Bible in 90 Days
19 And I will set an ot (sign) among them, and I will send away those that escape of them unto the Goyim, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud (that draw the bow), to Tuval, and Yavan [Greece], to the isles afar off, that have not heard My fame, neither have seen My kavod; and they shall declare My kavod among the Goyim.
20 And they shall bring all your achim out of all heathen nations for a minchah unto Hashem upon susim, and in chariots, and in wagons, and upon mules, and upon camels, to My Har Kodesh, to Yerushalayim, saith Hashem, as the Bnei Yisroel bring the minchah in a keli tahor into the Beis Hashem.
21 And I will also take of them for kohanim and for Levi’im, saith Hashem.
22 For as the Shomayim HaChadashim and HaAretz HaChadashah, which I will make, shall continue before Me, saith Hashem, so shall your zera and your shem remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one Rosh Chodesh to another, and from one Shabbos to another, kol basar shall come to bow down before Me, saith Hashem.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the pigrei ha’anashim that have rebelled against Me; for their tola’at (worm) shall not die, neither shall their eish be quenched; and they shall be dera’on (loathsome, an abomination) to kol basar [See also on Gehinnom Dan 12:2].
1 Divrei Yirmeyah ben Chilkiyah, of the kohanim that were in Anatot in Eretz Binyamin;
2 To whom the Devar Hashem came in the days of Yoshiyah ben Amon Melech Yehudah, in the thirteenth year of his reign [i.e., 627.B.C.E.).
3 And in the days of Y’hoyakim ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Tzidkiyah ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, that is, until the Golus Yerushalayim captive in the fifth month [i.e., 587 B.C.E.].
4 Then the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the beten I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the rechem I set thee apart as kodesh, and I ordained thee a navi unto the Goyim.
6 Then said I, Ah, Adonoi Hashem! hinei, I have no da’as to speak; for I am a na’ar.
7 But Hashem said unto me, Say not, Na’ar anochi; for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8 Be not afraid of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith Hashem.
9 Then Hashem put forth His yad, and touched my mouth. And Hashem said unto me, Hinei, I put My words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have this yom set thee over the Goyim and over the mamlachot (kingdoms), to uproot, and to tear down, and to destroy, and to demolish, to build, and to plant.
11 Moreover the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying, Yirmeyah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a makel SHAQED (a branch of an almond tree).
12 Then said Hashem unto me, Thou hast well seen: for SHOQED (WATCHING) I am over My Devar to carry it out.
13 And the Devar Hashem came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a SIYR NAFUACH (A BOILING CAULDRON) tipping over from the north.
14 Then Hashem said unto me, From the north hara’ah (the evil, disaster) TIPATACH (SHALL BE POURED OUT) upon all the inhabitants of HaAretz.
15 For, hineni, I am now summoning all the mishpekhot mamlechot of the north, saith Hashem; they shall come, they shall set every one his kisse at the petach Sha’arei Yerushalayim, and against all the surrounding chomot thereof, against all the towns of Yehudah.
16 And I will pronounce My mishpatim against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken Me, and have burned ketoret unto elohim acherim, and worshiped the works of their own hands.
17 Thou therefore tighten thy gartel of readiness, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee; be not fearful before them, lest I make thee fearful before them.
18 For, hinei, I have made thee today an ir mivtzar (a fortified city), and an ammud barzel, and a chomat nechoshet against kol HaAretz, against the melachim of Yehudah, against the sarim thereof, against the kohanim thereof, and against the am ha’aretz.
19 And they shall make war against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith Hashem, to deliver thee.
2 Moreover the Devar Hashem came to me, saying,
2 Go and cry, shouting in the ears of Yerushalayim, saying, Thus saith Hashem; I remember thee, the chesed of thy ne’urim, the ahavas of thy days as a kallah, when thou wentest after Me in midbar, in an eretz that was not sown.
3 Yisroel was Kodesh unto Hashem, and the reshit (firstfruit) of his tevu’ah (crop): all that devour him are held guilty; ra’ah shall overtake them, saith Hashem.
4 Hear ye the Devar Hashem, O Beis Ya’akov, and all the mishpekhot of Bais Yisroel:
5 Thus saith Hashem, What avel (wrong, fault) have avoteichem found in Me, that they are strayed far from Me, and have walked after hevel (vain, empty delusion), and are become deluded?
6 Neither did they ask, Where is Hashem that brought us up out of Eretz Mitzrayim, that led us through the midbar, through an eretz of deserts and pits, through an eretz tziyyah (land of drought) and tzalmavet, through eretz that no ish passed through, where no adam dwelt?
7 And I brought you into an eretz hacarmel, to eat the pri thereof and the tovah thereof; but when ye entered, ye made My land tameh, and made My nachalah a to’evah.
8 The Kohanim asked not, Where is Hashem? And they that handle the Torah had no da’as of Me; the ro’im also rebelled against Me, and the nevi’im prophesied by Ba’al, and walked after worthless things.
9 Therefore I will yet bring lawsuit against you, saith Hashem, and against bnei beneichem will I bring lawsuit.
10 For pass over to the isles of Kittim, and look; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there has ever been anything like this.
11 Hath ever a nation changed elohim, and these no elohim at all? But My people have exchanged their kavod for that which is worthless.
