إِرْمِيَا 2

١ 1 وَصَارَتْ إِلَيَّ كَلِمَةُ ٱلرَّبِّ قَائِلًا:

The Lord's message came to me, saying,

٢ 2 «ٱذْهَبْ وَنَادِ فِي أُذُنَيْ أُورُشَلِيمَ قَائِلًا: هَكَذَا قَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ: قَدْ ذَكَرْتُ لَكِ غَيْرَةَ صِبَاكِ، مَحَبَّةَ خِطْبَتِكِ، ذِهَابَكِ وَرَائِي فِي ٱلْبَرِّيَّةِ فِي أَرْضٍ غَيْرِ مَزْرُوعَةٍ.

Go and announce to the people of Jerusalem that this is what the Lord says: I remember when you were young how devoted to me you were. I remember how you loved me when you were my bride. I remember how you followed me in the desert, in a land where nothing is grown.

٣ 3 إِسْرَائِيلُ قُدْسٌ لِلرَّبِّ، أَوَائِلُ غَلَّتِهِ. كُلُّ آكِلِيهِ يَأْثَمُونَ. شَرٌّ يَأْتِي عَلَيْهِمْ، يَقُولُ ٱلرَّبُّ».

Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. Anyone who ate this harvest was guilty of sin, and they experienced the disastrous results, declares the Lord.

٤ 4 اِسْمَعُوا كَلِمَةَ ٱلرَّبِّ يَا بَيْتَ يَعْقُوبَ، وَكُلَّ عَشَائِرِ بَيْتِ إِسْرَائِيلَ.

Listen to the Lord's message, descendants of Jacob, all you Israelites.

٥ 5 هَكَذَا قَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ: «مَاذَا وَجَدَ فِيَّ آبَاؤُكُمْ مِنْ جَوْرٍ حَتَّى ٱبْتَعَدُوا عَنِّي وَسَارُوا وَرَاءَ ٱلْبَاطِلِ وَصَارُوا بَاطِلًا؟

This is what the Lord says: What did your forefathers think was wrong with me that they went so far away from me? They went off to worship useless idols, and as a result became useless themselves!

٦ 6 وَلَمْ يَقُولُوا: أَيْنَ هُوَ ٱلرَّبُّ ٱلَّذِي أَصْعَدَنَا مِنْ أَرْضِ مِصْرَ، ٱلَّذِي سَارَ بِنَا فِي ٱلْبَرِّيَّةِ فِي أَرْضِ قَفْرٍ وَحُفَرٍ، فِي أَرْضِ يُبُوسَةٍ وَظِلِّ ٱلْمَوْتِ، فِي أَرْضٍ لَمْ يَعْبُرْهَا رَجُلٌ وَلَمْ يَسْكُنْهَا إِنْسَانٌ؟

They didn't ask themselves, “Where is the Lord who led us from Egypt, who led us through the wasteland, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and darkness, a land that no one travels through and where no one lives?”

٧ 7 وَأَتَيْتُ بِكُمْ إِلَى أَرْضِ بَسَاتِينَ لِتَأْكُلُوا ثَمَرَهَا وَخَيْرَهَا. فَأَتَيْتُمْ وَنَجَّسْتُمْ أَرْضِي وَجَعَلْتُمْ مِيرَاثِي رِجْسًا.

I led you into a productive land to eat all the good things that grow there. But you came and made my land unclean, making it offensive to me.

٨ 8 اَلْكَهَنَةُ لَمْ يَقُولُوا: أَيْنَ هُوَ ٱلرَّبُّ؟ وَأَهْلُ ٱلشَّرِيعَةِ لَمْ يَعْرِفُونِي، وَٱلرُّعَاةُ عَصَوْا عَلَيَّ، وَٱلْأَنْبِيَاءُ تَنَبَّأُوا بِبَعْلٍ، وَذَهَبُوا وَرَاءَ مَا لَا يَنْفَعُ.

Your priests did not ask, “Where is the Lord?” Your teachers of the law no longer believed in me, and your leaders rebelled against me. Your prophets prophesied by calling on Baal and followed worthless idols.

٩ 9 «لِذَلِكَ أُخَاصِمُكُمْ بَعْدُ، يَقُولُ ٱلرَّبُّ، وَبَنِي بَنِيكُمْ أُخَاصِمُ.

So I'm going to confront you again, declares the Lord, and I will bring charges against your children's children.

