Targum Jonathan on the Prophets Jeremiah · chapter 37

Tap any Aramaic word to trace it to its Jastrow dictionary entry.

1. 1

   וּמְלַךְ מְלַךְ צִדְקִיָה בַּר יֹאשִׁיָה חֲלַף כָּנְיָה בַּר יְהוֹיָקִים דְאַמְלִיךְ נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַר מַלְכָּא דְבָבֶל בְּאַרְעָא דְבֵית יְהוּדָה:

   Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.

2. 2

   וְלָא קַבֵּיל הוּא וְעַבְדוֹהִי וְעַמָא דְאַרְעָא לְפִתְגָמָא דַייָ דְמַלֵיל בְּיַד יִרְמְיָה נְבִיָא:

   But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

3. 3

   וּשְׁלַח מַלְכָּא צִדְקִיָהוּ יַת יְהוּכַל בַּר שֶׁלֶמְיָה וְיַת צְפַנְיָה בַּר מַעֲשֵׂיָה כַּהֲנָא לְוַת יִרְמְיָה נְבִיָא לְמֵימָר צַלִי כְעַן עֲלָנָא קֳדָם יְיָ אֱלָהָנָא:

   Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us!”

4. 4

   וְיִרְמְיָה עַלֵיל וְנָפֵיק בְּגוֹ עַמָא וְלָא יְהָבוּ יָתֵיהּ בְּבֵית אֲסִירֵי:

   Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.

5. 5

   וּמַשִׁרְיַת פַּרְעֹה נַפְקָא מִמִצְרַיִם וּשְׁמָעוּ כַשְׂדָאֵי דְצַיְרִין עַל יְרוּשְׁלֵם יַת שִׁמְעֲהוֹן וְאִסְתַּלָקוּ מֵעַל יְרוּשְׁלֵם:

   Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

6. 6

   וַהֲוָה פִתְגַם נְבוּאָה מִן קֳדָם יְיָ עִם יִרְמְיָה לְמֵימָר:

   Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet:

7. 7

   כִּדְנַן אֲמַר יְיָ אֱלָהָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּדֵין תֵּימְרוּן לִמְלַךְ שִׁבְטָא דְבֵית יְהוּדָה דִשְׁלַח יַתְכוֹן לִקֳדָמַי לְמִתְבַּע אוּלְפַן מִן קֳדָמַי הָא מַשִׁרְיַת פַּרְעֹה דְנַפְקָא לְכוֹן לְסָעִיד תָּבָא לְאַרְעֲהוֹן לְמִצְרָיִם:

   “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt.

8. 8

   וִיתוּבוּן כַּשְׂדָאֵי וִיגִיחוּן קְרָבָא עַל קַרְתָּא הָדָא וְיִכְבְּשׁוּנָהּ וְיוֹקְדוּנָהּ בְּנוּרָא:

   Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down.

9. 9

   כִּדְנַן אֲמַר יְיָ לָא תִטְעוֹן נַפְשָׁתֵיכוֹן לְמֵימָר אִסְתַּלָקָא יִסְתַּלָקוּן מִנָנָא כַּסְדָאֵי אֲרֵי לָא יִסְתַּלְקוּן:

   This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will go away for good,’ for they will not!

10. 10

    אֲרֵי אִם תִּקְטְלוּן כָּל מַשִׁרְיַת כַּסְדָאֵי דִמְגִיחִין קְרָבָא עִמְכוֹן וְיִשְׁתַּאֲרוּן בְּהוֹן גַבְרִין מְטָעֲנִין גְבַר בְּמַשְׁכְּנֵיהּ יְקוּמוּן וְיוֹקְדוֹן יַת קַרְתָּא הָדָא בְּנוּרָא:

    Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.”

11. 11

    וַהֲוָה כַּד אִסְתַּלָקָא מַשִׁרְיַת כַּסְדָאֵי מֵעַל יְרוּשְׁלֵם מִן קֳדָם מַשִׁרְיַת פַּרְעֹה:

    When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,

12. 12

    וּנְפַק יִרְמְיָה מִירוּשְׁלֵם לְמֵיזַל לְאַרְעָא שִׁבְטָא בִּנְיָמִין לְפַלְגָא אַחְסַנְתָּא דְאִית לֵיהּ תַּמָן בְּגוֹ עַמָא:

    Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there among the people.

13. 13

    וַהֲוָה הוּא בִתְרַע שִׁבְטָא בִּנְיָמִין וְתַמָן גַבְרָא מְמַנָא וּשְׁמֵיהּ יִרְאִיָה בַּר שְׁלֶמְיָה בַּר חֲנַנְיָה וַאֲחַד יַת יִרְמְיָה נְבִיָא לְמֵימַר לְכַסְדְאֵי אַתְּ מִשְׁתְּמָע:

    But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, seized him and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”

14. 14

    וַאֲמַר יִרְמְיָה שִׁקְרָא אַתְּ אֲמַר לֵית אֲנָא מִשְׁתְּמַע לְכַסְדָאֵי וְלָא קַבֵּיל מִנֵיהּ וַאֲחַד יִרְאִיָה בְּיִרְמְיָה וְאַיְתֵיהּ לְוַת רַבְרְבַיָא:

    “That is a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials.

15. 15

    וּרְגִיזוּ רַבְרְבַיָא עַל יִרְמְיָהוּ וְאַלְקִיאוּ יָתֵיהּ וִיהָבוּ יָתֵיהּ בֵּית אֲסִירֵי בֵּית יְהוֹנָתָן סַפְרָא אֲרֵי יָתֵיהּ עֲבַדוּ לְבֵית אֲסִירֵי:

    The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.

16. 16

    אֲרֵי עַל יִרְמְיָה לְבֵית אֲסִירֵי וּלְגָיו מִן חֶנְוָתָא וִיתֵיב תַּמָן יִרְמְיָה יוֹמִין סַגִיאִין:

    So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon and remained there a long time.

17. 17

    וּשְׁלַח מַלְכָּא צִדְקִיָה וְדַבְּרֵיהּ וְשַׁאֲלֵיהּ מַלְכָּא בְּבֵיתֵיהּ בְּסִתְרָא אֲמַר הָאִית פִּתְגָמָא מִן קֳדָם יְיָ וַאֲמַר יִרְמְיָא אִית וַאֲמַר בְּיַד מַלְכָּא דְבָבֶל תִּתְמְסָר:

    Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

18. 18

    וַאֲמַר יִרְמְיָה לְמַלְכָּא צִדְקִיָה מָה חָבֵית לָךְ וּלְעַבְדָךְ וּלְעַמָא הָדֵין אֲרֵי יְהַבְתּוּן יָתִי לְבֵית אֲסִירֵי:

    Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people, that you have put me in prison?

19. 19

    וְאָן נְבִיאֵיכוֹן דְשִׁקְרָא דְאִתְנַבִּיאוּ לְכוֹן לְמֵימָר לָא יֵיתֵי מַלְכָּא דְבָבֶל עֲלֵיכוֹן וְעַל אַרְעָא הָדָא:

    Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or this land’ ?

20. 20

    וּכְעַן שְׁמַע כְּעַן רִבּוֹנִי מַלְכָּא תִּתְקַבֵּיל כְּעַן בָּעוּתִי קֳדָמָךְ וְלָא תְתִיבִינַנִי לְבֵית יְהוֹנָתָן סַפְרָא וְלָא אֵימוּת תַּמָן:

    But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”

21. 21

    וּפַקֵיד מַלְכָּא צִדְקִיָה וּפַקִידוּ יַת יִרְמְיָה בְּדָרַת בֵּית אֲסִירַיָא וִיהָבוּן לֵיהּ פִּתָּא דְלַחְמָא לְיוֹמָא מִשׁוּק נַחְתּוֹמַיָא עַד דִשְׁלִים כָּל לַחְמָא מִן קַרְתָּא וִיתֵיב יִרְמְיָה בְּדָרַת בֵּית אֲסִירַיָא:

    So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.