Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 The word ofAdonaithat came to Yirmeyahu concerning the drought:

2 “Y’hudah is mourning, her gates are languishing;

they sit on the ground in gloom;

Yerushalayim sends up a cry of anguish.

3 Her nobles send their servants for water;

they go to the cisterns but find no water,

so they return with empty jars.

Ashamed and dismayed, they cover their heads.

4 Because of the ground, which is cracked,

since it has not rained in the land,

the farmers are ashamed;

they cover their heads.

5 The doe in the countryside, giving birth,

abandons her young for lack of grass.

6 The wild donkeys standing on the bare heights

gasp for air like jackals;

their eyes grow dim from trying to spot

any vegetation.”

7 Although our crimes witness against us,

take action,Adonai, for your name’s sake;

for our backslidings are many;

we have sinned against you.

8 You, hope of Isra’el,

its savior in time of trouble,

why should you be like a stranger in the land,

like a traveler turning aside for the night?

9 Why should you be like a man in shock,

like a champion unable to save?

You,Adonai, are right here with us;

we bear your name — don’t leave us!

10 Here is whatAdonaisays to this people:

“They so love to wander,

they don’t restrain their feet;

soAdonaidoes not want them.

Now he will remember their crimes,

and he will punish their sins.”

11 ThenAdonaisaid to me, “Don’t pray for this people or for their welfare.

12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; when they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Rather, I will destroy them with war, famine and disease.”

13 Then I said, “Adonai, God! The prophets are telling them, ‘You won’t see war, and you won’t have famine; but I will give you secure peace in this place.’”

14 Adonaireplied, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I didn’t send them, order them or speak to them. They are prophesying false visions to you, worthless divinations, the delusions of their own minds.

15 Therefore,”Adonaisays, “concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name, whom I did not send, yet they say, ‘There will be neither war nor famine in this land’ — it will be war and famine that will destroy those prophets.

16 And the people to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Yerushalayim because of the famine and war, with no one to bury them — them, or their wives, or their sons, or their daughters — because I will pour their own wickedness out upon them.

17 You are to give them this message:

‘Let my eyes stream with tears

night and day, unceasingly,

because the virgin daughter of my people

has been severely broken;

she has been dealt a crushing blow.

18 If I go out in the field,

I see those slain with the sword.

If I enter the city,

I see the victims of famine.

Meanwhile, prophets andcohanim

ply their trade in the land, knowing nothing.’”

19 Have you rejected Y’hudah completely?

Is Tziyon loathsome to you?

Why have you struck us irreparably?

We looked for peace, but to no avail;

for a time of healing, but instead found terror!

20 We confess our rebellion,Adonai,

also the crimes of our ancestors;

yes, we have sinned against you.

21 For your name’s sake, do not spurn us;

do not dishonor your glorious throne.

Remember your covenant with us;

do not break it.

22 Among the nations’ idols,

can any make it rain?

Can the skies, of themselves,

send showers?

Aren’t you the one,

Adonai, our God?

Don’t we look to you?

For you do all these things.

1 ThenAdonaisaid to me, “Even if Moshe and Sh’mu’el were standing in front of me, my heart would not turn toward this people! Drive them out of my sight, get them out of here!

2 And when they ask you where they should go, tell them that this is whatAdonaisays:

‘Those destined for death — to death!

Those destined for the sword — to the sword!

Those destined for famine — to famine!

Those destined for captivity — to captivity!’

3 “I will assign them four kinds [of scourges],” saysAdonai, “the sword to kill, dogs to drag away, birds in the air and wild animals to devour and destroy.

4 I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of M’nasheh the son of Hizkiyahu king of Y’hudah, because of what he did in Yerushalayim.

5 “Who will take pity on you, Yerushalayim?

Who will grieve for you?

Who will turn aside

to ask about your welfare?

6 You have rejected me,” saysAdonai.

“You are heading backward.

So I am stretching out my hand against you;

tired of sparing you, I am destroying you.

7 With a winnowing fork I am scattering them

to the wind at the gates of the land;

I am bereaving them, destroying my people,

because they will not return from their ways.

