Worshiping Other Gods Is Worthless
1A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. The Lord said, 2“Stand at the gate of my house. Announce my message to the people there. Say,
“ ‘Listen to the Lord’s message, all you people of Judah. You always come through these gates to worship the Lord. 3The God of Israel is speaking to you. He is the Lord who rules over all. He says, “Change the way you live and act. Then I will let you live in this place. 4Do not trust in lies. Do not say, ‘This is the temple of the Lord! This is the temple of the Lord! This is the temple of the Lord!’ 5You must really change the way you live and act. Treat one another fairly. 6Do not treat outsiders or widows badly in this place. Do not take advantage of children whose fathers have died. Do not kill those who are not guilty of doing anything wrong. Do not worship other gods. That will only bring harm to you. 7If you obey me, I will let you live in this place. It is the land I gave your people of long ago. It was promised to them for ever and ever. 8But look! You are trusting in worthless lies.
9“ ‘ “You continue to steal and commit murder. You commit adultery. You tell lies in court. You burn incense to Baal. You worship other gods you didn’t know before. 10Then you come and stand in front of me. You keep coming to this house where I have put my Name. You say, ‘We are safe.’ You think you are safe when you do so many things I hate. 11My Name is in this house. But you have made it a den for robbers! I have been watching you!” announces the Lord.
12“ ‘ “Go now to the town of Shiloh. Go to the place where I first made a home for my Name. See what I did to it because of the evil things my people Israel were doing. 13I spoke to you again and again,” announces the Lord. “I warned you while you were doing all these things. But you did not listen. I called out to you. But you did not answer. 14So what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house where my Name is. It is the temple you trust in. It is the place I gave to you and your people of long ago. 15But I will throw you out of my land. That is exactly what I did to the people of Ephraim. And they are your relatives.” ’
16“Jeremiah, do not pray for these people. Do not make any appeal or request for them. Do not beg me. I will not listen to you. 17Don’t you see what they are doing? They are worshiping other gods in the towns of Judah. They are offering sacrifices to them in the streets of Jerusalem. 18The children go out and gather wood. The fathers light the fire. The women mix the dough. They make flat cakes of bread to offer to the female god called the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods. That makes me very angry. 19But am I the one they are hurting?” announces the Lord. “Aren’t they only harming themselves? They should be ashamed of it.”
20So the Lord and King says, “I will pour out my burning anger on this place. It will strike people and animals alike. It will destroy the trees in the fields and the crops in your land. It will burn, and no one will be able to put it out.”
21The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Go ahead! Add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices. Eat the meat yourselves! 22When I brought your people out of Egypt, I spoke to them. But I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23I also gave them another command. I said, ‘Obey me. Then I will be your God. And you will be my people. Live the way I command you to live. Then things will go well with you.’ 24But they did not listen. They refused to pay any attention to me. Instead, they did what their stubborn and evil hearts wanted them to do. They went backward and not forward. 25Again and again I sent my servants the prophets to you. They came to you day after day. They prophesied from the time your people left Egypt until now. 26But your people of long ago did not listen. They refused to pay any attention to me. They were stubborn. They did more evil things than their people who lived before them.
27“Jeremiah, when you tell them all this, they will not listen to you. When you call out to them, they will not answer. 28So say to them, ‘You are a nation that has not obeyed the Lord your God. You did not pay attention when you were corrected. Truth has died out. You do not tell the truth anymore.’ ”
29The Lord says to the people of Jerusalem, “Cut off your hair. Throw it away. Sing a song of sadness on the bare hilltops. I am very angry with you. I have turned my back on you. I have deserted you.
The Valley of Death
30“The people of Judah have done what is evil in my eyes,” announces the Lord. “They have set up statues of their gods. They have worshiped them in the house where my Name is. They have made my house ‘unclean.’ I hate those statues. 31The people have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. There they worship other gods. And there they sacrifice their children in the fire. That is something I did not command. It did not even enter my mind. 32So watch out!” announces the Lord. “The days are coming when people will not call it Topheth anymore. And they will not call it the Valley of Ben Hinnom either. Instead, they will call it the Valley of Death. They will bury the dead bodies of some people in Topheth. But they will run out of room. 33Then they will not be able to bury the bodies of other people there. So the bodies will become food for birds and wild animals. And no one will scare them away. 34I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness. The voices of brides and grooms will not be heard anymore. There will be no sounds of joy in the towns of Judah. And there will be no joy in the streets of Jerusalem. The land will become a desert.
Ẹ̀sìn àìṣòótọ́ kò níláárí
1Èyí ni ọ̀rọ̀ tó tọ Jeremiah wá láti ọ̀dọ̀ Olúwa. 2“Dúró ní ẹnu-ọ̀nà ilé Olúwa kí o sì kéde ọ̀rọ̀ yí:
“ ‘Ẹ gbọ́ ọ̀rọ̀ Olúwa gbogbo ẹ̀yin ará Juda tí ń gba ọ̀nà yí wọlé láti wá sin Olúwa. 3Èyí ni ọ̀rọ̀ tí Olúwa àwọn ọmọ-ogun Ọlọ́run Israẹli wí: Tún àwọn ọ̀nà yín ṣe, èmi yóò sì jẹ́ kí ẹ gbé ilẹ̀ yìí. 4Má ṣe gba ọ̀rọ̀ ẹ̀tàn gbọ́ kí ẹ sì wí pé, “Èyí ni tẹmpili Olúwa ilé tẹmpili Olúwa, ilé tẹmpili Olúwa!” 5Bí ẹ̀yin bá tún ọ̀nà yín àti iṣẹ́ yín ṣe nítòótọ́, tí ẹ sì ń bá ara yín lò ní ọ̀nà tó tọ́. 6Bí ẹ kò bá fi ara ni àwọn àlejò, àwọn ọmọ aláìní baba àti àwọn opó tí ẹ kò sì ta ẹ̀jẹ̀ aláìṣẹ̀ sílẹ̀ ní ibí yìí, bí ẹ kò bá sì tọ ọlọ́run mìíràn lẹ́yìn sí ìpalára ara yín. 7Nígbà náà ni èmi yóò jẹ́ kí ẹ gbé ìbí yìí, nílẹ̀ tí mo fún àwọn baba ńlá yín títí láé. 8Ẹ wò ó, ẹ ń gba ọ̀rọ̀ ẹ̀tàn tí kò níláárí gbọ́.
9“ ‘Ẹ̀yin yóò ha jalè, kí ẹ pànìyàn, kí ẹ ṣe panṣágà, kí ẹ búra èké, kí ẹ sun tùràrí sí Baali, kí ẹ sì tọ ọlọ́run mìíràn tí ẹ̀yin kò mọ̀ lọ? 10Nígbà náà ni kí ó wá dúró ní iwájú nínú ilé yìí tí a fi orúkọ mi pè, “Kí ẹ wá wí pé àwa yè,” àwa yè láti ṣe gbogbo àwọn nǹkan ìríra wọ̀nyí bí? 117.11: Mt 21.13; Mk 11.17; Lk 19.46.Ṣé ilé yìí, tí a fi orúkọ mi pè ti di ihò àwọn ọlọ́ṣà lọ́dọ̀ yín ni? Èmi ti ń wò ó! ni Olúwa wí.
12“ ‘Ẹ lọ nísinsin yìí sí Ṣilo níbi ti mo kọ́ fi ṣe ibùgbé fún orúkọ mi, kí ẹ sì rí ohun tí mo ṣe sí i nítorí ìwà búburú Israẹli tí í ṣe ènìyàn mi. 13Nígbà tí ẹ̀yin ń ṣe àwọn nǹkan wọ̀nyí ni èmi bá a yín sọ̀rọ̀ léraléra ni Olúwa wí ẹ̀yin kò gbọ́, èmi pè yín, ẹ̀yin kò dáhùn 14Nítorí náà, èmi yóò ṣe ohun tí mo ṣe sí Ṣilo sí ilé náà tí a fi orúkọ mi pè, ilé tẹmpili nínú èyí tí ẹ ní ìgbẹ́kẹ̀lé, ààyè tí mo fún ẹ̀yin àti àwọn baba yín. 15Èmi yóò tú kúrò ní iwájú mi gẹ́gẹ́ bí mo ti ṣe sí àwọn arákùnrin yín, àwọn ará Efraimu.’
16“Nítorí náà má ṣe gbàdúrà fún àwọn ènìyàn wọ̀nyí tàbí kí o bẹ̀bẹ̀ fún wọn; ma ṣe bẹ̀ mí, nítorí èmi kì yóò tẹ́tí sí ọ. 17Ṣé ìwọ kò rí ohun tí wọ́n ń ṣe ní àwọn ìlú Juda àti ní òpópó Jerusalẹmu? 18Àwọn ọmọ ṣa igi jọ, àwọn baba fi iná sí i, àwọn ìyá sì po ìyẹ̀fun láti ṣe àkàrà fún ayaba ọ̀run, wọ́n tú ẹbọ ọrẹ mímu sí àwọn ọlọ́run àjèjì láti ru bínú mi sókè. 19Ṣùgbọ́n ṣe èmi ni wọ́n fẹ́ mú bínú? ni Olúwa wí. Ǹjẹ́ kì í ṣe pé wọ́n kúkú ń pa ara wọn lára sí ìtìjú ara wọn?
