Jeremiah 14

1 After there had been no rain [in Judah] for a long time, Yahweh gave me this message:

١ كَلِمَةُ ٱلرَّبِّ ٱلَّتِي صَارَتْ إِلَى إِرْمِيَا مِنْ جِهَةِ ٱلْقَحْطِ:

2 [The people in] Judah are very distressed; people [are sitting] on the ground and mourning; [in all of] Jerusalem people are crying loudly.

٢ «نَاحَتْ يَهُوذَا وَأَبْوَابُهَا ذَبُلَتْ. حَزِنَتْ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَصَعِدَ عَوِيلُ أُورُشَلِيمَ.

3 The rich people send their servants to [wells] to get water, but [all] the wells are dry. The servants return with empty pitchers; they cover their heads [because they are ashamed and humiliated/disappointed and sad].

٣ وَأَشْرَافُهُمْ أَرْسَلُوا أَصَاغِرَهُمْ لِلْمَاءِ. أَتَوْا إِلَى ٱلْأَجْبَابِ فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا مَاءً. رَجَعُوا بِآنِيَتِهِمْ فَارِغَةً. خَزُوا وَخَجِلُوا وَغَطَّوْا رُؤُوسَهُمْ

4 The ground is extremely dry and cracked open because there has been no rain. The farmers are very worried, [so] they [also] cover their heads.

٤ مِنْ أَجْلِ أَنَّ ٱلْأَرْضَ قَدْ تَشَقَّقَتْ، لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ مَطَرٌ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ خَزِيَ ٱلْفَلَّاحُونَ. غَطَّوْا رُؤُوسَهُمْ.

5 Even the (does/female deer) abandon their newborn babies/fawns because there is no grass in the fields [for them to eat].

٥ حَتَّى أَنَّ ٱلْإِيَّلَةَ أَيْضًا فِي ٱلْحَقْلِ وَلَدَتْ وَتَرَكَتْ، لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ كَلأٌ.

6 The wild donkeys stand on the barren hills, panting like [SIM] [thirsty] jackals/wolves. They become blind because there is no grass [to eat].

٦ ٱلْفِرَا وَقَفَتْ عَلَى ٱلْهِضَابِ تَسْتَنْشِقُ ٱلرِّيحَ مِثْلَ بَنَاتِ آوَى. كَلَّتْ عُيُونُهَا لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ عُشْبٌ».

7 [The people say], “Yahweh, we have turned away from you and sinned many times, and now we know that we are being punished because of our sins, but please help us in order that everyone can see that you are very great [MTY].

٧ وَإِنْ تَكُنْ آثَامُنَا تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْنَا يَارَبُّ، فَٱعْمَلْ لِأَجْلِ ٱسْمِكَ. لِأَنَّ مَعَاصِيَنَا كَثُرَتْ. إِلَيْكَ أَخْطَأْنَا.

8 You are the one whom [we] Israelis confidently expect [to do good things for us] when we have [many] troubles/difficulties. So, why do you [not help us]? You act as though you are a stranger in our land, like you are someone who is staying here for only one night.

٨ يَا رَجَاءَ إِسْرَائِيلَ، مُخَلِّصَهُ فِي زَمَانِ ٱلضِّيقِ، لِمَاذَا تَكُونُ كَغَرِيبٍ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ، وَكَمُسَافِرٍ يَمِيلُ لِيَبِيتَ؟

9 Are you also surprised [about the terrible things that are happening to us]? Why do you act like you are unable to save anyone, even though you are a strong warrior? Yahweh, you are [here] among us, and [others know that] we are your people, [so] do not abandon us!”

٩ لِمَاذَا تَكُونُ كَإِنْسَانٍ قَدْ تَحَيَّرَ، كَجَبَّارٍ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يُخَلِّصَ؟ وَأَنْتَ فِي وَسْطِنَا يَارَبُّ، وَقَدْ دُعِينَا بِٱسْمِكَ. لَا تَتْرُكْنَا!

10 And this is what Yahweh says to those people: “You love to wander away [from me]; you run [MTY] from one [idol] to another. Therefore, now I will no [longer] accept you, and I will punish you for your sins.”

