Jeremiah 24

1 Yahweh showed me something. Behold, two baskets of figs were placed before Yahweh's temple. (This vision happened after Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took into exile Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, the officials of Judah, the craftsmen and the metalworkers from Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon.)

The Lord schewide to me, and lo! twei panyeris ful of figys weren set bifor the temple of the Lord, aftir that Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, translatide Jeconye, the sone of Joachym, the kyng of Juda, and the princes of hym, and a sutil crafti man, and a goldsmith fro Jerusalem, and brouyte hem in to Babiloyne.

2 One basket of figs was very good, like first ripe figs, but the other basket of figs was so very bad that they could not be eaten.

And o panyere hadde ful good figis, as figis of the firste tyme ben wont to be; and o panyere hadde ful yuel figis, that miyten not be etun, for tho weren yuel figis.

3 Yahweh said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs. Figs that are very good and figs that are so very bad they cannot be eaten.”

And the Lord seide to me, Jeremye, what thing seest thou? And Y seide, Figis, goode figis, ful goode, and yuele figis, ful yuele, that moun not be etun, for tho ben yuele figis.

4 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

5 “Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: I will look on the exiles of Judah for their benefit, just like these good figs, the exiles whom I have sent out from this place to the land of Chaldea.

and seide, The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, As these figis ben goode, so Y schal knowe the transmygracioun of Juda, which I sente out fro this place in to the lond of Caldeis, in to good.

6 I will set my eyes on them for good and restore them to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down. I will plant them, and not uproot them.

And Y schal sette myn iyen on hem to plese, and Y schal brynge hem ayen in to this lond; and Y schal bilde hem, and Y schal not distrie hem; and Y schal plaunte hem, and Y schal not drawe vp bi the roote.

7 Then I will give them a heart to know me, for I am Yahweh. They will be my people and I will be their God, so they will turn to me with all their heart.

And Y schal yyue to hem an herte, that thei knowe me, for Y am the Lord; and thei schulen be in to a puple to me, and Y schal be in to God to hem, for thei schulen turne ayen to me in al her herte.

8 But like the bad figs that are too bad to be eaten—this is what Yahweh says—I will act in this way with Zedekiah, king of Judah, with his officials, and with the rest of Jerusalem who remain in this land or go to stay in the land of Egypt.

And as the worste figis ben, that moun not be etun, for tho ben yuele figis, the Lord seith these thingis, So Y schal yyue Sedechie, the kyng of Juda, and the princes of hym, and other men of Jerusalem, that dwelliden in this citee, and that dwellen in the lond of Egipt.

9 I will turn them into a frightening thing, a disaster, in the sight of all the kingdoms on earth, a disgrace and a subject for proverbs, taunts, and curses in every place where I will have driven them.

And Y schal yyue hem into trauelyng and turment in alle rewmes of erthe, in to schenschipe, and in to parable, and in to a prouerbe, and in to cursyng, in alle places to whiche Y castide hem out.

10 I will send out sword, famine, and plague against them, until they are destroyed from the land that I gave them and their ancestors.”

And Y schal sende in hem a swerd, and hungur, and pestilence, til thei be wastid fro the lond which Y yaf to hem, and to the fadris of hem.