Jeremiah 1:1-21:6
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
1 The words of (A)Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in (B)Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of (C)Josiah the son of (D)Amon, king of Judah, in the (E)thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of (F)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of (G)Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I (H)formed you in the womb I knew you,
And (I)before you were born I consecrated you;
I have (J)appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then (K)I said, “Oh, Lord [a]God!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because (L)I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
(M)Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And (N)all that I command you, you shall speak.
8 (O)Do not be afraid of them,
For (P)I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and (Q)touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have (R)put My words in your mouth.
10 See, (S)I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
(T)To root out and to tear down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
(U)To build and to plant.”
The Almond Branch and Boiling Pot
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “What do you see, (V)Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a branch of an [b]almond tree.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for (W)I am [c]watching over My word to perform it.”
13 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “(X)What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling (Y)pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “(Z)Out of the north the evil [d]will be unleashed on all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, behold, I am calling (AA)all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the Lord; “and they will come and (AB)place, each one of them, his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls around, and against all the (AC)cities of Judah. 16 And I will [e]pronounce My judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, since they have (AD)abandoned Me and have [f](AE)offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the (AF)works of their own hands. 17 Now, (AG)belt your garment around your waist and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. (AH)Do not be dismayed before them, or I will make you dismayed before them. 18 Now behold, I have made you today like a fortified city and like a pillar of iron and walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its leaders, to its priests, and to the people of the land. 19 And they will fight against you but they will not overcome you, for (AI)I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord.
Judah’s Apostasy
2 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Go and (AJ)proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“I remember regarding you the [g](AK)devotion of your youth,
Your love when you were a bride,
(AL)Your following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
3 Israel was (AM)holy to the Lord,
The (AN)first of His harvest.
(AO)All who ate of it became guilty;
Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’”
4 Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 This is what the Lord says:
“(AP)What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me,
And walked after (AQ)emptiness and became empty?
6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
Who (AR)brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who (AS)led us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of [h]deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no person lived?’
7 I brought you into the (AT)fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and (AU)defiled My land,
And you made My inheritance an abomination.
8 The (AV)priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the Law (AW)did not know Me;
The [i]rulers also revolted against Me,
And the (AX)prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after (AY)things that were of no benefit.
9 “Therefore I will still (AZ)contend with you,” declares the Lord,
“And I will contend with your sons’ sons.
10 For (BA)cross to the coastlands of [j]Kittim and see,
And send to (BB)Kedar and observe closely,
And see if there has been anything like this!
11 Has a nation changed gods,
When (BC)they were not gods?
But My people have (BD)exchanged their glory
For that which is of no benefit.
12 Be appalled at this, (BE)you heavens,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have abandoned Me,
The (BF)fountain of living waters,
To carve out for themselves (BG)cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That do not hold water.
14 “Is Israel (BH)a slave? Or is he a servant born in the home?
Why has he become plunder?
15 The young (BI)lions have roared at him,
They have [k]roared loudly.
And they have (BJ)made his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 Also the [l]men of (BK)Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have [m]shaved (BL)your head.
17 Have you not (BM)done this to yourself
By your abandoning the Lord your God
When He (BN)led you in the way?
18 But now what are you doing (BO)on the road to Egypt,
Except to drink the waters of the [n](BP)Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
Except to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?
19 (BQ)Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your (BR)apostasies will punish you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and (BS)bitter
For you to abandon the Lord your God,
And (BT)the fear of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord [o]God of armies.
20 “For long ago [p](BU)I broke your yoke
And tore off your restraints;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every (BV)high hill
And under every leafy tree
You have lain down as a prostitute.
21 Yet I (BW)planted you as a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the (BX)degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 Although you (BY)wash yourself with lye
And [q]use much soap,
The (BZ)stain of your guilt is before Me,” declares the Lord [r]God.
23 “(CA)How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the (CB)Baals’?
Look at your way in the (CC)valley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel (CD)running about senselessly on her ways,
24 A (CE)wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
Who can turn her away in her mating season?
None who seek her will grow weary;
In her month they will find her.
25 Keep your feet from being bare,
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘(CF)It is [s]hopeless!
No! For I have (CG)loved strangers,
And I will walk after them.’
26 “Like the shame of a (CH)thief when he is discovered,
So the house of Israel is shamed;
They, their kings, their leaders,
Their priests, and their prophets,
27 Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their (CI)backs to Me,
And not their faces;
But in the (CJ)time of their [t]trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us!’
28 But where are your (CK)gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can (CL)save you
In the time of your [u]trouble!
For (CM)as many as the number of your cities
Are your gods, Judah.
29 “Why do you contend with Me?
You have (CN)all revolted against Me,” declares the Lord.
30 “(CO)In vain I have struck your sons;
They did not accept discipline.
Your (CP)sword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
31 You generation, look to the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a (CQ)land of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘(CR)We are free to roam;
We will no longer come to You’?
32 Can a virgin forget her jewelry,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have (CS)forgotten Me
For days without number.
33 How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even to the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
The (CT)lifeblood of the innocent poor;
You did not find them (CU)breaking in.
But in spite of all these things,
35 You said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will (CV)enter into judgment with you
Because you (CW)say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 Why do you (CX)go around so much
Changing your way?
Also, (CY)you will be put to shame by Egypt,
Just as you were put to shame by (CZ)Assyria.
37 From this place as well you will go out
With (DA)your hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected (DB)those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”
The Defiled Land
3 God [v]says, “(DC)If a husband divorces his wife
And she leaves him
And becomes another man’s wife,
Will he return to her again?
Would that land not be completely defiled?
But you (DD)are a prostitute with many [w]lovers;
Yet you (DE)turn to Me,” declares the Lord.
2 “Raise your eyes to the (DF)bare heights and see;
Where have you not been violated?
You have (DG)sat for them by the roads
Like an Arab in the desert,
And you have (DH)defiled a land
With your prostitution and your wickedness.
3 Therefore the (DI)showers have been withheld,
And there has been no spring rain.
Yet you had a (DJ)prostitute’s [x]forehead;
You refused to be ashamed.
4 Have you not just now called to Me,
‘(DK)My Father, You are the (DL)friend of my (DM)youth?
5 (DN)Will He be angry forever,
Or keep His anger to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken
And have done evil things,
And you have [y]had your own way.”
Faithless Israel
6 Then the Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She (DO)went up on every high hill and under every leafy tree, and she prostituted herself there. 7 Yet (DP)I [z]thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her (DQ)treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw that for all the [aa]adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and (DR)given her a certificate of divorce, yet her (DS)treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and prostituted herself also. 9 And because of the thoughtlessness of her prostitution, she (DT)defiled the land and committed [ab]adultery with (DU)stones and trees. 10 Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in (DV)deception,” declares the Lord.
God Invites Repentance
11 And the Lord said to me, “(DW)Faithless Israel has proved herself to be more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,
‘(DX)Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘(DY)I will not [ac]look at you in anger.
For I am (DZ)gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 Only [ad](EA)acknowledge your wrongdoing,
That you have revolted against the Lord your God,
And have (EB)scattered your [ae]favors to the strangers (EC)under every leafy tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, you faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a (ED)master to you,
And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
And (EE)bring you to Zion.’
15 “Then I will give you (EF)shepherds [af]after My own heart, who will (EG)feed you knowledge and understanding. 16 And it shall be in those days when you become numerous and are fruitful in the land,” declares the Lord, “they will (EH)no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor miss it, nor will it be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The (EI)Throne of the Lord,’ and (EJ)all the nations will assemble at it, at Jerusalem, for the (EK)name of the Lord; and they will no longer (EL)follow the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18 (EM)In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together (EN)from the land of the north to the (EO)land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.
19 “Then I said,
‘How I would set you among [ag]My sons
And give you a pleasant land,
The most (EP)beautiful inheritance of the nations!’
And I said, ‘You shall call Me, (EQ)My Father,
And not turn away from following Me.’
20 However, as a woman treacherously leaves her lover,
So you have (ER)dealt treacherously with Me,
House of Israel,” declares the Lord.
21 A voice is heard on the (ES)bare heights,
The weeping, the pleading of the sons of Israel.
Because they have perverted their way,
They have (ET)forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, you faithless sons,
(EU)I will heal your faithlessness.”
