Yirmeyah 25-27

Orthodox Jewish Bible

25 The davar that came to Yirmeyah concerning kol HaAm Yehudah in the fourth year of Y’hoyakim Ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, that was the first year of Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel;

² The which Yirmeyah HaNavi spoke unto kol HaAm Yehudah, and to all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, saying,

³ From the thirteenth year of Yoshiyah Ben Amon Melech Yehudah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the Devar Hashem hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not paid heed.

⁴ And Hashem hath sent unto you all His avadim the nevi’im, rising early and sending them; but ye have not paid heed, nor inclined your ozen to hear.

⁵ They said, Shuvu, make teshuvah now every ish from his derech ra’ah, and from the rah of your doings, and dwell in ha’aretz that Hashem hath given unto you and to avoteichem l’min olam v’ad olam;

⁶ And go not after elohim acherim to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke Me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no harm.

⁷ Yet ye have not paid heed unto Me, saith Hashem; that ye might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

⁸ Therefore thus saith Hashem Tzva’os; Because ye have not paid heed to My Devarim,

⁹ Hinei, I will send and take all the mishpekhot of the tzafon (north), saith Hashem, and Avdi Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these Goyim all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

¹⁰ Moreover I will cause to perish from them the kol sasson (voice of gladness), and the kol simchah (voice of joy), the voice of the Choson, and the voice of the Kallah, the sound of the millstones, and the ohr of the ner.

¹¹ And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these Goyim shall serve Melech Bavel shiv’im shanah (seventy years). [T.N. Note: length of Exile predicted here.]

¹² And it shall come to pass, when shiv’im shanah are accomplished, that I will punish Melech Bavel, and that nation, saith Hashem, for their avon, and the Eretz Kasdim (Land of Chaldeans), and will make it perpetual desolations.

¹³ And I will bring upon that land all My Devarim which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this sefer, which Yirmeyah hath prophesied against kol HaGoyim.

¹⁴ For Goyim rabbim and melachim gedolim shall enslave them also; I will recompense them according to their deeds, according to the ma’aseh of their own hands.

¹⁵ For thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel unto me, Take this kos hayayin haChemah (wine cup of wrath, see Lk 22:42) from My yad, and cause kol HaGoyim, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

¹⁶ And they shall drink, and stagger, and go mad, because of the cherev that I will send among them.

¹⁷ Then took I the Kos from the yad Hashem, and made all the Goyim to drink, unto whom Hashem had sent me;

¹⁸ Namely, Yerushalayim, and the towns of Yehudah, and the melachim thereof, and the sarim thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a kelalah (curse); as it is this day;

¹⁹ Pharaoh Melech Mitzrayim, and his avadim, and his sarim and all his people;

²⁰ And all the mixed multitude rabble, and kol melachim of Eretz Utz, and kol melachim of Eretz Pelishtim, and Ashkelon, and Azzah (Gaza), and Ekron, and the she’erit (remnant) of Ashdod,

²¹ Edom, and Moav, and the Bnei Ammon,

²² And kol melachim of Tzor, and kol melachim of Tzidon, and the melachim of the coastlands which are beyond the yam,

²³ Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost [desert] fringes,

²⁴ And kol melachim of Arabia, and kol melachim of the mixed multitude rabble that dwell in the desert,

²⁵ And kol melachim of Zimri, and kol melachim of Eilam, and kol melachim of the Medes,

²⁶ And kol melachim of the tzafon, far and near, one after another, and all the mamlechot ha’aretz, which are upon the face of adamah; and Melech Sheshach [Babylon] shall drink after them.

²⁷ Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel; Drink ye, and become shikkor, and vomit, and fall, and rise no more, because of the cherev which I will send among you.

²⁸ And it shall be, if they refuse to take the Kos at thine yad to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, Ye shall certainly drink.

²⁹ For, hinei, I begin to bring ra’ah on the Ir which is called by My Shem, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a cherev upon all the inhabitants of ha’aretz, saith Hashem Tzva’os.

³⁰ Therefore prophesy thou against them all these Devarim, and say unto them, Hashem shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His Ma’on Kodesh; He shall mightily roar upon His Naveh (Dwelling); He shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of ha’aretz.

³¹ A noise shall come even to the ends of ha’aretz; for Hashem hath a legal controversy with the Goyim, He will plead His case with kol basar; He will give them that are wicked to the cherev, saith Hashem.

³² Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, Hinei, ra’ah shall go forth from Goy to Goy, and a sa’ar gadol (great whirlwind) shall be raised up from the farthest ends of Eretz.

³³ And the slain of Hashem shall be at that day from one end of ha’aretz even unto the other end of ha’aretz; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the adamah.

³⁴ Wail, ye ro’im (shepherds), and weep; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye leaders of the tzon; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a precious pottery vessel.

³⁵ And the ro’im (shepherds) shall have no refuge for fleeing, nor the leader of the tzon to escape.

³⁶ A voice of the cry of the ro’im and a wailing of the leaders of the tzon, shall be heard: for Hashem hath destroyed their pasture.

³⁷ And the ne’ot hashalom (peaceful folds) are laid waste because of the Charon Af Hashem.

³⁸ He hath left His hiding place, as the lion; for their land is desolate because of the charon (anger) of the oppressor, and because of His charon af.

26 In the beginning of the reign of Y’hoyakim (Jehoiakim) Ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah came this Davar from Hashem saying

² Thus saith Hashem: Stand in the khatzer (courtyard) of the Bais Hashem, and speak unto all the towns of Yehudah, which come to worship in the Bais Hashem, all the Devarim that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word;

³ If so be they will pay heed, turn every man from his derech hara’ah, that I may relent of the ra’ah, which I purpose to do unto them for the evil of their doings.

⁴ And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Hashem: If ye will not pay heed to Me, to walk in My torah, which I have set before you,

⁵ To pay heed to the Devarim of My Avadim the Nevi’im, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early and sending them, but ye have not paid heed;

⁶ Then will I make this Bais like Shiloh, and will make this city a kelalah (curse) to all the Goyim of Ha’Aretz.

⁷ So the kohanim and the nevi’im and kol HaAm heard Yirmeyah speaking these Devarim in the Bais Hashem.

⁸ Now it came to pass, when Yirmeyah had made an end of speaking all that Hashem had commanded him to speak unto kol HaAm, that the kohanim and the nevi’im and kol HaAm laid hold of him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.

⁹ Why hast thou prophesied B’Shem Hashem, saying, This Bais shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And kol HaAm were gathered against Yirmeyah in the Bais Hashem.

¹⁰ When the sarim of Yehudah heard these things, then they came up from the Bais HaMelech to the Beis Hashem, and sat down in the petach Sha’ar HeChadash (entrance of the New Gate) of [the Beis] Hashem.

¹¹ Then spoke the kohanim and the nevi’im unto the sarim and to kol HaAm, saying, Mishpat mavet for this ish! For he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your oznayim.

¹² Then spoke Yirmeyah unto all the sarim and to kol HaAm, saying, Hashem sent me to prophesy against this Bais and against this city all the Devarim that ye have heard.

¹³ Therefore now reform your drakhim and your doings, and obey the voice of Hashem Eloheichem; and Hashem will relent of the ra’ah that He hath pronounced against you.

¹⁴ As for me, see, I am in your yad; do with me as seemeth tov and yashar unto you.

¹⁵ But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring dahm naki upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof; for b’emes Hashem hath sent me unto you to speak all these Devarim in your oznayim.

¹⁶ Then said the sarim and kol HaAm unto the kohanim and to the nevi’im; This ish is not mishpat mavet (worthy of death); for he hath spoken to us B’Shem Hashem Eloheinu.

¹⁷ Then rose up anashim zekenim ha’aretz, and spoke to kol kehal HaAm, saying,

¹⁸ Michah the Morashti prophesied in the days of Chizkiyah Melech Yehudah, and spoke to kol Am Yehudah, saying, Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os: Tziyon shall be plowed like a sadeh, and Yerushalayim shall become rubble heaps, and the Har HaBais (Temple Mount) like the bare heights of a ya’ar (forest).

¹⁹ Did Chizkiyah Melech Yehudah and kol Yehudah put him to death? Did he not fear Hashem, and besought Hashem, and Hashem relented of the ra’ah which He had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure ra’ah gedolah against nafshoteinu.

²⁰ And there was also an ish that prophesied B’Shem Hashem, Uriyah Ben Shema’yahu of Kiryat HaYearim, who prophesied against this city and against HaAretz Hazot according to all the devarim of Yirmeyah.

