Jeremiæ 29
1 et haec sunt verba libri quae misit Hieremias propheta de Hierusalem ad reliquias seniorum transmigrationis et ad sacerdotes et ad prophetas et ad omnem populum quem transduxerat Nabuchodonosor de Hierusalem in Babylonem
And these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah, the prophet, sent from Jerusalem to the remnant of the elders of the transmigration, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had led away from Jerusalem to Babylon,
2 postquam egressus est Iechonias rex et domina et eunuchi et principes Iuda et Hierusalem et faber et inclusor de Hierusalem
after king Jeconiah, with the queen, and the eunuchs, and the leaders of Judah and of Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and engravers, had departed from Jerusalem.
3 in manu Ellasa filii Saphan et Gamaliae filii Helciae quos misit Sedecias rex Iuda ad Nabuchodonosor regem Babylonis in Babylonem dicens
It was sent by the hand of Elasah, the son of Shaphan, and by Gemariah, the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah, the king of Judah, sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, saying:
4 haec dicit Dominus exercituum Deus Israhel omni transmigrationi quam transtuli de Hierusalem in Babylonem
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who have been taken away, whom I have caused to be transferred from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5 aedificate domos et habitate et plantate hortos et comedite fructum eorum
Build houses and live in them. And plant gardens, and eat from their fruit.
6 accipite uxores et generate filios et filias date filiis vestris uxores et filias vestras date viris et pariant filios et filias et multiplicamini ibi et nolite esse pauci numero
Take wives, and conceive sons and daughters. And give wives to your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and let them bear sons and daughters. And be multiplied there, and do not choose to be few in number.
7 et quaerite pacem civitatis ad quam transmigrare vos feci et orate pro ea ad Dominum quia in pace illius erit pax vobis
And seek the peace of the city, to which I have caused you to be taken away, and pray to the Lord on its behalf. For your peace will be in its peace.
8 haec enim dicit Dominus exercituum Deus Israhel non vos inducant prophetae vestri qui sunt in medio vestrum et divini vestri et ne adtendatis ad somnia vestra quae vos somniatis
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not allow your prophets and your diviners, who are in your midst, to seduce you. And you should pay no attention to your dreams, which you are dreaming.
9 quia falso ipsi prophetant vobis in nomine meo et non misi eos dicit Dominus
For they prophesy falsely to you in my name, and I have not sent them, says the Lord.
10 quia haec dicit Dominus cum coeperint impleri in Babylone septuaginta anni visitabo vos et suscitabo super vos verbum meum bonum ut reducam vos ad locum istum
For thus says the Lord: When the seventy years will begin to be completed in Babylon, I will visit you. And I will raise up over you my good word, so that I may lead you back to this place.
11 ego enim scio cogitationes quas cogito super vos ait Dominus cogitationes pacis et non adflictionis ut dem vobis finem et patientiam
For I know the thoughts that I think over you, says the Lord: thoughts of peace and not of affliction, so that I may give you patience and an end.
12 et invocabitis me et ibitis et orabitis me et exaudiam vos
And you shall call upon me, and you shall go forth. And you shall pray to me, and I will heed you.
13 quaeretis me et invenietis cum quaesieritis me in toto corde vestro
You shall seek me. And you will find me, when you have sought me with your whole heart.
14 et inveniar a vobis ait Dominus et reducam captivitatem vestram et congregabo vos de universis gentibus et de cunctis locis ad quae expuli vos dicit Dominus et reverti vos faciam de loco ad quem transmigrare vos feci
And I will be found by you, says the Lord. And I will lead you back from your captivity. And I will gather you from all the nations and all the places, to which I have expelled you, says the Lord. And I will return you from the place to which I sent you into captivity.
15 quia dixistis suscitavit nobis Dominus prophetas in Babylone
For you have said: ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.’
16 quia haec dicit Dominus ad regem qui sedet super solium David et ad omnem populum habitatorem urbis huius ad fratres vestros qui non sunt egressi vobiscum in transmigrationem
For thus says the Lord, to the king who sits upon the throne of David, and to all the people who live in this city, to your brothers who have not departed with you in the transmigration:
17 haec dicit Dominus exercituum ecce mittam in eis gladium et famem et pestem et ponam eos quasi ficus malas quae comedi non possunt eo quod pessimae sint
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send among them the sword, and famine, and pestilence. And I will make them like the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, because they are very bad.
