Ἱερεμίας 14
1 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρὸς Ιερεμιαν περὶ τῆς ἀβροχίας
This is a message from the Lord that came to Jeremiah regarding the drought:
2 ἐπένθησεν ἡ Ιουδαία καὶ αἱ πύλαι αὐτῆς ἐκενώθησαν καὶ ἐσκοτώθησαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἡ κραυγὴ τῆς Ιερουσαλημ ἀνέβη
Judah is in mourning; her towns are wasting away. Her people are weeping for the land, and a cry for help comes from Jerusalem.
3 καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτῆς ἀπέστειλαν τοὺς νεωτέρους αὐτῶν ἐφ’ ὕδωρ ἤλθοσαν ἐπὶ τὰ φρέατα καὶ οὐχ εὕροσαν ὕδωρ καὶ ἀπέστρεψαν τὰ ἀγγεῖα αὐτῶν κενά
Rich people send their servants to get water. They go to the cisterns, but don't find any water. They return with empty jars, disappointed and ashamed, covering their heads.
4 καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῆς γῆς ἐξέλιπεν ὅτι οὐκ ἦν ὑετός ᾐσχύνθησαν γεωργοί ἐπεκάλυψαν τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν
The ground has dried up because there hasn't been any rain in the land. The farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads.
5 καὶ ἔλαφοι ἐν ἀγρῷ ἔτεκον καὶ ἐγκατέλιπον ὅτι οὐκ ἦν βοτάνη
Even the deer abandons her newborn fawn because there's no grass.
6 ὄνοι ἄγριοι ἔστησαν ἐπὶ νάπας εἵλκυσαν ἄνεμον ἐξέλιπον οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν ὅτι οὐκ ἦν χόρτος ἀπὸ λαοῦ ἀδικίας
Wild donkeys stand on the bare hills, panting like jackals. Their eyesight fails because they have nothing to eat.
7 εἰ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἡμῶν ἀντέστησαν ἡμῖν κύριε ποίησον ἡμῖν ἕνεκεν σοῦ ὅτι πολλαὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἡμῶν ἐναντίον σοῦ ὅτι σοὶ ἡμάρτομεν
Even though our sins give evidence against us, Lord, please do something for us because of your good nature. Yes, we have rebelled against you so often; we have sinned against you.
8 ὑπομονὴ Ισραηλ κύριε καὶ σῴζεις ἐν καιρῷ κακῶν ἵνα τί ἐγενήθης ὡσεὶ πάροικος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὡς αὐτόχθων ἐκκλίνων εἰς κατάλυμα
You are the hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble. Why do you act like a foreigner in our country, like a traveler who only stays a night?
9 μὴ ἔσῃ ὥσπερ ἄνθρωπος ὑπνῶν ἢ ὡς ἀνὴρ οὐ δυνάμενος σῴζειν καὶ σὺ ἐν ἡμῖν εἶ κύριε καὶ τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐπικέκληται ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ ἡμῶν
Why do you act like someone caught unawares, like a powerful warrior who can't help? You are here among us, Lord, and we are known as your people. Please don't give up on us!
10 οὕτως λέγει κύριος τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ ἠγάπησαν κινεῖν πόδας αὐτῶν καὶ οὐκ ἐφείσαντο καὶ ὁ θεὸς οὐκ εὐδόκησεν ἐν αὐτοῖς νῦν μνησθήσεται τῶν ἀδικιῶν αὐτῶν
This is what the Lord says about his people: They really love to wander away from me—they don't even try to stop themselves. So the Lord refuses to accept them. Now he'll remember their guilty actions and punish them for their sins.
11 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με μὴ προσεύχου περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου εἰς ἀγαθά
The Lord told me, Don't pray for the welfare of this people.
12 ὅτι ἐὰν νηστεύσωσιν οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι τῆς δεήσεως αὐτῶν καὶ ἐὰν προσενέγκωσιν ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ θυσίας οὐκ εὐδοκήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς ὅτι ἐν μαχαίρᾳ καὶ ἐν λιμῷ καὶ ἐν θανάτῳ ἐγὼ συντελέσω αὐτούς
Even if they fast, I won't listen to their cry. Even though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I won't accept them. On the contrary I will wipe them out by sword and famine and plague.
13 καὶ εἶπα ὦ κύριε ἰδοὺ οἱ προφῆται αὐτῶν προφητεύουσιν καὶ λέγουσιν οὐκ ὄψεσθε μάχαιραν οὐδὲ λιμὸς ἔσται ἐν ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀλήθειαν καὶ εἰρήνην δώσω ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ
“Oh Lord God!” I answered, “Look what prophets are telling them, claiming to be speaking for you: ‘You won't see war or suffer from famine, but I will give you peace that lasts here in this place.’”
14 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με ψευδῆ οἱ προφῆται προφητεύουσιν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου οὐκ ἀπέστειλα αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐκ ἐνετειλάμην αὐτοῖς καὶ οὐκ ἐλάλησα πρὸς αὐτούς ὅτι ὁράσεις ψευδεῖς καὶ μαντείας καὶ οἰωνίσματα καὶ προαιρέσεις καρδίας αὐτῶν αὐτοὶ προφητεύουσιν ὑμῖν
The prophets are prophesying lies in my name, replied the Lord. I didn't send them or choose them or speak to them. It's a lying vision, an empty prediction, a deluded, deceitful product of their own minds that they are prophesying to you.
15 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος περὶ τῶν προφητῶν τῶν προφητευόντων ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου ψευδῆ καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀπέστειλα αὐτούς οἳ λέγουσιν μάχαιρα καὶ λιμὸς οὐκ ἔσται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ταύτης ἐν θανάτῳ νοσερῷ ἀποθανοῦνται καὶ ἐν λιμῷ συντελεσθήσονται οἱ προφῆται
So this is what the Lord says about such prophets who prophesy in my name: I didn't send them, but even so they say, “This country won't suffer war or famine.” These same prophets will die from war or famine!
16 καὶ ὁ λαός οἷς αὐτοὶ προφητεύουσιν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἔσονται ἐρριμμένοι ἐν ταῖς διόδοις Ιερουσαλημ ἀπὸ προσώπου μαχαίρας καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ θάπτων αὐτούς καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκχεῶ ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς τὰ κακὰ αὐτῶν
The bodies of the people they prophesied to will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and war. There won't be anyone to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out their own evil on them.
17 καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὸν λόγον τοῦτον καταγάγετε ἐπ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν δάκρυα ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός καὶ μὴ διαλιπέτωσαν ὅτι συντρίμματι συνετρίβη θυγάτηρ λαοῦ μου καὶ πληγῇ ὀδυνηρᾷ σφόδρα
This is what you are to tell them: Tears flow from my eyes without stopping day or night, because my people have been crushed by a heavy blow, a really serious wound.
18 ἐὰν ἐξέλθω εἰς τὸ πεδίον καὶ ἰδοὺ τραυματίαι μαχαίρας καὶ ἐὰν εἰσέλθω εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ ἰδοὺ πόνος λιμοῦ ὅτι ἱερεὺς καὶ προφήτης ἐπορεύθησαν εἰς γῆν ἣν οὐκ ᾔδεισαν
If I go out to the countryside, I see those killed by the sword; if I go into the city, I see those dying by famine. Both prophets and priests wander around the country—they don't know what they're doing.
19 μὴ ἀποδοκιμάζων ἀπεδοκίμασας τὸν Ιουδαν καὶ ἀπὸ Σιων ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχή σου ἵνα τί ἔπαισας ἡμᾶς καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἴασις ὑπεμείναμεν εἰς εἰρήνην καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀγαθά εἰς καιρὸν ἰάσεως καὶ ἰδοὺ ταραχή
Have you really rejected Judah? Do you hate Zion so much? Why have you wounded us so badly that we can't be healed? We hoped for peace, but instead nothing good has come; we hoped for a time of healing, but instead there was only sudden terror.
20 ἔγνωμεν κύριε ἁμαρτήματα ἡμῶν ἀδικίας πατέρων ἡμῶν ὅτι ἡμάρτομεν ἐναντίον σου
Lord, we admit our wickedness, the guilt of our forefathers as well as our own sins against you.
21 κόπασον διὰ τὸ ὄνομά σου μὴ ἀπολέσῃς θρόνον δόξης σου μνήσθητι μὴ διασκεδάσῃς τὴν διαθήκην σου τὴν μεθ’ ἡμῶν
Because of your own reputation please don't hate us; don't bring dishonor on your glorious throne. Please remember your agreement with us; don't break it.
22 μὴ ἔστιν ἐν εἰδώλοις τῶν ἐθνῶν ὑετίζων καὶ εἰ ὁ οὐρανὸς δώσει πλησμονὴν αὐτοῦ οὐχὶ σὺ εἶ αὐτός καὶ ὑπομενοῦμέν σε ὅτι σὺ ἐποίησας πάντα ταῦτα
Can the false gods of the other nations bring rain? Can the skies themselves send showers? No, it's you, Lord our God. So we put our hope in you, because only you can do all this.
