Jeremiah 11

1 The word that came from the Lord to Jeremiah, saying:

The word that came to Jeremias from the Lord, saying,

2 “Listen to the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Hear you the words of this covenant, and you shall speak to the men of Juda, and to the dwellers in Jerusalem;

3 And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Cursed is the man who will not listen to the words of this covenant,

and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Cursed is the man, who shall not listen to the words of this covenant,

4 which I commanded to your fathers in the day when I led them away from the land of Egypt, away from the iron furnace, saying: Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you, and then you will be my people and I will be your God.

which I commanded your fathers, in the day wherein I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, saying, Listen to my voice, and do all things that I shall command you; so shall you be to me a people, and I will be to you a God;

5 So shall I uphold the oath which I swore to your fathers, that I would give them a land flowing with milk and honey, just as it is this day.” And I answered by saying: “Amen, O Lord.”

that I may confirm mine oath, which I sware to your fathers, to give them a land flowing [with] milk and honey, as [it is] this day. Then I answered and said, So be it, O Lord.

6 And the Lord said to me: “Shout all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: Listen to the words of the covenant, and do them.

And the Lord said to me, Read these words in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear you the words of this covenant, and do them.

7 For when testing, I tested your fathers in the day when I led them away from the land of Egypt, even until this day. Rising early, I tested them, and I said: Listen to my voice.

8 But they did not listen, nor did they incline their ear. Instead, each one of them walked in the depravity of his own evil heart. And so, I brought over them all the words of this covenant, which I instructed them to do. But they would not do them.”

But they did [them] not.

9 And the Lord said to me: “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And the Lord said to me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Juda, and among the dwellers in Jerusalem.

10 They have returned to the former iniquities of their fathers, who refused to listen to my words. And likewise, they have gone after strange gods, so that they may serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have treated as void my covenant, which I made with their fathers.

They are turned [aside] to the iniquities of their fathers that were of old, who would not listen to my words: and, behold, they go after strange gods, to serve them: and the house of Israel and the house of Juda have broken my covenant, which I made with their fathers.

11 For this reason, thus says the Lord: Behold, I will lead evils over them, from which they will not be able to escape. And they will cry out to me, and I will not heed them.

Therefore thus says the Lord, Behold, I bring evils upon this people, out of which they shall not be able to come forth; and they shall presently cry to me, but I will not listen to them.

12 And the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go forth, and they will cry out to the gods, to whom they offer libations, and they will not save them in the time of their affliction.

And the cities of Juda and the dwellers in Jerusalem shall go, and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense; which shall not deliver them in the time of their troubles.

13 For according to the number of your cities, so were your gods, O Judah. And according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem, so did you establish altars of confusion, altars to offer libations to Baal.

For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Juda; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have you set up altars to burn incense to Baal.

14 Therefore, you should not choose to pray for this people, and you should not take up praise and petitioning on their behalf. For I will not heed them in the time of their outcry to me, in the time of their affliction.

And you, pray not for this people, and intercede not for them in supplication and prayer: for I will not hear in the day in which they call upon me, in the day of their affliction.

15 Why has my beloved wrought great wickedness in my house? How can the holy flesh take away from you your wickedness, in which you have gloried?

Why has [my] beloved wrought abomination in my house? will prayers and holy offerings take away your wickedness from you, or shall you escape by these things?

16 The Lord has called your name: a beautiful, fruitful, splendid, and productive olive tree. At the voice of a word, a great fire was kindled in it, and its greenery was burned up.

The Lord called your name a fair olive tree, of a goodly shade in appearance, at the noise of its being lopped, fire was kindled against it; great is the affliction [coming] upon you: her branches are become good for nothing.

17 And the Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced an evil against you, concerning the evils of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, which they have done to themselves so as to provoke me, by offering libations to Baal.”

And the Lord that planted you has pronounced evils against you, because of the iniquity of the house of Israel and the house of Juda, whatever they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger by burning incense to Baal.

18 But you, O Lord, have revealed this to me, and I have understood. Then you displayed their efforts to me.

O Lord, teach me, and I shall know: then I saw their practices.

19 And I was like a meek lamb, who is being carried to be a victim. And I did not realize that they had devised plans against me, saying: “Let us place wood upon his bread, and let us eradicate him from the land of the living, and let his name no longer be remembered.”

But I as an innocent lamb led to the slaughter, knew not: against me they devised an evil device, saying, Come and let us put wood into his bread, and let us utterly destroy him from off the land of the living, and let his name not be remembered any more.

20 But you, O Lord of hosts, who judges justly, and who tests the temperament and the heart, let me see your vengeance against them. For I have revealed my case to you.

O Lord, that judge righteously, trying the reins and hearts, let me see your vengeance [taken] upon them, for to you I have declared my cause.

21 “Because of this, thus says the Lord to the men of Anathoth, who are seeking your life, and who are saying: ‘You shall not prophesy in the name of the Lord, and you shall not die by our hands.’

Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, that seek my life, that say, You shall not prophesy at all in the name of the Lord, but if you do, you shall die by our hands:

22 Because of this, thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will visit upon them. Their young men will die by the sword. Their sons and their daughters will die by famine.

behold, I will visit them: their young men shall die by the sword; and their sons and their daughters shall die of famine:

23 And there will be nothing left of them. For I will lead an evil over the men of Anathoth: the year of their visitation.”

and there shall be no remnant [left] of them; for I will bring evil upon the dwellers in Anathoth, in the year of their visitation.