Jeremiah 11

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

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

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

Give ear to the words of this agreement, and say to the men of Judah and to the people of Jerusalem,

3 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,

The Lord, the God of Israel, has said, Let that man be cursed who does not give ear to the words of this agreement,

4 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,

To the order which I gave your fathers on the day when I took them out of the land of Egypt, out of the oven of iron, saying, Give ear to my voice, and do all the orders I have given you: so you will be my people, and I will be your God:

5 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.”

So that I may give effect to the oath which I made to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey as at this day. And I said in answer, So be it, O Lord.

6 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.

And the Lord said to me, Give out these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Give ear to the words of this agreement and do them.

7 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,

For I gave certain witness to your fathers on the day when I took them up out of the land of Egypt, and even to this day, getting up early and witnessing and saying, Give ear to my voice.

8 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.”

But they gave no attention and did not give ear, but they went on, every man in the pride of his evil heart: so I sent on them all the curses in this agreement, which I gave them orders to keep, but they did not.

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

And the Lord said to me, There is an evil design at work among the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem.

10 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.”

They are turned back to the sins of their fathers, who would not give ear to my words; they have gone after other gods and become their servants: the people of Israel and the people of Judah have not kept the agreement which I made with their fathers.

11 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.

So the Lord has said, I will send evil on them, which they will not be able to get away from; and they will send up a cry for help to me, but I will not give ear to them.

12 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.

Then the towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go crying for help to the gods to whom they have been burning perfumes: but they will give them no salvation in the time of their trouble.

13 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.

For the number of your gods is as the number of your towns, O Judah; and for every street in Jerusalem you have put up altars to the Baal for burning perfumes to the Baal.

14 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.

And as for you, make no prayers for this people, send up no cry or prayer for them: for I will not give ear to their cry in the time of their trouble.

15 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.

About Judah. What have you to do in my house? is it your thought that oaths and holy flesh will get you out of your trouble? will you make yourself safe in this way?

16 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.

You had been named by the Lord, A branching olive-tree, fair with beautiful fruit: with the noise of a great rushing he has put it on fire and its branches are broken.

17 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.”

For the Lord of armies, by whom you were planted, has given his decision for evil against you, because of the evil which the people of Israel and the people of Judah have done, In moving me to wrath by offering perfumes to the Baal.

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

And the Lord gave me knowledge of it and I saw it: then you made clear to me their doings.

19 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.”

But I was like a gentle lamb taken to be put to death; I had no thought that they were designing evil against me, saying, Come and let us make trouble his food, cutting him off from the land of the living, so that there may be no more memory of his name.

20 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.

But, O Lord of armies, judging in righteousness, testing the thoughts and the heart, let me see your punishment come on them: for I have put my cause before you.

21 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.”

So this is what the Lord of armies has said about the men of Anathoth who have made designs against your life, saying, You are not to be a prophet in the name of the Lord, or death will overtake you by our hands:

22 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,

So the Lord of armies has said, See, I will send punishment on them: the young men will be put to the sword; their sons and their daughters will come to death through need of food:

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

Not one of them will keep his life, for I will send evil on the men of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.