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Jeremiah 12-19
English Standard Version
Jeremiah 12-19
English Standard Version
Jeremiah's Complaint
12 (A)Righteous are you, O Lord,
when I complain to you;
yet I would plead my case before you.
(B)Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all (C)who are treacherous thrive?
2 You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and produce fruit;
(D)you are near in their mouth
and far from their heart.
3 (E)But you, O Lord, know me;
(F)you see me, and test my heart toward you.
(G)Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for (H)the day of slaughter.
4 (I)How long will the land mourn
and the grass of every field wither?
(J)For the evil of those who dwell in it
(K)the beasts and the birds are swept away,
because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”
The Lord Answers Jeremiah
5 “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?
And if in a safe land you are so trusting,
what will you do in (L)the thicket of the Jordan?
6 For (M)even your brothers and the house of your father,
(N)even they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
(O)do not believe them,
though they speak friendly words to you.”
7 “I have forsaken my house;
I have abandoned (P)my heritage;
I have given (Q)the beloved of my soul
into the hands of her enemies.
8 (R)My heritage has become to me
like a lion in the forest;
she has lifted up her voice against me;
therefore I hate her.
9 Is (S)my heritage to me like (T)a hyena's lair?
Are the (U)birds of prey against her all around?
Go, (V)assemble all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
(W)they have trampled down my portion;
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
11 They have made it a desolation;
desolate, (X)it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
(Y)but no man lays it to heart.
12 Upon all the bare heights in the desert
destroyers have come,
for the sword of the Lord devours
from one end of the land to the other;
no flesh has peace.
13 (Z)They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
(AA)they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their[a] harvests
(AB)because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”
14 Thus says the Lord concerning all (AC)my evil neighbors (AD)who touch the heritage that (AE)I have given my people Israel to inherit: “Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. 15 And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, (AF)and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land. 16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, (AG)to swear by my name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, (AH)then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. 17 (AI)But if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the Lord.”
The Ruined Loincloth
13 Thus says the Lord to me, “Go and buy a linen loincloth and (AJ)put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.” 2 So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the Lord, and put it around my waist. 3 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, 4 “Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, (AK)go to the Euphrates and hide it there in (AL)a cleft of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. 6 And after many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there (AM)the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took (AN)the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was (AO)spoiled; it was (AP)good for nothing.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Thus says the Lord: (AQ)Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great (AR)pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, (AS)who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is (AT)good for nothing. 11 For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, (AU)that they might be for me a people, (AV)a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.
The Jars Filled with Wine
12 “You shall speak to them this word: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Every jar shall be filled with wine.”’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not indeed know that (AW)every jar will be filled with wine?’ 13 Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: (AX)Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: (AY)the kings who sit on David's throne, (AZ)the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 14 And I will (BA)dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, declares the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.’”
Exile Threatened
15 Hear and give ear; be not proud,
for the Lord has spoken.
16 (BB)Give glory to the Lord your God
(BC)before he brings darkness,
before your feet stumble
on the twilight mountains,
and (BD)while you look for light
he turns it into gloom
and makes it (BE)deep darkness.
17 But if you will not listen,
(BF)my soul will weep in secret for your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears,
because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.
18 Say to (BG)the king and (BH)the queen mother:
“Take a lowly seat,
for (BI)your beautiful crown
has come down from your head.”
19 (BJ)The cities of the Negeb are shut up,
with none to open them;
all Judah is taken into exile,
wholly taken into exile.
20 “Lift up your eyes (BK)and see
those who come from the north.
Where is the flock that was given you,
your beautiful flock?
21 What will you say when they set as head over you
those whom you yourself have taught to be friends to you?
(BL)Will not pangs take hold of you
like those of a woman in labor?
22 And if you say in your heart,
(BM)‘Why have these things come upon me?’
it is for the greatness of your iniquity
that (BN)your skirts are lifted up
and you suffer violence.
23 (BO)Can the Ethiopian change his skin
or (BP)the leopard his spots?
Then also you can do good
who are accustomed to do evil.
24 I will scatter you[b] (BQ)like chaff
driven by the wind from the desert.
25 (BR)This is your lot,
the portion I have measured out to you, declares the Lord,
because (BS)you have forgotten me
and trusted in lies.
26 (BT)I myself will lift up your skirts over your face,
and your shame will be seen.
27 I have seen (BU)your abominations,
your adulteries and (BV)neighings, your lewd whorings,
(BW)on the hills in the field.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
How long will it be (BX)before you are made clean?”
Famine, Sword, and Pestilence
14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning (BY)the drought:
2 (BZ)“Judah mourns,
and (CA)her gates languish;
her people lament on the ground,
and (CB)the cry of Jerusalem goes up.
3 Her nobles send their servants for water;
they come to the cisterns;
they find no water;
they return with their vessels empty;
they are (CC)ashamed and confounded
and (CD)cover their heads.