8 Their widows increase in number

more than the sand of the seas;

At midday I am bringing the destroyer

on the mothers of young men,

causing anguish and terror

suddenly to fall upon her.

9 The mother of seven sons grows faint,

panting in despair;

her sun has gone down while it’s still daytime;

she is left disgraced and bewildered.

And the rest of them I will give to the sword,

to their enemies,” saysAdonai.

10 Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth,

a man who is the object of strife

and controversy throughout the land!

I neither lend nor borrow,

yet all of them curse me.

11 Adonaisaid, “I promise to release you for good, I promise to make your enemies appeal to you when calamity and trouble come.

12 “Can iron break iron and bronze from the north?

13 I will give away your wealth and your treasures as plunder, and you will not be paid for them, because of all your sins throughout your territory;

14 and I will make you pass together with your enemies into a land you do not know. For my anger has become a blazing fire, and it will flare up against you.”

15 Adonai, you know. Remember me, think of me,

and take vengeance for me on my persecutors.

Because you are patient, don’t banish me;

know that for your sake I suffer insults.

16 When I found your words, I devoured them;

your words made me glad, they gave me joy;

because,Adonai-Tzva’ot,

you had me bear your name.

17 I have never kept company with merrymakers,

I could not celebrate;

with your hand on me I sat by myself,

for you filled me with indignation.

18 Why is my pain unending,

my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

Will you be for me like a deceptivevadi,

which is only sometimes filled with water?

19 This isAdonai’s answer:

“If you return — if I bring you back —

you will stand before me.

If you separate the precious from the base,

you will be my spokesman.

It will then be they who turn to you,

not you who turn to them.

20 Toward this people I will make you

a fortified wall of bronze —

they will fight against you

but not prevail against you;

for I am with you to save you

and rescue you,” saysAdonai.

21 “I will free you from the grasp of the wicked

and redeem you from the clutches of the ruthless.”

1 This word ofAdonaicame to me:

2 “You are not to marry or have sons and daughters in this place.

3 For this is whatAdonaisays concerning the sons and daughters born here, as well as their mothers who gave birth to them and their fathers who conceived them in this land:

4 ‘They will die terrible deaths without being mourned or buried; they will be left on the ground like dung. They will die by the sword and by famine, and their corpses will be food for the birds in the air and the wild animals.’

5 “For here is whatAdonaisays: ‘Do not enter any house where there is mourning; don’t lament them, and don’t grieve for them; for I have removed myshalomfrom this people, as well as my grace and compassion,’ saysAdonai.

6 ‘Great and small alike will die in this land; they will not be buried, people will not lament them; nor will they cut their flesh or shave their heads for them.

7 No one will prepare a meal for those in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; and no one will give them a cup to drink, to console them for their father or mother.’

8 And you are not to go into any house where there is celebrating to sit with them, eating and drinking.

9 For here is whatAdonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘In this place, while you are still alive, before your very eyes, I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bridegroom and bride.’

10 “When you tell this people all that I have said, and they ask you, ‘Why hasAdonaidecreed all this terrible disaster against us? What is our iniquity, what is our sin, that we have committed againstAdonaiour God?’

11 then you are to say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors abandoned me, saysAdonai, and went after other gods, serving and worshipping them, but abandoned me and did not keep myTorah.

12 And you have done worse than your ancestors, for — look! — each of you lives according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, so that you don’t listen to me.

13 Therefore I am thrusting you out of this land into a land you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors; and there you will serve other gods day and night; for I will show you no favor.’

14 “‘Therefore,’ saysAdonai, ‘the day will come when people will no longer swear, “AsAdonailives, who brought the people of Isra’el out of the land of Egypt,”

15 but, “AsAdonailives, who brought the people of Isra’el out of the land to the north and out of all the countries where he drove them”; for I will bring them back to their own land, which I gave to their ancestors.

16 “‘Look,’ saysAdonai, ‘I will send for many fishermen, and they will fish for them. Afterwards, I will send for many hunters; and they will hunt them from every mountain and hill and out of caves in the rocks.

