Ἱερεμίας 18
1 ὁ λόγος ὁ γενόμενος παρὰ κυρίου πρὸς Ιερεμιαν λέγων
Yahweh gave another message to me. [He said],
2 ἀνάστηθι καὶ κατάβηθι εἰς οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως καὶ ἐκεῖ ἀκούσῃ τοὺς λόγους μου
“Go to the shop of the man who makes clay pots. I will give you a message there.”
3 καὶ κατέβην εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ἐποίει ἔργον ἐπὶ τῶν λίθων
So I went to that shop, and I saw the man who makes pots. He was working at the wheel [that he uses to form pots].
4 καὶ διέπεσεν τὸ ἀγγεῖον ὃ αὐτὸς ἐποίει ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν αὐτὸ ἀγγεῖον ἕτερον καθὼς ἤρεσεν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τοῦ ποιῆσαι
But when he finished making one jar, it was not as good as he hoped/wanted it to be. [So], he took that clay and formed it into another jar, shaping it as he desired.
5 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων
Then Yahweh gave me this message:
6 εἰ καθὼς ὁ κεραμεὺς οὗτος οὐ δυνήσομαι τοῦ ποιῆσαι ὑμᾶς οἶκος Ισραηλ ἰδοὺ ὡς ὁ πηλὸς τοῦ κεραμέως ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν ταῖς χερσίν μου
“Perhaps the people of Israel [think that] I cannot do to them like this man who makes pots has done [RHQ]. [But what they think is wrong]. I [can control what happens to them like] this man [controls what he does with the clay] in his hands.
7 πέρας λαλήσω ἐπὶ ἔθνος ἢ ἐπὶ βασιλείαν τοῦ ἐξᾶραι αὐτοὺς καὶ τοῦ ἀπολλύειν
There may be a time when I proclaim that I will get rid of a nation or kingdom, [like someone] pulls up [a plant with its roots], and smashes it, and destroys it.
8 καὶ ἐπιστραφῇ τὸ ἔθνος ἐκεῖνο ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν κακῶν αὐτῶν καὶ μετανοήσω περὶ τῶν κακῶν ὧν ἐλογισάμην τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς
But if [the people of] that nation repent of doing evil things, I will not send to them the disasters that I planned to send.
9 καὶ πέρας λαλήσω ἐπὶ ἔθνος καὶ ἐπὶ βασιλείαν τοῦ ἀνοικοδομεῖσθαι καὶ τοῦ καταφυτεύεσθαι
And there may be a time when I proclaim that I will establish a nation or kingdom and cause it to be strong [MET].
10 καὶ ποιήσωσιν τὰ πονηρὰ ἐναντίον μου τοῦ μὴ ἀκούειν τῆς φωνῆς μου καὶ μετανοήσω περὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὧν ἐλάλησα τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς
But if [the people of] that nation [start to] do evil things and refuse to obey me, then I will not bless them as I said that I would do.
11 καὶ νῦν εἰπὸν πρὸς ἄνδρας Ιουδα καὶ πρὸς τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Ιερουσαλημ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πλάσσω ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς κακὰ καὶ λογίζομαι ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς λογισμόν ἀποστραφήτω δὴ ἕκαστος ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς καὶ καλλίονα ποιήσετε τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ὑμῶν
Therefore, [Jeremiah, go and warn all] the people in Jerusalem and [in other places] in Judah. Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh says: “I am planning to cause you to experience a disaster [DOU]. [So], each of you should turn from your evil behavior and start doing what is right, [in order that you will not experience that disaster].”’’”
12 καὶ εἶπαν ἀνδριούμεθα ὅτι ὀπίσω τῶν ἀποστροφῶν ἡμῶν πορευσόμεθα καὶ ἕκαστος τὰ ἀρεστὰ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς ποιήσομεν
[So I told that message to the people], but they replied, “It is useless [for you to tell us that]. We will [continue to] be stubborn and behave as we want to.”
13 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος ἐρωτήσατε δὴ ἐν ἔθνεσιν τίς ἤκουσεν τοιαῦτα φρικτά ἃ ἐποίησεν σφόδρα παρθένος Ισραηλ
So, this is what Yahweh says: “Ask the [people who live in other] nations if they have [RHQ] ever heard of such a thing. My Israeli people, who [have been pure like] [MET] virgins, have done a terrible thing!
14 μὴ ἐκλείψουσιν ἀπὸ πέτρας μαστοὶ ἢ χιὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ Λιβάνου μὴ ἐκκλινεῖ ὕδωρ βιαίως ἀνέμῳ φερόμενον
The snow certainly never [RHQ] completely disappears/melts from the rocky slopes of the mountains in Lebanon. The cold streams that flow down from those distant mountains never [RHQ] cease flowing.
