Jeremiah 14

1 So much of the word of Yahweh as came unto Jeremiah, concerning the matter of the drought: —

The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the words of the drought.

2 Judah mourneth, And the gates thereof, pine They lie in gloom on the ground, —And, the outcry of Jerusalem, hath ascended;

“Judea has mourned. And its gates have fallen and become hard to discern on the ground. And the outcry of Jerusalem has ascended.

3 And, their nobles have sent their menials to the waters, —They have been to the pits, They have found no water They have returned, their vessels empty, They are pale and ashamed and have covered their heads.

The greater ones have sent their lesser ones to the water. They went to draw water; they did not find water; they carried their vessels back empty. They were confounded and afflicted, and so they covered their heads.

4 Because the ground, is cracked, For there hath been no rain in the land, The plowmen are pale They have covered their heads.

Because of the devastation of the earth, because rain did not fall upon the earth, the farmers were confounded; they covered their heads.

5 For, even the hind of the field hath calved and forsaken, Because there is no young herbage;

For even the doe has given birth in the field, and then left it behind. For there was no grass.

6 Yea, wild asses stand still on the bare heights, They pant for air like jackals, —Dimmed are their eyes Because there is no grass.

And the wild donkeys stood upon the rocks; like dragons, they drew in the wind, but their eyes failed. For there was no grass.”

7 Though, our iniquities, have testified against us, O Yahweh, effectually work thou for the sake of thy Name, —For our apostasies have abounded Against thee, have we sinned.

“O Lord, if our iniquities have responded against us, let it be for the sake of your name. For our rebellions are many; we have sinned against you.

8 Thou Hope of Israel, His Saviour in the time of distress, —Wherefore shouldst thou be as a sojourner in the and? Or as a wayfarer, who hath turned aside to lodge for the night?

O Hope of Israel, its Savior in time of tribulation, why would you be like a sojourner in the land, and like a traveler turning aside for lodging?

9 Wherefore, shouldst thou be as a man astounded, As a mighty man who cannot save? Yet, thou, art in our midst—O Yahweh And, thy Name, on us, hath been called Do not abandon us!

Why would you be like a wandering man, like a strong man who is unable to save? But you, O Lord, are with us, and your name is invoked over us, so do not abandon us!”

10 Thus, saith Yahweh To this people In this way, have they loved to wander, Their feet, have they not restrained, —Yahweh, therefore hath not accepted them, Now, will he call to mind their iniquity, —That he may punish their sins.

Thus says the Lord to this people, who have loved to move their feet, and who have not rested, but who have not pleased the Lord: “Now he will remember their iniquities, and now he will visit against their sins.”

11 And Yahweh said unto me, —Do not pray for this people for blessing;

And the Lord said to me: “Do not choose to pray for this people for good.

12 Though they fast, I am not going to hearken unto their loud cry, and Though they offer ascending-sacrifice and meal-offering, I am not going to accept them, —For with sword and with famine and with pestilence, am, I, about to consume them.

When they will fast, I will not heed their petitions. And if they offer holocausts and victims, I will not accept them. For I will consume them by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence.”

13 Then said I, Ah, My Lord Yahweh! Lo! the prophets, are saying to them—Ye shall not see the sword And famine, shall ye not have, —For prosperity in truth, will I give you, in this place.

And I said: “Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God! The prophets are saying to them: ‘You will not see the sword, and there will be no famine among you. Instead, he will give you true peace in this place.’”

14 So then Yahweh said unto me, Falsehood, are the prophets prophesying in my name, I have not sent them Neither have I commanded them, Neither have I spoken unto them, —A vision of falsehood, and A divination of worthlessness and A fraud of their own hearts, They, are prophesying unto you.

And the Lord said to me: “The prophets prophesy falsely in my name. I did not send them, and I did not instruct them, and I have not spoken to them. They prophesy to you a lying vision, and a divination, and a fraud, and a seduction from their own heart.

15 Therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh concerning the prophets who are prophesying in my Name though, I, sent them not, and yet, they have been, saying, Neither sword nor famine, shall there be in this land, —By sword or by famine, shall, those prophets, be consumed;

For this reason, thus says the Lord about the prophets who prophesy in my name, whom I have not sent, who say: ‘Sword and famine will not be in this land.’ By sword and famine those prophets will be consumed.

16 And the people to whom they have been prophesying shall be getting cast out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword, and of there being none to give burial unto them, them, their wives, nor their sons nor their daughters, —So will I pour out upon them their own wickedness.

And the people, to whom they prophesy, will be cast into the streets of Jerusalem, due to famine and the sword, and there will be no one who may bury them, they and their wives, their sons and daughters, and I will pour out their own evil upon them.

17 Therefore shalt thou say unto them this word, Let mine eyes, run down with tears night and day, And let them not rest, —For with a grievous injury, hath been injured the virgin the daughter of my people, With a wound, severe indeed!

And you shall speak this word to them: Let my eyes shed tears throughout the night and day, and let them not cease. For the virgin daughter of my people has been crushed by a great affliction, by a very grievous wound.”

18 If I have gone out into the field, Then lo! the slain of the sword! And, if I have entered the city, Then lo! the diseases of famine! For, both prophet and priest, have trafficked against the land unnoticed.

“If I go out into the fields: behold, those slain by the sword. And if I enter into the city: behold, those weakened by famine. Likewise, the prophet, too, and the priest, have gone into a land that they did not know.

19 Hast thou, utterly rejected, Judah? Zion itself, hath thy soul loathed? Why, hast thou smitten us so that there is for us no healing? A waiting For prosperity, but no welfare, and For a time of healing, but lo! terror!

Could you have utterly cast out Judah? Or has your soul abhorred Zion? Then why have you struck us, so much so that there is no health for us? We have waited for peace, but there is nothing good, and for the time of healing, and behold, trouble.

20 We acknowledge O Yahweh Our own lawlessness The iniquity of our fathers, —For we have sinned against thee.

O Lord, we acknowledge our impieties, the iniquities of our fathers, that we have sinned against you.

21 Do not despise—for the sake of thy Name, Do not treat with contempt—the throne of thy glory, —Remember!—do not break thy covenant with us.

For the sake of your name, do not give us over into disgrace. And do not dishonor in us the throne of your glory. Remember, do not make void, your covenant with us.

22 Are there, among the vanities of the nations senders of rain? Or can, the heavens themselves, give myriad drops? Art not, thou, he, O Yahweh our God? Therefore will we wait for thee, For, thou, hast made all these.

Could any of the graven images of the Gentiles send rain? Or are the heavens able to give showers? Have we not hoped in you, the Lord our God? For you have made all these things.”