1 “ Run back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in its wide places, if you can find a man, if there are any who does justly, who seeks truth; and I will pardon her.

«طُوفُوا فِي شَوارِعِ مَدينَةِ القُدْسِ، وَتَفَحَّصُوا جَيِّداً ما فِيها. فَتِّشُوا فِي ساحاتِها إنْ كانَ هُناكَ شَخصٌ واحِدٌ يَعمَلُ بِالعَدلِ وَمَحَلَّ ثِقَةٍ. حِينَئِذٍ، سَأغفِرُ لِلقُدسِ.

2 T hough they say, ‘As Yahweh lives;’ surely they swear falsely.”

وَإنْ حَلَفُوا بِاللهِ ، فَهُمْ يَحلِفُونَ كَذِباً.»

3 O Yahweh, don’t your eyes look on truth? You have stricken them, but they were not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock. They have refused to return.

يا اللهُ ، أما تَبْحَثُ عَيناكَ عِنِ الحَقِّ؟ ضَرَبْتَهُمْ، فَلَمْ يَتألَّمُوا، التَهَمْتَهُمْ، فَرَفَضُوا تَأدِيبَكَ. جَعَلُوا وُجُوهَهُمْ أقسَى مِنَ الصَّخرِ، رَفَضُوا التَّوبَةَ.

4 T hen I said, “Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they don’t know the way of Yahweh, nor the law of their God.

وَأنا قُلْتُ: «إنَّما هُمْ مَساكِينُ، إنَّهُمْ حَمقَى، لأنَّهُمْ لا يَعرِفُونَ ما أمَرَ بِهِ اللهُ ، وَلا يَعرِفُونَ تَعلِيمَ إلَهِهِمْ.

5 I will go to the great men, and will speak to them; for they know the way of Yahweh, and the law of their God.” But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

سَأذهَبُ إلَى قادَةِ يَهُوذا، وَأتَكَلَّمُ مَعَهُمْ، لأنَّهُمْ يَعرِفُونَ ما أمَرَ بِهِ اللهُ ، وَيَعرِفُونَ تَعلِيمَ إلَهِهِمْ.» وَلَكِنَّهُمْ جَمِيعاً كَسَرُوا النِّيرَ، نَزَعُوا عَنْ أنفُسِهِمِ القُيُودَ.

6 T herefore a lion out of the forest shall kill them, a wolf of the evenings shall destroy them, a leopard shall watch against their cities; everyone who goes out there shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, and their backsliding is increased.

لِذَلِكَ هَجَمَ عَلَيهِمْ أسَدٌ مِنَ الغابَةِ، وَذِئبٌ مِنَ الصَّحراءِ يُخَرِّبُهُمْ. نَمِرٌ يَتَمَشَّى فِي مُدُنِهِمْ. وَكُلُّ مَنْ يَخرُجُ يُمَزَّقُ تَمزِيقاً، لأنَّهُمُ ارتَكَبُوا جَرائِمَ كَثِيرَةً، وَهُمْ دائِماً يَضِلُّونَ.

7 “ How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me, and sworn by what are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the prostitutes’ houses.

«كَيفَ يُمكِنُنِي أنْ أغفِرَ لَكُمْ؟ أولادُكِ تَرَكُونِي، وَأقسَمُوا بِآلِهَةٍ غَيرِ مَوجُودَةٍ. أعطَيتُهُمْ كُلَّ ما يَحتاجُونَ إلَيهِ، وَلَكِنَّهُمْ زَنُوا مُحتَشِدِينَ أمامَ بَيتِ الزّانِيَةِ.

8 T hey were as fed horses roaming at large: everyone neighed after his neighbor’s wife.

إنَّهُمْ مِثلُ خُيُولٍ هائِجَةٍ، كُلُّ واحِدٍ يَصهَلُ عَلَى زَوجَةِ صاحِبِهِ.

9 S houldn’t I punish them for these things?” says Yahweh; “and shouldn’t my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

ألا أُعاقِبُهُمْ بِسَبَبِ هَذِهِ الأُمُورِ؟ ألا تَطلُبُ نَفسِي الانتِقامَ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ كَهَذِهِ؟» يَقُولُ اللهُ.

10 “ Go up on her walls, and destroy; but don’t make a full end. Take away her branches; for they are not Yahweh’s.

«اعبُرُوا وَسَطَ صُفُوفِ كُرُومِها وَكَسِّرُوها، وَلَكِنْ لَيسَ بِالكامِلِ. انزِعُوا أغْصانَها الزّائِدةَ، لأنَّها لَيستْ للهِ.

11 F or the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me,” says Yahweh.

لأنَّ بَني إسْرائِيلَ وَبَنِي يَهُوذا خانُونِي خِيانَةً.» يَقُولُ اللهُ.

12 T hey have denied Yahweh, and said, “It is not he; neither shall evil come on us; neither shall we see sword nor famine.

«فَقَدْ كَذَبُوا بِكَلامِهِمْ عَنِ اللهِ ، قالُوا: ‹لَنْ يَفعَلَ شَيئاً. وَلَنْ يَأتِيَ الشَّرُّ عَلَينا، وَلَنْ نَرَى الحَربَ وَلا الجُوعَ.›

13 T he prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them.”

«سَيَصِيرُ الأنبِياءُ رِيحاً، وَكَلِمَةُ اللهِ لَنْ تَكُونَ فِيهِمْ. هَذا ما سَأفعَلُهُ بِهِمْ.»

14 T herefore Yahweh, the God of Armies says, “Because you speak this word, behold, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

لِذَلِكَ هَذا هُوَ ما يَقُولُهُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ: «لأنَّكُمْ قُلْتُمْ هَذا الكَلامَ، سَأجعَلُ كَلامِي فِي فَمِكَ يا إرْمِيا كَنارٍ، وَسَيَكُونُ هَذا الشَّعبُ مِثلَ الشَّجَرِ، وَكَلِمَةُ اللهِ الّتِي فِي فَمِكَ سَتَلتَهِمُهُمْ.»

15 B ehold, I will bring a nation on you from far, house of Israel,” says Yahweh. “It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you don’t know, neither understand what they say.

يَقُولُ اللهُ: «يا بَني إسْرائِيلَ، سَآتِي بِأُمَّةٍ غَرِيبَةٍ عَلَيكُمْ مِنْ بَعِيدٍ، أُمَّةٍ قَوِيَّةٍ وَلَها تارِيخٌ قَدِيمٌ، أمَّةٍ لا تَعرِفُونَ لُغَتَها، فَلَنْ تَفهَمُوا ما يَقُولُونَ.

16 T heir quiver is an open tomb, they are all mighty men.

كِيسُ سِهامِهِا كَقَبْرٍ مَفْتُوحٍ، وَكُلُّ جُنُودِهِا أقْوِياءُ.

17 T hey shall eat up your harvest, and your bread, which your sons and your daughters should eat. They shall eat up your flocks and your herds. They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees. They shall beat down your fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.

سَيَلتَهِمُونَ حَصادَكَ وَطَعامَكَ، وَسَيَأكُلُونَ بَنِيكَ وَبَناتِكَ وَغَنَمَكَ وَبَقَرَكَ، وَعِنَبَكَ وَتِينَكَ. وَسَيُدَمِّرُونَ مُدُنَكَ الحَصِينَةَ، الَّتِي بِها وَثِقتُمْ فِي الحَربِ.»

18 “ But even in those days,” says Yahweh, “I will not make a full end with you.

يَقُولُ اللهُ: «لَكِنْ حَتَّى فِي تِلكَ الأيّامِ، لَنْ أمحُوَكُمْ تَماماً.

19 I t will happen, when you say, ‘Why has Yahweh our God done all these things to us?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘Just like you have forsaken me, and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

فَإنْ قُلْتُمْ: ‹لِماذا عَمِلَ إلَهُنا هَذا كُلَّهُ بِنا؟› قُلْ لَهُمْ أنتَ يا إرْمِيا: ‹لأنَّكُمْ تَرَكتُمُونِي، وَعَبَدْتُمْ ألِهَةً غَرِيبَةً فِي أرْضِكُمْ، سَتَكُونُونَ عَبِيداً لِغُرَباءَ فِي أرْضٍ لَيسَتْ لَكُمْ.›

20 “ Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,

«أعلِنُوا هَذا وَسطَ بَيتِ يَعقُوبَ، وَأعلِنُوهُ فِي يَهُوذا.

21 ‘ Hear now this, foolish people, and without understanding; who have eyes, and don’t see; who have ears, and don’t hear:

اسْمَعُوا هَذا أيُّها الشَّعبُ الأحْمَقُ الَّذِي لا عَقلَ لَهُ. لَكُمْ عُيُونٌ وَلَكِنَّكُمْ لا تَرَوْنَ، وَلَكُمْ آذانٌ وَلَكِنَّكُمْ لا تَسمَعُونَ.

22 D on’t you fear me?’ says Yahweh ‘Won’t you tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it can’t pass it? and though its waves toss themselves, yet they can’t prevail; though they roar, yet they can’t pass over it.’

يَقُولُ اللهُ: «ألَستُمْ خائِفِينَ مِنِّي؟ ألا تَرتَجِفٌونَ فِي حَضْرَتِي؟ أنا مَنْ أجعَلُ الرِّمالَ حَدّاً لِلمُحِيطِ، حَدّاً أبَدِيّاً لا يَتَعَدّاهُ البَحْرُ. تَتَلاطَمُ الأمواجُ، وَلا تَتَجاوَزُ الرِّمالَ، تُزَمجِرُ أمواجُ البَحرِ، وَلَكِنَّها لا تَتَجاوَزُ حَدَّها.

23 “ But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart; they have revolted and gone.

لِهَذا الشَّعبِ قَلبٌ عَنِيدٌ وَمُتَمَرِّدٌ. ارتَدُّوا عَنِّي وَتَرَكُونِي.

24 N either do they say in their heart, ‘Let us now fear Yahweh our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; who preserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest.’

لا يَقُولُونَ لأنفُسِهِمْ: ‹لِنَخَفْ إلَهَنا ، الَّذِي يُعطِينا مَطَرَ الخَرِيفِ وَمَطَرَ الرَّبِيعِ فِي وَقتِهِما، الَّذِي يَضمَنُ حَصادَنا فِي وَقتِهِ.›

25 “ Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good from you.

آثامُكُمْ مَنَعَتْكُمْ مِنَ هَذا، وَخَطاياكُمْ حَرَمَتكُمْ مِنَ الخَيرِ.

26 F or among my people are found wicked men. They watch, as fowlers lie in wait. They set a trap. They catch men.

لأنَّهُ وُجِدَ أشرارٌ وَسَطَ شَعبِي. يَتَرَصَّدُونَ لِفَرِيسَتِهِمْ بِالخِفْيَةِ، يَضَعُونَ الفِخاخِ، وَيَصطادُونَ النّاسَ.

27 A s a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. Therefore they have become great, and grew rich.

مِثلَ قَفَصٍ مَلِيءٍ بِالطُّيُورِ، هَكَذا بُيُوتُهُمْ مَلِيئَةٌ بِالخِداعِ، لِذَلِكَ هُمْ عُظَماءٌ وَأغنِياءٌ.

28 T hey have grown fat. They shine; yes, they excel in deeds of wickedness. They don’t plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and they don’t judge the right of the needy.

سَمِينُونَ وَناعِمُونَ. لا يَعرِفُونَ حَدّاً لِشُرُورِهِمْ، وَلا يَحكُمُونَ بِالعَدلِ. لا يُنْصِفُونَ اليَتِيمَ، وَلا يُدافِعُونَ عَنْ حُقُوقِ الفُقَراءِ.»

29 “ Shall I not punish for these things?” says Yahweh. “Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

يَقُولُ اللهُ: «ألا أُعاقِبُهُمْ عَلَى هَذِهِ الأُمُورِ؟ ألا أنتَقِمُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ كَهَذِهِ؟

30 “ An astonishing and horrible thing has happened in the land.

أمرٌ رَهِيبٌ وَمُرَوِّعٌ حَدَثَ فِي الأرْضِ:

31 T he prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority; and my people love to have it so. What will you do in the end of it?

الأنبِياءُ تَنَبَّأُوا بِالكَذِبِ، وَالكَهَنَةُ لا يَقُومُونَ بِواجِبِهِمْ. وَشَعبِي يُحِبُّ أنْ تكُونَ الأُمُورُ هَكَذا! فَماذا سَتَعمَلُونَ عِندَما تأتِي النِّهايَةُ؟