Jeremiah 11

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

The word that has been to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying,

2 “Listen to the words of this covenant and tell them to the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem.

“Hear the words of this covenant, and you have spoken to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

3 You must tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant,

and you have said to them, Thus said YHWH God of Israel: Cursed [is] the man who does not obey the words of this covenant,

4 which I commanded your forefathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey Me, and do everything I command you, and you will be My people, and I will be your God.’

That I commanded your fathers, In the day of My bringing them out from the land of Egypt, Out of the iron furnace, saying, Listen to My voice, and you have done them, According to all that I command you, And you have been to Me for a people, And I am to you for God,

5 This was in order to establish the oath I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is to this day.” “Amen, LORD,” I answered.

In order to establish the oath that I have sworn to your fathers, To give to them a land flowing with milk and honey, as this day.” And I answer and say, “Amen, O YHWH.”

6 Then the LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: Hear the words of this covenant and carry them out.

And YHWH says to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear the words of this covenant, And you have done them.

7 For from the time I brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt until today, I strongly warned them again and again, saying, ‘Obey My voice.’

For I certainly testified against your fathers, In the day of My bringing them up out of the land of Egypt—until this day, Rising early and testifying, saying, Listen to My voice,

8 Yet they would not obey or incline their ears, but each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant I had commanded them to follow but they did not keep.”

And they have not listened nor inclined their ear, And they each walk in the stubbornness of their evil heart, And I bring on them all the words of this covenant, That I commanded to do, and they did not.”

9 And the LORD told me, “There is a conspiracy among the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem.

And YHWH says to me: “A conspiracy is found in the men of Judah, And in the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

10 They have returned to the sins of their forefathers who refused to obey My words. They have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their fathers.

They have turned back to the iniquities of their first fathers, Who refused to hear My words, And they have gone after other gods to serve them, The house of Israel and the house of Judah Have made void My covenant that I made with their fathers.”

11 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to bring upon them a disaster that they cannot escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will not listen to them.

Therefore, thus said YHWH: “Behold, I am bringing calamity on them, That they are not able to go out from, And they have cried to Me, And I do not listen to them.

12 Then the cities of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to which they have been burning incense, but these gods certainly will not save them in their time of disaster.

And the cities of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem have gone, And they have cried to the gods, To whom they are making incense, And they give no deliverance at all to them, In the time of their distress.

13 Your gods are indeed as numerous as your cities, O Judah; the altars of shame you have set up—the altars to burn incense to Baal—are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’

For the number of your cities have been your gods, O Judah, And [for] the number of the streets of Jerusalem You have placed altars to a shameful thing, Altars to make incense to Ba‘al.

14 As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me in their time of disaster.

And you, you do not pray for this people, Nor do you lift up cry and prayer for them, For I do not listen in the time of their calling to Me for their distress.

15 What right has My beloved in My house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your doom, so that you can rejoice?

What has My beloved to do in My house, Her doing wickedness with many, And does the holy flesh pass over from you? When you do evil, then you exult.

16 The LORD once called you a flourishing olive tree, beautiful with well-formed fruit. But with a mighty roar He will set it on fire, and its branches will be consumed.

An olive, green, beautiful, of good fruit, Has YHWH called your name, At the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire against it, And its thin branches have been broken.

17 The LORD of Hosts, who planted you, has decreed disaster against you on account of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have brought upon themselves, provoking Me to anger by burning incense to Baal.”

And YHWH of Hosts, who is planting you, Has spoken calamity concerning you, For the evil of the house of Israel, and of the house of Judah, That they have done to themselves, To provoke Me to anger, to make incense to Ba‘al.”

18 And the LORD informed me, so I knew. Then You showed me their deeds.

And, O YHWH, cause me to know, and I know, Then You have showed me their doings.

19 For I was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter; I did not know that they had plotted against me: “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”

And I [am] as a trained lamb brought to slaughter, And I have not known That they have devised schemes against me: “We destroy the tree with its food, And cut him off from the land of the living, And his name is not remembered again.”

20 O LORD of Hosts, who judges righteously, who examines the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.

And O YHWH of Hosts, judging righteousness, Trying reins and heart, I see Your vengeance against them, For I have revealed my cause to You.

21 Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the people of Anathoth who are seeking your life and saying, “You must not prophesy in the name of the LORD, or you will die by our hand.”

Therefore, thus said YHWH concerning the men of Anathoth, who are seeking your life, saying, “Do not prophesy in the Name of YHWH, and you do not die by our hands.”

22 So this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine.

Therefore, thus said YHWH of Hosts: “Behold, I am seeing after them, The chosen ones die by sword, Their sons and their daughters die by famine,

23 There will be no remnant, for I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”

And they have no remnant, For I bring calamity to the men of Anathoth, The year of their inspection!”