Jeremiah 27

Early in the reign of Zedekiah^[a] son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

وَفِي مُسْتَهَلِّ حُكْمِ يَهُويَاقِيمَ بْنِ يُوشِيَّا مَلِكِ يَهُوذَا أَوْحَى الرَّبُّ بِهَذِهِ النُّبُوءَةِ إِلَى إِرْمِيَا:

This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck.

«هَذَا مَا أَعْلَنَهُ الرَّبُّ: اصْنَعْ لِنَفْسِكَ رُبُطاً وَأَنْيَاراً وَضَعْهَا عَلَى عُنْقِكَ،

Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

وَابْعَثْ بِرِسَالَةٍ إِلَى مُلُوكِ أَدُومَ وَمُوآبَ وَبَنِي عَمُّونَ وَصُورَ وَصِيدُونَ مَعَ الرُّسُلِ الْمُوْفَدِينَ إِلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ إِلَى صِدْقِيَّا مَلِكِ يَهُوذَا،

Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters:

وَأَوْصِهِمْ أَنْ يَنْقُلُوا هَذِهِ الرِّسَالَةَ إِلَى سَادَتِهِمْ قَائِلاً: هَذَا مَا يُعْلِنُهُ الرَّبُّ الْقَدِيرُ إِلَهُ إِسْرَائِيلَ:

With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.

أَنَا بِقُوَّتِي الْعَظِيمَةِ وَبِذِرَاعِي الْمَمْدُودَةِ صَنَعْتُ الأَرْضَ بِمَا عَلَيْهَا مِنْ بَشَرٍ وَبَهَائِمَ، وَوَهَبْتُهَا لِمَنْ طَابَ لِي أَنْ أَهَبَهَا لَهُ.

Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.

وَالآنَ قَدْ عَهِدْتُ بِجَمِيعِ هَذِهِ الأَرَاضِي إِلَى نَبُوخَذْنَصَّرَ مَلِكِ بَابِلَ عَبْدِي، وَأَعْطَيْتُهُ أَيْضاً حَيَوَانَ الْحَقْلِ لِيَكُونَ فِي خِدْمَتِهِ.

All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.

فَتُسْتَعْبَدُ لَهُ وَلابْنِهِ وَلِحَفِيدِهِ جَمِيعُ أُمَمِ الأَرْضِ، إِلَى أَنْ يَحِينَ مَوْعِدُ اسْتِعْبَادِ أَرْضِهِ، عِنْدَئِذٍ تَسْتَعْبِدُهُ أُمَمٌ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمُلُوكٌ عُظَمَاءُ.

“‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand.

وَلَكِنْ إِنْ أَبَتْ أَيَّةُ أُمَّةٍ أَوْ مَمْلَكَةٍ الاسْتِعْبَادَ لِنَبُوخَذْنَصَّرَ مَلِكِ بَابِلَ، وَرَفَضَتْ أَنْ تَضَعَ عُنُقَهَا تَحْتَ نِيرِهِ، فَإِنِّي أُعَاقِبُهَا بِالسَّيْفِ وَالْجَوعِ وَالْوَبَاءِ إِلَى أَنْ أُبِيدَهُمْ بِيَدِهِ، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ.

So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’

فَلا تُصْغُوا إِلَى أَنْبِيَائِكُمُ الْكَذَبَةِ وَعَرَّافِيكُمْ وَحَالِمِيكُمْ وَمُشَعْوِذِيكُمْ وَسَحَرَتِكُمُ الْقَائِلِينَ لَكُمْ: لَنْ تُسْتَعْبَدُوا لِمَلِكِ بَابِلَ،

They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish.

لأَنَّهُمْ إِنَّمَا يَتَنَبَّأُونَ لَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ لِيُبْعِدُوكُمْ عَنْ أَرْضِكُمْ وَلأُجْلِيَكُمْ عَنْهَا فَتَهْلِكُوا

But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares the Lord.”’”

وَلَكِنَّ كُلَّ أُمَّةٍ تَسْتَسْلِمُ لِمَلِكِ بَابِلَ وَتُسْتَعْبَدُ لَهُ أُبْقِيهَا فِي أَرْضِهَا، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ، فَتَحْرُثُهَا وَتُقِيمُ فِيهَا».

I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.