١٠ 10 فَٱعْبُرُوا جَزَائِرَ كِتِّيمَ، وَٱنْظُرُوا، وَأَرْسِلُوا إِلَى قِيدَارَ، وَٱنْتَبِهُوا جِدًّا، وَٱنْظُرُوا: هَلْ صَارَ مِثْلُ هَذَا؟

Travel over to the islands of Cyprus and take a look; go to the land of Kedar and examine carefully to see if anything like this has ever happened before.

١١ 11 هَلْ بَدَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ آلِهَةً، وَهِيَ لَيْسَتْ آلِهَةً؟ أَمَّا شَعْبِي فَقَدْ بَدَلَ مَجْدَهُ بِمَا لَا يَنْفَعُ!

Has a nation ever changed its gods? —even though they're not gods at all! Yet my people have traded their glorious God for worthless idols.

١٢ 12 اِبْهَتِي أَيَّتُهَا ٱلسَّمَاوَاتُ مِنْ هَذَا، وَٱقْشَعِرِّي وَتَحَيَّرِي جِدًّا، يَقُولُ ٱلرَّبُّ.

You heavens, you should be appalled, shocked and horrified! declares the Lord.

١٣ 13 لِأَنَّ شَعْبِي عَمِلَ شَرَّيْنِ: تَرَكُونِي أَنَا يَنْبُوعَ ٱلْمِيَاهِ ٱلْحَيَّةِ، لِيَنْقُرُوا لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ أَبْآرًا، أَبْآرًا مُشَقَّقَةً لَا تَضْبُطُ مَاءً.

For my people have done two evil things. They have abandoned me, the source of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that can't hold water.

١٤ 14 «أَعَبْدٌ إِسْرَائِيلُ، أَوْ مَوْلُودُ ٱلْبَيْتِ هُوَ؟ لِمَاذَا صَارَ غَنِيمَةً؟

Are Israelites slaves? Were they born into slavery? So why have they become victims?

١٥ 15 زَمْجَرَتْ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْأَشْبَالُ. أَطْلَقَتْ صَوْتَهَا وَجَعَلَتْ أَرْضَهُ خَرِبَةً. أُحْرِقَتْ مُدُنُهُ فَلَا سَاكِنَ.

The young lions roared at you; they growled loudly. They have devastated your country; your towns lie in ruins. No one lives there.

١٦ 16 وَبَنُو نُوفَ وَتَحْفَنِيسَ قَدْ شَجُّوا هَامَتَكِ.

The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved your heads.

١٧ 17 أَمَا صَنَعْتِ هَذَا بِنَفْسِكِ، إِذْ تَرَكْتِ ٱلرَّبَّ إِلَهَكِ حِينَمَا كَانَ مُسَيِّرَكِ فِي ٱلطَّرِيقِ؟

Didn't you bring this on yourself by abandoning the Lord your God when he was leading you in the right way?

١٨ 18 وَٱلْآنَ مَا لَكِ وَطَرِيقَ مِصْرَ لِشُرْبِ مِيَاهِ شِيحُورَ؟ وَمَا لَكِ وَطَرِيقَ أَشُّورَ لِشُرْبِ مِيَاهِ ٱلنَّهْرِ؟

Now what will you benefit as you travel back to Egypt to drink the waters of Shihor River? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?

١٩ 19 يُوَبِّخُكِ شَرُّكِ، وَعِصْيَانُكِ يُؤَدِّبُكِ. فَٱعْلَمِي وَٱنْظُرِي أَنَّ تَرْكَكِ ٱلرَّبَّ إِلَهَكِ شَرٌّ وَمُرٌّ، وَأَنَّ خَشْيَتِي لَيْسَتْ فِيكِ، يَقُولُ ٱلسَّيِّدُ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ.

Your own wickedness will discipline you; your own disobedience will teach you a lesson. Think about it and you'll recognize what a bitter evil it is for you to abandon the Lord your God and not to respect me, declares the Lord God Almighty.

٢٠ 20 «لِأَنَّهُ مُنْذُ ٱلْقَدِيمِ كَسَرْتُ نِيرَكِ وَقَطَعْتُ قُيُودَكِ، وَقُلْتِ: لَا أَتَعَبَّدُ. لِأَنَّكِ عَلَى كُلِّ أَكَمَةٍ عَالِيَةٍ وَتَحْتَ كُلِّ شَجَرَةٍ خَضْرَاءَ أَنْتِ ٱضْطَجَعْتِ زَانِيَةً!

