וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with me, saying:

לֹא־תִקַּח לְךָ אִשָּׁה וְלֹא־יִהְיוּ לְךָ בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה

You shall not take a wife for yourself, and you shall not have sons or daughters in this place. It is unclear when this command was issued, and whether the prohibition was total or if it was limited to a specific time and place. Some commentaries maintain that the prohibition applied only to the city of Anatot, while others claim that it also extended to Jerusalem.

כִּי־כֹה אָמַר ה' עַל־הַבָּנִים וְעַל־הַבָּנוֹת הַיִּלּוֹדִים בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְעַל־אִמֹּתָם הַיֹּלְדוֹת אוֹתָם וְעַל־אֲבוֹתָם הַמּוֹלִדִים אוֹתָם בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת׃

The verse provides the reason for this unusual restriction: For so said the Lord about the sons and about the daughters who are born in this place, and about their mothers who bear them, and about their fathers who beget them in this land:

מְמוֹתֵי תַחֲלֻאִים יָמֻתוּ לֹא יִסָּפְדוּ וְלֹא יִקָּבֵרוּ לְדֹמֶן עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה יִהְיוּ וּבַחֶרֶב וּבָרָעָב יִכְלוּ וְהָיְתָה נִבְלָתָם לְמַאֲכָל לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְבֶהֱמַת הָאָרֶץ

They will all die deaths of illnesses; they will not be lamented, and they will not be buried; they will be as dung scattered on the face of the earth, and by the sword and by famine they will perish, and their carcasses shall be food for the birds of the heavens and for the animals of the earth. Consequently, there is no reason to bring children into such a world.

כִּי־כֹה אָמַר ה' אַל־תָּבוֹא בֵּית מַרְזֵחַ וְאַל־תֵּלֵךְ לִסְפּוֹד וְאַל־תָּנֹד לָהֶם כִּי־אָסַפְתִּי אֶת־שְׁלוֹמִי מֵאֵת הָעָם הַזֶּה נְאֻם־ה' אֶת־הַחֶסֶד וְאֶת־הָרַחֲמִים

For so said the Lord: Do not enter a house of mourning, and do not go to eulogize the dead, and do not commiserate with them. Alternatively, this is referring to the nodding [nedida] of the head as an expression of sharing in the mourner’s sorrow. For I have withdrawn My peace from this people – the utterance of the Lord – and likewise I have removed kindness and compassion, even between man and his fellow.

וּמֵתוּ גְדֹלִים וּקְטַנִּים בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לֹא יִקָּבֵרוּ וְלֹא־יִסְפְּדוּ לָהֶם וְלֹא יִתְגֹּדַד וְלֹא יִקָּרֵחַ לָהֶם

Great and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, and no one will lament them, and no one will cut himself, and no one will become bald for them. These extreme acts were sometimes performed as a sign of mourning and out of respect for the dead. Although the Torah prohibits such practices, the prophet mentions them as examples. Whether the people of Judah had adopted these prohibited signs of mourning or not, Jeremiah is saying that there will be nobody left to mourn the dead in any manner.

וְלֹא־יִפְרְסוּ לָהֶם עַל־אֵבֶל לְנַחֲמוֹ עַל־מֵת וְלֹא־יַשְׁקוּ אוֹתָם כּוֹס תַּנְחוּמִים עַל־אָבִיו וְעַל־אִמּוֹ

They will not break bread for them, for a mourner, to console him in his mourning for the dead, and they will not give them a cup of consolation to drink for one’s father or for one’s mother.

וּבֵית־מִשְׁתֶּה לֹא־תָבוֹא לָשֶׁבֶת אוֹתָם לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת

You shall not come anymore into a house of feasting, a wedding, to sit with them to eat and to drink.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי מַשְׁבִּית מִן־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה לְעֵינֵיכֶם וּבִימֵיכֶם קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה

For so said the Lord of hosts, God of Israel: Behold, I am eliminating from this place, before your eyes and in your days, as you can already observe in Jeremiah’s personal life, the sound of gladness and the sound of joy, the sound of a groom and the sound of a bride.

וְהָיָה כִּי תַגִּיד לָעָם הַזֶּה אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה – וְאָמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ עַל־מֶה דִבֶּר ה' עָלֵינוּ אֵת כָּל־הָרָעָה הַגְּדוֹלָה הַזֹּאת וּמֶה עֲוֹנֵנוּ וּמֶה חַטָּאתֵנוּ אֲשֶׁר חָטָאנוּ לַה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ

It shall be when you will tell this people all these sorry matters, the diseases and death that await them, and the general hopelessness of their situation, they will say to you: For what did the Lord speak all this great evil against us, and what is our iniquity, and what is our sin that we sinned to the Lord our God?

וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם עַל אֲשֶׁר־עָזְבוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם אוֹתִי נְאֻם־ה' וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וַיַּעַבְדוּם וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לָהֶם וְאֹתִי עָזָבוּ וְ

You shall say to them: It is because your fathers forsook Me – the utterance of the Lord – and they followed other gods, and they worshipped them, and they prostrated themselves to them, and Me they forsook, and also My Torah they did not observe.

וְאַתֶּם הֲרֵעֹתֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת מֵאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם וְהִנְּכֶם הֹלְכִים אִישׁ אַחֲרֵי שְׁרִרוּת לִבּוֹ־הָרָע לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמֹעַ אֵלָי

Your ancestors systematically followed idolatrous practices. And yet you have acted even worse than your fathers did, and behold, each of you follows the desire of his evil heart to not heed Me. You do not act in this manner out of habit, but due to your arbitrary approach to God and your imperviousness to My messages, as you actively desire to disobey My word.

וְהֵטַלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת עַל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְדַעְתֶּם אַתֶּם וַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם וַעֲבַדְתֶּם־שָׁם אֶת־אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־אֶתֵּן לָכֶם חֲנִינָה

I will cast you from upon this land to the land that you did not know, you or your fathers, and you will worship there other gods, day and night. The mere fact that you will be living in an idolatrous land and will be subjugated to its rulers will cause your lifestyle and perspective to become idolatrous, as I will not grant you clemency, divine assistance.

לָכֵן הִנֵּה־יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם־ה' וְלֹא־יֵאָמֵר עוֹד חַי־ה' אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

Together with his harsh prophecy about the forthcoming exile, Jeremiah also provides an encouraging prediction. Although virtually all the people will be exiled and few will remain in the land, they can take comfort in the knowledge that the lengthy exile will eventually be followed by a glorious redemption: Therefore, behold, days are coming – the utterance of the Lord – and it will not be said anymore by people when they pronounce an oath: As the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel up from the land of Egypt.

כִּי אִם חַי־ה' אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹן וּמִכֹּל הָאֲרָצוֹת אֲשֶׁר הִדִּיחָם שָׁמָּה וַהֲשִׁבֹתִים עַל־אַדְמָתָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לַאֲבוֹתָם

Rather, they will say: As the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel up from the land of the north and from all the lands to which He banished them, as this redemption will be even greater than the exodus from Egypt, and I will return them to their land, which I gave to their fathers.

הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ לְדַיָּגִים רַבִּים נְאֻם־ה' וְדִיגוּם וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן אֶשְׁלַח לְרַבִּים צַיָּדִים וְצָדוּם מֵעַל כָּל־הַר וּמֵעַל כָּל־גִּבְעָה וּמִנְּקִיקֵי הַסְּלָעִים

The prophet returns to the forthcoming exile: Behold, I am sending for many fishermen – the utterance of the Lord – and they will fish them, and catch many of the people; and thereafter I will send hunters to trap the multitudes who escaped the fishermen’s nets, and they will hunt them from upon every mountain and from upon every hill and from the crevices of the rocks.

כִּי עֵינַי עַל־כָּל־דַּרְכֵיהֶם לֹא נִסְתְּרוּ מִלְּפָנָי וְלֹא־נִצְפַּן עֲוֹנָם מִנֶּגֶד עֵינָי

For My eyes are upon all their ways. I observe all their actions, and they are not concealed from before Me; their iniquity is not obscured from before My eyes.

וְשִׁלַּמְתִּי רִאשׁוֹנָה מִשְׁנֵה עֲוֹנָם וְחַטָּאתָם עַל חַלְּלָם אֶת־אַרְצִי בְּנִבְלַת שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם וְתוֹעֲבוֹתֵיהֶם מָלְאוּ אֶת־נַחֲלָתִי

I will repay them with retribution first, for the repetition of their iniquity and their sin, for their desecrating My land; with the contemptibility of their repugnant items and their abominations they filled My inheritance, the Land of Israel. I do not forgive them for such acts.

ה' עֻזִּי וּמָעֻזִּי וּמְנוּסִי בְּיוֹם צָרָה אֵלֶיךָ גּוֹיִם יָבֹאוּ מֵאַפְסֵי אָרֶץ וְיֹאמְרוּ אַךְ־שֶׁקֶר נָחֲלוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ הֶבֶל וְאֵין־בָּם מוֹעִיל

The prophet responds to God’s statement about the nation’s abandonment of the correct path and their following false gods: Lord, my strength, my stronghold, and my refuge to whom I flee on the day of trouble, to You nations will come from the ends of the earth, and they will say: It is but falsehood that our fathers inherited over the generations, futility, and they are to no avail. In the future, all the nations will recognize that their ancestors’ idolatrous religions were meaningless.

הֲיַעֲשֶׂה־לּוֹ אָדָם אֱלֹהִים! – וְהֵמָּה לֹא אֱלֹהִים

After all, will a person make gods for himself? Such an idea is impossible, for they are not gods.

לָכֵן הִנְנִי מוֹדִיעָם בַּפַּעַם הַזֹּאת אוֹדִיעֵם אֶת־יָדִי וְאֶת־גְּבוּרָתִי וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־שְׁמִי ה'

Therefore, behold, I, God, am informing them; this time I will inform them of My hand and My might, and they shall know that My name is the Lord. Although even the gentiles will ultimately recognize the true God, first Israel must receive its punishment.