12 Be appalled, O ye Shomayim, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith Hashem.
13 For Ami have committed shtayim ra’ot (two evils); they have forsaken Me, the fountain of Mayim Chayim, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no mayim.
14 Is Yisroel an eved? Is he a homeborn slave? Why has he become plunder?
15 The young lions roared upon him, and growled, and they made his [Israel’s] Eretz waste; his towns are burned without inhabitant.
16 Also the Bnei Noph and Tachpanhes have broken the crown of thy head.
17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken Hashem Eloheicha, when He led thee by the derech?
18 And now what hast thou to do in the derech Mitzrayim, to drink the waters of the Shichor [[Nile] River]? Or what hast thou to do in the derech Ashur (Assyria), to drink the waters of the Euphrates [River]?
19 Thine own ra’ah shall correct thee, and thy meshuvot (backslidings) shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and mar (bitter), that thou hast forsaken Hashem Eloheicha, and that My pachad is not in thee, saith Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os.
20 For long ago I have broken thy ol (yoke), and tore off thy bonds; and thou saidst, I will not serve; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou hast sprawled, playing the zonah.
21 Yet I had planted thee a choice vine, wholly a zera emes. How then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a gefen nochriyah unto Me?
22 For though thou wash thee with lye, and take thee much soap, yet thine avon (iniquity) is marked before Me, saith Adonoi Hashem.
23 How canst thou say, I am not tameh, I have not gone after Ba’alim? See thy derech in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift camel traversing her ways;
24 A pereh used to the midbar, that sniffs up the ruach in the craving of her nefesh; in her occasion [of heat] who can turn her away? All they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.
25 Withhold thy regel from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst; but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved zarim, and after them will I go.
26 As the ganav is ashamed when he is caught, so is the Bais Yisroel ashamed; they, their melachim, their sarim, and their kohanim, and their nevi’im.
27 Saying to Etz (wood), Thou art Avi; and to Even (stone), Thou hast brought me forth; for they have turned their back unto Me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and hoshi’einu (save us).
28 But where are thy elohim that thou hast made for thee? Let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble; for as many as are the mispar (number) of thy towns are thy elohim, O Yehudah.
29 Why will ye bring lawsuit against Me? Ye all have rebelled against Me, saith Hashem.
30 In vain have I struck your banim; they received no musar [cf Isa 53:5]; your own cherev hath devoured your nevi’im, like a destroying lion.
31 O HaDor (Generation), heed ye the Devar Hashem. Have I been a midbar unto Yisroel? An eretz of great darkness? Madu’a (why) say Ami, We are free; we will come no more unto Thee?
32 Can a betulah forget her jewelry, or a kallah her adornments? Yet My people have forgotten Me yamim ein mispar (days without number).
33 How well thou direct thy derech to seek ahavah? Therefore hast thou also taught hara’ot (the worst women) the darkhei (ways) of thee.
34 Also in thy skirts is found the dahm of the nefashot of the innocent poor; although you never caught them breaking in. Yet concerning all these
35 Thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely His anger shall turn from me. Hineni, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, Loh chatati (I have not sinned).
36 Why doest thou gad about so much to change the course of thy derech? Thou also shalt be ashamed of Mitzrayim, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from this [dependence on religiously entangling and compromising foreign allies], and thine hands upon thine head; for Hashem hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.
3 They say, If an ish put away [in divorce] his isha, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? Shall not that eretz be defiled and forbidden? But thou hast played the zonah with re’im rabbim (many lovers); yet shuv (turn) to Me, saith Hashem.
2 Lift up thine eyes unto the hilltops, and see! Where hast thou not been lain with? In the drakhim (ways, roads) hast thou sat [waiting] for them, as the nomad in the midbar; and thou hast defiled the eretz with thy zenut (whoredom, prostitution) and with thy ra’ah (wickedness).
3 Therefore the revivim (showers) have been withheld, and there hath been no malkosh (latter rain, spring rain); and thou hadst a metzach isha zonah (whore’s forehead), and thou refusedst to blush with shame.
4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto Me, Avi, Thou art the Alluf (Guide, Friend) of my neurim (youth)?
5 Will He reserve His anger l’olam? Will He keep it lanetzach? Hinei, this is what you preach, but you practice all hara’ot (the evils) you can.
6 Hashem said also unto me in the days of Yoshiyah HaMelech, Hast thou seen that which meshuvah Yisroel (backsliding Yisroel) hath done? She is gone up upon every high hill and under every green tree, and there hath played the zonah.
7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto Me. But she returned not. And her treacherous achot Yehudah saw it [i.e., saw Israel’s refusal to renounce fertility cult idolatry].
8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby meshuvah Yisroel (backsliding Yisroel) committed adultery, I had put her away, and given her a sefer keritut (bill of divorce); yet her treacherous achot Yehudah feared not, but went and played the zonah also.
9 And it came to pass through the lightness with which she [Yisroel] took her zenut (whoredom), that she defiled HaAretz, and committed adultery with HaEven (the Stone [of the fertility cult of Ba’al worship]) and with HaEtz (the Wood [of the fertility cult of Ba’al worship]).
10 And yet for all this her treacherous achot Yehudah hath not returned unto Me with her kol lev, but in sheker (falsity, pretense, an insincere religious spirit), saith Hashem.
