Jeremiah 8-16
Legacy Standard Bible
The Faithlessness of Jerusalem
8 “At that time,” declares Yahweh, “they will (A)bring out the bones of the kings of Judah and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. 2 And they will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the (B)host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served, and which they have walked after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered (C)or buried; (D)they will be as dung on the face of the ground. 3 And (E)death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the (F)places to which I have banished them,” declares Yahweh of hosts.
4 “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh,
“Do men (G)fall and not get up again?
Does one turn away and not [a]turn back?
5 Why then has this people, Jerusalem,
[b](H)Turned away in continual faithlessness?
They (I)hold fast to deceit;
They (J)refuse to return.
6 I (K)have given heed and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
(L)No man regretted his evil,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his course,
Like a (M)horse charging into the battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
(N)Knows her seasons;
And the (O)turtledove and the swift and the crane
Keep the time of their [c]migration;
But (P)My people do not know
The legal judgment of Yahweh.
8 “(Q)How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the law of Yahweh is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
9 The wise men are (R)put to shame;
They are dismayed and captured;
Behold, they have (S)rejected the word of Yahweh,
And what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will (T)give their wives to others,
Their fields to [d]new possessors,
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is (U)greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest
Everyone practices lying.
11 They (V)heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
12 Were they (W)ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They certainly were not ashamed,
And they did not know how to feel dishonor;
Therefore they shall (X)fall among those who fall;
At the (Y)time of their [e]punishment they shall be brought down,”
Says Yahweh.
13 “I will (Z)surely gather them up,” declares Yahweh;
“There will be (AA)no grapes on the vine
And (AB)no figs on the fig tree,
And the leaf will wither;
And what I have given them will pass away.”’”
14 Why are we sitting still?
(AC)Gather yourselves, and let us (AD)go into the fortified cities
And let us be silent there
Because Yahweh our God has silenced us
And given us [f](AE)poisoned water to drink,
For (AF)we have sinned against Yahweh.
15 We (AG)waited for peace, but there was no good;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 From (AH)Dan is heard the snorting of his horses;
At the sound of the neighing of his (AI)valiant steeds
The whole land quakes;
And they come and (AJ)devour the land as well as its fullness,
The city and its inhabitants.
17 “For behold, I am (AK)sending serpents against you,
Vipers, for which there is (AL)no charm,
And they will bite you,” declares Yahweh.
Sorrow over Zion
18 [g]My (AM)sorrow is beyond healing;
My (AN)heart is faint within me!
19 Behold, the sound! The cry of the daughter of my people from a (AO)distant land:
“Is Yahweh not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”
“Why have they (AP)provoked Me to anger with their graven images, with foreign [h](AQ)idols?”
20 “Harvest is past, summer is ended,
And we are not saved.”
21 For the (AR)brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken;
I (AS)mourn, desolation has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no (AT)balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
(AU)Why then has not the [i]health of the daughter of my people gone up?
9 [j](AV)Oh that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the (AW)daughter of my people!
2 [k](AX)Oh that I had in the desert
A travelers’ lodging place,
That I might leave my people
And go from them!
For all of them are (AY)adulterers,
A solemn assembly of (AZ)treacherous men.
3 “They (BA)bend their tongue like their bow;
Lies and unfaithfulness prevail in the land,
For they (BB)go onward from evil to evil,
And they (BC)do not know Me,” declares Yahweh.
4 “Let everyone (BD)beware of his neighbor,
And (BE)do not trust any brother,
Because every (BF)brother [l]surely supplants,
And every neighbor (BG)goes about as a slanderer.
5 Everyone (BH)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth;
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (BI)weary themselves committing iniquity.
6 Your (BJ)habitation is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (BK)refuse to know Me,” declares Yahweh.
7 Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Behold, I will refine them and (BL)test them;
For (BM)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8 Their (BN)tongue is a slaughtering arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one (BO)speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he (BP)sets an ambush for him.
9 (BQ)Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares Yahweh.
“On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?