18 et persequar eos in gladio in fame et in pestilentia et dabo eos in vexationem universis regnis terrae in maledictionem et in stuporem et in sibilum et in obprobrium cunctis gentibus ad quas ego eieci eos
And I will pursue them with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence. And I will give them over to affliction, amid all the kingdoms of the earth: as a curse, and in stupor, and with hissing, and as a disgrace among all the nations to which I have driven them out.
19 eo quod non audierint verba mea dicit Dominus quae misi ad eos per servos meos prophetas de nocte consurgens et mittens et non audistis dicit Dominus
For they have not listened to my words, says the Lord, which I sent to them through my servants, the prophets, rising while it was still night, and sending. But you have not listened, says the Lord.
20 vos ergo audite verbum Domini omnis transmigratio quam emisi de Hierusalem in Babylonem
Therefore, listen to the word of the Lord, all you of the transmigration, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem into Babylon.
21 haec dicit Dominus exercituum Deus Israhel ad Ahab filium Culia et ad Sedeciam filium Maasiae qui prophetant vobis in nomine meo mendaciter ecce ego tradam eos in manu Nabuchodonosor regis Babylonis et percutiet eos in oculis vestris
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and to Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes.
22 et adsumetur ex eis maledictio omni transmigrationi Iuda quae est in Babylone dicentium ponat te Dominus sicut Sedeciam et sicut Ahab quos frixit rex Babylonis in igne
And a curse will be taken up about them, by all the captives of Judah that are in Babylon, saying: ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah, and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon fried in the fire!’
23 pro eo quod fecerint stultitiam in Israhel et moechati sunt in uxores amicorum suorum et locuti sunt verbum in nomine meo mendaciter quod non mandavi eis ego sum iudex et testis dicit Dominus
For they have acted foolishly in Israel, and they have committed adultery with the wives of their friends, and they have spoken lying words in my name, which I did not command them. I am the Judge and the Witness, says the Lord.
24 et ad Semeiam Neelamiten dices
And to Shemaiah of Nehelam, you shall say:
25 haec dicit Dominus exercituum Deus Israhel pro eo quod misisti in nomine tuo libros ad omnem populum qui est in Hierusalem et ad Sophoniam filium Maasiae sacerdotem et ad universos sacerdotes dicens
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Similarly, you have sent letters in your name to all the people that are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying:
26 Dominus dedit te sacerdotem pro Ioiadae sacerdote ut sis dux in domo Domini super omnem virum arrepticium et prophetantem ut mittas eum in nervum et in carcerem
‘The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada, the priest, so that you would be the ruler in the house of the Lord over every man who raves and prophesies, to send him to the stocks and to prison.
27 et nunc quare non increpasti Hieremiam Anathothiten qui prophetat vobis
And now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who prophesies to you?
28 quia super hoc misit ad nos in Babylonem dicens longum est aedificate domos et habitate et plantate hortos et comedite fructum eorum
For about this, he has sent to us in Babylon, saying: It is a long time. Build houses and live in them. And plant gardens, and eat from their fruits.’”
29 legit ergo Sophonias sacerdos librum istum in auribus Hieremiae prophetae
Thus, Zephaniah, the priest, read this letter, in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.
30 et factum est verbum Domini ad Hieremiam dicens
And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:
31 mitte ad omnem transmigrationem dicens haec dicit Dominus ad Semeiam Neelamiten pro eo quod prophetavit vobis Semeias et ego non misi eum et fecit vos confidere in mendacio
“Send to all those of the transmigration, saying: Thus says the Lord to Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and because he has caused you to trust in a lie:
32 idcirco haec dicit Dominus ecce ego visitabo super Semeiam Neelamiten et super semen eius non erit ei vir sedens in medio populi huius et non videbit bonum quod ego faciam populo meo ait Dominus quia praevaricationem locutus est adversum Dominum
For this reason, thus says the Lord: Behold, I will visit upon Shemaiah of Nehelam, and upon his offspring. There will not be, for him, even one man sitting in the midst of this people. And he will not see the good that I will accomplish for my people, says the Lord. For he has spoken a betrayal against the Lord.”
