¹ Και εβασιλευσε Σεδεκιας ο βασιλευς, ο υιος του Ιωσιου, αντι Χονιου υιου του Ιωακειμ, τον οποιον Ναβουχοδονοσορ ο βασιλευς της Βαβυλωνος κατεστησε βασιλεα εν τη γη Ιουδα.

² Και δεν ηκουσεν αυτος και οι δουλοι αυτου και ο λαος του τοπου τους λογους του Κυριου, τους οποιους ελαλησε δια Ιερεμιου του προφητου.

³ Και απεστειλεν ο βασιλευς Σεδεκιας τον Ιεουχαλ υιον του Σελεμιου και τον Σοφονιαν υιον του Μαασιου, τον ιερεα, προς Ιερεμιαν τον προφητην, λεγων, Δεηθητι, παρακαλω, υπερ ημων προς Κυριον τον Θεον ημων.

⁴ Ο δε Ιερεμιας εισηρχετο και εξηρχετο μεταξυ του λαου, και δεν ειχον βαλει αυτον εις φυλακην.

⁵ Και εξηλθε το στρατευμα του Φαραω εκ της Αιγυπτου· και οτε οι Χαλδαιοι οι πολιορκουντες την Ιερουσαλημ ηκουσαν την φημην αυτων, ανεχωρησαν απο Ιερουσαλημ.

⁶ Και εγεινε λογος Κυριου προς Ιερεμιαν τον προφητην, λεγων,

⁷ Ουτω λεγει Κυριος ο Θεος του Ισραηλ· Ουτω θελετε ειπει προς τον βασιλεα του Ιουδα, οστις απεστειλεν υμας προς εμε δια να με ερωτησητε· Ιδου, το στρατευμα του Φαραω το εξελθον εις βοηθειαν υμων θελει επιστρεψει εις την γην αυτου, την Αιγυπτον·

⁸ και οι Χαλδαιοι θελουσιν επαναστρεψει και πολεμησει κατα της πολεως ταυτης και θελουσι κυριευσει αυτην και κατακαυσει αυτην εν πυρι.

⁹ Ουτω λεγει Κυριος· Μη πλανασθε, λεγοντες, οι Χαλδαιοι εξαπαντος θελουσιν απελθει αφ' ημων· επειδη δεν θελουσιν απελθει.

¹⁰ Διοτι και αν παταξητε απαν το στρατευμα των Χαλδαιων, το οποιον σας πολεμει, και εναπολειφθωσι πεπληγωμενοι τινες μεταξυ αυτων, ουτοι θελουσι σηκωθη εκαστος εκ της σκηνης αυτου και κατακαυσει την πολιν ταυτην εν πυρι.

¹¹ Και οτε το στρατευμα των Χαλδαιων απηλθεν απο Ιερουσαλημ δια τον φοβον του στρατευματος του Φαραω,

¹² τοτε εξηλθεν ο Ιερεμιας εξ Ιερουσαλημ, δια να υπαγη εις την γην Βενιαμιν, ωστε να υπεκφυγη εκειθεν μεταξυ του λαου.

¹³ Και οτε αυτος ηλθεν εις την πυλην Βενιαμιν, ο αρχηγος της φρουρας ευρισκετο εκει, του οποιου το ονομα ητο Ιρειας υιος του Σελεμιου, υιου του Ανανιου· και επιασε τον Ιερεμιαν τον προφητην, λεγων, Συ προσφευγεις προς τους Χαλδαιους.

¹⁴ Και ειπεν ο Ιερεμιας, Ψευδος ειναι· εγω δεν προσφευγω προς τους Χαλδαιους. Πλην δεν ηκουσεν αυτον· και επιασεν ο Ιρειας τον Ιερεμιαν και εφερεν αυτον προς τους αρχοντας.

¹⁵ Και ωργισθησαν οι αρχοντες κατα του Ιερεμιου και επαταξαν αυτον και εφυλακισαν αυτον εν τη οικια Ιωναθαν τον γραμματεως, διοτι ταυτην ειχον καμει δεσμωτηριον.