20“ ‘Nítorí náà, èyí ni ohun tí Olúwa Olódùmarè wí: Èmi yóò tú ìbínú àti ìrunú mi sí orílẹ̀ yìí ènìyàn àti ẹranko, igi, pápá àti èso orí ilẹ̀, yóò sì jó tí kò ní ṣe é pa.
21“ ‘Èyí ni Olúwa Ọlọ́run àwọn ọmọ-ogun, Ọlọ́run Israẹli wí: Tẹ̀síwájú kí ẹ kó ẹbọ sísun yín àti àwọn ẹbọ yòókù papọ̀ kí ẹ̀yin kí ó sì jẹ ẹran wọ́n fúnrayín. 22Ní tòsí nígbà tí mo mú àwọn baba ńlá yín jáde kúrò ní ilẹ̀ Ejibiti tí mo sì bá wọn sọ̀rọ̀. N kò pàṣẹ fún wọn lórí ẹbọ sísun lásán. 23Mo pàṣẹ fún wọn báyìí pé: Gbọ́ tèmi, èmi yóò sì jẹ́ Ọlọ́run yín ẹ̀yin yóò sì jẹ́ ènìyàn mi. Máa rìn ní ojú ọ̀nà tí mo pàṣẹ fún yín, kí ó lè dára fún yín. 24Ṣùgbọ́n wọn kò gbọ́, wọn kò sì fetísílẹ̀ dípò èyí wọ́n ń tẹ̀ sí ọ̀nà agídí ọkàn wọn. Dípò kí wọn tẹ̀síwájú wọ́n ń rẹ̀yìn. 25Láti ìgbà tí àwọn baba ńlá yín ti jáde ní Ejibiti títí di òní, ni èmi ti ń rán àwọn ìránṣẹ́ mi, àwọn wòlíì sí yín. 26Wọn kò gbọ́ wọn kò sì fetísílẹ̀. Wọ́n wa ọrùn le, wọn wa ọrùn kì, wọ́n sì hu ìwà ìbàjẹ́ ju àwọn baba ńlá wọn.’
27“Nígbà tí ìwọ bá sọ gbogbo èyí fún wọn, wọn kì yóò gbọ́ tirẹ̀, nígbà tí ìwọ bá sì pè wọ́n, wọn kì yóò dáhùn. 28Nítorí náà, sọ fún wọn pé ‘Èyí ni orílẹ̀-èdè tí kò gbọ́ ti Olúwa Ọlọ́run rẹ̀ tàbí kí ó ṣe ìgbọ́ràn sí ìbáwí. Ọ̀rọ̀ òtítọ́ kò sí ní ètè wọn.
29“ ‘Gé irun yín kí ẹ sì dàánù, pohùnréré ẹkún lórí òkè, nítorí Olúwa ti kọ ìran yìí tí ó wà lábẹ́ ìbínú rẹ̀ sílẹ̀.
Àfonífojì ìparun
30“ ‘Àwọn ènìyàn Juda ti ṣe búburú lójú mi, ni Olúwa wí. Wọ́n ti to àwọn ère ìríra wọn jọ sí ilé tí a fi orúkọ mi pè wọ́n sì ti sọ ọ́ di àìmọ́. 31Wọ́n ti kọ́ àwọn ibi gíga ti Tofeti ní Àfonífojì Beni-Hinnomu láti sun àwọn ọmọkùnrin àti ọmọbìnrin wọn nínú iná èyí tí èmi kò pàṣẹ tí kò sì wá sí ọkàn mi. 32Nítorí náà kíyèsára ọjọ́ ń bọ̀, ni Olúwa wí, nígbà tí àwọn ènìyàn kò ní pè é ní Tafeti tàbí Àfonífojì ti Beni-Hinnomu; ṣùgbọ́n yóò ma jẹ Àfonífojì Ìparun, nítorí wọn yóò sin òkú sí Tofeti títí kò fi ní sí ààyè mọ́ 33Nígbà náà ni òkú àwọn ènìyàn wọ̀nyí yóò di oúnjẹ fún àwọn ẹyẹ ojú ọ̀run àti ẹranko ilẹ̀, kò sì ní sí ẹnìkan tí yóò dẹ́rùbà wọ́n. 347.34: If 18.23.Èmi yóò mú òpin bá ìró ayọ̀ àti ìdùnnú àti ohùn àwọn tọkọtaya ní àwọn ìlú Juda àti ní ìgboro Jerusalẹmu, nítorí tí ilẹ̀ náà yóò di ahoro.
