הִרְאַנִי וְהִנֵּה שְׁנֵי דּוּדָאֵי תְאֵנִים מוּעָדִים לִפְנֵי הֵיכַל ה'אַחֲרֵי הַגְלוֹת נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל אֶת־יְכָנְיָהוּ בֶן־יְהוֹיָקִים מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־הֶחָרָשׁ וְאֶת־הַמַּסְגֵּר מִירוּשָׁלִַם וַיְבִאֵם בָּבֶל

The Lord showed me a prophetic vision, and behold, two baskets of figs were set before the Sanctuary of the Lord. This vision occurred after Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon exiled Yekhonyahu son of Yehoyakim king of Judah, the princes of Judah, the craftsmen, and the smiths from Jerusalem, and brought them to Babylon. Although in the exile of Yekhonyahu, fewer people were exiled than in the subsequent exiles, it was historically significant, as it included individuals of higher quality. The Babylonians exiled the majority of Judah’s officers and leaders, together with its skilled craftsmen. The aim was to prevent the remaining inhabitants of Judah from producing weapons and planning a revolt. Others explain that the craftsmen and smiths were the Sages and the military experts.

הַדּוּד אֶחָד תְּאֵנִים טֹבוֹת מְאֹד כִּתְאֵנֵי הַבַּכֻּרוֹת וְהַדּוּד אֶחָד תְּאֵנִים רָעוֹת מְאֹד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תֵאָכַלְנָה מֵרֹעַ

The one basket was full of very good figs, like the first-ripened figs, which everyone enjoys; and the one basket was full of very bad figs that could not be eaten, they were so bad.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלַי מָה־אַתָּה רֹאֶה יִרְמְיָהוּ וָאֹמַר תְּאֵנִים הַתְּאֵנִים הַטֹּבוֹת – טֹבוֹת מְאֹד וְהָרָעוֹת – רָעוֹת מְאֹד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תֵאָכַלְנָה מֵרֹעַ

The Lord said to me: What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said: Figs; the good figs are very good, and the bad, very bad, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. Jeremiah was not asked to provide a superficial description of the vision; he accentuates the conspicuous difference between the two types of figs.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃

In addition to the vision, Jeremiah hears a verbal communication in his prophecy: The word of the Lord was with me, saying:

כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּתְּאֵנִים הַטֹּבוֹת הָאֵלֶּה כֵּן אַכִּיר אֶת־גָּלוּת יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר שִׁלַּחְתִּי מִן־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים לְטוֹבָה

So said the Lord, God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will single out for good the exiles of Judah, whom I expelled from this place to the land of the Chaldeans.

וְשַׂמְתִּי עֵינִי עֲלֵיהֶם לְטוֹבָה וַהֲשִׁבֹתִים עַל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וּבְנִיתִים וְלֹא אֶהֱרֹס וּנְטַעְתִּים וְלֹא אֶתּוֹשׁ

I will set My eye upon them for good, and I will return them to this land; and I will build them, and I will not destroy them, and I will plant them, and I will not uproot them.

וְנָתַתִּי לָהֶם לֵב לָדַעַת אֹתִי כִּי אֲנִי ה' וְהָיוּ־לִי לְעָם וְאָנֹכִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים כִּי־יָשֻׁבוּ אֵלַי בְּכָל־לִבָּם

I will give them a heart to know Me, to acknowledge that I am the Lord, and they will be My people, and I will be their God; for they will return to Me with all their heart.

וְכַתְּאֵנִים הָרָעוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תֵאָכַלְנָה מֵרֹעַ כִּי־כֹה אָמַר ה' כֵּן אֶתֵּן אֶת־צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־שָׂרָיו וְאֵת שְׁאֵרִית יְרוּשָׁלִַם הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וְהַיֹּשְׁבִים בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

And like the bad figs that could not be eaten as they were so bad, but were cast aside as waste, so said the Lord: So will I render Tzidkiyahu king of Judah and his princes and the remnant of Jerusalem, who remain in this land, and likewise those who dwell in the land of Egypt, who fled there in fear of Nebuchadnezzar, or were perhaps exiled to Egypt with the king, the son of Yoshiyahu (see 22:10–12).

וּנְתַתִּים לְזַעֲוָה לְרָעָה לְכֹל מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ לְחֶרְפָּה וּלְמָשָׁל לִשְׁנִינָה וְלִקְלָלָה בְּכָל־הַמְּקֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר־אַדִּיחֵם שָׁם

I will render them a horror, an evil, among all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace and a proverb, as exemplars of disaster, an adage and a curse, in all the places to which I will banish them.

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי בָם אֶת־הַחֶרֶב אֶת־הָרָעָב וְאֶת־הַדָּבֶר עַד־תֻּמָּם מֵעַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר־נָתַתִּי לָהֶם וְלַאֲבוֹתֵיהֶם

I will send among them the sword, and famine, and pestilence, until their eradication from upon the land that I gave to them and to their fathers. This prophecy, which forecasts the end of Tzidkiyahu’s reign, distinguishes between the Jews exiled to Babylon, who will thrive and enjoy good lives, physically and spiritually, and those remaining in Israel, who will suffer one calamity after another.