11 And Hashem said unto me, Meshuvah Yisroel hath come nearer to justifying herself than treacherous Yehudah.
12 Go and proclaim these devarim toward the north, and say, Return, thou meshuvah Yisroel, saith Hashem; and I will not cast down Mine anger to fall upon you; for I am chasid (displaying chesed, mercy), saith Hashem, and I will not keep anger l’olam.
13 Only acknowledge thine avon (iniquity, guilt of wrongdoing), that thou hast rebelled against Hashem your G-d, and hast scattered thy favors to the zarim under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed My voice, saith Hashem.
14 Shuvu (Turn), O banim shovaviv (backsliding children), saith Hashem; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one from a town, and two from a mishpakhah, and I will bring you to Tziyon:
15 And I will give you ro’im according to Mine lev, which shall feed you with da’as and seichel.
16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in HaAretz, in those days, saith Hashem, they shall say no more, The Aron Brit Hashem: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they ask for it; neither shall another be fashioned.
17 At that time they shall call Yerushalayim the Kisse Hashem; and all the Goyim shall be gathered unto it, to the Shem Hashem, to Yerushalayim; neither shall they walk any more after the sherirut libam harah (the stubbornness of their evil heart).
18 In those days Bais Yehudah shall walk with Bais Yisroel, and they shall come together out of the eretz tzafon to HaAretz that I have given for a nachalah unto Avoteichem.
19 But I said, How shall I set thee among the banim, and give thee an eretz chemdah (a land of desire), the most beautiful nachalah of the Goyim? And I said, Thou shalt call Me, Avi; and shalt not turn back from following Me.
20 Surely as an isha treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with Me, O Bais Yisroel, saith Hashem.
21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and tachanunei Bnei Yisroel (supplications of the Children of Israel); for they have perverted their derech, and they have forgotten Hashem Eloheihem.
22 Shuvu (return), ye banim shovavim (backsliding children), and I will heal your meshuvot (backslidings). Behold, we come unto Thee; for Thou art Hashem Eloheinu.
23 Truly in sheker is Salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains; truly in Hashem Eloheinu is the Teshu’at Yisroel (Salvation of Israel).
24 For HaBoshet (the Shame, i.e., the Ba’al fertility cult false religion) hath devoured the labor of Avoteinu from ne’ureinu (our youth): their tzon and their bakar, their banim and their banot.
25 We lie down in our Boshet (Shame), and kelimateinu (our humiliation) covereth us; for we have sinned against Hashem Eloheinu, we and Avoteinu, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of Hashem Eloheinu.
4 If thou wilt make teshuvah, O Yisroel, saith Hashem, return unto Me; and if thou wilt put away thine shikkutzim (abominations) out of My sight, then shalt thou not be moved [to wander].
2 And thou shalt swear, Chai Hashem, in emes, in mishpat, and in tzedakah; and the Goyim shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory.
3 For thus saith Hashem to Ish Yehudah and Yerushalayim, Break up your unplowed ground, and sow not among kotzim (thorns).
4 Circumcise yourselves to Hashem, and take the mohel knife to the arelot of your levav, ye Ish Yehudah and inhabitants of Yerushalayim: lest My fury break out like eish, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.
5 Declare ye in Yehudah, and publish in Yerushalayim; and say, Blow ye the shofar in HaAretz. Cry out, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.
6 Raise up a nes (a banner, a flag pointing to the place of refuge) over Tziyon; take refuge, delay not; for I will bring ra’ah (evil, disaster) from the tzafon (north), and shever gadol (great destruction).
7 The aryeh (lion) is come up from his thicket, and the Mashkhit Goyim (Destroyer of the Nations, i.e., Babylon) is on his way, he is gone forth from his place to make thy eretz desolate; and thy cities shall be made to lie in ruins, without an inhabitant.
8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the charon af Hashem is not turned away from us.
9 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith Hashem, that the lev HaMelech shall be disheartened, and the lev hasarim; and the kohanim shall be horror-struck, and the nevi’im dumbfounded.
10 Then said I, Adonoi Hashem! Surely Thou hast greatly misled HaAm HaZeh and Yerushalayim, saying, Shalom yeheyeh lachem (Ye shall have shalom); whereas the cherev is near unto the nefesh.
11 At that time shall it be told HaAm HaZeh and Yerushalayim, A ruach tzach (a dry wind, sirocco) from the high places in the midbar toward the Bat Ami [i.e., Yisroel], not to winnow, nor to cleanse,
12 Even a ruach maleh (strong wind) from those places shall come from Me; now also I will pronounce mishpatim against them.
13 Hinei, he [the approaching foe] shall come up like ananim (clouds), and his merkavot shall be like the whirlwind; his susim are swifter than nesharim (eagles). Oy lanu! (Woe unto us!) For we are ruined.
14 O Yerushalayim, wash thine lev from rah, that thou mayest be saved. Ad mosai (how long, how much longer) shall thy sinful machsh’vot lodge within thee?
15 For a kol (voice) declareth from Dan, and publisheth evil tidings from Mt Ephrayim.
16 Tell the Goyim; hinei, spread the news to Yerushalayim, that notzrim (besiegers) come from a far country, and raise their voice against the cities of Yehudah.
17 As shomrim of a sadeh, they are against her all around; because she hath been rebellious against Me, saith Hashem.
18 Thy derech and thy deeds have brought these things upon thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is mar (bitter), for it hath touched upon thine lev.
19 My innards, my innards! I am pained at my very lev; my lev is pounding in me; I cannot keep silent, because thou hast heard, O my nefesh, the kol shofar (sound of the shofar), the teru’at milchamah (battle alarm of war).
20 Shever (destruction) follows after shever; for the whole land lies in ruins; suddenly are my ohalim destroyed, and my canopies rega.
21 Ad mosai (how long) shall I see the nes (banner), and hear the kol shofar?
22 For Ami is foolish, they have not known Me; they are stupid banim, and they have no understanding; they are chachamim to do evil, but to do good they have no da’as.
23 I beheld ha’aretz, and, hinei, it was tohu vavohu [Genesis 1:2]; and HaShomayim—there was no ohr.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, hinei, they quaked, and all the hills had crumbled.
25 I beheld, and, hinei, there was no adam, and kol oph HaShomayim fled away.
26 I beheld, and, hinei, the carmel was a midbar, and all the cities thereof lay in ruins before Hashem, before the charon af Hashem.
27 For thus hath Hashem said, A wasteland shall be kol HaAretz; yet I will not make a complete end of it.
28 For this reason HaAretz shall mourn, and HaShomayim above turn black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not relent, neither will I turn back from it.
29 Kol HaIr shall flee at the noise of the parash and the romeh keshet (the archer); they shall run into thickets, and climb up among the kefim (rocks); every city shall be deserted, and not an ish dwell therein.
30 And thou, O plundered one [Jerusalem], what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with scarlet, though thou deckest thee with jewelry of zahav, though thou paintest thy eyes with cosmetics, in vain thou adornest thyself; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy nefesh.
31 For I have heard a kol (outcry) like that of a woman in travail, and in labor pain like that of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of Bat Tziyon, that waileth, that stretcheth out her hands, saying, Oy nah li (Woe is me now)! for my nefesh is weary because of murderers.
5 Run ye to and fro through the chutzot Yerushalayim (streets of Jerusalem), and see now, and know, and seek in the rechovot thereof, if ye can find an ish, if there be any that dispenseth mishpat (justice), that seeketh the emunah (faith); and I will forgive her [Jerusalem].
2 And though they say, Chai Hashem; surely they swear lasheker (falsely).
3 Hashem, are not Thine eyes upon emunah? Thou hast struck them, but they felt no anguish; Thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to accept musar [cf Isa 53:5]; they have made their faces harder than stone; they have refused to make teshuvah.
4 Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish; for they know not the Derech Hashem, nor the Mishpat Eloheihem.
5 I will get me unto the Gedolim, and will speak unto them; for they have known the Derech Hashem, and the Mishpat Eloheihem; but these have altogether broken off the ol (yoke), and burst the bonds.
6 Therefore an aryeh (lion) out of the forest shall slay them, and a ze’ev (wolf) of the deserts shall destroy them, a namer (leopard) shall prowl near their towns; every one that ventureth out from there shall be torn to pieces; because their peysha’im (rebellions) are many, and their meshuvot (backslidings) are increased.
7 How shall I forgive thee for this? Thy banim have forsaken Me, and sworn by them that are no elohim; when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and trooped to the bais zonah.
8 They were like well-fed, lusty susim: every one neighed after the isha of his neighbor.
9 Shall I not visit [to punish] for these things? saith Hashem; and shall not My Nefesh be avenged on such a Goy as this?
10 Go ye up through her rows of vines, and cut down; but make not a full end; take away her branches; for they are not Hashem’s.
11 For Bais Yisroel and Bais Yehudah have dealt very treacherously against Me, saith Hashem.
12 They have spoken lies about Hashem, and said, Lo hu (not He); neither shall ra’ah come upon us; neither shall we see cherev nor ra’av (famine);
13 And the nevi’im shall become ru’ach, and the Devar is not in them; thus shall it be done unto them.
14 Therefore thus saith Hashem Elohei Tzva’os, Because ye speak this devar, hinei, I will make My Devarim in thy mouth an eish, and HaAm HaZeh etzim (wood), and it shall consume them.
15 Hineni, I will bring a Goy (Nation) upon you from afar, O Bais Yisroel, saith Hashem; it is a powerful nation, a goy me’olam (an ancient nation), a nation whose leshon thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.
16 Their quiver is as an open kever (grave), they are all gibborim.
17 And they shall devour thine katzir (harvest), and thy lechem, which thy banim and thy banot should eat; they shall devour thy tzon and thine bakar; they shall eat up thy gefen and thy te’enah (fig tree); they shall impoverish thy fortified cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the cherev.
18 Nevertheless in those days, saith Hashem, I will not make a full end with you.
19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Why doeth Hashem Eloheinu all these things unto us? Then shalt thou answer them, As ye have forsaken Me, and served elohei nechar (foreign g-ds, strange g-ds) in your land, so shall ye serve zarim in an eretz not your own.
20 Declare this in Bais Ya’akov, and publish it in Yehudah, saying,
21 Hear now this, O Am Sakhal (foolish people) without understanding; which have eynayim (eyes), and see not; which have oznayim (ears), and hear not;
22 Fear ye not Me? saith Hashem; will ye not tremble at My Presence, Who hath placed the chol (sand) as the boundary of the yam by a chok olam, that it cannot transgress; and though the waves thereof toss, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
23 But HaAm Hazeh hath a lev sorer (stubborn heart) and moreh (rebellious); they have revolted and departed.
24 Neither say they in their lev, Let us now fear Hashem Eloheinu, that giveth geshem, both the yoreh (former rain, autumn rain) and the malkosh (latter rain, spring rain) in season; He secureth unto us shavu’ot chukkot katzir (the appointed weeks of the harvest).
25 Your avonot (iniquities) have turned away these things, and your chatta’ot (sins) have deprived hatov from you.
26 For among Ami are found resha’im; they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a mashkhit (trap), they catch anashim.
27 As a cage is full of oph, so are their batim (houses) full of mirmah; therefore they are become powerful and oshir (rich, wealthy).
28 They have grown fat and sleek; yea, their wicked deeds are without limit; the cause of the yatom they do not plead, yet they prosper; and the mishpat evyonim (right of the poor people) they do not defend.
29 Shall I not visit [to punish] for these things? saith Hashem; shall not My nefesh be avenged on such a Goy (Nation) as this?
30 An astonishing and horrible thing is committed in HaAretz;
31 The nevi’im prophesy falsely, and the kohanim rule at their direction; and My people love to have it this way; but what will ye do in the end?
6 O ye Bnei Binyamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Yerushalayim, and blow the shofar in Tekoa, and kindle the fire signal on Beit HaKerem; for ra’ah (evil, disaster) appeareth out of the tzafon (north), and shever gadol (great destruction).
2 Bat Tziyon, so beautiful and delicate, I will destroy.
3 The ro’im (shepherds) with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their ohalim against her all around; they shall pasture each his portion.
4 Prepare ye milchamah against her; arise, and let us go up to attack at noon. Oy unto us! For the yom fadeth away, for the shadows of erev are lengthening.
5 Arise, and let us attack ba’lailah, and let us destroy her fortresses.
6 For thus hath Hashem Tzva’os said, Cut ye down trees, and throw up a solelah (siege ramp) against Yerushalayim; this is the Ir that must be visited [for punishment]; oshek (oppression) is rampant within her.
7 As a well casteth afresh her waters, so she [Jerusalem] casteth afresh her rah (wickedness); chamas and shod (destruction) is heard in her; before Me tamid (continually) is sickness and wounds.
8 Be thou warned, O Yerushalayim, lest My nefesh depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, an eretz not inhabited.
9 Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, They shall thoroughly glean the She’erit Yisroel (the Remnant of Israel) as a gefen (vine); turn back thine yad once again like a grape gatherer over the vine tendrils.
10 To whom can I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? Hinei, their ear is arelah (uncircumcised), and to pay heed is beyond them; hinei, the Devar Hashem is unto them a reproach; they find no pleasure in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the chamat Hashem; I am weary with holding in; I will pour it out upon the olal in the street, and upon the assembly of bocherim together; for even the ish with the isha shall be caught, the zaken, those weighed down with yamim (days).
12 And their batim (houses) shall be turned over unto others, with their sadot and nashim together; for I will stretch out My yad upon the Yoshvei HaAretz (Inhabitants of the Land), saith Hashem.
13 For from the katan of them even unto the gadol of them, every one is given to greediness for unjust gain; and from the navi even unto the kohen, every one doeth sheker (deceit, falsehood).
14 They have provided superficial treatment for Ami, saying, Shalom, shalom; v’ein shalom.
15 Were they ashamed when they had committed to’evah (abomination)? They were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush; therefore they shall fall among them that fall; at the time that I visit them [in punishment] they shall be brought down, saith Hashem.
16 Thus saith Hashem, Stand ye in the derakhim (crossroads), and look, and ask for the netivot olam (old paths), where is the derech hatov (good road, way), and walk therein, and ye shall find margo’a (rest) for your nefashot. But they said, We will not walk therein.
17 Also I set tzofim (watchmen) over you, saying, Pay heed to the kol shofar (sound of the shofar). But they said, We will not pay heed.
18 Therefore hear, ye Goyim, and know, O Edah (Congregation), what will happen to them.
19 Hear, HaAretz (O Earth); hinei, I will bring ra’ah (evil, disaster) upon HaAm Hazeh, even the p’ri (fruit) of their machsh’vot (schemes), because they have not paid heed unto My devarim, nor to My torah, but rejected it.
20 To what purpose cometh there to Me frankincense from Sheva [i.e., southwest Arabia], and the sweet cane from a far country? Your olot (burnt offerings) are not acceptable, nor your zevakhim pleasing unto Me.
21 Therefore thus saith Hashem, Hineni, I will lay michsholim (stumblingblocks) before HaAm HaZeh, and the Avot and the Banim together shall stumble upon them; the shakhen (neighbor) and his re’a (neighbor, friend) shall perish.
22 Thus saith Hashem, Hinei, Am (an Army, a people) cometh from the eretz tzafon, and a Goy Gadol is aroused from the ends of the earth.
23 They shall lay hold of keshet (bow) and kidon (spear); they are cruel, and have no mercy; their kol (voice) roareth like the yam; and they ride upon susim, set in array as ish for milchamah against thee, O Bat Tziyon.
24 We have heard the fame thereof; our hands hang limp; tzarah (anguish) hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in labor.
25 Go not forth into the sadeh, nor walk by the derech; for the cherev of the oyev (enemy) and magur (fear, terror) is on every side.
