1The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathotha in the territory of Benjamin. 2The word of the LORD cameb to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiahc son of Amon king of Judah, 3and through the reign of Jehoiakimd son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiahe son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.f
The Call of Jeremiah
4The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5“Before I formed you in the wombg I knew1h you,
before you were borni I set you apart;j
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.k”
6“Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;l I am too young.”m
7But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8Do not be afraidn of them, for I am with youo and will rescuep you,” declares the LORD.q
9Then the LORD reached out his hand and touchedr my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.s 10See, today I appoint you over nationst and kingdoms to uprootu and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”v
11The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”w
“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
12The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching2x to see that my word is fulfilled.”
13The word of the LORD came to me again: “What do you see?”y
“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”
14The LORD said to me, “From the northz disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the LORD.
“Their kings will come and set up their thrones
in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
they will come against all her surrounding walls
and against all the towns of Judah.a
16I will pronounce my judgmentsb on my people
because of their wickednessc in forsaking me,d
in burning incense to other godse
17“Get yourself ready! Stand up and sayh to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrifiedi by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18Today I have made youj a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19They will fight against you but will not overcomek you, for I am with youl and will rescuem you,” declares the LORD.
Israel Forsakes God
1The worda of the LORD came to me: 2“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:
“This is what the LORD says:
“ ‘I remember the devotion of your youth,b
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,c
through a land not sown.
3Israel was holyd to the LORD,e
the firstfruitsf of his harvest;
all who devouredg her were held guilty,h
and disaster overtook them,’ ”
declares the LORD.
4Hear the word of the LORD, you descendants of Jacob,
all you clans of Israel.
5This is what the LORD says:
“What fault did your ancestors find in me,
that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idolsi
and became worthlessj themselves.
6They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD,
who brought us up out of Egyptk
and led us through the barren wilderness,
through a land of desertsl and ravines,m
a land of drought and utter darkness,
a land where no one travelsn and no one lives?’
7I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and rich produce.o
But you came and defiled my land
and made my inheritance detestable.p
8The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the LORD?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me;q
the leadersr rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,s
following worthless idols.t
9“Therefore I bring chargesu against you again,”
declares the LORD.
“And I will bring charges against your children’s children.
10Cross over to the coasts of Cyprusv and look,
send to Kedar1w and observe closely;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
11Has a nation ever changed its gods?
(Yet they are not godsx at all.)
But my people have exchanged their gloriousy God
for worthless idols.
12Be appalled at this, you heavens,
and shudder with great horror,”
declares the LORD.
13“My people have committed two sins:
They have forsakenz me,
the spring of living water,a
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
14Is Israel a servant, a slaveb by birth?
Why then has he become plunder?
15Lionsc have roared;
they have growled at him.
They have laid wasted his land;
his towns are burnede and deserted.f
16Also, the men of Memphisg and Tahpanhesh
have cracked your skull.
17Have you not brought this on yourselvesi
by forsakingj the LORD your God
when he led you in the way?
to drink water from the Nile2?l
And why go to Assyriam
to drink water from the Euphrates?n
19Your wickedness will punish you;
your backslidingo will rebukep you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitterq it is for you
when you forsaker the LORD your God
and have no awes of me,”
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
20“Long ago you broke off your yoket
and tore off your bonds;u
you said, ‘I will not serve you!’v
Indeed, on every high hillw
and under every spreading treex
you lay down as a prostitute.y
21I had plantedz you like a choice vinea
of sound and reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me
into a corrupt,b wild vine?
22Although you washc yourself with soapd
and use an abundance of cleansing powder,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Sovereign LORD.e
23“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;f
I have not run after the Baals’?g
See how you behaved in the valley;h
consider what you have done.
You are a swift she-camel
runningi here and there,
24a wild donkeyj accustomed to the desert,k
sniffing the wind in her craving—
in her heat who can restrain her?
Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves;
at mating time they will find her.
25Do not run until your feet are bare
and your throat is dry.
But you said, ‘It’s no use!l
I love foreign gods,m
and I must go after them.’n
26“As a thief is disgracedo when he is caught,
so the people of Israel are disgraced—
they, their kings and their officials,
their priestsp and their prophets.q
27They say to wood,r ‘You are my father,’
and to stone,s ‘You gave me birth.’
They have turned their backst to me
and not their faces;u
yet when they are in trouble,v they say,
‘Come and savew us!’
28Where then are the godsx you made for yourselves?
Let them come if they can save you
when you are in trouble!y
For you, Judah, have as many gods
as you have towns.z
29“Why do you bring charges against me?
You have alla rebelled against me,”
declares the LORD.
30“In vain I punished your people;
they did not respond to correction.b
Your sword has devoured your prophetsc
like a ravenous lion.
