From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians

Chapter 1

¹ These are the words of God that came to JeremiJah (the son of HilkiJah), a Priest who lived in AnathOth in the land of BenJamin, ² as the word of God came to him in the days of JosiJah (the son of AmMon) the king of Judah in the thirteenth year of his reign. ³ All of this happened from the time of JehoiAkim (the son of JosiJah) the king of Judah, until the eleventh year of ZedekiJah (the son of JosiJah) the king of Judah and the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

⁴ The word of Jehovah came to me saying, ⁵ ‘Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; I made you holy before you came from the womb, and I’ve appointed you as a Prophet to the nations.’

⁶ But I said: ‘O Almighty One and Lord; Look! I don’t know how to speak, for I am just a young man.’

⁷ And the Lord told me, ‘Don’t say that you’re just a young man, for you’ll go to whomever I send you, and you’ll speak whatever I tell you to say! ⁸ Don’t be afraid when you go before them, for I am with you and I’ll save you,’ said Jehovah.

⁹ So the Lord stuck out his hand toward me, and then he touched my mouth. And he said, ‘Look! I’m putting My words into your mouth! ¹⁰ {Look!} For, today I’ve appointed you to be, over [many] nations and kingdoms… to root out, cut down, and set free, and to rebuild and replant.’

¹¹ And thereafter, the word of Jehovah came to me asking, ‘What do you see, JeremiJah?’

And I said, ‘I see a [hard] walnut rod.’

¹² And the Lord said to me, ‘You are [very observant], for I’m [watching to see if you’ll] do what I [say].’

¹³ Then the word of Jehovah came to me a second time asking, ‘Now, what do you see?’

And I replied, ‘A kettle on a fire with its front facing north.’

¹⁴ And the Lord said to me: ‘So from the face of the north, all who are bad will be burned away, from those who live in the land. ¹⁵ For, {Look!} I will gather kingdoms from the north,’ says Jehovah. ‘Then they will come and they’ll each place their thrones, on the thresholds of Jerusalem’s gates, and on the walls of the cities around Judah. ¹⁶ Then I’ll speak of My judgments against them, for all the bad things that they’ve done… [I’ll tell them about] how they’ve left Me, to offer sacrifices to their strange gods, and to bow to the works of their hands.

¹⁷ ‘So, you must arise and wrap up your waist, and tell them all I’ll instruct you to say! Don’t be afraid when you go there, nor be in terror before them, for I’m with you and I will [protect] you,’ says Jehovah.

¹⁸ ‘{Look!} Today I’ve made you a fortified city – a fortified wall made of brass – against the kings of Judea and its rulers, and to all the people of the land. ¹⁹ And though they will wage war against you, there’s no way that they’ll be able to beat you, for I am with you and I will [protect[ you,’ said Jehovah.

Chapter 2

¹ Then the word of the Lord came to me saying: ² ‘Go and yell in Jerusalem’s ears… tell them that thus says Jehovah: I remembered the mercy you had in your youth, and the love that you had for perfection; for you followed the Holy One of Israel,’ says Jehovah. Israel’s Holy Lord. ³ ‘And since the beginning He’s been offended, by those who devour His offspring, and He has brought evil upon them,’ says Jehovah.

⁴ O house of Jacob (you families of the houses of Israel): Hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ For, Jehovah asks this: ‘What defect did your fathers find in Me, that they left to follow foolish things, and to do things that were silly? ⁶ They didn’t ask Where’s Jehovah; He who led us from Egypt… He who gave us directions in the desert, through a vast unwalked land… a land without water or fruit… a land through which no one had traveled… a land where no man could live?

⁷ ‘Then I led you to Carmel to eat its fruits, as well as its other good things. But you entered My land and defiled it, and changed My inheritance into something disgusting.

⁸ ‘But the Priests did not ask Where’s Jehovah? So those who resisted the Law, were not drawn back to Me. Your shepherds were irreverent before Me; your prophets prophesied by Baal; and you followed after things that were worthless!

⁹ ‘But, despite all of this I chose you,’ says Jehovah, ‘and the sons of your sons I [accepted].’

¹⁰ ‘Go to the Island of Cyprus and see! Send to [the land] of Kedar, and then you will understand! See if such things ever happened… if the gods of these nations have had any effect, because they really aren’t gods. ¹¹ Yet, My people have left all their glory, for something that does them no good.

¹² ‘By this the heavens were amazed, and [it caused them to] shudder,’ says Jehovah. ‘For to Me, My people did two wicked things: ¹³ They abandoned the spring of the waters of life, and dug broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

¹⁴ ‘Is Israel a slave or a native-born son? Why would he choose to be plundered? ¹⁵ Now lions are roaring before him; there are orders to drive his land to extinction, and his cities have been razed so no one can live there.

¹⁶ ‘Sons of Memphis and TahaPanhes, have come to know you and mock you… ¹⁷ didn’t this happen because you left Me?’ asks Jehovah your God. ¹⁸ ‘Now, what are the ways of Egypt to you, that you’d drink from the waters of Geon? And what are the ways of the Assyrians to you, that you’d drink the water of their rivers?

¹⁹ ‘So, for your defection you’ll be corrected… for your evil ways you’ll be scolded, and then you will know and you’ll see, how bitter are the ways of turning from Me,’ says Jehovah your God!

²⁰ ‘So, I’ve thought [poorly] of you,’ says Jehovah your God. ‘For, through the ages you’ve broken your yoke, and ripped up all of your bonds. You said, I won’t be [Your] servant, but I will go to every high hill, and beneath every shade tree, and there I’ll do all my whoring!

²¹ ‘It is I who planted you [to be My] grapevine, for the purpose of bearing the fruitage of truth. So, why did you become so bitter, and become a grapevine that’s strange? ²² Why, if would wash in [puee] lye, and if you’d use plenty of soap, you’d still be spotted in your sins before Me,’ says Jehovah.

²³ ‘How can you say that you’re not defiled, and you did not go after Baal? Look how you’ve acted in the graveyards, and then you’ll know what you did!

²⁴ ‘On the waters of the desert she’s spread out her ways; she’s driven by winds of the desires of her soul, and to them she’s been handed over; so, who can turn her from her ways? For, those who seek her will not tire out, and in her humiliation they’ll find her. ²⁵ O turn your feet from this rough path, and your throat away from this thirst!

‘But she said: I will act like a man, for I have gone after strangers, and to them I’ve made love!

²⁶ ‘As a thief is shamed when he’s caught, so the sons of Israel will be shamed… they, their kings, and their rulers, as well as their priests and their prophets. ²⁷ For they’ve said to a tree You’re my father, and to a stone, You gave me life. They’ve turned their backs, but not their faces, and in hard times they’ll say Come and save us! ²⁸ Where are the gods that you made for yourselves? During hard times will they come and save you?

‘For, in each of your cities are your gods, O Judah; and in each street in Jerusalem, they are offering sacrifices to Baal. ²⁹ So, why are you speaking to Me?

‘You’ve all been irreverent and lawless toward Me,’ says Jehovah. ³⁰ ‘So, it’s in vain that I’ve struck your children, for they weren’t corrected by this. A sword devoured your prophets – they were wiped away as by lions – yet you didn’t [learn] to fear Me.’

³¹ Hear the word of the Lord! For, it is Jehovah who asks: ‘Am I a desert to Israel… a land that has been made barren? Why have My people said You’re not our Lord, and no longer will we come in before You? ³² Will the bride forget her tiara, and will the virgin not remember her breast band? Yet, I’ve been forgotten by you, through innumerable days.

³³ ‘What good can you apply to your ways, in order to seek [My] affection? It will not do any good, for you have been very wicked… yes you have defiled all your ways, and innocent blood is found in your hands. ³⁴ For, I didn’t find them in ditches, but [hanging] from every [tall] oak tree. ³⁵ Yet you say I’m not guilty, so please turn back His rage.

‘{Look!} I’m the One who judges against you, when you say I have not sinned! ³⁶ And for you I feel great disdain, because of the things that you did twice. So, by Egypt you’ll be disgraced, as by Assyria you were disgraced. ³⁷ You’ll be taken from here with your hands on your heads, for Jehovah has thrust you away, and none of your hopes will now prosper.’

Chapter 3

¹ ‘If a husband [divorces] his wife, and she leaves and [marries] another, and then she [also leaves him]; can she return [to first one] again… for after being defiled, is she not still defiled? Yet, after [having sex] with many shepherds, you then turn back to Me,’ says Jehovah. ² ‘So, raise your eyes to see the right way… look at how you’ve been defiled!

‘You sat by the road [and waited] for them, alone and defiled like a crow, within the land of your evil and whoring. ³ You’ve stumbled and had many shepherds, and because you looked like a whore, you cast shame on them all.

⁴ ‘Wasn’t it not up until now, that you called Me [your] Father, and the [the One who] founded your virgin condition? ⁵ [And you said], It will last through the age; it be guarded for victory! {Look!} And though it was you who said this, all of these evils continued!’

⁶ It was during the days of King JosiJah that the Lord said to me, ‘You saw what she (the house of Israel) did to Me… she climbed up every high mountain, and beneath every tree in the woods, and there she committed [adultery]. ⁷ And after she did her whoring I said, Turn away from the things that you’re doing to Me! But she [refused] to turn back. So, I saw that Judah had broken her [her contract]. ⁸ And I knew that for the benefit of all, [its terms] must now be protected.

‘By them the house of Israel was seduced, and then she committed adultery, so I sent her away with a certificate of divorce. But the [vow]-breaker Judah wasn’t shaken, and she continued in her prostitution. ⁹ Whoring was nothing to her, and she committed adultery with wood and stone things. ¹⁰ And after all this, Judah refused to turn back with her whole heart… all she offered was lies.’

¹¹ Then the Lord said to me, ‘Israel was better than the [vow]-breaker Judah. ¹² So, go and read these words toward the north! Say: Return to Me house of Israel, says Jehovah, and I’ll not set My face against you, because I am merciful, says Jehovah; and I won’t be outraged with you through the age. ¹³ Just be aware of your sins! For, you’ve been irreverent toward Jehovah your God… [your love] you’ve given to strangers, beneath every tree in the woods, and you did not obey My voice, says Jehovah.

¹⁴ ‘So return, you sons who’ve revolted, says Jehovah, and I will then be your Lord. I’ll choose one of you from each city, and two from out of each family. Then I will bring them to Zion, ¹⁵ and appoint them as shepherds for you (as [I choose] in My heart), and they will tend you in [wisdom].

¹⁶ ‘And if you grow and spread through the land, says Jehovah; in those days they will no longer speak, of Israel’s Holy Chest of the Sacred Agreement… It won’t come into their hearts… it won’t be named or examined… this just won’t be done anymore! ¹⁷ For, in those days and during that time, Jerusalem will be called the throne of Jehovah, and there all the nations will gather, and no longer follow wicked thoughts of their hearts.’

¹⁸ ‘And in those days, the houses of Israel and Judah, will become joined together. They’ll be gathered from the lands of the north, to all the places in that land, which I’ve caused their fathers to inherit.’

¹⁹ And I said, ‘May it happen, O Lord… yes You said it!’

[And He said]: ‘I’ve arranged for you [to have] children, and provided you with a very choice land… the inheritance of the Almighty God of the nations. And they’ll say, I will call You my father, and from You I’ll never be turned.

²⁰ ‘But as a wife leaves [her husband], so the house of Israel has left Me,’ says Jehovah.

²¹ ‘The sound of weeping was heard from her lips, for the sons of Israel were begging, because they had sinned in their ways, and they forgot their Holy One, God.

²² ‘Turn back, O sons… turn back and I’ll heal your broken condition!’

‘Look… that’s how we will be with You then, for You are Jehovah our God! ²³ Since the powers of the hills and the mountains, are really the powers of Jehovah, and our God is Israel’s Savior.

²⁴ ‘But shame has consumed the efforts of our fathers, since the time of our youth… their sheep and their calves, as well as their sons and their daughters. ²⁵ For, we went to bed in our shame, and we were covered by our dishonor; before our God we had sinned, as had also our fathers, from the time of our youth to this day. And we have paid no attention, to the voice of Jehovah our God.

Chapter 4

¹ ‘If Israel should [choose to] return,’ says Jehovah, ‘to him I’ll also return… if the disgusting things in his mouth he’ll remove, and if he will [bow and] show reverence before Me, ² and swear with an oath that Jehovah’s alive, then he will be blest with the truth, as well as equity and justice. All the nations will praise him, and in Jerusalem all will praise God.’

³ For, to the men of Jerusalem and Judah, Jehovah gives these instructions: ‘Plow the fields you’ve prepared for the plow, and don’t plant among the thorn bushes! ⁴ O men of Jerusalem and Judah; circumcise yourselves to your God, and circumcise the hardness from your hearts, lest the fire of My rage comes [upon you], which none can extinguish for the badness you’ve done!

⁵ ‘Announce [this message] to Judah; and O Jerusalem, pay close attention! Say: Send a signal through the land with a trumpet, and then cry aloud [with your voices]! ⁶ Say, All gather inside the walled cities… gather your things and run into Zion! Hurry… don’t wait, for evil now comes from the north, and [it brings] a terrible destruction! ⁷ Because; the lion has come from his lair, for the purpose of wiping out nations. He arose and came from his place, to desolate the land and destroy it. So, your cities will all be demolished, and you will no longer be able to live there. ⁸ Because of this put on sackcloth, then be sad and call out, because the anger and rage of Jehovah, will not be diverted from you.

⁹ ‘And it will be in that day,’ says Jehovah, ‘that there’ll be no heart in the king; the hearts of the rulers and Priests will be shocked, and all of the prophets will wonder.’

¹⁰ Then I replied: ‘O Almighty Lord; Surely You [jest]… You are misleading these people… to Jerusalem You are saying there’ll be peace, and the sword won’t [come to] their lives!’

¹¹ [But He said]: ‘In that time they’ll say to these people (to those [who live] in Jerusalem: There’s a spirit of addiction to delusion in the desert, for the way of the daughter of My people isn’t pure, nor has she [made herself] holy. ¹² So the spirit of fulfillment will come over Me, and then I’ll speak judgments against them.

¹³ Look! He will ascend like a cloud, and his chariot will blast [like a whirlwind], for His horses are lighter than eagles. So woe upon us, for misery is coming to us!

¹⁴ ‘O Jerusalem; Wash the evils from your heart, so you can then be delivered. How long do you think your ways can go on, which are [the root] of your [troubles]? ¹⁵ For, a voice will be heard out of Dan, and from EphraIm your miseries will be heard.

¹⁶ ‘{Look!} Give this reminder to the nations, and inside Jerusalem announce it: From a far away land will come an alliance, and against the cities of Judah they’re speaking! ¹⁷ They’ll [camp] all around her and guard her fields, for I’ve been neglected by you,’ says Jehovah. ¹⁸ ‘Due to your [bad] ways and deeds, they are coming upon you, because your evil is bitter, and it has reached into your hearts!

¹⁹ ‘This brings pain to My belly, and causes My heart to ache… it make My heart feel spasms. Yet, My Soul has been forced to take action! ²⁰ Thus I will no longer be silent, for My Soul has heard the sounds of the trumpets, and the cries of misery and war. This conflict is something that’s called for, and misery will soon come to the land. For, My Tent now lies abandoned, and its covering of skins has been pulled apart.

²¹ ‘How long will I see [people] fleeing, and hear the sounds of the trumpets? ²² For, the leaders of My people do not know Me, because sons of foolishness they are, and they aren’t very discerning. They are wise to do evil… they don’t recognize how to do good.’

²³ I looked on the earth and saw nothing, and into the sky and its lights weren’t there. ²⁴ I observed that the mountains were shaking, and I saw that the hills were disturbed. ²⁵ I looked and saw that no man existed, and the birds in the sky were frightened away. I observed and saw that Carmel was bare, and all the cities were burning… set on fire by the face of Jehovah. ²⁶ And from the anger of His rage, they were removed from His view.

²⁷ Then Jehovah said: ‘The whole land will soon become desolation, but no way will I totally destroy it. ²⁸ So, let the land start to mourn, and let the sky above become darkened, because I have spoken and won’t change My mind… I will allow it to happen, and I won’t be dissuaded!’

²⁹ From the sounds of horsemen with tightly stretched bows, in every place they are [hiding]… they’ll hide in caves and in sacred groves, and among the rocks they’ll descend. All the cities will then be abandoned, for mankind no longer will live there.

³⁰ So now, what will you do… put on your scarlet and ornaments of gold? If you rub antimony on your eyelids, it will all be in vain. For, even if you wear your finest clothes, your lovers have already pushed you away, and now they’re seeking your life.

³¹ I heard the sounds of women in labor, and the moans of giving first birth. The voice of the daughter of Zion grows faint, and her hands become weak as she says. ‘Woe to me, for my life is now failing, and I am being destroyed!’

Chapter 5

¹ ‘Run through Jerusalem’s streets… seek and search in her squares! See if you’ll find a man who is just… a single man who can be trusted, then to him I will be kind,’ says Jehovah. ² ‘As Jehovah lives they often say, but when they swear oaths aren’t they lying?’

³ O Lord; Your eyes have searched for those who are true. Yet, when You whipped them they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they did not take correction. Their faces remained as solid as rocks, and to You they wouldn’t return.

⁴ And I said, ‘Perhaps they’re just poor, and are unable to know the ways of the Lord… to understand the equity of God. ⁵ So, I’ll go and speak to those who are [rich], for they’ll recognize the ways of Jehovah, and the equity of God.’

But look! Together they’ve broken their yokes, and they’ve torn up their bonds. ⁶ Because of this they were struck by a lion; then out of the woods came a wolf, which entered their houses and [ate] them; and leopards kept watch in their cities. That’s how those who leave Him will be hunted, because they’ve become so irreverent, and their rejection [of God] has grown worse.

⁷ ‘What sort of kindness should happen to you, now that your sons have all left Me? For, they have sworn oaths by those who aren’t gods. So with them I’ve now become filled, for they have committed adultery, and in their homes whores find rest!

⁸ ‘Like horses they snort and are sex crazed… each one for the wife of his neighbor. ⁹ So, over such things, shouldn’t I now come to visit?’ asks Jehovah. ‘Over such a [bad] nation, shouldn’t My soul take its vengeance?

¹⁰ ‘So, climb upon her battle towers, then wipe them to the ground ‘til they’re gone… but you’re not the ones who will do it! Destroy all of her supports, because they didn’t come from Jehovah! ¹¹ For they have shown no respect,’ says Jehovah, ‘both the houses of Israel and Judah. ¹² About their Lord they have lied. For they said: These things will not come to be… bad things won’t happen to us… neither sword nor hunger will we see. ¹³ For, [His] Prophets are really all windbags, and they don’t [speak] the word of Jehovah, so this will happen to them, not to us!’

¹⁴ ‘It’s because of this,’ says Jehovah the Almighty; ‘because you have said all these things, {Look!} I’ve put My words like fire in your mouths, and it will consume you as though you were wood.

¹⁵ ‘Notice, O house of Israel! From a distance I’m bringing a nation against you,’ says Jehovah, ‘with a tongue you won’t understand… ¹⁶ strong men whose quivers are like open tombs. ¹⁷ Then they’ll devour your harvests and bread, as well as your sons and your daughters. They’ll devour your sheep and your calves… they’ll devour your vineyards and fig groves, as well as all of your olives. They’ll thresh your fortified cities with broadswords… those that you have relied on. ¹⁸ And it will be in those days,’ says Jehovah; ‘your God won’t allow you to reach your fulfillment.

¹⁹ ‘Then whenever you ask, Why has our God allowed this to be? Jehovah will give this reply: It is because you have left Me, and served strange gods in your land. So, now you will have to serve strangers, in a land that’s not yours.’

²⁰ ‘To the house of Jacob announce all these things, and let it be heard throughout Judah! ²¹ Pay attention you people, who are foolish and heartless… those who have eyes but can’t see, and those who have ears but can’t hear. ²² Why do you fail to fear Me,’ asks Jehovah, ‘and before My face bow down to the ground? For, it is I who ordered the sands, to be the limits of the seas… it is the order of ages, that the seas cannot pass over them. Though they are disturbed they cannot prevail. And no matter how much their waves roar, they may not pass by [their limits].

²³ ‘Yet, to these people came a heart not to listen, so they resisted persuasion, then they turned aside and they left [Me]. ²⁴ They have not said in their hearts, We should fear Jehovah our God… He who gives rain in its seasons (both the early and late rains), and who orders full harvests for us.

²⁵ ‘By your lawless deeds you’ve turned from these things… by your sins you’ve removed what’s good from yourselves. ²⁶ For the godless are found among My own people, and they’ve set snares to corrupt other men, as they devise their own plans.

²⁷ ‘As a snare is set to be filled with birds, so treachery has filled up their houses. And because of this they’re now famous and rich… they’ve become fat on injustice. ²⁸ On the side of orphans they will not decide, and they don’t give justice to widows.

²⁹ ‘Am I not watching such things,’ asks Jehovah? ‘And against such a nation won’t My soul soon bring vengeance?

³⁰ ‘As the result, things have changed! And now there is shuddering in the land. ³¹ For, their prophets prophesy things that aren’t true, as the priests clap their hands… and all My people have loved it. So, what will you do after this?’

Chapter 6

¹ ‘O sons of BenJamin be strong, there in the midst of Jerusalem; show this by blowing a trumpet, and over BethHacCerem lift a sign! For, bad things hang in the north, and great destruction is coming!

² ‘O daughter of Zion; your haughtiness will soon be removed, ³ for to you will come shepherds and flocks; they’ll pitch their tents all around you; and there each will tend [his own flock].

⁴ ‘Prepare to make war against her! Arise, for we will attack her at noon! Woe to us for the day is now gone, and the shadows of daylight have failed. ⁵ Get up and we’ll attack during the night, and totally destroy her foundations!’

⁶ For, thus says Jehovah of Armies: ‘Cut down all of her trees! Against the city of liars send your forces… finish your tyranny against her!

⁷ ‘As the water from a well is cool, you must cool off her evil. Disrespect and misery are within her, and it will come back in her face! ⁸ O Jerusalem; in misery you’ll be corrected with a whip, lest My soul would totally leave you… lest I should make you an untrodden land, which won’t be lived in again.’

⁹ For, thus says Jehovah of Armies: ‘Glean… glean as though they are grapevines, all the remaining of Israel! Return as the picker returns to his [vines]!

¹⁰ ‘To whom should I speak… whom shall I tell that will listen? {Look!} They have uncircumcised ears, thus they are unable to hear. {Look!} The word of Jehovah is scornful to them, so they’ll be unwilling to listen.

¹¹ ‘I waited and My rage wasn’t filled, and I didn’t completely finish them off, so I’ll pour it out on their children, and upon the gatherings of young men. Together both men and women will be seized, with the elders and those who have filled their days. ¹² Then their houses will be given to others, along with their fields and their wives. For, I’ll stretch out My hand ‘gainst all in this land,’ says Jehovah… ¹³ ‘all those from the small to the great… all who with lawless deeds have been filled. For, from the priests to the false prophets, all have acted in falsehood, ¹⁴ because they claim to bring healing to My people… they treat [Me] with contempt and say there is peace, but where indeed is this peace?

¹⁵ ‘They’ll now be shamed because they have failed. But, though they’re disgraced, in [their error], they’ll refuse to accept their dishonor. And because of this they will fall… they will perish in the time of their visitation,’ said Jehovah.

¹⁶ And the Lord said: ‘Stand in the roads and behold… [consider the] paths of the ages, then choose the best road and travel that way, and you’ll find ways to purify your lives!’ Yet, they said, ‘We won’t go.’

¹⁷ ‘Over you I have placed watchmen, so listen for the sounds of their trumpets!’ Yet they replied ‘We won’t listen!’ ¹⁸ But all the nations will listen, as well as those tending their flocks.

¹⁹ ‘Look and pay attention O land, for upon this people I will bring bad things… the fruitage of their rejection. For they’ve paid no attention to My word, and My Law they’ve pushed away.

²⁰ ‘Why bring frankincense from Sheba before Me, and cinnamon from far away lands? For, your whole burnt-offerings I will not accept, and your sacrifices no longer delight Me. ²¹ And because of this,’ says Jehovah, ‘{Look!} upon these people I will bring weakness. Fathers and sons will be weak, and their neighbors and near ones will perish.’

²² And Jehovah said: ‘{Look!} From the north there now comes a people, who’ll awaken the nations to the ends of the earth; ²³ they’ll come with their spears and their bows, and they won’t show any mercy. Their sound is like the roar of the sea. And with horses and chariots they’ll attack, bringing the fire of war against you, O you daughter of Zion.’

²⁴ We’ve heard the report about them, and it made our hands weak… anguish has grabbed hold of us, as the pangs of a woman giving birth!

²⁵ ‘Don’t go out into the fields, and do not walk on the roads, for your enemies are traveling around you with swords! So, daughters of My people put on sackcloth! Strew ashes and mourn as you’d do for your loved ones. ²⁶ Why, in pity for yourselves you’ll be beating your breasts, because misery will suddenly come upon you.

²⁷ ‘Among you (you people on trial), I have appointed someone to judge you; and as you are tried you will know that it’s Me, who is judging your ways. ²⁸ For, none will be willing to listen, since you’re walking in ways that are crooked… you’re being corrupted like brass touching iron.

²⁹ ‘Because the forge bellows have failed, it’s in vain that the smith works his silver… for their wicked ways will not melt. ³⁰ Call and tell them that their silver’s rejected… for they’ve been rejected by [God].’

Chapter 7

¹ Then the word of the Lord came to JeremiJah saying, ‘Stand on the gate of Jehovah’s [Temple], and then to them read these words. Say, ² O Judea; Hear the word of Jehovah, for Jehovah of Armies (Israel’s God) has said this: ³ Set right the things you are doing, and set right all of your ways, and then I’ll settle you here in this place. ⁴ Do not rely on words that are lies, for they’ll be no help when you shout, O the Temple of Jehovah! This is the Temple of Jehovah!

⁵ ‘And as you are setting things straight, be sure to set right your deeds and your ways. There should be fairness between a man and his neighbor, ⁶ and fairness with foreigners, orphans, and widows. ⁷ [You] must stop being tyrants; innocent blood do not shed in this place; and don’t chase after strange gods! Then, [without such] badness I’ll settle you here, in this land that I gave to your fathers, from ages and into the ages.

⁸ ‘But, since you trust in words that are lies, which do you no good at all, ⁹ and you murder, commit adultery, and steal; swear untrue oaths, burn incense to Baal, and go after strange gods whom you’ve not known, ¹⁰ there is just badness within you. Then you must come and stand here before Me, in the [Temple] that’s called by My Name, and say: From the disgusting things we’ve stayed free.

¹¹ ‘Hasn’t My House that stands here before you (which is called by My Name), become a den of just thieves? Look, I’ve seen it,’ says Jehovah! ¹² ‘Go to My Place that’s in Shiloh, where I camped and long ago placed My Name, and see what I did because of the bad, in the faces of My people Israel!

¹³ ‘Now, because you have done all these things (about which I spoke, but you wouldn’t listen… about which I called, but you failed to respond), ¹⁴ I’ll do the same to this [Temple] (the one that’s called by My Name, and upon which you have relied; the Place that I gave to you and your fathers), the same as I once did to Shiloh. ¹⁵ I will throw you away from My face, as I cast off the seed of EphraIm (your brother).

¹⁶ ‘Now, you must not pray for these people; don’t come to petition for their mercy; don’t come here with vows on their behalf, for I won’t listen to you!

¹⁷ ‘Don’t you see what they’re doing in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem? ¹⁸ Sons [go out to] collect wood, in order for their fathers to light fires, as their women knead dough to make cakes, for all the armies of the skies. To strange gods they now offer drinks, so they can provoke Me to anger… ¹⁹ Don’t they provoke Me to anger?’ asks Jehovah. ‘Shouldn’t they instead be provoked, by the disgrace to their own faces?

²⁰ ‘It’s because of this,’ says Jehovah, ‘{Look!} I’ll pour out My anger and rage on this Place – upon the men and the cattle; upon every tree in the fields; and upon the produce of the land – it has now been kindled and won’t be put out!’

