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Jeremiah 1-6
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah 1-6
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
1 The words of (A)Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in (B)Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of (C)Josiah the son of (D)Amon, king of Judah, in the (E)thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of (F)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of (G)Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I (H)formed you in the womb I knew you,
And (I)before you were born I consecrated you;
I have (J)appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then (K)I said, “Oh, Lord [a]God!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because (L)I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
(M)Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And (N)all that I command you, you shall speak.
8 (O)Do not be afraid of them,
For (P)I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and (Q)touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have (R)put My words in your mouth.
10 See, (S)I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
(T)To root out and to tear down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
(U)To build and to plant.”
The Almond Branch and Boiling Pot
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “What do you see, (V)Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a branch of an [b]almond tree.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for (W)I am [c]watching over My word to perform it.”
13 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “(X)What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling (Y)pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “(Z)Out of the north the evil [d]will be unleashed on all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, behold, I am calling (AA)all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the Lord; “and they will come and (AB)place, each one of them, his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls around, and against all the (AC)cities of Judah. 16 And I will [e]pronounce My judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, since they have (AD)abandoned Me and have [f](AE)offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the (AF)works of their own hands. 17 Now, (AG)belt your garment around your waist and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. (AH)Do not be dismayed before them, or I will make you dismayed before them. 18 Now behold, I have made you today like a fortified city and like a pillar of iron and walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its leaders, to its priests, and to the people of the land. 19 And they will fight against you but they will not overcome you, for (AI)I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord.
Judah’s Apostasy
2 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Go and (AJ)proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“I remember regarding you the [g](AK)devotion of your youth,
Your love when you were a bride,
(AL)Your following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
3 Israel was (AM)holy to the Lord,
The (AN)first of His harvest.
(AO)All who ate of it became guilty;
Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’”
4 Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 This is what the Lord says:
“(AP)What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me,
And walked after (AQ)emptiness and became empty?
6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
Who (AR)brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who (AS)led us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of [h]deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no person lived?’
7 I brought you into the (AT)fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and (AU)defiled My land,
And you made My inheritance an abomination.
8 The (AV)priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the Law (AW)did not know Me;
The [i]rulers also revolted against Me,
And the (AX)prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after (AY)things that were of no benefit.
9 “Therefore I will still (AZ)contend with you,” declares the Lord,
“And I will contend with your sons’ sons.
10 For (BA)cross to the coastlands of [j]Kittim and see,
And send to (BB)Kedar and observe closely,
And see if there has been anything like this!
11 Has a nation changed gods,
When (BC)they were not gods?
But My people have (BD)exchanged their glory
For that which is of no benefit.
12 Be appalled at this, (BE)you heavens,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have abandoned Me,
The (BF)fountain of living waters,
To carve out for themselves (BG)cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That do not hold water.
14 “Is Israel (BH)a slave? Or is he a servant born in the home?
Why has he become plunder?
15 The young (BI)lions have roared at him,
They have [k]roared loudly.
And they have (BJ)made his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 Also the [l]men of (BK)Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have [m]shaved (BL)your head.
17 Have you not (BM)done this to yourself
By your abandoning the Lord your God
When He (BN)led you in the way?
18 But now what are you doing (BO)on the road to Egypt,
Except to drink the waters of the [n](BP)Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
Except to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?
19 (BQ)Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your (BR)apostasies will punish you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and (BS)bitter
For you to abandon the Lord your God,
And (BT)the fear of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord [o]God of armies.
20 “For long ago [p](BU)I broke your yoke
And tore off your restraints;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every (BV)high hill
And under every leafy tree
You have lain down as a prostitute.
21 Yet I (BW)planted you as a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the (BX)degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 Although you (BY)wash yourself with lye
And [q]use much soap,
The (BZ)stain of your guilt is before Me,” declares the Lord [r]God.
23 “(CA)How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the (CB)Baals’?
Look at your way in the (CC)valley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel (CD)running about senselessly on her ways,
24 A (CE)wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
Who can turn her away in her mating season?
None who seek her will grow weary;
In her month they will find her.
25 Keep your feet from being bare,
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘(CF)It is [s]hopeless!
No! For I have (CG)loved strangers,
And I will walk after them.’
26 “Like the shame of a (CH)thief when he is discovered,
So the house of Israel is shamed;
They, their kings, their leaders,
Their priests, and their prophets,
27 Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their (CI)backs to Me,
And not their faces;
But in the (CJ)time of their [t]trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us!’
28 But where are your (CK)gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can (CL)save you
In the time of your [u]trouble!
For (CM)as many as the number of your cities
Are your gods, Judah.
29 “Why do you contend with Me?
You have (CN)all revolted against Me,” declares the Lord.
30 “(CO)In vain I have struck your sons;
They did not accept discipline.
Your (CP)sword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
31 You generation, look to the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a (CQ)land of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘(CR)We are free to roam;
We will no longer come to You’?
32 Can a virgin forget her jewelry,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have (CS)forgotten Me
For days without number.
33 How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even to the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
The (CT)lifeblood of the innocent poor;
You did not find them (CU)breaking in.
