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Jeremiah 8:4-9:22
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah 8:4-9:22
New American Standard Bible
4 “You shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“Do people (A)fall and not get up?
Does one turn away and not [a]repent?
5 Why has this people, Jerusalem,
(B)Turned away in continual apostasy?
They (C)hold on to deceit,
They (D)refuse to return.
6 I (E)have listened and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
(F)No one repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
Like a (G)horse charging into the battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
(H)Knows her seasons;
And the (I)turtledove, the swallow, and the crane
Keep to the time of their [b]migration;
But (J)My people do not know
The judgment of the Lord.
8 “(K)How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the Law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
9 The wise men are (L)put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have (M)rejected the word of the Lord,
So what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will (N)give their wives to others,
Their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is (O)greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone practices deceit.
11 They have (P)healed the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
12 Were they (Q)ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They were not ashamed at all,
And they did not know how to be ashamed;
Therefore they will (R)fall among those who fall;
At the (S)time of their punishment they will collapse,”
Says the Lord.
13 “I will (T)certainly snatch them away,” declares the Lord.
“There will be (U)no grapes on the vine
And (V)no figs on the fig tree,
And the leaf will wither;
And what I have given them will pass away.”’”
14 Why are we sitting still?
(W)Assemble yourselves, and let’s (X)go into the fortified cities
And perish there,
For the Lord our God has doomed us
And given us (Y)poisoned water to drink,
Because (Z)we have sinned against the Lord.
15 We (AA)waited for peace, but no good came;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 From (AB)Dan there is heard the snorting of his horses;
At the sound of the neighing of his (AC)stallions
The whole land quakes;
For they come and (AD)devour the land and its fullness,
The city and its inhabitants.
17 “For behold, I am (AE)sending serpents among you,
Vipers for which there is (AF)no charm;
And they will bite you,” declares the Lord.
18 [c]My (AG)sorrow is beyond healing,
My (AH)heart is faint within me!
19 Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a (AI)distant land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”
“Why have they (AJ)provoked Me with their carved images, with foreign [d](AK)idols?”
20 “Harvest is past, summer is over,
And we are not saved.”
21 I am broken over the (AL)brokenness of the daughter of my people.
I (AM)mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no (AN)balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
(AO)Why then has not the [e]health of the daughter of my people [f]been restored?
Grief over Zion
9 [g](AP)Oh, that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For those slain of the (AQ)daughter of my people!
2 [h](AR)Oh that I had in the desert
A travelers’ lodging place;
So that I might leave my people
And go away from them!
For all of them are (AS)adulterers,
An assembly of (AT)treacherous people.
3 “They (AU)bend their tongues like their bows;
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they (AV)proceed from evil to evil,
And they (AW)do not know Me,” declares the Lord.
4 “Let everyone (AX)be on guard against his neighbor,
And (AY)do not trust any brother;
Because every (AZ)brother utterly [i]betrays,
And every neighbor (BA)goes about as a slanderer.
5 Everyone (BB)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth.
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (BC)weary themselves committing wrongdoing.
6 Your (BD)dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (BE)refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says:
“Behold, I will refine them and (BF)put them to the test;
For (BG)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8 Their (BH)tongue is a deadly arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one (BI)speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he (BJ)sets an ambush for him.
9 (BK)Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord.
“Shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?
10 “I will take up a weeping and wailing for the (BL)mountains,
And for the pastures of the (BM)wilderness a song of mourning,
Because they are (BN)laid waste so that no one passes through,
And the sound of the livestock is not heard;
Both the (BO)birds of the sky and the animals have fled; they are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem a (BP)heap of ruins,
A haunt of (BQ)jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a (BR)desolation without inhabitant.”
12 Who is the (BS)wise person who may understand this? And who is he to whom (BT)the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? (BU)Why is the land destroyed, laid waste like the desert, so that no one passes through? 13 The Lord said, “Because they have (BV)abandoned My Law which I put before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have (BW)followed the stubbornness of their heart and the (BX)Baals, [j]as their (BY)fathers taught them,” 15 therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, (BZ)I will feed this people wormwood; and I will give them (CA)poisoned water to drink. 16 I will also (CB)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the (CC)sword after them until I have put an end to them.”