You broke off your yoke and ripped off your chains long ago. “I won't worship you!” you declared. On the contrary, you lay down like a prostitute on every high hill and under every green tree.

٢١ 21 وَأَنَا قَدْ غَرَسْتُكِ كَرْمَةَ سُورَقَ، زَرْعَ حَقٍّ كُلَّهَا. فَكَيْفَ تَحَوَّلْتِ لِي سُرُوغَ جَفْنَةٍ غَرِيبَةٍ؟

I was the one who planted you like the finest vine, grown from the very best seed. How could you degenerate into a useless wild vine?

٢٢ 22 فَإِنَّكِ وَإِنِ ٱغْتَسَلْتِ بِنَطْرُونٍ، وَأَكْثَرْتِ لِنَفْسِكِ ٱلْأُشْنَانَ، فَقَدْ نُقِشَ إِثْمُكِ أَمَامِي، يَقُولُ ٱلسَّيِّدُ ٱلرَّبُّ.

Even bleach and plenty of soap can't get rid of your guilty stains. I still see them, declares the Lord God.

٢٣ 23 كَيْفَ تَقُولِينَ: لَمْ أَتَنَجَّسْ. وَرَاءَ بَعْلِيمَ لَمْ أَذْهَبْ؟ ٱنْظُرِي طَرِيقَكِ فِي ٱلْوَادِي. اِعْرِفِي مَا عَمِلْتِ، يَا نَاقَةً خَفِيفَةً ضَبِعَةً فِي طُرُقِهَا!

How dare you say, “I'm not unclean! I haven't gone to worship the Baals!” Look at what you've been doing down in the valley. Admit what you've done! You're a young female camel, racing around everywhere.

٢٤ 24 يَا أَتَانَ ٱلْفَرَا، قَدْ تَعَوَّدَتِ ٱلْبَرِّيَّةَ! فِي شَهْوَةِ نَفْسِهَا تَسْتَنْشِقُ ٱلرِّيحَ. عِنْدَ ضَبَعِهَا مَنْ يَرُدُّهَا؟ كُلُّ طَالِبِيهَا لَا يُعْيُونَ. فِي شَهْرِهَا يَجِدُونَهَا.

You're a female donkey living in the desert, sniffing the wind for a mate because she's in heat. No one can control her at mating time. All those who're looking for her won't have trouble finding her when she's in heat.

٢٥ 25 اِحْفَظِي رِجْلَكِ مِنَ ٱلْحَفَا وَحَلْقَكِ مِنَ ٱلظَّمَإِ. فَقُلْتِ: بَاطِلٌ! لَا! لِأَنِّي قَدْ أَحْبَبْتُ ٱلْغُرَبَاءَ وَوَرَاءَهُمْ أَذْهَبُ.

You don't have to run around barefoot or have your throat go dry. But you reply, “No, it's impossible! I'm in love with foreign gods—I must go to them.”

٢٦ 26 كَخِزْيِ ٱلسَّارِقِ إِذَا وُجِدَ هَكَذَا خِزْيُ بَيْتِ إِسْرَائِيلَ، هُمْ وَمُلُوكُهُمْ وَرُؤَسَاؤُهُمْ وَكَهَنَتُهُمْ وَأَنْبِيَاؤُهُمْ،

In the same way that a thief feels guilty when they're caught, so the people of Israel have been shamed. All of them—their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets.

٢٧ 27 قَائِلِينَ لِلْعُودِ: أَنْتَ أَبِي، وَلِلْحَجَرِ: أَنْتَ وَلَدْتَنِي. لِأَنَّهُمْ حَوَّلُوا نَحْوِي ٱلْقَفَا لَا ٱلْوَجْهَ، وَفِي وَقْتِ بَلِيَّتِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ: قُمْ وَخَلِّصْنَا.

They say to an idol made of wood, “You are my father,” and one made of stone, “You gave birth to me.” They turn their backs on me, and hide their faces from me. But when they're in trouble they come begging to me, saying, “Please come and save us!”