But in spite of all these things,
35 You said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will (CV)enter into judgment with you
Because you (CW)say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 Why do you (CX)go around so much
Changing your way?
Also, (CY)you will be put to shame by Egypt,
Just as you were put to shame by (CZ)Assyria.
37 From this place as well you will go out
With (DA)your hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected (DB)those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”
The Defiled Land
3 God [v]says, “(DC)If a husband divorces his wife
And she leaves him
And becomes another man’s wife,
Will he return to her again?
Would that land not be completely defiled?
But you (DD)are a prostitute with many [w]lovers;
Yet you (DE)turn to Me,” declares the Lord.
2 “Raise your eyes to the (DF)bare heights and see;
Where have you not been violated?
You have (DG)sat for them by the roads
Like an Arab in the desert,
And you have (DH)defiled a land
With your prostitution and your wickedness.
3 Therefore the (DI)showers have been withheld,
And there has been no spring rain.
Yet you had a (DJ)prostitute’s [x]forehead;
You refused to be ashamed.
4 Have you not just now called to Me,
‘(DK)My Father, You are the (DL)friend of my (DM)youth?
5 (DN)Will He be angry forever,
Or keep His anger to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken
And have done evil things,
And you have [y]had your own way.”
Faithless Israel
6 Then the Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She (DO)went up on every high hill and under every leafy tree, and she prostituted herself there. 7 Yet (DP)I [z]thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her (DQ)treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw that for all the [aa]adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and (DR)given her a certificate of divorce, yet her (DS)treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and prostituted herself also. 9 And because of the thoughtlessness of her prostitution, she (DT)defiled the land and committed [ab]adultery with (DU)stones and trees. 10 Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in (DV)deception,” declares the Lord.
God Invites Repentance
11 And the Lord said to me, “(DW)Faithless Israel has proved herself to be more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,
‘(DX)Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘(DY)I will not [ac]look at you in anger.
For I am (DZ)gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 Only [ad](EA)acknowledge your wrongdoing,
That you have revolted against the Lord your God,
And have (EB)scattered your [ae]favors to the strangers (EC)under every leafy tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, you faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a (ED)master to you,
And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
And (EE)bring you to Zion.’
15 “Then I will give you (EF)shepherds [af]after My own heart, who will (EG)feed you knowledge and understanding. 16 And it shall be in those days when you become numerous and are fruitful in the land,” declares the Lord, “they will (EH)no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor miss it, nor will it be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The (EI)Throne of the Lord,’ and (EJ)all the nations will assemble at it, at Jerusalem, for the (EK)name of the Lord; and they will no longer (EL)follow the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18 (EM)In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together (EN)from the land of the north to the (EO)land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.
19 “Then I said,
‘How I would set you among [ag]My sons
And give you a pleasant land,
The most (EP)beautiful inheritance of the nations!’
And I said, ‘You shall call Me, (EQ)My Father,
And not turn away from following Me.’
20 However, as a woman treacherously leaves her lover,
So you have (ER)dealt treacherously with Me,
House of Israel,” declares the Lord.
21 A voice is heard on the (ES)bare heights,
The weeping, the pleading of the sons of Israel.
Because they have perverted their way,
They have (ET)forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, you faithless sons,
(EU)I will heal your faithlessness.”
“Behold, we come to You;
For You are the Lord our God.
23 Certainly (EV)the hills are a deception,
[ah]Commotion on the mountains.
Certainly in the (EW)Lord our God
Is the salvation of Israel.
24 “But (EX)the shame has consumed the product of our fathers’ labor since our youth—their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our (EY)shame, and let our humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, (EZ)from our youth even to this day. And we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”
Judah Threatened with Invasion
4 “If you will (FA)return, Israel,” declares the Lord,
“Then you should return to Me.
And (FB)if you will put away your detestable things from My presence,
And will not waver,
2 And if you will (FC)swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’
(FD)In truth, in justice, and in righteousness;
Then the (FE)nations will bless themselves in Him,
And (FF)in Him they will boast.”
3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“[ai](FG)Break up your uncultivated ground,
And (FH)do not sow among thorns.
4 (FI)Circumcise yourselves to the Lord
And remove the foreskins of your hearts,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My (FJ)wrath will spread like fire
And burn with (FK)no one to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds.”
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
“(FL)Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry aloud and say,
‘(FM)Assemble, and let’s go
Into the fortified cities.’
6 Raise a (FN)flag toward Zion!
Take refuge, do not stand still,
For I am bringing (FO)evil from the north,
And great destruction.
7 A (FP)lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a (FQ)destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To (FR)make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruins,
Without an inhabitant.
8 For this, (FS)put on sackcloth,
Mourn and wail;
For the (FT)fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned away from us.”
9 “And it shall come about on that day,” declares the Lord, “that the (FU)heart of the king and the hearts of the leaders will fail; and the priests will tremble, and the (FV)prophets will be astonished.”
10 Then I said, “Oh, Lord [aj]God! Surely You have utterly (FW)deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘(FX)You will have peace’; yet a sword touches the [ak]throat.”
