17 ing to thy not knowing me? saith the Lord. Behold thine eyes are not good, neither is thy heart; but they are bent upon thine inordinate desires and on the shedding of innocent blood, and on injustice, and on murder; that thou mayst perpetrate these things.

18

Therefore thus saith the Lord respecting Joakim son of Josias, king of Juda, even concerning this man, they shall not utter for him the lamentation "Alas Brother," nor shall they 19 bewail him saying, "Alas lord." He shall be buried with the bu

rial of an ass-being blotted out he shall be cast forth without 20 the gates of Jerusalem. Ascend Libanus and scream: ascend

Basan, and shout. Shout till thy voice reach the sea coast; for 21 all thy lovers are destroyed. I spake to thee respecting thy

fall; but thou saidst, "I will not listen." This hath been thy 22 way from thy youth, thou hast not hearkened to my voice. All thy shepherds shall be fed with wind; and all thy lovers shall go into captivity; that thou mayst then be ashamed and con23 founded on the account of them who love thee. O inhabitant

of Lebanon, who hast thy nest in the cedars, thou shalt groan bitterly when pangs come upon thee like those of a woman in 24 travail: as I live saith the Lord though Jechonias may be

made a son of Joakim, a king of Juda, a signet on my right 25 hand I will drag thee out thence and deliver thee into the

hands of them who seek thy life-of them whose countenance 26 thou dreadest-into the hands of the Chaldeans. And I will

cast out thee and the mother who brought thee forth, into a 27 land where thou wast not born, and there thou shalt die. Into 28 the land which their souls long for they shall not return. Jecho

nias is dishonoured like a vessel which is useless, because he 29 is hurled away and cast into a land which he knew not. O 30 earth, earth, hear a word of the Lord! record the chieftain himself as a man of low rank, exiled by the voice of a herald; for no increase from his seed shall sit on the throne of David, nor any more be chief in Juda.

XXII.

XI. HA! the shepherds are destroying and scatter. ing the sheep of their pasture. Therefore thus saith the Lord 2 to the shepherds of my people, You have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not watched them; behold I 3 will punish you according to your malignant doings. And I

will gather the remains of my people in every land whither I have driven them and bring them back to their own pasture 4 and they shall increase and multiply. And I will raise up shepherds for them who will feed them. And they shall no more be terrified nor affrighted, saith the Lord.

5 Behold the days are coming, saith the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous shoot, who shall reign king and 6 understand and execute judgment and justice on the earth. In his days Juda shall be saved and Israel shall dwell securely. And the name which the Lord will give him by the prophets shall be Josedek [Lord of righteousness.]

9

(p) My heart within me was broken. All my bones quivered. I was like a man sore bruised and like a man staggering with wine, at the presence of the Lord, and at the comeli10 ness of his glory; because on account of them the land mourned and the pastures of the wilderness were parched up-because their course was bad and suitably thereto their strength.

11 (J) Because priest and prophet are polluted, and in my 12 house I have seen their wickedness; let their way therefore be slippery and dark, that they may stumble and fall therein. For I will bring evils upon them in the year of their visitation. 13 Among the prophets of Samaria I saw indeed unlawful do

ings-they prophesied in the name of Baal and led my people 14 Israel astray: but among the prophets of Jerusalem I saw horrible things—some committing adultery, and some walking in lies, and some strengthening the hands of the multitude, that none might turn from his evil way. To me they are all become like Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof like Gomorra: 15 therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold I will feed them with wormwood, and give them the water of gall to drink. Because from the prophets of Jerusalem pollution has gone forth 16 through all the land, thus saith the Lord Almighty, Hearken not to the words of these prophets; for they contrive for themselves a foolish vision: they speak from their own hearts and 17 not from the mouth of the Lord. They say to them who rejeet the word of the Lord, "You shall have peace." Even to all who are walking by their own desires, and to every one walking in the error of his own heart they say, "Evils shall not 18 come upon thee. For which of them hath stood in the council

of the Lord and seen? who hath hearkened and heard his 19 voice?" Behold a tempest from the Lord and wrath like a hur

ricane is issuing forth: it will come like a whirlwind upon the 20 wicked; and from the purpose of his. heart the wrath of the Lord will not turn away; until it hath executed it; and until he hath established it. In the last of these days they shall perceive 21 this. I did not send these prophets, but they ran of themselves; 22 I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. Now had they 1. stood in the firm belief of me and heard my word, they might 23 have turned my people from their wicked pursuits. I am God 24 when near, saith the Lord; and am I not God when far off? Can any one hide himself in secret places; and I not see him? 25 Do I not fill the heaven and the earth? saith the Lord. I have heard what these prophets speak-what they prophesy in my 26 name, saying falsely, "I have dreamed a dream." How long

shall it be in the heart of these prophets, who prophesy lies, 27 that by prophesying the desires of their own hearts-they may count upon causing my name to be forgotten, by their dreams which they tell, every one to his neighbour; as their fathers 28 forgot my name by using Baal? Let the prophet, who hath a dream, tell his dream: and let him, to whom my word cometh, declare it with truth. Why is the chaff added to the wheat? Is 29 not this the case with my words? saith the Lord. Behold are

not my words like fire? saith the Lord; and like a sledge which 30 breaketh a rock? Therefore behold I am against those pro

phets, saith the Lord, who steal my words every one from his 31 neighbour. Behold I am against those prophets, who belch forth prophesies of the tongue and drowse their doży drows 32 ings: therefore behold I am against those prophets who prophesy false dreams. Have they not told them and led my people astray by their lies and their errors? As for me, I neither sent them nor commanded them; therefore they cannot in any wise 33 benefit this people. Now if this people or a priest or a prophet

should ask, "What is the burden of the Lord?" Thou shalt say to them, "You are that burden and I will cast you off, saith 34 the Lord." As for the prophet and the priests and the people

who say, "The burden of the Lord;" I will punish that man $5 and his house. Thus you shall say every one to his neighbour

and every one to his brother, "What hath the Lord answered,”

36 and, "What hath the Lord spoken." So mention no more the burden of the Lord: since every man's word shall be his bur37 den. "But why hath the Lord our God spoken?" For this 38 cause, saith the Lord our God, because you have used this ex

pression, "The Burden of the Lord," though I sent to you say. 39 ing, You shall not say, "The Burden of the Lord." There

fore behold I will take and dash down you and this city which 40 I gave to you and your fathers; and I will bring upon you everlasting reproach, and everlasting dishonour which shall not be forgotten.

XXVI. XII. In the beginning of the reign of Joakim son of Josias, this word came from the Lord.

2

Thus saith the Lord, Stand in the court of the house of the Lord and thou shalt solemnly pronounce to all the Jews and to all who come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words which I have commanded thee to prophesy to them; 3 keep not back a word. Perhaps they may hearken and turn every one from his evil way, that I may refrain from all the evils which I am resolving to do to them, because of their 4 wicked pursuits. And thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord, Unless you hearken to me so as to walk by the ordinances 5 which I have set before you; and hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send to you, whom I, rising early, have sent to you, though you have not hearkened to them; 6 I will make this house like Selo; and this city I will make a curse for all the nations of the whole earth.

7 So the priests and the false prophets and all the people heard Jeremias pronouncing these words in the house of the 8 Lord. And when Jeremias had done speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to deliver to all the people; the priests and the false prophets and all the people seized him, 9 saying, Thou shalt be put to death, because thou hast prophesied in the name of the Lord saying, "This house shall be like Selo, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitants." And all the people were assembled against Jeremias in the 10 house of the Lord. When the chiefs of Juda heard the affair, they went up from the king's house to the house of the Lord 11 and sat down in the vestibule of the new gate. And the priests and the false prophets addressed the chiefs, and said to all the

people, Let sentence of death pass on this man, because he hath prophesied against this city as you have heard with your 12 ears. Whereupon Jeremias addressing the chiefs, spoke to all the people saying, The Lord hath sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city, all the words which 13 you have heard. Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and hearken to the voice of the Lord; and the Lord will refrain from all the evils which he hath denounced against 14 you. As for me, behold I am in your hands. Do with me as 15 seemeth good and best to you. But be assured that if you put me to death, you bring innocent blood on yourselves and upon this city and upon the inhabitants thereof. For in truth, the Lord hath sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.

- 16

Then the chiefs and all the people said to the priests and the false prophets, This man is not liable to death, for he hath 17 spoken to us in the name of the Lord. And there stood up some principal men of the elders of the land, and said to all 18 the assembly of the people, Michaias the Morasthite lived in the days of Ezekias king of Juda, and he said to all the people of Juda, "Thus said the Lord, Sion shall be ploughed like a field; and Jerusalem shall be a desolation; and the moun19 tain of this house, a grove of a forest :" but did Ezekias and

all Juda put him to death? No. Because they feared the Lord; and because they intreated the favour of the Lord: therefore the Lord refrained from the evils which he had denounced against them. Now as for us, we have committed great evils against our souls. 20 Now there was a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, namely Ourias son of Samaias of Kariathiarim; and he prophesied against this land according to all the words of 21 Jeremias. And when king Joakim and all the chiefs heard

all his words, and sought to kill him and Ourias heard it, he 22 fled to Egypt. And the king sent men to Egypt, who fetched 23, him out thence and brought him to the king; and he slew

him with the sword and threw him into the common grave 24 yard. But the hand of Achikam son of Saphan was with Jeremias that they should not deliver him up into the hands of the people, nor kill him.