§1Διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν ἄς ἡμαρτήκατε ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ ἀχθήσεσθε εἰς Βαβυλῶνα αἰχμάλωτοι ὑπὸ Ναβουχοδονοσὸρ βασιλέως τῶν Βαβυλωνίων.
Because of the sins which you have committed before God, you shall be carried away captives unto Babylon by Nabuchodonosor king of the Babylonians.
§2εἰσελθόντες οὗν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἔσεσθε ἐκεῖ ἔτη πλείονα καὶ χρόνον μακρὸν ἕως γενεῶν ἑπτά· μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἐξάξω ὑμᾶς ἐκεῖθεν μετʼ εἰρήνης.
So when you are come into Babylon, you shall remain there many years, and for a long season, even for seven generations; and after that I will bring you away peaceably from thence.
§3νυνὶ δὲ ὄψεσθε ἐν Βαβυλῶνι θεοὺς ἀργυροῦς καὶ χρυσοῦς καὶ ξυλίνους ἐπʼ ὠμοις αἰρομένους, δεικνύντας φόβον τοῖς ἔθνεσιν.
But now you shall see in Babylon gods of silver, and of gold, and of wood, borne upon shoulders, showing fear to the nations.
§4εὐλαβήθητε οὗν μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀφομοιωθέντες τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ἀφομοιωθῆτε, καὶ φόβος ὑμᾶς λάβῃ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς, §5ἰδόντας ὄχλον ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν αὐτῶν προσκυνοῦντας αὐτά·
Beware therefore that you in no wise become like unto the strangers, neither be afraid of them, when you see the fear upon them, when you see the multitude before them and behind them, worshipping them.
εἶπατε δὲ τῇ διανοίᾳ Σοὶ δεῖ προσκυνεῖν, Δἐσποτα. §6ό γὰρ ἄγγελός μου μεθʼ ὑμῶν ἐστίν, αὐτός τε ἐκζητῶν τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν.
But say in your hearts: "O Lord, we must worship thee." For my angel is with you, and he himself careth for your souls.
§7Γλῶσσα γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐστὶν κατεξυσμένη ὑπὸ τέκτονος, αὐτά τε περίχρυσα καὶ περιάργυρα, ψευδῆ δʼ ἐστὶν καὶ οὐ δύνανται λαλεῖν.
For their tongue is polished by the craftsman, and they themselves are overlaid with gold and silver; yet are they but false, and cannot speak.
§8καὶ ὥσπερ παρθένῳ φιλοκόσμῳ λαμβάνοντες χρυσίον §9κατασκευἀζουσιν στεφάνους ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν· ἔστι δέ καὶ ὅτε ὑφαιρούμενοι οἱ ἱερεῖς ἀπὸ τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον εἰς ἑαυτοὺς καταναλοῦσιν, §10δώσουσιν δὲ ἀπ αὐτῶν καὶ ταῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ στέγους πόρναις.
And taking gold, as for a virgin that loveth to go gay, they make crowns for the heads of their gods; and sometimes also the priests convey away from their gods gold and silver, and bestow it upon themselves, and will even give thereof to the common harlots upon the roof.
κοσμοῦσί τε αὐτοὺς ὡς ἀνθρώπους τοῖς ἐνδύμασιν, θεοὺς ἀργυροῦς καὶ θεοὺς χρυσοῦς καὶ ξυλίνους.
And they deck them with garments as men, even gods of silver, and gods of gold, and of wood.
§11οὗτοι δὲ οὐ διασώζονται ἀπὸ ἰοῦ καὶ βρωμάτων, περιβεβλημένων αὐτῶν ἱματισμὸν πορφυροῦν.
Yet cannot these gods save themselves from rust and moths, though they be covered with purple raiment.
§12ἐκμάσσονται τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν διὰ τὸν ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας κονιορτόν, ὅς ἐστιν πλείω ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς.
They wipe their faces because of the dust of the temple, which is thick upon them.
§13καὶ σκῆπτρον ἔχει ὁὡς ἄνθρωπος κριτὴς χώρας, ὸς τὸν εἰς αὐτὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα οὐκ ἀνελεῖ.
And one holding a sceptre, as a judge of a country, cannot put him to death that offendeth against him.
§14ἔχει δὲ ἐνχειρίδιον δεξιῷ καὶ πέλεκυν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐκ πολέμου καὶ λῃστῶν οὐκ ἐξελεῖται.
He hath also in his right hand a dagger and an axe, but cannot deliver himself from war and robbers.
ὅθεν γνώριμοί εἰσιν οὐκ ὄντες θεοί μὴ οὗν φοβηθῆτε αὐτούς.
Whereby they are known not to be gods; therefore fear them not.
§15Ὥσπερ γὰρ σκεῦος ἀνθρώπου συντριβὲν ἀχρεῖον γίνεται,
For like as a vessel that a man useth is nothing worth when it is broken, even so it is with their gods.
§16τοιοῦτοι ὑπάρχουσιν οἱ θεοὶ αὐτῶν, καθιδρυμένων αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις. οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν πλήρεις εἰσὶν κονιορτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ποδῶν τῶν εἰσπορευομένων.
When they be set up in the temples, their eyes are full of dust through the feet of them that come in.
§17καὶ ὥσπερ τινὶ ἠδικηκότι βασιλέα περιπεφραγμέναι εἰσὶν αἱ αὐλαί, ὡς ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ἀπηγμένῳ, τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν ὐχυροῦσιν οἱ ἱερεῖς θυρώμασίν τε καὶ κλείθροις καὶ μοχλοῖς, ὅπως ὑπὸ τῶν λῃστῶν μὴ συληθῶσι
And as the courts are guarded on every side for one that hath offended the king, as a man led to execution, so the priests make fast their temples with doors, and locks, and bars, lest they should be spoiled by robbers.
§18λύχνους καίουσιν καὶ πλείους ἑαυτοῖς, ὧν οὐδένα δύνανται ἰδεῖν.
They light them candles, yea, more than for themselves, whereof they cannot see one.
§19ἔστιν μέν ὥσπερ δοκὸς τῶν ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας, τὰς δέ καρδίας αὐτῶν φασὶν ἐκλείχεσθαιʼ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἑρπετῶν κατεσθόντων αὐτοὺς τε καὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν αὐτῶν οὐκ αἰσθάνονται.
They are as one of the beams of the temple, yet they say their hearts are gnawed upon; and when the creeping things of the earth eat them and their clothes, they feel it not.
§20μεμελανωμένοι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ καπνοῦ τοῦ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας.
Their faces are blacked through the smoke that cometh out of the temple.
§21ἐπ ὶ τὸ σώμα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐφίπτανται νυκτερίδες, χελιδόνες καὶ τὰ ὄρνεα, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ οἱ αἵλουροι.
Upon their bodies and heads sit bats, swallows, and birds, and the cats likewise.
§22ἰθεν γνώσεσθε ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶν θεοί μὴ οὗν φοβεῖσθε αὐτά.
By this you may know that they are no gods; therefore fear them not.
§23Τὸ γὰρ χρυσίον ὁ περίκεινται εἰς κάλλος, ἐὰν μή τις ἐκμάξῃ τὸν ἰόν, οὐ μὴ στίλψωσιν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅτε ἐχωνεύοντο ἠσθάνοντο.
For the gold wherewith they are beset to make them beautiful, except one wipe off the rust, will not shine; for even when they were molten, they felt it not.
§24ἐκ πάσης τιμῆς ἠγορασμένα ἐστίν, ἐν οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν πνεῦμα.
They are bought at any price, though there is no breath in them.