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A (FY)scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness, in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too [al]strong for [am]this—will come [an]at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.”
13 “Behold, he (FZ)goes up like clouds,
And his (GA)chariots like the whirlwind;
His horses are (GB)swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for (GC)we are ruined!”
14 Wash your heart from evil, Jerusalem,
So that you may be saved.
How long will your (GD)wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from (GE)Dan,
And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.
16 “Report it to the nations, now!
Proclaim to Jerusalem,
‘[ao]Enemies are coming from a (GF)remote country,
And (GG)they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.
17 Like watchmen of a field they are (GH)against her all around,
Because she has (GI)rebelled against Me,’ declares the Lord.
18 Your (GJ)ways and your deeds
Have [ap]brought these things upon you.
This is your evil. How (GK)bitter!
How it has touched your heart!”
Grief over Judah’s Devastation
19 (GL)My [aq]soul, my [ar]soul! I am in anguish! [as]Oh, my heart!
My (GM)heart is pounding in me;
I cannot keep silent,
Because, [at]my soul, you have heard
The (GN)sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20 (GO)Disaster upon disaster is proclaimed,
For the (GP)whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my (GQ)tents are devastated,
And my curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see the flag
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “(GR)For My people are foolish,
They do not know Me;
They are foolish children
And have no understanding.
They are skillful at (GS)doing evil,
But they do not know how to do good.”
23 I looked at the earth, and behold, it was a [au](GT)formless and desolate emptiness;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were (GU)quaking,
And all the hills jolted back and forth.
25 I looked, and behold, there was no human,
And all the (GV)birds of the sky had fled.
26 I looked, and behold, [av]the (GW)fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were pulled down
Before the Lord, before His fierce anger.
27 For this is what the Lord says:
“The (GX)whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will (GY)not execute a complete destruction.
28 For this the (GZ)earth will mourn,
And the (HA)heavens above will become dark,
Because I have (HB)spoken, I have purposed,
And I have not [aw]changed My mind, nor will I turn from it.”
29 At the sound of the horseman and archer (HC)every city flees;
They (HD)go into the thickets and climb among the rocks;
(HE)Every city is abandoned,
And no one lives in them.
30 And you, desolate one, (HF)what will you do?
Although you dress in scarlet,
Although you adorn yourself with jewelry of gold,
Although you (HG)enlarge your eyes with makeup,
In vain you make yourself beautiful.
Your [ax](HH)lovers despise you;
They seek your life.
31 For I heard a voice cry as of a woman in labor,
The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child.
The voice of the daughter of Zion (HI)gasping for breath,
(HJ)Stretching out her [ay]hands, saying,
“Ah, woe to me, for [az]I faint before murderers.”
Jerusalem’s Godlessness
5 “(HK)Roam about through the streets of Jerusalem,
And look and take notice.
And seek in her public squares,
If you can (HL)find a person,
(HM)If there is one who does justice, who seeks honesty,
Then I will forgive [ba]her.
2 And (HN)although they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’
Certainly they swear falsely.”
3 Lord, do (HO)Your eyes not look for honesty?
You have (HP)struck them,
But they did not [bb]weaken;
You have consumed them,
But they (HQ)refused to accept discipline.
They have (HR)made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to repent.
4 Then I said, “They are only the poor,
They are foolish;
For they (HS)do not know the way of the Lord
Or the judgment of their God.
5 I will go to the great
And speak to them,
For (HT)they know the way of the Lord
And the judgment of their God.”
But together they too have (HU)broken the yoke
And burst the restraints.
6 Therefore (HV)a lion from the forest will kill them,
A (HW)wolf of the deserts will destroy them,
A (HX)leopard is watching their cities.
Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces,
Because their (HY)wrongdoings are many,
Their apostasies are numerous.
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And (HZ)sworn by those who are (IA)not gods.
When I had fed them to the full,
They (IB)committed adultery
And stayed at the prostitute’s house.
8 They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing at his (IC)neighbor’s wife.
9 Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord,
“And (ID)shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?
10 “Go up through her vine rows and destroy,
But do not execute a complete destruction;
Strip away her branches,
For they are not the Lord’s.
11 For the (IE)house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the Lord.
12 They have (IF)lied about the Lord
And said, “[bc](IG)Not He;
Misfortune will (IH)not come upon us,
(II)Nor will we see sword or famine.
13 The (IJ)prophets are as wind,
And the word is not in them.
So it will be done to them!”
Judgment Proclaimed
14 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of armies says:
“Because you have spoken this word,
Behold, I am (IK)making My words fire in your mouth,
And this people wood, and it will consume them.
15 Behold, I am (IL)bringing a nation against you from far away, you house of Israel,” declares the Lord.
“It is an enduring nation,
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose (IM)language you do not know,
Nor can you understand what they say.
16 Their (IN)quiver is like an (IO)open grave,
All of them are warriors.