²¹ Jehovah said: ‘Gather your whole burnt-offerings, along with your other sacrifices, and then go ahead and eat all the meats! ²² For, I didn’t tell your fathers to do this, nor did I give such instructions to them (on the day that I led them from Egypt's land), [to bring me] whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. ²³ The only instructions I gave them, is to pay attention to My voice! [I said]; You’ll be My people and I’ll be your God, as long as you walk in My ways, and do whatever I tell you is good!

²⁴ ‘But they didn’t listen to Me, and they paid no attention with their ears; they followed the evil thoughts in their hearts, and became the butt not the head, from the day that their fathers left Egypt ‘til now. ²⁵ So, I sent them My servants the Prophets, each day, morning after morning. ²⁶ But they didn’t listen to Me, and with their ears they paid no attention… ²⁶ they made their necks stiffer than those of their fathers.

²⁷ ‘So, you must go and tell them these words, but they will not listen to you; you’ll call to them and they’ll not respond. ²⁸ Go tell them that theirs is the nation, which would not listen to the voice of their God… they failed to trust or give heed, to the instructions that come from [His] mouth. ²⁹ So, shear your [hair] and throw it away, then bring sounds of wailing to you lips; for Jehovah has rejected and pushed you away… you the generation that has done all these things!

³⁰ ‘The sons of Judah have been wicked before Me,’ says Jehovah. ‘They’ve placed disgusting things in My [Temple], to defile the Place that is called by My Name. ³¹ A shrine of Topheth they’ve built for themselves, there in the Valley of Hinnom’s sons, to burn their sons and daughters in fire… something I never told them to do, or ever considered in My heart.

³² ‘{Look!} It’s because of this that the days have now come,’ says Jehovah, ‘when there in the Valley of Hinnom’s sons, and in the Shrine that they [built to] Topheth, nothing more will be said; for their valley will soon be destroyed, and they’ll [bury] Topheth in a tomb, for his place will no longer exist. ³³ His people will also be dead, and serve as food for the birds in the sky, and the wild animals on the ground; for no one will come to chase them away.

³⁴ ‘I’ll remove them from among the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem. Then the sounds of joy will not be heard, or rejoicing at the voices of brides and grooms, because the whole land will lie in desolation.’

Chapter 8

¹ ‘In that time,’ says Jehovah, ‘they’ll bring out the bones of Judea’s kings, as well as the bones of its other rulers… the bones of the Priests and the Prophets, and the bones from the people of Jerusalem’s graves. ² Then under the sun they will dry; there under the moon and the stars; there under the armies of the sky, which they loved and they served – those who they held to and followed, and those before whom they bowed – then they’ll not be lamented or put in a tomb; ³ they’ll remain as examples on the face of the ground. For, rather than life they chose death… all those who are left from that generation, in every place that I’ll lay them.

⁴ ‘Will those who fall then be resurrected,’ asks Jehovah, ‘or will those who have turned not return? ⁵ Why have they impudently turned in rejection, and held so firmly to their resolve… why didn’t they wish to return?

⁶ ‘Give ear indeed and pay attention, for they aren’t saying what’s right! None of the men have repented their badness, or asked what they have done wrong… in the race they have stopped running, like a horse that is snorting and covered with sweat.

⁷ ‘Why, the stork in the sky knows her time, as do the doves and swallows in the fields. Even sparrows guard the times of their comings, but My people do not understand, the judgments [that come from] Jehovah. ⁸ So, how can you say We are wise, and we have the Law of Jehovah? Why, the lies of the quills of the scribes are in vain!

⁹ ‘The wise men are shamed and they’re frightened, for they’ve been convicted of rejecting [God’s] Word, so what wisdom is still left among them? ¹⁰ Because of this; I’ll give their wives to other men, and their fields to their heirs. For, from the small to the great, they’ve loved and chased after money… and from prophet to priest all have told lies! ¹¹ They’ve dishonored the broken daughter of My people, and they shout Peace! Peace! when there is no peace.’

¹² By the disgusting things that they’ve done, they have brought shame on themselves, yet they weren’t ashamed of their shame… they refused to know any shame. And because of this they will fall, among all of those who will fall. ‘In the time of My visit they’ll fall,’ says Jehovah. ¹³ ‘Then they will reap what they’ve [sown],’ says the Lord.

There are no grapes on the grapevines, and there are no figs on the fig trees, for all their leaves have now fallen. ¹⁴ So, why are we just sitting here? Let’s gather and run to the fortified cities. Yet, there we will be turned away, because our God has disowned us. Bile we’ll be given for water, since we have sinned before [God]. ¹⁵ And though we will gather for peace, nothing good will we receive… just worry in the time for healing. ¹⁶ For, from Dan we’ll hear the sounds of swift horses – the sounds of snorting and those riding horses – for all the land will be shaken. Then he’ll come and devour the land, as well as everything in it… the cities and all those who live there.

¹⁷ ‘{Look!} I will send snakes against you to kill you (the types that have never been charmed), ¹⁸ and they will incurably bite you, with the grief of a heart that’s perplexed.’

¹⁹ Look! There are the sounds of the cries, of the daughters of My people, coming from a far-away land: Isn’t Jehovah there upon Zion, and isn’t there also a king? But they’ve provoked Me to rage, with their carvings of idols, and by following strange worthless things.’

²⁰ So summer has already passed, and we’ve yet to receive any harvest.

²¹ Over the destruction of the daughter of my people, I’m enveloped in darkness and perplexed… I’m in labor like a woman, who’s about to give birth.

²² Is there no ointment in Gilead, and are there no doctors in that place? Why can’t you bring healing to the daughter of my people?

Chapter 9

¹ Who’ll provide the water for my head, and a spring of tears for my eyes, so I can cry for my people, throughout this day and this night… for the daughters of my people being slain? ² And who’ll provide a post-house in the desert, where I can go and leave all my people, for they are committing adultery, and breaking their Agreement [with God].

³ ‘Their tongues are stretched tight like bows, as lies and mistrust now grow in the land, for they chase after evil upon evil… they do not know Me’ says Jehovah.

⁴ ‘Let each man keep an eye on his neighbor, and not rely upon his own brother, for their brothers will stomp them under their heels, and their friends will [try to] deceive them. ⁵ For each one [laughs at] his friends, and in no way do they speak the truth, because their tongues have learned to speak lies. They do whatever is wrong, and they won’t stop to turn back. ⁶ They’re compiling interest on interest, as well as treachery on treachery, for they do not wish to behold Me,’ says Jehovah.

⁷ ‘Because of this,’ says Jehovah of Armies: ‘{Look!} I’ll try them, then set them on fire! For, what else can I do before the face, of the wickedness of the daughter of My people? ⁸ For, their tongues are piercing like arrows, and the words from their mouths are deceitful. And though each one speaks peace to his neighbors, inside they really feel hatred. ⁹ Shouldn’t I pay them a visit for this,’ asks Jehovah, ‘and upon them bring all My vengeance?’

¹⁰ ‘[It’s time to start] mourning for the mountains, and wailing for the roads in the desert. They’re failing because there aren’t any men; they’ve not heard the sounds of birds in the sky; and the cattle have all been carried away.

¹¹ ‘For Jerusalem, I’ve assigned an evacuation, and she’ll become a home for wild beasts. On the cities of Judah I’ve appointed extinction, so they’ll no longer be lived in. ¹² So, who is the man that’s discerning? Let him recognize this, and may the words from the mouth of Jehovah be with him… let him tell you the reasons, why the land is being destroyed! It’s being burned into a desert, so no one will go there again.’

¹³ And the Lord said to me: ‘Because they’ve abandoned My Law (the one that I set before their faces), and paid no attention to My voice, ¹⁴ chasing after things that were pleasing to their hearts (things that were evil and idols, that their fathers taught them to worship); ¹⁵ on account of this,’ says Israel’s God (Jehovah of Armies is His Name), ‘{Look!} I will now feed them distress, and make them drink bile for their water. ¹⁶ I’ll scatter them among many nations, which they and their fathers haven’t known… I will send the sword [to rule over] them, until they’re completely consumed.’

¹⁷ Then Jehovah said: ‘Call wailing women and tell them to come; send for wise women and tell them to speak, ¹⁸ then let them start their lamentations! Let them bring tears to your eyes, and cause water to flow from their eyelids! ¹⁹ For this lament will be heard there in Zion: O, how have we come to such misery? We’re disgraced because we’ve abandoned our land, and thrown away all our tents.’

²⁰ Listen to this, O women, for it is the word of our God! Let your ears hear the words from His mouth, then teach all your daughters this lamentation… yes, let every woman teach her neighbors to wail! ²¹ For, death has crept through your windows… it has come to your land to wipe out your young… to remove young men from your squares. ²² Then as an example, all men will die, on the face of the plains in your land, and like mown grass there’ll be none to collect them.’

²³ Jehovah said: ‘Don’t let the wise boast of their wisdom, or the strong boast of their strength; and don’t let the rich boast of their wealth! ²⁴ But when they boast, let them brag about this: That they perceive Me and know Me… that they know I am merciful and fair… that I will judge and bring justice to the land… and these things being done are My will,’ says Jehovah.

²⁵ ‘Look! The days are coming,’ says Jehovah, ‘when I will visit the uncircumcised, as well as those who [are called] circumcised ²⁶ (those in Judah, Egypt, and Edom; the sons of Ammon and of Moab… all who are shaving their faces, and all who live in the deserts). For, while the nations are uncircumcised in their flesh, Israel is uncircumcised in their hearts.’

Chapter 10

¹ O house of Israel; Hear the words that Jehovah has spoken: ² ‘Do not learn the ways of the nations, and don’t [follow] the [zodiac] signs, because they’re what’s feared by the nations, ³ and the customs of the nations are a waste!’

An idol is a tree that’s cut from the woods, or it’s the work of someone’s [metal] casting. ⁴ They’re adorned with silver and gold, and then nailed into place with a hammer… made stiff so they cannot move. ⁵ They are pieces of silver turned [on a lathe], so they cannot speak and have to be carried, for they are unable to mount their own selves.

Don’t fear them, for nothing within them, is able to do evil or good. ⁶ They aren’t like You, O Lord, for You are great, and great is the strength of Your Name. ⁷ Who will not fear You, King of the Nations? For, to You come the wise from all nations, and among their kingdoms there’s none other like You.

⁸ [Their idols] are foolish and unthinking, for these trees just teach foolish things. ⁹ It’s by the hands of skilled goldsmiths, that silver from Tarshish is melded, into gold from Uphaz… it’s all just the workings of craftsmen. ¹⁰ Then they deck them in blue and purple cloth.

¹¹ As the result, tell them this: ‘Let these gods who made not the heavens and earth, be destroyed from all land under heaven! ¹² For, Jehovah is the One who made the earth, and by His strength He erected man’s home. Then in intelligence and wisdom He stretched out the sky, ¹³ and brought all the waters that are under the heavens, and [assembled] the clouds to the ends of the earth. It is He who made the lightning and rain, and from His treasuries He brought the winds.

¹⁴ He has disgraced the knowledge of all men, and the idols they’ve carved disgrace all the goldsmiths. For, they’re just false [gods] that were cast in a furnace, and there is no breath in them. ¹⁵ They are foolish works just made to be mocked, and in their time of visitation, they will all be destroyed.

¹⁶ But, this isn’t the portion of Jacob, for He who shaped everything (even Israel’s inheritance and scepter), is named Jehovah of Armies! ¹⁷ It is He who gathered them from the outside, and gave His support to living, choice vessels. ¹⁸ It is also Jehovah who says, ‘{Look!} I’ll stumble all those who live in this land, and squeeze them out so all [is not lost]. ¹⁹ Woe to you, for you’ll be destroyed, and your wounds will be very painful.’

And I said: ‘I have already been wounded, and from You this has surely come. ²⁰ My tent is in miserable condition; it was totally destroyed… its hide coverings have been ripped apart. My sons and my sheep are no more, and there are no more walls for my tent, nor a place [to store] my hide coverings. ²¹ For, the shepherds were truly unwise, and they had failed to seek Jehovah, so the sheep in their pastures were scattered and confused.’

²² {Look!} There comes the report of a sound… a great rumble from the land of the north… it’s an order to destroy all her cities… to scatter her like the nest of an ostrich.

²³ I know, O Lord, that man doesn’t know the right way to go, nor can man walk a straight path. ²⁴ So correct us, O Lord, in fairness, and don’t send Your rage to leave us as few! ²⁵ Pour out Your rage on the nations [instead]… the kingdoms that really don’t know You, and those who don’t call on Your Name! For they have eaten up Jacob… Israel was completely consumed, and all his pastures lie desolate.

Chapter 11

¹ These words came to JeremiJah from Jehovah. He said, ² ‘Listen to the words of My Sacred Agreement, then [read them] to the men of Judea, and to those who live in Jerusalem. ³ Tell them that Jehovah the God of Israel says, Cursed is the man who pays no regard, to the words of this Agreement that I gave to your fathers, on the day that I led them from Egypt… from out of that furnace of iron.

⁴ ‘Pay attention to My voice, and do all the things that I tell you to do, then you’ll be My people and I’ll be your God. ⁵ Then I’ll reestablish My oath – the oath that I swore to your fathers – to give them a land, that flows with milk and honey as it does to this day.’

And I replied, ‘May it be, O my Lord.’

⁶ And the Lord said to me: ‘Read these words to the cities of Judah, as well as outside of Jerusalem’s [walls]. Say, Hear the words of this Sacred Agreement, and then [be careful to] do them! ⁷ For, we bore witness together – and I was a witness to your fathers – that from the day that I led them from Egypt, down to this very day, I arose early to serve as a witness… I told them to listen to my voice! But they would not listen or turn an ear… each followed the evil deformities of his heart. They agreed to the words of this Contract, and the things I commanded to be done, ⁸ but then they refused to do them.’

⁹ And the Lord said to me, ‘A conspiracy has been found in the men of Judea, and among those who live in Jerusalem! ¹⁰ For, they’ve returned to the unrighteous ways of their fathers… those living before who just wouldn’t listen.

‘{Look!} ‘They have followed and are serving strange gods! And those in the houses of Israel and Judea, have annulled the Agreement that I made with their fathers! ¹¹ And because of this, says Jehovah, {Look!} I will bring evil upon them, which they’ll be unable to remove from themselves.

‘Then they will start to cry out, but I will not listen to them. ¹² And [what happens to] those in the cities of Judah, will [be worse] than for those in Jerusalem; for they’ll call to their gods… those to whom they burn incense… those who can’t save them in times of [distress]. ¹³ O Judah; You have as many gods as you have cities… on each street in Jerusalem you have shrines, where you burn incense to Baal.

¹⁴ ‘So, do not pray for these people… don’t beg or petition for them! For, I won’t listen whenever they call Me… in times when they are oppressed.

¹⁵ ‘What disgusting things have been done in My [Temple], by those whom [I dearly] loved? Will vows and holy meat remove all your badness… by them do you hope to evade all [My wrath]?

¹⁶ ‘As a pretty olive tree providing much shade, was the sight of all those, who called on the Name of the Lord. Then came the sound of it being chopped down… then it was lit [and consumed], so all her tender branches were useless. ¹⁷ For, Jehovah of Armies did the planting… He against whom you spoke evil. So, to the houses of Israel and Judah came evil… but they did it to themselves by provoking My rage… by their burning incense to Baal.’

¹⁸ [But I said]: ‘O Lord; tell me and then I will know, for You know the things they have done. ¹⁹ But I am just an innocent lamb, not knowing he’s led to be sacrificed. Why, against me they’ve plotted and come up plans, saying, Come, let’s give him wood for his bread! Let’s wipe him away from the land of the living, and make sure that his name is remembered no more!

²⁰ ‘O Jehovah of Armies; please judge all these things in fairness… try their kidneys and hearts! May I behold Your punishment on them, for I’ve shown You the right things I’ve done.’

²¹ It was because of this that Jehovah then replied concerning the men of AnathOth who were seeking my life… for they were the ones who were saying, ‘No longer should you prophecy in the Name of the Lord. And if you fail to agree, you will die by our hands!’

²² Because of this, Jehovah of Armies then said, ‘Look! I’ll pay a visit on them, so all their young men will die by the sword, and their sons and daughters will starve. ²³Then none will be left among them, for, to those in AnathOth I’ll bring evil, in the year of their visitation.’

Chapter 12

¹ [And I said], ‘You are righteous, O Lord, so before You may I plead my case, and I’ll leave decision to you.

‘Why do the ways of the irreverent succeed, for the disrespectful and wicked have prospered. ² They were planted and rooted by You, then they produced both children and fruit. [It seems] You are near to their mouths, but far away from their kidneys.

³ ‘You know me, O Lord, and my heart has been tried before You. So, may they be gathered like a sacrificial flock… purify them for the day of the slaughter.

⁴ ‘How long will the land be required to mourn, and all the grass in the fields become dry, because of the evils of those who live here? The cattle and birds have all been destroyed, for they say that God doesn’t see what they’ve done.’

⁵ [And the Lord replied], ‘When your feet run they get tired, so how can you prepare to be ridden like a horse? Why have you trusted in peace for your land… yes, how can you whinny for the Jordan? ⁶ For, even your brothers and the house of your father, have failed to pay attention to you… they yell at you behind your back! So, don’t trust them when they’re speak kind words.’

⁷ [And I said], ‘I have abandoned my house… I’ve forsaken my inheritance… and into the hands of her enemies, I gave the love of my life. ⁸ For to me my inheritance became, like a lion in the woods… she roared at me, so I started to hate her. ⁹ Isn’t she just a den of hyenas, and isn’t [this den] her only protection? So, gather to her the beasts of the fields, and let them go there to eat her!’

¹⁰ [And the Lord replied], ‘My vineyard’s been destroyed by many shepherds; they’ve defiled My portion and turned what was Mine into desert, ¹¹ so it’s purpose became destruction and extinction. And because of me the land was destroyed, for there was no man who took it to heart. ¹² Through every mountain pass in that desert, came those who caused misery… those whom the sword of Jehovah will devour, from one end of the land to the other… no, there’ll be no peace for all flesh.

¹³ ‘You planted wheat and thorn-bushes [grew], which provided no benefit at all. So, be ashamed of all your proud words, and for speaking such scorn to Jehovah!’

¹⁴ Then the Lord said: ‘When it comes to all your wicked neighbors – those who [dared] to touch My inheritance, which I apportioned among Israel My people – {Look!} I’ll uproot them out of their land, and I’ll uproot Judah from their midst. ¹⁵ But after I drive them away, I will return and show mercy upon them, and resettle them in their inheritance… I’ll return each one to his land.

¹⁶ ‘And if My people should learn the right way, then swear their oaths by My Name and say, As Jehovah lives (as they taught My people to swear by Baal), then they’ll build houses among My people. ¹⁷ But if they choose not to return, I will lift that nation away… I’ll remove them [from the land] and destroy them,’ says Jehovah.

Chapter 13

¹ The Lord said: ‘Go buy a linen loin cloth, and then wrap it around you, but do not wash it in water.’

² So, I acquired the loincloth, according to the word of the Lord, and I wrapped it around my loins.

³ Then the word of Jehovah came to me a second time saying: ‘Now take off the loincloth (the one that you’ve wrapped ‘round your loins), ⁴ then arise and go to the River EuPhrates, and hide it there in a hole in the rocks!’

⁵ So, I went and hid it by the EuPhrates, as Jehovah had told me to do.

⁶ Then, after many days the Lord told me, ‘Arise! Go to the EuPhrates River, and then bring back the loincloth… the one that I told you to hide there.’

⁷ So, I went to the EuPhrates and dug, and took the loincloth from the place where I hid it, and {Look!} it was ruined… there’s no way that it could have been used.

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, ⁹ ‘Thus says Jehovah: Like this I’ll corrupt the insolence of Judah, as well as the insolence of Jerusalem… ¹⁰ this great insolence of those who don’t wish to obey Me; those who’ve followed the wickedness in their hearts; who’ve gone after strange gods to serve them, and who have bowed low before them. They’ll become like this loincloth, which won’t be useful again. ¹¹ For, just as this cloth hugs the loins of a man, I have stuck by the houses of Israel and Judah, says Jehovah.

‘They’d have been a famous people to Me, and a reason for boasting and glory… but they paid no attention to Me. ¹² So, speak these words to those people: Thus says Jehovah, Israel’s God: All your leather bags will be filled up with wine!

And when they ask you: Do you think we don’t know that our leather bags, will be filled up with wine, that you have said this to us?

¹³ ‘You must tell them that thus says Jehovah: {Look!} With strong drink I will fill, all who live in this land… their kings (the sons of David) who sit on their thrones… their priests, their prophets, and all those in Judah, as well as all those in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Then I will disperse them; each man will be separated from his brother, and fathers will be separated from their sons… and I will not miss them, says Jehovah. I won’t spare them or pity their ruin.’

¹⁵ Hear… give ear, and don’t be encouraged! For this is what the Lord said: ¹⁶ ‘Give glory to Jehovah your God! ¹⁶ Give glory before it gets dark, and before your feet stumble on the mountains in darkness… where you’ll wait for light in the shadow of death, but there you will only find darkness. ¹⁷ And if you should choose not to listen, you will weep in secret (because of your pride), and there your eyes will shed tears, for the scattering of the flock of Jehovah.

¹⁸ ‘Then say this to the king: You rulers should sit and humble yourselves, for your crowns of glory will be smashed from your heads. ¹⁹ Then the cities toward the south will be closed, and no one will open them again. Judah will be completely resettled, in a total relocation. ²⁰ So, lift up your eyes, O Jerusalem, and see the ones who are coming from the north!

‘Now, where is the flock you were given… [where are] the sheep of your glory? ²¹ What will you say when [people] come to see you, and you must teach them hard lessons, against yourself and your rule? Won’t labor pangs then control you, as though you’re a woman giving birth?

²² ‘And if you should ask in your hearts, Why has this happened to us? It’s because of the magnitude of your sins, that your butts were uncovered to serve as examples to your heels.

²³ ‘If an Ethiopian could change the color of his skin, or a leopard could change all her spots, then you’d be able to do what is good, and you could learn [not to do] bad.

²⁴ ‘This is how they’ll be scattered by Me: like twigs that are carried through the desert by the wind. ²⁵ Yes, this is your portion and lot, because of the ways you’ve opposed Me, says Jehovah. For, you forgot Me and put hope in lies. ²⁶ So, I’ll expose your butts to your faces, and your dishonor will be exposed before all. ²⁷ For, I’ve seen your snorting and adultery… your disgusting acts and your whoring, in all the hills and the fields.

‘Woe to you O Jerusalem; for you’re too unclean to follow after Me, so how long will you continue to have any hope?’

Chapter 14

¹ Then the word of Jehovah came to JeremiJah concerning the drought.

² Judea is in mourning; her gates are now empty; and the land is enveloped in darkness, as cries from Jerusalem ascend. ³ Her great men send the young men for water, but when they get to the wells they find none, and they return with just empty jars.

⁴ All the works in the land have now failed, because there has been no rain at all. So the farmers are shamed and cover their heads; ⁵ and when the hinds in the fields now give birth, they just abandon their young, for there’s too little [grass] in the fields. ⁶ Wild asses stand in the woods and suck wind, and because there isn’t any grass, the eyes of the beasts have all failed.

⁷ Because of our sins [You’ve] opposed us, O Lord, but help us for the sake of Your Name. Because our errors are many, we [are guilty] of sins against You. ⁸ But You are the endurance of Israel, O Lord; You’re our Savior in times that are bad. So, why have You become just a visitor to our land… as one native-born who’s gone off to rest? ⁹ Are You like a man who is sleeping, or One who’s able to save? You have been among us, O Lord, and we are called by Your Name, so You should never forget us!

¹⁰ And the Lord said of these people: ‘They [have sinned] and they have spared none, so God hasn’t prospered their ways. And now their sins are being remembered, and [the time has come] when He’ll visit their sins.’

¹¹ Then the Lord told me: ‘Don’t pray for any good things for these people, ¹² because, even if they fast I won’t hear their prayers; and if they bring offerings and sacrifices, I still won’t think well of them. For, I’ll finish them of by the sword, as well as by famine and [early] death.’

¹³ And I said: ‘O Great Being… [our] Lord; Our prophets have said that we won’t see the sword, nor will we ever go hungry… that You will bring peace to this land and this place!’

¹⁴ And the Lord told me: ‘The prophets who prophesy in My Name, are all [in fact] telling lies; for I didn’t send them, and I didn’t tell them what to say. So, the visions they have are all lies, and the manifestations and omens, which they have prophesied before you, are things that have come from their hearts.

¹⁵ ‘Because of this,’ says Jehovah, ‘tell those who prophecy falsely in My Name (those who I didn’t send): [You say] sword and famine won’t come to this land, so you prophets will die by diseases, and I’ll finish what’s left by starvation! ¹⁶ Yes, you who prophesied these things, will soon be racked by famine and the sword, and in Jerusalem’s streets your bodies will be tossed. No one will bury your bodies in tombs, or those of your wives, sons, and daughters, for I’ll pour your own badness upon you!

¹⁷ ‘Tell them this: Fill your eyes with tears day and night, and do not stop all your crying! For, defeat will come to the daughter of My people… they will be horribly beaten! ¹⁸ So if you go out to the fields, you’ll see those slain by the sword. And if you should enter the city, you’ll see the misery of famine… then to a land that you do not know, you priests and prophets will go!’

¹⁹ [O Lord]; Is this a rejection of Judah… from Zion has Your soul been removed? Why did You strike us and fail to heal us? We’ve waited for peace, but nothing good came… [we’ve waited for] healing but found just disturbance. ²⁰ We knew, O Lord, of our sins, and of the errors of our fathers… we knew that before You we’re guilty of sins! ²¹ But, please back off because of Your Name! You should not destroy the throne of Your glory! Please remember Your Sacred Agreement with us… do not wipe it away!

²² Which idol of the nations can bring rain… who can bring its fullness from the skies? Is it not You [O great] Being… [isn’t it You], Jehovah our God? So, we will wait upon You, for it’s You who created these things!

Chapter 15

¹ And the Lord said to me: ‘If you’d put SamuEl and Moses before Me, even for them My soul would not change. So, send these people away from My face… let them [be carried away]! ² Then if they ask, Where will we go? You should tell them that thus says Jehovah: As many as are [appointed for] death, [are the number of those who] will die; as many as are [appointed] to the sword, are those [who will die by] the sword; as many as are [appointed] to famine, are those [who will die from] the famine; and as many as are [appointed] as captives, are those who’ll [be taken as] captives.

³ Jehovah said, ‘I will take vengeance in four different ways:

· To be slaughtered by the sword;

· To be torn to pieces by dogs;

· To serve as food for wild beasts of the land;

· To be rotting flesh for the birds in the sky.

⁴ ‘I’ll hand them over to many distresses, [at the hands of] all kingdoms of the earth, because of ManasSeh the king of Judea (the son of King HezekiJah), for all that he did in Jerusalem.

⁵ ‘Who will spare you, O Jerusalem, and who will be timid against you? Who will come saying Peace unto you? For, you have turned [your backs] upon Me,’ says Jehovah. ⁶ ‘So, you will be [forced to] retreat, then I’ll stretch out My hand to destroy you, and I will not spare you thereafter.

⁷ ‘Then I will scatter and disperse, those in the gates of My people. Yes, then they all will be childless… they’ll destroy My people because of their badness… ⁸ there’ll be more widows than the sands of the sea… to the mothers of young men I’ll bring misery… at noon I’ll bring trembling and anxiety upon them. ⁹ Then she who bore seven will have none, for her life will meet with misfortune, and her sun will set at midday. She’ll be disgraced and berated, and I’ll give what is left to the sword,’ says Jehovah.

¹⁰ Woe to you, O mother who bore me, for I am a man who must judge, and bring justice to this land. But, from this I’ve derived no benefit at all, nor has anyone helped me… my strength has failed before those who have cursed me.

¹¹ May it be, O Jehovah Almighty, for no help will come in their time of affliction, and from their enemies no good will come. ¹² Let it be known that [You are like] iron, and Your strength is like a robe made of brass.

¹³ [Then the Lord replied], ‘Because of the sins within your borders, I’ll give all your treasures to them. ¹⁴ I’ll reduce you to slaves before them, and you’ll live in a land that you’ve never known. For, a fire will soon burn among you, which will be kindled by My rage.’

