Isaiah 50:8-66:24
New King James Version
8 (A)He is near who justifies Me;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand together.
Who is [a]My adversary?
Let him come near Me.
9 Surely the Lord God will help Me;
Who is he who will condemn Me?
(B)Indeed they will all grow old like a garment;
(C)The moth will eat them up.
10 “Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
Who (D)walks in darkness
And has no light?
(E)Let him trust in the name of the Lord
And rely upon his God.
11 Look, all you who kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with sparks:
Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—
(F)This you shall have from My hand:
You shall lie down (G)in torment.
The Lord Comforts Zion(H)
51 “Listen to Me, (I)you who [b]follow after righteousness,
You who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
2 (J)Look to Abraham your father,
And to Sarah who bore you;
(K)For I called him alone,
And (L)blessed him and increased him.”
3 For the Lord will (M)comfort Zion,
He will comfort all her waste places;
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
And her desert (N)like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness will be found in it,
Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
4 “Listen to Me, My people;
And give ear to Me, O My nation:
(O)For law will proceed from Me,
And I will make My justice rest
(P)As a light of the peoples.
5 (Q)My righteousness is near,
My salvation has gone forth,
(R)And My arms will judge the peoples;
(S)The coastlands will wait upon Me,
And (T)on My arm they will trust.
6 (U)Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
And look on the earth beneath.
For (V)the heavens will vanish away like smoke,
(W)The earth will grow old like a garment,
And those who dwell in it will die in like manner;
But My salvation will be (X)forever,
And My righteousness will not be [c]abolished.
7 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
You people (Y)in whose heart is My law:
(Z)Do not fear the reproach of men,
Nor be afraid of their insults.
8 For (AA)the moth will eat them up like a garment,
And the worm will eat them like wool;
But My righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation from generation to generation.”
9 (AB)Awake, awake, (AC)put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake (AD)as in the ancient days,
In the generations of old.
(AE)Are You not the arm that cut (AF)Rahab apart,
And wounded the (AG)serpent?
10 Are You not the One who (AH)dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
That made the depths of the sea a road
For the redeemed to cross over?
11 So (AI)the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness;
Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
12 “I, even I, am He (AJ)who comforts you.
Who are you that you should be afraid
(AK)Of a man who will die,
And of the son of a man who will be made (AL)like grass?
13 And (AM)you forget the Lord your Maker,
(AN)Who stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth;
You have feared continually every day
Because of the fury of the oppressor,
When he has prepared to destroy.
(AO)And where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed,
(AP)That he should not die in the pit,
And that his bread should not fail.
15 But I am the Lord your God,
Who (AQ)divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name.
16 And (AR)I have put My words in your mouth;
(AS)I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
(AT)That I may [d]plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth,
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”
God’s Fury Removed
17 (AU)Awake, awake!
Stand up, O Jerusalem,
You who (AV)have drunk at the hand of the Lord
The cup of His fury;
You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling,
And drained it out.
18 There is no one to guide her
Among all the sons she has brought forth;
Nor is there any who takes her by the hand
Among all the sons she has brought up.
19 (AW)These two things have come to you;
Who will be sorry for you?—
Desolation and destruction, famine and sword—
(AX)By whom will I comfort you?
20 (AY)Your sons have fainted,
They lie at the head of all the streets,
Like an antelope in a net;
They are full of the fury of the Lord,
The rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore please hear this, you afflicted,
And drunk (AZ)but not with wine.
22 Thus says your Lord,
The Lord and your God,
Who (BA)pleads the cause of His people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
The cup of trembling,
The dregs of the cup of My fury;
You shall no longer drink it.
23 (BB)But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you,
Who have said to [e]you,
‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.’
And you have laid your body like the ground,
And as the street, for those who walk over.”
God Redeems Jerusalem
52 Awake, awake!
Put on your strength, O Zion;
Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city!
For the uncircumcised (BC)and the unclean
Shall no longer come to you.
2 (BD)Shake yourself from the dust, arise;
Sit down, O Jerusalem!
(BE)Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion!
3 For thus says the Lord:
4 For thus says the Lord God:
“My people went down at first
Into (BH)Egypt to [f]dwell there;
Then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5 Now therefore, what have I here,” says the Lord,
“That My people are taken away for nothing?
Those who rule over them
[g]Make them wail,” says the Lord,
“And My name is (BI)blasphemed continually every day.
6 Therefore My people shall know My name;
Therefore they shall know in that day
That I am He who speaks:
‘Behold, it is I.’ ”
7 (BJ)How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
(BK)“Your God reigns!”
8 Your watchmen shall lift up their voices,
With their voices they shall sing together;
For they shall see eye to eye
When the Lord brings back Zion.
9 Break forth into joy, sing together,
You waste places of Jerusalem!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 (BL)The Lord has [h]made bare His holy arm
In the eyes of (BM)all the nations;
And all the ends of the earth shall see
The salvation of our God.
11 (BN)Depart! Depart! Go out from there,
Touch no unclean thing;
Go out from the midst of her,
(BO)Be clean,
You who bear the vessels of the Lord.
12 For (BP)you shall not go out with haste,
Nor go by flight;
(BQ)For the Lord will go before you,
(BR)And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
The Sin-Bearing Servant
13 Behold, (BS)My Servant shall [i]deal prudently;
(BT)He shall be exalted and [j]extolled and be very high.
14 Just as many were astonished at you,
So His (BU)visage[k] was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men;
15 (BV)So shall He [l]sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;
For (BW)what had not been told them they shall see,
And what they had not heard they shall consider.
The Sin-Bearing Messiah
53 Who (BX)has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no [m]form or [n]comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no [o]beauty that we should desire Him.
3 (BY)He is despised and [p]rejected by men,
A Man of [q]sorrows and (BZ)acquainted with [r]grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and (CA)we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely (CB)He has borne our [s]griefs
And carried our [t]sorrows;
Yet we [u]esteemed Him stricken,
[v]Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was (CC)wounded[w] for our transgressions,
He was [x]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His (CD)stripes[y] we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord [z]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet (CE)He opened not His mouth;
(CF)He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was (CG)taken from [aa]prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For (CH)He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 (CI)And [ab]they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any (CJ)deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to [ac]bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul (CK)an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
11 [ad]He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge (CL)My righteous (CM)Servant shall (CN)justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 (CO)Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
(CP)And He shall divide the [ae]spoil with the strong,
Because He (CQ)poured out His soul unto death,
And He was (CR)numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And (CS)made intercession for the transgressors.
A Perpetual Covenant of Peace
54 “Sing, O (CT)barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge(CU) the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will (CV)inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.
4 “Do(CW) not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
5 (CX)For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called (CY)the God of the whole earth.
6 For the Lord (CZ)has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”
Says your God.
