Jeremiah 42

Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah^[a] son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached

ثُمَّ اجْتَمَعَ كُلُّ قُوَّادِ الْقُوَّاتِ وَيُوحَانَانُ بْنُ قَارِيحَ وَيَزَنْيا بْنُ هُوشَعْيَا وَجَمِيعُ الشَّعْبِ صَغِيرُهُمْ وَكَبِيرُهُمْ،

Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left.

إِلَى إِرْمِيَا قَائِلِينَ: «لَيْتَ تَوَسُّلَنَا يَكُونُ مَقْبُولاً لَدَيْكَ، فَتُصَلِّيَ إِلَى الرَّبِّ إِلَهِكَ مِنْ أَجْلِ هَذِهِ الْبَقِيَّةِ كُلِّهَا، فَقَدْ كُنَّا كَثِيرِينَ وَلَكِنْ صِرْنَا الآنَ قَلِيلِينَ كَمَا تَرَى،

Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”

فَيُنْبِئُنَا الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكَ بِالطَّرِيقِ الَّذِي يَتَحَتَّمُ عَلَيْنَا سُلُوكُهُ وَبِمَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْنَا عَمَلُهُ».

“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”

فَأَجَابَهُمْ إِرْمِيَا النَّبِيُّ: «قَدِ اسْتَجَبْتُ لَكُمْ، وَهَا أَنَا أُصَلِّي إِلَى الرَّبِّ إِلَهِكُمْ بِحَسَبِ كَلامِكُمْ، وَكُلُّ مَا يُجِيبُ بِهِ الرَّبُّ أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِهِ. لَا أَكْتُمُ عَنْكُمْ شَيْئاً».

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us.

ثُمَّ قَالُوا لإِرْمِيَا: «لِيَكُنِ الرَّبُّ بَيْنَنَا شَاهِداً أَمِيناً صَادِقاً، أَنَّنَا نُنَفِّذُ كُلَّ كَلِمَةٍ يُوْحِي بِها الرَّبُّ إِلَيْنَا عَلَى لِسَانِكَ،

Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”

سَوَاءٌ كَانَتْ خَيْراً أَوْ شَرّاً، فَنُطِيعَ صَوْتَ الرَّبِّ إِلَهِنَا الَّذِي نُرْسِلُكَ إِلَيْهِ، فَنَنَالَ خَيْراً إِنْ أَطَعْنَاهُ».

جواب الرب

Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

وَبَعْدَ عَشَرَةِ أَيَّامٍ أَوْحَى الرَّبُّ إِلَى إِرْمِيَا بِرِسَالَةٍ،

So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.

فَاسْتَدْعَى إِرْمِيَا يُوحَانَانَ بْنَ قَارِيحَ وَقُوَّادَ الْقُوَّاتِ الَّذِينَ مَعَهُ وَسَائِرَ الشَّعْبِ مِنْ صَغِيرِهِمْ إِلَى كَبِيرِهِمْ،

He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says:

وَقَالَ لَهُمْ: «هَذَا مَا يُعْلِنُهُ الرَّبُّ إِلَهُ إِسْرَائِيلَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلْتُمُونِي لأَرْفَعَ تَوَسُّلَكُمْ إِلَيْهِ:

‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.

إِنْ أَقَمْتُمْ فِي هَذِهِ الأَرْضِ فَإِنِّي أَبْنِيكُمْ وَلا أَهْدِمُكُمْ، وَأَغْرِسُكُمْ وَلا أَسْتَأْصِلُكُمْ، لأَنِّي أَسِفْتُ عَلَى الشَّرِّ الَّذِي أَلْحَقْتُهُ بِكُمْ.

Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands.

لَا تَخْشَوْا مَلِكَ بَابِلَ الَّذِي أَنْتُمْ مِنْهُ خَائِفُونَ فَإِنِّي مَعَكُمْ لأُخَلِّصَكُمْ وَأُنَجِّيَكُمْ مِنْ يَدِهِ،

I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’

وَأُنْعِمَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَيَرْحَمَكُمْ وَيَرُدُّكُمْ إِلَى أَرْضِكُمْ.

“However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey the Lord your God,

وَلَكِنْ إِنْ قُلْتُمْ: لَنْ نُقِيمَ فِي هَذِهِ الأَرْضِ، وَلَمْ تُطِيعُوا صَوْتَ الرَّبِّ إِلَهِكُمْ.

and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’

قَائِلِينَ: لَا بَلْ نَنْطَلِقُ إِلَى دِيَارِ مِصْرَ حَيْثُ لَا نَشْهَدُ قِتَالاً، وَلا نَسْمَعُ نَفِيرَ بُوقٍ، وَلا يُعْوِزُنَا خُبْزٌ، فَنَمْكُثُ هُنَاكَ،

then hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there,

إِذاً اسْمَعُوا قَضَاءَ الرَّبِّ يَا بَقِيَّةَ يَهُوذَا: إِنْ وَطَّدْتُمِ الْعَزْمَ عَلَى الذَّهَابِ إِلَى مِصْرَ وَارْتَحَلْتُمْ لِتَتَغَرَّبُوا هُنَاكَ،

then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.

فَالسَّيْفُ الْكَلْدَانِيُّ الَّذِي تَخْشَوْنَهُ يُدْرِكُكُمْ هُنَاكَ فِي دِيَارِ مِصْرَ، وَالْجُوعُ الَّذِي تَفْزَعُونَ مِنْهُ يُلاحِقُكُمْ إِلَى مِصْرَ فَتَمُوتُونَ هُنَاكَ.

Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’

وَكُلُّ مَنِ اسْتَقَرَّ عَزْمُهُ مِنَ الشَّعْبِ عَلَى الانْطِلاقِ إِلَى مِصْرَ وَالتَّغَرُّبِ هُنَاكَ يَمُوتُ بِالسَّيْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَالْوَبَاءِ، وَلا يُفْلِتُ نَاجٍ مِنَ الشَّرِّ الَّذِي أَجْلِبُهُ عَلَيْهِمْ.

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse^[b] and an object of horror, a curse^[c] and an object of reproach; you will never see this place again.’

لأَنَّ هَذَا مَا يُعْلِنُهُ الرَّبُّ الْقَدِيرُ إِلَهُ إِسْرَائِيلَ. كَمَا انْسَكَبَ غَضَبِي وَسُخْطِي عَلَى أَهْلِ أُورُشَلِيمَ، كَذَلِكَ يَنْسَكِبُ سُخْطِي عَلَيْكُمْ إِذَا ذَهَبْتُمْ إِلَى مِصْرَ، فَتُصْبِحُونَ مَثَارَ سُبَّةٍ وَدَهْشَةٍ وَلَعْنَةٍ وَعَارٍ، وَلا تَعُودُونَ تَرَوْنَ هَذَا المَوْضِعَ».

“Remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today

«فَيَا بَقِيَّةَ إِسْرَائِيلَ لَا تُهَاجِرُوا إِلَى مِصْرَ. تَيَقَّنُوا أَنِّي قَدْ حَذَّرْتُكُمُ الْيَوْمَ.

that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’

لأَنَّكُمْ قَدْ خَدَعْتُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ حِينَ بَعَثْتُمْ بِي إِلَى الرَّبِّ إِلَهِكُمْ قَائِلِينَ: صَلِّ لأَجْلِنَا إِلَى الرَّبِّ إِلَهِنَا وَأَنْبِئْنَا بِكُلِّ مَا يَقُولُ فَنَفْعَلَ بِمُقْتَضَاهُ.

I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you.

وَهَا أَنَا قَدْ أَنْبَأْتُكُمُ الْيَوْمَ بِكَلامِهِ فَلَمْ تُطِيعُوا صَوْتَ الرَّبِّ إِلَهِكُمْ فِي أَيِّ شَيْءٍ أَرْسَلَنِي بِهِ إِلَيْكُمْ.

So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle.”

فَثِقُوا الآنَ أَنَّكُمْ تَمُوتُونَ بِالسَّيْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَالْوَبَاءِ فِي ذَاتِ الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي نَوَيْتُمُ الارْتِحَالَ إِلَيْهِ وَالتَّغَرُّبَ فِيهِ».