Jeremiah 11

English Standard Version

The Broken Covenant

11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²^(A)“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ³You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ^(B)Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant ⁴that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, ^(C)from the iron furnace, saying, ^(D)Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. ^(E)So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, ⁵^(F)that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers, ^(G)to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”

⁶And the Lord said to me, ^(H)“Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ^(I)Hear the words of this covenant and do them. ⁷For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, ^(J)warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, ^(K)Obey my voice. ⁸^(L)Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, ^(M)but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all ^(N)the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”

⁹Again the Lord said to me, ^(O)“A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰They have turned back to ^(P)the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. ^(Q)They have gone after other gods to serve them. ^(R)The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. ¹¹Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. ^(S)Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. ¹²Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem ^(T)will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, ^(U)but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. ¹³^(V)For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, ^(W)altars to make offerings to Baal.

¹⁴“Therefore ^(X)do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, ^(Y)for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. ¹⁵^(Z)What right has my beloved in my house, ^(AA)when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? ^(AB)Can you then exult? ¹⁶The Lord once called you ^(AC)‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But ^(AD)with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and ^(AE)its branches will be consumed. ¹⁷The Lord of hosts, ^(AF)who planted you, has decreed disaster against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, ^(AG)provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.”

¹⁸The Lord made it known to me and I knew;
    then you showed me their deeds.
¹⁹But I was ^(AH)like a gentle lamb
    led to the slaughter.
I did not know ^(AI)it was against me
    they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
    ^(AJ)let us cut him off from ^(AK)the land of the living,
    that his name be remembered no more.”
²⁰But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
    who ^(AL)tests ^(AM)the heart and the mind,
^(AN)let me see your vengeance upon them,
    for to you have I committed my cause.

²¹Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of ^(AO)Anathoth, ^(AP)who seek your life, and say, ^(AQ)“Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”— ²²therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, ²³and none of them shall be left. For I will bring disaster upon the men of ^(AR)Anathoth, ^(AS)the year of their punishment.”

Jeremiah 11

Common English Bible

Judah’s broken covenant with God

11 Jeremiah received the Lord’s word: ²Listen to the terms of this covenant and proclaim them to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. ³Say to them: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed are those who don’t heed the terms of this covenant ⁴that I commanded your ancestors when I bought them out of the land of Egypt, that iron crucible, saying, Obey me and observe all that I instruct you. Then you will be my people and I, even I, will be your God. ⁵I will fulfill my solemn pledge that I made to your ancestors to give them a land full of milk and honey, as is the case today.

And I replied, “As you say, Lord!”

⁶The Lord said to me: Announce all these words in the towns of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem: Obey the terms of this covenant and perform them. ⁷I repeatedly and tirelessly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt to this very day, saying, Obey me. ⁸But they didn’t listen or pay attention; they followed their own willful ambitions. So I brought upon them all the punishments I prescribed for violating this covenant—for refusing to obey.

⁹The Lord said to me: A conspiracy is taking place among the people of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. ¹⁰They have returned to the sins of their ancestors who refused to obey my words. They too are following other gods and serving them. The people of Israel and the people of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their ancestors.

¹¹Therefore, the Lord proclaims: I will bring upon them a disaster from which they won’t be able to escape. They will cry out to me, but I won’t listen to them. ¹²Then the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem will call upon the gods they worship,^[a] but they won’t save them when disaster strikes. ¹³You have as many gods as you have towns, Judah, and you have as many shameful altars for worshipping Baal as you have streets in Jerusalem.

¹⁴As for you, don’t pray for these people, don’t cry out or plead for them, for I won’t listen when they cry out to me on account of their distress.

¹⁵What are my loved ones doing in my temple
    while working out their many evil schemes?
Can sacred offerings cancel your sin
    so that you revel in your evil deeds?^[b]
¹⁶The Lord named you,
    “A blossoming olive tree, fair and fruitful”;
        but with the blast of a powerful storm
        he will set it ablaze,
        until its branches are completely consumed.^[c]

¹⁷The Lord of heavenly forces who planted you has announced disaster for you, because the people of Israel and Judah have done evil and made me angry by worshipping Baal.

Jeremiah’s lament

¹⁸The Lord informed me and I knew.
    Then he helped me see what they were up to.
¹⁹I was like a young lamb led to the slaughter;
    I didn’t realize that they were planning
        their schemes against me:
“Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit;
    let’s cut him off from the land of the living
    so that even any knowledge of him will be wiped out.”
²⁰Lord of heavenly forces, righteous judge,
    who tests the heart and mind,
        let me see your revenge upon them,
        because I have committed my case to you.

²¹This is what the Lord says concerning the men from Anathoth who seek your life and say, “Don’t prophesy in the Lord’s name or else you will die at our hands.” ²²Therefore, the Lord of heavenly forces proclaims, I’m going to punish them. Their young men will die in war, and their sons and daughters will die by famine. ²³No one will be left because I will bring disaster upon the men of Anathoth when their time comes.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 11:12 Or to whom they burn incense
Jeremiah 11:15 Heb uncertain
Jeremiah 11:16 Vulg; MT broken

English Standard Version (ESV)

Common English Bible (CEB)

Jeremiah 11 English Standard Version