Jeremiah 5-9

New International Version

Not One Is Upright

5 “Go up and down^(A) the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,^(B)
    search through her squares.
If you can find but one person^(C)
    who deals honestly^(D) and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive^(E) this city.
²Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’^(F)
    still they are swearing falsely.^(G)”

³Lord, do not your eyes^(H) look for truth?
    You struck^(I) them, but they felt no pain;
    you crushed them, but they refused correction.^(J)
They made their faces harder than stone^(K)
    and refused to repent.^(L)
⁴I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,^(M)
for they do not know^(N) the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
⁵So I will go to the leaders^(O)
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.^(P)
⁶Therefore a lion from the forest^(Q) will attack them,
    a wolf from the desert will ravage^(R) them,
a leopard^(S) will lie in wait near their towns
    to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
    and their backslidings many.^(T)

⁷“Why should I forgive you?
    Your children have forsaken me
    and sworn^(U) by gods that are not gods.^(V)
I supplied all their needs,
    yet they committed adultery^(W)
    and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.^(X)
⁸They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
    each neighing for another man’s wife.^(Y)
⁹Should I not punish them for this?”^(Z)
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge^(AA) myself
    on such a nation as this?

¹⁰“Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
    but do not destroy them completely.^(AB)
Strip off her branches,
    for these people do not belong to the Lord.
¹¹The people of Israel and the people of Judah
    have been utterly unfaithful^(AC) to me,”
declares the Lord.

¹²They have lied^(AD) about the Lord;
    they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;^(AE)
    we will never see sword or famine.^(AF)
¹³The prophets^(AG) are but wind^(AH)
    and the word is not in them;
    so let what they say be done to them.”

¹⁴Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:

“Because the people have spoken these words,
    I will make my words in your mouth^(AI) a fire^(AJ)
    and these people the wood it consumes.^(AK)
¹⁵People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
    “I am bringing a distant nation^(AL) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
    a people whose language^(AM) you do not know,
    whose speech you do not understand.
¹⁶Their quivers^(AN) are like an open grave;
    all of them are mighty warriors.
¹⁷They will devour^(AO) your harvests and food,
    devour^(AP) your sons and daughters;
they will devour^(AQ) your flocks and herds,
    devour your vines and fig trees.^(AR)
With the sword^(AS) they will destroy
    the fortified cities^(AT) in which you trust.^(AU)

¹⁸“Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy^(AV) you completely. ¹⁹And when the people ask,^(AW) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods^(AX) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners^(AY) in a land not your own.’

²⁰“Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
    and proclaim^(AZ) it in Judah:
²¹Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,^(BA)
    who have eyes^(BB) but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear:^(BC)
²²Should you not fear^(BD) me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble^(BE) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,^(BF)
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar,^(BG) but they cannot cross it.
²³But these people have stubborn and rebellious^(BH) hearts;
    they have turned aside^(BI) and gone away.
²⁴They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear^(BJ) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains^(BK) in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’^(BL)
²⁵Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.^(BM)

²⁶“Among my people are the wicked^(BN)
    who lie in wait^(BO) like men who snare birds
    and like those who set traps^(BP) to catch people.
²⁷Like cages full of birds,
    their houses are full of deceit;^(BQ)
they have become rich^(BR) and powerful
²⁸    and have grown fat^(BS) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
    they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;^(BT)
    they do not defend the just cause of the poor.^(BU)
²⁹Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge^(BV) myself
    on such a nation as this?

³⁰“A horrible^(BW) and shocking thing
    has happened in the land:
³¹The prophets prophesy lies,^(BX)
    the priests^(BY) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?^(BZ)

Jerusalem Under Siege

6 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
    Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet^(CA) in Tekoa!^(CB)
    Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!^(CC)
For disaster looms out of the north,^(CD)
    even terrible destruction.
²I will destroy Daughter Zion,^(CE)
    so beautiful and delicate.^(CF)
³Shepherds^(CG) with their flocks will come against her;
    they will pitch their tents around^(CH) her,
    each tending his own portion.”

⁴“Prepare for battle against her!
    Arise, let us attack at noon!^(CI)
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
    and the shadows of evening grow long.
⁵So arise, let us attack at night
    and destroy her fortresses!”

