圣经-旧约（天主教思高圣经）

http://www.tianzhujiao.org/bible

Chinese-English Bible http://www.6art.net/sj

不认识圣经，就是不认识基督，不认识基督，就是不认识基督所建立的天主教会。

 

旧约·耶肋米亚

共52章:

 

一编　神谕集(1-25)

第一章(19)

先知前后任职时期
1:1 本雅明地内阿纳托特城的司祭中，希耳克雅的儿子耶肋米亚的言行录? ──
1:2 上主的话传给他，是在阿孟的儿子约史雅为犹大王执政第十三年；
1:3 以后传给他，是在约史雅的儿子约雅金为犹大王，直到约史雅的儿子漆德克雅为犹大王第十一年年底，即直到是年五月，耶路撒冷居民被掳去充军时为止。

先知蒙召
1:4 上主对我说：
1:5 「我还没有在母腹内形成你以前，我已认识了你；在你还没有出离母胎以前，我已祝圣了你，选定了你作万民的先知。」
1:6 我回答说：「哎呀!我主上主!你看，我还太年轻，不会说话」。
1:7 上主对我说：「你别说：我太年轻，因为我派你到那里去，你就应到那里去；我命你说什么，你就应说什么。
1:8 你不要害怕他们，因为有我与你同在，保护你──上主的断语。」
1:9 此后，上主伸出手来，触摸我的口，对我说：「看，我将我的话放在你口中；
1:10 看，我今天委派你对万民和列国，执行拔除、破坏、毁灭、推翻、建设和栽培的任务。」

两个异象
1:11 上主的话传给我说：「耶肋米亚！你看见什么﹖」我回答说：「我看见一根杏树枝。」
1:12 上主对我说：「你看的对，因为我要警醒，看我的话怎样实现。」
1:13 上主的话二次传给我说：「你看见什么﹖」我回答说：「我看见一个沸腾的锅，它的口由北面倾倒过来。」
1:14 上主对我说：「灾祸将由北方烧起，一直烧到这地上的一切居民。
1:15 看啊，我必召集北方的一切国家──上主的断语──叫各国前来，在耶路撒冷城门口，在城墙四周以及犹大各城市旁，建立自己的宝座。
1:16 我要向各城市的人民宣告我的判决，惩罚他们的一切罪恶，因为他们离弃我，向别的神祗献香，崇拜了他们手制的作品。

耶助米亚的使命
1:17 至于你，你要束上腰，起来向他们传示我命令你的一切。在他们面前，你不要畏惧，免得我在他们面前令你畏惧。
1:18 看啊，我今天使你成为坚城、铜墙、铁壁，以对抗犹大君王和首领，司祭和当地的人民。
1:19 他们要攻击你，却不能得胜你，因为有我与你同在，协助你──上主的断语。」

 

 

第二章(37)

以民不忠
2:1 上主的话传给我说：
2:2 「你去!向耶路撒冷大声疾呼说：上主这样说：我忆起你年轻时的热情，你订婚时的恋爱；那时你在旷野里，在未耕种的地上追随了我。
2:3 以色列成了上主的圣民，成了他收获的初果，凡吞食她的，都要有罪，灾祸必要因此降在他们身上──上主的断语。

上主待选民之恩
2:4 雅各伯家和以色列家的一切家族!你们听上主的话，
2:5 上主这样说：你们的祖先在我身上发现了什么不义，竟远离我而去追随「虚无」，自成为虚无呢﹖
2:6 他们也不问一问：那曾引我们由埃及地上来，那经过旷野、荒原和崎岖之地，干旱和黑暗之地，没人游历，无人居住之地，引领我们的上主现在哪里呢﹖
2:7 我引你们进入了肥沃的土地，吃食其中的出产和美物；但你们一进来，就玷污了我的土地，使我的产业成了可憎之物。

背离上主
2:8 司祭们也不问一问：「上主在哪里﹖」那些管理法律的，不认识我了；那些为人牧的，叛离了我；先知们也奉巴耳讲预言，追随无能的神祗。
2:9 为此，我要控诉你们──上主的断语，也要控诉你们的子孙。
2:10 好罢!你们往基廷岛屿去观察一下，派人到刻达尔去详细调察，看看有没有与此相类似的事：
2:11 难道有一个民族更换了自己的神祗﹖──虽然他们并非真神；但是我的人民竟以自己的光荣，换取了一个「无能的东西。」

背信的恶果
2:12 诸天!你们对此应惊骇战慄，大为惊异──上主的断语，
2:13 因为我的人民犯了双重的罪恶：他们离弃了我这活水的泉源，却给自己掘了蓄水池，不能蓄水的漏水池。
2:14 以色列岂是奴隶，或是家生的奴隶﹖为什么竟成了人的掠夺物﹖
2:15 狮子向她咆哮，高声吼叫：它们使她的地域成了荒野，使她的城市化为灰烬，无人居住。
2:16 连诺夫和塔黑培乃斯的子民，也削去你的脑盖。
2:17 你这不是自作自受吗﹖因为上主你的天主在路上引导你的时候，你竟离弃了他。
2:18 现在你又为什么跑到埃及去喝尼罗河的水，跑到亚述去喝幼发拉的河水﹖
2:19 是你的罪恶惩罚你，是你的不忠责斥你，那么你应该明白觉察：离弃上主你的天主，对我没有敬畏，是如何邪恶和痛苦的事──我主万军上主的断语。

选民的无耻
2:20 的确，从古以来，你就折断了你的轭，挣断了你的绳索说：我不愿服从；反在一切高丘上，和一切绿树下，偃卧行淫。
2:21 我种植你时，原是精选的葡萄，纯粹的真种子；你怎么竟给我变成了坏树，成了野葡萄﹖
2:22 现在即使你用碱洗濯，多加卤汁，你的罪污仍留在我面前──我主上主的断语──
2:23 你怎能说：我没有玷污我自己，我没有追随过巴耳﹖观察你在谷中的行动，便知你的行动，无异一只到处游荡，敏捷的母骆驼；
2:24 又象一头习惯在荒野，急欲求配，呼气喘息的野母驴；谁能抑制它的性欲﹖凡寻找它的，不必费辛苦，在她春情发动的月分，就可找着。
2:25 留心!不要使你的脚赤裸，不要使你的喉咙干渴!但是你却说：不会，不可能!我既爱异邦神祗，我要跟随他们。

背信所受之罚
2:26 就如小偷被人发现时，感到羞愧；以色列家：他们，他们的君王和首领，他们的司祭和先知，都要同样蒙受羞辱。
2:27 他们对木偶说：你是我的父亲；对石碣说：是你生了我。的确，他们不但向我转过脸去，而且也以背向着我；但是，在他们遭难的时候，却喊说：起来，拯救我们!
2:28 你自己制造的神祗在哪里﹖在你遭难的时候，他们若能救你，就让他们起来!因为犹大!你神祗的数目竟等于你域邑的数目，巴耳的香坛与耶路撒冷的街道一般多。
2:29 你们背叛了我，为什么又向我提出抗议──上主的断语──
2:30 我打击了你们的子孙，竟是徒然，你们没有受到教训；你们的刀剑如同一只凶残的狮子，吞灭了众先知。
2:31 你们这一代人，体会上主的话吧!难道我对以色列象一个荒野，或象一个黑暗的地方﹖为什么我的人民说：我们获得了自由，我们不再来找你﹖
2:32 一个处女岂能忘了自己的珍饰﹖一位新娘岂能忘了自己的彩带﹖我的人民却忘了我，时日已久长，无法计算。
2:33 你怎么会如此想尽好方法去求爱﹖你也将你的方法教给了邪恶的女人；
2:34 连在你的衣边上也发现无辜穷人的血渍：并不是在挖掘洞穴时，你捉住他们，而是在橡树边。
2:35 但你还说：我是无罪的，他的忿怒已离我远去。看!我要审判你，正因为你说：我没有犯罪。
2:36 你为什么这样轻易改变你的道路﹖你必要因埃及而蒙羞，犹如曾因亚述而蒙羞一样。
2:37 你毕竟要从那里抱头出走，因为上主摈弃了你所仗恃的，使你不能靠他们获得成功。

 

 

第三章(25)

以民失节
3:1 试问：若男人离弃了自己的妻子，她离开他而另嫁了别人，前夫岂能再回到她那里去﹖象这样的女人，岂不是已全被玷污了吗﹖你已与许多爱人行淫，你还想回到我这里来吗﹖──上主的断语──
3:2 你举目环顾高丘．看看在什么地方你没有受过玷污﹖你坐在各路旁等候他们，象个在旷野里的阿刺伯人，以你淫乱和邪恶玷污了这土地。
3:3 为此，秋雨不降，春雨不来。你具有娼妓的面孔，仍然不知羞耻。
3:4 从今以后，你要向我喊说：「我父，你是我青年时的良友!」
3:5 心想：「他岂能永远发怒，怀恨到底﹖」看，你虽如此说，却仍尽力作恶。

欺诈不实
3:6 在约史雅为王的时日里，上主对我说：「失节的以色列所做的，你看见了没有﹖她上到一切高山上，走到所有的绿树下，在那里行淫。
3:7 我以为她作了这一切以后，会回到我这里来；但是她没有回来。她失信的姊妹犹大也看见了此事：
3:8 虽然看见了我为了失节的以色列所犯的种种奸淫，而命她离去，给了她休书，她这失信的姊妹犹大却不害怕，竟然也去行淫。
3:9 由于她轻易行淫，与石碣和木偶淫乱，玷污了这土地。
3:10 尽管这样，她失信的姊妹犹大回到我这里来，仍不是全心，只是假意──上主的断语。」

北国人民改邪归正
3:11 上主于是对我说：「失节的以色列比失信的犹大，更显得正义。
3:12 你去向北方宣布这些话说：失节的以色列!请你归来──上主的断语──我不会对你怒容相向，因为我是仁慈的──上主的断语──我不会永远发怒，
3:13 只要你承认你的罪过，承认背叛了上主你的天主，在一切绿树下，与异邦神祗恣意相爱，没有听我的声音，上主的断语。
3:14 失节的子女，你们归来──上主的断语──因为我是你们的主人，我要选取你们，每城选一人，每族选二人，领你们进入熙雍；
3:15 在那里给你们一些随我心意的牧者，以智慧和明智牧养你们。
3:16 你们在这地上繁衍增殖的时日里──上主的断语──人不再提「上主的约柜」，也不再思念，不再追忆，不再关怀，不再制造。
3:17 那时，人要称耶路撒冷为「上主的御座」，万民要奉上主的名，汇集在耶路撒冷，不再随从自己邪恶而顽固的心行事。
3:18 在那些时日内，犹大家与以色列家同行，从北方一起回到我赐给了你们祖先作基业的地内。
3:19 我曾想过：多么愿意待你象一个儿子，赐给你赏心悦目的土地，列国中最美好的领土，我以为你会以「我父」称呼我，不会转身远离我；
3:20 但是，你们，以色列家对待我，正如对自己良友不忠的妇女──上主的断语。
3:21 在荒丘上可听到一片喧嚷：那是以色列子民的哀号哭泣，因为他们走入了邪途，忘却了自己的天主，上主。
3:22 「归来!失节的子民，让我疗愈你们的失节。」「看，我们回到你这里，的确，你是上主，我们的天主。
3:23 诚然丘岭和山上的狂欢尽是虚幻；唯在上主，我们的天主那里，有以色列的救援。
3:24 可耻的神祗，自我们幼年就吞噬了我们祖先的收入，他们的羊群、牛群和子女。
3:25 让我们躺卧在我们耻辱中，让我们以羞惭遮盖我们，因为我们和我们的祖先，自我们幼年直到今日，得罪了上主我们的天主，从来没有听从上主我们的天主的声音。」

 

 

第四章(31)

南国犹大的腐败
4:1 以色列，若是你归来──上主的断语──就应向我归来；若是你从我面前除去你可恶的偶象，就不应再四处游荡；
4:2 若是你以诚实、公平和正义指着「上主永在」起誓，那么，万民必因你而蒙受祝福，也因你而得到光荣。
4:3 因为上主对犹大人和耶路撒冷居民这样说：「你们要开恳荒地，不要在荆棘中播种。
4:4 犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民!你们应为上主自行割损，除去心上的包皮，以免因你们的恶行，我的忿怒如火发作，焚烧得无人能熄灭。」

强敌不久来犯
4:5 你们应该在犹大宣布，在耶路撒冷发表，在境内吹起号角，大声疾呼说：「你们应集合，我们要进攻坚城!」
4:6 你们应该给熙雍指出路标，赶快出逃，丝毫不可迟延，因为我要由北方招来灾祸，绝大的毁灭。
4:7 狮子已冲出它的丛林，毁灭万民者已起程走出了他的宫庭，前来使你的地域变为旷野，使你的城邑荒凉，再没有人居住。
4:8 为此，你们应身穿苦衣，涕泣哀号，因为上主尚未由我们身上撤回他的烈怒。
4:9 到那一天──上主的断语──君王与王侯必失去勇气，司祭必惊骇，先知必惊异；
4:10 人必要说：「哎!吾主上主!你的确欺骗了这人民和耶路撒冷说：你们必享平安；其实，刀剑已到我们的咽喉!」
4:11 那时人要对这人民和耶路撒冷说：「荒丘的热风由旷野向我人民吹来，不是为吹净，不是为清洁；
4:12 有一股强烈的风应我的命吹来；现在我要去裁判他们。
4:13 看啊!他如浓云涌上来，他的战车有如旋风，他的战马快过飞鹰!祸哉!我们算是完了!
4:14 耶路撒冷!洗净你心内的邪恶，好使你能获救。你那不义的思念藏在你内，要到何时﹖
4:15 因为由丹传来信息，由厄弗辣因山听到了凶信：
4:16 你们应通知人民，转告耶路撒冷：围攻的人由远方前来，向犹大各城高声吶喊，
4:17 象护守田地的人将她密密包围，因为她触怒了我──上主的断语。
4:18 是你的行径和作为给你造成了这一切；是你的邪恶使你受苦，受到伤心的痛苦。

以民哀痛欲绝
4:19 我的肺腑，我的肺腑!我痛苦欲绝，我心已破碎，我心焦燥不宁，我不能缄默!因为我亲自听到了角声，开战的喧嚷。
4:20 真是毁灭上加毁灭，全地尽已破坏；我的帐蓬突然倒塌，我的帷帐忽然毁坏。
4:21 我瞻望敌旗，闻听角声，要到几时﹖
4:22 这是因为我的人民愚昧，竟不认识我，是些无知的子民，没有明悟，只知作恶，不知行善。

灾祸的惨状
4:23 我观望大地，看，空虚混沌，我观望诸天，却毫无光亮；
4:24 我观望山岳，看，它在战栗，
4:25 我观望，看，一个人也没有，连天空的飞鸟都已逃循；所有的丘陵都在摇撼。
4:26 我观望，看，农田尽变为荒野，所有的城邑尽毁于上主，毁于上主的烈怒。
4:27 原来上主这样说：全地固然要荒芜，但我却不彻底加以毁灭。
4:28 为此，大地要悲伤，在上诸天要昏暗；因为我说了，再不后悔；决定了，再不撤回。
4:29 全城的人听到了骑兵和弓手的喧嚷，都四散逃命，有深入森林的，有爬上山岩的；所有的城市都被放弃，没有人居住。
4:30 你已被蹂躏还有什么企图﹖既使你身被紫锦，佩带金饰，以铅华描划眼眉，使你漂亮，也是徒然!你的爱人蔑视你，想谋害你的性命。
4:31 的确，我听到了彷佛产妇的叫声，彷佛首次分娩的呻吟，是熙雍女儿在伸开双手喘息哀叹：我真可怜．因为我的生命已陷在残杀者手中!

 

 

第五章(30)

南国犹大的邪恶
5:1 请你们巡行耶路撒冷的街道，观察注意，在她的广场上搜寻：若你们能找到一人，一个履行正义，追求信实的人，我就宽恕这城。
5:2 虽然他们起誓说：「上主永在!」其实他们起的誓仍是虚誓。
5:3 上主，你的眼睛难道不顾信实﹖你打击了他们，他们却毫不觉痛；你使他们挫败，他们仍拒绝受教，使自己的面孔比火石还要顽硬，不愿悔改。
5:4 我想：「不错，他们原是无知的平民，不认识上主的道路和他们天主的法律。
5:5 我要去问有权势的人，与他们谈论，因为他们知道上主的道路和他们天主的法律。」哎!连他们也都折断了轭，挣断了绳索。
5:6 为此，狮子由丛林出来袭击他们，旷野的豺狼出来伤害他们，豹子潜伏在他们的城旁，凡出来的人都被撕裂，因为他们罪上加罪，失节有增无已。
5:7 如此，我怎能宽恕你﹖你的子孙离弃了我，奉「非神」发誓。我使他们饱食，他们却去行淫，群集在妓院里；
5:8 他们象荒淫雄壮的牡马，各向自己近人的妻室嘶鸣。
5:9 这些事，我怎能不惩?t──上主的断语──象这样的民族，我怎能不亲自报复﹖
5:10 请你们登上她的墙上头，加以毁坏，但不要完全毁灭，该除去她的枝条，因为它们不属于上主。
5:11 以色列家和犹大家，实在对我不忠，达到极点──
5:12 上主的断语。他们否认上主说：「他不存在!灾祸绝不会临到我们身上，我们也绝不会见到战争和饥荒；
5:13 先知们不过是一阵风，他们并没有上主的话；他们这样只有自作自受。」
5:14 为此，上主万军的天主这样说：「因为他们说了这话，看，我必使我的话在你的口中成为火，使这人民成为木柴，将他们吞灭。
5:15 以色列家!看，我从远方给你们引来一个民族──上主的断语──一个所向无敌的民族，一个古老的民族，一个你们不懂她的语言，也听不出她说什么的民族
5:16 他们的箭筒有如张开口的坟墓；他们都是善战的勇士。
5:17 这民族必吃掉你的收获和食粮，必吃掉你的儿子和女儿，必吃掉你的羊群和牛群，必吃掉你的葡萄和无花果，必以武力蹂躝你依恃的坚城。
5:18 即在那些时日里──上主的断语──我也不对你们加以彻底的毁灭。」
5:19 假使有人问：「为什么上主我们的天主对我们做了这一切的事﹖」你当对他们说：「你们怎样离弃了我，在你们国内事奉了外邦的神祗，你们也该怎样在不属于你们的境内事奉外邦人。」

难免的惩罚
5:20 你们将这事通知雅各伯家，转告犹大说：
5:21 「你们愚昧无知，有目不见，有耳不闻的人民，请听听这话：
5:22 你们不敬畏我吗﹖──上主的断语──你们在我面前不战憟吗﹖是我堆积了沙石作海的界限，作为它永不能越过的界限：海浪虽汹涌，仍无能为力；虽怒号澎湃，仍不能越过。」
5:23 但这内心顽固忤逆的人民，竟背叛而离去，
5:24 从不反心自省：「我们应该敬畏上主，我们的天主，因为他按时降下雨露、秋霖和春雨；又给我们保持固定的收获时节。」
5:25 是你们的过犯混乱了这些时令，是你们的罪恶阻止了你们享这幸福。
5:26 因为在我的人民中发现了恶人；他们象隐伏的捕鸟者在窥探，布下罗网捕捉人。
5:27 犹如笼中满了飞鸟，他们家中也充满了欺诈，因此成了有势力，有钱财的人。
5:28 他们肥胖红润，作奸犯科，不为孤儿辩护；只求自己享受，也不关怀穷人的权利。
5:29 象这样的事，我怎能不惩?t──上主的断语──象这样的民族，我怎能不亲自报复﹖
5:30 在国内发生了一件恐怖而可憎的事：先知们说假预言，司祭们争权夺利，我的人民反倒以此为乐；到了最后，你们究竟还要作什么﹖

 

 

第六章(30)

耶京不久难免浩劫
6:1 本雅明子民，请你们逃出耶路撒冷，在特科亚吹号，在贝特革楞竖立旗帜!因为有一个灾祸，即一个巨大的毁灭，已由北方隐约出现。
6:2 熙雍女郎彷佛美丽的草场，
6:3 牧童领着自己的羊群向她进发，在她四周张设帐幕，各据一方牧放。
6:4 「请你们备战，向她进攻；来，让我们在正午就上前进攻!我们真不幸!因为日已偏西，暮影已长!
6:5 不妨!就趁夜间上去，破坏她的宫阙。」
6:6 因为万军的上主这样说：「你们该砍伐她的树木，堆起壁垒，围攻耶路撒冷，这该受罚的城市，因为在那里充满了压榨。
6:7 泉源怎样涌出水，她就怎样涌出邪恶；从那里只可听到强暴和迫害，我只看见疾病和疮痍。
6:8 耶路撒冷!你应接受训戒，免得我的心疏远你，使你荒凉，成为没有人居住的地方。」
6:9 万军的上主这样说：「你应象收拾葡萄，把以色列的遗民收拾净尽；又如收割的人向枝条再伸出你的手来。」
6:10 我应对谁说，应警告谁，使他们听信我呢﹖看，他们的耳朵迟钝不灵，不能留心细听；看，上主的话对他们已成了笑柄，一点也不感兴趣。
6:11 为此，我满怀上主的忿怒，我已无法再控制：「只得将愤怒发泄在街上的孩童和青年的队伍身上，因为男人和女人，年长和年老的人，都要被掳去；
6:12 他们的住宅、庄田和妻室，都要归于他人，因为我要向本地的居民伸出我的手──上主的断语。」

百姓全败坏
6:13 实在，从最小的到最大的，都贪财图利；从先知到司祭，都欺诈行事，
6:14 草率治疗我人民的疮痍说：「好了，好了!」其实却没有好。
6:15 他们既行事可憎，就理当知耻；可是，他们不但毫不知耻，反而连羞愧也不知是什么；为此，他们要与倒毙者一同倒毙，在我降罚他们时，都要一蹶不振──上主说。
6:16 上主这样说：「你们应站在交叉路口，观察探问旧路；那一条是好路，就在那路上走，你们的的心灵必获安宁。」他们却答说：「我们偏不走。」
6:17 「我给你们派驻哨兵，你们应注意号声!」他们却答说：「我们偏不注意。」
6:18 为此，万民!你们应该细听；群众!你们应知道他们的遭遇。
6:19 大地注意：看，我必给这百姓带来灾祸，作他们失节的的苦果，因为他们没有听从我的言辞，拋弃了我的法律。
6:20 那些来自舍巴的乳香，出自远方的香蒲，于我有何用﹖你们的全燔祭不受悦纳，你们的牺牲不乐我意。
6:21 为此，上主这样说：「看，我将给这人民设下绊脚石，使父子一起绊倒，使邻居和朋友同趋灭亡。」

来犯的敌人
6:22 上主这样说：「看，有一个民族从北方前来，有一个强大的异邦从地极兴起，
6:23 紧握弓戈，残忍无情，象海啸一般喧嚷，骑着战马，万众一心，严阵准备向你进攻，熙雍女郎!」
6:24 我们听到了这消息，束手无策，不胜忧虑，痛苦得有如临产的妇女。
6:25 你们不要到田间去，不要在路上徘徊，因为敌人正在撕杀，四处令人恐怖。
6:26 我的女儿──人民──你该穿上麻衣，辗转于灰尘，悲哀伤心痛哭，如丧独子，因为劫夺者要突然来袭击我们!

不可救药
6:27 我立了你作我人民的考察员，原是为叫你认识并考察他们的行径。
6:28 他们尽是极顽固的叛徒，往来播散流言，确是坏透了的破铜烂铁。
6:29 风箱猛吹，虽有烈火，但铅仍不溶化；炼工徒然锻炼，渣滓总炼不掉。
6:30 人都称他们为「拋弃的银渣，」因为上主已将他们拋弃。

 

 

第七章(34)

虚伪的信赖
7:1 上主有话传给耶肋米亚说：
7:2 「你站在上主殿宇的门口，宣布这话说：你们凡由这些门进来，朝拜上主的犹大人，请听上主的话。
7:3 万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：改善你们的生活和行为，我就让你们住在这地方；
7:4 不要信赖虚伪的话说：这是上主的圣殿，上主的圣殿，上主的圣殿!
7:5 只有你们彻底改善你们的生活和行为，在人与人之间行事公道，
7:6 不虐待旅客、孤儿、寡妇，不在这地方倾流无辜者的血，不自招祸患去跟随外邦的神祗，
7:7 我才让你们住在这地方，即我从开始便永远赐给了你们祖先的土地。
7:8 可惜!你们竟信赖虚伪无益的话。
7:9 怎么﹖你们竟偷盗，凶杀，通奸，发虚誓，向巴耳献香，跟随素不相识的外方神祗，
7:10 然后来到这座归我名下的殿里，立在我面前说：「我们有了保障!」好再去行这一切可恶的事﹖
7:11 难道这座归我名下的殿宇，在你们眼中竟成了贼窝了吗﹖哎!我看实在是这样──上主的断语。

圣所失灵
7:12 那么，请你们到我昔日在史罗立我名的地方去，察看我因我人民以色列的邪恶对她行了的事。
7:13 现在因为你们做了这一切事──上主的断语──我再三恳切劝告你们，你们又不听；我呼唤你们，你们也不答应；
7:14 为此，我要对付你们依恃的这座归我名下的殿宇，并对付我给你们及你们祖先的地域，象对付史罗一样；
7:15 我必将你们由我面前拋弃，如同拋弃了你们所有的兄弟，厄弗辣因全体后裔一样。

不可挽回的惩罚
7:16 至于你，你不必为这人民祈祷，不必为他们呼吁哀求，也不必向我恳求，因为我不会俯听你。
7:17 他们在犹大各城和耶路撒冷街道上做的是什么事，难道你没有看见﹖
7:18 儿子拾柴，父亲烧火，母女揉面给天后做饼，向外方神祗行奠祭，来触怒我。
7:19 他们果真是触怒我吗﹖──上主的断语──岂不是触犯自己，使自己满面羞惭﹖
7:20 为此我主上主这样说：看，我的愤恨和怒火，必要倾注在这地方的人和走兽身上，田间的树木和土地的出产上，燃烧不熄。

服从胜于祭献
7:21 万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：「你们献祭后，尽管再加献全燔祭，尽管饱食祭肉；
7:22 可是，关于全燔祭和献祭的事情，我在领你们祖先出离埃及那一天，并没有对他们谈及或吩咐什么，
7:23 只吩咐了他们这事说：你们应听从我的声音，那么我必作你们的天主，你们也必作我的人民；你们应走我吩咐你们的一切道路，好使你们获得幸福。
7:24 他们不但不侧耳细听，反倒依照自己的计谋，随自己邪恶的心生活，顽固不化；不以面向我，却以背向我。
7:25 从你们祖先出离埃及那一天起，直到今日，我给你们派遣了我所有的仆人先知，而且每天清早给你们派遣，
7:26 但他们不但不侧耳听从我，反更硬起自己的颈项，比自己的祖先还要乖戾。
7:27 纵使你将这一切话告诉他们，他们也不会听从你；任凭你怎样呼唤，他们也不会答应你。
7:28 为此你对他们说：这个民族，不听上主自己天主的声音，不肯接受教训；忠实已丧失，已绝于他们口中。

邪行的恶报
7:29 你该剪去你的一绺头发，把它拋掉，在高丘上唱哀歌，因为上主摈斥，且拋弃了他憎恨的时代。
7:30 的确，犹大子民作了我视为邪恶的事──上主的断语──将他们可恶之物，安置在归我名下的殿宇里，使殿宇遭受玷污；
7:31 又在本希农山谷的托斐特建筑了丘坛，为火焚自己的子女；这是我从没有吩咐，也从没有想到的事。
7:32 为此，看，时日将到──上主的断语──人不再称这地方为「托斐特，」或「本希农谷」，却要称它为「屠杀谷」；由于坟地不够，连托斐特也将充作坟场。
7:33 这人民的尸体将成为天空飞鸟和地上走兽的食物，而没有人来驱逐。
7:34 我必使犹大城内和耶路撒冷街上，再也听不到欢愉和喜乐的声音，新郎和新娘的声音，因为这地将要变为荒野。

 

 

第八章(23)

犹大人民的顽固
8:1 到那时──上主的断语──人必从坟墓中拖出犹大君王的遗骸，公侯的遗骸，司祭的遗骸，先知的遗骸，和耶路撒冷居民的遗骸，
8:2 陈列在他们曾爱恋、事奉、追随、求问和朝拜过的太阳、月亮和天上群星前，再没有人收殓埋葬，任其留在地面充作肥料。
8:3 这可恶种族剩下的全体遗民，在我驱逐他们所到的任何地方，都愿意死，而不愿意生──万军上主的断语。
8:4 你应对他们说：上主这样说：人跌倒了，岂能不再起来﹖人离去了，岂能不再回来﹖
8:5 为什么这人民一堕落，便永久堕落，执迷不悟而不肯反悔呢﹖
8:6 我留心细听，他们都言谈不轨，没有一个人悔恨自己的邪恶说：「可怜!我做的是什么事﹖」反倒各自一再任性奔驰，有如冲入战场的战马。
8:7 天空的鹤鸟也知道自己的时令；斑鸠、燕子和雁，都固守自己的归期；但是我的人民却不知道上主的法令。
8:8 你怎么能说：我们是智者，我们有上主的法律﹖的确，但已为书记们以荒谬的笔锋把它编成了谎言。
8:9 智慧的人必要蒙羞惊慌，而至被捕；的确，他们既拋弃了上主的话，还能有什么智慧﹖

司祭与先知皆应受罚
8:10 为此，我必将他们的妻室交给外人，将他们的庄田交与别的地主，因为从最小的到最大的，都贪财图利；从先知到司祭，都欺诈行事，
8:11 草率治疗我人民的疮痍说：「好了，好了!」其实却没有好。
8:12 他们既行事可憎，就理当知耻；可是，他们不但不知耻，反而连羞愧也不知是什么；为此，他们要与倒毙者倒毙，在我降罚他们时，都要一蹶不振──上主说。

逃避侵略
8:13 我要彻底消灭他们──上主的断语──葡萄树上没有葡萄，无花果树上没有无花果，树叶都已凋零；我要派人来蹂躝。
8:14 为什么我们还坐着﹖集合起来吧!让我们进入坚城，死在那里，因为上主我们的天主要消灭我们，要我们喝苦胆，因为我们得罪了上主。
8:15 我们原期待和平，却不见好转；原期待复兴的时机，反而只见恐怖!
8:16 从丹就可听到敌人战马的喘息声，战马嘶鸣，声震全地；前来并吞土地和地上的一切，吞食城邑和城中的居民。
8:17 看，我必给你们派来不怕符咒的毒蛇，咬伤你们──上主的断语──
8:18 无法疗愈。

无希望

我戚戚忧伤，我心已憔悴。
8:19 听由远方传来我的女儿──人民──哀号的呼声：「上主已不在熙雍﹖或者她的君王已不在那里吗﹖──为什么他们以自己的偶象和外邦的「虚无」激怒我﹖──
8:20 收割期已经过去，夏天已经完结，我们仍没有获救!」
8:21 我的女儿──人民──的创伤使我心痛欲裂，郁郁不安，不胜感伤。
8:22 难道在基肋阿得没有膏药，或在那里没有医生吗﹖究竟为了什么，我的女儿──人民──的创伤还没有痊愈﹖
8:23 恨不得我的头变成水源，我的眼化为泪泉，好能日夜哭泣我被杀的女儿──人民!

 

 

第九章(25)

谴责犹大人民
9:1 谁能在旷野给我找一个旅栈，叫我好离开我的人民，离他们而远去﹖因为他们都是些淫乱之徒，是一群反叛；
9:2 他们弯起象弓的舌头，使在地上得势的，是虚伪而不是诚实，因为他们变本加厉作恶，全不理睬我──上主的断语。
9:3 你们应各自提防自己的近人，不要信赖任何弟兄，因为所有的弟兄都爱好欺诈，一般的近人都好说谗言；
9:4 人都欺骗自己的近人，不讲实话，使自己的舌头惯于说谎，竭力行恶，
9:5 不愿悔悟，却强暴上又加强暴，欺诈上又加欺诈，全不理睬我──上主的断语。
9:6 为此万军的上主这样说：「看，我要将他们净化，提炼；否则，我将怎样处理我的女儿──人民──的邪恶﹖
9:7 他们的舌头象根毒箭，好出诈言；嘴上对邻友说话温和，心中却设计陷害。
9:8 为这些事我岂能不惩?t──上主的断语──象这样的一个民族，我岂能不图报复﹖

哀国土荒废
9:9 我要为群山号咷痛哭，为原野高唱哀歌，因为全都被焚毁，再没有人往来，再听不到牲畜的声音；自天空的飞鸟至地上的走兽，都逃去无踪。
9:10 我要使耶路撒冷成为废墟，成为豺狼的巢穴；使犹大的城市荒凉，无人居住。
9:11 谁够聪明，能明白这事﹖上主亲口吩咐谁公布这事﹖「为什么这地遭受毁灭，荒芜得有如无人经过的旷野﹖」
9:12 上主说：因为他们离弃了我给他们立定的法律，没有听从我的声音，没有按照法律而行；
9:13 反去顺从自己顽固的心，追随祖先教给他们的巴耳神。
9:14 为此万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：看，我必使这人民吃毒艾，饮毒水；
9:15 使他们流离到他们和他们祖先素不相识的民族中；派刀剑追击他们，直至将他们完全消灭。
9:16 万军的上主这样说：你们应该明白，快召哀悼的妇女来，派人去叫擅长哭泣的女人来，
9:17 叫她们迅速前来，对我们啼哭，使我们的眼睛流下眼泪，使我们的睫毛涌出泪水，
9:18 因为从熙雍那里可以听到哭声：我们怎样崩溃了，受了多大的耻辱!竟要离开本国，拋弃我们的家园!
9:19 你们妇女!都应听清上主的话，亲耳聆听他口授的言词；教你们的女儿痛哭，彼此互相学唱哀歌：
9:20 因为死亡已从我们的窗户爬进来，进入了我们的宫殿，歼灭了街上的孩童和广场上的青年。
9:21 你应这样说──上主的断语──人的尸体僵卧着，好象在田野里的粪堆；又象遗留在收割者后面无人拾取的麦束。

堪夸耀的事
9:22 上主这样说：「智者不应夸耀自己的智慧，力士不应夸耀自己的力量，富人不应夸耀自己的财富。
9:23 凡要夸耀的，只应在「知道和认识我」这件事上夸耀，因为在地上是我，上主，施行仁慈、公道和正义，因为我喜爱这些事──上主的断语。

未受割损的民族
9:24 看，时日将到──上主的断语──我要惩罚所有受过割损而仍存有包皮的人，
9:25 即埃及、犹大、厄东、阿孟子民、摩阿布和所有住在旷野剃除鬓发的人，因为这一切民族都未受过割损，至于以色列全家却是未受过内心的割损」。

 

 

第十章(25)

偶象乃虚无
10:1 以色列家!请听上主对你们说的话。
10:2 上主这样说：「你们不要学走异民的道路，不要畏惧天上的异兆：这是异民所畏惧的。
10:3 因为这些民族所敬畏的是「虚无」，是由森林砍来的树木，是匠人用斧制的作品，
10:4 装饰上金银，用铁钉铁锤钉住，叫它不动摇；
10:5 象胡瓜园里的草人，不能言语；常需要人搬运，不能行走；你们不要害怕，因为它不能害人，也不能施救。

上主惟一
10:6 上主，没有谁相似你；你是伟大的，你的名大有德能。
10:7 万民的君王!谁能不敬畏你﹖这是你应得的，因为万民中所有的智者和他们所有的王国中，没有谁与你相似；
10:8 他们全是愚昧无知。他们的教义全是虚伪不实，他们只不过是木偶；
10:9 是由塔尔史士采来的银打成的薄片，是由敖非尔采来的黄金，是艺人和银匠的制造品；穿的紫锦红衣，都是工匠的作品。
10:10 只有上主是真天主，是生活的天主，永远的君王；他一震怒，大地便战慄，万民都不能抵受他的忿怒。
10:11 【关于他们，你们应这样说：那未能创造天地的神祗，只有从地上天下消灭。】
10:12 上主以自己的能力创造了大地，以自己的智慧奠定了寰宇，以自己的才智展布了诸天。
10:13 他一声号令，使天上的水怒号，使云彩从地极上腾，使雷电霹雳造成豪雨，使暴风从他的仓库出发疾驰。
10:14 人都要自觉愚昧无知；每个银匠必因自己的雕象感到羞愧，因为所铸的象，只是「虚无」，没有气息；
10:15 是「虚无」，是愚弄人的作品；惩罚时期一到，它们都必要灭亡。
10:16 那位作雅各伯产业的，与他们迥然不同，因为他是万物的造主，以色列是作他产业的支派，他的名字叫「万军的上主」。

恫吓与悲伤
10:17 你这被围困的城池，快从地上拾起你的行囊!
10:18 因为上主这样说：「看，这一次我必要远远拋弃这地的居民磨难他们，使他们觉悟。」
10:19 唉!我已遭破坏，我的创伤已不可治疗，但我仍想：这只不过是疾病，我还能忍受。
10:20 我的帐幕已破坏，我的绳索都已裂断，我的孩子全已离去，不复存在；再没有人支搭我的帐幕，张设我的帷幔。
10:21 为民牧者既然愚蠢，不寻求上主，为此他们一事无成，羊群都已四散，
10:22 听有个音讯传来：将有大骚动从北方而来，要使犹大的城邑荒凉，成为豺狼的巢穴。

不可逃避的灾祸
10:23 上主，我知道，人的道路不由人的，行走的人也不能随便操纵自己的步伐。
10:24 上主，你惩戒我，只好按照正义，不要随你的忿怒，免得我归于乌有。
10:25 愿你对不认识你的异民，和不呼求你名的宗族，发泄你的愤怒，因为他们并吞了雅各伯，毁灭破坏，蹂躏了她的住所。

 

 

第十一章(23)

犹大违犯盟约
11:1 上主有话传给耶肋米亚说：
11:2 「你们应听这盟约上的话，将这些话宣读给犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民听。
11:3 你应对他们说：「上主，以色列的天主这样说：凡不听从这盟约上的话的人，是可咒骂的!
11:4 这些话是我在领你们的祖先由铁炉，即由埃及地出来的那天，对他们吩咐的。我对他们说：你们应听从我的声音，应依照我命令你们的一切去做，你们就必作我的人民，我也必作你们的天主，
11:5 好我能实践对你们祖先所起的誓，赐给他们流奶流蜜的土地，有如今日。」我即答说：「是，上主!」
11:6 上主对我说：「你应在犹大城邑和耶路撒冷的街上宣布这一切话说：你们应听从这盟约上的话，依照遵行，
11:7 因为在我领你们的祖先由埃及上来的那一天，我就郑重警告过他们，直到今日仍不断劝告说：你们应听从我的声音!
11:8 他们不但不侧耳听从，反而各随自己顽固的恶心生活，为此，我对他们执行了我命他们遵行，而他们没有遵行的这盟约上的一切话。」
11:9 上主又对我说：「犹大和耶路撒冷居民间存有叛逆的阴谋。
11:10 他们再陷于他们那不愿听从我话的祖先的罪恶中，追随事奉其它的神祗；以色列家和犹大家都违犯了我与他们祖先缔结的盟约。
11:11 为此，上主这样说：看，我必给他们召来不可逃避的灾祸；即使他们向我呼号，我也不俯听。
11:12 犹大城邑和耶路撒冷的居民，必去呼号他们献香敬拜的神祗，但这些神祗在他们遭难时，决不能拯救他们。
11:13 的确，犹大!你神祗的数目竟等于你城邑的数目；耶路撒冷有多少街道，你们也给可耻之物设立了多少祭坛，向巴耳献香的祭坛。
11:14 至于你，你不必为这人民祈祷，不必为他们呼号祈求，因为他们在遭难时，才向我呼求，我必不俯听。
11:15 我心爱的人!你既为非作歹，还在我家里做什么﹖难道许愿和祝圣的肉能使你免祸，叫你作恶而能幸免﹖
11:16 上主曾给你起名叫：「青绿茂盛而满结佳果的橄榄树」；但现在他在雷电霹雳声中，给绿叶燃起了火，烧毁了枝条。
11:17 那位培植你的万军的上主，命灾祸来惩罚你，全是为了以色列家和犹大家自作自受的罪恶，因为他们向巴耳献香，独犯了我。

先知遭同乡人谋害
11:18 上主叫我知道，我才知道；那时我看透了他们的作为：
11:19 我好象一只驯服被牵去宰杀的羔羊，竟不知他们对我蓄意谋害：「让我们毁坏这株生气蓬勃的树，将他由活人的地上拔除，使他的名字不再受人记念。」
11:20 公平审判和洞察肺腑的万军的上主!愿我见到你对他们的报复，因为我已向你提出我的控诉。
11:21 为此，关于那些谋害我的性命，对我说：「你不要奉上主的名讲预言，免得你死在我们手里」的阿纳托特人，上主这样说，
11:22 万军的上主这样说：「看，我必惩罚他们：青年必死在刀下，子女必死于饥荒，
11:23 使他们没有子嗣，因为在惩罚他们的那年，我必给阿纳托特人招来灾祸。」

 

 

第十二章(17)

恶人为何长享幸福
12:1 上主，几时我与你争辨，总是你有理；但我仍愿与你讨论正义：「为什么恶人的生活总是顺利，一般诡诈极恶的人总享安宁﹖
12:2 你栽植了他们，他们就生根滋长，结出果实；他们的口离你近，他们的心却离你远。
12:3 至于你，上主，你是认识我和了解我的，你考察了我对你的心意；求你把他们象待宰的羊一样拉出来，留待宰杀的一天。
12:4 【这地要哀伤，整个田野的草木要枯萎到几时﹖由于居民的邪恶，野兽和飞鸟都被消灭。】因为他们说：「天主不管我们的作为。」
12:5 「你与人徒步竞走，尚觉疲乏，你怎么能与马角逐﹖在平安的地区尚觉不安全，在约旦河的丛林区，你更将何如﹖
12:6 连你的兄弟和你的父族对你都无诚意，在你后面厉声喊叫；即便他们对你说好话，你也不要相信。」

荒凉的领域
12:7 「我离开了我的家，拋弃了我的产业，将我最心爱的交在敌人的手中。
12:8 我的产业对我竟好象是森林中的狮子，向我咆哮，为此我憎恨它。
12:9 我的产业对我竟成了一只带斑点的鸷鸟，以致鸷鸟围着向它袭击。你们去聚集田野的一切野兽，叫它们来吞噬。
12:10 许多牧童毁坏了我的葡萄园，蹂躏了我的产业，使我喜爱的产业变为荒芜的旷野。
12:11 他们使它荒凉，荒凉得在我面前哀伤；全地荒凉，因为没有一人关心。
12:12 破坏者已来到旷野的一切高岗上，因为上主的刀剑正在砍伐，从地极到地极，凡有血肉的，都不得安宁。
12:13 他们播种了麦子，却收割了荆棘；虽筋疲力竭，却没有利益；由于上主的盛怒，都因自己的收获而害羞。

警告邻邦异民
12:14 上主这样说：关于那些险恶的邻邦．即侵犯我给予我民以色列占有的产业的邻邦，看，我要由他们的地上将他们拔除，也要由他们中拔除犹大家。
12:15 在我拔除他们以后，我要再怜悯他们，引他们复归自己的产业，各回自己的故乡。
12:16 设若他们殷勤学走我人民的道路，奉我名发誓说：「上主永在」，如同他们昔日教我人民奉巴耳发誓一样，他们就可在我的人民中再度复兴。
12:17 倘若他们不听从，我必拔除这民族，将她拔除消灭──上主的断语。

 

 

第十三章(27)

腰带和酒壸的象征
13:1 上主对我这样说：「你去买条麻带，束在腰间，但是不要浸在水里。」
13:2 我就照上主的话去买了根麻带，束在腰间。
13:3 上主的话第二次传给我说：
13:4 「拿你买来束在腰间的带子，起身往幼发拉的去，藏在那里的严石缝里」。
13:5 我照上主吩咐我的去了；将带子藏在幼发拉的近旁。
13:6 过了多日，上主对我说：「你起身往幼发拉的去，拿回我吩咐你藏在那里的带子」。
13:7 我便往幼发拉的去了，我由藏下的地方挖出那带子；看，已经腐烂，毫无用处了。
13:8 于是有上主的话传给我说：
13:9 「上主这样说：我也要这样毁灭犹大的骄傲，和耶路撒冷极度的高傲。
13:10 这个拒绝听我的话，而随从自己固执的心行事，追随事奉，朝拜其它神祗的邪恶人民，必要如这毫无用处的带子一样。
13:11 因为正如带子紧贴在人的腰间，同样我也曾使以色列全家和犹大全家紧紧依附我──上主的断语──成为我的人民，我的名誉，我的赞美和我的光荣；但是他们却没有听从。
13:12 你应向他们宣布这话：上主以色列的天主这样说：每个壶都应盛满酒。如果他们对你说：难道我们不知道，每个壶都应盛满酒吗﹖
13:13 你就答复他们说：上主这样说：看，我要使这地上的一切居民，坐在达味宝座上的君王，以及司祭和先知并耶路撒冷的一切居民，都酩酊大醉，
13:14 使他们彼此冲突，连父子也彼此冲突──上主的断语──我毫不怜悯、不慈悲、不留情地将他们消灭」。

警戒百姓勿骄矜自负
13:15 你们侧耳聆倾听，不要傲慢，因为是上主在说话。
13:16 黑暗来临以前，在你们的脚还没有在黑暗中撞在山石上以前，应将光荣归于上主你们的天主；不然，你们期待光明，他反发放死影，使它变得漆黑。
13:17 假使你们还不听从这警告，对你的骄傲，我只有暗自痛哭，眼泪直流，因为上主的羊群已被掳去。