10 “For the (BR)mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing,
And for the pastures of the (BS)wilderness a funeral lamentation,
Because they are (BT)turned into ruin so that no one passes through,
And the lowing of the cattle is not heard;
Both the (BU)birds of the sky and the beasts have fled; they are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem a (BV)heap of ruins,
A haunt of (BW)jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a (BX)desolation, without inhabitant.”
12 Who is the (BY)wise man that may understand this? And who is he to whom (BZ)the mouth of Yahweh has spoken, that he may declare it? (CA)Why has the land perished, turned into ruin like a desert, so that no one passes through? 13 Yahweh said, “Because they have (CB)forsaken My law, which I set before them, and have not listened to My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have (CC)walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the (CD)Baals, as their (CE)fathers taught them,” 15 therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, (CF)I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them [m](CG)poisoned water to drink. 16 I will (CH)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the (CI)sword after them until I have consumed them.”
17 Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Carefully consider and call for the (CJ)mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the [n](CK)skillful women, that they may come!
18 Let them make haste and take up a wailing for us,
That our (CL)eyes may shed tears
And our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a voice of (CM)wailing is heard from Zion,
‘(CN)How we are destroyed!
We are put to great shame,
For we have (CO)left the land
Because they have cast down our dwellings.’”
20 Indeed, hear the word of Yahweh, O you (CP)women,
And let your ear receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And everyone her neighbor a funeral lamentation.
21 For (CQ)death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our palaces
To cut off the (CR)infants from the streets,
The choice men from the open squares.
22 Speak, “Thus declares Yahweh,
‘The corpses of men will fall (CS)like dung on the open field
And like the sheaf after the reaper,
But no one will gather them.’”
23 Thus says Yahweh, “(CT)Let not a wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the (CU)mighty man boast in his might; let not a (CV)rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts (CW)boast in this, that he [o]understands and knows Me, that I am Yahweh who (CX)shows lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I (CY)delight in these things,” declares Yahweh.
25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet (CZ)uncircumcised— 26 Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and (DA)all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (DB)uncircumcised of heart.”
Yahweh Alone Is the Living God
10 Hear the word which Yahweh speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says Yahweh,
“(DC)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 (DD)vanity
Because (DE)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 They (DF)make it beautiful with silver and with gold;
They (DG)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 (DH)cannot speak;
They must be (DI)carried
Because they cannot take a step!
Do not fear them,
For they (DJ)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 (DK)There is none like You, O Yahweh;
You are (DL)great, and great is Your name in might.
7 (DM)Who would not fear You, O (DN)King of the nations?
Indeed it is Your due!
For among all the (DO)wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether (DP)senseless and foolish;
They are in a discipline of [p]vanities—it is mere wood!
9 Beaten (DQ)silver is brought from (DR)Tarshish,
And (DS)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 (DT)work of wise craftsmen.
10 But Yahweh is the (DU)true God;
He is the (DV)living God and the (DW)everlasting King.
At His wrath the (DX)earth quakes,
And the nations cannot (DY)endure His indignation.
11 [q]Thus you shall say to them, “The (DZ)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will (EA)perish from the earth and from under [r]the heavens.”
12 It is (EB)He who made the earth by His power,
Who (EC)established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has (ED)stretched out the heavens.
13 When He gives forth His (EE)voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
And He causes the (EF)clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the (EG)wind from His storehouses.
14 Every man is (EH)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 (EI)vanity, a work of mockery;
In the (EJ)time of their punishment they will perish.
16 The (EK)portion of Jacob is not like these;
For the [s](EL)Maker of all is He,
And (EM)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
(EN)Yahweh of hosts is His name.
17 (EO)Gather up your bundle from the ground,
You who inhabit a land under siege!
18 For thus says Yahweh,
“Behold, I am (EP)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And will cause them distress,
That they may find it.”
19 (EQ)Woe is me, because of my [t]injury!
My (ER)wound is desperately sick.
But I said, “Truly this is a sickness,
And I (ES)must bear it.”
