt this city with fire.`

¹¹Zvino hondo yavaKaradhea yakati yarega kukomba Jerusaremu nemhaka yokutya hondo yaFarao,

¹¹And it hath come to pass, in the going up of the force of the Chaldeans from off Jerusalem, because of the force of Pharaoh,

¹²Jeremiya akabuda Jerusaremu achida kuenda kunyika yavaBhenjamini, kuzopiwa mugove wakepo pakati pavanhu vake.

¹²that Jeremiah goeth out from Jerusalem to go [to] the land of Benjamin, to receive a portion thence in the midst of the people.

¹³Zvino wakati ari pasuwo raBhenjamini, mumwe mukuru wavarindi akasvikapo, wainzi Irija mwanakomana waSheremiya, mwanakomana waHanania, iye akabata muporofita Jeremiya, achiti, Iwe wotishandukira uchienda kuvaKaradhea.

¹³And it cometh to pass, he is at the gate of Benjamin, and there [is] a master of the ward — and his name is Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah — and he catcheth Jeremiah the prophet, saying, `Unto the Chaldeans thou art falling.`

¹⁴Jeremiya akati, Inhema, handikushandukiriyi ndichienda kuvaKaradhea. Asi haana kumuteerera; ipapo Irija akabata Jeremiya, akandomuisa kumachinda.

¹⁴And Jeremiah saith, `Falsehood — I am not falling unto the Chaldeans;` and he hath not hearkened unto him, and Irijah layeth hold on Jeremiah, and bringeth him in unto the heads,

¹⁵Machinda akaitira Jeremiya hasha, akamurova, ndokumuisa mutirongo mumba momunyori Jonatani; nekuti vakanga vaiita tirongo.

¹⁵and the heads are wroth against Jeremiah, and have smitten him, and put him in the prison-house — the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it they had made for a prison-house.

¹⁶Zvino Jeremiya wakati apinda mutirongo yegomba, nomumakamuri ayo, Jeremiya akagaramo mazuva mazhinji,

¹⁶When Jeremiah hath entered into the house of the dungeon, and unto the cells, then Jeremiah dwelleth there many days,

¹⁷mambo Zedhekia akatuma nhume kuzomutora, mambo akamubvunza chinyararire mumba make, achiti, Kune shoko rinobva kuna Jehovha here? Jeremiya akati, Ririko. Akatiwo, Imi muchaiswa muruoko rwamambo weBhabhironi.

¹⁷and the king Zedekiah sendeth, and taketh him, and the king asketh him in his house in secret, and saith, `Is there a word from Jehovah?` And Jeremiah saith, `There is,` and he saith, `Into the hand of the king of Babylon thou art given.`

¹⁸Jeremiya akatiwo kuna mambo Zedhekia, Ndakakutadzirai neiko, imi, kana varanda venyu, kana vanhu ava, zvamakandisunga mutirongo?

¹⁸And Jeremiah saith unto the king Zedekiah, `What have I sinned against thee, and against thy servants, and against this people, that ye have given me unto a prison-house?

¹⁹Ko zvino vaporofita venyu varipi, ivo vaikuporofitirai, vachiti, Mambo weBhabhironi haangauyi kuzorwa nemi, kana kurwa nenyika ino?

¹⁹And where [are] your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon doth not come in against you, and against this land?

²⁰Zvino chidonzwai henyu, ishe wangu mambo; kunyengetera kwangu ngakusvike pamberi penyu, kuti murege kundidzosazve kumba komunyori Jonatani, ndirege kufirapo.

²⁰And now, hearken, I pray thee, my lord, O king, let my supplication fall, I pray thee, before thee, and cause me not to return [to] the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I die not there.`

²¹Ipapo mambo Zedhekia wakatema chirevo, vakaisa Jeremiya kuruvazhe rwavarindi, vakamupa zuva rimwe nerimwe bundu rechingwa, raibva munzira yomuguta yainzi yavabiki vechingwa, kusvikira chingwa chose chapera muguta. Saizvozvo Jeremiya akagara muruvazhe rwavarindi.

²¹And the king Zedekiah commandeth, and they commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, also to give to him a cake of bread daily from the bakers` street, till the consumption of all the bread of the city, and Jeremiah dwelleth in the court of the prison.