Jeremiah 44

1 The word that was maad to Jeremye, and to alle the Jewis, that dwelliden in the lond of Egipt, dwellinge in Magdalo, and in Taphnys, and in Memphis, and in the lond of Phatures,

The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, the ones staying in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in Upper Egypt:

2 and seide, The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Ye sien al this yuel, which Y brouyte on Jerusalem, and on alle the citees of Juda; and lo! tho ben forsakun to dai, and no dwellere is in tho;

“Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says, 'You yourselves have seen all the disasters that I brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah. See, they are ruins today. There is no one to live in them.

3 for the malice which thei diden, to terre me to wrathfulnesse, and that thei yeden, and maden sacrifice, and worschipiden alien goddis, whiche thei knewen not, bothe ye, and thei, and youre fadris.

This is because of the wicked things they did to offend me by going to burn incense and to worship other gods. These were gods that neither they themselves, nor you, nor your ancestors knew.'

4 And Y sente to you alle my seruauntis profetis; and Y roos bi nyyte, and sente, and seide, Nyle ye do the word of sich abhomynacioun.

So I repeatedly sent all of my servants the prophets to them. I sent them to say, 'Stop doing these abominable things that I hate.'

5 And thei herden not, nether bowiden doun her eere, that thei schulen be conuertid fro her yuels, and schulden not make sacrifice to alien goddis.

But they did not listen. They refused to pay attention or turn from their wickedness in burning incense to other gods.

6 And myn indignacioun and my strong veniaunce is wellid togidere, and is kindlid in the citees of Juda, and in the stretis of Jerusalem; and tho ben turned in to wildirnesse, and wastnesse, bi this dai.

So my fury and my wrath were poured out and kindled a fire in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. So they became ruins and devastations, as at this present day.'

7 And now the Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Whi doon ye this greet yuel ayens youre soulis, that a man of you perische and a womman a litil child and soukynge perische, fro the myddis of Juda, nether ony residue thing be left in you,

So now Yahweh, the God of hosts and the God of Israel, says this, 'Why are you doing great wickedness against yourselves? Why are you causing yourselves to be cut off from among Judah—men and women, children and babies? No remnant of you will be left.

8 that terre me to wraththe bi the werkis of youre hondis, in makynge sacrifice to alien goddis in the lond of Egipt, in to which ye entriden, that ye dwelle there, and that ye perische, and be in to cursyng, and in to schenschipe to alle the folkis of erthe?

By your wickedness you have offended me with the deeds of your hands, by burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to live. You have gone there so that you will be destroyed, so that you will be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth.

9 Whether ye han foryete the yuels of youre fadris, and the yuels of the kingis of Juda, and the yuels of her wiues, and youre yuels, and the yuels of youre wyues, whiche thei diden in the lond of Juda, and in the cuntreis of Jerusalem?

Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and the wickedness committed by the kings of Judah and their wives? Have you forgotten the evil committed by yourselves and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?

10 Thei ben not clensid `til to this dai, and thei dredden not, and thei yeden not in the lawe of the Lord, and in myn heestis, whiche Y yaf bifore you, and bifore youre fadris.

To this day, they still are not humbled. They do not honor my law or decrees that I placed before them and their ancestors, nor do they walk in them.'

11 Therfor the Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal sette my face in you in to yuel,

Therefore Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, I am about to set my face against you to bring disaster to you and to destroy all of Judah.

12 and Y schal leese al Juda, and Y schal take the remenauntis of Juda, that settiden her faces, to go in to the lond of Egipt, and to dwelle there; and alle schulen be waastid in the lond of Egipt, thei schulen falle doun bi swerd, and schulen be wastid in hungur, fro the leeste `til to the mooste, thei schulen die bi swerd and hungur, and schulen be in to swering, and in to myracle, and in to cursyng, and in to schenschipe.

For I will take the remnant of Judah that has set out to go to the land of Egypt to live there. I will do this so that they will all perish in the land of Egypt. They will fall by sword and famine. From the least to the greatest they will perish by sword and famine. They will die and will become an object of swearing, cursing, reproaching, and a horrible thing.

13 And Y schal visite on the dwelleris of Egipt, as Y visitide on Jerusalem, in swerd, and in hungur, and in pestilence.

For I will punish the people inhabiting the land of Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem with the sword, with famine, and with the plague,

14 And noon schal be, that schal ascape, and be residue of the remenauntis of Jewis, that goen to be pilgrimys in the lond of Egipt, and to turne ayen to the lond of Juda, to which thei reisen her soulis, that thei turne ayen, and dwelle there; thei schulen not turne ayen thidir, no but thei that fledden.

so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in the land of Egypt will escape or survive or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return and live; and none of them will return except a few who escaped from there.'”

15 Forsothe alle men answeriden to Jeremye, and wisten, that her wyues maden sacrifice to alien goddis, and alle wymmen, of whiche a greet multitude stood, and alle the puple of dwelleris in the lond of Egipt, in Fatures, and seiden,

Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, and all the women who were in the great assembly, and all the people who were living in Lower and Upper Egypt, answered Jeremiah.

16 We schulen not here of thee the word which thou spekist to vs in the name of oure Lord God,

They said, “About the word that you have told us in Yahweh's name—we will not listen to you.

