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. 3 You 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 4 that 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.”
6 And 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. 7 For 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.”
9 Again the Lord said to me, (O)“A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They 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. 11 Therefore, 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. 12 Then 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? 16 The 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. 17 The 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.”
18 The Lord made it known to me and I knew;
then you showed me their deeds.
19 But 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.”
20 But, 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.
21 Therefore 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”— 22 therefore 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, 23 and 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
New Living Translation
Judah’s Broken Covenant
11 The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my covenant with them. 3 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant! 4 For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, “If you obey me and do whatever I command you, then you will be my people, and I will be your God.” 5 I said this so I could keep my promise to your ancestors to give you a land flowing with milk and honey—the land you live in today.’”
Then I replied, “Amen, Lord! May it be so.”
6 Then the Lord said, “Broadcast this message in the streets of Jerusalem. Go from town to town throughout the land and say, ‘Remember the ancient covenant, and do everything it requires. 7 For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, “Obey me!” I have repeated this warning over and over to this day, 8 but your ancestors did not listen or even pay attention. Instead, they stubbornly followed their own evil desires. And because they refused to obey, I brought upon them all the curses described in this covenant.’”
9 Again the Lord spoke to me and said, “I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors. They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods. Israel and Judah have both broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am going to bring calamity upon them, and they will not escape. Though they beg for mercy, I will not listen to their cries. 12 Then the people of Judah and Jerusalem will pray to their idols and burn incense before them. But the idols will not save them when disaster strikes! 13 Look now, people of Judah; you have as many gods as you have towns. You have as many altars of shame—altars for burning incense to your god Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem.
14 “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.
15 “What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple,
when they have done so many immoral things?
Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction?
They actually rejoice in doing evil!
16 I, the Lord, once called them a thriving olive tree,
beautiful to see and full of good fruit.
But now I have sent the fury of their enemies
to burn them with fire,
leaving them charred and broken.
17 “I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who planted this olive tree, have ordered it destroyed. For the people of Israel and Judah have done evil, arousing my anger by burning incense to Baal.”
A Plot against Jeremiah
18 Then the Lord told me about the plots my enemies were making against me. 19 I was like a lamb being led to the slaughter. I had no idea that they were planning to kill me! “Let’s destroy this man and all his words,” they said. “Let’s cut him down, so his name will be forgotten forever.”
20 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
you make righteous judgments,
and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.
Let me see your vengeance against them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
21 This is what the Lord says about the men of Anathoth who wanted me dead. They had said, “We will kill you if you do not stop prophesying in the Lord’s name.” 22 So this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says about them: “I will punish them! Their young men will die in battle, and their boys and girls will starve to death. 23 Not one of these plotters from Anathoth will survive, for I will bring disaster upon them when their time of punishment comes.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
