God’s Word to Jeremiah
1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were ain Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
2To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of bJosiah the son of Amon king of Judah, cin the thirteenth year of his reign.
3It came also in the days of dJehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, eunto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, funto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive gin the fifth month.
God’s Calling of Jeremiah
4Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5Before I hformed thee in the belly iI knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I jsanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6Then said I, kAh, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and lwhatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8mBe not afraid of their faces: for nI am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
9Then the LORD put forth his hand, and otouched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have pput my words in thy mouth.
10qSee, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to rroot out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
The Rod of an Almond Tree
11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
12Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
13And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see sa seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
14Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the tnorth an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15For, lo, I will ucall all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall vset every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
16And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, wwho have forsaken me, and have burned xincense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own yhands.
God’s Protection of Jeremiah
17Thou therefore zgird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: abe not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
18For, behold, I have made thee this day ba defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
19And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
Israel’s Faithfulness Recalled
1Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy ayouth, the love of thine espousals, bwhen thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
3cIsrael was holiness unto the LORD, and dthe firstfruits of his increase: eall that devour him shall offend; evil shall fcome upon them, saith the LORD.
Israel’s Defilement of the Land
4Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:
5Thus saith the LORD, gWhat iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, hand have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
6Neither said they, Where is the LORD that ibrought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through jthe wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?
7And I brought you into ka plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye ldefiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.
8The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the mlaw knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, nand the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.
God Pleads for Israel’s Faithfulness
9Wherefore oI will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children’s children will I plead.
10For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a pthing.
11qHath a nation changed their gods, which are ryet no gods? sbut my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
12Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.
Israel’s Two Evils
13For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the tfountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
14Is Israel ua servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?
15vThe young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.
16Also the children of Noph and wTahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
17xHast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when yhe led thee by the way?
18And now what hast thou to do zin the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of aSihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of bAssyria, to drink the waters of the river?
19Thine own wickedness shall ccorrect thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
A Degenerate Vine
20For of old time I have dbroken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and ethou saidst, I will not transgress; when fupon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, gplaying the harlot.
21Yet I had hplanted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into ithe degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?
22For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is jmarked before me, saith the Lord GOD.
23kHow canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
24A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.
25Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, lThere is no hope: no; for I have loved mstrangers, and after them will I go.
26As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their nprophets,
27Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a ostone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their ptrouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
28But qwhere are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they rcan save thee in the time of thy trouble: for saccording to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.
Israel’s Transgressions Against God
29Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.
30In vain have I tsmitten your children; they ureceived no correction: your own sword hath vdevoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
31O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; wwe will come no more unto thee?
32Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people xhave forgotten me days without number.
33Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
34Also in thy skirts is found ythe blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
35zYet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, aI will plead with thee, bbecause thou sayest, I have not sinned.
36cWhy gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? dthou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, eas thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
37Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon fthine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt gnot prosper in them.
Israel Played the Harlot
1They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, ashall he return unto her again? shall not that bland be greatly polluted? but thou hast cplayed the harlot with many lovers; dyet return again to me, saith the LORD.
2Lift up thine eyes unto ethe high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. fIn the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; gand thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
3Therefore the hshowers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a iwhore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
4Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art jthe guide of kmy youth?
5lWill he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
Judah’s Sin Is Greater Than Israel’s Sin
6The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which mbacksliding Israel hath done? she is ngone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
7oAnd I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous psister Judah saw it.
8And I saw, when qfor all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had rput her away, and given her a bill of divorce; syet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
9And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she tdefiled the land, and committed adultery with ustones and with stocks.
10And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me vwith her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
11And the LORD said unto me, wThe backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
God’s Mercy
12Go and proclaim these words toward xthe north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am ymerciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
13zOnly acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast ascattered thy ways to the bstrangers cunder every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
14Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; dfor I am married unto you: and I will take you eone of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to fZion:
15And I will give you gpastors according to mine heart, which shall hfeed you with knowledge and understanding.
16And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and iincreased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: jneither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
17At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, kto the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they lwalk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
18In those days mthe house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of nthe north to othe land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
19But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee pa pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, qMy father; and shalt not turn away from me.
20Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so rhave ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.
The Salvation of Israel
21A voice was heard upon sthe high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.