全国上下流徙远方
13:18 你应对君王和太后说：「你们应坐低位，因为你们华丽的王冠已由你们头上落下」。
13:19 南部的城邑已被封锁，没有人去打开，全犹大已被掳去，全被掳去。
13:20 请你举目观望那来自北方的人；昔日委托给你的羊群，那壮丽的羊群，如今在那里﹖
13:21 他惩罚你，你还有什么话说﹖是你教导了昔日的盟友来统治你，岂能不使你痛苦得象个临产的妇女﹖
13:22 假使你心里说：为什么我遭遇了这些事──是因你罪大恶极，你的衣边才被掀起，你的脚跟才受到污辱。

绝望的遭遇
13:23 雇士人岂能改变他的肤色，豹子岂能改变它的斑点﹖那你们这些习于作恶的人，岂能行善﹖
13:24 为此，我必使他们四散，象被旷野里的风卷去的草芥。
13:25 这是你的命运，是我量给你的分子──上主的断语──因为你忘记了我，信赖了「虚无」；
13:26 故此我也要将你的衣边掀到你面上，使人见到你的羞耻。
13:27 你的奸淫，你春情的嘶鸣，你猥亵的淫乱，你在高丘上和田野间可耻的行为，我都看见了。祸哉，耶路撒冷!你不肯自洁，要到何时﹖

 

 

第十四章(22)

旱灾为患
14:1 有上主论旱灾的话，传给耶肋米亚说：
14:2 「犹大悲哀，城门萧条，人人垂头至地，耶路撒冷哀号四起。
14:3 显贵派童仆去打水，来到井旁，却不见有水，带着空器回去，迷惑惭愧，遮住自己的头。
14:4 因为地上不落雨，田地无法耕耘，农夫们都已绝望，遮住自己的头。
14:5 甚至母鹿在田间生产，因为没有青草，也得拋弃自己的幼雏。
14:6 野兽站在童山上，象野狗一般喘息；双目失神，因为没有草吃。
14:7 上主，我们的罪过若指证我们，但求你因你的名字而施救，因为我们屡次失节，得罪了你。
14:8 你是以色列的希望，是她在患难中的救主。为什么你在本乡好象是个异乡人，好象是个投宿一夜的旅客﹖
14:9 为什么你好象是个沉睡的人，好象是个不能施救的勇士﹖上主，你常在我们之中，我们是归你名下的人，求你不要离弃我们。
14:10 上主论这人民这样说：「他们这样爱好游荡，没有约束自己的脚，为此上主不喜悦他们；现在忆起了他们的过犯，就惩罚他们的罪恶」。
14:11 上主对我说：「你不要为这人民求情!
14:12 即使他们斋戒，我也不会俯听他们的呼吁；即使他们奉献全燔祭和素祭，我也不会悦纳，反而要用战争、饥馑和瘟疫将他们消灭」。
14:13 我于是说：「哎呀!我主上主!你看，先知们对他们说：你们决不会见到战争，你们决不会遭受饥荒，在这地方我必赐给你们真正的平安」。
14:14 上主对我说：「先知们以我的名预言谎话，我并没有派遣他们，也没有对他们说过话。他们给你们所预言的，是荒谬的幻象空妄的卜筮，存心骗人的欺诈。
14:15 为此上主这样说：关于那些以我的名义说预言的先知，我既没有派遣他们，而他们反说：在这地方不会有战争和饥馑，他们就必死于战争和饥馑。
14:16 至于听他们向自己讲说预言的人民，必因饥馑和战争，陈尸在耶路撒冷街头，没有人掩埋他们和他们的妻室子女；我必将他们的邪恶都倾注在他们身上。

先知的哀伤
14:17 你应将这话转告他们：我眼泪直流，昼夜不息，因为我的处女──人民──大受摧残，受了严重的打击。
14:18 我若走入田间，看见刀杀的遗尸；我若进入城里，看见饥馑的可怖惨状；就连先知和司祭们也流亡到他们素不相识的地方」。
14:19 难道你决意拋弃犹大，实心厌恶熙雍﹖为什么你打击我们，致使我们医治无望﹖我们原是期待和平，却不见好转；希望医治的时日，却只见恐怖!　
14:20 上主，我们承认我们的罪恶，和我们祖先的过犯；我们实在得罪了你。
14:21 愿你为了你的名，不要嫌弃，不要轻慢你光荣的御座!望你记忆，不要废除你与我们订立的盟约!
14:22 异民的「虚无」中，有能降雨的吗﹖或是诸天能自施甘霖﹖难道不只是你，上主我们的天主!我们寄望于你，因为你行了这一切事。

 

 

第十五章(21)

上主不怜恤以民
15:1 上主对我说：「纵使梅瑟和撒慕尔立在我面前，我的心仍不转向这人民；你由我面前将他们驱逐，叫他们离去。
15:2 假如人对你说：我们往哪里去﹖你就对他们说：上主这样说：「该死的就死，该杀的就杀，该挨饿的就挨饿，该被掳去的，就被掳去。
15:3 我必用四种刑罚来惩罚他们──上主的断语──用刀剑来杀，用野狗来拖，用天空的飞鸟和地上的野兽来吞食，来消灭。
15:4 我为了犹大王希则克雅的儿子默纳舍在耶路撒冷所行的事，必使他们成为地上万国恐怖的对象。
15:5 耶路撒冷!谁还怜恤你，谁还同情你，谁还转身向你问安﹖
15:6 你既离弃了我──上主的断语──转身背着我，我就只有对你伸出我的手，将你消灭；我对宽恕已感厌倦：
15:7 我要在这地的城门口，用簸箕将他们簸散，使他们丧失子女；我要消灭我的人民，因为他们不离开自己的行径。
15:8 他们的寡妇已多过海边的沙粒；我要给他们招来午间的破坏者，袭击英俊勇士的母亲，使痛苦和恐怖突然降到她身上。
15:9 生过七个子女的母亲，现已身衰气绝，还是白天，她的太阳已经西落，她只有绝望惆怅；至于他们的遗民，我必使他们在敌人面前死于刀下──上主的断语。

先知感怀身世
15:10 我的母亲!我真不幸，你竟生了我这个与普世对抗相争的人。我没有向人借贷，人也没有向我借贷，人却都辱骂我。
15:11 实在，上主，我岂没有尽力事奉你﹖我岂没有在灾难祸患时为仇人向你恳求﹖
15:12 人岂能折断北方的铁和铜﹖
15:13 【我必使你的财产和宝藏，任人抢劫，为赔补你在你全境内犯的罪恶，
15:14 叫你在你不认识的地方，给你的仇敌为奴，因为我的怒火已燃起，必对你们发作】。
15:15 上主，你都知道，求你回念我，眷顾我，为我报复迫害我的人，不要因你太忍耐，就让我死去；你该知道：正是为了你，我才受人侮辱。
15:16 你的话一来到，我就吞下去；你的话便成了我的喜悦，我心中的欢乐，上主，万军的天主!因为我是归于你名下的，
15:17 我从没有坐在欢笑者的集会中一同取乐；我却依你的指示独自静坐，因为你使我愤怒填胸。
15:18 为什么我的痛苦如此久长，我的创伤不可医治，痊愈无望﹖你于我好象是一条不常有水，而变化无常的溪流!
15:19 为此上主这样说：「你若回来，我必让你回来，使你能再立在我面前；你若能发表高尚而非荒谬的思想，你就可作我的口舌，使他们转向你，而不是你转向他们。
15:20 这样，我必使你对这人民成为一设防的铜墙，他们能攻击你，却不能制胜你，因为有我与你同在，援助你，解救你──上主的断语──
15:21 我必解救你脱离恶人的手，由强暴人的掌握中将你赎回」。

 

 

第十六章(21)

生子反不幸
16:1 上主的话传给我说：
16:2 「在这地方，你不要娶妻，不要有儿女，
16:3 因为上主关于生在这地方的子女，和在这境内生育他们的母亲，以及生养他们的父亲这样说：
16:4 「他们必死于死症，没有人哀悼，没有人掩埋，有如地面上的粪土。他们反为战争和饥荒所毁灭，他们的尸首必成为天上飞鸟和地上野兽的食物」。
16:5 因为上主这样说：「你不要进入居丧之家，去举哀吊唁，因为我已由这人民撤回了我的平安、慈爱和怜悯──上主的断语──
16:6 无论大小都要死在这地方，没有人掩埋，没有人为他们举丧，没有人为了他们而刺身剃发；
16:7 没有人与居丧者分食丧饼，以相吊慰；没有人与居父丧或母丧者饮一杯慰唁酒。
16:8 有宴会的家，你也不要进去，与他们一同坐下吃喝，
16:9 因为万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：看，我必在你们眼前，在你们的时日内，使这地方再也听不到欢愉和喜乐的声音，新郎和新娘的声音。

以色列的过犯
16:10 当你把这一切话告诉这人民时，他们必问你说：为什么上主对我们宣布了这一切大灾祸﹖我们有什么过犯，我们有什么罪恶干犯了上主我们的天主﹖
16:11 你就答应说：是因为你们的祖先离弃了我──上主的断语──跟随了别的神祗，事奉朝拜，而背弃了我，没有遵守我的法律。
16:12 至于你们，你们作恶更甚于你们的祖先；看，你们各人随从自己顽固的恶意生活，不听从我；
16:13 所以我必从这地上将你们驱逐，到你们和你们的祖先从不认识的地方去，让你们在那里日夜事奉别的神祗；我再也不对你们表示怜爱。
16:14 【为此，看，时日即将来临──上主的断语──人不再发誓说：领以色列子民由埃及地上来的「上主永在」，
16:15 却要说：领以色列子民由北方，并由他驱逐他们所至的各地回来的「上主永在」；因为我必领他们回到我已赐给他们祖先的地方。】
16:16 看，我必派许多渔夫──上主的断语──来捕捉他们；以后，我又派许多猎人来，从各山上，各丘陵和岩石的裂缝间，猎取他们，
16:17 因为我的眼注视他们的一切行径，他们不能由我面前隐藏，他们的过犯在我眼前也不能隐藏。
16:18 我首先要加倍报复他们的过犯和罪恶，因为他们以死尸般的偶象玷污了我的土地，使我的基业上满是丑恶的神象」。

异民要归依上主
16:19 上主，我的力量，我的保障，我忧患之日的避难所，万民必从地极来到你面前说：「我们的祖先承受的只是虚假、空虚和毫无益处的事」。
16:20 人岂能为自己制造神祗﹖凡制造的，绝不是神!
16:21 为此，看，我必叫他们知道，这次我必叫他们体验我的手和我的能力，使他们知道我的名字是「上主」。

 

 

第十七章(27)

郑重警告
17:1 犹大的罪是用铁笔记录下来的，用钻石尖刻在他们的心坎上和他们的祭坛角上，好叫他们的子孙记得他们在高岗上，青绿树下和平原的山上，
17:2 设立了祭坛和神木。
17:3 你的财产和所有的宝藏，我必使人掠夺，以抵偿你在全境内犯过的一切罪恶。
17:4 我必由你手中撤回我赐与你的产业，叫你在不相识的地方给你敌人为奴，因为我的怒火已燃起，将永燃不熄。
17:5 上主这样说：「凡信赖世人，以血肉的人为自己的臂膊，决心远离上主的人，是可咒骂的!
17:6 他必象一株在旷野中的柽柳，即使幸福来到，一点也不觉察，只住在旷野干燥处，满含盐质无人居住之地。
17:7 凡信赖上主，以上主作依靠的人，是可祝福的；
17:8 他必象一株栽在水边的树木，生根河畔，不怕炎热的侵袭，枝叶茂盛，不愁旱年，不断结实。
17:9 人心最狡猾欺诈，已不可救药；谁能透识﹖
17:10 我上主究察人心，考验肺腑，依照各人的行径和作为的结果，给人报酬。
17:11 谁不以正义积聚财物，就象一只鹧鸪孵化不是自己产的卵，中途必要拋弃；结果，还是自己胡涂。
17:12 我们圣所的地方，从起初就是设在崇高之处的光荣宝座。
17:13 上主，以色列的希望!凡离弃你的，必要蒙羞；上主，凡远离你的，必被记录在地上，因为他们离弃了活水的泉源。

先知有恃无恐
17:14 上主，求你医治我，我必能痊愈；你拯救我，我必能获救，因为你是我的荣耀。
17:15 看啊，世人对我说：上主的话在哪里﹖让它来吧!
17:16 至于我，我没有强迫你加害，也没有愿望灾祸的日子；你知道：凡出自我口的，都先向你面陈过。
17:17 请你不要成为我的恐怖，你原是我患难之日的避难所。
17:18 愿迫害我的人蒙羞；而不是我蒙羞；愿他们惊慌，而不是我惊慌；请你给他们招来灾祸的日子，以双倍的毁灭，消灭他们。

劝人守安息日
17:19 上主这样对我说：「你去立在犹大君王出入的本雅明门前，立在耶路撒冷各门前，
17:20 向他们说：犹大的君王、全体犹大人和耶路撒冷居民，即凡由这些门进来的，你们聆听上主的话!
17:21 上主这样说：你们应该小心，不要在安息日担运重载，进入耶路撒冷的城门。
17:22 不要在安息日从你们的家里搬运重载；不要做任何工作，却要按照我曾给你们祖先所吩咐的，圣化安息日。
17:23 他们不但不侧耳倾听，反而硬着颈项，不愿依从，不愿受教。
17:24 设若你们认真听从我──上主的断语──在安息日，不将重担搬进这城门，却圣化安息日，不做任何工作；
17:25 那么，坐在达味宝座上的君王和王侯，便会乘车骑马，与自己的公卿、犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民，从这城的门进来；这城必永远有人居住；
17:26 人们从犹大各城、耶路撒冷四周、本雅明地、平原、山地和南方前来，带着全燔祭、牺牲、素祭和乳香，在上主的殿里奉献感恩祭。
17:27 但是，如果你们不听从我，不圣化安息日，反在安息日担运重载，进入耶路撒冷的城门，我必在城门口放火，叫火吞灭耶路撒冷的宫殿，决不熄灭。」

 

 

第十八章(23)

陶工制器的象征
18:1 上主有话传给耶肋米亚说：
18:2 「起来，下到陶工家里去，在那里我要让你听到我的话」。
18:3 我便下到陶工家里，见他正在轮盘上工作。
18:4 陶工用泥做的器皿，若在他手中坏了，他便再做，或另做成一个器皿，全随陶工的意思去做。
18:5 于是上主的话传给我说：
18:6 「以色列家，我岂不能象这陶工一样对待你们﹖──上主的断语──以色列家!看，你们在我手中，就象泥土在陶工手中一样。
18:7 我一时可对一个民族，或一个国家，决意要拔除，要毁坏，要消灭；
18:8 但是我要打击的民族，若离弃自己的邪恶，我也反悔，不再给他降原定的灾祸。
18:9 或者，我一时想对一个民族或一个国家，决意要建设，要栽培，
18:10 但若她行我不喜欢的事，不听从我的声音，我也要反悔，不再给她所许过的恩惠。
18:11 现在你可告诉犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民说：上主这样说：看，我已给你们安排了灾祸，定了惩罚你们的计划，希望你们每人离弃自己的邪道，改善自己的途径和作为」。
18:12 他们反倒答说：「已没有希望了!因为我们愿随从自己的计谋，各按自己顽固的恶意行事」。

犹大背信沦亡
18:13 为此上主这样说：「你们可到各民族去询问：有谁听到了象这样的事﹖以色列处女做出了极可憎的事。
18:14 黎巴嫩山巅的岩石岂能缺少积雪﹖丛山间涌流的冰泉，岂能涸竭﹖
18:15 但我的人民却忘掉了我，向「虚无」献香，滑出了自己的正道，离开旧日的行径，而走上了小道，不平坦的路，
18:16 使自己的地域变为惊愕的原因，取笑的目标；凡经过这地方的人，莫不惊异摇首。
18:17 我必象一阵东风在敌人面前将他们吹散；在他们灭亡之日，我必使他们只见我背，不见我面」。

先知求主罚敌
18:18 他们说：「来，我们合谋陷害耶肋米亚!因为没有司祭，法律不会因此废止；没有智者，计谋不会因此缺乏；没有先知，神谕不会因此断绝。来，我们用舌头评击他，不注意他的一切劝告」。
18:19 上主，愿你俯听我，请听我敌人的声明。
18:20 难道该以怨报德吗﹖他们竟掘下陷阱来陷害我的性命!望你记忆：我曾站在你面前为他们求情，替他们挽回你的盛怒。
18:21 为此，你应使他们的子孙遭受饥荒，任人屠杀；使他们的妇女丧子居寡，使他们的男人死于瘟疫，使他们的青年在战埸上死于刀下。
18:22 当你引匪队突击他们时，愿从他们的屋里可听到哭声，因为他们掘了陷阱捕捉我，在我脚下设下罗网。
18:23 至于你，上主，你知道他们对我的一切计划是要杀害我；请你不要宽恕他们的过恶，不要由你面前抹去他们的罪过，务使他们倒仆在你面前；在你发怒时，求你报复他们。

 

 

第十九章(15)

碎瓶的象征行为
19:1 上主这样对耶肋米亚说：「你去向陶工买一个瓦瓶，然后带些民间长老和司祭首长，
19:2 到陶业门进口处的本希农山谷去，在那里宣布我要对你说的话。
19:3 你要说：犹大王和耶路撒冷的居民!请聆听上主的话。万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：看，我必给这地方招来灾祸，凡听见的，必要耳鸣，
19:4 因为他们离弃了我，使这地方成了异地，在这里向他们和他们的祖先并犹大王都不认识的外邦神祗献香，使这地方充满无辜的血，
19:5 给巴耳建了高丘，向巴耳火焚自己的儿子作全燔祭：这都是我从没有吩咐，没有说过，没有想到的事。
19:6 因此，看，时日将到──上主的断语──这地方不再叫作托斐特或本希农山谷，却要叫做「屠杀谷」。
19:7 在这地方，我必使犹大和耶路撒冷的计划落空，使他们在敌人面前丧身刀下，死在图谋他们性命者的手中，将他们的尸首丢弃给天上的飞鸟，和地上的走兽作食物。
19:8 我必使这城成为惊愕的缘因和讥诮的目标；使凡从这里经过的人，没有不因她所受的一切打击，而感到惊异嗟叹的!
19:9 我必使他们吞食自己子女的肉：在敌人和图谋他们性命的人围攻他们，处于困厄之时，必吞食自己近人的肉。
19:10 以后，你就在与你同来的人眼前将那瓶打破，
19:11 对他们说：万军的上主这样说：我要这样破坏这人民和这城市，就如人打破这陶工的器皿，再也无法补救；人必将托斐特充作坟埸，因为再没有地方可供埋葬。
19:12 我必这样对待这地方和这地的居民──上主的断语──使这城市象托斐特一样；
19:13 耶路撒冷的房屋和犹大王的宫殿，即他们在楼顶上向天上的万象献香，并给外方的神祗行奠礼的一切房屋，都必象托斐特一样，成为不洁的地方。
19:14 耶肋米亚奉上主派遣到托斐特宣讲预言回来以后，站在上主殿宇的庭院里，向全体人民说：
19:15 「万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：看，我必给这城市和她所属的一切市镇，招来我对她说过的灾祸，因为她硬着颈项，不肯听从我的话」。

 

 

第二十章(17)

先知无罪入狱
20:1 依默尔的儿子帕市胡尔司祭，上主殿宇的总监督，听见了耶肋米亚预言这些事，
20:2 帕市胡尔便打了耶肋米亚先知，给他加上脚镣，把他囚在上主殿内本雅明上门的监牢里。
20:3 次日，帕市胡尔给耶肋米亚去了脚镣；耶肋米亚便对他说：「上主不再称你为「帕市胡尔」，却称你为「惊慌四起」。
20:4 因为上主这样说：看，我必使你和你的一切友人遭受惊慌；他们必倒在敌人的刀下，而且你要亲眼看见这事；我将全犹大人交在巴比伦王的手中，他要将他们掳到巴比伦去，用刀击杀。
20:5 这城的一切财物，一切积蓄，一切珍宝，以及犹大列王的一切宝藏，我都要交在他们敌人的手中，让他们抢劫掠夺，运到巴比伦去。
20:6 至于你，帕市胡尔!以及凡住在你家中的人，都要被掳去充军；你和你向他们讲假预言的一切友人，都要到巴比伦去，死在那里，埋在那里。」

对上主有所不满
20:7 上主，你引诱了我，我让我自己受了你的引诱；你确实比我强，你战胜了。我终日成为笑柄，人都嘲笑我。
20:8 因为我每次发言，必得叫喊，必得高呼：「暴虐!破坏!」实在，上主的话，为我日日成为受侮辱和讥笑的因由。
20:9 假使我说：我不再想念他，不再以他的名发言；在我心中就象有火在焚烧，蕴藏在我的骨髓内；我竭力抑制，亦不可能。
20:10 实在，我听到了多少人私相耳语：「惊慌四起!你们揭发，我们就必对他提出控诉。」甚至我一切的友好都在侦察我的破绽：「也许他会入彀，那我们必能制胜他，对他施行报复。」
20:11 但是与我同在的上主，好象是一位孔武有力的战士，为此迫害我的人只有失败，决不能制胜；由于谋事不成，必蒙受极大的耻辱，永不可磨灭的羞辱。
20:12 噫万军的上主!你考验义人，洞察人的肝胆肺腑；我既给你诉说了我的案情，愿你使我见到你对他们的报复。
20:13 你们应歌颂上主，赞扬上主，因为他从恶人的手中，救出了穷苦人的性命。

生不如死
20:14 愿我诞生的那一天，是可咒骂的；愿我母亲生我的那一天，不蒙受祝福!
20:15 愿那给我父亲报信说：「给你生了一个男孩，」叫他异常高兴的人，是可诅咒的!
20:16 愿这人象上主不顾惜消灭的城市：早晨听到哀号，正午听到警报；
20:17 因为他没有叫我死在母胎，使我的母亲成为我的坟墓，叫她永远不分娩生我!为什么我要从母胎里出来，眼见辛酸痛苦，在羞辱中消磨我的岁月﹖

 

 

第二十一章(14)

犹大势必国破家亡
21:1 上主传给耶肋米亚的话：那时，漆德克雅王正派玛耳基雅的儿子帕市胡尔，和司祭玛阿色雅的儿子责法尼雅来见他说：
21:2 请你替我们询问上主：「巴比伦王拿步高既来与我们作战，上主是否依照他所行的奇事来协助我们，叫他离我们远去﹖」
21:3 耶肋米亚便回答他们说：「你们应这样对漆德克雅说：
21:4 上主，以色列的天主这样说：看，我必使你们手中所持，用以攻击在城外围攻你们的巴比伦王和加色丁人的武器，反回集中在这城的中心。
21:5 然后我要伸出手来，以强力的手臂、震怒、狂暴和愤恨痛击你们，
21:6 痛击住在这里的人和兽；他们必死于盛行的瘟疫。
21:7 此后──上主的断语──我必将犹大王漆德克雅和他的臣仆，并这城中幸免于瘟疫、刀剑和饥馑的人民，交在巴比伦王拿步高和他们的仇敌，以及谋图他们性命者的手中，叫敌人用利刃击杀他们，毫不饶恕，毫不怜悯，毫不表同情。
21:8 此外，你应对这人民说：上主这样说：看，我将生命的路和死亡的路，摆在你们面前：
21:9 凡留在这城中的，必死于刀剑、饥馑和瘟疫；凡出来向围攻你们的加色丁人投降的，必保全性命，必有生命当作自己的胜利品。
21:10 我所以转面向着这城，是为降灾，并不是为赐福──上主的断语──这城必被交在巴比伦王手中，他要火烧这城。」

对约雅金王的神谕
21:11 对于犹大的王室，你应该这样说：你们该聆听上主的话，
21:12 达味家族!上主这样说：「你们应及早执行正义，从压迫者手中解救被剥夺的人，免得我的忿怒，因你们行事邪恶，象火一般烧起，而没有人能熄灭。」

对耶京的预言
21:13 至于你这居住在谷中和平原岩石上的人，看，我来对付你──上主的断语──你们夸说：「谁能下来攻击我们﹖谁能进入我们的巢穴﹖」
21:14 我必按照你们行为应得的，来惩罚你们──上主的断语──我要在她的树林里放火，吞灭她四周的一切。

 

 

第二十二章(30)

先知警告君王
22:1 上主这样说：「你下到犹大王宫去，在那里宣布这话，
22:2 说：坐在达味宝座上的犹大王!你和你的臣仆及从这些门进来的人民，该聆听上主的话。
22:3 上主这样说：你们应执行公道正义，从压迫人的手中解救受剥夺的人，不要伤害虐待外方人和孤儿寡妇，不要在这地方上流无辜者的血。
22:4 假使你们实在照这话去做，必有坐在达味宝座上的君王，乘车骑马，与自己的臣仆和人民从这宫殿的门进来；
22:5 倘若你们不听从这话，我指着自己起誓──上主的断语──这宫殿必要变为废墟。
22:6 因为上主这样论犹大王的宫殿说：即使你为我有如基肋阿得，又如黎巴嫩的山顶，我仍要使你变为荒野，成为无人居住的城市；
22:7 我要祝圣那已武装的毁灭者来攻击你，砍伐你最佳美的香柏，投入火中。
22:8 许多民族经过这城时，必互相问说：为什么上主这样对待了这座大城市﹖
22:9 人必答说：因为他们废弃了上主他们的天主的盟约，敬拜事奉了别的神祇。」

有关约阿哈次的神谕
22:10 你们不要为已死的人哭泣，不要为他举哀；却要为远去的人痛哭，因为他不会再回来，见他的生身地。
22:11 因为上主这样论犹大王约史雅的儿子，即继承他父亲约史雅为王的沙隆说：「他一离开这地方，就不会再回来，
22:12 必死在被掳去的地方，不会再见此地。」

有关约雅金的神谕
22:13 祸哉，那不以公道正义建筑自己的宫殿楼台，叫人为自己徒劳而不给他工资的人!
22:14 他说：我得给自己建筑广大的宫殿，宽敞的楼台，开设窗户，镶上香柏，涂上丹砂。
22:15 你为王是要以香柏争胜吗﹖你父亲岂不也吃也喝﹖但他执行公道正义，为此能一切顺利；
22:16 他亲自裁判弱小和贫苦人的案件，因此一切顺利；这岂不是表示他认识我﹖──上主的断语──
22:17 至于你，你的眼和心，只顾私利，只知流无辜者的血，施行欺压和勒索。
22:18 为此上主这样说：「对于犹大王约史雅的儿子约雅金，人必不哀悼他说：哀哉，我兄弟!或哀哉，我姊妹!人必不哀悼他说：哀哉，主上!或哀哉，陛下!
22:19 人要埋葬他如同埋葬一匹死驴，将他拖出，拋在耶路撒冷的门外。」

有关耶路撒冷的神谕
22:20 你该上黎巴嫩去呼喊，在巴商提高你的声音，由阿巴陵喊叫，因为你的情侣都已灭亡。
22:21 在你欢乐时，我曾劝告过你，你却说：「我不听从。」你从幼年，就是这般行径，从不听我的声音。
22:22 你所有的牧人将被风卷去，你的情侣必流徙远方；那时你必因你行的一切邪恶，含羞抱愧。
22:23 你现在住在黎巴嫩，在香柏树上营巢，但是，当痛苦，象产妇的痛苦袭击你时，你将多么可怜!

有关苛尼雅的神谕
22:24 我永在──上主的断语──犹大王约雅金的儿子苛尼雅，即便你是我右手上盖章的指环，我也要将你拔除，
22:25 交在图谋你性命和你畏惧的人的手中，交在巴比伦王拿步高和加色丁人的手中；
22:26 将你和你生身的母亲，拋在不是你们出生的异地，叫你们死在那里。
22:27 他们必不能回到他心灵渴望回去的地方。
22:28 苛尼雅这人，不是个可鄙而该毁灭的器皿，或无人喜悦的家具吗﹖为什么他和他的后裔被拋弃，被投掷到自己不相识的地方去﹖
22:29 地啊!地啊!请聆听上主的话!
22:30 上主这样说：「你应记录：这人是一个无子女，毕生无成就的人，因为他的后裔中，没有一人能成功，能坐上达味的宝座，再统治犹大。」

 

 

第二十三章(40)

假先知谣言惑众
23:1 祸哉，那把我牧场上的羊群摧残和赶散的牧人──上主的断语──
23:2 为此上主，以色列的天主，对牧放我民的牧人这样说：「你们驱散赶走了我的羊群，不加照顾；现在，看，我必依照你们的恶行来惩罚你们──上主的断语──
23:3 我要从我以前驱散它们所到的各地，集合我尚存的羊，引导它们再回自己的羊栈，叫它们滋生繁殖；
23:4 我要兴起牧者来牧放它们，使它们无恐无惧，再也不会失掉一个──上主的断语。
23:5 看，时日将到──上主的断语──我必给达味兴起一支正义的苗芽，叫他执政为王，断事明智，在地上执行公道正义。
23:6 在他的日子里，犹大必获救，以色列必居享安宁；人将称他为：「上主是我们的正义。」
23:7 为此，看，时日将到──上主的断语──人不再以『那领以色列子民由埃及地上来的上主，永在』的话起誓，
23:8 却要以『那领以色列家的后裔，由北方，由他驱逐他们所到的各地回来，使他们再住在自己故乡的上主，永在』的话起誓。

有关假先知的神谕
23:9 论到先知：我的心在我怀内已破碎，我浑身骨骸战慄；为了上主，为了他的圣言，我好象成了一个醉汉，成了一个不胜酒力的人，
23:10 因为地上充满了犯奸的人，为此，地受诅咒，只有哀伤，原野草场已枯干；他们奔走的是邪路，他们的势力是不义。
23:11 实在，先知和司祭都不虔诚，以至连在我的殿里，也发现了他们的邪恶──上主的断语──
23:12 因此，他们的道路为他们必将变为滑道，他们必被驱入黑暗，必要跌倒；因为到了降罚他们的年分，我必给他们招来灾祸──上主的断语──
23:13 在撒玛黎雅的先知中，我亦发现了可恶的事：他们竟奉巴耳的名义说预言，使我的以色列民误入歧途。
23:14 在耶路撒冷的先知中，我更发现了极可恶的事：他们竟犯奸淫，行动虚伪，助长恶人的势力，致使谁也不痛悔自己的邪恶；他们对我犹如索多玛，其中的居民好象哈摩辣人。
23:15 为此，万军的上主论先知这样说：看啊!我必叫他们吃苦艾，喝毒水，因为全地邪恶蔓延，都是出于耶路撒冷的先知。
23:16 万军的上主这样说：不要听向你们说预言的先知的话；他们只使你们妄想，他们讲的，并非出自上主的口，而只是他们心中的幻想。
23:17 他们对那轻视我的人肯定说：「上主说：你们必享平安。」对一切随从自己顽固的心行事的人说：「灾祸不会来到你们身上。」
23:18 其实，有谁参加过上主的会议，亲自听见过他的话﹖有谁曾留意听他的话，而实在听到了﹖
23:19 看，上主的愤怒，如暴风发作，象旋风在恶人的头上旋转。
23:20 上主的烈怒必不止息，直到他执行和完成了他心里的计划；到末日你们必能彻底明了。
23:21 我并没有派遣这些先知，他们却自动奔走；我并没有对他们说话，他们却擅说预言。
23:22 假使他们果真参加过我的会议，就该使我的人民听到我的话，叫他们离弃自己的邪道，和自己邪恶的行为。
23:23 难道对近处的，是我天主──上主的断语──对远处的，我就不是天主了吗﹖
23:24 人若隐藏在暗处，我就看不见了吗﹖──上主的断语──难道我不是充满天地的天主吗？──上主的断语──
23:25 我听见了这些先知说的，他们奉我名预言虚妄说：我做了一梦，我做了一梦!
23:26 先知在民间妄说预言，宣讲自己心中的幻想，要到几时呢﹖
23:27 他们互相传述自己的梦幻，企图使我的人民忘记我的名，如同他们的祖先为了巴耳忘记了我的名一样。
23:28 得了梦的先知，让他传梦；得了我的话的，就该忠实传述我的话；麦秆怎能与麦粒相比﹖──上主的断语──
23:29 我的话岂不是象火﹖──上主的断语──岂不是象击碎岩石的铁锤﹖
23:30 为此，看──上主的断语──我要惩罚互相窃取我话的先知。
23:31 看──上主的断语──我要惩罚那些转动自己的舌头，妄说「神谕」的先知。
23:32 看──上主的断语──我要惩罚那些预言和传述幻梦，以自己的谎言妄语迷惑我人民的先知；我既没有派遣他们，也没有对他们有所吩咐，他们对这人民就决不能有任何贡献──上主的断语。

上主的重担
23:33 若是这人民，先知或司祭问你：什么是「上主的重?t」你就答应他们说：你们就是重担，我要将你们拋弃──上主的断语──
23:34 凡是问「上主的重担」的先知、司祭或人民，我必惩罚这人和他的家。
23:35 你们应每人对自己的邻人和兄弟这样说：「上主有了什么答复﹖」或「上主说了什么﹖」
23:36 不应再提「上主的重担；」不然，各人的话必要成为自己的重担，因为你们歪曲了永生的天主，万军的上主，和我们的天主的话。
23:37 你应这样问先知说：「上主对你有了什么答复﹖」或「上主说了什么﹖」
23:38 如果你们还说：「上主的重担。」上主就要这样说：就因你们还说：「上主的重担」这句话──我原派人对你们说：不要再说「上主的重担」──
23:39 为此，看，我要把你们卸下，把你们和我赐与你们及你们祖先的城市，由我面前远远拋弃，
23:40 使你们永远受辱，受永远不能忘的污辱。

 

 

第二十四章(10)

两筐无花果
24:1 巴比伦王拿步高从耶路撒冷将犹大王约雅金的儿子耶苛尼雅和犹大的众王侯，技工和铁匠，掳到巴比伦去以后，上主使我见到一个神视：看，有两筐无花果放在上主的殿前：
24:2 一筐内装的是很好的无花果，好象是初熟的无花果；另一筐内装的却是很坏的无花果，坏得几乎不能吃。
24:3 于是上主问我说：「耶肋米亚，你看见什么﹖」我答说：「无花果：好的无花果实在好，坏的也实在坏，坏得至于不能吃。」
24:4 那时，有上主的话传给我说：「
24:5 上主，以色列的天主这样说：我要惠然眷顾，我从这里遣往加色丁地去的犹大俘虏，象这些好无花果一样；
24:6 好好照顾他们，领他们回到这地方来；从新建树他们，不再拆毁；从新栽培他们，不再拔除；
24:7 赋给他们一颗认识我的心，知道只有我是上主；他们要作我的人民，我要作他们的天主；因为他们要全心回头归向我。
24:8 至于人怎样对待那些坏的，坏得不可吃的无花果──上主这样说──我也要怎样对待犹大王漆德克雅和他的王侯，以及留在此地并住在埃及地的耶路撒冷遗民，
24:9 使他们成为地上各国恐怖的对象；在我驱逐他们所到的地方，成为人侮辱、讥笑、嘲弄和诅咒的对象；
24:10 给他们招来战争、饥荒和瘟疫，直到他们由我赐给他们和他们祖先的地上完全消灭。

 

 

第二十五章(38)

七十年的流亡
25:1 犹大王约史雅的儿子约雅金执政第四年，巴比伦王拿步高元年，有关于全犹大人民的话，传给耶肋米亚；
25:2 耶肋米亚先知便将这话转告给全犹大人民，和耶路撒冷所有的居民说：「
25:3 自犹大王阿孟的儿子约史雅执政第十三年，直到今日，已经二十三年，凡上主传给我的话，我都急速告诉了你们，你们却不听。
25:4 上主不断给你们派来他所有的仆人──先知们，你们总是不听，不愿倾耳谛听。
25:5 他们说：你们应各自离弃自己的邪道，和自己邪恶的行为，好能住在上主从永远到永远赐给了你们和你们祖先的地域里；
25:6 不要追随其他的神祇，事奉朝拜，以你们手做的东西来激怒我，你们就不致遭遇灾祸。
25:7 你们没有听从我──上主的断语──竟以你们手做的东西来激怒我，自招祸患。
25:8 为此，万军的上主这样说：由于你们不听我的话，
25:9 看，我必遣人召来北方的一切种族──上主的断语──和我的仆人巴比伦王拿步高来进攻这地方，和这地方的居民，以及四周所有的民族；我要彻底消灭，任其荒凉，永远成为笑柄和羞辱的对象。
25:10 此外，我还要息灭他们中欢乐喜庆的歌声，新郎和新娘的欢笑声，磨声和灯光。
25:11 这地方要全变为凄凉的荒野，这些民族要七十年服从巴比伦王。
25:12 但是，一满了七十年，我必要惩罚巴比伦王和这民族的罪恶──上主的断语──以及加色丁人的国土，使它永远成为荒野。
25:13 对这国土，我要执行我论它所说，在这书上所记载先知耶肋米亚论及万民所预言的一切话，
25:14 因为强盛的民族和有力的君王，要使他们成为自己的奴隶；我必依照他们的作为和他们双手所行的事，报复他们。

万民应喝义怒之杯
25:15 上主，以色列的天主这样对我说：「你从我手中接过这杯忿怒酒去，让我派你所到的各民族喝。
25:16 他们必要喝，必要在我给他们派来的刀剑前，蹒跚发狂。」
25:17 我便从上主手中接过杯来，给了上主派我所到的各民族喝：
25:18 给耶路撒冷和犹大各城市，以及城中的君王和首长喝，使她们荒芜凄凉，受人嘲笑诅咒，象今日一样；
25:19 给埃及王法郎和他的臣仆王侯并全体人民；
25:20 给所有的杂族，胡兹地和培肋舍特地的众君王；给阿市刻隆、迦萨、厄刻龙和阿市多得的遗民；
25:21 给厄东、摩阿布和阿孟子民；
25:22 给提洛、漆冬和海外岛屿的众君王；
25:23 给德丹、特玛、步次和凡剃除鬓发的人；
25:24 给阿剌伯和在沙漠居住的杂族的众君王；
25:25 给齐默黎、厄蓝和玛待的众君王；
25:26 给北方彼此相离或远或近的众君王，以及地面上所有的王国喝；最后喝的，是舍沙客的君王。
25:27 你应对他们说：「万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：你们要喝，喝醉，呕吐，倒在我给你们派来的刀剑前，再不起来。
25:28 假使他们不肯从你手中取过杯去喝，你就对他们说：万军的上主这样说：你们必须喝。
25:29 因为，看，我开始降罚归我名下的城市，而你们竟想全然免罚吗﹖你们决不能免罚，因为我要给地上所有的居民招来刀?ぉね蚓现鞯亩嫌铩?

万民受审判
25:30 你应给他们预言这一切话，对他们说：上主从高处作狮吼，从他的圣所发出他的声音，对自己的牧场厉声怒号，对地上所有的居民，象榨葡萄的人一样喊叫。
25:31 一阵喧哗嘈杂，直至地极，因为上主与万民有了争讼，与一切有血肉的人，进行审判，将恶人交给刀?ぉど现鞯亩嫌铹ぉ?
32 万军的上主这样说：看，各国相继发生灾祸，由地极卷来强烈的风暴。
25:33 到了那一天，从地极到地极，遍是上主杀戮的人，没有人哀悼、收殓、埋葬，有如地面上的粪土。
25:34 为人牧者，你们应哭泣哀号!为羊群领导者，你们应在灰尘中辗转!因为你们的日期已满，你们要被宰杀，快要被宰割，象精选的公羊。
25:35 为人牧者，无路可逃；为羊群领导者，无法脱身。
25:36 听啊!为人牧者在哀号，为羊群领导者在哭泣，因为上主摧毁了他们的牧场。
25:37 宁静的草场，因上主的怒焰，已成一片荒凉。
25:38 狮子离弃了自己的巢穴，因为它们的土地，由于刀剑的无情和上主的盛怒，已成了荒野。

 

 

二编　预言与记事(26-35)

第二十六章(24)

先知的性命受到威胁
26:1 犹大王约史雅的儿子约雅金即位之初，上主有这话传给耶肋米亚说：「
26:2 上主这样说：你去站在上主殿宇的庭院里，对犹大各城凡来到上主殿内朝拜的人，说我命你对他们应说的一切话，一句也不可减少。
26:3 或许他们会听从，终于各自离弃自己的邪道，使我后悔而不降曾因他们行事邪恶，给他们想降的灾祸。
26:4 你应对他们说：上主这样说：假使你们不听从我，不遵行我给你们当面颁布的法律，
26:5 不听信我不断给你们派来，而你们不听从我的仆人──先知们的话，
26:6 我必使这殿象史罗一样，使这城成为举世万民诅咒的对象。」

耶肋米亚受审
26:7 司祭和先知以及全体人民，都听见耶肋米亚在上主殿里宣布了这些话。
26:8 当耶肋米亚讲完了上主命他向全体人民应说的一切话以后，司祭和先知以及全体人民就拿住他说：「你真该死!
26:9 为什么你奉上主的名预言说：这殿必要象史罗，这城必要荒芜，而没有人居住呢!」全体人民都在上主的殿里集合起来反对耶肋米亚。
26:10 犹大的民事官员听到发生了这事，便从王宫上到上主殿里，坐在上主殿宇的新门口。
26:11 司祭和先知便对官员和全体人民说：「这人该死，因为他预言反对这城，你们也亲耳听见了。」
26:12 耶肋米亚遂答复官员和全体人民说：「是上主派我预言你们刚才听到的一切反对这殿和这城的话。
26:13 现在你们应该改善你们的品行和作为，听从上主你们天主的劝告，上主就必会后悔自己曾决意要给你们降的灾祸。
26:14 至于我，看，我已在你们手里，你们看着怎样好，怎样对，就怎样对待我。
26:15 但你们却要切实知道：你们若杀害我，便是给自己和这城与其中的居民招来无辜的血债，因为实是上主派了我来，给你们当面宣布这一切话。」

官员与民众为先知辩护
26:16 官员和全体人民于是对司祭和先知说：「这人不该死，因为他是奉上主我们天主的名，向我们发言。」
26:17 且有地方上的一些长老也相继起来，对集合在场的全体人民说：
26:18 「在犹大王希则克雅时日内，有摩勒舍特人米该亚先知，曾对全体犹大人民发言说：万军的上主这样说：「熙雍要变为耕地，耶路撒冷将成为废墟，圣殿的山必化为树木丛生的丘陵。
26:19 犹大王希则克雅和犹大又何曾将他处死﹖岂不是敬畏上主，求上主开恩，致使上主反悔不降自己对他们曾决意要降的灾祸吗﹖为什么我们要自找苦受，做这穷凶极恶的事﹖」
26:20 此外，尚有一人，克黎雅特耶阿陵人舍玛雅的儿子乌黎雅，也曾奉上主的名说过预言。他说预言反对这城和这地，与耶肋米亚的话完全一样。
26:21 当时的约雅金与其所有军政官员听到了他的话，王就设法要杀他。乌黎雅听见了就害怕，逃往埃及去了。
26:22 约雅金王遂派人到埃及去，即派阿革波尔的儿子厄耳纳堂和随从他的一些人到埃及去，
26:23 从埃及引渡乌黎雅，解送给约雅金王，王把他斩了，将他的尸体拋在平民的公墓里。
26:24 惟有沙番的儿子阿希甘一手卫护耶肋米亚，不让他交在人民手中，遭受杀害。

 

 

第二十七章(22)

犹大应臣属巴比伦
27:1 犹大王约史雅的儿子漆德克雅第四年，上主有这话传给耶肋米亚说：
27:2 「上主对我这样说：你要备制绳索和木轭，放在你颈上；
27:3 然后托那些来耶路撒冷觐见犹大王漆德克雅的使者，送给厄东王和摩阿布王，阿孟子民的王和提洛王以及漆冬王，
27:4 吩咐他们对自己的主上说：万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：你们应如此对你们的主上说：
27:5 是我以我的大能和我伸展的手臂，创造了大地、人类及地面上的走兽，我能把大地赐给我喜欢给的人。
27:6 现在我把这些土地交在我的仆人巴比伦王拿步高的手中，连田野的走兽我也赐给他，作他的奴隶；
27:7 列国要作他、他的儿子和孙子的奴隶，直到他国家的时运终于来到──他也不例外──那时必有强盛的民族和强大的君王来使他作奴隶。
27:8 若一个民族或国家，不愿作巴比伦王拿步高的奴隶，或不愿屈服在巴比伦王轭下，我必以战争、饥馑和瘟疫惩罚这民族──上主的断语──直至将他们悉数交在他手中。
27:9 所以你们不要听从常对你们说：「你们决不会作巴比伦王的奴隶」的先知、占卦师、卜梦者、巫士和术士的话，
27:10 因为他们给你们预言的只是谎话，致使你们远离故土，叫我驱逐你们，令你们趋于灭亡。
27:11 至于引领接受巴比伦王的轭，甘愿作他奴隶的民族，我必使他们仍留在本土──上主的断语──在那里安居乐业。

 

先知警告漆德克雅王
27:12 我于是全依照这些话转告犹大王漆德克雅说：「你们应引颈接受巴比伦王的轭，服事他和他的人民，你们才可生存。
27:13 为什么你和你的人民宁愿死于刀剑、饥馑和瘟疫，如同上主对不愿服事巴比伦王的民族所警告的呢﹖
27:14 你们不要听从对你们说：「不要服事巴比伦王」的先知的话，因为他们给你们预言的只是谎话；
27:15 我并没有派遣他们──上主的断语──他们竟奉我的名向你们预言，叫我驱逐你们，使你们和对你们说预言的先知同趋灭亡。」

警告人民勿为假先知所惑
27:16 对司祭和这全体人民我也曾警告说：「上主这样说：你们的先知们对你们说：看，上主殿宇的器皿，现在快要由巴比伦送回来了!你们不要听从，因为他们对你们预言的只是谎话。
27:17 你们不要听信他们，只管服事巴比伦王，就必生存。为什么要使这城变为荒野﹖
27:18 假使他们是先知，真有上主的话，请他们祈求万军的上主，使尚留在上主殿宇，犹大王宫和耶路撒冷的器皿，不致运到巴比伦去。
27:19 因为万军的上主这样论到铜柱、铜海和铜座，以及在这城剩下的残余器皿，
27:20 即巴比伦王拿步高把犹大王约雅金的儿子耶苛尼雅，及犹大和耶路撒冷所有的贵族，从耶路撒冷掳到巴比伦时，没有带走的器皿，
27:21 万军的上主，以色列的天主论到这些尚存在上主殿宇、犹大王宫和耶路撒冷的器皿，这样说：
27:22 都要运到巴比伦去，留在那里，直到我再来眷顾的一天──上主的断语──那时，我必再取回来，放在原处。」

 

 

第二十八章(17)

假先知哈纳尼雅
28:1 同年，即犹大王漆德克雅即位之初第四年五月，基贝红人阿组尔的儿子哈纳尼雅先知，在上主殿里当着司祭和全体人民对我说：「
28:2 万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：我已折断了巴比伦王的轭。
28:3 还有两年，我就要取回巴比伦王拿步高，由这地方取去，带往巴比伦的一切上主殿宇的器皿，再放在这地方，
28:4 且领回犹大王约雅金的儿子耶苛尼雅及一切流徙至巴比伦的犹大俘虏，再来到这地方──上主的断语──因为我要折断巴比伦王的轭。」
28:5 耶肋米亚先知立即当着站在上主殿里的司祭和全体人民，答复了先知哈纳尼雅。
28:6 耶肋米亚先知说：「盼望是这样!惟愿上主这样做!惟愿上主实践你预言的话，使上主殿宇的器皿和一切俘虏，从巴比伦再回到这地方来!
28:7 不过请听我当面愿对你和全体人民要说的这一句话：
28:8 自古以来，在我和你以前的先知，对多少地区和强盛的王国，曾预言过战争，饥馑和瘟疫。
28:9 至于预言和平的先知，只在这先知的话实现以后，才可认出这先知确是上主派遣的。
28:10 哈纳尼雅先知便从耶肋米亚先知颈上取下木轭，折断了，
28:11 然后对全体人民说：「上主这样说：还有两年，我就要这样从一切民族的颈上，折断巴比伦王拿步高的轭。」于是耶肋米亚先知只得自行离去。
28:12 哈纳尼雅先知从耶肋米亚先知颈上取下木轭折断以后，即有上主的话传给耶肋米亚说：「
28:13 你去告诉哈纳尼雅说：上主这样说：；你折断了木轭，但我必做铁轭来代替。
28:14 因为万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：我要将铁轭放在这一切民族的颈上，使他们服事拿步高巴比伦王；他们该服事他，因为连田野的走兽我也交给了他。」
28:15 耶肋米亚先知于是对哈纳尼雅先知说：「哈纳尼雅!请听，上主并没有派遣你，你竟使这人民相信谎言。
28:16 为此，上主这样说：看，我要把你赶出地面；今年你必要死，因为你说了背叛上主的话。」
28:17 哈纳尼雅先知就死在那年七月。

 

 

第二十九章(32)

致函慰问充军同胞
29:1 以下是先知耶肋米亚从耶路撒冷给被掳去的长老、司祭和先知，以及拿步高从耶路撒冷掳往巴比伦的其余民众寄送的书信全文──
29:2 耶苛尼雅王与太后和太监，犹大和耶路撒冷的政要、技工及铁匠，离开耶路撒冷之后，
29:3 犹大王漆德克雅派沙番的儿子厄拉撒和希则克雅的儿子革玛黎雅去巴比伦见巴比伦王拿步高，耶肋米亚便托他们带去──信上说：「
29:4 万军的上主，以色列的天主，向由耶路撒冷被掳往巴比伦的全体俘虏这样说：
29:5 你们应建筑房屋居住，种植田园，吃田园的出产；
29:6 自己娶妻，生养儿女，也给自己的子女娶妻择夫，生养儿女；在那里繁殖，不要减少。
29:7 在我令你们流徙所到的城里，你们应寻求当地的平安，为当地祈祷上主，因为你们的幸福是有赖于当地的安宁。
29:8 为此万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：不要让你们中间的先知和卜卦师欺骗你们，不要听信他们所作的幻梦，
29:9 因为这些人奉我名给你们预言谎话，我并没有派遣他们──上主的断语──
29:10 上主只这样说：巴比伦的七十年期限一满，我必看顾你们，给你们履行我的诺言，领你们回到这地方。
29:11 诚然，我知道我对你们所怀的计划──上主的断语──是和平而不是灾祸的计划，令你们有前途，有希望。
29:12 那时你呼求我，前来恳求我，我必俯听；
29:13 寻找我，必找到我，因为你们是全心寻求我。
29:14 我必将我自己显示给你们──上主的断语──转变你们的命运：从我驱逐你们所至的各国各地召集你们──上主的断语──领你们回到我以前使你们从那里被掳去的地方。
29:15 因为上主论及坐在达味宝座上的君王，和住在这城里的全体人民，即没有与你们同去充军的兄弟，这样说：
29:16 万军的上主这样说：看，我必给他们招来战争、饥馑和瘟疫，使他们有如坏得不可吃的烂无花果，
29:17 以战争、饥馑和瘟疫穷迫他们，使他们在地上各国遭受虐待，在我驱逐他们所到的各民族中，成为咒骂、惊恐、嘲笑、诅咒的对象，
29:18 因为他们没有听从我的话──上主的断语──我不断给他们派遣我的仆人先知，他们却没有听从──上主的断语──
29:19 至于你们，这些我由耶路撒冷迁往巴比伦的全体俘虏，你们应该听从上主的话。
29:20 也许你们要说：上主在巴比伦给我们兴起了一些先知。
29:21 但万军的上主，以色列的天主，论及奉我名给你们预言谎话的科拉雅的儿子阿哈布，和玛阿色雅的儿子漆德克雅这样说：看，我必将他们交在巴比伦王拿步高的手中，在你们面前将他们处决；
29:22 在巴比伦的一切犹大俘虏，必拿他们当诅咒说：愿上主使你象巴比伦王用火烙死的漆德克雅和阿哈布!
29:23 因为他们在以色列中间行了败德的事：奸污人的妻子，妄用我的名字，说我没有吩咐的话；这是我知道的，我就是见证──上主的断语。」

反对慰问书的假先知
29:24 你应对乃赫蓝人舍玛雅这样说：
29:25 万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：因为你以自己的名义，给在耶路撒冷的全体人民，和司祭玛阿色雅的儿子责法尼雅，及所有的司祭致书说：「
29:26 上主立你代替司祭约雅达为司祭，作上主殿宇的监督，为拘捕一切自充先知的狂妄之徒，给他带上脚镣铁枷。
29:27 为什么你至今还不责斥向你自称为先知的阿纳托特人耶肋米亚﹖
29:28 他竟派人到巴比伦对我们说：为期尚远；不如建屋居住，种植田园，吃田园的出产!」
29:29 司祭责法尼雅当面将这书信念给先知耶肋米亚听了。
29:30 于是有上主的话传给耶肋米亚说：「
29:31 你派人对全体俘虏说：论及乃赫蓝人舍玛雅，上主这样说：因为舍玛雅没有我的委派，竟向你们说预言，叫你们相信谎言，
29:32 为此上主这样说：看，我必惩罚乃赫蓝人舍玛雅和他的后裔：他的后代必没有一个人住在这民族中，能见到我赐给我人民的幸福──上主的断语──因为他说了背叛上主的话。」

 

 

第三十章(24)

预言以色列复兴
30:1 这是上主传给耶肋米亚的话：
30:2 上主以色列的天主这样说：「凡我对你说的话，你都要写在一本书上，
30:3 因为，看，时日将到──上主的断语──我必转变我人民以色列和犹大的命运──上主说──使他们回去占领我赐给他们祖先的土地。」
30:4 以下是上主论及以色列和犹大说的话：
30:5 上主这样说：「人听到了恐怖的喊叫：只有恐慌，没有平安。
30:6 你们且自问自究：是否男人要生产﹖为什么我竟见人人两手叉腰，象正在生产的妇女，个个面色显得苍白﹖
30:7 噫!这一天，真伟大，无可比拟，虽为雅各伯是痛苦的时期，但他们将由此而得救。
30:8 到了那一天──万军上主的断语──我要折断他们颈上所负的轭，粉碎他们的锁链，他们不再作外方人的奴隶，
30:9 只服事上主，他们的天主，和我给他们兴起的君王达味。
30:10 为此，我的仆人雅各伯，你不用害怕──上主的断语──以色列，你不要惊慌；因为，看，我必从远方救出你来，从充军之地救回你的后裔；使雅各伯归来，居享安宁，无所恐惧，
30:11 因为有我与你同在──上主的断语──作你的救援。诚然，对我使你流徙所到的各民族，我要执行毁灭；但对你，我却不执行毁灭，只依正义惩罚你，不让你全然免罚。」

罪的恶果
30:12 不错，上主这样说：「你的创伤不可治疗，你的伤口无法医治；
30:13 没有人愿意担任调理你的创伤，无药可使你的伤处收结。
30:14 你所有的爱人都忘掉了你，不再追求你，因为我象打击敌人一样，以残酷的刑罚打击了你，因为你太不义，你的罪恶，增添不已。
30:15 为什么你还要为你的创伤悲号﹖你的创伤已不可治疗：因为你太不义，你的罪恶增添不已，我才这样对待了你。
30:16 但是，凡吞灭你的，必被吞灭；凡与你为敌的，必被掳去充军；凡劫掠你的，必遭劫掠；凡抢夺你的，我必使他们受人抢夺。
30:17 实在，我要使你的伤处收结，疗愈你的创伤──上主的断语──因为他们称你为弃妇，无人过问的熙雍。」

以民的复兴
30:18 上主这样说：「看，我要转变雅各伯帐幕的命运，怜悯他的家室，好使城市仍建在自己的山上，宫殿依然耸立在自己的原处，
30:19 从那里发出颂谢的歌声，欢乐的呼声。我必使他们繁昌，人数不再减少；我要显耀他们，使他们不再受人轻视。
30:20 他们的子孙必要象昔日一样，在我面前重新建立自己的集会；凡压迫他们的，我必予以惩罚。
30:21 他们的元首，将是他们中的一个；他们的统帅，将出自他们之中；我要使他们前来接近我，他必与我接近，因为谁敢冒性命的危险，来与我接近──上主的断语──
30:22 这样，你们必作我的人民，我必作你们的天主」。
30:23 看，上主的愤怒，如暴风怒号，如撗扫的暴风，在恶人的头上施转。
30:24 上主的烈怒必不止息，直到他执行完成了他心里的计划；在末日你们必会明了。

 

 

第三十一章(40)

重订新约
31:1 在那时候──上主的断语──我将作以色列各宗族的天主，他们将作我的人民。
31:2 上主这样说：逃脱了刀剑的人民，在旷野中找到了宠遇；以色列来到了自己安身的地方。
31:3 上主自远处显现给她说：我爱你，我永远爱你，因此我给你保留了我的仁慈；
31:4 我要再修建你，而你必再建立起来；你必再带上你的小鼓，出来欢乐歌舞；
31:5 再在撒马黎雅山上栽种葡萄，栽种培埴，必有收获；
31:6 因为终有一天，守望的人要在厄弗辣因山上喊说：起来，让我们上熙雍去，到上主我们的天主那里去!

北国流亡子民必要归来
31:7 因为上主这样说：你们应为雅各伯欢呼，向为首的民族喝采，传扬称赞说：上主救了自己的百姓，以色列的遗民。
31:8 看，我由北地引他们归来，从大地的尽头召集他们，其中有瞎子，有跛子，有怀孕的和正在生产的，形成一大队回到这里来。
31:9 他们含泪前行，我却抚慰引导，领他们踏上不会跌倒的坦途，来到溪流旁，因为我是以色列的慈父，厄弗辣因是我的长子。

请万民赞颂施救的天主
31:10 万民!请听上主的话，向遥远的海岛宣传说：那昔日驱散以色列的，再要聚集他们，看守他们象牧童看守自己的羊群。
31:11 因为上主必拯救雅各伯，从比他更强者的手中将他们赎回。
31:12 他们将要前来，在熙雍山巅欢呼，涌向上主的美物，饱享谷、麦、酒、油，小牛、小羊；他们的心灵要好象受灌溉的田园，再也不感憔悴。
31:13 那时，处女必欢欣鼓舞，老幼必相聚同乐，因为我将使的悲哀变成喜乐，使他们由自己的忧苦中获得安慰欢乐；
31:14 我将以肥脂滋润司祭的心灵，以美物饱饫我的人民──上主的断语。

以色列复归天主
31:15 上主这样说：「听!在辣玛有叹息声，酸辛哭泣；辣黑耳悲悼自己的儿子，不愿受安慰，因为他们已不存在了!」
31:16 上主这样说：「要止住痛哭，不再流泪，因为你的辛苦终必有报──上主的断语──他们必会由敌地归来!
31:17 你们的前途大有希望──上主的断语──你的子孙都要归回自己的疆域。
31:18 我实在听到厄弗辣因在悲叹说：你惩罚了我，我受了杖搫，有如一头不驯服的公牛犊；你使我归来，我必归来，因为你是上主，我的天主。
31:19 的确，我自离弃你以后，我已后悔；在我觉悟以后，我拍腿自惭自愧，因为我又染上了我少年时的耻辱。
31:20 厄弗辣因岂不是我的宠儿，我钟爱的娇子﹖因为我几时恐吓他，反倒更顾念他；对他我五内感动，不得不大施爱怜──上主的断语」。
31:21 请你给自己树立路程碑，设置指路牌，细心回想你走的路线，以往你走过的大道；以色列处女!归来，回到你自己的城邑。
31:22 你要流浪到几时﹖叛逆的女儿!因为上主在地上正在创造一件新事：女人包围男人。

南国也要由充军地归来
31:23 万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：「当我转变他们的命运时，在犹大地和她城市中的人，还要用这话祝贺说：正义的所在，神圣的山岭!愿上主降福你。
31:24 犹大和她各城中的人，农夫和随羊迁徙的人，将要同住在那里，
31:25 因为我要振作困乏的心灵，饱饫一切苦闷的心灵?ぉ?
26 至此，我醒来了，我看见了，我的睡眠为我实在甘甜?ぉ?
27 看，时日将到──上主的断语──我要给以色列家和犹大家播散人种和兽种；
31:28 就如昔日我曾监视他们，为将他们拔除、破坏、推翻、毁灭、损害；同样，日后我必要监视他们、为将他们建设、栽培──上主的断语──
31:29 在那时日里，人必不再说：「祖先吃了酸葡萄，子孙的牙齿也要酸软」。
31:30 不，各人只因自己的罪恶而死；只有吃酸葡萄的人，自己的牙齿才酸软。

天主与新以民订立新约
31:31 看，时日将到──上主的断语──我必要与以色列家和犹大家订立新约，
31:32 不象我昔日──握住他们的手，引他们出离埃及时──与他们的祖先订立盟约；虽然我是他们的夫君，他们已自行破坏了我这盟约──上主的断语──
31:33 我愿在那些时日后，与以色列家订立的盟约──上主的断语──就是：我要将我的法律放在他们的肺腑里，写在他们的心头上；我要作他们的天主，他们要作我的人民。
31:34 那时，谁也不再教训自己的近人或弟兄说：「你们该认识上主」，因为不论大小，人人都必认识我──上主的断语──因为我要宽恕他们的过犯，不再记忆他们的罪恶。

内在的新约永存不废
31:35 那指定太阳照耀白日，规定月亮星辰照耀黑夜，拨动海洋使波涛怒号，号称「万军的上主」的上主这样说：
31:36 假若这些规定已由我面前消失──上主的断语──以色列种族在我面前也就永不再是一个民族。
31:37 上主这样说：假若人能测量在上的诸天，能探察在下大地的基础，我也就因他们所做的一切，拋弃整个以色列种族──上主的断语」。

新国新首都
31:38 看，时日将到──上主的断语──上主的城必要重建，不但自哈纳乃耳堡直到角门，
31:39 而且测量的绳墨还要向外伸展，直到加勒布丘，再转向哥阿；
31:40 连满了尸首和灰烬的整个山谷，以及直到克德隆溪流和东边马门角旁所有的田地，都将祝圣给上主，永不再遭受摧残破坏。」

 

 

第三十二章(44)

先知奉命买田
32:1 犹大王漆德克雅第十年，拿步高在位第十八年，由上主传给耶肋米亚的话：
32:2 那时巴比伦王的军队正围攻耶路撒冷，耶肋米亚先知被幽禁在犹大王室监狱的庭院里。
32:3 犹大王漆德克雅幽禁了先知，对他说：「你为什么预言说：上主这样说：看，我必将这城交在巴比伦王手中，他要占领这座城；
32:4 犹大王漆德克雅必逃不出加色丁人的手，因为他必被交在巴比伦王的手中，与他面对面相谈，眼对眼相视；
32:5 他必带漆德克雅到巴比伦去，住在那里，直到我再来看顾他──上主的断语──你们若抵抗加色丁人，决不会成功﹖」
32:6 耶肋米亚说：「有上主的话传给我说：
32:7 看，你叔父沙隆的儿子哈纳默耳要到你这里来说：你购买我在阿纳托特的那块田吧!因为你有买回的权利，应把它买回来」。
32:8 我叔父的儿子哈纳默耳，正如上主所说，到监狱庭院里来找我，对我说：「请你购买我在本雅明地内阿纳托特的那块田吧!因为你有继承权，和有权买回你为你自己买下吧!」于是我知道，这是上主的话。
32:9 我便买了我叔父的儿子哈纳默耳在阿纳托特的那块田地，秤给他十七「协刻耳」银子，
32:10 写了契约，封上，请人作证，在天平上秤了银子；
32:11 然后按照法定条例，拿着加封和未加封的购买契约，
32:12 当着我叔父的儿子哈纳默耳，和在购买契约上签名的见证人，以及监狱庭院里在座的众犹大人眼前，将这购买的契约交给了乃黎雅的儿子，玛赫色雅的孙子巴路克，
32:13 并当着他们眼前吩咐巴路克说：
32:14 「万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：将这些加封和未加封的文件，购买的契约拿去，放在一瓦器内，长久保存，
32:15 因为万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：在这地方，人还要购买房屋、庄田和葡萄园」。

耶肋米亚的祈祷
32:16 我将购买的契约交给乃黎雅的儿子巴路克以后，便祈求上主说：
32:17 「啊!我主上主!看，你以你的大能和伸展的手臂，创造了天地；为你是没有困难的事。
32:18 你对千万人施行仁慈，但也向后世的子孙本人，追讨他们祖先的罪债；你是伟大有力的天主，「万军的天主」是你名号。
32:19 你有伟大的计谋，行大事的能力；双目注视人类子孙所有的行径，依照各人的行径和行事的结果，给予报酬。
32:20 你直到今日在埃及地，在以色列和人世间，施行奇迹和异事，使你自己成名，有如今日；
32:21 你以灵迹奇事，有力的手腕和伸展的臂膊，巨大恐吓，从埃及地领出了你的人民以色列，
32:22 给了他们你曾向他们的祖先起誓，要给他们的这块流奶流蜜的土地。
32:23 他们来了，占领了这地，却没有听从你的声音，没有履行你的法律，没有做你命他们应做的一切事，为此你给他们招来了这一切灾祸。
32:24 看，围攻的工事已逼近城市，势必攻陷；这个已面临兵刀饥荒和瘟疫的城市，必落在进攻的加色丁人手中；你所说的现已实现，你已目睹；
32:25 然而，我主上主!正当这城交在加色丁人手中之际，你却对我说：你要请人作证，用银子购买田地」。

上主的答复
32:26 于是有上主的话传给我说：
32:27 「看，我是上主，是一切有血肉者的天主：难道我有做不到的事吗﹖
32:28 为此，上主这样说：看，我将这城交在加色丁人和巴比伦王拿步高的手中，他必占领这座城。
32:29 进攻这城的加色丁人要来放火焚烧，把这座城和在屋顶上给巴耳焚香，向外神行奠礼，惹我动怒的房屋，烧得干干净净，
32:30 因为以色列和犹大子民自幼在我眼前只知作恶；实在，以色列子民双手所行的，无不使我动怒──上主的断语──
32:31 实在，这座城，自从他们开始建筑那一天，直到今日，常惹我动怒生气，致使我不得不从我面前将她消灭。
32:32 这全是出于以色列和犹大子民，即他们、他们的君王、朝臣、司祭、先知，以及犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民，所行的一切使我动怒的恶事。
32:33 他们对我转过背来，却不对我转过脸来；我虽不断恳切施教，他们仍不愿听从，接受劝告；
32:34 反将可恶之物安置在归我名下的殿里，使我的殿宇受到了玷污；
32:35 又在本希农山谷给巴耳建立了一些丘坛，给摩肋客火祭自己的子女：这是我从来没有吩咐，也从来没有想到过的事；他们竟做出这些可恶的事，来引诱犹大犯罪。
32:36 现在，上主以色列的天主，对这座你说要因兵戈饥荒瘟疫，而被交在巴比伦王手中的城市，却这样说：
32:37 看，我必从我生气愤恨发怒时驱逐他们所到的各地，再召集他们，领他们回到这地方来，安然居住，
32:38 作我的人民，我作他们的天主，
32:39 且使他们一心一德，终生敬畏我，造福自己和自己后代的子孙；
32:40 与他们订立一永久的盟约，再不离弃他们，为他们谋幸福，将敬畏我之情赋于他们心内，使他们不再离开我；
32:41 乐意好待他们，专心致志将他们安顿在这城里。
32:42 因为上主这样说：我怎样给这人民招来了这一切大灾祸，也要同样给他们招来我预许的一切幸福。
32:43 在这个你们说已成荒野，已人兽绝迹，已交在加色丁人手中的地域里，还有田地的交易；
32:44 在本雅明地，在耶路撒冷城郊，在犹大、山地、平原和南部的城里，人们还要花钱买田，写契盖章，请人作证，因为我要转变他们的命运──上主的断语」。

 

 

第三十三章(26)

上主预许复兴
33:1 耶肋米亚还拘禁在监狱的庭院的时候，又有上主的话传给他说：
33:2 那创造形成和奠定大地，且名叫「雅威」的上主这样说：
33:3 你呼唤我，我必答复你，把伟大和你不知道的奥秘事情告诉你。
33:4 上主以色列的天主这样论及这城里为围攻工事和武力摧毁的房屋和犹大王宫说──
33:5 他们前去与加色丁人交战，只不过是将尸体充塞城市，因为我以盛怒杀戳了他们，因了他们的种种罪恶，我已掩面不顾这城市──
33:6 看，我必使他们的疮痍收口痊愈，获得医治；给他们大开和平安宁的宝库；
33:7 转变犹大和以色列的命运，使他们复兴如初；
33:8 洗除他们得罪我的一切罪恶，赦免他们得罪和违背我的一切过犯。
33:9 这城必使我在普世万民间获得喜庆、赞美和光荣；他们听到我对这城行的一切善事，必因我赐给这城的种种幸福与和平，起敬起畏。
33:10 上主这样说：「在你们所谓人兽绝迹的荒野地方，在犹大的城市和耶路撒冷，没有居民和牲畜的荒凉街上，
33:11 人还要听到愉快和喜乐的声音，新郎和新娘的声音；还要听见在上主殿宇奉献感恩祭的人说：请你们赞颂万军的上主，因为上主是美善的，他的慈爱永远常存；因为我要转变这地的命运，使它复兴如初──上主说」。
33:12 万军的上主这样说：「在这人兽绝迹的荒凉地方，和其中所有的城市里，仍要有牧童牧放羊群的牧埸；
33:13 在山地和平原以及南部的各城镇里，在本雅明地，在耶路撒冷城郊，在犹大的各城市里，仍要有人数点手下经过的羊群──上主说。

正义的萌芽
33:14 看，时日将到──上主的断语──我要实践我对以色列家和犹大家预许赐福的诺言。
33:15 在那些日子里，在那时期内，我必由达味出生一正义的苗芽，在地上执行公道和正义；
33:16 在那时日里，犹大必获救，耶路撒冷必居享安宁，人用以称呼她的名字将是「上主是我们的正义」。
33:17 因为上主这样说：达味总不断有人坐在以色列家的宝座上；
33:18 肋未司祭也总不断有人站在我前奉献全燔祭，焚烧祭品，天天杀牲举祭」。

达味后裔的义务
33:19 有上主的话传给耶肋米亚说：
33:20 「上主这样说：假若你们能破坏我与白日黑夜订立的盟约，使白日黑夜不再依循自己的时序，
33:21 那我与我仆达味的盟约也就可以破坏，使他再没有儿子继位为王；我与我的仆役肋未司祭的盟约，也就可以破坏。
33:22 我要这样增添我仆达味的后裔和服事我的肋未人，有如天上数不清的军旅，海中量不尽的沙粒」。

天主必要转变以民的命运
33:23 有上主的话传给耶肋米亚说：
33:24 「难道你没有注意这人民说些什么话吗﹖他们说：上主拣选了两个家族，如今他又把他们拋弃了!他们竟这样轻视我的人民，不再把他们看作一个民族。
33:25 上主这样说：假若我没有与白日黑夜订立盟约，没有给上天下地设立轨道，
33:26 我就可以拋弃雅各伯与我仆达味的后裔，不再由他的后裔选拔人，来统治亚巴郎、依撒格和雅各伯的后裔，因为我必要怜悯他们，转变他们的命运」。

 

 

第三十四章(22)

漆德克雅的悲惨结局
34:1 当巴比伦王拿步高与自己所有的军队，及他手下统治的天下各国和一切民族，前来进攻耶路撒冷和她所有的城镇时，有上主的话传给耶肋米亚说：
34:2 「上主以色列的天主这样说：你去对犹大王漆德克雅说，告诉他上主这样说：看，我必将这城交在巴比伦王手中，他将放火烧城，
34:3 你必逃不出他的手，终必被擒，交在他手中；你必要与巴比伦王目对目相视，面对面相谈；你必要到巴比伦去；
34:4 但是，犹大王漆德克雅!请听上主的话，上主论你这样说：你决不会死在刀下，
34:5 必要平安死去；正如有人给在你以前的上代祖先君王焚香，同样也有人给你焚香，向你致哀；『噫嘻，我主!』的确，是我说了这话──上主的断语」。
34:6 耶肋米亚先知就在耶路撒冷，对犹大君王漆德克雅说了这一切话，
34:7 那时巴比伦王的军队正在攻打耶路撒冷和犹大所余的城市，攻打拉基士和阿则卡，因为在犹大城市中，只剩下了这两座设防的城市。

未守解放奴隶的信约
34:8 漆德克雅王与当时在耶路撒冷的全体人民订约，要对奴婢宣布自由以后，有上主的话传给耶肋米亚：
34:9 每人应释放自己的希伯来奴婢，使他们获享自由；谁也不该再以自己的弟兄犹大人作奴婢。
34:10 所有入盟的首长和全体人民都同意，每人要释放自己的奴婢，使他们获享自由，不再以他们为奴婢：他们同意了，也释放了。
34:11 但是，后来他们改变主意，把他们释放恢复自由的奴婢，再叫回来，强迫他们再作奴婢。
34:12 于是有上主的话传给耶肋米亚说：
34:13 「上主以色列的天主这样说：在我领你们的祖先，由埃及地，奴隶之所，出来的那一天，与他们订立了盟约说：
34:14 每七年初，你们应各自释放卖身给你的希伯来弟兄：他服事了你六年，你应该让他自由离去。你们的祖先却不听，也不向我侧耳。
34:15 今日你们自己反悔，作了我认为正直的事，各向自己的近人宣布自由，在归我名下的殿里，当着我面订了盟约。
34:16 但事后却变了主意，亵渎我名，竟再召回自己已经释放，身获自由的奴婢，迫使他们再做你们的奴婢。
34:17 为此上主这样说：你们既不听从我，各向自己的弟兄，各向自己的近人宣布自由，看，我来对你们宣布释放刀剑和瘟疫及饥荒的自由──上主的断语──使你们成为地上一切王国惊慌恐怖的对象。
34:18 凡违犯我盟约，即凡不履行剖开牛犊，由两半中间走过，在我面前所立的盟约誓词的人，我必将他们交出：
34:19 凡剖开牛犊，由两半中走过的犹大和耶路撒冷的首长、官员、司祭，以及当地的全体人民，
34:20 我必将他们悉数交在他们的敌人，和图谋他们性命者的手中，使他们的尸首成为天上飞鸟和地上走兽的食物。
34:21 至于犹大王漆德克雅和他的臣相，我也将他们交在他们敌人的手中，交在图谋他们性命者的手中，交在由你们面前撤退的巴比伦王军队的手中。
34:22 我必下令──上主的断语──叫他们再回来，进攻，占领，火烧这城市；至于犹大的其它城市，我必使它们化为无人居住的荒野」。

 

 

第三十五章(19)

以勒加布人为示范
35:1 犹大王约史雅的儿子约雅金为王时，上主有话传给耶肋米亚说：
35:2 「你到勒加布人家里去，与他们会谈，引他们走进上主殿宇的一间房里，给他们酒喝」。
35:3 于是我带了哈巴漆尼雅的孙子，依尔米雅的儿子雅匝尼雅，和他的兄弟与他所有的儿子，以及勒加布全家，
35:4 到了上主的殿宇，进了天主的人依革达里雅的儿子哈南的儿子们的房间──这间房靠近长官室，正是在看守殿门的沙隆的儿子玛阿色雅的住房上面，
35:5 将满杯满爵的酒，摆在勒加布的子孙面前，向他们请说：「请喝酒吧!」
35:6 他们答说：「我们不喝酒，因为我们的祖先勒加布的儿子约纳达布曾吩咐我们说：你们和你们的儿子永不可喝酒；
35:7 也不可建造房屋，不可播种，不可栽植或占有葡萄园，却要终生住在帐幕里，好使你们能长久生活在你们作客的地方。
35:8 在我们的祖先勒加布的儿子约纳达布吩咐我们的一切事上，我们全听从了他的话，我们、妻子和儿女，终生不喝酒，
35:9 也不建造房屋居住，也没有葡萄园或田地和播种的事，
35:10 只住在帐幕里，全听从并履行我们的祖先约纳达布吩咐的事。
35:11 只在巴比伦王拿步高上来进攻这地时，我们才说：走吧!到耶路撒冷去，躲避加色丁和阿兰军队；从此我们才住在耶路撒冷」。
35:12 于是有上主的话传给耶肋米亚说：
35:13 「万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：你去对犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民说：你们不接受教训，听从我的话吗﹖──上主的断语──
35:14 勒加布的儿子约纳达布的话居然有人遵守：他命子孙们不喝酒，他们直到今日就不喝酒，全听从了他们祖先的命令；我不断恳切教训你们，你们却没有听从；
35:15 我给你们派遣──且不断派遣，我所有的仆人先知们，来劝你们各自离弃自己的邪道，改善自己的行为，不再追随事奉外方的神祗，好能住在我赐给你们和你们祖先的地方；你们仍不侧耳听从我。
35:16 实在，勒加布的儿子约纳达布的子孙，遵守了他们祖先吩咐的命令；至于这民族，却不听从我。
35:17 为此，上主万军的天主，以色列的天主这样说：看，我必给犹大和耶路撒冷所有的居民，招来我对他们所预告的一切灾祸，因为我训谕他们，他们不听；我呼唤他们，他们不答应」。
35:18 于是耶肋米亚对勒加布人家族说：「万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：因为你们听从了祖先约纳达布的命令，遵守了他的一切规诫，完全依照他所吩咐的做了；
35:19 为此，万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：勒加布的儿子约纳达布从此永不会缺少侍立在我面前的人」。

 

 

三编耶路撒冷毁灭前后(36-45)

第三十六章(32)

约雅金王火烧卷册
36:1 犹大王约史雅的儿子约雅金第四年，上主有这话传给耶肋米亚说：
36:2 「你拿卷册来，写上自从我由约史雅时日，对你说话那一天以来，直到今日，关于耶路撒冷和犹大及列邦对你所说的一切话，
36:3 也许犹大家听了我有意对他们施行的一切灾祸，会各自离弃自己的邪道，叫我好宽恕他们的过犯和罪恶」。
36:4 于是耶肋米亚叫了乃黎雅的儿子巴路克来；巴路克依照耶肋米亚的口授，在卷册上写上了上主对先知说的一切话。
36:5 耶肋米亚吩咐巴路克说：「我被阻止，不能到上主殿宇去，
36:6 所以你去，在一个禁食的日子上，诵读卷册上依我口授写的上主的话，给在上主殿里的全体人民听，也读给来自各城的全体犹大人听，
36:7 也许他们会向上主哀求，各自愿离弃自己的邪道，因为上主对这人民用以恐吓的愤恨和忿怒，真正厉害!」
36:8 乃黎雅的儿子巴路克全按耶肋米亚先知吩咐的作了：在上主殿宇里，宣读了卷册上上主的话。
36:9 犹大王约史雅的儿子约雅金第五年九月，耶路撒冷全体人民以及从犹大城市来到耶路撒冷的全体人民，集合在上主面前宣布禁食。
36:10 巴路克就乘机在上主殿宇内，沙番的儿子革马黎雅书记的房子那里，即上院靠近上主殿宇新门的进口处，宣读卷册上耶肋米亚的话，给全体人民听。
36:11 沙番的儿子革马黎雅的儿子米加雅，听了卷册上所有的上主的话，
36:12 就下到王宫书记的事务所内，看，众首长都正坐在那里，有书记厄里沙玛，舍玛雅的儿子德拉雅，阿革波尔的儿子厄耳纳堂，沙番的儿子革玛黎雅，哈纳尼雅的儿子漆德克雅和其余的首长。
36:13 米加雅就把自己在巴路克给人民宣读卷册时所听到的一切话，告诉了他们。
36:14 众首长便派乃塔尼雅的儿子犹狄和雇史的儿子舍肋米雅到巴路克那里说：「请你来，并请你随手带上你读给人民听的那轴卷册」。乃黎雅的儿子巴路克立即手内拿上那轴卷册，到他们那里去了。
36:15 他们对他说：「请坐，读给我们听!」巴路克读给他们听了。
36:16 他们听了这一切话，就彼此不胜惊慌说：「我们必须将这一切话禀告君王!」
36:17 然后问巴路克说：「请你告诉我们：你怎样由耶肋米亚的口授写了这一切话﹖」
36:18 巴路克答复他们说：「这一切话都是他口授给我的，我只不过用笔墨记录在这卷册上。」
36:19 于是首长对巴路克说：「你快去和耶肋米亚藏起来，不要让人知道你们藏在那里。」
36:20 然后他们一同到内殿去拜见君王，那轴卷册却留在书记厄里沙玛室内，只将这一切话禀告了君王。
36:21 君王于是打发犹狄去取那轴卷册；犹狄由书记厄里沙玛室内取了来，读给君王和环立在君王旁的众朝臣听。
36:22 那时正是九月，君王住在冬宫里，面前正烧着一盆火，
36:23 犹狄只读了三四行，君王就用书记的刀将它割下，拋在火盆的火里，直到那轴卷册在火盆内被烧尽。
36:24 君王与众臣仆听了这一切话，毫不害怕，也不撕裂自己的衣服，
36:25 虽然厄耳纳堂和德拉雅及革玛黎雅曾苦求君王不要烧毁那轴卷册，君王不但不听，
36:26 反命王子耶辣默耳，阿次黎耳的儿子色辣雅和哈贝德耳的儿子舍肋米雅，去逮捕书记巴路克和先知耶肋米亚；但是上主却将他们藏起来了。
36:27 君王焚烧了那轴载有巴路克由耶肋米亚口授记录的话的卷册以后，有上主的话传给耶肋米亚说：
36:28 「你拿另一轴卷册来，写上犹大王约雅金所烧毁的前一轴卷册上的一切话。
36:29 关于犹大王约雅金你应说：上主这样说：你烧毁了这轴卷册说：为什么你在上面写道：巴比伦王必来破坏这地方，消灭这地方的人和兽﹖
36:30 为此上主关于犹大王约雅金这样说：他必没有人继坐达味的宝座，死后必弃尸原野，遭受日晒夜露。
36:31 对他和他的后裔及臣仆，我要惩罚他们的罪恶，给他们和耶路撒冷居民及犹大人，召来我向他们预告，他们却不理会的一切灾祸」。
36:32 耶肋米亚就拿来另一轴卷册，交给书记乃黎雅的儿子巴路克。巴路克依照耶肋米亚的口授，在上面笔录了犹大王约雅金，在火中烧毁了的那轴卷册上所有的话；并且还加添了许多相类似的话。

 

 

第三十七章(20)

耶肋米亚无罪入狱
37:1 约史雅的儿子漆德克雅继约雅金的儿子耶苛尼雅为王，巴比伦王拿步高立他为王统治犹大地。
37:2 他和他的臣仆及本地人民，都没有听从上主藉耶肋米亚先知所说的话。
37:3 漆德克雅王派舍肋米亚的儿子犹加耳，和司祭玛阿色雅的儿子责法尼雅到耶肋米亚先知那里说：「请你为我们转求上主，我们的天主!」
37:4 那时，耶肋米亚尚出入于民间，人还没有将他放在监狱里。
37:5 法郎军队忽由埃及出发，围攻耶路撒冷的加色丁人一听见他们出动的消息，就由耶路撒冷撤退了。
37:6 此时上主有话传给耶肋米亚先知说：
37:7 「上主，以色列的天主这样说：你们应这样回答派你们前来求问我的犹大君王说：看，出发前来援助你们的法郎军队，仍要回到自己的本地埃及去。
37:8 至于加色丁人仍要卷土重来，进攻这座城市；且要攻下，放火烧城。
37:9 上主这样说：你们不要自欺说：加色丁人已离我们远去!其实，他们并没有远去。
37:10 纵使你们能击败与你们交战的加色丁人所有的军队，使他们中只剩下一些受伤的人，他们仍要由帐中奋起，放火烧毁这座城市。
37:11 加色丁人的军队受法郎军队的威胁，由耶路撒冷撤退时，
37:12 耶肋米亚就离开耶路撒冷，到本雅明地去，要在那里由自己的亲族间分得一份产业。
37:13 当他到了本雅明门时，那里有一个站岗的人，名叫依黎雅，是舍肋米亚的儿子，哈纳尼雅的孙子，捉住耶肋米亚先知说：「你想去投降加色丁人!」
37:14 耶肋米亚答说：「冤枉!我不是去投降加色丁人」。依黎雅不听他说，就捉住耶肋米亚，带他去见首长。
37:15 首长们遂发怒，将耶肋米亚鞭打了，幽禁在书记约纳堂家的监牢里，因为他们早已把他的家改作了监狱。
37:16 于是耶肋米亚走进了一穹形的地窖内，在那里住了多日。
37:17 此后，漆德克雅王派人提出他来，在自己的宫殿私下问他说：「上主有什么话没有﹖」耶肋米亚答说：「有」。接着说：「你必被交在巴比伦王手中」。
37:18 此外，耶肋米亚还问漆德克雅王说：「我在什么事上得罪了你和你的臣仆，以及这些人民，你们竟将我放在监牢里﹖
37:19 你们那些曾向你们预言说：巴比伦王不会来攻打你们和这地方的先知，现在在哪里﹖
37:20 如今我主君王，请听！愿你开恩允许我的祈求，不要叫我再回到书记约纳堂家里去，免得我死在那里！」于是漆德克雅王下令，将耶肋米亚囚禁在监狱的庭院里，每日由面包房取一份食物给他，直到城中粮食用尽。从此耶肋米亚就住在拘留所内的庭院里。

 

 

第三十八章(28)

耶肋米亚在蓄水池内
38:1 玛堂的儿子舍法提雅，帕市胡尔的儿子革达里雅，舍肋米雅的儿子犹加耳，玛耳基雅的儿子帕市胡尔听见耶肋米亚向全体人民讲话说：
38:2 「上主这样说：凡留在这城里的，必死于刀剑、饥荒和瘟疫；凡出降加色丁人的，必能生存：获得生命如获得战利品一样，可得生存。
38:3 上主这样说：这座城市必交在巴比伦王军队的手中，他必占领这座城市。」
38:4 众首长就对君王说：「请将这人处死!因为他说出了这样使遗留在城里的战士和全体人民丧志的话；实在，这人谋求的，不是人民的福利，而是人民的灾祸。」
38:5 漆德克雅王答说：「看，他已经在你们手中；君王不能反对你们。」
38:6 他们便将耶肋米亚丢在王子玛耳基雅在监狱庭院里有的蓄水池内，用绳将他放下去；池内没有水，只有污泥；耶肋米亚就陷在污泥里。

一外邦人营救先知
38:7 住在王宫里的雇士人厄贝得默肋客宦官，听见人把耶肋米亚放在蓄水池里。那时君王正坐在本雅明门旁，
38:8 厄贝得默肋客就从王宫出来，禀告君王说：
38:9 「我主君王!这些人对先知耶肋米亚作的事，实在毒辣；他们竟将他丢在蓄水池里，在那里他必要饿死，因为城中没有粮食了!」
38:10 王便命雇士人厄贝得默肋客说：「你立即带三个人去，将耶肋米亚先知，趁他还没有死，从蓄水池里拉出来!」
38:11 厄贝得默肋客立即带了一些人，回到王宫，从储藏室拿了些破旧衣裳和破旧布片，用绳索给在蓄水池里的耶肋米亚放下去。
38:12 雇士人厄贝得默肋客对耶肋米亚说：「请你把破旧的衣服和布片，放在你两腋下，然后把绳放在下面。」耶肋米亚就这样做了。
38:13 于是他们用绳索将耶肋米亚从蓄水池里拉上来；这样，耶肋米亚才仍能住在拘留所的庭院里。
38:14 漆德克雅王派人带耶肋米亚先知到上主殿宇第三入口处去见他。君王对耶肋米亚说：「我要问你一件事，你什么也不可对我隐瞒!」
38:15 耶肋米亚答复漆德克雅说：「我若禀告你，你岂不要将我处死吗﹖我若给你出主意，你也不会听从我!」
38:16 漆德克雅王对耶肋米亚暗地发誓说：「那赐与我们这生命的上主永在，我决不将你处死，也决不将你交在这些图谋你性命者的手中。」
38:17 于是耶肋米亚对漆德克雅说：「万军的天主，以色列的天主上主这样说：如果你出去，向巴比伦王的将帅投降，你的性命必可保全，这城不至于被焚；你和你全家也必生存。
38:18 但是，如果你不出去向巴比伦王将帅投降，这城必会被交在加色丁人的手里，由他们放火烧城，而你也逃不出他们的手。」
38:19 漆德克雅王便对耶肋米亚说：「我很害怕那些投降加色丁人的犹太人，将我交在他们手中，任他们凌辱我。」
38:20 耶肋米亚答说：「他们不会将你交出!在我对你所说的事上，你只管听上主的声音，事必于你有利，你的性命必可保全。
38:21 但是，如果你拒绝出降，这就是上主使我预见的事：
38:22 看，凡留在犹大王宫的一切妇女，都要被领出，交给巴比伦王的将帅，哭诉着说：对你高唱和平的友人，欺骗了你，愚弄了你；见你双脚陷入泥淖，就转背逃遁。
38:23 你的妻子儿女，都要被领出，交给加色丁人；连你也逃不出他们的手，终于被巴比伦王捉去；至于这城，必要被火焚毁。」
38:24 于是漆德克雅对耶肋米亚说：「任何人不得知道这些话，否则你就该死!
38:25 倘若首长们听说我曾与你谈论，而前来问你说：请你告诉我们，你对君王说了什么﹖你不可对我们隐瞒，否则我们就要你的命!究竟君王对你说了些什么﹖
38:26 你要回答他们说：我向君王面呈我的请求，请他不要叫我再回到约纳堂的家里去，而死在那里。」
38:27 果然，众首长前来质问耶肋米亚，他就全依照君王吩咐的话答复了他们。他们对他无话可说，因为那次的谈话，没有被人窃听了去。
38:28 这样，耶肋米亚直到耶路撒冷沦陷的那一天，就住在拘留所的庭院里。

 

 

耶京失陷君王被擒

当耶路撒冷被攻陷以后──

 

第三十九章(18)
39:1 犹大王漆德克雅第九年十月，巴比伦王拿步高率领全军进攻，包围了耶路撒冷，
39:2 漆德克雅第十一年四月初九，京城被攻破──
39:3 巴比伦王众将帅入城，坐镇中央门：计有卫队长乃步匝辣当、大将军乃步沙次班、战车司令乃尔加耳沙勒责尔和巴比伦王其余众将帅。
39:4 犹大王漆德克雅和所有的战士一见如此，就立即逃遁，夜间弃城出走，取道御苑，穿过两墙间的便门，直向阿辣巴的路上跑去。
39:5 加色丁人军队立即追赶他们，就在耶里哥荒野追上了漆德克雅，将他捉住，带到哈玛特境内的黎贝拉去见巴比伦王拿步高；王即宣判了他的罪状。
39:6 巴比伦王在黎贝拉，就当漆德克雅眼前杀了他的儿子；巴比伦王也杀了犹大所有的贵卿；
39:7 然后挖了漆德克雅的双眼，给他带上锁链，送往巴比伦去。
39:8 于是加色丁人放火焚烧了王宫和民房，拆毁了耶路撒冷的城墙；
39:9 城中剩下的人民，和已向他投降的人民，以及其余的平民，卫队长乃步匝辣当都掳到巴比伦去。
39:10 至于人民中一无所有的穷人，卫队长乃步匝辣当仍让他们留居犹大地，同时还给他们分配了些葡萄园和农田。