17 For I see all their ways; they are not hidden from me; their crimes are not concealed from my eyes.

18 First, I will pay them back double for their crimes and sins; because they have defiled the land which is mine; they have filled my heritage with the corpses of their horrors and abominations.’”

19 Adonai, my strength, my fortress,

my refuge in time of trouble,

the nations will come to you

from the ends of the earth, saying,

“Our ancestors inherited nothing but lies,

futile idols, completely useless.”

20 Can a person make himself gods?

(In fact they aren’t gods at all.)

21 “Therefore, I will make them know,

once and for all, I will make them know

my power and my might.

Then they will know that my name isAdonai.

1 “Y’hudah’s sin is written with an iron pen;

with a diamond point it is engraved

on the tablet of their hearts

and on the horns of your altars.

2 As they remember their children,

so they remember their altars

and their sacred poles by the green trees

on the high hills.

3 My mountain in the field, your wealth

and all your treasures will be plundered;

because of the sin of your high places

throughout your territory.

4 You will relinquish your hold

on your heritage which I gave you.

I will make you serve your enemies

in a land you do not know.

For you have kindled my fiery anger,

and it will burn forever.”

5 Here is whatAdonaisays:

“A curse on the person who trusts in humans,

who relies on merely human strength,

whose heart turns away fromAdonai.

6 He will be like a tamarisk in the ‘Aravah —

when relief comes, it is unaffected;

for it lives in the sun-baked desert,

in salty, uninhabited land.

7 Blessed is the man who trusts inAdonai;

Adonaiwill be his security.

8 He will be like a tree planted near water;

it spreads out its roots by the river;

it does not notice when heat comes;

and its foliage is luxuriant;

it is not anxious in a year of drought

but keeps on yielding fruit.

9 “The heart is more deceitful than anything else

and mortally sick. Who can fathom it?

10 I,Adonai, search the heart;

I test inner motivations;

in order to give to everyone

what his actions and conduct deserve.”

11 A partridge hatches eggs it did not lay;

like this are those who get rich unjustly:

in the prime of life their wealth will desert them;

in the end they will prove to be fools.

12 Throne of Glory,

exalted from the beginning!

Our Holy Sanctuary,

13 Hope of Isra’el,Adonai!

All who abandon you will be ashamed,

those who leave you will be inscribed in the dust,

because they have abandonedAdonai,

the source of living water.

14 Heal me,Adonai, and I will be healed;

save me, and I will be saved,

for you are my praise.

15 They keep asking me,

“Where is the word ofAdonai?

Let it come now.”

16 As for me, I have not run away

from being a shepherd who follows you;

you know I didn’t want this fatal day;

what came from my lips has been clear to you.

17 So do not be my ruin,

you, my refuge on the day of disaster.

18 Let my persecutors be ashamed, not me;

let them be terrified, not me.

Bring on them the day of disaster,

destroy them with double destruction.

19 ThenAdonaisaid this to me: “Go, and stand at the People’s Gate, where the kings of Y’hudah go in and out, and at all the gates of Yerushalayim;

20 and say to them: ‘Kings of Y’hudah, all Y’hudah and all living in Yerushalayim who enter through these gates, hear the word ofAdonai!

21 Here is whatAdonaisays: “If you value your lives, don’t carry anything onShabbator bring it in through the gates of Yerushalayim;

22 don’t carry anything out of your houses onShabbat; and don’t do any work. Instead, makeShabbata holy day. I ordered your ancestors to do this,

23 but they neither listened nor paid attention; rather, they stiffened their necks, so that they wouldn’t have to hear or receive instruction.

24 However, if you will pay careful heed to me,” saysAdonai“and carry nothing through the gates of this city onShabbat, but instead makeShabbata day which is holy and not for doing work;

25 then kings and princes occupying the throne of David will enter through the gates of this city, riding in chariots and on horses. They, their princes, the people of Y’hudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim will enter; and this city will be inhabited forever.

26 They will come from the cities of Y’hudah, from the places surrounding Yerushalayim, from the land of Binyamin, from the Sh’felah, from the hills and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, frankincense and thanksgiving sacrifices to the house ofAdonai.

27 But if you will not obey me and makeShabbata holy day and not carry loads through the gates of Yerushalayim onShabbat, then I will set its gates on fire; it will burn up the palaces of Yerushalayim and not be quenched.”’”

1 This word came to Yirmeyahu fromAdonai:

2 “Get up, and go down to the potter’s house; there I will tell you more.”

3 So I went down to the house of the potter; and there he was, working at the wheels.

4 Whenever a pot he made came out imperfect, the potter took the clay and made another pot with it, in whatever shape suited him.

5 Then the word ofAdonaicame to me:

6 “House of Isra’el, can’t I deal with you as the potter deals with his clay? — saysAdonai. Look! You, house of Isra’el, are the same in my hand as the clay in the potter’s hand.

7 At one time, I may speak about uprooting, breaking down and destroying a nation or kingdom;

8 but if that nation turns from their evil, which prompted me to speak against it, then I relent concerning the disaster I had planned to inflict on it.

9 Similarly, at another time, I may speak about building and planting a nation or kingdom;

10 but if it behaves wickedly from my perspective and doesn’t listen to what I say, then I change my mind and don’t do the good I said I would do that would have helped it.

11 “So now, tell the people of Y’hudah and those living in Yerushalayim that this is whatAdonaisays:

‘I am designing disaster for you,

working out my plan against you.

Turn, each of you, from his evil ways;

improve your conduct and actions.’

12 “But they will answer, ‘It’s hopeless!

We will stick to our own plans;

each of us will stubbornly follow

his own evil desires!’

13 “Therefore,Adonaisays this:

‘Ask among the nations

who has heard anything like this.

The virgin Isra’el has done

a most horrible thing.

14 Does the snow of the L’vanon

disappear from the mountain crags?

Do the cold waters of foreign lands

ever run dry?

15 No, but my people have forgotten me

and offer incense to nothings.

This causes them to stumble

as they walk the ancient paths;

they leave the highway

to walk on side-trails.

16 Thus they make their land an object of horror

and ongoing ridicule.

Passers-by shake their heads,

appalled, every one.

17 Like a strong east wind, I will scatter them

before the enemy.

I will see their back, not their face,

on their day of disaster.’”

18 Then they said, “Let’s develop a plan for dealing with Yirmeyahu.Torahwon’t be lost from thecohanim, or counsel from the wise, or words from the prophets. So come, let’s destroy him with slander; and meanwhile, we won’t pay attention to anything he says.”

19 Pay attention to me,Adonai!

Listen to what my opponents are saying!

20 Is good to be repaid with evil?

For they have dug a pit [to trap] me.

Remember how I stood before you

and spoke well of them,

in order to turn your anger

away from them?

21 Therefore, hand their sons over to famine,

hurl them into the power of the sword,

let their wives be made childless and widows,

let their husbands be slain by disease,

let their young men be slain by the sword in battle,

22 let screams be heard from their houses

when you bring raiders on them without warning.

For they have dug a pit to catch me

and have laid snares for my feet.

23 Nevertheless,Adonai, you know

all their plans against me to stop me.

Do not forgive their crime,

do not blot out their sin from your sight;

but let them be made to stumble before you;

deal with them when you are angry.

1 Adonaithen said, “Go; buy a clay jar from the potter; take some of the people’s leaders and some of the leadingcohanim;

2 and go out into the Ben-Hinnom Valley, by the entry to the Potsherd Gate. There you are to proclaim the words I am about to tell you.

3 Say: ‘Hear the word ofAdonai, kings of Y’hudah and inhabitants of Yerushalayim! This is whatAdonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: “I am about to bring disaster on this place that will make the ears of whoever hears about it ring.

4 This is because they have abandoned me and alienated this place. In it they have offered to other gods that neither they nor their ancestors have known, nor the kings of Y’hudah. They have filled this place with the blood of innocent people.

5 They have built the high places of Ba‘al, in order to burn up their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Ba‘al — something I never ordered or said; it never even entered my mind.

6 “‘“Therefore the time is coming,” saysAdonai, “when this place will no longer be called either Tofet or the Ben-Hinnom Valley, but the Valley of Slaughter.

7 I will nullify the plans of Y’hudah and Yerushalayim in this place. I will have them fall by the sword before their enemies and at the hand of those seeking their lives, and I will give their corpses as food for the birds in the air and the wild animals.

8 I will make this city an object of horror and ridicule; everyone passing by will be horrified and will ridicule it because of all its wounds.

9 I will cause them to eat the flesh of their own sons and daughters; everyone will be eating the flesh of his friends during the siege, because of the shortage imposed on them by their enemies and those set on killing them.”’

10 “Then you are to smash the jar in front of the people who went with you,

11 and say to them, ‘Adonai-Tzva’otsays that this is how I will break this people and this city, just as one smashes a potter’s vessel beyond the possibility of repair. The dead will be buried in Tofet, because there will be no space left for burial [anywhere else].

12 That is what I will do to this place,’ saysAdonai‘and to its inhabitants; I will make it like Tofet.

13 The houses of Yerushalayim and those of the kings of Y’hudah will be defiled like this place Tofet — yes, all the houses on whose roofs they have offered to all the stars in heaven and poured out drink offerings to other gods.’”

14 Then Yirmeyahu returned from Tofet, whereAdonaihad sent him to prophesy, stood in the courtyard ofAdonai’s house and said to all the people,

15 “This is whatAdonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘I am bringing on this city and all its surrounding villages all the disaster I have pronounced against it; because they have stiffened their necks and refused to pay attention to my words.’”

1 Now when thecohenPash’chur son of Immer, chief official in the house ofAdonai, heard Yirmeyahu prophesying these things,

2 he had him flogged and put him in the stocks at the Upper Binyamin Gate of the house ofAdonai.

3 The following morning, when Pash’chur led Yirmeyahu out of the stocks, Yirmeyahu said to him, “Adonaino longer calls you Pash’chur but Magor-Missaviv [terror on every side].

4 For this is whatAdonaisays: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies, while you watch. I will hand over all of Y’hudah to the king of Bavel, and he will carry them off captive to Bavel and put them to the sword.

5 Moreover, I will hand over everything stored in this city, all its valuables, all its wealth, indeed all the treasures of the kings of Y’hudah, to their enemies, who will plunder them, take them and carry them to Bavel.

6 And you, Pash’chur, along with your entire household, will go into captivity; you will go to Bavel, where you will die and be buried — you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’”

7 You fooled me,Adonai; I have been your dupe.

You overpowered me, and you have prevailed.

All day long I’m a laughingstock;

everyone makes fun of me.

8 Whenever I speak, I have to cry out;

I shout, “Violence!” and “Destruction!”

Thus the word ofAdonaibecomes for me

the cause of reproach and derision all day!

9 But if I say, “I won’t think about him,

I won’t speak in his name any more,”

then it seems as though a fire

is burning in my heart,

imprisoned in my bones;

I wear myself out

trying to hold it in,

but I just can’t do it.

10 I have heard many whispering their plot:

“‘Terror in every direction’?

Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!”

Even all my close friends

are watching for me to make a false step —

“Maybe he can be tricked,

then we’ll get the better of him,

then we’ll take our revenge on him.”

11 ButAdonaiis with me like a dreaded warrior;

so my persecutors will stumble, defeated,

greatly ashamed because of their failure;

their lasting disgrace will not be forgotten.

12 Adonai-Tzva’ot, you who test the righteous

and see people’s hearts and thoughts,

let me see you take vengeance on them,

for I have committed my cause to you.

13 Sing toAdonai! PraiseAdonai!

For he rescues those in need

from the clutches of evildoers.

14 A curse on the day I was born!

The day my mother gave birth to me —

let it not be blessed!

15 A curse on the man who brought the news

to my father, “A son has been born to you!” —

thus making him very happy.

16 Let that man be like the cities

Adonaioverthrew without mercy!

