The Terrible Drought
1 The Lord said to me concerning the drought,
2 “Judah is in mourning;
its cities are dying,
its people lie on the ground in sorrow,
and Jerusalem cries out for help.
3 The rich people send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns,
but find no water;
they come back with their jars empty.
Discouraged and confused,
they hide their faces.
4 Because there is no rain
and the ground is dried up,
the farmers are sick at heart;
they hide their faces.
5 In the field the mother deer
abandons her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.
6 The wild donkeys stand on the hilltops
and pant for breath like jackals;
their eyesight fails them
because they have no food.
7 My people cry out to me,
‘Even though our sins accuse us,
help us, Lord, as you have promised.
We have turned away from you many times;
we have sinned against you.
8 You are Israel's only hope;
you are the one who saves us from disaster.
Why are you like a stranger in our land,
like a traveler who stays for only one night?
9 Why are you like someone taken by surprise,
like a soldier powerless to help?
Surely, Lord, you are with us!
We are your people;
do not abandon us.’”
10 The Lord says about these people, “They love to run away from me, and they will not control themselves. So I am not pleased with them. I will remember the wrongs they have done and punish them because of their sins.”
11 The Lord said to me, “Do not ask me to help these people. 12 Even if they fast, I will not listen to their cry for help; and even if they offer me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not be pleased with them. Instead, I will kill them in war and by starvation and disease.”
13 Then I said, “Sovereign Lord, you know that the prophets are telling the people that there will be no war or starvation, because you have promised, they say, that there will be only peace in our land.”
14 But the Lord replied, “The prophets are telling lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I give them any orders or speak one word to them. The visions they talk about have not come from me; their predictions are worthless things that they have imagined. 15 I, the Lord, tell you what I am going to do to those prophets whom I did not send but who speak in my name and say war and starvation will not strike this land—I will kill them in war and by starvation. 16 The people to whom they have said these things will be killed in the same way. Their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, and there will be no one to bury them. This will happen to all of them—including their wives, their sons, and their daughters. I will make them pay for their wickedness.”
17 The Lord commanded me to tell the people about my sorrow and to say:
“May my eyes flow with tears day and night,
may I never stop weeping,
for my people are deeply wounded
and are badly hurt.
18 When I go out in the fields,
I see the bodies of men killed in war;
when I go into the towns,
I see people starving to death.
Prophets and priests carry on their work,
but they don't know what they are doing.”
The People Plead with the Lord
19 Lord, have you completely rejected Judah?
Do you hate the people of Zion?
Why have you hurt us so badly
that we cannot be healed?
We looked for peace, but nothing good happened;
we hoped for healing, but terror came instead.
20 We have sinned against you, Lord;
we confess our own sins
and the sins of our ancestors.
21 Remember your promises and do not despise us;
do not bring disgrace on Jerusalem,
the place of your glorious throne.
Do not break the covenant you made with us.
22 None of the idols of the nations can send rain;
the sky by itself cannot make showers fall.
We have put our hope in you, O Lord our God,
because you are the one who does these things.
Lielais sausums
1 Šie ir vārdi, ko Kungs Jeremijam teica par sausumu:
2 “Jūda sēro,
vārti izkaltuši melnē uz zemes,
un Jeruzālemē paceļas klaigas.
3 Tās dižciltīgie sūta kalpus,
tie iet pie akām,
tie ūdeni neatrod,
tie atgriežas tukšiem traukiem –
apkaunoti un apsmieti
tie apklāj sev galvas.
4 Sajukums pa visu zemi,
jo zemē nav lietus,
zemnieki apkaunoti
apklāj sev galvas.
5 Pat briežumāte
uz lauka dzemdē un pamet,
jo zāles nav.
6 Mežēzeļi stāv uz kailajiem pakalniem
un kā šakāļi ošņā gaisu –
acis tiem nīkst,
jo nav ne zaļuma.”
7 Kaut mūsu vainas mūs apsūdz,
Kungs, dari jel ko sava vārda dēļ,
jo liela ir mūsu atkrišana,
pret tevi mēs grēkojuši!
8 Israēla cerība un glābēj!
Kādēļ tev nelaimes brīdī būt
kā svešiniekam šajā zemē
un kā ceļiniekam, kas iegriežas pārnakšņot?
9 Kādēļ tev būt kā paklupušam vīram,
kā spēkavīram, kas palīdzēt nevar?
Kungs, tu esi pie mums,
mēs tavā vārdā saukti!
Nepamet mūs!
10 Tā saka Kungs par šo tautu: “Tie klaiņoja un nepratās pievaldīt savas kājas, un Kungs tos vairs negrib, tagad viņš atcerēsies to vainas un piemeklēs viņu grēkus!”
11 Un Kungs man teica: “Nelūdz šai tautai labumu! 12 Kaut tie gavētu, es viņu klaigas nedzirdēšu, kaut tie sadedzināmos upurus upurētu un labības dāvanas nestu, es tos negribu, un es tos iznīdēšu ar zobenu, badu un mēri!”
Viltus pravieši
13 Un es teicu: “Ak, Kungs Dievs! Redzi, pravieši tiem saka: zobenu jūs neredzēsiet, un bada jums nebūs, un patiesu mieru es jums došu šai vietā.”
14 Kungs man teica: “Pravieši manā vārdā pravieto melus, es tos nesūtīju, un es tiem runāt nepavēlēju. Tie pravieto jums viltus redzējumus, pareģojumus, niekus un savas sirds viltu!”
15 Tādēļ tā saka Kungs par praviešiem, kuri pravieto viņa vārdā: “Es tos nesūtīju, un pravieši, kuri saka: šajā zemē nebūs bada un zobena, – paši ņems galu no bada un no zobena! 16 Un tā tauta, kurai tie pravieto, tiks iztriekta Jeruzālemes ielās zobena priekšā, un nebūs, kas tos aprok – viņus, viņu sievas, viņu dēlus un meitas! Es izliešu pār tiem viņu ļaunumu!
17 Saki tiem šos vārdus:
manas acis asarām pierit
nakti un dienu un nerimst,
jo posts ir liels,
satriekta jaunava, mana tautmeita,
ar nedziedējamu brūci!
18 Kad es izgāju uz lauka,
redzi, zobena caururbtie,
kad es iegāju pilsētā,
redzi, badacietēji,
pravieši un priesteri
spiesti vilkties uz zemi,
ko nepazīst.”
Tautas lūgšana pēc žēlastības
19 Vai tu mestin pameti Jūdu,
vai Ciāna tavai dvēselei noriebusies?
Kādēļ tu satrieci mūs
un mums nav dziedēšanas?
Mēs ilgojāmies pēc miera,
bet laba nav,
un pēc dziedēšanas laika,
bet, redzi, šaušalas!
20 Mēs zinām, Kungs,
savu ļaunumu un mūsu tēvu vainas,
jo pret tevi mēs grēkojuši!
21 Neatmet mūs sava vārda dēļ,
neapzaimo savu goda krēslu,
atceries, nelauz ar mums derību!
22 Vai starp tautu elkiem
ir tādi, kas dod lietu,
un vai debesis dos lietavas?
Vai ne tu esi mūsu Kungs Dievs?
Mēs ceram uz tevi,
jo tu esi, kas visu to dod!