7 “For(DA) a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies (DB)I will gather you.
8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
(DC)But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.
9 “For this is like the waters of (DD)Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with (DE)you, nor rebuke you.
10 For (DF)the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
(DG)But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
11 “O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with (DH)colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children shall be (DI)taught by the Lord,
And (DJ)great shall be the peace of your children.
14 In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15 Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall (DK)fall for your sake.
16 “Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an [af]instrument for his work;
And I have created the [ag]spoiler to destroy.
17 No weapon formed against you shall (DL)prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
(DM)And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.
An Invitation to Abundant Life
55 “Ho! (DN)Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
(DO)Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
2 Why do you [ah]spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and (DP)come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
(DQ)And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The (DR)sure mercies of David.
4 Indeed I have given him as (DS)a witness to the people,
(DT)A leader and commander for the people.
5 (DU)Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,
(DV)And nations who do not know you shall run to you,
Because of the Lord your God,
And the Holy One of Israel;
(DW)For He has glorified you.”
6 (DX)Seek the Lord while He may be (DY)found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 (DZ)Let the [ai]wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man (EA)his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
(EB)And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
8 “For(EC) My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For(ED) as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For (EE)as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 (EF)So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me [aj]void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall (EG)prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For(EH) you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall (EI)break forth into singing before you,
And (EJ)all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 (EK)Instead of (EL)the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the Lord (EM)for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
Salvation for the Gentiles
56 Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
(EN)For My salvation is about to come,
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who lays hold on it;
(EO)Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Do not let (EP)the son of the foreigner
Who has joined himself to the Lord
Speak, saying,
“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;
Nor let the (EQ)eunuch say,
“Here I am, a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
5 Even to them I will give in (ER)My house
And within My walls a place (ES)and a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give [ak]them an everlasting name
That shall not be cut off.
6 “Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—
7 Even them I will (ET)bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My (EU)house of prayer.
(EV)Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be (EW)accepted on My altar;
For (EX)My house shall be called a house of prayer (EY)for all nations.”
8 The Lord God, (EZ)who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says,
(FA)“Yet I will gather to him
Others besides those who are gathered to him.”
Israel’s Irresponsible Leaders
9 (FB)All you beasts of the field, come to devour,
All you beasts in the forest.
10 His watchmen are (FC)blind,
They are all ignorant;
(FD)They are all dumb dogs,
They cannot bark;
[al]Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
11 Yes, they are (FE)greedy[am] dogs
Which (FF)never[an] have enough.
And they are shepherds
Who cannot understand;
They all look to their own way,
Every one for his own gain,
From his own territory.
12 “Come,” one says, “I will bring wine,
And we will fill ourselves with intoxicating (FG)drink;
(FH)Tomorrow will be (FI)as today,
And much more abundant.”
Israel’s Futile Idolatry
57 The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
(FJ)Merciful men are taken away,
(FK)While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from [ao]evil.
2 He shall enter into peace;
They shall rest in (FL)their beds,
Each one walking in his uprightness.
3 “But come here,
(FM)You sons of the sorceress,
You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot!
4 Whom do you ridicule?
Against whom do you make a wide mouth
And stick out the tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
Offspring of falsehood,
5 Inflaming yourselves with gods (FN)under every green tree,
(FO)Slaying the children in the valleys,
Under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth (FP)stones of the stream
Is your portion;
They, they, are your lot!
Even to them you have poured a drink offering,
You have offered a grain offering.
Should I receive comfort in (FQ)these?
7 “On(FR) a lofty and high mountain
You have set (FS)your bed;
Even there you went up
To offer sacrifice.
8 Also behind the doors and their posts
You have set up your remembrance;
For you have uncovered yourself to those other than Me,
And have gone up to them;
You have enlarged your bed
And [ap]made a covenant with them;
(FT)You have loved their bed,
Where you saw their [aq]nudity.
9 (FU)You went to the king with ointment,
And increased your perfumes;
You sent your (FV)messengers far off,
And even descended to Sheol.
10 You are wearied in the length of your way;
(FW)Yet you did not say, ‘There is no hope.’
You have found the life of your hand;
Therefore you were not grieved.
11 “And (FX)of whom have you been afraid, or feared,
That you have lied
And not remembered Me,
Nor taken it to your heart?
Is it not because (FY)I have [ar]held My peace from of old
That you do not fear Me?
12 I will declare your righteousness
And your works,
For they will not profit you.
13 When you cry out,
Let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will carry them all away,
A breath will take them.
But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land,
And shall inherit My holy mountain.”
Healing for the Backslider
14 And one shall say,
(FZ)“Heap it up! Heap it up!
Prepare the way,
Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.”
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, (GA)whose name is Holy:
(GB)“I dwell in the high and holy place,
(GC)With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
(GD)To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 (GE)For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would fail before Me,
And the souls (GF)which I have made.
17 For the iniquity of (GG)his covetousness
I was angry and struck him;
(GH)I hid and was angry,
(GI)And he went on [as]backsliding in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and (GJ)will heal him;
I will also lead him,
And restore comforts to him
And to (GK)his mourners.
19 “I create (GL)the fruit of the lips:
Peace, peace (GM)to him who is far off and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord,
“And I will heal him.”
20 (GN)But the wicked are like the troubled sea,
When it cannot rest,
Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 “There(GO) is no peace,”
Says my God, “for the wicked.”
Fasting that Pleases God
58 “Cry aloud, [at]spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
(GP)Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek Me daily,
And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching God.
3 ‘Why(GQ) have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?
Why have we (GR)afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’
“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And [au]exploit all your laborers.
4 (GS)Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.
5 Is (GT)it a fast that I have chosen,
(GU)A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And (GV)to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?
6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To (GW)loose the bonds of wickedness,
(GX)To undo the [av]heavy burdens,
(GY)To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not (GZ)to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are [aw]cast out;
(HA)When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from (HB)your own flesh?
8 (HC)Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
(HD)The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The [ax]pointing of the finger, and (HE)speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your [ay]darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
(HF)Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of [az]Streets to Dwell In.
13 “If (HG)you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
14 (HH)Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to (HI)ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
(HJ)The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Separated from God
59 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not (HK)shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will (HL)not hear.
3 For (HM)your hands are defiled with [ba]blood,
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken lies,
Your tongue has muttered perversity.
4 No one calls for justice,
Nor does any plead for truth.
They trust in (HN)empty words and speak lies;
(HO)They conceive [bb]evil and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.
6 (HP)Their webs will not become garments,
Nor will they cover themselves with their works;
Their works are works of iniquity,
And the act of violence is in their hands.
7 (HQ)Their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed (HR)innocent blood;
(HS)Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
Wasting and (HT)destruction are in their paths.
8 The way of (HU)peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
(HV)They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.
Sin Confessed
9 Therefore justice is far from us,
Nor does righteousness overtake us;
(HW)We look for light, but there is darkness!
For brightness, but we walk in blackness!
10 (HX)We grope for the wall like the blind,
And we grope as if we had no eyes;
We stumble at noonday as at twilight;
We are as dead men in desolate places.
11 We all growl like bears,
And (HY)moan sadly like doves;
We look for justice, but there is none;
For salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our (HZ)transgressions are multiplied before You,
And our sins testify against us;
For our transgressions are with us,
And as for our iniquities, we know them:
13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord,
And departing from our God,
Speaking oppression and revolt,
Conceiving and uttering (IA)from the heart words of falsehood.
14 Justice is turned back,
And righteousness stands afar off;
For truth is fallen in the street,
And equity cannot enter.
15 So truth fails,
And he who departs from evil makes himself a (IB)prey.
The Redeemer of Zion
Then the Lord saw it, and [bc]it displeased Him
That there was no justice.
16 (IC)He saw that there was no man,
And (ID)wondered that there was no intercessor;
(IE)Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
17 (IF)For He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head;
He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,
And was clad with zeal as a cloak.
18 (IG)According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay,
Fury to His adversaries,
Recompense to His enemies;
The coastlands He will fully repay.
19 (IH)So shall they fear
The name of the Lord from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in (II)like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
20 “The(IJ) Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,”
Says the Lord.
21 “As(IK) for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
The Gentiles Bless Zion
60 Arise, (IL)shine;
For your light has come!
And (IM)the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
3 The (IN)Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 “Lift(IO) up your eyes all around, and see:
They all gather together, (IP)they come to you;
Your sons shall come from afar,
And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
5 Then you shall see and become radiant,
And your heart shall swell with joy;
Because (IQ)the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.
6 The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and (IR)Ephah;
All those from (IS)Sheba shall come;
They shall bring (IT)gold and incense,
And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of (IU)Kedar shall be gathered together to you,
The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
They shall ascend with (IV)acceptance on My altar,
And (IW)I will glorify the house of My glory.
8 “Who are these who fly like a cloud,
And like doves to their roosts?
9 (IX)Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
(IY)To bring your sons from afar,
(IZ)Their silver and their gold with them,
To the name of the Lord your God,
And to the Holy One of Israel,
(JA)Because He has glorified you.
10 “The(JB) sons of foreigners shall build up your walls,
(JC)And their kings shall minister to you;
For (JD)in My wrath I struck you,
(JE)But in My favor I have had mercy on you.
11 Therefore your gates (JF)shall be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night,
That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,
And their kings in procession.
12 (JG)For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish,
And those nations shall be utterly ruined.
13 “The(JH) glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make (JI)the place of My feet glorious.
14 Also the sons of those who afflicted you
Shall come (JJ)bowing to you,
And all those who despised you shall (JK)fall prostrate at the soles of your feet;
And they shall call you The City of the Lord,
(JL)Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
So that no one went through you,
I will make you an eternal excellence,
A joy of many generations.
16 You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles,
(JM)And milk the breast of kings;
You shall know that (JN)I, the Lord, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 “Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
Instead of iron I will bring silver,
Instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
I will also make your officers peace,
And your magistrates righteousness.
18 Violence shall no longer be heard in your land,
Neither [bd]wasting nor destruction within your borders;
But you shall call (JO)your walls Salvation,
And your gates Praise.
God the Glory of His People
19 “The (JP)sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,
And (JQ)your God your glory.
20 (JR)Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
21 (JS)Also your people shall all be righteous;
(JT)They shall inherit the land forever,
(JU)The branch of My planting,
(JV)The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.
22 (JW)A little one shall become a thousand,
And a small one a strong nation.
I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”
The Good News of Salvation
61 “The (JX)Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord (JY)has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me (JZ)to [be]heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim (KA)liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 (KB)To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And (KC)the day of vengeance of our God;
(KD)To comfort all who mourn,
3 To [bf]console those who mourn in Zion,
(KE)To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
(KF)The planting of the Lord, (KG)that He may be glorified.”
4 And they shall (KH)rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
5 (KI)Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 (KJ)But you shall be named the priests of the Lord,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
(KK)You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.
7 (KL)Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.
8 “For (KM)I, the Lord, love justice;
(KN)I hate robbery [bg]for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth,
(KO)And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
9 Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,
And their offspring among the people.
All who see them shall acknowledge them,
(KP)That they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed.”
10 (KQ)I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For (KR)He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
(KS)As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord God will cause (KT)righteousness and (KU)praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Assurance of Zion’s Salvation
62 For Zion’s sake I will not [bh]hold My peace,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
And her salvation as a lamp that burns.
2 (KV)The Gentiles shall see your righteousness,
And all (KW)kings your glory.
(KX)You shall be called by a new name,
Which the mouth of the Lord will name.
3 You shall also be (KY)a crown of glory
In the hand of the Lord,
And a royal diadem
In the hand of your God.
4 (KZ)You shall no longer be termed (LA)Forsaken,[bi]
Nor shall your land any more be termed (LB)Desolate;[bj]
But you shall be called [bk]Hephzibah, and your land [bl]Beulah;
For the Lord delights in you,
And your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin,
So shall your sons marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
(LC)So shall your God rejoice over you.
6 (LD)I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall [bm]never hold their peace day or night.
You who [bn]make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,
7 And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem (LE)a praise in the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn by His right hand
And by the arm of His strength:
“Surely I will no longer (LF)give your grain
As food for your enemies;
And the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine,
For which you have labored.
9 But those who have gathered it shall eat it,
And praise the Lord;
Those who have brought it together shall drink it (LG)in My holy courts.”
10 Go through,
Go through the gates!
(LH)Prepare the way for the people;
Build up,
Build up the highway!
Take out the stones,
(LI)Lift up a banner for the peoples!
11 Indeed the Lord has proclaimed
To the end of the world:
(LJ)“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Surely your salvation is coming;
Behold, His (LK)reward is with Him,
And His [bo]work before Him.’ ”
12 And they shall call them The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
And you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
The Lord in Judgment and Salvation
63 Who is this who comes from Edom,
With dyed garments from Bozrah,
This One who is [bp]glorious in His apparel,
Traveling in the greatness of His strength?—
“I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
2 Why (LL)is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
3 “I have (LM)trodden the winepress alone,
And from the peoples no one was with Me.
For I have trodden them in My anger,
And trampled them in My fury;
Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments,
And I have stained all My robes.
4 For the (LN)day of vengeance is in My heart,
And the year of My redeemed has come.
5 (LO)I looked, but (LP)there was no one to help,
And I wondered
That there was no one to uphold;
Therefore My own (LQ)arm brought salvation for Me;
And My own fury, it sustained Me.
6 I have trodden down the peoples in My anger,
Made them drunk in My fury,
And brought down their strength to the earth.”
God’s Mercy Remembered
7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord
And the praises of the Lord,
According to all that the Lord has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.
8 For He said, “Surely they are My people,
Children who will not lie.”
So He became their Savior.
9 (LR)In all their affliction He was [bq]afflicted,
(LS)And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
(LT)In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And (LU)He bore them and carried them
All the days of old.
10 But they (LV)rebelled and (LW)grieved His Holy Spirit;
(LX)So He turned Himself against them as an enemy,
And He fought against them.
11 Then he (LY)remembered the days of old,
Moses and his people, saying:
“Where is He who (LZ)brought them up out of the sea
With the [br]shepherd of His flock?
(MA)Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them,
12 Who led them by the right hand of Moses,
(MB)With His glorious arm,
(MC)Dividing the water before them
To make for Himself an everlasting name,
13 (MD)Who led them through the deep,
As a horse in the wilderness,
That they might not stumble?”
14 As a beast goes down into the valley,
And the Spirit of the Lord causes him to rest,
So You lead Your people,
(ME)To make Yourself a glorious name.
A Prayer of Penitence
15 (MF)Look down from heaven,
And see (MG)from Your habitation, holy and glorious.
Where are Your zeal and Your strength,
The yearning (MH)of Your heart and Your mercies toward me?
Are they restrained?
16 (MI)Doubtless You are our Father,
Though Abraham (MJ)was ignorant of us,
And Israel does not acknowledge us.
You, O Lord, are our Father;
Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.
17 O Lord, why have You (MK)made us stray from Your ways,
And hardened our heart from Your fear?
Return for Your servants’ sake,
The tribes of Your inheritance.
18 (ML)Your holy people have possessed it but a little while;
(MM)Our adversaries have trodden down Your sanctuary.
19 We have become like those of old, over whom You never ruled,
Those who were never called by Your name.
A Prayer for Help
64 Oh, that You would [bs]rend the heavens!
That You would come down!
That the mountains might shake at Your (MN)presence—
2 As fire burns brushwood,
As fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
3 When (MO)You did awesome things for which we did not look,
You came down,
The mountains shook at Your presence.
4 For since the beginning of the world
(MP)Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.
You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—
(MQ)In these ways we continue;
And we need to be saved.
6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all (MR)our righteousnesses are like [bt]filthy rags;
We all (MS)fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.
7 And there is no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us,
And have [bu]consumed us because of our iniquities.
8 But now, O Lord,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our (MT)potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.
9 Do not be furious, O Lord,
Nor remember iniquity forever;
Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!
10 Your holy cities are a wilderness,
Zion is a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful [bv]temple,
Where our fathers praised You,
Is burned up with fire;
And all (MU)our pleasant things [bw]are laid waste.
12 (MV)Will You restrain Yourself because of these things, O Lord?
(MW)Will You [bx]hold Your peace, and afflict us very severely?
The Righteousness of God’s Judgment
65 “I was (MX)sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’
To a nation that (MY)was not called by My name.
2 (MZ)I have stretched out My hands all day long to a (NA)rebellious people,
Who (NB)walk in a way that is not good,
According to their own thoughts;
3 A people (NC)who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;
(ND)Who sacrifice in gardens,
And burn incense on altars of brick;
4 (NE)Who sit among the graves,
And spend the night in the tombs;
(NF)Who eat swine’s flesh,
And the broth of [by]abominable things is in their vessels;
5 (NG)Who say, ‘Keep to yourself,
Do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These [bz]are smoke in My nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.
6 “Behold, (NH)it is written before Me:
(NI)I will not keep silence, (NJ)but will repay—
Even repay into their bosom—
7 Your iniquities and (NK)the iniquities of your fathers together,”
Says the Lord,
(NL)“Who have burned incense on the mountains
(NM)And blasphemed Me on the hills;
Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.”
8 Thus says the Lord:
“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it,
For (NN)a blessing is in it,’
So will I do for My servants’ sake,
That I may not destroy them (NO)all.
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
And from Judah an heir of My mountains;
My (NP)elect shall inherit it,
And My servants shall dwell there.
10 (NQ)Sharon shall be a fold of flocks,
And (NR)the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,
For My people who have (NS)sought Me.
11 “But you are those who forsake the Lord,
Who forget (NT)My holy mountain,
Who prepare (NU)a table for [ca]Gad,
And who furnish a drink offering for [cb]Meni.
12 Therefore I will number you for the sword,
And you shall all bow down to the slaughter;
(NV)Because, when I called, you did not answer;
When I spoke, you did not hear,
But did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight.”
13 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, My servants shall eat,
But you shall be hungry;
Behold, My servants shall drink,
But you shall be thirsty;
Behold, My servants shall rejoice,
But you shall be ashamed;
14 Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart,
But you shall cry for sorrow of heart,
And (NW)wail for [cc]grief of spirit.
15 You shall leave your name (NX)as a curse to (NY)My chosen;
For the Lord God will slay you,
And (NZ)call His servants by another name;
16 (OA)So that he who blesses himself in the earth
Shall bless himself in the God of truth;
And (OB)he who swears in the earth
Shall swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My eyes.
The Glorious New Creation
17 “For behold, I create (OC)new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or [cd]come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
19 (OD)I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The (OE)voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.
20 “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
(OF)But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 (OG)They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
They shall not plant and (OH)another eat;
For (OI)as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And (OJ)My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain,
(OK)Nor bring forth children for trouble;
For (OL)they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord,
And their offspring with them.
24 “It shall come to pass
That (OM)before they call, I will answer;
And while they are still speaking, I will (ON)hear.
25 The (OO)wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
(OP)And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
Says the Lord.
True Worship and False
66 Thus says the Lord:
(OQ)“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
2 For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
(OR)“But on this one will I look:
(OS)On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.
3 “He(OT) who kills a bull is as if he slays a man;
He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he (OU)breaks a dog’s neck;
He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood;
He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol.
Just as they have chosen their own ways,
And their soul delights in their abominations,
4 So will I choose their delusions,
And bring their fears on them;
(OV)Because, when I called, no one answered,
When I spoke they did not hear;
But they did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight.”
The Lord Vindicates Zion
5 Hear the word of the Lord,
You who tremble at His word:
“Your brethren who (OW)hated you,
Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said,
(OX)‘Let the Lord be glorified,
That (OY)we may see your joy.’
But they shall be ashamed.”
6 The sound of noise from the city!
A voice from the temple!
The voice of the Lord,
Who fully repays His enemies!
7 “Before she was in labor, she gave birth;
Before her pain came,
She delivered a male child.
8 Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?
Or shall a nation be born at once?
For as soon as Zion was in labor,
She gave birth to her children.