Let him hear cries of alarm in the morning

and the sound of battle at noon,

17 because God did not put me to death in the womb

and let my mother become my grave,

her womb forever filled with me.

18 Why did I have to emerge from the womb,

just to see toil and sorrow,

and end my days in shame?

1 This is the word that came to Yirmeyahu fromAdonaiwhen King Tzidkiyahu sent to him Pash’chur the son of Malkiyah and Tz’fanyah the son of Ma‘aseiyah with this message:

2 “Please consultAdonaifor us, because N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel is making war on us. MaybeAdonaiwill perform a miracle for us and cause him to withdraw.”

3 Yirmeyahu answered them, “Here is what you are to tell Tzidkiyahu:

4 ‘This is whatAdonai, the God of Isra’el, says: “I will make the weapons of war that you have in your hands ineffectual in your fight against the king of Bavel and the Kasdim who are outside the walls besieging you. Instead, I will gather them inside this city;

5 and I myself will fight against you with my hand stretched out and with a strong arm, in anger, rage and great fury.

6 I will strike the inhabitants of this city, humans and animals alike, and they will die of a terrible plague.

7 Afterwards,” saysAdonai“I will hand over Tzidkiyahu king of Y’hudah, his servants, the people, and anyone remaining alive in this city after the plague, war and famine, to N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel and to their enemies, to those who seek their lives; and he will put them to the sword. He will not spare them; he will have no pity, no compassion.”’

8 “And here is what you are to tell this people: ‘Adonaisays: “Look! I am presenting you with the way of life and the way of death.

9 Anyone who stays in this city will die by sword, famine and plague. But he who leaves and surrenders to the Kasdim besieging you will stay alive; his own life will be his only ‘spoils of war.’

10 For I have determined absolutely that this city will have evil, not good,” saysAdonai. “It is going to be handed over to the king of Bavel, and he will burn it to the ground.”’

11 “To the royal house of Y’hudah say: ‘Hear the word ofAdonai;

12 house of David, this is whatAdonaisays:

“Judge fairly every morning,

rescue the wronged from their oppressors;

or my fury will lash out like fire,

burning so hot that no one can quench it,

because of how evil your actions are.”

13 Adonaisays, “I am against you, [Yerushalayim,]

situated in a valley like a rock on a plain.

You who say, ‘Who can come down against us?

Who can enter our lairs?’ —

14 I will punish you,” saysAdonai,

“as your deeds deserve.

I will set its forest on fire,

and it will devour everything around it.”’”

1 Adonaisaid, “Go down to the house of the king of Y’hudah and there speak this word:

2 ‘King of Y’hudah occupying David’s throne, hear the word ofAdonai— you, your servants and your people who enter through these gates.

3 This is whatAdonaisays:

“Do what is right and just;

rescue the wronged from their oppressors;

do nothing wrong or violent

to the stranger, orphan or widow;

don’t shed innocent blood in this place.

4 “‘“If you are careful to do this, then future kings occupying David’s throne will enter these palace gates riding in chariots and on horses — he, his servants and his people.

5 But if you will not pay attention to these words, then I swear by myself,” saysAdonai, “that this palace will become a ruin.”’

6 “For here is whatAdonaisays concerning the palace of the king of Y’hudah:

‘You are like Gil‘ad to me,

like the peak of the L’vanon;

yet I will turn you into a desert,

uninhabited cities.

7 I will designate men to destroy you,

each one with his weapons;

they will chop down your choice cedars

and throw them in the fire.’

8 “Many nations will pass by this city, and they will say to one another, ‘Why hasAdonaidone such a thing to this great city?’

9 The answer will be, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant ofAdonaitheir God and worshipped other gods, serving them.’”

10 Do not weep for [the king] who has died,

do not mourn for him [Yoshiyahu].

But weep for him who departs [to Egypt],

for he will never return

or see his native land again.

11 For this is whatAdonaisays about Shalum the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah, who succeeded Yoshiyahu his father as king: “He has left this place, never to return;

12 but he will die in the place where they have led him captive, without seeing this land again.