17 They will (IP)devour your harvest and your food;
They will devour your sons and your daughters;
They will devour your flocks and your herds;
They will devour your (IQ)vines and your fig trees;
They will demolish your (IR)fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not make a complete destruction of you. 19 And it shall come about (IS)when [bd]they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Just as you have abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will (IT)serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Now hear this, you foolish and [be]senseless people,
Who have (IU)eyes but do not see,
Who have ears but do not hear.
22 Do you not (IV)fear Me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have (IW)placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal limit, and it will not cross over it.
Though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, they will not cross over it.
23 But this people has a (IX)stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and departed.
24 They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
Who (IY)gives rain in its season,
Both (IZ)the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The (JA)appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 Your (JB)wrongdoings have turned these away,
And your sins have kept good away from you.
26 For wicked people are found among My people,
They (JC)watch like fowlers [bf]lying in wait;
They set a trap,
They catch people.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of (JD)deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.
28 They are (JE)fat, they are sleek,
They also [bg]excel in deeds of wickedness;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the [bh](JF)orphan, so that they may be successful;
And they do not [bi]defend the rights of the poor.
29 (JG)Shall I not punish them for these things?’ declares the Lord,
‘Or shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?’
30 “An appalling and (JH)horrible thing
Has happened in the land:
31 The (JI)prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule [bj]on their own authority;
And My people (JJ)love it this way!
But what will you do [bk]when the end comes?
The Coming Destruction of Jerusalem
6 “Flee to safety, you sons of (JK)Benjamin,
From the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow a trumpet in Tekoa
And raise a warning signal over [bl](JL)Beth-haccerem;
For evil looks down from the (JM)north,
Along with a great destruction.
2 The beautiful and (JN)delicate one, (JO)the daughter of Zion, I will destroy.
3 (JP)Shepherds and their flocks will come to her,
They will (JQ)pitch their tents [bm]around her,
They will pasture, each in his [bn]place.
4 ‘[bo](JR)Prepare for war against her;
Arise, and let’s [bp]attack at (JS)noon.
Woe to us, for the day declines,
For the shadows of the evening lengthen!
5 Arise, and let’s [bq]attack by night
And (JT)destroy her [br]palaces!’”
6 For this is what the Lord of armies says:
“(JU)Cut down her trees
And pile up an (JV)assault ramp against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
In whose midst there is only (JW)oppression.
7 (JX)As a well [bs]keeps its waters fresh,
So she [bt]keeps fresh her wickedness.
(JY)Violence and destruction are heard in her;
(JZ)Sickness and wounds are constantly before Me.
8 (KA)Be warned, Jerusalem,
Or [bu](KB)I shall be alienated from you,
And make you a desolation,
An uninhabited land.”
9 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“They will (KC)thoroughly glean the (KD)remnant of Israel like the vine;
Pass your hand over the branches again
Like a grape gatherer.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
That they may hear?
Behold, their (KE)ears are [bv]closed
And they cannot listen.
Behold, (KF)the word of the Lord has become for them a rebuke;
They take no delight in it.
11 But I am (KG)full of the wrath of the Lord;
I am (KH)weary of holding it in.
“(KI)Pour it out on the children in the street
And on the [bw]gathering of young men together;
For both husband and wife shall be taken,
The old [bx]and the very old.
12 Their (KJ)houses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together;
For I will (KK)stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord.
13 “For (KL)from the least of them to the greatest of them,
Everyone is (KM)greedy for gain,
And from the prophet to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.
14 They have (KN)healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
15 Were they (KO)ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They were not ashamed at all,
Nor did they know even how to be ashamed.
Therefore they will fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They will collapse,” says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the (KP)ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
Then (KQ)you will find a resting place for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 And I set (KR)watchmen over you, saying,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 Therefore hear, you nations,
And know, you congregation, what is among them.
19 (KS)Hear, earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people,
The (KT)fruit of their [by]plans,
Because they have not listened to My words,
And as for My Law, they have (KU)rejected it also.
20 (KV)For what purpose does (KW)frankincense come to Me from Sheba,
And the [bz](KX)sweet cane from a distant land?
(KY)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable
And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”
21 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, (KZ)I am [ca]placing stumbling blocks before this people.
And they will stumble against them,
(LA)Fathers and sons together;
Neighbor and [cb]friend will perish.”
The Enemy from the North
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Behold, there is (LB)a people coming from the north land,
And a great nation will be stirred up from the (LC)remote parts of the earth.
23 They seize (LD)bow and spear;
They are (LE)cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice (LF)roars like the sea,
And they ride on horses,
Lined up as a man for the battle
Against you, daughter of Zion!”
24 We have (LG)heard the report of it;
Our hands are limp.
(LH)Anguish has seized us,
Pain like that of a woman in childbirth.
25 (LI)Do not go out into the field,
And (LJ)do not walk on the road;
For the enemy has a sword,
(LK)Terror is on every side.
26 Daughter of my people, (LL)put on sackcloth
And (LM)roll in ashes;
[cc](LN)Mourn as for an only son,
A most bitter mourning.
For suddenly the destroyer
Will come against us.
27 “I have (LO)made you an assayer and an examiner among My people,
So that you may know and put their way to the test.”
