Before I formed thee at thy birth, I took knowledge of thee, And before thy nativity, I hallowed thee, - A prophet to the nations, I appointed thee.

Then said Yahweh unto me, Do not say, A child, am, I, - For against whomsoever I send thee, shalt thou go, And whatsoever I command thee, shalt thou speak:

Be not afraid of their faces, For with thee, am I, to deliver thee Declareth Yahweh.

See! I have set thee in charge this day, over the nations and over the kingdoms, To uproot and to break down, and to destroy and to tear in pieces, - To build and to plant.

Thou, therefore, shalt gird thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them, all that, I, command thee, - be not dismayed because of them, lest I dismay thee before their face.

I, therefore - lo! I have set thee to-day as a fortified city, and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze, over all the land, - against the kings of Judah, against her princes, against her priests and against the people of the land.

And they will fight against thee but shall not prevail against thee, - for with thee, am I, Declareth Yahweh, to deliver thee.

Is not this what thou wast certain to do for thyself, - in that thou didst forsake Yahweh thy God, when he was leading thee by the way?

Let thy wickedness correct thee And thine apostasies, rebuke thee, Know therefore and see That it is a wicked thing and a bitter, that thou shouldest have forsaken Yahweh thy God, And that the dread of me should not have pertained to thee, Declareth My Lord, Yahweh of hosts.

Yet, I, planted thee a precious vine, a wholly true seed, - How then didst thou change thyself towards me, into the degenerate plantings of the alien vine?

For though thou wash thee with nitre, And take thee much soap, Yet is thine iniquity inscribed before me Declareth My Lord Yahweh.

Where then are thy gods which thou hast made for thyself? Let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy calamity, - For according to the number of thy cities, have become thy gods O Judah.

O generation see, ye, the word of Yahweh, A desert, became I unto Israel? Or a land of thick darkness? Wherefore, have my people said, We have roved about, We will not come in any more unto thee?

Although thou saidst, Because I am innocent, surely hath his anger turned back from me, - Behold me! entering into judgment with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned!

Though, I myself, had said, - How can I put thee among the sons, And give thee a land to be coveted, An inheritance of beauty, of the hosts of nations? Yet I said, My father, shalt thou call me, And away from me, shalt thou not turn.

Return ye apostate sons, I will heal your apostasies! Behold us! we have come unto thee, For thou, art Yahweh our God.

Wash from wickedness thy heart, O Jerusalem, That thou mayest be saved, - How long, shall lodge within thee thy wicked devices?

Thine own way And thine own doings, Have done these things unto thee, - This thy wickedness, Surely it is bitter, Surely it hath reached unto thy heart.

And when, thou, art laid waste, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothe thyself with crimson Though thou deck thyself with ornaments of gold Though thou enlarge with antimony thine eyes, In vain, shalt thou make thyself fair, - Paramours have rejected thee, Thy life, will they seek!

How, for this, can I pardon thee? Thine own sons, have forsaken me, And have sworn by No-gods, - When I had fed them to the full, Then committed they adultery, And the house of the unchaste woman, they used to throng:

Receive thou correction O Jerusalem, Lest my soul be torn from thee, - Lest I make thee A desolation, A land not habitable.

Bow and javelin, shall they grasp, Cruel, is he! So they will not have compassion, Their voice, like the sea, will roar, And on horses, will they ride, - Arrayed each one, like a man for battle, Against thee, O daughter of Zion!

O daughter of my people Gird thee with sackcloth and roll thyself in ashes, - The mourning for an only son, make thou for thyself, Most bitter lamentation! For suddenly, shall the destroyer come upon us.

An assayer, have I set thee amongst my people, of gold-ore, - That thou mayest note and try their way:

Thou, therefore - Do not pray for this people Neither lift up for them cry or prayer Neither intercede with me, - For I am not going to heat thee.