“Behold, we come to You;
For You are the Lord our God.
23 Certainly (EV)the hills are a deception,
[ah]Commotion on the mountains.
Certainly in the (EW)Lord our God
Is the salvation of Israel.
24 “But (EX)the shame has consumed the product of our fathers’ labor since our youth—their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our (EY)shame, and let our humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, (EZ)from our youth even to this day. And we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”
Judah Threatened with Invasion
4 “If you will (FA)return, Israel,” declares the Lord,
“Then you should return to Me.
And (FB)if you will put away your detestable things from My presence,
And will not waver,
2 And if you will (FC)swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’
(FD)In truth, in justice, and in righteousness;
Then the (FE)nations will bless themselves in Him,
And (FF)in Him they will boast.”
3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“[ai](FG)Break up your uncultivated ground,
And (FH)do not sow among thorns.
4 (FI)Circumcise yourselves to the Lord
And remove the foreskins of your hearts,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My (FJ)wrath will spread like fire
And burn with (FK)no one to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds.”
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
“(FL)Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry aloud and say,
‘(FM)Assemble, and let’s go
Into the fortified cities.’
6 Raise a (FN)flag toward Zion!
Take refuge, do not stand still,
For I am bringing (FO)evil from the north,
And great destruction.
7 A (FP)lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a (FQ)destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To (FR)make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruins,
Without an inhabitant.
8 For this, (FS)put on sackcloth,
Mourn and wail;
For the (FT)fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned away from us.”
9 “And it shall come about on that day,” declares the Lord, “that the (FU)heart of the king and the hearts of the leaders will fail; and the priests will tremble, and the (FV)prophets will be astonished.”
10 Then I said, “Oh, Lord [aj]God! Surely You have utterly (FW)deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘(FX)You will have peace’; yet a sword touches the [ak]throat.”
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A (FY)scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness, in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too [al]strong for [am]this—will come [an]at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.”
13 “Behold, he (FZ)goes up like clouds,
And his (GA)chariots like the whirlwind;
His horses are (GB)swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for (GC)we are ruined!”
14 Wash your heart from evil, Jerusalem,
So that you may be saved.
How long will your (GD)wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from (GE)Dan,
And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.
16 “Report it to the nations, now!
Proclaim to Jerusalem,
‘[ao]Enemies are coming from a (GF)remote country,
And (GG)they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.
17 Like watchmen of a field they are (GH)against her all around,
Because she has (GI)rebelled against Me,’ declares the Lord.
18 Your (GJ)ways and your deeds
Have [ap]brought these things upon you.
This is your evil. How (GK)bitter!
How it has touched your heart!”
Grief over Judah’s Devastation
19 (GL)My [aq]soul, my [ar]soul! I am in anguish! [as]Oh, my heart!
My (GM)heart is pounding in me;
I cannot keep silent,
Because, [at]my soul, you have heard
The (GN)sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20 (GO)Disaster upon disaster is proclaimed,
For the (GP)whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my (GQ)tents are devastated,
And my curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see the flag
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “(GR)For My people are foolish,
They do not know Me;
They are foolish children
And have no understanding.
They are skillful at (GS)doing evil,
But they do not know how to do good.”
23 I looked at the earth, and behold, it was a [au](GT)formless and desolate emptiness;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were (GU)quaking,
And all the hills jolted back and forth.
25 I looked, and behold, there was no human,
And all the (GV)birds of the sky had fled.
26 I looked, and behold, [av]the (GW)fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were pulled down
Before the Lord, before His fierce anger.
27 For this is what the Lord says:
“The (GX)whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will (GY)not execute a complete destruction.
28 For this the (GZ)earth will mourn,
And the (HA)heavens above will become dark,
Because I have (HB)spoken, I have purposed,
And I have not [aw]changed My mind, nor will I turn from it.”
29 At the sound of the horseman and archer (HC)every city flees;
They (HD)go into the thickets and climb among the rocks;
(HE)Every city is abandoned,
And no one lives in them.
30 And you, desolate one, (HF)what will you do?
Although you dress in scarlet,
Although you adorn yourself with jewelry of gold,
Although you (HG)enlarge your eyes with makeup,
In vain you make yourself beautiful.
Your [ax](HH)lovers despise you;
They seek your life.
31 For I heard a voice cry as of a woman in labor,
The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child.
The voice of the daughter of Zion (HI)gasping for breath,
(HJ)Stretching out her [ay]hands, saying,
“Ah, woe to me, for [az]I faint before murderers.”
Jerusalem’s Godlessness
5 “(HK)Roam about through the streets of Jerusalem,
And look and take notice.
And seek in her public squares,
If you can (HL)find a person,
(HM)If there is one who does justice, who seeks honesty,
Then I will forgive [ba]her.
2 And (HN)although they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’
Certainly they swear falsely.”
3 Lord, do (HO)Your eyes not look for honesty?
You have (HP)struck them,
But they did not [bb]weaken;
You have consumed them,
But they (HQ)refused to accept discipline.
They have (HR)made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to repent.
4 Then I said, “They are only the poor,
They are foolish;
For they (HS)do not know the way of the Lord
Or the judgment of their God.
5 I will go to the great
And speak to them,
For (HT)they know the way of the Lord
And the judgment of their God.”
But together they too have (HU)broken the yoke
And burst the restraints.
6 Therefore (HV)a lion from the forest will kill them,
A (HW)wolf of the deserts will destroy them,
A (HX)leopard is watching their cities.
Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces,
Because their (HY)wrongdoings are many,
Their apostasies are numerous.
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And (HZ)sworn by those who are (IA)not gods.
When I had fed them to the full,
They (IB)committed adultery
And stayed at the prostitute’s house.
8 They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing at his (IC)neighbor’s wife.
9 Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord,
“And (ID)shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?
10 “Go up through her vine rows and destroy,
But do not execute a complete destruction;
Strip away her branches,
For they are not the Lord’s.
11 For the (IE)house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the Lord.
12 They have (IF)lied about the Lord
And said, “[bc](IG)Not He;
Misfortune will (IH)not come upon us,
(II)Nor will we see sword or famine.
13 The (IJ)prophets are as wind,
And the word is not in them.
So it will be done to them!”
Judgment Proclaimed
14 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of armies says:
“Because you have spoken this word,
Behold, I am (IK)making My words fire in your mouth,
And this people wood, and it will consume them.
15 Behold, I am (IL)bringing a nation against you from far away, you house of Israel,” declares the Lord.
“It is an enduring nation,
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose (IM)language you do not know,
Nor can you understand what they say.
16 Their (IN)quiver is like an (IO)open grave,
All of them are warriors.
17 They will (IP)devour your harvest and your food;
They will devour your sons and your daughters;
They will devour your flocks and your herds;
They will devour your (IQ)vines and your fig trees;
They will demolish your (IR)fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not make a complete destruction of you. 19 And it shall come about (IS)when [bd]they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Just as you have abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will (IT)serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Now hear this, you foolish and [be]senseless people,
Who have (IU)eyes but do not see,
Who have ears but do not hear.
22 Do you not (IV)fear Me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have (IW)placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal limit, and it will not cross over it.
Though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, they will not cross over it.
23 But this people has a (IX)stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and departed.
24 They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
Who (IY)gives rain in its season,
Both (IZ)the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The (JA)appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 Your (JB)wrongdoings have turned these away,
And your sins have kept good away from you.
26 For wicked people are found among My people,
They (JC)watch like fowlers [bf]lying in wait;
They set a trap,
They catch people.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of (JD)deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.
28 They are (JE)fat, they are sleek,
They also [bg]excel in deeds of wickedness;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the [bh](JF)orphan, so that they may be successful;
And they do not [bi]defend the rights of the poor.
29 (JG)Shall I not punish them for these things?’ declares the Lord,
‘Or shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?’
30 “An appalling and (JH)horrible thing
Has happened in the land:
31 The (JI)prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule [bj]on their own authority;
And My people (JJ)love it this way!
But what will you do [bk]when the end comes?
The Coming Destruction of Jerusalem
6 “Flee to safety, you sons of (JK)Benjamin,
From the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow a trumpet in Tekoa
And raise a warning signal over [bl](JL)Beth-haccerem;
For evil looks down from the (JM)north,
Along with a great destruction.