١٠ هَكَذَا قَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ لِهَذَا ٱلشَّعْبِ: «هَكَذَا أَحَبُّوا أَنْ يَجُولُوا. لَمْ يَمْنَعُوا أَرْجُلَهُمْ، فَٱلرَّبُّ لَمْ يَقْبَلْهُمْ. اَلْآنَ يَذْكُرُ إِثْمَهُمْ وَيُعَاقِبُ خَطَايَاهُمْ».

11 [Then] Yahweh said to me, “Do not pray for these people [any more].

١١ وَقَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ لِي: «لَا تُصَلِّ لِأَجْلِ هَذَا ٱلشَّعْبِ لِلْخَيْرِ.

12 When they (fast/abstain from food in order to honor me), I will not pay any attention. When they bring [to me] their offerings [of animals] to be completely burned [on the altar] and their offerings of grain, I will not accept them. Instead, I will get rid of them by wars, by famines, and by diseases.”

١٢ حِينَ يَصُومُونَ لَا أَسْمَعُ صُرَاخَهُمْ، وَحِينَ يُصْعِدُونَ مُحْرَقَةً وَتَقْدِمَةً لَا أَقْبَلُهُمْ، بَلْ بِٱلسَّيْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَٱلْوَبَإِ أَنَا أُفْنِيهِمْ».

13 Then I replied to him, “Yahweh [my] God, [their] prophets are telling the people that they will not experience wars [MTY] or famines. They are telling the people that you will surely allow us to have peace in our land [for many years].”

١٣ فَقُلْتُ: «آهِ، أَيُّهَا ٱلسَّيِّدُ ٱلرَّبُّ! هُوَذَا ٱلْأَنْبِيَاءُ يَقُولُونَ لَهُمْ لَا تَرَوْنَ سَيْفًا، وَلَا يَكُونُ لَكُمْ جُوعٌ بَلْ سَلَامًا ثَابِتًا أُعْطِيكُمْ فِي هَذَا ٱلْمَوْضِعِ».

14 Yahweh replied to me, “Those prophets say that they are speaking what I tell them to say [MTY], but they are telling lies. I did not send them, [so] what they are saying is false. They say that they have received visions from me, and that they are telling things that I have revealed to them, but that is not true. They are saying foolish things that they have only thought of themselves.

١٤ فَقَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ لِي: «بِٱلْكَذِبِ يَتَنَبَّأُ ٱلْأَنْبِيَاءُ بِٱسْمِي. لَمْ أُرْسِلْهُمْ، وَلَا أَمَرْتُهُمْ، وَلَا كَلَّمْتُهُمْ. بِرُؤْيَا كَاذِبَةٍ وَعِرَافَةٍ وَبَاطِلٍ وَمَكْرِ قُلُوبِهِمْ هُمْ يَتَنَبَّأُونَ لَكُمْ».

15 So this is what I say about those prophets who are predicting what will happen, saying that I told them those things: They are saying that we Israelis will not die from wars or famines, but I did not send those prophets. And they themselves will die from wars or from famines.

١٥ «لِذَلِكَ هَكَذَا قَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ عَنِ ٱلْأَنْبِيَاءِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَنَبَّأُونَ بِٱسْمِي وَأَنَا لَمْ أُرْسِلْهُمْ، وَهُمْ يَقُولُونَ: لَا يَكُونُ سَيْفٌ وَلَا جُوعٌ فِي هَذِهِ ٱلْأَرْضِ: «بِٱلسَّيْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ يَفْنَى أُولَئِكَ ٱلْأَنْبِيَاءُ.

16 And the people to whom they are predicting these things, they and their wives and their sons and their daughters, will [also die] from wars or from famines. [Their corpses will] be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem, and there will not be anyone to bury them. I will punish them like they deserve to be punished.

١٦ وَٱلشَّعْبُ ٱلَّذِي يَتَنَبَّأُونَ لَهُ يَكُونُ مَطْرُوحًا فِي شَوَارِعِ أُورُشَلِيمَ مِنْ جَرَى ٱلْجُوعِ وَٱلسَّيْفِ، وَلَيْسَ مَنْ يَدْفِنُهُمْ هُمْ وَنِسَاؤُهُمْ وَبَنَوُهُمْ وَبَنَاتُهُمْ، وَأَسْكُبُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَرَّهُمْ.