28 All of them are stubbornly rebellious,
(LP)Going about as a slanderer;
They are (LQ)bronze and iron.
They are, all of them, corrupt.
29 The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
In vain the refining goes on,
But the (LR)wicked are not [cd]separated.
30 (LS)They call them rejected silver,
Because the (LT)Lord has rejected them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:6 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 1:11 Heb shaqed, see note v 12
- Jeremiah 1:12 Heb shoqed, a wordplay on almond in v 11 (see note v 11)
- Jeremiah 1:14 Lit opened
- Jeremiah 1:16 Lit speak
- Jeremiah 1:16 Or burned incense
- Jeremiah 2:2 Or faithfulness
- Jeremiah 2:6 Or the shadow of death
- Jeremiah 2:8 Lit shepherds
- Jeremiah 2:10 I.e., Cyprus and other islands
- Jeremiah 2:15 Lit given their voice
- Jeremiah 2:16 Lit sons
- Jeremiah 2:16 Lit grazed
- Jeremiah 2:18 Heb Shihor
- Jeremiah 2:19 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 2:20 Or you
- Jeremiah 2:22 Lit acquire much soap for yourself
- Jeremiah 2:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 2:25 Or desperate
- Jeremiah 2:27 Or evil
- Jeremiah 2:28 Or evil
- Jeremiah 3:1 Lit saying
- Jeremiah 3:1 Lit companions
- Jeremiah 3:3 I.e., calloused appearance
- Jeremiah 3:5 Lit been able
- Jeremiah 3:7 Lit said
- Jeremiah 3:8 I.e., idolatry
- Jeremiah 3:9 I.e., idolatry
- Jeremiah 3:12 Lit make My face fall
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit know
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit ways
- Jeremiah 3:15 I.e., with hearts like Mine
- Jeremiah 3:19 Lit the
- Jeremiah 3:23 I.e., from idolatrous rituals
- Jeremiah 4:3 Lit Plow for yourselves plowed ground
- Jeremiah 4:10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 4:10 Or life
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit full from
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit these
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit for Me
- Jeremiah 4:16 As indicated in LXX; MT watchmen
- Jeremiah 4:18 Lit done
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit The walls of my heart
- Jeremiah 4:19 Another reading is I have heard
- Jeremiah 4:23 Or waste
- Jeremiah 4:26 Or Carmel
- Jeremiah 4:28 Or been sorry
- Jeremiah 4:30 Lit paramours
- Jeremiah 4:31 Lit palms
- Jeremiah 4:31 Lit my soul faints
- Jeremiah 5:1 I.e., Jerusalem
- Jeremiah 5:3 Or become sick
- Jeremiah 5:12 Lit He is not
- Jeremiah 5:19 Or you
- Jeremiah 5:21 Lit without heart
- Jeremiah 5:26 Perhaps, crouching down
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit pass over; or overlook deeds
- Jeremiah 5:28 Or fatherless
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit judge
- Jeremiah 5:31 Lit over their own hands
- Jeremiah 5:31 Lit at the end of it
- Jeremiah 6:1 I.e., house of the vineyard
- Jeremiah 6:3 Lit against her round about
- Jeremiah 6:3 Lit hand
- Jeremiah 6:4 Lit Sanctify war
- Jeremiah 6:4 Lit go up
- Jeremiah 6:5 Lit go up
- Jeremiah 6:5 Or fortified towers
- Jeremiah 6:7 Lit keeps cold
- Jeremiah 6:7 Lit keeps cold
- Jeremiah 6:8 Lit my soul
- Jeremiah 6:10 Lit uncircumcised
- Jeremiah 6:11 Lit council
- Jeremiah 6:11 Lit with fullness of days
- Jeremiah 6:19 Or devices
- Jeremiah 6:20 Lit good
- Jeremiah 6:21 Lit giving
- Jeremiah 6:21 Lit his friend
- Jeremiah 6:26 Lit Make for yourself mourning
- Jeremiah 6:29 Or drawn off
Jeremiah 1-6
New International Version
Jeremiah 1-6
New International Version
1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth(A) in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord came(B) to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah(C) son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim(D) son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah(E) son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.(F)
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb(G) I knew[a](H) you,
before you were born(I) 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)
7 But 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. 8 Do not be afraid(N) of them, for I am with you(O) and will rescue(P) you,” declares the Lord.(Q)
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched(R) my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.(S) 10 See, today I appoint you over nations(T) and kingdoms to uproot(U) and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”(V)
11 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”(W)
“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching[b](X) to see that my word is fulfilled.”
13 The 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.”
14 The Lord said to me, “From the north(Z) disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15 I 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.(AA)
16 I will pronounce my judgments(AB) on my people
because of their wickedness(AC) in forsaking me,(AD)
in burning incense to other gods(AE)
and in worshiping(AF) what their hands have made.(AG)
17 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say(AH) to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified(AI) by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you(AJ) 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. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome(AK) you, for I am with you(AL) and will rescue(AM) you,” declares the Lord.
