הִרְאַנִי יְהוָה וְהִנֵּה שְׁנֵי דּוּדָאֵי תְאֵנִים מוּעָדִים לִפְנֵי הֵיכַל יְהוָה אַחֲרֵי הַגְלֹות נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר   24:1              מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל אֶת־יְכָנְיָהוּ בֶן־יְהֹויָקִים מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־הֶחָרָשׁ וְאֶת־הַמַּסְגֵּר מִירוּשָׁלִַם וַיְבִאֵם בָּבֶל׃

Jere. 24:1   The Lord showed me and behold, two baskets of figs arranged before the Temple of the Lord after Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, was exiling Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah and the craftsman and the smith, from Jerusalem and brought them into Babylon.

Two observations about this verse:  First, it tells us that this chapter took place in about the year 597 BCE, around when Jeconiah was king for about three months, and was removed by Nebuchadrezzar and Zedekiah made king in his place.  Second, the next to last word in the first Hebrew line, הַגְלֹות, is difficult to translate.  My translation of it (which, by the way, differs from most all other translations), was exiling, may be in fair conformity with the grammar, but it makes the verse read somewhat awkwardly.  There is no help for a better interpretation of the word, though, as it appears no where else in the bible in this form.

הַדּוּד אֶחָד תְּאֵנִים טֹבֹות מְאֹד כִּתְאֵנֵי הַבַּכֻּרֹות וְהַדּוּד אֶחָד תְּאֵנִים רָעֹות מְאֹד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תֵאָכַלְנָה   24:2 מֵרֹעַ׃

Jere. 24:2   The figs of the first basket were very good, like the figs of first fruits; and the figs of the other basket were very bad, were so bad that they could not be eaten.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי מָה־אַתָּה רֹאֶה יִרְמְיָהוּ וָאֹמַר תְּאֵנִים הַתְּאֵנִים הַטֹּבֹות טֹבֹות מְאֹד וְהָרָעֹות רָעֹות   24:3 מְאֹד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תֵאָכַלְנָה מֵרֹעַ׃

Jere. 24:3   And the Lord said to me, “What are you seeing, Jeremiah?”  And I said, “Figs; the good figs are very good, and the bad are very bad, so bad that they can not be eaten.”

וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃   24:4

Jere. 24:4   Then the word of the Lord occurred to me saying,

כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּתְּאֵנִים הַטֹּבֹות הָאֵלֶּה כֵּן־אַכִּיר אֶת־גָּלוּת יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר שִׁלַּחְתִּי   24:5          מִן־הַמָּקֹום הַזֶּה אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים לְטֹובָה׃

Jere. 24:5   “Thus says the Lord, God of Israel:  Like these good figs, so will I regard the exiles of Judah, who I sent out from this place to the land of the Chaldeans, for good.”

וְשַׂמְתִּי עֵינִי עֲלֵיהֶם לְטֹובָה וַהֲשִׁבֹתִים עַל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וּבְנִיתִים וְלֹא אֶהֱרֹס וּנְטַעְתִּים וְלֹא    24:6

אֶתֹּושׁ׃

Jere. 24:6   “And I will direct My vision upon them for good, and I will restore them upon this land and rebuild and not break them down, and I will establish and not expel them.”

וְנָתַתִּי לָהֶם לֵב לָדַעַת אֹתִי כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה וְהָיוּ־לִי לְעָם וְאָנֹכִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים כִּי־יָשֻׁבוּ אֵלַי   24:7     בְּכָל־לִבָּם׃

Jere. 24:7   “And I will give a heart to them to discern Me, that I am the Lord, and they shall be to Me for a people and I shall be to them for God, for they shall turn back to Me with their whole heart.”

וְכַתְּאֵנִים הָרָעֹות אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תֵאָכַלְנָה מֵרֹעַ כִּי־כֹה אָמַר יְהוָה כֵּן אֶתֵּן אֶת־צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה   24:8     וְאֶת־שָׂרָיו וְאֵת שְׁאֵרִית יְרוּשָׁלִַם הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וְהַיֹּשְׁבִים בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃

Jere. 24:8   “And as the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, then thus says the Lord:  So I will make Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his princes and the residue of Jerusalem, those left behind in this land as well as those dwelling in the land of Egypt,

  וּנְתַתִּים (לִזְוָעָה) [לְזַעֲוָה] לְרָעָה לְכֹל מַמְלְכֹות הָאָרֶץ לְחֶרְפָּה וּלְמָשָׁל לִשְׁנִינָה וְלִקְלָלָה   24:9

בְּכָל־הַמְּקֹמֹות אֲשֶׁר־אַדִּיחֵם שָׁם׃

Jere. 24:9   that I will make them to be a horror for evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, for a reproach and a proverb, for a taunt and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them there.”

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי בָם אֶת־הַחֶרֶב אֶת־הָרָעָב וְאֶת־הַדָּבֶר עַד־תֻּםָּם מֵעַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר־נָתַתִּי לָהֶם   24:10    וְלַאֲבֹותֵיהֶם׃

Jere. 24:10   “And I shall send against them the sword, the famine and the pestilence until they are finished from being upon the land that I gave to them and their ancestors.”

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