31“You of this generation, consider the word of the LORD:
“Have I been a desert to Israel
or a land of great darkness?d
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
we will come to you no more’?e
32Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgottenf me,
days without number.
33How skilled you are at pursuingg love!
Even the worst of women can learn from your ways.
34On your clothes is found
the lifebloodh of the innocent poor,
though you did not catch them breaking in.i
Yet in spite of all this
he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgmentk on you
because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’l
36Why do you go about so much,
changingm your ways?
You will be disappointed by Egyptn
as you were by Assyria.
37You will also leave that place
with your hands on your head,o
for the LORD has rejected those you trust;
you will not be helpedp by them.
and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
Would not the land be completely defiled?b
But you have lived as a prostitute with many loversc—
would you now return to me?”d
declares the LORD.
2“Look up to the barren heightse and see.
Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadsidef you sat waiting for lovers,
sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the landg
with your prostitutionh and wickedness.
3Therefore the showers have been withheld,i
and no spring rainsj have fallen.
Yet you have the brazenk look of a prostitute;
you refuse to blush with shame.l
4Have you not just called to me:
‘My Father,m my friend from my youth,n
5will you always be angry?o
Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
but you do all the evil you can.”
Unfaithful Israel
6During the reign of King Josiah,p the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithlessq Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading treer and has committed adulterys there. 7I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sistert Judah saw it.u 8I gave faithless Israelv her certificate of divorcew and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;x she also went out and committed adultery. 9Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the landy and committed adulteryz with stonea and wood.b 10In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not returnc to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,d” declares the LORD.e
11The LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteousf than unfaithfulg Judah.h 12Go, proclaim this message toward the north:i
“ ‘Return,j faithlessk Israel,’ declares the LORD,
‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’l declares the LORD,
‘I will not be angrym forever.
13Only acknowledgen your guilt—
you have rebelled against the LORD your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign godso
under every spreading tree,p
and have not obeyedq me,’ ”
declares the LORD.
14“Return,r faithless people,” declares the LORD, “for I am your husband.s I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15Then I will give you shepherdst after my own heart,u who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the LORD, “people will no longer say, ‘The arkv of the covenant of the LORD.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;w it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17At that time they will call Jerusalem The Thronex of the LORD, and all nationsy will gather in Jerusalem to honorz the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.a 18In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,b and togetherc they will come from a northernd land to the lande I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
19“I myself said,
“ ‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
and give you a pleasant land,f
the most beautiful inheritanceg of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’h
and not turn away from following me.
20But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
so you, Israel, have been unfaithfuli to me,”
declares the LORD.
21A cry is heard on the barren heights,j
the weepingk and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgottenl the LORD their God.
I will curen you of backsliding.”o
“Yes, we will come to you,
for you are the LORD our God.
23Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hillsp
and mountains is a deception;
surely in the LORD our God
is the salvationq of Israel.
24From our youth shamefulr gods have consumed
the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
their sons and daughters.
25Let us lie down in our shame,s
and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinnedt against the LORD our God,
both we and our ancestors;u
from our youthv till this day
we have not obeyedw the LORD our God.”
1“If you, Israel, will return,a
then return to me,”
declares the LORD.
“If you put your detestable idolsb out of my sight
and no longer go astray,
2and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear,c ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’d
then the nations will invoke blessingse by him
and in him they will boast.f”
3This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“Break up your unplowed groundg
and do not sow among thorns.h
4Circumcise yourselves to the LORD,
circumcise your hearts,i
you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrathj will flare up and burn like firek
because of the evill you have done—
burn with no one to quenchm it.
Disaster From the North
5“Announce in Judah and proclaimn in Jerusalem and say:
‘Sound the trumpeto throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
‘Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!’p
6Raise the signalq to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disasterr from the north,s
even terrible destruction.”
7A liont has come out of his lair;u
a destroyerv of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to lay wastew your land.
Your towns will lie in ruinsx
without inhabitant.
lamentz and wail,
for the fierce angera of the LORD
has not turned away from us.
9“In that day,” declares the LORD,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,b
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”c
10Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! How completely you have deceivedd this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’e when the sword is at our throats!”
11At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching windf from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12a windg too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgmentsh against them.”
13Look! He advances like the clouds,i
his chariotsj come like a whirlwind,k
his horsesl are swifter than eagles.m
Woe to us! We are ruined!n
14Jerusalem, washo the evil from your heart and be saved.p
How longq will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15A voice is announcing from Dan,r
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.s
16“Tell this to the nations,
proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,t
raising a war cryu against the cities of Judah.v
17They surroundw her like men guarding a field,
because she has rebelledx against me,’ ”
declares the LORD.
18“Your own conduct and actionsy
have brought this on you.z
This is your punishment.
How bittera it is!
