Jeremiah 14

1 So much of the word of Yahweh as came unto Jeremiah, concerning the matter of the drought: —

That which has been the word of YHWH to Jeremiah concerning the matters of the scarcities:

2 Judah mourneth, And the gates thereof, pine They lie in gloom on the ground, —And, the outcry of Jerusalem, hath ascended;

“Judah has mourned, and her gates have languished, They have mourned to the earth, And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.

3 And, their nobles have sent their menials to the waters, —They have been to the pits, They have found no water They have returned, their vessels empty, They are pale and ashamed and have covered their heads.

And their majestic ones have sent their little ones to the water, They have come to ditches, They have not found water, They have turned back—their vessels empty! They have been ashamed, And have blushed and covered their head.

4 Because the ground, is cracked, For there hath been no rain in the land, The plowmen are pale They have covered their heads.

Because the ground has been broken, For there has been no rain in the land, Farmers have been ashamed, They have covered their head.

5 For, even the hind of the field hath calved and forsaken, Because there is no young herbage;

For even the doe in the field has brought forth—to forsake [it!] For there has been no grass.

6 Yea, wild asses stand still on the bare heights, They pant for air like jackals, —Dimmed are their eyes Because there is no grass.

And wild donkeys have stood on high places, They have swallowed up wind like dragons, Their eyes have been consumed, for there is no herb.”

7 Though, our iniquities, have testified against us, O Yahweh, effectually work thou for the sake of thy Name, —For our apostasies have abounded Against thee, have we sinned.

Surely our iniquities have testified against us, O YHWH, work for Your Name’s sake, For our backslidings have been many, We have sinned against You.

8 Thou Hope of Israel, His Saviour in the time of distress, —Wherefore shouldst thou be as a sojourner in the and? Or as a wayfarer, who hath turned aside to lodge for the night?

O Hope of Israel—its Savior in time of trouble, Why are You as a sojourner in the land? And as a traveler turned aside to lodge?

9 Wherefore, shouldst thou be as a man astounded, As a mighty man who cannot save? Yet, thou, art in our midst—O Yahweh And, thy Name, on us, hath been called Do not abandon us!

Why are You as one mute? As a mighty one not able to save? And You [are] in our midst, O YHWH, And Your Name is called over us, Do not leave us.

10 Thus, saith Yahweh To this people In this way, have they loved to wander, Their feet, have they not restrained, —Yahweh, therefore hath not accepted them, Now, will he call to mind their iniquity, —That he may punish their sins.

Thus said YHWH concerning this people: “They have loved to wander well, They have not restrained their feet, And YHWH has not accepted them, Now He remembers their iniquity, And inspects their sin.”

11 And Yahweh said unto me, —Do not pray for this people for blessing;

And YHWH says to me: “You do not pray for this people for good.

12 Though they fast, I am not going to hearken unto their loud cry, and Though they offer ascending-sacrifice and meal-offering, I am not going to accept them, —For with sword and with famine and with pestilence, am, I, about to consume them.

When they fast, I do not listen to their cry, and when they cause burnt-offering and present to ascend, I do not accept them; for I am consuming them by sword, and by famine, and by pestilence.”

13 Then said I, Ah, My Lord Yahweh! Lo! the prophets, are saying to them—Ye shall not see the sword And famine, shall ye not have, —For prosperity in truth, will I give you, in this place.

And I say, “Aah! Lord YHWH, behold, the prophets are saying to them: You do not see a sword, indeed, famine is not [on] you, for I give true peace to you in this place.”

14 So then Yahweh said unto me, Falsehood, are the prophets prophesying in my name, I have not sent them Neither have I commanded them, Neither have I spoken unto them, —A vision of falsehood, and A divination of worthlessness and A fraud of their own hearts, They, are prophesying unto you.

And YHWH says to me: “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My Name. I did not send them, nor command them, nor have I spoken to them. A false vision, and divination, and vanity—indeed, they are prophesying the deceit of their own heart to you.

15 Therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh concerning the prophets who are prophesying in my Name though, I, sent them not, and yet, they have been, saying, Neither sword nor famine, shall there be in this land, —By sword or by famine, shall, those prophets, be consumed;

Therefore, thus said YHWH concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My Name and I have not sent them, and they are saying, Sword and famine is not in this land: By sword and by famine are these prophets consumed.

16 And the people to whom they have been prophesying shall be getting cast out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword, and of there being none to give burial unto them, them, their wives, nor their sons nor their daughters, —So will I pour out upon them their own wickedness.

And the people to whom they are prophesying are cast into out-places of Jerusalem, because of the famine and the sword, and they have none burying them—them, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters—and I have poured out their evil on them.

17 Therefore shalt thou say unto them this word, Let mine eyes, run down with tears night and day, And let them not rest, —For with a grievous injury, hath been injured the virgin the daughter of my people, With a wound, severe indeed!

And you have said this word to them: Tears come down my eyes night and day, And they do not cease, For [with] a great breach, The virgin daughter of my people has been broken, A very grievous stroke.

18 If I have gone out into the field, Then lo! the slain of the sword! And, if I have entered the city, Then lo! the diseases of famine! For, both prophet and priest, have trafficked against the land unnoticed.

If I have gone forth to the field, Then, behold, the pierced of the sword! And if I have entered the city, Then, behold, the diseased of famine! For both prophet and priest have gone up and down To a land that they did not know.”

19 Hast thou, utterly rejected, Judah? Zion itself, hath thy soul loathed? Why, hast thou smitten us so that there is for us no healing? A waiting For prosperity, but no welfare, and For a time of healing, but lo! terror!

Have You utterly rejected Judah? Has Your soul loathed Zion? Why have You struck us, And there is no healing to us? Looking for peace, and there is no good, And for a time of healing, and behold, terror.

20 We acknowledge O Yahweh Our own lawlessness The iniquity of our fathers, —For we have sinned against thee.

We have known, O YHWH, our wickedness, The iniquity of our fathers, For we have sinned against You.

21 Do not despise—for the sake of thy Name, Do not treat with contempt—the throne of thy glory, —Remember!—do not break thy covenant with us.

Do not despise, for Your Name’s sake, Do not dishonor the throne of Your glory, Remember, do not break Your covenant with us.

22 Are there, among the vanities of the nations senders of rain? Or can, the heavens themselves, give myriad drops? Art not, thou, he, O Yahweh our God? Therefore will we wait for thee, For, thou, hast made all these.

Are there any among the vanities of the nations causing rain? And do the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O our God YHWH? And we wait for you, for You have done all these!