22Return, ye backsliding children, and I will theal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
23uTruly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: vtruly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
24wFor shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
25We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: xfor we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and yhave not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
The Return to the Lord
1If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, areturn unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
2bAnd thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, cin truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; dand the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they eglory.
3For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, fBreak up your fallow ground, and gsow not among thorns.
4hCircumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, iBlow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, jAssemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
6Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the knorth, and a great destruction.
The Lion Comes from His Thicket
7lThe lion is come up from his thicket, and mthe destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place nto make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
8For this ogird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.
9And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
10Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! psurely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, qsaying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
11At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, rA dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,
12Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also swill I give sentence against them.
13Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and this chariots shall be as a whirlwind: uhis horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
14O Jerusalem, vwash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
15For a voice declareth wfrom Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
The Watchers from a Far Country
16Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a xfar country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
17yAs keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.
18zThy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
Jeremiah’s Anguish Over Destruction
19My abowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20bDestruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are cmy tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
21How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: dthey are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
The Desolation of the Land
23eI beheld the earth, and, lo, it was fwithout form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24gI beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and hall the birds of the heavens were fled.
26I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a iwilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
27For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; jyet will I not make a full end.
28For this kshall the earth mourn, and lthe heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have mpurposed it, and nwill not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
29The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
30And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, othough thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; pthy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
31For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that qspreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
The Search for a Righteous Man
1Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, aif ye can find a man, bif there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; cand I will pardon it.
2And dthough they say, eThe LORD liveth; surely they fswear falsely.
3O LORD, are not gthine eyes upon the truth? thou hast hstricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but ithey have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
4Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for jthey know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.
5I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for kthey have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether lbroken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
The Lord’s Vengeance
6Wherefore ma lion out of the forest shall slay them, nand a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, oa leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
7How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and psworn by qthem that are no gods: rwhen I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
8sThey were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.
9Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be tavenged on such a nation as this?
10Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a ufull end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD’s.
Treacherous Dealings
11For vthe house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD.
12wThey have belied the LORD, and said, xIt is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; yneither shall we see sword nor famine:
13And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.
14Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, zbehold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
15Lo, I will bring a anation upon you bfrom far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.
16Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.
17And they shall eat up thine charvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.
18Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I dwill not make a full end with you.
19And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, eWherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have fforsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so gshall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.
A Rebellious Heart
20Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,
21Hear now this, O hfoolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
22iFear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the jbound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
23But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.
24Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, kthat giveth rain, both the lformer and the latter, in his season: mhe reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
Unjust Leaders
25nYour iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.
26For among my people are found wicked men: they olay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.
27As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.
28They are waxen pfat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not qthe cause, the cause of the fatherless, ryet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
29sShall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
30A wonderful and thorrible thing is committed in the land;
31The prophets prophesy ufalsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people vlove to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
Destruction from the North
1O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in aBeth-haccerem: bfor evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.
2I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
3The cshepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.
4dPrepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up eat noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.
5Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.
6For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.
7fAs a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: gviolence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds.
8Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest hmy soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.
God Is Weary of Holding His Fury
9Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.
10To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their iear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, jthe word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
11Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; kI am weary with holding in: I will pour it out lupon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.
12And mtheir houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD.
13For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to ncovetousness; and from the prophet even unto the opriest every one dealeth falsely.
14They have phealed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, qsaying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
15Were they rashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
Unacceptable Sacrifices
16Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the sold paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find trest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
17Also I set uwatchmen over you, saying, vHearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
18Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.
19wHear, O earth: behold, I will bring xevil upon this people, even ythe fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.
20zTo what purpose cometh there to me incense afrom Sheba, and the bsweet cane from a far country? cyour burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.
A Merciless Nation
21Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.
22Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the dnorth country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.
23They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice eroareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion.
24We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: fanguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.
25Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side.
26O daughter of my people, ggird thee with sackcloth, hand wallow thyself in ashes: imake thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.
27I have set thee for a tower and ja fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way.
28kThey are all grievous revolters, lwalking with slanders: they are mbrass and iron; they are all corrupters.
29The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.
30nReprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.
Amend Your Ways
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2aStand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.
3Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, bAmend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
4cTrust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
5For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly dexecute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
6If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, eneither walk after other gods to your hurt:
7fThen will I cause you to dwell in this place, in gthe land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.
