1
Thus says the
LORD,
"Go and
buy a
potter's earthenware jar, and take
some of the
elders of the
people and
some of the
senior priests.
recw{y qUB.q;b 'tyin'q.w .$w{l'h h'wh.y r;m'a h{K ? ~yin]h{K;h yen.qiZim.W ~'['h yen.qiZim.W f,r'x
2
"Then
go out to the
valley of
Ben-hinnom *,
which is by the
entrance of the
potsherd gate, and
proclaim there the
words that I
tell you,
r;[;v x;t,P r,v]a ~{Nih -n,b ayeG -l,a 'ta'c'y.w ? reB;d]a -r,v]a ~yir'b.D;h -t,a ~'V 'ta'r'q.w t.Ws'r]x;h ? '$y,lea
3
and
say,
'Hear the
word of the
LORD, O
kings of
Judah and
inhabitants of
Jerusalem:
thus says the
LORD of
hosts, the
God of
Israel,
"Behold I am about to
bring a
calamity upon
this place, at
which the
ears of
everyone that
hears of it will
tingle.
h'd.Wh.y yek.l;m h'wh.y -r;b.d .W[.miv 'T.r;m'a.w ? tw{a'b.c h'wh.y r;m'a -h{K ~i'l'v.Wr.y yeb.v{y.w ? ~w{q'M;h -l;[ h'['r ayibem yin.nih lea'r.fIy yeh{l/a ? wy'n.z'a h'n.l;CiT H'[.m{v -l'K r,v]a h,Z;h
4
"Because * they have
forsaken Me and have
made this an
alien place and have
burned sacrifices in it to
other gods, that
neither they
nor their
forefathers nor the
kings of
Judah had ever
known, and because they have
filled this place with the
blood of the
innocent
~w{q'M;h -t,a .Wr.K;n.y;w yinUb'z][ r,v]a !;[;y ? r,v]a ~yirex]a ~yih{lael w{b -.Wr.J;q.y;w h,Z;h ? h'd.Wh.y yek.l;m.W ~,hyetw{b]a;w h'Meh ~.W['d.y -a{l ? ~iYiq.n ~;D h,Z;h ~w{q'M;h -t,a .Wa.l'm.W
5
and have
built the
high places of
Baal to
burn their
sons in the
fire as
burnt offerings to
Baal, a thing
which I
never commanded or
spoke of,
nor did it ever
enter My
mind;
~,hyen.B -t,a @{r.fil l;[;B;h tw{m'B -t,a .Wn'b.W ? a{l.w yityi.Wic -a{l r,v]a l;['B;l tw{l{[ vea'B ? yiBil -l;[ h't.l'[ a{l.w yiT.r;Bid
6
therefore,
behold,
days are
coming,"
declares the
LORD, "when
this place will
no longer be
called Topheth or the
valley of
Ben-hinnom *, but
rather * the
valley of
Slaughter.
aer'QIy -a{l.w h'wh.y -mUa.n ~yia'B ~yim'y -heNih !ek'l ? ~{Nih -n,b ayeg.w t,p{T;h dw{[ h,Z;h ~w{q'M;l ? h'ger]h;h ayeG -mia yiK
7
"I will
make void the
counsel of
Judah and
Jerusalem in
this place, and I will cause them to
fall by the
sword before their
enemies and by the
hand of those who
seek their
life; and I will
give over their
carcasses as
food for the
birds of the
sky and the
beasts of the
earth.