9 Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the Lord.
“Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem,
And be glad with her, all you who love her;
Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;
11 That you may feed and be satisfied
With the consolation of her bosom,
That you may drink deeply and be delighted
With the abundance of her glory.”
12 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, (OZ)I will extend peace to her like a river,
And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.
Then you shall (PA)feed;
On her sides shall you be (PB)carried,
And be dandled on her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts,
So I will (PC)comfort you;
And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
The Reign and Indignation of God
14 When you see this, your heart shall rejoice,
And (PD)your bones shall flourish like grass;
The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants,
And His indignation to His enemies.
15 (PE)For behold, the Lord will come with fire
And with His chariots, like a whirlwind,
To render His anger with fury,
And His rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by (PF)His sword
The Lord will judge all flesh;
And the slain of the Lord shall be (PG)many.
17 “Those(PH) who sanctify themselves and purify themselves,
To go to the gardens
[ce]After an idol in the midst,
Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse,
Shall [cf]be consumed together,” says the Lord.
18 “For I know their works and their (PI)thoughts. It shall be that I will (PJ)gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory. 19 (PK)I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and [cg]Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. (PL)And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. 20 Then they shall (PM)bring all your brethren (PN)for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. 21 And I will also take some of them for (PO)priests and Levites,” says the Lord.
22 “For as (PP)the new heavens and the new earth
Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord,
“So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23 And (PQ)it shall come to pass
That from one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another,
(PR)All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.
24 “And they shall go forth and look
Upon the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their (PS)worm does not die,
And their fire is not quenched.
They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 50:8 Lit. master of My judgment
- Isaiah 51:1 pursue
- Isaiah 51:6 broken
- Isaiah 51:16 establish
- Isaiah 51:23 Lit. your soul
- Isaiah 52:4 As resident aliens
- Isaiah 52:5 DSS Mock; LXX Marvel and wail; Tg. Boast themselves; Vg. Treat them unjustly
- Isaiah 52:10 Revealed His power
- Isaiah 52:13 prosper
- Isaiah 52:13 Lit. be lifted up
- Isaiah 52:14 appearance
- Isaiah 52:15 Or startle
- Isaiah 53:2 Stately form
- Isaiah 53:2 splendor
- Isaiah 53:2 Lit. appearance
- Isaiah 53:3 Or forsaken
- Isaiah 53:3 Lit. pains
- Isaiah 53:3 Lit. sickness
- Isaiah 53:4 Lit. sicknesses
- Isaiah 53:4 Lit. pains
- Isaiah 53:4 reckoned
- Isaiah 53:4 Struck down
- Isaiah 53:5 Or pierced through
- Isaiah 53:5 crushed
- Isaiah 53:5 Blows that cut in
- Isaiah 53:6 Lit. has caused to land on Him
- Isaiah 53:8 confinement
- Isaiah 53:9 Lit. he or He
- Isaiah 53:10 crush
- Isaiah 53:11 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; DSS, LXX From the labor of His soul He shall see light
- Isaiah 53:12 plunder
- Isaiah 54:16 Or weapon
- Isaiah 54:16 destroyer
- Isaiah 55:2 Lit. weigh out silver
- Isaiah 55:7 Lit. man of iniquity
- Isaiah 55:11 empty, without fruit
- Isaiah 56:5 Lit. him
- Isaiah 56:10 Or Dreaming
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit. strong of soul
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit. do not know satisfaction
- Isaiah 57:1 Lit. the face of evil
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit. cut
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit. hand, a euphemism
- Isaiah 57:11 remained silent
- Isaiah 57:17 Or turning back
- Isaiah 58:1 do not hold back
- Isaiah 58:3 Lit. drive hard
- Isaiah 58:6 Lit. bonds of the yoke
- Isaiah 58:7 wandering
- Isaiah 58:9 Lit. sending out of
- Isaiah 58:10 Or gloom
- Isaiah 58:12 Lit. Paths
- Isaiah 59:3 bloodshed
- Isaiah 59:4 trouble
- Isaiah 59:15 Lit. it was evil in His eyes
- Isaiah 60:18 devastation
- Isaiah 61:1 Lit. bind up
- Isaiah 61:3 Lit. appoint
- Isaiah 61:8 Or in
- Isaiah 62:1 keep silent
- Isaiah 62:4 Heb. Azubah
- Isaiah 62:4 Heb. Shemamah
- Isaiah 62:4 Lit. My Delight Is in Her
- Isaiah 62:4 Lit. Married
- Isaiah 62:6 not be silent
- Isaiah 62:6 remember
- Isaiah 62:11 recompense
- Isaiah 63:1 Or adorned
- Isaiah 63:9 Kt., LXX, Syr. not afflicted
- Isaiah 63:11 MT, Vg. shepherds
- Isaiah 64:1 tear open
- Isaiah 64:6 Lit. a filthy garment
- Isaiah 64:7 Lit. caused us to melt
- Isaiah 64:11 Lit. house
- Isaiah 64:11 have become a ruin
- Isaiah 64:12 keep silent
- Isaiah 65:4 Unclean meats, Lev. 7:18; 19:7
- Isaiah 65:5 Cause My wrath to smoke
- Isaiah 65:11 Lit. Troop or Fortune; a pagan deity
- Isaiah 65:11 Lit. Number or Destiny; a pagan deity
- Isaiah 65:14 Or a broken spirit
- Isaiah 65:17 Lit. come upon the heart
- Isaiah 66:17 Lit. After one
- Isaiah 66:17 come to an end
- Isaiah 66:19 So with MT, Tg.; LXX Put (cf. Jer. 46:9)
Jeremiah 1:1-6:24
New King James Version
Jeremiah Called to Be a Priest
1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were (A)in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of (B)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, (C)in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of (D)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, (E)until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, (F)until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive (G)in the fifth month.
The Prophet Is Called
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 “Before I (H)formed you in the womb (I)I knew you;
Before you were born I (J)sanctified[a] you;
I [b]ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then said I:
(K)“Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me:
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And (L)whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 (M)Do not be afraid of their faces,
For (N)I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and (O)touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:
“Behold, I have (P)put My words in your mouth.
10 (Q)See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To (R)root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
And I said, “I see a [c]branch of an almond tree.”
12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am [d]ready to perform My word.”
13 And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?”
And I said, “I see (S)a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.”
14 Then the Lord said to me:
“Out of the (T)north calamity shall break forth
On all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For behold, I am (U)calling
All the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord;
“They shall come and (V)each one set his throne
At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,
Against all its walls all around,
And against all the cities of Judah.
16 I will utter My judgments
Against them concerning all their wickedness,
Because (W)they have forsaken Me,
Burned (X)incense to other gods,
And worshiped the works of their own (Y)hands.
17 “Therefore (Z)prepare yourself and arise,
And speak to them all that I command you.
