“Jonah began
To go into the city,
Going a day’s walk.
He cried out.
‘Forty days more,
Then Nineveh
Shall be overthrown!’”
The text does not say how long it took Jonah to get there, but he was certainly in the city. He walked one day into the center of the city and began to cry out that Nineveh would be overthrown in 40 days. Forty days was a common biblical number, since Noah’s trip during the flood was 40 days, while the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert.
“Says Yahweh.
‘This shall be the sign
To you,
That I am going
To punish you
In this place.
Thus you may know
That my words
Against you
Will surely be carried out.’
Thus says Yahweh.
‘I am going to give
Pharaoh Hophra,
The king of Egypt,
Into the hand of his enemies,
Those who seek his life.
Just as I gave
King Zedekiah
Of Judah
Into the hand
Of King Nebuchadnezzar
Of Babylon,
His enemy,
Who sought his life.’”
Yahweh, via Jeremiah, said that he was going to give these Judeans in Egypt a sign that he was going to punish them in Egypt. The sign that he gave them was the fact that Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, would be overthrown by his enemies. Pharaoh Hophra was also known as King Apries (589-570 BCE), who would have been the ruler during this Judean refugee migration to Egypt. He was favorable to the Judeans, since he had tried unsuccessfully to protect Jerusalem from King Nebuchadnezzar during the siege of that city. He was killed in 570 by the new Pharaoh Amasis, who ruled from 570-526 BCE. Yahweh had done the same to King Zedekiah of Judah. Thus Yahweh wanted to show them that he had control over all kings.
“Says Yahweh.
‘The days are coming,
When the city
Shall be rebuilt
For Yahweh,
From the tower
Of Hananel
To the Corner Gate.
The measuring line
Shall go out farther,
Straight to the hill Gareb.
It shall then turn
To Goah.
The whole valley
Of the dead bodies
With the ashes,
As well as all the fields
As far as the Wadi Kidron,
To the corner
Of the Horse Gate
Toward the east,
Shall be sacred to Yahweh.
It shall never again
Be uprooted,
Be overthrown.”
Yahweh simply says that the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt at some future time. It will be rebuilt from the northeastern Tower of Hananel to the northwestern side at the Corner Gate. The southeast will be Gareb hill with Goah on the southwest. Both these places are only mentioned here and may have been where the lepers lived outside the walls of Jerusalem. The southeast corner would be the Horse Gate. Jerusalem will extend out to the valley of the unclean dead in Hinnom and eastward to the Wadi Kidron. Never again will it be uprooted or overthrown, that is until the Romans in 70 CE.
“Therefore I will give their wives to others.
I will give their fields to conquerors.
Because from the least to the greatest,
Everyone is greedy for unjust gain.
From prophet to priest,
Everyone deals falsely.
They have treated
The wound of my people carelessly.
Saying.
‘Peace!
Peace!’
When there is no peace.
They acted shamefully.
They committed an abomination.
Yet they were not at all ashamed.
They did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall
Among those who fall.
At the time that I punish them,
They shall be overthrown.’
Says Yahweh.”
This is a copy word for word of the same thing that was found in chapter 6. Yahweh was going to give away their wives and their fields, since he is not happy about the false priests and prophets. This goes for the least of the people to the most important ones in Jerusalem. All of them were greedy for monetary gain. They were all careless with his people. They pretended that there was peace when there was no peace there. They acted shamefully, but they were not ashamed since they didn’t even know how to blush. These priests and prophets would fall with all the others, as they will be overthrown at the time of punishment.
“‘From the least to the greatest of them,
Everyone is greedy for unjust gain.
From prophet to priest,
Everyone deals falsely.
They have treated
The wound of my people carelessly.
Saying.
‘Peace!
Peace!’
When there is no peace.
They acted shamefully.
They committed abominations.
Yet they were not at all ashamed.
They did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall
Among those who fall.
At the time that I punish them,
They shall be overthrown.’
Says Yahweh.”
Yahweh, via Jeremiah, is not happy about the false priests and prophets. This goes for the least of the people to the most important ones in Jerusalem. All of them were greedy for monetary gain. They were all careless with his people. They pretended that there was peace when there was no peace there. They acted shamefully, but they were not ashamed, since they didn’t even know how to blush. These priests and prophets would fall with all the others, as they will be overthrown at the time of punishment.
“Many have committed sin
For a trifle gain.
Whoever seeks to get rich
Will avert their eyes.
As a stake is driven firmly
Into a fissure between stones,
So sin is wedged
In between
Selling and buying.
If a person is not steadfast
In the fear of the Lord,
His house
Will be quickly overthrown.”
Sirach reminds us that many sins have been committed over the attempt to make a small profit. Those who seek to get rich turn their eyes away from morality. Just as a stake is usually placed between 2 stones, so too you will find some sin between the buying and selling of a product. If you are not steadfast in your fear of the Lord, your house will be quickly overthrown. Sirach was no friend of capitalism.
“Do not lie in wait,
Like an outlaw,
Against the home of the righteous.
Do no violence to the place
Where the righteous live!
Although the righteous fall seven times,
They will rise again.
But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
Do not rejoice when your enemies fall!
Do not let your heart be glad when they stumble!
Yahweh will see it.
He will be displeased.
He will turn away his anger from them.
Do not fret because of evildoers!
Do not envy the wicked!
The evil have no future.
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
Do not attack the righteous like an outlaw. Do not wait for them or do any violence to them where they live. The righteous will fall 7 times, but they will still get up. However, the wicked are easily overthrown by calamity. Do not rejoice when your enemies fall. Don’t be happy when they stumble. Yahweh sees all this. He will be displeased. He will probably turn his anger away from them. Don’t worry about evildoers or envy the wicked ones. Just remember that they have no future. Their lamp will go out never to burn again.
“The glory of a king
Is a multitude of people.
Without people
A prince is ruined.
Whoever is slow to anger
Has great understanding.
But one who has a hasty temper
Exalts folly.
A tranquil mind
Gives life to the flesh.
But passion
Makes the bones rot.
Those who oppresses the poor
Insult their maker.
But those who are kind to the needy
Honor him.
The wicked are overthrown
By their evildoing.
But the righteous find
A refuge in their integrity.
Wisdom is at home
In the mind of one who has understanding.
But it is not known
In the heart of fools.
Righteousness exalts a nation.
But sin is a reproach to any people.
A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor.
But his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.”
The great kings rule over a large amount of people. Without people, there cannot be any ruling princes. Those who are slow to anger have great understanding. Those with a hasty temper are foolish. Tranquility gives life to your body, while passion rots your bones. If you oppress the poor, you insult the creator. If you are kind to the needy, then you honor your creator. The wicked will be overthrown by their own evildoing. The righteous will always have integrity. Wisdom belongs to those who have understanding. There is no wisdom in the heart of fools. Righteousness will exalt a nation, but sin can be a reproach to a whole group of people. A wise servant gains the king’s favor, while wrath falls on those servants who act shamefully.
“The thoughts of the righteous are just.
But the advice of the wicked is treacherous.
The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush.
But the speech of the upright delivers them.
The wicked are overthrown.
They are no more.
But the house of the righteous will stand.
One is commended for good sense.
But a perverse mind is despised.
Better to be a common despised man,
Who works for himself,
Than to be self important,
But lack food.
The righteous know the need of their animals.
But the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
Those who till their land will have plenty of food.
But those who follow worthless pursuits have no sense.”
Here we have a description of the righteous person. The thoughts of the righteous are just. On the other hand, the advice and the words of the wicked are treacherous and set an ambush. The upright speech of the righteous will help them to escape. Even though the wicked will be overthrown, the house of the righteous will continue to stand because they have good sense. The wicked are despised. It is better to work for yourself than pretend to be self important without any good. The righteous take good care of their animals. Even the mercy of the wicked is cruel. If you till the land, you will have plenty of food. However, if you pursuit worthless things, you are senseless.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 