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Jeremiah 16
New International Version
Jeremiah 16
New International Version
Day of Disaster
16 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You must not marry(A) and have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For 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 buried(C) 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)
5 For 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the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity(G) from this people,” declares the Lord. 6 “Both high and low will die in this land.(H) They will not be buried or mourned,(I)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 cut(J) themselves or shave(K) their head for the dead. 7 No one will offer food(L) to comfort those who mourn(M) for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console(N) them.
8 “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.(O) 9 For 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 sounds(P) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride(Q) 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) 11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped(T) them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.(U) 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors.(V) See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts(W) instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land(X) into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known,(Y) and there you will serve other gods(Z) day and night, for I will show you no favor.’(AA)
14 “However, the days are coming,”(AB) declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(AC) 15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north(AD) and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’(AE) For I will restore(AF) them to the land I gave their ancestors.(AG)
16 “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them.(AH) After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt(AI) them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.(AJ) 17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden(AK) from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.(AL) 18 I will repay(AM) them double(AN) for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land(AO) with the lifeless forms of their vile images(AP) and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.(AQ)”(AR)
19 Lord, my strength and my fortress,
my refuge(AS) in time of distress,
to you the nations will come(AT)
from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,(AU)
worthless idols(AV) that did them no good.(AW)
20 Do people make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!”(AX)
21 “Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name(AY) is the Lord.
Yirmeyah 16
Orthodox Jewish Bible
Yirmeyah 16
Orthodox Jewish Bible
16 The Davar Hashem came also unto me, saying,
2 Thou shalt not take thee an isha, neither shalt thou have banim or banot in makom hazeh (this place).
3 For thus saith Hashem concerning the banim and concerning the banot that are born in makom hazeh, and concerning their immahot (mothers) that bore them, and concerning their avot that fathered them in ha’aretz hazot (this land);
4 The mot (death) they die will be of deadly diseases; they shall not be mourned; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as refuse upon the face of ha’adamah; and they shall be consumed by the cherev, and by ra’av (famine); and their nevelot (dead bodies) shall be food for the oph haShomayim, and for the behemat ha’aretz.
5 For thus saith Hashem, Enter not into the bais marzeach (house of mourning), neither go to lament nor mourn them; for I have withdrawn away My shalom from HaAm Hazeh, saith Hashem, even chesed and rachamim.
6 Both the gedolim and the ketanim shall die in ha’aretz hazot; they shall not be buried, neither shall men mourn for them, nor make [pagan] cuttings on themselves, nor make themselves [like pagan mourners] bald for them [See Dt 14:1]:
7 Neither shall men break bread for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the kos tanechumim (cup of consolation) to drink for their av or for their em.
8 Thou shalt not go into the bais mishteh (house of feasting), to sit with them to eat and to drink.
9 For thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel: Behold, I will cause to cease out of hamakom hazeh before your eyes, and in your days, the voice of sasson, and the voice of simcha, the voice of the choson, and the voice of the kallah.
10 And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt tell this people all these Devarim, and they shall say unto thee, Why hath Hashem pronounced all this ra’ah hagedolah against us? Or what is avonenu (our iniquity)? Or what is chattatenu (our sin) that we have committed against Hashem Eloheinu?
11 Then shalt thou say unto them, Because avoteichem have forsaken Me, saith Hashem, and have walked after acharei elohim, and have served them, and have worshiped them, and have forsaken Me, and have not been shomer over My torah;
12 And ye have done more wickedly than avoteichem; for, behold, ye walk every one after the sherirut (stubbornness) of his lev harah, that they may not pay heed unto Me:
13 Therefore will I cast you out of ha’aretz hazot into ha’aretz that ye know not, neither ye nor avoteichem; and there shall ye serve elohim acherim yomam valailah; for I will not show you [plural] chaninah (favor).
14 Therefore, hinei, the days come, saith Hashem, that it shall no more be said, Hashem liveth, that brought up the Bnei Yisroel out of Eretz Mitzrayim;
15 But, Hashem liveth, that brought up the Bnei Yisroel from the eretz tzaphon, and from kol ha’aratz where He had dispersed them; and I will bring them again into their adamah that I gave unto their avot.
16 Behold, I will send for many dayagim (fisherman), saith Hashem, and they shall fish them out; and after that will I send for many tzayadim (hunters), and they shall hunt them from every har (mountain), and from every givah (hill), and out of the crevices of the sela’im (rocks).
17 For Mine eyes are upon all their drakhim; they are not hid from My face, neither is their avon (iniquity) hid from Mine eyes.
18 And first I will recompense their avon (iniquity) and their sin mishneh (double); because they have defiled My Eretz (land), they have filled Mine nachalah with the nevelot (lifeless forms, carcasses) of their detestable and abominable idols.
19 Hashem, my strength, and my ma’oz (fortress), and my refuge in the yom tzarah, the Goyim shall come unto Thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely Avoteinu have inherited sheker, hevel, and things wherein there is no profit.
20 Shall man make elohim unto himself and they are not Elohim?
21 Therefore, Behold, I will this time cause them to know, I will cause them to know Mine yad and My gevurah; and they shall know that My Shem is Hashem.
Jeremiah 16
New Living Translation
Jeremiah 16
New Living Translation
Jeremiah Forbidden to Marry
16 The Lord gave me another message. He said, 2 “Do not get married or have children in this place. 3 For this is what the Lord says about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers: 4 They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.”
Judah’s Coming Punishment
5 This is what the Lord says: “Do not go to funerals to mourn and show sympathy for these people, for I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy. 6 Both the great and the lowly will die in this land. No one will bury them or mourn for them. Their friends will not cut themselves in sorrow or shave their heads in sadness. 7 No one will offer a meal to comfort those who mourn for the dead—not even at the death of a mother or father. No one will send a cup of wine to console them.
8 “And do not go to their feasts and parties. Do not eat and drink with them at all. 9 For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: In your own lifetime, before your very eyes, I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in this land. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard.
10 “When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against the Lord our God?’
11 “Then you will give them the Lord’s reply: ‘It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word. 12 And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been. There you can worship idols day and night—and I will grant you no favors!’
Hope despite the Disaster
14 “But the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when people who are taking an oath will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ 15 Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ For I will bring them back to this land that I gave their ancestors.
16 “But now I am sending for many fishermen who will catch them,” says the Lord. “I am sending for hunters who will hunt them down in the mountains, hills, and caves. 17 I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me. 18 I will double their punishment for all their sins, because they have defiled my land with lifeless images of their detestable gods and have filled my territory with their evil deeds.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer of Confidence
19 Lord, you are my strength and fortress,
my refuge in the day of trouble!
Nations from around the world
will come to you and say,
“Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage,
for they worshiped worthless idols.
20 Can people make their own gods?
These are not real gods at all!”
21 The Lord says,
“Now I will show them my power;
now I will show them my might.
At last they will know and understand
that I am the Lord.
Jeremiah 16
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah 16
New American Standard Bible
Distresses Foretold
16 The word of the Lord also came to me, saying, 2 “You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For this is what the Lord says concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their (A)mothers who give birth to them, and their (B)fathers who father them in this land: 4 “They will (C)die of deadly diseases, they (D)will not be mourned or buried; they will be like (E)dung on the surface of the ground. And they will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the (F)birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.”
5 For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house of (G)mourning, or go to mourn or to console them; for I have (H)withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares the Lord, “and My (I)favor and compassion. 6 Both (J)great people and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, people will not mourn for them, nor will anyone (K)make cuts on himself or have his head (L)shaved for them. 7 People will not (M)break bread in mourning for them, to comfort anyone for the dead, nor give them a cup of consolation to drink for anyone’s father or mother. 8 Moreover, you shall (N)not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink.” 9 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to (O)eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of joy, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.
10 “Now it will happen that, when you tell this people all these words, they will say to you, ‘(P)For what reason has the Lord declared all this great disaster against us? And what is our wrongdoing, or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 Then you are to say to them, ‘It is (Q)because your forefathers have abandoned Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and have followed (R)other gods, and served and worshiped them; but they have abandoned Me and have not kept My Law. 12 You too have done evil, even (S)more than your forefathers; for behold, each one of you is following the (T)stubbornness of his own (U)evil heart, without listening to Me. 13 So I will (V)hurl you off this land to the (W)land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will (X)serve other gods day and night, because I will show you no compassion.’
God Will Restore Them
14 “(Y)Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives, who (Z)brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the (AA)land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.
16 “Behold, I am going to send for many (AB)fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will fish for them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will (AC)hunt them (AD)from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. 17 (AE)For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, (AF)nor is their wrongdoing concealed from My eyes. 18 I will first repay them (AG)double for their wrongdoing and their sin, because they have (AH)defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their (AI)detestable idols and their abominations.”
19 Lord, my (AJ)strength and my stronghold,
And my (AK)refuge in the day of distress,
To You the (AL)nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but (AM)falsehood,
Futility, and [a](AN)things of no benefit.”
20 Can a person make gods for himself?
But they are (AO)not gods!
21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—
This time I will (AP)make them know
My [b]power and My might;
And they will (AQ)know that My name is the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 16:19 Lit there is nothing profitable in them
- Jeremiah 16:21 Lit hand
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International
SBL Greek New Testament (SBLGNT)
Scripture quotations marked SBLGNT are from the The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.