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24 The Lord showed to me, and lo! two panniers full of figs were set before the temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, translated Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and the princes of him, and a subtle craftsman, and a goldsmith, from Jerusalem, and brought them into Babylon. (The Lord showed to me, and lo! two baskets full of figs were put before the Temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away captive Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and his princes, or his leaders, and the craftsmen, and the goldsmiths, from Jerusalem, and brought them to Babylon.)

And one pannier had full good figs, as figs of the first time be wont to be; and one pannier had full evil figs, that might not be eaten, for those were evil figs.

And the Lord said to me, Jeremy, what thing seest thou? And I said, Figs, good figs, full good; and evil figs, full evil, that may not be eaten, for those be evil figs. (And the Lord said to me, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, Figs, good figs, very good; and bad figs, very bad, that cannot be eaten, for they be bad, or rotten, figs.)

And the word of the Lord was made to me, and said,

The Lord God of Israel saith these things, As these figs be good, so I shall know the transmigration of Judah, which I sent out from this place into the land of Chaldees, into good. (The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Like these figs be good, so I consider those of Judah who be carried away captive, yea, whom I sent out from this place to the land of the Chaldeans, to be good.)

And I shall set mine eyes on them to please (And I shall put my eyes on them to do good for them), and I shall bring them again into this land; and I shall build them, and I shall not destroy them; and I shall plant them, and I shall not draw (them) up by the root.

And I shall give to them an heart, that they (would) know me, for I am the Lord; and they shall be into a people to me, and I shall be into God to them, for they shall turn again to me in all their heart. (And I shall give them a heart, that they would desire to know me, for I am the Lord; and they shall be my people, and I shall be their God, for they shall return to me with all their heart.)

And as the worst figs be, that may not be eaten, for those be evil figs, the Lord saith these things, So I shall give Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and the princes of him, and other men of Jerusalem, that dwell in this city, and that dwell in the land of Egypt. (And as for the worst figs that cannot be eaten, for they be evil figs, saith the Lord, so I shall consider Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his princes, or his leaders, and the other people of Jerusalem, who live in this city, and who live in the land of Egypt.)

And I shall give them into travailing and (into) torment in all (the) realms of (the) earth, into reproof (into reproach), and into parable, and into a proverb, and into cursing, in all places to which I casted them out.

10 And I shall send in them sword, and hunger, and pestilence, till they be wasted from the land which I gave to them, and to the fathers of them. (And I shall send against them the sword, and hunger, and pestilence, until they be wasted from off the land which I gave to them, and to their forefathers.)

Two Baskets of Figs

24 After Jehoiachin[a](A) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs(B) placed in front of the temple of the Lord. One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early;(C) the other basket had very bad(D) figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see,(E) Jeremiah?”

“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”

Then the word of the Lord came to me: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent(F) away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.[b] My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back(G) to this land. I will build(H) them up and not tear them down; I will plant(I) them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know(J) me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people,(K) and I will be their God, for they will return(L) to me with all their heart.(M)

“‘But like the bad(N) figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah(O) king of Judah, his officials(P) and the survivors(Q) from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.(R) I will make them abhorrent(S) and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword,(T) a curse[c](U) and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish(V) them. 10 I will send the sword,(W) famine(X) and plague(Y) against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.(Z)’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 24:1 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
  2. Jeremiah 24:5 Or Chaldeans
  3. Jeremiah 24:9 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that they are cursed.