~w{q'M;B ~i;l'v.Wryiw h'd.Wh.y t;c][ -t,a yit{Q;b.W ? d;y.b.W ~,hyeb.y{a yen.pil b,r,x;B ~yiT.l;Pih.w h,Z;h ? l'k]a;m.l ~'t'l.bin -t,a yiT;t'n.w ~'v.p;n yev.q;b.m ? #,r'a'h t;m/h,b.l.W ~Iy;m'V;h @w{[.l
8
"I will also
make this city a
desolation and an object of
hissing;
everyone who
passes by it will be
astonished and
hiss because of
all its
disasters.
h'qer.vil.w h'M;v.l ta{Z;h ryi['h -t,a yiT.m;f.w ? 'h,t{K;m -l'K -l;[ q{r.vIy.w ~{VIy 'hy,l'[ reb{[ l{K
9
"I will make them
eat the
flesh of their
sons and the
flesh of their
daughters, and they will
eat one another's flesh in the
siege and in the
distress with
which their
enemies and those who
seek their
life will
distress them."'
r;f.B tea.w ~,hyen.B r;f.B -t,a ~yiT.l;k]a;h.w ? rw{c'm.B .Wleka{y .Whe[er -r;f.B vyia.w ~,hyet{n.B ? yev.q;b.m.W ~,hyeb.y{a ~,h'l .Wqyic'y r,v]a qw{c'm.b.W ? ~'v.p;n
10
"Then you are to
break the
jar in the
sight of the
men who
accompany * you
~yik.l{h;h ~yiv'n]a'h yenye[.l qUB.q;B;h 'T.r;b'v.w ? .$'tw{a
11
and
say to them,
'Thus says the
LORD of
hosts,
"Just so will I
break this people and
this city,
even as one
breaks a
potter's vessel,
which cannot * again be
repaired; and they will
bury in
Topheth because there is
no other
place for
burial.
tw{a'b.c h'wh.y r;m'a -h{K ~,hyel]a 'T.r;m'a.w ? ryi['h -t,a.w h,Z;h ~'['h -t,a r{B.v,a h'k'K ? r,v]a recw{Y;h yil.K -t,a r{B.vIy r,v]a;K ta{Z;h ? .Wr.B.qIy t,p{t.b.W dw{[ hep'reh.l l;k.Wy -a{l ? rw{B.qil ~w{q'm !yeaem
12
"This is
how I will
treat this place and its
inhabitants,"
declares the
LORD, "so as to
make this city like
Topheth.
wy'b.vw{y.l.W h'wh.y -mUa.n h,Z;h ~w{q'M;l h,f/[,a -neK ? t,p{t.K ta{Z;h ryi['h -t,a tet'l.w
13
"The
houses of
Jerusalem and the
houses of the
kings of
Judah will be
defiled like the
place Topheth, because of
all the
houses on
whose rooftops they
burned sacrifices to
all the
heavenly host and
poured out
drink offerings to
other gods.""'
h'd.Wh.y yek.l;m yeT'b.W ~i;l'v.Wr.y yeT'B .Wy'h.w ? r,v]a ~yiT'B;h l{k.l ~yiaem.J;h t,p{T;h ~w{q.miK ? .$eS;h.w ~Iy;m'V;h a'b.c l{k.l ~,hyet{G;G -l;[ .Wr.Jiq ? ~yirex]a ~yih{lael ~yik's.n
14
Then
Jeremiah came from
Topheth,
where * the
LORD had
sent him to
prophesy; and he
stood in the
court of the
LORD'S house and
said to
all the
people:
h'wh.y w{x'l.v r,v]a t,p{T;hem .Wh'y.m.rIy a{b'Y;w ? r,ma{Y;w h'wh.y -tyeB r;c]x;B d{m][;Y;w aeb'Nih.l ~'v ? ~'['h -l'K -l,a
15
"Thus says the
LORD of
hosts, the
God of
Israel,
'Behold, I am about to
bring on
this city and
all its
towns the
entire calamity that I have
declared against it,
because they have
stiffened their
necks so as not to
heed My
words.' "
yin.nih lea'r.fIy yeh{l/a tw{a'b.c h'wh.y r;m'a -h{K ? 'hy,r'[ -l'K -l;[.w ta{Z;h ryi['h -l,a yibem ? .Wv.qih yiK 'hy,l'[ yiT.r;BiD r,v]a h'['r'h -l'K tea ? y'r'b.D -t,a ;[w{m.v yiT.lib.l ~'P.r'[ -t,a