Wycliffe WYC
New International Reader's Version NIRV
1 The word that was made of the Lord to Jeremy, after that he was delivered of Nebuzaradan, master of the chivalry, from Ramah, when he took him bound with chains, in the midst of all men that passed from Jerusalem, and from Judah, and were led into Babylon. (The word of the Lord that was made to Jeremiah, after that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had let him go from Ramah, where he had taken him bound with chains, in the midst of all those who were carried away captive from Jerusalem, and from Judah, and were being led captive to Babylon.)
1
A message came to me from the Lord. It came after Nebuzaradan, the commander of the royal guard, had set me free at Ramah. I was being held by chains when he found me. I was among all of the prisoners from Jerusalem and Judah. We were being taken to Babylon.
2 Therefore the prince of the chivalry took Jeremy, and said to him, Thy Lord God spake this evil on this place, (And so the captain of the guard took Jeremiah aside, and said to him, The Lord thy God spoke evil against this place,)
2
But the commander of the guard found me. He said to me, "The LORD your God ordered that this place be destroyed.
3 and the Lord hath brought (it in), and hath done (it), as he spake; for ye sinned to the Lord, and heard not the voice of him, and this word is done to you. (and now the Lord hath brought it to be, and hath done just as he said he would do; for ye all have sinned against the Lord, and did not listen to his voice, and so all of this hath come upon you.)
3
And now he has brought it about. He has done exactly what he said he would do. All of these things have happened because you people sinned against the Lord. You didn't obey him.
4 Now therefore lo! I have released thee today from the chains that be in thine hands (And so now lo! I release thee today from the chains that be upon thy hands); if it pleaseth thee to come with me into Babylon, come thou, and I shall set mine eyes on thee; soothly if it displeaseth thee to come with me into Babylon, sit thou here; lo! all the land is in thy sight, that that thou choosest, and whither it pleaseth thee to go, thither go thou,
4
But today I'm setting you free from the chains that are on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon if you want to. I'll take good care of you there. But if you don't want to come, then don't. The whole country lies in front of you. Go anywhere you want to."
5 and do not thou come with me. But dwell thou with Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon made sovereign to the cities of Judah; therefore dwell thou with him in the midst of the people, either go thou, whither ever it pleaseth thee to go. And the master of [the] chivalry gave to him meats, and gifts, and let go him. (and do not thou feel compelled to come with me. Yea, stay thou with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made the ruler over the cities of Judah; and so either stay thou with him in the midst of the people, or go thou, wherever it pleaseth thee to go. And the captain of the guard gave him food, and gifts, and let him go.)
5
But before I turned to go, Nebuzaradan continued, "Go back to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam. The king of Babylonia has appointed Gedaliah to be over the towns of Judah. Go and live with him among your people. Or go anywhere else you want to." Ahikam was the son of Shaphan. The commander gave me food and water. He also gave me a gift. Then he let me go.
6 Forsooth Jeremy came to Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, in Mizpah, and dwelled with him (and stayed with him), in the midst of the people that was left in the land.
6
So I went to Mizpah to see Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam. I stayed with him. I lived among the people who were left behind in the land.
7 And when all princes of the host had heard, that were scattered by countries, they and the fellows of them, that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah sovereign of the land, the son of Ahikam, and that he had betaken to Gedaliah men, and women, and little children, and of [the] poor men of the land, that were not translated into Babylon, (And when all the leaders of the army, who were scattered in the countryside, yea, they and their fellows, had heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the ruler of the land, and that he had delivered to Gedaliah the men, and the women, and the little children, of the poor of the land, who were not carried away captive to Babylon,)
7
Some of Judah's army officers and their men were still in the open country. They heard that the king of Babylonia had appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, as governor over Judah. He had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were still there. They were the poorest people in the land. They hadn't been taken to Babylon.
8 they came to Gedaliah, in Mizpah; and Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Jonathan (that is, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan, and Jonathan, the sons of Kareah), and Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai, that were of (the) Netophathites, and Jezaniah, the son of (a) Maachathite; both they and their men came to Gedaliah.
