1 The word that came to Yirmeyahu from יהוה, saying,
2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Yehuḏah and to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim.
3 “And you shall say to them, ‘Thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, “Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant,
4 which I commanded your fathers in the day when I brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and you shall do according to all that I command you, and you shall be My people, and I be your Elohim,’
5 in order to establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.” ’ ” And I answered and said, “Amĕn, יהוה.”
6 And יהוה said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Yehuḏah and in the streets of Yerushalayim, saying, ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them.
7 ‘For I earnestly warned your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Mitsrayim, until this day, rising early and warning, saying, “Obey My voice.”
8 ‘But they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, and they did not do.’ ”
9 And יהוה said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the men of Yehuḏah and among the inhabitants of Yerushalayim.
10 “They have turned back to the crookednesses of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other mighty ones to serve them. The house of Yisra’ĕl and the house of Yehuḏah have broken My covenant I made with their fathers.”
11 Therefore thus said יהוה, “See, I am bringing evil on them which they are unable to escape. Then they shall cry out to Me, but I shall not listen to them.
12 “And the cities of Yehuḏah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim shall go and cry out to the mighty ones to whom they burn incense, but they shall bring no deliverance to them at all in the time of their evil.
13 “For your mighty ones have become as many as your cities, O Yehuḏah. And you have set up as many altars to shame as there are streets in Yerushalayim – altars to burn incense to Ba‛al.
14 “And you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, for I do not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their evil.
15 “Why should My beloved be in My house – she has done wickedness with many. And does the set-apart flesh remove your evil from you? Then you rejoice?
16 “יהוה has named you, ‘Green Olive Tree, Fair, of Goodly Fruit.’ With the noise of a great sound He has set it on fire, and its branches shall be broken.
17 “And יהוה of hosts, who planted you, has spoken evil against you for the evil of the house of Yisra’ĕl and of the house of Yehuḏah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me, by burning incense to Ba‛al.”
18 And יהוה made it known to me, and I know it. Then You showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle lamb brought to the slaughter. And I did not know that they had plotted against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, and let his name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O יהוה of hosts, who judges righteously, who tries kidneys and heart, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for unto You I have revealed my cause.
21 “Therefore thus said יהוה concerning the men of Anathoth who are seeking your life, saying, ‘Do not prophesy in the Name of יהוה, lest you die by our hand’ –
22 therefore thus said יהוה of hosts, ‘See, I am punishing them, the young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by scarcity of food.
23 ‘And there shall be no remnant of them, for I bring evil on the men of Anathoth – the year of their punishment.’ ”