1 WYC And these ben the wordis of the book, whiche Jeremye, the profete, sente fro Jerusalem to the residues of eldere men of passyng ouer, and to the preestis, and to the profetis, and to al the puple, whom Nabugodonosor hadde ledde ouer fro Jerusalem in to Babiloyne, BSB BSB: This is the text of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets, and all the others Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2 WYC after that Jeconye, the kyng, yede out, and the ladi, and the onest seruauntis and chast, and the princis of Juda yeden out of Jerusalem, and a sutel crafti man, and a goldsmyth of Jerusalem, BSB BSB: (This was after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had been exiled from Jerusalem.)
3 WYC in the hond of Elasa, sone of Saphan, and of Gamalie, the sone of Elchie, whiche Sedechie, the kyng of Juda, sente to Nabugodonosor, the kyng of Babiloyne, in to Babiloyne. BSB BSB: The letter was entrusted to Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It stated:
4 WYC And Jeremye seide, The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis to al the passyng ouer, which Y translatide fro Jerusalem in to Babiloyne, BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
6 WYC take ye wyues, and gendre ye sones and douytris, and yyue ye wyues to youre sones, and yyue ye youre douytris to hosebondis, and bere thei sones and douytris; and be ye multiplied there, and nyle ye be fewe in noumbre. BSB BSB: Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.
7 WYC And seke ye pees of the citees, to whiche Y made you to passe ouer; and preie ye the Lord for it, for in the pees therof schal be pees to you. BSB BSB: Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
8 WYC The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Youre profetis, that ben in the myddis of you, and youre dyuynours disseyue you not; and take ye noon heede to youre dremes, whiche ye dremen; BSB BSB: For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.
9 WYC for thei profesien falsli to you in my name, and Y sente not hem, seith the Lord. BSB BSB: For they are falsely prophesying to you in My name; I have not sent them, declares the LORD.”
11 WYC For Y knowe the thouytis whiche Y thenke on you, seith the Lord, the thouytis of pees, and not of turment, that Y yyue to you an ende and pacience. BSB BSB: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.
12 WYC And ye schulen clepe me to help, and ye schulen go, and schulen worschipe me, and Y schal here you; BSB BSB: Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
14 WYC And Y schal be foundun of you, seith the Lord, and Y schal brynge ayen youre caitifte, and Y schal gadere you fro alle folkis, and fro alle places, to whiche Y castide out you, seith the Lord; and Y schal make you to turne ayen fro the place, to which Y made you to passe ouer. BSB BSB: I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the LORD. I will restore you to the place from which I sent you into exile.”
15 WYC For ye seiden, The Lord schal reise profetis to vs in Babiloyne. BSB BSB: Because you may say, “The LORD has raised up for us prophets in Babylon,”
16 WYC For the Lord seith these thingis to the kyng, that sittith on the seete of Dauid, and to al the puple, dwellere of this citee, to youre britheren, that yeden not out with you in to the passyng ouer, BSB BSB: this is what the LORD says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile—
17 WYC The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal sende among hem swerd, and hungur, and pestilence; and Y schal sette hem as yuele figis, that moun not be etun, for tho ben ful yuele. BSB BSB: this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I will send against them sword and famine and plague, and I will make them like rotten figs, so bad they cannot be eaten.
18 WYC And Y schal pursue hem in swerd, and in hungur, and in pestilence; and Y schal yyue hem in to trauelyng in alle rewmes of erthe, in to cursyng, and in to wondryng, and in to scornyng, and in to schenschipe to alle folkis, to whiche Y castide hem out. BSB BSB: I will pursue them with sword and famine and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse, a desolation, and an object of scorn and reproach among all the nations to which I banish them.
19 WYC For thei herden not my wordis, seith the Lord, which Y sente to hem bi my seruauntis, profetis, and roos bi nyyt, and sente, and ye herden not, seith the Lord. BSB BSB: I will do this because they have not listened to My words, declares the LORD, which I sent to them again and again through My servants the prophets. And neither have you exiles listened, declares the LORD.”
20 WYC Therfor al the passyng ouer, which Y sente out fro Jerusalem in to Babiloyne, here ye the word of the Lord. BSB BSB: So hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 WYC The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis to Achab, the sone of Chulie, and to Sedechie, the sone of Maasie, that profesien to you a leesyng in my name, Lo! Y schal bitake hem in to the hond of Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, and he schal smyte hem bifore youre iyen. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you lies in My name: “I will deliver them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes.
22 WYC And cursyng schal be takun of hem to al the passyng ouer of Juda, which is in Babiloyne, of men seiynge, The Lord sette thee as Sedechie, and as Achab, whiche the kyng of Babiloyne friede in fier, BSB BSB: Because of them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!’
23 WYC for thei diden foli in Israel, and diden auowtrie on the wyues of her frendis; and thei spaken a word falsli in my name, which Y comaundide not to hem; Y am iuge and witnesse, seith the Lord. BSB BSB: For they have committed an outrage in Israel by committing adultery with the wives of their neighbors and speaking lies in My name, which I did not command them to do. I am He who knows, and I am a witness, declares the LORD.”
24 WYC And thou schalt seie to Semei Neelamyte, BSB BSB: You are to tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite that
25 WYC The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, For that that thou sentist bookis in my name to al the puple, which is in Jerusalem, and to Sofony, the sone of Maasie, the preest, and to alle the prestis, BSB BSB: this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “In your own name you have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests. You said to Zephaniah:
26 WYC and seidist, The Lord yaf thee the preest for Joiada, the preest, that thou be duyk in the hous of the Lord on ech man `that is trauelid of the fend, and profesiynge, that thou sende hym in to stockis, and in to prisoun. BSB BSB: ‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.
27 WYC And now whi blamest thou not Jeremye of Anathot, that profesieth to you? BSB BSB: So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you?
28 WYC For on this thing he sente to vs in to Babiloyne, and seide, It is long; bielde ye housis, and enhabite, and plaunte ye orcherdis, and ete ye the fruit of tho. BSB BSB: For he has sent to us in Babylon, claiming: Since the exile will be lengthy, build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat their produce.’”
29 WYC Therfor Sofonye, the preest, redde this book in the eeris of Jeremye, the prophete. BSB BSB: (Zephaniah the priest, however, had read this letter to Jeremiah the prophet.)
30 WYC And the word of the Lord was maad to Jeremye, BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
31 WYC and seide, Sende thou to al the passyng ouer, and seie, The Lord seith these thingis to Semeye Neelamite, For that that Semeye profesiede to you, and Y sente not hym, and he made you to triste in a leesyng; BSB BSB: “Send a message telling all the exiles what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you—though I did not send him—and has made you trust in a lie,
32 WYC therfor the Lord seith thes thingis, Lo! Y schal visite on Semeye Neelamyte, and on his seed; and no man sittynge in the myddis of this puple schal be to hym; and he schal not se the good, which Y schal do to my puple, seith the Lord, for he spak trespassyng ayens the Lord. BSB BSB: this is what the LORD says: ‘I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good that I will bring to My people, declares the LORD, for he has preached rebellion against the LORD.’”
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