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Jeremiah 11-12
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jeremiah 11-12
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Reminder of the Covenant
11 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the words of this covenant(A) and tell them to the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem. 3 You must tell them: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let a curse be on the man who does not obey the words of this covenant,(B) 4 which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt,(C) out of the iron furnace.’(D) I declared: ‘Obey Me, and do everything that I command you, and you will be My people, and I will be your God,’(E) 5 in order to establish the oath I swore to your ancestors,(F) to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is today.”
I answered, “Amen, Lord.”(G)
6 The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Obey the words of this covenant and carry them out. 7 For I strongly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt until today, warning them time and time again,[a](H) ‘Obey My voice.’ 8 Yet they would not obey or pay attention; each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart.(I) So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant, because they had not done what I commanded them to do.”
9 The Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been discovered among the men of Judah(J) and the residents of Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors(K) who refused to obey My words and have followed other gods to worship them.(L) The house of Israel and the house of Judah broke My covenant I made with their ancestors.
11 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am about to bring on them disaster that they cannot escape.(M) They will cry out to Me, but I will not hear them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods they have been burning incense to, but they certainly will not save them in their time of disaster.(N) 13 Your gods are indeed as numerous as your cities, Judah,(O) and the altars you have set up to Shame[b](P)—altars to burn incense to Baal—as numerous as the streets of Jerusalem.
14 “As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf,(Q) for I will not be listening when they call out to Me at the time of their disaster.
15 What right does My beloved have
to be in My house,(R)
having carried out so many evil schemes?
Can holy meat[c](S) prevent your disaster[d]
so you can rejoice?
16 The Lord named you
a flourishing olive tree,(T)
beautiful with well-formed fruit.
He has set fire to it,
and its branches are consumed[e](U)
with a great roaring sound.(V)
17 “The Lord of Hosts who planted you(W) has decreed disaster against you, because of the harm the house of Israel and the house of Judah brought on themselves, provoking Me to anger by burning incense to Baal.”
18 The Lord informed me, so I knew.
Then You helped me to see their deeds,
19 for I was like a docile[f] lamb led to slaughter.(X)
I didn’t know that they had devised plots against me:
“Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit;[g]
let’s cut him off from the land of the living(Y)
so that his name will no longer be remembered.”
20 But, Lord of Hosts, who judges righteously,
who tests(Z) heart[h] and mind,(AA)
let me see Your vengeance on them,
for I have presented my case to You.(AB)
21 Therefore, here is what the Lord says concerning the people of Anathoth(AC) who want to take your life. They warn, “You must not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, or you will certainly die at our hand.” 22 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says: “I am about to punish them. The young men will die by the sword; their sons and daughters will die by famine.(AD) 23 They will have no remnant, for I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth(AE) in the year of their punishment.”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
12 You will be righteous, Lord,(AF)
even if I bring a case against You.
Yet, I wish to contend with You:(AG)
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?(AH)
Why do all the treacherous live at ease?
2 You planted them,(AI) and they have taken root.
They have grown and produced fruit.
You are ever on their lips,[i]
but far from their conscience.[j](AJ)
3 As for You, Lord, You know me; You see me.(AK)
You test whether my heart is with You.(AL)
Drag the wicked away like sheep to slaughter(AM)
and set them apart for the day of killing.
4 How long will the land mourn(AN)
and the grass of every field wither?
Because of the evil of its residents,
animals and birds have been swept away,
for the people have said,
“He cannot see what our end will be.”[k](AO)
The Lord’s Response
5 If you have raced with runners
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[l] in a peaceful land,
what will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?(AP)
6 Even your brothers—your own father’s household—
even they were treacherous to you;(AQ)
even they have cried out loudly after you.(AR)
Do not have confidence in them,
though they speak well of you.
7 I have abandoned My house;(AS)
I have deserted My inheritance.
I have given the love of My life
into the hands of her enemies.
8 My inheritance has acted toward Me
like a lion in the forest.
She has roared against Me.
Therefore, I hate her.(AT)
9 Is My inheritance like a hyena[m] to Me?
Are birds of prey circling her?
Go, gather all the wild animals;(AU)
bring them to devour her.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard;
they have trampled My plot of land.(AV)
They have turned My desirable plot
into a desolate wasteland.
11 They have made it a desolation.
It mourns, desolate, before Me.
All the land is desolate,
but no one takes it to heart.(AW)
12 Over all the barren heights in the wilderness
the destroyers have come,
for the Lord has a sword that devours
from one end of the earth to the other.