8Behold, ye trust in hlying words, that cannot profit.
9iWill ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and jwalk after other gods whom ye know not;
10kAnd come and stand before me in this house, lwhich is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
11Is mthis house, which is called by my name, become a nden of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.
12But go ye now unto omy place which was in Shiloh, pwhere I set my name at the first, and see qwhat I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
Cast Out of God’s Sight
13And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rrising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I scalled you, but ye answered not;
14Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to tShiloh.
15And I will cast you out of my sight, uas I have cast out all your brethren, veven the whole seed of Ephraim.
16Therefore wpray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: xfor I will not hear thee.
God’s Anger and Fury
17Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
18yThe children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to zpour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
19aDo they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
20Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
21Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; bPut your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
22cFor I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
23But this thing commanded I them, saying, dObey my voice, and eI will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
24fBut they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but gwalked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and hwent backward, and not forward.
A Disobedient Nation
25Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even isent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
26jYet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but khardened their neck: lthey did worse than their fathers.
27Therefore mthou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.
28But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nnor receiveth correction: otruth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
God’s House Is Defiled
29pCut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.
30For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: qthey have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
31And they have built the rhigh places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to sburn their sons and their daughters in the fire; twhich I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.
The Valley of Slaughter
32Therefore, behold, uthe days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: vfor they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
33And the wcarcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.
34Then will I cause to xcease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for ythe land shall be desolate.
They Choose Death Rather Than Life
1At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
2And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and awhom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, bnor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
3And cdeath shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.
4Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?
5Why then is this people of Jerusalem dslidden back by a perpetual backsliding? ethey hold fast deceit, fthey refuse to return.
6gI hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: hno man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.
7Yea, ithe stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but jmy people know not the judgment of the LORD.
Wise Men Speak Falsely
8How do ye say, We are wise, kand the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
9lThe wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and mwhat wisdom is in them?
10Therefore nwill I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to ocovetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
11For they have phealed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, qPeace, peace; when there is no peace.
12Were they rashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
13I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes son the vine, nor figs on the tfig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall upass away from them.
14Why do we sit still? vassemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us wwater of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
15We xlooked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!
16The snorting of his horses was heard from yDan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his zstrong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.
17For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be acharmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.
The Harvest Is Past
18When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.
19Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in ba far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?
20The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
21cFor the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am dblack; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
22Is there no ebalm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
An Assembly of Treacherous Men
1Oh athat my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
2Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for bthey be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
3And cthey bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from devil to evil, and they eknow not me, saith the LORD.
4fTake ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour gwill walk with slanders.
5And they will hdeceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.
7Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, iI will melt them, and try them; jfor how shall I do for the daughter of my people?
8Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh kdeceit: one speaketh lpeaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
A Den of Dragons
9mShall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and nfor the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; oboth the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
11And I will make Jerusalem pheaps, and qa den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
12rWho is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
13And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have snot obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;
14But have twalked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, uwhich their fathers taught them:
15Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will vfeed them, even this people, wwith wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
16I will xscatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: yand I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.
A Voice of Wailing
17Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for zthe mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:
18And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that aour eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.
19For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because bour dwellings have cast us out.
20Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.
21For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off cthe children from without, and the young men from the streets.
22Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall das dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
Glory in Knowing the Lord
23Thus saith the LORD, eLet not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his fmight, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
24But glet him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: hfor in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
25Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that iI will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
26Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the jutmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are kuncircumcised in the heart.
Learn Not the Way of the Heathen
1Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
2Thus saith the LORD, aLearn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
3For the customs of the people are vain: for bone cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
4They deck it with silver and with gold; they cfasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
5They are upright as the palm tree, dbut speak not: they must needs be eborne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for fthey cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
God’s Name Is Great
6Forasmuch as there is none glike unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
7hWho would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as iamong all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
8But they are altogether jbrutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.
9Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and kgold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all lthe work of cunning men.
The True and Living God
10But the LORD is the true God, he is mthe living God, and an neverlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
11Thus shall ye say unto them, oThe gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even pthey shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.
12He qhath made the earth by his power, he hath restablished the world by his wisdom, and shath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
13tWhen he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and uhe causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
14vEvery man is wbrutish in his knowledge: xevery founder is confounded by the graven image: yfor his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
15They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
16zThe portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and aIsrael is the rod of his inheritance: bThe LORD of hosts is his name.
17cGather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress.
18For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will dsling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, ethat they may find it so.
A Great Commotion
19fWoe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, gTruly this is a grief, and hI must bear it.
20iMy tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are jnot: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.
21For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be kscattered.
22Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the lnorth country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a mden of dragons.
23O LORD, I know that the nway of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
24O LORD, ocorrect me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.
25pPour out thy fury upon the heathen qthat know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and rdevoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.
Obey God’s Voice
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
3And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; aCursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
4Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, bfrom the iron furnace, saying, cObey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:
5That I may perform the doath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them ea land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.
Hear the Words of the Covenant
6Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, fand do them.
7For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, grising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.
8hYet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but iwalked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.
9And the LORD said unto me, jA conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10They are turned back to kthe iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
11Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and lthough they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.
12Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and mcry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
13For according to the number of thy ncities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.
14Therefore opray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.
Evil Against Israel and Judah
15pWhat hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath qwrought lewdness with many, and rthe holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou srejoicest.
16The LORD called thy name, tA green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
17For the LORD of hosts, uthat planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.
The Plot Against Jeremiah’s Life
18And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.
19But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, vand let us cut him off from wthe land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.
20But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that xtriest the reins and the heart, let me see thy yvengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.
21Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of zAnathoth, that seek thy life, saying, aProphesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:
22Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall bdie by famine:
23And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even cthe year of their visitation.
Judgment for the Wicked
1Righteous aart thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: bWherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
2Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: cthou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.
3But thou, O LORD, dknowest me: thou hast seen me, and etried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for fthe day of slaughter.
4How long shall gthe land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, hfor the wickedness of them that dwell therein? ithe beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.
5If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in jthe swelling of Jordan?
6For even kthy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: lbelieve them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.
God’s Forsaken Heritage
7I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.
8Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I mhated it.
9Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, ncome to devour.
10Many opastors have destroyed pmy vineyard, they have qtrodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
11They have made it rdesolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because sno man layeth it to heart.
12The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.
13tThey have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
God’s Compassion Toward His People
14Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that utouch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will vpluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.
15wAnd it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, xand will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.
16And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, yto swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be zbuilt in the midst of my people.
17But if they will not aobey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.
The Marred Girdle
1Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
2So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.
3And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
4Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
5So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.
6And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
7Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
The Marred Pride of Judah
8Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
9Thus saith the LORD, After this manner awill I mar the pride of Judah, and the great bpride of Jerusalem.
10This evil people, which crefuse to hear my words, which dwalk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.
11For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that ethey might be unto me for a people, and ffor a name, and for a praise, and for a gglory: but they would hnot hear.
12Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
13Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, iwith drunkenness.
14And jI will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
The Sin of Pride
15Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.
16kGive glory to the LORD your God, before he cause ldarkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye mlook for light, he turn it into nthe shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
17But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall oweep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’s flock is carried away captive.
18Say unto pthe king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
19The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.
20Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the qnorth: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
21What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not rsorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
The Leopard’s Spots
22And if thou say in thine heart, sWherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are tthy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
23Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
24Therefore will I uscatter them vas the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
25wThis is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in xfalsehood.
26Therefore ywill I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.
27I have seen thine adulteries, and thy zneighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations aon the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
The Cry of Jerusalem
1The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
2Judah mourneth, and athe gates thereof languish; they are bblack unto the ground; and cthe cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
3And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were dashamed and confounded, eand covered their heads.
4Because the ground is chapt, for there was fno rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
5Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.
6And gthe wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.
The Hope of Israel
7O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it hfor thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.
8iO the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?
9Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man jthat cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, kart in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.
10Thus saith the LORD unto this people, lThus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; mhe will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.
11Then said the LORD unto me, nPray not for this people for their good.
12oWhen they fast, I will not hear their cry; and pwhen they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but qI will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
The False Prophets
13rThen said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured speace in this place.
14Then the LORD said unto me, tThe prophets prophesy lies in my name: uI sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the vdeceit of their heart.
15Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, wyet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
16And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; xand they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.
Jeremiah Intercedes
17Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; yLet mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: zfor the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.
18If I go forth into athe field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the bpriest go about into a land that they know not.
19cHast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and dthere is no healing for us? ewe looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!
20We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our ffathers: for gwe have sinned against thee.
21Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: hremember, break not thy covenant with us.
22iAre there any among jthe vanities of the Gentiles that can cause krain? or can the heavens give showers? lart not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.
Cast Out of God’s Sight
1Then said the LORD unto me, aThough bMoses and cSamuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.
2And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD; dSuch as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the ecaptivity, to the captivity.
3And I will fappoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and gthe fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.
4And I will cause them to be hremoved into all kingdoms of the earth, because of iManasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.
Weary with Repenting
5For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?
6jThou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art kgone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; lI am weary with repenting.
7And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will mbereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they nreturn not from their ways.
8Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it osuddenly, and terrors upon the city.
9pShe that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; qher sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD.
Encouragement for Jeremiah
10rWoe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.
11The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause sthe enemy to intreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.
12Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?
13Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the tspoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.
14And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies uinto a land which thou knowest not: for a vfire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.
15O LORD, wthou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and xrevenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that yfor thy sake I have suffered rebuke.
16Thy words were found, and I did zeat them; and athy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
17bI sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.
18Why is my cpain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me das a liar, and as waters that fail?
A Fenced Brasen Wall
19Therefore thus saith the LORD, eIf thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt fstand before me: and if thou gtake forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.
20And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen hwall: and they shall fight against thee, but ithey shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
21And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.
The Grievous Deaths in the Land
1The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying,
2Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.
3For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;
4They shall die of agrievous deaths; they shall not be blamented; neither shall they be cburied; but they shall be das dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their ecarcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
5For thus saith the LORD, fEnter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.
6Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, gneither shall men lament for them, nor hcut themselves, nor imake themselves bald for them:
7Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to jdrink for their father or for their mother.
8Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.
9For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, kI will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.
A Reason for Punishment
10And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, lWherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?
11Then shalt thou say unto them, mBecause your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;
12And ye have done nworse than your fathers; for, behold, oye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:
13pTherefore will I cast you out of this land qinto a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.
God Will Deliver His People
14Therefore, behold, the rdays come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
15But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the snorth, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and tI will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
16Behold, I will send for many ufishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
17For mine veyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.
18And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin wdouble; because xthey have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.
God’s Might
19O LORD, ymy strength, and my fortress, and zmy refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things awherein there is no profit.
20Shall a man make gods unto himself, and bthey are no gods?
21Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that cmy name is The LORD.
A Pen of Iron
1The sin of Judah is awritten with a bpen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is cgraven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
2Whilst their children remember their altars and their dgroves by the green trees upon the high hills.
3O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.
4And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in ethe land which thou knowest not: for fye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.
5Thus saith the LORD; gCursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh hflesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
6For he shall be ilike the heath in the desert, and jshall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, kin a salt land and not inhabited.
Blessed Is He That Trusts in God
7lBlessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
8For he shall be mas a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
9The nheart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
10I the LORD osearch the heart, I try the reins, peven to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
11As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, qshall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be ra fool.
12A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.
Forsaking the Fountain of Living Waters
13O LORD, sthe hope of Israel, tall that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be uwritten in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the vfountain of living waters.
14Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for wthou art my praise.
15Behold, they say unto me, xWhere is the word of the LORD? let it come now.
16As for me, yI have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.
17Be not a terror unto me: zthou art my hope in the day of evil.
18aLet them be confounded that persecute me, but blet not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and cdestroy them with double destruction.
Hallow the Sabbath Day
19Thus said the LORD unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;
20And say unto them, dHear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:
21Thus saith the LORD; eTake heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
22Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I fcommanded your fathers.
23gBut they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.
24And it shall come to pass, hif ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the isabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;
25jThen shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever.
26And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from kthe places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from lthe plain, and from the mountains, and from mthe south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing nsacrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD.
27But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then owill I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, pand it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be qquenched.
The Potter’s Vessel of Clay
1The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
3Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
4And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
5Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
6O house of Israel, acannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, bas the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
7At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to cpluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
8dIf that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, eI will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
9And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
10If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
Desolation from the Lord
11Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: freturn ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings ggood.
12And they said, hThere is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the iimagination of his evil heart.
13Therefore thus saith the LORD; jAsk ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done ka very horrible thing.
14Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?
