יִרְמְיָהוּ 19

1 כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה הָל֛וֹךְ וְקָנִ֥יתָ בַקְבֻּ֖ק יוֹצֵ֣ר חָ֑רֶשׂ וּמִזִּקְנֵ֣י הָעָ֔ם וּמִזִּקְנֵ֖י הַכֹּהֲנִֽים׃

This is another message that Yahweh gave [to me]: “Go and buy a clay jar from a man who makes them. Then take with you some of the elders of the people and leaders of the priests.

2 וְיָצָ֙אתָ֙ אֶל־גֵּ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֕ר פֶּ֖תַח שַׁ֣עַר הַֽחַרְסִ֑ית וְקָרָ֣אתָ שָּׁ֔ם אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁר־אֲדַבֵּ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ׃

Go out [of the city] past the Gate of Broken Pots, to the place [overlooking the dump for broken pottery in] the Ben-Hinnom Valley. Then give them a message.

3 וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ שִׁמְע֣וּ דְבַר־יְהוָ֔ה מַלְכֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וְיֹשְׁבֵ֖י יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם כֹּֽה־אָמַר֩ יְהוָ֨ה צְבָא֜וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל הִנְנִ֨י מֵבִ֤יא רָעָה֙ עַל־הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּל־שֹׁמְעָ֖הּ תִּצַּ֥לְנָה אָזְנָֽיו׃

Say to them, ‘[This message is for] you kings of Judah and [other] people of Jerusalem. Listen to what Yahweh is saying! The Commander of the armies of angels says that he will cause there to be a terrible disaster in [Jerusalem]. Those who hear about it will be stunned/shocked [IDM].

4 יַ֣עַן ׀ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עֲזָבֻ֗נִי וַֽיְנַכְּר֞וּ אֶת־הַמָּק֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ וַיְקַטְּרוּ־בוֹ֙ לֵאלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹֽא־יְדָע֛וּם הֵ֥מָּה וַאֲבֽוֹתֵיהֶ֖ם וּמַלְכֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֑ה וּמָֽלְא֛וּ אֶת־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה דַּ֥ם נְקִיִּֽם׃

[That will happen] because [you Israeli] people have stopped worshiping me, and have caused this place to be a place where [you worship] foreign gods. You burn sacrifices to gods that neither you nor your ancestors nor [even] the kings of Judah ever heard about. And you have filled this place with the blood of innocent people [whom you have killed].

5 וּבָנ֞וּ אֶת־בָּמ֣וֹת הַבַּ֗עַל לִשְׂרֹ֧ף אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֛ם בָּאֵ֖שׁ עֹל֣וֹת לַבָּ֑עַל אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־צִוִּ֙יתִי֙ וְלֹ֣א דִבַּ֔רְתִּי וְלֹ֥א עָלְתָ֖ה עַל־לִבִּֽי׃ פ

You have built shrines to honor [your god] Baal, and at those shrines you have [killed] your own children and offered them to be sacrifices to Baal. I never commanded you to do that, I never spoke about doing that, I never even thought about anyone doing that.

6 לָכֵ֞ן הִנֵּֽה־יָמִ֤ים בָּאִים֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וְלֹא־יִקָּרֵא֩ לַמָּק֨וֹם הַזֶּ֥ה ע֛וֹד הַתֹּ֖פֶת וְגֵ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֑ם כִּ֖י אִם־גֵּ֥יא הַהֲרֵגָֽה׃

So, beware, [because I, ] Yahweh, say that there will be a time when this garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or Ben-Hinnom Valley; it will be called Slaughter Valley.

7 וּ֠בַקֹּתִי אֶת־עֲצַ֨ת יְהוּדָ֤ה וִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה וְהִפַּלְתִּ֤ים בַּחֶ֙רֶב֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֔ם וּבְיַ֖ד מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י נַפְשָׁ֑ם וְנָתַתִּ֤י אֶת־נִבְלָתָם֙ לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל לְע֥וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

In this place I will ruin the plans of [you people who live in] Jerusalem and in [other places in] Judah. I will allow your enemies who want to kill you to kill [many of] you with their swords. [Then] I will allow your corpses to remain on the ground to be food for vultures and wild animals.

8 וְשַׂמְתִּי֙ אֶת־הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֔את לְשַׁמָּ֖ה וְלִשְׁרֵקָ֑ה כֹּ֚ל עֹבֵ֣ר עָלֶ֔יהָ יִשֹּׁ֥ם וְיִשְׁרֹ֖ק עַל־כָּל־מַכֹּתֶֽהָ׃

I will [completely destroy] Jerusalem and cause it to become a heap of ruins that people will despise. All the people who pass by will be appalled, and they will be shocked when they see that the city has been destroyed.

