1 UJeremiya waviwa nguShefatiya unyana kaMatan, noGedaliya unyana kaPashure, noYukali unyana kaShelemiya, bekunye noPashure kaMalkiya, xa wayebhekisa kubantu jikelele esithi:
2 “Utsho *uNdikhoyo ukuthi: ‘Umntu oya kusala kwesi sixeko uza kufa ngekrele, yindlala, nangubhubhani, kanti ke lowo uzinikezelayo kumaKaledi uya kusinda, aphile.’
3 Kaloku utsho uNdikhoyo ukuthi: ‘Esi sixeko siza kunikezelwa esandleni somkhosi wokumkani waseBhabheli oza kusithimba.’ ”
4 Emva koko iziphathamandla ezo zathi kukumkani: “Lo mfo makafe, kuba utyhafisa amajoni ashiyekileyo apha esixekweni, kwakunye nabantu bonke, ngezi zinto azithethayo. Akabanqweneleli buhle abantu; ubanqwenelela ububi.”
5 “Usezandleni zenu; mna kumkani andinakuphikisana nani,” waphendula ngelitshoyo ukumkani uZedekiya.
6 Bamthatha ke uJeremiya, baya kumfaka emhadini owawusenkundleni yabalindi kwaMalekiya unyana kakumkani. Bamthoba ngentambo ukumsa ezantsi kuloo mhadi owawungenamanzi, iludaka lodwa. Watshona kwelo daka ke uJeremiya.
7 Zaya kufika kwigosa lasebhotwe uEbhedi-meleki, owayengumKushe, ezo ndaba zokuba uJeremiya weyehliselwe emhadini. Kwathi ukumkani esahleli ngakwiSango lakwaBhenjamin,
8 uEbhedi-meleki waya apho kuye evela ebhotwe, wafika wathi:
9 “Noko, mhlekazi, imbi yonke le nto yenziwe ngala madoda kumshumayeli uJeremiya, ukweyelisela umntu emhadini apho aya kulamba afele khona xa kungasekho kutya esixekweni.”
10 Ukumkani wathi kumKushe uEbhedi-meleki: “Thatha amashumi amathathu amadoda, uye kunyula umshumayeli uJeremiya kuloo mhadi, engekafeli apho.”
11 Wanduluka ke naloo madoda uEbhedi-meleki, waya nawo kwigumbi elalisebhotwe ngaphantsi kwendlu enguvimba wasebhotwe. Wathatha amadlavu apho, wawathobela emhadini kuJeremiya, ebotshwe ngentambo.
12 Ke uEbhedi-meleki umKushe wathi kuJeremiya: “Faka la madlavu emakhwapheni, ukuze ungatyatyulwa ziintambo.” enjenjalo ke uJeremiya,
13 baza bona bamrhola emhadini ngezo ntambo. UJeremiya wahlala enkundleni yabalindi.
14 Emva koko ukumkani uZedekiya wathi makaye kubizwa umshumayeli uJeremiya, asiwe kumnyango wesithathu wendlu *kaNdikhoyo. Uthe akufika uJeremiya, ukumkani wathi: “Ndifuna ukukubuza into; uze ungandifihleli.”
15 UJeremiya yena uthe kuZedekiya: “Ukuba ndikuxelele akuyi kundibulala kodwa? Ukanti nokuba ndingakucebisa, soze undiphulaphule.”
16 Ukumkani uZedekiya wafunga ngasese enoJeremiya, wenjenje: “Ekho nje uNdikhoyo, kanye lo usinika ubomi, andiyi kukubulala, ndingayi kukunikela esandleni sâbo bazungula ubomi bakho.”
17 UJeremiya ke ubhekise kukumkani uZedekiya wenjenje: “Utsho uNdikhoyo uThixo onamandla onke onguThixo kaSirayeli ukuthi: ‘Ukuba uyaphuma ngoku uzinikezele kubaphathi-mkhosi bokumkani waseBhabheli, ubomi bakho buya kusinda, nesi sixeko singàtshatyalaliswa ngomlilo, usinde kunye nentsapho yakho.
18 Kodwa ukuba uyala ukunizikezela kubaphathi-mkhosi bokumkani waseBhabheli, esi sixeko siya kunikezelwa esandleni samaKaledi, asitshise siphele, nawe ungasindi kuwo.’ ”
19 Uphendule ngelithi ukumkani uZedekiya: “Ndoyika amaJuda aselezinikezele kumaKaledi, hleze nam ndinikezelwe kuwo ngamaKaledi, aze wona andiphathe gadalala.”
20 Uthe uJeremiya: “Akayi kukunikezela. Thobela uNdikhoyo wena ngokwenza le nto ndikuxelela yona, xa ufuna ukulungelwa, usindise nobomi bakho.
21 Kodwa ke ukuba uyala ukuzinikezela, uNdikhoyo undityhilele ukuba
22 bonke abafazi abasesebhotwe lokumkani wakwaJuda baya kusiwa kumaphakathi okumkani waseBhabheli. Abo bafazi bothi kuwe:“ ‘Bakulukuhle weyela abo gxa bakho bebhongo.Ngoku inkal' ixing' etyeni – bakushiye kwesinomhlwa.’
23 “Bonke abafazi bakho nabantwana bakho baya kusiwa kumaKaledi. Wena akuyi kuphuncula esandleni sawo: uya kubanjwa ngukumkani waseBhabheli, nesi sixeko sitshatyalaliswe ngomlilo.”
24 Emva koko uthe ukumkani uZedekiya kuJeremiya: “Uze ungayithethi mntwini le ncoko yethu, ukuba akufuni kufa.
25 Kodwa ke xa zithe iziphathamandla zeva ukuba bekhe sadibana, zize ke zithi kuwe: ‘Sixelele, ubusithini kukumkani, waza yena wathini kuwe? Ukuba uthethe konke, asiyi kukubulala,’
26 uze uthi: ‘Bendiye kucenga ukumkani ukuba angandibuyiseli kulaa ndlu kaJonatan, kuba ndoyika ukufela khona.’ ”
27 Zaya kuJeremiya zonke iziphathamandla, zafika zambuza ngencoko yakhe nokumkani. Wazixelela konke athe ukumkani aze azixelele kona. Azibanga nakumphikisa kuba yayingavelwanga bani incoko yakhe nokumkani.
28 Wahlala apho uJeremiya kuloo nkundla yabalindi kwada kwafika umhla wokuthinjwa kweJerusalem.Ukuthinjwa kweJerusalem kwahamba ngolu hlobo: