1 و َأتَى كُلُّ قادَةِ الجَيْشِ مَعَ يُوحانانَ بْنِ قارِيحَ وَعَزَرْيا بْنِ هُوشَعْيا، وَكُلُّ الشَّعبِ كِباراً وَصِغاراً،

Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great approached

2 و َقالُوا لإرْمِيا النَّبِيِّ: «لَيتَكَ تَسمَعُ تَضَرُّعَنا، وَتُصَلِّي لأجلِنا وَلأجلِ كُلِّ هَذِهِ البَقِيَّةِ إلَى إلَهِكَ. فَالباقُونَ مِنّا هُمْ قِلَّةٌ مِنْ كَثرَةٍ كَما تَرَى.

and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the Lord your God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many, as your own eyes now see us,

3 ف َصَلِّ أنْ يُعلِنَ لَنا إلَهُكَ الطَّرِيقَ الَّذِي نَسلُكُهُ. وَما عَلَينا عَمَلُهُ.»

that the Lord your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.”

4 ف َقالَ لَهُمْ إرْمِيا: «قَدْ سَمِعْتُكُمْ، وَسَأُصَلِّي إلَى إلَهِكُمْ كَما طَلَبتُمْ. وَكُلُّ شَيءٍ يُجِيبُنِي اللهُ بِهِ سَأُعلِنُهُ لَكُمْ، وَلَنْ أُخفِيَ عَنكُمْ شَيئاً.»

Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the Lord your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which the Lord will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you.”

5 ف َقالُوا لإرْمِيا: «لِيَكُنِ اللهُ شاهِداً أمِيناً عَلَينا إنْ كُنّا لا نَعمَلُ كُلَّ شَيءٍ يُخبِرُنا إلَهُكَ بِهِ مِنْ خِلالِكَ.

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lord your God will send you to us.

6 و َسَواءٌ أكانَتْ وَصِيَّتُهُ مُسِرَّةً أمْ غَيرَ مُسِرَّةٍ، فَإنَّنا سَنُطِيعُ إلَهَنا الَّذِي أرسَلْناكَ إلَيهِ، حَتَّى يَكُونَ لَنا خَيرٌ حِينَ نُطِيعُ إلَهَنا.»

Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.”

7 و َبَعدَ عَشْرَةِ أيّامٍ، جاءَتْ كَلِمَةُ اللهِ إلَى إرْمِيا.

Now at the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

8 ف َدَعَى إرْمِيا يُوحانانَ بْنَ قارِيحَ وَكُلَّ قادَةِ الجَيْشِ الَّذِينَ كانُوا مَعَهُ، وَكُلَّ الشَّعبِ كَبِيراً وَصَغِيراً.

Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him, and for all the people both small and great,

9 و َقالَ لَهُمْ: «هَذا هُوَ ما يَقُولُهُ اللهُ إلَهُ إسْرائِيلَ، الَّذِي أرْسَلْتُمُونِي إلَيهِ لأُقَدِّمَ تَضَرُّعَكُمْ أمامَهُ:

and said to them, “Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him:

10 ‹ إنْ بَقِيتُمْ فِي هَذِهِ الأرْضِ فَإنِّي سَأبنِيكُمْ وَلَنْ أهدِمَكُمْ، وَسَأغرِسُكُمْ وَلَنْ أقلَعَكُمْ. فَقَدْ أشفَقْتُ عَلَيكُمْ بِسَبَبِ الشَّرِّ الَّذِي جَلَبْتُهُ عَلَيكُمْ.

‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you.

11 ل ا تَخافُوا عِندَما تَقِفُونَ أمامَ مَلِكِ بابِلَ، الَّذِي أنتُمُ الآنَ خائِفُونَ مِنهُ. لا تَخافُوا مِنهُ،› يَقُولُ اللهُ ، لأنِّي مَعَكُمْ لأُنقِذَكُمْ وَأُنَجِّيكُمْ مِنْ يَدِهِ.

Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand.

12 س َأرحَمُكُمْ وَسَأجعَلُ مَلِكَ بابِلَ يَرحَمُكُمْ، وَيُرجِعُكُمْ إلَى أرْضِكُمْ.›

I will also show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil.

13 « لَكِنْ إنْ قُلْتُمْ: ‹لَنْ نَعِيشَ فِي هَذِهِ الأرْضِ،› فَعَصَيتُمْ إلَهَكُمْ.

But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” so as not to listen to the voice of the Lord your God,

14 و َقُلْتُمْ: ‹لا، بَلْ سَنَذهَبُ إلَى أرْضِ مِصرَ حَيثُ لَنْ نَرَى حَرباً، وَلَنْ نَسمَعَ صَوتَ البُوقِ، وَلَنْ نَجُوعَ، لِذا سَنَذهَبُ لِنَسكُنَ هُناكَ.›

saying, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of a trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there”;

15 ف َاسْمَعُوا كَلِمَةَ اللهِ أيُّها الباقُونَ مِنْ بَنِي يَهُوذا. هَذا هُوَ ما يَقُولُهُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ، إلَهُ إسْرائِيلَ: ‹إنْ قَرَّرْتُمْ الذَّهابَ إلَى مِصرَ لِتَستَقِرُّوا هُناكَ،

then in that case listen to the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “If you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to reside there,

16 ف َإنَّ الحَربَ الَّتِي أنتُمْ خائِفُونَ مِنها سَتَأتِي إلَيكُمْ فِي أرْضِ مِصرَ. وَالمَجاعَةُ الَّتِي أنتُمْ مَذعُورُونَ مِنها، سَتُلاحِقُكُمْ إلَى مِصرَ، وَسَتَمُوتُونَ هُناكَ.

then the sword, which you are afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are anxious, will follow closely after you there in Egypt, and you will die there.

17 ك ُلُّ الرِّجالِ المُزمِعينَ عَلَى الذَّهابِ إلَى مِصرَ لِيَستَقِرُّوا فِيها، سَيَمُوتُونَ فِي الحَربِ أوْ مِنَ المَجاعَةِ أوِ الوَباءِ. وَلَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمْ باقُونَ أوْ ناجُونَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ الَّذِي سَأجلِبُهُ عَلَيهِمْ.›

So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; and they will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity that I am going to bring on them.”’”

18 « فَهَذا هُوَ ما يَقُولُهُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ، إلَهُ إسْرائِيلَ: ‹كَما انسَكَبَ غَضَبِي وَسَخَطِي عَلَى سُكّانِ القُدْسِ، هَكَذا سَيَنسَكِبُ عَلَيكُمْ عِندَما تَذهَبُونَ إلَى مِصرَ. سَتَصِيرُونَ لَعنَةً وَخَراباً وَمَذَمَّةً وَسُخرِيَةً. وَلَنْ تَرَوْا هَذا المَكانَ ثانِيَةً.›»

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “As My anger and wrath have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so My wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And you will become a curse, an object of horror, an imprecation and a reproach; and you will see this place no more.”

19 « تَكَلَّمَ اللهُ إلَيكُمْ يا بَقِيَّةَ يَهُوذا، فَقالَ: «لا تَذهَبُوا إلَى مِصرَ، أنتُمْ تَعلَمُونَ يَقِيناً بِأنِّي حَذَّرْتُكُمُ اليَومَ،

The Lord has spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, “Do not go into Egypt!” You should clearly understand that today I have testified against you.

20 ب ِأنَّكُمْ جَعَلْتُمْ نُفُوسَكُمْ تَضِلُّ عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ. لأنَّكُمْ أرسَلْتُمُونِي إلَى إلَهِكُمْ وَقُلْتُمْ: ‹صَلِّ لأجلِنا إلَى إلَهِنا ، وَأخبِرْنا بِكُلِّ ما يَقُولُهُ إلَهُكَ لَكَ، وَنَحنُ سَنَعمَلُهُ.›

For you have only deceived yourselves; for it is you who sent me to the Lord your God, saying, “Pray for us to the Lord our God; and whatever the Lord our God says, tell us so, and we will do it.”

21 و َاليَومَ أخبَرْتُكُمْ بِما قالَهُ لِي، وَلَكِنَّكُمْ لَمْ تُطِيعُوا إلَهَكُمْ أوْ أيَّ أمرٍ قُلْتُهُ لَكُمْ.

So I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the Lord your God, even in whatever He has sent me to tell you.

22 و َالآنَ، اعلَمُوا يَقِيناً أنَّكُمْ سَتَمُوتُونَ إمّا فِي الحَربِ أوْ مِنَ المَجاعَةِ أوْ مِنَ الوَباءِ، فِي المَكانِ الَّذِي تَرغَبُونَ فِي الذَّهابِ إلَيهِ لِتَسكُنُوا فِيهِ كَغُرَباءَ.»

Therefore you should now clearly understand that you will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence, in the place where you wish to go to reside.