26 O Bat Ami, gird thee with sackcloth, and roll thyself in ashes; make thee evel (mourning), as for a yachid (only son), most bitter lamentation; for the shoded (destroyer) shall suddenly come upon us.
27 I have set thee for a bachon (tester, assayer) of Ami (My People); that thou mayest know and test their derech (way, conduct).
28 They are all maximum rebels, going about as rachil (talebearers, slanderers); they are nechoshet and barzel; they are all corrupt.
29 The bellows blow, the oferet (lead) is consumed by the eish; the smelter’s refining is in vain; for the ra’im are not drawn off.
30 Nimas kesef (reprobate silver, rejected silver) shall men call them, because Hashem hath rejected them.
7 The Devar that came to Yirmeyah from Hashem, saying,
2 Stand at the Sha’ar Beis Hashem, and preach there this word, and say, Hear the Devar Hashem, all ye of Yehudah, that enter in at these She’arim (Gates) l’hishta’chavot (to worship, to prostrate before) Hashem.
3 Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, Elohei Yisroel, Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will cause you to dwell in makom hazeh (this place).
4 Trust ye not in divrei hasheker (lying words, words of falsehood), saying, This is the Heikhal Hashem, the Heikhal Hashem, the Heikhal Hashem.
5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your deeds; if ye throughly dispense mishpat between an ish and his re’a (neighbor);
6 If ye oppress not the ger, the yatom, and the almanah, and shed not dahm naki (innocent blood) in this place, neither walk after elohim acherim to your hurt;
7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in HaAretz that I gave to Avoteichem, l’min olam v’ad olam (from forever to forever).
8 Hinei, ye trust in divrei sheker (lying words), that are worthless.
9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear l’sheker (falsely), and burn ketoret unto Ba’al, and walk after elohim acherim whom ye know not;
10 And come and stand before Me in HaBeis Hazeh, which is called by Shmi, and say, We are delivered l’ma’an (in order to) do all these to’evot (abominations)?
11 Is HaBeis Hazeh, which is called by Shmi, become a me’arah paritzim (a cave, a den of robbers, criminals) in your eyes? Hinei, even I have been watching, saith Hashem.
12 But go ye now unto My Makom (Place) which was in Shiloh, where I made dwell Shmi barishonah (at the first), and see what I did to it because of the ra’at Ami Yisroel (the wickedness of My people Israel).
13 And now, because ye have done all these ma’asim, saith Hashem, and I spoke unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye paid not heed; and I called you, but ye answered not;
14 Therefore will I do unto this Beis, which is called by Shmi, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to Avoteichem, as I have done to Shiloh.
15 And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your achim, even the whole zera Ephrayim.
16 Therefore pray not thou on behalf of HaAm Hazeh, neither lift up plea nor tefillah for them, neither make intercession to Me; for I will not hear thee.
17 Seest thou not what they do in the towns of Yehudah and in the chutzot (streets of) Yerushalayim?
18 The banim gather wood, and the avot kindle the eish, and the nashim knead their batzek (dough), to make cakes to the Malkat HaShomayim (Queen of Heaven), and to pour out nesakhim (drink offerings) unto elohim acherim, that they may provoke Me to anger.
19 Do they provoke Me to anger? saith Hashem; are they not provoking themselves, even to boshet (shame) on their own faces?
20 Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem; Hinei, Mine anger and My fury shall be poured out upon Hamakom Hazeh (this place), upon haadam, and upon behemah, and upon the etz hasadeh, and upon the pri ha’adamah; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
21 Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, Elohei Yisroel; Add your olot unto your zevakhim, and eat basar.
22 For I spoke not unto Avoteichem, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of Eretz Mitzrayim, concerning olah or zevach;
23 But this thing I commanded them, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be for you Elohim (your G-d), and ye shall be My people; and walk ye in kol HaDerech that I have commanded you, l’ma’an (in order that) it may go well with you.
24 But they paid heed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the inclinations of the stubbornness of their lev harah (evil heart), and went backward, and not forward.
25 Since the day that Avoteichem came forth out of Eretz Mitzrayim unto this day I have even sent unto you all My servants the Nevi’im, daily rising up early and sending them;
26 Yet they paid heed not unto Me, nor inclined their ear, but stiffened stubbornly their neck; they did more evil than their Avot.
27 Therefore thou shalt speak all these devarim unto them; but they will not pay heed to thee; thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.
28 But thou shalt say unto them, This is a Goy (Nation) that obeyeth not the voice of Hashem Elohav, nor respondeth to musar; haemunah (the faith) is lost, and is cut off from their mouth.
29 Cut off thine hair, O Yerushalayim, and throw it away, and take up a kinah (lamentation) on barren heights; for Hashem hath rejected and abandoned the dor evrato (the generation of His wrath).
30 For the Bnei Yehudah have done rah in My sight, saith Hashem; they have set their shikkutzim (abominations) in the Beis which is called by Shmi, to make it tameh.
31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Gey Ben Hinnom, to burn their banim and their banot in the eish; which I commanded them not, neither entered it into My mind.
32 Therefore, hinei, the yamim are coming, saith Hashem, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the Gey Ben Hinnom, but the Gey Haharegah (Valley of Slaughter); for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no room.
33 And the nivlat HaAm Hazeh (carcass of this people) shall be food for the oph HaShomayim, and for the behemat ha’aretz; and none shall frighten them away.
34 Then will I cause to cease from the towns of Yehudah, and from the chutzot Yerushalayim, the sound of joy, and the sound of simchah, the sound of the Choson (Bridegroom) and the sound of the Kallah (Bride); for HaAretz shall be desolate.
8 At that time, saith Hashem, they [i.e., the invaders] shall remove the atzmot of the melachim of Yehudah, and the atzmot of his sarim, and the atzmot of the kohanim, and the atzmot of the nevi’im, and the atzmot of the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, out of their keverim;
2 And they shall spread them out before the shemesh, and the yarei’ach, and all the tz’va haShomayim, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have consulted, and whom they have worshiped; they shall not be gathered up, nor be buried in a kever; they shall be like domen upon the surface of ha’adamah.
3 And mavet shall be chosen rather than chayyim by all the She’erit of them that remain of this mishpakhah hara’ah, which remain in all the places where I have banished them, saith Hashem Tzva’os.
4 Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Hashem: Shall they fall, and not get up? Shall one turn away, and not turn back?
5 Why then does HaAm Hazeh turn away in perpetual meshuvah (backsliding)? They hold fast to deceit, refusing to make teshuvah.
6 I paid heed and heard, but they spoke not aright; no ish made teshuvah from his wickedness, saying, What have I done? Every one pursues his own course, like the sus (horse) charging into milchamah.
7 Yea, the stork in the Shomayim knoweth her mo’adim (appointed times); and the turtledove and the swift and the crane are shomer over their time for migration; but Ami (My People) have no da’as (knowledge) of the Mishpat Hashem (rule, ordinance, regulation, law of Hashem).
8 How can ye say, We are chachamim (wise ones), and the torat Hashem is with us, when, hinei, the et sheker (deceiving pen) of the sofrim (scribes) has made it [the torat Hashem] into sheker (a falsehood, i.e., falsely authoritative scribal interpretation has twisted Scripture, perverting its truth; see also Jer 2:8; 2K3:16; here is a warning against false teachers, and it is important because the scribal group in Israel would become the rabbinic group in time to come, and here their doctrines are coming into direct opposition to the Torah and the inerrant prophecies of Jeremiah.).
9 The chachamim (wise men) are ashamed, they are dismayed and trapped; they have rejected the Devar Hashem; so what chochmah (wisdom) is in them?
10 Therefore will I give their nashim unto others, and their sadot to them that shall inherit them; for every one from the katan even unto the gadol is greedy for unjust gain, from the navi even unto the kohen every one doeth sheker.
11 For they give superficial treatment to the hurt of Bat Ami, saying, Shalom, shalom; v’ein shalom.
12 Were they ashamed when they did to’evah (abomination)? No, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they know to blush; therefore shall they fall among them that fall; in the time of their pekuddat (visitation [for punishment], time of reckoning) they shall be brought down, saith Hashem.
13 I would surely have harvested them, saith Hashem, but no grapes are on the gefen, nor te’enim (figs) on the te’enah (fig tree), even the leaf shall wither; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.
14 Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us perish there; for Hashem Eloheinu hath made us to perish, and given us mey rosh (poisonous water) to drink, because we have sinned against Hashem.
15 We looked for shalom, but no tov came; and for et marpeh (a time of healing), and, hinei, terror!
16 The snorting of his [the foe from the north] susim (horses) was heard from Dan; kol ha’aretz trembled at the sound of the neighing of his stallions; for they are come, and have devoured eretz, and all that is in it; the Ir (city, i.e., the city of Dan in the north of Israel), and those that dwell therein.
17 For, hinei, I will send nachashim, tzifonim (vipers), among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith Hashem.
18 When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my lev is faint within me.
19 Hinei, the voice of the cry of the Bat Ami from eretz markhakim (a land of places far away): is Hashem not in Tziyon? Is her Melech not in her? Why have they provoked Me to anger with their pesilim (idols), and with alien vanities (futile foreign g-ds)?
20 The katzir (harvest) is past, kayitz (summer) is ended, and loh noshanu (we are not saved [from coming judgment and punishment]).
21 For the hurt of the Bat Ami am I hurt; I mourn; desolation hath taken hold on me.
22 Is there no tzori (medicinal balsam or balm) in Gil`ad; is there no rofeh (physician) there? Why then is the health of the Bat Ami not recovered?
9 Oh that my rosh (head) were mayim, and mine eyes a makor dimah (a fountain of tears), that I might weep yomam valailah for the slain of the Bat Ami!
2 (9:1) Oh that I had in the midbar a malon orkhim (travelers’ lodge); that I might leave my people, and go from them! For they are all no’afim (adulterers), an atzeret bogedim (band of treacherous traitors)
3 (2) And they bend to the ready their leshon like their keshet (bow) for sheker; but not for emunah have they prevailed in ha’aretz; for they proceed from ra’ah to ra’ah, and they know not Me, saith Hashem.
4 (3) Be ye shomer every one over his re’a (neighbor, friend) and trust ye not in kol ach (any brother); for kol ach will ya’akov (utterly supplant, deceive), and every re’a (neighbor) will holech rakhil (walk as the slanderer, gossiper).
5 (4) And they will deceive every one his re’a, and will not speak emes; they have taught their leshon to speak sheker, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6 (5) Thine habitation is in the midst of mirmah; through mirmah they refuse to know Me, saith Hashem.
