Jeremiah 24

1 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.

After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, as well as the officials of Judah and the craftsmen and metalsmiths from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon, the LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the LORD.

2 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.

One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early, but the other basket contained very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

3 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.

“Jeremiah,” the LORD asked, “what do you see?” “Figs!” I replied. “The good figs are very good, but the bad figs are very bad, so bad they cannot be eaten.”

4 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

5 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.

“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, so I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans.

6 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.

I will keep My eyes on them for good and will return them to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them.

7 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.

I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.

8 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.

But like the bad figs, so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt.

9 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.

I will make them a horror and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace and an object of scorn, ridicule, and cursing wherever I have banished them.

10 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.

And I will send against them sword and famine and plague, until they have perished from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.’”