Then some people said,“ Come on! Let us consider how to deal with Jeremiah! There will still be priests to instruct us, wise men to give us advice, and prophets to declare God’s word. Come on! Let’s bring charges against him and get rid of him! Then we will not need to pay attention to anything he says.”

他们就说：“来吧！我们可以设计谋害耶利米；因为我们有祭司讲律法，智慧人设谋略，先知说预言，都不能断绝。来吧！我们可以用舌头击打他，不要理会他的一切话。”

他们说：“来吧！让我们设计谋害耶利米；因为我们有祭司讲律法，有智慧人设谋略，有先知说预言，都未曾断绝。来吧！让我们用舌头攻击他，不要理他一切的话。”

他们说：“来吧！让我们设计谋害耶利米；因为我们有祭司讲律法，有智慧人设谋略，有先知说预言，都未曾断绝。来吧！让我们用舌头攻击他，不要理他一切的话。”

他们说：“来！我们设计对付耶利米吧，反正我们有祭司教导律法，有智者出谋划策，有先知传讲预言。来吧！我们抨击他，不要理会他的话。”

他们说：“来吧！我们来设计对付耶利米；因为祭司的律法、智慧人的谋略、先知的话都不会断绝。来吧！我们用舌头攻击他，不理会他的一切话。”

他們就說：「來吧！我們可以設計謀害耶利米；因為我們有祭司講律法，智慧人設謀略，先知說預言，都不能斷絕。來吧！我們可以用舌頭擊打他，不要理會他的一切話。」

他們說：「來吧！讓我們設計謀害耶利米；因為我們有祭司講律法，有智慧人設謀略，有先知說預言，都未曾斷絕。來吧！讓我們用舌頭攻擊他，不要理他一切的話。」

他們說：「來吧！讓我們設計謀害耶利米；因為我們有祭司講律法，有智慧人設謀略，有先知說預言，都未曾斷絕。來吧！讓我們用舌頭攻擊他，不要理他一切的話。」

他們說：「來！我們設計對付耶利米吧，反正我們有祭司教導律法，有智者出謀劃策，有先知傳講預言。來吧！我們抨擊他，不要理會他的話。」

他們說：“來吧！我們來設計對付耶利米；因為祭司的律法、智慧人的謀略、先知的話都不會斷絕。來吧！我們用舌頭攻擊他，不理會他的一切話。”

他們就說：『來吧，我們來設計謀害耶利米；因為祭司有禮節規矩，智慧人有謀略，神言人有話語，都不能斷絕掉。來吧，我們用口舌攻擊他，他的甚麼話、我們都別理它。』

彼曰、其來、爾我同謀以攻耶利米、因法律不絕於祭司、謀畧不絕於哲人、預言不絕於先知、來哉、我儕以舌攻之、勿聽其言、○

人曰、祭司有律例、智士有箴規、先知有預言、如耶利米其言不可信、予當批其頰、而謀害之。

彼眾曰、我儕不如設謀、坑害耶利米、攻之以詞、勿聽其所言、蓋祭司非失律法、智者非缺謀略、先知非無預言、

They said,“ Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”

They said,“ Come on. Let’s make plans against Jeremiah. We’ll still have priests to teach us the law. We’ll always have wise people to give us advice. We’ll have prophets to bring us messages from the Lord. So come on. Let’s speak out against Jeremiah. We shouldn’t pay any attention to what he says.”

Then they said,“ Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.”

Then the people said,“ Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.”

Then certain ones said,“ Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah, for instruction will never be lost from the priest, or counsel from the wise, or a word from the prophet. Come, let’s denounce him and pay no attention to all his words.”

Then they said,“ Come and let’s devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor advice by the wise, nor the divine word by the prophet! Come, and let’s strike at him with our tongue, and let’s pay no attention to any of his words.”

Then they said,“ Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us attack him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.”

Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

Then certain ones said,“ Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah, for instruction will never be lost from the priest, or counsel from the wise, or an oracle from the prophet. Come, let’s denounce him and pay no attention to all his words.”

Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

Then they said,“ Come! Let’s devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law won’t perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let’s strike him with the tongue, and let’s not give heed to any of his words.”

Your tongue carries out your destructive plans; it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver.

Before this I had been like a docile lamb ready to be led to the slaughter. I did not know they were making plans to kill me. I did not know they were saying,“ Let’s destroy the tree along with its fruit! Let’s remove Jeremiah from the world of the living so people will not even be reminded of him any more.”

Yes, they intend to do you harm; they dream up a scheme, but they do not succeed.

For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him because he is the messenger of the LORD who rules over all.

They sharpen their tongues like a sword; they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge,

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love its use will eat its fruit.

I am surrounded by lions; I lie down among those who want to devour me; men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are a sharp sword.

Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, because they have the power to do so.They confiscate the fields they desire, and seize the houses they want. They defraud people of their homes, and deprive people of the land they have inherited.Therefore the LORD says this:“ Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of catastrophe.

Your priests did not ask,‘ Where is the LORD?’ Those responsible for teaching my law did not really know me. Your rulers rebelled against me. Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal. They all worshiped idols that could not help them.

Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said,“ The advice of Hushai the Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the LORD had decided to frustrate the sound advice of Ahithophel, so that the LORD could bring disaster on Absalom.

Then tell them,‘ The LORD says,“ I will soon fill all the people who live in this land with stupor. I will also fill the kings from David’s dynasty, the priests, the prophets, and the citizens of Jerusalem with stupor.And I will smash them like wine bottles against one another, children and parents alike. I will not show any pity, mercy, or compassion. Nothing will keep me from destroying them,’ says the LORD.”

He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the cunning is brought to a quick end.

So now, tell the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem this: The LORD says,‘ I am preparing to bring disaster on you! I am making plans to punish you. So, every one of you, stop the evil things you have been doing. Correct the way you have been living and do what is right.’

Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said,“ Which way did the LORD’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?”

A deceiver’s methods are evil; he dreams up evil plans to ruin the poor with lies, even when the needy are in the right.

Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and other arrogant men said to Jeremiah,“ You are telling a lie! The LORD our God did not send you to tell us,‘ You must not go to Egypt and settle there.’

Now David had been told,“ Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom. So David prayed,“ Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O LORD!”

and to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.”

Then the LORD said to me,“ Those prophets are prophesying lies while claiming my authority! I did not send them. I did not commission them. I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless predictions, and the delusions of their own mind.I did not send those prophets, though they claim to be prophesying in my name. They may be saying,‘ No war or famine will happen in this land.’ But I, the LORD, say this about them:‘ War and starvation will kill those prophets.’The people to whom they are prophesying will die through war and famine. Their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem and there will be no one to bury them. This will happen to the men and their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out on them the destruction they deserve.”

“ These people have denied what the LORD says. They have said,‘ That is not so! No harm will come to us. We will not experience war and famine.The prophets will prove to be full of wind. The LORD has not spoken through them. So, let what they say happen to them.’”

One of the experts in religious law answered him,“ Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too.”

that the LORD God of Israel who rules over all has a message for him. Tell him,‘ On your own initiative you sent a letter to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem. In your letter you said to Zephaniah,“ The LORD has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. He has put you in charge in the LORD’s temple of controlling any lunatic who pretends to be a prophet. And it is your duty to put any such person in the stocks with an iron collar around his neck.You should have reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth who is pretending to be a prophet among you!For he has even sent a message to us here in Babylon. He wrote and told us,“ You will be there a long time. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.”’”Zephaniah the priest read that letter to the prophet Jeremiah.

Then the Pharisees answered,“ You haven’t been deceived too, have you?None of the rulers or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they?But this rabble who do not know the law are accursed!”

Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and asked him,“ We are not blind too, are we?”

Instead we will do everything we vowed we would do. We will sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the goddess called the Queen of Heaven just as we and our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders previously did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and had no troubles.

Then the priests and the prophets made their charges before the officials and all the people. They said,“ This man should be condemned to die because he prophesied against this city. You have heard him do so with your own ears.”