2 The beautiful and (JN)delicate one, (JO)the daughter of Zion, I will destroy.
3 (JP)Shepherds and their flocks will come to her,
They will (JQ)pitch their tents [bm]around her,
They will pasture, each in his [bn]place.
4 ‘[bo](JR)Prepare for war against her;
Arise, and let’s [bp]attack at (JS)noon.
Woe to us, for the day declines,
For the shadows of the evening lengthen!
5 Arise, and let’s [bq]attack by night
And (JT)destroy her [br]palaces!’”
6 For this is what the Lord of armies says:
“(JU)Cut down her trees
And pile up an (JV)assault ramp against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
In whose midst there is only (JW)oppression.
7 (JX)As a well [bs]keeps its waters fresh,
So she [bt]keeps fresh her wickedness.
(JY)Violence and destruction are heard in her;
(JZ)Sickness and wounds are constantly before Me.
8 (KA)Be warned, Jerusalem,
Or [bu](KB)I shall be alienated from you,
And make you a desolation,
An uninhabited land.”
9 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“They will (KC)thoroughly glean the (KD)remnant of Israel like the vine;
Pass your hand over the branches again
Like a grape gatherer.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
That they may hear?
Behold, their (KE)ears are [bv]closed
And they cannot listen.
Behold, (KF)the word of the Lord has become for them a rebuke;
They take no delight in it.
11 But I am (KG)full of the wrath of the Lord;
I am (KH)weary of holding it in.
“(KI)Pour it out on the children in the street
And on the [bw]gathering of young men together;
For both husband and wife shall be taken,
The old [bx]and the very old.
12 Their (KJ)houses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together;
For I will (KK)stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord.
13 “For (KL)from the least of them to the greatest of them,
Everyone is (KM)greedy for gain,
And from the prophet to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.
14 They have (KN)healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
15 Were they (KO)ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They were not ashamed at all,
Nor did they know even how to be ashamed.
Therefore they will fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They will collapse,” says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the (KP)ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
Then (KQ)you will find a resting place for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 And I set (KR)watchmen over you, saying,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 Therefore hear, you nations,
And know, you congregation, what is among them.
19 (KS)Hear, earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people,
The (KT)fruit of their [by]plans,
Because they have not listened to My words,
And as for My Law, they have (KU)rejected it also.
20 (KV)For what purpose does (KW)frankincense come to Me from Sheba,
And the [bz](KX)sweet cane from a distant land?
(KY)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable
And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”
21 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, (KZ)I am [ca]placing stumbling blocks before this people.
And they will stumble against them,
(LA)Fathers and sons together;
Neighbor and [cb]friend will perish.”
The Enemy from the North
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Behold, there is (LB)a people coming from the north land,
And a great nation will be stirred up from the (LC)remote parts of the earth.
23 They seize (LD)bow and spear;
They are (LE)cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice (LF)roars like the sea,
And they ride on horses,
Lined up as a man for the battle
Against you, daughter of Zion!”
24 We have (LG)heard the report of it;
Our hands are limp.
(LH)Anguish has seized us,
Pain like that of a woman in childbirth.
25 (LI)Do not go out into the field,
And (LJ)do not walk on the road;
For the enemy has a sword,
(LK)Terror is on every side.
26 Daughter of my people, (LL)put on sackcloth
And (LM)roll in ashes;
[cc](LN)Mourn as for an only son,
A most bitter mourning.
For suddenly the destroyer
Will come against us.
27 “I have (LO)made you an assayer and an examiner among My people,
So that you may know and put their way to the test.”
28 All of them are stubbornly rebellious,
(LP)Going about as a slanderer;
They are (LQ)bronze and iron.
They are, all of them, corrupt.
29 The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
In vain the refining goes on,
But the (LR)wicked are not [cd]separated.
30 (LS)They call them rejected silver,
Because the (LT)Lord has rejected them.
Message at the Temple Gate
7 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “(LU)Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the Lord!’” 3 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “(LV)Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you live in this place. 4 (LW)Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘[ce]This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ 5 For (LX)if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly (LY)practice justice between a person and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the [cf](LZ)orphan, or the widow, and do not shed (MA)innocent blood in this place, nor (MB)follow other gods to your own ruin, 7 then I will let you (MC)live in this place, in the (MD)land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
8 “Behold, you are trusting in (ME)deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, [cg](MF)offer sacrifices to Baal, and follow (MG)other gods that you have not known, 10 then (MH)come and stand before Me in (MI)this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are saved!’—so that you may do all these abominations? 11 Has (MJ)this house, which is called by My name, become a (MK)den of robbers in your sight? Behold, (ML)I Myself have seen it,” declares the Lord.
12 “But go now to My place which was in (MM)Shiloh, where I (MN)made My name dwell at the beginning, and (MO)see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these things,” declares the Lord, “and I spoke to you, (MP)speaking again and again, but you did not listen, and I (MQ)called you but you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the (MR)house which is called by My name, (MS)in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, just as I (MT)did to Shiloh. 15 I will (MU)hurl you out of My sight, just as I have hurled out all your brothers, all the [ch]descendants of (MV)Ephraim.
16 “As for you, (MW)do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not plead with Me; for I am not listening to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The [ci]children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make sacrificial cakes for the queen of heaven; and they (MX)pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to (MY)provoke Me to anger. 19 (MZ)Are they provoking Me?” declares the Lord. “Is it not themselves instead, to their [cj]own (NA)shame?” 20 Therefore this is what the Lord [ck]God says: “Behold, My (NB)anger and My wrath will be poured out on this place, on human and animal life, and on the (NC)trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; and it will burn and not be quenched.”
21 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Add your (ND)burnt offerings to your sacrifices and (NE)eat flesh. 22 For I did not (NF)speak to your fathers, or command them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this is [cl]what I commanded them, saying, ‘(NG)Obey My voice, and (NH)I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you shall walk [cm]entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may (NI)go well for you.’ 24 Yet they (NJ)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked by their own advice and in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and they [cn](NK)went backward and not forward. 25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have (NL)sent you all My servants the prophets, sending them daily, again and again. 26 Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but (NM)stiffened their neck; they (NN)did more evil than their fathers.
27 “So you shall (NO)speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; and you shall call to them, but they will (NP)not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that (NQ)did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept discipline; [co](NR)trustworthiness has perished and has been eliminated from their mouth.
29 (NS)Cut off [cp]your hair and throw it away,
And (NT)take up a song of mourning on the bare heights;
For the Lord has (NU)rejected and forsaken
The generation of His wrath.’
30 For the sons of Judah have done that which is evil in My sight,” declares the Lord. “They have (NV)put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. 31 They have (NW)built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, to (NX)burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I (NY)did not command, and it did not come into My [cq]mind.
32 “(NZ)Therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but the Valley of the Slaughter; for they will (OA)bury in Topheth [cr]because there is no other place. 33 The (OB)dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth; and no one will frighten them away. 34 Then I will (OC)eliminate from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride; for the (OD)land will become a site of ruins.
The Sin and Treachery of Judah
8 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “they will (OE)bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. 2 They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the (OF)heavenly [cs]lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered (OG)nor buried; (OH)they will be like dung on the face of the ground. 3 And (OI)death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the (OJ)places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of armies.
4 “You shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“Do people (OK)fall and not get up?
Does one turn away and not [ct]repent?
5 Why has this people, Jerusalem,
(OL)Turned away in continual apostasy?
They (OM)hold on to deceit,
They (ON)refuse to return.
6 I (OO)have listened and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
(OP)No one repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
Like a (OQ)horse charging into the battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
(OR)Knows her seasons;
And the (OS)turtledove, the swallow, and the crane
Keep to the time of their [cu]migration;
But (OT)My people do not know
The judgment of the Lord.
8 “(OU)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 (OV)put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have (OW)rejected the word of the Lord,
So what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will (OX)give their wives to others,
Their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is (OY)greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone practices deceit.
11 They have (OZ)healed the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
12 Were they (PA)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 (PB)fall among those who fall;
At the (PC)time of their punishment they will collapse,”
Says the Lord.
