Jeremiah 5:27

5:27 Like a cage filled with the birds that have been caught, ¹ 

their houses are filled with the gains of their fraud and deceit. ² 

That is how they have gotten so rich and powerful. ³ 

Jeremiah 9:23

9:23 ⁴ The Lord says,

“Wise people should not boast that they are wise.

Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. ⁵ 

Rich people should not boast that they are rich. ⁶ 

Jeremiah 32:18

32:18 You show unfailing love to thousands. ⁷  But you also punish children for the sins of their parents. ⁸  You are the great and powerful God who is known as the Lord who rules over all. ⁹ 

Jeremiah 15:17

15:17 I did not spend my time in the company of other people,

laughing and having a good time.

I stayed to myself because I felt obligated to you ¹⁰ 

and because I was filled with anger at what they had done.

Jeremiah 48:17

48:17 Mourn for that nation, all you nations living around it,

all of you nations that know of its fame. ¹¹ 

Mourn and say, ‘Alas, its powerful influence has been broken!

Its glory and power have been done away!’ ¹² 

Jeremiah 6:1

The Destruction of Jerusalem Depicted

6:1 “Run for safety, people of Benjamin!

Get out of Jerusalem! ¹³ 

Sound the trumpet ¹⁴  in Tekoa!

Light the signal fires at Beth Hakkerem!

For disaster lurks ¹⁵  out of the north;

it will bring great destruction. ¹⁶ 

Jeremiah 9:3

The Lord Laments That He Has No Choice But to Judge Them

9:3 The Lord says, ¹⁷ 

“These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows.

Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies. ¹⁸ 

They have become powerful in the land,

but they have not done so by honest means. ¹⁹ 

Indeed, they do one evil thing after another ²⁰ 

and do not pay attention to me. ²¹ 

Jeremiah 42:11

42:11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you now fear. ²²  Do not be afraid of him because I will be with you to save you and to rescue you from his power. I, the Lord, affirm it! ²³ 

[5:27]  ¹ tn The words, “that have been caught” are not in the text but are implicit in the comparison.

[5:27]  ² tn Heb “are filled with deceit.” The translation assumes a figure of speech of cause for effect (metonymy). Compare the same word in the same figure in Zeph 1:9.

[5:27]  ³ tn Heb “therefore they have gotten great and rich.”

[9:23]  ⁴ sn It is not always clear why verses were placed in their present position in the editorial process of collecting Jeremiah’s sermons and the words the Lord spoke to him (see Jer 36:4, 32 for reference to two of these collections). Here it is probable that vv. 23-26 were added as a further answer to the question raised in v. 12.

[9:23]  ⁵ tn Or “Strong people should not brag that they are strong.”

[9:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “…in their wisdom…in their power…in their riches.”

[32:18]  ⁷ tn Or “to thousands of generations.” The contrast of showing steadfast love to “thousands” to the limitation of punishing the third and fourth generation of children for their parents’ sins in Exod 20:5-6; Deut 5:9-10; Exod 34:7 has suggested to many commentators and translators (cf., e.g., NRSV, TEV, NJPS) that reference here is to “thousands of generations.” The statement is, of course, rhetorical emphasizing God’s great desire to bless as opposed to the reluctant necessity to punish. It is part of the attributes of God spelled out in Exod 34:6-7.

[32:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “pays back into the bosom of their children the sin of their parents.”

[32:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “Nothing is too hard for you who show…and who punishes…the great [and] powerful God whose name is Yahweh of armies, [you who are] great in counsel…whose eyes are open…who did signs…” Jer 32:18-22 is a long series of relative clauses introduced by participles or relative pronouns in vv. 18-20a followed by second person vav consecutive imperfects carrying on the last of these relative clauses in vv. 20b-22. This is typical of hymnic introductions to hymns of praise (cf., e.g., Ps 136) but it is hard to sustain the relative subordination which all goes back to the suffix on “hard for you.” The sentences have been broken up but the connection with the end of v. 17 has been sacrificed for conformity to contemporary English style.

[15:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “because of your hand.”

[48:17]  ¹³ tn For the use of the word “name” (שֵׁם, shem) to “fame” or “repute” see BDB 1028 s.v. שֵׁם 2.b and compare the usage in Ezek 16:14; 2 Chr 26:15.

[48:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful rod.” “How” introduces a lament which is here rendered by “Alas.” The staff and rod refer to the support that Moab gave to others not to the fact that she ruled over others which was never the case. According to BDB 739 s.v. עוֹז 1 the “strong staff” is figurative of political power.

[6:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem.”

[6:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.

[6:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “leans down” or “looks down.” This verb personifies destruction leaning/looking down from its window in the sky, ready to attack.

[6:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “[It will be] a severe fracture.” The nation is pictured as a limb being fractured.

[9:3]  ¹⁹ tn The words “The Lord says” have been moved up from the end of the verse to make clear that a change in speaker has occurred.

[9:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “They have readied [or strung] their tongue as their bow for lies.”

[9:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “but not through honesty.”

[9:3]  ²² tn Heb “they go from evil to evil.”

[9:3]  ²³ tn Or “do not acknowledge me”; Heb “do not know me.” But “knowing” in Hebrew thought often involves more than intellectual knowledge; it involves emotional and volitional commitment as well. For יָדַע meaning “acknowledge” see 1 Chr 28:9; Isa 29:21; Hos 2:20; Prov 3:6. This word is also found in ancient Near Eastern treaty contexts where it has the idea of a vassal king acknowledging the sovereignty of a greater king (cf. H. Huffmon, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew yada,” BASOR 181 [1966]: 31-37).

[42:11]  ²² sn See Jer 41:18 for their reason for fear.

[42:11]  ²³ tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”