20 My (ET)tent is destroyed,
And all my ropes are torn out;
My (EU)sons have gone from me and are no more.
There is (EV)no one to stretch out my tent again
Or to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become senseless
And (EW)have not sought Yahweh;
Therefore they have not prospered,
And (EX)all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a (EY)report! Behold, it comes—
A great quaking (EZ)out of the land of the north—
To (FA)make the cities of Judah
A desolation, a haunt of jackals.
23 I know, O Yahweh, that (FB)a man’s way is not in himself,
(FC)Nor is it in a man who walks to [u]direct his steps.
24 (FD)Discipline me, O Yahweh, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, lest You [v]bring me to nothing.
25 (FE)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that (FF)do not know You
And on the families that (FG)do not call Your name,
For they have devoured Jacob;
They have (FH)devoured him and consumed him
And have made desolate his [w]abode.
The Broken Covenant
11 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 “(FI)Hear the words of this (FJ)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, “(FK)Cursed is the man who does not hear the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your fathers in the (FL)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the (FM)iron furnace, saying, ‘(FN)Listen to My voice, and [x]do according to all which I command you; so you shall be (FO)My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to establish the (FP)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, “(FQ)Amen, O Yahweh.”
6 And Yahweh said to me, “(FR)Call out all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘(FS)Hear the words of this covenant so that you will (FT)do them. 7 For I solemnly (FU)warned your fathers in the (FV)day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, (FW)rising up early and warning, saying, “(FX)Listen to My voice.” 8 Yet they (FY)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 (FZ)words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”
9 Then Yahweh said to me, “A (GA)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have (GB)turned back to the iniquities of their [y]ancestors who (GC)refused to hear My words, and they (GD)have walked after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have (GE)broken My covenant which I cut with their fathers.” 11 Therefore thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am (GF)bringing calamity on them which they will (GG)not be able to get out of; and they will (GH)cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will (GI)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 (GJ)the number of your cities, O Judah; and the number of the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the (GK)shameful thing, altars to (GL)burn incense to Baal.
14 “But as for you, (GM)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry of lamentation or prayer for them; for I will (GN)not listen when they call to Me because of their calamity.
15 What possession has My (GO)beloved in My house
When (GP)she has done many schemes of wickedness?
Can the flesh, which is set apart as holy, take away from you your calamity,
[z]So that you can exult?”
16 Yahweh called your name,
“A (GQ)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the (GR)noise of a great tumult
He has (GS)kindled fire on it,
And its foliage has an evil demise.
17 Yahweh of hosts, who (GT)planted you, has (GU)spoken forth evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have [aa]done to provoke Me to anger by (GV)burning incense to Baal.
Men Seek Jeremiah’s Life
18 Moreover, Yahweh (GW)made it known to me, and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle (GX)lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had (GY)devised thoughts against me, saying,
“Let us make the tree with its [ab]fruit a ruin,
And (GZ)let us cut him off from the (HA)land of the living,
That his (HB)name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Yahweh of hosts, who (HC)judges righteously,
Who (HD)tests the [ac]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 (HE)Anathoth, who (HF)seek your life, saying, “(HG)Do not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, so that you will not (HH)die at our hand”; 22 therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Behold, I am about to (HI)punish them! The (HJ)choice men will die by the sword; their sons and daughters will die by famine; 23 and a remnant (HK)will not be left to them, for I will (HL)bring calamity on the men of Anathoth—(HM)the year of their punishment.”
Jeremiah’s Plea
12 (HN)Righteous are You, O Yahweh, when I would plead my case with You;
Indeed I would (HO)speak matters of justice with You:
Why has the (HP)way of the wicked succeeded?
Why are all those who (HQ)deal in treachery complacent?
2 You have (HR)planted them; they have also taken root;
They grow; they have even produced fruit.
You are (HS)near [ad]to their lips
But far from their [ae]inmost being.
3 But You, O Yahweh, You (HT)know me;
You see me;
And You (HU)test my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter
And [af]set them apart for a (HV)day of carnage!