15Because my people hath forgotten lme, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the mancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;
16To make their land ndesolate, and a perpetual ohissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
17pI will scatter them qas with an east wind before the enemy; rI will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
Jeremiah’s Words Ignored
18Then said they, sCome, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; tfor the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.
Jeremiah’s Plea for Vengeance
19Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.
20uShall evil be recompensed for good? for they have vdigged a pit for my soul. Remember that I wstood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.
21Therefore xdeliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be ybereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
22Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.
23Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: zforgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine aanger.
The Potter’s Earthen Bottle
1Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter’s earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;
2And go forth unto athe valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee,
3bAnd say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall ctingle.
4Because they dhave forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with ethe blood of innocents;
5fThey have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, gwhich I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:
A Place of Hissing
6Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor hThe valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.
7And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; iand I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their jcarcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
8And I will make this city kdesolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.
9And I will cause them to eat the lflesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.
The Message of the Broken Bottle
10mThen shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,
11And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; nEven so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall obury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.
12Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet:
13And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled pas the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose qroofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and rhave poured out drink offerings unto other gods.
The People’s Hardened Necks
14Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in sthe court of the LORD’s house; and said to all the people,
15Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because tthey have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.
Jeremiah’s Arrest
1Now aPashur the son of bImmer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
2Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high cgate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.
3And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magor-missabib.
4For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will dgive all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.
5Moreover I ewill deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and fcarry them to Babylon.
6And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast gprophesied lies.
Jeremiah Ridiculed
7O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: hthou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: iI am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
8For since I spake, I cried out, jI cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
9Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a kburning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and lI could not stay.
10mFor I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. nAll my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.
Persecutors Will Not Prevail
11But the LORD is owith me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not pprevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their qeverlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.
12But, O LORD of hosts, that rtriest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, slet me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.
13Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for the hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
Born to See Labour and Sorrow
14uCursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.
15Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad.
16And let that man be as the cities which the LORD voverthrew, and repented not: and let him whear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide;
17xBecause he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me.
18yWherefore came I forth out of the womb to zsee labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
Zedekiah Seeks God’s Leadership
1The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when aking Zedekiah sent unto him bPashur the son of Melchiah, and cZephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
2dEnquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.
The Lord Will Fight Against Jerusalem
3Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:
4Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and eI will assemble them into the midst of this city.
5And I fmyself will fight against you with an goutstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.
6And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.
Zedekiah to Be Captured
7And afterward, saith the LORD, hI will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; ihe shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
8And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, jI set before you the way of life, and the way of death.
9He that kabideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall llive, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
10For I have mset my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: nit shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall oburn it with fire.
The Fruit of Judah’s Doings
11And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
12O house of David, thus saith the LORD; pExecute judgment qin the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
13Behold, rI am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, sWho shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?
14But I will punish you according to the tfruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and uit shall devour all things round about it.
The Conditions for Obedience
1Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
2And say, aHear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:
3Thus saith the LORD; bExecute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the cfatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.
4For if ye do this thing indeed, dthen shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.
God’s Warning for Disobedience
5But if ye will not hear these words, eI swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.
6For thus saith the LORD unto the king’s house of Judah; Thou art fGilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.
7And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down gthy choice cedars, hand cast them into the fire.
8And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, iWherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?
9Then they shall answer, jBecause they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.
10Weep ye not for kthe dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him lthat goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.
11For thus saith the LORD touching mShallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, nwhich went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more:
12But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.
Woe to Jehoiakim
13oWoe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; pthat useth his neighbour’s service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;
14That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
15Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then qit was well with him?
16He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD.
17rBut thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.
18Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; sThey shall not lament for him, saying, tAh my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!
19uHe shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed.
21I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. vThis hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice.
22The wind shall eat up all wthy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.
23O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, xthe pain as of a woman in travail!
Coniah’s Seed Shall Not Rule
24As I live, saith the LORD, ythough Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah zwere the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;
25aAnd I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
26bAnd I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.
27But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return.
28Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he ca vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?
29dO earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
30Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man echildless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for fno man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.
The Evil of Your Doings
1Woe abe unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
2Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: bbehold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
3And cI will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
4And I will set up dshepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
A Righteous Branch
5Behold, ethe days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, fand shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
6gIn his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel hshall dwell safely: and ithis is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
7Therefore, behold, jthe days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
8But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, kand from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own lland.
