Zechariah 7:11-13

7:11 “But they refused to pay attention, turning away stubbornly and stopping their ears so they could not hear. 7:12 Indeed, they made their heart as hard as diamond, ¹  so that they could not obey the Torah and the other words the Lord who rules over all had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore, the Lord who rules over all had poured out great wrath.

7:13 “‘It then came about that just as I ²  cried out, but they would not obey, so they will cry out, but I will not listen,’ the Lord Lord who rules over all had said.

Zechariah 7:2

7:2 Now the people of Bethel ³  had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their companions to seek the Lord’s favor

Zechariah 1:19

1:19 So I asked the angelic messenger ⁴  who spoke with me, “What are these?” He replied, “These are the horns ⁵  that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” ⁶ 

Zechariah 1:15-16

1:15 But I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted. ⁷  I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves.

The Oracle of Response

1:16 “‘Therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘I have become compassionate ⁸  toward Jerusalem ⁹  and will rebuild my temple ¹⁰  in it,’ says the Lord who rules over all. ‘Once more a surveyor’s measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’

Nehemiah 9:26

9:26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law. ¹¹  They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies.

Nehemiah 9:30

9:30 You prolonged your kindness ¹²  with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention, ¹³  so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. ¹⁴ 

Isaiah 30:9-11

30:9 For these are rebellious people –

they are lying children,

children unwilling to obey the Lord’s law. ¹⁵ 

30:10 They ¹⁶  say to the visionaries, “See no more visions!”

and to the seers, “Don’t relate messages to us about what is right! ¹⁷ 

Tell us nice things,

relate deceptive messages. ¹⁸ 

30:11 Turn aside from the way,

stray off the path. ¹⁹ 

Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.” ²⁰ 

Jeremiah 6:16-17

6:16 The Lord said to his people: ²¹ 

“You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path. ²² 

Ask where the old, reliable paths ²³  are.

Ask where the path is that leads to blessing ²⁴  and follow it.

If you do, you will find rest for your souls.”

But they said, “We will not follow it!”

6:17 The Lord said, ²⁵ 

“I appointed prophets as watchmen to warn you, ²⁶  saying:

‘Pay attention to the warning sound of the trumpet!’” ²⁷ 

But they said, “We will not pay attention!”

Jeremiah 13:16-18

13:16 Show the Lord your God the respect that is due him. ²⁸ 

Do it before he brings the darkness of disaster. ²⁹ 

Do it before you stumble ³⁰  into distress

like a traveler on the mountains at twilight. ³¹ 

Do it before he turns the light of deliverance you hope for

into the darkness and gloom of exile. ³² 

13:17 But if you will not pay attention to this warning, ³³ 

I will weep alone because of your arrogant pride.

I will weep bitterly and my eyes will overflow with tears ³⁴ 

because you, the Lord’s flock, ³⁵  will be carried ³⁶  into exile.”

13:18 The Lord told me, ³⁷ 

“Tell the king and the queen mother,

‘Surrender your thrones, ³⁸ 

for your glorious crowns

will be removed ³⁹  from your heads. ⁴⁰ 

Jeremiah 17:19-23

Observance of the Sabbath Day Is a Key to the Future ⁴¹ 

17:19 The Lord told me, “Go and stand in the People’s Gate ⁴²  through which the kings of Judah enter and leave the city. Then go and stand in all the other gates of the city of Jerusalem. ⁴³  17:20 As you stand in those places ⁴⁴  announce, ‘Listen, all you people who pass through these gates. Listen, all you kings of Judah, all you people of Judah and all you citizens of Jerusalem. Listen to what the Lord says. ⁴⁵  17:21 The Lord says, ‘Be very careful if you value your lives! ⁴⁶  Do not carry any loads ⁴⁷  in through ⁴⁸  the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. 17:22 Do not carry any loads out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath day. ⁴⁹  But observe the Sabbath day as a day set apart to the Lord, ⁵⁰  as I commanded your ancestors. ⁵¹  17:23 Your ancestors, ⁵²  however, did not listen to me or pay any attention to me. They stubbornly refused ⁵³  to pay attention or to respond to any discipline.’