乃步匝辣当解救耶肋米亚
39:11 关于耶肋米亚，巴比伦王拿步高对卫队长乃步匝辣当下令说：
39:12 「将他带去，好好看待他，不但丝毫不可加害，反要照他对你说的，给他照办!」
39:13 于是卫队长乃步匝辣当，大将军乃步沙次班，战车司令乃尔加耳沙勒责尔，及巴比伦王其余将帅派人前去，
39:14 由拘留所的庭院里提出耶肋米亚来，交给了沙番的孙子，阿希甘的儿子革达里雅，叫他带到自己的家里去；从此耶肋米亚就再居住在民间。
39:15 耶肋米亚还监禁在拘留所的庭院时，上主有话传给他说：「
39:16 你去告诉雇士人厄贝得默肋客说：万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：看，我使我的话实现在这座城上，不是为赐福，而是为降祸：到了那天，要当着你面前实现。
39:17 到了那天，我必救你──上主的断语──你不会被交在你怕与他们相见的人的手里，
39:18 因为我必拯救你，你不会丧身在刀下，你必获得性命如获得战利品，因为你信赖了我──上主的断语。」

 

 

第四十章(16)

耶肋米亚择居故乡
40:1 卫队长乃步匝辣当从辣玛释放耶肋米亚以后，上主又有话传给先知──在提出他时，他还带着锁链，夹在要充军到巴比伦的耶路撒冷和犹大的俘虏中──
40:2 卫队长提出耶肋米亚后，便对他说：「雅威你的天主对这地方，曾预言过这番灾祸，
40:3 如今果然来了；雅威照他所说的做了；因为你们犯罪相反雅威，没有听从他的声音，所以为你们才发生了这样的事。
40:4 现在，你看，今天我给你除去手上的锁链；你若看着同我一起到巴比伦去好，就去，我必另眼看待你；你若看着同我一起到巴比伦去不好，没有关系；你看，整个大地摆在你面前，你看着那里好，去那里相宜，就到那里去罢。
40:5 你若愿住下，可回到巴比伦王委任管理犹大城镇的沙番的孙子，阿希甘的儿子革达里雅那里去，与他一同住在民间；或是到你看着相宜去的任何地方去。」卫队长便给了他干粮和礼物，打发他走了。
40:6 耶肋米亚来到米兹帕阿希甘的儿子革达里雅那里，与他一同住在当地的遗民间。

革达里雅力图收拾民心
40:7 在乡间残存的各部队首领和他们的属下，听说巴比伦王委派了阿希甘的儿子革达里雅管理当地，任命他照顾当地未迁徙至巴比伦去的男女、幼童和穷人，
40:8 便亲自和自己的属下来到米兹帕革达里雅那里；前来的，有乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳，卡勒亚的儿子约哈南，堂胡默特的儿子色辣雅，乃托法人厄法依的儿子们和玛阿加人的儿子雅匝尼雅。
40:9 沙番的孙子，阿希甘的儿子革达里雅对他们和部属起誓说：「你们不要怕事奉加色丁人；住在本地，臣属于巴比伦王，于你们必然有利。
40:10 至于我，看，我愿住在米兹帕，为对付到我们这里来的加色丁人；你们只管储藏酒、油和夏季的出产，安放在器皿内，住在所占的城市里。」
40:11 散居在摩阿布，阿孟子民间，厄东地以及其它各地的一切犹太人，也听说巴比伦王给犹大留下了遗民，派了沙番的孙子，阿希甘的儿子革达里雅管理他们，
40:12 所有的犹太人就从自己飘流所至之地回来，来到犹大地米兹帕革达里雅那里，收得了大量的酒和夏季的出产。

革达里雅暗遭谋害
40:13 卡勒亚的儿子约哈南，和在乡间所有部队的首领，都到米兹帕革达里雅那里，
40:14 对他说：「你是否知道：阿孟子民的君王巴里斯派遣乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳来杀害你﹖」但是阿希甘的儿子革达里雅不相信他们的话。
40:15 卡勒亚的儿子约哈南私下在米兹帕对革达里雅提议说：「让我去杀了乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳，没有人会知道；为什么要让他来谋害你的性命，使集合在你身边的一切犹太人又遭离散，犹大遗民再遭灭亡﹖」
40:16 阿希甘的儿子革达里雅答复卡勒亚的儿子约哈南说：「不要作这件事，因为你论依市玛耳所说的，只不过是流言。」

 

 

第四十一章(18)
41:1 到了七月，厄里沙玛的孙子，乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳──他是王家的后代，是君王的大臣──带了十个人来到米兹帕阿希甘的儿子革达里雅那里；当他们在米兹帕一同进餐时，
41:2 乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳和他带来的十个人就起来，拔刀击杀了巴比伦王委派管理地方的沙番的孙子，阿希甘的儿子革达里雅。
41:3 凡在米兹帕与革达里雅在一起的犹太人，和在那里偶然相遇的加色丁兵士，依市玛耳也都击杀了。

朝圣团遇害
41:4 革达里雅被害后第二天，人尚一无所知。
41:5 有八十个人从舍根、史罗、撒玛黎雅前来，都剃去了胡须，撕破了衣服，割伤了身体，手里拿着素祭祭品和乳香，要带到上主殿宇去，
41:6 沿途且走且哭。乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳从米兹帕出来迎接他们，一遇见他们就对他们说：「你们往阿希甘的儿子革达里雅那里去罢!」
41:7 他们到了城市中心，乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳和自己的部下就将他们杀了，扔在蓄水池里。
41:8 其中有十个人却对依市玛耳说：「不要杀害我们，因为我们在田野里藏有油、蜜、大麦和小麦。」他遂即住手，没有将他们与他们的弟兄一同杀掉。
41:9 依市玛耳将所杀之人的尸首，丢在那里的一个蓄水池内，那是一个很大的蓄水池，原是阿撒君王为对抗以色列君王巴厄沙而建造的；乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳用自己所杀之人的尸首填满了这蓄水池。
41:10 以后依市玛耳掳去了留在米兹帕的遗民和王室闺秀，以及还留在米兹帕所有的人民：这些人，原是卫队长乃步匝辣当委托给阿希甘的儿子革达里雅的；乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳却将他们掳走，投往阿孟子民那里去。

遗民之间的内战
41:11 卡勒亚的儿子约哈南和随从他的其余部队首领，得知乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳所做的一切恶事，
41:12 就带领自己所有的部下，去攻击乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳，在基贝红大水池旁与他相遇。
41:13 与依市耳玛在一起的全体人民，一见卡勒亚的儿子约哈南和随他前来的众部队首领，无不喜出望外。
41:14 依市玛耳从米兹帕掳来的全体人民，都转身归顺卡勒亚的儿子约哈南；
41:15 只有乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳和八个人，由约哈南面前逃脱，跑到阿孟子民那里去了。
41:16 卡勒亚的儿子约哈南与随从自己的众部队首领，就接收了乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳，在谋害阿希甘的儿子革达里雅后，从米兹帕掳走的全部遗民，能作战的男子和妇女，幼童及宦官，从基贝红将他们带回来，
41:17 一路前行，在靠近白冷的革鲁特基默罕住下，有意进入埃及，
41:18 远避加色丁人。他们实在害怕见到加色丁人，因为乃塔尼雅的儿子依市玛耳，谋杀了巴比伦王委派管理地方的阿希甘的儿子革达里雅。

 

 

第四十二章(22)

遗民蓄意入居埃及
42:1 众部队首领与卡勒亚的儿子约哈南和玛阿色雅的儿子阿匝黎雅及全体人民，不分大小，
42:2 前来对耶肋米亚先知说：「愿你接受我们对你的请求，请你为我们全体遗民，转求上主你的天主。我们原来人数众多，如今只剩下你亲眼见的这几个人了。
42:3 惟愿上主你的天主指示我们该走的路，和当行的事!」
42:4 耶肋米亚先知答复他们说：「我听见了!好，我愿依照你们的话，祈求上主你们的天主；但凡上主答复的话，我必全告诉你们，不对你们隐瞒什么。」
42:5 他们答复耶肋米亚说：「愿上主在我们中间作真实和忠信的见证，如果我们不依照上主你的天主叫你传给我们的一切话去做。
42:6 或好或坏，我们愿听从上主我们天主的话，因为是我们派你去向他祈求；我们听从了上主我们的天主的话，我们就必顺利。」
42:7 十天以后，上主有话传给了耶肋米亚，
42:8 他便召集卡勒亚的儿子约哈南和随从他的众部队首领以及全体人民，不分大小，
42:9 对他们说：「你们派我去向他面陈你们的请求的上主，以色列的天主这样说：
42:10 如果你们决意住在这地方，我必建立你们，决不加以破坏；我必栽培你们，决不予以拔除，因为我已后悔给你们所降的灾祸。
42:11 你们不要害怕你们所害怕的巴比伦王；不要害怕他──上主的断语──因为有我与你们同在，作你们的救援，从他的手中抢救你们。
42:12 我必怜恤你们，也叫他怜恤你们，让你们仍住在你们的国土内。
42:13 但是，如果你们不听从上主你们的天主的话，说：我们不愿住在这地方；
42:14 或说：不，我们要去埃及地，在那里再见不到战争，再听不到号声，再不缺乏食粮；我们要去住在那里!
42:15 那么，犹大的遗民!请你们听上主的话。万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：假使你们决意要往埃及去，在那里寄居，
42:16 你们害怕的刀剑，必在埃及地袭击你们；你们忧虑的饥荒，必在埃及跟踪你们，使你们死在那里。
42:17 凡决意往埃及去，到那里寄居的人，必要死于刀剑、饥荒和瘟疫，没有一人能幸免，逃脱我给他们招来的灾祸。
42:18 的确，万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：正如我对耶路撒冷居民曾发怒泄恨；同样我要对去埃及的你们泄恨，叫你们遭受憎恨、厌恶、诅咒、侮辱，永不再见此地。」
42:19 「犹大的遗民!这是上主对你们说的话：不要到埃及去。你们该清楚知道：我今天对你们作证，
42:20 你们实在是自己欺骗自己；原是你们派我去求问上主你天主说：请你为我们转求上主我们的天主，凡上主我们的天主说的，你要全告诉我们，我们必依照遵行。
42:21 我今天告诉了你们，你们却全不听从上主你们的天主，打发我来告诉你们的话。
42:22 现在，你们该知道：在你们要去寄居的地方，你们必死于刀剑、饥荒和瘟疫。」

 

 

第四十三章(13)

先知在埃及
43:1 耶肋米亚向全体人民说完上主他们的天主的一切话，即上主他们的天主派遣他来向他们转告的这一切话以后，
43:2 玛阿色雅的儿子阿匝黎雅和卡勒亚的儿子约哈南，以及一切傲慢反叛的人，就对耶肋米亚说：「你说谎；上主我们的天主并没有派你说：你们不要去寄居在埃及；
43:3 只是乃黎雅的儿子巴路克挑唆你反对我们，好将我们交在加色丁人手中，或杀或掳到巴比伦去。」
43:4 卡勒亚的儿子约哈南和众部队首领以及全体人民，没有听从上主的劝告，住在犹大地内。
43:5 卡勒亚的儿子约哈南和众部队首领，反而率领全体犹大遗民，即那些四散到各民族间，又回来住在犹大境内的人：
43:6 男子和妇女，幼童和王家闺秀，以及卫队长乃步匝辣当给沙番的孙子，阿希甘的儿子留下的人，连同先知耶肋米亚和乃黎雅的儿子巴路克，
43:7 到埃及地去了；没有听从上主的劝告，而来到塔黑培乃斯。
43:8 在塔黑培乃斯上主有话传给耶肋米亚说：「
43:9 你用手拿一些大石头，当着犹大人眼前，藏在塔黑培乃斯法郎王宫门前石铺地道下面，
43:10 然后对他们说：万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：看，我必派人去领我的仆人巴比伦王拿步高来，在你藏的这些石头上安置他的宝座，张设他的华盖。
43:11 他必来攻打埃及地，叫那该死的死，该掳的掳，该杀的杀；
43:12 必来放火焚烧埃及的神庙，烧毁或掳走庙内的神象；必来收取埃及地，如同牧人收取自己的外衣；最后安然离去。
43:13 此外，他还要粉碎埃及地太阳神庙的石柱，放火焚烧埃及的神庙。」

 

 

第四十四章(30)

国破家亡仍不悔改
44:1 以下是关于住在埃及地，住在米革多耳，塔黑培乃斯、诺夫和帕特洛斯地的一切犹太人，传给耶肋米亚的话：「
44:2 万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：你们看见了我对耶路撒冷和犹大各城召来的一切灾祸，看，今日已成为无人居住的旷野。
44:3 这是因为他们做了惹我动怒的恶事，向他们、你们和你们的祖先从不认识的外方神祇焚香敬拜；
44:4 虽然我早就不断给你们派遣我所有的先知仆人们说：你们切不可做我所憎恨的可恶之事!
44:5 他们却没有侧耳听从，没有放弃他们向外方神祇焚香的恶习。
44:6 于是我的愤恨如火发作，焚毁了犹大城市和耶路撒冷的街市，使她成为荒凉的旷野，有如今日。
44:7 现在，上主万军的天主，以色列的天主这样说：为什么你们招来这样大的灾祸，加害自己，使你们中的男人、妇女、幼童、婴儿，全由犹大灭绝，不给你们留下遗民﹖
44:8 为什么你们做惹我动怒的事，向你们来寄居的埃及地的外方神祇献香，使你们自遭灭亡，成为普世万民诅咒和耻笑的对象﹖
44:9 难道你们忘了你们的祖先、犹大君王和他们的妻妾、你们自己和你们的女人，在犹大地和耶路撒冷街上犯的种种罪恶﹖
44:10 他们直到今日尚不后悔，也不畏惧，更不履行我给你们和你们的祖先颁布的法律和诫命。
44:11 为此，万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：看，我面向你们，是为降灾，消灭整个犹大。
44:12 凡决意往埃及地去，要在那里寄居的犹大遗民，我必要铲除，叫他们全死在埃及地，丧身刀下，饥饿而死；不分老幼都死于刀剑、饥荒，饱受憎恨、厌恶、诅咒和侮辱。
44:13 我必以刀剑、饥荒和瘟疫惩罚住在埃及地的人，如惩罚耶路撒冷一样，
44:14 使前往寄居埃及的犹大遗民，无一能幸免逃脱，返回他们所渴望回去居住的犹大地；除少数脱身者外，他们不会回来了。」
44:15 于是凡知道自己的女人曾向外方神祇烧香的人，和一大群环立在旁的妇女，以及住在埃及地和帕特洛斯的全体人民，就答复耶肋米亚说：
44:16 「你奉上主的名对我们说的话，我们不愿听从；
44:17 至于凡出自我们口中的话，我们必定实行，给天后焚香奠酒，如同我们、我们的祖先、君王及首领，在犹大城和耶路撒冷街上所做的一样；那时我们都丰衣足食，安享太平，不见灾祸。
44:18 可是，自从我们断绝向天后献香，不给她奠酒以来，我们就什么也缺乏，死于刀剑和饥荒。
44:19 至于我们的女人向天后焚香奠酒，又那能没有我们男人的同意，依照她的形状，给她备制祭饼，向她奠酒呢﹖」
44:20 耶肋米亚便对全体人民，对答复他的男人和妇女以及所有的人说：
44:21 「难道你们、你们的祖先、君王、首领和地方上的人民，在犹大城和耶路冷街上烧香的事，上主就不记得了，再也不怀念在心了吗﹖
44:22 上主再也不能容忍你们邪恶的行为，和你们做的可恶的事，为此你们的土地变成了荒野，成了惊愕和诅咒的对象，无人居住，有如今日：
44:23 就因为你们烧香得罪了上主，不听上主的劝告，不覆行他的法律、诫命和法令，才给你们招来了象今日这样的灾祸。」
44:24 以后，耶肋米亚又对全体人民和全体妇女说：「凡在埃及境内的犹大人，请听上主的话!
44:25 万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：你们和你们的女人，都要亲手做你们亲口说的事；你们说：我们决意实践我们许的誓愿，向天后烧香奠酒。你们就实践你们的誓愿，举行你们的奠祭罢!
44:26 但是，所有住在埃及地的犹大人，你们且听上主的话：看，我以我伟大的名起誓──上主说：在埃及全地任何犹大人的口中，不会再呼号我名说：我主上主永在!
44:27 看，我注视他们，是为降灾，不是为赐福，使在埃及地所有的犹大人，都死于刀剑饥荒，彻底消灭；
44:28 即使有逃脱刀剑，从埃及地回到犹大的人，为数也寥寥无几。到埃及地来寄居的全体犹大遗民，终于会知道：谁的话要应验，是我的还是他们的。
44:29 这为你们是个征兆──上主的断语──就在这地方我要惩罚你们，叫你们知道：我对你们要降灾的话，必要绝对应验。
44:30 上主这样说：看，我必将埃及王法郎曷斐辣交在他仇人和图谋他性命的人手中，就如我曾将犹大王漆德克雅，交在他仇人和图谋他性命的巴比伦王拿步高的手中一样。」

 

 

第四十五章(5)

巴路克必可保性命
45:1 以下是耶肋米亚先知对乃黎雅的儿子巴路克说的话：他在犹大王约史雅的儿子约雅金第四年，由耶肋米亚口授，在卷册上记录了这些话：
45:2 「上主，以色列的天主论及你，巴路克，这样说：
45:3 你曾说：我多么可怜!因为上主在我的愁苦上还加添痛苦；我呻吟憔悴，得不到安宁!
45:4 你应这样对他说：上主这样说：看!我拆毁的，是我所建造的；我拔除的，是我所栽培的；我要打击全地，
45:5 你还有什么大事可为自己请求；不必请求了。看，我给一切血肉招来灾祸──上主的断语──至于你，不论你到什么地方去，我必赐你获得性命，如获胜利品。」

 

 

四编　论及异民的神谕(46-51)

第四十六章(28)

涉及外邦的神谕
46:1 上主传给耶肋米亚先知论及外邦的话。
46:2 关于埃及：对于埃及王法郎乃苛，于犹大王约史雅的儿子约雅金第四年，在幼发拉的河附近的加克米士，被巴比伦王拿步高击败的军队：
46:3 你们应准备盾牌铠甲，冲锋上阵!
46:4 骑士，你们应装备战马，快骑上，戴上盔，磨快枪，披甲出阵!
46:5 怎么﹖我看见他们惊惶溃退，他们的勇士遭受袭击，急速奔逃，不敢回顾，竟然恐怖四起﹖──上主的断语。
46:6 敏捷的不能逃脱，英勇的不能自救，在靠近幼发拉的河的北岸，瓦解覆灭!
46:7 那如尼罗，水波起伏如河流，涌上来的是谁﹖
46:8 埃及如尼罗，水波起伏如河流，涌上来说：「我涌上来淹没大地，扫灭城市和城中的居民。
46:9 战马上前，战车急驰，战士出阵，持盾的雇士人和普特人，张弓的路丁人!
46:10 这一天正是我主万军的上主，报复自己仇敌的复仇日，刀剑必要吞噬、饱尝、痛饮他们的鲜血；在靠近幼发拉的河北岸，我主万军的上主必要执行一场大屠杀。
46:11 埃及的处女!你尽管上基肋阿得去拾取香草，只是徒然增添药材；你已无法治疗!
46:12 万民闻知了你的羞辱，大地充满了你的哀哭；噫!勇士冲向勇士，双方同时倒仆。
46:13 上主论及巴比伦王拿步高前来攻击埃及地，对耶肋米亚先知说的话：
46:14 你们在埃及宣传，在米革多耳传报，在诺夫及塔黑培乃斯传布说：你起来准备!刀剑已在你四周撕杀。
46:15 怎么，阿丕斯逃跑了，你的牛神也站立不住﹖原来上主已将它推倒。
46:16 你的混合部队已离心溃退，各向自己的同僚说：起来，回到我们的民族，我们的生身地去，远避吞杀的刀剑!
46:17 人应给埃及王法郎起个绰号，叫「时机过后的叫嚣。」
46:18 我永在──那称谓万军上主的君王的断语──有一位必要前来，势如群山中的大博尔，又如海滨的加尔默耳。
46:19 寄居在埃及的女儿!请你自备流徙的行装，因为诺夫将要变为荒野，被火焚烧，再没有人居住。
46:20 埃及是一头美丽的小母牛，但是有一只牛蝇从北方向她扑来。
46:21 她的佣兵在她内虽象肥胖的牛犊，也一同转身逃遁，不能抵抗，因为他们遭殃的日子，受罚的时期，已来到他们身上。
46:22 她发声嘶嘶好象蛇行，因为敌人正在率军前进，好象伐木的樵夫，带着斧钺向她冲来：
46:23 砍伐她的森林──上主的断语──虽然它稠密得不可侵入，因为他们多于蝗虫，不可胜数。
46:24 埃及女儿，已被交在北方民族手里，遭受污辱。
46:25 万军的上主，以色列的天主说：「看，我必惩罚诺地的阿孟，法郎和埃及，埃及的神祇和君王，以及信赖法郎的人，
46:26 将他们交在图谋他们性命的巴比伦王拿步高和他臣仆的手中；但是以后，埃及仍如昔日有人居住──上主的断语。
46:27 至于你，我的仆人雅各伯，你不用害怕；以色列，你不必惊慌；因为，看，我必从远方救出你来；从充军之地，救出你的后裔；雅各伯必将归来，居享安宁，无所恐惧。
46:28 雅各伯，我的仆人!你不用害怕──上主的断语──有我与你同在；诚然，对我使你流徙所至的各民族，我要加以毁灭；但是你，我必不毁灭，只依照正义惩罚你，不让你全然免罚。

 

 

第四十七章(7)

关于培肋舍特人的神谕
47:1 在法郎尚未进攻迦萨以前，关于培肋舍特，上主有话传给耶肋米亚先知说：
47:2 上主这样说：「看，有水从北方涌来，形成一条泛滥的河流，淹没大地和地上的一切，首都和其中的居民；人们必要喊叫，大地所有的居民必要哀号。
47:3 一听到他骏马的铁蹄声，辚辚的战车声，和隆隆的飞轮声，为父亲的已束手无策，不能再顾及自己的儿子，
47:4 因为消灭一切培肋舍特人，和摧毁提洛及漆冬一切残余助手的日子来到了，上主要消灭培肋舍特人，加非托尔岛的遗民。
47:5 迦萨已一片荒凉，阿市刻隆已遭受灭亡；阿纳克人的遗民，你们要割伤己身到何时呢﹖
47:6 唉!上主的刀剑!到何时你才休息﹖请你入鞘休息安歇罢!
47:7 但上主既对它出了命，它怎能休息﹖阿市刻隆和海滨，是他给它指向的地方。

 

 

第四十八章(47)

关于摩阿布的神谕
48:1 关于摩阿布：万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：「祸哉，乃波!因为她遭受了浩劫；克黎雅塔殷蒙受了羞辱，被人攻占；城堡被人侮辱，饱受惊恐。
48:2 摩阿布的夸耀不再存在，在赫市朋就有人对她蓄意谋害：「来，我们将她铲除，使她不再是个民族!」连你玛德门，也要遭受蹂躏，在你后面紧随着刀剑。
48:3 由曷洛纳因传来哀号的声音：蹂躏!绝大的蹂躏!
48:4 摩阿布遭受了蹂躏，哀号之声直达左阿尔。
48:5 他们哭泣着攀登路希特山坡；在曷洛纳因斜坡上，人们可听到凄惨的悲号：
48:6 请你们逃跑，拯救你们的性命!愿你们有如旷野中的杨柳!
48:7 正因你信赖你的工作和财富，你也要被占领；革摩士与自己的司祭和执事，也要一同充军。
48:8 正如上主说了：蹂躏者必踏遍所有的城市，无一可以幸免；山谷必遭破坏，平原必受摧残。
48:9 你们给摩阿布立墓碑，因为她已全被消灭，她的城邑全化为无人居住的荒野?ぉ?
48:10 那怠慢执行上主工作的，是可咒骂的；那制止自己的刀剑见血的，也是可咒骂的?ぉ?
48:11 摩阿布自少年就享安逸，安息在自己的糟粕上，从没有由一缸倾注到另一缸内，也从没有被掳充军，为此她的滋味仍然存在，她的香味还未改变。
48:12 惟其如此，看，时日将到──上主的断语──我必给她派倾倒的人来将她倒空，倒干她的酒缸，打碎她的酒瓶；
48:13 那时，摩阿布必因革摩士而受辱，就如以色列家因他们信赖的贝特耳而受辱一样。
48:14 你们怎能说：「我们是勇士，善战的力士﹖」
48:15 蹂躏摩阿布者上来进攻她的城市，精锐的少年，下去遭受杀戮──名叫「万军上主」的君王的断语──
48:16 摩阿布的灾难已逼近前来，她的祸患加速进行。
48:17 你们四邻，凡认识她声名的，都应对她惋惜说：「怎么，威能的权杖，光荣的柄杖，也被折断!」
48:18 住在狄朋的女儿!你该由荣耀中下来，坐在干地上，因为蹂躏摩阿布者已前来攻击你，摧毁你的要塞。
48:19 阿洛厄尔的居民!请你站在路旁观望，向在逃亡出走的男女探问说：「发生了什么事﹖」
48:20 摩阿布已羞愧无地，因为已经瓦解；你们应悲哭哀号，在阿尔农宣布：「摩阿布遭受了蹂躏!」
48:21 惩罚已来到了平原之地，到了曷隆、雅哈兹和默法阿特；
48:22 到了狄朋、乃波和贝特狄贝拉塔因；
48:23 到了克黎雅塔殷、贝特加慕耳和贝特默红；
48:24 到了克黎约特、波责辣和摩阿布地远近的各城市。
48:25 摩阿布的角已被砍下，她的手臂已被折断──上主的断语。
48:26 请你们灌醉她，因为她自高自大，反抗上主；摩阿布必要在自己的呕吐中辗转，连她自己也要成为笑柄。
48:27 以色列为你岂不是一个笑柄﹖难道她是被人发现在盗贼之中，为什么你一提到她，就只有摇头﹖
48:28 摩阿布的居民!你们该离弃城市，住在岩石间，彷佛在深谷悬崖边缘结巢的鹁鸽。
48:29 我们听说过摩阿布的骄傲，她的确骄傲无比；我们也听说过她的强横、矜夸、自大和心中的傲慢。
48:30 我知道她狂妄，好事空谈，举动轻率──上主的断语──
48:31 为此，我为摩阿布哀哭，为整个摩阿布悲号，为克尔赫勒斯人叹息。
48:32 息贝玛葡萄园!我为雅则尔痛哭，更为你痛哭；你的枝叶曾越过海洋，伸展到雅则尔；现在蹂躏者竟突然来摧残你夏季的果实和秋季的收获。
48:33 摩阿布的田园已再没有欢欣喜乐；我已使槽中无酒可榨；榨酒的不再榨酒，再也听不见欢呼。
48:34 赫市朋和厄肋阿肋的哀号远达雅哈兹，由祚阿尔发出的呼声，直达曷洛纳因和厄革拉舍里史雅，因为尼默陵的水业已枯竭。
48:35 如此，我要给摩阿布灭绝上高丘向神祇献香的人──上主的断语──
48:36 为此我的心象笛萧一般为摩阿布呜咽，我的心象笛箫一般为克尔赫勒斯人呜咽，因为他们获得的积蓄，都已丧失。
48:37 人人剃光头发，人人剪去胡须，手上带有割伤，腰间系有苦衣；
48:38 摩阿布所有的屋顶如广场上，处处可听到哀声，因为我击碎了摩阿布，有如击碎一不中人意的器皿──上主的断语──
48:39 摩阿布崩溃得多么凄惨!你们真该嚎啕!她是多么含羞转过背来!摩阿布竟成了她四邻的笑柄和恐怖。
48:40 因为上主这样说：「看，敌人好象老鹰飞翔，向摩阿布展开自已的翅膀，
48:41 攻取了城池，占领了要塞；在那一日，摩阿布的勇士必心志颓丧有如临产的妇人。
48:42 摩阿布必要消灭，不再成为一个民族，因为她自高自大，反抗上主。
48:43 摩阿布的居民!恐怖、陷阱和罗网齐来袭击你──上主的断语──
48:44 逃脱了恐怖的，必落在陷阱里；爬出了陷阱的，必为罗网缠住；在惩罚她的那年，我要给摩阿布召来这一切──上主的断语──
48:45 逃命的人，筋疲力尽，站在赫市朋的阴影下；但是从赫市朋发出了火，从息红宫中冒出了火焰，吞灭了摩阿布的首领，和骚动子民的头目。
48:46 祸哉，摩阿布!革摩士的人民!你算完了，因为你的儿子已被掳去充军，你的女儿流为囚徒；
48:47 虽然如此，在末日我仍要转变摩阿布的命运──上主的断语。至此是关于摩阿布的判决。

 

 

第四十九章(39)

关于阿孟的神谕
49:1 关于阿孟子民：上主这样说：「难道以色列没有子孙，没有后嗣﹖为什么米耳公占据了加得，而他的人民竟住在加得的城中﹖
49:2 为此，看，时日将到──上主的断语──我必使阿孟子民的辣巴听到战争的吶喊；她要成为一堆废墟，她的附属城市要为火烧尽；以色列终归要继承自己的产业──上主说。
49:3 赫市朋，哀号罢!因为破坏者已来近了；辣巴的女郎!你们该哭泣，穿上苦衣哀伤，割伤自己的身体，因为米耳公要与自己的司祭和公卿，同去充军。
49:4 失节的女郎!你为什么要夸耀你的山谷是富裕的山谷，仗恃你的宝藏说：「有谁敢来与我对抗﹖
49:5 看，我从各方给你召来恐怖──我主万军上主的断语──你们必被驱逐，各自奔逃，再没有人来聚集逃散的人。
49:6 虽然如此，日后我仍要转变阿孟子民的命运──上主的断语。」

关于厄东的神谕
49:7 关于厄东，万军的上主这样说：「难道在特曼已没有智慧，聪敏的人已计穷才尽了吗﹖
49:8 德丹的居民!你们该转身逃遁，藏居深处，因为我要给厄撒乌招来灾祸，已到了惩罚他的时候。
49:9 如果收葡萄的人来到你这里，决不会留下残余；如果盗贼夜间来袭，必要尽力抢取；
49:10 我就要这样暴露厄撒乌，揭发他的隐处，使他无法躲藏；他的后裔，必被消灭，不再存于自己的邻邦中。
49:11 请留下你的孤儿，我必使他们生存，你的寡妇也可托付给我。
49:12 因为上主这样说：看，那原来不该饮苦爵的，一定要饮，你要想完全免罚吗﹖你决不致于免罚，你也该痛饮!
49:13 因为，我曾指自己起誓──上主的断语──波责辣必成为一片荒凉，受人憎恨、侮辱和诅咒；她所有的城市，必要永远变为荒野。
49:14 我从上主听得了一个消息，在万民间传开了一个号令：「你们该联盟向她进攻!你们该起来交战!」
49:15 因为，看，我已使你成为万民中最小的，成为人间最可轻贱的。
49:16 你高居在石缝的隐处，盘据在峻岭的山巅。你自以为惊异，你心内的骄傲欺骗了你。即使你象老鹰一样高结你的巢穴，我也要从那里将你推下──上主的断语。
49:17 厄东必变成荒野，凡由她那里经过的人，见了她的种种惨状，必要唏嘘嗟叹。
49:18 她必要象毁灭的索多玛、哈摩辣及附近的城市一样──上主说──再没有人居住，再没有人在那里寄宿。
49:19 看，好象一只雄狮，从约但的丛林上来，走向常绿的牧场；同样，我也要突然将他们赶走，派我选定的人民来统治。诚然，谁是我的对手﹖谁敢向我提出质问﹖谁是能对抗我的牧人﹖
49:20 为此，请你们听上主对厄东设计的计谋，对特曼居民策划的策略：连最弱小的羊也要被人牵去，他们的牧场也必陷于战慄中。
49:21 他们倒塌的响声，震撼大地；哀号之声，直达红海。
49:22 看，他好象老鹰飞升翱翔，在波责辣上展开自己的翅膀；在那一日，厄东的勇士必心志颓丧，有如临产的妇女。

关于大马士革的神谕
49:23 关于大马士革：哈玛特和阿尔帕得听到了不好的消息，大起恐慌，象海洋一样动荡，愁苦得不能安宁。
49:24 大马士革失去勇气，转身逃遁，极感战慄，备受忧虑痛苦，好象一临产的妇女。
49:25 哀哉，有名的城邑，享乐的都市，已被摒弃!
49:26 她的少年将倒毙在广场，她的战士在那一日内要悉数灭亡──万军上主的断语──
49:27 我必在大马士革城墙上放火，吞灭本哈达得的宫阙。

关于刻达尔和哈祚尔的神谕
49:28 关于刻达尔和巴比伦王拿步高克服了的哈祚尔诸国，上主这样说：「起来!进攻刻达尔，蹂躏东方子民!
49:29 夺取他们的帐幕和牲畜，帷幔和所有的器具；牵走他们的骆驼，向他们吶喊：四面恐怖。
49:30 哈祚尔的居民!你们应逃遁远去，藏匿深处──上主的断语──因为巴比伦王拿步高已设计谋害你们，已策画攻击你们。
49:31 起来，进攻优游闲居，不设门闩，孑然独居的民族──上主的断语──
49:32 抢夺他们的骆驼，劫掠他们成群的牲畜；凡剃去鬓发的，我必叫他们随风飘散，由四面八方给他们招来灾祸──上主的断语──
49:33 哈祚尔要变为豺狼的巢穴，永远荒凉，不会留下一人，不会再有人居住。」

关于厄蓝的神谕
49:34 犹大王漆德克雅初年，关于厄蓝有上主的话传给耶肋米亚先知说：
49:35 「万军的上主这样说：看，我要折断厄蓝的弓弩，称雄的势力；
49:36 我要从天下四面八方，给厄蓝召来四方的风，使他们随风飘散，以致没有一个民族，没有厄蓝的难民。
49:37 我必使厄蓝在自己的仇敌，和图谋自己性命的人前，惊惶失措；给他们招来灾祸，我忿怒的火焰──上主的断语──派出刀剑追迫他们，直至将他们完全消灭。
49:38 我必在厄蓝设立我的宝座，歼灭其中的君王将帅──上主的断语──
49:39 虽然如此，在末日我仍要转变厄蓝的命运──上主的断语。」

 

 

第五十章(46)

关于巴比伦的神谕
50:1 关于巴比伦和加色丁地上主藉耶肋米亚先知所说的话：
50:2 你们该在民族间宣布传扬，该树起旗帜传扬，不该隐瞒，说：「巴比伦已陷落了，贝耳遭受了羞辱，默洛达客倾倒了；她的偶象遭受了耻辱，她的神祇倾倒了。」
50:3 因为有一民族从北方上来，向她进攻，使她的国土化为无人居住，人兽绝迹的荒野。

以民回归故乡
50:4 在那些日子里和在那时期中──上主的断语──以色列子民要与犹大子民一同归来，且走且哭，寻觅上主他们的天主，
50:5 他们必询问熙雍的所在，面朝往那里的道路说：来，让我们以永久不可忘的盟约依附上主!」
50:6 我的人民是一群迷途的羊群，他们的牧人使他们流浪，在群山间徘徊，翻山越岭地漫游，忘掉了自己的羊栈。
50:7 凡遇见他们的，就将他们吞噬；他们的仇敌反而说：「我们并没有过错，因为是他们得罪了上主，正义的渊源和他们祖先的希望。」

邀请外邦人离开巴比伦
50:8 你们该逃离巴比伦，走出加色丁地，如同羊群前领头的公山羊。
50:9 因为，看，我必从北方，发动一群强盛的民族前来进攻巴比伦，列阵向她进攻，就地将她攻陷；他们的箭象是善战的勇士，从不空手而归。
50:10 加色丁必遭劫掠，凡劫掠她的，必心满意足──上主的断语。

遗弃巴比伦
50:11 你们抢夺我产业的人，你们尽管喜乐，尽管欢欣：跳跃，好象踏青的小公牛；嘶鸣，有如获偶的牡马!
50:12 你们的母亲已遭受极大的耻辱，生养你的，已满面羞惭。看，她已成为民族中最卑下的，成了旷野、旱地和荒原；
50:13 在上主的盛怒下，她已无人居住，满目凄凉：凡经过巴比伦的人，看见她的种种惨状，莫不惊异嗟叹。

上前进攻
50:14 一切开张弓弩的射手!你们应列阵围攻巴比伦，向她射击，不要吝惜箭羽，因为她得罪了上主。
50:15 你们四周围绕，向她吶喊!她必伸手请降，她的城楼必将陷落，她的城墙必要被攻陷，因为这是上主的报复。你们报复她，照她作的还报!
50:16 你们要歼灭巴比伦播种和手持镰刀收割的人!面临无情的刀剑，各人回归自己的民族，各自逃往自己的故乡。

以色列归国
50:17 以色列是狮子追捕的亡羊，首先吞噬她的，是亚述君王；最后咬碎她骨骸的，是巴比伦王拿步高。
50:18 为此，万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：「看，我要惩罚巴比伦王和他的国土，就如我惩罚了亚述君王一样。
50:19 我要领以色列回归自己的牧场，在加尔默耳和巴商牧放，使他们的心灵在厄弗辣因与基肋阿得山上，获得满足。
50:20 在那些日子里和在那时期中──上主的断语──要想寻求以色列的不义，却一无所有；要想寻求犹大的罪恶，却一无所见；因为我必宽恕我留下的遗民。

上主的剑出击巴比伦
50:21 你们该向默辣塔因地推进，进攻培科得的居民，屠杀，彻底将他们消灭──上主的断语──全照我吩咐的进行。
50:22 地上发生了交战的吶喊，巨大的毁灭。
50:23 怎么，威震全地的锤子也被破碎毁坏了﹖怎么，巴比伦在万民中也变得如此凄凉﹖
50:24 我给你布下罗网，你竟被捉住；而你，巴比伦，尚不自觉；你被寻获，且被捉住，因为你竟敢违抗上主!」
50:25 上主开了自已的武库，搬出了自己泄怒的武器，因为吾主万军的上主，在加色丁地有事要完成。
50:26 你们从四面八方向她涌来，打开她的仓库，堆积成堆，彻底消灭，不给她留下残余；
50:27 屠杀她的一切公牛，叫他们下入屠场!他们的灾难临头，因为他们的日子到了，到了惩罚他们的时候。
50:28 听从巴比伦地逃命出走的人，在熙雍报告说：「上主我们的天主在复仇，为自己的殿宇雪耻。
50:29 你们召集弓手，一切挽弓的人，来向巴比伦进攻，在她周围扎营，不要让她有人逃脱，该按照她的作为而报复她，照她所作的对待她，因为她傲慢反对上主，反对以色列的圣者。
50:30 为此，她的青年人要倒毙在她的广场，她所有的战士都要在那一天内灭亡──上主的断语──
50:31 你这骄横的人!看，我来对付你──我主万军上主的断语──因为你的日子到了，到了惩罚你的时候。
50:32 骄横的必要倾覆颠仆，再没有人来使她复兴；我必放火烧毁她的城市，火要吞灭她四周的一切。」

残忍的报复
50:33 万军的上主这样说：「以色列子民与犹大子民一同遭受了压迫；凡俘掳他们的，都扣留他们，不肯释放。」
50:34 但是，他们的救赎者，名叫万军的上主，刚强有力，必要辩护他们的案件，使大地安宁，使巴比伦的居民惶乱。
50:35 刀剑加于加色丁人──上主的断语──加于巴比伦的居民，她的公卿和她的谋臣；
50:36 刀剑加于她的巫士，使他们疯狂；刀剑加于她的勇士，叫他们惊慌；
50:37 刀剑加于她的战马战车，加于她境内所有的杂族，使他们柔弱如妇女；刀剑加于她的府库，使人任意抢夺；
50:38 刀剑加于她的水源，叫水源涸竭，因为她偶象遍地，人们痴恋这些怪物；
50:39 为此，她必成为野猫和野狗的巢穴，驼鸟的栖身地，永远不会有人居住，世世代代不会有居民；
50:40 恰如天主灭亡了的索多玛、哈摩辣及附近的城市一样──上主的断语──再没有人居住，再没有人留宿。

北军压境
50:41 看，有一个民族，从北方来，有一个强盛的异邦和许多君王从地极兴起，
50:42 紧握弓矛，残忍无情，象海啸般喧嚷，骑着战马，万众一心，严阵准备向你进攻，巴比伦女郎!
50:43 巴比伦王听到了他们前来的消息，束手无策，不胜忧虑，痛苦得有如临盆的产妇。
50:44 看哪，好象一只雄狮，从约但的丛林上来，走向常绿的牧场；同样，我也要转瞬间将他们赶走，派我选定的人来统治。诚然，谁是我的对手﹖谁敢向我提出质问﹖谁能对抗我的牧人﹖
50:45 为此，请你们听上主对巴比伦设下的计谋，对加色丁地策划的策略：连最弱小的羊也一定要被人牵去，他们的牧场也必对他们战慄。
50:46 巴比伦轰然陷落，大地为之震动；哀号之声，直达万邦。

 

 

第五十一章(64)

巴比伦到时必灭亡
51:1 上主这样说：「看，我必要兴起毁灭的飓风，袭击巴比伦和加色丁的居民，
51:2 给巴比伦派簸手来簸扬她，扫空她的国土，因为在祸患之日，人必四面向她进攻。」
51:3 弓手不要放下自己的弓箭，战士不要卸下自己的铠甲，不要怜恤她的青年，却要歼灭她所有的部队，
51:4 使他们倒毙在加色丁境内，沿途被人刺杀，
51:5 因为他们的国土，充满了反抗以色列圣者的罪恶；可是以色列和犹大并未成为寡妇，也未丧失自己的天主，万军的上主。

巴比伦灭亡
51:6 你们逃离巴比伦，各救自己的性命，不要因了她的罪过而自遭丧亡，因为现在是上主复仇的时候，上主要对她报复。
51:7 巴比伦在上主手中，曾是个灌醉大地的金爵，万民饮了她的酒，万民才如此狂乱。
51:8 霎时间，巴比伦倾覆瓦解，你们为她举哀，拿香料来医治她的创伤，也许她会痊愈。
51:9 我们本愿治愈巴比伦，但是她却不痊愈；我们放下她，各自回归故乡，因为她罪恶滔天，直达云霄。
51:10 上主表彰了我们的正义，来，我们在熙雍称扬上主我们的天主的伟业。
51:11 磨尖箭矢，装满箭囊!上主已激起玛待王的锐气，因为他对巴比伦的计划，是要将她消灭；是上主报复，为自己的殿宇复仇。
51:12 你们向巴比伦城墙树立旗帜，加紧防卫，派驻防哨，预设埋伏，因为上主怎样计划了，就怎样实践他对巴比伦居民所下的断语。
51:13 啊，你住在多水之旁，富有宝藏；现在到了你的结局，到了切断你尺度的时刻。
51:14 万军的上主指着自己起誓说：「我必用象蝗虫那么多的人群填塞你，对你高唱凯歌。」

雅威是惟一万有的主宰
51:15 上主以自己的能力创造了大地，以自己的智慧奠定了寰宇，以自己的才智展布了诸天。
51:16 他一声号令使天上的水怒号，使云彩从地极上腾，使雷声霹雳，造成豪雨，使暴风从他的仓库出发。
51:17 人都要自觉愚昧无知；每个银匠必因自己的刻象感到羞惭，因为所铸的象，只是「虚无」，没有气息；
51:18 是「虚幻」，是愚弄人的作品；惩罚时期一到，必要尽归灭亡。
51:19 那位作雅各伯产业的，与它们却完全不同，因为他是万物的造主，以色列是作他产业的支派；他的名字叫「万军的上主」。

天主的锤子
51:20 巴比伦!你曾是我的锤子，作战的武器；我曾用你粉碎万民，用你毁灭邦国，
51:21 用你粉碎战马和骑士，用你粉碎战车和御夫，
51:22 用你粉碎男子和妇女，用你粉碎老翁和幼童，用你粉碎少男和少女，
51:23 用你粉碎牧人和牲畜，用你粉碎农夫和耕牛，用你粉碎州牧和监督。
51:24 但是，如今我要在你们眼前，报复巴比伦和所有的加色丁居民，对熙雍作的一切恶事──上主的断语──
51:25 好事毁灭的山岭!看，我要攻击你──上主的断语──是你毁灭了整个大地，我要向你伸出我的手，使你从崖石上滚下，使你成为烈火焚毁的山岭。
51:26 人们不再从你那里凿取角石或基石，因为你将永远为荒丘──上主的断语。

作战的号召
51:27 你们在地上树立旗帜，在万民间吹起号角，祝圣万民向她进攻，召集阿辣辣特和明尼及阿市革纳次王国向她进攻，派遣一员大将向他进攻；冲锋的马队，好象刺毛直竖的蚱蜢。
51:28 祝圣万民：玛待的君王和他的州牧，他所有的监督以及他整个版图的民众，向她进攻。
51:29 大地战慄惶悚，因为上主正在进行攻巴比伦的计划，使巴比伦地成为无人居住的荒野。

巴比伦被攻破
51:30 巴比伦的兵士放弃作战，留在堡垒中，失去了勇气，有如妇人；她的房屋已为火焚毁，她的门闩已被折断。
51:31 跑差的，传信的，都相继跑去通报巴比伦王，京城四周已被占领，
51:32 渡口已被攻陷，要塞已遭火焚；战士都十分恐惶。
51:33 因为万军的上主，以色列的天主这样说：「巴比伦女郎有如到了该践踏的禾场；还有片刻就到收割她的时期。

耶路撒冷要求报复
51:34 巴比伦王拿步高把我吞食毁灭，使我变成了空器皿；他仿佛一条龙，并吞了我，以我的美味满足了自己的肚腹，然后将我驱逐。
51:35 熙雍的居民说：「要对巴比伦报复我身受的凌辱!」耶路撒冷说：「要对加色丁居民报复我的血债!」
51:36 为此，上主这样说：「看，我必为你辩护，报复你的冤仇，干涸她的河川，枯竭她的泉源。
51:37 巴比伦必成为一堆瓦砾，豺狼的巢穴；令人恐怖嘲笑，无人居住。
51:38 巴比伦人象壮狮一样，一起怒号，象母狮的幼雏一样，一起咆哮。
51:39 在他们激昂时，我必给他们摆设盛宴，使他们酣醉昏迷，长眠不醒──上主的断语──
51:40 我必使他们下到屠场，无异羔羊绵羊和山羊。

哀巴比伦
51:41 怎么，舍沙客竟陷落了，全地的光荣竟遭受了劫掠﹖怎么，连巴比伦在万民中也变得如此凄凉﹖
51:42 海洋冲击巴比伦，使她全被惊涛怒浪所淹没；
51:43 她的城市尽化为荒野，干旱凄凉之地，再没有人居住，再没有过客。
51:44 我必惩罚巴比伦的贝耳，由他口里夺出他所吞灭的，万民必不再向他涌来，因为巴比伦的城墙已倒塌。

劝慰充军的以民
51:45 我的人民!你们从她那里出来，各救自己的性命脱免上主忿怒的烈火。
51:46 你们不要胆怯，不要害怕地方上流传的谣言；因为今年传来这谣言，明年又另有谣言；地方上常有暴乱，暴君互相倾轧。
51:47 看，时日将到，我必惩罚巴比伦的偶象；使她全国饱受耻辱，国内死伤遍地。
51:48 上天下地和其中所有的一切，必对巴比伦吶喊欢呼，因为从北方必有破坏者来向她进袭──上主的断语──
51:49 为了以色列被剌杀的人，巴比伦也该倾覆，就如全地被刺杀的人，曾为了巴比伦而倒毙。
51:50 你们逃脱了刀剑的人!快走，不要停留；从远方怀念上主，思恋耶路撒冷。
51:51 我们听到了侮辱，感到耻辱，满面羞惭，因为外方人闯进了上主殿宇的圣所。
51:52 为此，看，时日将到──上主断语──我必惩罚她的偶象，使她国内的人都负伤呻吟；
51:53 即使巴比伦爬上诸天，即使她盘据高处不可侵犯，我仍要派破坏者来向她进袭──上主的断语。

巴比伦崩溃
51:54 听从巴比伦发出的喧嚷，从加色丁地发生的绝大破坏!
51:55 是上主在毁灭巴比伦，消弭其中嘈杂的声音；敌人汹涌而来，有如汪洋怒涛，扬声吶喊。
51:56 果然，破坏者已来到巴比伦，她的勇士都已被擒，她的弓弩尽被折断，因为上主是报复的天主，他必严厉加以报复。
51:57 我必使她的诸侯和谋士，州牧和监督以及勇士饮醉，长眠不醒──名为万军上主君王的断语。
51:58 万军的上主这样说：「巴比伦广阔的城墙要被夷为平地，她高大的城门要被火焚尽：这样百姓只有白白徒劳，万民的辛苦，也只有付之一炬。」

耶肋米亚对巴比伦的预言
51:59 以下是玛赫色雅的孙子，乃黎雅的儿子色辣雅同犹大王漆德克雅，在他为王第四年，同往巴比伦去时，耶肋米亚先知对他吩咐的话，那时色辣雅身为行营总督。
51:60 耶肋米亚在一本书上记录了要降在巴比伦的一切灾祸，所记录的全是关于巴比伦的事。
51:61 耶肋米亚对色辣雅说：「你一到了巴比伦，就应设法宣读这一切话，
51:62 然后说：上主，关于这地你亲自说过，要将它消灭，使这地无人居住，成为人和走兽绝迹的荒野。
51:63 你朗诵完了这本书以后，在书上系上一块石头，把书拋在幼发拉的河中，
51:64 然后说：巴比伦也要如此沉没，再也不能由我给她招来的灾祸中复兴。」耶肋米亚的话至此为止。


历史的附录

 

第五十二章

 

全书结论犹大灭亡

52：1           漆德克雅登极时，年二十一岁，在耶路撒泠为王十一年，他的母亲名叫哈慕塔耳，是里贝纳人耶勒米雅的女儿。

52：2           他行了上主视为恶的事，全像约雅金所行的一样，

52：3           因此上主对耶路撒泠和犹大大发忿怒，由自己面前将他们抛弃。以後漆德克雅背叛了巴比伦王。

52：4           漆德克雅为王九年十月十日，巴比伦王拿步高率领全军来进攻耶路撒泠，扎营围城，在城四周建 了壁垒，

52：5           围攻京城，直至漆德克雅为王十一年。

52：6           是年四月九日，城中发生了严重的 荒，当地人民已没有粮食，

52：7           京城遂被攻破，加色丁人还在围攻京城时，君王和全体士兵，黑夜出了靠近御苑的双墙城门，逃往阿辣巴。

52：8           加色丁军队便追赶君王，在耶里哥旷野追上了漆德克雅。此时他的军队已离开他逃散了。

52：9           加色丁军队擒获了君王，带他上哈玛特地的黎贝拉去见巴比伦王，巴比伦王即宣判了他的罪案。

52：10       巴比伦王在黎贝拉当着漆德克雅眼前杀了他的儿子，和犹大的众首领，

52：11       然後剜了漆德克雅的眼，给他带上锁链，送往巴比伦去，直到他死，囚在监内。

圣京被焚

52：12       巴比伦王拿步高为王十九年五月十日，侍立於巴比伦王左右的卫队长乃步匝辣当来到了耶路撒泠，

52：13       焚毁了上的殿、王宫和耶路撒泠所有的民房；凡是高大的建 都用火烧了。

52：14       跟随卫队长的所有加色丁军队，拆毁了耶路撒泠周围的城墙；

52：15       城中剩下的人民和已投降巴比伦王的人以及剩下的工匠，队长乃步匝辣当都掳了去，

52：16       只留下了当地一部分最穷的平民，作园丁和农民。

圣殿被劫

52：17       加色丁人又将上主殿内的铜柱，和上主殿内的铜座、铜海都打碎，把铜都运往巴比伦；

52：18       此外锅、铲、蜡剪、盆碟、香盘，以及行礼用的一切铜器，全都带走；

52：19       爵杯、提炉、盆碟、锅子、蜡台、勺子和盆盂，凡是纯金纯银的，卫队长也都拿走了。

52：20       撒罗满王为上主殿做的两根柱子，一个铜海和下面的十二个铜牛，及十个盆座：这些器皿的铜，重量无法估计。

52：21       至於两根柱子，每根高十八肘；周围是十二肘，有四指厚，中空。

52：22       每根柱子上面有铜柱头，高五肘，柱头四周有网子和石榴，全是铜的；另一柱子同样也有像这样的装饰和石榴。

52：23       石榴有九十六个，往下悬着；网子四周共有一百个石榴。

朝臣被杀

52：24       卫队长又擒获了大司祭色辣雅，大司祭责法尼雅和叁个门丁，

52：25       由城中还擒获了一个管理军队的宦官，七个在城 搜到的君王的亲信，一个徵募当地人民的军长的书记，和城中搜到的六十个当地平民。

52：26       卫队长乃步匝辣当捉住他们带到黎贝拉去见巴比伦王；

52：27       巴比伦王就在哈玛特地的黎贝拉将他们杀了。从此，犹大人由本乡被掳去充军。

俘虏的数目

52：28       以下是拿步高掳去的人数：在第七年掳去的犹大人，为数是叁千零二十叁人。

52：29       拿步高第十八年，由耶路撒冷掳去的是八百叁十二人；

52：30       拿步高第二十叁年，卫队长乃步匝辣当掳去了七百四十五名犹大人：掳去的人数共计是四千六百名。

耶苛尼雅出狱

52：31       犹大王耶苛尼雅被掳後第叁十七年十二月二十五日，巴比伦王厄威耳默洛达客登极元年，大赦犹大王耶苛尼雅，放他出狱，

52：32       亲切与他交谈，令他坐在与他一同在巴比伦的众王之上，

52：33       脱去他的囚衣，以後一生日日与王共进饮食。

52：34       他的生活费用，在他有生之日，直到他死，每天不断由巴比伦王供应。

 

BOOK ENDS. Seraphim, April 2009.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 1

 

Title

1:1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of a priestly family living at Anathoth[*a] in the territory of Benjamin.

1:2 The word of Yahweh was addressed to him in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign;[*b]

1:3 then in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the deportation of Jerusalem which occurred in the fifth month.[*c]

 

I. ORACLES AGAINST JUDAH AND JERUSALEM

 

A. IN THE REIGN OF JOSIAH

 

The call of Jeremiah

1:4 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me, saying,

1:5 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations'.

1:6 I said, 'Ah, Lord Yahweh; look, I do not know how to speak: I am a child!'

1:7 But Yahweh replied, 'Do not say, "I am a child". Go now to those to whom I send you and say whatever I command you.

1:8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you - it is Yahweh who speaks!'

1:9 Then Yahweh put out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me: 'There! I am putting my words into your mouth.

1:10 Look, today I am setting you over nations and over kingdoms, to tear up and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.'

1:11 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me asking, 'Jeremiah, what do you see?' 'I see a branch of the Watchful Tree'[*d] I answered.

1:12 Then Yahweh said, 'Well seen! I too watch over my word to see it fulfilled.'

1:13 A second time the word of Yahweh was spoken to me, asking, 'What do you see?' 'I see a cooking pot on the boil,' I answered 'with its contents tilting from the North.'

1:14 Then Yahweh said: 'The North is where disaster is boiling over for all who live in this land;

1:15 since I am now going to summon all the kingdoms of the North - it is Yahweh who speaks. They are going to come, and each will set his throne in front of the gates of Jerusalem, all round outside its walls, and outside all the towns of Judah.

1:16 I am going to pronounce my judgements against them for all their wickedness; since they have abandoned me to offer incense to other gods and worship what their own hands have made.

1:17 'So now brace yourself for action. Stand up and tell them all I command you. Do not be dismayed at their presence, or in their presence I will make you dismayed.

1:18 I, for my part, today will make you into a fortified city, a pillar of iron, and a wall of bronze to confront all this land: the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests and the country people.

1:19 They will fight against you but shall not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you - it is Yahweh who speaks.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 2

 

The earliest preaching of Jeremiah: the apostasy of Israel

2:1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me, saying,

2:2 'Go and shout this in the hearing of Jerusalem: "Yahweh says this: I remember the affection of your youth, the love of your bridal days: you followed me through the wilderness, through a land unsown.

2:3 Israel was sacred to Yahweh, the first-fruits of his harvest; anyone who ate of this had to pay for it, misfortune came to them - it is Yahweh who speaks."'

2:4 Listen to the word of Yahweh, House of Jacob, and all you families of the House of Israel.

2:5 Thus says Yahweh, 'What shortcoming did your fathers find in me that led them to desert me? Vanity they pursued, vanity they became.

2:6 They never said, "Where is Yahweh, who brought us out of the land of Egypt and led us through the wilderness, through land arid and scored, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no one passes, and no man lives?"

2:7 I brought you to a fertile country to enjoy its produce and good things; but no sooner had you entered than you defiled my land, and made my heritage detestable.

2:8 The priests have never asked, "Where is Yahweh?" Those who administer the Law have no knowledge of me. The shepherds[*a] have rebelled against me; the prophets have prophesied in the name of Baal, following things with no power in them.

2:9 So I must put you on trial once more - it is Yahweh who speaks - and your children's children too.

2:10 Now take ship for the islands of Kittim[*b] or send to Kedar to enquire. Take careful notice and observe if anything like this has happened.

2:11 Does a nation change its gods? - and these are not gods at all! Yet my people have exchanged their Glory for what has no power in it.

2:12 You heavens, stand aghast at this, stand stupefied, stand utterly appalled - it is Yahweh who speaks.

2:13 Since my people have committed a double crime: they have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, only to dig cisterns for themselves, leaky cisterns that hold no water.

2:14 'Is Israel then a slave, or born to serfdom, for him to be preyed on like this?

2:15 Lions have roared at him, loudly they have roared. They have reduced his land to a desert; his towns lie burnt and desolate.

2:16 The people of Noph and Tahpanhes have even shaved your skull![*c]

2:17 Have you not brought this on yourself, by abandoning Yahweh your God?

2:18 What is the good of going to Egypt now to drink the water of the Nile? What is the good of going to Assyria to drink the water of the river?

2:19 Your own wickedness is punishing you, your own apostasies are rebuking you: consider carefully how evil and bitter it is for you to abandon Yahweh your God and not to stand in awe of me - it is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks.

2:20 'It is long ago now since you broke your yoke, burst your bonds and said, "I will not serve!" Yet on every high hill and under every spreading tree you have lain down like a harlot.

2:21 Yet I had planted you, a choice vine, a shoot of soundest stock. How is it you have become a degenerate plant, you bastard Vine?

2:22 Should you launder yourself with potash and put in quantities of lye, I should still detect the stain of your guilt - it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks.

2:23 How dare you say, "I am not defiled, I have not run after the Baals?" Look at your footprints in the Valley, and acknowledge what you have done. A frantic she-camel running in all directions

2:24 bolts for the desert, snuffing the breeze in desire; who can control her when she is on heat? Whoever looks for her will have no trouble, he will find her with her mate!

2:25 Beware! Your own foot may soon go unshod, your own throat may grow dry. But "Who cares?" you said "For I am in love with strangers and they are the ones I follow".

2:26 'Like a thief in the disgrace of being caught, so will the House of Israel be: they, their kings, their princes, their priests and their prophets,

2:27 who say to a piece of wood, "You are my father", to a stone, "You have begotten me". They turn their backs to me, never their faces; but when trouble comes they shout, "Get up! Save us!"

2:28 Where are those gods of yours you made for yourself? Let them get up to save you when trouble comes! For you have as many gods as you have towns, Judah, as many altars for Baal as Jerusalem has streets.

2:29 What case can you make against me? You have all apostatised from me - it is Yahweh who speaks.

2:30 In vain I have struck down your sons, you did not accept correction: your sword devoured your prophets like a destructive lion.

2:31 What a brood you are! Listen, this is the word of Yahweh: Have I been a desert for Israel or a land of deepest gloom? Then why do my people say, "We will go our own way, we will no longer come to you?"

2:32 Does a girl forget her ornaments, a bride her sash? And yet my people have forgotten me, for days beyond number.

2:33 'How well you know the way in pursuit of love! Yes, you have even accustomed your steps to walk with crime,

2:34 to the point when your hands display the stains from the blood of innocent men. - You never caught them trying to break and enter! Yes, for all these you will have to answer.

2:35 You say, "I am blameless, his anger has turned away from me". And here I am passing sentence on you because you say, "I have not sinned".

2:36 'How frivolously you undertake a change of course! But you will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.

2:37 You will have to leave there too with your hands on your head, for Yahweh has rejected those that you rely on, you will come to no good with them.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 3

 

The conversion

3:1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me saying: 'If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry someone else, may she still go back to him? Has not that piece of land been totally polluted? And you, who have prostituted yourself with so many lovers, you would come back to me? - it is Yahweh who speaks.

3:2 'Lift your eyes to the bare heights and look! Is there a single place where you have not offered your body? You waited by the roadside for clients like an Arab in the desert. You have polluted the country with your prostitution and your vices:

3:3 this is why the showers have been withheld, the late rains have not come. 'And you maintained a prostitute's bold front, never thinking to blush.

3:4 Even then did you not cry to me, "My father! You, the friend of my youth!

3:5 Will he keep his resentment for ever, will he maintain his wrath to the end?" That was what you said, and still you went on sinning, you were so obstinate.'

 

The Northern Kingdom urged to repent

3:6 In the days of King Josiah, Yahweh said to me, 'Have you seen what disloyal Israel has done? How she has made her way up every high hill and to every spreading tree, and has prostituted herself there?

3:7 I thought: After doing all this she will come back to me. But she did not come back. Her faithless sister Judah saw this.

3:8 She also saw that I had repudiated disloyal Israel for all her adulteries and given her her divorce papers. Her faithless sister Judah, however, was not afraid: she too went and played the whore.

3:9 So shameless was her whoring that at last she polluted the country; she committed adultery with lumps of stone and pieces of wood.

3:10 Worse than all this: Judah, her faithless sister, has not come back to me in sincerity, but only in pretence - it is Yahweh who speaks.'

3:11 And Yahweh said to me, 'Beside faithless Judah, disloyal Israel seems virtuous.

3:12 So go and shout these words towards the North: "Come back, disloyal Israel - it is Yahweh who speaks - I shall frown on you no more, since I am merciful - it is Yahweh who speaks. I shall not keep my resentment for ever.

3:13 Only acknowledge your guilt: how you have apostatised from Yahweh your God, how you have flirted with strangers and have not listened to my voice - it is Yahweh who speaks.

 

Zion in the messianic age

3:14 "Come back, disloyal children - it is Yahweh who speaks - for I alone am your Master. I will take one from a town, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion.

3:15 I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and these shall feed you on knowledge and discretion.

3:16 And when you have increased and become many in the land, then - it is Yahweh who speaks - no one will ever say again: Where is the ark of the covenant of Yahweh? There will be no thought of it, no memory of it, no regret for it, no making of another.[*a]

3:17 When that time comes, Jerusalem shall be called: The Throne of Yahweh; all the nations will gather there in the name of Yahweh and will no longer follow the dictates of their own stubborn hearts.

3:18 "In those days the House of Judah will unite with the House of Israel; together they will come from the land of the North to the land I gave your ancestors for a heritage.

 

Continuation of the poem on the conversion[*b]

3:19 "And I was thinking: How I wanted to rank you with my sons, and give you a country of delights, the fairest heritage of all the nations! I had thought you would call me: My father, and would never cease to follow me.

3:20 But like a woman betraying her lover, the House of Israel has betrayed me - it is Yahweh who speaks."'

3:21 A noise is heard on the bare heights: the weeping and entreaty of the sons of Israel, because they have gone so wildly astray, and forgotten Yahweh their God.

3:22 'Come back, disloyal sons, I want to heal your disloyalty.' 'We are here, we are coming to you, for you are Yahweh our God.

3:23 The heights are a delusion after all, so is the tumult of the mountains. 'Yahweh our God is, after all, the saving of Israel.

3:24 The Thing of Shame[*c] has devoured what our ancestors worked for since our youth (their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters).

3:25 Let us lie down in our shame, let our dishonour be our covering, for we have sinned against Yahweh our God ('we and our ancestors since our youth until today; and we have not listened to the voice of Yahweh our God).'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 4

 

4:1 'If you wish to come back, Israel - it is Yahweh who speaks - it is to me you must return. Do away with your abominations and you will have no need to avoid me.

4:2 If you swear, "As Yahweh lives!" truthfully, justly, honestly, the nations will bless themselves by you, and glory in you.

4:3 For thus speaks Yahweh to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Clean your ground thoroughly, sow nothing among thorns.

4:4 Circumcise yourselves for Yahweh; off with the foreskin of your hearts (men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem), lest my wrath should leap out like a fire, and burn with no one to quench it, in return for the wickedness of your deeds.'

 

Invasion from the North

4:5 Announce it in Judah, proclaim it in Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in the countryside, shout the message aloud: Mobilise! Take to the fortified towns!

4:6 Signpost the way to Zion; Run! Do not delay! I am bringing you disaster from the North, an immense calamity.

4:7 The lion is up from his thicket, the destroyer of nations is on his way, he has come from his home to reduce your land to a desert; your towns will be in ruins, deserted.

4:8 So wrap yourselves in sackcloth, lament and wail, since the burning anger of Yahweh has not turned away from us.

4:9 'That day - it is Yahweh who speaks - the king's heart will fail him, the princes' hearts will fail them too, the priests will stand aghast, the prophets stupefied.

4:10 People will say, "Ah, Lord Yahweh, how utterly you deceived us by saying: You will have peace,[*a] even when the sword is at our throats!"

4:11 When that time comes, this will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: From the bare heights a scorching wind blows from the desert on the daughter of my people - and not to winnow or to cleanse!

4:12 A wind, full of threats, comes at my command. Now I myself am going to pronounce sentence on them!

4:13 "Look, he is advancing like the clouds, his chariots like a hurricane, his horses swifter than eagles. Trouble is coming! We are lost!"

4:14 Wash your heart clean of wickedness, Jerusalem, and so be saved. How long will you harbour in your breast your pernicious thoughts?

4:15 For a voice from Dan shouts the news, proclaims disaster from the highlands of Ephraim.

4:16 Give warning of it, announce it in Judah, proclaim it to Jerusalem: "Enemies are coming from a distant country, shouting their war cry against the towns of Judah;

4:17 they surround Jerusalem like watchmen round a field because she has apostatised from me - it is Yahweh who speaks.

4:18 Your own behaviour and actions have brought this on you. This is your fate! How bitter! How it pierces your heart!"'

4:19 I am in anguish! I writhe with pain! Walls of my heart! My heart is throbbing! I cannot keep quiet, for I have heard the trumpet call and the cry of war.

4:20 Ruin on ruin is the news: the whole land is laid waste, my tents are suddenly destroyed, in one moment all that sheltered me is gone.

4:21 How long must I see the standard and hear the trumpet call?

4:22 'This is because my people are stupid, they do not know me, they are slow-witted children, they have no understanding: they are clever enough at doing wrong, but do not know how to do right.'

4:23 I looked to the earth, to see a formless waste; to the heavens, and their light had gone.

4:24 I looked to the mountains, to see them quaking and all the heights astir.

4:25 I looked, to see no man at all, the very birds of heaven had fled.

4:26 I looked, to see the wooded country a wilderness, all its towns in ruins, at the presence of Yahweh, at the presence of his burning anger.

4:27 Yes, thus speaks Yahweh, 'The whole land shall be laid waste, I will make an end of it once for all;

4:28 at which the earth will go into mourning, and the heavens above grow dark. For I have spoken and will not change my mind, I have decided and will not go back on it.'

4:29 At the cry 'Horsemen and bowmen!' the whole country takes flight: some plunge into the thickets, others scale the rocks; every town is abandoned, no one is left there.

4:30 And you, what are you going to do? You may dress yourself in scarlet, put on ornaments of gold, enlarge your eyes with paint but you make yourself pretty in vain. Your lovers disdain you, your life is what they are seeking.

4:31 Yes, I hear screams like those of a woman in labour, anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first child; they are the screams of the daughter of Zion, gasping, hands outstretched, 'Ah, I despair! I am fainting away with murderers surrounding me.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 5

 

The invasion well deserved

5:1 'Rove to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look, now, and learn, search her squares; if you can find a man, one man who does right and seeks the truth, then I will pardon her, says Yahweh.'

5:3a Yahweh, do not your eyes desire to look on truth?

5:2 But though they say, 'As Yahweh lives', they are, in fact, uttering a false oath.

5:3b You have struck them; they have not felt it. You have crushed them; they have ignored the lesson. They have set their faces harder than rock, they have refused to repent.

5:4 'Only the ordinary people' I thought 'behave stupidly, because they do not know what Yahweh requires, nor the ruling of their God.

5:5 I will approach the men in power and speak to them, for these will know what Yahweh requires, and the ruling of their God.' But these, too, had broken the yoke, had burst the bonds.

5:6 And this is why a lion from the forest strikes them down, a desert wolf makes havoc of them, a leopard lurks round their towns: whoever goes out is torn to pieces - because of their countless crimes, their ever increasing apostasies.

5:7 'Why should I pardon you? Your sons have abandoned me, to swear by gods that are not gods at all. I fed them full, and they became adulterers, they haunted the brothel.

5:8 They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbour's wife.

5:9 And am I not to punish them for such things - it is Yahweh who speaks - or from such a nation exact my vengeance?

5:10 Scale her terraces! Destroy! Make an end of her! Strip off her branches, Yahweh does not own them.

5:11 Treacherously indeed has she betrayed me, this House of Israel - it is Yahweh who speaks.

5:12 'They have disowned Yahweh: they have said, "He is nothing; no evil will overtake us, we shall not see sword or famine.

5:13a And the prophets? Nothing but wind; the word is not in them!"

5:14a Hence - so says Yahweh, the God of Sabaoth -

5:13b this is what is going to happen to them

5:14b for saying this: now I will make my words a fire in your mouth, and make this people wood, for the fire to devour.

5:15 Now I will bring on you all a nation from afar, House of Israel - it is Yahweh who speaks - an invincible nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose tongue you do not know, whose language you cannot understand.

5:16 Their quiver is an open tomb; heroes all of them.

5:17 They will devour your harvest and your food, devour your sons and daughters, devour your flocks and herds, devour your vines and fig trees, bring down your fortified towns in which you put your trust.

 

Two supplementary paragraphs

5:18 'Yet even in those days - it is Yahweh who speaks - I shall not completely destroy you.

5:19 'And when they ask, "Why has Yahweh our God done all this to us?" you are to give them this answer, "As you abandoned me to serve alien gods in your own land, so you must serve aliens in a land that is not your own".

 

In a time of famine (?)

5:20 'Announce this in the House of Jacob, proclaim it in Judah, and say:

5:21 "Now listen to this, stupid and thoughtless people - they have eyes and do not see, they have ears and do not hear!

5:22 Have you no fear of me? - it is Yahweh who speaks - Will you not tremble at my presence, who set the sands as limit to the sea, as an everlasting barrier it can not pass: it storms but can do nothing, its waves may roar but do not pass beyond.

5:23 But this people has a rebellious, unruly heart; they have rebelled - being good at this!

5:24 They have not said in their hearts: Come, we must fear Yahweh our God who gives the rain, the early rain and the later, at the right time of year, who assures us of weeks appointed for harvest.

5:25 Your crimes have made all this go wrong, your sins have deprived you of these favours.

 

Resumption of the theme of the invasion

5:26 "Yes, there are wicked men among my people who spread their nets; like fowlers they set snares, but it is men they catch.

5:27 Like a cage full of birds so are their houses full of loot; they have grown rich and powerful because of it,

5:28 fat and sleek. Yes, in wickedness they go to any lengths, they have no respect for rights, for orphans' rights, to support them; they do not uphold the cause of the poor.

5:29 And must I not punish them for such things - it is Yahweh who speaks - or from such a nation exact my vengeance?

5:30 Monstrous, horrible things are happening in the land:

5:31 the prophets prophesy falsely, the priests teach whatever they please. And my people love it! But when the end comes, what will you do?

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 6

 

More about the invasion

6:1 "Save yourselves, men of Benjamin, from the heart of Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa![*a] Set up a standard on Beth-hac-cherem! For disaster threatens from the North, an immense calamity.

6:2 Shall we compare the daughter of Zion to a tender pasture?

6:3 Shepherds advance on her with their flocks. They have pitched their tents all round her, each grazes the part he chooses.

6:4 Prepare for battle against her! To arms! We will launch the attack in broad daylight. Despair! The daylight is fading already, the evening shadows lengthen.

6:5 To arms! We will launch the attack under cover of dark and destroy her palaces.

6:6 For thus says Yahweh Sabaoth: Cut down the trees, throw up an earthwork outside Jerusalem: she is the City of Falsehood, with nothing but oppression in her.

6:7 As a well keeps its water fresh so she keeps her wickedness fresh. Violence and ruin are what you hear in her, diseases and wounds are always before me.

6:8 Be warned, Jerusalem, lest I should turn away from you, and reduce you to a desert, a land without people.

6:9 "Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Glean, glean, as a vine is gleaned, what is left of Israel; like a grape-picker pass your hand again over the branches!"'

6:10 To whom am I to speak, whom can I urge to hear? Plainly their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen. Plainly the word of Yahweh is for them something contemptible, they have no taste for it.

6:11 But I am full of the wrath of Yahweh, I am weary of holding it in. 'Then pour it on the children in the streets, and where young men gather, too. All shall be taken: husband and wife, the greybeard and the man weighed down with years.

6:12 Their houses shall pass to other men, so also their fields and their wives. Yes, I will stretch my hand over those living in this land - it is Yahweh who speaks.

6:13 For all, least no less than greatest, all are out for dishonest gain; prophet no less than priest, all practise fraud.

6:14 They dress my people's wound without concern: "Peace! Peace!" they say, but there is no peace.

6:15 They should be ashamed of their abominable deeds But not they! They feel no shame, they have forgotten how to blush. And so as others fall, they too shall fall; they shall be thrown down when I come to deal with them - says Yahweh.

6:16 'Yahweh says this: Put yourselves on the ways of long ago enquire about the ancient paths: which was the good way? Take it then, and you shall find rest. Instead they have said, "We will not take it".

6:17 I posted look-outs on their behalf: Listen to the sound of the trumpet! But they answered, "We will not listen".

6:18 Then hear, you nations, and know, assembly, what I will do to them.

6:19 Hear, earth! I am bringing a disaster on this people: it is the fruit of their apostasy, since they have not listened to my words and, as for my Law, they have rejected that.

6:20 What do I care about incense imported from Sheba, or fragrant cane from a distant country? Your holocausts are not acceptable, your sacrifices do not please me.

6:21 Therefore - thus says Yahweh: In front of this people I will now lay blocks for them to stumble over; father as well as son, neighbour and friend, all shall perish.

6:22 'Yahweh says this: Now a people is coming from the land of the North, from the far ends of the earth a mighty nation stirs:

6:23 they are armed with bow and spear, they are cruel and pitiless; their noise is like the roaring of the sea; they are riding horses, each man equipped for war on you, daughter of Zion!

6:24 We have heard the news, our hands fall limp, anguish has gripped us, pain like a woman's labour.

6:25 Do not go out into the countryside, do not venture on the roads, for the enemy's sword is there, there is terror on every side.

6:26 Wrap yourself in sackcloth, daughter of my people, roll in ashes; mourn as for an only son, a very bitter dirge. For on us suddenly the destroyer is coming.

6:27 'I have appointed you as assayer of my people, to learn and to assay how they behave.

6:28 They are apostates, all of them, promiscuous slanderers, all of them corrupt.

6:29 The bellows blast away to make the fire burn away the lead. In vain: the smelter does his work, but the dross is not purged out.

6:30 Silver-reject, men call them, and indeed Yahweh has rejected them!'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 7

 

B. ORACLES MAINLY IN THE REIGN OF JEHOIAKIM

 

True worship

 

a. Against the Temple

7:1 The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh,

7:2 'Go and stand at the gate of the Temple of Yahweh and there proclaim this message. Say, "Listen to the word of Yahweh, all you men of Judah who come in by these gates to worship Yahweh.

7:3 Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Amend your behaviour and your actions and I will stay with you here in this place.

7:4 Put no trust in delusive words like these: This is the sanctuary of Yahweh, the sanctuary of Yahweh, the sanctuary of Yahweh!

7:5 But if you do amend your behaviour and your actions, if you treat each other fairly,

7:6 if you do not exploit the stranger, the orphan and the widow (if you do not shed innocent blood in this place), and if you do not follow alien gods, to your own ruin,

7:7 then here in this place I will stay with you, in the land that long ago I gave to your fathers for ever.

7:8 Yet here you are, trusting in delusive words, to no purpose!

7:9 Steal, would you, murder, commit adultery, perjure yourselves, burn incense to Baal, follow alien gods that you do not know? -

7:10 and then come presenting yourselves in this Temple that bears my name, saying: Now we are safe - safe to go on committing all these abominations!

7:11 Do you take this Temple that bears my name for a robbers' den? I, at any rate, am not blind - it is Yahweh who speaks.

7:12 Now go to my place in Shiloh[*a] where at first I gave my name a home; see what I have done to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel!

7:13 And now, since you have committed all these sins - it is Yahweh who speaks - and have refused to listen when I spoke so urgently, so persistently, or to answer when I called you,

7:14 I will treat this Temple that bears my name, and in which you put your trust, and the place I have given to you and your ancestors, just as I treated Shiloh.

7:15 I will drive you out of my sight, as I drove all your kinsmen, the entire race of Ephraim."

 

b. Alien gods

7:16 'You, for your part, must not intercede for this people, nor raise either plea or prayer on their behalf; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you.

7:17 Cannot you see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

7:18 The children collect the wood, the fathers light the fire, the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven ;[*b] and, to spite me, they pour libations to alien gods.

7:19 Is it really me they spite - it is Yahweh who speaks - is it not in fact themselves, to their own confusion?

7:20 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: My anger and my wrath shall be poured out on this place, over man and beast, trees of the countryside, fruits of the soil; it shall burn, and not be quenched.

 

c. Worship without sincerity

7:21 'Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Add your holocausts to your sacrifices and eat all the meat.

7:22 For when I brought.your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I said nothing to them, gave them no orders, about holocaust and sacrifice.

7:23 These were my orders: Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Follow right to the end the way that I mark out for you, and you will prosper.

7:24 But they did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face me, and turned their backs on me.

7:25 From the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, day after day I have persistently sent you all my servants the prophets.

7:26 But they have not listened to me, have not paid attention; they have grown stubborn and behaved worse than their ancestors.

7:27 You may say all these words to them: they will not listen to you; you may call them: they will not answer.

7:28 So tell them this, "Here is the nation that will not listen to the voice of Yahweh its God nor take correction. Sincerity is no more, it has vanished from their mouths.

 

d. More about idolatrous worship: a threat of exile

7:29 "Cut off your tresses, throw them down. On the bare heights raise a dirge. For Yahweh has rejected, has abandoned, a brood that he detests."

7:30 'Yes, the sons of Judah have done what displeases me - it is Yahweh who speaks. They have put their abominations in the Temple that bears my name, to defile it;

7:31 they have built the high place of Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, to burn their sons and daughters; a thing I never commanded, a thing that never entered my thoughts.

7:32 So now the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when people will no longer talk of Topheth or of the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but of the Valley of Slaughter. Topheth will become a burial ground, for lack of other space;

7:33 the corpses of this people will feed the birds of heaven and the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to drive them away.

7:34 I will silence the shouts of rejoicing and mirth, the voices of bridegroom and bride, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, for the whole land will be reduced to desert.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 8

 

8:1 When that time comes - it is Yahweh who speaks - the bones of the kings of Judah, and of the princes, of the priests, of the prophets, of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, will be taken from their tombs.

8:2 They will be spread out before the sun, the moon, the whole array of heaven, whom they have loved and served, followed, consulted and worshipped.[*a] They will not be gathered or reburied but stay lying on the surface like dung.

8:3 And death will seem preferable to life to all the survivors of this wicked race, wherever I have driven them - it is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks.

 

Threats, lamentations, advice. The perversity of Israel

8:4 'You are to tell them, "Yahweh says this: If you fall, can you not stand up again, if you stray can you never find your way back?

8:5 Why does this people persist in apostasy, in continuous apostasy? They cling to illusion, they refuse to come back.

8:6 I have listened attentively, they are not saying what they ought to: not one repents of his wickedness saying: What have I done? All go astray as they pursue their course like a horse charging into battle.

8:7 Even the stork in the sky knows the appropriate season; turtledove, swallow, crane, observe their time of migration. And my people do not know the ruling of Yahweh!

 

The Law as administered by the priests

8:8 "How dare you say: We are wise, and we possess the Law of Yahweh? But look how it has been falsified by the lying pen of the scribes!

8:9 The wise shall be shamed, caught out, confounded. Look how they have rejected the word of Yahweh! So what use is their wisdom to them?

 

Repetition of an earlier threat

8:10 "So I will give their wives to other men, their fields to new masters, for all, least no less than greatest, all are out for dishonest gain; prophet no less than priest, all practise fraud.

8:11 They dress my people's wound without concern: Peace! Peace! they say, but there is no peace.

8:12 They should be ashamed of their abominable deeds. But not they! They feel no shame, they have forgotten how to blush. And so as others fall, they too shall fall; they shall be thrown down when I come to deal with them - says Yahweh.

 

Threats against Judah the Vine

8:13 "I would like to go harvesting there, says Yahweh. But there are no grapes on the vine, no figs on the fig tree: even the leaves are withered. This is because I have brought them ravagers to ravage them."'

8:14 'Why do we sit still? Mobilise! Let us take to the fortified towns and perish there, since Yahweh our God wants us to perish: giving us poisoned water to drink because we have sinned against him.

8:15 We were hoping for peace - no good came of it! For the time of healing - nothing but terror!

8:16 From Dan you can hear the snorting of their horses; at the sound of their stallions' neighing the whole countryside quakes: they come to devour the land and all it holds, the town and those that live in it.'

8:17 'Yes, now I send you serpents, adders, against which no charm exists; they will bite you - it is Yahweh who speaks -

8:18 incurably.

 

A lamentation of the prophet during a famine

'Sorrow overtakes me, my heart fails me.

8:19 Listen, the cry of the daughter of my people sounds throughout the land, "Yahweh no longer in Zion? Her King no longer in her?" (Why have they provoked me with their carved images, with these Nothings from foreign countries?)

8:20 "The harvest is over, summer at an end, and we have not been saved!"

8:21 The wound of the daughter of my people wounds me too, all looks dark to me, terror grips me.

8:22 Is there not balm in Gilead any more? Is there no doctor there? Then why does it make no progress, this cure of the daughter of my people?

8:23 Who will turn my head into a fountain, and my eyes into a spring for tears, so that I may weep all day, all night, for all the dead out of the daughter of my people?

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 9

 

The moral corruption of Judah

9:1 Who will find me a wayfarer's shelter in the desert, for me to quit my people, and leave them far behind? For all of them are adulterers, a conspiracy of traitors.

9:2 They bend their tongue like a bow; not truth but falsehood predominates in the land; yes, they go from crime to crime. But Yahweh, they do not acknowledge him.

9:3 Let each be on his guard against his friend, be mistrustful of your brother, for every brother is a very Jacob, and every friend a diligent slanderer.

9:4 Each deceives the other, they do not speak the truth, they have accustomed their tongues to lying, they are corrupt, incapable of

9:5 repentance. Fraud after fraud! Deceit after deceit! They refuse to acknowledge Yahweh.

9:6 And so - Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Look, I will now test them in the crucible - but how am I to deal with their wickedness?

9:7 Their tongue is a deadly arrow, the words they utter are deceitful; "Peace!" each says to his neighbour,[*a] while in his heart plotting a trap for him.

9:8 And am I not to punish them for such things - it is Yahweh who speaks - or from such a nation exact my vengeance?

 

Lamentation in Zion

9:9 'Raise the wail and lamentation for the mountains, the dirge for the desert pastures, for they have been burnt: no one passes there, the sound of flocks is heard no more. Birds of the sky and animals, all have fled, all are gone.

9:10 I mean to make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a jackal's lair, and the towns of Judah an uninhabited wasteland.'

9:11 Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been charged by Yahweh's own mouth to tell why the land lies in ruins, burnt like the desert where no one passes?

9:12 Yahweh has said, 'This is because they have forsaken my Law which I put before them and have not listened to my voice or followed it,

9:13 but have followed the dictates of their own stubborn hearts, followed the Baals as their ancestors taught them.

9:14 And so this is what Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel says: Now I am going to give this people wormwood for their food and poisoned water to drink.

9:15 I am going to scatter them throughout nations unknown to their ancestors or to them; and I am going to pursue them with the sword until I have exterminated them.'

9:16 You, there! Call the mourning women! Let them come! Send for those who are best at it! Let them come!

9:17 Let them lose no time in raising the lament for us! Let our eyes rain tears, our eyelids run with weeping!

9:18 Yes, the wail is to be heard from Zion, 'What ruin is ours, what utter shame! For we must leave the land, abandon our homes!'

9:19 And you, women, now hear the word of Yahweh, let your ears take in the word his own mouth speaks. Teach your daughters how to wail, teach one another what dirge to sing,

9:20 'Death has climbed in at our windows, and made its way into our palaces; it has cut down the children in the street, the youths in the square.

9:21 Men's corpses lie like dung in the open field, like sheaves left by the reaper, with no one to gather them.'

 

True wisdom

9:22 Thus says Yahweh, 'Let the sage boast no more of his wisdom, nor the valiant of his valour, nor the rich man of his riches!

9:23 But if anyone wants to boast, let him boast of this: of understanding and knowing me. For I am Yahweh, I rule with kindness, justice and integrity on earth; yes, these are what please me - it is Yahweh who speaks.

 

Circumcision, a false guarantee

9:24 'See, the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when I am going to punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh:

9:25 Egypt, Judah, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all the Crop-Heads[*b] who live in the desert. For all these nations, and the whole House of Israel too, are uncircumcised at heart.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 10

 

Idols and the true God

10:1 Listen, House of Israel, to the word that Yahweh addresses to you.

10:2 Thus says Yahweh: 'Do not adopt the ways of the nations or take alarm at the heavenly signs, alarmed though the nations may be at them.

10:3 Yes, the Dread of the peoples is a nothing, wood, nothing more, cut out of a forest, worked with a blade by a carver's hand,

10:4a then embellished with silver and gold

10:9 - silver leaf from Tarshish, and gold from Ophir - work of a carver and a goldsmith's hand: all some craftsman's work; they dress them up in violet and purple;

10:4b they fix them with nail and hammer to prevent them from falling.

10:5 Scarecrows in a melon patch, and dumb as these, they have to be carried, cannot walk themselves. Have no fear of them: they can do no harm - nor any good either!'

10:6 Yahweh, there is no one like you, so great are you, so great your mighty name.

10:7 Who would not revere you, King of nations? Yes, this is your due. Since of all the wise among the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is not a single one like you.

10:8 The whole lot of them are brutish and stupid: the teaching given by these Nothings is void of sense.

10:10 But Yahweh is the true God. He is the living God, the everlasting King. The earth quakes when he is wrathful, the nations cannot endure his fury.

10:11 ('Tell them this, "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens".')

10:12 By his power he made the earth, by his wisdom set the world firm, by his discernment spread out the heavens.

10:13 When he thunders there is a tumult of water in the heavens; he raises clouds from the boundaries of earth, makes the lightning flash for the downpour, and brings the wind from his storehouse.

10:14 At this all men stand stupefied, uncomprehending, every goldsmith blushes for the idol he has made, since his images are nothing but delusion, with no breath in them.

10:15 They are a Nothing, a laughable production; when the time comes for them to be punished, they will vanish.

10:16 'The Portion of Jacob' is not like these, for he is the maker of everything, and Israel is the tribe that is his heritage. His name is Yahweh Sabaoth.

 

Panic in the country

10:17 Pack up! Flee the country, you the besieged!

10:18 For Yahweh says this, 'Now I will throw out the inhabitants of the land this time, and bring distress on them, to see if they will find me then!'

10:19 I despair for this wound of mine! My injury is incurable! I told myself this was an affliction that could be borne,

10:20 but now my tent is destroyed, all my ropes are snapped, my sons have left me and are no more; no one is left to put my tent up again, or to hang the side-cloths.

10:21 The shepherds are the ones who have been stupid: they have not searched for Yahweh. This is why they have not prospered and why their whole flock has been dispersed.

10:22 News! News has come! A mighty uproar coming from the land of the North to reduce the towns of Judah to desert, to a jackal's lair.

 

A prayer of Jeremiah

10:23 Well you know, Yahweh, the course of man is not in his control, nor is it in man's power as he goes his way to guide his steps.

10:24 Correct us, Yahweh, gently, not in your anger or you will reduce us to nothing.

10:25 Pour out your anger on the pagans, who do not acknowledge you, and on those races that do not call on your name, for they have devoured Jacob and made an end of him, and reduced his home to desolation.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 11

 

Jeremiah and observance of the covenant

11:1 The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh,

11:2 'Speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

11:3 Tell them, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: Cursed be the man who will not listen to the words of this covenant

11:4 which I ordained for your ancestors when I brought them out of the furnace of iron, out of the land of Egypt. Listen to my voice, I told them, carry out all my orders, then you shall be my people and I will be your God,

11:5 to confirm the oath I swore to your fathers, that I would give them a land where milk and honey flow - as it still does today."' I replied, 'Yahweh, I will'.

11:6 Then Yahweh said to me, 'Proclaim all this in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: "Listen to the words of this covenant and obey them.

11:7 For when I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I solemnly warned them, and have persistently warned them until today: Listen to my voice.

11:8 But they did not listen, did not pay attention; everyone followed the dictates of his own evil heart. So, I fulfilled against them all the words of this covenant which I had ordained for them to obey and which they had not obeyed."'

11:9 Yahweh said to me, 'Plainly there is conspiracy among the men of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem.

11:10 They have reverted to the crimes of their ancestors who refused to listen to my words: they too are following alien gods and serving them. The House of Israel and the House of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their ancestors.

11:11 And so - Yahweh says this - I will now bring them a disaster which they cannot escape; if they invoke me I will not listen to them.

11:12 The towns of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem can go and invoke the gods to whom they burn incense, but these will be no help at all to them in the time of their distress.

11:13 'For you have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah. You have built as many incense altars to Baal as Jerusalem has streets.

11:14 'You, for your part, must not intercede for this people, nor raise either plea or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.

 

Rebuke to the frequenters of the Temple

11:15 'What is my beloved doing in my house? She is playing the hypocrite! Can vows and consecrated meat rid you of your guilt? Am I to make you clean because of this?

11:16 A spreading olive tree so fair, so sturdy, was Yahweh's name for you. With the roar of a great wind he sets its foliage on fire; its branches burn.

11:17 'And Yahweh Sabaoth, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you because of the crime the House of Israel and the House of Judah have committed, provoking me by burning incense to Baal.'

 

Jeremiah persecuted in his own town

11:18 Yahweh revealed it to me; I was warned. Yahweh, that was when you opened my eyes to their scheming.

12:6 'Yes, even your own brothers and your own family play you false. Behind your back, they too criticise you openly. Put no reliance on them when they seem to be friendly.'

11:19 I for my part was like a trustful lamb being led to the slaughter-house, not knowing the schemes they were plotting against me, 'Let us destroy the tree in its strength, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name may be quickly forgotten!'

11:20 But you, Yahweh Sabaoth, who pronounce a just sentence, who probe the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you.

11:21 This is how Yahweh has spoken against the men of Anathoth who are determined to kill me and have warned me, 'Do not prophesy in the name of Yahweh or you will die at our hands!'

11:22 This is how I will punish them. Their young men shall die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine.

11:23 No one will be left when I bring disaster on the men of Anathoth, when the year comes for their punishment.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 12

 

The prosperity of the wicked

12:1 You have right on your side, Yahweh, when I complain about you. But I would like to debate a point of justice with you. Why is it that the wicked live so prosperously? Why do scoundrels enjoy peace?

12:2 You plant them, they take root, and flourish, and even bear fruit. You are always on their lips, yet so far from their hearts.

12:3 You know me, Yahweh, you see me, you probe my heart, it is in your hands. Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter-house, reserve them for the day of butchery.

12:4 (How long will the land be in mourning, and the grass wither all over the countryside? The animals and birds are dying as a result of the wickedness of the inhabitants.) For they say, 'God does not see our behaviour'.

12:5 If you find it exhausting to race against men on foot, how will you compete against horses? If you are not secure in a peaceful country, how will you manage in the thickets along the Jordan?

 

Yahweh laments his ravaged inheritance

12:7 'I have abandoned my house, left my heritage, I have delivered what I dearly loved into the hands of its enemies.

12:8 For me my heritage has become a lion in the forest, it roars at me ferociously: so I now hate it.

12:9 Or is my heritage a speckled bird for the birds to flock on her thus from all directions? Come on, all you wild beasts, gather round, fall on the quarry!

12:10 Many shepherds have laid my vineyard waste, have trampled down my inheritance, reducing my pleasant inheritance to a deserted wilderness.

12:11 They have made it a mournful, desolate place, desolate before me. The whole land has been devastated and no one takes it to heart.

12:12 The devastators have arrived on all the bare heights of the desert (for Yahweh wields a sword that devours): from end to end of the land there is no peace for any living thing.

12:13 Wheat they have sown, thorns they reap: they have worn themselves out, to no profit. They are disappointed in their harvests, through the fury of Yahweh.

 

The neighbouring peoples: their judgement and salvation

12:14 'Thus says Yahweh: As for all my evil neighbours who have laid hands on the heritage I granted my people Israel I will now tear them from their countries. (But I will tear the House of Judah out of their hands.)

12:15 But, once torn out, I will take pity on them again and bring them back each to his heritage, each to his own country.

12:16 And if they take care to learn my people's way and to swear by my name, "As Yahweh lives", as my people learned from them to swear by Baal, then they shall have a place among my people.

12:17 But if any nation refuses to listen, I will tear it up by the roots and destroy it - it is Yahweh who speaks.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 13

 

The symbol of the loincloth

13:1 Yahweh said this to me, 'Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it round your waist. But do not dip it in water.'

13:2 And so, as Yahweh had ordered, I bought a loincloth and put it round my waist.

13:3 A second time the word of Yahweh was spoken to me,

13:4 'Take the loincloth that you have bought and are wearing round your waist; up! Go to the Euphrates and hide it in a hole in the rock.'

13:5 So I went and hid it near the Euphrates as Yahweh had ordered me.

13:6 Many days afterwards Yahweh said to me, 'Get up and go to the Euphrates and fetch the loincloth I ordered you to hide there'.

13:7 So I went to the Euphrates, and I searched, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. The loincloth was spoilt, good for nothing.

13:8 Then the word of Yahweh was addressed to me,

13:9 'Thus says Yahweh: In the same way I will spoil the arrogance of Judah and Jerusalem.

13:10 This evil people who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the dictates of their own hard hearts, who have followed alien gods, and served them and worshipped them, let them become like this loincloth, good for nothing.

13:11 For just as a loincloth clings to a man's waist, so I had intended the whole House of Judah to cling to me - it is Yahweh who speaks - to be my people, my glory, my honour and my boast. But they have not listened.

 

The symbol of the shattered wine jugs

13:12 'Tell this people, "Any jug can be filled with wine". And if they answer you, "Do you think we do not know that any jug can be filled with wine?"

13:13 you are to say, "Thus says Yahweh: I am now going to fill all the inhabitants of this land with drunkenness, the kings who occupy the throne of David, the priests and the prophets, and all the citizens of Jerusalem.

13:14 And I will smash them one against the other, father and son together - it is Yahweh who speaks. Mercilessly, relentlessly, pitilessly, I will destroy them."'

 

A vision of exile

13:15 Listen, pay attention, away with pride - Yahweh is speaking!

13:16 Give glory to Yahweh our God before he brings darkness down and your feet stumble on the darkened mountains. You hope for light, but he will turn it into deep shadow, change it into gloom.

13:17 If you do not listen to this warning, I will bewail your pride in secret, tears will flood my eyes, for Yahweh's flock is led into captivity.

 

Jehoiachin threatened

13:18 Tell the king and the queen mother, 'Sit in a lower place, since your glorious crown has fallen from your head'.

13:19 The towns of the Negeb are shut off[*a] with no one to give access to them. All Judah has been deported, deported wholesale.

 

An admonition to impenitent Jerusalem

13:20 'Raise your eyes, Jerusalem, and look at these now coming from the North. Where is the flock once entrusted to you, the flock that was your boast?

13:21 What will you say when they descend on you as conquerors, those you yourself taught to be your friends? Will not anguish grip you like a woman in labour?

13:22 You may ask yourself, "Why has all this happened to me?" Because of your great wickedness your skirts have been pulled up,[*b] and you have been manhandled.

13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? And you, can you do what is right, you so accustomed to wrong?

13:24 I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind.

13:25 This is your share, the wage of your apostasy. This comes from me - it is Yahweh who speaks - because you have forgotten me and put your trust in a Delusion.

13:26 I will also pull your skirts up as high as your face and let your shame be seen.

13:27 Oh! Your adulteries, your shrieks of pleasure, your vile prostitution! On the hills, in the countryside, I have seen your Abominations. Woe to you, Jerusalem, unclean still! How much longer will you go on like this?'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 14

 

The great drought

14:1 The word of Yahweh that was addressed to Jeremiah on the occasion of the drought.

14:2 'Judah is in mourning, her towns are disconsolate, they sink to the ground; a cry goes up from Jerusalem.

14:3 The nobles send the lesser men for water, they come to the cisterns, and find no water, and return with their pitchers empty.

14:4 The ground refuses its yield, for the country has had no rain; in dismay the ploughmen cover their heads.[*a]

14:5 Even the doe abandons her new-born fawn in open country, for there is no grass;

14:6 the wild donkeys standing on the bare heights gasp for air like jackals: their eyes grow dim for lack of pasture.'

14:7 If our crimes are witness against us, then, Yahweh, for your name's sake act! Yes, our apostasies have been many, we have sinned against you!

14:8 Yahweh, hope of Israel, its saviour in time of distress, why are you like a stranger in this land, like a traveller who stays only for a night?

14:9 Why are you like someone bemused, like a warrior who has no power to rescue? Yet, Yahweh, you are in our midst, we are called by your name. Do not desert us!

14:10 Yahweh says this regarding this people, 'They take such pleasure in wandering, they cannot control their feet!' But Yahweh accepts them no longer; now he recalls their crime and will punish their sins.

14:11 Yahweh said to me, 'Do not intercede for this people or their welfare.

14:12 If they fast, I will not listen to their plea; if they offer holocaust and oblation, I will not accept them. Rather, I mean to exterminate them by sword, famine and pestilence.'

14:13 'Ah, Lord Yahweh,' I answered 'here are the prophets telling them, "You will not see the sword, famine will not touch you; I promise you unbroken peace in this place".'

14:14 Then Yahweh said to me, 'The prophets are prophesying lies in my name; I have not sent them, I gave them no orders, I never spoke to them. Delusive visions, hollow predictions, daydreams of their own, that is what they prophesy to you.

14:15 Therefore, Yahweh says this: The prophets who prophesy in my name when I have not sent them, and tell you there will be no sword or famine in this land, these same prophets are doomed to perish by sword and famine.

14:16 And as for the people to whom they prophesy, they will be tossed into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and the sword, with not a soul to bury them: neither them nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. I will pour down on them their own wickedness.

14:17 'Say this word to them, "Tears flood my eyes night and day, unceasingly, since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people, a most grievous injury.

14:18 If I go into the countryside, there lie men killed by the sword; if I go into the city, I see people sick with hunger; even prophets and priests plough the land: they are at their wit's end."'

14:19 'Have you rejected Judah altogether? Does your very soul revolt at Zion? Why have you struck us down without hope of cure? We were hoping for peace - no good came of it! For the moment of cure - nothing but terror!

14:20 Yahweh, we do confess our wickedness and our fathers' guilt: we have indeed sinned against you.

14:21 For your name's sake do not reject us, do not dishonour the throne of your glory. Remember us; do not break your covenant with us.

14:22 Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain? Can the heavens produce showers? No, it is you, Yahweh. O our God, you are our hope, since it is you who do all this.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 15

 

15:1 Yahweh said to me, 'Even if Moses and Samuel were standing in my presence I could not warm to this people! Drive them out of my sight; away with them!

15:2 And if they ask you, "Where shall we go?" tell them this, "Yahweh says this: Those for the plague, to the plague; those for the sword, to the sword; those for famine, to famine; those for captivity, into captivity!"

15:3 Four kinds of doom I consign them to: the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the birds of heaven and beasts of earth to devour and to destroy.

15:4 I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for his misdeeds in Jerusalem.

 

The horrors of war

15:5 'Who is there to pity you, Jerusalem, who to grieve for you, who to pause and ask how you are?

15:6 You yourself have rejected me - it is Yahweh who speaks - you have turned your back on me; so I have stretched my hand over you to destroy you. I am tired of relenting.

15:7 And so I have winnowed them with a fork in the towns of their land. I deprive my people of children, I exterminate them since they refuse to leave their ways.

15:8 Their widows have become more than the sand of the seas. On the mothers of young warriors I bring the destroyer in broad daylight. Suddenly I bring down anguish and terror on them.

15:9 The mother of seven sons grows faint, and breathes her last. It is still day, but already her sun has set, shame and disgrace are hers...And the remainder of them I shall hand over to their enemies to be cut to pieces - it is Yahweh who speaks.'

 

The call of Jeremiah renewed

15:10 Woe is me, my mother, for you have borne me to be a man of strife and of dissension for all the land. I neither lend nor borrow, yet all of them curse me.

15:11 Truthfully, Yahweh, have I not done my best to serve you, interceded with you for my enemy in the time of his disaster, his distress?

15:15a You know I have!

15:12 Can a man break iron, iron from the north, or bronze?

15:13 'Your wealth and your treasures I will hand over to plunder, as payment for all your sins throughout your territory.

15:14 I will enslave you to your enemies in a country which you do not know, for my anger has kindled a fire that will burn you up.'

15:15b Yahweh, remember me, take care of me, and avenge me on my persecutors. Your anger is very slow: do not let me be snatched away. Realise that I suffer insult for your sake.

15:16 When your words came, I devoured them: your word was my delight and the joy of my heart; for I was called by your name, Yahweh, God of Sabaoth.

15:17 I never took pleasure in sitting in scoffers' company; with your hand on me I held myself aloof, since you had filled me with indignation.

15:18 Why is my suffering continual, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Do you mean to be for me a deceptive stream with inconstant waters?

15:19 To which Yahweh replied, 'If you come back, I will take you back into my service; and if you utter noble, not despicable, thoughts, you shall be as my own mouth. They will come back to you, but you must not go back to them.

15:20 I will make you a bronze wall fortified against this people. They will fight against you but they will not overcome you, because I am with you to save you and to deliver you - it is Yahweh who speaks.

15:21 I mean to deliver you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the clutches of the violent.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 16

 

The prophet's life is itself symbolic

16:1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows:

16:2 'You must not take a wife or have son or daughter in this place.

16:3 For Yahweh says this regarding the sons and daughters to be born in this place, about the mothers who give birth to them, and about the fathers who beget them in this land:

16:4 They will die of deadly diseases, unlamented and unburied; they will be like dung spread on the ground; they will meet their end by sword and famine, and their corpses will be food for the birds of heaven and the beasts of earth.

16:5 'Yes, Yahweh says this: Go into no house where there is mourning, do not go to lament or grieve with them; for I have withdrawn my peace from this people - it is Yahweh who speaks - have withdrawn love and pity.

16:6 High or low, they will die in this land, without burial or lament; there will be no gashing, no shaving of the head for them.

16:7 No bread will be broken for the mourner to comfort him for the dead; no cup of consolation will be offered him for father or for mother.

16:8 'And do not enter a house where there is feasting, to sit with them and eat and drink.

16:9 For Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Now before your eyes, in your own days, I will silence the shouts of rejoicing and mirth, and the voices of bridegroom and bride.

16:10 'When you tell this people all these words and they ask you, "Why has Yahweh decreed this appalling disaster for us? What is our crime? What sin have we committed against Yahweh our God?"

16:11 then you are to answer, "It is because your ancestors abandoned me - it is Yahweh who speaks - and followed alien gods, and served and worshipped them. They abandoned me and did not keep my Law.

16:12 And you for your part have behaved even worse than your ancestors. Look, each of you follows the dictates of his hardened, wicked heart and will not listen to me.

16:13 And so, I am going to eject you from this land into a country unknown to you and to your ancestors; there you will serve alien gods, day and night, for I shall show you no more favour."

 

The return of the scattered Israelites

16:14 'See, then, that the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when people will no longer say, "As Yahweh lives who brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt!"

16:15 but, "As Yahweh lives who brought the sons of Israel out of the land of the North and back from all the countries to which he had dispersed them". I will bring them back to the very soil I gave their ancestors.

 

The invasion foretold

16:16 'I will now send many fishermen - it is Yahweh who speaks - and these will fish them up; next, I will send many huntsmen, and these will hunt them out of every mountain, every hill, out of the holes in the rocks.

16:17 For my eyes watch all their ways, these are not hidden from me, and their guilt does not escape my gaze.

16:18 I will requite their guilt and their sin twice over, since they have polluted my land with the corpses of their Horrors, and filled my heritage with their Abominations.'

 

The conversion of the nations

16:19 Yahweh, my strength, my stronghold, my refuge in the day of distress! To you the nations will come from the confines of earth and say, 'Our fathers inherited nothing but Delusion, Nothings void of all power.

16:20 Can man make his own gods? If so, these are not gods!'

16:21 'Now listen, I am going to make them acknowledge, this time I am going to make them acknowledge my hand and my might; and then they will know that Yahweh is my name.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 17

 

Judah's contaminated worship

17:1 'The sin of Judah is written with an iron pen, engraved with a diamond point on the tablet of their heart and on the horns of their altars,

17:2 as evidence against them (their altars and their sacred poles, by every spreading tree, on the high hills,

17:3 on the mountains, in the open countryside). 'Your wealth and your treasures I will hand over to plunder as payment for all your sins throughout your territory.

17:4 You will have to relinquish your heritage which I gave you; I will enslave you to your enemies in a country which you do not know, for my anger has kindled a fire that will burn for ever.

 

A group of wisdom sayings

17:5 'Yahweh says this: 'A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from Yahweh.

17:6 He is like dry scrub in the wastelands: if good comes, he has no eyes for it, he settles in the parched places of the wilderness, a salt land, uninhabited.

17:7 'A blessing on the man who puts his trust in Yahweh, with Yahweh for his hope.

17:8 He is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when the heat comes it feels no alarm, its foliage stays green; it has no worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit.

17:9 'The heart is more devious than any other thing, perverse too: who can pierce its secrets?

17:10 I, Yahweh, search to the heart, I probe the loins, to give each man what his conduct and his actions deserve.

17:11 'The partridge will hatch eggs it has not laid. Similarly, the man who wins his wealth unjustly: his days half done, he must leave it, proving a fool after all.'

 

Confidence in the Temple and in Yahweh

17:12 A glorious throne, set high from the beginning, such is our Holy Place.

17:13 Hope of Israel, Yahweh! All who abandon you will be put to shame, those who turn from you will be uprooted from the land, since they have abandoned the fountain of living water.

 

A prayer for vengeance

17:14 Heal me, Yahweh, and I shall be really healed, save me, and I shall be saved, for you alone are my hope.

17:15 Look, they keep saying to me, 'Where is the word of Yahweh? Let it come true then!'

17:16 But I, I have never urged you to do evil, the day of disaster was no desire of mine, this you know; what came from my lips was not concealed from you.

17:17 Do not be a terror to me, you, my refuge in the day of disaster.

17:18 Let my persecutors be confounded, not I, let them, not me, be terrified. On them bring the day of disaster, destroy them, destroy them twice over!

 

Observance of the sabbath

17:19 Yahweh said this to me, 'Go and stand at the Gate of the Sons of the People by which the kings of Judah go in and out - and at all the gates of Jerusalem.

17:20 Say to them, "Listen to the word of Yahweh, you kings of Judah, all you people of Judah too, and all you citizens of Jerusalem who pass through these gates.

17:21 Yahweh says this: As you value your lives, on no account carry a burden on the sabbath day or bring it in through the gates of Jerusalem.

17:22 Bring no burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, and do no work. Keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.

17:23 They would not hear, would not pay attention, grew so stubborn they would not listen, and would not accept instruction.

17:24 But if you listen carefully to me - it is Yahweh who speaks - and bring no burden in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, if you keep the sabbath holy and do no work on that day,

17:25 then, through the gates of this city, kings occupying the throne of David will continue to make their entry, mounted on chariots and horses, they and their ministers, with the men of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. And this city will be inhabited for ever.

17:26 They will come from the towns of Judah, from the districts round Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Lowlands, from the highlands, from the Negeb, to offer holocaust and sacrifice, oblation, incense and thanksgiving sacrifice in the Temple of Yahweh.

17:27 But if you do not listen to my command to keep the sabbath day holy, and not to enter the gates of Jerusalem with burdens on the sabbath day, then I will set fire to its gates; it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched."'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 18

 

Jeremiah visits the potter

18:1 The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh,

18:2 'Get up and make your way down to the potter's house; there I shall let you hear what I have to say'.

18:3 So I went down to the potter's house; and there he was, working at the wheel.

18:4 And whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do.

18:5 Then this word of Yahweh was addressed to me,

18:6 'House of Israel, can not I do to you what this potter does? - it is Yahweh who speaks. Yes, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.

18:7 On occasion, I decree for some nation, for some kingdom, that I will tear up, knock down, destroy;

18:8 but if this nation, against which I have pronounced sentence, abandons its wickedness, I then change my mind about the evil which I had intended to inflict on it.

18:9 On another occasion, I decree for some nation, for some kingdom, that I will build up and plant;

18:10 but if that nation does what displeases me, refusing to listen to my voice, I then change my mind about the good which I had intended to confer on it.

18:11 So now, say this to the men of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem, "Yahweh says this: Listen, I have been preparing a disaster for you, I have been working out a plan against you. So now, each one of you, turn back from your evil ways, amend your conduct and actions."

18:12 They, however, will say, "What is the use of talking? We prefer to do as we please; we mean to behave, each of us, as his wicked heart dictates."

 

Israel repudiates Yahweh

18:13 'Therefore - Yahweh says this: Ask, if you will, among the nations if anyone has heard anything like this. She has done a deed of horror, the Virgin of Israel.

18:14 Does the snow of Lebanon vanish from the lofty crag? Do the proud waters run dry, so coolly flowing?

18:15 And yet my people have forgotten me! They burn their incense to a Nothing! They have lost their footing in their ways, on the roads of former times, to walk in tortuous paths, a way unmarked.

18:16 They will make their country desolate, everlastingly derided: every passer-by will be appalled at it and shake his head.

18:17 Like the east wind, I will scatter them before the enemy. I will turn my back to them and not my face on the day of their disaster.'

 

A plot against Jeremiah

18:18 'Come on,' they said 'let us concoct a plot against Jeremiah; the priest will not run short of instruction without him, nor the sage of advice, nor the prophet of the word. Come on, let us hit at him with his own tongue; let us listen carefully to every word he says.'

18:19 Listen to me, Yahweh, hear what my adversaries are saying.

18:20 Should evil be returned for good? (For they are digging a pit for me.) Remember how I stood in your presence to plead on their behalf, to turn your wrath away from them.

18:21 Then hand their sons over to famine, abandon them to the edge of the sword. May their wives become childless and widowed. May their husbands die of plague, their young men be cut down by the sword in battle.

18:22 Let cries re-echo from their houses as you bring raiders suddenly on them. For they have dug a pit to catch me, they have laid snares to trap my feet.

18:23 But you, Yahweh, know all their murderous plots against me. Do not forgive their crime, do not efface their sin from your sight. Keep their destruction always in mind, when the time for your anger comes deal with them.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 19

 

The broken jug and the altercation with Pashhur

19:1 Then Yahweh said to Jeremiah, 'Go and buy an earthenware jug. Take some of the elders of the people and some priests with you.

19:2 Go out towards the Valley of Ben-hinnom, as far as the entry of the Gate of the Potsherds. There proclaim the words I shall speak to you.

19:3 You are to say, "Kings of Judah, citizens of Jerusalem! Listen to the word of Yahweh! Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: I am bringing down such a disaster on this place that the ears of every one who hears of it will ring.

19:4 This is because they have abandoned me, have profaned this place, have offered incense here to alien gods which neither they, nor their ancestors, nor the kings of Judah, ever knew before. They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.

19:5 They have built high places for Baal to burn their sons there, which I had never ordered or decreed, which had never entered my thoughts.

19:6 So now the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when people will no longer call this place Topheth, or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but Valley of Slaughter.

19:7 Because of this place, I mean to drain[*a] Judah and Jerusalem of sound advice; I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, fall by the hand of people determined to kill them; I will give their corpses as food to the birds of heaven and the beasts of earth.

19:8 And I will make this city a desolation, a derision; every passer-by will be appalled at it, and whistle in amazement at such calamity.

19:9 I will make them eat the flesh of their own sons and daughters: they shall eat each other during the siege, in the shortage to which their enemies, in their determination to kill them, will reduce them."

19:10 'You are to break this jug in front of the men who are with you,

19:11 and say to them, "Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I am going to break this people and this city just as one breaks a potter's pot, irreparably. Topheth will become a burial ground, for lack of other space.

19:12 That is how I will treat this place - it is Yahweh who speaks. And I mean to make this city like Topheth;

19:13 the houses of Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be unclean,[*b] like this place Topheth: all these houses on the roofs of which they offered incense to the whole array of heaven and poured their libations to alien gods."'

19:14 When Jeremiah came back from Topheth where Yahweh had sent him to prophesy, he went and stood in the court of the Temple of Yahweh and addressed all the people.

19:15 'Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this, "Yes, I am going to bring down every disaster I have threatened on this city and on all its outlying towns, since they have grown so stubborn and refused to listen to my words".'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 20

 

20:1 Now the priest Pashhur son of Immer, who was in charge of the police in the Temple of Yahweh, heard Jeremiah making this prophecy.

20:2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and then put in the stocks at the Gate of Benjamin, the upper gate leading into the Temple of Yahweh.

20:3 Next day, Pashhur had Jeremiah taken out of the stocks; Jeremiah said to him, 'Not Pashhur but Terror is Yahweh's name for you.

20:4 For Yahweh says this, "I am going to hand you over to terror, you and all your friends; they shall fall by the sword of their enemies; your own eyes shall see it. The whole of Judah, too, I will hand over to the king of Babylon; he will carry them off captives to Babylon and put them to the sword.

20:5 And all the wealth of this city, all its stores, all its valuables, all the treasures of the kings of Judah, I will hand over to their enemies who will plunder them, round them up and carry them off to Babylon.

20:6 As for you, Pashhur, and your whole household, you shall go into captivity; you shall go to Babylon; there you will die, and there be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies."'

 

Selections from the 'Confessions' of Jeremiah

20:7 You have seduced me, Yahweh, and I have let myself be seduced; you have overpowered me: you were the stronger. I am a daily laughing-stock, everybody's butt.

20:8 Each time I speak the word, I have to howl and proclaim: 'Violence and ruin!' The word of Yahweh has meant for me insult, derision, all day long.

20:9 I used to say, 'I will not think about him, I will not speak in his name any more. Then there seemed to be a fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones. The effort to restrain it wearied me, I could not bear it.

20:10 I hear so many disparaging me, '"Terror from every side!" Denounce him! Let us denounce him!' All those who used to be my friends watched for my downfall, 'Perhaps he will be seduced into error. Then we will master him and take our revenge!'

20:11 But Yahweh is at my side, a mighty hero; my opponents will stumble, mastered, confounded by their failure; everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.

20:12 But you, Yahweh Sabaoth, you who probe with justice, who scrutinise the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you.

20:13 Sing to Yahweh, praise Yahweh, for he has delivered the soul of the needy from the hands of evil men.

20:14 A curse on the day when I was born, no blessing on the day my mother bore me!

20:15 A curse on the man who brought my father the news, 'A son, a boy has been born to you!' making him overjoyed.

20:16 May this man be like the towns that Yahweh overthrew without mercy; may he hear alarms in the morning, the war cry in broad daylight,

20:17 since he did not kill me in the womb; my mother would have been my tomb while her womb was swollen with me.

20:18 Why ever did I come out of the womb To live in toil and sorrow and to end my days in shame!

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 21

 

C. ORACLES MAINLY LATER THAN THE REIGN OF JEHOIAKIM

 

Jeremiah answers the envoys of Zedekiah[*a]

21:1 The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malchiah to him, with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, to say this,

21:2 'Please consult Yahweh for us, since Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war on us: perhaps Yahweh will work all his wonders on our behalf, so that the enemy will have to withdraw'.

21:3 Jeremiah said to them, 'Take this answer to Zedekiah,

21:4 "Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: I am going to bring back the weapons of war which you are now carrying, and with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldaeans now besieging your walls; I am going to stack them in the centre of this city.

21:5 And I am going to fight against you myself with outstretched hand and mighty arm, in anger, fury and great wrath.

21:6 I am going to strike the inhabitants of this city, man and beast, with a frightful plague: they will die.

21:7 After which - it is Yahweh who speaks - I am going to deliver Zedekiah king of Judah with his servants and the people of this city who escape the plague, the sword, or the famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, into the hands of their enemies and of those determined to kill them; mercilessly, relentlessly, pitilessly, he will put them to the sword."

21:8 'And you are to say to this people, "Yahweh says this: Look, I now set in front of you the way of life and the way of death.

21:9 Those who stay in this city will die by sword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who leaves it and surrenders to the Chaldaeans now besieging it will live; he shall escape with his life.

21:10 For I have turned my face against this city for its ruin, not for its prosperity - it is Yahweh who speaks. It is to be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down."'

 

Address to the royal family of Judah

21:11 To the royal House of Judah. Listen to the word of Yahweh,

21:12 House of David! Yahweh says this: 'Each morning give sound judgement, rescue the man who has been wronged from the hands of his oppressor, or else my wrath will leap out like a fire, it will burn and no one will be able to quench it.

21:13 My quarrel is with you, you that have gone to live at Rock-in-the-Plain[*b] - it is Yahweh who speaks - with you that say, "Who would dare attack us and penetrate our fastness?"

21:14 (I will punish you as your actions deserve - it is Yahweh who speaks.) I will set fire to its forest; it will devour the whole district.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 22

 

22:1 Yahweh said this, 'Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and there deliver this message,

22:2 "Listen to the word of Yahweh, king of Judah sitting on the throne of David, you, your servants too, and your people who go through these gates.

22:3 Yahweh says this: Practise honesty and integrity; rescue the man who has been wronged from the hands of his oppressor; do not exploit the stranger, the orphan, the widow; do no violence; shed no innocent blood in this place.

22:4 For if you are scrupulous in obeying this command, then kings occupying the throne of David will continue to make their entry through the gates of this palace mounted on chariots and horses, they, their servants and their people.

22:5 But if you do not listen to these words, then I swear by myself - it is Yahweh who speaks - this palace shall become a ruin!

22:6 Yes, this is what Yahweh says about the royal palace of Judah: You were like a Gilead to me, like a peak of Lebanon. All the same, I will reduce you to a desert, to an uninhabited town.

22:7 I have dedicated men to destroy you, each man with his axe; they will cut down your finest cedars and throw them on the fire.

22:8 When the hordes of the nations pass this city, they will say to each other: Why has Yahweh treated such a great city like this?

22:9 And the answer will be: Because they abandoned the covenant of Yahweh their God to worship alien gods and serve them."'

 

Oracles against various kings: against Jehoahaz

22:10 Do not weep for the man who is dead,[*a] do not raise the dirge for him. Weep bitterly for the man who has gone away, since he will never come back, never see his native land again.

22:11 For this is what Yahweh has said about Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who succeeded Josiah his father and was forced to leave this place, 'He will never come back to it

22:12 but will die in the place to which he has been taken captive; and he will never see this country again.

 

Against Jehoiakim

22:13 'Doom for the man who founds his palace on anything but integrity, his upstairs rooms on anything but honesty, who makes his fellow man work for nothing, without paying him his wages,

22:14 who says, "I will build myself an imposing palace with spacious rooms upstairs", who pierces lights in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it vermilion.

22:15 Are you more of a king for outrivalling others with cedar? Your father ate and drank, like you, but he practised honesty and integrity, so all went well for him.

22:16 He used to examine the cases of poor and needy, then all went well. Is not that what it means to know me? - it is Yahweh who speaks.

22:17 You on the other hand have eyes and heart for nothing but your own interests, for shedding innocent blood and perpetrating violence and oppression.'

22:18 So Yahweh has said this about Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah: 'Doom for that man! Raise no dirge for him, "Mourn for my brother! Mourn for my sister!" Raise no dirge for him, "Mourn for his highness. Mourn for his majesty"

22:19 He will receive the funeral honours of a donkey, - dragged away and thrown out of the gates of Jerusalem.

 

Against Jehoiachin

22:20 'Go up to Lebanon and shriek, let your voice be heard on Bashan, shriek from Abarim,[*b] for all your lovers[*c] have been ruined!

22:21 I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, "I will not listen!" from your youth this has been how you behaved, refusing to listen to my voice.

22:22 The wind will blow all your shepherds away to other pastures, your lovers will go into captivity. Yes, now you may well be ashamed and confounded at the thought of all your wickedness.

22:23 You who made Lebanon your home, who made your nest among the cedars, how you will groan when anguish overtakes you, and pain like that of a woman in labour!

22:24 'As I live - it is Yahweh who speaks - even if Coniah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, I would still wrench him off.

22:25 I will deliver you into the hands of those determined to kill you, into the hands of those you dread, the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the hands of the Chaldaeans.

22:26 You and the mother who bore you, I will thrust you both out into another country; you were not born there but you will both die there.

22:27 They will not return to the country to which they so long to return.'

22:28 Is he a shoddy broken pot, this man Coniah, a crock that no one wants? Why are they ejected, he and his descendants, thrown into a country they know nothing of?

22:29 O land, land, land, listen to the word of Yahweh!

22:30 Yahweh says this, 'List this man as: Childless; a man who made a failure of his life, since none of his descendants will have the fortune to sit on the throne of David, or to rule in Judah again.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 23

 

Messianic oracles. The future king

23:1 'Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered - it is Yahweh who speaks!

23:2 This, therefore, is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds in charge of my people: You have let my flock be scattered and go wandering and have not taken care of them. Right, I will take care of you for your misdeeds - it is Yahweh who speaks!

23:3 But the remnant of my flock I myself will gather from all the countries where I have dispersed them, and will bring them back to their pastures: they shall be fruitful and increase in numbers.

23:4 I will raise up shepherds to look after them and pasture them; no fear, no terror for them any more; not one shall be lost - it is Yahweh who speaks!

23:5 'See, the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David, who will reign as true king and be wise, practising honesty and integrity in the land.

23:6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence. And this is the name he will be called:

Yahweh-our-integrity.

23:7 'So, then, the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when people will no longer say, "As Yahweh lives who brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt!"

23:8 but, "As Yahweh lives who led back and brought home the descendants of the House of Israel out of the land of the North and from all the countries to which he had dispersed them, to live on their own soil".'

 

A tract against the false prophets

23:9 On the prophets. My heart is broken within me, I tremble in all my bones I am like a drunken man, a man overcome with wine - because of Yahweh and his holy words,

23:10 'The land is full of adulterers (yes, because of these men the land is in mourning and the desert pastures have dried up); 'they are quick only at doing wrong and powerful only in crime.

23:11 Yes, even prophet and priest are godless, I have found their wickedness even in my House - it is Yahweh who speaks.

23:12 Because of this their way will prove treacherous going for them; in the darkness they are driven, there they will fall. For I will bring disaster down on them when the year comes for me to deal with them - it is Yahweh who speaks.

23:13 'In the prophets of Samaria I have seen nauseating things: they prophesised in the name of Baal and led my people Israel astray.

23:14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen horrors: adultery, persistent lying, such abetting of evil men, that no one renounces his evil-doing; to me they are all like Sodom, its inhabitants all like Gomorrah.

23:15 So this is what Yahweh Sabaoth says about the prophets: Now I will give them wormwood for their food, and poisoned water to drink, since from the prophets of Jerusalem godlessness has spread throughout the land.

23:16 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Do not listen to what those prophets say: they are deluding you, they retail visions of their own, and not what comes from the mouth of Yahweh;

23:17 to those who reject the word of Yahweh they say, "Peace will be yours", and to those who follow the dictates of a hardened heart, "No misfortune will touch you".'

23:18 (But who has been present at the council of Yahweh? Who has seen it and heard his word? Who has paid attention to his word in order to proclaim it?)

23:19 Now a storm of Yahweh breaks, a tempest whirls, it bursts over the head of the wicked;

23:20 the anger of Yahweh will not turn aside until he has performed, and has carried out, the decision of his heart. You will understand this clearly in the days to come.

23:21 'I have not sent those prophets, yet they are running; I have not spoken to them, yet they are prophesying.

23:22 Have they been present at my council? If so, let them proclaim my words to my people and turn them from their evil way and from the wickedness of their deeds!

23:23 'Am I a God when near - it is Yahweh who speaks - and not one when far away?

23:24 Can anyone hide in a dark corner without my seeing him? - it is Yahweh who speaks. Do I not fill heaven and earth? - it is Yahweh who speaks.

23:25 'I have heard what the prophets say who make their lying prophecies in my name. "I have had a dream," they say "I have had a dream!"

23:26 How long will they retain this notion in their hearts, these prophets prophesying lies, who announce their private delusions as prophetic?

23:27 They hope, by means of the dreams that they keep telling each other, to make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name in favour of Baal.

23:28 Let the prophet who has had a dream tell his dream as his own! And let him who receives a word from me, deliver it accurately! 'What have straw and wheat in common? - it is Yahweh who speaks.

23:29 Does not my word burn like fire - it is Yahweh who speaks - is it not like a hammer shattering a rock?

23:30 'So, then, I have a quarrel with the prophets - it is Yahweh who speaks - that steal my words from one another.

23:31 I have a quarrel with the prophets - it is Yahweh who speaks - who have only to move their tongues to utter oracles.

23:32 I have a quarrel with the prophets who make prophecies out of lying dreams - it is Yahweh who speaks - who recount them, and lead my people astray with their lies and their pretensions. I certainly never sent them or commissioned them, and they serve no good purpose for this people - it is Yahweh who speaks.

23:33 'And when these people, either a prophet or a priest, ask you, "What is the Burden of Yahweh?"[*a] you are to answer, "You, you are the burden of Yahweh; yes, you, and I mean to be rid of you! It is Yahweh who speaks."

23:34 'And the prophet, priest, or anyone else, who says, "Burden of Yahweh", I will punish that man, and his household too.

23:35 This is the way you ought to talk, neighbour to neighbour, brother to brother, "What answer has Yahweh given?" or "What has Yahweh said?"

23:36 But do not go on using the expression burden of Yahweh or, for the man who uses it, burdensome it will certainly prove, since you twist the words of the living God, of Yahweh Sabaoth, our God.

23:37 This is the way to speak to a prophet, "What answer has Yahweh given?" or "What has Yahweh said?"

23:38 But if you say, "Burden of Yahweh", then thus speaks Yahweh: Since you use these words, "Burden of Yahweh", when I have warned you to stop saying, "Burden of Yahweh",

23:39 I myself will pick you up and fling you out of my sight, both you and the city I gave to you and to your ancestors.

23:40 I will bring down everlasting shame on you, everlasting and unforgettable disgrace.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 24

 

The two baskets of figs

24:1 Yahweh gave me a vision: placed in front of the Temple of Yahweh stood two baskets of figs.[*a] This was after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had led away Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into exile from Jerusalem, with all the nobles of Judah, and the blacksmiths and metalworkers, and had taken them to Babylon.

24:2 One basket contained excellent figs, like those that ripen first; the other contained very bad figs, so bad they were uneatable.

24:3 Yahweh said to me, 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' 'Figs,' I answered 'the good ones excellent, the bad ones very bad, so bad as to be uneatable.'

24:4 Then the word of Yahweh was addressed to me,

24:5 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: As these figs are good, so I mean to concern myself with the welfare of the exiles of Judah whom I have sent from this place to the land of the Chaldaeans.

24:6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, to bring them back to this land, to build them up and not to break them down, to plant them and not to tear them up.

24:7 I will give them a heart to acknowledge that I am Yahweh. They shall be my people and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

24:8 As for the bad figs, the figs so bad as to be uneatable - yes, Yahweh says this - that is how I will treat Zedekiah king of Judah, his nobles and the remnant of Jerusalem: those who have stayed in this land, as also those living in the land of Egypt.

24:9 I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a thing of shame, a byword, a laughing-stock, a curse in every place where I shall disperse them.

24:10 Sword, famine and plague I will send against them until they have vanished from the soil I gave to them and to their ancestors.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 25

 

D. BABYLON THE SCOURGE OF YAHWEH[*a]

25:1 The word that was addressed to Jeremiah about all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah (that is to say the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon).

25:2 The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed it before all the people of Judah and all the citizens of Jerusalem:

25:3 'For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until today, the word of Yahweh has been addressed to me and I have persistently spoken to you (but you have not listened.

25:4 Furthermore, Yahweh has persistently sent you all his servants the prophets, but you have not listened, or paid attention.)

25:5 The message was this, "Turn back, each of you, from your evil behaviour and your evil actions, and you will stay on the soil Yahweh long ago gave to you and to your ancestors for ever.

25:6 (And do not follow alien gods to serve and worship them, do not provoke me by what your own hands have made; then I will not harm you.)

25:7 But you have not listened to me (it is Yahweh who speaks - so that you have now provoked me by what your own hands have made, and thus harmed yourselves).

25:8 "So - this is what Yahweh Sabaoth says: Since you have not listened to my words,

25:9 I will now send for all the clans of the North (it is Yahweh who speaks - referring to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant) and bring them down on this land and its inhabitants (and on all these surrounding nations): I will lay the ban on them and make them an object of horror, of scorn, of lasting shame.

25:10 I will put an end for them to the shouts of rejoicing and mirth, to the voices of bridegroom and bride, to the sound of the millstone and to the light of the lamp.

25:11 The whole land shall be devastated and reduced to a desert, while they will stay in slavery among the nations for seventy years.

25:12 (But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation - it is Yahweh who speaks - for the wrong they have done; and punish the land of the Chaldaeans too, and make it a desert for ever.)

25:13 I will bring down on that country all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book."'

 

II. ORACLES AGAINST THE NATIONS

 

A. INTRODUCTION

 

The vision of the cup

What Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations.

25:14 ('For these in their turn are to be enslaved to powerful nations and great kings, and I will pay them back as their deeds and their handiwork deserve.')

25:15 Yahweh the God of Israel said this to me, 'Take this cup of wine from my hand and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it,

25:16 let them drink and reel and lose their wits at the sword I am sending among them'.

25:17 I took the cup from the hand of Yahweh and made all the nations to whom Yahweh sent me drink it

25:18 (Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and its nobles, to make them into a desolation and a waste, a thing of scorn, a curse, as is so today):

25:19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, with his servants, his nobles, and all his people,

25:20 the whole crowd of foreigners besides (all the kings of the land of Uz); all the kings of the country of the Philistines, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and what still remains of Ashdod;

25:21 Edom, Moab and the sons of Ammon;

25:22 (all) the kings of Tyre, (all) the kings of Sidon, the kings of the islands across the sea;

25:23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, all the Crop-Heads,

25:24 all the kings of Arabia who live in the desert;

25:25 (all the kings of Zimri) and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media;

25:26 all the kings of the north, near and far, one after another; and all the kingdoms that are on the face of the earth. (As for the king of Sheshak, he shall drink last of all.)

25:27 'You are to say to them, "Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Drink! Get drunk! Vomit! Fall, never to rise, at the sword that I am sending among you!"

25:28 If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, you are to say to them, "Yahweh Sabaoth says this: You must drink!

25:29 Since I am now making a beginning of disaster with the city that bears my name, do you think you are likely to go unpunished? You certainly shall not, for I will next summon a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth - it is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks."

25:30 'Let your prophecy to them contain all these words, and tell them: "Yahweh roars from on high, he makes his voice heard from his holy dwelling place, he roars loud against his sheepfold, he shouts aloud like those who tread the grape. The sound reaches all the inhabitants of the earth,

25:31 to the far ends of the world. For Yahweh is indicting the nations, arraigning all flesh for judgement; the wicked he abandons to the sword - it is Yahweh who speaks.

25:32 Yahweh Sabaoth says this: See! The disaster spreads from nation to nation, a mighty tempest rises from the far ends of the world.

25:33 "Those slaughtered by Yahweh that day will be scattered across the world from end to end. No dirge will be raised for them; no one will gather them or bury them; they will stay lying on the surface like dung.

25:34 "Howl, shepherds, shriek, roll on the ground, you lords of the flock, for the days have arrived for your slaughter, like the finest rams you will fall.

25:35 No refuge now for the shepherds, no escape for the lords of the flock!

25:36 Listen! A shout from the shepherds, a howl from the lords of the flock! For Yahweh has laid their pastures waste,

25:37 their quiet sheepfolds are in ruins.

25:38 The lion has left his lair, their land is a wasteland now, thanks to the destroying sword, and the fierce anger of Yahweh."'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 26

 

III. PROPHECIES OF HAPPINESS

 

A. INTRODUCTION: JEREMIAH THE TRUE PROPHET

 

Jeremiah's discourse against the Temple: his arrest and condemnation

26:1 At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word was addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh,

26:2 'Yahweh says this: Stand in the court of the Temple of Yahweh. To all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the Temple of Yahweh you must speak all the words I have commanded you to tell them; do not omit one syllable.

26:3 Perhaps they will listen and each turn from his evil way: if so, I shall relent and not bring the disaster on them which I intended for their misdeeds.

26:4 Say to them, "Yahweh says this: If you will not listen to me by following my Law which I put before you,

26:5 by paying attention to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send so persistently to you, without your ever listening to them,

26:6 I will treat this Temple as I treated Shiloh, and make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth".'

26:7 The priests and prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah say these words in the Temple of Yahweh.

26:8 When Jeremiah had finished saying everything that Yahweh had ordered him to say to all the people, the priests and prophets seized hold of him and said, 'You shall die!

26:9 Why have you made this prophecy in the name of Yahweh, "This Temple will be like Shiloh, and this city will be desolate, and uninhabited"?' And the people were all crowding round Jeremiah in the Temple of Yahweh.

26:10 Hearing of this, the officials of Judah went up from the royal palace to the Temple of Yahweh and took their seats at the entry of the New Gate of the Temple of Yahweh.

26:11 The priests and prophets then addressed the officials and all the people, 'This man deserves to die, since he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears'.

26:12 Jeremiah, however, replied to the people as follows, 'Yahweh himself sent me to say all the things you have heard against this Temple and this city.

26:13 So now amend your behaviour and actions, listen to the voice of Yahweh your God: if you do, he will relent and not bring down on you the disaster he has pronounced against you.

26:14 For myself, I am as you see in your hands. Do whatever you please or think right with me.

26:15 But be sure of this, that if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and on its citizens, since Yahweh has truly sent me to you to say all these words in your hearing.'

26:16 The officials and all the people then said to the priests and prophets, 'This man does not deserve to die: he has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our God'.

26:17 Some of the elders of the land had risen to address all the assembled people.

