< Jeremiah 21 >
1 The word that has been to Jeremiah from YHWH, in King Zedekiah’s sending to him Pashhur son of Malchiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
The word which was maad of the Lord to Jeremye, whanne king Sedechie sente to hym Phassur, the sone of Helchie, and Sofonye, the preest, the sone of Maasie, and seide,
2 “Please inquire of YHWH for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has fought against us; perhaps YHWH deals with us according to all His wonders, and causes him to go up from off us.”
Axe thou the Lord for vs, for Nabugodonosor, the kyng of Babiloyne, fiytith ayens vs; if in hap the Lord do with vs bi alle hise merueilis, and he go awei fro vs.
3 And Jeremiah says to them, “Thus you say to Zedekiah,
And Jeremye seide to hem, Thus ye schulen seie to Sedechie,
4 Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: Behold, I am turning around the weapons of battle That [are] in your hand, With which you fight the king of Babylon, And the Chaldeans, who are laying siege against you, At the outside of the wall, And I have gathered them into the midst of this city,
The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal turne the instrumentis of batel that ben in youre hondis, and with which ye fiyten ayens the king of Babiloyne, and ayens Caldeis, that bisegen you in the cumpas of wallis; and Y schal gadere tho togidere in the myddis of this citee.
5 And I have fought against you, With an outstretched hand, and with a strong arm, And in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath,
And Y schal ouercome you in hond stretchid forth, and in strong arm, and in stronge veniaunce, and indignacioun, and in greet wraththe;
6 And I have struck the inhabitants of this city, Both man and beast, They die by a great pestilence.
and Y schal smyte the dwelleris of this citee, men and beestis schulen die bi greet pestilence.
7 And after this,” A declaration of YHWH, “I give Zedekiah king of Judah, And his servants, and the people, And those left in this city, From the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, Into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, And into the hand of their enemies, And into the hand of those seeking their life, And he has struck them by the mouth of the sword, He has no pity on them, Nor does he spare, nor does he have mercy.”
And after these thingis, seith the Lord, Y schal yyue Sedechie, kyng of Juda, and hise seruauntis, and his puple, and that ben left in this citee fro pestilence, and swerd, and hungur, in the hond of Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, and in the hond of her enemyes, and in the hond of men sekynge the lijf of hem; and he schal smyte hem bi the scharpnesse of swerd; and he schal not be bowid, nether schal spare, nether schal haue mercy.
8 “And you say to this people, Thus said YHWH: Behold, I am setting before you the way of life, And the way of death!
And thou schalt seie to this puple, The Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y yyue bifore you the weie of lijf, and the weie of deth.
9 Whoever is abiding in this city—dies, By sword, and by famine, and by pestilence, And whoever is going forth, And has fallen to the Chaldeans, Who are laying siege against you—lives, And his life has been for a spoil to him.
He that dwellith in this citee, schal die bi swerd, and hungur, and pestilence; but he that goith out, and fleeth ouer to Caldeis that bisegen you, schal lyue, and his lijf schal be as a prey to hym.
10 For I have set My face against this city for calamity, And not for good,” A declaration of YHWH. “It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon, And he has burned it with fire.
For Y haue set my face on this citee in to yuel, and not in to good, seith the Lord; it schal be youun in the hond of the king of Babiloyne, and he schal brenne it with fier.
11 And as for the house of the king of Judah,” Hear a word of YHWH;
And thou schalt seie to the hous of the king of Juda, the hous of Dauid, Here ye the word of the Lord.
12 O house of David, thus said YHWH: “Decide judgment in the morning, And deliver the plundered from the hand of the oppressor, Lest My fury go forth as fire, And has burned, and none is quenching, Because of the evil of your doings.
The Lord seith these thingis, Deme ye eerli doom, and delyuere ye hym that is oppressid bi violence fro the hond of the fals chalenger; lest perauenture myn indignacioun go out as fier, and be kyndlid, and noon be that quenche, for the malice of youre studies.
13 Behold, I [am] against you,” A declaration of YHWH, “O inhabitant of the valley, rock of the plain, Who are saying, Who comes down against us? And who comes into our habitations?
Lo! Y to thee, dwelleresse of the sad valei and pleyn, seith the Lord, which seien, Who schal smyte vs, and who schal entre in to oure housis?
14 And I have laid a charge against you, According to the fruit of your doings,” A declaration of YHWH, “And I have kindled a fire in its forest, And it has consumed all its outskirts!”
And Y schal visite on you bi the fruyt of youre studies, seith the Lord; and Y schal kyndle fier in the forest therof, and it schal deuoure alle thingis in the cumpas therof.