(AA)Do not be dismayed before their faces,
Lest I dismay you before them.
18 For behold, I have made you this day
(AB)A fortified city and an iron pillar,
And bronze walls against the whole land—
Against the kings of Judah,
Against its princes,
Against its priests,
And against the people of the land.
19 They will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you.
For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”
God’s Case Against Israel
2 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord:
“I remember you,
The kindness of your (AC)youth,
The love of your betrothal,
(AD)When you [e]went after Me in the wilderness,
In a land not sown.
3 (AE)Israel was holiness to the Lord,
(AF)The firstfruits of His increase.
(AG)All that devour him will offend;
Disaster will (AH)come upon them,” says the Lord.’ ”
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord:
(AI)“What injustice have your fathers found in Me,
That they have gone far from Me,
(AJ)Have followed [f]idols,
And have become idolaters?
6 Neither did they say, ‘Where is the Lord,
Who (AK)brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who led us through (AL)the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and pits,
Through a land of drought and the shadow of death,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no one dwelt?’
7 I brought you into (AM)a bountiful country,
To eat its fruit and its goodness.
But when you entered, you (AN)defiled My land
And made My heritage an abomination.
8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the (AO)law did not know Me;
The rulers also transgressed against Me;
(AP)The prophets prophesied by Baal,
And walked after things that do not profit.
9 “Therefore (AQ)I will yet [g]bring charges against you,” says the Lord,
“And against your children’s children I will bring charges.
10 For pass beyond the coasts of [h]Cyprus and see,
Send to [i]Kedar and consider diligently,
And see if there has been such a (AR)thing.
11 (AS)Has a nation changed its gods,
Which are (AT)not gods?
(AU)But My people have changed their Glory
For what does not profit.
12 Be astonished, O heavens, at this,
And be horribly afraid;
Be very desolate,” says the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the (AV)fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14 “Is Israel (AW)a servant?
Is he a homeborn slave?
Why is he plundered?
15 (AX)The young lions roared at him, and growled;
They made his land waste;
His cities are burned, without inhabitant.
16 Also the people of [j]Noph and (AY)Tahpanhes
Have [k]broken the crown of your head.
17 (AZ)Have you not brought this on yourself,
In that you have forsaken the Lord your God
When (BA)He led you in the way?
18 And now why take (BB)the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of (BC)Sihor?
Or why take the road to (BD)Assyria,
To drink the waters of [l]the River?
19 Your own wickedness will (BE)correct you,
And your backslidings will rebuke you.
Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing
That you have forsaken the Lord your God,
And the [m]fear of Me is not in you,”
Says the Lord God of hosts.
20 “For of old I have (BF)broken your yoke and burst your bonds;
And (BG)you said, ‘I will not [n]transgress,’
When (BH)on every high hill and under every green tree
You lay down, (BI)playing the harlot.
21 Yet I had (BJ)planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality.
How then have you turned before Me
Into (BK)the degenerate plant of an alien vine?
22 For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap,
Yet your iniquity is (BL)marked[o] before Me,” says the Lord God.
23 “How(BM) can you say, ‘I am not [p]polluted,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
See your way in the valley;
Know what you have done:
You are a swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways,
24 A wild donkey used to the wilderness,
That sniffs at the wind in her desire;
In her time of mating, who can turn her away?
All those who seek her will not weary themselves;
In her month they will find her.
25 Withhold your foot from being unshod, and your throat from thirst.
But you said, (BN)‘There is no hope.
No! For I have loved (BO)aliens, and after them I will go.’
26 “As the thief is ashamed when he is found out,
So is the house of Israel ashamed;
They and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their (BP)prophets,
27 Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a (BQ)stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’
For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face.
But in the time of their (BR)trouble
They will say, ‘Arise and save us.’
28 But (BS)where are your gods that you have made for yourselves?
Let them arise,
If they (BT)can save you in the time of your [q]trouble;
For (BU)according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.
29 “Why will you plead with Me?
You all have transgressed against Me,” says the Lord.
30 “In vain I have (BV)chastened your children;
They (BW)received no correction.
Your sword has (BX)devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
31 “O generation, see the word of the Lord!
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a land of darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘We [r]are lords;
(BY)We will come no more to You’?
32 Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people (BZ)have forgotten Me days without number.
33 “Why do you beautify your way to seek love?
Therefore you have also taught
The wicked women your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
(CA)The blood of the lives of the poor innocents.
I have not found it by [s]secret search,
But plainly on all these things.
35 (CB)Yet you say, ‘Because I am innocent,
Surely His anger shall turn from me.’
Behold, (CC)I will plead My case against you,
(CD)Because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 (CE)Why do you gad about so much to change your way?
Also (CF)you shall be ashamed of Egypt (CG)as you were ashamed of Assyria.
37 Indeed you will go forth from him
With your hands on (CH)your head;
For the Lord has rejected your trusted allies,
And you will (CI)not prosper by them.
Israel Is Shameless
3 “They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife,
And she goes from him
And becomes another man’s,
(CJ)May he return to her again?’
Would not that (CK)land be greatly polluted?
But you have (CL)played the harlot with many lovers;
(CM)Yet return to Me,” says the Lord.
2 “Lift up your eyes to (CN)the desolate heights and see:
Where have you not [t]lain with men?
(CO)By the road you have sat for them
Like an Arabian in the wilderness;
(CP)And you have polluted the land
With your harlotries and your wickedness.
3 Therefore the (CQ)showers have been withheld,
And there has been no latter rain.
You have had a (CR)harlot’s forehead;
You refuse to be ashamed.
4 Will you not from this time cry to Me,
‘My Father, You are (CS)the guide of (CT)my youth?
5 (CU)Will He remain angry forever?
Will He keep it to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken and done evil things,
As you were able.”
A Call to Repentance
6 The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what (CV)backsliding Israel has done? She has (CW)gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. 7 (CX)And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous (CY)sister Judah saw it. 8 Then I saw that (CZ)for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had (DA)put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; (DB)yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9 So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she (DC)defiled the land and committed adultery with (DD)stones and trees. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me (DE)with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord.
11 Then the Lord said to me, (DF)“Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward (DG)the north, and say:
‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you.
For I am (DH)merciful,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not remain angry forever.
13 (DI)Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,
And have (DJ)scattered your [u]charms
To (DK)alien deities (DL)under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.
14 “Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; (DM)“for I am married to you. I will take you, (DN)one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to (DO)Zion. 15 And I will give you (DP)shepherds according to My heart, who will (DQ)feed you with knowledge and understanding.
16 “Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and (DR)increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ (DS)It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.
17 “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, (DT)to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they (DU)follow[v] the dictates of their evil hearts.
18 “In those days (DV)the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of (DW)the north to (DX)the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.
