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Jeremiah 4:19-6:14
New International Version
Jeremiah 4:19-6:14
New International Version
19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!(A)
I writhe in pain.(B)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds(C) within me,
I cannot keep silent.(D)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;(E)
I have heard the battle cry.(F)
20 Disaster follows disaster;(G)
the whole land lies in ruins.(H)
In an instant my tents(I) are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard(J)
and hear the sound of the trumpet?(K)
22 “My people are fools;(L)
they do not know me.(M)
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.(N)
They are skilled in doing evil;(O)
they know not how to do good.”(P)
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;(Q)
and at the heavens,
and their light(R) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;(S)
all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.(T)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;(U)
all its towns lay in ruins(V)
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(W)
27 This is what the Lord says:
“The whole land will be ruined,(X)
though I will not destroy(Y) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn(Z)
and the heavens above grow dark,(AA)
because I have spoken and will not relent,(AB)
I have decided and will not turn back.(AC)”
29 At the sound of horsemen and archers(AD)
every town takes to flight.(AE)
Some go into the thickets;
some climb up among the rocks.(AF)
All the towns are deserted;(AG)
no one lives in them.
30 What are you doing,(AH) you devastated one?
Why dress yourself in scarlet
and put on jewels(AI) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?(AJ)
You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers(AK) despise you;
they want to kill you.(AL)
31 I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,(AM)
a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion(AN) gasping for breath,(AO)
stretching out her hands(AP) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
my life is given over to murderers.”(AQ)
Not One Is Upright
5 “Go up and down(AR) the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,(AS)
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person(AT)
who deals honestly(AU) and seeks the truth,
I will forgive(AV) this city.
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(AW)
still they are swearing falsely.(AX)”
3 Lord, do not your eyes(AY) look for truth?
You struck(AZ) them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.(BA)
They made their faces harder than stone(BB)
and refused to repent.(BC)
4 I thought, “These are only the poor;
they are foolish,(BD)
for they do not know(BE) the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.
5 So I will go to the leaders(BF)
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.(BG)
6 Therefore a lion from the forest(BH) will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will ravage(BI) them,
a leopard(BJ) will lie in wait near their towns
to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
and their backslidings many.(BK)
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn(BL) by gods that are not gods.(BM)
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery(BN)
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.(BO)
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man’s wife.(BP)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”(BQ)
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(BR) myself
on such a nation as this?
10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
but do not destroy them completely.(BS)
Strip off her branches,
for these people do not belong to the Lord.
11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah
have been utterly unfaithful(BT) to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 They have lied(BU) about the Lord;
they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(BV)
we will never see sword or famine.(BW)
13 The prophets(BX) are but wind(BY)
and the word is not in them;
so let what they say be done to them.”
14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:
“Because the people have spoken these words,
I will make my words in your mouth(BZ) a fire(CA)
and these people the wood it consumes.(CB)
15 People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
“I am bringing a distant nation(CC) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
a people whose language(CD) you do not know,
whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their quivers(CE) are like an open grave;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour(CF) your harvests and food,
devour(CG) your sons and daughters;
they will devour(CH) your flocks and herds,
devour your vines and fig trees.(CI)
With the sword(CJ) they will destroy
the fortified cities(CK) in which you trust.(CL)
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy(CM) you completely. 19 And when the people ask,(CN) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods(CO) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners(CP) in a land not your own.’
20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim(CQ) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(CR)
who have eyes(CS) but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:(CT)
22 Should you not fear(CU) me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble(CV) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(CW)
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar,(CX) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(CY) hearts;
they have turned aside(CZ) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear(DA) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(DB) in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(DC)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.(DD)
26 “Among my people are the wicked(DE)
who lie in wait(DF) like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps(DG) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;(DH)
they have become rich(DI) and powerful
28 and have grown fat(DJ) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(DK)
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(DL)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(DM) myself
on such a nation as this?
30 “A horrible(DN) and shocking thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,(DO)
the priests(DP) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?(DQ)
Jerusalem Under Siege
6 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet(DR) in Tekoa!(DS)
Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!(DT)
For disaster looms out of the north,(DU)
even terrible destruction.
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion,(DV)
so beautiful and delicate.(DW)
3 Shepherds(DX) with their flocks will come against her;
they will pitch their tents around(DY) her,
each tending his own portion.”
4 “Prepare for battle against her!
Arise, let us attack at noon!(DZ)
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
and the shadows of evening grow long.
5 So arise, let us attack at night
and destroy her fortresses!”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Cut down the trees(EA)
and build siege ramps(EB) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression.(EC)
7 As a well pours out its water,
so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence(ED) and destruction(EE) resound in her;
her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8 Take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away(EF) from you
and make your land desolate
so no one can live in it.”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Let them glean the remnant(EG) of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen(EH) to me?
Their ears are closed[a](EI)
so they cannot hear.(EJ)
The word(EK) of the Lord is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath(EL) of the Lord,
and I cannot hold it in.(EM)
“Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the young men(EN) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
and the old, those weighed down with years.(EO)
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,(EP)
together with their fields and their wives,(EQ)
when I stretch out my hand(ER)
against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
all(ES) are greedy for gain;(ET)
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(EU)
14 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.(EV)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 6:10 Hebrew uncircumcised
Jeremiah 4:19-6:14
King James Version
Jeremiah 4:19-6:14
King James Version
19 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
29 The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
30 And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
31 For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
5 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.
2 And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely.
3 O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
4 Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God.
5 I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
8 They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife.
9 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the Lord's.
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord.
12 They have belied the Lord, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
13 And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.
14 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
15 Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.
16 Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.
17 And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.
18 Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not make a full end with you.
19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not your's.
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,
21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
22 Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
23 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.
24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.
26 For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.
27 As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.
28 They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
29 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
30 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
6 O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.
2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
3 The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.
4 Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.
5 Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.
6 For thus hath the Lord of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.
7 As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds.
8 Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.
9 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.
10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.
12 And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord.
13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
New International Version (NIV) 
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