“ While the people of Judah are watching, take some large rocks and bury them under the pavement stones at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace here in Tahpanhes.

“你在犹大人眼前要用手拿几块大石头，藏在砌砖的灰泥中，就是在答比匿法老的宫门那里，

“你要在犹大人眼前用手拿几块大石头，藏在答比匿法老的宫门砌砖的石墩上，

“你要在犹大人眼前用手拿几块大石头，藏在答比匿法老的宫门砌砖的石墩上，

“你当着犹大人的面搬几块大石头，埋在答比匿的法老宫门前的砖路下面，

“你要在犹大人眼前亲手拿几块大石头，埋藏在答比匿法老宫殿门前砖窑的灰泥中；

「你在猶大人眼前要用手拿幾塊大石頭，藏在砌磚的灰泥中，就是在答比匿法老的宮門那裏，

「你要在猶大人眼前用手拿幾塊大石頭，藏在答比匿法老的宮門砌磚的石墩上，

「你要在猶大人眼前用手拿幾塊大石頭，藏在答比匿法老的宮門砌磚的石墩上，

「你當著猶大人的面搬幾塊大石頭，埋在答比匿的法老宮門前的磚路下面，

“你要在猶大人眼前親手拿幾塊大石頭，埋藏在答比匿法老宮殿門前磚窰的灰泥中；

『你要當着猶大人眼前親手拿着幾塊大石頭，去埋藏在長方廣場的灰泥中，在答比匿法老宮殿的門口那裏，

手取巨石、藏於答比匿法老宮門前鋪磚地之泥中、使猶大人目睹、

在答比匿邑、法老宮前、有陶瓦之所、爾以大石藏之於土、使猶大人目睹、

爾取大石、藏於灰泥中、於磚窰間、於磚窰間或作於鋪磚處在答比匿法老之宮門前、使猶大人目睹、

“ While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes.

“ Make sure the Jews are watching you. Then get some large stones. Go to the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes. Bury the stones in the clay under the brick walkway there.

“ Take in your hands large stones and hide them in the mortar in the pavement that is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah,

“ Pick up some large stones and set them in the mortar of the brick pavement that is at the opening of Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes. Do this in the sight of the Judean men

“ Take some large stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar in the brick terrace which is at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some of the Jews;

“ Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes;

Take great stones in thy hand, and hide them in mortar in the brickwork, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;

“ Pick up some large stones and set them in the mortar of the brick pavement that is at the opening of Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes. Do this in the sight of the Judean men

Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which[ is] at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;

“ Take some large stones and bury them in the mortar of the clay pavement at the entrance of Pharaoh’s residence here in Tahpanhes. Do it while the people of Judah present there are watching.

“ Take great stones in your hand, and hide them in mortar in the brick work, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;

“ Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.”So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.Then the Lord gave me this message:“ O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed,but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned.And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom,but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.“ Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them,‘ This is what the Lord says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’”But the people replied,“ Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.”

This is what the Lord said to me:“ Go and buy a clay jar. Then ask some of the leaders of the people and of the priests to follow you.Go out through the Gate of Broken Pots to the garbage dump in the valley of Ben Hinnom, and give them this message.Say to them,‘ Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will bring a terrible disaster on this place, and the ears of those who hear about it will ring!“‘ For Israel has forsaken me and turned this valley into a place of wickedness. The people burn incense to foreign gods— idols never before acknowledged by this generation, by their ancestors, or by the kings of Judah. And they have filled this place with the blood of innocent children.They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!So beware, for the time is coming, says the Lord, when this garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.“‘ For I will upset the careful plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will allow the people to be slaughtered by invading armies, and I will leave their dead bodies as food for the vultures and wild animals.I will reduce Jerusalem to ruins, making it a monument to their stupidity. All who pass by will be astonished and will gasp at the destruction they see there.I will see to it that your enemies lay siege to the city until all the food is gone. Then those trapped inside will eat their own sons and daughters and friends. They will be driven to utter despair.’“ As these men watch you, Jeremiah, smash the jar you brought.Then say to them,‘ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Judah and Jerusalem beyond all hope of repair. They will bury the bodies here in Topheth, the garbage dump, until there is no more room for them.This is what I will do to this place and its people, says the Lord. I will cause this city to become defiled like Topheth.Yes, all the houses in Jerusalem, including the palace of Judah’s kings, will become like Topheth— all the houses where you burned incense on the rooftops to your star gods, and where liquid offerings were poured out to your idols.’”Then Jeremiah returned from Topheth, the garbage dump where he had delivered this message, and he stopped in front of the Temple of the Lord. He said to the people there,“ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:‘ I will bring disaster upon this city and its surrounding towns as I promised, because you have stubbornly refused to listen to me.’”

