1: The word which came to Jeremiah (Y+room – God is risen or Y+remiya – God is slacking?) from Yehoweh after Nebuzaradan, great butcher from the Ramah, had expelled him whilst carrying him off. He bound him in chains in the midst of all the Jerusalem and Judah exiles, the ashamed in Babylon.
2: And the great butcher took Jeremiah and said to him, Your God, Yehoweh, has declared The Trouble on this The Place, This (one)!
3: And Yehoweh causes to bring and do just as He said. For you rebelled against Yehoweh and did not hear His Voice. And this, the word, happened to you.
4: And now, I free you in a day from the chains which were on your hand.
If it is good in your eyes to traverse Babel witn me, traverse. And I will keep my eye on you.
And if it is troublesome in your eyes to traverse Babel with me, be idle.
See all the land is before you (is) to good.
And to the pleasant /convenient walk in your eyes, walk.
5: And for a while yet do not return and then return to Gedaliah (God is great), son of Ahikam (Brother of awakening – koom) son of Shafan (rock rabbit), who was caused to appoint to hold to account by king of Babel in cities of Judah and reside with him in the midst of the people.
Or to wherever is is pleasant / convenient to walk in your eyes, walk.
And so the great butcher gives him an allowance and a gift and despatches him.
6: And Jeremiah goes to Gedaliah son of Ahikam and resides in Mitzpah (from watchtower / lookout) amidst the people who are remnant in the land.
Pause.
7: And when they heard all the regimental chiefs were in the field, they and all their men (for Gedaliah son of Ahikam was caused to appoint to hold to account by king of Babel in in the land and for he was caused to appoint to hold to account men, women and toddlers and from the poor in the land and who were not shamed by Babel.
8: And they traverse to Gedaliah at Mitzpah. And Ishmael (God hears) ben Nathaniah (God gives) and Yokanan (Y+kanan- God favours) and Yonathan (God gives) sons of Kareah (korah – baldy) and Sariah (God strives~Sarah/Israel) the Tankumeth (consolation – from nakam) and sons of Ofai (bird) and Yazaniah (ozen- ear, God hears) the Maakthi ( maak – pierce) – they and their men.
9: And Gedaliah ben Ahikam ben Shafan and their men are sworn saying Fear not to serve the Kashdim (Chaldeans) in the land and serve the king of Babel. And it is good for you.
10: And even I (am) server in Mitzpah, in the Kashdim’s face, who traverse over us. But you gather-to-remove wine and harvest and oil to place them in your vessels and reside in your cities which you had seized.
11: And when all the Jews who were in Moab and with sons of Ammon and Edom and who were in all lands had heard that king of Babel had given a remnant in Judah and he had caused to appoint to hold to account Gedaliah ben Ahikam ben Shafan over them,
12: and the Jews returned there from all the places where they had been banished and traverse the land of Judah to Gedaliah at Mitzpah and gather to remove a lot of great wine and harvest.
Phew!
13: And Yokanan ben Kareah and all the regimental chiefs who were in the field traversed to Gedaliah at Mitzpah.
14: Do you knowing know that Baalis, king of Ammon’s sons sent Ishmael ben Netaniah to strike your soul down? Did you not believe it, Gedaliah ben Ahikam?
15: And Jonathan ben Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in secret in Mizpah saying, Elkana (let me please go) and strike Ishmael ben Netaniah. And noone will not know why he strikes down your soul and why should all the Jews who were dispersed and the remnant in Judah gathered to you perish?
16: And Gedaliah ben Ahikam said to Jonathan ben Kareah, Don’t you do this word for you speak falsely about Ishmael.
Prayer: Lord, even if you don’t speak to the remnant, You give is Your word through circumstance and you make politicians and nations arrange to sustain prophet and exile as they watch from a high place and ‘Standeth God within the shadow keeping watch above His Own’.* Amen.
*Ref: James Russell Lowell, The present crisis. https://poets.org/poem/present-crisis

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