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Jeremiah 13-15
Common English Bible
Jeremiah 13-15
Common English Bible
Jeremiah’s symbolic acts
13 The Lord proclaimed to me: Go and buy a linen undergarment. Wear it for a while without washing it. 2 So I bought a linen undergarment, as the Lord told me, and I put it on. 3 The Lord spoke to me again: 4 Take the undergarment that you are wearing and go at once to the Euphrates and put it under a rock. 5 So I went and buried it at the Euphrates,[a] as the Lord instructed. 6 After a long time, the Lord said to me: Return to the Euphrates and dig up the undergarment that I commanded you to bury there. 7 So I went to the Euphrates and I dug up the linen undergarment from the place I had buried it. But it was ruined and good for nothing.
8 Then the Lord’s word came to me: 9 The Lord proclaims: In the same way I will ruin the brazen pride of Judah and Jerusalem! 10 Instead of listening to me, this wicked people follow their own willful hearts and pursue other gods, worshipping and serving them. They will become like this linen garment—good for nothing! 11 Just as a linen undergarment clings to the body, so I created the people of Israel and Judah to cling to me, declares the Lord, to be my people for my honor, praise, and grandeur. But they wouldn’t obey.
12 So deliver this word to them: The Lord the God of Israel proclaims: Every wine jug should be filled with wine. And they will answer you, “Don’t we already know that? Obviously every wine jug should be filled with wine!” 13 Then you should say to them: The Lord proclaims: I’m going to fill everyone who lives in this country with wine that makes them drunk, including the kings on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all those living in Jerusalem. 14 And I will shatter every one of them, even parents and children, declares the Lord. I won’t take pity; I won’t have compassion; I will show no mercy when I destroy them.
15 Listen closely, don’t be arrogant,
for the Lord has spoken.
16 Honor the Lord your God,
before it’s too late,
before you stumble
on the mountain paths
in the evening shadows.
Then you will hope for light,
only to find darkness and gloom.
17 If you are too proud to listen,
I will go off alone
and cry my eyes out.
I will weep uncontrollably
because the Lord’s flock
will be dragged off into exile.
18 Tell the king and the queen mother:
Come down from your lofty place,
because your glorious crowns
will soon be removed from your heads.
19 The towns of the arid southern plain will be surrounded;
no one will get in or out;
all Judah will be taken into exile;
everyone will be led away.
20 Lift up your eyes
and see who is approaching from the north.
Where is the flock entrusted to you,
your beautiful flock?
21 What will you say when he appoints someone as head over you:
your defenders, your trusted allies?[b]
Won’t pain grip you
like that of a woman in labor?
22 And when you ask yourself,
Why have all these things happened to me?
it is because of your many sins
that you have been stripped and violated.
23 Can a Cushite change his skin
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
when doing evil comes so naturally.
24 So I will scatter you[c] like straw
that is blown away by the desert winds.
25 This is the future
that I have prepared for you,
declares the Lord,
because you have forgotten me
and trusted in lies.
26 I myself will pull up your skirt over your face
and expose your shame.
27 I have seen your adultery and lust,
your disgusting idols and shameless prostitution
on the hills and in the fields.
How terrible for you, Jerusalem!
How long will you remain dirty?
Destruction on the horizon
14 The Lord’s word to Jeremiah concerning the droughts:
2 Judah mourns;
her gates wither away.
The people fall to the ground in sorrow,
as sobs of Jerusalem ascend.
3 The rich send their servants for water,
but the wells run dry.
They return with empty jars,
ashamed, bewildered, and in despair.
4 Because the ground is cracked due to lack of rain,
the farmers too are ashamed;
they cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
abandons her newborn,
for there’s no grass.
6 The wild donkeys stand on the well-traveled paths,
panting like thirsty dogs;
they go blind
since there’s nothing to eat.
7 Even though our sins testify against us,
help us, Lord, for your name’s sake.
We have turned away from you
and sinned against you time and again.
8 You are the hope of Israel,
its savior in times of trouble.
Why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a tourist spending only the night?
9 Why are you like one taken by surprise,
like a warrior unable to act?
Yet you are in our midst, Lord;
we are called by your name.
Don’t give up on us.
10 This is what the Lord proclaims about this people:
Since they have loved to wander off
and haven’t restrained themselves,
I[d] won’t accept them.
Now I will recall their wrongdoing
and punish their sin.
11 The Lord said to me: Don’t pray for the safety of these people. 12 When they fast, I won’t pay attention to their pleas, and when they offer entirely burned offerings and grain offerings, I won’t accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease.
13 I replied, “Lord God, the prophets are telling them: ‘You won’t see war or famine, for I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me: The prophets are telling lies in my name. I haven’t sent them. I haven’t commanded them. I haven’t spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, worthless predictions, and deceit they have made up on their own. 15 Therefore, this is what the Lord proclaims concerning the prophets who are speaking in my name when I didn’t send them, and who are telling you that war or famine will never come to this land: Those very prophets will die in war and by famine! 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one to bury them or their wives and children. I will pour out on them their own wickedness.
17 So deliver this word to them:
My eyes well up with tears;
I can’t stop weeping—day and night,
because my virgin daughter, my people,
has suffered a crushing blow
and is mortally wounded.
18 If I go into the fields,
I see only the slain in battle.
If I enter the city,
I see only those suffering from famine.
Even both prophet and priest
wander about aimlessly in ignorance.
19 Have you completely rejected Judah?
Do you hate Zion?
Why then have you mortally wounded us?
We look for peace,
but nothing good comes of it;
for a time of healing,
only to be terrorized.
20 We acknowledge our sin, Lord,
the wrongdoing of our ancestors,
because we have sinned against you.
21 For your name’s sake, don’t reject us,
don’t scorn your glorious throne.
Remember your covenant with us;
don’t break it.
22 Can any of the false gods of the nations make it rain?
Can the sky by itself bring showers?
Aren’t you the Lord, our God?
You are our hope,
since only you can do such things.
Lamenting Jerusalem’s dire circumstances
15 The Lord said to me: Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me, I wouldn’t change my mind about these people. Send them away from me. Let them go! 2 And if they say, “Go where?” tell them, This is what the Lord proclaims:
Those marked for death—to death,
those marked for war—to war,
those marked for famine—to famine, and those marked for exile—to exile.
3 I will appoint over them four agents[e] of death, declares the Lord: soldiers to kill, dogs to drag off, and vultures and wild animals to devour and destroy. 4 Because of what Judah’s King Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, has done in Jerusalem, I will make them an object of horror to all nations on earth.
5 Who will pity you, Jerusalem?
Who will shed tears over you?
Who will stop and ask how you’re doing?
6 You have deserted me,
declares the Lord.
You have turned your back on me.
So I will turn my hand against you
and destroy you.
I’m tired of holding back.
7 I will winnow them with a winnowing fork
at the gates of their country.
I will bereave and destroy my people
because they haven’t changed their ways.
8 Their widows will outnumber
the sand on the shore.
I will bring a destroyer in broad daylight
against the mothers of young men.[f]
Suddenly I will bring distress
and terror upon them.
9 The mother of seven
will grow weak and gasp for air;
her sun will set while it is yet day;
she will be ashamed and disgraced.
I will deliver the survivors to the sword,
to the power of their enemies,
declares the Lord.
10 I wish I had never been born! I have become a source of conflict and dissension in my own country. Even though I haven’t lent or borrowed, still everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said:
Haven’t I taken care of you?
Haven’t I helped you with your enemies
in time of trouble and distress?[g]
12 Can a person shatter iron,
iron from the north, or bronze?
13 Your wealth and belongings
I will deliver as plunder,
without a fee,
because of all your sins
throughout your territory.
14 I will make you serve your enemies
in a land you don’t know,
for my anger blazes like a fire
that won’t go out.
15 You understand, Lord!
Remember me and act on my behalf.
Bring judgment on those who torment me.
In your mercy, spare my life.[h]
Consider how I’m insulted on your account.
16 When your words turned up, I feasted on them;
and they became my joy, the delight of my heart,
because I belong to you,
Lord God of heavenly forces.
17 I didn’t join the festive occasions;
I took no delight in them.
I sat alone
because your hand was upon me
and you had filled me with curses.
18 Why am I always in pain?
Why is my wound incurable,
so far beyond healing?
You have become for me as unreliable
as a spring gone dry!
19 Therefore, the Lord proclaims:
If you return to me, I will take you back
and let you stand before me.
If you utter what is worthwhile,
not what is worthless,
you will be my spokesman.
They will turn to you,
not you to them!
20 I will make you a sturdy bronze wall
against these people.
They will attack you,
but they won’t triumph,
because I am with you
to protect and rescue you,
declares the Lord.
21 I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked;
I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 13:5 Heb Perath
- Jeremiah 13:21 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 13:24 Or them
- Jeremiah 14:10 Or the Lord
- Jeremiah 15:3 Or families
- Jeremiah 15:8 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 15:11 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 15:15 Heb uncertain
Jeremiah 13-15
New International Version
Jeremiah 13-15
New International Version
A Linen Belt
13 This 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.” 2 So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist.
3 Then 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 Perath[a](B) and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.(C)
6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” 7 So 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.
8 Then 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 pride(D) of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen(E) to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts(F) and go after other gods(G) to serve and worship them,(H) will be like this belt—completely useless!(I) 11 For 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 renown(J) 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?’ 13 then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness(M) 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. 14 I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the Lord. I will allow no pity(N) or mercy or compassion(O) to keep me from destroying(P) them.’”
Threat of Captivity
15 Hear and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the Lord has spoken.(Q)
16 Give glory(R) to the Lord your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(S)
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to utter darkness
and change it to deep gloom.(T)
17 If you do not listen,(U)
I will weep in secret
because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
overflowing with tears,(V)
because the Lord’s flock(W) will be taken captive.(X)
18 Say to the king(Y) and to the queen mother,(Z)
“Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(AA)
will fall from your heads.”
19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up,
and there will be no one to open them.
All Judah(AB) will be carried into exile,
carried completely away.
20 Look up and see
those who are coming from the north.(AC)
Where is the flock(AD) that was entrusted to you,
the sheep of which you boasted?
21 What will you say when the Lord sets over you
those you cultivated as your special allies?(AE)
Will not pain grip you
like that of a woman in labor?(AF)
22 And if you ask yourself,
“Why has this happened to me?”(AG)—
it is because of your many sins(AH)
that your skirts have been torn off(AI)
and your body mistreated.(AJ)
23 Can an Ethiopian[b] change his skin
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.(AK)
24 “I will scatter you like chaff(AL)
driven by the desert wind.(AM)
25 This is your lot,
the portion(AN) I have decreed for you,”
declares the Lord,
“because you have forgotten(AO) me
and trusted in false gods.(AP)
26 I will pull up your skirts over your face
that your shame may be seen(AQ)—
27 your adulteries and lustful neighings,
your shameless prostitution!(AR)
I have seen your detestable acts
on the hills and in the fields.(AS)
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
How long will you be unclean?”(AT)
Drought, Famine, Sword
14 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(AU)
2 “Judah mourns,(AV)
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
3 The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water.(AW)
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.(AX)
4 The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;(AY)
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.(AZ)
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(BA)
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food.”(BB)
7 Although our sins testify(BC) against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.(BD)
For we have often rebelled;(BE)
we have sinned(BF) against you.
8 You who are the hope(BG) of Israel,
its Savior(BH) in times of distress,(BI)
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?(BJ)
You are among(BK) us, Lord,
and we bear your name;(BL)
do not forsake(BM) us!
