Jeremiah 11

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

This is the Lord's message that came to Jeremiah:

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

Listen to the terms of this agreement, and then repeat them to the people of Judah and 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,

Tell them this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: You are cursed if you don't obey the terms 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,

I made this agreement with your forefathers when I led them out of Egypt, out of the iron-making furnace, saying, “Obey me, and do everything I order you to do, and 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.”

I did this to fulfill what I promised to your forefathers—to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it still is today. Amen, Lord, I answered.

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.

Then the Lord told me, Go and publicly announce this whole message in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: Pay attention the terms of this agreement and do what they say.

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,

From the time I led your forefathers out of Egypt until now, I seriously warned them time and again, saying, “Do what I tell you!”

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 refused to obey, they wouldn't listen. Instead each of them followed their own stubborn and evil thinking. I had ordered them to follow the agreement, but they didn't do so. So I brought down on them all the curses contained in the agreement.

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

The Lord told me, There is a rebellion happening among the people of Judah and those living in 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 have gone back to the sins of their forefathers who refused to obey what I said. They have gone to worship other gods. The people of Israel and Judah have broken the agreement I made with their forefathers.

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 this is what the Lord says: I'm going to bring upon them a disaster they won't be able to escape. They will cry out to me for help, but I won't listen 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 people in the towns of Judah and Jerusalem will go and call out for help to the gods they've been burning incense to, but these gods won't be able to do anything to save them in their time of 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.

You certainly have as many gods as you have towns, Judah! You have built shameful altars, altars to burn incense to Baal. You have as many altars as the streets of Jerusalem.

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.

Jeremiah, don't pray for these people. Don't cry for help or offer a prayer on their behalf, because I won't be listening when they cry out to me 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.

What right do the people I love have to be in my Temple when they've done so many evil things? Do you think the meat of sacrifices will save you? When disaster strikes will you be happy?

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.

At one time the Lord said you were a healthy olive tree, full of leaves and bearing beautiful fruit. But with a great noise he will set fire to it, destroying its branches.

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.”

I, the Lord Almighty, was the one who planted you, but I have announced you will be destroyed because of the evil that the people of Israel and Judah have committed, making me angry by burning incense to Baal.

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

The Lord told me about it, so I knew. Then he showed me what they were actually doing.

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.”

I was like a trusting little lamb being led away to be slaughtered. I didn't know that they had been plotting against me. They said, “Let's destroy the tree along with everything it produces. Let's kill him so no one will even remember 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.

I appeal to you, Lord Almighty, you who judge rightly and examine peoples thoughts and feelings, let me see how you punish them, because I've left my case in your hands.

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 says about the people of Anathoth who are trying to kill you, telling you, “Don't prophesy in the name of the Lord, or we'll kill you.”

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,

This is the reply of the Lord Almighty: I will punish them. Their young men will killed by the sword, their sons and daughters will be killed by famine.

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

There won't be anyone left because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth at the time when they're punished.