19 “But I said:
‘How can I put you among the children
And give you (DY)a pleasant land,
A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?’
“And I said:
‘You shall call Me, (DZ)“My Father,”
And not turn away from Me.’
20 Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her [w]husband,
So (EA)have you dealt treacherously with Me,
O house of Israel,” says the Lord.
21 A voice was heard on (EB)the desolate heights,
Weeping and supplications of the children of Israel.
For they have perverted their way;
They have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, you backsliding children,
And I will (EC)heal your backslidings.”
“Indeed we do come to You,
For You are the Lord our God.
23 (ED)Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills,
And from the multitude of mountains;
(EE)Truly, in the Lord our God
Is the salvation of Israel.
24 (EF)For shame has devoured
The labor of our fathers from our youth—
Their flocks and their herds,
Their sons and their daughters.
25 We lie down in our shame,
And our [x]reproach covers us.
(EG)For we have sinned against the Lord our God,
We and our fathers,
From our youth even to this day,
And (EH)have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”
Jeremiah Laments over Judah
4 “If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord,
(EI)“Return to Me;
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,
Then you shall not be moved.
2 (EJ)And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’
(EK)In truth, in [y]judgment, and in righteousness;
(EL)The nations shall bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they shall (EM)glory.”
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
(EN)“Break up your [z]fallow ground,
And (EO)do not sow among thorns.
4 (EP)Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My fury come forth like fire,
And burn so that no one can quench it,
Because of the evil of your doings.”
An Imminent Invasion
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
(EQ)“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, ‘Gather together,’
And say, (ER)‘Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.’
6 Set up the [aa]standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the (ES)north,
And great destruction.”
7 (ET)The lion has come up from his thicket,
And (EU)the destroyer of nations is on his way.
He has gone forth from his place
(EV)To make your land desolate.
Your cities will be laid waste,
Without inhabitant.
8 For this, (EW)clothe yourself with sackcloth,
Lament and wail.
For the fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned back from us.
9 “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord,
“That the heart of the king shall perish,
And the heart of the princes;
The priests shall be astonished,
And the prophets shall wonder.”
10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God!
(EX)Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem,
(EY)Saying, ‘You shall have peace,’
Whereas the sword reaches to the [ab]heart.”
11 At that time it will be said
To this people and to Jerusalem,
(EZ)“A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness
Toward the daughter of My people—
Not to fan or to cleanse—
12 A wind too strong for these will come for Me;
Now (FA)I will also speak judgment against them.”
13 “Behold, he shall come up like clouds,
And (FB)his chariots like a whirlwind.
(FC)His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are plundered!”
14 O Jerusalem, (FD)wash your heart from wickedness,
That you may be saved.
How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares (FE)from Dan
And proclaims [ac]affliction from Mount Ephraim:
16 “Make mention to the nations,
Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem,
That watchers come from a (FF)far country
And raise their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 (FG)Like keepers of a field they are against her all around,
Because she has been rebellious against Me,” says the Lord.
18 “Your(FH) ways and your doings
Have procured these things for you.
This is your wickedness,
Because it is bitter,
Because it reaches to your heart.”
Sorrow for the Doomed Nation
19 O my (FI)soul, my soul!
I am pained in my very heart!
My heart makes a noise in me;
I cannot hold my peace,
Because you have heard, O my soul,
The sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20 (FJ)Destruction upon destruction is cried,
For the whole land is plundered.
Suddenly (FK)my tents are plundered,
And my curtains in a moment.
21 How long will I see the [ad]standard,
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “For My people are foolish,
They have not known Me.
They are [ae]silly children,
And they have no understanding.
(FL)They are wise to do evil,
But to do good they have no knowledge.”
23 (FM)I beheld the earth, and indeed it was (FN)without form, and void;
And the heavens, they had no light.
24 (FO)I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I beheld, and indeed there was no man,
And (FP)all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a (FQ)wilderness,
And all its cities were broken down
At the presence of the Lord,
By His fierce anger.
27 For thus says the Lord:
“The whole land shall be desolate;
(FR)Yet I will not make a full end.
28 For this (FS)shall the earth mourn,
And (FT)the heavens above be black,
Because I have spoken.
I have (FU)purposed and (FV)will not relent,
Nor will I turn back from it.
29 The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen and bowmen.
They shall go into thickets and climb up on the rocks.
Every city shall be forsaken,
And not a man shall dwell in it.
30 “And when you are plundered,
What will you do?
Though you clothe yourself with crimson,
Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,
(FW)Though you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you will make yourself fair;
(FX)Your lovers will despise you;
They will seek your life.
31 “For I have heard a voice as of a woman in [af]labor,
The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child,
The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself;
She (FY)spreads her hands, saying,
‘Woe is me now, for my soul is [ag]weary
Because of murderers!’
The Justice of God’s Judgment
5 “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem;
See now and know;
And seek in her open places
(FZ)If you can find a man,
(GA)If there is anyone who executes [ah]judgment,
Who seeks the truth,
(GB)And I will pardon her.
2 (GC)Though they say, ‘As (GD)the Lord lives,’
Surely they (GE)swear falsely.”
3 O Lord, are not (GF)Your eyes on the truth?
You have (GG)stricken them,
But they have not grieved;
You have consumed them,
But (GH)they have refused to receive correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to return.
4 Therefore I said, “Surely these are poor.
They are foolish;
For (GI)they do not know the way of the Lord,
The judgment of their God.
5 I will go to the great men and speak to them,
For (GJ)they have known the way of the Lord,
The judgment of their God.”
But these have altogether (GK)broken the yoke
And burst the bonds.
6 Therefore (GL)a lion from the forest shall slay them,
(GM)A wolf of the deserts shall destroy them;
(GN)A leopard will watch over their cities.
Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces,
Because their transgressions are many;
Their backslidings have increased.
7 “How shall I pardon you for this?
Your children have forsaken Me
And (GO)sworn by those (GP)that are not gods.
(GQ)When I had fed them to the full,
Then they committed adultery
And assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
8 (GR)They were like well-fed lusty stallions;
Every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.
9 Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord.
“And shall I not (GS)avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
10 “Go up on her walls and destroy,
But do not [ai]make a (GT)complete end.
Take away her branches,
For they are not the Lord’s.
11 For (GU)the house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” says the Lord.
12 (GV)They have lied about the Lord,
And said, (GW)“It is not He.
(GX)Neither will [aj]evil come upon us,
Nor shall we see sword or famine.
13 And the prophets become wind,
For the word is not in them.
Thus shall it be done to them.”
14 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts:
“Because you speak this word,
(GY)Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire,
And this people wood,
And it shall devour them.
15 Behold, I will bring a (GZ)nation against you (HA)from afar,
O house of Israel,” says the Lord.
