¹ وسمع شفطيا بن متان وجدليا بن فشحور ويوخل بن شلميا وفشحور بن ملكيا الكلام الذي كان ارميا يكلم به الشعب قائلا

² هكذا قال الرب. الذي يقيم في هذه المدينة يموت بالسيف والجوع والوبإ. واما الذي يخرج الى الكلدانيين فانه يحيا وتكون له نفسه غنيمة فيحيا.

³ هكذا قال الرب. هذه المدينة ستدفع دفعا ليد جيش ملك بابل فياخذها.

⁴ فقال الرؤساء للملك ليقتل هذا الرجل لانه بذلك يضعف ايادي رجال الحرب الباقين في هذه المدينة وايادي كل الشعب اذ يكلمهم بمثل هذا الكلام. لان هذا الرجل لا يطلب السلام لهذا الشعب بل الشر.

⁵ فقال الملك صدقيا ها هو بيدكم لان الملك لا يقدر عليكم في شيء.

⁶ فاخذوا ارميا والقوه في جب ملكيا ابن الملك الذي في دار السجن ودلوا ارميا بحبال. ولم يكن في الجب ماء بل وحل فغاص ارميا في الوحل

⁷ فلما سمع عبد ملك الكوشي رجل خصي وهو في بيت الملك انهم جعلوا ارميا في الجب والملك جالس في باب بنيامين

⁸ خرج عبد ملك من بيت الملك وكلم الملك قائلا.

⁹ يا سيدي الملك قد اساء هؤلاء الرجال في كل ما فعلوا بارميا النبي الذي طرحوه في الجب فانه يموت في مكانه بسبب الجوع لانه ليس بعد خبز في المدينة.

¹⁰ فأمر الملك عبد ملك الكوشي قائلا خذ معك من هنا ثلاثين رجلا واطلع ارميا من الجب قبلما يموت.

¹¹ فاخذ عبد ملك الرجال معه ودخل الى بيت الملك الى اسفل المخزن واخذ من هناك ثيابا رثة وملابس بالية ودلاها الى ارميا الى الجب بحبال.

¹² وقال عبد ملك الكوشي لارميا ضع الثياب الرثة والملابس البالية تحت ابطيك تحت الحبال. ففعل ارميا كذلك.

¹³ فجذبوا ارميا بالحبال واطلعوه من الجب. فاقام ارميا في دار السجن

¹⁴ فارسل الملك صدقيا واخذ ارميا النبي اليه الى المدخل الثالث الذي في بيت الرب وقال الملك لارميا انا اسألك عن أمر. لا تخف عني شيئا.

¹⁵ فقال ارميا لصدقيا اذا اخبرتك أفما تقتلني قتلا. واذا اشرت عليك فلا تسمع لي.

¹⁶ فحلف الملك صدقيا لارميا سرا قائلا حيّ هو الرب الذي صنع لنا هذه النفس اني لا اقتلك ولا ادفعك ليد هؤلاء الرجال الذين يطلبون نفسك.

¹⁷ فقال ارميا لصدقيا هكذا قال الرب اله الجنود اله اسرائيل. ان كنت تخرج خروجا الى رؤساء ملك بابل تحيا نفسك ولا تحرق هذه المدينة بالنار بل تحيا انت وبيتك.

¹⁸ ولكن ان كنت لا تخرج الى رؤساء ملك بابل تدفع هذه المدينة ليد الكلدانيين فيحرقونها بالنار وانت لا تفلت من يدهم.

¹⁹ فقال صدقيا الملك لارميا اني اخاف من اليهود الذين قد سقطوا للكلدانيين لئلا يدفعوني ليدهم فيزدروا بي.

²⁰ فقال ارميا لا يدفعونك. اسمع لصوت الرب في ما اكلمك انا به فيحسن اليك وتحيا نفسك.

²¹ وان كنت تأبى الخروج فهذه هي الكلمة التي اراني الرب اياها.

²² ها كل النساء اللواتي بقين في بيت ملك يهوذا يخرجن الى رؤساء ملك بابل وهنّ يقلن قد خدعك وقدر عليك مسالموك. غاصت في الحمأة رجلاك وارتدتا الى الوراء

²³ ويخرجون كل نسائك وبنيك الى الكلدانيين وانت لا تفلت من يدهم لانك انت تمسك بيد ملك بابل وهذه المدينة تحرق بالنار

²⁴ فقال صدقيا لارميا لا يعلم احد بهذا الكلام فلا تموت.

²⁵ واذا سمع الرؤساء اني كلمتك واتوا اليك وقالوا لك اخبرنا بماذا كلمت الملك لا تخف عنا فلا نقتلك وماذا قال لك الملك.

²⁶ فقل لهم اني القيت تضرعي امام الملك حتى لا يردني الى بيت يوناثان لاموت هناك.

²⁷ فأتى كل الرؤساء الى ارميا وسألوه فاخبرهم حسب كل هذا الكلام الذي اوصاه به الملك فسكتوا عنه لان الأمر لم يسمع.

²⁸ فاقام ارميا في دار السجن الى اليوم الذي أخذت فيه اورشليم. ولما أخذت اورشليم

⁵ هكذا يقول الله الرب خالق السموات وناشرها باسط الارض ونتائجها معطي الشعب عليها نسمة والساكنين فيها روحا.

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

² Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and tell them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shouldn't the shepherds feed the sheep?

³ You eat the fat, and you clothe yourself with the wool, you kill the fatlings; but you don't feed the sheep.

⁴ You haven't strengthened the diseased, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought back that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost; but with force and with rigor you have ruled over them.

⁵ They were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food to all the animals of the field, and were scattered.

⁶ My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill: yes, my sheep were scattered on all the surface of the earth; and there was none who searched or sought.

⁷ Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:

⁸ As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely because my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the animals of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and didn't feed my sheep;

⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:

¹⁰ Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.

¹¹ For thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.

¹² As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

¹³ I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

¹⁴ I will feed them with good pasture; and on the mountains of the height of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie down in a good fold; and on fat pasture shall they feed on the mountains of Israel.

¹⁵ I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁶ I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in justice.

¹⁷ As for you, O my flock, thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the male goats.

¹⁸ Does it seem a small thing to you to have fed on the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture? and to have drunk of the clear waters, but you must foul the residue with your feet?

¹⁹ As for my sheep, they eat that which you have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which you have fouled with your feet.

²⁰ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh to them: Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

²¹ Because you thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the diseased with your horns, until you have scattered them abroad;

²² therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

²³ I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

²⁴ I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, Yahweh, have spoken it.

²⁵ I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil animals to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

²⁶ I will make them and the places around my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in its season; there shall be showers of blessing.

²⁷ The tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land; and they shall know that I am Yahweh, when I have broken the bars of their yoke, and have delivered them out of the hand of those who made slaves of them.

²⁸ They shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the animals of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid.

²⁹ I will raise up to them a plantation for renown, and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more.

³⁰ They shall know that I, Yahweh, their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord Yahweh.

³¹ You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, says the Lord Yahweh.