4 Because of the ground that is dismayed,
since there is (CE)no rain on the land,
the farmers are ashamed;
they cover their heads.
5 Even (CF)the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.
6 (CG)The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
they pant for air like jackals;
their eyes fail
because there is no vegetation.
7 “Though our iniquities testify against us,
act, O Lord, (CH)for your name's sake;
(CI)for our backslidings are many;
(CJ)we have sinned against you.
8 (CK)O you hope of Israel,
its savior in time of trouble,
why should you be like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
9 Why should you be like a man confused,
(CL)like a mighty warrior who cannot save?
Yet (CM)you, O Lord, are in the midst of us,
and (CN)we are called by your name;
(CO)do not leave us.”
10 Thus says the Lord concerning this people:
“They have loved to wander thus;
they have not restrained their feet;
(CP)therefore the Lord does not accept them;
(CQ)now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins.”
11 The Lord said to me: (CR)“Do not pray for the welfare of this people. 12 Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, (CS)and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them (CT)by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”
Lying Prophets
13 Then I said: “Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets (CU)say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” 14 And the Lord said to me: “The (CV)prophets are prophesying lies in my name. (CW)I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, (CX)worthless divination, and (CY)the deceit of their own minds. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although (CZ)I did not send them, and who say, (DA)‘Sword and famine shall not come upon this land’: (DB)By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. 16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, (DC)with none to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their evil upon them.
17 “You shall say to them this word:
(DD)‘Let my eyes run down with tears night and day,
and let them not cease,
for the virgin (DE)daughter of my people is shattered with a great wound,
(DF)with a very grievous blow.
18 (DG)If I go out into the field,
behold, those pierced by the sword!
(DH)And if I enter the city,
behold, the diseases of famine!
(DI)For both prophet and priest ply their trade through the land
and have no knowledge.’”
19 (DJ)Have you utterly rejected Judah?
Does your soul loathe Zion?
Why have you struck us down
(DK)so that there is no healing for us?
(DL)We looked for peace, but no good came;
(DM)for a time of healing, but behold, terror.
20 (DN)We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord,
and the iniquity of our fathers,
(DO)for we have sinned against you.
21 Do not spurn us, (DP)for your name's sake;
do not dishonor your glorious throne;
(DQ)remember and do not break your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among (DR)the false gods of the nations (DS)that can bring rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Are you not he, O Lord our God?
We set our hope on you,
(DT)for you do all these things.
The Lord Will Not Relent
15 Then the Lord said to me, (DU)“Though (DV)Moses (DW)and Samuel (DX)stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go! 2 And when they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord:
(DY)“‘Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence,
and those who are for the sword, to the sword;
those who are for famine, to famine,
and those who are for captivity, to captivity.’
3 (DZ)I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the Lord: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and (EA)the birds of the air (EB)and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 (EC)And I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what (ED)Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.
5 (EE)“Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem,
(EF)or who will grieve for you?
Who will turn aside
to ask about your welfare?
6 (EG)You have rejected me, declares the Lord;
(EH)you keep going backward,
so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you—
(EI)I am weary of relenting.
7 (EJ)I have winnowed them with (EK)a winnowing fork
in the gates of the land;
I have bereaved them; I have destroyed my people;
(EL)they did not turn from their ways.
8 I have made their widows more in number
than (EM)the sand of the seas;
I have brought against the mothers of young men
a destroyer at noonday;
I have made anguish and terror
fall upon them suddenly.
9 (EN)She who bore seven has grown feeble;
(EO)she has fainted away;
(EP)her sun went down while it was yet day;
she has been shamed and disgraced.
And the rest of them I will give to the sword
before their enemies,
declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah's Complaint
10 (EQ)Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! (ER)I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me. 11 The Lord said, “Have I not[c] set you free for their good? Have I not pleaded for you before the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress? 12 Can one break iron, iron (ES)from the north, and bronze?
13 (ET)“Your wealth and your treasures I will give as (EU)spoil, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory. 14 I will make you serve your enemies (EV)in a land that you do not know, (EW)for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.”
15 (EX)O Lord, you know;
(EY)remember me and visit me,
(EZ)(FA)and take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance take me not away;
(FB)know that (FC)for your sake I bear reproach.
16 Your words were found, (FD)and I ate them,
and (FE)your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
(FF)for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
17 (FG)I did not sit in the company of revelers,
nor did I rejoice;
(FH)I sat alone, because your hand was upon me,
for you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unceasing,
(FI)my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Will you be to me (FJ)like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail?
19 Therefore thus says the Lord:
(FK)“If you return, I will restore you,
and you shall (FL)stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall be as my mouth.
They shall turn to you,
but you shall not turn to them.
20 (FM)And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
(FN)but they shall not prevail over you,
(FO)for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
declares the Lord.