Therefore shalt thou speak unto them all these words, Though they do not hearken unto thee, - And thou shalt cry aloud unto them Though they do not answer thee; -

None, there is, like unto thee, O Yahweh, - Great, art, thou, And, great, is thy Name, for might.

Who would not revere thee, O King of nations? For, thee, doth it beseem; Forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations And throughout all their royal estate, None, there is like unto thee.

Pour out thy wrath - Upon the nations that know thee not, and Upon the families that, upon thy Name, have not called, - For they have devoured Jacob Yea they have devoured him and consumed him, And, his habitation, have they made desolate.

Why hath the beloved in mine own house, done an abomination? Shall, vows and holy flesh, take away from thee thy wickednesses, or shalt thou by these, escape?

But, Yahweh of hosts, who planted thee hath pronounced against thee calamity, - on account of the wickedness of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah which they have wrought for themselves, provoking me to anger by burning incense to Baal.

But, O Yahweh of hosts Who judgest righteously, Who triest affections and intellect, - Let me see thine avenging upon them, For unto thee, have revealed my cause.

Righteous, art thou O Yahweh, when I present my pleading unto thee, - Yet, concerning the things that are right, let me speak with thee, - Wherefore hath, the way of the lawless, prospered? Wherefore have all, utter traitors, been at ease?

But thou O Yahweh, knowest me, Wilt thou observe me and try my heart towards thee? Drag them away, as sheep for slaughter, And hallow them for the day when they are to be slain.

If, with the footmen, thou hast run and they have wearied thee, How then wilt thou hotly contend with horses? Though in a safe land thou art confident, Yet how wilt thou deal with the proud banks of the Jordan?

For even thy brethren and the house of thy father, Even they! have betrayed thee, Even they, have cried after thee with full voice, - Do not trust in them, though they speak unto thee fair words.

And it came to pass, at the end of many days, - that Yahweh said unto me, - Arise go to the Euphrates, and take from thence the girdle, which I commanded thee to hide there.

Therefore shalt thou say unto them this word - Thus, saith Yahweh God of Israel, Every jar, is to be filled with wine; and they will say unto thee, Do we not, know well, that every jar, is to be filled with wine?

Lift up your eyes and see Them who are coming in from the North, - Where is The flock that was given thee, Thy beautiful flock?

What wilt thou say when he shall bring punishment upon thee, Since, thou thyself, hast accustomed them to be over thee as friends in chief? Shall not, pangs, seize thee, as of a woman in childbirth?

Thine adulteries and thy neighings, thine unchaste wickedness, Upon the hills in the field, I have seen thine abominations! Woe to thee, O Jerusalem, Wilt thou not become pure? After how long yet?

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.

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

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.

And it shall come to pass when they say unto thee Whither shall we go? Then shalt, thou say unto them, Thus saith Yahweh - Such as are for death, to death, and Such as are for t he sword, to the sword, and Such as are for famine, to the famine, and Such as are for captivity, to captivity.

For who shall have pity upon thee O Jerusalem? And who shall lament for thee? And who shall turn aside, to ask for thy welfare?

Thou, hast abandoned, me, Declareth Yahweh, Backward, thou wilt go, Therefore have I stretched forth my hand against thee and laid thee waste, - I am weary of having compassion.

Said Yahweh, - Verily, I will loose thee, for good! Verily, I will intercede for thee In the time of calamity, and In the time of distress with the enemy!

Therefore will I make thee pass, with thine enemies into a land thou knowest not, - For, a fire, hath been kindled in mine anger Upon you, shall it burn.

Wherefore Thus, saith Yahweh - If thou wouldst return, I will cause thee to return Before me, shalt thou stand, Yea if thou wilt bring out the precious from among the vile, As mine own mouth shalt thou be, - Let them return unto thee, But thou, shalt not return unto them;

So will I make thee to this people a wall of bronze, fortified, When they fight against thee, they shall not prevail against thee, - For with thee, am, I, to save thee and to deliver thee, Declareth Yahweh;

Thus will I deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, - And redeem thee out of the grasp of the tyrants.

Thou shall not take to thee a wife, - Neither shalt thou have sons or daughters, in this place.

And it shall be when thou shalt declare to this people, all these words, - and they shall say unto thee - For what reason, hath Yahweh pronounced against us all this great calamity? Or what is our iniquity, or what our sin, which we have sinned against Yahweh our God?

O Yahweh, my strength, and my refuge, and my place to fly to, in the day of distress, - Unto thee, shall nations come in, out of the ends of the earth, that they may say - Surely! Falsehood, did our fathers inherit, Vanity, among whom is none that can profit:

So shalt thou even of thyself, suffer to rest the inheritance which I gave thee, Seeing that I will cause thee to serve thine enemies, in the land which thou knowest not; For, a fire, have ye kindled in mine anger, Unto times age-abiding, shall it burn.

Thou hope of Israel Yahweh, All who forsake thee, shall turn pale, - Yea, all who depart from me, in the ground, shall be written, For they have forsaken a fountain of living water, even Yahweh.

Lo! they, are saying unto me, - Where is the word of Yahweh? Pray thee let it come to pass!

But as for me, I have neither forced myself away from tending the flock after thee, Nor yet for the woeful day, have I longed - thou, knowest, - That which came out of my lips, before thy face, was uttered.

Arise and go down to the house of the potter, - and, there, will I cause thee to hear my words.

Now, therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the men of Judah and concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, Thus, saith Yahweh, - Lo! I am fashioning against you calamity, and devising against you, a device, - Return I pray you every man from his wicked way, And amend your ways and your doings.

Shall, evil, be recompensed for good? For they have digged a pit for my life, - Remember how I stood before thee To speak in their behalf what was good! To turn back thine indignation from them.

But, thou, O Yahweh, knowest all their counsels against me to pat me to death, Put thou no propitiatory-covering over their iniquity, And their sin from before thee, do not thou blot out, - But let them be overthrown before thee, In the time of thine anger, deal thou effectively with them.

Then shalt thou go forth into the valley of Ben-hinnom, which is at the opening of the gate of potsherds; and proclaim there the words which I shall speak unto thee;

Then shalt thou break the bottle, before the eyes of the men who are walking with thee;

For, Thus, saith Yahweh - Behold me! making thee a terror to thyself and to all who love thee, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, thine own eyes also, beholding, And all Judah, will I deliver into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them captive to Babylon and smite them with the sword.

And, thou, Pashhur and all who are dwelling in thy house, shall go into captivity, - Yea into Babylon, shalt thou enter And there, shalt thou die And there, shalt thou be buried Thou and all who love thee, to whom thou hast prophesied falsely.

But O Yahweh of hosts - Testing the righteous Beholding the affections and the heart, - Let me see thine avenging upon them, For unto thee, have I laid bare my cause.

Accursed, be the man who carried tidings to my father saying, There is born to thee a man-child!

Enquire for us I pray thee of Yahweh, in that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, maketh war against us, - Peradventure Yahweh will deal with us according to all his wonders, as that he go up from us.

Behold me! against thee, O thou dweller in the vale on the level rock, Declareth Yahweh, - Ye who are saying, Who shall come down upon us? Who shall enter our habitations?

For Thus, saith Yahweh Concerning the house of the king of Judah, - Though thou wast Gilead, to me, The summit of Lebanon, Yet surely I will make thee, A wilderness, Cities, not habitable;

And I will hallow against thee Destroyers Every man with his weapons, - And they shall cut down of the choicest of thy cedars, and cast upon the fire.

I spake unto thee, in thy carelessness, - Thou saidst I will not hearken! This hath been thy way from thy youth, That thou hast not hearkened to my voice.

O inhabitress of Lebanon that makest thy nest in the cedars, - How hast thou bemoaned thyself Now that pangs have overtaken thee, Anguish, as of her that giveth birth.