How it pierces to the heart!”
19Oh, my anguish, my anguish!b
I writhe in pain.c
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart poundsd within me,
I cannot keep silent.e
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;f
I have heard the battle cry.g
20Disaster follows disaster;h
the whole land lies in ruins.i
In an instant my tentsj are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21How long must I see the battle standardk
and hear the sound of the trumpet?l
they do not know me.n
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.o
They are skilled in doing evil;p
they know not how to do good.”q
23I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;r
and at the heavens,
and their lights was gone.
24I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;t
all the hills were swaying.
25I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.u
26I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;v
all its towns lay in ruinsw
before the LORD, before his fierce anger.x
27This is what the LORD says:
“The whole land will be ruined,y
though I will not destroyz it completely.
28Therefore the earth will mourna
and the heavens above grow dark,b
because I have spoken and will not relent,c
I have decided and will not turn back.d”
29At the sound of horsemen and archerse
every town takes to flight.f
Some go into the thickets;
some climb up among the rocks.g
All the towns are deserted;h
no one lives in them.
30What are you doing,i you devastated one?
Why dress yourself in scarlet
and put on jewelsj of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?k
You adorn yourself in vain.
Your loversl despise you;
they want to kill you.m
31I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,n
a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Ziono gasping for breath,p
stretching out her handsq and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
my life is given over to murderers.”r
Not One Is Upright
1“Go up and downa the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,b
search through her squares.
If you can find but one personc
who deals honestlyd and seeks the truth,
I will forgivee this city.
2Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’f
still they are swearing falsely.g”
3LORD, do not your eyesh look for truth?
You strucki them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.j
They made their faces harder than stonek
and refused to repent.l
4I thought, “These are only the poor;
they are foolish,m
for they do not known the way of the LORD,
the requirements of their God.
and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the LORD,
the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
and torn off the bonds.p
6Therefore a lion from the forestq will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will ravager them,
a leopards will lie in wait near their towns
to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
and their backslidings many.t
7“Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and swornu by gods that are not gods.v
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adulteryw
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.x
8They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man’s wife.y
9Should I not punish them for this?”z
declares the LORD.
“Should I not avengea myself
on such a nation as this?
10“Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
but do not destroy them completely.b
Strip off her branches,
for these people do not belong to the LORD.
11The people of Israel and the people of Judah
have been utterly unfaithfulc to me,”
declares the LORD.
12They have liedd about the LORD;
they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;e
we will never see sword or famine.f
and the word is not in them;
so let what they say be done to them.”
14Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty says:
“Because the people have spoken these words,
I will make my words in your mouthi a firej
and these people the wood it consumes.k
15People of Israel,” declares the LORD,
“I am bringing a distant nationl against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
a people whose languagem you do not know,
whose speech you do not understand.
16Their quiversn are like an open grave;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17They will devouro your harvests and food,
devourp your sons and daughters;
they will devourq your flocks and herds,
devour your vines and fig trees.r
With the swords they will destroy
18“Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not destroyv you completely. 19And when the people ask,w ‘Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign godsx in your own land, so now you will serve foreignersy in a land not your own.’
20“Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaimz it in Judah:
21Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,a
who have eyesb but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:c
22Should you not feard me?” declares the LORD.
“Should you not tremblee in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,f
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar,g but they cannot cross it.
23But these people have stubborn and rebellioush hearts;
they have turned asidei and gone away.
24They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fearj the LORD our God,
who gives autumn and spring rainsk in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’l
25Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.m
26“Among my people are the wickedn
who lie in waito like men who snare birds
and like those who set trapsp to catch people.
27Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;q
they have become richr and powerful
28and have grown fats and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;t
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.u
29Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the LORD.
“Should I not avengev myself
on such a nation as this?
30“A horriblew and shocking thing
has happened in the land:
31The prophets prophesy lies,x
the priestsy rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?z
Jerusalem Under Siege
1“Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
Flee from Jerusalem!
Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!c
For disaster looms out of the north,d
even terrible destruction.
2I will destroy Daughter Zion,e
so beautiful and delicate.f
3Shepherdsg with their flocks will come against her;
they will pitch their tents aroundh her,
each tending his own portion.”
4“Prepare for battle against her!
Arise, let us attack at noon!i
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
and the shadows of evening grow long.
5So arise, let us attack at night
and destroy her fortresses!”
6This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“Cut down the treesj
and build siege rampsk against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression.l Photo
7As a well pours out its water,
so she pours out her wickedness.
Violencem and destructionn resound in her;
her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8Take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn awayo from you
and make your land desolate
so no one can live in it.”
