Yeremia 1:1-19
Konteks1:1 The following is a record of what Jeremiah son of Hilkiah prophesied. 1 He was one of the priests who lived at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. 1:2 The Lord 2 began to speak to him 3 in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon ruled over Judah. 1:3 The Lord also spoke to him when Jehoiakim son of Josiah ruled over Judah, and he continued to speak to him until the fifth month of the eleventh year 4 that Zedekiah son of Josiah ruled over Judah. That was when the people of Jerusalem 5 were taken into exile. 6
1:4 The Lord said to me,
1:5 “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb 7 I chose you. 8
Before you were born I set you apart.
I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”
1:6 I answered, “Oh, Lord God, 9 I really 10 do not know how to speak well enough for that, 11 for I am too young.” 12 1:7 The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ But go 13 to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 1:8 Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, 14 for I will be with you to protect 15 you,” says the Lord. 1:9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me. 16 1:10 Know for certain that 17 I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be 18 uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.” 19
1:11 Later the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” 1:12 Then the Lord said, “You have observed correctly. This means 20 I am watching to make sure my threats are carried out.” 21
1:13 The Lord again asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a pot of boiling water; it is tipped toward us from the north.” 22 1:14 Then the Lord said, “This means 23 destruction will break out from the north on all who live in the land. 1:15 For I will soon summon all the peoples of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord. “They will come and their kings will set up their thrones 24 near the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. 25 They will attack all the walls surrounding it, and all the towns in Judah. 26 1:16 In this way 27 I will pass sentence 28 on the people of Jerusalem and Judah 29 because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.” 30
1:17 “But you, Jeremiah, 31 get yourself ready! 32 Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them. 33 1:18 I, the Lord, 34 hereby promise to make you 35 as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in 36 the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land. 1:19 They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,” says the Lord.
Hakim-hakim 1:1-36
Konteks1:1 After Joshua died, the Israelites asked 37 the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?” 38 1:2 The Lord said, “The men of Judah should take the lead. 39 Be sure of this! I am handing the land over to them.” 40 1:3 The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon, 41 “Invade our allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites. 42 Then we 43 will go with you into your allotted land.” So the men of Simeon went with them.
1:4 The men of Judah attacked, 44 and the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek. 1:5 They met 45 Adoni-Bezek at Bezek and fought him. They defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. 1:6 When Adoni-Bezek ran away, they chased him and captured him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes. 1:7 Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up 46 food scraps 47 under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.” 48 They brought him to Jerusalem, 49 where he died. 1:8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They put the sword to it and set the city on fire.
1:9 Later the men of Judah went down to attack the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev, and the lowlands. 50 1:10 The men of Judah attacked the Canaanites living in Hebron. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba.) They killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 1:11 From there they attacked the people of Debir. 51 (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) 1:12 Caleb said, “To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Acsah as a wife.” 1:13 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, 52 captured it, Caleb 53 gave him his daughter Acsah as a wife.
1:14 One time Acsah 54 came and charmed her father 55 so she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What would you like?” 1:15 She answered, “Please give me a special present. 56 Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs. 57
1:16 Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the City of Date Palm Trees to Arad in the desert of Judah, 58 located in the Negev. 59 They went and lived with the people of Judah. 60
1:17 The men of Judah went with their brothers the men of Simeon 61 and defeated the Canaanites living in Zephath. They wiped out Zephath. 62 So people now call the city Hormah. 63 1:18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the territory surrounding each of these cities. 64
1:19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They conquered 65 the hill country, but they could not 66 conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels. 67 1:20 Caleb received 68 Hebron, just as Moses had promised. He drove out the three Anakites. 1:21 The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. 69 The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day. 70
1:22 When the men 71 of Joseph attacked 72 Bethel, 73 the Lord was with them. 1:23 When the men of Joseph spied out Bethel (it used to be called Luz), 1:24 the spies spotted 74 a man leaving the city. They said to him, “If you show us a secret entrance into the city, we will reward you.” 1:25 He showed them a secret entrance into the city, and they put the city to the sword. But they let the man and his extended family leave safely. 1:26 He 75 moved to Hittite country and built a city. He named it Luz, and it has kept that name to this very day.
1:27 The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shan, Taanach, or their surrounding towns. Nor did they conquer the people living in Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo 76 or their surrounding towns. 77 The Canaanites managed 78 to remain in those areas. 79 1:28 Whenever Israel was strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them.
1:29 The men of Ephraim did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.
1:30 The men of Zebulun did not conquer the people living in Kitron and Nahalol. 80 The Canaanites lived among them and were forced to do hard labor.
1:31 The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco or Sidon, 81 nor did they conquer Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. 82 1:32 The people of Asher live among the Canaanites residing in the land because they did not conquer them.
1:33 The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. 83 They live among the Canaanites residing in the land. The Canaanites 84 living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to do hard labor for them.
1:34 The Amorites forced the people of Dan to live in the hill country. They did not allow them to live in 85 the coastal plain. 1:35 The Amorites managed 86 to remain in Har Heres, 87 Aijalon, and Shaalbim. Whenever the tribe of Joseph was strong militarily, 88 the Amorites were forced to do hard labor. 1:36 The border of Amorite territory ran from the Scorpion Ascent 89 to Sela and on up. 90
[1:1] 1 tn Or “This is a record of what Jeremiah prophesied and did”; Heb “The words [or affairs] of Jeremiah.” The phrase could refer to either the messages of Jeremiah recorded in the book or to both his messages and the biographical (and autobiographical) narratives recorded about him in the book. Since the phrase is intended to serve as the title or superscription for the whole book and recurs again in 51:64 at the end of the book before the final appendix, it might refer to the latter. The expression “The words of [someone]” is a standard introductory formula (Deut 29:1[28:69]; 2 Sam 23:1; Amos 1:1; Eccl 1:1; Neh 1:1).
[1:2] 2 sn The translation reflects the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the word for “Lord” for the proper name for Israel’s God which is now generally agreed to have been Yahweh. Jewish scribes wrote the consonants
[1:2] 3 tn Heb “to whom the word of the
[1:3] 4 sn This would have been August, 586
[1:3] 5 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:3] 6 tn Heb “and it [the word of the
[1:5] 7 tn Heb “the womb.” The words “your mother’s” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[1:5] 8 tn Heb “I knew you.” The parallelism here with “set you apart” and “appointed you” make clear that Jeremiah is speaking of his foreordination to be a prophet. For this same nuance of the Hebrew verb see Gen 18:19; Amos 3:2.
[1:6] sn The translation follows the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the Hebrew word for “God” for the proper name Yahweh in this compound name. See the study note on v. 2 for the substitution of “Lord” in a similar kind of situation.
[1:6] 10 tn Heb “Behold, I do not know how to speak.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, commonly rendered “behold”) often introduces a speech and calls special attention to a specific word or the statement as a whole (see IBHS 675-78 §40.2.1).
[1:6] 11 tn The words “well enough for that” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity. Jeremiah is not claiming an absolute inability to speak.
[1:6] 12 tn Heb “I am a boy/youth.” The Hebrew word can refer to an infant (Exod 2:6), a young boy (1 Sam 2:11), a teenager (Gen 21:12), or a young man (2 Sam 18:5). The translation is deliberately ambiguous since it is unclear how old Jeremiah was when he was called to begin prophesying.
[1:7] 13 tn Or “For you must go and say.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is likely adversative here after a negative statement (cf. BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.e). The
[1:8] 14 tn Heb “be afraid of them.” The antecedent is the “whomever” in v. 7.
[1:9] 16 tn Heb “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.” This is an example of the Hebrew “scheduling” perfect or the “prophetic” perfect where a future event is viewed as so certain it is spoken of as past. The Hebrew particle rendered here “assuredly” (Heb הִנֵּה, hinneh) underlines the certitude of the promise for the future. See the translator’s note on v. 6.
[1:9] sn The passage is reminiscent of Deut 18:18 which refers to the
[1:10] 17 tn Heb “See!” The Hebrew imperative of the verb used here (רָאָה, ra’ah) functions the same as the particle in v. 9. See the translator’s note there.
[1:10] 18 tn Heb “I appoint you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot….” The phrase refers to the
[1:10] 19 sn These three pairs represent the twofold nature of Jeremiah’s prophecies, prophecies of judgment and restoration. For the further programmatic use of these pairs for Jeremiah’s ministry see 18:7-10 and 31:27-28.
[1:12] 20 tn This represents the Hebrew particle (כִּי, ki) that is normally rendered “for” or “because.” The particle here is meant to give the significance of the vision, not the rationale for the statement “you have observed correctly.”
[1:12] 21 tn Heb “watching over my word to do it.”
[1:12] sn There is a play on the Hebrew word for “almond tree” (שָׁקֵד, shaqed), which blossoms in January/February and is the harbinger of spring, and the Hebrew word for “watching” (שֹׁקֵד, shoqed), which refers to someone watching over someone or something in preparation for action. The play on words announces the certainty and imminence of the
[1:13] 22 tn Heb “a blown upon [= heated; boiling] pot and its face from the face of the north [= it is facing away from the north].”