²¹ And when Y’hoyakim (Jehoiakim) HaMelech, with all his gibborim, and all the sarim, heard his words, HaMelech sought to put him to death; but when Uriyah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Mitzrayim;

²² And Y’hoyakim HaMelech sent anashim into Mitzrayim, namely, Elnatan Ben Achbor, and certain anashim with him into Mitzrayim.

²³ And they brought Uriyah out of Mitzrayim, and brought him unto Y’hoyakim HaMelech; who slaughtered him with the cherev, and cast his nevelah (dead body) into the kevarim of the Bnei HaAm (common people).

²⁴ Nevertheless the yad (hand, influence) of Achikam Ben Shaphan was with Yirmeyah, that they should not give him into the yad HaAm to put him to death.

27 In the beginning of the reign of Y’hoyakim Ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah came this davar unto Yirmeyah from Hashem, saying,

² Thus saith Hashem to me: Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy tzavar (neck),

³ And send them to Melech Edom, and to Melech Moav, and to Melech Bnei Ammon, and to Melech Tzor, and to Melech Tzidon, by the yad of the malachim which come to Yerushalayim unto Tzidkiyah Melech Yehudah;

⁴ And command them to say unto their adonim, Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel: Thus shall ye say unto your adonim;

⁵ I have made ha’aretz (the earth), ha’adam and habehemah that are upon the face of the earth, by My great ko’ach and by My outstretched zero’a, and have given it unto whom it seemed yashar unto Me.

⁶ And now have I given all these lands into the yad Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel, Avdi (My servant); and the beasts of the sadeh have I given him also to serve him.

⁷ And all Goyim shall serve him, and bno, and ben bno, until the very time of his land come; and then many Goyim and great melachim shall make him serve [in bondage to] them.

⁸ And it shall come to pass, that the goy (nation) and mamlachah (kingdom) which will not serve the same Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel, and that will not put their tzavar (neck) under the yoke of HaMelech Bavel, that nation will I punish, saith Hashem, with the cherev, and with the ra’av (famine), and with the dever, until I have consumed them by his yad.

⁹ Therefore do not pay heed to your nevi’im, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve Melech Bavel;

¹⁰ For they prophesy sheker unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

¹¹ But the Goyim that bring their tzavar (neck) under the yoke of the Melech Bavel, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own adamah, saith Hashem; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

¹² I spoke also to Tzidkiyah Melech Yehudah according to all these Devarim, saying, Bring your tzavarot (necks) under the yoke of Melech Bavel, and serve Him and his people, and live.

¹³ Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the cherev, by the ra’av (famine), and by the dever, as Hashem hath spoken against the goy (nation) that will not serve Melech Bavel?

¹⁴ Therefore do not pay heed unto the devarim of the nevi’im that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve Melech Bavel; for they prophesy sheker unto you.

¹⁵ For I have not sent them, saith Hashem, yet they prophesy sheker in My name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the nevi’im that prophesy unto you.

¹⁶ Also I spoke to the kohanim and to all this people, saying, Thus saith Hashem: Do not pay heed to the devarim of your nevi’im that prophesy unto you, saying, Hinei, the K’lei Beis Hashem shall now shortly be brought back from Bavel; for they prophesy sheker unto you.

¹⁷ Do not pay heed unto them; serve Melech Bavel, and live; why should this ir be laid waste?

¹⁸ But if they are nevi’im, and if the Devar Hashem be with them, let them now make intercession to Hashem Tzva’os, that the kelim (vessels) which are left in the Beis Hashem, and in the Bais HaMelech Yehudah, and at Yerushalayim, go not to Bavel.

¹⁹ For thus saith Hashem Tzva’os concerning the Ammudim (Pillars) and concerning the Yam (Sea), and concerning the Mekhonot (Stands [supporting the lavers]), and concerning the remainder of the kelim that remain in this ir.

²⁰ Which Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel took not, when he carried away captive Yechanyah Ben Y’hoyakim Melech Yehudah from Yerushalayim to Bavel, and all the nobles of Yehudah and Yerushalayim;

²¹ Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel, concerning the kelim (vessels) that remain in the Beis Hashem, and in the Bais HaMelech Yehudah and Yerushalayim;

²² They shall be carried to Bavel, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith Hashem; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this makon.