Jeremiah 16-18

Wycliffe Bible

16 And the word of the Lord was made to me, and said,

² Thou shalt not take a wife, and sons and daughters shall not be to thee in this place.

³ For the Lord saith these things on sons and daughters, that be engendered in this place, and on the mothers of them, that engendered them, and on the fathers of them, of whose generation they be born in this land. (For the Lord saith these things about the sons and daughters, who be begotten in this place, and about their mothers, who begat them, and about their fathers, from whose generation they be born in this land.)

⁴ They shall die by deaths of sicknesses, they shall not be bewailed, and they shall not be buried; they shall be into a dunghill on the face of [the] earth, and they shall be wasted by sword and hunger; and the carrion of them shall be into meat to the volatiles of heaven, and to [the] beasts of the earth. (They shall die by the death of sicknesses, but they shall not be bewailed, and they shall not be buried; they shall be like a mound of dung upon the face of the earth, and they shall be wasted by the sword and by hunger; and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the heavens, or of the air, and for the beasts of the earth.)

⁵ For the Lord saith these things, Enter thou not into an house of feast, neither go thou to bewail, neither comfort thou them; for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, and (my) mercy and merciful doings.

⁶ And great and small shall die in this land; they shall not be buried, neither shall be bewailed; and they shall not cut themselves, neither baldness shall be made for them.

⁷ And they shall not break bread among them to him that mourneth, to comfort on a dead man, and they shall not give to them drink of a cup, to comfort on their father and mother. (And they shall not break bread among themselves with him who mourneth, to comfort him over the dead, and they shall not give a drink from a cup to anyone, to comfort them over the loss of even their father or their mother.)

⁸ And thou shalt not enter into the house of (the) feast, that thou sit with them, and eat, and drink.

⁹ For why the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall take away from this place, before your eyes, and in your days, the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness (and the voice of happiness), the voice of the spouse, and the voice of spousess.

¹⁰ And when thou shalt tell all these words to this people, and they shall say to thee, Why spake the Lord all this great evil on us? what is our wickedness, either what is our sin which we sinned to our Lord God? (And when thou shalt tell all these things to this people, and they shall say to thee, Why spoke the Lord all this great evil against us? what is our wickedness, or what is our sin which we sinned against the Lord our God?)

¹¹ thou shalt say to them, For your fathers forsook me, saith the Lord, and went after alien gods, and served them, and worshipped them, and they forsook me, and kept not my law. (thou shalt say to them, For your forefathers deserted me, saith the Lord, and went after strange, or foreign, gods, and served them, and worshipped them, yea, they deserted me, and did not keep, or obey, my law.)

¹² But also ye wrought worse than your fathers; for lo! each man goeth after the shrewdness of his evil heart, that he hear not me. (And ye have wrought worse than your forefathers; for lo! each person goeth after the depravity of his own evil heart, so that they do not listen to, or obey, me.)

¹³ And I shall cast you out of this land, into the land which ye and your fathers know not; and ye shall serve there to alien gods day and night, which shall not give rest to you. (And I shall throw you out of this land, into the land which ye and your forefathers know not; and there ye shall serve strange, or foreign, gods day and night, and I shall not show you any mercy/and I shall not show you any favour.)

¹⁴ Therefore lo! days come, saith the Lord, and it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that led the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt; (And so lo! days come, saith the Lord, and it shall no more be said, As the Lord liveth, who led the Israelites out of the land of Egypt;)

¹⁵ but, The Lord liveth, that led [out] the sons of Israel from the land of the north, and from all lands to which I casted them out; and I shall lead them again into their land which I gave to the fathers of them. (but, As the Lord liveth, who led out the Israelites from the land of the north, and from all the lands to which I threw them out; and I shall lead them again into their land which I gave to their forefathers.)

¹⁶ Lo! I shall send many fishers to them, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after these things I shall send many hunters to them, and they shall hunt them from each mountain, and from each little hill, and from the caves of stones.

¹⁷ For mine eyes be on all the ways of them; those ways be not hid from my face, and the wickedness of them was not privy from mine eyes.