⁶This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Cut down the trees^(CJ)
    and build siege ramps^(CK) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
    it is filled with oppression.^(CL)
⁷As a well pours out its water,
    so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence^(CM) and destruction^(CN) resound in her;
    her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
⁸Take warning, Jerusalem,
    or I will turn away^(CO) from you
and make your land desolate
    so no one can live in it.”

⁹This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Let them glean the remnant^(CP) of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”

¹⁰To whom can I speak and give warning?
    Who will listen^(CQ) to me?
Their ears are closed^[a]^(CR)
    so they cannot hear.^(CS)
The word^(CT) of the Lord is offensive to them;
    they find no pleasure in it.
¹¹But I am full of the wrath^(CU) of the Lord,
    and I cannot hold it in.^(CV)

“Pour it out on the children in the street
    and on the young men^(CW) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
    and the old, those weighed down with years.^(CX)
¹²Their houses will be turned over to others,^(CY)
    together with their fields and their wives,^(CZ)
when I stretch out my hand^(DA)
    against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
¹³“From the least to the greatest,
    all^(DB) are greedy for gain;^(DC)
prophets and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.^(DD)
¹⁴They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
    when there is no peace.^(DE)
¹⁵Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.^(DF)
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when I punish^(DG) them,”
says the Lord.

¹⁶This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,^(DH)
ask where the good way^(DI) is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest^(DJ) for your souls.
    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
¹⁷I appointed watchmen^(DK) over you and said,
    ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’^(DL)
    But you said, ‘We will not listen.’^(DM)
¹⁸Therefore hear, you nations;
    you who are witnesses,
    observe what will happen to them.
¹⁹Hear, you earth:^(DN)
    I am bringing disaster^(DO) on this people,
    the fruit of their schemes,^(DP)
because they have not listened to my words^(DQ)
    and have rejected my law.^(DR)
²⁰What do I care about incense from Sheba^(DS)
    or sweet calamus^(DT) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;^(DU)
    your sacrifices^(DV) do not please me.”^(DW)

²¹Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble^(DX) over them;
neighbors and friends will perish.”

²²This is what the Lord says:

“Look, an army is coming
    from the land of the north;^(DY)
a great nation is being stirred up
    from the ends of the earth.^(DZ)
²³They are armed with bow and spear;
    they are cruel and show no mercy.^(EA)
They sound like the roaring sea^(EB)
    as they ride on their horses;^(EC)
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Zion.^(ED)”

²⁴We have heard reports about them,
    and our hands hang limp.^(EE)
Anguish^(EF) has gripped us,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.^(EG)
²⁵Do not go out to the fields
    or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
    and there is terror on every side.^(EH)
²⁶Put on sackcloth,^(EI) my people,
    and roll in ashes;^(EJ)
mourn with bitter wailing^(EK)
    as for an only son,^(EL)
for suddenly the destroyer^(EM)
    will come upon us.

²⁷“I have made you a tester^(EN) of metals
    and my people the ore,
that you may observe
    and test their ways.
²⁸They are all hardened rebels,^(EO)
    going about to slander.^(EP)
They are bronze and iron;^(EQ)
    they all act corruptly.
²⁹The bellows blow fiercely
    to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining^(ER) goes on in vain;
    the wicked are not purged out.
³⁰They are called rejected silver,^(ES)
    because the Lord has rejected them.”^(ET)

False Religion Worthless

7 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²“Stand^(EU) at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:

“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. ³This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways^(EV) and your actions, and I will let you live^(EW) in this place. ⁴Do not trust^(EX) in deceptive^(EY) words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” ⁵If you really change^(EZ) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,^(FA) ⁶if you do not oppress^(FB) the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood^(FC) in this place, and if you do not follow other gods^(FD) to your own harm, ⁷then I will let you live in this place, in the land^(FE) I gave your ancestors^(FF) for ever and ever. ⁸But look, you are trusting^(FG) in deceptive^(FH) words that are worthless.

⁹“‘Will you steal^(FI) and murder,^(FJ) commit adultery^(FK) and perjury,^[b]^(FL) burn incense to Baal^(FM) and follow other gods^(FN) you have not known, ¹⁰and then come and stand^(FO) before me in this house,^(FP) which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?^(FQ) ¹¹Has this house,^(FR) which bears my Name, become a den of robbers^(FS) to you? But I have been watching!^(FT) declares the Lord.