Jeremiah 25:3-7

25:3 “For the last twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was ruling in Judah ⁵⁴  until now, the Lord has been speaking to me. I told you over and over again ⁵⁵  what he said. ⁵⁶  But you would not listen. 25:4 Over and over again ⁵⁷  the Lord has sent ⁵⁸  his servants the prophets to you. But you have not listened or paid attention. ⁵⁹  25:5 He said through them, ⁶⁰  ‘Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and stop doing the evil things you are doing. ⁶¹  If you do, I will allow you to continue to live here in the land that I gave to you and your ancestors as a lasting possession. ⁶²  25:6 Do not pay allegiance to ⁶³  other gods and worship and serve them. Do not make me angry by the things that you do. ⁶⁴  Then I will not cause you any harm.’ 25:7 So, now the Lord says, ⁶⁵  ‘You have not listened to me. But ⁶⁶  you have made me angry by the things that you have done. ⁶⁷  Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.’

Jeremiah 35:15

35:15 I sent all my servants the prophets to warn you over and over again. They said, “Every one of you, stop doing the evil things you have been doing and do what is right. ⁶⁸  Do not pay allegiance to other gods ⁶⁹  and worship them. Then you can continue to live in this land that I gave to you and your ancestors.” But you did not pay any attention or listen to me.

Jeremiah 36:2-10

36:2 “Get a scroll. ⁷⁰  Write on it everything I have told you to say ⁷¹  about Israel, Judah, and all the other nations since I began to speak to you in the reign of Josiah until now. ⁷²  36:3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the disaster I intend to bring on them, they will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. ⁷³  If they do, I will forgive their sins and the wicked things they have done.” ⁷⁴ 

36:4 So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then Jeremiah dictated to Baruch everything the Lord had told him to say and Baruch wrote it all down in a scroll. ⁷⁵  36:5 Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am no longer allowed to go ⁷⁶  into the Lord’s temple. 36:6 So you go there the next time all the people of Judah come in from their towns to fast ⁷⁷  in the Lord’s temple. Read out loud where all of them can hear you what I told you the Lord said, which you wrote in the scroll. ⁷⁸  36:7 Perhaps then they will ask the Lord for mercy and will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. ⁷⁹  For the Lord has threatened to bring great anger and wrath against these people.” ⁸⁰ 

36:8 So Baruch son of Neriah did exactly what the prophet Jeremiah had told him to do. He read what the Lord had said from the scroll in the temple of the Lord. ⁸¹  36:9 All the people living in Jerusalem ⁸²  and all the people who came into Jerusalem from the towns of Judah came to observe a fast before the Lord. The fast took place in the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. ⁸³  36:10 At that time Baruch went into the temple of the Lord. He stood in the entrance of the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan who had been the royal secretary. ⁸⁴  That room was in the upper court ⁸⁵  near the entrance of the New Gate. ⁸⁶  There, where all the people could hear him, he read from the scroll what Jeremiah had said. ⁸⁷ 

Jeremiah 44:4-5

44:4 I sent my servants the prophets to you people over and over ⁸⁸  again warning you not to do this disgusting thing I hate. ⁸⁹  44:5 But the people of Jerusalem and Judah ⁹⁰  would not listen or pay any attention. They would not stop the wickedness they were doing nor quit sacrificing to other gods. ⁹¹ 

Ezekiel 3:7-9

3:7 But the house of Israel is unwilling to listen to you, ⁹²  because they are not willing to listen to me, ⁹³  for the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted. ⁹⁴ 

3:8 “I have made your face adamant ⁹⁵  to match their faces, and your forehead hard to match their foreheads. 3:9 I have made your forehead harder than flint – like diamond! ⁹⁶  Do not fear them or be terrified of the looks they give you, ⁹⁷  for they are a rebellious house.”

Micah 2:6

2:6 ‘Don’t preach with such impassioned rhetoric,’ they say excitedly. ⁹⁸ 

‘These prophets should not preach of such things;

we will not be overtaken by humiliation.’ ⁹⁹ 

Acts 7:51-52

7:51 “You stubborn ¹⁰⁰  people, with uncircumcised ¹⁰¹  hearts and ears! ¹⁰²  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ¹⁰³  did! 7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ¹⁰⁴  not persecute? ¹⁰⁵  They ¹⁰⁶  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ¹⁰⁷  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ¹⁰⁸ 

Acts 7:1

Stephen’s Defense Before the Council

7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” ¹⁰⁹ 

Acts 2:15-16

2:15 In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, ¹¹⁰  for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹¹¹  2:16 But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel: ¹¹² 

[7:12]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term שָׁמִיר (shamir) means literally “hardness” and since it is said in Ezek 3:9 to be harder than flint, many scholars suggest that it refers to diamond. It is unlikely that diamond was known to ancient Israel, however, so probably a hard stone like emery or corundum is in view. The translation nevertheless uses “diamond” because in modern times it has become proverbial for its hardness. A number of English versions use “flint” here (e.g., NASB, NIV).

[7:13]  ² tn Heb “he.” Since the third person pronoun refers to the Lord, it has been translated as a first person pronoun (“I”) to accommodate English style, which typically does not exhibit switches between persons of pronouns in the same immediate context as Hebrew does.

[7:2]  ³ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[1:19]  ⁴ tn See the note on the expression “angelic messenger” in v. 9.

[1:19]  ⁵ sn An animal’s horn is a common OT metaphor for military power (Pss 18:2; 75:10; Jer 48:25; Mic 4:13). The fact that there are four horns here (as well as four blacksmiths, v. 20) shows a correspondence to the four horses of v. 8 which go to four parts of the world, i.e., the whole world.

[1:19]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:15]  ⁷ tn Or “the nations that are at ease” (so ASV, NRSV). The Hebrew word in question is שַׁאֲנָן (sha’anan) which has the idea of a careless, even arrogant attitude (see BDB 983 s.v. שַׁאֲנָן); cf. NAB “the complacent nations.” Here it suggests that the nations take for granted that God will never punish them just because he hasn't already done so. Thus they presume on the grace and patience of the Lord. The translation attempts to bring out this nuance rather than the more neutral renderings of TEV “nations that enjoy quiet and peace” or NLT “enjoy peace and security.”

[1:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “I have turned.” This suggests that the Lord has responded to the “turning” (i.e., repentance) of the people (v. 6) and now, with great love and forgiveness, allows construction of the temple to proceed.

[1:16]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[9:26]  ¹¹ tn Heb “they cast your law behind their backs.”

[9:30]  ¹² tn The Hebrew expression here is elliptical. The words “your kindness” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:30]  ¹³ tn Heb “did not give ear to.”

[9:30]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[30:9]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps, “instruction” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NCV, TEV “teachings.”

[30:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “who” (so NASB, NRSV). A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Do not see for us right things.”

[30:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Tell us smooth things, see deceptive things.”

[30:11]  ¹⁹ sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.

[30:11]  ²⁰ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[6:16]  ²¹ tn The words, “to his people” are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.

[6:16]  ²² tn Heb “Stand at the crossroads and look.”

[6:16]  ²³ tn Heb “the ancient path,” i.e., the path the Lord set out in ancient times (cf. Deut 32:7).

[6:16]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the way of/to the good.”

[6:17]  ²⁵ tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.

[6:17]  ²⁶ tn Heb “I appointed watchmen over you.”

[6:17]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet.” The word “warning” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[13:16]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Give glory/respect to the Lord your God.” For this nuance of the word “glory” (כָּבוֹד, kavod), see BDB 459 s.v. כָּבוֹד 6.b and compare the usage in Mal 1:6 and Josh 7:19.

[13:16]  ²⁹ tn The words “of disaster” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to explain the significance of the metaphor to readers who may not be acquainted with the metaphorical use of light and darkness for salvation and joy and distress and sorrow respectively.

[13:16]  ³⁰ tn Heb “your feet stumble.”

[13:16]  ³¹ tn Heb “you stumble on the mountains at twilight.” The added words are again supplied in the translation to help explain the metaphor to the uninitiated reader.

[13:16]  ³² tn Heb “and while you hope for light he will turn it into deep darkness and make [it] into gloom.” The meaning of the metaphor is again explained through the addition of the “of” phrases for readers who are unacquainted with the metaphorical use of these terms.

[13:17]  ³³ tn Heb “If you will not listen to it.” For the use of the feminine singular pronoun to refer to the idea(s) expressed in the preceding verse(s), see GKC 440-41 §135.p.

[13:17]  ³⁴ tn Heb “Tearing [my eye] will tear and my eye will run down [= flow] with tears.”

[13:17]  ³⁵ tn Heb “because the Lord’s flock will…” The pronoun “you” is supplied in the translation to avoid the shift in English from the second person address at the beginning to the third person affirmation at the end. It also helps explain the metaphor of the people of Israel as God’s flock for some readers who may be unfamiliar with that metaphor.

[13:17]  ³⁶ tn The verb is once again in the form of “as good as done” (the Hebrew prophetic perfect).

[13:18]  ³⁷ tn The words “The Lord told me” are not in the text but are implicit in the shift from second plural pronouns in vv. 15-17 to second singular in the Hebrew text of this verse. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[13:18]  ³⁸ tn Or “You will come down from your thrones”; Heb “Make low! Sit!” This is a case of a construction where two forms in the same case, mood, or tense are joined in such a way that one (usually the first) is intended as an adverbial or adjectival modifier of the other (a figure called hendiadys). This is also probably a case where the imperative is used to express a distinct assurance or promise. See GKC 324 §110.b and compare the usage in Isa 37:30 and Ps 110:2.

[13:18]  ³⁹ tn Heb “have come down.” The verb here and those in the following verses are further examples of the “as good as done” form of the Hebrew verb (the prophetic perfect).

[13:18]  ⁴⁰ tc The translation follows the common emendation of a word normally meaning “place at the head” (מַרְאֲשׁוֹת [mar’ashot] plus pronoun = מַרְאֲוֹשׁתֵיכֶם [mar’aoshtekhem]) to “from your heads” (מֵרָאשֵׁיכֶם, mera’shekhem) following the ancient versions. The meaning “tiara” is nowhere else attested for this word.

[17:19]  ⁴¹ sn Observance of the Sabbath day (and the Sabbatical year) appears to have been a litmus test of the nation’s spirituality since it is mentioned in a number of passages besides this one (cf., e.g., Isa 56:2, 6; 58:13; Neh 13:15-18). Perhaps this is because the Sabbath day was the sign of the Mosaic covenant (Exod 31:13-17) just as the rainbow was the sign of the Noahic covenant (Gen 9:12, 13, 17) and circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 17:11). This was not the only command they failed to obey, nor was their failure to obey this one the sole determining factor in the Lord’s decision to destroy Judah (cf. 7:23- 24; 11:7-8 in their contexts).

[17:19]  ⁴² sn The identity and location of the People’s Gate is uncertain since it is mentioned nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible. Some identify it with the Benjamin Gate mentioned in Jer 37:13; 38:7 (cf. NAB), but there is no textual support for this in the Hebrew Bible or in any of the ancient versions.

[17:19]  ⁴³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[17:20]  ⁴⁴ tn The words “As you stand there” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[17:20]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Listen to the word of the Lord, kings of Judah…Jerusalem who enter through these gates.” This sentence has been restructured to avoid a long complex English sentence and to put “Listen to what the Lord says” closer to the content of what he says.

[17:21]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “Be careful at the risk of your lives.” The expression with the preposition בְּ (bet) is unique. Elsewhere the verb “be careful” is used with the preposition לְ (lamed) in the sense of the reflexive. Hence the word “soul” cannot be simply reflexive here. BDB 1037 s.v. שָׁמַר Niph.1 understands this as a case where the preposition בְּ introduces the cost or price (cf. BDB 90 s.v. בּ III.3.a).

[17:21]  ⁴⁷ sn Comparison with Neh 13:15-18 suggests that these loads were merchandise or agricultural produce which were being brought in for sale. The loads that were carried out of the houses in the next verse were probably goods for barter.

[17:21]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “carry loads on the Sabbath and bring [them] in through.” The two verbs “carry” and “bring in” are an example of hendiadys (see the note on “Be careful…by carrying”). This is supported by the next line where only “carry out” of the houses is mentioned.

[17:22]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Do not carry any loads out of your houses on the Sabbath day and do not do any work.” Translating literally might give the wrong impression that they were not to work at all. The phrase “on the Sabbath day” is, of course, intended to qualify both prohibitions.

[17:22]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “But sanctify [or set apart as sacred] the Sabbath day.” The idea of setting it apart as something sacred to the Lord is implicit in the command. See the explicit statements of this in Exod 20:10; 31:5; 35:2; Lev 24:8. For some readers the idea of treating the Sabbath day as something sacred won’t mean much without spelling the qualification out specifically. Sabbath observance was not just a matter of not working.

[17:22]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “fathers.”