7 (6) Therefore thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, Hineni, I will refine them, and test them; for what but this shall I do for the Bat Ami?
8 (7) Their leshon is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh mirmah; one speaketh shalom to his re’a with his mouth, but inwardly he lieth in ambush.
9 (8) Shall I not visit them [in punishment] for these things? saith Hashem. Shall not My Nefesh be avenged on such a Goy (nation) as this?
10 (9) I take up a weeping and nehi (lamentation) for the harim, and for the pastures of the midbar a kinah (lamentation), because they are scorched, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the mikneh (cattle); both the oph haShomayim and the behemah are fled; they are gone.
11 (10) And I will make Yerushalayim a heap of ruins, and a ma’on of jackals; and I will make the towns of Yehudah desolate, without an inhabitant.
12 (11) Who is the ish hechacham (wise man), that may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of Hashem hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what HaAretz perisheth and is scorched like a midbar, that none passeth through?
13 (12) And Hashem saith, Because they have forsaken My torah which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice, neither walked therein;
14 (13) But have walked after the sherirut (stubbornness) of their own lev, and after Ba’alim, which their avot taught them;
15 (14) Therefore thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, the Elohei Yisroel; Hineni, I will make this people eat la’anah (wormwood), and give them poisoned water to drink.
16 (15) I will scatter them also among the Goyim, whom neither they nor their avot have known; and I will send a cherev after them, till I have consumed them.
17 (16) Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, Consider ye, and call for the wailing women, that they may come; and send for the chachamot (wise women), that they may come;
18 (17) And let them make haste, and take up a nehi (lamentation) for us, that our eyes may run down with dimah (tears), and our eyelids gush out with mayim.
19 (18) For a sound of nehi (lamentation) is heard from Tziyon, How are we plundered! We are greatly ashamed, because we have forsaken eretz, because mishkenoteinu have expelled us.
20 (19) Yet hear the Devar Hashem, O ye nashim, and let your ear receive the word of His mouth, and teach your banot nehi (lamentation), and everyone her re’a (neighbor) kinah (dirge).
21 (20) For mavet (death) is come up into our windows, and is entered into our fortresses, to cut off the olal (children) from the street, and the bochurim from the rechovot.
22 (21) Speak, Thus saith Hashem, Even the nevilah of adam shall fall like domen (dung) upon the sadeh, and the omer (sheaf) after the kotzer (harvester), and none shall gather them.
23 (22) Thus saith Hashem, Let not the chacham (wise man) glory in his chochmah, neither let the gibbor (mighty man) glory in his gevurah (might), let not the oisher (rich man) glory in his riches;
24 (23) But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am Hashem Who exercises chesed, mishpat, and tzedakah, on ha’aretz; for in these things I delight, saith Hashem.
25 (24) Hinei, the yamim come, saith Hashem, that I will punish kol mul b’arlah (all circumcized in arlah [only]);
26 (25) Mitzrayim, and Yehudah, and Edom, and the Bnei Ammon, and Moav, and kol ketzutzei pe’ah (all in the farthest corners), that dwell in the midbar; for all these Goyim are uncircumcised, and kol Bais Yisroel are arlei lev (uncircumcised in heart, i.e., in need of regeneration, see Yn 3:3; Dt 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4; 31:31-34; Ro 9:6; 2:28-29; Isa 52:1; Ezek 36:25-27; 44:7,9; Co 2:11-12; 2C 5:17; Ti 3:4-7].
10 Hear ye the Davar which Hashem speaketh unto you, O Bais Yisroel.
2 Thus saith Hashem, Learn not the Derech HaGoyim, and be not in awe of the otot HaShomayim; though the Goyim are in awe of them.
3 For the [religious] chukkot (customs, statutes) of the nations are vain delusions; for one cutteth etz out of the ya’ar (forest), the ma’aseh (handiwork) of the hands of the charash (workman, artisan), with the axe.
4 They deck it with kesef and with zahav; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it topple not.
5 They [the idols] are upright as the tomer (palm tree], but speak not; they must needs be carried, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do rah, neither also is it in them to do tov.
6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto Thee, Hashem; Thou art gadol, and Thy Shem is gadol in gevurah.
7 Who would not fear thee, O Melech HaGoyim? For this is Thy due; forasmuch as among all the chachamim of the Goyim, and in kol malchut of them, there is none like unto Thee.
8 But they are altogether stupid and foolish; the etz is a musar havalim (discipline of delusions).
9 Hammered kesef is brought from Tarshish, and zahav from Uphaz, the ma’aseh (work, handiwork) of the charash (workman, artisan), and of the hands of the goldsmith; blue and purple is their [the idols’] clothing; they are all the ma’aseh (work) of cunning men.
10 But Hashem is the Elohim Emes, He is the Elohim Chayyim, and the Melech Olam; at His wrath ha’aretz shall tremble, and the Goyim shall not be able to endure His indignation.
11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The g-ds that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and min techot (from under) these heavens.
12 He hath made eretz by His ko’ach, He hath established the tevel (world) by His chochmah, and hath stretched out Shomayim by His understanding.
13 When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of mayim in Shomayim, and He causeth the clouds to ascend from the ends of ha’aretz; He maketh lightnings with matar (rain), and bringeth forth the ruach (wind) out of His Otzerot.
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