This is what the Lord said to me:“ Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it.”So I bought the loincloth as the Lord directed me, and I put it on.Then the Lord gave me another message:“ Take the linen loincloth you are wearing, and go to the Euphrates River. Hide it there in a hole in the rocks.”So I went and hid it by the Euphrates as the Lord had instructed me.A long time afterward the Lord said to me,“ Go back to the Euphrates and get the loincloth I told you to hide there.”So I went to the Euphrates and dug it out of the hole where I had hidden it. But now it was rotting and falling apart. The loincloth was good for nothing.Then I received this message from the Lord:“ This is what the Lord says: This shows how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem.These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this loincloth— good for nothing!As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory— an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.

I sent my prophets to warn you with many visions and parables.”

One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him along the way. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone in a field,and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.Then he said to Jeroboam,“ Take ten of these pieces, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:‘ I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give ten of the tribes to you!

Get ready for the siege! Store up water! Strengthen the defenses! Go into the pits to trample clay, and pack it into molds, making bricks to repair the walls.

In the year when King Sargon of Assyria sent his commander in chief to capture the Philistine city of Ashdod,the Lord told Isaiah son of Amoz,“ Take off the burlap you have been wearing, and remove your sandals.” Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot.Then the Lord said,“ My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign— a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia.For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks bared, to the shame of Egypt.