¹⁵ O Lord, please don’t forget me. Come and save me from those who pursue me… please don’t hold back [Your hand]! For, because of You I’ve been scorned, ¹⁶ by those who disregard Your words. Finish them off completely, and then Your words will bring joy to my heart. For, O Jehovah the Almighty; I have been called by Your Name!

¹⁷ I did not sit among those who mocked You, and before Your hand I was cautious. I sat by myself all alone, and with bitterness [my heart] was filled.

¹⁸ Why are those who bring grief [allowed to] prevail? For my wounds have been so severe… where can I go to get healing? What’s happened is untested water to me… it’s something that I cannot trust.

¹⁹ ‘Because of this,’ said the Lord; ‘if you should return I’ll restore you, and before My face you will stand… if you separate the worthy from the unworthy, you will serve as My mouth. But though they may come back to you, you must not go back among them. ²⁰ For, to these people I’ll appoint you, to be a fortified wall made of brass. And though they’ll wage war against you, they’ll be unable to beat you, because I will be there to save you… I’ll rescue you, says [Jehovah]. I’ll deliver you from the hands of the wicked, and buy you out of the hands, of these men who are cursed.’

Chapter 16

¹ Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, ² ‘You must not take a wife, and don’t father sons or daughters in this place. ³ For, thus says Jehovah about the sons and the daughters, of those being fathered in this place, and concerning the mothers who give birth, and those who are fathers in this land: ⁴ They’ll die by death and disease, and not be entombed or lamented. As examples they’ll lie on the face of the ground; they will fall by the sword, and starvation will kill all the rest. Then their corpses will serve as the food, of the wild beasts of the earth, and of the birds in the sky.’

⁵ And the Lord told me: ‘Don’t get involved in their celebrations, and with them don’t go to mourn and lament, for I have removed My peace from these men, along with My mercy and My compassion.

⁶ ‘So, the great and the small of this land will all die, and they won’t be buried or lamented. No one will beat their chests over them; none will make cuts or shave [their heads], ⁷ and no way will there be feasts of mourning. No bread will be broken to bring consolation, to those who are mourning the dead; nor will a drink be provided, to console the death of a father or mother.

⁸ ‘Don’t enter a home for a banquet… don’t sit down to eat or to drink, ⁹ for thus says Jehovah Israel’s God: {Look!} Before your eyes I’ll remove them, and during your [life this will happen]. For, the sounds of joy and gladness [will be gone], as well as the voices of brides and grooms.

¹⁰ ‘When you tell these things to the people, they’ll ask: Why has Jehovah pronounced these bad things, for what injustice have we done… how have we sinned before our God Jehovah?

¹¹ ‘And you must reply: It’s because I’ve been abandoned by your fathers, says Jehovah; for they followed strange gods… they bowed before them and served them… they abandoned Me and kept not My Laws… ¹² and you’re more wicked than they are! {Look!} You chase the evil that pleases your hearts, and you refuse to obey Me. ¹³ So, I’ll drive you away from this land, and into a land that you and your fathers haven’t known. Then you’ll serve strange gods day and night there… those who will show you no mercy.

¹⁴ ‘Because of this, days will come, says Jehovah, that they will still say As Jehovah lives (He who led Israel out of Egypt). ¹⁵ But then they will also be saying, As Jehovah lives (He who led the house of Israel back, from the land of the north, and from all the places where they were taken). For, I will restore them to their land… [the land] that I gave to their fathers.

¹⁶ ‘{Look!} To them I will send men who fish, says Jehovah, and they will go fishing for them. And I will send many hunters, who’ll hunt for them on the mountains and hills, and in the holes in the rocks. ¹⁷ For, My eyes are upon all their ways, so they can’t hide their offenses from Me. ¹⁸ Then, for all their unrighteous ways; for the sins with which they’ve ruined My land; for the disgusting things of their rotting flesh; and for filling My inheritance with lawless deeds, I will pay them back double.’

¹⁹ O Lord, my strength and my helper; my refuge during hard times; to You all the nations will come, from the ends of the earth. And then they will say: ‘How false were the idols that our fathers acquired, because in them there was no hope at all. ²⁰ Each man made gods for himself, but none of these were true gods.’

²¹ ‘{Look!} Because of this I will show them My hand… in that time I’ll show them My strength. Then they will know that My Name is Jehovah.’

Chapter 17

¹ Thus says Jehovah: ‘The sins of Judah are being written, with a stylus of iron. They’re clawed in the tablets of their hearts, and upon the horns of their altars. ² Their sons will remember their altars, as well as their sacred poles, which were under each tree in the woods, and found on every high hill.

³ ‘O you mountains in the plains; I’ll give your wealth and treasures as plunder, as well as all your high peaks, for the sins [they’ve committed] within your realms. ⁴ Then the inheritance that I gave you will be lost, and your enemies I’ll force you to serve, in a land that you’ll find unfamiliar. For, you’ve kindled the fire of My wrath, and it will blaze through the age.’

⁵ Thus says Jehovah: ‘Cursed is the man who has hope, for though his flesh is still on his arms, his heart is far from Jehovah. ⁶ For he’ll be like a tree in the desert, and when good things come he won’t see them. He’ll be planted in a desert of salt… in a brackish land where no one has lived.

⁷ ‘But praised is the man who relies on the Lord, and puts all his hope in Jehovah. ⁸ For, he’ll be like a tree that’s planted near water, and shoots his roots into moisture. He’ll have no fear of sweltering heat, for he’ll grow a trunk like a tree in the woods. He’ll have nothing to fear in the year of the drought, and he’ll keep on producing his fruit.

⁹ ‘The heart is the deepest of all things, for who can know [what’s inside] a man? ¹⁰ But, I Jehovah, am the examiner of hearts, as well as the One who tries kidneys, and I repay each one for his ways… by the fruits of the things he has done.

¹¹ ‘As the partridge calls to [eggs] that won’t hatch, so is the man who’s rich but unfair. For, in the last half of his days, he will lose all his wealth, which [will prove] that he’s been a fool.’

¹² [O Lord]; Our Holy Place is a glorious throne, which since ancient times has been held in esteem. ¹³ Yet, Israel still awaits the disgrace, of all the ones who have left You… may the names of those who’ve revolted, be written under the ground, for their spring of life (their Lord) they’ve abandoned!

¹⁴ Make the Sabbath Day holy again… heal me O Lord and I will be healed… save me and I’ll be delivered, for You are my reason for boasting!

¹⁵ {Look!}They ask: ‘Where is this word of Jehovah? Let it come and happen [to us]!’ ¹⁶ But I haven’t tired of following You, and the day of man I’ve not desired. You know all the things that have come from my lips… before Your face they’re all here. ¹⁷ So, please don’t push me away, and in that bad day please protect me! ¹⁸ May those who pursue me be shamed, and myself may I not disgrace. May they come to know terror, but may I never know terror. So, bring that bad day upon them… double the destruction upon them!

¹⁹ And the Lord then told me: ‘Go stand at the gates of the sons of your people (the gates the kings of Judah walk through… all of those through which they pass… all of Jerusalem’s gates), ²⁰ then say, O kings of Judah, and you of Judea and Jerusalem; Hear the word of Jehovah, all you who enter these gates! ²¹ For, Jehovah said this: Save your lives… don’t lift burdens on the Sabbath… carry nothing through Jerusalem’s gates… ²² carry nothing from your homes on the Sabbaths, and do not do any work! Keep the Sabbath days holy, for that’s what I told your fathers to do!’

²³ ‘But they won’t listen or turn their ears… they’ll make their necks stiffer than did their fathers… they’ll refuse to pay attention and follow instructions.

²⁴ Then the Lord [told me to say]: ‘If you will but listen to Me, and stop carrying loads through these gates on the Sabbaths, and keep the Sabbaths holy by not doing work, then kings and rulers will enter these gates (those who will sit upon David’s throne). ²⁵ They’ll come with horses and chariots, and over Judah and Jerusalem, I will appoint them as rulers, and they’ll settle in this city through the age. ²⁶ And at that time [the people] will come, from the city of Jerusalem and from Judea… from the land of BenJamin they’ll also come, and from the mountains and fields in the south, bringing along their burnt-offerings, as well as incense and sacrifices, and offerings of thanks and frankincense, to offer praise at the House of Jehovah.

²⁷ ‘But, if you choose to pay Me no mind… if you fail to keep My Sabbaths holy, and you lift and then carry loads, through Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbaths; within its gates I’ll light a fire, which will devour Jerusalem’s plazas… and it won’t be extinguished thereafter.’

Chapter 18

¹ This message came to JeremiJah from Jehovah. ² He said: ‘Get up and go to the house of the potter, and there you must listen to My words.’

³ So, I went to the house of the potter, {Look!} and there he was making a [pot] on the stone. ⁴ But the pot he was making soon fell apart, so he shaped it into a pot he was pleased with.

⁵ It was then that the word of the Lord came to me saying, ⁶ ‘Jehovah asks: O house of Israel; Can I not remake you in the same way, as the potter just [remade this pot]? {Look!} As clay in the hands of a potter, that’s what you are in My hands, house of Israel. ⁷ So, when I speak of the end of a nation or kingdom, and plan to lift them away and destroy them, ⁸ and that nation then turns from the bad, I’ll change My mind about the bad things I’d planned! ⁹ But, if I speak of rebuilding a nation or kingdom, ¹⁰ and they continue as wicked before Me, or if they refuse to listen to My voice, then I’ll change My mind about the good things I’d planned.

¹¹ ‘Now, say this to the men of Judea, and to those who live in Jerusalem… tell them that thus says Jehovah: {Look!} I will shape bad things against you, and devise against you a plot, unless you turn from your evil ways, and change your bad ways to good!’

¹² But they replied, ‘We’ll act like men and do as we please… we’ll do whatever is bad in our hearts!’

¹³ Because of this, thus said the Lord: ‘Go ask the nations if they’ve ever heard, a better reason to shudder, than what Israel the virgin is now doing. ¹⁴ Will the nipples of rocks ever fail… or the snow on Lebanon’s mountains? Will the rain turn aside when it’s blown by the wind? ¹⁵ Yet, by My own people I’ve been forgotten, so when they burn incense it’s all in vain… they’ll grow weak in their paths, and will not walk on the roads of the ages. For, since they don’t know the way they should go, ¹⁶ they’ve ordered extinction upon their own land… a hissing [that will last] through the ages. Then all who go there will be amazed, and they will just shake their heads. ¹⁷ Before their enemies they’ll be scattered, as though they were fire in the wind. For, I’ll show them the back not the front, in their day of destruction.’

¹⁸ Then the [the people] started saying: ‘Let’s come up with a plot against JeremiJah, for the Law will never pass away, nor will the wisdom or words of [our] prophets. Come, let’s strike him on the tongue, so we won’t have to listen to his words!’

¹⁹ Hear me, O Lord; hear the [results] of my righteous actions! ²⁰ Should I be repaid with evil for good? Why, they’ve met and discussed bad things concerning my life!

Remember [all the times] that I stood before You, to speak what is good on their behalf… when I urged You to turn from Your rage against them! ²¹ Yet, because of [what they are doing], bring famine upon all their sons… give them to the hands of those who bear swords! Let their women become childless and widows… let their husbands be killed, and their young men fall by swords in a war! ²² Let there be cries in their homes, as You set robbers upon them, for they have plotted to seize me, and against me they’ve hidden snares. ²³ You know, O Lord, that they plan to kill me, so don’t forget their errors and sins… don’t wipe away [their sins] from before You. Let their weakness stand there before You… deal with them in the time of Your rage!

Chapter 19

¹ Then the Lord said to me: ‘Go buy a pitcher of shaped earthenware, from the elders of the people and the priests. ² Then, to the cemetery of the sons of Hinnom you must go (at the threshold of the gate of CharSith), and read all the words that I’ll tell you! ³ Say, Hear the word of Jehovah, O kings of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem, for Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel says this: {Look!} I am bringing such evil to this place, it’ll ring in the ears of all those who hear it. ⁴ For they have left Me and [chosen] this place, where they burn incense to strange gods (gods that they and their fathers didn’t know), and the kings of Judah have filled up this place, with the blood of innocent [men]. ⁵ Here they’ve built [altars] to Baal, on which they burn their sons in a fire… something that I never spoke of, or ever told them to do, or even came into My heart.

⁶ ‘Because of this, days will come,’ says Jehovah, ‘when they’ll not call this [The Valley] anymore, or the graveyard of Hinnom’s descendants; it will be called The Graveyard of Slaughter, ⁷ for the counselors of Judah and Jerusalem I’ll slay here… before their enemies I’ll cut them down… at the hands of those who are seeking their lives. Then their dead I’ll provide as food for the birds, and for the wild animals of the earth.

⁸ ‘I’ll give orders for the extinction of this city… to become a place of hissing sounds. And all who come here will look at it sadly, and whistle at the greatness of its disaster.

⁹ ‘Then they’ll eat the flesh of their daughters and sons, and there in their strongholds they’ll eat the flesh of their neighbors, when their enemies (those seeking their lives) come against them.

¹⁰ ‘Then break the pitcher before the eyes, of the men who came here with you. ¹¹ And tell them that thus says Jehovah: This is how I will do it; I’ll break these people and their city like this pot, so none can thereafter repair it. They’ll be buried here in this place, where [they play] tambourines… and there’ll be no other place to be buried.

¹² ‘Jehovah says, This is what I will do to this place, and to all those who live here: I’ll give up this city as something that’s ruined; ¹³ and the houses of Jerusalem and the palaces of its kings, will be places that fall into ruin, because of the uncleanness that’s there. For, there they burn incense on their roofs, to all the armies of the skies, and they offer drinks to strange gods.’

¹⁴ Then JeremiJah left [the valley] where Jehovah had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the courtyard of the [Temple] of Jehovah and said this to all the people: ‘Thus says Jehovah of Armies (the God of Israel): {Look!} I’ll bring calamity on this city, and upon all her cities and towns, all the evils that I spoke against her, for you have hardened your necks, and you don’t listen to what I’ve commanded.’

Chapter 20

¹ Well, when Pashur, the son of ImMer the Priest (who had been anointed as the leader of the House of Jehovah) heard what JeremiJah was prophesying, ² he struck him and then threw him in the dungeon that was by the upper Gate of the House of BenJamin (inside the [Temple area] of Jehovah).

³ Then the next morning, Pashur led JeremiJah out of the dungeon, and JeremiJah said to him, ‘Jehovah will not call your name Pashur, but Refugee. ⁴ For Jehovah says: {Look!} I’ll hand over you and your friends, to be relocated [from here]. Then they will fall by their enemy’s swords, and your eyes will see it all happen. For, I will give Judah into to the hands of Babylon’s king, then he will displace them, and cut them to pieces with swords.

⁵ ‘Then I will take all the strength of this city – all its works and all the king’s treasures – and put it into their enemy’s hands. They’ll all be led into Babylon, ⁶ and you and all who live in your house, will be taken as captives to Babylon… and there is where you will die… there you’ll be entombed with all of your friends, to whom you prophesied lies.’

⁷ You deceived me, O Lord, and I was deceived…
But You held on and prevailed.
For, I’m the butt of laughter each day,
And I’m always the one who is sneered at.

⁸ So, I’ll laugh at the bitterness [within my heart],
And I’ll call for rebellion and misery.
For the word of Jehovah brought scorn upon me,
And a reason for taunting each day.

⁹ Then I said: ‘There’s no way that I’ll [speak of] Jehovah;
There’s no way that I’ll still speak in His Name.’
But it became like a fire, that burned and blazed in my bones,
And I became weak on my insides, to where I was unable to bear it.

¹⁰ I heard what was said in the gatherings:
‘Let us all rise against him…
Yes together, let’s rise against him,
As well as against his male friends.

‘Pay attention to the things that he thinks,
And let him keep being deceived.
But we will win out against him,
And take our vengeance upon him.’

¹¹ But Jehovah is with me, as a warrior bringing strength,
And because of this, they chased me in vain.
Though they were shamed, they failed to see their dishonor,
Which through the ages will not be forgotten.

¹² O Lord; Try me in Your righteous ways…
Examine my kidneys and heart.
May I behold Your punishment on them,
For, before You I have uncovered, all my pleas for defense.

¹³ So, sing to Jehovah and praise Him,
For He has rescued the lives of the poor,
From the hands of those who have power!

¹⁴ O cursed is the day when I was born…
May the day that my mother gave birth, never be longed for again!

¹⁵ Curse the man who gave the good news to my father,
Saying, ‘Rejoice, for you have a male child!’
¹⁶ May that man be as unrepented cities,
Which are then destroyed by Jehovah!

Let Him hear their cries in the mornings,
And [may He hear] shouting at noon!
¹⁷ For, He failed to kill me in my mother’s womb,
So it could serve as my tomb through the age.

¹⁸ Why did I come from the womb,
Just to see misery and toil, and spend all my days in such shame?

Chapter 21

¹ These are the words that came to JeremiJah from Jehovah when King ZedekiJah sent Pashur (the son of MelchiJah), and ZephaniJah (the son of MaAseJah) the Priest to him. ² [For they had] said, ‘Ask the Lord for us, because the king of Babylon has [set up camp] around us. [Ask] if Jehovah will perform His wonders and send that king away from us.’

³ And Jehovah said to JeremiJah, ‘Tell ZedekiJah that; I’ll turn back the weapons of warfare in his hands, which he’s using in order to wage war, against the Chaldeans that oppress him, and who are outside of his walls; ⁴ then I’ll gather them into the midst of the city. ⁵ For, I Myself will wage war against him, with an outstretched hand and mighty arm, in [My] great anger and rage. ⁶ And I’ll strike all those who live in the city… both men and cattle in a great slaughter, and then they will all die.’

⁷ ‘And then,’ said Jehovah, ‘I’ll hand overJudah’s King ZedekiJah, as well as his servants and the people of the city, who survive death from the famine, and the swords in the hands of those seeking their lives. Then they’ll cut them to pieces by the mouth of the sword… I will not spare them and I’ll feel no pity.

⁸ ‘Then speak to these people and tell them; tell them that thus says Jehovah: {Look!} Before your faces I’ve put life and death. ⁹ And those who stay in this city, will die by the famine and sword. But, those who leave to join the Chaldeans… (those who have you surrounded) will live! Your [reward] will be your own lives! ¹⁰ For against this city I’ve set My face, to do just bad things not good, says Jehovah. It’s going to be handed to Babylon’s king, and he will burn it with fire.’

¹¹ O house of the king of Judah; Hear the word of Jehovah! ¹² O house of David; Jehovah [our God has] said this: ‘In the morning, you should discuss the judgment upon you, and then get yourselves straightened out. Rescue those being shredded, from the hands of those who are doing them wrong! Don’t let My anger be lit like a fire, for once it has been kindled, no one will be there to put it out!

¹³ ‘Look… it’s Me that has come against you, O you who live in the valley of Sor, and you who live in its plains… those who are saying, Who should we fear? and, Who will enter our homes? ¹⁴ Yes, it is Me who is watching, and now I will kindle a fire in [your] woods, which will devour all that’s around [you]!’

Chapter 22

¹ Then the Lord said: ‘Go down to the [palace] of Judah’s king, and these are the words you must speak there. ² Say: Hear the word of Jehovah, king of Judah, you who are sitting on David’s throne… you, as well as your servants, and your people who enter these gates! ³ Jehovah says: You must be fair and just, and rescue those being plundered, from the hands of those who are doing them wrong! Don’t tyrannize foreigners, orphans, or widows! No more should you be irreverent, and don’t shed innocent blood in this place! ⁴ For, if you [continue] doing such things, then [their] kings will enter the gates of this house, and on the throne of David they will sit. They, their children, and their people will come, mounted on horses and chariots.

⁵ ‘If you don’t pay attention to these words, I swear an oath by Myself, says Jehovah: I’ll make this house a desolation!’

⁶ And Jehovah said this against the [palace] of the king of Judah: ‘You are Gilead to Me; You are Lebanon’s head. So, should I not wipe you away, and leave your cities deserted? ⁷ I’ll bring annihilation upon you, by a man who carries the axe. He’ll cut down all your fine cedars, and throw them into a fire. ⁸ Then nations will [march] through this city, and each man will ask of his neighbor, Why did the Lord do such to this city? ⁹ And the other will reply, Because they abandoned the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah their God, then they bowed to strange gods and served them. ¹⁰ So, don’t weep or feel sorry for those who have died; weep for those who have left her, because they won’t return here again, nor will they see the land of their fathers.’

¹¹ Jehovah has spoken against ShalLum, the son of JosiJah (the king of Judah), who reigned for his father (JosiJah), and who [was taken] away from this place. He said: ‘He won’t return here again, ¹² but he’ll die in the place where I had him taken, and he’ll not see this land ever again!

¹³ ‘You’ve built your [palace] without justice, and all its rooms without fairness, by making your neighbors work without pay… you did not pay them their wages! ¹⁴ A well-designed house you’ve built for yourself, with ventilated rooms [and many] windows, which are covered with cedar painted yellow. ¹⁵ So, should you now start to reign, because you are angry with Ahaz your father?

‘They will not eat and they will not drink, for it’s better to be honest, fair, and just! ¹⁶ Yet they didn’t know, that they failed to judge the humble in fairness, and to give justice to the needy! Was this because you didn’t know Me,’ asks Jehovah?

¹⁷ ‘{Look!} There isn’t any good in your eyes or your heart. All you desire is more wealth, the shedding of innocent blood, and doing wrong things… such as murder! ¹⁸ And because of this,’ says Jehovah, against JehoiAkim (son of JosiJah) king of Judah; ‘Woe [is coming to] this man, and no way should they ever feel sorry, and say of him, O my brother! For him they won’t weep and say, Alas for you O my Lord! ¹⁹ For, he will be buried like a burro… he will be scraped up and tossed, outside of Jerusalem’s gates!

²⁰ ‘Go up to Lebanon and shout! Go to Bashan and call to the ends of the sea, because all your lovers have been defeated! ²¹ I’ve spoken to you of your sins, and you said you won’t pay attention. This has been your way since your youth; you haven’t paid attention to My voice! ²² So, all your shepherds will tend to the wind, and your lovers will be taken as captives. Then you will be shamed and disgraced, before all who were so fond of you.

²³ ‘O one who lives in Lebanon, nesting there among the cedars; You will groan like a [woman] giving birth, because pangs of grief are coming to you!

²⁴ ‘As I live,’ says Jehovah; ‘ConiJah (the son of JehoiAkim) king of Judah, will become a seal on My right hand, and it’s from there that I’ll pluck you out. ²⁵ Then I’ll hand you to those seeking your life – those before whom you have been cautious – into the hands of Babylon’s King NebuChadNezzar, and into the hands of the Chaldeans. ²⁶ I’ll throw both you and the mother who bore you, into a land where you were not born, and it is there that you’ll die! ²⁷ To this land that you’ve loved with your whole souls, there’s no way that you’ll ever return.

²⁸ ‘ConiJah has been disgraced, like a pot [that is thrown] in the garbage; he’ll be thrown in a land that he’s never known.’

²⁹ O land, hear the word of Jehovah ³⁰ (for He said): ‘Write this man up as someone who’s banished, by a public proclamation, so nothing will grow from his seed, that will ever sit upon David’s throne, or to rule in Judah again!’

Chapter 23

¹ O you shepherds who scatter; you who’re destroying the sheep of my pasture; Jehovah (the God of Israel) has made [this pronouncement], against the shepherds who are tending His people: ² ‘You have scattered My sheep; You have pushed them away, and refused to [watch over] them. So, {Look!} I will take vengeance upon you, for the wicked things that you’ve done. ³ Then throughout the earth I’ll gather what’s left of My people (wherever I may have pushed them), and put them [back] in their pastures, where they will grow and multiply. ⁴ Then I will raise shepherds to tend them, so they won’t fear or know terror anymore, nor will they be searched for [again],’ says Jehovah.

⁵ ‘Look! The days are coming,’ says Jehovah, ‘when I’ll bring a righteous dawning to David, and an understanding king will then reign, who’ll bring fairness and righteousness to the land. ⁶ And during his days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will camp in submission. Then by Jehovah, he’ll be called JoSedek (Jehovah is Our Righteousness).’

⁷ ‘And because of this {Look!} days will come,’ says Jehovah, ‘when they will no longer be saying: As Jehovah (who led Israel out of Egypt) lives, ⁸ but, As Jehovah (who gathered and led Israel’s seed from northern lands, and from everywhere they had been pushed to, and restored them to their own land) lives.’

⁹ Their prophets have broken my heart. All my bones were shaken within me. I became like a man who is broken, and as one who has had too much wine, before the face of Jehovah… from before the face of the beauty of His glory. ¹⁰ For, the land is full of adultery.

In the face of such things the land is in mourning, and the pastures in the desert have dried. For their race has become wicked and weak, ¹¹ and their priests and their prophets are tainted.

‘I saw their wickedness in My [Temple],’ says Jehovah, ¹² ‘so I allowed them to slip into darkness, where they will stumble and fall! For, in the year that I visit, I will bring bad things upon them,’ says Jehovah.

¹³ ‘Among the prophets of Samaria, I beheld the violations of [My] Law. For, there they prophesied by Baal, and My people Israel they had misled.

¹⁴ ‘And among the prophets of Jerusalem, I also saw reasons to shudder. They’re committing adultery and following lies, and holding the hands of the wicked… not turning their hands from wicked ways.

‘To Me they are now like Sodom… like GomorRah are all those who live there. ¹⁵ Because of this, thus says Jehovah of Armies, to [all of those] prophets: {Look!} I will feed them on grief, and give them bitter water to drink. For, Jerusalem’s prophets have brought, contamination upon the whole land.’

¹⁶ Thus says Jehovah the Almighty: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets… those who prophesy to you. For, upon themselves they bring foolishness, by the visions [they proclaim], because they just speak from their hearts, not from the mouth of Jehovah.

¹⁷ ‘They say to those who’ve pushed aside the word of the Lord: Those following the desires of their hearts will have peace… no evil will come to any of those, who are following the delusions of their hearts.’

¹⁸ Who has stood in the fort of the Lord… who has beheld and heard what He said… yes, who has given ear and listened? ¹⁹ {Look!} A shaking will come from Jehovah… His anger will come as a rumble, then a tornado will come to the godless. ²⁰ Yet, this won’t turn the rage of Jehovah, until His heart is satisfied. And they won’t comprehend ‘til the end of their days.

²¹ ‘I did not send the false prophets… and yet, they have still came. To them I didn’t speak… yet they have still prophesied. ²² But if they had followed My council, and if they’d paid attention to My words, My people would have turned from their wicked ways.

²³ ‘I am a God who is near,’ says Jehovah! ‘I’m not a God who is far away. ²⁴ So, what can be hidden [from Me]… what is the secret that I cannot see,’ asks Jehovah?

‘Can I not fill the heavens and earth,’ asks Jehovah? ²⁵ ‘Yet I’ve heard what the prophets have said… those prophesying lies by My Name, and who say, I [saw this] in a dream!

²⁶ ‘For how much longer will there still be lies, in the hearts of the prophets? How long will they prophecy lies, which speak from the desires of their hearts? ²⁷ They’ve devised ways to forget about My Name, then used their dreams to describe to their neighbors, how [it was really] their fathers, who’ve forgotten My Name, and turned to the service of Baal.

²⁸ ‘Let those dreaming prophets describe all their dreams! And let those who say that they have My word, describe what I’ve really said!

‘As straw is to grain, thus are My words,’ says Jehovah. ²⁹ ‘Aren’t My words a blazing fire,’ asks the Lord? ‘Aren’t they an axe that cuts rocks? ³⁰ Look! I am against all those prophets,’ says God, ‘who are stealing My words from their neighbors. ³¹ Look! I’m against all those prophets,’ says Jehovah; ‘those who throw prophecies from their tongues, while all they really did was slumber and sleep. ³² Look! I’m against all those prophets, those who prophesy with false dreams. For, those who describe them mislead My people, with all their lies and delusions.

‘I didn’t send them, and I didn’t tell them to do this. So, they’ve brought nothing at all to these people,’ says Jehovah. ³³ ‘And if you are asked by these people, or by a priest or a prophet, What is Jehovah concerned with? You must answer; You’re My concern for I’ll beat you down, says Jehovah, ³⁴ along with the prophets, the priests, and the people… those who you say are Jehovah’s concern. For, I’ll punish that man and his house.

³⁵ ‘Then each one will ask of his neighbor, as well as each man of his brother: What did Jehovah reply? What did Jehovah [truly] say? ³⁶ But, don’t ask of the concerns of Jehovah again! For, what He has said will be man’s concern.

³⁷ ‘The words of God you’ve distorted, so when you ask of the prophets, What was said by Jehovah our God… ³⁸ because you’ve spoken these words once again; the concerns of Jehovah are what I will send upon you. For I said: Don’t ask of the concerns of Jehovah again!

³⁹ ‘It’s because of this that, {Look!} I will take you, and beat you down along with this city, which I gave to your fathers and you. ⁴⁰ I’ll place scorn on you through the ages, as well as dishonor that won’t be forgotten.’

Chapter 24

¹ After NebuChadNezzar (the king of Babylon) had taken JeconiJah (the son of JehoiAkim) the king of Judah and the governors from Jerusalem as prisoners and led them into Babylon, Jehovah showed me two reed baskets of figs sitting before the Temple of Jehovah. ² The first basket of figs was much fresher and better than the other, and the second basket of figs was so bad that it couldn’t be eaten. ³ And Jehovah asked me, ‘What do you see, JeremiJah?’

And I replied, ‘Figs… some that are good, and the others so bad that they can’t be eaten.’

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, ⁵ ‘Jehovah the God of Israel says this: These figs that are better are how I will view, those Judeans who I’ve sent from this place, to the land of Chaldea. ⁶ I will fix My eyes upon them for good, and to this land I’ll restore them… I will rebuild them and not destroy them… I will plant and not pluck them up… ⁷ I’ll give them a heart to know Me, so they will know that I am their Lord… they’ll be My people and I’ll be their God, for they’ll turn toward Me with their whole hearts.

⁸ ‘And as for the bad figs that cannot be eaten; because they are rotten, says Jehovah, I’ll hand over ZedekiJah (king of Judah), along with all his great men. Then the rest of those in Jerusalem, and those who remain in this land, as well as those [who go down to] Egypt, ⁹ will be scattered among all kingdoms of the earth. They’ll be scorned as a parable of hatred, and cursed in every place where I’ll push them. ¹⁰ Upon them I will bring famine, as well as plagues and the sword, until they’re forced out of this land, that I gave to them and their fathers.’

Chapter 25

¹ In the fourth year [of the reign] of JehoiAkim (the son of JosiJah) the king of Judah, this word came to JeremiJah concerning all the people of Judah. It was during the first year [of the reign] of NebuChadNezzar (the king of Babylon) ² that the Prophet JeremiJah spoke to all people of Judah and to those who were living in Jerusalem. ³ He said: ‘From the thirteenth year of JosiJah (son of Amon), who’s been the king of Judah to this day – for [the past] twenty three years – Jehovah’s word has been coming to me. And I’ve been getting up early each day, in order to tell you [just what He said]; However, you would not listen.

⁴ ‘[So, Jehovah said]: At dawn I sent you My servants the Prophets, but you didn’t listen with your ears, nor did you pay close attention. ⁵ They told you to turn from your wicked ways, and then you will live in the land, which I gave to you and your fathers, through the age and into the ages.

⁶ ‘I told you not to follow strange gods… not to serve them or bow low before them, so you would not provoke Me to anger, by the works of your hands, and I wouldn’t do bad things to you. ⁷ But you wouldn’t listen to Me. ⁸ So, because of this, says Jehovah… since you didn’t trust what I said, ⁹ {Look!} I will send for the family of the north, and lead them up to this land… I will bring them against all those who live on it, and against all the nations round about. Then I’ll make them all desolation… I’ll appoint them for extinction and hissing, as well as for scorn through the ages. ¹⁰ I’ll destroy the sounds of happiness and joy, as well as the voice of the bride and her groom, and the scent of perfume and the light of a lamp.

¹¹ ‘There’ll be extinction throughout the whole land, and for seventy years you’ll serve these nations, as well as Babylon’s king. ¹² And when seventy years are fulfilled, upon Babylon’s king, I’ll take vengeance on his wicked nation, for the unrighteous things that they’ve done, says Jehovah, and upon the land of Chaldea… through the ages I’ve appointed extinction. ¹³ Against that land I’ll bring all the words, that I have spoken about them… all the things that are written in this scroll, which JeremiJah prophesied against that great nation! ¹⁴ For they have forced many nations, as well as great kings to serve them. So I’ll pay them back for the bad things they did… according to the things that were done by their hands.’

¹⁵ ‘Jehovah the God of Israel says: Take this cup of pure wine from My hand, and give it to the nations where I’ll send you, and offer it to them as their drink. ¹⁶ Then they will drink it and vomit it out, and go mad before the sword that I’ll send among them.’

¹⁷ So, I took the cup from the hand of the Lord, and gave it to the nations to drink (all of those to whom the Lord sent me… to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah… to the king of Judah and his rulers), ¹⁸ to appoint desolation upon them, and for them to be lands that are no longer walked… places of hissing and curses… ¹⁹ the Pharaoh (king of Egypt) and his children; as well as his people and all his great men (yes, all of his realm), ²⁰ and the kings of Uz and Philistia; of AshKelon, Gaza, and Ekron, and those remaining in AshDod, ²¹ as well as of Edom and Moab.

‘The sons of Ammon are also appointed to extinction, ²² as well as the kings of Sidon and Tyre, and the kings who [live] across the sea, ²³ such as Dedan, Tema, and Buz (all those who are shaving their faces), ²⁴ and the kings of Arabia and their subjects (those who rest in the desert); ²⁵ all the kings of Zimri and Elam; all the kings of the Medes; ²⁶ and all the kings from the east wind (both those far away and those who are near), along with all of their brothers, and the rest of the kingdoms on the face of the earth… why, the king of Sheshach will also drink with them!’

²⁷ ‘And you must tell them that thus Jehovah the Almighty: They must drink and get drunk, and then they will vomit and fall! For, they’ll be unable to stand, before the sword that I’m sending among them! ²⁸ And if they refuse to drink from the cup, you should tell them that Jehovah of Armies has said: [You have no choice] but to drink it, ²⁹ because this affliction has been started already, in the city that carries My Name. And if you should try to make [yourselves] clean, there’s no way that you’ll ever be clean, for I have called for a sword, to come upon the whole earth, says Jehovah of Armies.

³⁰ ‘You must speak these words against them and say: From high above in His Holy Place, upon you Jehovah will bring execution… He’ll speak a word with His voice, and against your place He will bring execution. Then those gathering this vintage will say, against all those who have settled on the earth: ³¹ Part of the earth has been ruined, for this judgment of the nations has come from Jehovah… with all flesh He now is contending, and the irreverent will be given to the sword.

³² ‘Jehovah of Armies says this: {Look!} Evil will come from a nation on nations, and a storm will rage to the ends of the earth. ³³ And in that day; From one part of the earth to the other, those who are slain by Jehovah, won’t be lamented, gathered, or buried… they’ll be like manure on the face of the land.

³⁴ ‘So, shout, O shepherds, and cry out! Beat your chests, O rams of the flocks! For, your days became full for the slaughter, and you will fall like the choicest of rams. ³⁵ For shepherds; their chances for flight will be gone, and safety will flee from the rams of the flocks. ³⁶ There’ll be the sounds of cries from the shepherds, as well as the bleating of rams, as Jehovah wipes out their pastures.

³⁷ ‘Peaceful places of rest will no longer be, in the face of the anger and rage of Jehovah. For, He’s like a lion that’s abandoned its lair, and their land will be a place that’s unwalked, in front of His mighty sword.’

Chapter 26

¹ It was in the beginning of the reign of King JehoiAkim (the son of JosiJah) that this word came from Jehovah. [He] said: ² ‘Stand in the courtyard of [My Temple], and give orders to all in Judea… those who are coming to bow here. Give them the orders that I have spoken… do not remove a single word! ³ Perhaps they will then listen, and turn away from their evil, so I will stop all the bad things, that I’ve arranged to bring upon them, because of the bad things they’re doing.

⁴ ‘Now, tell them that Jehovah says this: If you refuse to listen to Me, and obey all the Laws that I’ve set before you… [if you won’t] obey the words of My servants – ⁵ those Prophets that I sent, but to whom you chose not to listen – ⁶ then I will make this [Temple] like Shiloh, and appoint this city as a curse, before all the nations of the earth.’

⁷ Well, all the priests, all the false prophets, and all the people heard what JeremiJah said when he spoke those words in the [Temple] of Jehovah. ⁸ And when he had finished saying all that Jehovah had ordered him to say before all the people, all the priests, and all the false prophets, the people grabbed him and said, ⁹ ‘Now we’re going to kill you, because you’ve prophesied in the Name of the Lord and said that this [Temple] will become like Shiloh and this city will become desolate with no one living in it!’

So, all the people assembled [for a trial] against JeremiJah, there inside the [Temple] of Jehovah. ¹⁰ And when the rulers of Judah heard [what he had said], they too went up from the king’s [palace] to the [Temple] of Jehovah, and they sat on the thresholds of the New Gate of Jehovah. ¹¹ And the priests and false prophets said to the rulers and all the people, ‘This man deserves the judgment of death, for he prophesied against this city… as you’ve all heard with your own ears!’

¹² And [in reply], JeremiJah said to all the rulers and the people: ‘Why, it was Jehovah who sent me to prophesy all the words that you’ve heard against this [Temple] and this city. ¹³ So, it’s really better for you to change your works and your ways, and to start listening to the voice of your God Jehovah, and then the Lord will bring an end to the evils that He has spoken against you. ¹⁴ So now, {Look!} here I am in your hands! Do to me whatever you think is going to be advantageous and best for yourselves! ¹⁵ But know and understand that if you do away with me, you will have brought the guilt of innocent blood against yourselves, this city, and all those who live here; for it was truly Jehovah who sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.’

¹⁶ Then the rulers and people said to the priests and false prophets: ‘This man doesn’t deserve a sentence of death, for he was speaking in the Name of Jehovah our God!’

¹⁷ Then men from among the elders of the land stood up and spoke before the whole gathering, saying: ¹⁸ ‘MicAh the Morasthite was a Prophet in the days of HezekiJah the king of Judah, and he spoke to all the people of Judah and told them that Jehovah of Armies said, Zion is like a field to be plowed; Jerusalem will become a storehouse of fruits; and the Temple Mount will be converted, into a grove of sacred poles. ¹⁹ Yet, did King HezekiJah and the people of Judah do way with him… weren’t they in fear of Jehovah… didn’t they then beg and bow before [Him]… and didn’t Jehovah thereafter cease from the evils that He had spoken against them? Now, we have [for a fact sinned] in a great way against our own lives.’

²⁰ Well, there was another man who was also prophesying in the Name of Jehovah. This was UriJah the son of ShemaiJah (from Kiriath JaIrim), and he had too had prophesied about this city and land, using the same words as JeremiJah! ²¹ And when he heard what King JehoiAkim and all the rulers were saying about seeking to kill [JeremiJah], UriJah became afraid and he ran away to Egypt. ²² But the king sent his men to Egypt (ElNathan, the son of AchBor, and some other men who went with him down to Egypt), ²³ and they brought him back from there and carried him before the king. Then the king struck him with a sword and tossed [his body] into the tomb of the sons of his people.

²⁴ However, the hand of AhiKam (the son of ShaPhan) was with JeremiJah to prevent him from being handed over to the people, so they could do away with him.

Chapter 27

¹ It was at the beginning of the reign of JehoiAkim (the son of JosiJah) the king of Judah, that this word came to JeremiJah from Jehovah. ² The Lord said, ‘Make shackles and a collar for yourself, to be put around your own neck. ³ Send them to the kings of Edom and Moab, as well as Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon, by the hands of their envoys who have come to Jerusalem, to see ZedekiJah, king of Judah. ⁴ Order them to say to their Lords, that Jehovah of Armies – the God of Israel – says this: ⁵ It is I who made the land and its men, and [all] the cattle on the face of the earth, by means of My strength and My arm that’s held high, and I’ll give it to whomever I see fit. ⁶ And now the whole earth I have given, to the king of Babylon, NebuChadNezzar. [So all men] must start serving him, as well as their animals in the fields, ⁷ and their sons and the sons of their sons, through the period that has come to this land… yes, all of this is now his!

‘Many nations and great kings will serve him. ⁸ And upon any nation or kingdom, that will not serve NebuChadNezzar – upon any who won’t put his yoke on their necks – I’ll send the sword, plagues, and famine, says Jehovah, until they all yield to his hand.

⁹ ‘So, to your false prophets don’t listen (those who bring oracles through dreams, or to those who give omens through potions) when they say: No way you should serve Babylon’s king. ¹⁰ For, to you they prophesy lies, in order to send you away from your land; for I’ll cast you out and [destroy] you.

¹¹ ‘To the nation that puts its neck in the yoke, of Babylon’s king and [willingly] serves him, I’ll allow them to stay in their land, says Jehovah. They will then work there and live there.’

¹² Thereafter, I spoke all these words to ZedekiJah the king of Judah. I said, ‘Bring your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon. ¹³ Work for him and his people and you’ll live! Why should you and your people all die by the sword, famine, and plagues, as Jehovah told the nations would happen to them if they choose not to serve the king of Babylon? ¹⁴ You shouldn’t listen to the words of the prophets when they tell you not to serve the king of Babylon, because they’re prophesying unrighteous things to you! ¹⁵ For, Jehovah said: I didn’t send them, yet they’re prophesy unrighteous things in My Name, so as to have Me destroy you… you will perish along with your prophets, who now prophesy lies!’

¹⁶ Then I spoke to the priests and to all the people, and told them that Jehovah said: ‘Don’t listen to the words of the prophets when they prophesy and say, {Look!} The items of the [Temple] of Jehovah will soon be returned from Babylon! Because, they’re prophesying unrighteously to you! ¹⁷ Don’t listen to them, but serve the king of Babylon so you may live… why must you allow your city to be desolated?

¹⁸ ‘If they are truly Prophets, and if they have the word of Jehovah, then let them come to meet with me, so the things that remain in the [Temple] of Jehovah, as well as in the [palace] of the king of Judah in Jerusalem, don’t end up being carried off into Babylon. ¹⁹ Because, Jehovah gave a warning concerning the pillars, the [Sacred] Sea, the bases, and all the other things that were left behind in this city ²⁰ and which were not taken by the king of Babylon when he resettled JeconiJah (the son of JehoiAkim) the king of Judah, and all the rulers from Judah and Jerusalem, to Babylon. ²¹ For, Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel said this concerning the things that were left behind in the [Temple] of Jehovah, and in the [palace] of the king of Judah in Jerusalem: ²² To Babylon they’ll go and there they will stay, until the day of their visitation, when I will lead them back to this place.’

Chapter 28

¹ It was in the fifth month of the fourth year of the reign of ZedekiJah (king of Judah) that HananiJah (the son of Azur) the false prophet from Gibeon spoke to me in the [Temple] of Jehovah before the eyes of the priests and all the people. He said: ² ‘Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel, spoke to me and said, I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. ³ And in just two more years I will return all things of the [Temple] of Jehovah to this place, ⁴ as well as JeconiJah and the [people] of Judah who had been relocated. For, I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’

⁵ Then the Prophet JeremiJah replied to HananiJah, there before the Priests and before the eyes of all people who were standing in the [Temple] of Jehovah: ⁶ ‘May Jehovah for a fact do what you’ve said in your prophecy, by returning the things of the [Temple] of Jehovah, and by returning to this place all those who were taken away to Babylon. ⁷ But hear these words that I’m now speaking in your ears before all the people: ⁸ Through the ages, there have been those who have spoken great prophecies against this land – long before you and me – concerning war, oppression, and plagues; ⁹ and [at the same time] there were also those who prophesied peace. Yet, when it all happens, the [people] will trust whichever of the prophets that was actually sent to them by Jehovah.’

¹⁰ Well, HananiJah then tore the yoke from the neck of JeremiJah and broke it. ¹¹ And he said (there before the eyes of all the people): ‘The Lord told me that this is how He will break the yoke of the king of Babylon from the necks of all the nations… in just two more years!’

So, JeremiJah left and went on his way. ¹² But then the word of Jehovah came to JeremiJah (after HananiJah had broken the yoke from his neck), and He said, ¹³ ‘Return and tell HananiJah: Jehovah says that you’ve broken the yoke, but I’ll turn the wooden yokes into iron. ¹⁴ For, Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel says, I’ll put a yoke made of iron, upon the necks of all nations, so they’ll work and serve Babylon’s king; and to him I will give all their cattle.’

¹⁵ Then JeremiJah told HananiJah, ‘Listen O HananiJah; Jehovah hasn’t sent you to these people just so they can rely on all the things that they are doing wrong. ¹⁶ And because of what you’ve done, Jehovah says: {Look!} I’ll send you away from the face of the earth… this very year you will die, for speaking against Jehovah [your God]!’

¹⁷ Well, he did die in the seventh month.

Chapter 29

¹ These are the words of the scroll that JeremiJah the Prophet sent from Jerusalem to the elders of those who had been relocated, as well as to the priests and false prophets… to all the people who NebuChadNezzar had moved from Jerusalem to Babylon ² after JeconiJah the king, his queen, and his eunuchs, as well as all the free men, servants, and craftsman, were taken from Jerusalem. ³ [He sent it] by the hand of ElAsah (the son of ShaPhan) and GemariJah (the son of HilkiJah). For, they were the ones who ZedekiJah (the king of Judah) sent to the king of Babylon (who was in Babylon [at the time]).

[The scroll] said: ⁴ ‘Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel says to those who were taken away (those who He resettled from Jerusalem to Babylon): ⁵ Build your houses and live there; plant gardens and then eat their fruits! ⁶ Take wives and have children (both sons and daughters)! Take [mates] for your sons and your daughters, and they’ll give birth to [more] sons and daughters… they’ll multiply and not be diminished! ⁷ Seek peace in the land where I’ve sent you, and pray to Jehovah on behalf of [the people], for in their peace you’ll find peace!

⁸ ‘Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel says: Don’t believe the false prophets among you… don’t be influenced by those, who say that you will have comfort, and don’t pay attention to any dreams that you dream! ⁹ For, there will be those who come in My Name, and they will prophecy falsely; but I didn’t send them, says Jehovah!

¹⁰ ‘Jehovah says: After seventy years are fulfilled upon Babylon, I’ll come visit you and do as I said… I’ll return your people to this place… ¹¹ I’ll work out a way that’s peaceful not bad, in order to give you these things. ¹² Then you can pray and I’ll listen to you… ¹³ you can search for Me and you’ll find Me; and when you search with your whole hearts, ¹⁴ to you I will make an appearance! ¹⁵ For, you’ve said that the Lord has put prophets, among those who are living in Babylon.

¹⁶ ‘And [Jehovah also spoke of] the king who was sitting on the throne of David, and to all the people who were living in the city… to all your brothers who didn’t leave and weren’t taken into captivity along with you. ¹⁷ Jehovah of Armies said: {Look!} I’ll send them the sword, famine, and plague… like a bad fig I will make them… [a fig] that’s too rotten to eat. ¹⁸ I’ll pursue them with swords, famines, and plagues, then scatter them among all kingdoms of the earth. To confusion, hissing, and scorn they’ll be cursed, among all the nations where I’ll send them. ¹⁹ For, they paid no attention to My words, says Jehovah, that I spoke to them through My servants the Prophets… those who I sent and rose early [each day], but to whom they wouldn’t listen, says Jehovah.

²⁰ ‘But you’ve paid attention to the words of Jehovah… all of you who’ve been moved away… those who I sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.

²¹ ‘Jehovah also spoke against Ahab (the son of KolaiJah) and ZedekiJah (the son of MaAseJah)… those who were prophesying lies to you in His Name. [He said]: {Look!} To the king of Babylon I’ll hand them, and before your eyes he’ll cut them down. ²² Then; When Judeans in Babylon curse they will say: May Jehovah do the same thing to you, as He did to Ahab and ZedekiJah… who the king of Babylon fried in a fire.

²³ ‘But those in Jerusalem are lawless… they’re committing adultery with their countrymen’s wives, and they say things in My Name, that I didn’t tell them to say… so I am the witness [against them], says Jehovah.’

²⁴ Then [Jehovah told me] to say to ShemaiJah the NeHelamite: ‘I didn’t send you in My Name, but you sent a letter to the Priest ZephaniJah, [in which you wrote] that thus says Jehovah: ²⁵ It was I who appointed you Priest, to replace the Priest JehoiAda, and to be in charge of the [Temple] of Jehovah, and to be over each prophet. ²⁶ And I told you to put every man, who acts crazily [like a prophet] into prison… yes, in the [lowest of] dungeons.

²⁷ ‘So, why haven’t you joined in with those, that are saying bad things about JeremiJah, who’s been a Prophet to you? ²⁸ For, he sent [a message] to Babylon, and told those [who live] in that far away place, to go, build houses, and dwell there, and to plant gardens and eat their fruit.’

²⁹ Well, after the Prophet JeremiJah had read this letter in the ears of ZephaniJah, ³⁰ the word of the Lord came to him saying: ³¹ ‘Send [a message] to those who have been relocated. Tell them that Jehovah has brought condemnation, upon ShemaiJah the NeHelamite. He said: Since ShemaiJah has prophesied to you (although I didn’t send him), and he urged you to trust in the things you do wrong… ³² it’s because of this, said Jehovah, that I will visit ShemaiJah and his kind, and there won’t be a man left among them, who will see the good things I’ll do among you, says Jehovah. For, he’s spoken apostasy against the Lord.’

Chapter 30

¹ These words came to JeremiJah from the Lord. He was told that Jehovah the God of Israel says: ² ‘In a scroll you must write all these words, that I have spoken to you! ³ For, {Look!} the days are coming,’ says Jehovah, ‘when I’ll return those of Israel and Judah (all who have been relocated),’ said Jehovah, ‘and bring them back to that land, which I gave to their fathers, and they will then be its lords.’

⁴ Then, these were the words that Jehovah spoke to Israel and Judah: ⁵ ‘Jehovah says: You will hear sounds of fear… you’ll hear sounds of fear and there’ll be no peace.

⁶ ‘Ask if a male has ever given birth. Yet, I see all men with their hands on their hips, as though they are women giving birth, and their faces are [yellow with] jaundice. ⁷ For, that will be a great day of woe, and there’ll be no other quite as severe, but Jacob will be saved from all this. ⁸ For Jehovah of Armies says: In that day I will break, all the yokes from their necks; I’ll tear apart all their bonds, and they’ll no longer be toiling for strangers. ⁹ They’ll work for Jehovah their God, and I will raise David to be their king.

¹⁰ ‘But you, O my servant Jacob; don’t be afraid, says Jehovah! O Israel, do not feel terror. For, {Look!} I’ll bring you back from that far away land… I’ll bring your seed from the land where they’re captives. Jacob will be returned and find rest; he’ll have an abundance of good things, and none will have reason to fear, ¹¹ for I am with you to save you,’ says Jehovah. Then I will appoint a conclusion, upon the nations where I scattered you; but there’s no way that I’ll appoint a conclusion for you. Rather, I will correct you in fairness, and I’ll cleanse you until you are clean.’

¹² ‘Jehovah said: I’ve removed the painful calamitous destruction, ¹³ and there’s no one who’s judging your case. But though your [wounds] have been medically treated, this brought no consolation to you. ¹⁴ For, by your friends you’ve been forgotten, and no one asks why I struck you, or why I allowed your enemies to beat you.

‘The discipline that I brought was substantial, for the unrighteous things that you did… because your sins were so great! ¹⁵ So, why yell [to Me] about your destruction, and the incurable state of your misery? It was because of the magnitude of your sins, and because of the harsh things you’ve done, that I’ve brought all these things upon you.

¹⁶ ‘Yet, those who [are now] devouring you, will themselves then be eaten, and all your enemies will be taken as captives… those who scattered you will be scattered, and those looting you will be plundered. ¹⁷ Then I’ll cure all of your grievous wounds… yes, I will treat you, says Jehovah. For Zion will be called The Place That’s Replanted, and no one will [attack] her anymore.

¹⁸ ‘Jehovah said: {Look!} I’ll return those of Jacob who’ve been relocated… all who were taken as captives. Then I will show mercy upon them, and rebuild their city in the heights, where the people will be seated according to their fairness.

¹⁹ ‘Then from among them there will come singers, and the sounds of those who are playing. They will grow in super abundance, and no way will they ever be diminished. ²⁰ Each one will enter with his sons as before, and their praises will rise up before Me. Then I’ll pay a visit to those who oppressed them.

²¹ ‘Their leader shall be one of them… their ruler shall come from among them. Then I’ll collect them and bring them to Me (all those who decide in their hearts to return), says Jehovah. ²² Then they’ll be My people and I’ll be their Lord.

²³ ‘For, the rage of the Lord was sent forth… His anger went out to change all the godless, and to make them turn back to Him. ²⁴ For, there’s no way to turn back the anger, or the rage of Jehovah, until He has taken some action… until He does what His heart has decided… and in the last days you will know this.’

Chapter 31

¹ At that time, Jehovah said: ‘To the race of Israel I’ll be their God, and they’ll be a people to Me.’

² Then Jehovah said, ‘They found it hot in the desert, when they were destroyed by the sword, but Israel will now find places to rest! ³ They will see the Lord in the distance, and then He will say: I’ve loved you with a love of the ages, so I’ve drawn you to Me to show pity upon you… ⁴ I will rebuild you and you’ll be rebuilt, O virgin daughter of Israel. Then once more you’ll take your tambourine, and go playing amidst the whole congregation. ⁵ Once again you’ll plant vineyards, upon Samaria’s mountains; so now go planting and plant, and go praising and praise! ⁶ For, this is the day of the calling, and on the mountains of EphraIm the watchmen will cry: Get up and climb up Mount Zion, to Jehovah your God!’

⁷ Then Jehovah said this to Jacob: ‘Be glad and shout to the heads of the nations… do it… shout loudly in praise! Say; Jehovah has delivered His people… those of Israel who still remain! ⁸ Look; from the north I will lead them, and gather them from the ends of the earth, to celebrate a [glorious] Passover. Yes, they then will return here, and they will have many children.

⁹ ‘When they left they did so in weeping, but I’ll comfort them and lead them to lodging, along straight paths and streams of [pure] water, and from [that path] they won’t stray. For, I’ve become Israel’s Father, and [a Father] to EphraIm My firstborn.’

¹⁰ Hear the words of Jehovah, O nations, and announce it to far-away islands. Say, ‘He who once winnowed Israel, will gather them back [to Himself] once again, and then He will guard them as grazing flocks. ¹¹ For, Jehovah’s [paid the] ransom for Jacob, and saved him from hands that were stronger. ¹² So now they’ll return and be joyful on Zion… in a land full of grain they’ll find good things from God… wine as well as olive oil, plus fruit, cattle, and sheep. Then their lives will be like trees filled with fruit, and they will be hungry no more.’

¹³ ‘Then all the virgins will do much rejoicing, and men young and old will be shouting in joy. For I’ll turn their mourning into joy; I’ll comfort them and make them happy; ¹⁴ I’ll magnify the lives of the Priests, and the [the lives of] the sons of Levi. So My people will be filled with My good things.’

Jehovah said: ¹⁵ ‘A voice was heard out of RamAh, that was weeping, wailing, and grieving. It was RachEl… she was weeping for her sons, and she refused to take comfort for they are no more.’

¹⁶ Then Jehovah said: ‘Stop crying and dry the tears from your eyes, for there is a wage for your work… from the land of their enemies they’ll return. ¹⁷ Yes, there is still hope for those who remain,’ says Jehovah, ‘for your sons will return to their borders.’

¹⁸ I heard EphraIm grieving; I listened and heard what he said: ‘You disciplined me and I was corrected, for I was like a [wild] calf. So, turn me back and I will return, for You are Jehovah my God! ¹⁹ Living as a captive has changed my mind; in the day of [my] shame I moaned and understood. Then plainly I showed You that I had accepted, the scorn [I deserved] in my youth.’

²⁰ ‘EphraIm is My very loved son; a child in whom I find joy. And because My words are within him, so I will never forget him. It was because of this that I hurried, for when it comes to showing him mercy, I will show mercy upon him,’ says Jehovah.

²¹ ‘So, establish road signs and guideposts! Give your hearts to your shoulders, in the way that you [are returning]! Return, O Israel the virgin! Return to your cities in mourning! ²² O My daughter; When will you turn from disgrace? For, Jehovah has made a new place, where it is safe to do planting, and a place where men can travel in safety.’