17 [So, Jeremiah], tell this to them [about yourself]: ‘Day and night my eyes are full of tears. I cannot stop crying. I cry for my people, who are [very precious to me, as if they were] [MET] my daughters. I cry for them because they have been severely wounded; they have been severely crushed [DOU].

١٧ وَتَقُولُ لَهُمْ هَذِهِ ٱلْكَلِمَةَ: لِتَذْرِفْ عَيْنَايَ دُمُوعًا لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا وَلَا تَكُفَّا، لِأَنَّ ٱلْعَذْرَاءَ بِنْتَ شَعْبِي سُحِقَتْ سَحْقًا عَظِيمًا، بِضَرْبَةٍ مُوجِعَةٍ جِدًّا.

18 If I go out into the fields, I see [corpses of] people who have been slaughtered by our enemies. If I walk along the streets of the city, I see [corpses of people who died] from hunger. The prophets and the priests travel through the land, preaching to people, but they do not know [what they are doing] (OR, [in a land] that they know nothing about).’”

١٨ إِذَا خَرَجْتُ إِلَى ٱلْحَقْلِ، فَإِذَا ٱلْقَتْلَى بِٱلسَّيْفِ. وَإِذَا دَخَلْتُ ٱلْمَدِينَةَ، فَإِذَا ٱلْمَرْضَى بِٱلْجُوعِ، لِأَنَّ ٱلنَّبِيَّ وَٱلْكَاهِنَ كِلَيْهِمَا يَطُوفَانِ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا يَعْرِفَانِ شَيْئًا».

19 [Then I prayed this]: “[Yahweh], have you completely rejected [the people of] Judah? Do you really despise [the people of] Jerusalem [MTY]? Why have you [RHQ] wounded us very badly, with the result that we will never be healed? We hoped that we would have peace, but there was no peace. We hoped that there would be a time when we would be healed, but all that we received were things that terrified us.

١٩ هَلْ رَفَضْتَ يَهُوذَا رَفْضًا، أَوْ كَرِهَتْ نَفْسُكَ صِهْيَوْنَ؟ لِمَاذَا ضَرَبْتَنَا وَلَا شِفَاءَ لَنَا؟ ٱنْتَظَرْنَا ٱلسَّلَامَ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ خَيْرٌ، وَزَمَانَ ٱلشِّفَاءِ فَإِذَا رُعْبٌ.

20 Yahweh, we admit/know that we are wicked people, and that our ancestors [also] did many wicked things. We have [all] sinned against you.

٢٠ قَدْ عَرَفْنَا يَارَبُّ شَرَّنَا، إِثْمَ آبَائِنَا، لِأَنَّنَا قَدْ أَخْطَأْنَا إِلَيْكَ.

21 But [Yahweh], in order that we may honor [MTY] you, do not despise/abandon us. Do not dishonor [the city where] [MTY] your glorious throne is. [Please] do not forget [us], and do not (break your agreement with us/stop doing what you agreed to do for us).

٢١ لَا تَرْفُضْ لِأَجْلِ ٱسْمِكَ. لَا تَهِنْ كُرْسِيَّ مَجْدِكَ. اُذْكُرْ. لَا تَنْقُضْ عَهْدَكَ مَعَنَا.

22 Those idols that [have been brought from] other nations certainly cannot [RHQ] bring rain [to us], and the sky certainly cannot [RHQ] cause rain to fall. Yahweh our God, you are the only one who can do things like that. So we will confidently expect you [to help us].”

٢٢ هَلْ يُوجَدُ فِي أَبَاطِيلِ ٱلْأُمَمِ مَنْ يُمْطِرُ، أَوْ هَلْ تُعْطِي ٱلسَّمَاوَاتُ وَابِلًا؟ أَمَا أَنْتَ هُوَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُنَا؟ فَنَرْجُوكَ، لِأَنَّكَ أَنْتَ صَنَعْتَ كُلَّ هَذِهِ.