¹²“‘Go now to the place in Shiloh^(FU) where I first made a dwelling^(FV) for my Name,^(FW) and see what I did^(FX) to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. ¹³While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke^(FY) to you again and again,^(FZ) but you did not listen;^(GA) I called^(GB) you, but you did not answer.^(GC) ¹⁴Therefore, what I did to Shiloh^(GD) I will now do to the house that bears my Name,^(GE) the temple^(GF) you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. ¹⁵I will thrust you from my presence,^(GG) just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’^(GH)

¹⁶“So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea^(GI) or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen^(GJ) to you. ¹⁷Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? ¹⁸The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.^(GK) They pour out drink offerings^(GL) to other gods to arouse^(GM) my anger. ¹⁹But am I the one they are provoking?^(GN) declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?^(GO)

²⁰“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign^(GP) Lord says: My anger^(GQ) and my wrath will be poured^(GR) out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.^(GS)

²¹“‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices^(GT) and eat^(GU) the meat yourselves! ²²For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands^(GV) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,^(GW) ²³but I gave them this command:^(GX) Obey^(GY) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.^(GZ) Walk in obedience to all^(HA) I command you, that it may go well^(HB) with you. ²⁴But they did not listen^(HC) or pay attention;^(HD) instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.^(HE) They went backward^(HF) and not forward. ²⁵From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again^(HG) I sent you my servants^(HH) the prophets.^(HI) ²⁶But they did not listen to me or pay attention.^(HJ) They were stiff-necked^(HK) and did more evil than their ancestors.’^(HL)

²⁷“When you tell^(HM) them all this, they will not listen^(HN) to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.^(HO) ²⁸Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction.^(HP) Truth^(HQ) has perished; it has vanished from their lips.

²⁹“‘Cut off^(HR) your hair and throw it away; take up a lament^(HS) on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned^(HT) this generation that is under his wrath.

The Valley of Slaughter

³⁰“‘The people of Judah have done evil^(HU) in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols^(HV) in the house that bears my Name and have defiled^(HW) it. ³¹They have built the high places of Topheth^(HX) in the Valley of Ben Hinnom^(HY) to burn their sons and daughters^(HZ) in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.^(IA) ³²So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter,^(IB) for they will bury^(IC) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. ³³Then the carcasses^(ID) of this people will become food^(IE) for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.^(IF) ³⁴I will bring an end to the sounds^(IG) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom^(IH) in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,^(II) for the land will become desolate.^(IJ)

8 “‘At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones^(IK) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed^(IL) from their graves. ²They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served^(IM) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.^(IN) They will not be gathered up or buried,^(IO) but will be like dung lying on the ground.^(IP) ³Wherever I banish them,^(IQ) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,^(IR) declares the Lord Almighty.’

Sin and Punishment

⁴“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?^(IS)
    When someone turns away,^(IT) do they not return?
⁵Why then have these people turned away?
    Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;^(IU)
    they refuse to return.^(IV)
⁶I have listened^(IW) attentively,
    but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent^(IX) of their wickedness,
    saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course^(IY)
    like a horse charging into battle.
⁷Even the stork in the sky
    knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
    observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know^(IZ)
    the requirements of the Lord.

⁸“‘How can you say, “We are wise,
    for we have the law^(JA) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
    has handled it falsely?
⁹The wise^(JB) will be put to shame;
    they will be dismayed^(JC) and trapped.^(JD)
Since they have rejected the word^(JE) of the Lord,
    what kind of wisdom^(JF) do they have?
¹⁰Therefore I will give their wives to other men
    and their fields to new owners.^(JG)
From the least to the greatest,
    all are greedy for gain;^(JH)
prophets^(JI) and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.^(JJ)
¹¹They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
    when there is no peace.^(JK)
¹²Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame^(JL) at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when they are punished,^(JM)
says the Lord.^(JN)

¹³“‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
    There will be no grapes on the vine.^(JO)
There will be no figs^(JP) on the tree,
    and their leaves will wither.^(JQ)
What I have given them
    will be taken^(JR) from them.^[c]’”

¹⁴Why are we sitting here?
    Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities^(JS)
    and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
    and given us poisoned water^(JT) to drink,
    because we have sinned^(JU) against him.
¹⁵We hoped for peace^(JV)
    but no good has come,
for a time of healing
    but there is only terror.^(JW)
¹⁶The snorting of the enemy’s horses^(JX)
    is heard from Dan;^(JY)
at the neighing of their stallions
    the whole land trembles.^(JZ)
They have come to devour^(KA)
    the land and everything in it,
    the city and all who live there.

¹⁷“See, I will send venomous snakes^(KB) among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,^(KC)
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.

¹⁸You who are my Comforter^[d] in sorrow,
    my heart is faint^(KD) within me.
¹⁹Listen to the cry of my people
    from a land far away:^(KE)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
    Is her King^(KF) no longer there?”

“Why have they aroused^(KG) my anger with their images,
with their worthless^(KH) foreign idols?”^(KI)

²⁰“The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”

²¹Since my people are crushed,^(KJ) I am crushed;
    I mourn,^(KK) and horror grips me.
²²Is there no balm in Gilead?^(KL)
    Is there no physician^(KM) there?
Why then is there no healing^(KN)
    for the wound of my people?

9 ^[e]¹Oh, that my head were a spring of water
    and my eyes a fountain of tears!^(KO)
I would weep^(KP) day and night
    for the slain of my people.^(KQ)
²Oh, that I had in the desert^(KR)
    a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
    and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,^(KS)
    a crowd of unfaithful^(KT) people.

³“They make ready their tongue
    like a bow, to shoot lies;^(KU)
it is not by truth
    that they triumph^[f] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
    they do not acknowledge^(KV) me,”
declares the Lord.
⁴“Beware of your friends;^(KW)
    do not trust anyone in your clan.^(KX)
For every one of them is a deceiver,^[g]^(KY)
    and every friend a slanderer.^(KZ)
⁵Friend deceives friend,^(LA)
    and no one speaks the truth.^(LB)
They have taught their tongues to lie;^(LC)
    they weary themselves with sinning.
⁶You^[h] live in the midst of deception;^(LD)
    in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.

⁷Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will refine^(LE) and test^(LF) them,
    for what else can I do
    because of the sin of my people?
⁸Their tongue^(LG) is a deadly arrow;
    it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,^(LH)
    but in their hearts they set traps^(LI) for them.^(LJ)
⁹Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge^(LK) myself
    on such a nation as this?”

¹⁰I will weep and wail for the mountains
    and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.^(LL)
They are desolate and untraveled,
    and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds^(LM) have all fled
    and the animals are gone.

¹¹“I will make Jerusalem a heap^(LN) of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;^(LO)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah^(LP)
so no one can live there.”^(LQ)

¹²Who is wise^(LR) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?

¹³The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.^(LS) ¹⁴Instead, they have followed^(LT) the stubbornness of their hearts;^(LU) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” ¹⁵Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food^(LV) and drink poisoned water.^(LW) ¹⁶I will scatter them among nations^(LX) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,^(LY) and I will pursue them with the sword^(LZ) until I have made an end of them.”^(MA)

¹⁷This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Consider now! Call for the wailing women^(MB) to come;
    send for the most skillful of them.
¹⁸Let them come quickly
    and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
    and water streams from our eyelids.^(MC)
¹⁹The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
    ‘How ruined^(MD) we are!
    How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
    because our houses are in ruins.’”

²⁰Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
    open your ears to the words of his mouth.^(ME)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
    teach one another a lament.^(MF)
²¹Death has climbed in through our windows^(MG)
    and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
    and the young men^(MH) from the public squares.

²²Say, “This is what the Lord declares:

“‘Dead bodies will lie
like dung^(MI) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.’”

²³This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom^(MJ)
    or the strong boast of their strength^(MK)
    or the rich boast of their riches,^(ML)
²⁴but let the one who boasts boast^(MM) about this:
    that they have the understanding to know^(MN) me,
that I am the Lord,^(MO) who exercises kindness,^(MP)
    justice and righteousness^(MQ) on earth,
    for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

²⁵“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh^(MR)— ²⁶Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.^[i]^(MS) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,^(MT) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.^(MU)”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 6:10 Hebrew uncircumcised
Jeremiah 7:9 Or and swear by false gods
Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
Jeremiah 8:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
Jeremiah 9:26 Or wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads