בְּרֵאשִׁית מַמְלְכוּת יְהֹויָקִים בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה הָיָה הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה מֵאֵת יְהוָה לֵאמֹר׃ 26:1
Jere. 26:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word occurred from the Lord saying,
First, notice the word that starts this verse, translated as in the beginning.... The occurrence of this word here forms part of my argument regarding the same first word in the Torah in Gene. 1:1. Second, we can estimate the time of the events in this chapter from the information in this verse. They happened in or around the year 617 BCE.
כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה עֲמֹד בַּחֲצַר בֵּית־יְהוָה וְדִבַּרְתָּ עַל־כָּל־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה הַבָּאִים לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֹת בֵּית־יְהוָה אֵת 26:2 כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לְדַבֵּר אֲלֵיהֶם אַל־תִּגְרַע דָּבָר׃
Jere. 26:2 “Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the house of the Lord and you shall speak to all the cities of Judah that are coming to bow down in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them -- do not diminish a word.”
אוּלַי יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיָשֻׁבוּ אִישׁ מִדַּרְכֹּו הָרָעָה וְנִחַמְתִּי אֶל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי חֹשֵׁב לַעֲשֹׂות לָהֶם מִפְּנֵי 26:3
רֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם׃
Jere. 26:3 “It may be that they listen and turn back, each one from his way of evil, that I might repent with regard to the evil that I plan to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.”
וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה אִם־לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ אֵלַי לָלֶכֶת בְּתֹורָתִי אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִפְנֵיכֶם׃ 26:4
Jere. 26:4 “So you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘If you do not listen to Me to live according to My Torah that I have put before you,
לִשְׁמֹעַ עַל־דִּבְרֵי עֲבָדַי הַנְּבִאִים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ אֲלֵיכֶם וְהַשְׁכֵּם וְשָׁלֹחַ וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם׃ 26:5
Jere. 26:5 to be obedient to the words of My servants, the prophets, whom I have been sending to you, and sending and frequently, yet you did not listen,
וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה כְּשִׁלֹה וְאֶת־הָעִיר (הַזֹּאתָה) [הַזֹּאת] אֶתֵּן לִקְלָלָה לְכֹל גֹּויֵי הָאָרֶץ׃ 26:6
Jere. 26:6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city for a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”
The word in parentheses has an unnecessary heh suffix. The correct spelling is in the brackets.
וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַנְּבִאִים וְכָל־הָעָם אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ מְדַבֵּר אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה בְּבֵית יְהוָה׃ 26:7
Jere. 26:7 And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.
וַיְהִי כְּכַלֹּות יִרְמְיָהוּ לְדַבֵּר אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה יְהוָה לְדַבֵּר אֶל־כָּל־הָעָם וַיִּתְפְּשׂוּ אֹתֹו הַכֹּהֲנִים 26:8 וְהַנְּבִאִים וְכָל־הָעָם לֵאמֹר מֹות תָּמוּת׃
Jere. 26:8 But it happened when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded to speak to all the people, then the priests and prophets and all the people seized him saying, “Surely you shall die.”
מַדּוּעַ נִבֵּיתָ בְשֵׁם־יְהוָה לֵאמֹר כְּשִׁלֹו יִהְיֶה הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה וְהָעִיר הַזֹּאת תֶּחֱרַב מֵאֵין יֹושֵׁב וַיִּקָּהֵל 26:9 כָּל־הָעָם אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ בְּבֵית יְהוָה׃
Jere. 26:9 “Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, that this city shall be desolate, having not an inhabitant?’” And all the people gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה אֵת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַיַּעֲלוּ מִבֵּית־הַמֶּלֶךְ בֵּית יְהוָה וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בְּפֶתַח שַׁעַר־יְהוָה 26:10 הֶחָדָשׁ׃
Jere. 26:10 When the princes of Judah heard these things, they ascended from the house of the king to the house of the Lord and sat within the entryway of the new gate of the Lord.
The word ascended in this verse provides support for my belief that the Temple was the highest spot in the city. The king’s palace was below it, not above, as some attempts at reconstruction describe or display it.
וַיֹּאמְרוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַנְּבִאִים אֶל־הַשָּׂרִים וְאֶל־כָּל־הָעָם לֵאמֹר מִשְׁפַּט־מָוֶת לָאִישׁ הַזֶּה כִּי נִבָּא 26:11 אֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת כַּאֲשֶׁר שְׁמַעְתֶּם בְּאָזְנֵיכֶם׃
Jere. 26:11 Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and to all the people saying, “Death is proper for this man, for he has prophesied concerning this city as you have heard with your own ears.”
וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל־כָּל־הַשָּׂרִים וְאֶל־כָּל־הָעָם לֵאמֹר יְהוָה שְׁלָחַנִי לְהִנָּבֵא אֶל־הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה 26:12
וְאֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר שְׁמַעְתֶּם׃
Jere. 26:12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and to all the people saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy concerning this house and concerning this city all the words that you heard.”
וְעַתָּה הֵיטִיבוּ דַרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם וְשִׁמְעוּ בְּקֹול יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְיִנָּחֵם יְהוָה אֶל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר 26:13 עֲלֵיכֶם׃
Jere. 26:13 “So now improve your ways and your actions and listen to the voice of the Lord, your God; then the Lord will repent concerning the evil that He had declared against you.”
וַאֲנִי הִנְנִי בְיֶדְכֶם עֲשׂוּ־לִי כַּטֹּוב וְכַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵיכֶם׃ 26:14
Jere. 26:14 “And as for me, behold, I am in your hands; do to me what is good and what is right in your eyes.”
אַךְ יָדֹעַ תֵּדְעוּ כִּי אִם־מְמִתִים אַתֶּם אֹתִי כִּי־דָם נָקִי אַתֶּם נֹתְנִים עֲלֵיכֶם וְאֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת 26:15
וְאֶל־יֹשְׁבֶיהָ כִּי בֶאֱמֶת שְׁלָחַנִי יְהוָה עֲלֵיכֶם לְדַבֵּר בְּאָזְנֵיכֶם אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה׃
Jere. 26:15 “But certainly know that if you are putting me to death, then you are bringing innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and upon its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak in your ears all these words.”
וַיֹּאמְרוּ הַשָּׂרִים וְכָל־הָעָם אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים וְאֶל־הַנְּבִיאִים אֵין־לָאִישׁ הַזֶּה מִשְׁפַּט־מָוֶת כִּי בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה 26:16 אֱלֹהֵינוּ דִּבֶּר אֵלֵינוּ׃
Jere. 26:16 And the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “Death is not proper for this man, for in the name of the Lord, our God, he speaks to us.”
וַיָּקֻמוּ אֲנָשִׁים מִזִּקְנֵי הָאָרֶץ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל־כָּל־קְהַל הָעָם לֵאמֹר׃ 26:17
Jere. 26:17 Then men from the elders of the land arose and spoke to the whole assembly of people saying,
מִיכָיָהּ) [מִיכָה] הַמֹּורַשְׁתִּי הָיָה נִבָּא בִּימֵי חִזְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־כָּל־עַם יְהוּדָה 26:18 לֵאמֹר כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאֹות צִיֹּון שָׂדֶה תֵחָרֵשׁ וִירוּשָׁלַיִם עִיִּים תִּהְיֶה וְהַר הַבַּיִת לְבָמֹות יָעַר׃
Jere. 26:18 “Micah, the Morashtite, was prophesying in the time of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Zion shall be a plowed field,
and Jerusalem shall be heaps of rubble,
and the mountain of the house,
as heights of a forest.’”
The Micah mentioned here (misspelled before the left parenthesis -- again please excuse the missing right parenthesis) is likely the prophet of the book of Micah. He is understood to have been a contemporary of Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah. He was from the town of Moresheth.
הֶהָמֵת הֱמִתֻהוּ חִזְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וְכָל־יְהוּדָה הֲלֹא יָרֵא אֶת־יְהוָה וַיְחַל אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהוָה וַיִּנָּחֶם 26:19 יְהוָה אֶל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר עֲלֵיהֶם וַאֲנַחְנוּ עֹשִׂים רָעָה גְדֹולָה עַל־נַפְשֹׁותֵינוּ׃
Jere. 26:19 “Did Hezekiah, king of Judah, at all put him to death, and all of Judah? Did he not fear the Lord and entreat the favor of the Lord, that the Lord repented concerning the evil that He had declared against them? Then we would be instituting great evil against our souls.”
וְגַם־אִישׁ הָיָה מִתְנַבֵּא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה אוּרִיָּהוּ בֶּן־שְׁמַעְיָהוּ מִקִּרְיַת הַיְּעָרִים וַיִּנָּבֵא עַל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת 26:20 וְעַל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת כְּכֹל דִּבְרֵי יִרְמְיָהוּ׃
Jere. 26:20 But there was also one prophesying in the name of the Lord, Uriah son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath-jearim, and he prophesied against this city and against this land similarly to all the words of Jeremiah.
Nothing is known about Uriah except what is written here.
וַיִּשְׁמַע הַמֶּלֶךְ־יְהֹויָקִים וְכָל־גִּבֹּורָיו וְכָל־הַשָּׂרִים אֶת־דְּבָרָיו וַיְבַקֵּשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ הֲמִיתֹו וַיִּשְׁמַע אוּרִיָּהוּ 26:21 וַיִּרָא וַיִּבְרַח וַיָּבֹא מִצְרָיִם׃
Jere. 26:21 When king Jehoiakim heard, with all his mighty men and all the princes, his words, then the king sought his death. When Uriah heard, then he was afraid and fled and went to Egypt.
וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ יְהֹויָקִים אֲנָשִׁים מִצְרָיִם אֵת אֶלְנָתָן בֶּן־עַכְבֹּור וַאֲנָשִׁים אִתֹּו אֶל־מִצְרָיִם׃ 26:22
Jere. 26:22 So king Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt, Elnathan son of Achbor, and others with him, to Egypt.
וַיֹּוצִיאוּ אֶת־אוּרִיָּהוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם וַיְבִאֻהוּ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ יְהֹויָקִים וַיַּכֵּהוּ בֶּחָרֶב וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ אֶת־נִבְלָתֹו 26:23 אֶל־קִבְרֵי בְּנֵי הָעָם׃
Jere. 26:23 And they brought Uriah out of Egypt and led him to king Jehoiakim, and he slew him by sword and cast his body into the graves of the children of the people.
אַךְ יַד אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן הָיְתָה אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ לְבִלְתִּי תֵּת־אֹתֹו בְיַד־הָעָם לַהֲמִיתֹו׃ 26:24
Jere. 26:24 Nevertheless, the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so as not to deliver him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
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