²³ Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel said: ‘They will still say these words, in the land of Judah and [in all of] her cities, when I return those who were [taken away]: Praise Jehovah, upon His righteous Holy Mountain, ²⁴ for those who live in the cities of Judah, and the farmers [who live] in His land, will be uplifted along with their flocks! ²⁵ For the thirsty people, I’ll provide drink, and all hungry souls I will fill. ²⁶ Then when you wake up, you’ll see that your sleep has been peaceful.

²⁷ ‘{Look!} The days are coming,’ says Jehovah, ‘when I’ll sow both Israel and Judah, with the seed of man and the seed of wild beasts. ²⁸ It’ll be as when I watched over them, [not] when I brought demolition and evil. Over them I will be watchful… I will rebuild and replant,’ says Jehovah.

²⁹ ‘In those days, no way will they say, that the fathers ate unripe grapes, so the teeth of their children felt chills. ³⁰ For then, each will die for his own sins… those eating green grapes will feel their own chills.

³¹ ‘Look… days are coming,’ says Jehovah, ‘when I’ll make an arrangement with Israel’s house, as well as with the house of Judah, and then I’ll conclude a New Sacred Agreement, ³² that’s unlike the Agreement that I made with their fathers, in the day I took hold of their hands, to lead them from Egypt’s land. For, they didn’t keep My Sacred Agreement, so I let them go,’ says Jehovah.

³³ ‘This is my Sacred Agreement, which I’ll arrange with Israel in those days,’ says Jehovah: ‘I will write My Laws in their minds and their hearts. Then they’ll be My people and I’ll be their God. ³⁴ There’s no way they will teach their neighbors and brothers, and tell them that they should know Jehovah! For, all will know Me from the small to the great, and I’ll be kind toward their errors and sins… no way will I remember [their sins] anymore.’

³⁵ Thus says Jehovah (who appointed the sun to light the day, and the moon and stars to light the night; the roar of the sea and the sound of its waves; Jehovah the Almighty is His Name): ³⁶ ‘If these Laws before Me cease to be, then the race of Israel will no longer stand, as a nation before Me, throughout the rest of their days.’

³⁷ Jehovah says, ‘If the skies can be raised in their height, and the floor of the ground can be lowered, I can reject the race of Israel,’ says Jehovah, ‘for all the things that they’ve done.’

³⁸ ‘{Look!} The days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when a city will be built to Jehovah. [It will run] from HananeEl Tower, up to the gate at the corner. ³⁹ I’ll measure it out to the hills of Gareb, and surround it with most precious stones… from the Valley of PhagarIm and its ashes, and from AsaRemOth to the Cedar (Kidron) Wadi. From the corner of the Gate of Horses to the east, it’ll be a Holy Place to Jehovah. Never again will it be uprooted; it will not be destroyed through the age.’

Chapter 32

¹ These words came from Jehovah to JeremiJah in the tenth year [of the reign] of ZedekiJah the king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of [the reign of] of NebuChadNezzar the king of Babylon. ² At the time, the army of the king of Babylon had built a siege wall around Jerusalem, and JeremiJah [was under arrest and being kept in] the courtyard of the guard, which was located inside the [palace] of the king of Judah, ³ for King ZedekiJah had him thrown in jail.

[For, the king had asked him], ‘Why did you prophesy and tell us that Jehovah says, {Look!} I will hand this city over to the king of Babylon and he will take it… ⁴ and that, ZedekiJah won’t escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, but he will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, where he will speak to him mouth to mouth and look at him eye to eye… ⁵ and that, ZedekiJah will go into Babylon and stay there until I look upon him… but if you wage war against the Chaldeans, you won’t succeed?’

⁶ Then the word of the Lord came to JeremiJah. He told him, ⁷ ‘{Look!} HanameEl (the son of ShalLum) your paternal uncle will come to you and ask you to buy his field in AnathOth, and it will be advantageous for you to acquire it!’

⁸ And thereafter, HanameEl, (the son of ShalLum) my paternal uncle, did what the Lord said he would do. It was there in the courtyard of the guard that he said to me, ‘Acquire my field, the one in AnathOth of the land of BenJamin, because you are the eldest, and it would be advantageous for to acquire it!’

Well, I knew that this was the word of Jehovah, ⁹ so I acquired the field in AnathOth from HanameEl (my paternal uncle), and I paid him seven silver coins for it. ¹⁰ Then I recorded [the transaction] in a scroll and put a seal on it before witnesses, and weighed out the silver in a balance scale. ¹¹ Thereafter, I took the scroll that had been testified to and sealed, and gave it to BarUch (the son of NeriJah, the son of MaAseJah) before the eyes of HanameEl (my uncle), ¹² those who had served as witnesses of the deed scroll, and before the eyes of all the Judeans who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

¹³ Then, before them all, I gave orders to BarUch, saying, ¹⁴ ‘Jehovah, the Almighty God of Israel, says that you should take this scroll that has been sealed and is proof of my ownership, then read it and put it into an earthenware jar, so it will last for many more days. ¹⁵ Because, Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel says, Fields, houses, and vineyards, will again be created in this land.’

¹⁶ Then after I gave the deed scroll to BarUch (the son of NeriJah), I prayed to Jehovah, saying, ¹⁷ ‘O Great Being; O Lord God; You who made the earth and the sky with Your mighty arm held above You, and from whom nothing at all can be hidden; ¹⁸ O You who shows mercy to thousands, and repays the sins of the fathers upon the chests of their children that follow; the great and Almighty God; Jehovah of Armies is Your Name … ¹⁹ [You are the God] of great counsel, and [You are] mighty in works. Your eyes are open to see the ways of the sons of men, and to repay each one according to his deeds, and according to the fruits of his practices. ²⁰ You are the One who, in the land of Egypt (as well as down to this day), have brought signs and miracles to Israel, and You made a Name for Yourself to all those were born on the earth down to this day.

²¹ ‘It is You who led Israel Your people out of Egypt, with signs and miracles by Your mighty hand… with Your arm held high and by visions. ²² And thereafter, You gave them this land, with an oath which You swore to their fathers; a land that is flowing with honey and milk. ²³ Then they entered this land and they took it, but they wouldn’t listen to Your orders or voice… they did nothing that You told them to do, so You brought all these bad things upon them.

²⁴ ‘Look! A great army has come to this city… to capture it they’ve made their plans. It has been given to the hands of the Chaldeans, who are now warring against it, in the face of the sword, famine, and plague… {Look!} all that You said has now happened!

²⁵ ‘Now, You’ve told me to take silver and purchase a field, and have this testified to by witnesses… yet this city has been given to the hands of Chaldeans!’

²⁶ Then the word of Jehovah came to me saying, ²⁷ ‘I am Jehovah, the God of all flesh, so [do you think] that such things are hidden from Me?’

²⁸ Then Jehovah said, ‘I have allowed this city to be handed to Chaldeans, and into the hands of Babylon’s king… and he will [very soon] take it! ²⁹ So, the Chaldeans will come and [capture] this city… they will burn it with fire, and incinerate the houses where they have burned incense, upon all their roofs to Baal, and where they offered [food and drink] to other gods, in order to make Me more bitter.

³⁰ ‘Only the sons of Israel and Judah, would do such bad in front of My eyes. For, since their youth, Israel’s sons, have done many things to make Me feel bitter, by the works of their hands,’ says Jehovah. ³¹ ‘So, My anger and rage have been on this city, from the day that they built it to this day, to remove it from in front of My face, ³² because of all of the badness, of the sons of Israel and Judah – all the things that they did to make Me feel bitter – they, their kings, their rulers, and priests; their prophets, men of Judah, and those who live in Jerusalem. ³³ They’ve turned their backs and their faces to Me. Yet, at each dawn, I [sent Prophets] to teach them, and they wouldn’t listen or take instruction.

³⁴ ‘Then, in all their uncleanness, they put their disgusting things in the [Temple], which is called by My Name. ³⁵ There they built shrines to Baal, and in the Valley of Hinnom, they offered their sons and daughters to Molech, which is something I never told them to do… such disgusting things never entered My heart, to make Judah sin [in this way].’

³⁶ Then, Jehovah the God of Israel said against this city: ‘Say to them: I’ve placed it in the hands of Babylon’s king, through the sword, famine, and plague. ³⁷ But {Look!} I’ll gather them back from the lands, where I scattered them in My anger… yes in My rage and great fury. To this place I’ll return them, and in security I’ll settle them here. ³⁸ Then they’ll be My people and I’ll be their God. ³⁹ I’ll give them a new way and new heart, to fear Me all of their days, for the good of them and the children that follow.

⁴⁰ ‘Then, with them I will conclude, a a Sacred Agreement of the ages, which I will not take away. I’ll put the fear of Me in their hearts, so from Me they’ll not turn away. ⁴¹ Then I’ll visit them to do good things, and in security I will plant them in this land, with My whole heart and soul.’

⁴² Then Jehovah said: ‘And as I brought bad to these people, I’ll now bring them the good things I promised. ⁴³ They’ll acquire fields in this land, that you say is unwalked by man or beast, and which is being given to the Chaldeans. ⁴⁴ With silver they will buy fields, which you’ll record in a scroll, and put upon it a seal, to which you’ll have witnesses testify. ⁴⁴ In the land of BenJamin [this will happen], as well as all around Jerusalem, and in all the cities of Judah. [It will happen] in all cities in the mountains, and in the cities of the Shephela and Negev. For, from their relocation I’ll return them,’ says Jehovah.

Chapter 33

¹ Then the word of Jehovah came to JeremiJah a second time while he was still bound in the courtyard of the guard. ² He was told, ‘The Lord who made the earth and shaped it (Jehovah is His great Name) says: ³ Cry out to Me and I’ll answer; I’ll report to you of things great and mighty, about which you haven’t known!’

⁴ Then Jehovah the God of Israel told of how the houses of the city [of Jerusalem] and the [palace] of the king of Judah would be demolished for use as siege mounds and fortifications ⁵ in their fight against the Chaldeans, and how they were to become filled with the dead [bodies] of the men that [He will] strike in His anger and rage when He turns His face from this city because of all its wickedness.

⁶ [He said], ‘{Look!} Then a cure I’ll provide, and a closing of her wounds. I’ll treat them and make sure that they hear and know, and bring them peace they can trust. ⁷ I’ll return those of Judah and Israel, who were [carried away] and resettled, and I will rebuild them as they once were. ⁸ I will cleanse them of all their errors, with which they have sinned against Me, and there’s no way I’ll remember their sins against Me, or of the ways that they left Me.

⁹ ‘Then to Me they will become, a magnificent and joyful name of praise, before all the peoples of the earth. For the [nations] will all hear of the good things I’ll do, and they’ll be in fear and be humbled, because of the good things and peace, that I will bring upon them.’

¹⁰ Then the Lord said: ‘And in this place that you call desolation, you’ll hear [the sounds of] animals and men, once more in the cities of Judah. And then outside of Jerusalem (in those desolate places, where the sounds of men and beasts are not heard), ¹¹ there’ll be voices of gladness and joy; the sounds of a bride and a groom; and the sounds of men who are saying, Praise the Almighty God, for Jehovah really does care, and through the ages He has shown mercy!

‘Then they’ll carry gifts to [Temple] of Jehovah, and those taken from the land I’ll then return,’ said Jehovah.

¹² Then Jehovah of Armies said: ‘But upon this place there must come desolation, and its cities will be void of cattle and men… a lodging for shepherds and a place for the bedding of flocks. ¹³ But then; In the cities of the mountainous regions; in the cities of the Shephela and the Negev; throughout BenJamin’s land; all places around Jerusalem, and in all the cities of Judah, sheep [will be gathered] and counted,’ said Jehovah.

¹⁴ ‘{Look!} The days are coming,’ says Jehovah, ‘when I’ll [fulfill] all the good words I spoke, about the houses of Israel and Judah. ¹⁵ Yes, in those days and that time, from David will sprout a bud that is righteous, then a king will reign who’ll bring understanding, and fairness and righteousness to the land.

¹⁶ ‘In those days, Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in security. Then they will call [Me] Jehovah Our Justice,’ ¹⁷ (for Jehovah says): ‘There’ll always be a man of David’s [line], sitting upon Israel’s throne. ¹⁸ And from among the Levites and Priests, there’ll always be a man who stands before Me, offering up whole burnt offerings, as well as incense, sacrifices, and gifts, throughout all of the days.’

¹⁹ Then the word of the Lord came to JeremiJah saying, ²⁰ ‘Jehovah says: If you should annul My Sacred Agreement – My Sacred Agreement with the day, and My Sacred Agreement with the night, so there won’t be day or night in their time – ²¹ then I’ll make My Agreement with My servant David, and there’ll be [no need] for his sons to reign on his throne, nor Levites or Priests to serve before Me. ²² For, I’ll grow the seed of My firebrand David, to be so many that they can’t be counted – like the armies of the heavens and the sands of the sea – as well as the seed of the Levites, who are now serving before Me.’

²³ Then the word of the Lord came to JeremiJah saying, ²⁴ ‘Don’t you know what those people are saying? They’re saying that the Lord chose these two families, and then He just pushed them both out… that [I am oppressing] My people, so there’ll no longer be a nation before Me.’

²⁵ And thereafter Jehovah said, ‘If My Agreement with the day and the night had not been, and I hadn’t brought the Laws of heaven and earth, ²⁶ then the seed of Jacob would not have been chosen, or the seed of My servant David, so to Me they would not be returned… his seed of rulers [that came] from the seed, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet, from their captivity I’ll return them, and I will show mercy upon them.’

Chapter 34

¹ These words came to JeremiJah from the Lord concerning NebuChadNezzar the king of Babylon, the entire camp of his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth who are under the domination of his hand… all those people who are waging war against Jerusalem and the cities of Judah. ² Jehovah the God of Israel told me to go to ZedekiJah the king of Judah and tell him that thus says the Lord: ‘When it comes to handing things over, I’ll hand this city to Babylon’s king, and he will take it and burn it with fire. ³ And as for you; in no way will you be saved from his hands, for he’ll capture you and take you in his hands, then he’ll look you in the eyes and speak mouth to mouth, for into Babylon you’ll be taken.’

⁴ Listen to what Jehovah said, O ZedekiJah king of Judah, because this is what He said to you! ‘You will not die by the broadsword, ⁵ for when you die they’ll burn incense, as they did for your fathers who reigned before you. And when they burn it they’ll be crying, O Lord, as they are mourning for you.’ Yes, this is what was said by Jehovah.

⁶ So, JeremiJah said all these things to King ZedekiJah there in Jerusalem. ⁷ And then the armies of the king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and all the remaining cities of Judah (because the fortified cities of LachIsh and AzekAh in Judea still hadn’t [been conquered]).

⁸ Then the word of Jehovah came to JeremiJah after King ZedekiJah [issued a decree] to the people in Jerusalem concerning [God’s] Sacred Agreement, in which he called for everyone to set ⁹ their male and female slaves and their Hebrew male and female servants free, so that there would be no slaves in Judea. ¹⁰ And all the great men and all the people agreed to release their male and female servants, so they wouldn’t serve them anymore… they actually paid attention and set them all free! ¹¹ But then after they did that, they went and got their male and female slaves whom they had set free and put them back to work as their slaves!

¹² So, the Lord said to JeremiJah, ‘In the day that I rescued your fathers from Egypt, and from the house of their slavery, ¹³ Jehovah (the God of Israel) made a Sacred Agreement with them. ¹⁴ I said that after every six years, you must free your Hebrew bothers who had sold themselves… they may only toil for six years, and then you must set them all free! But you haven’t listened to Me, or turned your ears back to Me!

¹⁵ ‘Now; today they decided to do the right thing, and they called for each person to set free his neighbors; and they agreed to this before Me, in the [Temple] that is called by My Name. ¹⁶ Then they turned and broke their agreement with Me, by reclaiming their male and female servants, whose lives they had just set free… they turned back and made them slaves once again!’

¹⁷ It’s because of this that thus says Jehovah: ‘You didn’t pay attention to Me, and call for a release of your brothers and neighbors, so {Look!} I’ll call the release on your behalf – by the sword, by plague, and by famine – then scatter you to all the kingdoms of earth.

¹⁸ ‘And to those who voided My Sacred Agreement, by not keeping the agreement that they made before Me, with [the sacrifice] of a calf that they cut in two parts; ¹⁹ I will come through the midst of those parts; to the rulers of Judah and Jerusalem; to the mighty and priests, and all the people of the land, ²⁰ and to their enemies I’ll hand them over… I’ll put them in the hands of those seeking their lives. Then their decaying flesh will serve as the food, for all the winged creatures of the skies, and all the wild beasts of the earth.

²¹ ‘Then I’ll hand over ZedekiJah (king of Judah), as well as all of his governors, to their enemies who are seeking their lives, and the hands of the armies of Babylon’s king… to those now fleeing before them!

²² ‘Look, I have ordered it [to happen],’ says Jehovah! ‘I will bring them back to this city, and they’ll war against her and take her; then they will burn her with fire. So, I will make all the cities of Judah, places where none live or walk.’

Chapter 35

¹ It was during the time of JehoiAkim (the son of JosiJah) the king of Judah that the word of Jehovah came to JeremiJah saying, ² ‘Go to the family of the Rechabites and call them, then bring them to the [Temple] of Jehovah, and into one of the courtyards, and offer them some wine to drink.’

³ So, he led JaAzaniJah (the son of JeremiJah and grandson of HabaZiniJah), his brothers, sons, and the rest of the family of the Rechabites into the [Temple] of Jehovah, ⁴ and into the dining room of the sons of Hanan (who was the son of IgDaliJah, a man of God), which was located next to the house of the [Temple] overseers and above the house of MaAseJah (the son of ShalLum), the person who guards the entryway. ⁵ Then I set before them a clay pitcher of wine and some cups, and I told them to drink some wine.

⁶ But they said, ‘There’s no way that we will drink any wine, because our ancestor JoNadab (the son of Rechab) told us, You must never drink wine – you and your sons – through the ages! ⁷ And you must not build houses, plant seeds, or ever own a vineyard. You must stay in tents for as long as you live in the land!

⁸ ‘So, we’ve obeyed the instructions of JoNadab (the son of Rechab) our ancestor, and didn’t do anything that he told us not to do. We haven’t drunk any wine throughout our lives – we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters – ⁹ nor have we built houses, owned vineyards, or planted seeds in a field… none of this has ever happened among us. ¹⁰ We’ve done everything that our ancestor JoNadab told us to do, and we’ve been living in tents.

¹¹ ‘Then, when NebuChadNezzar the king of Babylon came to this land, we told him, We will leave [our position] in front of the Chaldeans and the armies of the Assyrians and go up to Jerusalem. So, there is where we have lived.’

¹² Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, ¹³ ‘Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel says that you must go and speak to the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and tell them that Jehovah says, There’s no way that you’re listening to the things that I say, ¹⁴ yet the sons of JoNadab (the son of Rechab) have obeyed the instructions that he gave to his children, not to drink any wine… and they’ve drunk no wine to this day! They paid attention to the commands of their father, yet when I spoke to you plainly you did not listen!

¹⁵ ‘Early each morning I sent you My servants the Prophets. And when I sent them and had them each tell you, to turn from your evil ways… to be better and not follow or serve other gods, so you could continue to live in the land, that I gave to you and your fathers. But, nothing at all did you learn… you paid no attention with your ears!

¹⁶ ‘Yet, the sons of JoNadab (son of Rechab], have obeyed the commands of their father… the things that he told them [not to do]! But these people haven’t listened to Me! ¹⁷ So, because of this, says Jehovah of Armies, Israel’s God, {Look!} I will bring upon Judah, and those who are living in Jerusalem, all the bad things that I’ve spoken against them. For, I spoke to them and they paid no attention; I called to them and they didn’t answer.’

¹⁸ Then JeremiJah said to the house of the Rechabites, ‘Jehovah says that; since the descendants of JoNadab (the son of Rechab) paid attention to the commandments of their father and did everything that he instructed them to do, It’s because of this, says Jehovah of Armies, Israel’s God, ¹⁹ there’s no way that a man of the sons of JoNadab (son of Rechab) will [ever] fail to stand before Me.’

Chapter 36

¹ It was in the fourth year [of the reign of] of JehoiAkim (the son of JosiJah) the king of Judah, that the word of Jehovah came to me saying, ² ‘Get a papyrus scroll for yourself, and write all the words that I’ve said, about Israel and Judah, and all the nations that I’ve spoke to you about, from the time of JosiJah (king of Judah) to this day! ³ Then perhaps the house of Judah will hear, of all the bad things that I’ve planned to do, and turn from their wicked ways, so I can cover their failures and sins.’

⁴ So, JeremiJah called BarUch (the son of NeriJah), and he wrote all the words of Jehovah that came from the mouth of JeremiJah on a papyrus scroll.

⁵ Then JeremiJah said to BarUch, ‘Because I’m being guarded, I’m unable to enter the [Temple] of Jehovah. ⁶ So, you go there and read this papyrus scroll into the ears of all the people who are there in the [Temple] of Jehovah on a day of fasting… read it into the ears of all the Judeans who are coming from their cities, ⁷ then perhaps their need for mercy will fall before Jehovah and they’ll turn from their evil ways. For, the rage and anger that Jehovah spoke against these people is great!’

⁸ So, BarUch (the son of NeriJah] did everything that JeremiJah told him to do. He read the scroll of the words of Jehovah there in the [Temple] of Jehovah.

⁹ It was in the fifth year and ninth month [of the reign] of JehoiAkim (the son of JosiJah) the king of Judah, that all the people of Jerusalem and the house of Judah held an assembly to fast before Jehovah, ¹⁰ and that’s when BarUch read the scroll of the words of JeremiJah into the ears of all the people who were there at the [Temple] of Jehovah. [He did this] from the [apartment] of GemariJah (the son of Shapha) the scribe, in the upper courtyard, which is in front of the threshold of the New Gate of the [Temple] of Jehovah.

¹¹ And after MichaiJah (the son of GemariJah and grandson of ShaPhan) heard all the words of Jehovah being read from the scroll, ¹² he went down to the palace of the king and into the house of the [royal] scribe, and {Look!} there he found all the rulers gathered – EliShama the scribe, DalaiJa (the son of ShemaiJah), ElNathan (the son of AchBor), GemariJah (the son of ShaPhan), ZedekiJah (the son of HananiJah), and all the supervisors. ¹³ Then MichaiJah told them everything that he’d heard, which BarUch had read from the scroll into the ears of the people.

¹⁴ Thereafter, the rulers sent for BarUch (the son of NeriJah, the son of JeHudi, the son of NathaniJah, the son of ShelemiJah, the son of Cushi) and told him, ‘Take the scroll that you read into the ears of the people in your hands and come here!’

So, BarUch (the son of NeriJah) picked up the scroll and went down to them, ¹⁵ and they said to him, ‘Now read the scroll again into our ears!’

Then BarUch read it into their ears. ¹⁶ And after they heard all the words, each started advising his neighbor, and they said to BarUch, ‘We have decided that we should announce all these words to the king!’ ¹⁷ And they asked BarUch, ‘Just where were you when you wrote all these words?’

¹⁸ And BarUch replied, ‘These words came from the mouth of JeremiJah… it was he who spoke the words. I just wrote them in the scroll!’

¹⁹ Then the rulers said to BarUch, ‘Go somewhere and hide… both you and JeremiJah! Don’t let anyone know where you are!’

²⁰ Then they put the scroll under guard in the house of EliShama the scribe, and they went into the courtyard of the king and told the king everything that it said. ²¹ So, the king sent JeHudi to get the scroll, and he went and took it from the house of EliShama the scribe, and JeHudi read it before the king and all the rulers who were sitting around him.

²² Well, the king was then in his winter palace, for it was the ninth month, and he was sitting in front of his fireplace. ²³ And after JeHudi had read just three or four lines, he shredded [the scroll] with the scribe’s razor and tossed it into the fire in the fireplace, where the papyrus scroll was entirely burned up and destroyed.

²⁴ Well, nobody was surprised… none who were there ripped their clothes; not the king, any of his servants, or any of those who heard these words. ²⁵ However, ElNathan, DalaiJa, and GemariJah had suggested to the king that he shouldn’t burn the papyrus, ²⁶ but he refused to listen to them. Then the king told JeRahmeEl (the king’s son), SaraiJah (the son of AzriEl), and ShelemiJah (the son of AbdeEl) to seize BarUch the scribe and JeremiJah the Prophet, but they were already in hiding.

²⁷ Well, after the king burned the scroll that BarUch wrote containing all the words that were spoken by JeremiJah, the word of Jehovah came to JeremiJah saying, ²⁸ ‘Take another papyrus scroll and write the same words as were written in the scroll that King JehoiAkim burned. ²⁹ Then tell JehoiAkim the king of Judah that Jehovah says, You have burned up this scroll, yet you asked why I had it written. For it told you that Babylon’s king, will enter this land and destroy it, wiping away both man and beast.

³⁰ ‘Well, because of this, Jehovah has said this against [you]: O JehoiAkim king of Judah, who sits upon David’s throne; You will no longer be sitting, but into the sweltering heat of the day, and into the icy coldness of the night, your decaying flesh will be tossed. ³¹ For, I’ll come against him, his family, and his children; Because of their lawlessness I’ll bring upon them, and those living in Jerusalem and Judah, all the evils that I told them about, but to which they refused to pay attention.’

³² Then JeremiJah took another papyrus scroll and gave it to BarUch (the son of NeriJah) the scribe, and he once again wrote the words that came from the mouth of JeremiJah upon it – all the words that JehoiAkim the king of Judah had burned in the fire – and he added many more words to it (such as these).

Chapter 37

¹ Then ZedekiJah (the son of JosiJah) started reigning in place of ConiJah (the son of JehoiAkim), whom NebuChadNezzar the king of Babylon appointed to reign in the land of Judah. ² And he, his servants, and the people of the land wouldn’t listen to words of Jehovah that He’d spoken through JeremiJah.

³ Then King ZedekiJah sent JehuCal (the son of ShelemiJah) and ZephaniJah (the son of MaAseJah) the Priest to JeremiJah to tell him: ‘Pray to Jehovah our God for us.’

⁴ Well at the time, JeremiJah was free to come and go throughout the city, because they hadn’t put him in prison. ⁵ Then the armies of Pharaoh came up from the land of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans heard about this, they [marched on] Jerusalem.

⁶ Then the word of Jehovah came to JeremiJah saying, ⁷ ‘Jehovah, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah (the one who sent you to inquire of Me), {Look!} These armies of Pharaoh that come to your aid, to the land of Egypt will return. ⁸ Then the Chaldeans will return, and they’ll wage war on this city… they’ll take it and burn it with fire!’

⁹ ‘Jehovah says that; your souls should not think of saying, The Chaldeans will turn back once more, because there’s no way they will do so. ¹⁰ And if you should beat the Chaldean armies, who are coming to wage war against you, then even the wounded that they leave behind, will arise and burn this city with fire.’

¹¹ Well, that’s what happened… soon the armies of the Chaldeans [attacked] Jerusalem there in front of the armies of Pharaoh.

¹² Then JeremiJah left Jerusalem to go to the land of BenJamin, in order to buy some land among his people. ¹³ And when he arrived at the gates of BenJamin, there was a man who then arrested him (IriJah, the son of ShelemiJah and grandson of HananiJah). He seized JeremiJah saying, ‘Why, you’re running away to the Chaldeans!’.

¹⁴ And [JeremiJah] replied, ‘That is a lie! I’m NOT running away to the Chaldeans!’

But he refused to listen, so IriJah seized JeremiJah and brought him before the rulers. ¹⁵ And because the rulers [hated] JeremiJah, they beat him and sent him to the prison house of JoNathan the scribe, which had been turned into a prison. ¹⁶ And there JeremiJah [was thrown] into an [outhouse] pit [near] the [main] house, where he was confined for many days.

¹⁷ Finally, ZedekiJah sent for him, and the king asked him secretly, ‘Is there any word from Jehovah?’

And he replied, ‘Yes! You will be handed over to the king of Babylon!’

¹⁸ Then JeremiJah asked the king, ‘How have I wronged you, your servants, and the people, that you’ve put me into a prison (out)house? ¹⁹ And where are your prophets who prophesied to you and said there’s no way that the king of Babylon would ever come into this land?

