Chapter 8

8:2 - And the Lord said to Jeremiah: Rise up -- you and the people -- and come to the Jordan and say to the people: Let anyone who desires the Lord forsake the works of Babylon.

8:3 - As for the men who took wives from them and the women who took husbands from them -- those who listen to you shall cross over, and you take them into Jerusalem; but those who do not listen to you, do not lead them there.

8:4 - And Jeremiah spoke these words to the people, and they arose and came to the Jordan to cross over.

8:5 - As he told them the words that the Lord had spoken to him, half of those who had taken spouses from them did not wish to listen to Jeremiah, but said to him: We will never forsake our wives, but we will bring them back with us into our city.

8:6 - So they crossed the Jordan and came to Jerusalem.

8:7 - And Jeremiah and Baruch and Abimelech stood up and said: No man joined with Babylonians shall enter this city!

8:8 - And they said to one another: Let us arise and return to Babylon to our place -- And they departed.

8:9 - But while they were coming to Babylon, the Babylonians came out to meet them, saying: You shall not enter our city, for you hated us and you left us secretly; therefore you cannot come in with us.

8:10 - For we have taken a solemn oath together in the name of our god to receive neither you nor your children, since you left us secretly.

8:11 - And when they heard this, they returned and came to a desert place some distance from Jerusalem and built a city for themselves and named it 'SAMARIA.'