فَبَلَّغْتُ صِدْقِيَّا مَلِكَ يَهُوذَا جَمِيعَ هَذَا الْكَلامِ وَقُلْتُ: «اخْضَعُوا لِمَلِكِ بَابِلَ وَاخْدُمُوهُ وَشَعْبَهُ فَتَحْيَوْا.

Why will you and your people die by the sword, famine and plague with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

فَلِمَاذَا تَمُوتُ أَنْتَ وَشَعْبُكَ بِحَدِّ السَّيْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَالْوَبَاءِ كَمَا قَضَى الرَّبُّ عَلَى الأُمَّةِ الَّتِي لَا تُسْتَعْبَدُ لِمَلِكِ بَابِلَ؟

Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies to you.

لَا تَسْتَمِعُوا لِكَلامِ الأَنْبِيَاءِ الْكَذَبَةِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ لَكُمْ: لَا تُسْتَعْبَدُوا لِمَلِكِ بَابِلَ لأَنَّهُمْ يَتَنَبَّأُونَ لَكُمْ كَذِباً،

‘I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name. Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’”

فَأَنَا لَمْ أَرْسِلْهُمْ، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ، إِنَّمَا هُمْ يَتَنَبَّأُونَ بِاسْمِي كَذِباً لأَجْلِكُمْ فَتُطْرَدُونَ أَنْتُمْ وَأَنْبِيَاؤُكُمُ الْمُتَنَبِّئُونَ لَكُمْ».

Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you.

وَقُلْتُ لِلْكَهَنَةِ وَكُلِّ الشَّعْبِ: «هَذَا مَا يُعْلِنُهُ الرَّبُّ: لَا تَسْمَعُوا لِكَلامِ أَنْبِيَائِكُمُ الْكَذَبَةِ الَّذِينَ يَتَنَبَّأُونَ لَكُمْ قَائِلِينَ إِنَّ آنِيَةَ هَيْكَلِ الرَّبِّ سَتُرَدُّ سَرِيعاً مِنْ بَابِلَ، فَإِنَّهُمْ يَتَنَبَّأُونَ لَكُمْ كَذِباً.

Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this city become a ruin?

لَا تُصْغُوا لَهُمْ، بَلِ اخْدُمُوا مَلِكَ بَابِلَ وَاحْيَوْا، فَلِمَاذَا تَتَحَوَّلُ هَذِهِ الْمَدِينَةُ إِلَى أَطْلالٍ؟

If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead with the Lord Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon.

وَإِنْ كَانُوا حَقّاً أَنْبِيَاءَ، وَإِنْ كَانَ حَقّاً وَحْيُ الرَّبِّ لَدَيْهِمْ فَلْيَبْتَهِلُوا إِلَى الرَّبِّ الْقَدِيرِ لِكَيْ لَا يُحْمَلَ مَا تَبَقَّى مِنْ آنِيَةِ هَيْكَلِ الرَّبِّ، وَقَصْرِ مَلِكِ يَهُوذَا، وَأُورُشَلِيمَ إِلَى بَابِلَ.

For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea, the movable stands and the other articles that are left in this city,

فَإِنَّ الرَّبَّ الْقَدِيرَ يَقُولُ عَنِ الأَعْمِدَةِ، وَبِرْكَةِ الْمَاءِ وَالْقَوَاعِدِ وَسَائِرِ الآنِيَةِ الْمُتَبَقِّيَةِ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَدِينَةِ

which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiachin^[b] son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem—

مِمَّا لَمْ يَسْتَوْلِ عَلَيْهَا نَبُوخَذْنَصَّرُ مَلِكُ بَابِلَ عِنْدَمَا سَبَى يَكُنْيَا بْنَ يَهُويَاقِيمَ مَلِكَ يَهُوذَا مِنْ أُورُشَلِيمَ مَعَ جَمِيعِ أَشْرَافِ يَهُوذَا وَأُورُشَلِيمَ،

yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem:

فَبَقِيَتْ فِي هَيْكَلِ الرَّبِّ وَفِي قَصْرِ الْمَلِكِ وَفِي أُورُشَلِيمَ:

‘They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’”

إِنَّهَا سَتُحْمَلُ إِلَى بَابِلَ وَتَبْقَى هُنَاكَ إِلَى يَوْمِ افْتِقَادِي، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ، فَأَسْتَرْجِعُهَا وَأَرُدُّهَا إِلَى هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ».