Old/New Testament
9 Who shall give water to mine head, and a well of tears to mine eyes? (Who shall make my head to be full of water, and my eyes to be a well of tears?) And (then) I shall beweep day and night (for) the slain men of the daughter of my people.
2 Who shall give me into a wilderness of diverse waygoers? (Who shall show me a place for waygoers in the wilderness?) And (then) I shall forsake my people, and I shall go away from them. For why all be adulterers, and the companies of trespassers against the law;
3 and they held forth their tongue as a bow of leasing, and not of truth. They be comforted in (the) earth, for they went out from evil to evil, and they knew not me, saith the Lord. (and they put forth their tongues like bows sending out lies, and not truth. They be made comfortable on the earth, as they go from evil to evil, and they do not even know me, saith the Lord.)
4 Each man keep him(self) from his neighbour, and have no trust in any brother of him; for why each brother deceiving shall deceive, and each friend shall go guilefully (for each brother shall deceive, and each friend shall be deceitful).
5 And a man shall scorn his brother, and shall not speak truth; for they taught their tongue to speak leasing; they travailed to do wickedly. (And a man shall mock his brother, and shall not speak the truth; for they taught their tongues to speak lies; they laboured to do wickedly.)
6 Thy dwelling is in the midst of guile; in guile they forsook to know me, saith the Lord.
7 Therefore the Lord of hosts saith these things, Lo! I shall well (them) together, and I shall prove them; for why what other thing shall I do from the face of the daughter of my people? (for what else shall I do with my people?)
8 The tongue of them is an arrow wounding, and [it] spake guile; in his mouth he speaketh peace with his friend, and privily he setteth treasons to him. (Their tongue is like a wounding arrow, and it spoke deceitfully; yea, he speaketh peace to his friend with his mouth, but privately he setteth treasons for him.)
9 Whether I shall not visit on these things, saith the Lord, either shall not my soul take vengeance on such a folk? (Shall I not punish them for these things, saith the Lord, or shall not my soul take vengeance upon such a nation?)
10 On hills I shall take weeping and mourning, and wailing on the fair things of desert, for they be burnt [up]; for no man is passing forth, and they heard not the voice of him that wieldeth; from a bird of the air unto [the] sheep, they passed over, and went away. (I shall take up weeping and mourning for the hills, and wailing for the beautiful things of the desert, for they be dried up; for no one is passing forth, and they did not hear the sound of the cattle; yea, from a bird of the air unto the sheep, they passed over it, and went away.)
11 And I shall give Jerusalem into heaps of gravel, and into dens of dragons; and I shall give the cities of Judah into desolation, for there is no dweller. (And I shall make Jerusalem into heaps of dirt, and into the dens of dragons, or of jackals; and I shall bring the cities of Judah into desolation, for there shall be no inhabitants there.)
12 Who is a wise man that shall understand these things, and to whom the word of the mouth of the Lord shall be made, that he tell this? Why the earth perished, it is burnt as desert, for none is that passeth? (Who is so wise that he shall understand these things, and to whom the word from the mouth of the Lord shall be made, so that he shall tell this out? Why hath the land perished, and it is burned up like a desert, and there is no one who passeth through it?)
13 And the Lord said, For they forsook my law, which I gave to them, and they heard not my voice, and they went not therein; (And the Lord said, For they deserted my Law, which I gave to them, and they did not listen to, or obey, my voice, and they did not follow it;)
14 and they went after the shrewdness of their heart, and after Baalim, which they learned of their fathers; (and they went after the depravity of their hearts, and went after the Baalim, which they learned from their fathers;)
15 therefore the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall feed this people with wormwood, and I shall give to them (to) drink the water of gall (and I shall give them the water of gall to drink).
16 And I shall scatter them among heathen men, which they and their fathers knew not; and I shall send sword after them, till they be wasted. (And I shall scatter them among the heathen, whom they and their fathers did not know; and I shall send the sword after them, until they be destroyed.)
17 The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Behold ye, and call ye women that wail, and come they; and send ye to those women that be wise, and haste they. (The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith these things, Behold ye, and call ye for women who wail, and come they; and send ye for those women who be wise, and hasten they here.)
