Bilingual reading

The LORD said, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak this word there:

‘Hear the LORD’s word, king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne—you, your servants, and your people who enter in by these gates.

The LORD says: “Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong. Do no violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t shed innocent blood in this place.

For if you do this thing indeed, then kings sitting on David’s throne will enter in by the gates of this house, riding in chariots and on horses—they, their servants, and their people.

But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself,” says the LORD, “that this house will become a desolation.”’”

For the LORD says concerning the house of the king of Judah: “You are Gilead to me, the head of Lebanon. Yet surely I will make you a wilderness, cities which are not inhabited.

I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons, and they will cut down your choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.

“Many nations will pass by this city, and they will each ask his neighbor, ‘Why has the LORD done this to this great city?’

Then they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD their God, worshiped other gods, and served them.’”

Don’t weep for the dead. Don’t bemoan him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he will return no more, and not see his native country.

For the LORD says touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went out of this place: “He won’t return there any more.

But he will die in the place where they have led him captive. He will see this land no more.”

“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and doesn’t give him his hire;

who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house and spacious rooms,’ and cuts out windows for himself, with a cedar ceiling, and painted with red.

“Should you reign because you strive to excel in cedar? Didn’t your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.

He judged the cause of the poor and needy; so then it was well. Wasn’t this to know me?” says the LORD.

But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness, for shedding innocent blood, for oppression, and for doing violence.”

Therefore the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: “They won’t lament for him, saying, ‘Ah my brother!’ or, ‘Ah sister!’ They won’t lament for him, saying ‘Ah lord!’ or, ‘Ah his glory!’

He will be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”

“Go up to Lebanon, and cry out. Lift up your voice in Bashan, and cry from Abarim; for all your lovers have been destroyed.

I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your way from your youth, that you didn’t obey my voice.

The wind will feed all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity. Surely then you will be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness.

Inhabitant of Lebanon, who makes your nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied you will be when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail!

“As I live,” says the LORD, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on my right hand, I would still pluck you from there.

I would give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of them of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

I will cast you out with your mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born; and there you will die.

But to the land to which their soul longs to return, there they will not return.”

Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? Is he a vessel in which no one delights? Why are they cast out, he and his offspring, and cast into a land which they don’t know?

O earth, earth, earth, hear the LORD’s word!

The LORD says, “Record this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his days; for no more will a man of his offspring prosper, sitting on David’s throne and ruling in Judah.”

هٰكذا قالَ الرَّبّ: إِنزِلْ إِلى بَيتِ مَلِكِ يَهوذا، وتَكَلَّمْ هُناكَ بِهٰذا الكَلام

وقُلْ: إِسمَعْ كَلِمَةَ الرَّبّ، يا مَلِكَ يَهوذا، الجالِسَ على عَرشِ داود، أَنتَ وعَبيدُكَ وشَعبُكَ الدَّاخِلونَ مِن هٰذه الأَبْواب

هٰكذا قالَ الرَّبّ: أَجْروا الحُكمَ والبِرَّ وأَنقِذوا المَسْلوبَ مِن يَدِ الظَّالِم، ولا تَتَحاملوا على النَّزيلِ واليَتيمِ والأَرمَلَة، ولا تُعَنِّفوهم، ولا تَسفِكوا الدَّمَ الزَّكِيَّ في هٰذا المَكان

فإِنَّكم، إِن عَمِلتُم بِهٰذا الكَلام، فمُلوكٌ جالِسونَ على عَرشِ داوُد، راكِبونَ على مَركَباتٍ وخَيل، يَدخُلونَ مِن أَبْوابِ هٰذا البَيت، هم وعَبيدُهم وشَعبُهم

وإِن لم تَسمَعوا هٰذا الكَلام، فبِنَفْسي أَقسَمتُ، يَقولُ الرَّبّ، إِنَّ هٰذا البَيتَ يَكونُ خَرابًا

فإِنَّه هٰكذا قالَ الرَّبُّ على بَيتِ مَلِكِ يَهوذا: أَنتَ لي جِلْعادُ ورَأسُ لُبْنان لَأَجعَلَنَّكَ قَفرًا ومُدُنًا لا ساكِنَ فيها

وأُخَصِّصُ علَيكَ مُهلِكين كُلُّ واحِدٍ مع مَعَدَّاتِه فيَقطَعونَ نُخبَةَ أَرزِكَ ويُلْقونَها في النَّار

فتَمُرُّ أُمَمٌ كَثيرةٌ بِهٰذه المَدينة، فيَقولُ كُلٌّ لِصاحِبِه: «لِماذا صَنَعَ الرَّبُّ هٰكذا بِهٰذه المَدينَةِ العَظيمة؟»

فيَقولون: «لِأَنَّهم تَرَكوا عَهدَ الرَّبِّ إِلٰهِهم وسَجَدوا لِآلِهَةٍ أُخْرى وعَبَدوها»

لا تَبْكوا على المَيتِ ولا تَرْثوه بلِ ٱبْكوا بُكاءً على الذَّاهِبِ الَّذي لا يَرجِعُ مِن بَعدُ ولا يَرى مَسقَطَ رَأسِه

لِأَنَّه هٰكذا تَكَلَّمَ الرَّبُّ على شَلُّومَ بنِ يوشِيَّا، مَلِكِ يَهوذا، الَّذي مَلَكَ مَكانَ يوشِيَّا أَبيه وخَرَجَ مِن هٰذا المَكان: إِنَّه لا يَرجِعُ إِلى هٰهُنا مِن بَعدُ

بل في المَكانِ الَّذي جُلِيَ إِلَيه هُناكَ يَموت، ولا يَعودُ يَرى هٰذه الأَرض

وَيلٌ لِمَن يَبْني بَيتَه بِغَيرِ بِرّ وعُلِّيَّاتِه بِغَيرِ حَقّ ويَستَخدِمُ قَريبَه بِلا أُجرَة ولا يُعْطيه ثَمَنَ عَمَلِه

ويَقول: «أَبْني لي بَيتًا واسِعًا وعُلِّيَّاتٍ فَسيحة» ففَتَحَ لِنَفْسِه النَّوافِذَ وسَقَّفَه بالأَرزِ ودَهَنَه بِالأَحمَر

أَيَكونُ مُلكُكَ بأَن تُفاخِرَ بِالأَرْز؟ أَما أَكَلَ أَبوكَ وشَرِب وأَجْرى الحَقَّ والبِرّ وحينَئِذٍ طابَ لَه كُلُّ شَيء

لقَد أَجْرى الحُكمَ لِلْبائِسِ والمِسْكين وحينَئِذٍ كانَ كُلُّ شَيءٍ حَسَنًا أَلَيسَت هٰذه هي المَعرِفَةُ لي؟ يَقولُ الرَّبّ

أَمَّا أَنتَ فإِنَّما عَيناكَ وقَلبُك على المَكاسِبِ وسَفكِ الدَّمِ البَريء والظُّلمِ والعُنْفِ لِٱرتِكابِها

لِذٰلك هٰكذا قالَ الرَّبُّ لِيوياقيمَ بنِ يوشِيَّا، مَلِكِ يَهوذا: لا يَندُبونَه قائلين: «آهًا يا أَخي أو آهًا يا أُخْتي!» ولا يَندُبونَه قائلين: «آهًا واسَيِّداه أَو آهًا وا جَليلاه!»

بل يُطمَرُ طَمرَ الحِمار مَجْرورًا مَطْروحًا بَعيدًا عن أَبْوابِ أُورَشَليم

إِصعَدي إِلى لُبْنانَ وٱصرُخي وفي باشانَ ٱرفَعي صَوتَكِ وٱصرُخي مِنَ العَباريم فإِنَّ جَميعَ مُحِبِّيكِ تَحَطَّموا

كَلَّمتُكِ في طُمَأنينَتِكِ فقُلتِ: «لا أَسمَع» هٰذا طَريقُكِ مُنذُ صِباكِ إِنَّكِ لم تَسمَعي لِصَوتي

ستَرْعى الرِّيحُ جَميعَ رُعاتِكِ ويَمْضي مُحِبُّوكِ إِلى الجَلاء فتَخزَينَ حينَئِذٍ وتَخجَلين بِسَبَبِ كُلِّ شَرِّكِ

يا ساكِنَةَ لُبْنان المُتَّخِذَةَ في الأَرزِ عُشَّها ما أَشَدَّ ما يَكونُ ٱنتِحابُكِ حينَ يَأخُذُكِ المَخاضُ والوَجَعُ كالَّتي تَلِد!

حَيٌّ أَنا، يَقولُ الرَّبّ، لو كانَ كُنْيا بنُ يوياقيم، مَلِكِ يَهوذا، خاتَمًا في يَدِيَ اليُمْنى، لنَزَعتُهُ مِنها

سأُسلِمُكَ إِلى أَيدي طالِبي نَفسِكَ وأَيدي الَّذينَ تَفزَعُ مِن وُجوهِهم، وإِلى يَدِ نَبوكدنَصَّر، مَلِكِ بابِل، وأَيدي الكَلْدانِيِّين

وأُقذِفُكَ أَنتَ وأُمَّكَ الَّتي وَلَدَتكَ إِلى أَرضٍ أُخْرى حَيثُ لم تولَدا، وهُناكَ تموتان

والأَرضُ الَّتي تَطمَحُ أَنفُسُهما إِلى الرُّجوعِ إِلَيها لا يَرجِعان إِلَيها

أَوِعاءُ خَزَفٍ مُزْدرًى مَكْسور هٰذا الرَّجُلُ كُنْيا أَم إِناءٌ غَيرُ مَرْغوبٍ فيه؟ ما بالُه قُذِفَ هو وذُرِّيَّتُه وأُلْقوا إِلى أَرضٍ لم يَعْرِفوها؟

يَا أَرْضُ، يَا أَرْضُ، يَا أَرْضُ اسْمَعِي كَلِمَةَ الرَّبِّ!

هٰكذا قالَ الرَّبّ: سَجِّلوا هٰذا الإِنْسان: «عَقيمًا رَجُلًا لم يَنجَحْ في أَيَّامِه» فلَن يَنجَحَ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِه أَحَد في الجُلوسِ على عَرشِ داوُد والتَّسَلُّطِ في يَهوذا مِن بَعدُ