10 This is what the Lord says about this people:
“They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.(BN)
So the Lord does not accept(BO) them;
he will now remember(BP) their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.”(BQ)
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray(BR) for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;(BS) though they offer burnt offerings(BT) and grain offerings,(BU) I will not accept(BV) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,(BW) famine(BX) and plague.”(BY)
13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets(BZ) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.(CA) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace(CB) in this place.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies(CC) in my name. I have not sent(CD) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,(CE) divinations,(CF) idolatries[c] and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore 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 perish(CG) by sword and famine.(CH) 16 And 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 bury(CI) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.(CJ) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.(CK)
17 “Speak this word to them:
“‘Let my eyes overflow with tears(CL)
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin(CM) Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.(CN)
18 If I go into the country,
I see those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see the ravages of famine.(CO)
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not.(CP)’”
19 Have you rejected Judah completely?(CQ)
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?(CR)
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(CS)
20 We acknowledge(CT) our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;(CU)
we have indeed sinned(CV) against you.
21 For the sake of your name(CW) do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.(CX)
Remember your covenant(CY) with us
and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols(CZ) of the nations bring rain?(DA)
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.(DB)
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(DC) and Samuel(DD) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(DE) Send them away from my presence!(DF) Let them go! 2 And 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;(DG)
those for starvation, to starvation;(DH)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(DI)
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers(DJ) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(DK) to kill and the dogs(DL) to drag away and the birds(DM) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(DN) 4 I will make them abhorrent(DO) to all the kingdoms of the earth(DP) because of what Manasseh(DQ) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who will have pity(DR) on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will stop to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected(DS) me,” declares the Lord.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(DT) and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.(DU)
7 I will winnow(DV) them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(DW) and destruction on my people,(DX)
for they have not changed their ways.(DY)
8 I will make their widows(DZ) more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(EA)
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.(EB)
9 The mother of seven will grow faint(EC)
and breathe her last.(ED)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgraced(EE) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(EF)
before their enemies,”(EG)
declares the Lord.
10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(EH)
a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(EI)
I have neither lent(EJ) nor borrowed,
yet everyone curses(EK) me.
11 The Lord said,
“Surely I will deliver you(EL) for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies plead(EM) with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.
12 “Can a man break iron—
iron from the north(EN)—or bronze?
13 “Your wealth(EO) and your treasures
I will give as plunder,(EP) without charge,(EQ)
because of all your sins
throughout your country.(ER)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
in[d] a land you do not know,(ES)
for my anger will kindle a fire(ET)
that will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand;
remember me and care for me.
Avenge me on my persecutors.(EU)
You are long-suffering(EV)—do not take me away;
think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(EW)
16 When your words came, I ate(EX) them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(EY)
for I bear your name,(EZ)
Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(FA) in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(FB) was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?(FC)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails.(FD)
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve(FE) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.(FF)
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(FG) to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome(FH) you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”(FI)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(FJ) you from the hands of the wicked(FK)
and deliver(FL) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(FM)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 13:4 Or possibly to the Euphrates; similarly in verses 5-7
- Jeremiah 13:23 Hebrew Cushite (probably a person from the upper Nile region)
- Jeremiah 14:14 Or visions, worthless divinations
- Jeremiah 15:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac (see also 17:4); most Hebrew manuscripts I will cause your enemies to bring you / into
Jeremiah 13-15
King James Version
Jeremiah 13-15
King James Version
13 Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
2 So I got a girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my loins.
3 And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying,
4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.
6 And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9 Thus saith the Lord, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.
11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
12 Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.
14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.
16 Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive.
18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
19 The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.
20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
24 Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
25 This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the Lord; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.
26 Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.
27 I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
3 And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.
4 Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
5 Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.
6 And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.
7 O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.
8 O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?
9 Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.
10 Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.
11 Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.
12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
13 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
14 Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
15 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.
17 Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.
18 If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.
19 Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!
20 We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.
21 Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.
15 Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.
2 And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.
3 And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.
4 And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.
5 For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?
6 Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.
7 And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people since they return not from their ways.
8 Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.
9 She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the Lord.
10 Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.
11 The Lord said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.
12 Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?
13 Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.
14 And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.
15 O Lord, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.
16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
17 I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.
20 And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
21 And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.
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