13 “Woe to him who builds his palace unfairly,

its upper rooms by injustice;

who makes his neighbor work for free

and will not give him his wages;

14 who says, ‘I will build me a spacious palace

with airy upper rooms,’

then makes windows and cedar panels

painted with vermilion!

15 Your cedar may be excellent,

but that doesn’t make you a better king.

True, your father ate and drank,

but he also did what was right and just,

so things went well with him.

16 He upheld the cause of the poor and the weak,

so everything went well.

Isn’t that what knowing me

is all about?” saysAdonai.

17 “In contrast, your eyes and heart

are controlled entirely by your greed,

your desire for shedding innocent blood,

oppressing and extorting.”

18 Therefore here is whatAdonaisays concerning Y’hoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah:

“There will be no one to mourn for him,

‘Oh! My brother!’ or ‘Oh! My sister!’

There will be no one to mourn for him,

‘Oh! My master!’ or ‘Oh! His glory!’

19 He will be given a donkey’s ‘burial’ —

dragged out the gates of Yerushalayim

and thrown away [to rot].

20 Climb up to the L’vanon and cry out,

raise your voice in Bashan,

cry out from ‘Avarim,

for all your lovers are broken.

21 I spoke to you in your times of prosperity,

but you said, ‘I won’t listen.’

This has been your pattern since you were young —

you pay no attention to what I say.

22 The wind will shepherd all your shepherds away,

and your lovers will go into captivity.

Then you will be ashamed and disgraced

for all your wicked deeds.

23 You who live in the L’vanon,

nesting in the cedars,

how gracious will you be

when pains come on you like a woman in labor?

24 “As I live,” saysAdonai, “even if Koniyahu the son of Y’hoyakim king of Y’hudah were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off

25 and hand you over to those who seek your life, to those you fear, N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel and the Kasdim.

26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave birth to you into a country different from the one you were born in, and you will die there.

27 They will not return to the country to which they long to return.”

28 Is this man Koniyahu

a despised, broken pot,

an instrument nobody wants?

Why are they being thrown out?

Why are he and his offspring thrown out

into a country they do not know?

29 Oh, land, land, land!

Hear the word ofAdonai!

30 This whatAdonaisays:

“List this man as childless;

he is a lifetime failure —

none of his offspring will succeed,

none will sit on David’s throne

or rule again in Y’hudah.”

1 “Oh no! The shepherds are destroying and scattering the sheep in my pasture!” saysAdonai.

2 Therefore this is whatAdonai, the God of Isra’el, says against the shepherds who shepherd my people: “You have scattered my flock, driven them away and not taken care of them. So I will ‘take care of’ you because of your evil deeds,” saysAdonai.

3 “I myself will gather what remains of my flock from all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their homes, and they will be fruitful and increase their numbers.

4 I will appoint shepherds over them who will shepherd them; then they will no longer be afraid or disgraced; and none will be missing,” saysAdonai.

5 “The days are coming,” saysAdonai

when I will raise a righteous Branch for David.

He will reign as king and succeed,

he will do what is just and right in the land.

6 In his days Y’hudah will be saved,

Isra’el will live in safety,

and the name given to him will be

AdonaiTzidkenu[Adonaiour righteousness].

7 “Therefore,” saysAdonai, “the day will come when people no longer swear, ‘AsAdonailives, who brought the people of Isra’el out of the land of Egypt,’

8 but, ‘AsAdonailives, who brought the descendants of the house of Isra’el up from the land to the north’ and from all the countries where I drove them. Then they will live in their own land.”

9 Concerning the prophets:

My heart within me is broken,

all my bones are shaking;

I am like a drunk,

like a man overcome by wine,

because ofAdonai,

because of his holy words.

10 For the land is full of adulterers;

because of a curse the land is in mourning —

the desert pastures have dried up.

Their course is evil, their power misused.

11 “Both prophet andcohenare godless;

In my own house I find their wickedness,” saysAdonai.

12 “Therefore their way will be slippery for them;

they will be driven into darkness and fall there.