٢٨ 28 فَأَيْنَ آلِهَتُكَ ٱلَّتِي صَنَعْتَ لِنَفْسِكَ؟ فَلْيَقُومُوا إِنْ كَانُوا يُخَلِّصُونَكَ فِي وَقْتِ بَلِيَّتِكَ. لِأَنَّهُ عَلَى عَدَدِ مُدُنِكَ صَارَتْ آلِهَتُكَ يَا يَهُوذَا.

So where are these “gods” of yours that you made for yourselves? Let them come and help you when you're in trouble! Let them save you if they can, because you Israelites have as many gods as you have towns.

٢٩ 29 لِمَاذَا تُخَاصِمُونَنِي؟ كُلُّكُمْ عَصَيْتُمُونِي، يَقُولُ ٱلرَّبُّ.

Why are you complaining to me? It's all of you who have all rebelled against me! declares the Lord.

٣٠ 30 لِبَاطِلٍ ضَرَبْتُ بَنِيكُمْ. لَمْ يَقْبَلُوا تَأْدِيبًا. أَكَلَ سَيْفُكُمْ أَنْبِيَاءَكُمْ كَأَسَدٍ مُهْلِكٍ.

It was pointless of me to punish your children because they refused to accept any discipline. You used your own swords to kill your prophets, destroying them like a ferocious lion.

٣١ 31 «أَنْتُمْ أَيُّهَا ٱلْجِيلُ، ٱنْظُرُوا كَلِمَةَ ٱلرَّبِّ. هَلْ صِرْتُ بَرِّيَّةً لِإِسْرَائِيلَ أَوْ أَرْضَ ظَلَامٍ دَامِسٍ؟ لِمَاذَا قَالَ شَعْبِي: قَدْ شَرَدْنَا، لَا نَجِيءُ إِلَيْكَ بَعْدُ؟

You people of today, think about what the Lord is saying: Israel, have I treated you like an empty desert, or a land of thick darkness? Why are my people saying, “We can go where we like! We don't have to come and worship you any more”?

٣٢ 32 هَلْ تَنْسَى عَذْرَاءُ زِينَتَهَا، أَوْ عَرُوسٌ مَنَاطِقَهَا؟ أَمَّا شَعْبِي فَقَدْ نَسِيَنِي أَيَّامًا بِلَا عَدَدٍ.

Does a girl forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding dress? Yet my people have forgotten me for too many years to count.

٣٣ 33 لِمَاذَا تُحَسِّنِينَ طَرِيقَكِ لِتَطْلُبِي ٱلْمَحَبَّةَ؟ لِذَلِكَ عَلَّمْتِ ٱلشِّرِّيرَاتِ أَيْضًا طُرُقَكِ.

How cleverly you look for your lovers! Even prostitutes could learn something from you!

٣٤ 34 أَيْضًا فِي أَذْيَالِكِ وُجِدَ دَمُ نُفُوسِ ٱلْمَسَاكِينِ ٱلْأَزْكِيَاءِ. لَا بِٱلنَّقْبِ وَجَدْتُهُ، بَلْ عَلَى كُلِّ هَذِهِ.

On top of that, your clothes are stained with the blood of the poor and the innocent. It's not like you killed them breaking into your homes. Despite all this,

٣٥ 35 وَتَقُولِينَ: لِأَنِّي تَبَرَّأْتُ ٱرْتَدَّ غَضَبُهُ عَنِّي حَقًّا. هَأَنَذَا أُحَاكِمُكِ لِأَنَّكِ قُلْتِ: لَمْ أُخْطِئْ.

you go on saying, “I'm innocent! Surely he can't still be upset with me!” Watch out! I'm going to punish you because you go on saying, “I haven't sinned.”

٣٦ 36 لِمَاذَا تَرْكُضِينَ لِتَبْدُلِي طَرِيقَكِ؟ مِنْ مِصْرَ أَيْضًا تَخْزَيْنَ كَمَا خَزِيتِ مِنْ أَشُّورَ.

You're just so fickle—you keep on changing your mind! You will end up just as disappointed by your alliance with Egypt as you were with Assyria.

٣٧ 37 مِنْ هُنَا أَيْضًا تَخْرُجِينَ وَيَدَاكِ عَلَى رَأْسِكِ، لِأَنَّ ٱلرَّبَّ قَدْ رَفَضَ ثِقَاتِكِ، فَلَا تَنْجَحِينَ فِيهَا.

In fact you will go into exile with your hands on your head as prisoners, because the Lord will have nothing to do with those you trust; they will be no help to you.