The Profane Prophets and Priests
9Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; mall my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.
10For nthe land is full of adulterers; for obecause of swearing the land mourneth; pthe pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
11For qboth prophet and priest are profane; yea, rin my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.
12sWherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I twill bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
13And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; uthey prophesied in Baal, and vcaused my people Israel to err.
14I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: wthey commit adultery, and walk in lies: they xstrengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as ySodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
15Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with zwormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
Hearken Not to the False Prophets
16Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: athey speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
17They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, bYe shall have peace; and they say unto every one that cwalketh after the imagination of his own heart, dNo evil shall come upon you.
18For ewho hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
19Behold, a fwhirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
20The ganger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: hin the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
21iI have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have jturned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
23Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
Prophesying False Dreams
24Can any khide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. lDo not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
25I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
26How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
27Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, mas their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
28The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
29Is not my word like as a nfire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
30Therefore, behold, oI am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
31Behold, I am pagainst the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
32Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their qlies, and by rtheir lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not sprofit this people at all, saith the LORD.
The Burden of the Lord
33And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is tthe burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.
34And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.
35Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
36And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have uperverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.
37Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
38But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;
39Therefore, behold, I, even I, vwill utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
40And I will bring wan everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual xshame, which shall not be forgotten.
The Two Baskets of Figs
1The aLORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar bking of Babylon had carried away captive cJeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
2One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so dbad.
3Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
Blessings and Restoration
4Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
6For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and eI will bring them again to this land: and fI will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
7And I will give them gan heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be hmy people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me iwith their whole heart.
8And as the evil jfigs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the kresidue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and lthem that dwell in the land of Egypt:
9And I will deliver them to mbe removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, nto be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
10And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
Judah Ignores Warnings of Prophets
1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah ain the fourth year of bJehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;
2The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,
3cFrom the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; dbut ye have not hearkened.
4And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, erising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
5They said, fTurn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:
6And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
7Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might gprovoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
Seventy Years of Captivity
8Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,
9Behold, I will send and take hall the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, imy servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and jmake them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
10Moreover I will take from them the kvoice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, lthe sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.
11And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy myears.
God’s Punishment of Babylon
12And it shall come to pass, nwhen seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, oand will make it perpetual desolations.
13And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.
14pFor many nations qand great kings shall rserve themselves of them also: sand I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.
15For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the twine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
16And uthey shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
17Then took I the cup at the LORD’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:
Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah
18To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them va desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and wa curse; as it is this day;
Judgment on Egypt and Others
19Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
20And all the mingled people, and all the kings of xthe land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the yPhilistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and zthe remnant of Ashdod,
21aEdom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,
22And all the kings of bTyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the csea,
23dDedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,
24And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the emingled people that dwell in the desert,
25And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of fElam, and all the kings of the gMedes,
26hAnd all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
Rise No More
27Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; iDrink ye, and jbe drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.
28And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.
29For, lo, kI begin to bring evil on the city lwhich is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for mI will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
The Lord Shall Roar
30Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall nroar from on high, and utter his voice from ohis holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon phis habitation; he shall give qa shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath ra controversy with the nations, she will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
32Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and ta great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
33uAnd the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be vlamented, wneither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
The Cry of the Shepherds
34xHowl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.
35And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.
36A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture.
37And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
38He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.
Hearken and Turn from Your Evil Ways
1In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,
2Thus saith the LORD; Stand in athe court of the LORD’s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’s house, ball the words that I command thee to speak unto them; cdiminish not a word:
3dIf so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may erepent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.
A Curse to All the Nations
4And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; fIf ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
5To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, gwhom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;
6Then will I make this house like hShiloh, and will make this city ia curse to all the nations of the earth.
7So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.
Jeremiah’s Death Demanded
8Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.
9Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be jdesolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
10When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king’s house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD’s house.
11Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to kdie; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
Jeremiah’s Defence
12Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.
13Therefore now lamend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.
14As for me, behold, mI am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.
15But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.
16Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.
Micah and Urijah’s Fate
17nThen rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,
18oMicah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; pZion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become qheaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
19Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? rdid he not fear the LORD, and sbesought the LORD, and the LORD trepented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? uThus might we procure great evil against our souls.
20And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:
21And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;
22And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.
23And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
24Nevertheless vthe hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.