« | Jeremiah 16 | » |
1 The Word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 "Do not get married or have sons or daughters in this place."
3 For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land, and about their mothers who give birth to them, and their fathers who gave them life in this land:
4 "They will die of bad diseases. No one will cry for them or bury them. They will be as animal waste on the ground, destroyed by sword and hunger. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the earth."
5 For the Lord says, "Do not go into a house where the people have lost a loved one. Do not go to cry or to comfort them. For I have taken My peace, My loving-kindness and My pity from these people," says the Lord.
6 "Both great men and small will die in this land. They will not be buried. No one will cry for them. And no one will cut himself or cut off his hair for them.
7 No one will give food to comfort those who sorrow for the dead. And no one will give them the cup of comfort to drink even for the death of their father or mother.
8 Do not go into a house where they are eating much and sit with them to eat and drink."
9 For the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, "Before your eyes and in your time, I am going to bring an end to the voice of joy, the voice of happiness, the voice of the man to be married and the voice of the bride in this place.
10 "When you tell these people all these words, they will say to you, 'Why has the Lord said all these bad things will happen to us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we done against the Lord our God?'
11 Then you tell them, 'It is because your fathers before you have turned away from Me,' says the Lord. 'They have followed other gods and served them and worshiped them. But they have left Me and have not kept My Law.
12 And you have sinned even more than your fathers before you. For see, each one of you is following the strong-will of his own sinful heart instead of listening to Me.
13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land which you and your fathers have not known. There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.'
14 "So the days are coming," says the Lord, "when it will no longer be said, 'As the Lord lives, Who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.'
15 But it will be said, 'As the Lord lives, Who brought the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had sent them.' For I will return them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.
16 "See, I am going to send for many fishermen," says the Lord, "and they will fish for them. After this I will send for many men who hunt. And they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes in the rocks.
17 For I see all their ways. They are not hidden from My face, and their sin is not hidden from My eyes.
18 And I will pay them back twice as much for their wrongdoing and their sin, because they have made My land unclean. They have filled My land with the bodies of their hated false gods and with sinful things offered to them."
19 O Lord, my strength and my strong-place, my safe place in the day of trouble, nations will come to You from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers have received nothing but lies, only things that have no worth and do not help them."
20 Can man make his own gods? What man makes is not gods!
21 "So I am going to make them know. This time I will make them know My power and My strength. And they will know that My name is the Lord."
The New Life Version (NLV)
The New Life Version (NLV) is a unique English translation of the Bible designed to be exceptionally easy to read and understand. First published in 1969, the NLV was created by Gleason Ledyard, a missionary and linguist, to make the Scriptures accessible to people who have limited English proficiency or are new to the language. Ledyard’s aim was to provide a Bible that even those with minimal education could read and comprehend, thus opening the door for a wider audience to engage with the biblical texts.
A defining characteristic of the New Life Version is its use of a limited vocabulary of about 850 basic English words, along with some necessary theological terms. This restricted vocabulary ensures that the language remains simple and straightforward, making the text accessible to young readers, new Christians, and those for whom English is a second language. The translators also avoided idiomatic expressions and complex sentence structures, further enhancing clarity and understanding. This makes the NLV a particularly valuable resource for educational and missionary work.
The NLV also emphasizes faithfulness to the original texts, despite its simplified language. The translation aims to maintain the integrity and message of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts. By carefully choosing words that accurately convey the meaning of the original texts while ensuring simplicity, the NLV provides a balance between accessibility and fidelity. Additionally, the NLV includes explanatory footnotes and cross-references that help readers understand the context and deeper meanings of the passages, making it a useful tool for both personal study and group teaching.
However, the New Life Version is not without its critics. Some scholars and traditionalists argue that the limited vocabulary and simplified language can lead to a loss of nuance and depth found in the original texts. They suggest that the NLV’s focus on simplicity may sometimes oversimplify complex theological concepts. Despite these criticisms, the New Life Version remains a valuable translation for its intended audience, offering a clear and approachable rendition of the Bible that helps a wide range of readers engage with the Scriptures and grow in their faith.