Jeremiah 19–22

¹Thus said Jehovah, ‘Go, and thou hast got a potter’s earthen vessel, and of the elders of the people, and of the elders of the priests, ²and thou hast gone forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, that is at the opening of the gate of the pottery, and hast proclaimed there the words that I speak unto thee, ³and hast said, Hear a word of Jehovah, ye kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: ‘Lo, I am bringing in evil on this place, at which the ears of every one who is hearing it do tingle, ⁴because that they have forsaken Me, and make known this place, and make perfume in it to other gods, that they knew not, they and their fathers, and the kings of Judah, and they have filled this place with innocent blood, ⁵and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire, burnt-offerings to Baal, that I commanded not, nor spake of, nor did it come up on My heart.

⁶‘Therefore, lo, days are coming—an affirmation of Jehovah—and this place is not called any more, Tophet, and Valley of the son of Hinnom, but, Valley of slaughter. ⁷And I have made void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and have caused them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those seeking their life, and I have given their carcase for food to the fowl of the heavens, and to the beast of the earth, ⁸and I have made this city for a desolation, and for a hissing, every passer by it is astonished, and doth hiss for all its plagues. ⁹And I have caused them to eat the flesh of their sons, and the flesh of their daughters, and each the flesh of his friend they do eat, in the siege and in the straitness with which straiten them do their enemies, and those seeking their life.

¹⁰‘And thou hast broken the bottle before the eyes of the men who are going with thee, ¹¹and hast said unto them: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Thus do I break this people and this city, as one breaketh the potter’s vessel, that is not able to be repaired again, and in Tophet they bury—without place to bury; ¹²so I do to this place—an affirmation of Jehovah—and to its inhabitants, so as to make this city as Tophet; ¹³and the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, have been—as the place of Tophet—defiled, even all the houses on whose roofs they have made perfume to all the host of the heavens, so as to pour out oblations to other gods.’ ¹⁴And Jeremiah cometh in from Tophet, whither Jehovah had sent him to prophesy, and he standeth in the court of the house of Jehovah, and he saith unto all the people: ¹⁵‘Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Lo, I am bringing in unto this city, and on all its cities, all the evil that I have spoken against it, for they have hardened their neck—not to hear My words!’

Chapter 20

¹And Pashhur son of Immer the priest—who also is overseer, leader in the house of Jehovah—heareth Jeremiah prophesying these things, ²and Pashhur smiteth Jeremiah the prophet, and putteth him unto the stocks, that are by the high gate of Benjamin, that is by the house of Jehovah. ³and it cometh to pass on the morrow, that Pashhur bringeth out Jeremiah from the stocks, and Jeremiah saith unto him, ‘Not Pashhur hath Jehovah called thy name, but—Magor-Missabib. ⁴For thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am making thee for a fear to thyself, And to all loving thee, And they have fallen by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes are beholding, And all Judah I give into the hand of the king of Babylon, And he hath removed them to Babylon, And he hath smitten them with the sword. ⁵And I have given all the strength of this city, And all its labour, and all its precious things, Yea, all the treasures of the kings of Judah I do give into the hand of their enemies, And they have spoiled them, and taken them, And have brought them into Babylon. ⁶And thou, Pashhur, and all dwelling in thy house, Do go into captivity. and Babylon thou dost enter, And there thou diest, and there thou art buried, Thou and all loving thee, To whom thou hast prophesied falsely.’

⁷Thou hast persuaded me, O Jehovah, and I am persuaded; Thou hast hardened me, and dost prevail, I have been for a laughter all the day, Every one is mocking at me, ⁸Because from the time I speak I cry out, ‘Violence and destruction,’ I cry, For the word of Jehovah hath been to me For reproach and for derision all the day. ⁹And I said, ‘I do not mention Him, Nor do I speak any more in His name,’ And it hath been in my heart As a burning fire shut up in my bones, And I have been weary of containing, And I am not able. ¹⁰For I have heard the evil report of many, Fear is round about: ‘Declare, and we declare it,’ All mine allies are watching for my halting, ‘Perhaps he is enticed, and we prevail over him, And we take our vengeance out of him.’ ¹¹And Jehovah is with me, as a terrible mighty one, Therefore my persecutors stumble and prevail not, They have been exceedingly ashamed, For they have not acted wisely, Confusion age-during is not forgotten. ¹²And, O Jehovah of Hosts, trier of the righteous, Beholder of reins and heart, I do see Thy vengeance out of them, For unto Thee I have revealed my cause. ¹³Sing ye to Jehovah, praise Jehovah, For He hath delivered the soul of the needy From the hand of evil doers.

¹⁴Cursed is the day in which I was born, The day that my mother bare me, Let it not be blessed! ¹⁵Cursed is the man who bore tidings to my father, saying, ‘Born to thee hath been a child—a male,’ Making him very glad! ¹⁶Then hath that man been as the cities, That Jehovah overthrew, and repented not, And he hath heard a cry at morning, And a shout at time of noon. ¹⁷Because he hath not put me to death from the womb, And my mother is to me—my grave, And her womb a pregnancy age-during. ¹⁸Why is this? from the womb I have come out, To see labour and sorrow, Yea, consumed in shame are my days!

Chapter 21

¹The word that hath been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, in the king Zedekiah’s sending unto him Pashhur son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, ²‘Inquire, we pray thee, for us at Jehovah, for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath fought against us; perhaps Jehovah doth deal with us according to all His wonders, and doth cause him to go up from off us.’ ³And Jeremiah saith unto them, ‘Thus do ye say unto Zedekiah, ⁴Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel: Lo, I am turning round the weapons of battle That are in your hand, With which ye do fight the king of Babylon, And the Chaldeans, who are laying siege against you, At the outside of the wall, And I have gathered them into the midst of this city, ⁵And I—I have fought against you, With a stretched-out hand, and with a strong arm, And in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath, ⁶And I have smitten the inhabitants of this city, Both man and beast, By a great pestilence do they die. ⁷And after this—an affirmation of Jehovah, I give Zedekiah king of Judah, And his servants, and the people, And those left in this city, From the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, Into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, And into the hand of their enemies, And into the hand of those seeking their life, And he hath smitten them by the mouth of the sword, He hath no pity on them, Nor doth he spare, nor hath he mercy.

⁸And unto this people thou dost say, Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am setting before you the way of life, And the way of death! ⁹Whoso is abiding in this city—dieth, By sword, and by famine, and by pestilence, And whoso is going forth, And hath fallen unto the Chaldeans, Who are laying siege against you—liveth, And his life hath been to him for a spoil. ¹⁰For I have set My face against this city for evil, And not for good—an affirmation of Jehovah. Into the hand of the king of Babylon it is given, And he hath burned it with fire. ¹¹And as to the house of the king of Judah, Hear ye a word of Jehovah; ¹²O house of David, thus said Jehovah: Decide ye judgment at morning, And deliver the plundered from the hand of the oppressor, Lest My fury go forth as fire, And hath burned, and none is quenching, Because of the evil of your doings. ¹³Lo, I am against thee—an affirmation of Jehovah, O inhabitant of the valley, rock of the plain, Who are saying, Who cometh down against us? And who cometh into our habitations? ¹⁴And I have laid a charge against you, According to the fruit of your doings, An affirmation of Jehovah, And I have kindled a fire in its forest, And it hath consumed—all its suburbs!

Chapter 22

¹Thus said Jehovah, ‘Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and thou hast spoken there this word, and hast said, ²Hear a word of Jehovah, O king of Judah, who art sitting on the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people, who are coming in at these gates, ³Thus said Jehovah: Do ye judgment and righteousness, And deliver the plundered from the hand of the oppressor, And sojourner, orphan, and widow, ye do not oppress nor wrong, And innocent blood ye do not shed in this place. ⁴For, if ye certainly do this thing, Then come in by the gates of this house Have kings sitting for David on his throne, Riding on chariot, and on horses, He, and his servants, and his people. ⁵And if ye do not hear these words, By myself I have sworn—an affirmation of Jehovah, That this house is for a desolation. ⁶For thus said Jehovah, Concerning the house of the king of Judah: Gilead art thou to Me—head of Lebanon, If not—I make thee a wilderness, Cities not inhabited. ⁷And I have separated for thee destroyers, Each with his weapons, And they have cut down the choice of thy cedars, And have cast them on the fire. ⁸And many nations have passed by this city, And they have said, each to his neighbour, For what hath Jehovah done thus to this great city? ⁹And they have said, ‘Because that they have forsaken The covenant of Jehovah their God, And bow themselves to other gods, and serve them.’

¹⁰Ye do not weep for the dead, nor bemoan for him, Weep ye sore for the traveller, For he doth not return…