21 (FP)I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of (FQ)the ruthless.”
Famine, Sword, and Death
16 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. 3 For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who bore them and the fathers who fathered them in this land: 4 (FR)They shall die of deadly diseases. (FS)They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. (FT)They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. (FU)They shall perish by the sword and by famine, (FV)and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth.
5 “For thus says the Lord: (FW)Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the Lord. 6 Both great and small shall die in this land. (FX)They shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or (FY)cut himself (FZ)or make himself bald for them. 7 No one shall (GA)break bread for the mourner, to comfort him for the dead, nor shall anyone give him the cup of consolation to drink for his father or his mother. 8 You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink. 9 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (GB)Behold, I will silence in this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.
10 “And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, (GC)‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 then you shall say to them: (GD)‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and (GE)have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, 12 and because (GF)you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, (GG)every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me. 13 Therefore (GH)I will hurl you out of this land into (GI)a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, (GJ)and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’
The Lord Will Restore Israel
14 (GK)“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, (GL)‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but (GM)‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel (GN)out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For (GO)I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.
16 “Behold, (GP)I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out (GQ)of the clefts of the rocks. 17 For (GR)my eyes are on all their ways. (GS)They are not hidden from me, (GT)nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes. 18 But first (GU)I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and (GV)have filled my inheritance with their abominations.”
19 (GW)O Lord, my strength and my stronghold,
(GX)my refuge in the day of trouble,
(GY)to you shall the nations come
from the ends of the earth and say:
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies,
(GZ)worthless things in which there is no profit.
20 Can man make for himself (HA)gods?
Such are not gods!”
21 “Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that (HB)my name is the Lord.”
The Sin of Judah
17 “The sin of Judah is written with (HC)a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on (HD)the tablet of their heart, and on (HE)the horns of their altars, 2 while (HF)their children remember their altars and their (HG)Asherim, (HH)beside every green tree and on the high hills, 3 (HI)on the mountains in the open country. (HJ)Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory. 4 You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, (HK)and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, (HL)for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.”
5 Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man (HM)who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,[d]
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 (HN)He is like a shrub in the desert,
(HO)and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in (HP)an uninhabited salt land.
7 (HQ)“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
(HR)whose trust is the Lord.
8 (HS)He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
10 (HT)“I the Lord search the heart
(HU)and test the mind,[e]
(HV)to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
11 Like the (HW)partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,
so is (HX)he who gets riches but not by justice;
(HY)in the midst of his days they will leave him,
(HZ)and at his end he will be a fool.
12 A glorious throne set on high from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Lord, (IA)the hope of Israel,
(IB)all who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you[f] (IC)shall be written in the earth,
for (ID)they have forsaken (IE)the Lord, the fountain of living water.
Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance
14 (IF)Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved,
for (IG)you are my praise.
15 (IH)Behold, they say to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come!”
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd,
nor have I desired the day of sickness.
(II)You know (IJ)what came out of my lips;
it was before your face.
17 Be not a terror to me;
(IK)you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18 (IL)Let those be put to shame who persecute me,
but let me not be put to shame;
(IM)let them be dismayed,
but let me not be dismayed;
(IN)bring upon them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction!
Keep the Sabbath Holy
19 Thus said the Lord to me: “Go and stand in the People's Gate, by which (IO)the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20 and say: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, (IP)you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and (IQ)do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. 22 And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath (IR)or do any work, but (IS)keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. 23 Yet (IT)they did not listen or incline their ear, (IU)but stiffened their neck, that they (IV)might not hear and receive instruction.
24 “‘But if you listen to me, declares the Lord, and (IW)bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but (IX)keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it, 25 then (IY)there shall enter by the gates of this city kings and princes who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city shall be inhabited forever. 26 And people shall come from (IZ)the cities of Judah (JA)and the places around Jerusalem, (JB)from the land of Benjamin, (JC)from the Shephelah, from the hill country, (JD)and from (JE)the Negeb, bringing (JF)burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and (JG)bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not listen to me, to (JH)keep the Sabbath day holy, (JI)and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will (JJ)kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall (JK)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and (JL)shall not be quenched.’”
The Potter and the Clay
18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to (JM)the potter's house, and there I will let you hear[g] my words.” 3 So I went down to (JN)the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was (JO)spoiled in the potter's hand, and (JP)he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, (JQ)can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. (JR)Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will (JS)pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, (JT)turns from its evil, (JU)I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will (JV)build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. (JW)Return, every one from his evil way, and (JX)amend your ways and your deeds.’
12 “But they say, (JY)‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to (JZ)the stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore thus says the Lord:
(KA)Ask among the nations,
Who has heard the like of this?
The virgin Israel
has done (KB)a very horrible thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave
the crags of Sirion?[h]
Do the mountain waters run dry,[i]
the cold flowing streams?