“ And now, son of man, take a large clay brick and set it down in front of you. Then draw a map of the city of Jerusalem on it.Show the city under siege. Build a wall around it so no one can escape. Set up the enemy camp, and surround the city with siege ramps and battering rams.Then take an iron griddle and place it between you and the city. Turn toward the city and demonstrate how harsh the siege will be against Jerusalem. This will be a warning to the people of Israel.“ Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side.I am requiring you to bear Israel’s sins for 390 days— one day for each year of their sin.After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days— one day for each year of Judah’s sin.“ Meanwhile, keep staring at the siege of Jerusalem. Lie there with your arm bared and prophesy her destruction.I will tie you up with ropes so you won’t be able to turn from side to side until the days of your siege have been completed.“ Now go and get some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and emmer wheat, and mix them together in a storage jar. Use them to make bread for yourself during the 390 days you will be lying on your side.Ration this out to yourself, eight ounces of food for each day, and eat it at set times.Then measure out a jar of water for each day, and drink it at set times.Prepare and eat this food as you would barley cakes. While all the people are watching, bake it over a fire using dried human dung as fuel and then eat the bread.”Then the Lord said,“ This is how Israel will eat defiled bread in the Gentile lands to which I will banish them!”Then I said,“ O Sovereign Lord, must I be defiled by using human dung? For I have never been defiled before. From the time I was a child until now I have never eaten any animal that died of sickness or was killed by other animals. I have never eaten any meat forbidden by the law.”“ All right,” the Lord said.“ You may bake your bread with cow dung instead of human dung.”Then he told me,“ Son of man, I will make food very scarce in Jerusalem. It will be weighed out with great care and eaten fearfully. The water will be rationed out drop by drop, and the people will drink it with dismay.Lacking food and water, people will look at one another in terror, and they will waste away under their punishment.“ Son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a razor to shave your head and beard. Use a scale to weigh the hair into three equal parts.Place a third of it at the center of your map of Jerusalem. After acting out the siege, burn it there. Scatter another third across your map and chop it with a sword. Scatter the last third to the wind, for I will scatter my people with the sword.Keep just a bit of the hair and tie it up in your robe.Then take some of these hairs out and throw them into the fire, burning them up. A fire will then spread from this remnant and destroy all of Israel.“ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This is an illustration of what will happen to Jerusalem. I placed her at the center of the nations,but she has rebelled against my regulations and decrees and has been even more wicked than the surrounding nations. She has refused to obey the regulations and decrees I gave her to follow.“ Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You people have behaved worse than your neighbors and have refused to obey my decrees and regulations. You have not even lived up to the standards of the nations around you.Therefore, I myself, the Sovereign Lord, am now your enemy. I will punish you publicly while all the nations watch.Because of your detestable idols, I will punish you like I have never punished anyone before or ever will again.Parents will eat their own children, and children will eat their parents. I will punish you and scatter to the winds the few who survive.“ As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I will cut you off completely. I will show you no pity at all because you have defiled my Temple with your vile images and detestable sins.A third of your people will die in the city from disease and famine. A third of them will be slaughtered by the enemy outside the city walls. And I will scatter a third to the winds, chasing them with my sword.Then at last my anger will be spent, and I will be satisfied. And when my fury against them has subsided, all Israel will know that I, the Lord, have spoken to them in my jealous anger.“ So I will turn you into a ruin, a mockery in the eyes of the surrounding nations and to all who pass by.You will become an object of mockery and taunting and horror. You will be a warning to all the nations around you. They will see what happens when the Lord punishes a nation in anger and rebukes it, says the Lord.“ I will shower you with the deadly arrows of famine to destroy you. The famine will become more and more severe until every crumb of food is gone.And along with the famine, wild animals will attack you and rob you of your children. Disease and war will stalk your land, and I will bring the sword of the enemy against you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

When you have finished reading the scroll, tie it to a stone and throw it into the Euphrates River.Then say,‘ In this same way Babylon and her people will sink, never again to rise, because of the disasters I will bring upon her.’” This is the end of Jeremiah’s messages.

Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted,“ Just like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with violence and will never be found again.

They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.

He also made slaves of the people of Rabbah and forced them to labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and to work in the brick kilns. That is how he dealt with the people of all the Ammonite towns. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

“ So now, son of man, pretend you are being sent into exile. Pack the few items an exile could carry, and leave your home to go somewhere else. Do this right in front of the people so they can see you. For perhaps they will pay attention to this, even though they are such rebels.Bring your baggage outside during the day so they can watch you. Then in the evening, as they are watching, leave your house as captives do when they begin a long march to distant lands.Dig a hole through the wall while they are watching and go out through it.As they watch, lift your pack to your shoulders and walk away into the night. Cover your face so you cannot see the land you are leaving. For I have made you a sign for the people of Israel.”So I did as I was told. In broad daylight I brought my pack outside, filled with the things I might carry into exile. Then in the evening while the people looked on, I dug through the wall with my hands and went out into the night with my pack on my shoulder.The next morning this message came to me from the Lord:“ Son of man, these rebels, the people of Israel, have asked you what all this means.Say to them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: These actions contain a message for King Zedekiah in Jerusalem and for all the people of Israel.’Explain that your actions are a sign to show what will soon happen to them, for they will be driven into exile as captives.“ Even Zedekiah will leave Jerusalem at night through a hole in the wall, taking only what he can carry with him. He will cover his face, and his eyes will not see the land he is leaving.Then I will throw my net over him and capture him in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Babylonians, though he will never see it, and he will die there.I will scatter his servants and warriors to the four winds and send the sword after them.And when I scatter them among the nations, they will know that I am the Lord.But I will spare a few of them from death by war, famine, or disease, so they can confess all their detestable sins to their captors. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said,“ The Holy Spirit declares,‘ So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’”