The Broken Covenant

11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: (A)“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: (B)Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, (C)from the iron furnace, saying, (D)Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. (E)So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, (F)that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers, (G)to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”

And the Lord said to me, (H)“Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: (I)Hear the words of this covenant and do them. For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, (J)warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, (K)Obey my voice. (L)Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, (M)but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all (N)the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”

Again the Lord said to me, (O)“A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to (P)the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. (Q)They have gone after other gods to serve them. (R)The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. (S)Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (T)will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, (U)but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. 13 (V)For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, (W)altars to make offerings to Baal.

14 “Therefore (X)do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, (Y)for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. 15 (Z)What right has my beloved in my house, (AA)when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? (AB)Can you then exult? 16 The Lord once called you (AC)‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But (AD)with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and (AE)its branches will be consumed. 17 The Lord of hosts, (AF)who planted you, has decreed disaster against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, (AG)provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.”

18 The Lord made it known to me and I knew;
    then you showed me their deeds.
19 But I was (AH)like a gentle lamb
    led to the slaughter.
I did not know (AI)it was against me
    they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
    (AJ)let us cut him off from (AK)the land of the living,
    that his name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
    who (AL)tests (AM)the heart and the mind,
(AN)let me see your vengeance upon them,
    for to you have I committed my cause.

21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of (AO)Anathoth, (AP)who seek your life, and say, (AQ)“Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”— 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, 23 and none of them shall be left. For I will bring disaster upon the men of (AR)Anathoth, (AS)the year of their punishment.”

11 The Davar that came to Yirmeyah from Hashem saying,

Hear ye the Divrei HaBrit Hazot, and speak unto the Ish Yehudah, and to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim;

And say thou unto them, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel; Arur (cursed) be the ish that obeyeth not the Divrei HaBrit Hazot,

Which I commanded Avoteichem in the day that I brought them forth out from Eretz Mitzrayim, from the kur habarzel (the furnace of iron), saying, Obey My voice, and do all which I command you; so shall ye be My people, and I will be your Elohim;

That I may perform the shevuah (oath) which I have sworn unto Avoteichem to give them an Eretz zavat cholov udevash as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, Omein, Hashem.

Then Hashem said unto me, Proclaim all these Devarim in the towns of Yehudah, and in the streets of Yerushalayim, saying, Hear ye the Divrei HaBrit Hazot, and do them.

For I earnestly warned Avoteichem in the day that I brought them up out of Eretz Mitzrayim, even unto this day, rising early and warning, saying, Obey My voice.

Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ozen (ear), but walked every one in the sherirut (stubbornness) of their lev harah; therefore I brought upon them all the Divrei HaBrit Hazot, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.

And Hashem said unto me, A kesher (conspiracy) is found among the Ish Yehudah, and among the inhabitants of Yerushalayim.

10 They are turned back to the avonot Avotam HaRishonim, which refused to hear My words; and they went after elohim acherim to serve them; Bais Yisroel and Bais Yehudah have broken My Brit which I cut with Avotam.

11 Therefore thus saith Hashem, Look! I will bring ra’ah (evil, disaster) upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry out unto Me, I will not pay heed unto them.

12 Then shall the towns of Yehudah and inhabitants of Yerushalayim go, and cry out unto the elohim unto whom they offer ketoret; but they shall not save them at all in the time of their ra’ah (disaster).

13 For as many as the mispar (number) of thy towns were thy elohim, O Yehudah; and according to the mispar (number) of the streets of Yerushalayim have ye set up mizbechot to that boshet (shameful [idol]), even mizbechot to burn ketoret unto Ba’al.

14 Therefore pray not thou for HaAm Hazot, neither lift up a rinnah (entreaty) or tefillah on their behalf; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto Me for their ra’ah (disaster).

15 What hath My yadid (beloved [See 12:7] to do in Mine Bais [HaMikdash], seeing she hath with rabbim (many) wrought clever [ritual] schemes—can basar kodesh turn away from thee thy disaster, that thou can rejoice?

16 Hashem called thy shem, A green zayit (olive tree), yafeh, and of goodly pri (fruit); with the noise of a great tumult He hath kindled eish upon it, and the branches of it are broken.

17 For Hashem Tzva’os, that planted thee, hath pronounced ra’ah against thee, for the evil of Bais Yisroel and of Bais Yehudah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering ketoret (incense) unto Ba’al.

18 And Hashem hath given me da’as (knowledge) of it, and I know it; then Thou opened my eyes to their deeds.

19 But I was like an innocent keves (lamb) that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised machashavot (plots) against me, saying, Let us destroy the etz (tree) with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from Eretz Chayyim, that shmo may be no more remembered.

20 But, Hashem Tzva’os, Shofet Tzedek, that testeth the kelayot (kidneys) and the lev, let me see Thy vengeance on them; for unto Thee have I committed my cause.

21 Therefore thus saith Hashem of the anshei Anatot, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not B’Shem Hashem, that thou die not by our yad;

22 Therefore thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, Look! I will punish them; the bochurim shall die by the cherev; their banim and their banot shall die by ra’av (famine);

23 And there shall be no she’erit (remnant) of them; for I will bring ra’ah (evil) upon the Anshei Anatot, even the year of their visitation [i.e., divine visitation for punishment].