26:18 'Micah of Moresheth,' they said 'who prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, had this to say to all the people of Judah, "Yahweh says this: Zion will become ploughland, Jerusalem a heap of rubble, and the mountain of the Temple a wooded height".[*a]

26:19 'Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all of Judah put him to death for this? Did they not rather, fearing Yahweh, entreat his favour, to make him relent and not bring the disaster on them which he had pronounced against them? Are we now to burden our souls with such a crime?'

26:20 There was another man, too, who used to prophesy in the name of Yahweh, Uriah son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied exactly the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah.

26:21 When King Jehoiakim with all his ministers and officials heard what he said, he wished to put him to death. Learning this, Uriah took fright and escaped to Egypt.

26:22 King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Achbor to Egypt with others,

26:23 who brought Uriah back from Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to the sword and his body thrown into the common burying ground.

26:24 But Jeremiah had a protector in Ahikam son of Shaphan,[*b] so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 27

 

B. THE PAMPHLET FOR THE EXILES

 

The symbolic yoke and the message to the kings of the west

27:1 (At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word was addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh:)

27:2 Yahweh said this to me, 'Make yourself ropes and a yoke and put them on your neck.

27:3 Then send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, through their envoys accredited to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem.

27:4 Give them the following message for their masters, "Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: You must tell your masters this:

27:5 I by my great power and outstretched arm made the earth, man and the animals that are on earth. And I can give it to whom I please.

27:6 For the present, I have handed all these countries over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant; I have even put the wild animals at his service.

27:7 (All the nations will be subject to him, to his son and to his grandson, until the time for his own country comes in its turn, when mighty nations and great kings will enslave him.)

27:8 Any nation or kingdom that will not submit to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and will not bow its neck to the yoke of the king of Babylon, I shall punish with sword, famine and plague - it is Yahweh who speaks - until I have delivered it into his power.

27:9 For your own part, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, dreamers, soothsayers, or sorcerers, who tell you: You will not be subjects of the king of Babylon.

27:10 They prophesy lies to you, the result of which will be that you will be banished from your soil, that I shall expel you, and you will perish.

27:11 The nation, however, that bends its neck to the yoke of the king of Babylon and submits to him, I shall leave in peace on its own soil - it is Yahweh who speaks - to farm it and stay in it."'

27:12 To Zedekiah king of Judah I had the same to say. 'Bend your necks,' I told him 'to the yoke of the king of Babylon; submit to him and to his people and you will live.

27:13 (Why so anxious to die, you and your people, by sword, famine and plague, with which Yahweh has threatened the nation that will not submit to the king of Babylon?)

27:14 Do not listen to the words the prophets say to you, "You will not be subjects of the king of Babylon". They prophesy lies to you.

27:15 Since I have not sent them - it is Yahweh who speaks - they prophesy untruths in my name. The result will be that I shall expel you, you will perish, and so will the prophets who prophesy to you.'

27:16 Next I spoke to the priests and all the people as follows, 'Yahweh says this, "Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you as follows: Look, the vessels of the Temple of Yahweh will (soon) be brought back from Babylon: they prophesy lies to you.

27:17 (Do not listen to them; submit to the king of Babylon and you will live; why should this city become a waste?)

27:18 If they were prophets, if they had the word of Yahweh, they would now be praying to Yahweh Sabaoth that the remaining vessels in the Temple of Yahweh, in the royal palace of Judah and in Jerusalem should not go to Babylon.

27:19 For this is what Yahweh Sabaoth says about (the pillars, the sea, the stands and) the other vessels still remaining in this city,

27:20 those not carried off by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon when he led away Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon (with all the leading men of Judah and Jerusalem).

27:21 Yes, this is what Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says about the vessels still remaining in the Temple of Yahweh, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem:

27:22 They will be carried off to Babylon (and stay there until the day I fetch them) - it is Yahweh who speaks. (Then I shall bring them back and restore them to this place)."'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 28

 

The dispute with Hananiah

28:1 That same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, a Gibeonite, spoke as follows to Jeremiah in the Temple of Yahweh in the presence of the priests and of all the people.

28:2 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this, "I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

28:3 In two years' time I will bring back all the vessels of the Temple of Yahweh which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon carried off from this place and took to Babylon.

28:4 And I will also bring back Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who have gone to Babylon - it is Yahweh who speaks. Yes, I am going to break the yoke of the king of Babylon."'

28:5 The prophet Jeremiah then replied to the prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people there in the Temple of Yahweh.

28:6 'I hope so' the prophet Jeremiah said. 'May Yahweh do so. May he fulfil the words that you have prophesied and bring the vessels of the Temple of Yahweh and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.

28:7 Listen carefully, however, to this word that I am now going to say for you and all the people to hear:

28:8 From remote times, the prophets who preceded you and me prophesied war, famine and plague for many countries and for great kingdoms;

28:9 but the prophet who prophesies peace can only be recognised as one truly sent by Yahweh when his word comes true.'

28:10 The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it.

28:11 In front of all the people Hananiah then said, 'Yahweh says this, "This is how, two years hence, I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and take it off the necks of all the nations"'. At this, the prophet Jeremiah went away.

28:12 After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke which he had taken off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah the word of Yahweh was addressed to Jeremiah,

28:13 'Go to Hananiah and tell him this, "Yahweh says this: You can break wooden yokes? Right, I will make them iron yokes instead!

28:14 For Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: An iron yoke is what I now lay on the necks of all these nations to subject them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. (They will be subject to him; I have even given him the wild animals.)"'

28:15 The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, 'Listen carefully, Hananiah: Yahweh has not sent you; and thanks to you this people are now relying on what is false.

28:16 Hence - Yahweh says this, "I am going to throw you off the face of the earth: you are going to die this year (since you have preached apostasy from Yahweh)".'

28:17 The prophet Hananiah died the same year, in the seventh month.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 29

 

The letter to the exiles

29:1 This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to those elders carried off into exile, to the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had led away into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

29:2 This was after King Jeconiah had left Jerusalem with the queen mother, the eunuchs, the nobility of Judah and Jerusalem, and the blacksmiths and metalworkers.

29:3 The letter was entrusted to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah had sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The letter said:

29:4 'Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this to all the exiles deported from Jerusalem to Babylon,

29:5 "Build houses, settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce;

29:6 take wives and have sons and daughters; choose wives for your sons, find husbands for your daughters so that these can bear sons and daughters in their turn; you must increase there and not decrease.

29:7 Work for the good of the country to which I have exiled you; pray to Yahweh on its behalf, since on its welfare yours depends.

29:10 For Yahweh says this: Only when the seventy years granted to Babylon are over, will I visit you and fulfil my promise in your favour by bringing you back to this place.

29:11 I know the plans I have in mind for you - it is Yahweh who speaks - plans for peace, not disaster, reserving a future full of hope for you.

29:12 Then when you call to me, and come to plead with me, I will listen to you.

29:13 When you seek me you shall find me, when you seek me with all your heart;

29:14 I will let you find me ( - it is Yahweh who speaks. I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have dispersed you - it is Yahweh who speaks. I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.)

29:15 "You may say: Yahweh has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,

29:8 but thus says Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel: Do not be deceived by the prophets among you or by your diviners; do not listen to the dreams they dream,

29:9 since they prophesy lies to you in my name. I have not sent them - it is Yahweh who speaks.

29:16 "For this is what Yahweh says about the king now seated on the throne of David and all the people who live in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile:

29:17 Thus says Yahweh Sabaoth: I am now going to send them sword, famine and plague; I will make them like rotten figs, so bad as to be uneatable.

29:18 I will pursue them with sword, famine and plague, and make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse, a thing of wonder, scorn, derision, for all the nations where I have dispersed them;

29:19 because they have refused to listen to my words - it is Yahweh who speaks - although I have persistently sent them all my servants the prophets. However, they would not listen - it is Yahweh who speaks.

29:20 But all you exiles, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon, listen to the word of Yahweh.

29:21 "This is what Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy lies to you in my name: I shall hand them over now to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon who will strike them before your eyes.

29:22 This curse, based on their fate, will be used by all the exiles of Judah in Babylon: May Yahweh treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, roasted alive by the king of Babylon!

29:23 Such is the fate of those who perpetrate infamies in Israel, committing adultery with other men's wives, speaking words in my name without orders from me. I know all the same; I see - it is Yahweh who speaks."'

 

An exile objects to Jeremiah's letter

29:24 Shemaiah of Nehelam sent a letter of his own (to all the people in Jerusalem)

29:25 to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah (and to all the priests), which said:

29:26 'Yahweh has appointed you priest in succession to Jehoiada to keep order in the Temple of Yahweh; in the case of a madman who acts the prophet, your duty is to put him in the stocks and iron collar.

29:27 This being the case, why have you not disciplined Jeremiah of Anathoth, who poses as a prophet to you?

29:28 - since on the strength of this pretension he has sent a message to us in Babylon to say, "It will be a long time. Build houses, settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce."'

29:29 The priest Zephaniah read this letter aloud to the prophet Jeremiah.

29:30 The word of Yahweh, however, was addressed to Jeremiah,

29:31 'Send this message to all the exiles, "This is what Yahweh says about Shemaiah of Nehelam: Since Shemaiah has prophesied to you without my sending him, and since it is due to him that you are now relying on what is false,

29:32 now therefore - thus says Yahweh - I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants; no male member of his family shall survive among this people to see the happiness that I will bestow on my people ( - it is Yahweh who speaks - since he has preached apostasy from Yahweh)."'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 30

 

C. THE BOOK OF CONSOLATION

 

Promise of recovery for the northern kingdom of Israel

30:1 The word addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh:

30:2 Yahweh, the God of Israel says this: Write all the words I have spoken to you in a book.

30:3 For see, the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel (and Judah), Yahweh says, and bring them back to possess the land I gave to their ancestors.

30:4 These are the words Yahweh spoke about Israel (and Judah):

30:5 Yahweh says this: I have heard a cry of panic, of terror, not of peace.

30:6 Now ask, consider: can men bear children? Then why do I see each man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labour? Why has every face changed, turned pale?

30:7 This is indeed a great day, no other like it: a time of distress for Jacob; but he will be freed from it.

30:8 On that day - it is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks - I will break the yoke on their necks, and snap their chains. They will be no longer the servants of aliens,

30:9 but will serve Yahweh their God, and David their king whom I will raise up for them.

30:10 So do not be afraid, my servant Jacob - it is Yahweh who speaks - Israel, do not be alarmed: look, I will rescue you from distant countries and your descendants from the country where they are captive. Jacob will have quiet again and live at ease, with no one to trouble him.

30:11 For I am with you to save you: I will make an end of all the nations where I have scattered you; I will not make an end of you, only discipline you in moderation, so as not to let you go entirely unpunished.

30:12 Yes, Yahweh says this: Your wound is incurable, your injury past healing.

30:13 There is no one to care for your sore, no medicine to make you well again.

30:14 All your lovers have forgotten you, they look for you no more. Yes, I have struck you as an enemy strikes, with harsh punishment (so great is your guilt, so many your sins).

30:15 Why bother to complain about your wound? Your pain is incurable. So great is your guilt, so many your sins, that I have done all this to you.

30:16 But all those who devoured you shall themselves be devoured, all your oppressors go into captivity, those who despoiled you shall be despoiled, and all who preyed on you I will make into prey.

30:17b For they used to call you 'The Outcast', 'Our booty whom no one cares about!'

30:17a But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds - it is Yahweh who speaks.

30:18 Yahweh says this: Now I will restore the tents of Jacob, and take pity on his dwellings: the city shall be rebuilt on its ruins, the citadel restored on its site.

30:19 From them will come thanksgiving and shouts of joy. I will make them increase, and not diminish them, make them honoured, and not disdained.

30:20 Their sons shall be as once they were, their community fixed firm in my presence, and I will punish all their oppressors.

30:21 Their prince will be one of their own, their ruler come from their own people. I will let him come freely into my presence and he can come close to me; who else, indeed, would risk his life by coming close to me? - it is Yahweh who speaks.

30:22 And you shall be my people and I will be your God.

30:23 Now a storm of Yahweh breaks, a tempest whirls, it bursts over the head of the wicked;

30:24 the anger of Yahweh will not turn aside until he has performed and carried out, the decision of his heart. You will understand this in the days to come.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 31

 

31:1 When that time comes - it is Yahweh who speaks - I will be the God of all the clans of Israel: they shall be my people.

31:2 Yahweh says this: They have found pardon in the wilderness, those who have survived the sword. Israel is marching to his rest.

31:3 Yahweh has appeared to him from afar: I have loved you with an everlasting love, so I am constant in my affection for you.

31:4 I build you once more; you shall be rebuilt, virgin of Israel. Adorned once more, and with your tambourines, you will go out dancing gaily.

31:5 You will plant vineyards once more on the mountains of Samaria (the planters have done their planting: they will gather the fruit).

31:6 Yes, a day will come when the watchmen shout on the mountains of Ephraim, 'Up! Let us go up to Zion, to Yahweh our God!'

31:7 For Yahweh says this: Shout with joy for Jacob! Hail the chief of nations! Proclaim! Praise! Shout: 'Yahweh has saved his people, the remnant of Israel!'

31:8 See, I will bring them back from the land of the North and gather them from the far ends of earth; all of them: the blind and the lame, women with child, women in labour: a great company returning here.

31:9 They had left in tears, I will comfort them as I lead them back; I will guide them to streams of water, by a smooth path where they will not stumble. For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born son.

31:10 Listen, nations, to the word of Yahweh. Tell this to the distant islands, 'He who scattered Israel gathers him, he guards him as a shepherd guards his flock'.

31:11 For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, rescued him from a hand stronger than his own.

31:12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion, they will throng towards the good things of Yahweh: corn and oil and wine, sheep and oxen; their soul will be like a watered garden, they will sorrow no more.

31:13 The virgin will then take pleasure in the dance, young men and old will be happy; I will change their mourning into gladness, comfort them, give them joy after their troubles,

31:14 refresh my priests with rich food, and see my people have their fill of my good things - it is Yahweh who speaks.

31:15 Thus speaks Yahweh: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamenting and weeping bitterly: it is Rachel [*a] weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.

31:16 Yahweh says this: Stop your weeping, dry your eyes, your hardships will be redressed: they shall come back from the enemy country.

31:17 There is hope for your descendants: your sons will come home to their own lands.

31:18 I plainly hear the grieving of Ephraim, 'You have disciplined me, I accepted the discipline like a young bull untamed. Bring me back, let me come back, for you are Yahweh my God!

31:19 Yes, I turned away, but have since repented; I understood, I beat my breast. I was deeply ashamed, covered with confusion; yes, I still bore the disgrace of my youth'.

31:20 Is Ephraim, then, so dear a son to me, a child so favoured, that after each threat of mine I must still remember him, still be deeply moved for him, and let my tenderness yearn over him? It is Yahweh who speaks.

31:21 Set up signposts, raise landmarks; mark the road well, the way by which you went. Come home, virgin of Israel, come home to these towns of yours.

31:22 How long will you hesitate, disloyal daughter? For Yahweh is creating something new on earth: the Woman sets out to find her Husband again.

 

Promise of restoration to Judah

31:23 Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: In the land of Judah and in its towns, they will use these words again, once I have restored their fortunes: 'Yahweh grant you his blessing, you pasture of justice, you holy mountain!'

31:24 Judah and all his towns, the farmers and those who tend the flock will live in this land.

31:25 For I refresh the wearied soul and satisfy every sorrowing soul.

31:26 And hence:[*b] I awoke and was refreshed, and my sleep was peaceful.

 

Israel and Judah

31:27 See, the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when I am going to sow the seed of men and cattle on the House of Israel and on the House of Judah.

31:28 And as I once watched them to tear up, to knock down, to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so now I shall watch over them to build and to plant. It is Yahweh who speaks.

 

Individual retribution

31:29 In those days people will no longer say: 'The fathers have eaten unripe grapes; the children's teeth are set on edge'.

31:30 But each is to die for his own sin. Every man who eats unripe grapes is to have his own teeth set on edge.

 

The new covenant

31:31 See, the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel (and the House of Judah),

31:32 but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, so I had to show them who was master. It is Yahweh who speaks.

31:33 No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive - it is Yahweh who speaks. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people.

31:34 There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, 'Learn to know Yahweh!' No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest - it is Yahweh who speaks - since I will forgive their iniquity and never call their sin to mind.

 

Israel will endure

31:35 Yahweh who provides the sun for light by day, the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs the sea, making its waves roar, he whose name is Yahweh Sabaoth, says this:

31:36 Were this established order ever to pass away from my presence - it is Yahweh who speaks - only then would the race of Israel also cease to be a nation in my presence for ever.

31:37 Were the heavens above ever to be measured, the foundations of the earth below ever to be fathomed, only then would I reject the race of Israel for all that they have done. It is Yahweh who speaks.

 

Jerusalem magnificently rebuilt

31:38 See, the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when the city of Yahweh will be rebuilt from the Tower of Hananel to the Gate of the Corner.

31:39 Then once again the measuring line will stretch straight to the Hill of Gareb, turning then to Goah.[*c]

31:40 And the whole valley, with its dead and its ashes, and all the fields beside the wadi Kidron as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, eastwards, will be consecrated to Yahweh. It shall never again be destroyed, or laid under the ban.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 32

 

D. ADDITIONS TO THE BOOK OF CONSOLATION

 

Jeremiah buys a field in token of his confidence in the future of Judah

32:1 The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

32:2 The army of the king of Babylon was at that time besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined to the Court of the Guard in the royal palace of Judah,

32:3 where Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him. 'Why' he had asked 'do you make a prophecy like this, "Yahweh says this: I am now going to deliver this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, for him to capture it;

32:4 and Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the power of the Chaldaeans, but will inevitably be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, speak to him personally and see him face to face.

32:5 He will take Zedekiah to Babylon and he will stay there (until I visit him - it is Yahweh who speaks. If you fight the Chaldaeans you will not succeed!)"?'

32:6 Jeremiah said, 'The word of Yahweh has been addressed to me as follows,

32:7 "Look, Hanamel the son of your uncle Shallum will come to you and say: Buy my field at Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption[*a] "to purchase it".

32:8 And, as Yahweh had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me, in the Court of the Guard. He said to me, "Buy my field at Anathoth, for you have the right of inheritance and redemption; buy it". I knew then that this was Yahweh's order.

32:9 Accordingly, I bought the field from my cousin Hanamel of Anathoth and paid him the price: seventeen silver shekels.

32:10 I drew up the deed and sealed it, called in witnesses and weighed out the money on the scales.

32:11 I then took both the sealed deed of purchase and its open copy, in accordance with the requirements of the law,

32:12 and handed over the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, of the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase, and of all the Jews who then happened to be in the Court of the Guard.

32:13 In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions:

32:14 Take these deeds, the sealed deed of purchase and its open copy, and put them in an earthenware pot, so that they may be preserved for a long time.

32:15 For Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this, "People will buy fields and vineyards in this land again".

32:16 'After I had entrusted the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed thus to Yahweh:

32:17 Ah, Lord Yahweh, you have made the heavens and the earth with your great power and outstretched arm. To you nothing is impossible.

32:18 You show kindness to thousands but repay the fathers' guilt in full to their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is Yahweh Sabaoth!

32:19 Great in purpose, mighty in execution, whose eyes are open on all the ways of men, rewarding each man as his ways and the results of his actions deserve!

32:20 You performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and do the same today, in Israel and among mankind. You have won the name that is yours today.

32:21 You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with mighty hand and outstretched arm and fearsome terror;

32:22 then you gave them this land which you promised on oath to their ancestors, a land where milk and honey flow;

32:23 and in due course they entered it and took possession. But they would not listen to your voice or follow your Law: they would do nothing you ordered them to do; and so you made all these disasters happen to them.

32:24 See how the earthworks grow nearer to the city for the assault! Sword, famine, and plague will deliver the city into the hands of the attacking Chaldaeans. What you have said is now fulfilled, as you see.

32:25 Yet you yourself, Lord Yahweh, told me, "Buy the field with money in front of witnesses" - and even now the city is falling into the hands of the Chaldaeans!

32:26 'The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

32:27 "See, I am Yahweh, the God of all mankind: is anything impossible to me?

32:28 "Therefore - Yahweh says this: I am now putting this city into the power of the Chaldaeans, into the power of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will capture it;

32:29 the Chaldaeans attacking this city will come and set fire to it; they will burn the houses on the roofs of which incense was offered to Baal and libations were poured to alien gods, to provoke me.

32:30 For the sons of Israel and of Judah have done nothing but displease me from their youth up (the sons of Israel in fact have done nothing but provoke me by their actions - it is Yahweh who speaks).

32:31 Yes, from the day when it was built until today, this city has been such cause of anger and of wrath to me that I mean to remove it from my sight,

32:32 because of all the wickedness the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have committed to provoke me: they, their kings, their nobles, their priests and their prophets, the men of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem.

32:33 They turned their backs to me, never their faces; and though I taught them so urgently, so persistently, they would not listen and learn the lesson.

32:34 They have put their abominations in the Temple that bears my name to defile it.

32:35 They have built the high places of Baal in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, there to make their sons and daughters pass through fire in honour of Molech - something I never ordered, for it never entered my thoughts that they would do such detestable things - and so they have led Judah into sin.

32:36 "But now, and for the same reason, this is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says about this city of which you say: Sword, famine and plague will deliver it into the hands of the king of Babylon:

32:37 I mean to gather them from all the countries where I have driven them in my anger, my fury and great wrath. I will bring them back to this place and make them live in safety.

32:38 Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

32:39 I will give them a different heart and different behaviour so that they will always fear me, for the good of themselves and their children after them.

32:40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them; I will not cease in my efforts for their good, and I will put respect for me into their hearts, so that they turn from me no more.

32:41 lt will be my pleasure to bring about their good, and I will plant them firmly in this land, with all my heart and soul.

32:42 For Yahweh says this: As I have brought this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring them all the good I promise them.

32:43 People will buy fields in this land of which you say: It is a wasteland without man or beast, it is given over into the power of the Chaldaeans.

32:44 People will buy fields, pay money, draw up deeds and seal them, and witness them in the land of Benjamin, in the districts round Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah, of the highlands, of the Lowlands and of the Negeb. For I am going to restore their fortunes - it is Yahweh who speaks."'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 33

 

Another promise of recovery for Jerusalem and Judah

33:1 Jeremiah was still confined to the Court of the Guard when the word of Yahweh was addressed to him a second time,

33:2 'Yahweh, who made the earth, who formed it and set it firm - Yahweh is his name - says this,

33:3 Call to me and I will answer you; I will tell you great mysteries of which you know nothing.

33:4 For this is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says about the houses of this city and the royal palaces of Judah which are to be destroyed. Against the earthworks and the palisades

33:5 they will join battle with the Chaldaeans, only to fill the city with the corpses of those I strike down in my anger and my wrath, of those from whom I turned my face because of all their wickedness.

33:6 'But look, I will hasten their recovery and their cure; I will cure them and let them know peace and security in full measure.

33:7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, and build them again as they were before.

33:8 I will cleanse them of every sin they have committed against me; the sins by which they offended me and apostatised from me, all these I will forgive.

33:9 And Jerusalem shall be my theme of joy, my honour and my boast, before all the nations of the earth: these, when they hear of all the prosperity that I shall grant, will be seized with fear and trembling at all the prosperity and the peace that I provide for it.

33:10 'Yahweh says this: In this place of which you say, "It is a waste without man or beast", in the towns of Judah and in the ruined streets of Jerusalem where there is neither man nor beast, once more will be heard

33:11 shouts of rejoicing and mirth, the voices of bridegroom and bride, and the singing of those who bring thanksgiving sacrifices to the Temple of Yahweh, "Give thanks to Yahweh Sabaoth, for Yahweh is good, for his love is everlasting". For I will restore the fortunes of this land as they were before. Yahweh declares it!

33:12 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this: In this place, this waste without man or beast, and in all its towns, once again there will be pastures for the shepherds to rest their flocks.

33:13 In all the towns of the highlands, of the Lowlands and the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, in the districts round Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, once again the flocks shall pass under the hand of him who counts them. Yahweh declares it!

 

The institutions of the future

33:14 'See, the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when I am going to fulfil the promise I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah:

33:15 'In those days and at that time, I will make a virtuous Branch grow for David, who shall practise honesty and integrity in the land.

33:16 In those days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell in confidence. And this is the name the city will be called: Yahweh-our-integrity.

33:17 For Yahweh says this: David shall never lack a male descendant to sit on the throne of the House of Israel.

33:18 And the levitical priests shall never lack a male descendant to stand in my presence and offer holocaust, to burn the oblation and offer sacrifice every day.'

33:19 The word of Yahweh was addressed to Jeremiah,

33:20 'Yahweh says this: If you could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night do not come at their due time,

33:21 then my covenant with David my servant might also be broken and he would have no son to reign on his throne, and so might my covenant with the levitical priests, who are my ministers.

33:22 As the array of heaven is past counting, the sand on the seashore beyond all reckoning, so will I increase the heirs of David my servant and the Levites, who, with these heirs, minister to me.'

33:23 The word of Yahweh was addressed to Jeremiah,

33:24 'Have you not noticed what these people say, "The two families which Yahweh chose he has now rejected"? So they despise my people, whom they no longer think of as a nation.

33:25 Yahweh says this: if I have not created day and night and have not laid down laws for the heavens and the earth,

33:26 why, then I reject the descendants of Jacob and of David my servant and cease to choose rulers from his descendants for the heirs of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! For I mean to restore their fortunes and take pity on them.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 34

 

E. MISCELLANEOUS PASSAGES

 

The fate of Zedekiah

34:1 The word addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his whole army, with all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples, were waging war on Jerusalem and its outlying towns,

34:2 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah. Say this to him, "Yahweh says this: I am now handing over this city into the power of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.

34:3 And you yourself will not escape his power but will inevitably be captured and delivered into his hands. You will see the king of Babylon face to face and speak to him personally. Then you will go to Babylon.

34:4 Even so, listen to the word of Yahweh, Zedekiah king of Judah, and you will not die by the sword;

34:5 you will die in peace. And as spices were burnt for your fathers, the kings who in times past preceded you, so they will also burn spices for you and raise this dirge for you: Mourn for his highness! I myself declare it - it is Yahweh who speaks."'

34:6 The prophet Jeremiah repeated all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem,

34:7 while the army of the king of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and the towns of Judah which still held out, namely Lachish and Azekah, these being the only towns of Judah that still held out, since they were fortified.

 

The episode of the liberated slaves

34:8 The word addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh after King Zedekiah had made a pact with all the people in Jerusalem to free their slaves:

34:9 each man was to free his Hebrew slaves, men and women, and no one was any longer to keep a brother Jew in slavery.

34:10 All the nobles and all the people who had entered into the pact had agreed that everyone should free his slaves, men or women, and no longer keep them as slaves: they had agreed on this and set them free.

34:11 Afterwards, however, they changed their minds, recovered the slaves, men and women, whom they had set free, and reduced them to slavery again.

34:12 So the word of Yahweh was addressed to Jeremiah,

34:13 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; it said:

34:14 At the end of seven years each one of you is to free his brother Hebrew who has sold himself to you: he may be your slave for six years, then you must send him away free. But your ancestors did not listen to me and would not pay attention.

34:15 Now, today you took a different attitude and did what pleases me by proclaiming freedom for your neighbour; you made a covenant in my presence in the Temple that bears my name.

34:16 And then you changed your mind and, profaning my name, each of you has recovered his slaves, men and women, whom you had sent away free to live their own lives, and has forced them to become your slaves again.

34:17 'Therefore - Yahweh says this: You have disobeyed me, by not each granting freedom to his brother and his neighbour. Very well, I in my turn - it is Yahweh who speaks - leave sword, famine and plague free to deal with you; I will make you an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

34:18 And these men who have infringed my covenant, who have not observed the terms of the covenant made in my presence, I will treat these men like the calf they cut in two to pass between the parts of it.[*a]

34:19 As for the nobles of Judah and of Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests, and all the people of the country who have passed between the parts of the calf,

34:20 I will put them into the power of their enemies and into the power of men determined to kill them: their corpses will feed the birds of heaven and the beasts of the earth.

34:21 As for Zedekiah king of Judah and his nobles, these too I will hand over to their enemies and to men determined to kill them, and to the army of the king of Babylon which has just withdrawn.

34:22 Listen, I will give the order - it is Yahweh who speaks - and bring them back to this city to attack it and capture it and burn it down. I am going to make an uninhabited desert of the towns of Judah.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 35

 

The example of the Rechabites

35:1 The word addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah,

35:2 'Go to the clan of the Rechabites and speak to them; bring them into one of the apartments of the Temple of Yahweh and offer them wine to drink'.

35:3 So I brought Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, with his brothers and all his sons: the whole Rechabite clan.

35:4 I took them to the Temple of Yahweh into the apartment of Ben-johanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God, a room near that of the officials, over the apartment of Maaseiah son of Shallum, guardian of the threshold.

35:5 I then set pitchers full of wine, and some cups, before the men of the Rechabite clan and said, 'Drink some wine'.

35:6 They replied, 'We do not drink wine, because our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab gave us this order: "You must never drink wine, neither you nor your sons;

35:7 nor must you build houses, sow seed, plant vineyards, or own property; but you must live in tents all your lives, so that you may live long on the soil to which you are alien".

35:8 We have punctiliously obeyed the orders of our ancestor, Jonadab son of Rechab, never drinking wine ourselves, nor our wives, our sons or our daughters,

35:9 not building houses to live in, owning neither vineyard nor field to sow,

35:10 living in tents. We have obeyed the orders of our ancestor Jonadab, respecting them in every particular.

35:11 However, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this country, we decided, "We must get away! We will go to Jerusalem to escape the army of the Chaldaeans and the army of Aram." So here we are, living in Jerusalem.'

35:12 Then the word of Yahweh was addressed to Jeremiah,

35:13 'Thus Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel: Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Will you not learn the lesson and listen to my words? It is Yahweh who speaks.

35:14 The word of Jonadab son of Rechab ordering his sons to drink no wine has been kept; obedient to their ancestor's command, they drink none even today. But to me, who spoke to you so urgently, so persistently, you have not listened.

35:15 I have sent you all my servants the prophets so persistently, so often, to say: Each of you turn from your evil way, and amend your actions, do not follow alien gods and serve them; then you will be able to stay on the soil I gave to you and your ancestors. But you would not listen to me.

35:16 The sons of Jonadab son of Rechab have kept the command their ancestor gave them, but this people has not listened to me.

35:17 And so - Yahweh, the God of Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: I will bring down on Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem all the disasters with which I have threatened them, because I spoke to them and they would not listen, called to them and they would not answer."'

35:18 Then Jeremiah said to the Rechabite clan, 'Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel says this, "Because you have obeyed the orders of Jonadab and kept all his rules and done all that he ordered you,

35:19 for this - thus says Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel - Jonadab son of Rechab shall never lack a male descendant to stand in my presence"'.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 36

 

IV. THE SUFFERINGS OF JEREMIAH

 

The scroll written in 605-604

36:1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim[*a], son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word was addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh,

36:2 'Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you about Jerusalem and Judah and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you, in the time of Josiah, until today.

36:3 Perhaps when the House of Judah hears of all the evil I have in mind for them, each man will turn from his evil way, and then I can forgive their misdeeds and their sin.'

36:4 Jeremiah therefore summoned Baruch son of Neriah, who at his dictation wrote down on the scroll all the words Yahweh had spoken to him.

36:9 Now in the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month[*b], there was a summons to a fast in the presence of Yahweh for the whole population of Jerusalem and for all the people who could come to Jerusalem from the towns of Judah.

36:5 Jeremiah then gave Baruch this order: 'As I am prevented from entering the Temple of Yahweh,

36:6 you yourself must go and, from the scroll you wrote at my dictation, read all the words of Yahweh to the people in his Temple on the day of the fast; read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come in from the towns.

36:7 Perhaps they will offer their prayers to Yahweh and each one turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath with which Yahweh has threatened this people.'

36:8 Baruch son of Neriah duly carried out the order that the prophet Jeremiah had given him, to read all the words of Yahweh from the book in his Temple.

36:10 He read the words of Jeremiah from the book; this happened in the apartment of Gemariah, son of Shaphan the secretary, in the upper court at the entry of the New Gate of the Temple of Yahweh, where all the people could hear.

36:11 Micaiah son of Gemariah, son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of Yahweh read from the book,

36:12 and he went down to the royal palace and into the secretary's room. All the officials were in session there: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah and all the other officials.

36:13 Micaiah reported to them all the words he had heard as Baruch was reading the book to the people.

36:14 The officials then by common consent sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah to Baruch, with Shelemiah son of Cushi, to give him this message, 'Come, and bring the scroll with you which you were reading to the people'. Bringing the scroll with him, Baruch son of Neriah appeared before them.

36:15 'Sit down,' they said 'and read it out.' So Baruch read it to them.

36:16 When they had heard all the words they turned to one another in alarm and said, 'We must certainly inform the king of all this'.

36:17 They then questioned Baruch: 'Tell us' they said 'how you came to write all these words'.

36:18 'Jeremiah dictated them to me.' Baruch replied 'and I wrote them down in ink in this book.'

36:19 The officials then said to Baruch, 'You and Jeremiah had better go into hiding; and do not tell anyone where you are'.

36:20 Whereupon they went off to the king in the palace court, depositing the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary. And they informed the king of the whole affair.

36:21 The king sent Jehudi for the scroll, and he brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it out to the king and all the officials standing round the king.

36:22 The king was seated in his winter apartments - it was the ninth month - with a fire burning in a brazier in front of him.

36:23 Each time Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the fire in the brazier until the whole of the scroll had been burnt in the brazier fire.

36:24 But even after hearing all these words, neither the king nor any of his servants took alarm or tore their garments;

36:25 and although Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had urged the king not to burn the scroll he would not listen to them.

36:26 He ordered Prince Jerahmeel and Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. But Yahweh had hidden them.

36:27 And then the word of Yahweh was addressed to Jeremiah, after the king had burnt the scroll containing the words Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah,

36:28 'Take another scroll and write down all the words that were written on the first scroll burnt by Jehoiakim king of Judah.

36:29 And as regards Jehoiakim king of Judah, say, "Yahweh says this: You have burnt this scroll, saying: Why have you written down: The king of Babylon will certainly come and lay this country waste and leave it without man or beast?

36:30 And so, this is what Yahweh says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his corpse will be tossed out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night.

36:31 I will punish him, his heirs and his servants for their misdeeds; on them, on the citizens of Jerusalem and on the men of Judah I will bring down all the disasters with which I have threatened them, though they have not listened."'

36:32 Jeremiah then took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and at the dictation of Jeremiah he wrote down all the words of the book that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burnt, with many similar words in addition.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 37

 

A verdict on Zedekiah

37:1 Zedekiah son of Josiah became king, succeeding Coniah son of Jehoiakim: Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made him king of the land of Judah.

37:2 But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the country paid any attention to the words Yahweh spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.

 

Zedekiah consults Jeremiah during the respite of 588

37:3 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah with this message, 'Intercede for us with Yahweh our God'.

37:4 Now Jeremiah was still moving freely among the people: he had not yet been put in prison.

37:5 Meanwhile Pharaoh's army was on the move from Egypt and the Chaldaeans besieging Jerusalem had raised the siege when they heard the news.

37:6 Then the word of Yahweh was addressed to the prophet Jeremiah,

37:7 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: To the king of Judah who sent you to consult me make this reply, "Is Pharaoh's army marching to your aid? It will withdraw to its own country, Egypt.

37:8 The Chaldaeans will return to attack this city; they will capture it and burn it down.

37:9 Do not deceive yourselves and say: The Chaldaeans are leaving us for good. They are not leaving.

37:10 Even if you cut to pieces the whole Chaldaean army now fighting against you until there were only the wounded left, they would stand up again, each man in his tent, to burn this city down."'

 

The arrest of Jeremiah. Improvement in his treatment

37:11 At the time when the Chaldaean army, threatened by the army of Pharaoh, had raised the siege of Jerusalem,

37:12 Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem and go to the land of Benjamin, there among his own people to divide his property.

37:13 He was at the Benjamin Gate when a sentry on duty there, Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, arrested the prophet Jeremiah. 'You are deserting to the Chaldaeans' he said.

37:14 'It is a lie!' Jeremiah answered. 'I am not deserting to the Chaldaeans.' But Irijah would not listen to Jeremiah and took him under arrest to the officials.

37:15 The officials, furious with Jeremiah, had him beaten and shut up in the house of Jonathan the secretary which had been turned into a prison.

37:16 Thus Jeremiah found himself in an underground cell. And there for a long time he stayed.

37:17 King Zedekiah had him sent for, and he questioned him privately in his palace. 'Is there any word from Yahweh?' he asked. 'There is' Jeremiah answered. '"You will be handed over," he said "into the power of the king of Babylon."'

37:18 .Jeremiah then said to King Zedekiah, 'What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, for you to put me in prison?

37:19 Where are your prophets now who prophesied, "The king of Babylon will not attack you or this country"?

37:20 Let my lord king be pleased to listen to me now; let my request meet your favour. Do not have me taken back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I shall die there.'

37:21 King Zedekiah then gave an order, and Jeremiah was confined in the Court of the Guard and given a loaf of bread a day from the Street of the Bakers as long as there was bread left in the city. So Jeremiah stayed in the Court of the Guard.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 38

 

 Jeremiah is thrown into the cistern. Ebed-melech intervenes

38:1 But Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard the words which Jeremiah was saying to all the people,

38:2 'Yahweh says this, "Anyone who stays in this city will die by sword, famine or plague; but anyone who leaves it and surrenders to the Chaldaeans will live; he will escape with his life.

38:3 Yahweh says this: This city will certainly be delivered into the power of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it."'

38:4 These leading men accordingly spoke to the king. 'Let this man be put to death: he is unquestionably disheartening the remaining soldiers in the city, and all the people too, by talking like this. The fellow does not have the welfare of this people at heart so much as its ruin.'

38:5 'He is in your hands as you know,' King Zedekiah answered 'for the king is powerless against you.'

38:6 So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the well of Prince Malchiah in the Court of the Guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the well, only mud, and into the mud Jeremiah sank.

38:7 But Ebed-melech the Cushite, a eunuch attached to the palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the well. As the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,

38:8 Ebed-melech came out from the palace and spoke to the king.

38:9 'My lord king,' he said 'these men have done a wicked thing by treating the prophet Jeremiah like this: they have thrown him into the well where he will die.'

38:10 At this the king gave Ebed-melech the Cushite the following order: 'Take three men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the well before he dies'.

38:11 Ebed-melech took the men with him and went into the palace to the storehouse wardrobe; out of it he took some torn, worn-out rags which he lowered on ropes to Jeremiah in the well.

38:12 Ebed-melech the Cushite then said to Jeremiah, 'These torn, worn-out rags are for you to put under your armpits to pad the ropes'. Jeremiah did this.

38:13 They then hauled Jeremiah up with the ropes and pulled him out of the well. And Jeremiah stayed in the Court of the Guard.

 

The last conversation between Jeremiah and Zedekiah

38:14 King Zedekiah had the prophet Jeremiah summoned to him at the third entrance to the Temple of Yahweh. 'I want to ask you for a word,' the king said to Jeremiah 'keep nothing back from me.'

38:15 Jeremiah answered Zedekiah, 'If I tell you, surely you will have me put to death? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.'

38:16 King Zedekiah then swore this oath in secret to Jeremiah, 'As Yahweh lives, giver of this life of ours, I will neither have you put to death nor handed over into the power of these men who are determined to kill you'.

38:17 Jeremiah then said to Zedekiah, 'Yahweh, the God of Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this, "If you go out and surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be safe and this city will not be burnt down; you and your family will survive.

38:18 But if you do not go out and surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over into the power of the king of the Chaldaeans who will burn it down; and you yourself will not escape their hands."'

38:19 King Zedekiah then said to Jeremiah, 'I am afraid of the Jews who have already gone over to the Chaldaeans: I might be handed over to them and they would ill-treat me'.

38:20 'You will not be handed over to them,' Jeremiah replied 'just listen to the voice of Yahweh, in obedience to which I have spoken, and all will go well with you and your life will be safe.

38:21 But if you refuse to go, this is what Yahweh has shown me:

38:22 a vision of all the women left in the palace of the king of Judah being led off to the officers of the king of Babylon and singing: "They have misled you, they have overreached you, your fine friends! Are your feet sinking in the mud? They are up and away!"

38:23 Yes, all your wives and children will be led off to the Chaldaeans, and you yourself will not escape their hands, but will be a prisoner in the clutches of the king of Babylon. And as for this city, it will be burnt down.'

38:24 Zedekiah then said to Jeremiah, 'Do not let anyone else hear these words or you will die.

38:25 If the officials hear that I have been talking to you, and come to you and say, "Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; keep nothing back from us, or we will put you to death",

38:26 you must reply, "I presented this request to the king: that he would not have me sent back to the house of Jonathan to die there".'

38:27 All the officials did in fact come to Jeremiah to question him. He told them exactly what the king had ordered him to say. They then left him in peace, since no part of the conversation had been overheard.

38:28 Jeremiah stayed in the Court of the Guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 39

 

The fall of Jerusalem: the treatment Jeremiah received

Now when Jerusalem was captured...

39:1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month[*a], Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with his whole army to attack Jerusalem and besieged it.

39:2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month[*b], a breach was made in the city wall.

39:3 ...all the officers of the king of Babylon marched in and took up their quarters at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, prince of Sin-magir, the chief officer, Nebushazban, the high official, and all the other officers of the king of Babylon...

39:4 Seeing this, Zedekiah king of Judah fled under cover of dark, with all the fighting men, leaving the city by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls, and making their way towards the Arabah.[*c]

39:5 The Chaldaean troops pursued them and caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, who passed sentence on him.

39:6 The king of Babylon had the sons of Zedekiah slaughtered before his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also had all the leading men of Judah put to death.

39:7 He then put out Zedekiah's eyes and, loading him with chains, carried him off to Babylon.

39:8 The Chaldaeans burnt down the royal palace and the private houses, and demolished the walls of Jerusalem.

39:9 Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, deported the remainder of the population left behind in the city, the deserters who had gone over to him, and the rest of the artisans to Babylon.

39:10 Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, left some of the humbler people who had nothing, in the land of Judah, at the same time giving them vineyards and fields.

39:11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given the following orders to Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, about Jeremiah:

39:12 'Take him, look after him; do him no harm, but treat him as he wishes'.

39:13 Whereupon (Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard,) Nebushazban, the high official, Nergal-sharezer, the chief officer, and all the officers of the king of Babylon despatched men.

39:14 ... and they despatched men to take Jeremiah from the Court of the Guard, and allowed him to move about freely. And so he lived among the people.

 

An oracle assuring the safety of Ebed-melech

39:15 While Jeremiah was confined in the Court of the Guard, the word of Yahweh was addressed to him,

39:16 'Go and say to Ebed-melech the Cushite, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: See, I am bringing disaster, not prosperity, on this city, as I said I would. That day, when this comes true before your eyes,

39:17 I will rescue you that day - it is Yahweh who speaks - and you will not be delivered into the hands of the men you fear.

39:18 will see that you escape: you are not going to fall to the sword; you will escape with your life, because you have put your trust in me - it is Yahweh who speaks."'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 40

 

Further details about the treatment of Jeremiah

40:1 The word addressed to Jeremiah by Yahweh after Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, had released him from Ramah; there he had him singled out, chained as he was with all the other captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being deported to Babylon.

40:2 Then taking Jeremiah aside, the commander of the guard said to him, 'Yahweh your God foretold calamity for this country,

40:3 and now he has brought it. He has done what he threatened to do, because you had sinned against Yahweh and would not listen to his voice; so all this has happened to you.

40:4 Look, today I am having your hands unchained. If you like to come with me to Babylon, then come: I will look after you. If you do not want to come with me to Babylon, never mind. Look, you have the whole country to choose from: you may go where you please, wherever you choose.

40:5 You can, for instance, go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed governor of the towns of Judah, and stay with him and live with the people; or you can go anywhere else you choose.' With that, the commander of the guard provided him with food and gave him a present and sent him on his way.

40:6 Jeremiah went to Mizpah to Gedaliah son of Ahikam and stayed with him, living with the people still left in the country.

 

Gedaliah the governor; his assassination

40:7 When all the commanders of the troops, who with their men were still roaming the countryside, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor of the country, making him responsible for the men, women and children, and those humbler people of the country who had not been deported to Babylon,

40:8 they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah: Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, Jezaniah son of the Maacathite, they and their men.

40:9 To them and to their men Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore an oath. 'Do not be afraid' he said 'of submitting to the Chaldaeans; but live in the country, and obey the king of Babylon, and all will go well with you.

40:10 I for my part, as the man answerable to the Chaldaeans when they come to us, am going to live here at Mizpah; but you can harvest your wine, summer fruits and oil, fill your storage jars and settle down in those towns which you care to occupy.'

40:11 Similarly, when all the Judaeans living in Moab and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as their governor,

40:12 they all came back from all the places to which they had been dispersed. On their return to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, they harvested an immense quantity of wine and summer fruits.

40:13 Now Johanan son of Kareah, and all the army leaders still roaming in the countryside, went to Gedaliah at Mizpah

40:14 and said to him, 'Are you aware that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to murder you?' But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not believe them.

40:15 Johanan son of Kareah had even told Gedaliah secretly at Mizpah, 'Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know who did it. Why should he murder you? It would mean that all the Judaeans who have rallied round you would be scattered again. Why should the remnant of Judah perish?'

40:16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam replied to Johanan son of Kareah, 'You must not do this; what you say about Ishmael is false'.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 41

 

41:1 But in the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, was of royal descent, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. And as they were taking their meal together, there at Mizpah,

41:2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah stood up with his ten men, and attacking Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with their swords, murdered the man whom the king of Babylon had made governor of the country.