[17:23]  ⁵² tn Heb “They.” The antecedent is spelled out to avoid any possible confusion.

[17:23]  ⁵³ tn Heb “They hardened [or made stiff] their neck so as not to.”

[25:3]  ⁵⁴ sn The year referred to would be 627 b.c. The same year is referred to in 1:2 in reference to his call to be a prophet.

[25:3]  ⁵⁵ tn For the idiom involved here see the notes at 7:13 and 11:7.

[25:3]  ⁵⁶ tn The words “what he said” are not in the text but are implicit. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[25:4]  ⁵⁷ tn For the idiom involved here see the notes at 7:13 and 11:7.

[25:4]  ⁵⁸ tn The vav consecutive with the perfect in a past narrative is a little unusual. Here it is probably indicating repeated action in past time in keeping with the idiom that precedes and follows it. See GKC 332 §112.f for other possible examples.

[25:4]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “inclined your ear to hear.” This is idiomatic for “paying attention.” It is often parallel with “listen” as here or with “pay attention” (see, e.g., Prov 4:20; 51:1).

[25:5]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “saying.” The infinitive goes back to “he sent”; i.e., “he sent, saying.”

[25:5]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “Turn [masc. pl.] each person from his wicked way and from the evil of your [masc. pl.] doings.” See the same demand in 23:22.

[25:5]  ⁶² tn Heb “gave to you and your fathers with reference to from ancient times even unto forever.” See the same idiom in 7:7.

[25:6]  ⁶³ tn Heb “follow after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for this idiom.

[25:6]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “make me angry with the work of your hands.” The term “work of your own hands” is often interpreted as a reference to idolatry as is clearly the case in Isa 2:8; 37:19. However, the parallelism in 25:14 and the context in 32:30 show that it is more general and refers to what they have done. That is likely the meaning here as well.

[25:7]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[25:7]  ⁶⁶ tn This is a rather clear case where the Hebrew particle לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) introduces a consequence and not a purpose, contrary to the dictum of BDB 775 s.v. מַעַן note 1. They have not listened to him in order to make him angry but with the result that they have made him angry by going their own way. Jeremiah appears to use this particle for result rather than purpose on several other occasions (see, e.g., 7:18, 19; 27:10, 15; 32:29).

[25:7]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “make me angry with the work of your hands.” The term “work of your own hands” is often interpreted as a reference to idolatry as is clearly the case in Isa 2:8; 37:19. However, the parallelism in 25:14 and the context in 32:30 show that it is more general and refers to what they have done. That is likely the meaning here as well.

[35:15]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “Turn, each of you, from his [= your] wicked way and make good your deeds.” Compare 18:11 where the same idiom occurs with the added term of “make good your ways.”

[35:15]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “Don’t go after/follow other gods.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom and see 11:10; 13:10; 25:6 for the same idiom.

[36:2]  ⁷⁰ sn Heb “a roll [or scroll] of a document.” Scrolls consisted of pieces of leather or parchment sewn together and rolled up on wooden rollers. The writing was written from right to left and from top to bottom in columns and the scroll unrolled from the left roller and rolled onto the right one as the scroll was read. The scroll varied in length depending on the contents. This scroll was probably not all that long since it was read three times in a single day (vv. 10-11, 15-16, 21-23).

[36:2]  ⁷¹ sn The intent is hardly that of giving a verbatim report of everything that the Lord had told him to say or of everything that he had actually said. What the scroll undoubtedly contained was a synopsis of Jeremiah’s messages as constructed from his memory.

[36:2]  ⁷² sn This refers to the messages that Jeremiah delivered during the last eighteen years of Josiah, the three month reign of Jehoahaz and the first four years of Jehoiakim’s reign (the period between Josiah’s thirteenth year [cf. 1:2] and the fourth year of Jehoiakim [v. 1]). The exact content of this scroll is unknown since many of the messages in the present book are undated. It is also not known what relation this scroll had to the present form of the book of Jeremiah, since this scroll was destroyed and another one written that contained more than this one did (cf. v. 32). Since Jeremiah continued his ministry down to the fall of Jerusalem in 587/6 b.c. (1:2) and beyond (cf. Jer 40-44) much more was added to those two scrolls even later.

[36:3]  ⁷³ tn Heb “will turn each one from his wicked way.”

[36:3]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “their iniquity and their sin.”