18 Haste they, and take they wailing on you (Yea, hasten they here, and take they up wailing for you); your eyes bring down tears, and your eyelids flow with waters;
19 for the voice of wailing is heard from Zion. How be we destroyed, and shamed greatly? for we have forsaken the land, for our tabernacles be forsaken. (for the voice of wailing is heard in Zion. How we be destroyed, and so greatly shamed! for we have left the land, we have abandoned our tents.)
20 Therefore, women, hear ye the word of the Lord, and your ears take the word of his mouth; and teach ye your daughters wailing, and each woman teach her neighbour mourning.
21 For why death ascended by your windows, it entered into your houses, to lose little children withoutforth, and young men from the streets. (For death hath gone in by your windows, it entered into your houses; and it hath destroyed the little children outside, and the young men in the streets.)
22 Speak thou, The Lord saith these things, And the dead body of a man shall fall down as a turd on the face of the country(side), and as hay behind the back of the mower, and none there is that gathereth (and there is no one who gathereth them).
23 (And) The Lord saith these things, A wise man have not glory in his wisdom, and a strong man have not glory in his strength, and a rich man have not glory in his riches;
24 but he that hath glory, have glory in this, to know and know me, for I am the Lord, that do mercy, and doom, and rightfulness in [the] earth. For why these things please me, saith the Lord. (but he who hath glory, have glory in this, to know and to understand me, for I am the Lord, who do mercy, and judgement, and righteousness/who do mercy, and justice, and what is right, upon the earth. Yea, because these things please me, saith the Lord.)
25 Lo! days come, saith the Lord, and I shall visit on each man that hath prepuce uncircumcised; (Lo! days come, saith the Lord, and I shall punish each man who hath an uncircumcised prepuce;)
26 on Egypt, and on Judah, and on Edom, and on the sons of Ammon, and on Moab, and on all men that be clipped on long hair, and dwell in desert; for why all heathen men have prepuce, forsooth all the house of Israel be uncircumcised in heart. (yea, in Egypt, and in Judah, and in Edom, and among the Ammonites, and in Moab, and among all the men who have clipped their long hair, and live in the desert; for all heathen men have prepuces, and all the house of Israel have uncircumcised hearts.)
10 The house of Israel, hear ye the word which the Lord spake on you. (The house of Israel, hear ye the word which the Lord spoke against you.)
2 The Lord saith these things, Do not ye learn after the ways of heathen men, and do not ye dread of the signs of heaven, which signs heathen men dread. (The Lord saith these things, Do not ye learn after the ways of the heathen, and do not ye fear the signs of the heavens, which signs the heathen fear.)
3 For the laws of peoples be vain (For the religions, or the customs, of the peoples, or of the nations, be empty and futile), for why the work of [the] hands of a craftsman hath cut down with an ax a tree of the forest.
4 He made it fair with silver and gold; (and) with nails and hammers he joined it together, that it be not loosed [atwain].
5 Idols be made in the likeness of a palm tree, and shall not speak; those shall be taken and be borne (about), for those may not go; therefore do not ye dread those, for they may neither do evil, neither well. (These idols be made straight and tall like a palm tree, but they cannot speak; they must be picked up and carried about, for they cannot walk; and so do not ye fear them, for they can do neither good nor evil to you/for you.)
6 Lord, none is like thee (Lord, there is no one like thee); thou art great, and thy name is great in strength.
7 A! thou king of folks, who shall not dread thee? for why honour is thine among all wise men of heathen men, and in all the realms of them none is like thee. (O! thou King of nations, who shall not fear thee? for honour is thine among all the wise of the heathen, and in all their kingdoms there is no one like thee.)
8 They shall be proved unwise and fools together; the teaching of their vanity is a tree. (They shall be proved altogether unwise and foolish; their empty and futile teaching is from a piece of wood.)
9 Silver wrapped is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz (Silver beaten into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Ophir); it is the work of a craftsman, and of the hand(s) of a worker in metal; jacinth and purple be the clothing of them; all these things be the work of workmen.
10 Forsooth the Lord is very God; he is God living, and a king everlasting; the earth shall be moved together of his indignation, and heathen men shall not (be able to) suffer the menacing of him. (For the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, and the everlasting King; the earth shall be altogether shaken by his indignation, and the heathen shall not be able to suffer his threats.)
11 Therefore thus ye shall say to them, Gods that made not heaven and earth, perish from the earth, and from these things that be under heaven. (And so ye shall say this to them, The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth, shall perish from the earth, and from these things that be under the heavens.)
12 He is God, that maketh the earth in his strength, that maketh ready the world in his wisdom, and stretcheth forth (the) heavens by his prudence. (He is God, who maketh the earth by his strength, who prepareth the world by his wisdom, and who stretcheth forth the heavens by his prudence, or by his knowledge.)
13 At his voice he giveth the multitude of waters in (the) heaven(s), and he raiseth [up] mists from the ends of (the) earth; he maketh lightnings into rain, and leadeth out wind of his treasures/of his treasuries (and leadeth forth the wind from his storehouses).
14 Each man is made a fool of [his] knowing, each craftsman is shamed in a graven image; for why that that he welled together is false, and no spirit is in them. (Each person is made a fool by his knowledge, each craftsman is shamed by a carved, or a cast, idol; for what he welded together is false, and no breath, or life, is in them.)
15 Those be vain (They be empty and futile), and a work worthy of scorn; those shall perish in the time of their visitation.
16 The part of Jacob is not like these, for he that formed all things is God of Jacob, and Israel is the rod of his heritage; the Lord of hosts is name to him. (The portion of Jacob is not like these, for he who formed all things is the God of Jacob, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance; the Lord of hosts is his name.)
17 Thou that dwellest in besieging, gather from the land thy shame; (Thou who livest under siege, gather up thy goods from the land;)
18 for the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall cast away far the dwellers of the land in this while; and I shall give tribulation to them, so that they be not found. (for the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall cast far away the inhabitants of the land at this time; and I shall give them so much trouble, that they shall never be found again.)
19 Woe to me on my sorrow, my wound is full evil; forsooth I said, Plainly this is my sickness, and I shall bear it. (Woe to me for my sorrow, my wound is very bad; but I said, Truly this is my plight, and I shall bear it.)
20 My tabernacle is destroyed, all my ropes be broken; my sons went out from me, and be not; none is that shall stretch forth more my tent, and shall raise [up] my skins. (My tent is destroyed, all my ropes be broken; my sons and daughters went out from me, and now be not; there is no longer anyone who shall stretch forth my tent, and shall raise up my curtains.)
21 For the shepherds did follily, and sought not the Lord (For the shepherds of the people did foolishly, and did not seek the Lord); therefore they understood not, and all the flock of them is scattered.
22 Lo! the voice of hearing cometh, and a great moving together from the land of the north, that it set the cities of Judah into wilderness, and a dwelling place of dragons. (Lo! tidings come, and then a great tumult from the land of the north, that shall turn the cities of Judah into a wilderness, and into a dwelling place for dragons, or for jackals.)
23 Lord, I know, that the way of a man is not of him(self), neither it is of a man that he go, and (ad)dress his steps. (Lord, I know, that the way of a person is not their own choosing, nor is it for anyone that they can go, and direct their own steps.)
24 Lord, chastise thou me; nevertheless in doom, and not in thy strong vengeance, lest peradventure thou drive me to nought. (Lord, discipline, or correct, thou me; nevertheless with justice/in judgement, and not with thy strong vengeance, lest perhaps thou drive me down to nothing.)
25 Pour out thine indignation on heathen men that knew not thee, and on provinces that called not thy name to help; for they ate Jacob, and devoured him, and wasted him, and destroyed the honour of him. (Pour out thy indignation upon the heathen who do not know thee, and upon the provinces that did not call on thy name for help; for they ate up Jacob, and devoured him, and wasted him, and destroyed his honour.)
