King James Version

Jeremiah 27:17

Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?

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Hebrew

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אַלalnotאַלparticle, negative — “not”H408not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun, nothingnay, neither, [phrase] never, no, nor, not, nothing (worth), rather than.תִּשְׁמְע֣וּtishmevhearשָׁמַעverb, qal, jussive, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “hear”, a wish or indirect commandH8085to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)[idiom] attentively, call (gather) together, [idiom] carefully, [idiom] certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, [idiom] diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), [idiom] indeed, listen, make (a) n…אֲלֵיהֶ֔םaleyhemamongאֵלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).עִבְד֥וּivdvkeep in bondageעָבַדverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “keep in bondage”, a commandH5647to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.[idiom] be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear, execute, [phrase] husbandman, keep, labour(-ing man, bring to pass, (cause to, make to) serve(-ing, self), (be, become) servant(-s), do (use) service, till(-er)…אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).מֶֽלֶךְmelekhkingמֶלֶךְnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “king”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4428a kingking, royal.בָּבֶ֖לbavelBabelבָּבֶלnoun, proper name — “Babel”H894Babel (i.e. Babylon), including Babylonia and the Babylonian empireBabel, Babylon.וִֽחְי֑וּvichyvand liveחָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “and live”, a commandH2421to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revivekeep (leave, make) alive, [idiom] certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, ([idiom] God) save (alive, life, lives), [idiom] surely, be whole.לָ֧מָּהlamahto howמָהpreposition, particle, interrogative — “to how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.תִֽהְיֶ֛הtihyehbeהָיָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “be”, an unfinished actionH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.הָעִ֥ירhairthe cityעִירdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the city”, the ordinary formH5892a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.הַזֹּ֖אתhazotthe thisזֹאתdefinite article, pronoun, demonstrative, feminine, singular — “the this”H2063this (often used adverb)hereby (-in, -with), it, likewise, the one (other, same), she, so (much), such (deed), that, therefore, these, this (thing), thus.חָרְבָּֽהcharebahdecayed placeחׇרְבָּהnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “decayed place”, the ordinary formH2723properly, drought, i.e. (by implication) a desolationdecayed place, desolate (place, -tion), destruction, (laid) waste (place).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live; wherefore should this city become desolate?

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city become a desolation?

Young’s Literal Translation

Ye do not hearken unto them, serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why is this city a waste?

World English Bible

Don’t listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city become a desolation?

Darby Translation

Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city become a waste?

Douay-Rheims

Therefore hearken not to them, but serve the king of Babylon, that you may live. Why should this city be given up to desolation?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live; wherefore should this city become desolate?

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Israel is a wandering sheep; the lions have driven him out: the king of Assyria first devoured him, and afterward this king of Babylon has gnawed his bones.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Πρόβατον πλανώμενον Ἰσραὴλ, λέοντες ἔξωσαν αὐτόν· ὁ πρῶτος ἔφαγεν αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς Ἀσσοὺρ, καὶ οὗτος ὕστερον τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος.