Jeremiah 24

1 Yahweh shewed me, and lo! two baskets of figs, which had been set before the temple of Yahweh, —after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive, Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the princes of Judah and the carpenters and the smiths out of Jerusalem, and had brought them into Babylon: —

Yahweh showed me something. Behold, two baskets of figs were placed before Yahweh's temple. (This vision happened after Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took into exile Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, the officials of Judah, the craftsmen and the metalworkers from Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon.)

2 the one basket, was of very good figs, like the first-ripe figs; and, the other basket, was of very bad figs, which could not be eaten for badness.

One basket of figs was very good, like first ripe figs, but the other basket of figs was so very bad that they could not be eaten.

3 Then said Yahweh unto me, —What canst thou see, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs: the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, for badness.

Yahweh said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs. Figs that are very good and figs that are so very bad they cannot be eaten.”

4 Then came the word of Yahweh unto me, saying:

Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

5 Thus, saith Yahweh God of Israel, Like these good figs, so, will I regard them of Judah who are carried into captivity, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good.

“Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: I will look on the exiles of Judah for their benefit, just like these good figs, the exiles whom I have sent out from this place to the land of Chaldea.

6 Therefore will I set mine eye upon them for good, and will bring them back upon this land, —and will build them up, and not pull them down, and will plant them and not root them up;

I will set my eyes on them for good and restore them to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down. I will plant them, and not uproot them.

7 and will give them a heart to know, me, that, I, am Yahweh, So shall they become my people, And, I, will become their God; for they will return unto me with all their heart.

Then I will give them a heart to know me, for I am Yahweh. They will be my people and I will be their God, so they will turn to me with all their heart.

8 And like the bad figs, which cannot be eaten for badness, Surely thus, saith Yahweh—so, will I deliver up Zedekiah king of Judah, and his princes and the remnant of Jerusalem that remain in this land, and them who are dwelling in the land of Egypt;

But like the bad figs that are too bad to be eaten—this is what Yahweh says—I will act in this way with Zedekiah, king of Judah, with his officials, and with the rest of Jerusalem who remain in this land or go to stay in the land of Egypt.

9 yea I will deliver them up, as a terror of calamity, to all the kingdoms of the earth, —as a reproach and as a byword, as a mockery and as a contempt, in every place whither I will drive them;

I will turn them into a frightening thing, a disaster, in the sight of all the kingdoms on earth, a disgrace and a subject for proverbs, taunts, and curses in every place where I will have driven them.

10 and I will send among them, sword famine and pestilence, —until they are consumed from off the soil which I gave to them and to their fathers.

I will send out sword, famine, and plague against them, until they are destroyed from the land that I gave them and their ancestors.”