Jeremija pats kā līdzība un pravietojums
1 Tad pār mani nāca Kunga vārds: 2 “Neņem sev sievu, un lai tev šajā vietā nav ne dēlu, ne meitu, 3 jo tā saka Kungs par dēliem un meitām, kas šai vietā ir dzimuši, un par viņu mātēm, kas tos dzemdējušas, un par viņu tēviem, kas tos šajā vietā dzemdinājuši: 4 no nāvīgām sērgām tie mirs, tos nedz apraks, nedz apglabās, tie būs kā mēsli uz zemes virsas, ar badu un zobenu tos piebeigs, un viņu līķi būs par rijamo debesu putniem un zemes zvēriem!”
5 Jo tā saka Kungs: “Neej klaigātāju namā un neej raudāt un ciest tiem līdzi, jo es šai tautai atņēmu savu mieru, saka Kungs, žēlastību un apžēlošanu! 6 Šajā zemē nomirs gan lieli, gan mazi, tos ne apraks, ne apraudās, to dēļ sevi negraizīs un matus nost nedzīs! 7 Maizi kopā ar sērotāju neviens nelauzīs, lai viņu mierinātu mirušā dēļ, mierinājuma kausu tam nedos dzert viņa tēva un mātes dēļ! 8 Un dzīru namā tu neej, lai sēdētu kopā ar viņiem – ēstu un dzertu!” 9 Jo tā saka Pulku Kungs, Israēla Dievs: “Redzi, šajā vietā vēl jūsu dienās un jūsu acu priekšā es apklusināšu līksmes un prieka balsi, līgavaiņa balsi un līgavas balsi!
10 Un, kad tu pastāstīsi šai tautai šo visu, viņi tev sacīs: kādēļ Kungs vērsās pret mums ar šo lielo ļaunumu? Kāda ir mūsu vaina, un kur mūsu grēks? Ar ko mēs esam grēkojuši pret Kungu, mūsu Dievu? – 11 Tad saki viņiem: tādēļ, ka jūsu tēvi mani atmeta, saka Kungs, sekoja citiem dieviem un tiem vergoja un klanījās, bet mani atmeta un manu bauslību neturēja! 12 Jo jūs darāt vairāk ļauna nekā jūsu tēvi, un, redzi, jūs katrs staigājat pēc savas ļaunās sirds stūrgalvības, mani neklausīdami, 13 tādēļ es aiztriekšu jūs no šīs zemes uz zemi, ko nepazīstat nedz jūs, nedz jūsu tēvi, un tur jūs vergosiet citiem dieviem dienu un nakti, un es jums žēluma neparādīšu!
Dievs atjaunos Israēlu
(Jer 23:7–8)14 Tādēļ, redzi, nāk dienas, saka Kungs, kad vairs neteiks: dzīvs Kungs, kas izveda Israēla dēlus no Ēģiptes zemes! 15 Bet teiks: dzīvs Kungs, kas izveda Israēla dēlus no ziemeļu zemes un no visām zemēm, kur bija tos aiztriecis! Un es savedīšu tos atpakaļ viņu zemē, ko es devu to tēviem!
16 Redzi, es sūtu daudzus zvejniekus, saka Kungs, un tie nozvejos viņus. Pēc tam es sūtīšu daudzus medniekus, un tie medīs viņus no katra kalna, no katra paugura un klinšu plaisas! 17 Jo manas acis redz viņu ceļus, tie man nav apslēpti! Manām acīm nav apslēptas viņu vainas! 18 Vispirms es tiem divkārt atdarīšu viņu vainas un grēkus, jo manu zemi tie aptraipīja ar savu riebekļu līķiem un ar savām preteklībām piepildīja manu īpašumu!”
19 Kungs, mans stiprums, mans spēks,
mans patvērums ļaunā dienā,
pie tevis nāk tautas no zemes galiem un saka:
“Tiešām, melus mantoja mūsu tēvi,
tukšību, kas neko nedod!
20 Vai cilvēks var taisīt sev dievus?
Un tie pat nav dievi!”
21 “Redzi, tādēļ es lieku tiem zināt,
šoreiz es likšu tiem zināt,
kas ir mans spēks un varenība,
un tie zinās, ka
mans vārds ir Kungs!”
The Lord's Will for Jeremiah's Life
1 Again the Lord spoke to me and said, 2 “Do not marry or have children in a place like this. 3 I will tell you what is going to happen to the children who are born here and to their parents. 4 They will die of terrible diseases, and no one will mourn for them or bury them. Their bodies will lie like piles of manure on the ground. They will be killed in war or die of starvation, and their bodies will be food for the birds and the wild animals.
5 “You must not enter a house where there is mourning. Do not grieve for anyone. I will no longer bless my people with peace or show them love and mercy. 6 The rich and the poor will die in this land, but no one will bury them or mourn for them. Not one of you will gash yourself or shave your head to show your grief. 7 No one will eat or drink with anyone to offer comfort when a loved one dies. No one will show sympathy, not even for someone who has lost a father or mother.
8 “Do not enter a house where people are feasting. Do not sit down with them to eat and drink. 9 Listen to what I, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, have to say. I will silence the sounds of joy and gladness and the happy sounds of wedding feasts. The people here will live to see this happen.
10 “When you tell them all this, they will ask you why I have decided to punish them so harshly. They will ask what crime they are guilty of and what sin they have committed against the Lord their God. 11 Then tell them that the Lord has said, ‘Your ancestors turned away from me and worshiped and served other gods. They abandoned me and did not obey my teachings. 12 But you have done even worse than your ancestors. All of you are stubborn and evil, and you do not obey me. 13 So then, I will throw you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your ancestors have ever known. And there you will serve other gods day and night, and I will show you no mercy.’”
The Return from Exile
14 The Lord says, “The time is coming when people will no longer swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 15 Instead, they will swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of a northern land and out of all the other countries where I had scattered them. I will bring them back to their own country, to the land that I gave their ancestors. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Coming Punishment
16 The Lord says, “I am sending for many fishermen to come and catch these people. Then I will send for many hunters to hunt them down on every mountain and hill and in the caves among the rocks. 17 I see everything they do. Nothing is hidden from me; their sins do not escape my sight. 18 I will make them pay double for their sin and wickedness, because they have defiled my land with idols that are as lifeless as corpses, and have filled it with their false gods.”
Jeremiah's Prayer of Confidence in the Lord
19 Lord, you are the one who protects me and gives me strength; you help me in times of trouble. Nations will come to you from the ends of the earth and say, “Our ancestors had nothing but false gods, nothing but useless idols. 20 Can people make their own gods? No, if they did, those would not really be gods.”
21 “So then,” says the Lord, “once and for all I will make the nations know my power and my might; they will know that I am the Lord.”
