Two Baskets of Figs
1After Jehoiachin24:1 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten.
3Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”
4Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.24:5 Or Chaldeans 6My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.
8“ ‘But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. 9I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a curse24:9 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that they are cursed. and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish them. 10I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.’ ”
Gode og dårlige figner
1Efter at kong Nebukadnezar af Babylonien havde taget kong Jekonja af Juda til fange og sendt ham i landflygtighed til Babylon sammen med Judas ledende mænd og håndværkerne, gav Herren mig følgende syn: Jeg så to kurve med figner, der stod foran templet i Jerusalem. 2I den ene kurv var der modne figner af højeste kvalitet, mens fignerne i den anden kurv var så dårlige, at de ikke kunne spises. 3Så spurgte Herren mig: „Hvad ser du, Jeremias?”
„Figner,” svarede jeg. „Nogle er flotte, men andre er elendige og uspiselige.”
4-5Da sagde Herren: „De gode figner repræsenterer den del af Judas befolkning, der blev ført i eksil til Babylonien. 6Jeg vil sørge for, at de bliver behandlet godt, og jeg vil føre dem tilbage hertil engang. Derefter vil jeg give dem fremgang og beskytte dem. Jeg vil plante dem i deres eget land og ikke rykke dem op. 7Jeg vil give dem et nyt hjerte, så de kan forstå, at jeg er Herren. Når de vender sig til mig af hele deres hjerte, skal de være mit folk, og jeg vil være deres Gud.
8Men de dårlige figner repræsenterer kong Zidkija af Juda, hans embedsmænd og de tilbageblevne indbyggere i Jerusalem tillige med dem, der er flygtet til Egypten. Jeg betragter dem som dårlige og uspiselige figner. 9Jeg vil sørge for, at alle folkeslag på jorden vil afsky dem. De vil blive hånet og spottet, hadet og forbandet overalt, hvor jeg jager dem hen. 10Jeg sender krig og hungersnød og epidemier over dem, indtil de er helt udryddet fra det land, jeg gav deres forfædre.”