Israel Forsakes God
2 The word(AN) 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,(AO)
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,(AP)
through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy(AQ) to the Lord,(AR)
the firstfruits(AS) of his harvest;
all who devoured(AT) her were held guilty,(AU)
and disaster overtook them,’”
declares the Lord.
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you descendants of Jacob,
all you clans of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“What fault did your ancestors find in me,
that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols(AV)
and became worthless(AW) themselves.
6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord,
who brought us up out of Egypt(AX)
and led us through the barren wilderness,
through a land of deserts(AY) and ravines,(AZ)
a land of drought and utter darkness,
a land where no one travels(BA) and no one lives?’
7 I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and rich produce.(BB)
But you came and defiled my land
and made my inheritance detestable.(BC)
8 The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me;(BD)
the leaders(BE) rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,(BF)
following worthless idols.(BG)
9 “Therefore I bring charges(BH) against you again,”
declares the Lord.
“And I will bring charges against your children’s children.
10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus(BI) and look,
send to Kedar[c](BJ) and observe closely;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
11 Has a nation ever changed its gods?
(Yet they are not gods(BK) at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious(BL) God
for worthless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens,
and shudder with great horror,”
declares the Lord.
13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken(BM) me,
the spring of living water,(BN)
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
14 Is Israel a servant, a slave(BO) by birth?
Why then has he become plunder?
15 Lions(BP) have roared;
they have growled at him.
They have laid waste(BQ) his land;
his towns are burned(BR) and deserted.(BS)
16 Also, the men of Memphis(BT) and Tahpanhes(BU)
have cracked your skull.
17 Have you not brought this on yourselves(BV)
by forsaking(BW) the Lord your God
when he led you in the way?
18 Now why go to Egypt(BX)
to drink water from the Nile[d]?(BY)
And why go to Assyria(BZ)
to drink water from the Euphrates?(CA)
19 Your wickedness will punish you;
your backsliding(CB) will rebuke(CC) you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitter(CD) it is for you
when you forsake(CE) the Lord your God
and have no awe(CF) of me,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke(CG)
and tore off your bonds;(CH)
you said, ‘I will not serve you!’(CI)
Indeed, on every high hill(CJ)
and under every spreading tree(CK)
you lay down as a prostitute.(CL)
21 I had planted(CM) you like a choice vine(CN)
of sound and reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me
into a corrupt,(CO) wild vine?
22 Although you wash(CP) yourself with soap(CQ)
and use an abundance of cleansing powder,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.(CR)
23 “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;(CS)
I have not run after the Baals’?(CT)
See how you behaved in the valley;(CU)
consider what you have done.
You are a swift she-camel
running(CV) here and there,
24 a wild donkey(CW) accustomed to the desert,(CX)
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.
25 Do not run until your feet are bare
and your throat is dry.
But you said, ‘It’s no use!(CY)
I love foreign gods,(CZ)
and I must go after them.’(DA)
26 “As a thief is disgraced(DB) when he is caught,
so the people of Israel are disgraced—
they, their kings and their officials,
their priests(DC) and their prophets.(DD)
27 They say to wood,(DE) ‘You are my father,’
and to stone,(DF) ‘You gave me birth.’
They have turned their backs(DG) to me
and not their faces;(DH)
yet when they are in trouble,(DI) they say,
‘Come and save(DJ) us!’
28 Where then are the gods(DK) you made for yourselves?
Let them come if they can save you
when you are in trouble!(DL)
For you, Judah, have as many gods
as you have towns.(DM)
29 “Why do you bring charges against me?
You have all(DN) rebelled against me,”
declares the Lord.
30 “In vain I punished your people;
they did not respond to correction.(DO)
Your sword has devoured your prophets(DP)
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?(DQ)
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
we will come to you no more’?(DR)
32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgotten(DS) me,
days without number.
33 How skilled you are at pursuing(DT) love!
Even the worst of women can learn from your ways.
34 On your clothes is found
the lifeblood(DU) of the innocent poor,
though you did not catch them breaking in.(DV)
Yet in spite of all this
35 you say, ‘I am innocent;(DW)
he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment(DX) on you
because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’(DY)
36 Why do you go about so much,
changing(DZ) your ways?
You will be disappointed by Egypt(EA)
as you were by Assyria.
37 You will also leave that place
with your hands on your head,(EB)
for the Lord has rejected those you trust;
you will not be helped(EC) by them.
3 “If a man divorces(ED) his wife
and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
Would not the land be completely defiled?(EE)
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers(EF)—
would you now return to me?”(EG)
declares the Lord.
2 “Look up to the barren heights(EH) and see.
Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadside(EI) you sat waiting for lovers,
sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land(EJ)
with your prostitution(EK) and wickedness.
3 Therefore the showers have been withheld,(EL)
and no spring rains(EM) have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen(EN) look of a prostitute;
you refuse to blush with shame.(EO)
4 Have you not just called to me:
‘My Father,(EP) my friend from my youth,(EQ)
5 will you always be angry?(ER)
Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
but you do all the evil you can.”
Unfaithful Israel
6 During the reign of King Josiah,(ES) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless(ET) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree(EU) and has committed adultery(EV) there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister(EW) Judah saw it.(EX) 8 I gave faithless Israel(EY) her certificate of divorce(EZ) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;(FA) she also went out and committed adultery. 9 Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land(FB) and committed adultery(FC) with stone(FD) and wood.(FE) 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return(FF) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,(FG)” declares the Lord.(FH)
11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous(FI) than unfaithful(FJ) Judah.(FK) 12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(FL)
“‘Return,(FM) faithless(FN) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(FO) declares the Lord,
‘I will not be angry(FP) forever.
13 Only acknowledge(FQ) your guilt—
you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods(FR)
under every spreading tree,(FS)
and have not obeyed(FT) me,’”
declares the Lord.
14 “Return,(FU) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.(FV) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds(FW) after my own heart,(FX) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark(FY) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;(FZ) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne(GA) of the Lord, and all nations(GB) will gather in Jerusalem to honor(GC) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(GD) 18 In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,(GE) and together(GF) they will come from a northern(GG) land to the land(GH) 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,(GI)
the most beautiful inheritance(GJ) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’(GK)
and not turn away from following me.
20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
so you, Israel, have been unfaithful(GL) to me,”
declares the Lord.
21 A cry is heard on the barren heights,(GM)
the weeping(GN) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten(GO) the Lord their God.
“Yes, we will come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.
23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills(GS)
and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
is the salvation(GT) of Israel.
24 From our youth shameful(GU) gods have consumed
the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,(GV)
and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned(GW) against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors;(GX)
from our youth(GY) till this day
we have not obeyed(GZ) the Lord our God.”
4 “If you, Israel, will return,(HA)
then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols(HB) out of my sight
and no longer go astray,
2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear,(HC) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(HD)
then the nations will invoke blessings(HE) by him
and in him they will boast.(HF)”
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“Break up your unplowed ground(HG)
and do not sow among thorns.(HH)
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
circumcise your hearts,(HI)
you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath(HJ) will flare up and burn like fire(HK)
because of the evil(HL) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(HM) it.
Disaster From the North
5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim(HN) in Jerusalem and say:
‘Sound the trumpet(HO) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
‘Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!’(HP)
6 Raise the signal(HQ) to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster(HR) from the north,(HS)
even terrible destruction.”
7 A lion(HT) has come out of his lair;(HU)
a destroyer(HV) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to lay waste(HW) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins(HX)
without inhabitant.
8 So put on sackcloth,(HY)
lament(HZ) and wail,
for the fierce anger(IA) of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,(IB)
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”(IC)
10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived(ID) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’(IE) when the sword is at our throats!”
11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind(IF) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind(IG) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments(IH) against them.”
13 Look! He advances like the clouds,(II)
his chariots(IJ) come like a whirlwind,(IK)
his horses(IL) are swifter than eagles.(IM)
Woe to us! We are ruined!(IN)
14 Jerusalem, wash(IO) the evil from your heart and be saved.(IP)
How long(IQ) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan,(IR)
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.(IS)
16 “Tell this to the nations,
proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,(IT)
raising a war cry(IU) against the cities of Judah.(IV)
17 They surround(IW) her like men guarding a field,
because she has rebelled(IX) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
18 “Your own conduct and actions(IY)
have brought this on you.(IZ)
This is your punishment.
How bitter(JA) it is!
How it pierces to the heart!”
19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!(JB)
I writhe in pain.(JC)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds(JD) within me,
I cannot keep silent.(JE)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;(JF)
I have heard the battle cry.(JG)
20 Disaster follows disaster;(JH)
the whole land lies in ruins.(JI)
In an instant my tents(JJ) are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard(JK)
and hear the sound of the trumpet?(JL)
22 “My people are fools;(JM)
they do not know me.(JN)
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.(JO)
They are skilled in doing evil;(JP)
they know not how to do good.”(JQ)
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;(JR)
and at the heavens,
and their light(JS) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;(JT)
all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.(JU)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;(JV)
all its towns lay in ruins(JW)
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(JX)
27 This is what the Lord says:
“The whole land will be ruined,(JY)
though I will not destroy(JZ) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn(KA)
and the heavens above grow dark,(KB)
because I have spoken and will not relent,(KC)
I have decided and will not turn back.(KD)”
29 At the sound of horsemen and archers(KE)
every town takes to flight.(KF)
Some go into the thickets;
some climb up among the rocks.(KG)
All the towns are deserted;(KH)
no one lives in them.
30 What are you doing,(KI) you devastated one?
Why dress yourself in scarlet
and put on jewels(KJ) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?(KK)
You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers(KL) despise you;
they want to kill you.(KM)
31 I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,(KN)
a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion(KO) gasping for breath,(KP)
stretching out her hands(KQ) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
my life is given over to murderers.”(KR)
Not One Is Upright
5 “Go up and down(KS) the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,(KT)
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person(KU)
who deals honestly(KV) and seeks the truth,
I will forgive(KW) this city.