²⁰ ‘Hear this, O Lord, O king! Please show mercy on me as I stand here before you! You must not return me to the house of JoNathan the scribe and allow me to die there!’

²¹ Well, the king gave orders, and then they put him in the guard house and gave him a loaf of bread each day (which was baked outside) until there was no bread left in the city. So, JeremiJah stayed there in the courtyard of the guard.

Chapter 38

¹ Well, ShephatiJah (the son of MatTan), GedaliJah (the son of Pashur), Jucal (the son of ShelemiJah), and Pashur (the son of MelchiJah) heard the words that JeremiJah had spoken to the people when he said, ² ‘Jehovah says that all who live in this city will die by the broadsword, by famine, and by plague. But, whoever [surrenders] to the Chaldeans will live and save his own life. ³ For, Jehovah says that; When it comes to handing over, this city will be handed over to the armies of the king of Babylon and he will take it.’

⁴ So, those rulers said to the king, ‘Let’s do away with that man, because he’s weakening the hands of the troops that remain in this city, as well as the hands of all the people, when he says things like that. He doesn’t prophecy about peace, but only of bad things!’

⁵ Then (because the king was unable to resist them) King ZedekiJah said, ‘Look! Here he is in your hands!’

⁶ So, they took JeremiJah and threw him into the [outhouse pit] that belonged to MelchiJah (the king’s son), which was located in the courtyard of the guard. They took rough cords and lowered him into the pit, which contained no water, just manure, and there he stayed in the filth.

⁷ Well, the Ethiopian Eunuch, EbedMelech, was in the courtyard of the king when they threw JeremiJah into the pit, and [at the time] the king was sitting at the Gate of BenJamin. ⁸ So, EbedMelech left the king’s palace and went to speak to the king. He said: ⁹ ‘My lord, O king; These men have done something very wicked by dropping the Prophet JeremiJah into the pit, because he’ll starve to death there, since there’s no bread left in the city!’

¹⁰ So, the king gave orders to EbedMelech, saying, ‘Take thirty men with you to the pit and pull him out so he doesn’t die.’

¹¹ Then EbedMelech gathered the men, and he went to the sub-basement of the king’s palace where he found some rags and old ropes, and then he tossed them down to JeremiJah in the pit, ¹² saying, ‘Wrap these around you!’ And JeremiJah did so. ¹³ Then they lifted him with the ropes and pulled him up out of the pit, and JeremiJah thereafter stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

¹⁴ Then the king sent for him while [the king] was in the house of AsaLiseEl (which is located in the [Temple] of Jehovah), and the king said to him, ‘I want to ask you something… and don’t hide the truth from me!’

¹⁵ And JeremiJah said, ‘Well, if I answer you, won’t you just put me to death? Besides, you don’t listen to any of the advice that I give you.’

¹⁶ Then the king secretly swore an oath to him, saying, ‘As Jehovah who gave us this life lives, I won’t kill you or hand you over to these men who are seeking your life!’

¹⁷ Then JeremiJah told him, ‘Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel says that; If you go and surrender to the governors of the king of Babylon, you will live… you’ll save your own life, and this city won’t be burned with fire… you and your family will live! ¹⁸ But if you don’t go [and surrender], this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans and they’ll burn it with fire. Then there’s no way that you’ll be saved from their hands.’

¹⁹ And the king said to JeremiJah, ‘But if I do that, I’ll have a problem with the Judeans who went over to the side of the Chaldeans… if I’m handed over to them, they’ll make [life miserable for] me!’

²⁰ But JeremiJah said, ‘There’s no way that you’ll be handed over [to them]. Pay attention to the word of Jehovah that I’ve spoken to you, for it would be much better for you to live and save your life! ²¹ But if you choose not to go out and surrender, this is what Jehovah has said: ²² {Look!} All the women who remain in [your] house, will be carried to the king of Babylon’s princes. Then these women will say, that your allies deceived you… they cared so little for you, that they turned and stumbled your feet, in order to cause you to fall. ²³ Then, by the Chaldeans your wives and children will be taken, and there’s no way that you will be saved, for you’ll be caught by Babylon’s king, and then this city will be burned to the ground.’

²⁴ And thereafter, ZedekiJah told JeremiJah: ‘If you don’t talk about this to anyone else, you won’t die. ²⁵ But if the rulers should hear that I’ve spoken to you, and then come to you and ask, What did you say to the king… if you don’t hide it from us, we won’t do away with you… so what did you say to the king? ²⁶ You must tell them, I went to plead for mercy before the eyes of the king. I asked him not to return me to the house of JoNathan to let me die there.’

²⁷ Well thereafter, the rulers did come to JeremiJah and ask him. And he told them what the king told him to say. Then they didn’t say anymore, because they didn’t know of the matter. ²⁸ So, JeremiJah stayed in the courtyard of the guard until the time that Jerusalem was captured.

Chapter 39

¹ Well, it was in the ninth year and tenth month [of the reign] of ZedekiJah the king of Judah, when NebuChadNezzar, the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem with all his armies and attacked it. ² And it was in the eleventh year and fourth month (on the ninth day of the month of ZedekiJah’s reign) that the city walls were breached. ³ Then all the governors of the king of Babylon entered [the city] and sat at the central gate. There was NergalSharezer, SamGar, NeboSarsechim, NebuSarkes, Nergal, ShareZer, RabMag, and all the rest of the governors of the king of Babylon.

⁴ However, ZedekiJah the king of Judah and all his warriors had fled the city during the night, going through the king’s garden and then through the gate that leads between the city wall and the fortification around the wall, and they followed the road to the Araba. ⁵ But the Chaldean army chased after them and caught up with ZedekiJah on the other side of Jericho, then they led him back to NebuChadNezzar, the king of Babylon, who was at RibLah (a city in the land of HaMath). And it was there that they condemned him. ⁶ So, the king of Babylon murdered ZedekiJah’s sons before his eyes there in RibLah, as well as all the rulers of Judah. ⁷ Then he blinded the eyes of ZedekiJah and bound him with shackles, and led him off to Babylon.

⁸ Then the Chaldeans set the King’s palace and the houses of the people on fire and demolished them. ⁹ And all who were left – those who remained in the city and the deserters – were captured by the king of Babylon, ¹⁰ and they were removed by NabuzarAdan (the chief of the guards) to Babylon. However, he left behind the poor people and anyone in the land of Judah who was of no importance… he gave them vineyards and fields that day.

¹¹ Then NebuChadNezzar the king of Babylon gave instructions to NebuzarAdan the chief of the guards concerning JeremiJah. He said, ¹² ‘Take him and keep an eye on him, but don’t do anything bad to him. Just treat him as you would like to be treated.’

¹³ So, NabuzarAdan, the chief of the guards, as well as NabuShasban, RabSares, Nergel, SharEzer, RabMag, and all the governors of the king of Babylon sent for JeremiJah. ¹⁴ They took him out of the courtyard of the guard, and presented him to GedaliJah (the son of AhiKam and grandson of ShaPhan), who then led him out to sit in the midst of the people.

¹⁵ But the word of Jehovah had come to JeremiJah while he was still in the courtyard of the guard, saying, ¹⁶ ‘Go and speak to EbedMelech the Ethiopian. Tell him that Jehovah the God of Israel says, {Look!} I’ve fulfilled My words on this city, to do just bad things not good! And they will stand before you in that day. ¹⁷ But in that day I will save you, says Jehovah. I will not hand you over, to stand before the faces of those whom you fear. ¹⁸ For, when it comes to salvation, I’ll save you, and no way will you fall by the broadsword. Your reward will be your own life, for you trusted in Me, says Jehovah.’

Chapter 40

¹ Then the word of Jehovah came to JeremiJah after he had been led off in shackles by NabuzarAdan (the chief of the guards), as he was being separated from the rest of the Judeans who were being relocated from RamAh to Babylon. ² Then, as the chief of the guards was taking him away, he said to him, ‘Jehovah your God spoke to you against this place and all of its badness, ³ then the Lord did as He said, because you had all sinned against Him and you refused to listen to His voice. So, His Word is what happened to you.

⁴ ‘And now that I’ve removed the manacles from your hands; {Look!} if you find it good to travel with me to Babylon, come along and I’ll watch out for you. But if you don’t, then just run away from here! Look! The whole land before you is good, so go to wherever it is pleasing to your eyes. ⁵ Return to GedaliJah (the son of AhiKam and grandson of ShaPhan), who the king of Babylon has appointed over the land of Judah. Then live with him there among the people… if it seems good in your eyes to go, then go!’

And thereafter, the chief of the guards provided him a feast and some gifts, and then sent him away.

⁶ So, he went to GedaliJah at MizPah and stayed in the midst of the people who were left behind in the land. ⁷ And when all the [Judean] generals who were still in the field – along with their armies – heard that the king of Babylon had appointed GedaliJah over the land, they brought their men and their wives to him, along with the simple people and the needy of the land… all those who weren’t being relocated to Babylon.

⁸ Then IshMaEl (the son of NethaniJah), JoHanan (the son of KareAh), SeraiJah (the son of TanHumeth), the sons of EphAi the Netophathite, and JezaniJah (the son of the MaAchathite) came to GedaliJah at MizPah… they and all their men. ⁹ And GedaliJah swore an oath to them and their men, saying, ‘You will have nothing to fear from the servants of the Chaldeans; so come live in the land and work for the king of Babylon… this is what would be best for you! ¹⁰ For, {Look!} here I sit in MizPah to stand before the faces of the Chaldeans and anyone else who might come against us. So, gather your wine, autumn fruits, and olive oil in your receptacles, and live in the cities that you’ve been able to retain!’

¹¹ So, when all the Judeans who were in Moab (as well as those among the sons of Ammon and in Edom, and those scattered throughout the land) heard that the king of Babylon had appointed an allotment to Judah and that he had appointed GedaliJah (the son of AhiKam) to be over them, ¹² all the Judeans returned from the places where they were scattered, and they gathered to GedaliJah in MizPah, which was in the land of Judah. And they [brought along] all their wine, autumn fruits, and a tremendous amount of olive oil.

¹³ Also, JoHanan (the son of KareAh) and all the generals of the armies that were still in the fields, came to GedaliJah at MizPah. ¹⁴ And they said to him, ‘Don’t you know that BaalIsh the king of the sons of Ammon has sent IshMaEl (the son of NathaniJah) to [assassinate] you?’

However, GedaliJah (the son of AhiKam) didn’t trust them.

¹⁵ Then JoHanan (the son of KareAh) secretly spoke to GedaliJah there in MizPah, and said, ‘I will go and strike down IshMaEl (the son of NathaniJah), but don’t tell anyone, lest he should kill you and scatter all the Judeans that have gathered here with you, and then they’ll destroy the rest of Judea!’

¹⁶ But GedaliJah told JoHanan (the son of KareAh): ‘Don’t do this thing, because you’re telling lies about IshMaEl!’

Chapter 41

¹ It was in the seventh month that IshMaEl, the son of NathaniJah and grandson of EliShama (who was related to the king), came along with some of the royal appointees and ten other men to GedaliJah in MizPah, and shared some bread together. ² Then IshMaEl and the ten men who came with him got up and struck down GedaliJah with swords, killing him (the man who had been appointed over the land by the king), ³ as well as all the Judeans who were with him at MizPah, and all the Chaldeans that they found there. IshMaEl also killed the guards.

⁴ Well, it was two days after they killed GedaliJah (and no one had found out about it yet) ⁵ when some eighty men came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria with their beards shaved off, wearing torn clothes, beating their chests, and carrying gifts of frankincense in their hands for the [Temple] of Jehovah. ⁶ So, IshMaEl (the son of NathaniJah) came from MizPah to meet them, and they all started weeping. Then he said to them, ‘Now, let’s go and visit GedaliJah.’ ⁷ Well, as they were traveling through the city, he and his men struck them and killed them all beside a well. ⁸ But ten of the men, as they were watching what was happening, said to IshMaEl, ‘You shouldn’t kill us, because we’ve brought along treasures from the fields… wheat, barley, honey, and olive oil.’

So, he passed them by and left them alive there in the midst of their [murdered] brothers.

⁹ Anyhow, the well where IshMaEl had tossed all those who he’d killed was very large (it’s the one that King Asa [had dug] in fear of BaAsha, the king of Israel), and that’s where IshMaEl (the son of NathaniJah) threw their [dead bodies]. ¹⁰ Then IshMaEl took all the people who were left behind in MizPah – including the daughters of the king who had been left in the care of the chief of the guards by GedaliJah (the son of AhiKam) – and he set out for the other side [of the land] of the sons of Ammon.

¹¹ Well, when JoHanan (the son of KareAh) and the generals who were with him heard of all the evil things that IshMaEl (the son of NathaniJah) had done, ¹² he took the entire encampment and set out to wage war with him, catching up with him next to the water of the great pool in Gibeon.

¹³ Well, when all the people who were with IshMaEl saw JoHanan (the son of KareAh) coming with the generals, they were joyful, ¹⁴ and they returned to JoHanan. ¹⁵ However, IshMaEl escaped along with eight of his men, heading toward the [land of] the sons of Ammon.

¹⁶ Then JoHanan took all the generals and their armies, along with all the remaining people from MizPah – those who IshMaEl (the son of NathaniJah) had captured after he killed GedaliJah (the son of Ahikam) – all the mighty men of war, as well as all the women, the eunuchs, and all the things that were left in Gibeon, ¹⁷ and they set up camp at ChimHam, which was near BethLehem, on their way toward the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ [For, they had decided] to run from the Chaldeans, as they were afraid to face them because of IshMaEl striking down GedaliJah, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over their land.

Chapter 42

¹ Well, from there, they traveled on – all the generals, JoHanan (the son of KareAh), JezaniJah (the son of HoshaiJah), and all the people from the least to the greatest – and they went to JeremiJah the Prophet and said, ² ‘May our need for mercy fall before you! Please pray to Jehovah your God about all these things, for there were once as many of us as your eyes could behold, but now we are so few. ³ Tell us which way Jehovah your God says we should go, and that’s the way we will go!’

⁴ And JeremiJah the Prophet said to them, ‘I’ve heard you, so {Look!} I will pray to Jehovah our God about the things you’ve said. Then I will announce to you whatever Jehovah tells me… and there’s no way that I’ll hide a word from you!’

⁵ So they said to JeremiJah, ‘May Jehovah be a righteous and trustworthy witness against us, if we fail to follow every word that Jehovah your God sends to us. ⁶ We will obey [every word] from the voice of our God Jehovah to whom we are sending you, whether for the good or the bad! We will pay attention and listen to the voice of our God Jehovah, so that things will go well for us.’

⁷ Well, after ten days, the word of Jehovah came to JeremiJah. ⁸ So, he called for JoHanan (the son of KareAh), the generals, and all the people (from the least to the greatest), ⁹ and he said to them, ‘Jehovah, the God of Israel to whom you sent me, has heard all your prayers before Him. ¹⁰ [And He says], If you wish to survive, you should stay in this land, and I’ll build you up and in no way demolish you. I’ll plant you and no way will I pluck you out. For, I’m bringing you rest from all the bad that I’ve done.

¹¹ ‘[He says]: Do not fear the king of Babylon, whose face you are now so afraid of… don’t be afraid, says Jehovah, because I am with you and I’ll save you; I will rescue you from his hands! ¹² I will grant an act of kindness, and I will show mercy upon you… I will return you to your land.

¹³ ‘But if you say among yourselves, There’s no way that we will stay in this land, and you fail to obey the voice of your God Jehovah, ¹⁴ and you say, There’s no way! We’re going to Egypt, so we’ll not know any war, or hear the sounds of the trumpets, or go hungry because of no bread; yes, we will [now go and] live there; ¹⁵ then hear the word of Jehovah, O you remnant of Judah!

‘Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel says: If you point your faces toward Egypt, and enter [that land] in order to live there, ¹⁶ then the broadsword that’s now before your faces – the one you’re so afraid of – will also find you in Egypt. And the famine that’s been there before you, will also overtake you in Egypt… and there is where you will die. ¹⁷ Yes, all those men who have set their faces, to enter the land of Egypt and live there, will fall by the broadsword, famine, and plague. None will survive all the evils, which I will bring upon them!

¹⁸ ‘Jehovah of Armies, the ² God of Israel says: As My rage has dripped on those in Jerusalem, so My rage will drip upon you, should you enter the land of Egypt. Then you will become a land that’s un-walked, and be under the hands of others; you’ll be a cursed [people] who are scorned, and never again will you see this [land]!

¹⁹ ‘That is what Jehovah spoke against you, O remaining ones of Judah… you must not go into Egypt! Now, you know this, for I have testified to you about it today! ²⁰ But you [weren’t being honest] within yourselves when you sent me to Jehovah your God and said, ¹² Pray about us to Jehovah and we will do whatever Jehovah our God tells us… whatever He tells us we will do! ²¹ Now, I’ve told you, but you won’t listen to the voice of Jehovah your God and follow [the words] that He sent to you, so you will come to your end in that place (where you now want to go and live) by means of the broadsword, by famine, and by plague.’

Chapter 43

¹ Well, just after JeremiJah had finished speaking all the words of Jehovah their God, which Jehovah their God had sent to them, ² AzariJah (the son of HoshaiJah), JoHanan (the son of KareAh), and all the proud ones started speaking to JeremiJah and saying, ‘You’re lying! Jehovah our God didn’t send you to tell us not to go down into Egypt and live there! ³ And there is BarUch (the son of NeriJah); he has joined with you against us, so you can hand us over to the Chaldeans, and then they can put us to death or move us to Babylon!’

⁴ So, JoHanan (the son of KareAh), the generals, and all the people refused to listen to the voice of Jehovah, or [agree] to live in the land of Judah.

⁵ Then JoHanan took all the generals, all the rest of the Judeans who had returned from the nations (where they had been scattered) to live in the land of Judah, ⁶ as well as all the mighty men, the women, the children, the remaining daughters of the king, all the lives that had been left behind by NabuzarAdan (the chief of the [Babylonian] guards), as well as GedaliJah (the son of AhiKam), ⁷ the Prophet JeremiJah, and BarUch (the son of NeriJah), and they went to TahPanHes in Egypt. For, they had refused to listen to the voice of Jehovah.

⁸ And it was while JeremiJah was in TahPanHes that the voice of Jehovah came to him, saying, ⁹ ‘Take two huge rocks for yourself, and [bury] them under the thresholds of the gates of the residence of Pharaoh in TahPanHes. Do this before the eyes of all the men of Judah, ¹⁰ then tell them that Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel says, {Look!} I will send for My servant NebuChadNezzar (king of Babylon), and he’ll set his throne on these rocks that I’ve [buried]. He will also lay his shields down upon them. ¹¹ For, he will come and he’ll attack Egypt, bringing death upon those who are dead, resettlement to those who’ve been resettled, and the broadsword to those who carry broadswords. ¹² Then he’ll set fire to the [temples] of their gods, and he will resettle them all – the land of Egypt he’ll fumigate, as a shepherd fumigates his own clothes – and then he will leave here in peace. ¹³ He’ll destroy the columns of HelioPolis, and burn the gods of Egypt with fire.’

Chapter 44

¹ Then the word of the Lord came to JeremiJah concerning the Judeans who were living in the land of Egypt… those who had settled in Migdol, TahPanHes, Memphis, and in the land of Pathros. He said, ² ‘Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel says, You have seen all the bad things, which I have brought on Jerusalem, and upon the cities of Judah; and {Look!} they lie desolate to this day… no one lives there at all, ³ because of the wickedness of your faces, and all that you did to make Me feel bitter, by burning incense to gods you’ve not known… yes, you and all of your fathers!

⁴ ‘So [He says]; I sent My servants the Prophets [each morning], to tell you not to do all these things… these contaminations that I have detested. ⁵ But they wouldn’t listen to Me, or pay attention with their ears, and turn from their evil ways… of burning incense to other gods. ⁶ So, My anger and rage dripped upon them, and all the cities of Judah (those surrounding Jerusalem) are now burned down and a desolation… they lie unwalked to this day.

⁷ ‘And now Jehovah (the Almighty God of Israel) asks: So, why are you still bringing such evil, against your own lives, O you men – against your women, your infants and babies – so that none of Judah will remain? ⁸ For, you continue to embitter Me greatly, by the [bad] works of your hands, when you burn incense to other gods, in the land of Egypt where you’ve gone to live. Thus, you will be cut off and cursed, and scorned among all nations of the earth!

⁹ ‘Have you forgotten the evils of your fathers; the evils of Judah’s kings; the evils of your rulers and the evils of your wives, which were done in Jerusalem and Judah, ¹⁰ and which they’ve not stopped to this day? They have not learned to fear, for, My instructions they haven’t followed, which I laid before them and their fathers.

¹¹ ‘It’s because of this, said the God of Israel, Jehovah of Armies, {Look!} that against you I’ll set My face, because of the evils you are doing, in My desolation of Judah. ¹² I will take the remnant of Judah, who set their faces toward Egypt and lived there, and I’ll [cause them] to fail throughout the whole land… from the least to the greatest they’ll all fall, by the broadsword and famine… they’ll be cursed, scorned, and destroyed!

¹³ ‘I will visit those who have settled in Egypt, the same as I’ve visited Jerusalem… by the broadsword, famine, and plague, ¹⁴ which none will be able to escape… none of the remnant of Judah, who went down into Egypt, and who hoped in their souls [someday] to return, will ever be allowed to return there. There’s no way that they’ll ever return… except for just a few who’ll escape.’

¹⁵ Well, [the people] answered JeremiJah; for all the men knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods. And at the time, there was a great gathering of the women among all the people who had settled in the land of Egypt at Pathros. And the women said, ¹⁶ ‘We won’t pay any attention to the words that you’ve spoken to us in the Name of Jehovah, ¹⁷ for we will do all the things that we’ve said we will do, and we will continue to burn incense to the queen of heaven. We will keep on offering her [food and drink], as we, our fathers, our kings, and our rulers have done in Judah and around Jerusalem in the past… back when we were better off… when we had enough bread to eat… when things weren’t as bad. ¹⁸ For, it was only when we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and offering her [food and drink] that things became worse, and we started failing by the sword and famine.

¹⁹ ‘Why, haven’t you seen what happened when we burned incense to the queen of heaven… when we (without the aid of our husbands) made cakes and offered drinks to her?’

²⁰ And JeremiJah replied to all the people (the mighty men, the women, and everyone else who had responded to him) saying, ²¹ ‘When it comes to the incense you burned in the cities of Judah and Jerusalem – you, your ancestors, your kings, your rulers, and the rest of the people of the land – it is Jehovah who remembers this! Yes, it ascended to His heart, ²² for He was unable to bear all the wickedness of your deeds, and the disgusting things you were doing to bring desolation upon your land… to make it an unwalked place and a curse to this day!

²³ ‘You stood there before Him and burned incense – sinning against the Lord – and you didn’t pay attention to the voice of Jehovah, or to His instructions, His Laws, or His proofs. Rather, you went and took up all these evil practices, which you have continued to do down to this day.’

²⁴ And JeremiJah said to the women and all the people: ‘So, hear the word of Jehovah, all Judea; you who are living in the land of Egypt! ²⁵ For, Jehovah the God of Israel says that you and your women have brought fulfillment [upon yourselves] by your own mouths and hands, when you said that you will continue to acknowledge and burn incense to the queen of heaven, and offer [food and drink] before her.’

‘So, you plan to continue making offerings before her? ²⁶ Well, because of this, hear the word of the Lord, all Judea, and those who have settled in the land of Egypt: {Look!} I swore an oath by My Great Name, said Jehovah, that My Name won’t remain in the mouths of all Jews. For they will no longer say, O Lord Jehovah, come live [among us], here within the land of Egypt.

²⁷ ‘{Look!} I’ll be zealous to bring harm… not the good things among them. So all the Jews who now live in Egypt, will fail by the broadsword and famine, until [they all] cease to be! ²⁸ Just the [few] who escape from the broadsword, will ever return to Judea… and there will be very few! Then all the remnant of Judah (those who traveled to Egypt, and who are now living there), will know whose words have proved true (Mine or theirs).

²⁹ ‘And this is your sign, says Jehovah, that I Myself will visit this place, so you’ll know that My words have stuck upon you, because of your evil deeds: ³⁰ {Look!} I’ll hand over the great house of HophRa (king of Egypt), to his enemies and those who are seeking his life, as I handed up ZedekiJah (king of Judah), to his enemy NebuChadNezzar (king of Babylon), who was seeking his life.’

Chapter 45

¹ These are the words that JeremiJah the Prophet spoke to BarUch (the son of NeriJah) while he was writing these words in the scroll that came from the mouth of JeremiJah, in the fourth year of [the reign of] JehoiAkim (the son of JosiJah) the king of Judah. He said, ² ‘Jehovah the God of Israel said this about you, O BarUch, ³ because you complained: Alas! Jehovah has added hard labor to my misery, for I went to bed moaning and I didn’t find rest.

⁴ ‘So, Jehovah told me to say this to you, {Look!} That which I’ve built I’ll demolish, and that which I’ve planted I will pluck out… yes even this land that is Mine. ⁵ So, do you look for great things to come upon you? If so, do not do that; for {Look!} upon all flesh I’ll bring bad things, says Jehovah. But as your reward I’ll give you your life, no matter wherever you choose to go.’

Chapter 46

¹ Thereafter, these words of Jehovah came to JeremiJah the Prophet, against the nations. ² [He said this concerning] Egypt and the armies of the Great House of Necho, the king of Egypt, who was at the EuPhrates River in CarChemIsh when he was [killed] by NebuChadNezzar, the king of Babylon, which happened in the fourth year [of the reign] of JehoiAkim (the son of JosiJah) the king of Judah:

³ ‘Pick up your weapons and shields,
And then get ready for battle!
⁴ Saddle the horses and mount the cavalry;
Don helmets, ready spears, and put on your chest plates!

⁵ ‘Why are they frightened and running?
It’s because their mighty have fallen,
And into exile they’re going;
They’ll not return to this land,’ says Jehovah.

⁶ ‘Let not the nimble be able to run,
And let not the strong be saved from the north,
For those at the River EuPhrates have fallen.

⁷ ‘What is this ascending as though it’s a river…
As though it’s a river swollen with water?
⁸ The waters of the river of Egypt arose (and they said),
I will ascend and cover the land;
I’ll destroy the city and all those who live there.

⁹ ‘Mount up your horses and ready the chariots!
Bring on the Ethiopian and Libyan soldiers,
All armed and carrying their shields!
Ascend here, O Lydians, and stretch tight your bows!

¹⁰ ‘For, that day belongs to the Lord God of Armies,
Who’ll arise to take vengeance on His enemies.
Then the sword will devour and be filled…
It will be drunk with their blood.

‘For, there’s a sacrifice to Jehovah of Armies
[Being offered] upon the land of the north,
There at the River EuPhrates.

¹¹ ‘Go to Gilead and get the ointment,
For the virgin daughter of Egypt!
Yet, you’re wasting your time with your cures,
For they will not benefit her.

¹² ‘The nations have all heard your voice,
For, your cries have filled the whole earth.
Warriors fighting warriors have weakened together,
And together, they have now fallen.’

¹³ This is what Jehovah said through JeremiJah the Prophet concerning the coming of NebuChadNezzar (the king of Babylon) to strike the land of Egypt:

¹⁴ ‘Give the announcement in Egypt…
Let them hear it in Migdol,
And then give warning to Memphis!
Tell all of those in TahPanHes:
Prepare your yew to be [chopped] by the sword!

¹⁵ ‘Why are your mighty lying face down?
They can’t get up, for the Lord knocked them down!

¹⁶ ‘Your mighty [armies] have weakened,
Then they turned to their comrades and said,
Let’s rise and return to our people and homes…
Let’s [run from] the faces of those Greeks.

¹⁷ ‘You can call on the name of Pharaoh Necho;
He who’s the king of all Egypt;
But [his time of glory has faded].

¹⁸ ‘As I live,’ says the King, Jehovah of Armies,
‘As Tabor is found among mountains,
And Carmel is there by the sea,
¹⁹ I’ve come here to settle up matters.

‘So get ready, O daughter of Egypt,
(O you who are still left alive),
For Memphis will now be destroyed,
And then she will be called Woe,
For she will be left without people.

²⁰ ‘Egypt is a heifer [that’s been readied for slaughter]
For a broken branch from the north came upon her…
²¹ Her hired workers that are like calves,
That are well fed and cared for.