13 “I will (PD)certainly snatch them away,” declares the Lord.
“There will be (PE)no grapes on the vine
And (PF)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?
(PG)Assemble yourselves, and let’s (PH)go into the fortified cities
And perish there,
For the Lord our God has doomed us
And given us (PI)poisoned water to drink,
Because (PJ)we have sinned against the Lord.
15 We (PK)waited for peace, but no good came;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 From (PL)Dan there is heard the snorting of his horses;
At the sound of the neighing of his (PM)stallions
The whole land quakes;
For they come and (PN)devour the land and its fullness,
The city and its inhabitants.
17 “For behold, I am (PO)sending serpents among you,
Vipers for which there is (PP)no charm;
And they will bite you,” declares the Lord.
18 [cv]My (PQ)sorrow is beyond healing,
My (PR)heart is faint within me!
19 Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a (PS)distant land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”
“Why have they (PT)provoked Me with their carved images, with foreign [cw](PU)idols?”
20 “Harvest is past, summer is over,
And we are not saved.”
21 I am broken over the (PV)brokenness of the daughter of my people.
I (PW)mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no (PX)balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
(PY)Why then has not the [cx]health of the daughter of my people [cy]been restored?
Grief over Zion
9 [cz](PZ)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 (QA)daughter of my people!
2 [da](QB)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 (QC)adulterers,
An assembly of (QD)treacherous people.
3 “They (QE)bend their tongues like their bows;
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they (QF)proceed from evil to evil,
And they (QG)do not know Me,” declares the Lord.
4 “Let everyone (QH)be on guard against his neighbor,
And (QI)do not trust any brother;
Because every (QJ)brother utterly [db]betrays,
And every neighbor (QK)goes about as a slanderer.
5 Everyone (QL)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth.
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (QM)weary themselves committing wrongdoing.
6 Your (QN)dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (QO)refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says:
“Behold, I will refine them and (QP)put them to the test;
For (QQ)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8 Their (QR)tongue is a deadly arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one (QS)speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he (QT)sets an ambush for him.
9 (QU)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 (QV)mountains,
And for the pastures of the (QW)wilderness a song of mourning,
Because they are (QX)laid waste so that no one passes through,
And the sound of the livestock is not heard;
Both the (QY)birds of the sky and the animals have fled; they are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem a (QZ)heap of ruins,
A haunt of (RA)jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a (RB)desolation without inhabitant.”
12 Who is the (RC)wise person who may understand this? And who is he to whom (RD)the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? (RE)Why is the land destroyed, laid waste like the desert, so that no one passes through? 13 The Lord said, “Because they have (RF)abandoned My Law which I put before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have (RG)followed the stubbornness of their heart and the (RH)Baals, [dc]as their (RI)fathers taught them,” 15 therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, (RJ)I will feed this people wormwood; and I will give them (RK)poisoned water to drink. 16 I will also (RL)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the (RM)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 (RN)mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the [dd](RO)skillful women, that they may come!
18 Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us,
So that our (RP)eyes may shed tears,
And our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a voice of (RQ)wailing is heard from Zion:
‘(RR)How devastated we are!
We are put to great shame,
For we have (RS)abandoned the land
Because they have torn down our homes.’”
20 Now hear the word of the Lord, you (RT)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 (RU)death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our palaces
To eliminate the (RV)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 (RW)like dung on the open field,
And like the sheaf after the reaper,
But no one will gather them.’”
23 This is what the Lord says: “(RX)Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the (RY)mighty man boast of his might, nor a (RZ)rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts (SA)boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who (SB)exercises [de]mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I (SC)delight in these things,” declares the Lord.
25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet (SD)uncircumcised— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and (SE)all those inhabiting the desert who trim the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (SF)uncircumcised of heart.”
A Satire on Idolatry
10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:
“(SG)Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens,
Although the nations are terrified by them;
3 For the customs of the peoples are (SH)futile;
For (SI)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 They (SJ)decorate the idol with silver and gold;
They (SK)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not totter.
5 They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
And they (SL)cannot speak;
They must be (SM)carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they (SN)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 (SO)There is none like You, Lord;
You are (SP)great, and Your name is great in might.
7 (SQ)Who would not fear You, O (SR)King of the nations?
For it is Your due!
For among all the (SS)wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether (ST)stupid and foolish;
The instruction from idols is nothing but wood!
9 Beaten (SU)silver is brought from (SV)Tarshish,
And (SW)gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Their clothing is of violet and purple;
They are all the (SX)work of skilled people.
10 But the Lord is the (SY)true God;
He is the (SZ)living God and the (TA)everlasting King.
The (TB)earth quakes at His wrath,
And the nations cannot (TC)endure His indignation.
11 [df]This is what you shall say to them: “The (TD)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will (TE)perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”
12 It is (TF)He who made the earth by His power,
Who (TG)established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has (TH)stretched out the heavens.
13 When He utters His (TI)voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens,
And He makes the (TJ)clouds ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the (TK)wind from His storehouses.
14 Every person is (TL)stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
For his cast metal images are deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are (TM)worthless, a work of mockery;
At the (TN)time of their punishment they will perish.
16 The (TO)Portion of Jacob is not like these;
For He is the [dg](TP)Maker of everything,
And (TQ)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The (TR)Lord of armies is His name.
17 (TS)Pick up your bundle from the ground,
You who live under siege!
18 For this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, I am (TT)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And I will cause them distress,
So that they may [dh]be found.”
19 (TU)Woe to me, because of my [di]injury!
My (TV)wound is incurable.
But I said, “This certainly is a sickness,
And I (TW)must endure it.”
20 My (TX)tent is destroyed,
And all my ropes are broken.
My (TY)sons have gone from me and are no more.
There is (TZ)no one to stretch out my tent again
Or to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become stupid
And (UA)have not sought the Lord.
Therefore they have not prospered,
And (UB)all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a (UC)report! Behold, it is coming—
A great roar (UD)from the land of the north—
To (UE)make the cities of Judah
A desolation, a haunt of jackals.
23 I know, Lord, that (UF)a person’s way is not in himself,
(UG)Nor is it in a person who walks to direct his steps.
24 (UH)Correct me, Lord, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will [dj]bring me to nothing.
25 (UI)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that (UJ)do not know You,
And on the families who (UK)do not call upon Your name;
For they have devoured Jacob;
They have (UL)devoured him and consumed him,
And have laid waste his [dk]settlement.
The Broken Covenant
11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “(UM)Hear the words of this (UN)covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “(UO)Cursed is the one who does not obey the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your forefathers on the (UP)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the (UQ)iron furnace, saying, ‘(UR)Listen to My voice, and [dl]do according to all that I command you; so you shall be (US)My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to confirm the (UT)oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I replied, “(UU)Amen, Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me, “(UV)Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘(UW)Hear the words of this covenant and (UX)do them. 7 For I solemnly (UY)warned your fathers on the (UZ)day I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, (VA)warning them persistently, saying, “(VB)Listen to My voice.” 8 Yet they (VC)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the stubbornness of their evil heart, each one of them; therefore I brought on them all the (VD)words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “A (VE)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have (VF)turned back to the wrongdoings of their [dm]ancestors who (VG)refused to hear My words, and they (VH)have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have (VI)broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am (VJ)bringing disaster on them which they will (VK)not be able to escape; though they will (VL)cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will (VM)go and cry out to the gods to whom they [dn]burn incense, but they certainly will not save them in the time of their disaster. 13 For your gods are [do](VN)as many as your cities, Judah; and [dp]as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the (VO)shameful thing, altars for [dq](VP)burning incense to Baal.
14 “So as for you, (VQ)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will (VR)not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.
15 What right has My (VS)beloved in My house
When (VT)she has carried out many evil schemes?
Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
[dr]So that you can rejoice?”
16 The Lord named you
“A (VU)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the (VV)noise of a great [ds]tumult
He has (VW)set fire to it,
And its branches are worthless.
17 The Lord of armies, who (VX)planted you, has (VY)pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, which they have [dt]done to provoke Me by [du](VZ)offering sacrifices to Baal.
Plots against Jeremiah
18 Moreover, the Lord (WA)made it known to me and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle (WB)lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had (WC)devised plots against me, saying,
“Let’s destroy the tree with its [dv]fruit,
And (WD)let’s cut him off from the (WE)land of the living,
So that his (WF)name will no longer be remembered.”
20 But, Lord of armies, who (WG)judges righteously,
Who (WH)puts the [dw]feelings and the heart to the test,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You I have [dx]committed my cause.
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the people of (WI)Anathoth, who are (WJ)seeking your life, saying: “(WK)Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you do not (WL)die by our hand”; 22 therefore, this is what the Lord of armies says: “Behold, I am going to (WM)punish them! The (WN)young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine; 23 and a remnant (WO)will not be left to them, because I will (WP)bring disaster on the people of Anathoth—(WQ)the year of their punishment.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer
12 (WR)Righteous are You, Lord, when I plead my case with You;
Nevertheless I would (WS)discuss matters of justice with You:
Why has the (WT)way of the wicked prospered?
Why are all those who (WU)deal in treachery at ease?
2 You have (WV)planted them, they have also taken root;
They grow, they have also produced fruit.
You are (WW)near [dy]to their lips
But far from their [dz]mind.
3 But You (WX)know me, Lord;
You see me
And (WY)examine my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter,
And [ea]set them apart for a (WZ)day of slaughter!
4 How long is the (XA)land to mourn,
And the (XB)vegetation of the [eb]countryside to dry up?
Due to the (XC)wickedness of those who live in it,
(XD)Animals and birds have been snatched away,
Because people have said, “He will not see our final (XE)end.”
5 “If you have run with infantrymen and they have tired you out,
How can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the (XF)thicket by the Jordan?
6 For even your (XG)brothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have called aloud after you.
Do not believe them, though they say (XH)nice things to you.”
God’s Answer
7 “I have (XI)forsaken My house,
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have handed the (XJ)beloved of My soul
Over to her enemies.
8 My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has [ec](XK)roared against Me;
Therefore I have come to (XL)hate her.
9 Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the (XM)birds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the (XN)animals of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 Many (XO)shepherds have ruined My (XP)vineyard,
They have (XQ)trampled down My field;
They have made My (XR)pleasant field
A desolate wilderness.
11 [ed]It has been made a desolation;
Desolate, it (XS)mourns [ee]before Me;
The (XT)whole land has been made desolate,
Because no one (XU)takes it to heart.
12 On all the [ef](XV)bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For the (XW)sword of the Lord is devouring
From one end of the land even to the [eg]other;
There is (XX)no peace for [eh]anyone.
13 They have (XY)sown wheat but have harvested thorns,
They have (XZ)strained themselves [ei]to no profit.
So be ashamed of your (YA)produce
Because of the (YB)fierce anger of the Lord.”
14 This is what the Lord says concerning all My (YC)wicked neighbors who (YD)do harm to the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel: “Behold, I am going to drive them out of their land, and I will (YE)drive the house of Judah out from among them. 15 And it will come about that after I have driven them out, I will (YF)again have compassion on them; and I will (YG)bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. 16 Then, if they will really (YH)learn the ways of My people, to (YI)swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ just as they taught My people to (YJ)swear by Baal, they will be (YK)built up in the midst of My people. 17 But if they do not listen, then I will (YL)drive out that nation, drive it out and destroy it,” declares the Lord.
The Ruined Undergarment
13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and (YM)buy yourself a linen undergarment and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the undergarment in accordance with the (YN)word of the Lord, and put it around my waist. 3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the undergarment that you bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the (YO)Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, (YP)as the Lord had commanded me. 6 After many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the undergarment which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the undergarment from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the undergarment was ruined, it was completely useless.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “This is what the Lord says: ‘To the same extent I will destroy the (YQ)pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This wicked people, who (YR)refuse to listen to My words, who (YS)walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have followed other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this undergarment which is completely useless. 11 For as the undergarment clings to the waist of a man, so I made the entire household of Israel and the entire household of Judah (YT)cling to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that they might be My people, for [ej](YU)renown, for (YV)praise, and for glory; but they (YW)did not listen.’
Captivity Threatened
12 “Therefore you are to speak this word to them. ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Every jug is to be filled with wine.”’ And when they say to you, ‘Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?’ 13 then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to fill all the inhabitants of this land—the kings who sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with (YX)drunkenness! 14 Then I will (YY)smash them against each other, both the (YZ)fathers and the sons together,” declares the Lord. “I will (ZA)not have compassion nor be troubled nor take pity so as to keep from destroying them.”’”
15 Listen and pay attention, do not be (ZB)haughty;
For the Lord has spoken.
16 (ZC)Give glory to the Lord your God
Before He brings (ZD)darkness
And before your (ZE)feet stumble
On the mountains in the dark,
And while you are hoping for light
He makes it into (ZF)gloom,
And turns it into thick darkness.
17 But (ZG)if you do not listen to it,
My soul will (ZH)weep in secret for such pride;
And my eyes will shed
And stream down tears,
Because the (ZI)flock of the Lord has been taken captive.
18 Say to the (ZJ)king and the queen mother,
“(ZK)Take a lowly seat,
For your beautiful (ZL)crown
Has come down from your head.”
19 The (ZM)cities of the Negev have been locked up,
And there is no one to open them;
All (ZN)Judah has been taken into exile,
Wholly taken into exile.
20 “Raise your eyes and see
Those coming (ZO)from the north.
Where is the (ZP)flock that was given you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 What will you say when He appoints over you—
And you yourself had taught them—
Former (ZQ)companions to be head over you?
Will (ZR)sharp pains not take hold of you
Like a woman in childbirth?
22 If you (ZS)say in your heart,
‘(ZT)Why have these things happened to me?’
Because of the (ZU)magnitude of your wrongdoing
(ZV)Your skirts have been removed
And your [ek]heels have suffered violence.
23 (ZW)Can the Ethiopian change his skin,
Or the leopard his spots?
Then you as well can (ZX)do good
Who are accustomed to doing evil.
24 Therefore I will (ZY)scatter them like drifting straw
To the desert (ZZ)wind.
25 This is your (AAA)lot, the portion measured to you
From Me,” declares the Lord,
“Because you have (AAB)forgotten Me
And trusted in falsehood.
26 So I Myself have (AAC)stripped your skirts off over your face,
So that your shame will be seen.
27 As for your (AAD)adulteries and your lustful neighings,
The (AAE)outrageous sin of your prostitution
On the (AAF)hills in the field,
I have seen your abominations.
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
(AAG)How long will you remain unclean?”
Drought and a Prayer for Mercy
14 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah regarding the (AAH)drought:
2 “Judah mourns
And (AAI)her gates languish;
Her people sit on the ground (AAJ)in mourning garments,
And the (AAK)cry of Jerusalem has ascended.
3 Their nobles have (AAL)sent their [el]servants for water;
They have come to the (AAM)cisterns and found no water.
They have returned with their containers empty;
They have been (AAN)put to shame and humiliated,
And they (AAO)cover their heads,
4 Because the (AAP)ground is [em]cracked,
For there has been (AAQ)no rain on the land.
The (AAR)farmers have been put to shame,
They have covered their heads.
5 For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young,
Because there is (AAS)no grass.
6 The (AAT)wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals,
Their eyes fail
Because there is (AAU)no vegetation.
7 Though our (AAV)wrongdoings testify against us,
Lord, act (AAW)for the sake of Your name!
Our (AAX)apostasies have indeed been many,
We have (AAY)sinned against You.
8 (AAZ)Hope of Israel,
Its (ABA)Savior in (ABB)time of distress,
Why are You like a stranger in the land,
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night?
9 Why are You like a confused person,
Like a warrior who (ABC)cannot save?
Yet (ABD)You are in our midst, Lord,
And we are (ABE)called by Your name;
Do not leave us!”
10 This is what the Lord says to this people: “So much they have (ABF)loved to wander; they have not (ABG)restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does (ABH)not accept them; now He will (ABI)remember their wrongdoing and call their sins to account.” 11 So the Lord said to me, “(ABJ)Do not pray for a good outcome on behalf of this people. 12 When they fast, I am (ABK)not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer (ABL)burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather, I am going to (ABM)put an end to them by the (ABN)sword, famine, and plague.”
False Prophets
13 But I said, “Oh, Lord [en]God! Behold, the prophets are telling them, ‘You (ABO)will not see a sword, nor will you have famine; on the contrary, I will give you lasting (ABP)peace in this place.’” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “The (ABQ)prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. (ABR)I have neither sent them nor commanded them, nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a (ABS)false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own [eo]minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them—yet they keep saying: ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’—(ABT)by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! 16 And the people to whom they are prophesying will be (ABU)thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to (ABV)bury them—neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will (ABW)pour out their own wickedness upon them.
17 You will say this word to them,
‘(ABX)Let my eyes stream down tears night and day,
And let them not cease;
For the virgin (ABY)daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow,
With a sorely (ABZ)infected wound.
18 If I (ACA)go out to the country,
There are those killed by the sword!
Or if I enter the city,
There are diseases from famine!
For (ACB)both prophet and priest
Have wandered around in the land that they do not know.’”
19 Have You completely (ACC)rejected Judah?
Or have [ep]You loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that we (ACD)are beyond healing?
We (ACE)waited for peace, but nothing good came;
And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
20 We (ACF)know our wickedness, Lord,
The wrongdoing of our fathers, for (ACG)we have sinned against You.
21 Do not despise us, (ACH)for the sake of Your own name;
Do not disgrace the (ACI)throne of Your glory.
Remember and do not annul Your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the [eq](ACJ)idols of the nations who (ACK)give rain?
Or can the heavens grant showers?
Is it not You, Lord our God?
Therefore we (ACL)wait for You,
For You are the one who has done all these things.
Judgment Must Come
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Even (ACM)if (ACN)Moses and (ACO)Samuel were to (ACP)stand before Me, My [er]heart would not be [es]with this people. (ACQ)Send them away from My presence and have them go! 2 And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“Those destined (ACR)for death, to death;
And those destined for the sword, to the sword;
And those destined for famine, to famine;
And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”’
3 And I will (ACS)appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the Lord: “the sword to kill, the (ACT)dogs to drag away, and the (ACU)birds of the sky and the animals of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will (ACV)make them an object of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of (ACW)Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “Indeed, who will have (ACX)pity on you, Jerusalem,
Or who will (ACY)mourn for you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
6 You who have (ACZ)forsaken Me,” declares the Lord,
“You keep (ADA)going backward.
So I will (ADB)stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am (ADC)tired of relenting!
7 I will (ADD)winnow them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will (ADE)bereave them of children, I will destroy My people;
(ADF)They did not [et]repent of their ways.
8 Their (ADG)widows will be more numerous before Me
Than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of a young man,
A (ADH)destroyer at noon;
I will suddenly bring down on her
Shock and horror.
9 She who (ADI)gave birth to seven sons withers away;
[eu]Her breathing is labored.
Her (ADJ)sun has set while it was still day;
She has been (ADK)shamed and humiliated.
So I will (ADL)turn over their survivors to the sword
Before their enemies,” declares the Lord.
10 (ADM)Woe to me, my mother, that you have given birth to me
As a (ADN)man of strife and a man of contention to all the land!
I have not (ADO)lent, nor have people lent money to me,
Yet everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said, “I will certainly (ADP)set you free for purposes of good;
I will certainly make the (ADQ)enemy plead with you
In a time of disaster and a time of distress.
12 “Can anyone smash iron,
(ADR)Iron from the north, or bronze?
13 I will give your (ADS)wealth and your treasures
As plunder (ADT)without cost,
For all your sins
And within all your borders.
14 Then I will make your enemies bring your possessions
Into a (ADU)land that you do not know;
For a (ADV)fire has been kindled in My anger,
And it will burn upon you.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer and God’s Answer
15 (ADW)You know, Lord;
Remember me, take notice of me,
And (ADX)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;
Know that (ADY)for Your sake I endure reproach.
16 Your words were found and I (ADZ)ate them,
And Your (AEA)words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart;
For I have been (AEB)called by Your name,
Lord God of armies.
17 I (AEC)did not sit in a circle of revelers and celebrate.
Because of Your hand upon me I sat (AED)alone,
For You (AEE)filled me with indignation.
18 Why has my pain been endless
And my (AEF)wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
Will You indeed be to me (AEG)like a deceptive stream
With water that is unreliable?
19 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“(AEH)If you return, then I will restore you—
(AEI)You will stand before Me;
And (AEJ)if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become [ev]My spokesman.
They, for their part, may turn to you,
But as for you, you are not to turn to them.
20 Then I will (AEK)make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze;
And though they fight against you,
They will not prevail over you;
For (AEL)I am with you to save you
And rescue you,” declares the Lord.
21 “So I will (AEM)rescue you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will (AEN)redeem you from the [ew]grasp of the violent.”
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 (AEO)mothers who give birth to them, and their (AEP)fathers who father them in this land: 4 “They will (AEQ)die of deadly diseases, they (AER)will not be mourned or buried; they will be like (AES)dung on the surface of the ground. And they will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the (AET)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 (AEU)mourning, or go to mourn or to console them; for I have (AEV)withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares the Lord, “and My (AEW)favor and compassion. 6 Both (AEX)great people and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, people will not mourn for them, nor will anyone (AEY)make cuts on himself or have his head (AEZ)shaved for them. 7 People will not (AFA)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 (AFB)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 (AFC)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, ‘(AFD)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 (AFE)because your forefathers have abandoned Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and have followed (AFF)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 (AFG)more than your forefathers; for behold, each one of you is following the (AFH)stubbornness of his own (AFI)evil heart, without listening to Me. 13 So I will (AFJ)hurl you off this land to the (AFK)land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will (AFL)serve other gods day and night, because I will show you no compassion.’
God Will Restore Them
14 “(AFM)Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives, who (AFN)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 (AFO)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 (AFP)fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will fish for them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will (AFQ)hunt them (AFR)from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. 17 (AFS)For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, (AFT)nor is their wrongdoing concealed from My eyes. 18 I will first repay them (AFU)double for their wrongdoing and their sin, because they have (AFV)defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their (AFW)detestable idols and their abominations.”
19 Lord, my (AFX)strength and my stronghold,
And my (AFY)refuge in the day of distress,
To You the (AFZ)nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but (AGA)falsehood,
Futility, and [ex](AGB)things of no benefit.”
20 Can a person make gods for himself?
But they are (AGC)not gods!
21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—
This time I will (AGD)make them know
My [ey]power and My might;
And they will (AGE)know that My name is the Lord.”
The Deceitful Heart
17 The (AGF)sin of Judah is written with an (AGG)iron stylus;
With a diamond point it is (AGH)engraved on the tablet of their hearts
And on the horns of [ez]their altars,
2 As they remember their (AGI)children,
So they remember their altars and their [fa](AGJ)Asherim
By (AGK)green trees on the high hills.
3 (AGL)Mountain of Mine in the countryside,
I will (AGM)turn over your wealth and all your treasures as plunder,
Your high places for sin throughout your borders.
4 And you will, even of yourself, (AGN)let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your (AGO)enemies
In the (AGP)land which you do not know;
For you have (AGQ)kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“(AGR)Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes (AGS)flesh his [fb]strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 For he will be like a (AGT)bush in the desert,
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A (AGU)land of salt that is not inhabited.
7 (AGV)Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose (AGW)trust is the Lord.
8 For he will be like a (AGX)tree planted by the water
That extends its roots by a stream,
And does not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of (AGY)drought,
Nor cease to yield fruit.
9 “The (AGZ)heart is more (AHA)deceitful than all else
And is desperately (AHB)sick;
Who can understand it?
10 I, the Lord, (AHC)search the heart,
I test the [fc]mind,
(AHD)To give to each person according to his ways,
According to the [fd]results of his deeds.
11 As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is a person who (AHE)makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the middle of his days it will abandon him,
And in [fe]the end he will be a (AHF)fool.”
12 (AHG)A glorious throne on high from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, the (AHH)hope of Israel,
All who (AHI)abandon You will be put to shame.
Those who turn [ff]away on earth will be (AHJ)written down,
Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, that is the Lord.
14 (AHK)Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
(AHL)Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my (AHM)praise.
15 Look, they keep (AHN)saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come now!”
16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd following after You,
Nor have I longed for the disastrous day;
(AHO)You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips
Was in Your presence.
17 Do not be a (AHP)terror to me;
You are my (AHQ)refuge in a day of disaster.
18 Let those who persecute me be (AHR)put to shame, but as for me, (AHS)let me not be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed.
(AHT)Bring on them a day of disaster,
And crush them with double destruction!
The Sabbath Must Be Kept
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the [fg]public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, ‘(AHU)Listen to the word of the Lord, you (AHV)kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: “(AHW)Take care for yourselves, and (AHX)do not carry any [fh]load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day (AHY)nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I (AHZ)commanded your [fi]forefathers. 23 Yet they (AIA)did not listen or incline their ears, but (AIB)stiffened their necks so as not to listen or accept discipline.
24 “But it will come about, if you (AIC)give your attention to Me,” declares the Lord, “to (AID)bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, (AIE)but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 (AIF)then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and officials (AIG)sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this (AIH)city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come in from the (AII)cities of Judah and from the areas surrounding Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the (AIJ)lowland, from the hill country, and from the (AIK)Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27 But (AIL)if you do not listen to Me, to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then (AIM)I will set fire to its gates, and it will (AIN)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and (AIO)not go out.”’”
The Potter and the Clay
18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Arise and (AIP)go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the (AIQ)clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (AIR)uproot it, to tear it down, or to destroy it; 8 (AIS)if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will (AIT)relent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (AIU)build up or to plant it; 10 if it does (AIV)evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will (AIW)relent of the good with which I said [fj]that I would bless it. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am (AIX)forming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now (AIY)turn back, each of you from his evil way, and [fk]correct your ways and your deeds!”’ 12 But (AIZ)they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will [fl]persist in the (AJA)stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
‘(AJB)Just ask among the nations,
Who ever heard anything like [fm]this?
The (AJC)virgin of Israel
Has done a most (AJD)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 (AJE)My people have forgotten Me,
(AJF)They burn incense [fn]to worthless gods.
And they [fo]have stumbled in their ways,
In the (AJG)ancient roads,
To walk on paths,
Not on a (AJH)highway,
16 To make their land a (AJI)desolation,
An object of perpetual (AJJ)hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And (AJK)shake his head.
17 Like an (AJL)east wind I will (AJM)scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will [fp]show them (AJN)My back and not My face
(AJO)In the day of their disaster.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let’s (AJP)devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the (AJQ)Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor (AJR)advice by the wise, nor the divine (AJS)word by the prophet! Come, and let’s (AJT)strike at him with our tongue, and let’s (AJU)pay no attention to any of his words.”
19 Give Your attention to me, Lord,
And listen to [fq]what my opponents are saying!
20 (AJV)Should good be repaid with evil?
For they have (AJW)dug a pit for [fr]me.
Remember how I (AJX)stood before You
To speak good in their behalf,
So as to turn Your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, (AJY)give their children over to famine
And turn them over to the [fs]power of the sword;
And let their wives become (AJZ)childless and (AKA)widowed.
Let their men also be slaughtered to death,
Their (AKB)young men struck and killed by the sword in battle.
22 May a (AKC)cry be heard from their houses
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
(AKD)For they have dug a pit to capture me
And (AKE)hidden snares for my feet.
23 But You, Lord, know
All their [ft]deadly schemes against me;
(AKF)Do not [fu]forgive their wrongdoing
Or wipe out their sin from Your sight.
But may they be [fv](AKG)overthrown before You;
Deal with them in the (AKH)time of Your anger!
The Broken Jar
19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a (AKI)potter’s earthenware (AKJ)jar, and take some of the (AKK)elders of the people and some of the [fw](AKL)senior priests. 2 Then go out to the (AKM)Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the [fx]Potsherd Gate, and (AKN)proclaim there the words that I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you (AKO)kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold I am going to bring a (AKP)disaster upon this place, at which the (AKQ)ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. 4 Since they have (AKR)abandoned Me and have (AKS)made this place foreign, and have burned [fy]sacrifices in it to (AKT)other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and since they have filled this place with the (AKU)blood of the innocent 5 and have built the (AKV)high places of Baal to burn their (AKW)sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I did not command nor speak of, nor did it ever enter My [fz]mind; 6 therefore, behold, (AKX)days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called (AKY)Topheth or (AKZ)the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And I will (ALA)frustrate the planning of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and (ALB)I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will make their (ALC)carcasses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. 8 I will also turn this city into an object of (ALD)horror and [ga]hissing; (ALE)everyone who passes by it will be appalled and [gb]hiss because of all its [gc]disasters. 9 And I will make them (ALF)eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the siege and in the hardship with which their enemies and those who seek their life will torment them.”’
10 “Then you are to break the (ALG)jar in the sight of the men who accompany you, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “To the same extent I will (ALH)break this people and this city, just as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will (ALI)bury their dead in Topheth, [gd]because there is no other place for burial. 12 This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 The (ALJ)houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be (ALK)defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the (ALL)houses on whose rooftops they burned [ge]sacrifices to (ALM)all the heavenly [gf]lights and (ALN)poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”
14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the (ALO)courtyard of the Lord’s house and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and all its towns the entire disaster that I have declared against it, because they have (ALP)stiffened their necks so (ALQ)as not to listen to My words.’”
Pashhur Persecutes Jeremiah
20 When Pashhur the priest, the son of (ALR)Immer, who was (ALS)chief overseer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet (ALT)beaten and put him in the (ALU)stocks that were at the upper (ALV)Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 Then on the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has (ALW)called you, but rather [gg](ALX)Magor-missabib. 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to make you a (ALY)horror to yourself and to all your friends; and while (ALZ)your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will (AMA)hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will take them away as (AMB)exiles to Babylon and will kill them with the sword. 5 I will also give all the (AMC)wealth of this city, all its produce and all its valuable things—even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will (AMD)hand over to their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. 6 And you, (AME)Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your (AMF)friends to whom you have (AMG)falsely prophesied.’”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
7 Lord, You persuaded me and I let myself be persuaded;
You have (AMH)overcome me and prevailed.
I have become a (AMI)laughingstock all day long;
Everyone (AMJ)mocks me.
8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
I (AMK)proclaim violence and destruction,
Because for me the (AML)word of the Lord has [gh]resulted
In taunting and derision all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not (AMM)remember Him
Nor speak anymore in His name,”
Then in (AMN)my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am tired of holding it in,
And (AMO)I cannot endure it.
10 For (AMP)I have heard the whispering of many,
“(AMQ)Terror on every side!
(AMR)Denounce him; let’s denounce him!”
[gi]All my (AMS)trusted friends,
Watching for my fall, say:
“Perhaps he will be persuaded, so that we may (AMT)prevail against him
And take our revenge on him.”
11 But the (AMU)Lord is with me like a powerful champion;
Therefore my (AMV)persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be put to great shame because they have [gj]failed,
An (AMW)everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, Lord of armies, who (AMX)tests the righteous,
Who sees the [gk]mind and the heart;
Let me (AMY)see Your vengeance on them,
For (AMZ)to You I have disclosed my cause.
13 (ANA)Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord!
For He has (ANB)saved the soul of the needy one
From the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the (ANC)day when I was born;
May the day when my mother gave birth to me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought the news
To my father, saying,
“A [gl](AND)boy has been born to you!”
And made him very happy.
16 But may that man be like the cities
Which the Lord (ANE)overthrew without [gm]relenting,
And may he hear an (ANF)outcry in the morning
And [gn]an alarm for war at noon;
17 Because he did not (ANG)kill me [go]before birth,
So that my mother would have been my grave,
And her womb forever pregnant.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
To (ANH)look at trouble and sorrow,
So that my (ANI)days have been spent in (ANJ)shame?
Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah
21 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when (ANK)King Zedekiah sent to him (ANL)Pashhur the son of Malchijah and (ANM)Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Please (ANN)inquire of the Lord in our behalf, because (ANO)Nebuchadnezzar king of (ANP)Babylon is making war against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us (ANQ)in accordance with all His [gp]wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”
3 But Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to (ANR)turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you are making war against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will (ANS)gather them into the middle of this city. 5 And I (ANT)Myself will make war against you with an (ANU)outstretched hand and a mighty arm, and in (ANV)anger, wrath, and great indignation. 6 I will also strike the inhabitants of this city, both the people and the animals; they will die of a great (ANW)plague.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:6 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 1:11 Heb shaqed, see note v 12
- Jeremiah 1:12 Heb shoqed, a wordplay on almond in v 11 (see note v 11)
- Jeremiah 1:14 Lit opened
- Jeremiah 1:16 Lit speak
- Jeremiah 1:16 Or burned incense
- Jeremiah 2:2 Or faithfulness
- Jeremiah 2:6 Or the shadow of death
- Jeremiah 2:8 Lit shepherds
- Jeremiah 2:10 I.e., Cyprus and other islands
- Jeremiah 2:15 Lit given their voice
- Jeremiah 2:16 Lit sons
- Jeremiah 2:16 Lit grazed
- Jeremiah 2:18 Heb Shihor
- Jeremiah 2:19 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 2:20 Or you
- Jeremiah 2:22 Lit acquire much soap for yourself
- Jeremiah 2:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 2:25 Or desperate
- Jeremiah 2:27 Or evil
- Jeremiah 2:28 Or evil
- Jeremiah 3:1 Lit saying
- Jeremiah 3:1 Lit companions
- Jeremiah 3:3 I.e., calloused appearance
- Jeremiah 3:5 Lit been able
- Jeremiah 3:7 Lit said
- Jeremiah 3:8 I.e., idolatry
- Jeremiah 3:9 I.e., idolatry
- Jeremiah 3:12 Lit make My face fall
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit know
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit ways
- Jeremiah 3:15 I.e., with hearts like Mine
- Jeremiah 3:19 Lit the
- Jeremiah 3:23 I.e., from idolatrous rituals
- Jeremiah 4:3 Lit Plow for yourselves plowed ground
- Jeremiah 4:10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 4:10 Or life
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit full from
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit these
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit for Me
- Jeremiah 4:16 As indicated in LXX; MT watchmen
- Jeremiah 4:18 Lit done
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit The walls of my heart
- Jeremiah 4:19 Another reading is I have heard
- Jeremiah 4:23 Or waste
- Jeremiah 4:26 Or Carmel
- Jeremiah 4:28 Or been sorry
- Jeremiah 4:30 Lit paramours
- Jeremiah 4:31 Lit palms
- Jeremiah 4:31 Lit my soul faints
- Jeremiah 5:1 I.e., Jerusalem
- Jeremiah 5:3 Or become sick
- Jeremiah 5:12 Lit He is not
- Jeremiah 5:19 Or you
- Jeremiah 5:21 Lit without heart
- Jeremiah 5:26 Perhaps, crouching down
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit pass over; or overlook deeds
- Jeremiah 5:28 Or fatherless
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit judge
- Jeremiah 5:31 Lit over their own hands
- Jeremiah 5:31 Lit at the end of it
- Jeremiah 6:1 I.e., house of the vineyard
- Jeremiah 6:3 Lit against her round about
- Jeremiah 6:3 Lit hand
- Jeremiah 6:4 Lit Sanctify war
- Jeremiah 6:4 Lit go up
- Jeremiah 6:5 Lit go up
- Jeremiah 6:5 Or fortified towers
- Jeremiah 6:7 Lit keeps cold
- Jeremiah 6:7 Lit keeps cold
- Jeremiah 6:8 Lit my soul
- Jeremiah 6:10 Lit uncircumcised
- Jeremiah 6:11 Lit council
- Jeremiah 6:11 Lit with fullness of days
- Jeremiah 6:19 Or devices
- Jeremiah 6:20 Lit good
- Jeremiah 6:21 Lit giving
- Jeremiah 6:21 Lit his friend
- Jeremiah 6:26 Lit Make for yourself mourning
- Jeremiah 6:29 Or drawn off
- Jeremiah 7:4 Lit They are
- Jeremiah 7:6 Or fatherless
- Jeremiah 7:9 Or burn incense
- Jeremiah 7:15 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 7:18 Lit sons
- Jeremiah 7:19 Lit their faces’
- Jeremiah 7:20 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 7:23 Lit the word
- Jeremiah 7:23 Lit in all the way
- Jeremiah 7:24 Lit were
- Jeremiah 7:28 Or faithfulness
- Jeremiah 7:29 Lit your crown
- Jeremiah 7:31 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 7:32 Or until there is no place left
- Jeremiah 8:2 Lit host
- 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 9:24 Or faithfulness
- Jeremiah 10:11 This verse is in Aram
- Jeremiah 10:16 Lit Fashioner
- Jeremiah 10:18 Lit find
- Jeremiah 10:19 Lit breaking
- Jeremiah 10:24 Lit diminish me
- Jeremiah 10:25 Or pasture
- Jeremiah 11:4 Lit do them
- Jeremiah 11:10 Lit former fathers
- Jeremiah 11:12 Or offer sacrifices
- Jeremiah 11:13 Lit the number of
- Jeremiah 11:13 Lit the number of
- Jeremiah 11:13 Or offering sacrifices to
- Jeremiah 11:15 Lit Then
- Jeremiah 11:16 I.e., confused noise
- Jeremiah 11:17 Or done for themselves
- Jeremiah 11:17 Or burning incense
- Jeremiah 11:19 Lit bread
- Jeremiah 11:20 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 11:20 Lit rolled
- Jeremiah 12:2 Lit in their mouth
- Jeremiah 12:2 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 12:3 Lit sanctify them
- Jeremiah 12:4 Lit whole field
- Jeremiah 12:8 Lit raised her voice
- Jeremiah 12:11 Lit One has made it
- Jeremiah 12:11 Or upon
- Jeremiah 12:12 Or caravan trails
- Jeremiah 12:12 Lit other end of the land
- Jeremiah 12:12 Lit all flesh
- Jeremiah 12:13 Lit they do not profit
- Jeremiah 13:11 Lit a name
- Jeremiah 13:22 I.e., a euphemism for private parts
- Jeremiah 14:3 Lit little ones
- Jeremiah 14:4 Lit shattered
- Jeremiah 14:13 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 14:14 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 14:19 Lit Your soul
- Jeremiah 14:22 Lit futilities
- Jeremiah 15:1 Lit soul
- Jeremiah 15:1 Lit toward
- Jeremiah 15:7 Lit turn back from
- Jeremiah 15:9 Or She has breathed out her soul
- Jeremiah 15:19 Lit as My mouth
- Jeremiah 15:21 Lit palm
- Jeremiah 16:19 Lit there is nothing profitable in them
- Jeremiah 16:21 Lit hand
- Jeremiah 17:1 As in ancient versions; MT your
- Jeremiah 17:2 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
- Jeremiah 17:5 Lit arm
- Jeremiah 17:10 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 17:10 Lit fruit
- Jeremiah 17:11 Lit his
- Jeremiah 17:13 Lit away from Me
- Jeremiah 17:19 Lit gate of the sons of the people
- Jeremiah 17:21 Or burden
- Jeremiah 17:22 Lit fathers
- Jeremiah 18:10 Lit to do it good
- Jeremiah 18:11 Lit make good
- Jeremiah 18:12 Lit do the
- 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 18:19 Lit the voice of my opponents
- Jeremiah 18:20 Lit my soul
- Jeremiah 18:21 Lit hands of
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit unto death
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit cover over, atone for
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit ones made to stumble
- Jeremiah 19:1 Or elders of the
- Jeremiah 19:2 I.e., pottery fragment
- Jeremiah 19:4 Or incense
- Jeremiah 19:5 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 19:8 Or whistling
- Jeremiah 19:8 Or whistle
- Jeremiah 19:8 Lit wounds
- Jeremiah 19:11 Or until there is no place left to bury
- Jeremiah 19:13 Or incense
- Jeremiah 19:13 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
- Jeremiah 20:3 I.e., horror on every side
- Jeremiah 20:8 Lit become
- Jeremiah 20:10 Lit Every man of my peace
- Jeremiah 20:11 Lit not succeeded; or not acted wisely
- Jeremiah 20:12 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 20:15 Lit male child
- Jeremiah 20:16 Lit being sorry
- Jeremiah 20:16 Or a trumpet blast
- Jeremiah 20:17 Lit from the womb
- Jeremiah 21:2 Or miracles
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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