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(KX)
still they are swearing falsely.(KY)”
3 Lord, do not your eyes(KZ) look for truth?
You struck(LA) them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.(LB)
They made their faces harder than stone(LC)
and refused to repent.(LD)
4 I thought, “These are only the poor;
they are foolish,(LE)
for they do not know(LF) the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.
5 So I will go to the leaders(LG)
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.(LH)
6 Therefore a lion from the forest(LI) will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will ravage(LJ) them,
a leopard(LK) will lie in wait near their towns
to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
and their backslidings many.(LL)
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn(LM) by gods that are not gods.(LN)
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery(LO)
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.(LP)
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man’s wife.(LQ)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”(LR)
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(LS) myself
on such a nation as this?
10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
but do not destroy them completely.(LT)
Strip off her branches,
for these people do not belong to the Lord.
11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah
have been utterly unfaithful(LU) to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 They have lied(LV) about the Lord;
they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(LW)
we will never see sword or famine.(LX)
13 The prophets(LY) are but wind(LZ)
and the word is not in them;
so let what they say be done to them.”
14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:
“Because the people have spoken these words,
I will make my words in your mouth(MA) a fire(MB)
and these people the wood it consumes.(MC)
15 People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
“I am bringing a distant nation(MD) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
a people whose language(ME) you do not know,
whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their quivers(MF) are like an open grave;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour(MG) your harvests and food,
devour(MH) your sons and daughters;
they will devour(MI) your flocks and herds,
devour your vines and fig trees.(MJ)
With the sword(MK) they will destroy
the fortified cities(ML) in which you trust.(MM)
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy(MN) you completely. 19 And when the people ask,(MO) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods(MP) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners(MQ) in a land not your own.’
20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim(MR) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(MS)
who have eyes(MT) but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:(MU)
22 Should you not fear(MV) me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble(MW) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(MX)
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar,(MY) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(MZ) hearts;
they have turned aside(NA) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear(NB) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(NC) in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(ND)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.(NE)
26 “Among my people are the wicked(NF)
who lie in wait(NG) like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps(NH) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;(NI)
they have become rich(NJ) and powerful
28 and have grown fat(NK) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(NL)
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(NM)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(NN) myself
on such a nation as this?
30 “A horrible(NO) and shocking thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,(NP)
the priests(NQ) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?(NR)
Jerusalem Under Siege
6 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet(NS) in Tekoa!(NT)
Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!(NU)
For disaster looms out of the north,(NV)
even terrible destruction.
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion,(NW)
so beautiful and delicate.(NX)
3 Shepherds(NY) with their flocks will come against her;
they will pitch their tents around(NZ) her,
each tending his own portion.”
4 “Prepare for battle against her!
Arise, let us attack at noon!(OA)
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
and the shadows of evening grow long.
5 So arise, let us attack at night
and destroy her fortresses!”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Cut down the trees(OB)
and build siege ramps(OC) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression.(OD)
7 As a well pours out its water,
so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence(OE) and destruction(OF) resound in her;
her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8 Take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away(OG) from you
and make your land desolate
so no one can live in it.”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Let them glean the remnant(OH) of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen(OI) to me?
Their ears are closed[e](OJ)
so they cannot hear.(OK)
The word(OL) of the Lord is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath(OM) of the Lord,
and I cannot hold it in.(ON)
“Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the young men(OO) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
and the old, those weighed down with years.(OP)
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,(OQ)
together with their fields and their wives,(OR)
when I stretch out my hand(OS)
against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
all(OT) are greedy for gain;(OU)
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(OV)
14 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.(OW)
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.(OX)
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish(OY) them,”
says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,(OZ)
ask where the good way(PA) is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest(PB) for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen(PC) over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’(PD)
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’(PE)
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
you who are witnesses,
observe what will happen to them.
19 Hear, you earth:(PF)
I am bringing disaster(PG) on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,(PH)
because they have not listened to my words(PI)
and have rejected my law.(PJ)
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba(PK)
or sweet calamus(PL) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;(PM)
your sacrifices(PN) do not please me.”(PO)
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble(PP) over them;
neighbors and friends will perish.”
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, an army is coming
from the land of the north;(PQ)
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.(PR)
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.(PS)
They sound like the roaring sea(PT)
as they ride on their horses;(PU)
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.(PV)”
24 We have heard reports about them,
and our hands hang limp.(PW)
Anguish(PX) has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(PY)
25 Do not go out to the fields
or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
and there is terror on every side.(PZ)
26 Put on sackcloth,(QA) my people,
and roll in ashes;(QB)
mourn with bitter wailing(QC)
as for an only son,(QD)
for suddenly the destroyer(QE)
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you a tester(QF) of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,(QG)
going about to slander.(QH)
They are bronze and iron;(QI)
they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining(QJ) goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,(QK)
because the Lord has rejected them.”(QL)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:5 Or chose
- Jeremiah 1:12 The Hebrew for watching sounds like the Hebrew for almond tree.
- Jeremiah 2:10 In the Syro-Arabian desert
- Jeremiah 2:18 Hebrew Shihor; that is, a branch of the Nile
- Jeremiah 6:10 Hebrew uncircumcised
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