Jeremiah 11

1 This is [another] message that Yahweh told me:

The word that came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh saying:

2 “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].

Hear ye the words of this covenant, —and speak ye unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

3 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.

and say thou unto them, Thus, saith Yahweh God of Israel, —Accursed, is the man who will not hear the words of this covenant;

4 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.

which I commanded your fathers—in the day when I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt out of the smelting-pot of iron—saying, Hearken unto my voice and do them, According to all that I may command you, —So shall ye become my people, And, I, will become, your God:

5 [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.”

That the oath may be established which I sware to your fathers, To give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day. Then answered I and said, Amen, O Yahweh!

6 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.

And Yahweh said unto me, —Proclaim thou all, these words, throughout the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem saying, —Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them,

7 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.

For I, solemnly took your fathers to witness, in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt—even until this day, betimes, taking them to witness saying, —Hearken ye unto my voice.

8 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.”

Howbeit they hearkened not neither inclined their ear, but walked severally in the stubbornness of their wicked heart, —so then I brought upon them all the words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, but they did them not.

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

Yahweh therefore said unto me, —There is found a conspiracy, among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem:

10 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.

They have turned back unto the iniquities of their first fathers who refused to hear my words, yea, they themselves, have walked after other gods to serve them, —the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I solemnised with their fathers.

11 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.

Therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh, Behold me! bringing upon them calamity, which they shall not be able to escape, —and though they make outcry unto me, yet will I not hearken unto them.

12 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.

Then shall the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, go and make outcry unto the gods to whom they have been burning incense, —but they will not at all, save, them in the time of their calamity;

13 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.

for according to the number of thy cities, have become thy gods O Judah, —and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem, have ye set up altars to the Shameful thing, altars for burning incense to Baal.

14 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.”

Thou, therefore do not pray for this people, Neither lift thou up for them cry or prayer, —For I am not going to hear in the time that they cry unto me concerning their calamity.

15 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.

Why hath the beloved in mine own house, done an abomination? Shall, vows and holy flesh, take away from thee thy wickednesses, or shalt thou by these, escape?

16 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.

A green olive-tree, fair with goodly fruit, did Yahweh call thy name, —with the noise of a great tumult, hath he kindled fire upon it, and the branches thereof shall be broken.

17 [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.”

But, Yahweh of hosts, who planted thee hath pronounced against thee calamity, —on account of the wickedness of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah which they have wrought for themselves, provoking me to anger by burning incense to Baal.

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

Now when Yahweh, let me know and I did know, then, didst thou shew me their doings.

19 [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].

But, I, was as a gentle lamb that is to be led to the slaughter, —and I knew not that against me, they had devised devices [saying] —Let us destroy the tree with its fruit Yea let us cut him off out of the land of the living, And, his name, shall be remembered no more!

20 [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.”

But, O Yahweh of hosts Who judgest righteously, Who triest affections and intellect, —Let me see thine avenging upon them, For unto thee, have I revealed my cause.

21 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.

Therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh Concerning the men of Anathoth, who are seeking thy life, saying, —Thou shalt not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, So shalt thou not die by our hand:

22 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.

Therefore, Thus saith Yahweh of hosts, —Behold me! bringing punishment upon them, The young men, shall die by the sword, Their sons and their daughters, shall die by famine;

23 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.”

And remnant, shall they have none, —For I will bring calamity against the men of Anathoth, in the year of their visitation.