Open English Translation JER Chapter 16

16 Then Yahweh gave me a message, telling me: 2 Don’t get married and don’t have children in this place 3 because Yahweh says this to the children born in this place and to the parents who brought them into this world:

4 They’ll die from disease and not be mourned or buried—

they’ll be like dung on the ground.

They’ll come to their ends through war and famine,

and their corpses will become food for the birds and the wild animals.

5 Yes, Yahweh says this:

Don’t enter a home where there’s a funeral.

Don’t go to mourn or to show sympathy to them,

because I’ve withdrawn my peace from this people,

as well as my compassion and loyal commitment.

That is Yahweh’s declaration. 6 Both the important people and the ordinary people will die in this land.

They won’t be buried and no one will mourn for them,

or cut themselves or shave off their hair to show grief for them.

7 No one must share any food to comfort those in mourning because of the deaths,

≈ and no one must give a comforting cup to his father or mother.

8 Don’t go to a dining establishment to sit with them to eat and drink

9 because Yisrael’s god, Commander-in-chief Yahweh says this:

Listen, right in front of your eyes, in your lifetime and in this place,

I’m about to make the sounds of happiness and gladness cease—

including the sounds of brides and grooms.[ref]

10 Then when you pass on all these messages to the people, they’ll ask you:

Why has Yahweh decreed all this terrible calamity against us,

≈ and what wickedness or sin have we committed against our god Yahweh?

11 So give them this declaration from Yahweh:

It’s because your ancestors followed after foreign gods and served them and bowed down to them.

They abandoned me and didn’t follow my instructions.

12 Then you yourselves have done even more wickedness than your ancestors,

and everyone of you is walking by the stubbornness of their wicked heart—

not listening to me.

13 So I will throw you all out of this land,

to a land that neither you or your ancestors have been to.

14 Now listen, Yahweh declares:

Because of that the days are coming when they’ll no longer say,

‘As Yahweh, the one who brought the Israelis out of Egypt, lives.’

15 Instead they’ll say:

‘As Yahweh lives, the one who brought the Israelis back from the land of the north

and from the lands where he had driven them,’

because I’ll bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestors.

16 Listen, Yahweh declares:

I’ll send for many fishermen to fish the people out.

After that, I’ll send for many hunters

to hunt them from under every mountain and hill, and from the crevices in the rocks

17 because I’m watching everything they do

and their wicked behaviour can’t be hidden from me.

18 Firstly, I’ll pay back double for their disobedience and wickness,

because of their polluting my land with their detestable carvings,

and because they filled my inheritance with their disgusting idols.”

19 Yahweh, you’re my stronghold and my refuge—

≈ my place of safety in any distressing time.

The nations will go to you from the ends of the earth and say,

“Surely our ancestors inherited lies—

Those idols are a waste of time and there’s no profit in them.

20 Can people make their own gods?

Well, they’re not gods at all!

21 So listen, I’m about to demonstrate that at this time—

I’ll reveal my power and activity to them

and then they’ll know that my name is Yahweh.