11 The word that was made of the Lord to Jeremy, and said, (The word of the Lord that was made to Jeremiah, and said,)
2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak ye to the men of Judah, and to the dwellers of Jerusalem; (Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak ye to the people of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;)
3 and thou shalt say to them, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Cursed be the man that heareth not the words of this covenant, (and thou shalt say to them, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Cursed be the person who would not listen to, or obey, the words of this covenant,)
4 which I commanded to your fathers, in the day in which I led them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace; and I said, Hear ye my voice, and do ye all things which I commanded to you, and ye shall be into a people to me, and I shall be into God to you;
5 that I raise (up) the oath which I swore to your fathers, that I should give to them a land flowing with milk and honey, as this day is (as it is this day). And I answered, and said, Amen, Lord.
6 And the Lord said to me, Cry thou [out] all these words in the cities of Judah, and without[forth] Jerusalem, and say thou, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do ye them;
7 for I witnessing have witnessed to your fathers, in the day in which I led them out of the land of Egypt, unto this day; I rose (up) early, and witnessed, and said, Hear ye my voice.
8 And they heard not, neither bowed down their ear, but they went forth each man in the shrewdness of his evil heart (But they would not listen, or obey, nor bowed down their ear, but they went forth each person in the depravity of their own evil heart); and I brought in on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded that they should do, and they did not.
9 And the Lord said to me, Swearing together is found in the men of Judah, and in the dwellers of Jerusalem; (And the Lord said to me, Conspiracy, or plotting together, is found among the people of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem;)
10 they turned again to the former wickednesses of their fathers, that would not hear my words; and therefore these men went after alien gods, for to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah made void my covenant, which I made with the fathers of them. (they returned to the former wickednesses of their forefathers, who would not listen to, or obey, my words; and so these people went after strange, or foreign, gods, to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah made void my covenant, which I had made with their forefathers.)
11 Wherefore the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall bring in on them evils, of which they shall not be able to go out (from which they shall not be able to escape); and they shall cry to me, and I shall not hear them.
12 And the cities of Judah and the dwellers of Jerusalem shall go, and shall cry to them to which they offer sacrifices; and they shall not save them in the time of their torment. (And the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall go, and shall cry to them to which they offer sacrifices; but they shall not save them in their time of torment.)
13 For thou, Judah, thy gods were by the number of thy cities, and thou settedest altars of shame, by the number of the ways of Jerusalem, altars to offer sacrifices to Baalim (altars to offer sacrifices to Baal).
14 Therefore do not thou pray for this people, and take thou not (up) praising and prayer for them; for I shall not hear (them) in the time of the cry of them to me, in the time of the torment of them.
15 What is it, that my darling doeth many great trespasses in mine house? whether holy fleshes shall do away from thee thy malice, in which thou hast glory? (What right hath my darling to be in my House, she who doeth so many great trespasses? shall holy flesh do away from thee thy malice, in which thou hast so much glory?)
16 The Lord called thy name an olive tree, fair, full of fruit, shapely; at the voice of a great speech, fire burnt on high therein, and the bushes thereof be burnt. (Once the Lord called thee an olive tree, yea, beautiful, full of fruit, and shapely; but now, at the sound of a great shout, fire shall burn on high there, and its bushes shall be burned down.)
17 And the Lord of hosts that planted thee, spake evil on thee, for the evils of the house of Israel, and of the house of Judah, which they did to themselves, and offered to Baalim, to stir me to wrath. (And the Lord of hosts who planted thee, spoke evil against thee, for the evils of the house of Israel, and of the house of Judah, which they did to themselves, when they stirred me to anger, by offering to Baal.)
18 Forsooth, Lord, thou showedest to me, and I knew; thou showedest to me the studies of them. (But, Lord, thou hast shown me, and so I knew; yea, thou hast shown me their deeds.)
19 And I am as a mild lamb, which is borne to slain sacrifice; and I knew not, that they thought counsels on me, and said, Send we a tree into the bread of him, and raze we him away from the land of livers, and his name be no more had in mind. (And I am like a meek lamb, which is carried to the slain sacrifice; and I knew not that they thought up plans against me, and said, Destroy we the tree with its fruit, and raze we him down from the land of the living, and his name shall no longer be remembered.)