4 How long is the (HW)land to mourn
And the (HX)plants of every field to dry up?
Because of the (HY)evil of those who inhabit it,
(HZ)Animals and birds have been swept away,
Because men have said, “He will not see our latter (IA)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 [ag](IB)thicket of the Jordan?
6 For even your (IC)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 (ID)nice things to you.”
7 “I have (IE)forsaken My house;
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have given the (IF)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 (IG)given forth its voice against Me;
Therefore I have come to (IH)hate her.
9 Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the (II)birds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the (IJ)beasts of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 Many (IK)shepherds have ruined My (IL)vineyard;
They have (IM)trampled down My portion;
They have made My (IN)desired portion
A desolate wilderness.
11 [ah]It has been made a desolation;
Desolate, it (IO)mourns [ai]before Me;
The (IP)whole land has been made desolate
Because no man (IQ)sets it upon his heart.
12 On all the [aj](IR)bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For a (IS)sword of Yahweh is devouring
From one end of the land even to the [ak]other;
There is (IT)no peace for any flesh.
13 They have (IU)sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
They have (IV)strained themselves [al]to no profit.
But be ashamed of your (IW)produce
Because of the (IX)burning anger of Yahweh.”
14 Thus says Yahweh concerning all My (IY)evil neighbors who (IZ)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 (JA)uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will (JB)return and have compassion on them; and I will (JC)cause them to return, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. 16 Then if they will really (JD)learn the ways of My people, to (JE)swear by My name, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ even as they taught My people to (JF)swear by Baal, they will be (JG)built up in the midst of My people. 17 But if they will not listen, then I will (JH)uproot that nation, uproot and make it perish,” declares Yahweh.
The Ruined Belt
13 Thus Yahweh said to me, “Go and (JI)buy yourself a linen belt and put it around your loins, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the belt in accordance with the (JJ)word of Yahweh and put it around my loins. 3 Then the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the belt that you have bought, which is around your loins, and arise, go to [am]the (JK)Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, (JL)as Yahweh had commanded me. 6 Now it happened that after many days Yahweh said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the belt which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the belt from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the belt was ruined; it was totally worthless.
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Just so will I ruin the (JM)pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who (JN)refuse to listen to My words, who (JO)walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have walked after other gods to serve them and to worship them, let them be just like this belt which is totally worthless. 11 For as the belt clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah (JP)cling to Me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for a (JQ)name, for (JR)praise, and for beauty; but they (JS)did not listen.’
The Magnitude of Israel’s Iniquity
12 “Therefore you are to say this word to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Every jug is to be filled with wine.”’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?’ 13 Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land—the kings that sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with (JT)drunkenness! 14 I will (JU)shatter them against each other, both the (JV)fathers and the sons together,” declares Yahweh. “I will (JW)not spare nor show pity nor have compassion so as not to ruin them.”’”
15 Listen and give ear, do not be (JX)haughty,
For Yahweh has spoken.
16 (JY)Give glory to Yahweh your God,
Before He brings (JZ)darkness
And before your (KA)feet [an]stumble
On the dusky mountains;
And while you are hoping for light,
He makes it into the (KB)shadow of death
And turns it into dense gloom.
17 But (KC)if you will not listen to it,
My soul will (KD)cry in secret for such pride;
And my eyes will bitterly weep
And flow down with tears
Because the (KE)flock of Yahweh has been taken captive.
18 Say to the (KF)king and the queen mother,
“(KG)Take a lowly seat,
For your beautiful (KH)crown
Has come down from your head.”
19 The (KI)cities of the Negev have been closed up,
And there is no one to open them;
All (KJ)Judah has been taken away into exile,
Wholly taken away into exile.
20 “Lift up your eyes and see
Those coming (KK)from the north.
Where is the (KL)flock that was given you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 What will you say when He appoints over you—
And you yourself had taught them—
Former [ao](KM)companions to be head over you?