¹⁶ Οτε δε ο Ιερεμιας εισηλθεν εις τον λακκον και εις τας κρυπτας και εκαθησεν ο Ιερεμιας εκει πολλας ημερας,

¹⁷ τοτε απεστειλε Σεδεκιας ο βασιλευς και ελαβεν αυτον, και ηρωτησεν αυτον ο βασιλευς κρυφιως εν τη οικια αυτου και ειπεν, Ειναι λογος παρα Κυριου; Και ο Ιερεμιας ειπεν, ειναι· και ειπεν, εις την χειρα του βασιλεως της Βαβυλωνος θελεις παραδοθη.

¹⁸ Και ειπεν ο Ιερεμιας προς τον βασιλεα Σεδεκιαν, Τι ημαρτησα εις σε η εις τους δουλους σου η εις τον λαον τουτον, και με εβαλετε εις το δεσμωτηριον;

¹⁹ και που ειναι οι προφηται σας οι προφητευσαντες εις εσας, λεγοντες, Ο βασιλευς της Βαβυλωνος δεν θελει ελθει εφ' υμας και επι την γην ταυτην;

²⁰ δια τουτο ακουσον τωρα, παρακαλω, κυριε μου βασιλευ· ας γεινη δεκτη, παρακαλω, η δεησις μου ενωπιον σου· και μη με επαναστρεψης εις την οικιαν Ιωναθαν του γραμματεως, δια να μη αποθανω εκει.

²¹ Τοτε προσεταξεν ο βασιλευς Σεδεκιας και εφυλαττον τον Ιερεμιαν εν τη αυλη της φυλακης, και εδιδον εις αυτον καθ' ημεραν ολιγον αρτον εκ των αρτοπωλειων, εωσου εξελιπεν ολος ο αρτος της πολεως. Και εμεινεν ο Ιερεμιας εν τη αυλη της φυλακης.

¹ "They say, 'If a man puts away his wife, and she goes from him, and become another man's, will he return to her again?' Wouldn't that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the prostitute with many lovers; yet return again to me," says Yahweh.

² "Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been lain with? You have sat for them by the ways, as an Arabian in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and with your wickedness.

³ Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no latter rain; yet you have a prostitute's forehead, you refused to be ashamed.

⁴ Will you not from this time cry to me, 'My Father, you are the guide of my youth?'

⁵ "'Will he retain [his anger] forever? Will he keep it to the end?' Behold, you have spoken and have done evil things, and have had your way."

⁶ Moreover, Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, "Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has played the prostitute.

⁷ I said after she had done all these things, 'She will return to me;' but she didn't return; and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

⁸ I saw, when, for this very cause that backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce, yet treacherous Judah, her sister, didn't fear; but she also went and played the prostitute.

⁹ It happened through the lightness of her prostitution, that the land was polluted, and she committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

¹⁰ Yet for all this her treacherous sister, Judah, has not returned to me with her whole heart, but only in pretense," says Yahweh.

¹¹ Yahweh said to me, "Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.

¹² Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, 'Return, you backsliding Israel,' says Yahweh; 'I will not look in anger on you; for I am merciful,' says Yahweh. 'I will not keep [anger] forever.

¹³ Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against Yahweh your God, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice,' says Yahweh."

¹⁴ "Return, backsliding children," says Yahweh; "for I am a husband to you. I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

¹⁵ I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

¹⁶ It shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days," says Yahweh, "they shall say no more, 'The ark of the covenant of Yahweh!' neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more.

¹⁷ At that time they shall call Jerusalem 'The throne of Yahweh;' and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of Yahweh, to Jerusalem. Neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.

¹⁸ In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I gave for an inheritance to your fathers.

¹⁹ "But I said, 'How I would put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the armies of the nations!' and I said, 'You shall call me "My Father," and shall not turn away from following me.'

²⁰ "Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so you have dealt treacherously with me, house of Israel," says Yahweh.

²¹ A voice is heard on the bare heights, the weeping [and] the petitions of the children of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten Yahweh their God.

²² Return, you backsliding children, I will heal your backsliding. "Behold, we have come to you; for you are Yahweh our God.

²³ Truly in vain is [the help that is looked for] from the hills, the tumult on the mountains. Truly the salvation of Israel is in Yahweh our God.

²⁴ But the shameful thing has devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

²⁵ Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover us; for we have sinned against Yahweh our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day. We have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God."