< Jeremiah 22 >

1 The Lord seith these thingis, Go thou doun in to the hous of the kyng of Juda, and thou schalt speke there this word, and schalt seie,
Thus said YHWH: "Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
2 Thou kyng of Juda, that sittist on the seete of Dauid, here the word of the Lord, thou, and thi seruauntis, and thi puple, that entren bi these yatis.
Say, 'Hear the word of YHWH, king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter in by these gates.
3 The Lord seith these thingis, Do ye doom, and riytfulnesse, and delyuere ye hym that is oppressid bi violence fro the hond of the fals chalenger; and nyle ye make sori, nether oppresse ye wickidli a comelyng, and a fadirles child, and a widewe, and schede ye not out innocent blood in this place.
Thus says YHWH: "Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the foreigner, the fatherless, nor the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this place.
4 For if ye doynge don this word, kyngis of the kyn of Dauid sittynge on his trone schulen entre bi the yatis of this hous, and schulen stie on charis and horsis, thei, and the seruauntis, and the puple of hem.
For if you do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.
5 That if ye heren not these wordis, Y swoore in my silf, seith the Lord, that this hous schal be in to wildirnesse.
But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself, says YHWH, that this house shall become a desolation."
6 For the Lord seith these thingis on the hous of the kyng of Juda, Galaad, thou art to me the heed of the Liban; credence be not youun to me, if Y sette not thee a wildirnesse, citees vnhabitable.
For thus says YHWH concerning the house of the king of Judah: "You are Gilead to me, the head of Lebanon. Yet surely I will make you a wilderness, cities which are not inhabited.
7 And Y schal halewe on thee a man sleynge, and hise armuris; and thei schulen kitte doun thi chosun cedris, and schulen caste doun in to fier.
I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons; and they shall cut down your choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.
8 And many folkis schulen passe bi this citee, and ech man schal seie to his neiybore, Whi dide the Lord thus to this greet citee?
Many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, 'Why has YHWH done thus to this great city?'
9 And thei schulen answere, For thei forsoken the couenaunt of her Lord God, and worschipiden alien goddis, and serueden hem.
Then they shall answer, 'Because they forsook the covenant of YHWH their God, and worshiped other gods, and served them.'
10 Nyle ye biwepe hym that is deed, nether weile ye on hym bi wepyng; biweile ye hym that goith out, for he schal no more turne ayen, nether he schal se the lond of his birthe.
Do not weep for the dead, neither bemoan him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away; for he shall return no more, nor see his native country."
11 For the Lord seith these thingis to Sellum, the sone of Josie, the kyng of Juda, that regnede for Josye, his fadir, He that yede out of this place, schal no more turne ayen hidur;
For thus says YHWH touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went forth out of this place: "He shall not return there any more.
12 but in the place to which Y translatide him, there he schal die, and he schal no more se this lond.
But in the place where they have led him captive, there shall he die, and he shall see this land no more."
13 Wo to him that bildith his hous in vnriytfulnesse, and his soleris not in doom; he schal oppresse his freend in veyn, and he schal not yelde his hire to hym.
Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor's service without wages, and doesn't give him his hire;
14 Which seith, Y schal bilde to me a large hous, and wide soleris; which openeth wyndows to hym silf, and makith couplis of cedre, and peyntith with reed colour.
who says, "I will build me a wide house and spacious rooms," and cuts him out windows; and it is ceiling with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
15 Whether thou schalt regne, for thou comparisonest thee to a cedre? whether thi fadir eet not, and drank, and dide doom and riytfulnesse thanne, whanne it was wel to hym?
Shall you reign, because you strive to excel in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.
16 He demyde the cause of a pore man, and nedi, in to his good; whether not therfor for he knew me? seith the Lord.
He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Wasn't this to know me?' says YHWH.
17 Forsothe thin iyen and herte ben to aueryce, and to schede innocent blood, and to fals caleng, and to the perfourmyng of yuel werk.
"But your eyes and your heart are not but for your covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it."
18 Therfor the Lord seith these thingis to Joachym, the sone of Josie, the kyng of Juda, Thei schulen not biweile hym, Wo brother! and wo sistir! thei schulen not sowne togidere to hym, Wo lord! and wo noble man!
Therefore thus says YHWH concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: "they shall not lament for him, saying, 'Alas my brother. or, Alas sister.' They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Alas lord.' or, 'Alas his majesty.'
19 He schal be biried with the biriyng of an asse, he schal be rotun, and cast forth without the yatis of Jerusalem.
He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Stie thou on the Liban, and cry thou, and yyue thi vois in Basan, and cry to hem that passen forth, for alle thi louyeris ben al to-brokun.
Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up your voice in Bashan, and cry from Abarim; for all your lovers are destroyed.
21 Y spak to thee in thi plentee, and thou seidist, Y schal not here; this is thi weie fro thi yongthe, for thou herdist not my vois.
I spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said, 'I will not hear.' This has been your way from your youth, that you did not obey my voice.
22 Wynd schal feede alle thi scheepherdis, and thi louyeris schulen go in to caitifte;
The wind shall feed all your shepherds, and your lovers shall go into captivity: surely then you will be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness.
23 and thanne thou that sittist in the Liban, and makist nest in cedris, schalt be schent, and be aschamed of al thi malice. Hou weilidist thou, whanne sorewis weren comun to thee, as the sorew of a womman trauelynge of child?
Inhabitant of Lebanon, who makes your nest in the cedars, how greatly you will groan when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail.
24 I lyue, seith the Lord, for thouy Jeconye, the sone of Joachym, kyng of Juda, were a ring in my riyt hond, fro thennus Y schal drawe awei hym.
As I live," says YHWH, "though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on my right hand, yet would I pluck you there;
25 And Y schal yyue thee in the hond of hem that seken thi lijf, and in the hond of hem whos face thou dredist, and in the hond of Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, and in the hond of Caldeis.
and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of them of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
26 And Y schal sende thee, and thi moder that gendride thee, in to an alien lond, in which ye weren not borun, and there ye schulen die;
I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country, where you were not born; and there you will die.
27 and thei schulen not turne ayen in to the lond, to which thei reisen her soule, that thei turne ayen thidur.
But to the land whereunto their soul longs to return, there shall they not return."
28 Whether this man Jeconye is an erthene vessel, and al to-brokun? whether a vessel withouten al likyng? Whi ben he and his seed cast awei, and cast forth in to a lond which thei knewen not?
Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? Is he a vessel in which none delights? Why are they cast out, he and his descendants, and cast into a land that they do not know?
29 Erthe, erthe, erthe, here thou the word of the Lord.
O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of YHWH.
30 The Lord seith these thingis, Write thou this man bareyn, a man that schal not haue prosperite in hise daies; for of his seed schal be no man, that schal sitte on the seete of Dauid, and haue powere ferthere in Juda.
Thus says YHWH, "Write this man down childless, a man who will not succeed in his days; for none of his descendants will succeed in sitting on the throne of David, and ruling in Judah.

< Jeremiah 22 >