Ἱερεμίας 17
[Yahweh said, “It is as though a list of] the sins [committed by the people of] Judah is engraved with an iron chisel, or engraved using the fine point of a very hard stone, on the altars [where they worship idols]. And [it is as though] this list is engraved on their inner beings!
[Even] their children are happy to go to the altars [to worship their gods], and to the poles [that represent the goddess] Asherah [at which their parents worshiped], shrines that are underneath all the big trees and on [all] the high hills.
So, I will allow your enemies to capture [Zion], your holy hill, and all your wealth and your (treasures/valuable things), and [even] the shrines on all those hills, because of the sins that you people have committed throughout your land.
The [wonderful] land that I gave to you will no longer belong to you. I will tell your enemies to take you to a land that you do not know about, and you will become their slaves. [I will do that] because I am extremely angry [with you]; my being angry is [like] a fire that will burn forever.”
5 ἐπικατάρατος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπ’ ἄνθρωπον καὶ στηρίσει σάρκα βραχίονος αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ αὐτόν καὶ ἀπὸ κυρίου ἀποστῇ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ
This is [also] what Yahweh says: “[I] will curse/condemn those who trust in human beings [to help them], those who rely on their own strength and turn away from me.
6 καὶ ἔσται ὡς ἡ ἀγριομυρίκη ἡ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ οὐκ ὄψεται ὅταν ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά καὶ κατασκηνώσει ἐν ἁλίμοις καὶ ἐν ἐρήμῳ ἐν γῇ ἁλμυρᾷ ἥτις οὐ κατοικεῖται
They are like [dry] bushes in the desert, they are people who will not experience any good things. Those people will live in the barren desert in a salty area, where nothing grows.
7 καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς πέποιθεν ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ἔσται κύριος ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ
But I am pleased with those who trust in [me], Yahweh, and who confidently expect [me to take care of them].
8 καὶ ἔσται ὡς ξύλον εὐθηνοῦν παρ’ ὕδατα καὶ ἐπὶ ἰκμάδα βαλεῖ ῥίζας αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσεται ὅταν ἔλθῃ καῦμα καὶ ἔσται ἐπ’ αὐτῷ στελέχη ἀλσώδη ἐν ἐνιαυτῷ ἀβροχίας οὐ φοβηθήσεται καὶ οὐ διαλείψει ποιῶν καρπόν
Those people are like [SIM] fruit trees that have been planted along a riverbank, trees that have roots that go down into the [wet ground beside] the water. They are trees whose leaves remain green when it becomes hot, trees that continue to bear fruit when there are many months in which there is no rain.
9 βαθεῖα ἡ καρδία παρὰ πάντα καὶ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν καὶ τίς γνώσεται αὐτόν
Human minds are extremely corrupt/deceitful, and you cannot change that. It is also completely impossible [RHQ] for anyone to understand that.
10 ἐγὼ κύριος ἐτάζων καρδίας καὶ δοκιμάζων νεφροὺς τοῦ δοῦναι ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ κατὰ τοὺς καρποὺς τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων αὐτοῦ
But I, Yahweh, search what is in everyone’s inner being, and I examine what they are thinking. I will give all people rewards, what they deserve for what they have done.”
11 ἐφώνησεν πέρδιξ συνήγαγεν ἃ οὐκ ἔτεκεν ποιῶν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ οὐ μετὰ κρίσεως ἐν ἡμίσει ἡμερῶν αὐτοῦ ἐγκαταλείψουσιν αὐτόν καὶ ἐπ’ ἐσχάτων αὐτοῦ ἔσται ἄφρων
[I, Jeremiah, agree, because I know that] people who become rich by doing things that are unjust are like birds that hatch eggs that they (did not lay/stole from another nest). So, when those people have lived only half of the years [that they expect to live], their wealth will disappear. Then [other people will realize that] those rich people have been foolish.
12 θρόνος δόξης ὑψωμένος ἁγίασμα ἡμῶν
Yahweh, your temple is [like] a glorious throne that is still on a high hill.
13 ὑπομονὴ Ισραηλ κύριε πάντες οἱ καταλιπόντες σε καταισχυνθήτωσαν ἀφεστηκότες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γραφήτωσαν ὅτι ἐγκατέλιπον πηγὴν ζωῆς τὸν κύριον
You are the one whom [we] Israeli people confidently expect [to bless us], and all those who turn away from you will be disgraced. Their names will be written [only] in the dust, [and will soon disappear], because they have abandoned you, [who are like] [MET] a fountain where people obtain fresh water.
14 ἴασαί με κύριε καὶ ἰαθήσομαι σῶσόν με καὶ σωθήσομαι ὅτι καύχημά μου σὺ εἶ
Yahweh, [please] heal me, because [if you heal me], I will truly be healed. [If you] rescue me, I will truly be safe, because you are the [only] one whom I praise.
15 ἰδοὺ αὐτοὶ λέγουσι πρός με ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ λόγος κυρίου ἐλθάτω
People often ridicule me and say, “You tell us messages that you say came from Yahweh, but (why have the things that you predicted not happened?/those predictions have not come true!)” [RHQ]
16 ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐκοπίασα κατακολουθῶν ὀπίσω σου καὶ ἡμέραν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἐπεθύμησα σὺ ἐπίστῃ τὰ ἐκπορευόμενα διὰ τῶν χειλέων μου πρὸ προσώπου σού ἐστιν
Yahweh, you [appointed me to take care of your people like] a shepherd [takes care of his sheep] [MET]; I have not abandoned that work, and you know that I have not [previously] wanted this time of disaster [to come to people who ridicule me]. And you know everything that I have said [MTY] [to your people].
17 μὴ γενηθῇς μοι εἰς ἀλλοτρίωσιν φειδόμενός μου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πονηρᾷ
Do not cause me to be terrified! When disasters come/occur, you are the one to whom I will go to be safe.