As I live, Declareth Yahweh, - Even though Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet-ring upon my right hand, yet, from thence, would I pull thee off;

and I would give thee into the hand of them who seek thy life and into the hand of them from the face of whom, thou dost shrink in fear, - even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans;

and I will hurl thee out and thy mother who bare thee, upon another land where ye were not born, - and, there, shall ye die.

But when this people or a prophet or a priest shall ask thee saying What is the oracle of Yahweh? Then shalt thou say unto them Ye, yourselves, are the oracle, Therefore will I reject you Declareth Yahweh;

Thus, shall thou say unto the prophet, - What hath Yahweh, answered thee? or What hath Yahweh, spoken?

For, thus, said Yahweh, God of Israel unto me, Take this cup of indignation wine out of my hand, - and cause all the nations unto whom I am sending thee, to drink it:

Thus, saith Yahweh, - Stand thou in the court of the house of Yahweh, and speak unto all the cities of Judah who are entering in to yaw down in the house of Yahweh, all the words which I have commanded thee to speak unto them, - do not thou keep back a word:

Thus, said Yahweh unto me, Make thee, bonds and bars, and put them upon thine own neck.

Yea - Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts God of Israel Concerning the vessels that are left in thee house of Yahweh and the house of the king of Judah, and Jerusalem,

Nevertheless hear thou I pray thee, this word, which I am speaking in thine ears, - and in the ears of all the people:

The prophets who were before me and before thee, from age-past times when they prophesied against many lands and concerning great kingdoms, of war and of calamity and of pestilence,

Then said Jeremiah the prophet unto Hananiah the prophet, - Hear I pray thee, Hananiah: Yahweh hath not sent thee, Thou, therefore hast caused this people to trust in falsehood!

Therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh, Behold me! driving thee away from off the face of the ground, - This year, art thou to die, Because revolt, hast thou spoken against Yahweh.

So shall there be taken up - from them - a curse, by all of the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon saying, - Yahweh make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, Whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!

Yahweh, hath made thee priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be deputies in the house of Yahweh, to any man who is raving and prophesying, so shalt thou put him into the stocks and into the pillory:

Thus, speaketh Yahweh, God of Israel, saying, - Write thee all the words which I have spoken unto thee in a scroll;

Thou therefore do not fear O my Servant Jacob Urgeth Yahweh, Neither be thou dismayed, O Israel, For behold me! saving thee from afar And thy seed out of the land of their captivity, - Then shall Jacob return, and rest and be quiet, And there shall be none to make him afraid;

For with thee, am, I, Declareth Yahweh To save thee, - Though I make an end of all the nations whither I have scattered thee, Yet will I not of thee, make an end, But will chastise thee in measure, not holding thee, guiltless!

There is none to plead thy cause for binding thee up, - Healing bandages, hast thou none:

All thy lovers, have forgotten thee, Thyself, do they not seek, - For With the wounding of an enemy, have I wounded thee With the correction of one who is cruel, Because of the abounding of thine iniquity, Because numerous have been thy sins.

Why shouldst thou make outcry over thine injury, Incurable is tiny pain? Because of the abounding of thine iniquity, Because numerous have been thy sins Have I done these things unto thee.

Therefore, all who devour thee, shall be devoured, And, all thine adversaries - all of them, into captivity, shall depart, - So shall they who plundered thee, be plundered, And all who preyed upon thee, will I deliver up as a prey.

For I will put a bandage upon thee, And from thy wounds, will I heal thee Declareth Yahweh, - Because An outcast, they called thee, -- Tis, Zion! who hath none to ask for her welfare,

From afar, Yahweh hath appeared unto me, Yea with an age-abiding love, have I loved thee, For this cause, have I prolonged to thee lovingkindness.

Again, will I build thee and thou shalt be built, thou virgin, Israel, - Again, shalt thou deck thyself with thy timbrels, And go forth in the dance of them that make merry: