Yeremia 3:13

3:13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, ¹ 

and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.

You must confess ²  that you have given yourself to ³  foreign gods under every green tree,

and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.

Yeremia 11:4

11:4 Those are the terms that I charged your ancestors ⁴  to keep ⁵  when I brought them out of Egypt, that place which was like an iron-smelting furnace. ⁶  I said at that time, ⁷  “Obey me and carry out the terms of the agreement ⁸  exactly as I commanded you. If you do, ⁹  you will be my people and I will be your God. ¹⁰ 

Yeremia 11:7

11:7 For I solemnly warned your ancestors to obey me. ¹¹  I warned them again and again, ¹²  ever since I delivered them out of Egypt until this very day.

Yeremia 16:5

16:5 “Moreover I, the Lord, tell you: ¹³  ‘Do not go into a house where they are having a funeral meal. Do not go there to mourn and express your sorrow for them. For I have stopped showing them my good favor, ¹⁴  my love, and my compassion. I, the Lord, so affirm it! ¹⁵ 

[3:13]  ¹ tn Heb “Only acknowledge your iniquity.”

[3:13]  ² tn The words “You must confess” are repeated to convey the connection. The Hebrew text has an introductory “that” in front of the second line and a coordinative “and” in front of the next two lines.

[3:13]  ³ tc MT reads דְּרָכַיִךְ (dÿrakhayikh, “your ways”), but the BHS editors suggest דּוֹדַיִךְ (dodayikh, “your breasts”) as an example of orthographic confusion. While the proposal makes sense, it remains a conjectural emendation since it is not supported by any actual manuscripts or ancient versions.

[3:13]  tn Heb “scattered your ways with foreign [gods]” or “spread out your breasts to strangers.”

[11:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 5, 7, 10).

[11:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “does not listen…this covenant which I commanded your fathers.” The sentence is broken up this way in conformity with contemporary English style.

[11:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.”

[11:4]  ⁷ tn In place of the words “I said at that time” the Hebrew text has “saying.” The sentence is again being restructured in English to avoid the long, confusing style of the Hebrew original.

[11:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “Obey me and carry them out.” The “them” refers back to the terms of the covenant which they were charged to keep according to the preceding. The referent is made specific to avoid ambiguity.

[11:4]  ⁹ tn The words, “If you do” are not in the text. They have been supplied in the translation to break up a long sentence consisting of an imperative followed by a consequential sentence.

[11:4]  ¹⁰ sn Obey me and carry out the terms of the agreement…and I will be your God. This refers to the Mosaic law which was instituted at Sinai and renewed on the Plains of Moab before Israel entered into the land. The words “the terms of the covenant” are explicitly used for the Ten Commandments in Exod 34:28 and for the additional legislation given in Deut 28:69; 29:8. The formulation here is reminiscent of Deut 29:9-14 (29:10-15 HT). The book of Deuteronomy is similar in its structure and function to an ancient Near Eastern treaty. In these the great king reminded his vassal of past benefits that he had given to him, charged him with obligations (the terms or stipulations of the covenant) chief among which was absolute loyalty and sole allegiance, promised him future benefits for obeying the stipulations (the blessings), and placed him under a curse for disobeying them. Any disobedience was met with stern warnings of punishment in the form of destruction and exile. Those who had witnessed the covenant were called in to confirm the continuing goodness of the great king and the disloyalty of the vassal. The vassal was then charged with a list of particular infringements of the stipulations and warned to change his actions or suffer the consequences. This is the background for Jer 11:1-9. Jeremiah is here functioning as a messenger from the Lord, Israel’s great king, and charging both the fathers and the children with breach of covenant.

[11:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “warned them…saying, ‘Obey me.’” However, it allows the long sentence to be broken up easier if the indirect quote is used.

[11:7]  ¹² tn For the explanation for this rendering see the note on 7:13.

[16:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “For thus says the Lord…”

[16:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “my peace.” The Hebrew word שְׁלוֹמִי (shÿlomi) can be translated “peace, prosperity” or “well-being” (referring to wholeness or health of body and soul).

[16:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”