Will not (KN)pangs seize you
Like a woman in childbirth?
22 If you (KO)say in your heart,
‘(KP)Why have these things happened to me?’
Because of the (KQ)magnitude of your iniquity
(KR)Your skirts have been uncovered
And your heels have suffered violence.
23 (KS)Can the Ethiopian change his skin
Or the leopard his spots?
Then you also can (KT)do good
Who are accustomed to doing evil.
24 Therefore I will (KU)scatter them like chaff passing away
Into the wilderness (KV)wind.
25 This is your (KW)lot, the portion measured to you
From Me,” declares Yahweh,
“Because you have (KX)forgotten Me
And trusted in lies.
26 So I Myself have also (KY)stripped your skirts off over your face,
That your disgrace may be seen.
27 As for your (KZ)adulteries and your lustful neighings,
The (LA)lewdness of your prostitution
On the (LB)hills in the field,
I have seen your detestable things.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
(LC)How long will you not cleanse yourself?”
Yahweh Will Not Listen to Their Cry
14 That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah in regard to the (LD)drought:
2 “Judah mourns,
And (LE)her gates languish;
They sit on the ground (LF)in mourning,
And the (LG)outcry of Jerusalem has gone up.
3 Their mighty ones have (LH)sent their [ap]underlings for water;
They have come to the (LI)trenches and found no water.
They have returned with their vessels empty;
They have been (LJ)put to shame and dishonored,
And they (LK)cover their heads.
4 Because the (LL)ground is [aq]dismayed,
For there has been (LM)no rain on the land,
The (LN)farmers have been put to shame;
They have covered their heads.
5 For even the doe in the field has given birth only to forsake her young
Because there is (LO)no grass.
6 The (LP)wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals;
Their eyes fail
For there is (LQ)no vegetation.
7 Although our (LR)iniquities answer against us,
O Yahweh, act (LS)for Your name’s sake!
Truly our (LT)acts of faithlessness have been many;
We have (LU)sinned against You.
8 O (LV)Hope of Israel,
Its (LW)Savior in (LX)time of distress,
Why are You like a sojourner in the land
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent to lodge for the night?
9 Why are You like a man confused,
Like a mighty man who (LY)cannot save?
Yet (LZ)You are in our midst, O Yahweh,
And we are (MA)called by Your name;
Do not leave us!”
10 Thus says Yahweh to this people, “Even so they have (MB)loved to wander; they have not (MC)kept their feet in check. Therefore Yahweh does (MD)not accept them; now He will (ME)remember their iniquity and punish their sins.” 11 So Yahweh said to me, “(MF)Do not pray for the good of this people. 12 When they fast, I am (MG)not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer (MH)burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to (MI)make an end of them by the (MJ)sword, famine, and pestilence.”
Lying Prophets
13 But, “Ah, Lord Yahweh!” I said, “Behold, the prophets are saying to them, ‘You (MK)will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you true (ML)peace in this place.’” 14 Then Yahweh said to me, “The (MM)prophets are prophesying lies in My name. (MN)I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a (MO)vision of lies, divination, futility, and the deception of their own hearts. 15 Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them—yet they keep saying, ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’—(MP)by that sword and famine those prophets shall [ar]meet their end! 16 The people also to whom they are prophesying will be (MQ)thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to (MR)bury them—neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters—for I will (MS)pour out their own evil on them.
17 And you will say this word to them,
‘(MT)Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day,
And let them not cease,
For the virgin (MU)daughter of my people has been shattered with a mighty shattering,
With a sorely (MV)sick wound.
18 If I (MW)go out to the field,
Behold, those [as]slain with the sword!
Or if I enter the city,
Behold, diseases of famine!
For (MX)both prophet and priest
Have gone around as merchants in the land that they do not know.’”
19 Have You completely (MY)rejected Judah?
Or [at]have You loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that (MZ)there is no healing for us?
We (NA)hoped for peace, but there was no good;
And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
20 We (NB)know our wickedness, O Yahweh,
The iniquity of our fathers, for (NC)we have sinned against You.
21 Do not [au]despise us, (ND)for Your own name’s sake;
Do not disgrace the (NE)throne of Your glory;
Remember and do not break Your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the [av](NF)idols of the nations who (NG)give rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Is it not You, O Yahweh our God?
Therefore we [aw](NH)hope in You,
For You are the one who has done all these things.
Yahweh Appoints Four Kinds of Doom
15 Then Yahweh said to me, “Even (NI)though (NJ)Moses and (NK)Samuel were to (NL)stand before Me, My soul would not be [ax]with this people; (NM)send them away from My presence and let them go! 2 And it will be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says Yahweh:
“Those destined (NN)for death, to death;
And those destined for the sword, to the sword;
And those destined for famine, to famine;
And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”’
3 I will (NO)appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares Yahweh: “the sword to kill, the (NP)dogs to drag off, and the (NQ)birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and bring to ruin. 4 I will (NR)give them over to be an example of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of (NS)Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “Indeed, who will (NT)spare you, O Jerusalem,
Or who will (NU)console you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your well-being?
6 You who have (NV)abandoned Me,” declares Yahweh,
“You keep (NW)going backward.
So I will (NX)stretch out My hand against you and bring you to ruin;
I am (NY)tired of [ay]relenting!
7 And I will (NZ)winnow them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will (OA)bereave them of children; I will make My people perish;
(OB)They did not [az]repent of their ways.
8 Their (OC)widows will be more numerous before Me
Than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of a choice man,
A (OD)destroyer at noonday;
I will suddenly bring down on her
Anguish and terror.
9 She who (OE)bore seven sons languishes;
[ba]Her breathing is labored.
Her (OF)sun has set while it was yet day;
She has been (OG)shamed and humiliated.
So I will (OH)give over their survivors to the sword
Before their enemies,” declares Yahweh.
Jeremiah Pleads for Vengeance
10 (OI)Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me
As a (OJ)man of strife and a man of contention to all the land!
I have not (OK)lent, nor have men lent money to me,
Yet everyone curses me.
11 Yahweh said, “Surely I will (OL)set you free for purposes of good;
Surely I will cause the (OM)enemy to intercede with you
In a time of disaster and a time of distress.
12 “Can anyone smash iron,
(ON)Iron from the north, or bronze?
13 Your (OO)wealth and your treasures
I will give for plunder (OP)without cost,
Even for all your sins
And within all your borders.
14 Then I will cause your enemies to pass [bb]it over
Into a (OQ)land you do not know,
For a (OR)fire has been kindled in My anger;
It will burn upon you.”
15 (OS)You who know, O Yahweh,
Remember me, take notice of me,
And (OT)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;
Know that (OU)for Your sake I endure reproach.
16 Your words were found, and I (OV)ate them,
And Your (OW)words became for me joy and gladness in my heart,
For I have been (OX)called by Your name,
O Yahweh God of hosts.
17 I (OY)did not sit in the circle of merrymakers,
Nor did I exult.
Because of Your hand upon me I sat (OZ)alone,
For You (PA)filled me with indignation.
18 Why has my pain been perpetual
And my (PB)wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
Will You indeed be to me (PC)like a deceptive stream
With water that is unreliable?
Yahweh’s Answer
19 Therefore thus says Yahweh,
“(PD)If you return, then I will cause you to return—
(PE)Before Me you will stand;
And (PF)if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become [bc]My mouthpiece.
They for their part may turn to you,
But as for you, you must not turn to them.
20 Then I will (PG)make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze;
And they will fight against you,
But they will not prevail against you,
For (PH)I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” declares Yahweh.
21 “So I will (PI)deliver you from the hand of the evil ones,
And I will (PJ)redeem you from the [bd]grasp of the ruthless ones.”
Yahweh Withdraws His Favor
16 The word of Yahweh also came to me saying, 2 “You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For thus says Yahweh concerning the sons and daughters born in this place and concerning their (PK)mothers who bear them and their (PL)fathers who beget them in this land: 4 “They will (PM)die of deadly diseases; they (PN)will not be lamented or buried; they will be as (PO)dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the (PP)birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth.”
5 For thus says Yahweh, “Do not enter the house of the (PQ)funeral meal, or go to lament or to console them; for I have (PR)withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares Yahweh, “My (PS)lovingkindness and compassion. 6 Both (PT)great men and small will die in this land; they will not be buried; they will not be lamented, nor will anyone (PU)gash himself or (PV)shave his head for them. 7 Men will not (PW)break bread in mourning for them, to comfort anyone for the dead, nor give them a cup of comforting to drink for anyone’s father or mother. 8 Moreover you shall (PX)not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink.” 9 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I am going to (PY)cause to cease from this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.
10 “Now when you tell this people all these words, they will say to you, ‘(PZ)For what reason has Yahweh declared all this great calamity against us? And what is our iniquity, or what is our sin which we have committed against Yahweh our God?’ 11 Then you are to say to them, ‘It is (QA)because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and have walked after (QB)other gods and served them and worshiped them; but Me they have forsaken and have not kept My law. 12 You too have done evil, even (QC)more than your fathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the (QD)stubbornness of his own (QE)evil heart, without listening to Me. 13 So I will (QF)hurl you out of this land into the (QG)land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will (QH)serve other gods day and night, for I will grant you no favor.’
They Shall Know My Name Is Yahweh
14 “(QI)Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As Yahweh lives, who (QJ)brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the (QK)land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.
16 “Behold, I am going to send for many (QL)fishermen,” declares Yahweh, “and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will (QM)hunt them (QN)from every mountain and every hill and from the crevices of the rocks. 17 (QO)For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, (QP)nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes. 18 I will first (QQ)doubly repay their iniquity and their sin because they have (QR)profaned My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their (QS)detestable idols and with their abominations.”
19 O Yahweh, my (QT)strength and my strong defense,
And my (QU)refuge in the day of distress,
To You the (QV)nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but (QW)lies,
Futility and [be](QX)things of no profit.”
20 Can man make gods for himself?
Yet they are (QY)not gods!
21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—
This time I will (QZ)make them know
My [bf]power and My might;
And they shall (RA)know that My name is Yahweh.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 8:4 Or repent
- Jeremiah 8:5 Or Turned away in continually turning
- Jeremiah 8:7 Lit coming
- Jeremiah 8:10 Lit possessing ones
- Jeremiah 8:12 Or visitation, so in Jer
- Jeremiah 8:14 Or gall
- Jeremiah 8:18 As in Gr and versions
- Jeremiah 8:19 Lit vanities
- Jeremiah 8:22 Or healing
- Jeremiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
- Jeremiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
- Jeremiah 9:4 Heb sounds like Jacob (a play on words)
- Jeremiah 9:15 Or gall
- Jeremiah 9:17 Lit wise
- Jeremiah 9:24 Lit has insight
- 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
- Jeremiah 13:4 Or Parah, cf. Josh 18:23; so through v 7
- Jeremiah 13:16 Lit smite
- Jeremiah 13:21 Or chieftains
- Jeremiah 14:3 Lit little ones
- Jeremiah 14:4 Cracked
- Jeremiah 14:15 Lit be finished
- Jeremiah 14:18 Lit pierced
- Jeremiah 14:19 Lit has Your soul
- Jeremiah 14:21 Or spurn
- Jeremiah 14:22 Lit vanities
- Jeremiah 14:22 Or wait for
- Jeremiah 15:1 Lit toward
- Jeremiah 15:6 Or regretting
- Jeremiah 15:7 Lit turn back from
- Jeremiah 15:9 Or She has breathed out her soul
- Jeremiah 15:14 Your possessions
- Jeremiah 15:19 Lit as My mouth
- Jeremiah 15:21 Lit palm
- Jeremiah 16:19 Lit there is nothing profitable in them
- Jeremiah 16:21 Lit hand
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