1 T his is the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan, captain of the prison soldiers, had let him go from Ramah. He had taken him there in chains with all the other people of Jerusalem and Judah who were being taken to Babylon.

جاءَتْ هَذِهِ الكَلِمَةُ إلَى إرْمِيا مِنَ اللهِ ، بَعدَ أنْ أطلَقَهُ نَبُوزَرادانُ، رَئِيسُ الحَرَسِ، وَتَرَكَهُ لِيَذهَبَ مِنَ الرّامَةِ. عِندَما وَجَدَهُ، كانَ مَربُوطاً بِقُيُودٍ وَسَطَ الَّذِينَ سُبُوا مِنَ مَدينَةِ القُدْسِ وَيَهُوذا إلَى بابِلَ.

2 T he captain of the prison soldiers took Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God promised this trouble against this place.

فَأخَذَ رَئِيسُ الحَرَسِ إرْمِيا وَقالَ لَهُ: « إلَهُكَ جاءَ بِهَذِهِ الكارِثَةِ عَلَى هَذا المَكانِ.

3 T he Lord has brought it about, and has done just as He promised. This thing has happened to you because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to Him.

صَنَعَ اللهُ هَذا وَعَمِلَ كَما قالَ، لأنَّكُمْ أخطَأتُمْ إلَى اللهِ وَلَمْ تُطِيعُوا صَوتَهُ. فَحَدَثَ هَذا لَكُمْ.

4 B ut now I am setting you free today from the chains on your hands. If you would like to come with me to Babylon, then come, and I will see that it goes well with you. But if you do not want to come with me to Babylon, do not come. See, the whole land is before you. Go where you think it is good and right for you to go.

وَالآنَ قَدْ أطلَقْتُكَ مِنْ قُيُودِكَ الَّتِي عَلَى يَدَيكَ. فَإنْ أرَدْتَ أنْ تَأتِيَ مَعِي إلَى بابِلَ، تَعالَ، وَأنا سَأهتَمُّ بِكَ. وَلَكِنْ إنْ لَمْ تَستَحسِنْ أنْ تَأتِيَ مَعِي إلَى بابِلَ، فَلا تَأْتِ. كُلُّ الأرْضِ أمامَكَ، فَاذهَبْ حَيثُ تُحِبُّ وَتَستَحسِنُ.

5 I f you stay, then go back to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has set over the cities of Judah. Stay with him among the people. Or go where you think it is right to go.” Then the captain of the prison soldiers gave him a share of food and a gift, and let him go.

وَإنْ أرَدْتَ، فَارْجِعْ إلَى جَدَلْيا بْنِ أخِيقامَ بْنِ شافانَ الَّذِي عَيَّنَهُ مَلِكُ بابِلَ كَمُشرِفٍ عَلَى مُدُنِ يَهُوذا، وَابقَ هُناكَ مَعَهُ وَسَطَ الشَّعبِ، أوِ اذْهَبْ إلَى أيِّ مَكانٍ تَراهُ مُناسِباً لَكَ.» وَأعطاهُ رَئِيسُ الحَرَسِ زاداً وَهَدِيَّةً وَأرسَلَهُ.

6 S o Jeremiah went to Mizpah, to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And he stayed with him among the people who were left in the land. Gedaliah Is Ruler of Judah

وَأتَى إرْمِيا إلَى جَدَلْيا بْنِ أخِيقامَ فِي المِصفاةِ، وَبَقِيَ مَعَهُ وَسَطَ الشَّعبِ الَّذِي بَقِيَ فِي الأرْضِ. جَدَلْيا حاكِمُ يَهُوذا

7 N ow all the captains of the armies that were in the field and their men heard that the king of Babylon had chosen Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to rule over the land. The king had put him over the men, women and children who were the poorest of the land and had not been taken to Babylon.

وَسَمِعَ كُلُّ قادَةِ الجُيُوشِ الَّذِينَ كانُوا فِي الحَقلِ وَرِجالُهُمْ أنَّ مَلِكَ بابِلَ عَيَّنَ جَدَلْيا بْنَ أخِيقامَ حاكِماً فِي الأرْضِ، وَأنَّهُ جَعَلَهُ مَسؤُولاً عَنِ الرِّجالِ وَالنِّساءِ وَالأطفالِ، مِنْ فُقَراءِ الأرْضِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُسبَوْا إلَى بابِلَ.

8 S o they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. With them were Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, together with their men.

وَأتَى الرِّجالُ التّالِيَةُ أسماؤُهُمْ إلَى جَدَلْيا فِي المِصفاةِ: إسْماعِيلُ بْنُ نَثَنْيا وَيُوحانانُ وَيُوناثانُ ابنا قارِيحَ، وَسَرايا بْنُ تَنحُومَثَ، وَأبناءُ عُوفايَ النَّطُوفاتِيِّ، وَيَزَنْيا بْنُ المَعكِيِّ. أتَى هَؤُلاءِ مَعَ رِجالِهِمْ إلَى جَدَلْيا فِي المِصفاةِ.

9 T hen Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, made a promise to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid of serving the Babylonians. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon. Then it will go well with you.

وَأقسَمَ جَدَلْيا بْنُ أخِيقامَ بْنُ شافانَ لَهُمْ وَلِرِجالِهِمْ فَقالَ: «لا تَخافُوا مِنْ أنْ تَخدِمُوا البابِلِيِّينَ. فَاسكُنُوا وَاخدِمُوا مَلِكَ بابِلَ. حِينَئِذٍ، سَتَكُونُونَ بِخَيرٍ.

10 A s for me, I will stay at Mizpah to stand for you in front of the Babylonians who come to us. But as for you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, and store them in your jars. And live in your cities that you have taken.”

أمّا أنا فَسَأبقَى فِي المِصفاةِ لأُمَثِّلَكُمْ أمامَ البابِلِيِّينَ الَّذِينَ يَأتُونَ إلَينا. أمّا أنتُمْ فَاجمَعُوا نَبيذَكُمْ وَثِمارَكُمْ وَزَيتَكُمْ وَضَعُوها فِي آنِيَتِكُمْ. وَاسكُنُوا فِي مُدُنِكُمُ الَّتِي أخَذْتُمُوها.»

11 A ll the Jews in Moab and Ammon and Edom, and in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left some of the people in Judah. They heard that he had chosen Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to rule over them.

وَسَمِعَ كُلُّ اليَهُودِ الَّذِينَ كانُوا فِي مُوآبَ وَوَسَطَ العَمُّونِيِّينَ وَفِي أدُومَ، وَفِي كُلِّ الأماكِنِ الأُخرَى، بِأنَّ مَلِكَ بابِلَ قَدْ أبقَى عَلَى بَعْضِ شَعبِ يَهُوذا، وَأنَّهُ قَدْ عَيَّنَ جَدَلْيا بْنَ أخِيقامَ بْنَ شافانَ مُشرِفاً عَلَيهِمْ.

12 T hen all the Jews returned from all the places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered much wine and summer fruit. Gedaliah Is Killed

فَرَجِعَ كُلُّ اليَهُودِ مِنْ كُلِّ الأماكِنِ الَّتِي كانُوا قَدْ طُرِدُوا إلَيها، وَأتُوا إلَى أرْضِ يَهُوذا، إلَى جَدَلْيا، فِي المِصفاةِ. وَجَمَعُوا الكَثِيرَ مِنَ النَّبيذِ وَالفاكِهَةِ.

13 N ow Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the armies that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah.

وَأتَى يُوحانانُ وَكُلُّ قادَةِ الجُيُوشِ، الَّذِينَ فِي الحُقُولِ، إلَى جَدَلْيا فِي المصفاةِ،

14 T hey said to him, “Do you know that Baalis, the king of the sons of Ammon, has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to kill you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.

وَقالُوا لَهُ: «هَلْ تَعرِفُ أنَّ بَعلِيسَ مَلِكَ العَمُّونِيِّينَ قَدْ أرسَلَ إسماعِيلَ بْنَ نَثَنْيا لِيَقتُلَكَ؟» وَلَكِنَّ جَدَلْيا بْنَ أخِيقامَ لَمْ يُصَدِّقْهُمْ.

15 T hen Johanan the son of Kareah said in secret to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know about it. Why should he kill you? Then all the Jews who are gathered to you would go everywhere. And those of Judah who are left here would die.”

ثُمَّ أتَى يُوحانانُ بْنُ قارِيحَ سِرّاً إلَى جَدَلْيا فِي المِصفاةِ، وَقالَ لَهُ: «دَعْنِي أذهَبْ فَأقتُلَ إسْماعِيلَ بْنَ نَثَنْيا. وَلَنْ يَعرِفَ أحَدٌ بِهَذا. فَلِماذا نَتْرُكُهُ فَيَقتُلَكَ؟ وَإنْ قَتَلَكَ، سَيَتَشَتَّتُ بَنُو يَهُوذا الَّذِينَ اجتَمَعُوا حَولَكَ. وَقَدْ تَهلِكُ بَقِيَّةُ يَهُوذا.»

16 B ut Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this. For you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”

وَلَكِنَّ جَدَليا بْنَ أخِيقامَ قالَ لِيُوحانانَ بْنَ قارِيحَ: «لا تَعمَلْ هَذا الأمرَ، لأنَّ ما تَقُولُهُ عَنْ إسْماعِيلَ كَذِبٌ.»