9 וְהַֽאֲכַלְתִּ֞ים אֶת־בְּשַׂ֣ר בְּנֵיהֶ֗ם וְאֵת֙ בְּשַׂ֣ר בְּנֹתֵיהֶ֔ם וְאִ֥ישׁ בְּשַׂר־רֵעֵ֖הוּ יֹאכֵ֑לוּ בְּמָצוֹר֙ וּבְמָצ֔וֹק אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָצִ֧יקוּ לָהֶ֛ם אֹיְבֵיהֶ֖ם וּמְבַקְשֵׁ֥י נַפְשָֽׁם׃

I will enable your enemies who want to kill you to surround the city for a long time. [Then the food will be all gone, and you people will be extremely hungry, with the result that] you people in the city will eat the flesh of your own children and your neighbors’ children.’

10 וְשָׁבַרְתָּ֖ הַבַּקְבֻּ֑ק לְעֵינֵי֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים הַהֹלְכִ֖ים אוֹתָֽךְ׃

[Jeremiah, after you tell that to them], while the people who are with you are watching, smash the jar [that you brought].

11 וְאָמַרְתָּ֨ אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר ׀ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֗וֹת כָּ֣כָה אֶשְׁבֹּ֞ר אֶת־הָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ וְאֶת־הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֔את כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר יִשְׁבֹּר֙ אֶת־כְּלִ֣י הַיּוֹצֵ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־יוּכַ֥ל לְהֵרָפֵ֖ה ע֑וֹד וּבְתֹ֣פֶת יִקְבְּר֔וּ מֵאֵ֥ין מָק֖וֹם לִקְבּֽוֹר׃

Then say to them, ‘This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: “Just like this jar has been smashed and cannot be repaired, I will smash this city of Jerusalem and other places in Judah. You will bury some of your corpses here in this dump, until there is no more space to bury any more corpses.

12 כֵּֽן־אֶעֱשֶׂ֞ה לַמָּק֥וֹם הַזֶּ֛ה נְאֻם־יְהוָ֖ה וּלְיֽוֹשְׁבָ֑יו וְלָתֵ֛ת אֶת־הָעִ֥יר הַזֹּ֖את כְּתֹֽפֶת׃

That is what I will do to this city and to you people who live here. I will cause this city to be desecrated, like [King Josiah caused Topheth to be] a place that was unfit for people to worship me there.

13 וְהָי֞וּ בָּתֵּ֣י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם וּבָתֵּי֙ מַלְכֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה כִּמְק֥וֹם הַתֹּ֖פֶת הַטְּמֵאִ֑ים לְכֹ֣ל הַבָּתִּ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר קִטְּר֜וּ עַל־גַּגֹּֽתֵיהֶם֙ לְכֹל֙ צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְהַסֵּ֥ךְ נְסָכִ֖ים לֵאלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִֽים׃ פ

The houses in Jerusalem and the palaces of the kings of Judah will be desecrated like this place will be. All the houses where you burned incense on the rooftops to honor the stars [that you worshiped], and where you poured out wine [to be an offering] to your gods, will become (desecrated/unacceptable places for people to worship me).”’”

14 וַיָּבֹ֤א יִרְמְיָ֙הוּ֙ מֵֽהַתֹּ֔פֶת אֲשֶׁ֨ר שְׁלָח֧וֹ יְהוָ֛ה שָׁ֖ם לְהִנָּבֵ֑א וַֽיַּעֲמֹד֙ בַּחֲצַ֣ר בֵּית־יְהוָ֔ה וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֶל־כָּל־הָעָֽם׃ ס

Then I returned from the garbage dump where Yahweh had sent me to tell them that message. Then I stood in the courtyard of Yahweh’s temple and said this to all the people [who were there]:

15 כֹּֽה־אָמַ֞ר יְהוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הִנְנִ֨י מֵבִ֜יא אֶל־הָעִ֤יר הַזֹּאת֙ וְעַל־כָּל־עָרֶ֔יהָ אֵ֚ת כָּל־הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי עָלֶ֑יהָ כִּ֤י הִקְשׁוּ֙ אֶת־עָרְפָּ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֖י שְׁמ֥וֹעַ אֶת־דְּבָרָֽי׃

“This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: ‘I will cause there to be a disaster in this city and in the villages around it like I promised, because you people have stubbornly [IDM] refused to pay attention to what I said to you.’”