[1:14] 23 tn There is nothing in the Hebrew text for these words but it is implicit in the connection. Once again the significance of the vision is spelled out. Compare the translator’s note on v. 12.
[1:15] 24 tn Heb “they will each set up.” The pronoun “they” refers back to the “kingdoms” in the preceding sentence. However, kingdoms do not sit on thrones; their kings do. This is an example of a figure of speech called metonymy where the kingdom is put for its king. For a similar use see 2 Chr 12:8.
[1:15] 25 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:15] 26 tn Or “They will come and set up their thrones in the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. They will destroy all the walls surrounding it and also destroy all the towns in Judah.” The text of v. 15b reads in Hebrew, “they will each set up his throne [near? in?] the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem and against all its walls…and against all the towns….” Commentators are divided over whether the passage refers to the kings setting up their thrones after victory in preparation for passing judgment on their defeated enemies in the city or whether it refers to setting up siege against it. There is no Hebrew preposition before the word for “the entrance” so that it could be “in” (which would imply victory) or “at/near” (which would imply siege), and the same verb + object (i.e., “they will set up their thrones”) governs all the locative statements. It is most often taken to refer to the aftermath of victory because of the supposed parallel in Jer 43:8-13 and the supposed fulfillment in Jer 39:3. Though this may fit well with the first part of the compound expression, it does not fit well with the latter part which is most naturally taken to refer to hostile attacks against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah. The translation given in the text is intended to reflect the idea of an army setting up for siege. The alternate translation is intended to reflect the other view.
[1:16] 27 tn The Hebrew particle (the vav [ו] consecutive), which is often rendered in some English versions as “and” and in others is simply left untranslated, is rendered here epexegetically, reflecting a summary statement.
[1:16] 28 sn The Hebrew idiom (literally “I will speak my judgments against”) is found three other times in Jeremiah (4:12; 39:5; 52:9), where it is followed by the carrying out of the sentence. Here the carrying out of the sentence precedes in v. 15.
[1:16] 29 tn Heb “on them.” The antecedent goes back to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah (i.e., the people in them) in v. 15.
[1:17] 31 tn The name “Jeremiah” is not in the text. The use of the personal pronoun followed by the proper name is an attempt to reflect the correlative emphasis between Jeremiah’s responsibility noted here and the
[1:17] 32 tn Heb “gird up your loins.” For the literal use of this idiom to refer to preparation for action see 2 Kgs 4:29; 9:1. For the idiomatic use to refer to spiritual and emotional preparation as here, see Job 38:3, 40:7, and 1 Pet 1:13 in the NT.
[1:17] 33 tn Heb “I will make you terrified in front of them.” There is a play on words here involving two different forms of the same Hebrew verb and two different but related prepositional phrases, “from before/of,” a preposition introducing the object of a verb of fearing, and “before, in front of,” a preposition introducing a spatial location.
[1:18] 34 tn See the note on “Jeremiah” at the beginning of v. 17.
[1:18] 35 tn Heb “today I have made you.” The Hebrew verb form here emphasizes the certainty of a yet future act; the
[1:18] 36 tn Heb “I make you a fortified city…against all the land….” The words “as strong as” and “so you will be able to stand against all the people of…” are given to clarify the meaning of the metaphor.
[1:1] 37 tn The Hebrew verb translated “asked” (שָׁאַל, sha’al) refers here to consulting the
[1:1] 38 tn Heb “Who should first go up for us against the Canaanites to attack them?”
[1:2] 39 tn Heb “Judah should go up.”
[1:2] 40 tn The Hebrew exclamation הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally, “Behold”), translated “Be sure of this,” draws attention to the following statement. The verb form in the following statement (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the
[1:3] 41 tn Heb “Judah said to Simeon, his brother.”
[1:3] 42 tn Heb “Come up with me into our allotted land and let us attack the Canaanites.”
[1:3] 43 tn Heb “I.” The Hebrew pronoun is singular, agreeing with the collective singular “Judah” earlier in the verse. English style requires a plural pronoun here, however.
[1:4] 44 tn Heb “Judah went up.”
[1:7] 46 tn Elsewhere this verb usually carries the sense of “to gather; to pick up; to glean,” but “lick up” seems best here in light of the peculiar circumstances described by Adoni-Bezek.
[1:7] 47 tn The words “food scraps” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[1:7] 48 tn Heb “Just as I did, so God has repaid me.” Note that the phrase “to them” has been supplied in the translation to clarify what is meant.
