Jeremiah 18:13-17
New American Standard Bible
13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
‘(A)Just ask among the nations,
Who ever heard anything like [a]this?
The (B)virgin of Israel
Has done a most (C)appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 For (D)My people have forgotten Me,
(E)They burn incense [b]to worthless gods.
And they [c]have stumbled in their ways,
In the (F)ancient roads,
To walk on paths,
Not on a (G)highway,
16 To make their land a (H)desolation,
An object of perpetual (I)hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And (J)shake his head.
17 Like an (K)east wind I will (L)scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will [d]show them (M)My back and not My face
(N)In the day of their disaster.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 18:13 Lit these
- Jeremiah 18:15 Lit to worthlessness
- Jeremiah 18:15 As in ancient versions; MT caused them to
- Jeremiah 18:17 As in ancient versions; MT look them in the back and not in the face
Jeremiah 18:13-17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
13 Therefore thus says the Lord:
Ask among the nations:
Who has heard the like of this?
The virgin Israel has done
a most horrible thing.(A)
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave
the crags of Sirion?[a]
Do the mountain[b] waters run dry,[c]
the cold flowing streams?
15 But my people have forgotten me;
they burn offerings to a delusion;
they have stumbled[d] in their ways,
in the ancient roads,
and have gone into bypaths,
not the highway,(B)
16 making their land a horror,
a thing to be hissed at forever.
All who pass by it are horrified
and shake their heads.(C)
17 Like the wind from the east,
I will scatter them before the enemy.
I will show them my back, not my face,
in the day of their calamity.(D)
Jeremiah 18:13-17
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord: Ask among the nations: Who hath heard such horrible things, as the virgin of Israel hath done to excess?
14 Shall the snow of Libanus fail from the rock of the field? or can the cold waters that gush out and run down, be taken away?
15 Because my people have forgotten me, sacrificing in vain, and stumbling in their ways, in ancient paths, to walk by them in a way not trodden:
16 That their land might be given up to desolation, and to a perpetual hissing: every one that shall pass by it, shall be astonished, and wag his head.
17 As a burning will I scatter them before the enemy: I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their destruction.
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Jeremiah 18:13-17
The Message
13-17 God’s Message:
“Ask around.
Survey the godless nations.
Has anyone heard the likes of this?
Virgin Israel has become a slut!
Does snow disappear from the Lebanon peaks?
Do alpine streams run dry?
But my people have left me
to worship the Big Lie.
They’ve gotten off the track,
the old, well-worn trail,
And now bushwhack through underbrush
in a tangle of roots and vines.
Their land’s going to end up a mess—
a fool’s memorial to be spit on.
Travelers passing through
will shake their heads in disbelief.
I’ll scatter my people before their enemies,
like autumn leaves in a high wind.
On their day of doom, they’ll stare at my back as I walk away,
catching not so much as a glimpse of my face.”
* * *
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