1The word of the Lord, that was made to Jeremy, of the words of dryness. (The word of the Lord, that was made to Jeremiah, about the drought.)

2Judah wailed, and the gates thereof fell down (or and the city gates fell down), and be made dark in [the] earth, and the cry of Jerusalem went up.

3Greater men sent their less(er) men to (the) water; they came to draw water, and they found no water, (and) they brought again their vessels void; they were shamed and tormented, and they covered their heads,

4for [the] destroying of the land, for rain came not in the land. (The) Earth-tillers were shamed, (and) they covered their heads.

5For why and an hind calved in the field, and left her calves, for none herb was (or for there was no grass);

6and wild asses stood in rocks, and drew wind as dragons; their eyes failed, for none herb was. (and the wild donkeys stood on the high rocks, and drew up the wind like jackals; and their eyes failed, for there was no grass.)

7If our wickednesses answer to us, Lord, do thou for thy name, for our turnings away be many; we have sinned against thee. (Our wickednesses witness against us, Lord, but do thou it for the sake of thy name, even though our turnings away, that is, our sins, be many; yea, we have sinned against thee.)

8Thou abiding of Israel, the saviour thereof in the time of tribulation, why shalt thou be as a comeling in the land, and as a waygoer bowing [down] to dwell? (O hope of Israel, its Saviour in the time of trouble, why shalt thou be like a newcomer in the land, and like a waygoer bowing down to rest?)

9why shalt thou be as a man of unstable dwelling, as a strong man that may not save? Forsooth, Lord, thou art in us, and thine holy name is called to help on us; forsake thou not us. (why shalt thou be like a person of unstable dwelling, like a strong man who cannot save? For Lord, thou art in the midst of us, and thy holy name is called on to help us or and we be called by thy name; do not thou abandon us.)

10The Lord saith these things to this people, that loved to stir his feet, and rested not, and pleased not the Lord; now he shall have mind on the wickednesses of them, and he shall visit the sins of them. (The Lord saith these things to this people, who loved to stir their feet, that is, to go astray, and did not rest, and did not please the Lord; now he shall remember their wickednesses, and he shall punish them for their sins.)

11And the Lord said to me, Do not thou pray for this people into good. (And the Lord said to me, Do not thou pray for the well-being of this people.)

12When they shall fast, I shall not hear the prayers of them; and if they offer burnt sacrifices and slain sacrifices, I shall not receive them, for I shall waste them by sword and hunger and pestilence.

13And I said, A! A! A! Lord God, [the] prophets say to them, Ye shall not see sword, and hunger shall not be in you, but he shall give to you very peace in this place. (And I said, O! O! O! Lord God, the prophets say to them, Ye shall not see a sword, and hunger shall not be among you, but he shall give you true peace in this place.)

14And the Lord said to me, The prophets prophesy falsely in my name; I sent not them (or I did not send them), and I commanded not to them, neither I spake to them; they prophesy to you a false revelation, and a guileful divining, and the deceiving of their heart.

15Therefore the Lord saith these things of the prophets that prophesy in my name, which I sent not, and say, Sword and hunger shall not be in this land; Those prophets shall be wasted by sword and hunger. (And so the Lord saith these things about the prophets who prophesy in my name, whom I did not send, and who say, The sword and hunger shall not be in this land; Those prophets shall be destroyed by the sword and hunger.)

16And the peoples, to which they prophesied, shall be cast forth in the ways of Jerusalem, for hunger and sword, and none there shall be, that shall bury them; they and the wives of them, the sons and the daughters of them; and I shall shed out on them their evil. (And the people, to whom they prophesied, shall be thrown forth on the ways of Jerusalem, because of hunger and the sword, and no one shall bury them, yea, they and their wives, and their sons and their daughters; and I shall pour out their own evil upon them.)

17And thou shalt say to them this word, Mine eyes lead down a tear by night and day, and be it not still; for the virgin, the daughter of my people, is defouled by great defouling, with the worst wound greatly. (And thou shalt say to them this word, Let my eyes stream down tears night and day, and cease they not; for the virgin daughter of my people is defiled with great defiling, yea, so greatly with the very worst wounds.)

18If I go out to [the] fields, lo! men be slain with sword; and if I enter into the city, lo! men be made lean for hunger, (or behold! people (be) made lean by hunger); also a prophet and a priest went into the land which they knew not.

19Whether thou casting away hast cast away Judah, either thy soul hath loathed Zion? why therefore hast thou smitten us, so that no health there is? We abided peace, and no good is; and we abided time of healing, and lo! troubling is. (Casting away, hast thou cast away Judah, or hath thy soul loathed Zion? and so why hast thou struck us, so that now there is no health? or so that now there is no deliverance? We waited for peace, but nothing good hath come; and (we waited for) a time of healing, (or of deliverance), but behold! there is only a time of trouble.)

20Lord, we have known our unfaithfulness, and the wickednesses of our fathers, for we have sinned to thee. (Lord, we acknowledge our unfaithfulness, and the wickednesses of our forefathers, for we all have sinned against thee.)

21Give thou not us into shame, for thy name, neither do thou despite to us; have thou mind on the seat of thy glory, make thou not void thy bond of peace with us. (Give thou us not unto shame, for the sake of thy name, nor despise thou us; remember thou the throne of thy glory, make thou not void thy covenant with us.)

22Whether in graven images of heathen men be they that (can make) rain, either heavens may give rains? whether thou art not our Lord God, whom we abided? For thou madest all these things. (Can any of the carved idols of the heathen make rain, or can the heavens give out rain by themselves? art thou not the Lord our God, whom we have waited for? For thou madest all these things.)