“It is a mighty nation,
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose language you do not know,
Nor can you understand what they say.
16 Their quiver is like an open tomb;
They are all mighty men.
17 And they shall eat up your (HB)harvest and your bread,
Which your sons and daughters should eat.
They shall eat up your flocks and your herds;
They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;
They shall destroy your fortified cities,
In which you trust, with the sword.
18 “Nevertheless in those days,” says the Lord, “I (HC)will not [ak]make a complete end of you. 19 And it will be when you say, (HD)‘Why does the Lord our God do all these things to us?’ then you shall answer them, ‘Just as you have (HE)forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so (HF)you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours.’
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Hear this now, O (HG)foolish people,
Without [al]understanding,
Who have eyes and see not,
And who have ears and hear not:
22 (HH)Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord.
‘Will you not tremble at My presence,
Who have placed the sand as the (HI)bound of the sea,
By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it?
And though its waves toss to and fro,
Yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.
23 But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart;
They have revolted and departed.
24 They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
(HJ)Who gives rain, both the (HK)former and the latter, in its season.
(HL)He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 (HM)Your iniquities have turned these things away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.
26 ‘For among My people are found wicked men;
They (HN)lie in wait as one who sets snares;
They set a trap;
They catch men.
27 As a cage is full of birds,
So their houses are full of deceit.
Therefore they have become great and grown rich.
28 They have grown (HO)fat, they are sleek;
Yes, they [am]surpass the deeds of the wicked;
They do not plead (HP)the cause,
The cause of the fatherless;
(HQ)Yet they prosper,
And the right of the needy they do not defend.
29 (HR)Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the Lord.
‘Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?’
30 “An astonishing and (HS)horrible thing
Has been committed in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy (HT)falsely,
And the priests rule by their own power;
And My people (HU)love to have it so.
But what will you do in the end?
Impending Destruction from the North
6 “O you children of Benjamin,
Gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,
And set up a signal-fire in (HV)Beth Haccerem;
(HW)For disaster appears out of the north,
And great destruction.
2 I have likened the daughter of Zion
To a lovely and delicate woman.
3 The (HX)shepherds with their flocks shall come to her.
They shall pitch their tents against her all around.
Each one shall pasture in his own place.”
4 “Prepare(HY) war against her;
Arise, and let us go up (HZ)at noon.
Woe to us, for the day goes away,
For the shadows of the evening are lengthening.
5 Arise, and let us go by night,
And let us destroy her palaces.”
6 For thus has the Lord of hosts said:
“Cut down trees,
And build a mound against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished.
She is full of oppression in her midst.
7 (IA)As a fountain [an]wells up with water,
So she wells up with her wickedness.
(IB)Violence and plundering are heard in her.
Before Me continually are [ao]grief and wounds.
8 Be instructed, O Jerusalem,
Lest (IC)My soul depart from you;
Lest I make you desolate,
A land not inhabited.”
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“They shall thoroughly glean as a vine the remnant of Israel;
As a grape-gatherer, put your hand back into the branches.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
That they may hear?
Indeed their (ID)ear is uncircumcised,
And they cannot give heed.
Behold, (IE)the word of the Lord is a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord.
(IF)I am weary of holding it in.
“I will pour it out (IG)on the children outside,
And on the assembly of young men together;
For even the husband shall be taken with the wife,
The aged with him who is full of days.
12 And (IH)their houses shall be turned over to others,
Fields and wives together;
For I will stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord.
13 “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is given to (II)covetousness;
And from the prophet even to the (IJ)priest,
Everyone deals falsely.
14 They have also (IK)healed the [ap]hurt of My people [aq]slightly,
(IL)Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’
When there is no peace.
15 Were they (IM)ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed;
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.
16 Thus says the Lord:
“Stand in the ways and see,
And ask for the (IN)old paths, where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find (IO)rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 Also, I set (IP)watchmen over you, saying,
(IQ)‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 Therefore hear, you nations,
And know, O congregation, what is among them.
19 (IR)Hear, O earth!
Behold, I will certainly bring (IS)calamity on this people—
(IT)The fruit of their thoughts,
Because they have not heeded My words
Nor My law, but rejected it.
20 (IU)For what purpose to Me
Comes frankincense (IV)from Sheba,
And (IW)sweet cane from a far country?
(IX)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
Nor your sacrifices sweet to Me.”
21 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people,
And the fathers and the sons together shall fall on them.
The neighbor and his friend shall perish.”
22 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, a people comes from the (IY)north country,
And a great nation will be raised from the farthest parts of the earth.
23 They will lay hold on bow and spear;
They are cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice (IZ)roars like the sea;
And they ride on horses,
As men of war set in array against you, O daughter of Zion.”
24 We have heard the report of it;
Our hands grow feeble.
(JA)Anguish has taken hold of us,
Pain as of a woman in [ar]labor.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:5 set you apart
- Jeremiah 1:5 appointed
- Jeremiah 1:11 Lit. rod
- Jeremiah 1:12 Lit. watching
- Jeremiah 2:2 followed
- Jeremiah 2:5 vanities or futilities
- Jeremiah 2:9 contend with
- Jeremiah 2:10 Heb. Kittim, representative of western cultures
- Jeremiah 2:10 In northern Arabian desert, representative of eastern cultures
- Jeremiah 2:16 Memphis in ancient Egypt
- Jeremiah 2:16 Or grazed
- Jeremiah 2:18 The Euphrates
- Jeremiah 2:19 dread
- Jeremiah 2:20 Kt. serve
- Jeremiah 2:22 stained
- Jeremiah 2:23 defiled
- Jeremiah 2:28 Or evil
- Jeremiah 2:31 have dominion
- Jeremiah 2:34 digging
- Jeremiah 3:2 Kt. been violated
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit. ways
- Jeremiah 3:17 walk after the stubbornness or imagination
- Jeremiah 3:20 Lit. companion
- Jeremiah 3:25 disgrace
- Jeremiah 4:2 justice
- Jeremiah 4:3 untilled
- Jeremiah 4:6 banner
- Jeremiah 4:10 Lit. soul
- Jeremiah 4:15 Or wickedness
- Jeremiah 4:21 banner
- Jeremiah 4:22 foolish
- Jeremiah 4:31 childbirth
- Jeremiah 4:31 faint
- Jeremiah 5:1 justice
- Jeremiah 5:10 completely destroy
- Jeremiah 5:12 disaster
- Jeremiah 5:18 completely destroy
- Jeremiah 5:21 Lit. heart
- Jeremiah 5:28 Or pass over or overlook
- Jeremiah 6:7 gushes
- Jeremiah 6:7 sickness
- Jeremiah 6:14 Lit. crushing
- Jeremiah 6:14 Superficially
- Jeremiah 6:24 childbirth
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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