17 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“Consider and call for the (CD)mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the [k](CE)skillful women, that they may come!
18 Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us,
So that our (CF)eyes may shed tears,
And our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a voice of (CG)wailing is heard from Zion:
‘(CH)How devastated we are!
We are put to great shame,
For we have (CI)abandoned the land
Because they have torn down our homes.’”
20 Now hear the word of the Lord, you (CJ)women,
And let your ears receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And have every woman teach her neighbor a song of mourning.
21 For (CK)death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our palaces
To eliminate the (CL)children from the streets,
The young men from the public squares.
22 Speak, “This is what the Lord says:
‘The corpses of people will fall (CM)like dung on the open field,
And like the sheaf after the reaper,
But no one will gather them.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 8:4 Lit turn back
- Jeremiah 8:7 Lit coming
- Jeremiah 8:18 As in LXX and ancient versions
- Jeremiah 8:19 Lit futilities
- Jeremiah 8:22 Or healing
- Jeremiah 8:22 Lit gone up
- Jeremiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
- Jeremiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
- Jeremiah 9:4 I.e., like Jacob (a play on words)
- Jeremiah 9:14 Lit which
- Jeremiah 9:17 I.e., professional mourners
Jeremiah 8:4-9:22
New International Version
Jeremiah 8:4-9:22
New International Version
Sin and Punishment
4 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?(A)
When someone turns away,(B) do they not return?
5 Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(C)
they refuse to return.(D)
6 I have listened(E) attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(F) of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(G)
like a horse charging into battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know(H)
the requirements of the Lord.
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law(I) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise(J) will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed(K) and trapped.(L)
Since they have rejected the word(M) of the Lord,
what kind of wisdom(N) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.(O)
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;(P)
prophets(Q) and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(R)
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace.(S)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame(T) at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished,(U)
says the Lord.(V)
13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.(W)
There will be no figs(X) on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.(Y)
What I have given them
will be taken(Z) from them.[a]’”
14 Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(AA)
and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water(AB) to drink,
because we have sinned(AC) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(AD)
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(AE)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(AF)
is heard from Dan;(AG)
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.(AH)
They have come to devour(AI)
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(AJ) among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,(AK)
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.
18 You who are my Comforter[b] in sorrow,
my heart is faint(AL) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
from a land far away:(AM)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King(AN) no longer there?”
20 “The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”
21 Since my people are crushed,(AR) I am crushed;
I mourn,(AS) and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?(AT)
Is there no physician(AU) there?
Why then is there no healing(AV)
for the wound of my people?
9 [c]1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!(AW)
I would weep(AX) day and night
for the slain of my people.(AY)
2 Oh, that I had in the desert(AZ)
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,(BA)
a crowd of unfaithful(BB) people.
3 “They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;(BC)
it is not by truth
that they triumph[d] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge(BD) me,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your friends;(BE)
do not trust anyone in your clan.(BF)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[e](BG)
and every friend a slanderer.(BH)
5 Friend deceives friend,(BI)
and no one speaks the truth.(BJ)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(BK)
they weary themselves with sinning.
6 You[f] live in the midst of deception;(BL)
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will refine(BM) and test(BN) them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tongue(BO) is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(BP)
but in their hearts they set traps(BQ) for them.(BR)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(BS) myself
on such a nation as this?”
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.(BT)
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(BU) have all fled
and the animals are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap(BV) of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;(BW)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(BX)
so no one can live there.”(BY)
12 Who is wise(BZ) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.(CA) 14 Instead, they have followed(CB) the stubbornness of their hearts;(CC) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food(CD) and drink poisoned water.(CE) 16 I will scatter them among nations(CF) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(CG) and I will pursue them with the sword(CH) until I have made an end of them.”(CI)
17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Consider now! Call for the wailing women(CJ) to come;
send for the most skillful of them.
18 Let them come quickly
and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
and water streams from our eyelids.(CK)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How ruined(CL) we are!
How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
because our houses are in ruins.’”
20 Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
open your ears to the words of his mouth.(CM)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.(CN)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(CO)
and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
and the young men(CP) from the public squares.
22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:
“‘Dead bodies will lie
like dung(CQ) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
- Jeremiah 8:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
- Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
- Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
- Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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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.