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.”

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.”

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 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.”

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.”

You plan ways to destroy others. Your tongue is like a blade that has a sharp edge. You are always telling lies.

I had been like a gentle lamb led off to be killed. I didn’t realize they had made plans against me. They had said,“ Let’s destroy the tree and its fruit. Let’s take away his life. Then his name won’t be remembered anymore.”

Your enemies make evil plans against you. They think up evil things to do. But they can’t succeed.

“ The lips of a priest should guard knowledge. After all, he is the messenger of the Lord who rules over all. And people seek instruction from his mouth.

They make their tongues like sharp swords. They aim their mean words like deadly arrows.

Your tongue has the power of life and death. Those who love to talk will eat the fruit of their words.

Men who are like lions are all around me. I am forced to lie down among people who are like hungry animals. Their teeth are like spears and arrows. Their tongues are like sharp swords.

How terrible it will be for those who plan to harm others! How terrible for those who make evil plans before they even get out of bed! As soon as daylight comes, they carry out their plans. That’s because they have the power to do it.If they want fields or houses, they take them. They cheat people out of their homes. They rob them of their property.So the Lord says to them,“ I am planning to send trouble on you. You will not be able to save yourselves from it. You will not live so proudly anymore. It will be a time of trouble.

The priests did not ask,‘ Where is the Lord?’ Those who taught my law did not know me. The leaders refused to obey me. The prophets prophesied in the name of Baal. They worshiped worthless statues of gods.

Absalom and all the men of Israel agreed. They said,“ The advice of Hushai, the Arkite, is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” The Lord had decided that Ahithophel’s good advice would fail. The Lord wanted to bring horrible trouble on Absalom.

If they do, here is what you must tell them.‘ The Lord says,“ I am going to fill with wine everyone who lives in this land. I will make the kings who sit on David’s throne drunk. And I will fill with wine the priests, the prophets and everyone who lives in Jerusalem.I will smash them against one another. I will punish parents and children alike,” announces the Lord.“ I will not feel sorry for them. I will not show them any kindness. My tender love for them will not keep me from destroying them.” ’ ”

Some people think they are so wise. But God catches them in their own tricks. He sweeps away the evil plans of sinful people.

“ So speak to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Tell them,‘ The Lord says,“ Look! I am making plans against you. I am going to bring trouble on you. So each one of you must turn from your evil ways. Change the way you live and act.” ’

Then Zedekiah, the son of Kenaanah, went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. Zedekiah asked Micaiah,“ Do you think the spirit sent by the Lord left me? Do you think that spirit went to speak to you?”

Those who are worthless use sinful methods. They make evil plans against poor people. They destroy them with their lies. They do it even when those people are right.

After that, Azariah, the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, spoke to Jeremiah. And all the proud men joined them. They said,“ You are lying! The Lord our God hasn’t sent you to speak to us. He hasn’t told you to say,‘ You must not go to Egypt and make your homes there.’

David had been told,“ Ahithophel, along with Absalom, is one of the people making secret plans against you.” So David prayed,“ Lord, make Ahithophel’s advice look foolish.”

Then you will be able to teach the Israelites all the rules I have given them through Moses.”

Then the Lord said to me,“ The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them. I have not even spoken to them. Everything they tell you about their visions or secret knowledge is a lie. They pretend to bring you messages from other gods. They try to get you to believe their own mistaken ideas.So here is what I am saying about the prophets who are prophesying in my name. I did not send them. But they are saying,‘ No war or hunger will come to this land.’ Those same prophets will die because of war and hunger.And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem. They will die because of hunger and war. No one will bury them. No one will bury their wives and children. I will pour out trouble on them. That is exactly what they should get.

They have told lies about the Lord. They said,“ He won’t do anything! No harm will come to us. We will never see war or be hungry.The prophets are nothing but wind. Their message doesn’t come from the Lord. So let what they say will happen be done to them.”

An authority on the law spoke to Jesus. He said,“ Teacher, when you say things like that, you say bad things about us too.”

“ The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,‘ You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem. You also sent them to Zephaniah the priest. He is the son of Maaseiah. And you sent them to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah,“ The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada. He has put you in charge of the Lord’ s house. You are supposed to arrest any crazy person who claims to be a prophet. You should put him in prison. You should put iron bands around his neck.So why haven’t you punished Jeremiah from Anathoth? He claims to be a prophet among you.He has sent a message to us in Babylon. It says,‘ You will be there a long time. So build houses and make your homes there. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.’ ” ’ ”But Zephaniah the priest read the letter to me.

“ You mean he has fooled you also?” the Pharisees asked.“ Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in him?No! But this mob knows nothing about the law. There is a curse on them.”

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this. They asked,“ What? Are we blind too?”

We will certainly do everything we said we would. We’ll burn incense to the female god called the Queen of Heaven. We’ll pour out drink offerings to her. We’ll do just as we and our people of long ago have done. Our kings and our officials also did it. All of us did it in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food. We were well off. We didn’t suffer any harm.

Then the priests and prophets spoke to the officials and all the people. They said,“ This man should be sentenced to death. He has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”