Yermeyah (Jeremiah) 6:1–8 — Yerushalem’s last warning

OET-RV by section YIR 6:1

This OET Readers’ Version was designed to be used with the Literal Version alongside, so you won’t get the best understanding from this single viewpoint. This is still an early look into the drafted text of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check the text in advance before using in public.

6:1 Yerushalem’s last warning

Southern kingdom

6 Get out of Yerushalem (Jerusalem) and get yourselves to safety, you people of Benyamin,

and blow a trumpet in Tekoa.

≈ Send up a signal from Beyt -Hakerem

because disaster and terrible destruction looms from the north.

2 Although it’s beautiful and delicate,

I will destroy Tsiyon’s (Zion’s) daughter.

3 Shepherds and their flocks will go and pitch their tents all around it.[fn]

Each one will graze their own area.

4 Prepare for battle.

Take action and let’s attack at midday.

It won’t be good for us if the day is ending

because the evening shadows get longer.

5 Take action and attack at night

and destroy its palaces.

6 Commander-in-chief Yahweh says:

Cut down trees for timber

and mound up a ramp against Yerushalem (Jerusalem).

→ That city must be punished as it’s full of oppression.

7 Just as a well keeps its water fresh,

≈ so too she keeps her evil fresh.

Violence and oppression can be heard there.

≈ I always see sickness and deadly diseases.

8 Take note of my warning Yerushalem

in case I turn away from you—

in case I make you desolate—

a land that’s not inhabited.

6:3 Many English translations interpret these ‘shepherds’ with their ‘flocks’ to be leaders of foreign nations with their armies implementing the destruction mentioned in the previous verse, i.e., the ones battling in the next verse. However, we’ve chosen to interpret the flocks grazing the city surrounds as the follow-on after the destruction, before the next verse goes back in time to give more details of how the destruction will occur.