Jeremiah 11

1 The worde that came to Ieremiah from the Lord, saying,

This is [another] message that Yahweh told me:

2 Heare ye the wordes of this couenant, and speake vnto the men of Iudah, and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem,

“Listen to the agreement that I made with [the ancestors of] the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah. Then remind them of [that agreement].

3 And say thou vnto them, Thus sayeth the Lord God of Israel, Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the wordes of this couenant,

Then tell them that [I], Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli [people worship], said that I will curse everyone who does not obey what was written in that agreement that I made with them.

4 Which I commanded vnto your fathers, when I brought them out of the lande of Egypt, from the yron fornace, saying, Obey my voyce, and doe according to all these things, which I commande you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God,

It is the same agreement that I made with their ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt. [What happened to them in Egypt was terrible; it was as though they were] living in a hot furnace [MET]. When I brought them out of Egypt, I told them to obey me, and to do everything that I had commanded them to do. [I also told them] that if they obeyed me, they would be my people and I would be their God.

5 That I may confirme the othe, that I haue sworne vnto your fathers, to giue them a lande, which floweth with milke and hony, as appeareth this day. Then answered I and sayde, So be it, O Lord.

[Now tell these people that if they obey me], I will do what I promised to do for their ancestors. I will enable them to continue living in this very fertile [IDM] land in which they now live.” I replied, “Yahweh, I hope that what you said will happen.”

6 Then the Lord saide vnto me, Cry all these words in the cities of Iudah, and in the streetes of Ierusalem, saying, Heare yee the words of this couenant, and doe them.

Then Yahweh said to me, “Go into the streets of Jerusalem and to the [other] cities in Judah. Proclaim my message to the people. Tell them to listen to the agreement [that I made with their ancestors], and to obey it.

7 For I haue protested vnto your fathers, whe I brought them vp out of the land of Egypt vnto this day, rising earely and protesting, saying, Obey my voyce.

When I brought their ancestors out of Egypt, I solemnly pleaded with them many times to obey me, and I am still pleading with them now.

8 Neuerthelesse they would not obey, nor encline their eare: but euery one walked in the stubbernesse of his wicked heart: therefore I will bring vpon them all the wordes of this couenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did it not.

But they did not obey me or [even] pay any attention to me. Everyone continued to be stubborn and to do the evil things that they wanted to do. I commanded them to do what was written in the agreement, but they refused. So I punished them in all the ways that I promised that I would.”

9 And the Lord sayd vnto me, A conspiracie is found among the men of Iudah, and among the inhabitants of Ierusalem.

Then Yahweh said to me, “The people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah are rebelling against me.

10 They are turned backe to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to heare my wordes: and they went after other gods to serue them: thus the house of Israel, and the house of Iudah haue broken my couenant, which I made with their fathers.

Their ancestors refused to do what I told them to do, and [now] these people have returned to committing the sins that their ancestors committed. They are worshiping other gods. The people of Israel disobeyed the agreement that I made with their ancestors, and [now] the people of Judah have done the same thing.

11 Therefore thus sayth the Lord, Beholde, I will bring a plague vpon them, which they shall not be able to escape, and though they crye vnto me, I will not heare them.

So now I, Yahweh, am warning them that I will cause them to experience disasters, and they will not escape them. And when they cry out for me [to help them], I will not pay attention.

12 Then shall the cities of Iudah, and the inhabitants of Ierusalem goe, and crie vnto the gods vnto whome they offer incense, but they shall not bee able to helpe them in time of their trouble.

When that happens, the people in Jerusalem and [other] cities in Judah will [offer sacrifices and] burn incense to their gods and ask for their help, but those gods will not be able to save them when those disasters come to them.

13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Iudah, and according to the number of the streetes of Ierusalem haue yee set vp altars of confusion, euen altars to burne incense vnto Baal.

There are more gods in Judah than there are towns in Judah, and the people of Jerusalem have erected as many altars to burn incense [to those gods] as there are streets in Jerusalem.

14 Therfore thou shalt not pray for this people, neither lift vp a crie, or prayer for them: for when they cry vnto mee in their trouble, I will not heare them.

Jeremiah, do not pray for these people, and do not plead with me to rescue them. If you plead with me, I will not pay attention; and if they cry out to me for help when they are in distress, I will not listen to them.”

15 What shoulde my beloued tarie in mine house, seeing they haue committed abomination with manie? and the holy flesh goeth away from thee: yet when thou doest euill, thou reioycest.

Then Yahweh said, “The people [of Judah] whom I love certainly no longer have [RHQ] a right to come to my temple, because they continually do many evil things. [They think that] continually making sacrifices of meat to me certainly will [RHQ] protect them from disasters, with the result that they will be able to rejoice.

16 The Lord called thy name, A greene oliue tree, faire, and of goodly fruite: but with noyse and great tumult he hath set fyre vpon it, and the branches of it are broken.

I previously said that they were like an olive tree full of green leaves with a lot of good olives on it, but [now I will send their enemies to attack] them furiously; [it is as though] I will break off their branches, and [their city] will be destroyed by fire.

17 For the Lord of hostes that planted thee, hath pronounced a plague against thee, for the wickednes of the house of Israel, and of the house of Iudah, which they haue done against themselues to prouoke me to anger in offering incense vnto Baal.

[It is as though] the people of Judah and Israel were a beautiful olive tree that I, the Commander of the armies of angels, planted, but [now], by burning incense to [their god] Baal, they have caused me to become [very] angry. So [now] I have decided to destroy them.”

18 And the Lord hath taught me, and I knowe it, euen then thou shewedst mee their practises.

Yahweh revealed to me that [my enemies] were planning to kill me.

19 But I was like a lambe, or a bullocke, that is brought to the slaughter, and I knewe not that they had deuised thus against me, saying, Let vs destroy the tree with the fruite thereof, and cut him out of the lande of the liuing, that his name may be no more in memory.

[Before he did that], I was like a lamb that was being led away to be slaughtered; I did not know what they were planning to do. I did not know that they were saying, “Let’s get rid of this tree and its fruit,” so [I did not know] that they intended to kill me, in order that no one would remember me [MTY].

20 But O Lord of hostes, that iudgest righteously, and triest the reines and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for vnto thee haue I opened my cause.

[Then I prayed], “Commander of the armies of angels, you judge people justly/fairly, and you examine everything that we are thinking [DOU]. Allow me to watch you getting revenge on the people [who want to kill me], because I trust that you will do for me what is right.”

21 The Lord therefore speaketh thus of the men of Anathoth, (that seeke thy life, and say, Prophecie not in the Name of the Lord, that thou die not by our hands)

It was the men of [my own town], Anathoth, who wanted to kill me, and they told me that they would kill me if I did not stop prophesying what Yahweh told me to say.

22 Thus therefore sayth the Lord of hostes, Beholde, I will visite them: the yong men shall die by the sword: their sonnes and their daughters shall die by famine,

So the Commander of the armies of angels said [about them], “I will punish them. Their young men will be killed in wars, and their children will die because they have no food.

23 And none of them shall remaine: for I will bring a plague vpon the men of Anathoth, euen the yeere of their visitation.

I have set a time when I will bring disasters to the people of Anathoth, and when that happens, none of them will remain alive.”