15 ὅτι ἐπελάθοντό μου ὁ λαός μου εἰς κενὸν ἐθυμίασαν καὶ ἀσθενήσουσιν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν σχοίνους αἰωνίους τοῦ ἐπιβῆναι τρίβους οὐκ ἔχοντας ὁδὸν εἰς πορείαν
But my people [are not as reliable as those streams: ] They have abandoned me. They burn incense to [honor/worship] worthless idols. [It is as though] they have stumbled as they walked along very old roads that are good roads, and now, instead, they are walking on dirt paths.
16 τοῦ τάξαι τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀφανισμὸν καὶ σύριγμα αἰώνιον πάντες οἱ διαπορευόμενοι δῑ αὐτῆς ἐκστήσονται καὶ κινήσουσιν τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν
Therefore, their land will become desolate, and people who see it will hiss [to ridicule it]. Everyone who passes by will be appalled; they will shake their heads [to show that they are shocked].
17 ὡς ἄνεμον καύσωνα διασπερῶ αὐτοὺς κατὰ πρόσωπον ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν δείξω αὐτοῖς ἡμέραν ἀπωλείας αὐτῶν
I will scatter the people when their enemies [attack them] like dust is scattered by an east wind. And when they experience all those difficulties/disasters, I will turn my back on them [and refuse] to help them.”
18 καὶ εἶπαν δεῦτε λογισώμεθα ἐπὶ Ιερεμιαν λογισμόν ὅτι οὐκ ἀπολεῖται νόμος ἀπὸ ἱερέως καὶ βουλὴ ἀπὸ συνετοῦ καὶ λόγος ἀπὸ προφήτου δεῦτε καὶ πατάξωμεν αὐτὸν ἐν γλώσσῃ καὶ ἀκουσόμεθα πάντας τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ
Then some of the people said, “Come, let’s plan to attack Jeremiah. We have [many] priests who teach us God’s laws, and wise men who give us good advice, and prophets who tell us [what will happen. We do not need Jeremiah!] So, let’s slander him and not pay attention to anything that he says.”
19 εἰσάκουσόν μου κύριε καὶ εἰσάκουσον τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ δικαιώματός μου
[Then I prayed], “Yahweh, [please] listen to me! And listen to what my enemies are saying about me.
20 εἰ ἀνταποδίδοται ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν κακά ὅτι συνελάλησαν ῥήματα κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς μου καὶ τὴν κόλασιν αὐτῶν ἔκρυψάν μοι μνήσθητι ἑστηκότος μου κατὰ πρόσωπόν σου τοῦ λαλῆσαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀγαθὰ τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν θυμόν σου ἀπ’ αὐτῶν
I am doing things that are good, so it is disgusting that [RHQ] they are paying me back by doing evil [things to me]. [It is as though] they have dug a pit for me [to fall into] and die. Do not forget that [one time] I stood in front of you and pleaded for you [to help them], and I tried to prevent you from [punishing them] [MTY], even though you were very angry with them.
21 διὰ τοῦτο δὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν εἰς λιμὸν καὶ ἄθροισον αὐτοὺς εἰς χεῖρας μαχαίρας γενέσθωσαν αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν ἄτεκνοι καὶ χῆραι καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες αὐτῶν γενέσθωσαν ἀνῃρημένοι θανάτῳ καὶ οἱ νεανίσκοι αὐτῶν πεπτωκότες μαχαίρᾳ ἐν πολέμῳ
So [now], allow their children to die from hunger! Or cause them to be killed by [their enemies’] swords! Cause their wives to become widows, whose children are all dead! Cause their [old] men to die in a plague, and cause their young men to be killed in battles!
22 γενηθήτω κραυγὴ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις αὐτῶν ἐπάξεις ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς λῃστὰς ἄφνω ὅτι ἐνεχείρησαν λόγον εἰς σύλλημψίν μου καὶ παγίδας ἔκρυψαν ἐπ’ ἐμέ
Cause people to scream in their homes when enemy soldiers suddenly come into their houses! [Cause all those things to happen to them] because they [want to kill me]. [It is as though] they have dug a pit for me [to fall into], and they have hidden traps along my path.
23 καὶ σύ κύριε ἔγνως ἅπασαν τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν ἐπ’ ἐμὲ εἰς θάνατον μὴ ἀθῳώσῃς τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ἀπὸ προσώπου σου μὴ ἐξαλείψῃς γενέσθω ἡ ἀσθένεια αὐτῶν ἐναντίον σου ἐν καιρῷ θυμοῦ σου ποίησον ἐν αὐτοῖς
Yahweh, you know all the things that they are planning to do to kill me. Do not forgive them for their crimes or blot out [the record of] their sins. Cause them to be destroyed; punish them because of your being angry [with them]!”
