Ἱερεμίας 3
1 ἐὰν ἐξαποστείλῃ ἀνὴρ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέλθῃ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ μὴ ἀνακάμπτουσα ἀνακάμψει πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔτι οὐ μιαινομένη μιανθήσεται ἡ γυνὴ ἐκείνη καὶ σὺ ἐξεπόρνευσας ἐν ποιμέσιν πολλοῖς καὶ ἀνέκαμπτες πρός με λέγει κύριος
“[Moses wrote that] if a man divorces his wife and then she marries another man, her first husband certainly must not [RHQ] take her back again [to be his wife], because that would certainly [RHQ] cause the whole nation to become unacceptable to me. But you have more [idols than] prostitutes have men whom they have slept with! So, [why should I accept you if] you return to me?” [RHQ] says Yahweh.
2 ἆρον εἰς εὐθεῖαν τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου καὶ ἰδέ ποῦ οὐχὶ ἐξεφύρθης ἐπὶ ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἐκάθισας αὐτοῖς ὡσεὶ κορώνη ἐρημουμένη καὶ ἐμίανας τὴν γῆν ἐν ταῖς πορνείαις σου καὶ ἐν ταῖς κακίαις σου
“Look up at the barren hilltops. On every hilltop there are [RHQ] [idols that you have worshiped]. [It is as though] they are all lovers with whom you have had sex. [It is as though] you have sat along the roadsides like an Arab, waiting [to attack and steal things from] those who pass by. Because of worshiping idols and all the other wicked things that you have done, you have caused the [entire] land to become unacceptable to me.
3 καὶ ἔσχες ποιμένας πολλοὺς εἰς πρόσκομμα σεαυτῇ ὄψις πόρνης ἐγένετό σοι ἀπηναισχύντησας πρὸς πάντας
That is why I have not sent you any rain at the times of the year when you needed it. But you are like prostitutes [MET] who are not at all ashamed [for what they have done].
4 οὐχ ὡς οἶκόν με ἐκάλεσας καὶ πατέρα καὶ ἀρχηγὸν τῆς παρθενίας σου
Now each of you says to me, ‘You are my father! You have loved me ever since I was young!
5 μὴ διαμενεῖ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἢ διαφυλαχθήσεται εἰς νεῖκος ἰδοὺ ἐλάλησας καὶ ἐποίησας τὰ πονηρὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἠδυνάσθης
So surely you will not [RHQ] be angry with me forever!’ But you will not quit sinning!”
6 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ιωσια τοῦ βασιλέως εἶδες ἃ ἐποίησέν μοι ἡ κατοικία τοῦ Ισραηλ ἐπορεύθησαν ἐπὶ πᾶν ὄρος ὑψηλὸν καὶ ὑποκάτω παντὸς ξύλου ἀλσώδους καὶ ἐπόρνευσαν ἐκεῖ
[One day] when Josiah was the king of Judah, Yahweh said to me, “Have you seen what the people of Israel have done? They have turned away from me, like a woman who has abandoned her husband and sleeps with other men. They have gone up on every hilltop and under every big tree and worshiped idols there [MET].
7 καὶ εἶπα μετὰ τὸ πορνεῦσαι αὐτὴν ταῦτα πάντα πρός με ἀνάστρεψον καὶ οὐκ ἀνέστρεψεν καὶ εἶδεν τὴν ἀσυνθεσίαν αὐτῆς ἡ ἀσύνθετος Ιουδα
I thought that they would return to me, so I said to them, ‘Come back to me!’ But they refused. So I sent them away [to other countries, like a man] writes a note saying that he is divorcing his wife and then sends his wife away because she has committed adultery [MET].
8 καὶ εἶδον διότι περὶ πάντων ὧν κατελήμφθη ἐν οἷς ἐμοιχᾶτο ἡ κατοικία τοῦ Ισραηλ καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτὴν καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῇ βιβλίον ἀποστασίου εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς καὶ οὐκ ἐφοβήθη ἡ ἀσύνθετος Ιουδα καὶ ἐπορεύθη καὶ ἐπόρνευσεν καὶ αὐτή
The people of Judah saw what I did to them. But they are just like the people of Israel. They are not afraid [of what I will do to them]. They also [have turned away from me and are worshiping idols like] women who abandon their husbands and go to other men [MET].
9 καὶ ἐγένετο εἰς οὐθὲν ἡ πορνεία αὐτῆς καὶ ἐμοίχευσεν τὸ ξύλον καὶ τὸν λίθον
They thought that worshiping idols did not matter to me, so they have made the [entire] land unacceptable to me by worshiping idols of wood and stone.
10 καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν τούτοις οὐκ ἐπεστράφη πρός με ἡ ἀσύνθετος Ιουδα ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας αὐτῆς ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ ψεύδει
The people of Judah have pretended to return to me, but they have not really done that. [This is true because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
11 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με ἐδικαίωσεν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ Ισραηλ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσυνθέτου Ιουδα
Then Yahweh said to me, “The people of Israel have turned away from me, but what the people of Judah have done is worse.
12 πορεύου καὶ ἀνάγνωθι τοὺς λόγους τούτους πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ ἐρεῖς ἐπιστράφητι πρός με ἡ κατοικία τοῦ Ισραηλ λέγει κύριος καὶ οὐ στηριῶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ὅτι ἐλεήμων ἐγώ εἰμι λέγει κύριος καὶ οὐ μηνιῶ ὑμῖν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα
So go and tell this to the people of Israel: ‘Yahweh says this to you Israeli people who have turned away from him: I am merciful. I will not continue to be angry with you forever. So return to me.
