The Sin of Jerusalem
1 People of Jerusalem, run through your streets!
Look around! See for yourselves!
Search the marketplaces!
Can you find one person
who does what is right
and tries to be faithful to God?
If you can, the Lord will forgive Jerusalem.
2 Even though you claim to worship the Lord,
you do not mean what you say.
3 Surely the Lord looks for faithfulness.
He struck you, but you paid no attention;
he crushed you, but you refused to learn.
You were stubborn and would not turn from your sins.
4 Then I thought, “These are only the poor and ignorant.
They behave foolishly;
they don't know what their God requires,
what the Lord wants them to do.
5 I will go to the people in power
and talk with them.
Surely they know what their God requires,
what the Lord wants them to do.”
But all of them have rejected the Lord's authority
and refuse to obey him.
6 That is why lions from the forest will kill them;
wolves from the desert will tear them to pieces,
and leopards will prowl through their towns.
If those people go out, they will be torn apart
because their sins are numerous
and time after time they have turned from God.
7 The Lord asked, “Why should I forgive the sins of my people?
They have abandoned me
and have worshiped gods that are not real.
I fed my people until they were full,
but they committed adultery
and spent their time with prostitutes.
8 They were like well-fed stallions wild with desire,
each lusting for his neighbor's wife.
9 Shouldn't I punish them for these things
and take revenge on a nation such as this?
10 I will send enemies to cut down my people's vineyards,
but not to destroy them completely.
I will tell them to strip away the branches,
because those branches are not mine.
11 The people of Israel and Judah
have betrayed me completely.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Lord Rejects Israel
12 The Lord's people have denied him and have said, “He won't really do anything. We won't have hard times; we won't have war or famine.” 13-14 They have said that the prophets are nothing but windbags and that they have no message from the Lord. The Lord God Almighty said to me, “Jeremiah, because these people have said such things, I will make my words like a fire in your mouth. The people will be like wood, and the fire will burn them up.”
15 People of Israel, the Lord is bringing a nation from far away to attack you. It is a strong and ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know. 16 Their archers are mighty soldiers who kill without mercy. 17 They will devour your crops and your food; they will kill your sons and your daughters. They will slaughter your flocks and your herds and destroy your vines and fig trees. The fortified cities in which you trust will be destroyed by their army.
18 The Lord says, “Yet even in those days I will not completely destroy my people. 19 When they ask why I did all these things, tell them, Jeremiah, that just as they turned away from me and served foreign gods in their own land, so they will serve strangers in a land that is not theirs.”
God Warns His People
20 The Lord says, “Tell the descendants of Jacob, tell the people of Judah: 21 Pay attention, you foolish and stupid people, who have eyes, but cannot see, and have ears, but cannot hear. 22 I am the Lord; why don't you fear me? Why don't you tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary of the sea, a permanent boundary that it cannot cross. The sea may toss, but it cannot go beyond it; the waves may roar, but they cannot break through. 23 But you people! You are stubborn and rebellious; you have turned aside and left me. 24 You never thought to honor me, even though I send the autumn rains and the spring rains and give you the harvest season each year. 25 Instead, your sins have kept these good things from you.
26 “Evildoers live among my people; they lie in wait like those who lay nets to catch birds, but they have set their traps to catch people. 27 Just as a hunter fills a cage with birds, they have filled their houses with loot. That is why they are powerful and rich, 28 why they are fat and well fed. There is no limit to their evil deeds. They do not give orphans their rights or show justice to the oppressed.
29 “But I, the Lord, will punish them for these things; I will take revenge on this nation. 30 A terrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: 31 prophets speak nothing but lies; priests rule as the prophets command, and my people offer no objections. But what will they do when it all comes to an end?”
مدينة تعج بالفساد
1 طُوفوا في شوارعِ أورُشليمَ.
أُنظُروا واستَخْبِروا وفَتِّشوا!
هل تَجِدونَ في ساحاتِها إنسانا؟
إنسانا واحدا يصنَعُ العَدلَ
ويَطلُبُ بِالحَقِّ، فأعفوَ عَنها؟
2 فهُم وإنْ قالوا: حَيٌّ هوَ الرّبُّ،
فإنَّما يَحلِفونَ زُورا.
هكذا يقولُ الرّبُّ.
3 نعم يا ربُّ، عيناكَ على الحَقِّ!
ضرَبْتَهُم ضَرْبا فما توَجَّعوا،
وأهلَكْتَهُم فما قبِلوا التَّأديـبَ.
قسّوا وجوهَهُم أكثرَ مِنَ الصَّخرِ
ورَفَضوا أنْ يَرجِعوا إليكَ.
4 فقُلتُ: «هُم قَومٌ مَساكينُ
يَجهَلونَ طريقَ الرّبِّ
ولا يَعرِفونَ شريعةَ إلهِنا،
5 أذهَبُ إلى العُظَماءِ أُكَلِّمُهُم،
لَعلَّهُم يَعرِفونَ طريقَ الرّبِّ
ولا يَجهَلونَ شريعةَ إلَهِنا،
فوَجدتُ هؤلاءِ جميعا
كَسروا النِّيرَ وقَطَعوا الرُّبُطَ
6 سَيَقتُلُهُم أسدٌ مِنَ الغابِ
ويُهلِكُهُم ذِئبٌ مِنَ القَفْرِ،
ويَسهَرُ النَّمِرُ حَولَ مُدُنِهِمِ
يَفتَرِسُ كُلَّ مَنْ خرَجَ مِنها.
فمَعاصيهِم تكاثَرَت جدًّا،
وكُفرُهُم دائِما في ازديادٍ.