17 but we doynge schulen do ech word that schal go out of oure mouth, that we make sacrifice to the queen of heuene, and that we offre to it moist sacrifices, as we diden, and oure fadris, oure kingis, and oure princes, in the citees of Juda, and in the stretis of Jerusalem; and we weren fillid with looues, and it was wel to vs, and we sien noon yuel.

For we will certainly do all the things that we said we would do—burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders did in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. Then we will be filled with food and will prosper, without experiencing any disaster.

18 But fro that tyme, in which we ceessiden to make sacrifice to the queen of heuene, and to offre to it moist sacrifices, we hadden nede to alle thingis, and we weren wastid bi swerd and hungur.

When we refrained from doing these things, not offering incense to the queen of heaven and not pouring out drink offerings to her, we were all suffering poverty and were dying by sword and famine.”

19 That if we maken sacrifice to the queen of heuene, and offren to it moist sacrifices, whether withouten oure hosebondis we maden to it cakis, to worschipe it, and looues to be offrid?

The women said, “When we were making incense offerings before the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, was it against our husbands that we did these things, making cakes in her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?”

20 And Jeremye seide to al the puple, ayens the men, and ayens the wymmen, and ayens al the puple, that answeriden to hym the word, and he seide,

Then Jeremiah said to all the people—to the men and women, and all the people who answered him—he proclaimed and said,

21 Whether not the sacrifice which ye sacrifisiden in the citees of Juda, and in the stretis of Jerusalem, ye, and youre fadris, youre kyngis, and youre princes, and the puple of the lond, terriden God to veniaunce? The Lord hadde mynde on these thingis, and it stiede on his herte;

“Did not Yahweh remember the incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem—you and your ancestors, your kings and leaders, and the people of the land? For Yahweh calls this to mind; it comes to his thoughts.

22 and the Lord myyte no more bere, for the malice of youre studies, and for abhomynaciouns whiche ye diden. And youre lond is maad in to desolacioun, and in to wondryng, and in to curs, for no dwellere is, as this dai is.

Then he was no longer able to bear it because of your wicked practices, because of the abominations that you did. Then your land became a desolation, a horror, and a curse so there was no longer an inhabitant as at this present day.

23 Therfor for ye maden sacrifice to idols, and synneden to the Lord, and herden not the vois of the Lord, and yeden not in the lawe, and in the comandementis, and in the witnessis of hym, therfor these yuels bifellen to you, as this dai is.

Because you burned incense and sinned against Yahweh, and because you would not listen to his voice, his law, his statutes, or his covenant decrees, this disaster against you has happened as at this present day.”

24 Forsothe Jeremye seide to al the puple, and to alle the wymmen, Al Juda, that ben in the lond of Egipt, here ye the word of the Lord.

Then Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, “Hear the word of Yahweh, all of Judah who are in the land of Egypt.

25 The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, and spekith, Ye and youre wyues spaken with youre mouth, and filliden with youre hondis, and seiden, Make we oure vowis whiche we vowiden, that we make sacrifice to the queen of heuene, and offre to it moist sacrifices; ye filliden youre vowis, and diden tho in werk.

Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'You and your wives both have said with your mouths and carried out with your hands what you said, “We will certainly carry out the vows that we made to worship the queen of heaven, to pour out drink offerings to her.” Now fulfill your vows; carry them out.'

26 Therfor, al Juda, that dwellen in the lond of Egipt, here ye the word of the Lord; Lo! Y swoor in my greet name, seith the Lord, that my name schal no more be clepid bi the mouth of ech man Jew, seiynge, The Lord God lyueth, in al the lond of Egipt.

So then, hear the word of Yahweh, all of Judah who are staying in the land of Egypt, 'See, I have sworn by my great name—says Yahweh. My name will no longer be called upon by the mouths of any of the men of Judah in all the land of Egypt, you who now say, “As the Lord Yahweh lives.”

27 Lo! Y schal wake on hem in to yuel, and not in to good; and alle the men of Juda, that ben in the lond of Egipt, schulen be waastid, bi swerd and hungur, til thei be wastid outerli.

See, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. Every person of Judah in the land of Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all finished.

28 And a fewe men that fledden the swerd, schulen turne ayen fro the lond of Egipt in to the lond of Juda; and alle the remenauntis of Juda, of hem that entren in to the lond of Egipt, to dwelle there, schulen wite, whos word schal be fillid, myn ether hern.

Then the survivors of the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, only a small number of them. So all the remnant of Judah who went to the land of Egypt to live there will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.

29 And this schal be a signe to you, seith the Lord, that Y schal visite on you in this place, that ye wite, that verili my wordis schulen be fillid ayens you in to yuel.

This will be the sign for you—this is Yahweh's declaration—that I am setting against you in this place, so that you will know that my words will certainly attack you with disaster.'

30 The Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal bitake Farao, the kyng of Egipt, in to the hond of hise enemyes, and in to the hond of hem that seken his lijf, as Y bitook Sedechie, the kyng of Juda, in to the hond of Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, his enemye, and sekynge his lijf.

Yahweh says this, 'Look, I am about to give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek to kill him. It will the same as when I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.'”