[1:7] 49 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:9] 50 tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”
[1:11] 51 tn Heb “they went from there against the inhabitants of Debir.” The LXX reads the verb as “they went up,” which suggests that the Hebrew text translated by the LXX read וַיַּעַל (vayya’al) rather than the MT’s וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh). It is possible that this is the text to be preferred in v. 11. Cf. Josh 15:15.
[1:13] 52 tn “Caleb’s younger brother” may refer to Othniel or to Kenaz (in which case Othniel was Caleb’s nephew; so CEV).
[1:13] 53 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Caleb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:14] 54 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Acsah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:14] 55 tn Heb “him.” The pronoun could refer to Othniel, in which case one would translate, “she incited him [Othniel] to ask her father for a field.” This is problematic, however, for Acsah, not Othniel, makes the request in v. 15. The LXX has “he [Othniel] urged her to ask her father for a field.” This appears to be an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency and probably does not reflect the original text. If Caleb is understood as the referent of the pronoun, the problem disappears. For a fuller discussion of the issue, see P. G. Mosca, “Who Seduced Whom? A Note on Joshua 15:18 // Judges 1:14,” CBQ 46 (1984): 18-22. The translation takes Caleb to be the referent, specified as “her father.”
[1:15] 56 tn Elsewhere the Hebrew word בְרָכָה (vÿrakhah) is often translated “blessing,” but here it refers to a gift (as in Gen 33:11; 1 Sam 25:27; 30:26; and 2 Kgs 5:15).
[1:15] 57 tn Some translations regard the expressions “springs of water” (גֻּלֹּת מָיִם, gullot mayim) and “springs” (גֻּלֹּת) as place names here (cf. NRSV).
[1:16] 58 tc Part of the Greek
[1:16] 59 tn Heb “[to] the Desert of Judah in the Negev, Arad.”
[1:16] 60 tn The phrase “of Judah” is supplied here in the translation. Some ancient textual witnesses read, “They went and lived with the Amalekites.” This reading, however, is probably influenced by 1 Sam 15:6 (see also Num 24:20-21).
[1:17] 61 tn Heb “Judah went with Simeon, his brother.”
[1:17] 62 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the city of Zephath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:17] 63 sn The name Hormah (חָרְמָה, khormah) sounds like the Hebrew verb translated “wipe out” (חָרַם, kharam).
[1:18] 64 tn Heb “The men of Judah captured Gaza and its surrounding territory, Ashkelon and its surrounding territory, and Ekron and its surrounding territory.”
[1:19] 65 tn Or “seized possession of”; or “occupied.”
[1:19] 66 tc Several textual witnesses support the inclusion of this verb.
[1:19] 67 tn Regarding the translation “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,” see Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, 255, and the article by R. Drews, “The ‘Chariots of Iron’ of Joshua and Judges,” JSOT 45 (1989): 15-23.
[1:20] 68 tn Heb “they gave to Caleb.”
[1:21] 69 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:21] 70 sn The statement to this very day reflects the perspective of the author, who must have written prior to David’s conquest of the Jebusites (see 2 Sam 5:6-7).
[1:22] 71 tn Heb “house.” This is a metonymy for the warriors from the tribe.
[1:22] 73 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[1:27] 76 map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.
[1:27] 77 tn Heb “The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shan and its surrounding towns, Taanach and its surrounding towns, the people living in Dor and its surrounding towns, the people living in Ibleam and its surrounding towns, or the people living in Megiddo and its surrounding towns.”
[1:27] 78 tn Or “were determined.”
[1:27] 79 tn Heb “in this land.”
[1:30] 80 tn Heb “the people living in Kitron and the people living in Nahalol.”
[1:31] 81 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[1:31] 82 tn Heb “The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco, the people living in Sidon, Ahlab, Acco, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob.”
[1:33] 83 tn Heb “the people living in Beth Shemesh or the people living in Beth Anath.”
[1:33] 84 tn The term “Canaanites” is supplied here both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[1:34] 85 tn Heb “come down into.”
[1:35] 86 tn Or “were determined.”
[1:35] 87 tn Or “Mount Heres”; the term הַר (har) means “mount” or “mountain” in Hebrew.
[1:35] 88 tn Heb “Whenever the hand of the tribe of Joseph was heavy.”
[1:36] 89 tn Or “the Ascent of Scorpions” (עַקְרַבִּים [’aqrabbim] means “scorpions” in Hebrew).
[1:36] 90 tn Or “Amorite territory started at the Pass of the Scorpions at Sela and then went on up.”