No one has peace.(AX)
13 They have sown wheat but harvested thorns.(AY)
They have exhausted themselves but have no profit.(AZ)
Be put to shame by your harvests
because of the Lord’s burning anger.(BA)
14 This is what the Lord says: “Concerning all My evil neighbors who attack the inheritance that I bequeathed to My people, Israel, I am about to uproot them(BB) from their land, and I will uproot the house of Judah from them. 15 After I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion(BC) on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land. 16 If they will diligently learn the ways of My people(BD)—to swear by My name, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ just as they taught My people to swear by Baal—they will be built up among My people. 17 However, if they will not obey, then I will uproot and destroy that nation.”(BE)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 11:7 Lit today, rising early and warning
- Jeremiah 11:13 = Baal
- Jeremiah 11:15 = sacrificial meat
- Jeremiah 11:15 LXX; MT reads meat pass from you
- Jeremiah 11:16 Vg; MT reads broken
- Jeremiah 11:19 Or pet
- Jeremiah 11:19 Lit bread
- Jeremiah 11:20 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 12:2 Lit are near in their mouth
- Jeremiah 12:2 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 12:4 LXX reads see our ways
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or you are secure
- Jeremiah 12:9 Hb obscure
Jeremiah 11-12
New International Version
Jeremiah 11-12
New International Version
The Covenant Is Broken
11 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the terms of this covenant(A) and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed(B) is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— 4 the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt,(C) out of the iron-smelting furnace.(D)’ I said, ‘Obey(E) me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people,(F) and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore(G) to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’(H)—the land you possess today.”
I answered, “Amen,(I) Lord.”
6 The Lord said to me, “Proclaim(J) all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow(K) them. 7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again,(L) saying, “Obey me.” 8 But they did not listen or pay attention;(M) instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(N) So I brought on them all the curses(O) of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.(P)’”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy(Q) among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors,(R) who refused to listen to my words.(S) They have followed other gods(T) to serve them.(U) Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant(V) I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster(W) they cannot escape.(X) Although they cry(Y) out to me, I will not listen(Z) to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense,(AA) but they will not help them at all when disaster(AB) strikes. 13 You, Judah, have as many gods(AC) as you have towns;(AD) and the altars you have set up to burn incense(AE) to that shameful(AF) god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’
14 “Do not pray(AG) for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen(AH) when they call to me in the time of their distress.
15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple
as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
Can consecrated meat(AI) avert your punishment?(AJ)
When you engage in your wickedness,
then you rejoice.[a]”
16 The Lord called you a thriving olive tree(AK)
with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
he will set it on fire,(AL)
and its branches will be broken.(AM)
17 The Lord Almighty, who planted(AN) you, has decreed disaster(AO) for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused(AP) my anger by burning incense to Baal.(AQ)
Plot Against Jeremiah
18 Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;(AR) I did not realize that they had plotted(AS) against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,(AT)
that his name be remembered(AU) no more.”
20 But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously(AV)
and test the heart(AW) and mind,(AX)
let me see your vengeance(AY) on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth(AZ) who are threatening to kill you,(BA) saying, “Do not prophesy(BB) in the name of the Lord or you will die(BC) by our hands”— 22 therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men(BD) will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23 Not even a remnant(BE) will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.(BF)”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
12 You are always righteous,(BG) Lord,
when I bring a case(BH) before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:(BI)
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?(BJ)
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have planted(BK) them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.(BL)
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.(BM)
3 Yet you know me, Lord;
you see me and test(BN) my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep(BO) to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!(BP)
4 How long will the land lie parched(BQ)
and the grass in every field be withered?(BR)
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.(BS)
Moreover, the people are saying,
“He will not see what happens to us.”
God’s Answer
5 “If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[b] in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets(BT) by[c] the Jordan?
6 Your relatives, members of your own family—
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.(BU)
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.(BV)
7 “I will forsake(BW) my house,
abandon(BX) my inheritance;
I will give the one I love(BY)
into the hands of her enemies.(BZ)
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lion(CA) in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.(CB)
9 Has not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of prey
that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.(CC)
10 Many shepherds(CD) will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.(CE)
11 It will be made a wasteland,(CF)
parched and desolate before me;(CG)
the whole land will be laid waste
because there is no one who cares.
12 Over all the barren heights in the desert
destroyers will swarm,
for the sword(CH) of the Lord(CI) will devour(CJ)
from one end of the land to the other;(CK)
no one will be safe.(CL)
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.(CM)
They will bear the shame of their harvest
because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”(CN)
14 This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance(CO) I gave my people Israel, I will uproot(CP) them from their lands and I will uproot(CQ) the people of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion(CR) and will bring(CS) each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. 16 And if they learn(CT) well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’(CU)—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal(CV)—then they will be established among my people.(CW) 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy(CX) it,” declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 11:15 Or Could consecrated meat avert your punishment? / Then you would rejoice
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or you feel secure only
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or the flooding of
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