For I will bring disaster upon them,

their year of punishment,” saysAdonai.

13 “I have seen inappropriate conduct

in the prophets of Shomron —

they prophesied by Ba‘al

and led my people Isra’el astray.

14 But in the prophets of Yerushalayim

I have seen a horrible thing —

they commit adultery, live in lies,

so encouraging evildoers

that none returns from his sin.

For me they have all become like S’dom,

its inhabitants like ‘Amora.”

15 Therefore, this is whatAdonai-Tzva’otsays concerning the prophets:

“I will feed them bitter wormwood

and make them drink poisonous water,

for ungodliness has spread through all the land

from the prophets of Yerushalayim.”

16 Adonai-Tzva’otsays:

“Don’t listen to the words of the prophets

who are prophesying to you.

They are making you act foolishly,

telling you visions from their own minds

and not from the mouth ofAdonai.

17 They keep reassuring those who despise me,

‘Adonaisays you will be safe and secure,’

and saying to all living by their own stubborn hearts,

‘Nothing bad will happen to you.’

18 But which of them has been present at the council

ofAdonaito see and hear his word?

Who has paid attention to

his word enough to hear it?”

19 Look! The storm ofAdonai,

bursting out in fury,

a whirling storm, whirling down

upon the heads of the wicked!

20 Adonai’s anger will not abate

till he fully accomplishes the purpose in his heart.

In theacharit-hayamim,

you will understand everything.

21 “I did not send these prophets; yet they ran.

I did not speak to them; yet they prophesied.

22 If they have been present at my council,

they should let my people hear my words

and turn them from their evil way

and the evil of their actions.

23 Am I God only when near,” asksAdonai,

“and not when far away?

24 Can anyone hide in a place so secret

that I won’t see him?” asksAdonai.

Adonaisays, “Do I not

fill heaven and earth?

25 “I have heard what these prophets prophesying lies in my name are saying: ‘I’ve had a dream! I’ve had a dream!’

26 How long will this go on? Is [my word] in the hearts of prophets who are prophesying lies, who are prophesying the deceit of their own minds?

27 With their dreams that they keep telling each other, they hope to cause my people to forget my name; just as their ancestors forgot my name when they worshipped Ba‘al.

28 “If a prophet has a dream,

let him tell it as a dream.

But someone who has my word

should speak my word faithfully.

What do chaff and wheat

have in common?” asksAdonai.

29 “Isn’t my word like fire,” asksAdonai,

“like a hammer shattering rocks?

30 So, I am against the prophets,” saysAdonai,

“who steal my words from each other.

31 Yes, I am against the prophets,” saysAdonai,

“who speak their own words, then add, ‘He says.’

32 “I am against those who concoct prophecies out of fake dreams,” saysAdonai. “They tell them, and by their lies and arrogance they lead my people astray. I didn’t send them, I didn’t commission them, and they don’t do this people any good at all,” saysAdonai.

33 “When [someone from] this people, a prophet or acohenasks you, ‘What is the burden ofAdonai?’ you are to answer them, ‘What burden? I am throwing you off,’ saysAdonai.

34 As for a prophet,cohenor [someone else from] this people who speaks about ‘the burden ofAdonai,’ I will punish him and his household.”

35 So, when you speak with your neighbor or brother, ask, “What answer hasAdonaigiven?” or “What hasAdonaisaid?”

36 Don’t use the expression, “burden ofAdonai” any more; for every person’s own word will be his burden. Must you twist the words of the living God, ofAdonai-Tzva’ot, our God?

37 So, when speaking to a prophet, ask, “What answer hasAdonaigiven you?” or “What didAdonaisay?”

38 But if you talk about “the burden ofAdonai,” then here is whatAdonaisays: “Because you use this expression, ‘the burden ofAdonai,’ after I have already sent you the order not to say, ‘the burden ofAdonai,’

39 I will lift you up, burden that you are, and throw you off, away from my presence — you and the city I gave you and your ancestors.

40 Then I will subject you to everlasting disgrace — eternal, unforgettable shame.”