Jeremiah 24

Modern

Literal

The Good and Bad Figs

¹After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away Jeconiah^a son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, as well as the officials of Judah and the craftsmen and metalsmiths from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon,^b the LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the LORD.

¹YHWH has shown me—and behold—two baskets of figs set before the temple of YHWH, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had removed Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, and the craftsmen and and metalsmiths from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.

²One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early, but the other basket contained very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

²One basket had very good figs like the figs first ripe, and the other basket had very bad figs that could not be eaten for badness.

³“Jeremiah,” the LORD asked, “what do you see?”

“Figs!” I replied. “The good figs are very good, but the bad figs are very bad, so bad they cannot be eaten.”

³“And YHWH said to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs—the good figs are very good, and the bad are very bad, which could not be eaten for badness.”

⁴Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

⁴And again the word of YHWH came to me, saying:

⁵“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, so I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans.^a

⁵“Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard the captive of Judah, whom I sent forth from this place into the land of the Chaldeans for good.

⁶I will keep My eyes on them for good and will return them to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them.

⁶And I will set My eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; and I will build them and not tear down, and I will plant them and not uproot.

⁷I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.

⁷And I will give to them a heart to know Me, that I am YHWH; and they will be unto Me a people, and I will be unto them God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.

⁸But like the bad figs, so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt.

⁸And like the bad figs, which cannot be eaten for badness, surely’ thus says YHWH: ‘So will I give over Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem remaining in this land, and those dwelling in the land of Egypt.

⁹I will make them a horror and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace and an object of scorn, ridicule, and cursing wherever I have banished them.

⁹And I will give them for a horror and an offense into all the kingdoms of the earth, for a reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them there.

¹⁰And I will send against them sword and famine and plague, until they have perished from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.’”

¹⁰And I will send among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until they are finished off from the land that I gave to them and to their fathers.’”