8
When the army officers and their men heard those things, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, came. So did Johanan and Jonathan, the sons of Kareah. Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth, also came. The sons of Ephai from Netophah came too. And so did Jaazaniah, the son of the Maacathite. All of their men came with them.
9 And Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore to them, and to the fellows of them, and said, Do not ye dread to serve [the] Chaldees; but dwell ye in the land, and serve ye the king of Babylon, and it shall be well to you. (And Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them, and to their fellows, and said, Do not ye fear to serve the Chaldeans; but live ye in the land, and serve ye the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.)
9
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to give hope to all of those men. He spoke in a kind way to them. He said, "Don't be afraid to serve the Babylonians. Settle down in the land of Judah. Serve the king of Babylonia. Then things will go well with you.
10 Lo! I dwell in Mizpah, for to answer to the commandment of [the] Chaldees, that be sent to us; forsooth gather ye vintage, and ripe corn, and oil, and keep ye in your vessels, and dwell ye in your cities which ye hold. (Lo! I must stay in Mizpah, in order to answer to the commandment of the Chaldeans, who be sent to us; but ye can gather the vintage, and the ripe corn, and the oil, and keep ye them in your vessels, and live ye in your cities which ye have taken, or occupied.)
10
I myself will stay at Mizpah. I'll speak for you to the officials of Babylonia who come to us. But you must harvest the wine, summer fruit and olive oil. Put them in your jars. Store them up. And live in the towns you have taken over."
11 But also all the Jews, that were in Moab, and in the hosts of Ammon, and in Idumea, and in all the countries, when it is heard, that the king of Babylon had given residues, either remnants, in Judah, and that he had made sovereign on them Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, (And all the Jews, who were in Moab, and in the land of Ammon, and in Edom, and in all the other countries, when they had heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah, and that he had made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, their ruler,)
11
All of the Jews in Moab, Ammon and Edom heard what had happened. So did the Jews in all of the other countries. They heard that the king of Babylonia had left some people behind in Judah. They also heard that he had appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, as governor over them. Ahikam was the son of Shaphan.
12 soothly all [the] Jews turned again from all [the] places, to which they had fled; and they came into the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, in Mizpah, and gathered wine and ripe corn full much. (truly all the Jews returned from all the places, to which they had fled; and they came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, in Mizpah, and gathered a great deal of wine and ripe corn.)
12
When they heard those things, all of them came back to the land of Judah. They went to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They came from all of the countries where they had been scattered. And they harvested a large amount of wine and summer fruit.
13 Forsooth Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the princes of the host, that were scattered in the countries, came to Gedaliah in Mizpah, (And Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the leaders, or all the officers, of the army, who were scattered in the countryside, came to Gedaliah in Mizpah,)
13
Johanan and all of the other army officers who were still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. Johanan was the son of Kareah.
14 and said to him, Know thou, that Baalis, king of the sons of Ammon, hath sent Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, to smite thy life. And Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, believed not to them. (and said to him, Know thou, that Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, hath sent Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, to strike down thy life. But Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, did not believe them.)
14
The officers said to Gedaliah, "Don't you know that Baalis, the king of Ammon, has sent someone to take your life? It's Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah." But Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, didn't believe them.
15 Forsooth Johanan, the son of Kareah, said to Gedaliah asides half in Mizpah, and spake, I shall go, and slay Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, while no man knoweth, lest he slay thy life, and all the Jews be scattered, that be gathered to thee, and the remnants of Judah shall perish. (Then Johanan, the son of Kareah, took Gedaliah aside in Mizpah, and said, I shall go, and kill Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, while no one knoweth it, lest he kill thee, and then all the Jews be scattered, who now be gathered to thee, and so the remnant of Judah shall perish.)
15
Then Johanan, the son of Kareah, spoke in private to Gedaliah in Mizpah. He said, "Let me go and kill Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah. No one will know about it. Why should he take your life? Why should he cause all of the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered? Why should he cause the people who remain in Judah to die?"
16 And Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, said to Johanan, the son of Kareah, Do not thou do this word, for thou speakest false of Ishmael. (But Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, said to Johanan, the son of Kareah, Do not thou do this thing, for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.)
16
But Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, spoke to Johanan, the son of Kareah. He said, "Don't do an awful thing like that! What you are saying about Ishmael isn't true."
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.
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