9This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“Let them glean the remnantp of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”
10To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listenq to me?
so they cannot hear.s
The wordt of the LORD is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11But I am full of the wrathu of the LORD,
and I cannot hold it in.v
“Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the young menw gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
and the old, those weighed down with years.x
12Their houses will be turned over to others,y
together with their fields and their wives,z
when I stretch out my handa
against those who live in the land,”
declares the LORD.
13“From the least to the greatest,
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.d
14They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.e
15Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.f
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punishg them,”
says the LORD.
16This is what the LORD says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,h
ask where the good wayi is, and walk in it,
and you will find restj for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17I appointed watchmenk over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’l
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’m
18Therefore hear, you nations;
you who are witnesses,
observe what will happen to them.
19Hear, you earth:n
I am bringing disastero on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,p
because they have not listened to my wordsq
and have rejected my law.r
20What do I care about incense from Shebas
or sweet calamust from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;u
21Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumblex over them;
neighbors and friends will perish.”
22This is what the LORD says:
“Look, an army is coming
from the land of the north;y
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.z
23They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.a
They sound like the roaring seab
as they ride on their horses;c
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.d”
24We have heard reports about them,
and our hands hang limp.e
Anguishf has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.g
25Do not go out to the fields
or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
and there is terror on every side.h
26Put on sackcloth,i my people,
and roll in ashes;j
mourn with bitter wailingk
as for an only son,l
for suddenly the destroyerm
will come upon us.
27“I have made you a testern of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
28They are all hardened rebels,o
going about to slander.p
They are bronze and iron;q
they all act corruptly.
29The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refiningr goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
30They are called rejected silver,s
because the LORD has rejected them.”t
False Religion Worthless
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“Standa at the gate of the LORD’s house and there proclaim this message:
“ ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. 3This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your waysb and your actions, and I will let you livec in this place. 4Do not trustd in deceptivee words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” 5If you really changef your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,g 6if you do not oppressh the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent bloodi in this place, and if you do not follow other godsj to your own harm, 7then I will let you live in this place, in the landk I gave your ancestorsl for ever and ever. 8But look, you are trustingm in deceptiven words that are worthless. Photo
9“ ‘Will you stealo and murder,p commit adulteryq and perjury,1r burn incense to Baals and follow other godst you have not known, 10and then come and standu before me in this house,v which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?w 11Has this house,x which bears my Name, become a den of robbersy to you? But I have been watching!z declares the LORD.
12“ ‘Go now to the place in Shiloha where I first made a dwellingb for my Name,c and see what I didd to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spokee to you again and again,f but you did not listen;g I calledh you, but you did not answer.i 14Therefore, what I did to Shilohj I will now do to the house that bears my Name,k the templel you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15I will thrust you from my presence,m just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’n
16“So do not pray for this people nor offer any pleao or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listenp to you. 17Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.q They pour out drink offeringsr to other gods to arouses my anger. 19But am I the one they are provoking?t declares the LORD. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?u
20“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereignv LORD says: My angerw and my wrath will be pouredx out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.y
21“ ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrificesz and eata the meat yourselves! 22For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commandsb about burnt offerings and sacrifices,c 23but I gave them this command:d Obeye me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.f Walk in obedience to allg I command you, that it may go wellh with you. 24But they did not listeni or pay attention;j instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.k They went backwardl and not forward. 25From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and againm I sent you my servantsn the prophets.o 26But they did not listen to me or pay attention.p They were stiff-neckedq and did more evil than their ancestors.’r
27“When you tells them all this, they will not listent to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.u 28Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the LORD its God or responded to correction.v Truthw has perished; it has vanished from their lips.
29“ ‘Cut offx your hair and throw it away; take up a lamenty on the barren heights, for the LORD has rejected and abandonedz this generation that is under his wrath.
The Valley of Slaughter
30“ ‘The people of Judah have done evila in my eyes, declares the LORD. They have set up their detestable idolsb in the house that bears my Name and have defiledc it. 31They have built the high places of Tophethd in the Valley of Ben Hinnome to burn their sons and daughtersf in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.g 32So beware, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter,h for they will buryi the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33Then the carcassesj of this people will become foodk for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.l 34I will bring an end to the soundsm of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroomn in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,o for the land will become desolate.p
1“ ‘At that time, declares the LORD, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bonesa of the people of Jerusalem will be removedb from their graves. 2They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and servedc and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.d They will not be gathered up or buried,e but will be like dung lying on the ground.f 3Wherever I banish them,g all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,h declares the LORD Almighty.’
Sin and Punishment
4“Say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says:
“ ‘When people fall down, do they not get up?i
When someone turns away,j do they not return?
5Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;k
they refuse to return.l
6I have listenedm attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repentn of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own courseo
like a horse charging into battle.
7Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not knowp
the requirements of the LORD.
8“ ‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the lawq of the LORD,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9The wiser will be put to shame;
they will be dismayeds and trapped.t
Since they have rejected the wordu of the LORD,
what kind of wisdomv do they have?
10Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.w
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;x
prophetsy and priests alike,
all practice deceit.z
11They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace.a
12Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shameb at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished,c
says the LORD.d
13“ ‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the LORD.
There will be no grapes on the vine.e
There will be no figsf on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.g
What I have given them
14Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified citiesi
and perish there!
For the LORD our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned waterj to drink,
because we have sinnedk against him.
15We hoped for peacel
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.m
16The snorting of the enemy’s horsesn
is heard from Dan;o
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.p
They have come to devourq
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17“See, I will send venomous snakesr among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,s
and they will bite you,”
declares the LORD.
18You who are my Comforter2 in sorrow,
my heart is faintt within me.
19Listen to the cry of my people
from a land far away:u
“Is the LORD not in Zion?
Is her Kingv no longer there?”
“Why have they arousedw my anger with their images,
with their worthlessx foreign idols?”y
20“The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”
21Since my people are crushed,z I am crushed;
I mourn,a and horror grips me.
22Is there no balm in Gilead?b
Is there no physicianc there?
Why then is there no healingd
for the wound of my people?
1Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!a
I would weepb day and night
for the slain of my people.c
2Oh, that I had in the desertd
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,e
a crowd of unfaithfulf people.
3“They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;g
it is not by truth
that they triumph2 in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledgeh me,”
declares the LORD.
4“Beware of your friends;i
do not trust anyone in your clan.j
For every one of them is a deceiver,3k
and every friend a slanderer.l
5Friend deceives friend,m
and no one speaks the truth.n
They have taught their tongues to lie;o
they weary themselves with sinning.
6You4 live in the midst of deception;p
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the LORD.
7Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says:
“See, I will refineq and testr them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8Their tongues is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,t
but in their hearts they set trapsu for them.v
9Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the LORD.
“Should I not avengew myself
on such a nation as this?”
10I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.x
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birdsy have all fled
and the animals are gone.
11“I will make Jerusalem a heapz of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;a
and I will lay waste the towns of Judahb
so no one can live there.”c
12Who is wised enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the LORD and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
13The LORD said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.e 14Instead, they have followedf the stubbornness of their hearts;g they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter foodh and drink poisoned water.i 16I will scatter them among nationsj that neither they nor their ancestors have known,k and I will pursue them with the swordl until I have made an end of them.”m
17This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“Consider now! Call for the wailing womenn to come;
send for the most skillful of them.
18Let them come quickly
and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
and water streams from our eyelids.o
19The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How ruinedp we are!
How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
because our houses are in ruins.’ ”
20Now, you women, hear the word of the LORD;
open your ears to the words of his mouth.q
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.r
21Death has climbed in through our windowss
and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
and the young ment from the public squares.
22Say, “This is what the LORD declares:
“ ‘Dead bodies will lie
like dungu on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.’ ”
23This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdomv
or the strong boast of their strengthw
or the rich boast of their riches,x
24but let the one who boasts boasty about this:
that they have the understanding to knowz me,
that I am the LORD,a who exercises kindness,b
justice and righteousnessc on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD.
25“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the fleshd— 26Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.5e For all these nations are really uncircumcised,f and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.g”
God and Idols
10:12-16pp — Jer 51:15–19
1Hear what the LORD says to you, people of Israel. 2This is what the LORD says:
“Do not learn the ways of the nationsa
or be terrified by signsb in the heavens,
though the nations are terrified by them.
3For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsmanc shapes it with his chisel.d
4They adorn it with silvere and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.f
5Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
their idols cannot speak;g
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.h
Do not fear them;
they can do no harmi
nor can they do any good.”j
you are great,l
and your name is mighty in power.
7Who should not fearm you,
King of the nations?n
This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.
8They are all senselesso and foolish;p
they are taught by worthless wooden idols.q
9Hammered silver is brought from Tarshishr
and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have mades
is then dressed in blue and purple—
all made by skilled workers. Photo
10But the LORD is the true God;
he is the living God,t the eternal King.u
When he is angry,v the earth trembles;w
the nations cannot endure his wrath.x
11“Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perishy from the earth and from under the heavens.’ ”1
12But God madez the eartha by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdomb
and stretched out the heavensc by his understanding.
13When he thunders,d the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightninge with the rainf
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.g
14Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamedh by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;i
they have no breath in them.
15They are worthless,j the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
16He who is the Portionk of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,l
including Israel, the people of his inheritancem—
the LORD Almighty is his name.n
Coming Destruction
17Gather up your belongingso to leave the land,
you who live under siege.
18For this is what the LORD says:
“At this time I will hurlp out
those who live in this land;
I will bring distressq on them
so that they may be captured.”
19Woe to me because of my injury!
My woundr is incurable!
Yet I said to myself,
“This is my sickness, and I must endures it.”
all its ropes are snapped.
My children are gone from me and are no more;u
no one is left now to pitch my tent
or to set up my shelter.
21The shepherdsv are senselessw
and do not inquire of the LORD;x
so they do not prospery
and all their flock is scattered.z
22Listen! The report is coming—
a great commotion from the land of the north!a
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,b
a haunt of jackals.c
Jeremiah’s Prayer
23LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own;
it is not for them to direct their steps.d
24Discipline me, LORD, but only in due measure—
not in your anger,e
or you will reduce me to nothing.f
25Pour out your wrath on the nationsg
that do not acknowledge you,
on the peoples who do not call on your name.h
For they have devouredi Jacob;
they have devoured him completely
and destroyed his homeland.j
The Covenant Is Broken
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“Listen to the terms of this covenanta and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3Tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursedb is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— 4the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt,c out of the iron-smelting furnace.d’ I said, ‘Obeye me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people,f and I will be your God. 5Then I will fulfill the oath I sworeg to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’h—the land you possess today.”
I answered, “Amen,i LORD.”
6The LORD said to me, “Proclaimj all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and followk them. 7From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again,l saying, “Obey me.” 8But they did not listen or pay attention;m instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts.n So I brought on them all the curseso of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.p’ ”
9Then the LORD said to me, “There is a conspiracyq among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10They have returned to the sins of their ancestors,r who refused to listen to my words.s They have followed other godst to serve them.u Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenantv I made with their ancestors. 11Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring on them a disasterw they cannot escape.x Although they cryy out to me, I will not listenz to them. 12The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense,a but they will not help them at all when disasterb strikes. 13You, Judah, have as many godsc as you have towns;d and the altars you have set up to burn incensee to that shamefulf god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’
14“Do not prayg for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listenh when they call to me in the time of their distress.
15“What is my beloved doing in my temple
as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
Can consecrated meati avert your punishment?j
When you engage in your wickedness,
then you rejoice.1”
16The LORD called you a thriving olive treek
with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
he will set it on fire,l
and its branches will be broken.m
17The LORD Almighty, who plantedn you, has decreed disastero for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and arousedp my anger by burning incense to Baal.q
Plot Against Jeremiah
18Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;r I did not realize that they had plotteds against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,t
that his name be rememberedu no more.”
20But you, LORD Almighty, who judge righteouslyv
and test the heartw and mind,x
let me see your vengeancey on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
21Therefore this is what the LORD says about the people of Anathothz who are threatening to kill you,a saying, “Do not prophesyb in the name of the LORD or you will diec by our hands”— 22therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young mend will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23Not even a remnante will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.f”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
1You are always righteous,a LORD,
when I bring a caseb before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:c
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?d
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2You have plantede them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.f
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.g
3Yet you know me, LORD;
you see me and testh my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheepi to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!j
4How long will the land lie parchedk
and the grass in every field be withered?l
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.m
Moreover, the people are saying,
“He will not see what happens to us.”
God’s Answer
5“If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble1 in safe country,
how will you manage in the thicketsn by2 the Jordan?
6Your relatives, members of your own family—
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.o
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.p
abandonr my inheritance;
I will give the one I loves
into the hands of her enemies.t
8My inheritance has become to me
like a lionu in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.v
9Has not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of prey
that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.w
10Many shepherdsx will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.y
11It will be made a wasteland,z
parched and desolate before me;a
the whole land will be laid waste
because there is no one who cares.
12Over all the barren heights in the desert
destroyers will swarm,
for the swordb of the LORDc will devourd
from one end of the land to the other;e
no one will be safe.f
13They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.g
They will bear the shame of their harvest
because of the LORD’s fierce anger.”h
14This is what the LORD says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritancei I gave my people Israel, I will uprootj them from their lands and I will uprootk the people of Judah from among them. 15But after I uproot them, I will again have compassionl and will bringm each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. 16And if they learnn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’o—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baalp—then they will be established among my people.q 17But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroyr it,” declares the LORD.
A Linen Belt
1This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” 2So I bought a belt, as the LORD directed, and put it around my waist.
3Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time:a 4“Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath1b and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” 5So I went and hid it at Perath, as the LORD told me.c
6Many days later the LORD said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” 7So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.
8Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9“This is what the LORD says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great prided of Jerusalem. 10These wicked people, who refuse to listene to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their heartsf and go after other godsg to serve and worship them,h will be like this belt—completely useless!i 11For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the LORD, ‘to be my people for my renownj and praise and honor.k But they have not listened.’l
Wineskins
12“Say to them: ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ 13then tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am going to fill with drunkennessm all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. 14I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the LORD. I will allow no pityn or mercy or compassiono to keep me from destroyingp them.’ ”
Threat of Captivity
15Hear and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the LORD has spoken.q
16Give gloryr to the LORD your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumbles
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to utter darkness
and change it to deep gloom.t
I will weep in secret
because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
overflowing with tears,v
because the LORD’s flockw will be taken captive.x
18Say to the kingy and to the queen mother,z
“Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crownsa
will fall from your heads.”
19The cities in the Negev will be shut up,
and there will be no one to open them.
All Judahb will be carried into exile,
carried completely away.
20Look up and see
those who are coming from the north.c
Where is the flockd that was entrusted to you,
the sheep of which you boasted?
21What will you say when the LORD sets over you
those you cultivated as your special allies?e
Will not pain grip you
like that of a woman in labor?f
22And if you ask yourself,
“Why has this happened to me?”g—
it is because of your many sinsh
that your skirts have been torn offi
and your body mistreated.j
23Can an Ethiopian2 change his skin
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.k Photo
24“I will scatter you like chaffl
driven by the desert wind.m
25This is your lot,
the portionn I have decreed for you,”
declares the LORD,
“because you have forgotteno me
and trusted in false gods.p
26I will pull up your skirts over your face
that your shame may be seenq—
27your adulteries and lustful neighings,
your shameless prostitution!r
I have seen your detestable acts
on the hills and in the fields.s
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
How long will you be unclean?”t
Drought, Famine, Sword
1This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:a
2“Judah mourns,b
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
3The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water.c
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.d
4The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;e
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
5Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.f
6Wild donkeys stand on the barren heightsg
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food.”h
7Although our sins testifyi against us,
do something, LORD, for the sake of your name.j
For we have often rebelled;k
we have sinnedl against you.
8You who are the hopem of Israel,
its Saviorn in times of distress,o
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
9Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?p
You are amongq us, LORD,
and we bear your name;r
do not forsakes us!
10This is what the LORD says about this people:
“They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.t
So the LORD does not acceptu them;
he will now rememberv their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.”w
11Then the LORD said to me, “Do not prayx for the well-being of this people. 12Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;y though they offer burnt offeringsz and grain offerings,a I will not acceptb them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,c famined and plague.”e
13But I said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! The prophetsf keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.g Indeed, I will give you lasting peaceh in this place.’ ”
14Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying liesi in my name. I have not sentj them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,k divinations,l idolatries1 and the delusions of their own minds. 15Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perishm by sword and famine.n 16And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to buryo them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.p I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.q
17“Speak this word to them:
“ ‘Let my eyes overflow with tearsr
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgins Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.t
18If I go into the country,
I see those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see the ravages of famine.u
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not.v’ ”
19Have you rejected Judah completely?w
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?x
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.y
20We acknowledgez our wickedness, LORD,
and the guilt of our ancestors;a
we have indeed sinnedb against you.
21For the sake of your namec do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.d
Remember your covenante with us
and do not break it.
22Do any of the worthless idolsf of the nations bring rain?g
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, LORD our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.h
1Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Mosesa and Samuelb were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.c Send them away from my presence!d Let them go! 2And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says:
“ ‘Those destined for death, to death;
those for the sword, to the sword;e
those for starvation, to starvation;f
those for captivity, to captivity.’g
3“I will send four kinds of destroyersh against them,” declares the LORD, “the swordi to kill and the dogsj to drag away and the birdsk and the wild animals to devour and destroy.l 4I will make them abhorrentm to all the kingdoms of the earthn because of what Manasseho son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
5“Who will have pityp on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will stop to ask how you are?
6You have rejectedq me,” declares the LORD.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach outr and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.s
7I will winnowt them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavementu and destruction on my people,v
for they have not changed their ways.w
8I will make their widowsx more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyery
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.z
9The mother of seven will grow fainta
and breathe her last.b
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgracedc and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the swordd
before their enemies,”e
declares the LORD.
10Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,f
a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!g
I have neither lenth nor borrowed,
yet everyone cursesi me.
11The LORD said,
“Surely I will deliver youj for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies pleadk with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.
12“Can a man break iron—
iron from the northl—or bronze?
13“Your wealthm and your treasures
I will give as plunder,n without charge,o
because of all your sins
throughout your country.p
14I will enslave you to your enemies
for my anger will kindle a firer
that will burn against you.”
15LORD, you understand;
remember me and care for me.
Avenge me on my persecutors.s
You are long-sufferingt—do not take me away;
think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.u
16When your words came, I atev them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,w
for I bear your name,x
LORD God Almighty.
17I never saty in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your handz was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?a
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails.b
19Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may servec me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.d
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20I will make you a walle to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcomef you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”g
declares the LORD.
Day of Disaster
1Then the word of the LORD came to me: 2“You must not marrya and have sons or daughters in this place.” 3For this is what the LORD says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers:b 4“They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buriedc but will be like dung lying on the ground.d They will perish by sword and famine,e and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”f
5For this is what the LORD says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pityg from this people,” declares the LORD. 6“Both high and low will die in this land.h They will not be buried or mourned,i and no one will cutj themselves or shavek their head for the dead. 7No one will offer foodl to comfort those who mournm for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to consolen them.
8“And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.o 9For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the soundsp of joy and gladness and to the voices of brideq and bridegroom in this place.r
10“When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the LORD decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?’s 11then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the LORD, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshipedt them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.u 12But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors.v See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil heartsw instead of obeying me. 13So I will throw you out of this landx into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known,y and there you will serve other godsz day and night, for I will show you no favor.’a
14“However, the days are coming,”b declares the LORD, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’c 15but it will be said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the northd and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’e For I will restoref them to the land I gave their ancestors.g
16“But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the LORD, “and they will catch them.h After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunti them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.j 17My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hiddenk from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.l 18I will repaym them doublen for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my lando with the lifeless forms of their vile imagesp and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.q”r
19LORD, my strength and my fortress,
my refuges in time of distress,
to you the nations will comet
from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,u
worthless idolsv that did them no good.w
20Do people make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!”x
21“Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my namey is the LORD.
1“Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool,a
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their heartsb
and on the hornsc of their altars.
2Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles1d
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.e
3My mountain in the land
and your2 wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,f
together with your high places,g
because of sin throughout your country.h
4Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritancei I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemiesj
in a landk you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burnl forever.”
5This is what the LORD says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,m
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.n
6That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched placeso of the desert,
in a saltp land where no one lives.
7“But blessedq is the one who trustsr in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.s
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of droughtt
and never fails to bear fruit.”u
9The heartv is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10“I the LORD search the heartw
and examine the mind,x
to rewardy each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”z
11Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
and in the end they will prove to be fools.a
12A glorious throne,b exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
13LORD, you are the hopec of Israel;
all who forsaked you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the duste
because they have forsaken the LORD,
the spring of living water.f
14Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed;g
saveh me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.i
15They keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the LORD?
Let it now be fulfilled!”j
16I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lipsk is open before you.
you are my refugem in the day of disaster.n
18Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but keep me from shame;
let them be terrified,
but keep me from terror.
Bring on them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction.o
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
19This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People,3 through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.p 20Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalemq who come through these gates.r 21This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbaths day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.t 23Yet they did not listen or pay attention;u they were stiff-neckedv and would not listen or respond to discipline.w 24But if you are careful to obey me, declares the LORD, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holyx by not doing any work on it, 25then kings who sit on David’s throney will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.z 26People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev,a bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the LORD. 27But if you do not obeyb me to keep the Sabbathc day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fired in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’ ”e
At the Potter’s House
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5Then the word of the LORD came to me. 6He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like claya in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,b Israel. 7If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,c torn down and destroyed, 8and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relentd and not inflict on it the disastere I had planned. 9And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be builtf up and planted, 10and if it does evilg in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsiderh the good I had intended to do for it.i
11“Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disasterj for you and devising a plank against you. So turnl from your evil ways,m each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’n 12But they will reply, ‘It’s no use.o We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.p’ ”
13Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“Inquire among the nations:
Who has ever heard anything like this?q
A most horribler thing has been done
by Virgins Israel.
14Does the snow of Lebanon
ever vanish from its rocky slopes?
Do its cool waters from distant sources
ever stop flowing?1
15Yet my people have forgottent me;
they burn incenseu to worthless idols,v
which made them stumblew in their ways,
in the ancient paths.x
They made them walk in byways,
on roads not built up.y
16Their land will be an object of horrorz
and of lasting scorn;a
all who pass by will be appalledb
and will shake their heads.c
I will scatter them before their enemies;
I will show them my back and not my facee
in the day of their disaster.”
18They said, “Come, let’s make plansf against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priestg will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise,h nor the word from the prophets.i So come, let’s attack him with our tonguesj and pay no attention to anything he says.”
19Listen to me, LORD;
hear what my accusersk are saying!
20Should good be repaid with evil?l
Yet they have dug a pitm for me.
Remember that I stoodn before you
and spoke in their behalfo
to turn your wrath away from them.
21So give their children over to famine;p
hand them over to the power of the sword.q
Let their wives be made childless and widows;r
let their men be put to death,
their young mens slain by the sword in battle.
22Let a cryt be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pitu to capture me
and have hidden snaresv for my feet.
23But you, LORD, know
all their plots to killw me.
Do not forgivex their crimes
or blot out their sins from your sight.
Let them be overthrown before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger.y