Jeremías 6
Reina Valera Contemporánea
El juicio contra Jerusalén y Judá
6 »Ustedes, descendientes de Benjamín, ¡escapen de Jerusalén, y toquen la trompeta en Tecoa! ¡Hagan señales de humo sobre Bet Haqueren! ¡Viene del norte gran calamidad y destrucción! 2 Voy a destruir a la bella y delicada hija de Sión. 3 Como pastores con sus rebaños, vienen a atacarla generales con sus ejércitos; y plantarán tiendas de campaña a su alrededor, y cada uno escogerá su lugar de reposo. 4 Y dirán: “¡Vamos a atacarla! ¡Vamos a asaltarla a plena luz del día!” Pero al ver que la tarde va cayendo, y que se extienden ya las sombras de la noche, dirán: “¡Ay de nosotros! 5 Será mejor que la asaltemos por la noche, y que destruyamos sus palacios.”»
6 Porque así ha dicho el Señor de los ejércitos:
«¡Corten árboles, y levanten un terraplén contra Jerusalén! Ésta ciudad tiene que ser castigada, porque toda ella está llena de violencia. 7 Así como de una fuente nunca deja de manar el agua, así también, de ella nunca deja de manar su maldad. En ella se habla de robos e injusticias; y siempre hay en mi presencia enfermedad y heridas. 8 ¡Corrígete, Jerusalén! De lo contrario, me apartaré de ti y te convertiré en desierto, en tierra deshabitada.»
9 Así ha dicho el Señor de los ejércitos:
«Andarán buscando al resto de Israel, del mismo modo que en la vid vuelve el vendimiador a rebuscar entre los sarmientos.
10 »¿A quién hablaré, para que oigan? ¿A quién le llamaré la atención? ¡No pueden escuchar porque tienen tapados los oídos! Ellos no aman la palabra del Señor. ¡Les resulta vergonzosa! 11 Por tanto, la ira del Señor se me escapa; ya estoy cansado de contenerme. Voy a derramarla sobre los niños en la calle, lo mismo que sobre las reuniones de jóvenes, porque serán hechos cautivos el marido y la mujer, el viejo y el anciano. 12 Voy a extender mi mano contra los habitantes de la tierra; y sus casas, sus propiedades, y hasta sus mujeres, pasarán a otras manos.
—Palabra del Señor.
13 »Y es que todos ellos son mentirosos y avaros. Todos, desde el más chico hasta el más grande, desde el profeta hasta el sacerdote. 14 Se les hace fácil sanar la herida de mi pueblo con sólo decir “¡Paz, paz!” ¡Pero no hay paz!(A) 15 ¿Acaso se han avergonzado de sus actos repugnantes? ¡Claro que no! ¡Ni siquiera saben lo que es tener vergüenza! Por eso, cuando yo los castigue, caerán muertos entre los muertos.»(B)
—Palabra del Señor.
16 Así ha dicho el Señor:
«Deténganse en los caminos y pregunten por los senderos de otros tiempos; miren bien cuál es el buen camino, y vayan por él. Así hallarán ustedes el descanso necesario.(C) Pero ustedes dijeron: “No iremos por allí.” 17 También les puse vigilantes que les advirtieran: “Presten atención al sonido de la trompeta.” Pero ustedes dijeron: “No vamos a prestar atención.” 18 Por lo tanto, naciones, ¡escuchen! Y ustedes, mi pueblo, ¡entiendan lo que va a suceder! 19 ¡Óyeme bien, tierra! Voy a traer sobre este pueblo un mal, que es producto de sus pensamientos, pues no quisieron obedecer mis palabras y aborrecieron mi enseñanza. 20 ¿Para qué me traen de Sabá este incienso, y de lejanas tierras esta fina caña aromática? No encuentro aceptables sus holocaustos, ni me agradan sus sacrificios.»
21 Por lo tanto, así ha dicho el Señor:
«Yo voy a ponerle tropiezos a este pueblo, que harán caer a los padres y a los hijos por igual, y donde el vecino y su compañero perecerán.»
22 Así ha dicho el Señor:
«¡Miren! Del norte viene ya un pueblo de la tierra. Desde los extremos de la tierra se levanta una gran nación. 23 Empuñan el arco y la jabalina. Son crueles, y no saben lo que es la compasión. Sus voces son como los bramidos del mar, y a galope tendido vienen contra ti, hija de Sión, dispuestos ya para el combate.»
24 Al enterarnos de su fama, se nos descoyuntaron las manos; la angustia y el dolor se apoderaron de nosotros, como se apoderan de una parturienta. 25 ¡No salgas al campo! ¡No transites por ningún camino, porque el enemigo está blandiendo la espada! ¡Hay terror por todas partes! 26 Hija de mi pueblo, ¡cúbrete de cilicio y revuélcate en ceniza! ¡Vístete de luto, como si hubiera muerto tu único hijo! ¡Llora amargamente, porque ya viene contra nosotros el destructor!
27 «Yo te he puesto entre mi pueblo para que los pongas a prueba, como si fueran metales. Así que entérate de cómo se conducen, y ponlos a prueba, 28 porque todos ellos son rebeldes, porfiados y chismosos. Y además, corruptores. ¡Son inflexibles como el bronce y como el hierro! 29 Cuando el fuelle arde, el plomo se derrite por el fuego; pero de nada sirve que el fundidor funda el metal si no se desprende la escoria. 30 Pero a ellos se les llamará “plata desechada”, porque yo, el Señor, los he desechado.»
Jeremiah 6
English Standard Version
Impending Disaster for Jerusalem
6 Flee for safety, (A)O people of Benjamin,
from the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow the trumpet in (B)Tekoa,
and raise a signal on (C)Beth-haccherem,
for disaster looms (D)out of the north,
and great destruction.
2 The lovely and delicately bred I will destroy,
(E)the daughter of Zion.[a]
3 (F)Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her;
(G)they shall pitch their tents around her;
they shall pasture, each in his place.
4 (H)“Prepare war against her;
arise, and let us attack (I)at noon!
Woe to us, for the day declines,
for the shadows of evening lengthen!
5 Arise, and let us attack by night
and destroy her palaces!”
6 For thus says the Lord of hosts:
(J)“Cut down her trees;
(K)cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem.
This is the city that must be (L)punished;
there is nothing but oppression within her.
7 (M)As a well keeps its water fresh,
so she keeps fresh her evil;
(N)violence and destruction are heard within her;
sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8 Be warned, O Jerusalem,
(O)lest I turn from you in disgust,
lest I make you (P)a desolation,
an uninhabited land.”
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
(Q)“They shall glean thoroughly as a vine
the remnant of Israel;
like a grape gatherer pass your hand again
over its branches.”
10 (R)To whom shall I speak and give warning,
that they may hear?
(S)Behold, their ears are uncircumcised,
(T)they cannot listen;
behold, (U)the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn;
they take no pleasure in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord;
(V)I am weary of holding it in.
(W)“Pour it out upon the children in the street,
and upon the gatherings of young men, also;
(X)both husband and wife (Y)shall be taken,
the elderly and the very aged.
12 (Z)Their houses shall be turned over to others,
their fields and wives together,
for I will stretch out my hand
against the inhabitants of the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 (AA)“For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone (AB)is greedy for unjust gain;
and from (AC)prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, (AD)‘Peace, peace,’
(AE)when there is no peace.
15 (AF)Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
(AG)at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,”
says the Lord.
16 Thus says the Lord:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for (AH)the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
(AI)and find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 (AJ)I set watchmen over you, saying,
‘Pay attention to (AK)the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, (AL)‘We will not pay attention.’
18 Therefore hear, O nations,
and know, O congregation, what will happen to them.
19 Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people,
(AM)the fruit of their devices,
because they have not paid attention to my words;
and as for my law, they have rejected it.
20 (AN)What use to me is (AO)frankincense that comes from (AP)Sheba,
or sweet cane from a distant land?
(AQ)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord:
(AR)‘Behold, I will lay before this people
stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble;
fathers and sons together,
neighbor and friend shall perish.’”
22 Thus says the Lord:
(AS)“Behold, a people is coming (AT)from the north country,
a great nation is stirring from (AU)the farthest parts of the earth.
23 They lay hold on bow and javelin;
they are (AV)cruel and have no mercy;
(AW)the sound of them is like the roaring sea;
they ride on horses,
set in array as a man for battle,
against you, O daughter of Zion!”
24 We have heard the report of it;
(AX)our hands fall helpless;
anguish has taken hold of us,
(AY)pain as of a woman in labor.
25 Go not out into the field,
nor walk on the road,
for the enemy has a sword;
(AZ)terror is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people, (BA)put on sackcloth,
and (BB)roll in ashes;
(BC)make mourning as for an only son,
most bitter lamentation,
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you (BD)a tester of metals among my people,
that you may know and (BE)test their ways.
28 (BF)They are all stubbornly rebellious,
(BG)going about with slanders;
they are (BH)bronze and iron;
all of them act corruptly.
29 The (BI)bellows blow fiercely;
the lead is consumed by the fire;
(BJ)in vain the refining goes on,
for the wicked are not removed.
30 (BK)Rejected silver they are called,
for the Lord has rejected them.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 6:2 Or I have likened the daughter of Zion to the loveliest pasture
Jeremiah 6
Easy-to-Read Version
The Enemy Surrounds Jerusalem
6 “Run for your lives, people of Benjamin!
Run away from the city of Jerusalem!
Blow the war trumpet in the city of Tekoa!
Put up the warning flag in the city of Beth Hakkerem!
Do these things because disaster is coming from the north.[a]
Terrible destruction is coming to you.
2 Jerusalem,[b] you are like a beautiful meadow.[c]
But I will destroy you!
3 Enemy shepherds will surround you
with all their flocks.
They will set up their tents all around you,
and each one will let his sheep eat the grass.
4 “Get ready to fight against Jerusalem.
Get up! We will attack the city at noon.
But it is already getting late.
The evening shadows are growing long.
5 So get up! We will attack the city at night!
Let’s destroy the strong walls that are around Jerusalem.”
6 This is what the Lord All-Powerful says:
“Cut down the trees around Jerusalem,
and build a siege mound[d] against it.
This city should be punished
because inside there is no justice—only slavery.
7 As a well keeps its water fresh,
so Jerusalem keeps its wickedness fresh.
I hear about the robbing and violence in this city all the time.
I see nothing but pain and sickness there all the time.
8 Listen to this warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn my back on you.
I will make your land an empty desert.
No one will be able to live there.”
9 This is what the Lord All-Powerful says:
“Gather[e] the people of Israel who were left on their land.
Gather them the way you would gather the last grapes on a grapevine.
Check each vine,
like the workers check each vine when they pick the grapes.”
10 Who can I speak to?
Who can I warn?
Who will listen to me?
The people of Israel have closed their ears,
so they cannot hear my warnings.
They don’t like the Lord’s teachings.
They don’t want to hear his message.
11 But I am full of the Lord’s anger,
and I am tired of holding it in!
“Pour out my anger on the children playing in the streets
and on the young soldiers gathered there as well.
A man and his wife will both be captured
as well as all the old people.
12 Their houses will be given to others.
Their fields and their wives will be given to other people.
I will raise my hand and punish the people of Judah.”
This message is from the Lord.
13 “All the people of Israel want more and more money.
All of them, from the least important to the most important, are like that.
Even the prophets and priests tell lies.
14 They should bandage the wounds my people have suffered,
but they treat their wounds like small scratches.
They say, ‘It’s all right, everything is all right.’
But it is not all right!
15 They should be ashamed of the evil things they do,
but they are not ashamed at all.
They don’t know enough to be embarrassed by their sins.
So they will be punished with everyone else.
They will be thrown to the ground when I punish the people.”
This is what the Lord said.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look.
Ask where the old road is.
Ask where the good road is,
and walk on that road.
If you do, you will find rest for yourselves.
But you people have said, ‘We will not walk on the good road.’
17 I chose watchmen to watch over you.
I told them, ‘Listen for the sound of the war trumpet.’
But they said, ‘We will not listen!’
18 So listen, all you nations,
and pay attention, you people in those countries.[f]
19 Hear this, people of the earth:
I am going to bring disaster to the people of Judah
because of all the evil they planned,
and because they ignored my messages.
They refused to obey my law.
20 “Why do you bring me incense from the country of Sheba[g]?
Why do you bring me sweet-smelling cane from a faraway country?
Your burnt offerings don’t make me happy.
Your sacrifices don’t please me.”
21 So this is what the Lord says:
“I will give the people of Judah problems.
They will be like stones that make people fall.
Fathers and sons will stumble over them.
Friends and neighbors will die.”
22 This is what the Lord says:
“An army is coming from the north.[h]
A great nation is coming from faraway places on earth.
23 The soldiers carry bows and spears.
They are cruel; they have no mercy.
They are so powerful.
They sound like the roaring ocean as they ride their horses.
That army is coming, ready for battle.
It is coming to attack you, Jerusalem.[i]”
24 We have heard the news about that army,
and we are paralyzed with fear.
We feel trapped by our troubles,
in pain like a woman giving birth.
25 Don’t go out into the fields.
Don’t go on the roads
because the enemy has swords,
and there is danger everywhere.
26 My people, put on sackcloth
and roll in the ashes.[j]
Cry loudly for the dead.
Cry as if you lost an only son.
Do this because the destroyer
will come against us very quickly.
27 “Jeremiah, I want you to be
like a worker who tests metals.
You will test my people
and watch how they live.
28 My people have turned against me,
and they are very stubborn.
They say bad things about people.
They are like bronze and iron
that are covered with rust and tarnish.
29 They are like a worker who tried to make silver pure.
The bellows[k] blew strongly, and the fire became hotter,
but only lead came from the fire.[l]
The worker wasted his time
trying to make that silver pure.
In the same way the evil was not removed from my people.
30 My people will be called ‘Rejected Silver.’
They will be given that name because the Lord did not accept them.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 6:1 north The Babylonian army came from this direction to attack Judah. Armies from countries north and east of Israel often came this way to attack Judah and Israel.
- Jeremiah 6:2 Jerusalem Literally, “daughter Zion.” See “Zion” in the Word List.
- Jeremiah 6:2 you are like a beautiful meadow The Hebrew text here is hard to understand.
- Jeremiah 6:6 siege mound A large pile of dirt and rock that an army put against the wall of a city they were attacking. This made it easier for the enemy soldiers to climb over the wall into the city.
- Jeremiah 6:9 Gather Or “glean.” There was a law that a farmer must leave some grain in his field during harvest, so that poor people and travelers could find something to eat. See Lev. 19:9; 23:22.
- Jeremiah 6:18 pay … countries The Hebrew text here is hard to understand.
- Jeremiah 6:20 Sheba A land south of Israel, located where part of Saudi Arabia is today. Sheba controlled the spice trade in the time of Jeremiah.
- Jeremiah 6:22 north The Babylonian army came from this direction to attack Judah. Armies from countries north and east of Israel often came this way to attack Judah and Israel.
- Jeremiah 6:23 Jerusalem Literally, “daughter Zion.” See “Zion” in the Word List.
- Jeremiah 6:26 roll in the ashes This is one way people showed that they were sad or crying for a dead person.
- Jeremiah 6:29 bellows A tool for blowing air on a fire to make the fire hotter.
- Jeremiah 6:29 lead came from the fire Workers melted metals like silver to make the metals pure. Lead was the first metal to melt, so the workers poured the lead out, leaving the other metal pure. Here, Jeremiah is saying the people are all bad—they are all lead and no silver!
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