Jeremiah 10-12
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Alone Is the Living God
10 Hear the word which Yahweh speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says Yahweh,
“(A)Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens
Although the nations are terrified by them;
3 For the statutes of the peoples are (B)vanity
Because (C)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 They (D)make it beautiful with silver and with gold;
They (E)strengthen it with nails and with hammers
So that it will not totter.
5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they,
And they (F)cannot speak;
They must be (G)carried
Because they cannot take a step!
Do not fear them,
For they (H)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 (I)There is none like You, O Yahweh;
You are (J)great, and great is Your name in might.
7 (K)Who would not fear You, O (L)King of the nations?
Indeed it is Your due!
For among all the (M)wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether (N)senseless and foolish;
They are in a discipline of [a]vanities—it is mere wood!
9 Beaten (O)silver is brought from (P)Tarshish,
And (Q)gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all the (R)work of wise craftsmen.
10 But Yahweh is the (S)true God;
He is the (T)living God and the (U)everlasting King.
At His wrath the (V)earth quakes,
And the nations cannot (W)endure His indignation.
11 [b]Thus you shall say to them, “The (X)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will (Y)perish from the earth and from under [c]the heavens.”
12 It is (Z)He who made the earth by His power,
Who (AA)established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has (AB)stretched out the heavens.
13 When He gives forth His (AC)voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
And He causes the (AD)clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the (AE)wind from His storehouses.
14 Every man is (AF)senseless, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven images;
For his molten images are a lie,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are (AG)vanity, a work of mockery;
In the (AH)time of their punishment they will perish.
16 The (AI)portion of Jacob is not like these;
For the [d](AJ)Maker of all is He,
And (AK)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
(AL)Yahweh of hosts is His name.
17 (AM)Gather up your bundle from the ground,
You who inhabit a land under siege!
18 For thus says Yahweh,
“Behold, I am (AN)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And will cause them distress,
That they may find it.”
19 (AO)Woe is me, because of my [e]injury!
My (AP)wound is desperately sick.
But I said, “Truly this is a sickness,
And I (AQ)must bear it.”
20 My (AR)tent is destroyed,
And all my ropes are torn out;
My (AS)sons have gone from me and are no more.
There is (AT)no one to stretch out my tent again
Or to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become senseless
And (AU)have not sought Yahweh;
Therefore they have not prospered,
And (AV)all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a (AW)report! Behold, it comes—
A great quaking (AX)out of the land of the north—
To (AY)make the cities of Judah
A desolation, a haunt of jackals.
23 I know, O Yahweh, that (AZ)a man’s way is not in himself,
(BA)Nor is it in a man who walks to [f]direct his steps.
24 (BB)Discipline me, O Yahweh, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, lest You [g]bring me to nothing.
25 (BC)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that (BD)do not know You
And on the families that (BE)do not call Your name,
For they have devoured Jacob;
They have (BF)devoured him and consumed him
And have made desolate his [h]abode.
The Broken Covenant
11 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 “(BG)Hear the words of this (BH)covenant, and you shall speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem 3 and say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “(BI)Cursed is the man who does not hear the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your fathers in the (BJ)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the (BK)iron furnace, saying, ‘(BL)Listen to My voice, and [i]do according to all which I command you; so you shall be (BM)My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to establish the (BN)oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I answered and said, “(BO)Amen, O Yahweh.”
6 And Yahweh said to me, “(BP)Call out all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘(BQ)Hear the words of this covenant so that you will (BR)do them. 7 For I solemnly (BS)warned your fathers in the (BT)day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, (BU)rising up early and warning, saying, “(BV)Listen to My voice.” 8 Yet they (BW)did not listen or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the (BX)words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”
9 Then Yahweh said to me, “A (BY)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have (BZ)turned back to the iniquities of their [j]ancestors who (CA)refused to hear My words, and they (CB)have walked after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have (CC)broken My covenant which I cut with their fathers.” 11 Therefore thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am (CD)bringing calamity on them which they will (CE)not be able to get out of; and they will (CF)cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will (CG)go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they surely will not save them in the time of their calamity. 13 For your gods are (CH)the number of your cities, O Judah; and the number of the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the (CI)shameful thing, altars to (CJ)burn incense to Baal.
14 “But as for you, (CK)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry of lamentation or prayer for them; for I will (CL)not listen when they call to Me because of their calamity.
15 What possession has My (CM)beloved in My house
When (CN)she has done many schemes of wickedness?
Can the flesh, which is set apart as holy, take away from you your calamity,
[k]So that you can exult?”
16 Yahweh called your name,
“A (CO)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the (CP)noise of a great tumult
He has (CQ)kindled fire on it,
And its foliage has an evil demise.
17 Yahweh of hosts, who (CR)planted you, has (CS)spoken forth evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have [l]done to provoke Me to anger by (CT)burning incense to Baal.
Men Seek Jeremiah’s Life
18 Moreover, Yahweh (CU)made it known to me, and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle (CV)lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had (CW)devised thoughts against me, saying,
“Let us make the tree with its [m]fruit a ruin,
And (CX)let us cut him off from the (CY)land of the living,
That his (CZ)name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Yahweh of hosts, who (DA)judges righteously,
Who (DB)tests the [n]insides and the heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You have I revealed my case.
21 Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning the men of (DC)Anathoth, who (DD)seek your life, saying, “(DE)Do not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, so that you will not (DF)die at our hand”; 22 therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Behold, I am about to (DG)punish them! The (DH)choice men will die by the sword; their sons and daughters will die by famine; 23 and a remnant (DI)will not be left to them, for I will (DJ)bring calamity on the men of Anathoth—(DK)the year of their punishment.”
Jeremiah’s Plea
12 (DL)Righteous are You, O Yahweh, when I would plead my case with You;
Indeed I would (DM)speak matters of justice with You:
Why has the (DN)way of the wicked succeeded?
Why are all those who (DO)deal in treachery complacent?
2 You have (DP)planted them; they have also taken root;
They grow; they have even produced fruit.
You are (DQ)near [o]to their lips
But far from their [p]inmost being.
3 But You, O Yahweh, You (DR)know me;
You see me;
And You (DS)test my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter
And [q]set them apart for a (DT)day of carnage!
4 How long is the (DU)land to mourn
And the (DV)plants of every field to dry up?
Because of the (DW)evil of those who inhabit it,
(DX)Animals and birds have been swept away,
Because men have said, “He will not see our latter (DY)ending.”
Yahweh Answers Jeremiah
5 “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out,
Then how can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the [r](DZ)thicket of the Jordan?
6 For even your (EA)brothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have called aloud after you.
Do not believe them, although they may say (EB)nice things to you.”
7 “I have (EC)forsaken My house;
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have given the (ED)beloved of My soul
Into the hand of her enemies.
8 My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has (EE)given forth its voice against Me;
Therefore I have come to (EF)hate her.
9 Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the (EG)birds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the (EH)beasts of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 Many (EI)shepherds have ruined My (EJ)vineyard;
They have (EK)trampled down My portion;
They have made My (EL)desired portion
A desolate wilderness.
11 [s]It has been made a desolation;
Desolate, it (EM)mourns [t]before Me;
The (EN)whole land has been made desolate
Because no man (EO)sets it upon his heart.
12 On all the [u](EP)bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For a (EQ)sword of Yahweh is devouring
From one end of the land even to the [v]other;
There is (ER)no peace for any flesh.
13 They have (ES)sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
They have (ET)strained themselves [w]to no profit.
But be ashamed of your (EU)produce
Because of the (EV)burning anger of Yahweh.”
14 Thus says Yahweh concerning all My (EW)evil neighbors who (EX)beat at the inheritance with which I have caused My people Israel to inherit, “Behold, I am about to uproot them from their land and will (EY)uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will (EZ)return and have compassion on them; and I will (FA)cause them to return, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. 16 Then if they will really (FB)learn the ways of My people, to (FC)swear by My name, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ even as they taught My people to (FD)swear by Baal, they will be (FE)built up in the midst of My people. 17 But if they will not listen, then I will (FF)uproot that nation, uproot and make it perish,” declares Yahweh.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 10:8 Or idols
- Jeremiah 10:11 This verse is in Aram
- Jeremiah 10:11 Or these
- Jeremiah 10:16 Lit Fashioner
- Jeremiah 10:19 Lit breaking
- Jeremiah 10:23 Lit establish
- Jeremiah 10:24 Lit diminish me
- Jeremiah 10:25 Or pasture
- Jeremiah 11:4 Lit do them
- Jeremiah 11:10 Lit former fathers
- Jeremiah 11:15 Lit Then
- Jeremiah 11:17 Or done for themselves
- Jeremiah 11:19 Lit bread
- Jeremiah 11:20 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 12:2 Lit in their mouth
- Jeremiah 12:2 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 12:3 Lit sanctify them
- Jeremiah 12:5 Lit pride
- Jeremiah 12:11 Lit One has made it
- Jeremiah 12:11 Or upon
- Jeremiah 12:12 Or caravan trails
- Jeremiah 12:12 Lit other end of the land
- Jeremiah 12:13 Lit they do not profit
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