Jeremiah 11
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Reminder of the Covenant
11 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the words of this covenant(A) and tell them to the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem. 3 You must tell them: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let a curse be on the man who does not obey the words of this covenant,(B) 4 which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt,(C) out of the iron furnace.’(D) I declared: ‘Obey Me, and do everything that I command you, and you will be My people, and I will be your God,’(E) 5 in order to establish the oath I swore to your ancestors,(F) to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is today.”
I answered, “Amen, Lord.”(G)
6 The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Obey the words of this covenant and carry them out. 7 For I strongly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt until today, warning them time and time again,[a](H) ‘Obey My voice.’ 8 Yet they would not obey or pay attention; each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart.(I) So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant, because they had not done what I commanded them to do.”
9 The Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been discovered among the men of Judah(J) and the residents of Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors(K) who refused to obey My words and have followed other gods to worship them.(L) The house of Israel and the house of Judah broke My covenant I made with their ancestors.
11 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am about to bring on them disaster that they cannot escape.(M) They will cry out to Me, but I will not hear them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods they have been burning incense to, but they certainly will not save them in their time of disaster.(N) 13 Your gods are indeed as numerous as your cities, Judah,(O) and the altars you have set up to Shame[b](P)—altars to burn incense to Baal—as numerous as the streets of Jerusalem.
14 “As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf,(Q) for I will not be listening when they call out to Me at the time of their disaster.
15 What right does My beloved have
to be in My house,(R)
having carried out so many evil schemes?
Can holy meat[c](S) prevent your disaster[d]
so you can rejoice?
16 The Lord named you
a flourishing olive tree,(T)
beautiful with well-formed fruit.
He has set fire to it,
and its branches are consumed[e](U)
with a great roaring sound.(V)
17 “The Lord of Hosts who planted you(W) has decreed disaster against you, because of the harm the house of Israel and the house of Judah brought on themselves, provoking Me to anger by burning incense to Baal.”
18 The Lord informed me, so I knew.
Then You helped me to see their deeds,
19 for I was like a docile[f] lamb led to slaughter.(X)
I didn’t know that they had devised plots against me:
“Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit;[g]
let’s cut him off from the land of the living(Y)
so that his name will no longer be remembered.”
20 But, Lord of Hosts, who judges righteously,
who tests(Z) heart[h] and mind,(AA)
let me see Your vengeance on them,
for I have presented my case to You.(AB)
21 Therefore, here is what the Lord says concerning the people of Anathoth(AC) who want to take your life. They warn, “You must not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, or you will certainly die at our hand.” 22 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says: “I am about to punish them. The young men will die by the sword; their sons and daughters will die by famine.(AD) 23 They will have no remnant, for I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth(AE) in the year of their punishment.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 11:7 Lit today, rising early and warning
- Jeremiah 11:13 = Baal
- Jeremiah 11:15 = sacrificial meat
- Jeremiah 11:15 LXX; MT reads meat pass from you
- Jeremiah 11:16 Vg; MT reads broken
- Jeremiah 11:19 Or pet
- Jeremiah 11:19 Lit bread
- Jeremiah 11:20 Lit kidneys
Jeremiah 11
Common English Bible
Judah’s broken covenant with God
11 Jeremiah received the Lord’s word: 2 Listen to the terms of this covenant and proclaim them to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. 3 Say to them: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed are those who don’t heed the terms of this covenant 4 that 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. 5 I 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!”
6 The 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. 7 I repeatedly and tirelessly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt to this very day, saying, Obey me. 8 But 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.
9 The Lord said to me: A conspiracy is taking place among the people of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. 10 They 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.
11 Therefore, 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. 12 Then 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. 13 You 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.
14 As 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.
15 What 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]
16 The 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]
17 The 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
18 The Lord informed me and I knew.
Then he helped me see what they were up to.
19 I 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.”
20 Lord 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.
21 This 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.” 22 Therefore, 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. 23 No 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
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