¹⁸ And I shall yield first the double wickednesses and [the] sins of them, for they defouled my land in the slain beasts of their idols, and filled mine heritage with their abominations. (And first I shall make them yield double for their wickednesses and their sins, for they defiled my land with the slain beasts for their idols, and filled my inheritance with their abominations.)

¹⁹ Lord, my strength, and my stalworthness, and my refuge in the day of tribulation, heathen men shall come to thee from the farthest places of (the) earth, and shall say, Verily our fathers held a leasing in possession, vanity that profited not to them. (Lord, my strength, and my stalwartness, and my refuge in the day of trouble, the heathen shall come to thee from the farthest places of the earth, and shall say, Truly our forefathers inherited only lies, yea, vain, or useless, idols that profited them nothing.)

²⁰ Whether a man shall make gods to himself? (Can a man make gods for himself?) and those be no gods.

²¹ Therefore lo! I shall show to them by this while, I shall show to them mine hand, and my strength; and they shall know, that the name to me is [the] Lord (and they shall know, that my name is the Lord).

17 The sin of Judah is written with an iron pointel, in a nail of adamant; it is written on the breadth of the heart of them, and in the horns of the altars of them. (The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus, with an adamant point; it is written on the breadth of their hearts, and on the corners of their altars.)

² When the sons of them bethink on their altars, and [maumet] woods, and on the trees full of boughs, (While their sons and daughters worship at their altars, and in their sacred woods, by the trees full of branches, in the high mountains,)

³ making sacrifice in the field in high mountains, I shall give thy strength and all thy treasures into ravishing, thine high things for sins in all thine ends. (and make sacrifice in the fields, I shall give thy wealth and all thy treasures to robbing, or for spoils, and thy high places, or thy hill shrines, for more sins, in all thy terms, or in all thy land.)

⁴ And thou shalt be left alone from thine heritage which I gave to thee (And thou shalt be taken away from thy inheritance which I gave thee); and I shall make thee to serve thine enemies, in the land which thou knowest not; for thou hast kindled (a) fire in my strong vengeance, it shall burn till into without end.

⁵ The Lord saith these things, Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and setteth flesh his arm, and his heart goeth away from the Lord. (The Lord saith these things, Cursed is the person who trusteth in people, and maketh any flesh his source of power and security, and his heart goeth away from the Lord.)

⁶ For he shall be as brooms in desert, and he shall not see, when good shall come; but he shall dwell in dryness in desert, in the land of saltness, and unhabitable. (For he shall be like the heather in the wilderness, and he shall not see, when good shall come; but he shall live in the dryness of the desert, yea, in an uninhabitable and salty land.)

⁷ Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord (Happy is the person who trusteth in the Lord), and the Lord shall be his trust.

⁸ And he shall be as a tree, which is planted over waters, which sendeth his roots to moisture; and it shall not dread, when heat shall come; and the leaf thereof shall be green, and it shall not be moved in the time of dryness, neither any time it shall fail to make fruit. (And he shall be like a tree, which is planted by the waters, which sendeth out its roots to moisture; and it shall not have any fear, when the heat shall come; and its leaves shall be green, and it shall not be moved in the time of drought, nor at any time shall it fail to make fruit.)

⁹ The heart of man is shrewd, and unsearchable; who shall know it? (Each person’s heart is depraved, and unknowable; who can understand it?)

¹⁰ I am the Lord seeking the heart, and proving the reins, either kidneys, and I give to each man after his way, and after the fruit of his findings. (I am the Lord searching the minds, and proving the hearts, and I give to each person after his own ways, and after the fruit of his own deeds.)

¹¹ (As) A partridge nourished those things which she breeded not; (so) he made riches, and not in doom (Like a partridge nourished those young which she did not bring forth, so he made riches, but not justly); in the midst of his days he shall forsake them, and in his last time he shall be unwise.

¹² The seat of glory of highness was at the beginning the place of our hallowing, the abiding of Israel. (The throne of glory, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary, the abiding of Israel.)

¹³ Lord, all they that forsake thee, shall be shamed; they that go away from thee, shall be written in [the] earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, a vein of quick waters. (Lord, all they who desert thee, shall be ashamed; they who go away from thee, shall vanish like words written in the sand, for they have deserted the Lord, the vein, or the spring, of living waters.)

¹⁴ Lord, heal me, and I shall be healed; make thou me safe, and I shall be safe (save thou me/rescue thou me, and I shall be saved); for thou art my praising.

¹⁵ Lo! they say to me, Where is the word of the Lord? come it.

¹⁶ And I am not troubled, following thee shepherd, and I desired not the day of man, thou knowest. That that went out of my lips was rightful in thy sight.

¹⁷ Be thou not to dread to me; thou art mine hope in the day of torment. (Be thou not a terror to me, that is, something to fear; thou art my hope on the day of torment.)

¹⁸ Be they shamed, that pursue me, and be I not shamed; dread they, and dread not I; bring in on them a day of torment, and defoul thou them by double defouling. (Be they shamed, who pursue me, and let me not be shamed; let them fear, and let me not be afraid; bring in upon them a day of torment, and defile thou them with double defiling.)

¹⁹ The Lord saith these things to me, Go thou, and stand in the gate of the sons of the people, by which the kings of Judah enter [in], and go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem.

²⁰ And thou shall say to them, Hear the word of the Lord, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the dwellers of Jerusalem, that enter [in] by these gates. (And thou shall say to them, Hear the word of the Lord, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter in by these gates.)

²¹ The Lord God saith these things, Keep ye your souls, and do not ye bear burdens in the day of sabbath (and do not ye carry any burdens on the day of sabbath), neither bring (them) in by the gates of Jerusalem.

²² And do not ye cast burdens out of your houses in the day of sabbath (And do not ye carry any burdens out of your houses on the day of sabbath), and ye shall not do any work; hallow ye the day of sabbath, as I commanded to your fathers.

²³ And they heard not, neither bowed down their ear, but they made hard their noll, that they should not hear me, and that they should not take chastising. (But they did not listen, nor bowed down their ear, but they stiffened their necks, or were stubborn, so that they would not listen to me, so that they could receive my discipline, or my correction.)

²⁴ And it shall be, if ye hear me, saith the Lord, that ye bear not in burdens by the gates of this city in the day of sabbath, and if ye hallow the day of sabbath, that ye do not work therein, (And it shall be, if ye listen to, or obey, me, saith the Lord, so that ye do not carry in burdens by the gates of this city on the day of sabbath, and if ye hallow the day of sabbath, so that ye do no work on it,)

²⁵ kings and princes sitting on the seat of David shall enter [in] by the gates of this city, and ascending in chariots and horses; they, and the princes of them, the men of Judah, and the dwellers of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited without end. (then kings and princes sitting on the throne of David shall enter in by the gates of this city, and shall come in chariots and on horses; they, and their princes, and the people of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited forever.)

²⁶ And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the compass of Jerusalem (and from all around Jerusalem), and from the land of Benjamin, and from [the] field places, and from [the] hilly places, and from the south, bearing burnt sacrifice, and slain sacrifice, and incense; and they shall bring offering(s) into the house of the Lord.

²⁷ Forsooth if ye hear not me, that ye hallow the day of sabbath, and that ye bear not a burden, and that ye bring not in by the gates of Jerusalem in the day of sabbath, I shall kindle fire in the gates thereof; and it shall devour the houses of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. (But if ye do not listen to me, so that ye hallow the day of sabbath, and so that ye do not carry a burden, and so that ye do not bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem on the day of sabbath, then I shall kindle a fire in its gates; and it shall devour the houses of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.)

18 The word that was made of the Lord to Jeremy, and said, (The word of the Lord that was made to Jeremiah, and said,)

² Rise thou, and go down into the house of a potter, and there thou shalt hear my words.

³ And I went down into the house of a potter, and lo! he made a work on a wheel.

⁴ And the vessel was destroyed, which he made of clay with his hands; and he turned it, and made it another vessel, as it pleased in his eyes to make. (And when the vessel, which he made out of clay with his hands, was not acceptable, he turned it again, and made it into another vessel, which did please his eyes.)

⁵ And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,

⁶ Whether as this potter doeth, I may not do to you, the house of Israel? saith the Lord. Lo! as clay is in the hand of a potter, so ye, the house of Israel, be in mine hand (Lo! like clay is in a potter’s hands, so ye, the house of Israel, be in my hands).

⁷ Suddenly I shall speak against a folk, and against a realm, that I draw (it) out, and destroy (it), and lose it.

⁸ If that folk doeth penance of his evil, which I spake against it, also I shall do penance on the evil, which I thought to do to it. (But if that nation doeth penance for their evil, for which I spoke against them, then I shall do penance for the evil, which I thought to do to them.)

⁹ And I shall speak suddenly of a folk, and of a realm, that I build, and plant it. (And at any moment I shall speak of a nation, or of a kingdom, that I build it, or that I plant it.)

¹⁰ (But) If it doeth evil before mine eyes, (and) that it hear not my voice, (then) I shall do penance on the good which I spake, that I should do to it.

¹¹ Now therefore say thou to a man of Judah, and to the dweller of Jerusalem, and say, The Lord saith these things, Lo! I make evil against you, and I think a thought against you; each man turn again from his evil way, and (ad)dress ye your ways and your studies. (And so now say thou to the people of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, The Lord saith these things, Lo! I make evil plans against you, and I think thoughts against you; each person turn away from their evil ways, and direct, or amend, ye your ways and your deeds.)

¹² Which said, We have despaired, for we shall go after our thoughts, and we shall do each man the shrewdness of his evil heart. (But they said, We despair, for we feel that we must go after our own thoughts, and each person doeth the depravity of his own evil heart.)

¹³ Therefore the Lord saith these things, Ask ye heathen men, who heard such horrible things, which the virgin of Israel hath done greatly? (And so the Lord saith these things, Ask ye the heathen, who hath heard of such a horrible thing, as that which the virgin of Israel hath done?)

¹⁴ Whether [the] snow of the Lebanon shall fail from the stone of the field? either cold waters breaking out, and floating down, may be taken away? (Shall the snow in Lebanon fail to fall on the stones of the field? or shall cold water breaking out, and flowing down, not be taken away?)

¹⁵ For my people hath forgotten me, and they offered sacrifices in vain, and stumbled in their ways, and in the paths of the world (and stumbled on their own ways, and on the paths of the world), (so) that they went by those in a way not trodden;

¹⁶ that the land of them should be into desolation, and into an hissing everlasting; for why each that passeth by it, shall be astonied, and shall move his head. (so that their land now be into desolation, and into an everlasting hissing; for each person who passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall move their head.)

¹⁷ As a burning wind I shall scatter them before the enemy (Like a burning wind I shall scatter them before the enemy); I shall show to them the back and not the face, in the day of the perdition of them.

¹⁸ And they said, Come ye, and think we thoughts against Jeremy; for why the law shall not perish from a priest, neither counsel shall perish from a wise man, neither word shall perish from a prophet (for the Law shall never perish from, or be lost to, a priest, nor good advice from a wise man, nor God’s word from a prophet); come ye, and smite we him with (the) tongue, and take we none heed to all the words of him.

¹⁹ Lord, give thou attention to me, and hear thou the voice of mine adversaries.

²⁰ Whether evil is yielded for good, for they have digged a pit to my soul; have thou mind, that I stood in thy sight, to speak good for them, and to turn away thine indignation from them. (Shall evil be yielded for good, for they have dug a pit for me; remember, O Lord, that I stood in thy sight, to speak good of them, and to turn away thy indignation from them.)

²¹ Therefore give thou the sons of them into hunger, and lead forth them into the hands of [the] sword; the wives of them be made without children, and be made widows, and the husbands of them be slain by death; the young men of them be pierced together by sword in battle. (And so give thou their sons into hunger, and lead them forth into the hands of the sword; let their wives be made without children, and be made widows, and let their husbands be killed; and let their young men be altogether pierced by the sword in battle.)

²² Cry be heard of the houses of them, for thou shalt bring suddenly a thief on them; for they digged a pit to take me, and hid snares to my feet. (Let a cry be heard from their houses, for thou shalt suddenly bring a thief upon them; for they dug a pit to catch me, and hid snares for my feet.)

²³ But thou, Lord, knowest all the counsel of them against me into death; do thou not mercy to the wickedness of them, and the sin of them be not done away from thy face; be they made falling down in thy sight, in the time of thy strong vengeance; use thou them to other thing than they were ordained (use thou them for something other than what they were ordained for).