‘Then they turned and all ran away.
²² For they didn’t wish to wait for the day,
When their destruction would come…
The time for them to be punished.

‘Her voice is like the hissing of a snake,
That slithers along in the sand.
So, they’ll come upon her with axes,
As though they were chopping up wood.

²³ ‘Then, they will cut down her forest,’ says Jehovah!
‘For, no one can imagine their numbers…
As with locusts there’s no way to count them!

²⁴ ‘Disgrace will come to the daughter of Egypt;
She’ll be given to the people of the north,’
²⁵ Says Israel’s God, Jehovah of Armies.

‘{Look!} Then Ammon [the God of Thebes] I will punish.
I will bring upon Egypt,
As well as on her gods and her kings,
And upon Pharaoh and those who put trust in him…
²⁶To those seeking their lives I will hand them…
To the hands of NebuChadNezzar,
As well as the hands of his servants.

‘Then, as days of old it will be,’ says Jehovah.
²⁷ ‘And My servant Jacob should not be afraid,
Nor should Israel feel terror.

‘{Look!} I’ll bring you back from far away places…
Your seed from where they were captives.
Jacob will return and then sleep in peace,
For, no one will bring them more trouble.

²⁸ So don’t be afraid, Jacob My child,’ says Jehovah,
‘For I will then be there with you!
And all the nations to which I led you,
Will then be appointed to destruction…
All nations where I sent you will be consumed.

‘But, though I’ll never appoint you an end,
I will judge and correct you…
You’ll not be found innocent or acquitted.’

Chapter 47

¹ These words of Jehovah came to JeremiJah the Prophet against the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:

² Jehovah says, ‘{Look!} Waters are arising from the north; They’ll become a flooding rushing stream. They’ll flood the land and all of its good things… the city, as well as all those who live there. ³ Then all the men will cry out… those living there will all shout, at the sound of the beating of the hoofs of his feet, and the rumble of the wheels of his chariots.

‘Fathers won’t turn to [help] their own sons, because their hands will all be too weak, ⁴ in the day that he comes to destroy the Philistines… to wipe away Sidon, Tyre, and their allies.

‘Jehovah will destroy the Philistines, as well as the islands of CappaDocia. ⁵ Baldness has come upon Gaza; AshKelon has been discarded, as have the the Enakim.

⁶ ‘How long will you strike with the sword of the Lord… until when will you finally be stilled? Return it back to its sheath… cause it to rest and lift it away! ⁷ How can it [finally] be stilled? For, Jehovah sent it to AshKelon, and against [her cities] by the sea, so all the rest would then be aroused.’

Chapter 48

¹ Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel, said this against Moab:

‘Woe to Nebo for it was destroyed; Kiriath JaIrim was taken… their forts were all vanquished and shamed.

² ‘Moab isn’t dancing in HeshBon, for against her He’s planned many bad things. Come and let’s cut her out of the nations! Let’s bring her to the end with the sword!

³ ‘There’s the sound of men shouting in HoroNaim, O there is ruin and great destruction! ⁴ Destruction has come upon Moab! Announce this too in Zogora! ⁵ For, Luhith is now filled with weeping, and there’s weeping on the road to HoroNaim. It’s the cries of destruction that you hear, ⁶ so escape, and run for your lives! Live in the desert like zebras!

⁷ ‘Because you’ve relied on your treasures and forts; this is why you’ll be captured… you’ll be taken away and resettled, along with your princes and priests. ⁸ To all your cities there will come ruin… none of your cities will be saved. Even your valleys will then be destroyed, along with your plains,’ says Jehovah.

⁹ ‘Post signs upon Moab saying she is infected, so she’ll soon have to be burned; all her cities will become unwalked lands, for no one will then live within her. ¹⁰ O cursed is the one who’s indifferent, in doing the work of Jehovah… cursed is the one who holds back his sword!

¹¹ ‘Moab has rested since boyhood, relying upon his own glory. He’s never poured dregs from pitcher to pitcher, nor has he been carried away. It’s because of this that he can still taste, and his sense of smell has not left him.

¹² ‘But, because of this,’ says Jehovah, ‘{Look!} days are coming when I’ll send upon him, those who wish to lean on him. They will water [all his wine] pitchers, and they will break all his trumpets. ¹³ Moab will be disgraced before Chemosh, as Israel was disgraced before BethEl.

¹⁴ ‘So, how can you say, We are strong… all our men are mighty for war? ¹⁵ For, Moab and his [capital] city are gone… all his young men are slaughtered and fallen,’ says the King (Jehovah of Armies is His Name). ¹⁶ ‘For, Moab’s day of harm has come swiftly. ¹⁷ So, move away, all you who’re around him! And all who trust in his [fame] should now ask: How did the staff of the famous get broken… O that magnificent rod?

¹⁸ ‘So, descend from your glory and sit where it’s damp, O [great] daughter of Dibon! For, Moab has now been destroyed, and someone is also coming to you, who will destroy all your forts!

¹⁹ ‘Stand in the road and then look, O one who is sitting in AroEr, then ask the fleeing what has happened.

²⁰ ‘Moab is broken and disgraced. So, shriek, cry, and announce it in Arnon, that mighty Moab has been destroyed! ²¹ For, judgment has come to the land of Misor… upon Holon, JahAzah, and MephaAth, ²² as well as on Dibon and Nebo, and on the house of DiblaThaim. ²³ And on Kiriath JaIrim it has come, and the house of Gamul, as well as to the house of Meon. ²⁴ It has come on Kiriath and BozRah… upon all the cities of Moab, both those far away and those that are near.

²⁵ ‘The horn of Moab has been broken, and his strong forearm has been destroyed,’ says Jehovah. ²⁶ ‘Now make [his people] all drunk, for he made himself great in front of Jehovah.

‘Now Moab will wallow in her own vomit; she will be considered a joke. ²⁷ But, it was you, O Israel, and your cunning that brought this upon them, for you’ve waged war [as their ally].

²⁸ ‘The inhabitants of Moab have left all their cities, and now they live among rocks… yes, they’ve become like dove that live among rocks.

²⁹ ‘I heard the insolence of Moab, for he was very insulting, and his insults and pride raised his heart. ³⁰ But I know all of his deeds,’ says Jehovah, ‘and I’ve had to endure too much from him… aren’t these the things that he did? ³¹ Yes! It’s because of this that Moab will shriek! And men of KeIr will be yelling, in their squalid conditions!

³² ‘As in the weeping for JaZer, that’s how I’ll cry over you, O great grapevine of SibMah. For, your vines have reached to the sea, and touched the city of JaZer. But ruin has fallen on your autumn fruits, and on those who are picking your grapes.

³³ ‘There’s reason for shouting and joy at Carmel, for there’s no one to tread grapes in the vats of Moab. So, from morning to evening there’s reason for joy.

³⁴ ‘From HeshBon, to ElYaleh, and JaHaz there’s a cry; they lifted their voices from ZoAr to HoroNaim, as though they were three-year-old heifers, for the waters at NimRim are dry.

³⁵ ‘I’ll destroy Moab,’ says Jehovah; ‘he who ascends to his shrine, and there burns incense to his gods. ³⁶ So, Moab’s heart will resonate like pipes. For, My heart is against those of Keir [and] Aras, and like pipes they will also resonate.

‘Because of this, the things he’s procured, have perished away from [all] men. ³⁷ Then their heads in every place will be shaved, and their beards will also be shaved; all their hands will be beating their chests; and upon every loin will be sackcloth.

³⁸ ‘[There’ll be wailing] on the roofs of Moab, and even within their [city] squares. For, I’ve broken Moab,’ says Jehovah, ‘like a pot that is no longer used.

³⁹ ‘O how very contrite; yes, how Moab has repented; for Moab is now shamed and laughed at, and an object of horror to all those around her.’

⁴⁰ Jehovah says: ‘I’ll spread and stretch out My wings over Moab. ⁴¹ Kiriath will be taken and her fortresses seized. In that day, the hearts of the armies of Moab, as the hearts of women will become.

⁴² ‘Moab will [soon] be destroyed, and he’ll no longer be many, for against him the Lord will prove Himself great. ⁴³ So, snares, and fear, and the pit is upon you… you who have settled in Moab,’ says Jehovah.

⁴⁴ ‘Those fleeing in fear will fall in a cesspool, and those climbing out will be caught in a snare. For, I’ll bring these things upon Moab, in the year that I visit,’ says Jehovah.

⁴⁵ ‘In the shadow of HeshBon they stopped… all the army that was running away. For, fire came out of HeshBon, and flames shot forth from Sihon, and they devoured the forehead of Moab, and the scalps of the sons of SaOn.

⁴⁶ ‘Woe upon you, O Moab! For, the people of Chemosh were destroyed, and your sons and your daughters were taken as captives. ⁴⁷ But, I’ll return the captives of Moab, in the last days,’ says Jehovah.

This was the judgment on Moab.

Chapter 49

¹ To the sons of Ammon:

Jehovah asked; ‘Are there no sons in Israel… is there no one there to inherit [their land]? Why has MelCom inherited Gad and their people, and why does he live in their cities? ² {Look!} Because of this, days will come,’ says Jehovah, ‘when I’ll make the great disturbance of war, heard in RabBah by Ammon’s sons. Then they’ll be destroyed, and their land [will soon] be unwalked; her shrines will be incinerated with fire, and Israel will inherit its kingship,’ says Jehovah.

³ ‘Shout, O HeshBon, for Ai was destroyed! Cry out, O daughters of RabBah, and dress yourselves up in sackcloth! Give in and lament over MelCom, for together his priests and his rulers, will be carried away and resettled.

⁴ ‘Why are there cheers in EmaKeim, O daughter of great audacity… she who relies on her treasures and asks, Who’d [dare to] come against me? ⁵ {Look!} I will bring fear upon you,’ says Jehovah of Armies, ‘and upon all the cities within [your domain]. For you will each soon be scattered, to wherever your faces [will lead you], and none will gather those who escape. ⁶ But from their captivity I’ll then return, the sons of Ammon,’ says Jehovah.

⁷ To Edom:

Jehovah says: ‘There is no more wisdom in Teman, for the council of their experts has been destroyed, and their wisdom’s beguiled and undone. ⁸ So, become accustomed to sitting, O you who live there in Dedan, for I’m bringing hard times upon you, in the time of My visitation. ⁹ Those who harvest grapes will soon come there, and they’ll leave nothing behind. They’ll come upon you and snatch you, as though they are thieves in the night.

¹⁰ ‘For, as I once dragged down Esau, I’ll uncover the things that you’ve hidden, and no way will you be able to hide them. Then you’ll be destroyed by those, who are neither your neighbors or brothers. ¹¹ So abandon your orphans so they’ll live, for I will keep them alive, as well as all of your widows, for they will put trust in Me.’

¹² Jehovah says: ‘{Look!} Those who were not under Law, were given the cup and they drank it. And because you won’t be found without guilt, you too will have to drink from that cup. ¹³ For, I swear an oath by Myself,’ says Jehovah, ‘that your land will be scorned and unwalked; you will be cursed in her midst, and your cities will be deserts throughout the age!’

¹⁴ Then I listened and heard from Jehovah, for He’d sent messengers to the nations to tell them, ‘Gather together and come here against her… arise and get ready for war!

¹⁵ ‘{Look!} I’ve appointed you to be small ‘mong the nations, and to be despised by other men. ¹⁶ For, all your [schemes] have worked out against you, and the audacity of your heart [pulled you down], among holes in the rocks of high hills. If you set your nest as high as an eagle, from there I’ll bring you down,’ says Jehovah.

¹⁷ ‘Then Edom will be a land that’s unwalked, and all who come there will be amazed, and whistle at all that has happened to her. ¹⁸ For, as Sodom and GomorRah were destroyed, along with all those who stayed there,’ said Jehovah, ‘no man will sit [in Edom] again, nor will a son of man ever live there.

¹⁹ ‘{Look!} Like a lion he’ll come from the Jordan to AiTham, then I will quickly drive them away, and set a young man [as their ruler]! For, who is like Me and who can oppose Me? And who is this shepherd that will stand before Me?’

²⁰ So, hear the plan of Jehovah… His plan against Edom and what He’s devised, against those who are living in Teman. ‘Even the smallest of their sheep, will then be taken away, and the places where they rest will be empty. ²¹ For, the sound of their downfall will shake the whole earth, and their cries will be heard [‘cross] the seas.

²² ‘{Look!} He’ll soar like an eagle and see her, then he’ll stretch out his wings toward her forts. And in that day; the hearts of the mighty of Edom, will become like women with birth pains.’

²³ To Damascus:

‘HaMath was disgraced, and from Arpad they heard bad reports. So, they were startled and enraged, and no way were they able to rest.

²⁴ ‘Damascus was enfeebled and then turned to flee… by trembling she was overcome. Concern and grief held her down, like a woman who’s about to give birth.

²⁵ ‘O this praised city which was never abandoned; this town that was ever so loved; ²⁶ your young men will fall in your squares, and all your mighty warriors will fall in that day,’ says Jehovah of Armies. ²⁷ ‘For, I’ll kindle a fire on the walls of Damascus, and burn the Plaza of the Son of Hadad.’

²⁸ To Cypress and the queen in her courtyard, [concerning the attack by] NebuChadNezzar the king of Babylon:

Jehovah says: ‘Arise and go up to Cypress, then attack the sons of Kedem, ²⁹ as well as their tents and their sheep. Take all their clothes, their camels and jars, for [I] called for destruction upon them.

³⁰ ‘Flee right away… just grab what you need, O you who sit in the courtyard,’ says Jehovah! ‘For against you King NebuChadNezzar’s made plans. ³¹ Get up and flee to a nation that’s stable, O you who now sit down to rest, for you’re resting in a place without gates or bars.

³² ‘Then all your camels will be plundered, and your cattle will all be destroyed. I’ll blow them away with the winds, and shave them away from your sides, for I’ll bring your enemies to drive you away,’ said Jehovah. ³³ ‘Then your courtyards will be ostrich playgrounds… places unwalked through the ages. No way will man ever sit there again, or sons of men ever live there again.’

³⁴ Well, the [following] things that the Lord told the Prophet JeremiJah would happen, were fulfilled upon Elam at the beginning of the reign of ZedekiJah the king of Judah. ³⁵ For, Jehovah of Armies had said: ‘Look! I will break Elam’s bows, as well as his sources of power. ³⁶ For, the four winds I’ll bring against Elam, from the four corners of the sky, and scatter them to these four winds.

‘Many nations will come against Elam, to push them out of their land. ³⁷ Before their foes (those seeking their lives), I’ll cause them to be scattered. Then I’ll bring the badness of My anger and rage,’ says Jehovah. ‘I’ll chase them all with My sword, until they’re completely consumed. ³⁸ Then in Elam I’ll establish My throne… from there I’ll send a king and great men,’ says Jehovah. ³⁹ ‘But, at the ends of the days I’ll return, all the captives of Elam,’ says Jehovah.

Chapter 50

¹ These are the words that Jehovah spoke against Babylon and the land of the Chaldea by the hand of JeremiJah the Prophet:

² ‘Announce it to all the nations… make it heard! Lift a sign… let them hear it (don’t hide it)! Say, Babylon was captured, Bel was disgraced, and MeroDach has been [lost]… all their images were shamed, and all of their idols were [taken].

³ ‘For, a nation from the north came against her, and brought her land to extinction. So, no one will live there again… none from among men or beasts.

⁴ ‘During those days and that time, they will be entered and shaken,’ says Jehovah. ‘Then, sons of Israel and Judah will leave her together, and before Jehovah they’ll leave weeping [in joy], for they’ll be seeking their God.

⁵ ‘They’ll ask for directions to Zion, and that’s where they’ll set their faces to go. Then, in Jehovah they’ll seek refuge, and recall His Agreement of the ages.

⁶ ‘My people became sheep that were lost, for their shepherds had pushed them out on the mountains… they led them astray from mountain to hill, then departed and abandoned [their sheep].

⁷ ‘So, those who found them consumed them. Their enemies said, We won’t spare them, because they’ve sinned ‘gainst the Lord, in the righteous pastures where [He’d] gathered their fathers.

⁸ ‘Get out of Babylon’s midst, and from the land of the Chaldeans! Escape like sheep being chased by wild beasts! ⁹ For, {Look!} against Babylon I will arise, with gatherings of great nations from lands in the north. Then they will come and attack her, and she will be taken as their captive… the arrows of their best warriors, will not return without success.

¹⁰ ‘Then the Chaldeans will be plundered, and all those who loot her will soon become filled,’ says Jehovah. ¹¹ ‘For, she was once glad and found glory, when My inheritance was plundered by her… she leaped like a calf in My pasture, and then she gored like a bull. ¹² So, she will bring shame to her mother, then she’ll become the least of the nations… a wilderness, parched land, and a desert.

‘{Look!} This [greatest] of nations lies unwalked and empty, ¹³ because of the rage of Jehovah (it won’t be lived in… all will be gone). Then those who travel through Babylon, will look sadly and whistle at her disaster.

¹⁴ ‘Come, lay siege against Babylon… stretch your bows and shoot at her! Don’t spare your bows when you come against her, for, it’s against Jehovah that she has sinned. ¹⁵ Then tie up her hands and take her away; raze all the parapets on her walls, for this is vengeance from God… do to her as she once did to you! ¹⁶ Then wipe out Babylon’s seed (those who [swing] sickles in the harvest), before the swords of the Greeks! Then each should return to his people… each should return to his homeland.

¹⁷ ‘Israel has been a wandering sheep, for lions pushed them out [of their land]. The first to eat him was Assyria’s king, and then Babylon’s king ate his bones.

¹⁸ ‘It’s because of all this,’ says the God of Israel, Jehovah of Armies, ‘{Look!} I’ll take vengeance on Babylon’s king and his land, as upon Assyria’s king I took vengeance. ¹⁹ Then I’ll restore Israel to his pasture, and he’ll feed upon Carmel and in Bashan… in Gilead he’ll satisfy his soul, and upon the mountains of EphraIm.

²⁰ ‘In those days and that time,’ says Jehovah, ‘throughout Israel they’ll search for all that’s unrighteous, and it will no longer exist. For the sins of Judah they will seek, and there’s no way they’ll be able to find them. And those who remain will find kindness.

²¹ ‘Come to that land and attack her… against the people who are living within her, and punish all those who once clapped their hands… wipe them away with the sword,’ says Jehovah! ‘Do all to them that I’ve told you to do!

²² ‘There’s the sound of war and great destruction, within the land of Chaldea. ²³ O how they were defeated and smashed, by the hammer of the whole earth… how Babylon saw extinction from the nations!

²⁴ ‘They’ll attack and you will be captured; yet you, O Babylon, are still unaware. You will be found and then taken, for it is I, Jehovah, whom you’ve opposed!

²⁵ ‘So the Lord has opened His storehouse, and withdrawn the objects of His rage, to do the work of Jehovah of Armies, within the land of Chaldea. ²⁶ Because it’s her time, open her stores! Search her like a cave, then destroy her… don’t leave a trace [of where she once was]! ²⁷ Dry up all of her fruits, and carry them down to the slaughter! Woe upon them, for their day has now come… the time for them to be punished!

²⁸ ‘There’s the sound of [people] who are fleeing… from the land of Babylon they’re running. So, announce the vengeance of Jehovah to Zion… the vengeance of our God for His Temple.

²⁹ ‘Urge many to come against Babylon… tell all to stretch tight their bows! Set your camps all around her, and allow none to escape. Pay her back for the things she has done… what she’s done to you, you do to her! For, against Jehovah she has stood… against God (the Holy One of Israel).

³⁰ ‘It’s because of this that she’ll fall. And all the young men in her squares, as well as all of her warriors, will be [stabbed through] in that day,’ says Jehovah.

³¹’{Look!} I am against you, O proud one,’ says Jehovah of Armies, ‘and the day has now come… it’s time for you to be punished. ³² The insolence that you had will now fall, and there’ll be no one to raise it again. For, I will kindle a fire in her woods, which will devour all the things round-about her.’

³³ Jehovah of Armies also said, ‘To the sons of Israel you’ve been tyrants, as well as to sons of Judah… to all whom you captured you’ve been tyrants, and you refused to send them away.

³⁴ ‘But He who pays their ransom is strong (Jehovah the Almighty is His Name). He judges His opponents in fairness, before He takes them away from their land. And now He’s [decided to] provoke, all those who are living in Babylon.

³⁵ ‘Bring a sword upon the Chaldeans,’ says Jehovah, ‘and upon all the residents of Babylon… upon her great men and experts! ³⁶ Bring a sword against her clairvoyants, and prove them all to be fools! Bring a sword upon all her warriors, and let them each receive wounds! ³⁷ Bring a sword upon all of their horses, as well as upon all their chariots. Then those in their midst will all act like women! Bring a sword upon all of her treasures… [haul them away] as your plunder!

³⁸ ‘Though she has relied on her waters, they will soon be disgraced. For, they’re a land of carved idols. And since the islands also glorified them, ³⁹ their idols will be sent to those islands, where they’ll live among the chained demons.

‘There’s no way she’ll be lived in through the age; from generation of generation, no one will camp there. ⁴⁰ For, as God destroyed Sodom and GomorRah, as well as the places round-about them,’ said Jehovah, ‘there’s no way that men will live there again, nor will sons of men ever stay there.

⁴¹ ‘Look! There are people who are coming from the north… from the ends of the earth there will come… a great nation, as well as many kings, ⁴² all brandishing their bows and their knives. They’re audacious, for they’ll not show mercy, and their voices [will roar] like the sea. O [great] daughter of Babylon; They’ll come against you riding horses, prepared like fire for a war.

⁴³ ‘The king of Babylon will hear the report, and then his hands will grow weak… he’ll be gripped with pangs like a woman giving birth.

⁴⁴ ‘{Look!} Like a lion he’ll ascend from the Jordan, and he’ll go to the place called AiThan. Then quickly I’ll drive them [against] her… I’ll set all the young men against her. For, who is like Me and who can oppose Me, and who is this shepherd that stands before Me?

⁴⁵ ‘Because of this; Hear the plan of Jehovah… all His plans against Babylon, and all the devices that He has devised, against those who live in the land of Chaldea. Surely their lambs will all be destroyed… surely their pastures will all be taken!

⁴⁶ ‘From the sound of the conquest of Babylon, all the earth will be shaken, and her cries will be heard throughout all the nations.’

Chapter 51

¹ Jehovah said: ‘{Look!} I will awaken against Babylon, and against the Chaldeans who live there, a wind that burns and destroys. ² Arrogant ones I’ll send against Babylon… they will insult and lay waste to her land. So, woe upon Babylon and those round-about her, in the day that she is afflicted.

³ ‘Let the bowman stretch out his bow, and strap on all his weapons! Her young men must not be spared… wipe out all of her armies… ⁴ may all in the land of Chaldea fall dead… may their [mercenary troops] be pierced through and fall. ⁵ For Israel and Judah aren’t the widows, of their God Jehovah the Almighty. It was because their land was filled with injustice, and [had left] the holy ways of Israel, that they were [taken away].

⁶ ‘So, those in Babylon’s midst should now flee… each man should save his own life! Don’t get involved in her unrighteous things, for it’s time for her punishment by Jehovah… He’ll repay her for the things she has done!

⁷ ‘As a cup of gold is Babylon, within the hands of Jehovah, and the whole earth is now drunk from her wine. All the nations have drunk it, and because of this they are reeling.

⁸ ‘But, Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken, and it will be [the time to] lament her! Bring an ointment for her wounds, to see if she can be healed! ⁹ Though we provided her treatment, Babylon couldn’t be healed. Thus, each must leave and return to his land, for heaven has approached her for judgment… up to the stars she’s been lifted.

¹⁰ ‘Yes, Jehovah His judgment upon her, so come let’s announce it in Zion… the works of Jehovah our God.

¹¹ ‘Prepare you bows… fill your quivers, for the spirit of the king of the Medes, has been aroused by Jehovah. Because of His rage against Babylon, [He plans] to wipe her away. Yes, this is vengeance from the Lord, as well as the vengeance of His people.

¹² ‘Lift the flags upon Babylon’s walls; prepare the watchmen and ready the shields! For, Jehovah’s about to do what He said, against those residing in Babylon.

¹³ ‘O those who camp upon many waters, and [trust in] all of her treasures; your limit is finally reached, as to what your bowels [can hold]. ¹⁴ For, Jehovah swore an oath by His arm (and He said), I’ll fill you with men – as many as locusts – and those coming against you will shout.

¹⁵ ‘It is He who made the earth with His strength… who prepared man’s habitation in His wisdom, and in His understanding stretched out the sky. ¹⁶ With His voice He prepared the waters of the sky, and He led the clouds from the ends of the earth. He made the lightning for the rain, and from His treasures brought light.

¹⁷ ‘All men have been proven foolish, [and foolish] is the knowledge of all their goldsmiths, for they cast idols and they carve gods, that have no spirit within them. ¹⁸ So their deeds are in vain and all to be scorned, and they’ll be destroyed in the day that He visits. ¹⁹ But this isn’t the portion of Jacob, for their inheritance is He who shaped all… Jehovah of Armies is His Name.

²⁰ ‘So, scatter before Me the items of war, and I’ll scatter [many] nations before you… I’ll lift you from among many kings, ²¹ and scatter their horses and riders before you. I’ll scatter before you their chariots and horsemen. ²² I’ll scatter before you both husbands and wives. I’ll scatter before you old men and children. I’ll scatter before you young men and virgins. ²³ I’ll scatter before you shepherds and flocks. I’ll scatter before you farmers and farms… governors and commanders I’ll scatter before you. ²⁴ Before your eyes I’ll pay back, Babylon and the Chaldeans, for the evils they did against Zion,’ says Jehovah.

²⁵ ‘{Look!} I’m against you, O mountain of corruption, and your iron that corrupts the whole earth. So I’ll stretch My hand out against you, then I will roll rocks upon you, and set your mountain on fire! ²⁶ There’s no way they will carry your stones, to be used as corner foundations, for you’ll be wiped away through the age,’ says Jehovah.

²⁷ Lift the flags throughout the land! Blow a signal to the nations with a trumpet! Make the nations holy against her… those in Ararat and the AshChenazi! Bring many weapons against her; bring horses like locusts against her! ²⁸ Haul up the nations against her… the king of the Medes and the rest of the earth… his leaders and all his commanders!

²⁹ ‘The whole earth was shaken and made drunk, by Jehovah’s plans against Babylon. He arranged the extinction of Babylon’s land, and no one will live there again.

³⁰ ‘The warriors of Babylon will fail to wage war; they’ll just sit in their forts as they’re losing control. They’ll become like women whose tents are ablaze, and then her bars will be broken.

³¹ ‘One will chase, and meet another who’s chasing, to pursue the one who announces, in order to meet the one who announces, to announce to Babylon’s king, that his great city has been captured. ³² The last of his moats have been breached; his ramparts were all burned with fire, and all of his men have surrendered.’

³³ For, Jehovah of Armies (the God of Israel) says: ‘The palace of Babylon’s king, is now just a floor to do threshing… and it is the season for threshing, for it is now time for the harvest!

³⁴ ‘By Babylon’s King NebuChadNezzar, I was crushed and divided… he caught up with me in the darkness, then swallowed me down like a beast, and his belly was filled with My good things. ³⁵ In misery and trouble to Babylon he pushed me,’ so say those who were living in Zion, ‘and my blood is upon the Chaldeans who live there.’

³⁶ ‘Because of this,’ says Jehovah: ‘{Look!} I will now judge your opponent, and avenge them for the ways that they punished you. I’ll desolate her [waters] and dry up her springs, ³⁷ then Babylon will be an extinction – a den for beasts and for snakes – and it won’t be lived in again.

³⁸ ‘As lions and their cubs are aroused in the heat, I’ll give them a drink and make them all drunk… I’ll stupefy them and put them to sleep, ³⁹ which will be a sleep of the ages, from which they’ll never awaken,’ says Jehovah. ⁴⁰ ‘I’ll bring them like lambs for the slaughter… like rams mixed among [goats].

⁴¹ ‘O how Sheshach will be captured, and the boasting of the earth will be hunted… Babylon will be extinct among nations.

⁴² ‘May Babylon be covered by the sea… may she be covered by the roar of its waves. ⁴³ May her cities all be destroyed; may her land be waterless and unwalked. Nothing alive will live there again, nor will sons of men ever rest there. ⁴⁴ For, I will take vengeance against Babylon, and out of her mouth I’ll take what she’s swallowed. No more will nations gather to her, and even her walls will soon fall.

⁴⁵ ‘So, come from her midst, O My people… let each one save his own life, from the anger and rage of Jehovah. ⁴⁶ And don’t let your hearts be consumed… don’t fear the reports that are heard in that land. In one year there’ll come a report, and the next year there’ll come another, of misery and sin in the land, and of one dominator ruling another.

⁴⁷ ‘Because of this {Look!} days will come, when I’ll bring My vengeance on Babylon’s carved idols, then all their land will be shamed, and her slain will fall in her midst. ⁴⁸ Then heaven and earth will be joyful, as well as all those who live there. For, from the north will come her destroyer,’ says Jehovah. ⁴⁹ ‘And as Babylon once killed the Israelites, the slain will fall in Babylon’s land.

⁵⁰ ‘Flee, O you who are saved from the broadsword… you should no longer stay there! Speak of the Lord from your far away places, and keep Jerusalem in your hearts!

⁵¹ ‘We were ashamed when we heard of our scorn, and in dishonor we covered our faces, for foreigners had entered our Holy Place… they had entered the [Temple] of Jehovah! ⁵² And because of this, {Look!} days will come,’ says Jehovah, ‘when against her carved idols I’ll take vengeance, and the slain will fall in her land. ⁵³ For, should Babylon ascend to the heavens, or fortify the heights of her strength, from Me will come those who destroy her,’ says Jehovah.

⁵⁴ ‘In Babylon, there will be sounds of cries, and destruction of the Chaldeans. ⁵⁵ For, Jehovah will wipe away Babylon… as with sounds of waters He’ll destroy her, and to her voice He’ll bring ruin. ⁵⁶ For, misery will come upon Babylon; all her warriors will be captured, and terror will come to her bowmen, for this is her payback from God. ⁵⁷ Jehovah will repay he with what she is due. For He will make them all [reel like] drunks… her governors, wise men, and commanders,’ says the King, Jehovah the Almighty.’

⁵⁸ Thus says Jehovah the Almighty: ‘The broad walls of Babylon will be razed, and her gates will fail and be burned, because nations and people will have tired of her pride.’

⁵⁹ [All the above] are the words that Jehovah told JeremiJah the Prophet to say to SeraiJah (the son of NeriJah and grandson of MaAseJah), when he went with ZedekiJah (the king of Judah) into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign (for SeraiJah was in charge of the gifts that were [brought to the king]). ⁶⁰ JeremiJah wrote of all the bad things that were to come upon Babylon in a scroll, including all these words that were written against Babylon. ⁶¹ Then JeremiJah said to SeraiJah, ‘When you arrive at Babylon, [you must open this scroll] and read all these words, ⁶² then say, O Jehovah; it was You who spoke against this place. You said that You would destroy it, and no one would live here again, from man to beast, through the ages.

⁶³ ‘And when you finish reading this scroll, tie it to a rock and toss it into the EuPhrates, ⁶⁴ then say: So Babylon will sink and not rise again… for the bad that I’ll bring she will vanish.’

These were all the words of JeremiJah.

Chapter 52

¹ King ZedekiJah was twenty-one years old when he started his reign, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was HamuTal, and she was the daughter of JeremiJah of LibNah. ² And like JehoiAkim, the things that he did were wicked before Jehovah. ³ So, the wrath of Jehovah stayed upon Jerusalem and Judah until He finally cast them away from His face, and ZedekiJah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

⁴ It was in the ninth year and tenth month of his reign, on the tenth day of the month, that NebuChadNezzar the king of Babylon came against Jerusalem with all his armies. He camped outside the city and built a rampart around it, ⁵ then the city stayed under siege until the eleventh year of King ZedekiJah. ⁶ And by the ninth day of the fourth month, there was famine in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.

⁷ Then the city’s [walls] were breached and all its warriors fled… they escaped during the night by way of the gate in the middle of the wall and the area around the wall that was next to the king’s garden. [They did this] as the Chaldeans were already in and around the city. And then they headed toward the desert.

⁸ Well, the army of the Chaldeans chased after the king, and they caught up with him on the other side of Jericho, where all his servants had left him. ⁹ So they seized the king and led him to the king of Babylon (who was in RibLah in the land of HaMath), where he spoke to him and then passed judgment on him.

¹⁰ Then the king of Babylon had all the sons of ZedekiJah killed before his eyes, and he killed all the rulers of Judah there in RibLah. ¹¹ And thereafter, he blinded the eyes of ZedekiJah, bound him in shackles, and the Babylonian king took him to Babylon, where he and kept him in the mill house, until the day that he died.

¹² Then, during the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, NabuZarArdan, the chief of the guards (who stands before the king of Babylon) came to Jerusalem, ¹³ and he burned the [Temple] of Jehovah, the king’s palace, and all the houses in the city with fire, including all of its mansions. ¹⁴ Then the chief of the guards had the Chaldean armies tear down all of the city walls. ¹⁵ And he moved all the poor people (those who were left behind in the city) as well as those who had gone over to the king of Babylon, and all the rest. ¹⁶ However, the chief of the guards did leave some of the poor people behind to serve as vinedressers and farmers.

¹⁷ Then the Chaldeans broke up the columns of brass in the [Temple] of Jehovah, along with their bases and the brass Sea, and they carried the brass off to Babylon. ¹⁸ This included the bowls, the meat hooks, and the rest of the brass items that were used to officiate [at the Temple], ¹⁹ as well as the silver things (the snuffers, the oil flasks, the lamp stands, the incense pans, and the cups). Then the chief of the guards took all the things that were made of gold and silver, ²⁰ as well as the two columns, the Sea, and the twelve brass calves that were under the Sea (which King Solomon had made for the [Temple] of Jehovah) [to Babylon].

²¹ No one could know the weight of all the brass, for the columns each stood thirty-three feet tall, they had a circumference of twenty-two feet, and their walls were four fingers thick. ²² All the moldings were eight feet long (one of them was very fine), and there was a net of pomegranates around the moldings, all of which was made of brass. ²³ There were ninety-six pomegranates on each [molding] and a hundred pomegranates on each of the nets that encircled them.

²⁴ Then the chief of the guards carried off SeraiJah (the High Priest), ZephaniJah (his second in command), and three of the entrance guards. ²⁵ And from the city, he took one of the eunuchs who was in charge of the warriors, seven of the famous men who stood before the king (all who were found in the city), the scribe of the armies, the one who acted as scribe for the people of the land, and sixty men from among the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. ²⁶ NabuZarArdan (the chief of the guards) took them all and led them to the king of Babylon in RibLah, ²⁷ and the king of Babylon had them all killed at RibLah (in the land of HaMath). Then all of Judah was deported from its land.

²⁸ There were three thousand, twenty-three people who NebuChadNezzar deported in the Judean’s seventh year. ²⁹ Then in the eighteenth year of NebuChadNezzar’s [reign], he deported eight hundred and thirty-two souls from Jerusalem. ³⁰ And in the twenty-third year of [his reign], the chief of the guards deported seven hundred and forty-five souls from among the Judeans. So, all the souls came to four thousand, six hundred.

³¹ Then in the thirty-seventh year, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month from the relocation of JehoiAkim the king of Judah, EvilMerodach (the king of Babylon) took JehoiAkim (the king Judah) and led him from the house where he’d been kept under guard (he did this in the first year of his reign). ³² Then he spoke to him kindly and gave him a throne that was higher than all the thrones of the other kings who were there with him in Babylon. ³³ He took him from his prison, provided him with better clothes, and he thereafter ate bread there before him for as long as he lived. ³⁴ And he was provided a daily allowance by the king of Babylon until the day that he died.

Notes

Soul

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the link Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus’ promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn’t used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as Ezekiel 18:4 says, ‘The person (gr. psyche or ‘soul’) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).’

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of ‘My Soul’ in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a ‘soul’ as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn’t talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life.

Then there are Jesus’ words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, ‘Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.’ Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn’t referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?

In both the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (OT) and the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), we find all the realm of creation divided into three entities; the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (the waters). Now, in contemporary English, we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can’t be found. So, Genesis 1:1 could literally be translated as, ‘In the beginning, God created the sky and the ground.’

This is accurate, because it was the view of man from the earth. There was the land that he stood on, the sky above him, and the waters or seas over there. There was no technical understanding of the earth as a planet, because men didn’t view the earth as we do today, as a ball in space… it just wasn’t necessary at the time! However, because of these distinctions that we understand so well today, translators must choose the proper words to provide the right nuances in English, in order for readers to grasp the proper meaning of each text.

This is why you’ll find the Greek word ourano translated as both heaven(s) and sky herein, depending on the context. You’ll also find the Greek words ge and ges translated as earth, ground, or land, depending on the context. So, the symbolic words at 2 Peter 3:5, 6, for example, are translated herein as, ‘The thing that they don’t want to understand is this: That the ancient earth and sky were out of the water, but (in obedience to God’s instructions) they stood together between the waters.’ (For an example of the problems created by the wrong use of the words ge and ges, see the linked document Isaiah 24 - Is It Speaking of Armageddon?).

Notice that the ‘earth and sky’ were located ‘between the water.’ So, although other Bibles translated this verse as speaking of the ‘heavens and earth,’ the reference is to the portion of the heavens that are close to the earth… to the sky. Likewise, at Matthew 5:5, where Jesus spoke of the ‘meek’ as inheriting ‘the earth; since he was talking about people receiving an ‘allotment’ on the earth,’ we have chosen to translate ges as earth, not land or ground. However, the words land and ground are equally correct.

And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. thalassa), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassa and rivers are called potamos (or ‘flowing’). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water, ‘The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.’

We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, where it says, ‘Then I saw a new earth and sky, because the previous earth and sky had disappeared, as did the sea.’

Also, in the case of where EliJah was taken in a celestial chariot, most people think he was taken to (as their Bibles put it) ‘heaven,’ where he went to live with God. This isn’t true, because King JehoRam later received a letter from Elijah (see 2 Chronicles 21:12). So, God had apparently used the celestial chariot to take him into the sky (the proper translation here), where he was then taken to another place here on the earth. For more information on this, see the linked document, The Hereafter.

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Hades: Hell or the Grave?

The Greek word Hades (they pronounced it hah-des) has been translated both as Hell (which is thought of as a place of torture) and as the Grave in other Bible versions (such as the King James). Since one word can’t mean two very different things, which translation is correct?

Hades (like the English word Hell) actually means the place of the dead. However, as pagan Greek philosophy started to develop and creep into Christianity, the later-day Greek view of Hades (a place of torture) was applied to it. Was this a correct application?

An insight into how the ancient Hebrews and the early Christians understood the word can be gained by looking at how it was applied in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (the ‘Old Testament’ Bible of Jesus’ day). There, the Hebrew word Sheol is translated into Greek as Hades in every instance; yet in each case, these are obvious references to the grave (the place of the dead), not to a place of conscious torture (see Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10).

Another revealing application of the word Hades is found at Revelation the 20:13. It says there, ‘The sea (gr. he thalassa) gave up its dead, death and the grave (gr. thanatos kai ho hades) gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.’

So, notice that those who die at sea are differentiated from those who are buried in graves (Hades) and in other places (thanatos). Therefore, Hades is better translated as grave.

In the book of Job, another word that is used once in the Christian-era Scriptures and often translated as Hell, is found in two places. That Greek word is Tartarus, which refers to the place where evil gods or angels are sent. For more information, see the linked document, Is There a Burning Hell?

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Blest or Happy?

There is quite a debate as to whether the Greek word makarios found in many places throughout the Bible should be translated blessed or happy.

Notice that we have chosen to translate it as blest, which is an older spelling of the word blessed, to get rid the affected pronunciation that was likely introduced by early preachers (bless-ed).

According to Zodhiates’ Complete Word Study Dictionary, the word should never translated as happy, because happy is derived from the words happen, happening, or happenstance (luck). His reasoning (which we agree with) is that, when someone suffers for the sake of righteous principles, his/her reward isn’t just happiness (which can come from any source of good luck or fortune), but rather, it is a joy that comes from gaining a better relationship with God.

In other words, there is no exact word in English to use here, but blest seems to be a closer alternative than happy.

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Jealousy and Zeal

At Psalm 37:8 we read, ‘Stop being angry and abandon your rage. Don’t allow zeal to make you act wicked’ (yes, we know, the word should be wickedly, but this is poetic license). However, those words could also be translated as, ‘Do not allow jealously to cause you to act wickedly,’ because the Greek word zelos can either be translated as zealous or as jealous, depending on the circumstances, for both words mean the same thing. Yet, the two words imply different things in English.

Zeal is usually thought of as something good… something that all Christians should have, as in zeal for God and righteousness. And jealously is thought of as something bad… as wanting something that belongs to someone else. Yet, God may be spoken of as being jealous over His Name and His position as God, so jealously isn’t always a bad thing. And we can have zeal for things that are ours and we are proud of (which is not bad), and be jealous of things that belong to others (which is bad). So, the same Greek word (zelos) may be correctly translated as zeal in one place, and as jealously in another, depending on the context.

Then, is it proper for a man to be jealous of his wife, or for a wife to be jealous of her husband? No, we should never be jealous of each other, but for each other. We shouldn’t want what the other has, but we should have a burning zeal for each other. So, if one has good reason to worry about losing the love of the other, that is zeal. However, if such concern is baseless, that is wicked suspicion, not jealously.

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Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God’s Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos (pronounced ai-on-oss), which is used throughout the Bible and is often translated as forever and everlasting, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age(s) or era(s).

Where the plural form of the word (aionion) is used, it refers to a long time… at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is used (aionos), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can’t mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus’ Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: ‘Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?’ You can see that the word aionos obviously doesn’t mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God’s Temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed, because that’s what Jesus had just told them.

The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things (NW) in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or system of things), not aionos.

The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end, and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and your hands made the heavens. They will destroy themselves, but you will remain. They will grow old just like clothes do. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them like clothes. Yes, you are the one, and your years will never expire.’

So, notice; The Bible shows that even our universe will eventually end and need to be ‘wrapped up and repaired,’ which agrees with the conclusions of modern science.

The problem with most Bible translations is that; when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So, the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular forms (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.

Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have life in this age… he won’t have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to life!’

Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionos (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).

Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, for has crossed over from death to life.’

So, what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would have everlasting life, but that they in their current lifetime would be considered among the living, not among the dead (see Revelation 20:12).

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t live forever… it’s just that Jesus wasn’t really saying that. What we find (from consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life) is that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that righteous people will receive ‘life in the age,’ or be considered worthy of (possibly everlasting) life by God during their current lifetimes… that their names would be written in ‘the scroll of life,’ and that they would not have to be judged, but will have already ‘crossed over from death to life,’ as Jesus said at John 5:24.

Yes, we know that this is a difficult concept to understand, but it’s what Jesus actually said.

For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Breath

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

The most common use of the word pneuma in the Bible is to imply an unseen force (such as breath or wind). And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost is that many people have started believing that the unseen force that is called [God’s] Holy Breath herein, is another God-like person and part of a Divine ‘Trinity.’ This can’t be true, because the only scripture that can be used to support this theory (that is, where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Breath’ are spoken of together) is found at Matthew 28:19, which appears to be spurious (See the Note in Matthew). All other scriptures that are used to prove the Trinity theory fail to mention the Holy Breath as part of that group. And the King James wording of 1 John 5:7 (which was used for years to attempt to prove the Trinity) is also spurious (something that was added to the Bible). So, there are no actual Bible references that mention God’s Holy Breath along with the Father and the Son.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as ‘spirits.’ Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God’s Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God’s] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, ‘Breath of Life.’ This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It’s the unseen force of life for all creatures… it’s what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the ‘pneuma’ as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) ‘return to God’ at death,’ because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God’s Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, ‘Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?’ As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God’s Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3 God says, ‘I won’t allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.’ In Greek that reads, ‘Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,’ or, ‘Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.’

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God’s Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though; what God was saying here is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as ‘My Breath,’ there may be a link implied between God’s Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, ‘The Powers of God’s Holy Spirit.’

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), ‘he hung his head and gave up the breath’ (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to ‘the breath of life,’ or that force which gave him life as a human.

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Capitals in Bible Names

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we’ve started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiJah, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

We all know that the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So, the name was originally pronounced closer to Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] Jehovah, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. So, why have we substituted a capital ‘J’ for the letters ‘ie’ in both of the above cases? Well, we recognize that there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter ‘J’ in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, we have the choice of changing all names that start with ‘J’ (such as Jesus, John, Jonah, Joshua, Jeremiah, etc.) to start with the letters ‘Ie’, or for consistency, we can change all the ‘Ies’ into ‘Js’, which is what we have done. Realize that several other Hebrew consonants are commonly mispronounced in English, which no one objects to, so this minor deviation should not be objectionable to the thinking.

Does this mean then that we are setting out a new rule for name spelling? Absolutely not, for centuries ago, a Bible translator first established this rule when he spelled the name Eliou (Greek spelling, pronounced ay-lee-ou) and wrote it as EliJah, because this name is regarded as meaning ‘My God is Jehovah.’

Also notice that where a name ends with an iah, as in Jeremiah (Jehovah exalts), we have often spelled it as iJah, because the I would typically be pronounced as a long E, followed by a Y in Hebrew, and writing it without the I (as in JeremJah) misses this nuance. So, we have rendered it as JeremiJah, which is similar to the way it is often pronounced by modern-day Hebrew-speaking Jews, YeremiYah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is ‘El’ (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Eelai-eezer and means God [has] Helped) should actually be pronounced El-ee-eh-zer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So, AiLam (for example) probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to ‘the Lord’ or ‘the God.’ Also, the prefixes ‘Ben’ and ‘Bar’ mean ‘the son of.’ ‘Beth’ means ‘the house of,’ ‘Beer’ refers to a ‘well,’ ‘Is’ or ‘Ish’ means ‘Man,’ etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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The Foreskin

It appears as though God has provided a secret sign, known only to God and a person’s mate, to indicate righteousness or a desire to be righteous; the foreskin of the genitalia. On males, this is the extra fold of skin around the top of the penis; and on females, it is the small piece of skin called the hymen. So, whether this skin remains unbroken or is removed, is something that is quite secret and unseen by others, but known by God and one’s mate.

It seems unusual that both of these small pieces of skin appear to have been made to be broken or cut off without creating any long-term injury or harm; and in the case of the hymen, is exclusive to humans. So, it appears as though man was deliberately created with the extra fold of skin, so that those who wished to remain faithful could choose to indicate this desire before God in a very private way.

We first learned of the meaning and need for males to be circumcised, when God told Abraham that he, his entire household, and all his descendants should have their foreskin removed. Note what He said as found at Genesis 17:10-12, ‘This is the Sacred Agreement between you and your seed (through all its generations) and Me: All of your males must be circumcised. The foreskin of your flesh must be circumcised. This will be the sign of the Sacred Agreement between you and Me. You must circumcise all of your male children when they are eight-days old, throughout all your generations. [This includes all the] servants who are born in your house, those who are bought with money, and it includes the sons of aliens who are not your seed.’

It is also interesting that new-born males were to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth, because that is precisely the best time to perform this delicate operation, since that is the time when the least bleeding will occur. Who would have known this, other than God?

It was later on, after the death of Jesus, when many gentile converts were coming into the Christian Congregation, that the question of circumcision arose, for circumcised Jewish Christians were demanding that uncircumcised gentile converts should also be circumcised. And when the matter was brought before ‘the Holy Ones’ in Jerusalem, they decided that physical circumcision was just a sign that God required of the descendants of Abraham. So, they decreed (as found at Acts 15:28, 29), ‘It’s apparent to the Holy Breath [of God] and to us, that we shouldn’t put any burdens on you, other than these necessary things: Stay away from things that are sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things that are strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you stay away from these things, you will do well. Good health to you!’

In other words, physical circumcision was no longer required. However, notice what Moses wrote (as recorded at Deuteronomy 10:16, 17), ‘So, circumcise the hardness from your hearts and don’t be [rebellious], for Jehovah your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords.’

As you can see, there is both physical circumcision and a spiritual circumcision, which both amount to a removing of the sign of impurity (for males).

Females, of course, were not to be circumcised, because their foreskin is a sign of their virginity. And although modern people call the practice of surgically removing the clitoris (as is practiced by many peoples on the African continent today) ‘female circumcision,’ that is just mutilation, not a removal of the foreskin.

What is the purpose of establishing virginity among women? Because God’s view is that a husband has a right to choose a wife of high moral character who is clean and untouched. And for this, He provided the sign of the foreskin, which bleeds when first broken in sexual relations. So in ancient Israel (and among other descendants of Abraham), the custom was to provide the blanket or rug on which the marriage was consummated to the parents of the bride, as proof that she was a virgin. For we read at Deuteronomy 32:13-15, ‘If any man should take a wife who he comes to dislike after he has lived with her, then starts saying bad things about her and calling her bad names, saying, When I took this woman and had sex with her, she didn’t prove to be a virgin, her father and mother must bring the girl’s proof of virginity to the elders at the city gate.’

And, just as one can choose to be circumcised in the heart, one can also choose to be a spiritual virgin, for at Revelation 14:4 we read of such individuals: ‘These didn’t dirty themselves with women. In fact, they are virgins who keep following the Lamb no matter where he goes. They were bought from mankind [and offered] as the first fruitage to God and to the Lamb.’

What type of virginity is being spoken of here? This scripture isn’t talking about living the life of a monk or a nun, but of someone who has kept him/herself pure in their worship of God. A contrasting person would be one who the Disciple James spoke of at James 4:4, where he said, ‘Adulteresses, don’t you know that if you’re a friend of the world, you’re an enemy of God? So, whoever wants to be a friend of the world is putting himself down as God’s enemy.’

For a graphic description of what a spiritual whore is to God, read His description of the unfaithfulness of Judah and Israel, using the pseudonyms Aholah and Aholibah, as found in Ezekiel the Twenty-Third Chapter.

On the other hand; in the account of the Bride of the Lamb found in Revelation 19:7, 8, we read, ‘Let’s rejoice, shout in joy, and glorify Him, because it’s time for the Lamb’s wedding! His bride has prepared herself, and she was found worthy to be dressed in bright, clean, fine linen. This fine linen represents the righteous actions of the Holy Ones.’

Of course, according to the Law of God, this bride of Jesus (the Lamb) has to be a virgin, because of his heavenly position as the High Priest before God. For, notice what God required of the brides of the entire Priesthood class of Israel (Leviticus 21:13-15): ‘He may only take a wife who is a virgin and from his own tribe… not a widow, a divorcee, someone who has been violated, or a prostitute. He may only take a virgin from his own people as a wife, for he must not profane his seed among his people. I am Jehovah who makes him holy.’

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Jeremiah 31:37

In the Septuagint, Jeremiah 31:37 reads: ‘Tade legei kurion Thus says the/Lord, ean upsothe ho ourano eisto meteoron if should/be/raised/up the heaven in height, kai eantapeinothe to epeinothe tes ges kato and/if lowered the floor of/the earth below, kai ego ouk apodokimo to genos Israel legei Kyrios so I will not reject the race of/Israel says the/Lord, peri panton on epoieson for all the/things that/they/did.’

However, the Hebrew text reads: ‘Thus says the Lord: If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord.’

As you can see, there is a significant difference between the meanings of the two different text sources. For, the Septuagint says that Israel will not be rejected, but the Hebrew text says that they will be cast off. Which of the two is right?

Well, verse 36 provides the answer to the question, for it says there: ‘If these Laws before Me cease to be, then the race of Israel won’t stand as a nation before Me, throughout the rest of the days.’ So, God is clearly saying that Israel could be rejected, thus the words of verse 37 in the Septuagint simply don’t follow. As the result, we have deferred to the conclusion of the Hebrew text and must assume that an early Septuagint translator simply couldn’t believe that Israel could be rejected, so he incorrectly added the word not.

But, does this error prove the Septuagint as the inferior text? Not necessarily, because we continually find obvious errors in both sources of text. And far too often, the Septuagint follows logical reasoning better and it offers details that are not found in modern Hebrew texts; so we tend to trust the Greek text, while keeping an eye out for errors.

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Apostasy and Apostates

The Greek word apostasis (in its various conjugated forms) is used several times in the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (OT), and we find it used at 2 Chronicles 28:19, where we’ve rendered it as ‘turned away,’ because that’s what the term really means. It refers to a turning away from a righteous God-fearing way of life. For, the Greek word (which we pronounce as apostasy in English) literally means ‘turn away from (apo)’ a ‘standing or state (stasis).’ So, it doesn’t refer to a disagreement over the way some doctrine is viewed, as the word is misapplied by some religious groups.

Almost all Bible references to apostasy are speaking of a turning away from the way of Israelite life that is outlined in the Law. However, in the book of Job, the word apostate refers to being unfaithful to God, since Job lived before the Law.

There are just two places where this term (apostasy) is used to indicate someone’s unfaithfulness in the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), at Acts 21:21 and at 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

At Acts 21:21 we read (concerning the Apostle Paul): ‘But they have heard the rumor that you’ve been teaching Judeans who live among the nations an apostasy from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to follow the traditions.’

Notice that Paul’s teaching wasn’t being called an apostasy; rather, the apostasy was their not following the traditional Jewish way of life.

Actually, the proper word to use when speaking of teaching something that deviates from established doctrine is heresy, which is the word that the Catholic Church used extensively to accuse faithful Christians (and others) of during their ‘Inquisition’ of 1400s and 1500s. Notice that they didn’t accuse anyone of apostasy (turning from a Christian way of life), but of heresy (disagreeing with their established doctrines). So, they understood the difference.

There was at least one instance where Paul himself seemed to accuse and impose sanctions against other Christians for heresy. We find this account at 2 Timothy 2:17, 18, where he wrote: ‘That was the problem with Hymenaeus and Philetus; they got away from the truth and started teaching that the resurrection has already happened, which misdirected the faith of some.’

So, deviating from teaching the truth of the Bible was a serious matter among First-Century Christians. However, in view of what Jesus said at Matthew 5:22 and what was said about Jesus at Jude 9, calling anyone such a thing such a thing as ‘an apostate’ or a ‘heretic,’ when there might be some question as to who is right, would be an even more serious matter.

The only other places in the Christian-Era Scriptures (NT) where the Greek word for apostasy is found, is where Jesus spoke of the Pharisees as giving their wives a ‘certificate of dismissal’ to divorce them (see Mark 10:4). The words that are translated certificate of dismissal are biblion apostasiu, which literally mean ‘scroll of apostasy (or sending away).’

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Garbage Dump

The Greek word Gehenna is often translated Hell Fire. Yet, the word simply means the Valley (heb. ga) of Hinnom. The Valley of Hinnom (also referred to as ‘the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom’) was a garbage dump that was located along one of Jerusalem’s outer walls. It was a beautiful park before Jerusalem’s conquest by Babylon, but it was defiled when apostate Jews offered their children as sacrifices on an altar to the God Molech there (see 2 Chronicles 28:3). Then, after the repatriation to Jerusalem, the valley was used in a disrespectful way.

As a garbage dump, it was customary to keep the garbage burning to reduce the stench and to limit vermin, so sulfur and brimstone were frequently poured into the dump to keep the fires burning hot. This is why Jesus, when using the term, spoke of the fire as not being put out. Also, because worms (maggots) bred along the edges of the dump, he could say that the worms don’t die there. But there is no indication that he was really talking about humans.

The only cases where humans were actually thrown into Gehenna provides an insight into what Jesus was talking about when he referred to people going there: The dead bodies of particularly vile criminals were thrown into Gehenna’s fires whenever the population felt that they were undeserving of a decent burial.

As you read the Scriptures, you will notice the importance that Hebrews placed on being ‘laid to rest with their ancestors.’ So, when Jesus spoke of people being thrown into Gehenna, he was obviously referring to unrepentant sinners being thrown into the ‘garbage dump.’ In other words, in the eyes of God, they were unworthy of a resurrection. This same fate (of no resurrection) is implied by the death of the wicked Queen JezeBel, whose body was eaten by dogs.

Such an outcome for the willfully wicked is also referred to in Matthew’s account as the fire of the age. Why was that term used? Because fire destroys, and this destruction is for the ages.

For more information, see the linked document, ‘Is there a Burning Hell?’

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