Die Propheten
Jeremiah's Symbolic Act: Prohibition of Marriage and Mourning
The Lord gives the prophet Jeremiah a command not to marry, not to enter a house of mourning, and not to take part in festive meals. This is to be a living sign of the coming judgment on Judah: death, disease, and exile without burial or lamentation. When the people ask why disaster has struck them, Jeremiah is to answer that their fathers abandoned the Lord and followed other gods, and that they themselves have acted even worse. Therefore, they will be cast out into a foreign land. The passage also contains a promise of future restoration, when the Lord will bring the people back from the land in the north.
Jeremia 16,1-15
1The word of the LORD came to me:
וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃
2You shall not take a wife, and you shall have no sons or daughters in this place.
לֹֽא־תִקַּ֥ח לְךָ֖ אִשָּׁ֑ה וְלֹֽא־יִהְי֤וּ לְךָ֙ בָּנִ֣ים וּבָנ֔וֹת בַּמָּק֖וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃
3For this is what the LORD says concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, concerning the mothers who bear them and the fathers who father them in this land:
כִּי־כֹ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה עַל־הַבָּנִים֙ וְעַל־הַבָּנ֔וֹת הַיִּלּוֹדִ֖ים בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְעַֽל־אִמֹּתָ֞ם הַיֹּלְד֣וֹת אוֹתָ֗ם וְעַל־אֲבוֹתָ֛ם הַמּוֹלִדִ֥ים אוֹתָ֖ם בָּאָ֥רֶץ הַזֹּֽאת׃
4They will die of deadly diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them; they will lie like dung on the ground. They will perish by sword and famine, and their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth.
מְמוֹתֵ֨י תַחֲלֻאִ֜ים יָמֻ֗תוּ לֹ֤א יִסָּֽפְדוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִקָּבֵ֔רוּ לְדֹ֛מֶן עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָ֖ה יִֽהְי֑וּ וּבַחֶ֤רֶב וּבָֽרָעָב֙ יִכְל֔וּ וְהָיְתָ֤ה נִבְלָתָם֙ לְמַאֲכָ֔ל לְע֥וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ ס
5For this is what the LORD says: Do not enter a house where there is mourning; do not go to lament or console them. For I have withdrawn my peace from this people, declares the LORD—my steadfast love and my mercy.
כִּֽי־כֹ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה אַל־תָּבוֹא֙ בֵּ֣ית מַרְזֵ֔חַ וְאַל־תֵּלֵ֣ךְ לִסְפּ֔וֹד וְאַל־תָּנֹ֖ד לָהֶ֑ם כִּֽי־אָסַ֨פְתִּי אֶת־שְׁלוֹמִ֜י מֵאֵ֨ת הָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה אֶת־הַחֶ֖סֶד וְאֶת־הָֽרַחֲמִֽים׃
6Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried, and no one will mourn for them or cut himself or shave his head for them.
וּמֵ֨תוּ גְדֹלִ֧ים וּקְטַנִּ֛ים בָּאָ֥רֶץ הַזֹּ֖את לֹ֣א יִקָּבֵ֑רוּ וְלֹֽא־יִסְפְּד֣וּ לָהֶ֔ם וְלֹ֣א יִתְגֹּדַ֔ד וְלֹ֥א יִקָּרֵ֖חַ לָהֶֽם׃
7No one will break bread for the mourner to comfort him for the dead, nor give him the cup of consolation to drink for his father or his mother.
וְלֹֽא־יִפְרְס֥וּ לָהֶ֛ם עַל־אֵ֖בֶל לְנַחֲמ֣וֹ עַל־מֵ֑ת וְלֹֽא־יַשְׁק֤וּ אוֹתָם֙ כּ֣וֹס תַּנְחוּמִ֔ים עַל־אָבִ֖יו וְעַל־אִמּֽוֹ׃
8And do not enter a house where there is feasting, to sit with them and eat and drink.
וּבֵית־מִשְׁתֶּ֥ה לֹא־תָב֖וֹא לָשֶׁ֣בֶת אוֹתָ֑ם לֶאֱכֹ֖ל וְלִשְׁתּֽוֹת׃ ס
9For this is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Before your very eyes and in your days I will silence in this place the sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.
כִּי֩ כֹ֨ה אָמַ֜ר יְהוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הִנְנִ֨י מַשְׁבִּ֜ית מִן־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַזֶּ֛ה לְעֵינֵיכֶ֖ם וּבִֽימֵיכֶ֑ם ק֤וֹל שָׂשׂוֹן֙ וְק֣וֹל שִׂמְחָ֔ה ק֥וֹל חָתָ֖ן וְק֥וֹל כַּלָּֽה׃
10When you tell this people all these words, they will ask you, "Why has the LORD decreed all this great disaster against us? What is our guilt? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?"
וְהָיָ֗ה כִּ֤י תַגִּיד֙ לָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וְאָמְר֣וּ אֵלֶ֗יךָ עַל־מֶה֩ דִבֶּ֨ר יְהוָ֤ה עָלֵ֙ינוּ֙ אֵ֣ת כָּל־הָרָעָ֤ה הַגְּדוֹלָה֙ הַזֹּ֔את וּמֶ֤ה עֲוֺנֵ֙נוּ֙ וּמֶ֣ה חַטָּאתֵ֔נוּ אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָטָ֖אנוּ לַֽיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃
11Then say to them: Because your fathers abandoned me, declares the LORD, and followed other gods, served them and bowed down to them—they abandoned me and did not keep my law.
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם עַל֩ אֲשֶׁר־עָזְב֨וּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֤ם אוֹתִי֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ אַֽחֲרֵי֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיַּעַבְד֖וּם וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ לָהֶ֑ם וְאֹתִ֣י עָזָ֔בוּ וְאֶת־תּוֹרָתִ֖י לֹ֥א שָׁמָֽרוּ׃
12And you have done worse than your fathers. Look how each of you follows the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of listening to me.
וְאַתֶּ֛ם הֲרֵעֹתֶ֥ם לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת מֵאֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם וְהִנְּכֶ֣ם הֹלְכִ֗ים אִ֚ישׁ אַֽחֲרֵי֙ שְׁרִר֣וּת לִבּֽוֹ־הָרָ֔ע לְבִלְתִּ֖י שְׁמֹ֥עַ אֵלָֽי׃
13So I will hurl you out of this land into a land neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.
וְהֵטַלְתִּ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם מֵעַל֙ הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את עַל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יְדַעְתֶּ֔ם אַתֶּ֖ם וַאֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם וַעֲבַדְתֶּם־שָׁ֞ם אֶת־אֱלֹהִ֤ים אֲחֵרִים֙ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַ֔יְלָה אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־אֶתֵּ֥ן לָכֶ֖ם חֲנִינָֽה׃ ס
14Therefore the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it will no longer be said, "As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,"
לָכֵ֛ן הִנֵּֽה־יָמִ֥ים בָּאִ֖ים נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה וְלֹֽא־יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ חַי־יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר הֶעֱלָ֛ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
15but rather, "As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them." For I will bring them back to their own land, which I gave to their fathers.
כִּ֣י אִם־חַי־יְהוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֶעֱלָ֜ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צָפ֔וֹן וּמִכֹּל֙ הָֽאֲרָצ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִדִּיחָ֖ם שָׁ֑מָּה וַהֲשִֽׁבֹתִים֙ עַל־אַדְמָתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לַאֲבוֹתָֽם׃ ס