13 πλὴν γνῶθι τὴν ἀδικίαν σου ὅτι εἰς κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἠσέβησας καὶ διέχεας τὰς ὁδούς σου εἰς ἀλλοτρίους ὑποκάτω παντὸς ξύλου ἀλσώδους τῆς δὲ φωνῆς μου οὐχ ὑπήκουσας λέγει κύριος
But you must admit/say that you are guilty, and that you have rebelled against me, Yahweh, your God, that you have worshiped idols under big trees everywhere, and you have not obeyed me. You have turned away from me.
14 ἐπιστράφητε υἱοὶ ἀφεστηκότες λέγει κύριος διότι ἐγὼ κατακυριεύσω ὑμῶν καὶ λήμψομαι ὑμᾶς ἕνα ἐκ πόλεως καὶ δύο ἐκ πατριᾶς καὶ εἰσάξω ὑμᾶς εἰς Σιων
But you belong to me. So I will take you, one from [each] city and two from [each] clan, and bring you [back] to Jerusalem [from the countries to which you were exiled].
15 καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν ποιμένας κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου καὶ ποιμανοῦσιν ὑμᾶς ποιμαίνοντες μετ’ ἐπιστήμης
[If you do that], I will appoint for you leaders with whom I am pleased, leaders who will guide you [well] because they will know and understand [what pleases me].
16 καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν πληθυνθῆτε καὶ αὐξηθῆτε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις λέγει κύριος οὐκ ἐροῦσιν ἔτι κιβωτὸς διαθήκης ἁγίου Ισραηλ οὐκ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ καρδίαν οὐκ ὀνομασθήσεται οὐδὲ ἐπισκεφθήσεται καὶ οὐ ποιηθήσεται ἔτι
And when you become very numerous [DOU] in your land, you will not need to talk about the Sacred Chest that contained the Ten Commandments. You will not think about it, and you will not want to make a new one.
17 ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ καλέσουσιν τὴν Ιερουσαλημ θρόνος κυρίου καὶ συναχθήσονται εἰς αὐτὴν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη καὶ οὐ πορεύσονται ἔτι ὀπίσω τῶν ἐνθυμημάτων τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν τῆς πονηρᾶς
At that time people will say, “Jerusalem is [the place where] Yahweh’s throne is.” [People from] all nations will come there to worship me. And they will no longer stubbornly do the evil things that they desire.
18 ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις συνελεύσονται οἶκος Ιουδα ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ισραηλ καὶ ἥξουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀπὸ γῆς βορρᾶ καὶ ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν χωρῶν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἣν κατεκληρονόμησα τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν
At that time you people [MTY] of Israel and the people of Judah will return from [being (exiled/forced to live) in] lands to the northeast. You will return to the land that I gave to your ancestors to belong to them [forever].
19 καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπα γένοιτο κύριε ὅτι τάξω σε εἰς τέκνα καὶ δώσω σοι γῆν ἐκλεκτὴν κληρονομίαν θεοῦ παντοκράτορος ἐθνῶν καὶ εἶπα πατέρα καλέσετέ με καὶ ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἀποστραφήσεσθε
You people of Israel, I wanted to accept you to be my children. I wanted to give you [this] delightful land. It is a land more desirable/pleasant than the land of any other nation! I wanted you to call me ‘father’, and I wanted you to never turn away from me.
20 πλὴν ὡς ἀθετεῖ γυνὴ εἰς τὸν συνόντα αὐτῇ οὕτως ἠθέτησεν εἰς ἐμὲ οἶκος Ισραηλ λέγει κύριος
But you have abandoned me like wives who have abandoned their husbands.’” [That is what] Yahweh said, and [I told it] to the people of Israel.
21 φωνὴ ἐκ χειλέων ἠκούσθη κλαυθμοῦ καὶ δεήσεως υἱῶν Ισραηλ ὅτι ἠδίκησαν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν ἐπελάθοντο θεοῦ ἁγίου αὐτῶν
People will hear a noise on the barren hilltops. It will be the noise made by people weeping and pleading [for God to be merciful to them]. They will be admitting/saying that they have forgotten Yahweh their God, and that they turned away from behaving as God wanted them to.
22 ἐπιστράφητε υἱοὶ ἐπιστρέφοντες καὶ ἰάσομαι τὰ συντρίμματα ὑμῶν ἰδοὺ δοῦλοι ἡμεῖς ἐσόμεθά σοι ὅτι σὺ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν εἶ
Yahweh will say to them, “You Israeli people, come back to me! [If you do that], I will cause you to never turn away from me again.” [The people will reply], “We are returning to you, because you are Yahweh, our God.
23 ὄντως εἰς ψεῦδος ἦσαν οἱ βουνοὶ καὶ ἡ δύναμις τῶν ὀρέων πλὴν διὰ κυρίου θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡ σωτηρία τοῦ Ισραηλ
We did not get any help from [the idols that we worshiped on] the hilltops; we did not get any help from making all that noise up there.
24 ἡ δὲ αἰσχύνη κατανάλωσεν τοὺς μόχθους τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ἀπὸ νεότητος ἡμῶν τὰ πρόβατα αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς μόσχους αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτῶν
From the time when we were young, the shameful [god Baal] has taken away [from us] everything that our ancestors worked hard to acquire. He has taken away their flocks [of sheep] and herds [of cattle], their sons and their daughters.
25 ἐκοιμήθημεν ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ ἡμῶν καὶ ἐπεκάλυψεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ἀτιμία ἡμῶν διότι ἔναντι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡμάρτομεν ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀπὸ νεότητος ἡμῶν ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσαμεν τῆς φωνῆς κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν
So, now we should lie down feeling very ashamed [DOU], because we and our ancestors have sinned against Yahweh our God, and we have never obeyed him.”