18 καταισχυνθήτωσαν οἱ διώκοντές με καὶ μὴ καταισχυνθείην ἐγώ πτοηθείησαν αὐτοί καὶ μὴ πτοηθείην ἐγώ ἐπάγαγε ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἡμέραν πονηράν δισσὸν σύντριμμα σύντριψον αὐτούς
[So now], cause those who (persecute me/cause me to suffer) to be ashamed and dismayed, but do not [do things to me that will] cause me to be ashamed and dismayed. Cause them to be terrified! Do to them many things that will completely destroy them!
19 τάδε λέγει κύριος βάδισον καὶ στῆθι ἐν πύλαις υἱῶν λαοῦ σου ἐν αἷς εἰσπορεύονται ἐν αὐταῖς βασιλεῖς Ιουδα καὶ ἐν αἷς ἐκπορεύονται ἐν αὐταῖς καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πύλαις Ιερουσαλημ
This is what Yahweh said to me: “Go to the city gates in Jerusalem. [First] go to the gate where the kings of Judah go in and out of the city, and [then] go to each of the [other] gates.
20 καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς ἀκούσατε λόγον κυρίου βασιλεῖς Ιουδα καὶ πᾶσα Ιουδαία καὶ πᾶσα Ιερουσαλημ οἱ εἰσπορευόμενοι ἐν ταῖς πύλαις ταύταις
Say to the people [at each gate], ‘You kings of Judah and everyone [else] who is living in Jerusalem and all [you other people of] Judah who enter these gates, listen to this message from Yahweh!
21 τάδε λέγει κύριος φυλάσσεσθε τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν καὶ μὴ αἴρετε βαστάγματα ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων καὶ μὴ ἐκπορεύεσθε ταῖς πύλαις Ιερουσαλημ
He says, “Listen to this warning carefully! [Stop doing work] on (Sabbath/our rest) days! Stop carrying loads through these gates [on those days]!
22 καὶ μὴ ἐκφέρετε βαστάγματα ἐξ οἰκιῶν ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων καὶ πᾶν ἔργον οὐ ποιήσετε ἁγιάσατε τὴν ἡμέραν τῶν σαββάτων καθὼς ἐνετειλάμην τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν καὶ οὐκ ἔκλιναν τὸ οὖς αὐτῶν
Do not carry loads out of your houses or do any [other] work on Sabbath days! Instead, cause Sabbath days to be (holy/set apart for me). I commanded your ancestors to do that,
23 καὶ ἐσκλήρυναν τὸν τράχηλον αὐτῶν ὑπὲρ τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν τοῦ μὴ ἀκοῦσαί μου καὶ τοῦ μὴ δέξασθαι παιδείαν
but they did not listen to me or obey me. When I did things to correct them, they stubbornly [IDM] refused to pay attention to what I said or to accept it.
24 καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν ἀκοῇ ἀκούσητέ μου λέγει κύριος τοῦ μὴ εἰσφέρειν βαστάγματα διὰ τῶν πυλῶν τῆς πόλεως ταύτης ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων καὶ ἁγιάζειν τὴν ἡμέραν τῶν σαββάτων τοῦ μὴ ποιεῖν πᾶν ἔργον
But I say that if you obey me, and if you do not carry loads through these gates [on Sabbath days] or do any other work on Sabbath days, and if you dedicate the Sabbath days to me,
25 καὶ εἰσελεύσονται διὰ τῶν πυλῶν τῆς πόλεως ταύτης βασιλεῖς καὶ ἄρχοντες καθήμενοι ἐπὶ θρόνου Δαυιδ καὶ ἐπιβεβηκότες ἐφ’ ἅρμασιν καὶ ἵπποις αὐτῶν αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῶν ἄνδρες Ιουδα καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες Ιερουσαλημ καὶ κατοικισθήσεται ἡ πόλις αὕτη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα
kings of Judah [MTY] and [their] officials will [continue to] go in and out of these gates. There will [always] be someone who is a descendant of [MTY] [King] David ruling [here] [MTY] in Jerusalem. Kings and their officials will go in and out of these gates, riding in chariots and on horses, and there will be people living in this city forever.
26 καὶ ἥξουσιν ἐκ τῶν πόλεων Ιουδα καὶ κυκλόθεν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἐκ γῆς Βενιαμιν καὶ ἐκ τῆς πεδινῆς καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους καὶ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς νότον φέροντες ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ θυσίαν καὶ θυμιάματα καὶ μαναα καὶ λίβανον φέροντες αἴνεσιν εἰς οἶκον κυρίου
And people will come [to Jerusalem] bringing offerings to be completely burned [on the altar] and [other] offerings. They will bring to the temple grain offerings and incense and offerings to thank [me]. People will bring those offerings from the towns in Judah and the villages near Jerusalem and from the land [where the tribe] of Benjamin [lives] and from the western foothills and from the desert in the south.
27 καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν μὴ εἰσακούσητέ μου τοῦ ἁγιάζειν τὴν ἡμέραν τῶν σαββάτων τοῦ μὴ αἴρειν βαστάγματα καὶ μὴ εἰσπορεύεσθαι ταῖς πύλαις Ιερουσαλημ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων καὶ ἀνάψω πῦρ ἐν ταῖς πύλαις αὐτῆς καὶ καταφάγεται ἄμφοδα Ιερουσαλημ καὶ οὐ σβεσθήσεται
But if you do not pay attention to what I say, and if you refuse to dedicate the Sabbath days to me, and if you [continue to] carry loads through these gates into the city on Sabbath days, I will burn these gates completely. The fire will spread to the palaces, and no one will be able to put out that fire.”’”