[36:4]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “Then Baruch wrote down on a scroll from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord which he [the Lord] had spoken to him [Jeremiah].” The syntax of the Hebrew sentence is awkward and hard to reproduce “literally” in any meaningful way. The English sentence has been restructured to reproduce all the pertinent facts in more simplified language.

[36:5]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “I am restrained; I cannot go into.” The word “restrained” is used elsewhere in Jeremiah of his being confined to the courtyard of the guardhouse (33:1; 39:15). However, that occurred only later during the tenth year of Zedekiah (Jer 32:1-2) and Jeremiah appears here to be free to come and go as he pleased (vv. 19, 26). The word is used in the active voice of the Lord preventing Sarah from having a baby (Gen 16:2). The probable nuance is here “I am prevented/ debarred” from being able to go. No reason is given why he was prevented/debarred. It has been plausibly suggested that he was prohibited from going into the temple any longer because of the scathing sermon he delivered there earlier (Jer 26:1-3; 7:1-15).

[36:6]  ⁷⁷ sn Regular fast days were not a part of Israel’s religious calendar. Rather fast days were called on special occasions, i.e., in times of drought or a locust plague (Joel 1:14; 2:15), or during a military crisis (2 Chr 20:3), or after defeat in battle (1 Sam 31:13; 2 Sam 1:12). A fast day was likely chosen for the reading of the scroll because the people would be more mindful of the crisis they were in and be in more of a repentant mood. The events referred to in the study note on v. 1 would have provided the basis for Jeremiah’s anticipation of a fast day when the scroll could be read.

[36:6]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “So you go and read from the scroll which you have written from my mouth the words of the Lord in the ears of the people in the house of the Lord on a fast day, and in that way [for the explanation of this rendering see below] you will be reading them in the ears of all Judah [= the people of Judah] who come from their towns [i.e., to the temple to fast].” Again the syntax of the original is awkward, separating several of the qualifying phrases from the word or phrase they are intended to modify. In most of the “literal” English versions the emphasis on “what the Lord said” tends to get lost and it looks like two separate groups are to be addressed rather than one. The intent of the phrase is to define who the people are who will hear; the וַ that introduces the clause is explicative (BDB 252 s.v. וַ 1.b) and the גַּם (gam) is used to emphasize the explicative “all Judah who come in from their towns” (cf. BDB 169 s.v. גַּם 2). If some force were to be given to the “literal” rendering of that particle here it would be “actually.” This is the group that is to be addressed according to v. 3. The complex Hebrew sentence has been restructured to include all the relevant information in more comprehensible and shorter English sentences.

[36:7]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “will turn each one from his wicked way.”

[36:7]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “For great is the anger and the wrath which the Lord has spoken against this people.” The translation uses the more active form which is more in keeping with contemporary English style.

[36:8]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “And Baruch son of Neriah did according to all that the prophet Jeremiah commanded him with regard to reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the temple of the Lord.” The sentence has been broken down and the modifiers placed where they belong to better conform to contemporary English style.

[36:9]  ⁸² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[36:9]  ⁸³ tn There is some debate about the syntax of the words translated “All the people living in Jerusalem and all the people who came into Jerusalem from the towns in Judah.” As the sentence is structured in Hebrew it looks like these words are the subject of “proclaim a fast.” However, most commentaries point out that the people themselves would hardly proclaim a fast; they would be summoned to fast (cf. 1 Kgs 21:9, 12; Jonah 3:7). Hence many see these words as the object of the verb which has an impersonal subject “they.” This is most likely unless with J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 180) the word “proclaim” is used in a looser sense as “observed.” The translation has chosen to follow this latter tack rather than use the impersonal (or an equivalent passive) construction in English. For a similar problem see Jonah 3:5 which precedes the official proclamation in 3:7. The Hebrew text reads: “In the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month they proclaimed a fast before the Lord, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah into Jerusalem.” The sentence has been broken down and restructured to better conform with contemporary English style.

[36:10]  ⁸⁴ sn Shaphan had been the royal secretary under Jehoiakim’s father’s rule. During the course of his official duties the book of the law had been discovered and he had read it and reported its contents to Josiah who instituted sweeping reforms on the basis of his obedience to it. (See 2 Kgs 22 and note especially vv. 3, 8, 10.) If the Shaphan mentioned in 26:14 is the same person as this, Gemariah would have been the brother of the man who spoke up on Jeremiah’s behalf when the priests and prophets sought to have him killed.

[36:10]  ⁸⁵ sn It is generally agreed that this is the same as the inner court mentioned in 1 Kgs 6:36; 7:12. It is called “upper” here because it stood above (cf. 1 Kgs 7:12) the outer court where all the people were standing.

[36:10]  ⁸⁶ sn The New Gate is the same gate where Jeremiah had been accused of falsely claiming the Lord’s authority for his “treasonous” prophecies according to 26:10-11. See the study note on 26:10 for more details about the location of this gate.

[36:10]  ⁸⁷ tn The syntax of the original is complicated due to all the qualifying terms: Heb “And Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord in (i.e., in the entrance of) the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe in the upper court at the entrance of the New Gate in the house of the Lord in the ears of all the people.” The sentence has been broken down and restructured to contain all the same information in shorter English sentences that better conform with contemporary English style.

[44:4]  ⁸⁸ tn See 7:13 for an explanation of this idiom and compare 7:25; 25:4; 26:5; 29:19; 35:15 for similar references to the persistent warnings of the prophets.

[44:4]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “sent…over again, saying, ‘Do not do this terrible thing that I hate.’” The indirect quote has been used to shorten the sentence and eliminate one level of embedded quotes.

[44:5]  ⁹⁰ tn There appears to be a deliberate shift in the pronouns used in vv. 2-5. “You” refers to the people living in Egypt who are being addressed (v. 2) and to the people of present and past generations to whom the Lord persistently sent the prophets (v. 4). “They” refers to the people of Jerusalem and the towns of Judah who have suffered disaster (v. 2) because of the wickedness of sacrificing to other gods (vv. 3, 5). The referents have been explicitly identified in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[44:5]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “They did not listen or incline their ear [= pay attention] by turning from their wickedness by not sacrificing to other gods.” The לְ (lamed) + the negative + the infinitive is again epexegetical. The sentence has been restructured and more idiomatic English expressions have been used to better conform with contemporary English style but an attempt has been made to retain the basic relationships of subordination.

[3:7]  ⁹² sn Moses (Exod 3:19) and Isaiah (Isa 6:9-10) were also told that their messages would not be received.

[3:7]  ⁹³ sn A similar description of Israel’s disobedience is given in 1 Sam 8:7.

[3:7]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “hard of forehead and stiff of heart.”

[3:8]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “strong, resolute.”

[3:9]  ⁹⁶ tn The Hebrew term translated “diamond” is parallel to “iron” in Jer 17:1. The Hebrew uses two terms which are both translated at times as “flint,” but here one is clearly harder than the other. The translation “diamond” attempts to reflect this distinction in English.

[3:9]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “of their faces.”

[2:6]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “‘Do not foam at the mouth,’ they foam at the mouth.” The verb נָטַף (nataf) means “to drip.” When used of speech it probably has the nuance “to drivel, to foam at the mouth” (HALOT 694 s.v. נטף). The sinful people tell the Lord’s prophets not to “foam at the mouth,” which probably refers in a derogatory way to their impassioned style of delivery. But the Lord (who is probably still speaking here, see v. 3) sarcastically refers to their impassioned exhortation as “foaming at the mouth.”

[2:6]  ⁹⁹ tc If one follows the MT as it stands, it would appear that the Lord here condemns the people for their “foaming at the mouth” and then announces that judgment is inevitable. The present translation assumes that this is a continuation of the quotation of what the people say. In this case the subject of “foam at the mouth” is the Lord’s prophets. In the second line יִסַּג (yissag, a Niphal imperfect from סוּג, sug, “to remove”) is emended to יַסִּגֵנוּ (yassigenu; a Hiphil imperfect from נָסַג/נָשַׂג, nasag/nasag, “to reach; to overtake”).

[7:51]  ¹⁰⁰ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

[7:51]  ¹⁰¹ tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.

[7:51]  ¹⁰² tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

[7:51]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ¹⁰⁵ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:52]  ¹⁰⁷ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ¹⁰⁸ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).

[7:1]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).

[2:15]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “These men are not drunk, as you suppose.”

[2:15]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “only the third hour.”

[2:16]  ¹¹² sn Note how in the quotation that follows all genders, ages, and classes are included. The event is like a hope Moses expressed in Num 11:29.