
TORAH
NEVI'IM
KETUVIM
Chapter 16
Translation and Transliteration of
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1The word of Hashem came to me:
אוַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃
2You are not to marry and not to have sons and daughters in this place.
בלֹא־תִקַּח לְךָ אִשָּׁה וְלֹא־יִהְיוּ לְךָ בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה׃
3For thus said Hashem concerning any sons and daughters that may be born in this place, and concerning the mothers who bear them, and concerning the fathers who beget them in this land:
גכִּי־כֹה אָמַר יְהֹוָה עַל־הַבָּנִים וְעַל־הַבָּנוֹת הַיִּלּוֹדִים בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְעַל־אִמֹּתָם הַיֹּלְדוֹת אוֹתָם וְעַל־אֲבוֹתָם הַמּוֹלִדִים אוֹתָם בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת׃
4They shall die gruesome deaths. They shall not be lamented or buried; they shall be like dung on the surface of the ground. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth.
דמְמוֹתֵי תַחֲלֻאִים יָמֻתוּ לֹא יִסָּפְדוּ וְלֹא יִקָּבֵרוּ לְדֹמֶן עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה יִהְיוּ וּבַחֶרֶב וּבָרָעָב יִכְלוּ וְהָיְתָה נִבְלָתָם לְמַאֲכָל לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְבֶהֱמַת הָאָרֶץ׃
5For thus said Hashem: Do not enter a house of mourning, Do not go to lament and to condole with them; For I have withdrawn My favor from that people —declares Hashem— My kindness and compassion.
הכִּי־כֹה אָמַר יְהֹוָה אַל־תָּבוֹא בֵּית מַרְזֵחַ וְאַל־תֵּלֵךְ לִסְפּוֹד וְאַל־תָּנֹד לָהֶם כִּי־אָסַפְתִּי אֶת־שְׁלוֹמִי מֵאֵת הָעָם־הַזֶּה נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה אֶת־הַחֶסֶד וְאֶת־הָרַחֲמִים׃
6Great and small alike shall die in this land, They shall not be buried; men shall not lament them, Nor gash and tonsure themselves for them.
ווּמֵתוּ גְדֹלִים וּקְטַנִּים בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לֹא יִקָּבֵרוּ וְלֹא־יִסְפְּדוּ לָהֶם וְלֹא יִתְגֹּדַד וְלֹא יִקָּרֵחַ לָהֶם׃
7They shall not break bread for a mourner To comfort him for a bereavement, Nor offer one a cup of consolation For the loss of his father or mother.
זוְלֹא־יִפְרְסוּ לָהֶם עַל־אֵבֶל לְנַחֲמוֹ עַל־מֵת וְלֹא־יַשְׁקוּ אוֹתָם כּוֹס תַּנְחוּמִים עַל־אָבִיו וְעַל־אִמּוֹ׃
8Nor shall you enter a house of feasting, To sit down with them to eat and drink.
חוּבֵית־מִשְׁתֶּה לֹא־תָבוֹא לָשֶׁבֶת אוֹתָם לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת׃
9For thus said the lord of Hosts, the God of Yisrael: I am going to banish from this place, in your days and before your eyes, the sound of mirth and gladness, the voice of bridegroom and bride.
טכִּי כֹה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי מַשְׁבִּית מִן־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה לְעֵינֵיכֶם וּבִימֵיכֶם קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה׃
10And when you announce all these things to that people, and they ask you, “Why has Hashem decreed upon us all this fearful evil? What is the iniquity and what the sin that we have committed against Hashem our God?”
יוְהָיָה כִּי תַגִּיד לָעָם הַזֶּה אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְאָמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ עַל־מֶה דִבֶּר יְהֹוָה עָלֵינוּ אֵת כָּל־הָרָעָה הַגְּדוֹלָה הַזֹּאת וּמֶה עֲוׂנֵנוּ וּמֶה חַטָּאתֵנוּ אֲשֶׁר חָטָאנוּ לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃
11say to them, “Because your fathers deserted Me—declares Hashem—and followed other gods and served them and worshiped them; they deserted Me and did not keep My Instruction.
יאוְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם עַל אֲשֶׁר־עָזְבוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם אוֹתִי נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וַיַּעַבְדוּם וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לָהֶם וְאֹתִי עָזָבוּ וְאֶת־תּוֹרָתִי לֹא שָׁמָרוּ׃
12And you have acted worse than your fathers, every one of you following the willfulness of his evil heart and paying no heed to Me.
יבוְאַתֶּם הֲרֵעֹתֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת מֵאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם וְהִנְּכֶם הֹלְכִים אִישׁ אַחֲרֵי שְׁרִרוּת לִבּוֹ־הָרָע לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמֹעַ אֵלָי׃
13Therefore I will hurl you out of this land to a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will serve other gods, day and night; for I will show you no mercy.”
יגוְהֵטַלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת עַל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְדַעְתֶּם אַתֶּם וַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם וַעֲבַדְתֶּם־שָׁם אֶת־אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־אֶתֵּן לָכֶם חֲנִינָה׃
14Assuredly, a time is coming—declares Hashem—when it shall no more be said, “As Hashem lives who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt,”
ידלָכֵן הִנֵּה־יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וְלֹא־יֵאָמֵר עוֹד חַי־יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃
15but rather, “As Hashem lives who brought the Israelites out of the northland, and out of all the lands to which He had banished them.” For I will bring them back to their land, which I gave to their fathers.
KEE im khai a-do-NAI a-SHER he-e-LAH et b'-NAY yis-ra-AYL may-E-retz tza-FON u-mi-KOL ha-a-ra-TZOT a-SHER hi-dee-KHAM SHA-mah va-ha-shi-vo-TEEM al ad-ma-TAM a-SHER na-TA-tee la-a-vo-TAM
טוכִּי אִם־חַי־יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹן וּמִכֹּל הָאֲרָצוֹת אֲשֶׁר הִדִּיחָם שָׁמָּה וַהֲשִׁבֹתִים עַל־אַדְמָתָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לַאֲבוֹתָם׃
16:15 For I will bring them back to their land

Malbim (1809-1879)
Yirmiyahu interrupts a description of death and exile with an uplifting message of consolation, declaring that Hashem will bring the Children of Israel back from captivity to their land. He declares that the salvation from the future exile will be so great that it will overshadow the past miracles of the exodus from Egypt. According to Malbim, the future redemption will stand out from the first, since it will return the Nation of Israel to the land they had already inherited, occupied and enjoyed. The joy of returning to their land will be even greater in their eyes than the miracles of the redemption from Egypt. This is a powerful message with great relevance in our generation: The miracle of the State of Israel and the extraordinary events we experience today are in fact greater than the exodus.
16Lo, I am sending for many fishermen —declares Hashem— And they shall haul them out; And after that I will send for many hunters, And they shall hunt them Out of every mountain and out of every hill And out of the clefts of the rocks.
טזהִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ לדוגים [לְדַיָּגִים] רַבִּים נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וְדִיגוּם וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן אֶשְׁלַח לְרַבִּים צַיָּדִים וְצָדוּם מֵעַל כָּל־הַר וּמֵעַל כָּל־גִּבְעָה וּמִנְּקִיקֵי הַסְּלָעִים׃
17For My eyes are on all their ways, They are not hidden from My presence, Their iniquity is not concealed from My sight.
יזכִּי עֵינַי עַל־כָּל־דַּרְכֵיהֶם לֹא נִסְתְּרוּ מִלְּפָנָי וְלֹא־נִצְפַּן עֲוׂנָם מִנֶּגֶד עֵינָי׃
18I will pay them in full— Nay, doubly for their iniquity and their sins— Because they have defiled My land With the corpses of their abominations, And have filled My own possession With their abhorrent things.
יחוְשִׁלַּמְתִּי רִאשׁוֹנָה מִשְׁנֵה עֲוׂנָם וְחַטָּאתָם עַל חַלְּלָם אֶת־אַרְצִי בְּנִבְלַת שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם וְתוֹעֲבוֹתֵיהֶם מָלְאוּ אֶת־נַחֲלָתִי׃
19Hashem, my strength and my stronghold, My refuge in a day of trouble, To You nations shall come From the ends of the earth and say: Our fathers inherited utter delusions, Things that are futile and worthless.
יטיְהֹוָה עֻזִּי וּמָעֻזִּי וּמְנוּסִי בְּיוֹם צָרָה אֵלֶיךָ גּוֹיִם יָבֹאוּ מֵאַפְסֵי־אָרֶץ וְיֹאמְרוּ אַךְ־שֶׁקֶר נָחֲלוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ הֶבֶל וְאֵין־בָּם מוֹעִיל׃
20Can a man make gods for himself? No-gods are they!
כהֲיַעֲשֶׂה־לּוֹ אָדָם אֱלֹהִים וְהֵמָּה לֹא אֱלֹהִים׃
21Assuredly, I will teach them, Once and for all I will teach them My power and My might. And they shall learn that My name is Hashem.
כאלָכֵן הִנְנִי מוֹדִיעָם בַּפַּעַם הַזֹּאת אוֹדִיעֵם אֶת־יָדִי וְאֶת־גְּבוּרָתִי וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־שְׁמִי יְהֹוָה׃