41:3 And all the Judaeans who were with him at the feast, and those of the Chaldaeans who happened to be there - they were fighting men - Ishmael killed too.

41:4 On the day after the murder of Gedaliah, before the news had become known,

41:5 eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, with their beards shaved off, their garments torn and their bodies gashed; they had oblations and incense with them to take to the Temple of Yahweh.

41:6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah left Mizpah to meet them as they approached, weeping as they went. When he met them he said, 'Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam'.

41:7 But once they were well inside the town, Ishmael son of Nethaniah slaughtered them, with the help of his men, and threw them into a cistern.

41:8 There were ten of them, however, who said to Ishmael, 'Do not kill us: we have stocks of wheat and barley, oil and honey, hidden away in the fields'. So he spared them and did not kill them with their brothers.

41:9 The cistern into which Ishmael threw the corpses of all the men he had killed was a large cistern which King Asa had built as a precaution against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the bodies of his victims.

41:10 Then Ishmael led the entire remnant of the people at Mizpah away, and the royal princesses whom Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, had left in the care of Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah set out early to cross to the Ammonites.

41:11 When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army leaders who were with him heard about all the crimes committed by Ishmael son of Nethaniah,

41:12 mustering all their men, they set out to attack Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him at the great Pool of Gibeon.

41:13 At the sight of Johanan son of Kareah and all the army leaders with him, all the people with Ishmael were beside themselves with joy.

41:14 All the people whom Ishmael had led away from Mizpah turned about and rallied to Johanan son of Kareah.

41:15 Ishmael son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight of his men and fled to the Ammonites.

41:16 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army leaders with him then rallied the entire remnant of the people whom Ishmael son of Nethaniah had led away from Mizpah after the murder of Gedaliah son of Ahikam: men, women and children, and eunuchs, whom Johanan brought back from Gibeon.

41:17 They set out, making a halt at Khan Kimham near Bethlehem. Their plan was to make for Egypt,

41:18 away from the Chaldaeans, of whom they were now terrified because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam whom the king of Babylon had made governor of the country.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 42

 

The flight to Egypt

42:1 Then all the army leaders, with Johanan son of Kareah and Azariah son Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached

42:2 the prophet Jeremiah and said, 'May it please you to hear our request! Intercede with Yahweh your God for all this remnant - and how few we are who once were so many, your own eyes can now see -

42:3 so that Yahweh your God may show us the way we are to go and what we must do.'

42:4 The prophet Jeremiah replied, 'I hear you; and I will indeed pray to Yahweh your God as you ask; and every word Yahweh your God replies I will tell you, keeping nothing back from you'.

42:5 They in their turn said to Jeremiah, 'May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not follow the instructions that Yahweh your God sends us through you.

42:6 Whether we like it or not, we mean to obey the voice of Yahweh our God to whom we send you to speak for us, and by thus obeying the voice of Yahweh our God we will prosper.'

42:7 Ten days later the word of Yahweh was addressed to Jeremiah.

42:8 He then summoned Johanan son of Kareah and all the army leaders who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest.

42:9 He said, 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, to whom you delegated me to offer this request says this:

42:10 "If you are willing to remain peaceably in this country, I will build you and not overthrow you; I will plant you, not tear you up. For I am sorry for the evil I have done you.

42:11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon any longer; do not fear him - it is Yahweh who speaks - for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hands.

42:12 I will take pity on you, and move him to pity you and let you return to your native soil.

42:13 But if you say: We do not want to stay in this country; if you disobey the voice of Yahweh your God,

42:14 and say: No, the land of Egypt is where we want to go, where we shall not see war nor hear the sound of trumpet, nor lack for bread; that is where we want to live;

42:15 in that case, remnant of Judah, listen to the word of Yahweh. Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: If

42:16 you are determined to go to Egypt, and if you go and settle there, the sword you fear will overtake you, there in the land of Egypt; the famine you dread will follow on your heels, right into Egypt; you shall die there.

42:17 All the men who are determined to go to Egypt and settle there shall die by sword, famine and plague: not one survivor will escape the disaster I mean to bring them.

42:18 Yes, Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Just as my anger and my fury have been poured out on the citizens of Jerusalem, so will my fury be poured out on you if you go to Egypt: you will become an object of execration and horror, a curse, a laughing-stock; and you will never see this place again."'

43:1 However, when Jeremiah had finished telling all the people all the words of Yahweh their God, with which Yahweh had entrusted him for them - all the words quoted above -

42:2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan son of Kareah, and all those arrogant and apostate men, said to Jeremiah, 'You are lying. Yahweh did not entrust you to say, "Do not go to Egypt and settle there".

42:3 It is Baruch son of Neriah who keeps encouraging you to thwart us, to hand us over into the hands of the Chaldaeans, who will either put us to death or report us to Babylon!"

42:19 'Remnant of Judah!' Jeremiah answered 'Yahweh himself tells you, "Do not go into Egypt". Understand this clearly: today I have given you solemn warning.

42:20 You were playing with your own lives when you made me your envoy to Yahweh your God and said, "Intercede for us with Yahweh our God; tell us what Yahweh our God orders and we shall do it".

42:21 And now that I have told you, you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh your God today, or any part of the message he gave me for you.

42:22 So understand this clearly: you are going to die by sword, famine and plague in the place where you have been wanting to go and settle.'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 43

 

43:4 Despite this, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army leaders and all the people would not obey the voice of Yahweh and stay in the land of Judah.

43:5 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army leaders led off the entire remnant of Judah, those who had come back from all the nations into which they had been dispersed, to live in the land of Judah:

43:6 men, women, children, the royal princesses too, and every single person entrusted to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, by Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard; they also led off the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch son of Neriah.

43:7 And so, disregarding the voice of Yahweh, they reached the land of Egypt and arrived at Tahpanhes.

 

Jeremiah foretells the invasion of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar

43:8 At Tahpanhes the word of Yahweh was addressed to Jeremiah,

43:9 'Take some large stones and bury them in the presence of the men of Judah in the cement on the square outside the entrance of Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes.

43:10 Then say to them, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: I am sending for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant; he will place his throne over these stones that I have buried, and spread his canopy above them.

43:11 He is coming to strike the land of Egypt: Those for the plague, to the plague; those for captivity, into captivity; those for the sword, to the sword!

43:12 He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt; he will burn these gods or carry them off; as a shepherd picks his cloak clean of vermin, so will he pick Egypt clean and leave without interference.[*a] He will break the obelisks of the temple of the Sun at On[*b] and burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt."'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 44

 

The last episode of Jeremiah's ministry: the Jews and the Queen of Heaven

44:1 The word that was addressed to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt with homes in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph and the land of Pathros[*a].

44:2 'Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: You have seen all the misery I have brought down on Jerusalem and the towns of Judah; today they lie in ruins and uninhabited.

44:3 This was because of the wicked deeds which they committed to provoke me, offering incense and serving alien gods which neither they, nor you, nor your ancestors ever knew.

44:4 I persistently sent you all my servants the prophets; I sent them to say, "Do not commit this abomination that I find so hateful".

44:5 But they would not listen, would not pay attention and so turn from their wicked deeds and no longer offer incense to alien gods.

44:6 And so my fury and my anger overflowed, burning down the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, which were reduced to ruins and wasteland, as they still are today.

44:7 And now, Yahweh, the God of Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Why bring the same disaster on yourselves? Do you want to destroy all the men, women, children and babes in arms, out of Judah, and leave yourselves no remnant,

44:8 by provoking me with the work of your own hands, offering incense to alien gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to settle, thus working for your own destruction, to become a curse and a laughing-stock for all the nations of the earth?

44:9 Have you forgotten the crimes of your ancestors, of the kings of Judah and of their wives, your own crimes, the crimes of your own wives, committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

44:10 To this day they have felt neither contrition nor fear; they have not observed my Law nor the statutes I proclaimed before you, as before your ancestors.

44:11 Therefore - Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Now I mean to turn my face against you to bring disaster, and to exterminate the whole of Judah.

44:12 The remnant of Judah who resolved to come to the land of Egypt and settle there, I will remove: they will all perish in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword or perish by famine, from least to greatest; by sword and famine they will die; they will be an object of execration and horror, a curse, a laughing stock.

44:13 I will deal as severely with these who have made their home in the land of Egypt, as I dealt with Jerusalem, with sword, famine and plague.

44:14 Of the remnant of Judah settled in the land of Egypt, not one survivor is going to escape to return to the land of Judah where they long to live once again. For none of them are going to return, except for a few refugees.'

44:15 At this, all the men who knew that their wives offered incense to alien gods, and all the women who were standing there, a large assembly (with all the people living in Pathros in the land of Egypt), answered Jeremiah as follows,

44:16 'We have no intention of listening to this word you have spoken to us in Yahweh's name,

44:17 but intend to go on doing all we have vowed to do: offering incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring libations in her honour, as we used to do, we and our fathers, our kings and our leaders, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: we had food in plenty then, we lived well, we suffered no disasters.

44:18 But since we gave up offering incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring libations in her honour, we have been destitute and have perished either by sword or by famine.'

44:19 The women added, 'When we offer incense to the Queen of Heaven and pour libations in her honour, do you think we make cakes for her with her features on them, and pour libations to her, without our husbands' knowledge?'

44:20 To all the people, men and women; all those who had made this answer, Jeremiah retorted,

44:21 'The incense you offered in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you, your fathers, your kings, your leader, and the people of the country - is not this what Yahweh remembered, what came to his mind?

44:22 Yahweh could no longer endure your misdeeds and your detestable practices; this is why your country has today become a desert, an object of horror and a curse, uninhabited.

44:23 And this has happened because you offered incense, because you sinned against Yahweh, refusing to listen to the voice of Yahweh, or to observe his Law, his statutes and his decrees; this is the cause of the disaster that has overtaken you - as is the case today.'

44:24 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people, and particularly to all the women, 'Listen to the word of Yahweh:

44:25 Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this, "You women, what your mouth promises, your hands should certainly perform! You have said: We will perform the vows we have made without fail and offer incense to the Queen of Heaven and pour libations in her honour. Very well, keep your vows, make your libations!

44:26 But listen to the word of Yahweh, all you Judaeans living in the land of Egypt: I swear by my great name, Yahweh says, that my name shall be spoken no more by any man of Judah throughout the land of Egypt; not one shall say: As the lord Yahweh lives[*b].

44:27 Yes, I will watch over them for their ruin, not for their good; all the men of Judah in the land of Egypt shall perish either by sword or by famine until they are wiped out.

44:28 Yet, though few in number, those who escape the sword will return to the land of Judah from the land of Egypt. Then the entire remnant of Judah who have come to settle in the land of Egypt will know whose word came true, mine or theirs.

44:29 "And here is the proof for you - it is Yahweh who speaks - that I mean to deal with you in this place: so that you may know that the words with which I threaten you will come true:

44:30 Yahweh says this: I will hand the pharaoh Hophra[*c], king of Egypt, over to his enemies and to those determined to kill him, just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who was bent on killing him."'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 45

 

An oracle of comfort for Baruch

45:1 The word that the prophet Jeremiah addressed to Baruch son of Neriah when the latter wrote these words down in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim[*a] son of Josiah, king of Judah,

45:2 'This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says about you, Baruch!

45:3 Since you have said, "I despair, for Yahweh has added sorrow to my ordeals! I am worn out with groaning, and find no relief!"

45:4 Yahweh says this, "Now I am knocking down what I have built, tearing up what I have planted: I am going to strike the whole earth.

45:5 And here you are asking for special treatment! Do not ask, for I am now going to bring down disaster on all mankind - it is Yahweh who speaks. As for you, I will let you escape with your own life, wherever you may go."'

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 46

 

II(continued). ORACLES AGAINST THE NATIONS

 

B. THE ORACLES IN DETAIL

46:1 The words of Yahweh which were addressed to the prophet Jeremiah against the nations.

 

Oracles against Egypt. The defeat at Carchemish

46:2 On Egypt. Against the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which took up position near the river Euphrates by Carchemish,[*a] when it was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah.

46:3 Have buckler ready, and shield: onward to battle!

46:4 Harness the horses: into the saddle, horsemen! To your ranks! On with your helmets! Sharpen your spears, put on your breastplates!...

46:5 What do I see? They are panic-stricken, in full retreat! Their heroes, beaten back, are fleeing headlong with not a look behind. Terror from every side! - it is Yahweh who speaks.

46:6 The fastest cannot escape, nor the bravest save himself: there in the north, there by the river Euphrates, they have collapsed, have fallen.

46:7 Who was it rose like the Nile, its waters foaming like a torrent?

46:8 Why, Egypt rose like the Nile, its waters foaming like a torrent. 'I will rise,' he said 'and drown the earth; sweep towns and their inhabitants away!

46:9 Charge, horses! Crash on, chariots! Advance, warriors, you men from Cush and Put with shield in hand, you men from Lud who bend the bow!'[*b]

46:10 Now, this is the day of the Lord Yahweh, a day of vengeance for his revenge on his enemies: his sword will eat them up and have its fill, will grow drunk with their blood. Yes, the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth has a sacrifice to make in the north country, by the river Euphrates.

46:11 Go up to Gilead in search of balm, virgin daughter of Egypt! You multiply remedies in vain, nothing can cure you.

46:12 The nations have heard of your shame, the dirge raised for you fills the earth: for warrior has stumbled against warrior, and both have fallen.

 

The invasion of Egypt

46:13 The word that Yahweh addressed to the prophet Jeremiah when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon set out to attack the land of Egypt.

46:14 Publish it in Migdol, proclaim it in Noph. Say, 'To your posts! At the ready!' for the sword is devouring round you.

46:15 What! Has Apis[*c] fled? Has your Strong One not stood firm? Yes, Yahweh has knocked him

46:16 flat! He tottered, and now he has fallen down! Then they said to each other, 'Up! Let us go back to our own people, to the country where we were born, far from the destroying sword!'

46:17 Give this name to Pharaoh: 'Much-noise-but-he-lets-the-chance-slip-by'!

46:18 As I live - it is the King who speaks whose name is Yahweh Sabaoth - someone will come, a Tabor among mountains, a Carmel high above the sea.

46:19 Get your bundle ready for exile, daughter of Egypt, so safe in your home! Noph will be reduced to a desert, desolate, uninhabited.

46:20 Egypt was a splendid heifer, but a gad-fly from the North has settled on her.

46:21 The mercenaries she had with her, these too were as sleek as fattened calves: but they too have taken to their heels, they all run at once and cannot hold their ground. For on them comes the day of their disaster, their time of reckoning.

46:22 Listen: a sound like a serpent hissing! Yes, they are coming in force to fall on her with their axes, like woodcutters,

46:23 they will fell her forest - it is Yahweh who speaks. Yes, they are past counting, outnumbering the locusts, innumerable.

46:24 The daughter of Egypt is put to shame, handed over to a people from the North.

46:25 Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, has said: Now I mean to punish Amon of No,[*d] with Pharaoh and those who put their trust in him.

46:26 I will hand him over to those who are determined to kill him, over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, over to his servants. But in later days, Egypt will be inhabited again as in the past - it is Yahweh who speaks.

46:27 But do not be afraid, my servant Jacob, Israel, do not be alarmed: look, I will rescue you from distant countries and your descendants from the country where they are captive. Jacob will have quiet again and live at ease, with no one to trouble him.

46:28 Do not be afraid, my servant Jacob - it is Yahweh who speaks - for I am with you: I will make an end of all the nations where I have scattered you; I will not make an end of you, only discipline you in moderation, so as not to let you go entirely unpunished.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 47

 

Oracle against the Philistines

47:1 The word of Yahweh that was addressed to Jeremiah against the Philistines before Pharaoh took Gaza by storm.

47:2 Yahweh says this: See how the waters rise from the North, and become an overflowing torrent, overflowing the country and all it contains, the towns and their inhabitants! Men shout aloud, and there is wailing from all the inhabitants of the country,

47:3 at the thunder of his stallions' hoofs, the crash of his chariots, the grinding of his wheels. Fathers forget about their children, their hands fall limp

47:4 because the day has come on which all the Philistines are to be destroyed, on which Tyre and Sidon are to be stripped to the last of their auxiliaries. Yes, Yahweh is destroying the Philistines, the remnant from the Isle of Caphtor.

47:5 A shaven scalp for Gaza! Silence over Ashkelon! Ashdod, all that is left of the Anakim, how long will you gash yourselves?[*a]

47:6 Oh, sword of Yahweh, how long before you rest? Back into your scabbard, stop, keep still!

47:7 Yet how can it rest when Yahweh has given it an order? Ashkelon and the sea coast, these are the targets assigned to it.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 48

 

Oracles against Moab

48:1 On Moab. Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: Woe to Nebo, for it has been ravaged, Kiriathaim has been taken, all is confusion and alarm in the fortress:

48:2 it is no longer the boast of Moab! At Heshbon[*a] they plotted her downfall, 'Come on! Let us blot her out from the nations!' And you too, Madmen, you will be subdued, the sword is close on you.

48:3 Hark! From the Abarim a shout, 'Devastation! Dire calamity!'

48:4 'Moab is shattered' the cry echoes as far as Zoar.

48:5 Ah, slopes of Luhith, they go up them weeping. At the descent of Horonaim cries of distress are heard,

48:6 'Away! Flee for your lives! Run like the wild asses in the desert!'

48:7 Yes, since you trusted in your strongholds you will be captured too. Chemosh[*b] will go into exile, with all his priests and his nobles.

48:8 The destroyer will descend on every town, not one will escape; the Valley will be despoiled, the Plain be plundered: Yahweh proclaims it!

48:9 Give Moab a tomb, since she is totally destroyed; her towns are in ruins, with no one to live in them.

48:10 (Cursed be he who does the work of Yahweh half-heartedly! Cursed be he who grudges blood to his sword!)

48:11 From his youth Moab lived at ease, he settled on his lees, never having been decanted, never having gone into exile: and so he kept his own flavour, his aroma was unchanged[*c].

48:12 And so the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when I shall send him decanters to decant him; they will empty his storage jars and break his amphorae to bits.

48:13 Moab will blush for Chemosh then, as the House of Israel blushed for Bethel[*d] in whom they put their trust.

48:14 How can you say, 'We are heroes, sturdy fighting men'?

48:15 The destroyer of Moab has advanced on him: the flower of his youth goes down to the slaughter.

48:16 Moab's ruin is coming soon, his downfall comes at top speed.

48:17 Grieve for him, all you living near him, all you who knew his name. Say, 'Imagine it being broken, that mighty rod, that splendid sceptre!'

48:18 Come down from your glory, sit in the dung, daughter of Dibon, so safe in your home: the destroyer of Moab has advanced on you, he has stormed your strongholds.

48:19 Stand by the roadside, keep watch, inhabitants of Aroer. Question fugitive and runaway, ask, 'What has happened?'

48:20 Moab is shattered and shamed. Wail and shriek! Shout across the Arnon, 'Moab has been laid waste!'

48:21 Judgement has also come on the land of the Plain, on Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath,

48:22 Dibon, Nebo, Beth-diblathaim,

48:23 Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon,

48:24 Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns in the land of Moab, far and near.

48:25 The horn of Moab has been cut off, and his arm broken.

48:26 Make him drunk! He has set himself up against Yahweh: Moab will wallow in his vomit, become a laughing-stock in his turn.

48:27 Was not Israel a laughing-stock to you? Was he caught red-handed with the thieves, for you to shake your head whenever you mention him?

48:28 Leave the towns, make the rocks your home, inhabitants of Moab. Learn from the dove that makes its nest in the walls of the gaping gorge.

48:29 We have heard of the pride of Moab, excessive pride! What arrogance! What pride! What conceit! What a haughty heart!

48:30 - I know all about his presumption - it is Yahweh who speaks - his empty boasting, those empty deeds of his!

48:31 - And so I lament for Moab, for all Moab I cry aloud, and mourn for the men of Kir-heres[*e].

48:32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, vine of Sibmah: your shoots stretched beyond the sea, they reached all the way to Jazer. On your harvest, on your vintage, the destroyer has descended.

48:33 Gladness and joy have vanished from the land of Moab. There is no longer wine in the presses, the treader of grapes treads no more, no more do shouts of joy ring out.

48:34 The howling of Heshbon and Elealeh can be heard as far as Jahaz. The shrieks resound from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah, for the waters of Nimrim too are now becoming desolation.

48:35 And I shall make an end - it is Yahweh who speaks - of any man in Moab who offers sacrifice and incense to his god on the high places.

48:36 That is why my heart sobs like a flute for Moab, sobs like a flute for the men of Kir-heres: that accumulated treasure all lost!

48:37 Yes, every head is shorn, every beard cut off, gashes are on the hands of all, sackcloth round all their loins.

48:38 On all the housetops of Moab and in its squares there is nothing but lamenting, for I have broken Moab like a crock that no one wants - it is Yahweh who speaks.

48:39 What! Broken? What! Moab so shamefully in retreat? What! Moab become a laughing-stock, a thing of horror to all its neighbours?

48:40 For Yahweh says this: (Here is one who hovers like an eagle, who will spread his wings over Moab.)

48:41 The towns will be captured, the strongholds seized. (And the heart of Moab's warriors that day will be like the heart of a woman in labour pains.)

48:42 Moab will be destroyed, no longer a people, for setting itself up against Yahweh.

48:43 Terror, the pit, the snare, are for you, inhabitant of Moab - it is Yahweh who speaks:

48:44 the man who takes flight from the terror shall fall into the pit, climbing out of the pit, he shall be caught in the snare. Yes, these are the scourges I mean to inflict on Moab when the year comes to punish them - it is Yahweh who speaks.

48:45 In the shelter of Heshbon the fugitives have paused, exhausted. But a fire has come out from Heshbon, a flame from the palace of Sihon, consuming the brows of Moab, the head of a turbulent brood.

48:46 Woe to you, Moab! People of Chemosh, you are lost! For your sons have been taken into exile, and your daughters into captivity.

48:47 But I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the days to come. It is Yahweh who speaks. Thus far the judgement on Moab.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 49

 

Oracle against Ammon

49:1 On the sons of Ammon. Yahweh says this: Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why should Milcom have inherited Gad and his people have settled in its towns?

49:2 And so the days are coming - it is Yahweh who speaks - when I will make the war cry ring out for Rabbath-of-the-Ammonites: she will become a deserted ruin, her daughter towns burnt down. Israel will then despoil his despoilers, Yahweh proclaims.

49:3 Heshbon lament! The destroyer is on the march. Cry aloud, daughters of Rabbah! Wrap yourself in sackcloth, raise the dirge, walk about with your bodies gashed. For Milcom is going into exile, with all his priests and his nobles.

49:4 So you boast of your valley, thoughtless girl! Confident of your resources, you say, 'Who will dare to attack me?'

49:5 But I will bring down on you terror from every side; you shall be driven away, each man making his own way, with no one to rally the fugitives.

49:6 (But later I will restore the fortunes of the sons of Ammon. It is Yahweh who speaks.)

 

Oracle against Edom

49:7 On Edom. Yahweh says this: Is there no wisdom left in Teman? Have the shrewd run out of commonsense, has their wisdom gone stale?

49:8 Away! Take to your heels! Go into hiding, inhabitants of Dedan! For I will bring down ruin on Esau, at the time when I must punish him.

49:9 If grape-gatherers come to you, they will leave no gleanings behind them; if robbers come at night, they will loot to their heart's content.

49:10 For I myself am despoiling Esau, I lay his hiding places bare until he has no cover left. His race is destroyed: it is no more! Of his neighbours, not one will say,

49:11 'Leave your orphans, I will keep them alive, your widows can rely on me'.

49:12 For Yahweh says this: Those who were not bound to drink the cup have to drink it now; so why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished: you too must drink!

49:13 For by my own self I have sworn it - it is Yahweh who speaks: Bozrah[*a] is to become an object of horror, a laughing-stock, a desert, a curse, and all its towns ruins for ever.

49:14 I have received a message from Yahweh, a herald has been sent throughout the nations, 'Muster! March against this people! Prepare for battle!'

49:15 For now I will reduce you among the nations, make you despised among mankind:

49:16 your reputation for ferocity, your pride of heart, have led you astray, you whose home is in the holes in the rocks, who cling to the topmost peaks! Though you made your nest high as the eagle, I would still fling you down again - it is Yahweh who speaks.

49:17 Edom will become a desolation; every passer-by will be appalled at it, and whistle in amazement at such calamity.

49:18 As at the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbouring towns, no one will live there any more, Yahweh proclaims, no man will make his home there ever again.

49:19 See how the lion climbs from the thickets of the Jordan to a perennial pasture! So shall I chase them suddenly away, and place there whom I please. For who is there like me? Who can hale me into court? Name me the shepherd who can stand up to me.

49:20 So now hear the plan that Yahweh has made for Edom, the schemes he has in mind for the inhabitants of Teman: yes, even the weakest of the flock will be dragged away. At such a sight their pastures will shudder with dread.

49:21 Earth trembles at the crash of their downfall, the sound of it echoes as far as the Sea of Reeds.

49:22 Here is someone who soars and hovers like an eagle, who will spread his wings over Bozrah. And the heart of Edom's warriors that day will be like the heart of a woman in labour pains.

 

Oracle against the towns of Syria

49:23 On Damascus: Hamath is in confusion, so is Arpad;[*b] they have heard bad news. Their heart is faint with fear and cannot be calmed.

49:24 Damascus is unmanned, she prepares for flight, she is seized with trembling (anguish and sorrow have laid hold on her as on a woman in labour).

49:25 What now! That famous town deserted, that city of gaiety?

49:26 And so in her squares her young men will fall, and all her fighting men will perish, that day. It is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks.

49:27 I will light a fire inside the walls of Damascus, it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.

 

Oracle against the Arab tribes

49:28 On Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which were conquered by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Yahweh says this: Up! March on Kedar, destroy the sons of the East!

49:29 Let their tents and their flocks be captured, their fabrics, all their gear, and their camels too. Let the shout be raised for them: 'Terror on every side!'

49:30 Away! Get into hiding as fast as you can, citizens of Hazor! It is Yahweh who speaks. For Nebuchadnezzar has made a plan for you, he has a scheme in mind for you:

49:31 'Up! March on a nation at its ease, that dwells in confidence, that has no gates, no bars, that lives in a remote place!

49:32 Their camels will be the plunder, their countless sheep the spoil.' I will scatter them to the winds, those Crop-Heads, and bring disaster down on them from every side, it is Yahweh who speaks.

49:33 Hazor will become a lair for jackals, a desert for ever. No one will live there any more, no man make his home there ever again.

 

Oracle against Elam

49:34 The word of Yahweh that was addressed to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah.

49:35 Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I am going to break the bow of Elam, the source of all his might.

49:36 I will bring four winds down on Elam from the four corners of the sky, and I will scatter the Elamites to the winds: there will not be a single nation into which the Elamites have not been driven for refuge.

49:37 I will make the Elamites tremble before their enemies, before those determined to kill them. I will bring down disaster on them, my own fierce anger. I will pursue them with the sword until I have destroyed them all.

49:38 I will set up my throne in Elam, and purge it of king and nobles. It is Yahweh who speaks.

49:39 But in the days to come I will restore the fortunes of Elam. It is Yahweh who speaks.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 50

 

Oracle against Babylon

50:1 The word that Yahweh spoke against Babylon, against the country of the Chaldaeans, through the prophet Jeremiah.

 

The fall of Babylon and the liberation of Israel

50:2 Publish it among the nations, proclaim it; make no secret of it, say: 'Babylon is captured, Bel disgraced, Merodach shattered.[*a] (Her idols are disgraced, her Obscenities shattered.)'

50:3 For a nation is marching on her from the North, to turn her country into a desert: no one will live there any more; man and beast have fled and gone.

50:4 In those days and at that time the sons of Israel will return: they will come weeping in search of Yahweh their God.

50:5 They will ask the way to Zion, their faces will turn in that direction: 'Come,' they say 'let us bind ourselves to Yahweh by an everlasting covenant never to be forgotten!'

50:6 Lost sheep, such were my people; their shepherds led them astray, left them wandering in the mountains; from mountain to hill they went, forgetful of their fold.

50:7 Whoever came across them devoured them, their enemies said, 'No blame to us; it is because they have sinned against Yahweh their true fold and the hope of their fathers'.

50:8 Escape out of Babylon, from the country of the Chaldaeans. Go! Act like the he-goats, be leaders of the flock.

50:9 See, I am raising a league of mighty nations against Babylon. They will come from the land of the North, will draw up the battle line against her: there she will be captured; their arrows are like a victorious warrior, never returning empty-handed.

50:10 Chaldaea will be plundered, all who plunder her will have their fill.

50:11 Rejoice, if you like! Have your triumph, you plunderers of my heritage! Be playful like calves let out to grass! Neigh like stallions!

50:12 But your mother is covered with shame, disgraced is the woman who bore you; she is the least of nations now; a wilderness, a parched land, a desert.

50:13 The fury of Yahweh will leave her uninhabited, she will become an empty solitude. All who pass by Babylon will be appalled at it, and whistle in amazement at such calamity.

50:14 Draw yourself up against Babylon, surround her, all you who bend the bow. Shoot! Do not spare your arrows.

50:15 Raise the war cry against her from all sides. She surrenders! Her bastions fall! Her walls collapse! This is the vengeance of Yahweh. Take revenge on her. Treat her as she has treated others.

50:16 Deprive Babylon of the man who sows, of the man who wields the sickle at harvest. Escape from the destroying sword, let everyone return to his own people, let everyone escape to his own country!

50:17 Israel was a straying sheep hunted by lions. First, the king of Assyria devoured him; next, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon crunched his bones.

50:18 Therefore - Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: Now I will punish the king of Babylon and his country as I punished the king of Assyria.

50:19 I will bring Israel back to his pastures to browse on Carmel and in Bashan, and on the highlands of Ephraim and in Gilead to eat his fill.

50:20 In those days and at that time you may look for Israel's iniquity, it will not be there, for Judah's sins, you will not find them. For I will pardon the remnant that I leave.

 

The fall of Babylon proclaimed to Jerusalem

50:21 March up to the land of Merathaim; march against it and against the inhabitants of Pekod; follow them; brandish the sword, let their destruction be complete, it is Yahweh who speaks. Do everything I have ordered![*b]

50:22 The din of battle fills the country, immense destruction.

50:23 What! Broken to pieces that hammer of the whole world? What! Babylon become a thing of horror, throughout the nations?

50:24 A snare was set for you, and you were caught before you knew it. You have been found out and overpowered, because you defied Yahweh.

50:25 Yahweh has opened his armoury and taken out the weapons of his fury. For the Lord Yahweh has work to do in the country of the Chaldaeans.

50:26 Fall on her, one and all, break her granaries open, pile the plunder up like heaps of grain, put her under the ban until nothing is left of her.

50:27 Slaughter all her bulls, down to the slaughter-house with them! Woe to them, their day has come, their time of reckoning.

50:28 Listen! Fugitives and runaways come from the land of Babylon to proclaim in Zion the vengeance of Yahweh our God.

 

The sin of arrogance

50:29 Call up the archers against Babylon! All you who bend the bow, encamp round her: leave her no way of escape. Repay her as her deeds deserve; treat her as she has treated others, to repay her arrogance against Yahweh, against the Holy One of Israel.

50:30 And so in her squares her young men will fall, and all her fighting men will perish, that day. It is Yahweh who speaks.

50:31 My quarrel is with you, 'Arrogance'! It is the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks: your day has come, the time when I must punish you.

50:32 'Arrogance' will stumble, she will fall, no one will lift her up: I will light a fire inside her towns; it shall devour all her surroundings.

 

Yahweh the redeemer of Israel

50:33 Yahweh Sabaoth says this: The sons of Israel are oppressed, all those who have taken them captive hold them fast, they will not let them go.

50:34 But their redeemer is strong: Yahweh Sabaoth is his name. He has taken up their cause: he will bring peacefulness to the world but trembling to the inhabitants of Babylon.

50:35 A sword for the Chaldaeans, for the inhabitants of Babylon, for her leaders and her sages!

50:36 A sword for her diviners: may they lose their wits! A sword for her men of war: may they be discomfited!

50:37 A sword for the whole crowd of foreigners within her: may they be like women! A sword for her treasures: may they be plundered!

50:38 A sword for her waters: may they dry up! For it is a country of idols: they are mad, they and their bogies.

50:39 Hence wild cats and jackals will live there, and ostriches make their home there. She will never be inhabited again, but remain uninhabited age after age.

50:40 As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, with their neighbouring towns - it is Yahweh who speaks - no one will live there any more, no man will make his home there ever again.

 

The enemy from the north and the lion of Jordan

50:41 Now a people is coming from the North, a mighty nation; from the far ends of the earth great kings are stirring:

50:42 they fight with bow and spear, they are cruel and pitiless; their noise is like the roaring of the sea; they ride horses, each man equipped for war on you, daughter of Babylon.

50:43 But the king of Babylon has heard the news of them, his hands fall limp, anguish has seized him, pain like that of a woman in labour.

50:44 See how the lion climbs from the thickets of the Jordan to a perennial pasture! So shall I chase them suddenly away, and place there whom I please. For who is there like me? Who can hale me into court? Name me the shepherd who can stand up to me.

50:45 So now hear the plan that Yahweh has made for Babylon, the schemes he has in mind for the country of the Chaldaeans: yes, even the weakest of the flock will be dragged away. At such a sight their pastures will shudder with dread.

50:46 Earth trembles at the sound of the capture of Babylon, the dirge for her is heard throughout the nations.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 51

 

Yahweh makes war on Babylon

51:1 Yahweh says this: [*a]Against the citizens of Leb-kamai I will rouse a destroying spirit;

51:2 I will send winnowers to Babylon to winnow her and leave her country bare: for they will beleaguer her from every side in the day of disaster.

51:3 Let no archer bend his bow! Let no man swagger in his coat of mail! - No quarter for her young warriors! Vow her whole army to the ban!

51:4 In the country of the Chaldaeans the slaughtered will fall, in the streets of Babylon, those whom the sword runs through.

51:5b This is because their country was full of sin against the Holy One of Israel.

51:5a But Israel is not bereft of his God, Yahweh Sabaoth.

51:6 Escape out of Babylon (save your lives, each one of you); do not perish yourselves in her punishment, for this is the time of Yahweh's vengeance: he is paying her her reward!

51:7 Babylon was a golden cup in Yahweh's hand, she made the whole world drunk, the nations drank her wine and then went mad.

51:8 Babylon has suddenly fallen, is broken: lament for her! Go and fetch balm for her wounds, perhaps she can be cured!

51:9 - 'We tried to cure Babylon; she has got no better. Leave her alone and let us each go to his own country.' Yes, her sentence reaches to the sky, rises to the very clouds.

51:10 Yahweh has vindicated our integrity. Come, let us tell in Zion what Yahweh our God has done.

51:11 Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! Yahweh has roused the spirit of the king of the Medes[*b], because he has a plan against Babylon to destroy it; this is the vengeance of Yahweh, the revenge for his Temple.

51:12 Against the walls of Babylon display the standard! Strengthen the guard! Post the sentries! Take up concealed positions! For Yahweh made a plan, and he has treated the citizens of Babylon as he promised he would.

51:13 Enthroned beside abundant waters, rich in treasures, you now meet your end, the finish of your pillaging.

51:14 By his own self Yahweh Sabaoth has sworn: had I filled you with men as plentiful as locusts, the war cry would still have been raised against you!

51:15 By his power he made the earth, by his wisdom set the world firm, by his discernment spread out the heavens.

51:16 When he thunders there is a tumult of water in the heavens; he raises clouds from the boundaries of earth, makes the lightning flash for the downpour, and brings the wind from his storehouse.

51:17 At this all men stand stupefied, uncomprehending, every goldsmith blushes for the idol he has made, since his images are nothing but delusion, with no breath in them.

51:18 They are a Nothing, a laughable production, when the time comes for them to be punished, they will vanish.

51:19 'The portion of Jacob' is not like these, for he has formed everything, and Israel is the tribe that is his heritage. His name is Yahweh Sabaoth.

 

The hammer of Yahweh and the giant mountain

51:20 You were my mace, a weapon of war. With you I crushed the nations, struck kingdoms down,

51:21 with you crushed horse and rider, chariot and charioteer,

51:22 with you crushed man and woman, old man and young, youth and maid,

51:23 with you crushed shepherd and flock, ploughman and team, governors and nobles,

51:24 but I will let you see how I make Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldaea pay for all the wrongs they have done to Zion. It is Yahweh who speaks.

51:25 My quarrel is with you, Mountain of destruction - it is Yahweh who speaks - destroyer of the whole world! I will stretch out my hand against you and send you tumbling from the crags and make you a mountain scorched.

51:26 Never a cornerstone will be taken from you, never a foundation-stone either, for you will be a desert for ever, it is Yahweh who speaks.

 

The end of Babylon is imminent

51:27 Display the standard throughout the world, sound the trumpet among the nations! Prepare nations to make war on her; summon kingdoms against her: Ararat, Minni, Ashkenaz;[*c] call the roll of her enemies, officer! Bring up the cavalry, bristling like locusts.

51:28 Prepare nations to make war on her: the king of Media with his governors and dignitaries and the whole territory under his rule.

51:29 Then the earth trembled and writhed, for Yahweh's plan against Babylon was going forward: to change the country of Babylon into an unpopulated desert.

51:30 The warriors of Babylon have done with fighting, they have taken to their strongholds; their strength has gone: they are like women now. Her houses are on fire, her gates are shattered.

51:31 Courier follows close on courier, messenger on messenger, to tell the king of Babylon that his city has been stormed from every side:

51:32 the fords occupied, the bastions burnt down, the fighting men thrown into panic.

51:33 For Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing-floor when it is being trodden: a little while, and there the grain will lie that has been harvested.

 

The vengeance of Yahweh

51:34 'He has devoured, consumed me, that king of Babylon; he has left me like an empty dish, like a dragon he has swallowed me whole, he has filled his belly with my delicacies.'

51:35 'May her violence to me, and all my sufferings, be avenged on Babylon!' say the people of Zion; 'On the inhabitants of Chaldaea be my blood!' says Jerusalem.

51:36 Therefore - Yahweh says this: See, I myself am taking up your cause to make sure you are avenged. I will dry her river up. make her springs run dry,

51:37 and turn Babylon into a heap of stones, a lair for jackals, a thing of horror and of scorn, with no one living in it.

51:38 Like lions they roar together, they growl like lions' whelps

51:39 Are they feverish? I will prepare them a drink and make them drink until they grow drowsy and fall into an everlasting sleep, never to wake up; it is Yahweh who speaks.

51:40 I will take them down to the slaughter-house like lambs, like rams and he-goats.

 

An elegy for Babylon

51:41 What! Is she captured and conquered, the admiration of all the world? What! Babylon become a thing of horror, throughout the nations?

51:42 The sea has risen over Babylon, she sinks under its boisterous waves.

51:43 Her towns have been turned into desert, a parched land, a wilderness: no one lives in them, no man goes that way.

 

Yahweh punishes the idols

51:44 I will punish Bel in Babylon and take from his mouth what he has swallowed. In future the nations will stream to him no more. The wall of Babylon has fallen.

51:45 Go out of her, my people; save your lives, each one of you, from the fierce anger of Yahweh.

51:46 But do not be faint-hearted! Do not take fright at rumours hawked round the country: one rumour spreads one year, next year another follows; violence rules on earth and one tyrant cancels out another.

51:47 See, the days are coming when I am going to punish the idols of Babylon. Her whole country shall be put to shame, with all her slaughtered lying in her midst.

51:48 Then heaven and earth and all within them shall shout for joy over Babylon, because the destroyers from the North are coming against her - it is Yahweh who speaks.

51:49 Babylon in her turn must fall because of those who were slaughtered in Israel, just as through Babylon there fell men slaughtered over all the world.

51:50 You who have escaped her sword, get away, do not wait there! Remember Yahweh in that distant country, let Jerusalem be in your mind.

51:51 - 'We were ashamed when we heard of the outrage, our face was covered with confusion: because foreigners had entered the holy places of the Temple of Yahweh.'

51:52 - See, the days are coming, it is Yahweh who speaks, when I will punish her idols, and the stricken shall groan throughout her country.

51:53 Were Babylon to scale the heavens, or reinforce her towering citadel, destroyers would still fall on her at my command, it is Yahweh who speaks.

51:54 Listen to the shouting from Babylon, the mighty crash from the country of the Chaldaeans!

51:55 That is Yahweh as he lays Babylon waste and silences her monstrous din; well may her waves roar like mighty waters and their tumultuous voice resound:

51:56 for a destroyer is sweeping down on Babylon, her warriors are taken captive, their bows are broken. Yes, Yahweh is a God of retribution, he pays in full.

51:57 I will make her nobles and her sages drink, her governors, her officials and her warriors; they shall fall into an everlasting sleep and not wake up; it is the King who speaks, whose name is Yahweh Sabaoth.

 

Babylon razed to the ground

51:58 Yahweh Sabaoth says this: The wide ramparts of Babylon will be razed to the ground, and her high gates will be burnt down. Thus the labouring of the peoples comes to nothing the toiling of the nations ends in fire.

 

The written oracle thrown into the Euphrates

51:59 This is the order that the prophet Jeremiah gave to Seraiah son of Mahseiah when the latter left for Babylon at the command of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year of his reign.

51:60 Now Jeremiah had written down the entire disaster that was to befall Babylon in a special book, all these words recorded here as regards Babylon.

51:61 Jeremiah then said to Seraiah, 'When you reach Babylon, make a point of reading out every one of these words.

51:62 Then say, "Yahweh, you yourself have proclaimed that this place will be destroyed, that no one will live here ever again, neither man nor beast, but that it will remain desolate for ever".

51:63 When you have finished reading this book, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates,

51:64 with the words, "So shall Babylon sink, never to rise again from the disaster with which I am going to overwhelm her".' Here end the words of Jeremiah.

JB JEREMIAH Chapter 52

 

V. APPENDIX[*a]

 

The destruction of Jerusalem and the pardon of Jehoiachin

52:1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamital, daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.

52:2 He did what is displeasing to Yahweh, just as Jehoiakim had done.

52:3 That this happened in Jerusalem and Judah was due to the anger of Yahweh, with the result that in the end he cast them away from him. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

52:4 In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month[*b], on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with his whole army to attack Jerusalem; he pitched camp in front of the city and threw up earthworks round it.

52:5 The city lay under siege till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

52:6 In the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, when famine was raging in the city and there was no food for the populace,

52:7 a breach was made in the city wall. Seeing this, the king fled under cover of dark, with all the fighting men, leaving the city by way of the gate between the two walls, which is near the king's garden - the Chaldaeans had surrounded the city - and making his way towards the Arabah.

52:8 The Chaldaean troops pursued the king and caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, where all his troops deserted.

52:9 The Chaldaeans captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, who passed sentence on him.

52:10 He had the sons of Zedekiah slaughtered before his eyes; he also had all the leading men of Judah put to death at Riblah.

52:11 He then put out Zedekiah's eyes. Loading him with chains, the king of Babylon carried him off to Babylon where he kept him prisoner until his dying day.

52:12 In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month - it was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon - Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, one of the king's ministers, entered Jerusalem.

52:13 He burnt down the Temple of Yahweh, the royal palace and all the houses in Jerusalem.

52:14 The Chaldaean troops who accompanied the commander of the guard demolished all the walls surrounding Jerusalem.

52:15 Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, deported the remainder of the population left behind in the city, the deserters who had gone over to the king of Babylon, and the remainder of the artisans.

52:16 Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, left some of the humbler country people as vineyard workers and ploughmen.

52:17 The Chaldaeans broke up the bronze pillars from the Temple of Yahweh, the wheeled stands and the bronze Sea that were in the Temple of Yahweh, and took all the bronze away to Babylon.

52:18 They also took the ash containers, the scoops, the knives, the sprinkling bowls, the incense boats, and all the bronze furnishings used in worship.

52:19 The commander of the guard also took the bowls, the censers, the sprinkling bowls, the ash containers, the lamp-stands, the goblets and the saucers: everything that was made of gold and everything made of silver.

52:20 As regards the two pillars, the one Sea and the twelve bronze oxen supporting the Sea, and the wheeled stands, which King Solomon had made for the Temple of Yahweh, there was no reckoning the weight of bronze in all these objects.

52:21 As regards the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, its circumference was twelve cubits, it was four fingers thick, and hollow inside;

52:22 on it stood a capital of bronze, the height of the capital being five cubits; round the capital were filigree and pomegranates, all in bronze. So also for the second pillar.

52:23 There were ninety-six pomegranates which hung down, making a hundred pomegranates round the filigree in all.

52:24 The commander of the guard took prisoner Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three guardians of the threshold.

52:25 In the city he took prisoner a eunuch who was in command of the fighting men, seven of the king's personal friends who were discovered in the city, the secretary of the army commander, responsible for military conscription, and sixty men of distinction discovered in the city.

52:26 Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, took these men and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah,

52:27 and at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon had them put to death. Thus Judah was deported from its land.

52:28 The number of people deported by Nebuchadnezzar was as follows. In the seventh year: three thousand and twenty-three Judaeans;

52:29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, eight hundred and thirty-two persons were deported from Jerusalem;

52:30 in the twenty-third year[*c] of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, deported seven hundred and forty-five Judaeans. In all: four thousand six hundred persons.

52:31 But in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year he came to the throne[*d], pardoned Jehoiachin king of Judah and released him from prison.

52:32 He treated him kindly and allotted him a seat above those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.

52:33 So Jehoiachin laid aside his prisoner's garb, and for the rest of his life always ate at the king's table.

52:34 And his upkeep was permanently ensured by the king for the rest of his life day after day until his dying day.

 

END OF JB JEREMIAH [52 Chapters].