7 وقالَ الرّبُّ: «كَيفَ أُسامِحُكِ يا أورُشليمُ وبَنوكِ ترَكوني وحلَفوا بإِلهٍ مَزعومٍ حينَ أَشبَعتُهُم زَنَوا، وفي بُيوتِ الزَّواني صرَفوا وقتَهُم. 8 صاروا أحصِنةً معلوفةً سائِبةً، كُلٌّ يَصهَلُ على امرأةِ صاحبِهِ. 9 أفلا أُعاقِبُهُم على هذِهِ المَعاصي يقولُ الرّبُّ، وأنتَقِمُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ كهذِهِ الأُمَّةِ؟
10 «إصعَدوا على كَرمَتِها وأَفسِدوا ولا تُتلِفوها. إنزَعوا أغصانَها فما هيَ لي. 11 فغَدْرا غدَرَ بـي بَيتُ إِسرائيلَ وبَيتُ يَهوذا». هكذا يقولُ الرّبُّ.
12 أنكَروا الرّبَّ وقالوا: «لا وُجودَ لَه، فالشَّرُّ لا يَنزِلُ بِنا ولن نرى حربا ولا جوعا. 13 وما الأنبـياءُ إلاَّ هباءٌ، والرّبُّ لا يتَكَلَّمُ فيهِم، وأقوالُهُم مِنْ عِندهِم».
14 لذلِكَ قالَ ليَ الرّبُّ الإلهُ القديرُ: «بِما أنَّكُم تَكَلَّمْتُم هذا الكَلامَ، فسَأجعَلُ كَلِماتي في فَمِكَ نارا وهذا الشَّعبُ حطَبا فتَأكُلُهُم 15 وأجلِبُ علَيكُم أُمَّةً مِنْ بَعيدٍ يا بَيتَ إِسرائيلَ، أُمَّةً قويَّةً عريقةً، أُمَّةً لا تَعرِفونَ لُغَتَها ولا تَفهَمونَ ما تَتكَلَّمُ بهِ. 16 جُعبَةُ سِهامِها كقبرٍ مَفتوحٍ، وكُلُّ بَنيها جبابِرةٌ. 17 فيَأكُلونَ حصادَكُم وخبزَكُم ويَقتُلونَ بَنيكُم وبَناتِكُم ويَذبحونَ غنَمَكُم وبقَرَكُم، ويتلفونَ كَرمَكُم وتينَكُم، ويُدمِّرونَ بالسَّيفِ مُدُنَكُمُ الحصينةَ الّتي أنتُم مُتوكِّلونَ علَيها.
18 «ولَكنْ في تِلكَ الأيّامِ لا أَفنيكُم يقولُ الرّبُّ: 19 وإنْ قالوا: لماذا فعَلَ الرّبُّ إلهُنا بِنا هذا كُلَّهُ؟ فتَقولُ لهُم: بِما أنَّكُم تَركتُموني وخَدمْتُم آلِهةً غريـبةً في أرضِكُم، فستَخدِمونَ الغُرَباءَ في أرضٍ غَيرِ أرضِكُم. 20 فأخبروا بذلِكَ في بَني يَعقوبَ، ونادوا بهِ في بَني يَهوذا. قولوا لهُم: 21 إسمعوا هذا الكلامَ أيُّها الحَمقى، أيُّها الشَّعبُ الّذينَ فقَدوا الحِسَّ، الّذينَ لهُم عُيونٌ ولا يُبصرونَ وآذانٌ ولا يَسمعونَ.
22 «ألا تخافونَني يقولُ الرّبُّ. ألا تَرتَعدونَ مِنْ وجهي؟ أنا جعَلْتُ الرَّملَ حَدًّا لِلبحرِ، حاجزا أبديًّا لا يَتعَدَّاهُ. فأمواجُهُ تَلتطِمُ وتَبقى عاجِزَةً، وتَعِـجُّ ولا تـتَجاوزُهُ. 23 لَكنَّ هذا الشَّعبَ لَه قلبٌ ثائِرٌ مُتَمرِّدٌ، فابتَعَدوا ومَضَوا 24 وما قالوا في قُلوبِهِم: لِنَخَفِ الرّبَّ إلهَنا الّذي يَمنَحُ المطَرَ المُبَكِّرَ مِنهُ والمُتأخِّرَ في حينِهِ، ويَحفَظُ لنا أسابـيعَ الحَصادِ في مَواعيدِها.
25 لَكنَّ آثامَكُم أفسَدَت تِلكَ المَواعيدَ، وخطاياكُم منَعَتِ الخَيرَ عَنكُم. 26 فلا يزالُ بَينَ شعبـي مُنافقونَ، يَكمُنونَ لِلطَّريدَةِ كالصَّيَّادينَ ويَنصُبونَ لِلنَّاسِ فَخًّا. 27 كالقَفَصِ المَملوءِ طُيورا، كذلِكَ بُيوتُهُمُ امتلأت مِنَ المَكْرِ، فعَظُموا واغتَنَوا. 28 هُم سِمانٌ لَمَعَت جُلودُهُم مِنَ الشَّحْمِ وجاوَزوا الحَدَّ بِشُرورِهِم. لا يَحكُمونَ بِالعَدلِ في دَعوى اليَتيمِ فتَنجَحُ، ولا يَقضونَ لِلمَساكينِ بِالحَقِّ.
29 «أفلا أُعاقِبُ على هذِهِ المعاصي وأَنتَقِمُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ كَهذِهِ يقولُ الرّبُّ».
30 في أرضِنا عَجَبٌ عِجابٌ: 31 «الأنبـياءُ يتَنَبَّأونَ زُورا، والكَهنَةُ يَجمعونَ ما تَصِلُ إليهِ أيديهِم، وشعبـي راضٍ بِهذِهِ الأمورِ. فماذا تفعَلونَ لِتَضَعوا حَدًّا لها؟