20 But thou, Lord of hosts, that deemest justly, and provest reins and hearts, see I thy vengeance of them; for to thee I showed my cause. (But thou, Lord of hosts, who judgest justly, and provest reins and hearts, let me see thy vengeance against them; for I have shown my cause to thee/for I have made my case to thee.)
21 Therefore the Lord saith these things to the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, and say, Thou shalt not prophesy in the name of the Lord, and thou shalt not die in our hands. (And so the Lord saith these things to those people of Anathoth, who seek thy life, and say, Prophesy thou no more in the name of the Lord, and then thou shalt not die by our hands.)
22 Therefore the Lord of hosts saith these things, Lo! I shall visit on them; the young men of them shall die by sword, the sons of them, and the daughters of them, shall die for hunger; (And so the Lord of hosts saith these things, Lo! I shall punish them; their young men shall die by the sword, and their sons, and their daughters, shall die by hunger;)
23 and no remnants, either children left, shall be of them; for I shall bring in evil on the men of Anathoth, the year of the visitation of them. (and there shall be no remnant, or any children, left of them; for I shall bring in evil upon the people of Anathoth, yea, the time of their punishment.)
6 Whatever servants be under yoke, deem they their lords worthy all honour, lest the name of the Lord and the doctrine be blasphemed[a].
2 And they that have faithful lords, despise them not, for they be brethren; but more serve they, for they be faithful and loved, which be partners of beneficence. Teach thou these things, and admonish thou these things.[b]
3 If any man teach otherwise, and accordeth not to the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to that teaching that is by piety [and to the teaching that is after piety],
4 he is proud, and knoweth nothing, but languisheth about questions and strivings of words [nothing knowing, but languishing about questions and fightings of words], of the which be brought forth envies, strives, blasphemies, evil suspicions,
5 fightings of men, that be corrupt in soul, and that be deprived from truth, that deem winning to be piety. [fightings of men corrupt in soul, or reason, and that be deprived from truth, deeming winning to be piety.]
6 But a great winning is piety, with sufficience.
7 For we brought in nothing into this world, and no doubt, that we be not able to bear any thing away. [Forsooth we brought nothing into this world, no doubt, for we may not bear away any thing.]
8 But we having foods, and with what things we shall be covered, be we satisfied with these things. [Forsooth having foods, and with what things we shall be clothed, with these things be we satisfied.]
9 For they that will be made rich, fall into temptation, and into the snare of the devil, and into many unprofitable desires and harmful, which drown men into death and perdition.
10 For the root of all evils is covetousness, which some men coveting erred from the faith, and besetted them(selves) with many sorrows [and beset them with many sorrows].
11 But, thou, man of God, flee these things; but follow thou rightwiseness [soothly follow thou rightwiseness], piety, faith, charity, patience, mildness.
12 Strive thou a good strife of faith, catch everlasting life, into which thou art called, and hast acknowledged a good acknowledging before many witnesses.
13 I command to thee before God, that quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, that yielded a witnessing under Pilate of Pontii, a good confession,
14 that thou keep the commandment without wem, without reproof [irreprehensible], [till] into the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ;
15 whom the blessed and alone almighty king of kings and Lord of lords shall show in his times.
16 Which alone hath undeadliness [The which alone hath immortality], and dwelleth in light, to which light no man may come; whom no man saw, neither may see; to whom glory, and honour, and empire be without end [to whom glory, and honour, and empire into without end]. Amen.
17 Command thou to the rich men of this world, that they understand not highly, neither that they hope in uncertainty of riches[c], but in the living God, that giveth to us all things plenteously to use;
18 to do well, to be made rich in good works, lightly to give, to commune,
19 to treasure to themselves a good foundament into time to coming [into time to come], that they catch everlasting life.
20 Thou Timothy, keep the thing betaken to thee [Thou Timothy, keep the deposit, or thing betaken to thee], eschewing cursed novelties of voices, and opinions of false name of knowing;
21 which some men promising, about the faith fell down[d]. The grace of God be with thee. Amen.
2001 by Terence P. Noble