15 (KC)But my people have forgotten me;
they make offerings to (KD)false gods;
they made them stumble in their ways,
(KE)in the ancient roads,
and to walk into side roads,
(KF)not the highway,
16 making their land (KG)a horror,
a thing (KH)to be hissed at forever.
(KI)Everyone who passes by it is horrified
(KJ)and shakes his head.
17 (KK)Like the east wind (KL)I will scatter them
before the enemy.
(KM)I will show them my back, not my face,
in the day of their calamity.”
18 Then they said, (KN)“Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, (KO)for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. (KP)Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.”
19 Hear me, O Lord,
and (KQ)listen to the voice of my adversaries.
20 (KR)Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet (KS)they have dug a pit for my life.
(KT)Remember how I stood before you
to speak good for them,
to turn away your wrath from them.
21 Therefore (KU)deliver up their children to famine;
give them over to the power of the sword;
let their wives become childless (KV)and widowed.
May their men meet death by pestilence,
their youths be struck down by the sword in battle.
22 (KW)May a cry be heard from their houses,
when you bring the plunderer suddenly upon them!
For (KX)they have dug a pit to take me
(KY)and laid snares for my feet.
23 Yet (KZ)you, O Lord, know
all their plotting to kill me.
(LA)Forgive not their iniquity,
nor blot out their sin from your sight.
Let them be overthrown before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger.
The Broken Flask
19 Thus says the Lord, “Go, buy (LB)a potter's earthenware (LC)flask, and take some of (LD)the elders of the people and some of (LE)the elders of the priests, 2 and go out (LF)to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. 3 You shall say, (LG)‘Hear the word of the Lord, (LH)O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that (LI)the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 4 (LJ)Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; (LK)and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, 5 (LL)and have built the high places of Baal (LM)to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, (LN)which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind— 6 therefore, (LO)behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or (LP)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And in this place (LQ)I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, (LR)and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. (LS)I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. 8 And I will make this city (LT)a horror, (LU)a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds. 9 (LV)And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor (LW)in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.’
10 “Then (LX)you shall break (LY)the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, 11 and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, (LZ)as one breaks a potter's vessel, (MA)so that it can never be mended. (MB)Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury. 12 Thus will I do to this place, declares the Lord, and to its inhabitants, making this city (MC)like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah—(MD)all the houses on whose (ME)roofs offerings have been offered (MF)to all the host of heaven, and (MG)drink offerings have been poured out to other gods—shall be defiled (MH)like the place of Topheth.’”
14 Then Jeremiah came from (MI)Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, (MJ)and he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people: 15 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, (MK)because they have stiffened their neck, (ML)refusing to hear my words.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 12:13 Hebrew your
- Jeremiah 13:24 Hebrew them
- Jeremiah 15:11 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Jeremiah 17:5 Hebrew arm
- Jeremiah 17:10 Hebrew kidneys
- Jeremiah 17:13 Hebrew me
- Jeremiah 18:2 Or will cause you to hear
- Jeremiah 18:14 Hebrew of the field
- Jeremiah 18:14 Hebrew Are foreign waters plucked up
Jeremiah 12-19
New International Version
Jeremiah 12-19
New International Version
Jeremiah’s Complaint
12 You are always righteous,(A) Lord,
when I bring a case(B) before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:(C)
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?(D)
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have planted(E) them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.(F)
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.(G)
3 Yet you know me, Lord;
you see me and test(H) my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep(I) to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!(J)
4 How long will the land lie parched(K)
and the grass in every field be withered?(L)
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.(M)
Moreover, the people are saying,
“He will not see what happens to us.”
God’s Answer
5 “If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[a] in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets(N) by[b] the Jordan?
6 Your relatives, members of your own family—
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.(O)
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.(P)
7 “I will forsake(Q) my house,
abandon(R) my inheritance;
I will give the one I love(S)
into the hands of her enemies.(T)
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lion(U) in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.(V)
9 Has not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of prey
that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.(W)
10 Many shepherds(X) will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.(Y)
11 It will be made a wasteland,(Z)
parched and desolate before me;(AA)
the whole land will be laid waste
because there is no one who cares.
12 Over all the barren heights in the desert
destroyers will swarm,
for the sword(AB) of the Lord(AC) will devour(AD)
from one end of the land to the other;(AE)
no one will be safe.(AF)
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.(AG)
They will bear the shame of their harvest
because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”(AH)
14 This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance(AI) I gave my people Israel, I will uproot(AJ) them from their lands and I will uproot(AK) the people of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion(AL) and will bring(AM) each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. 16 And if they learn(AN) well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’(AO)—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal(AP)—then they will be established among my people.(AQ) 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy(AR) it,” declares the Lord.
A Linen Belt
13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” 2 So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist.
3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time:(AS) 4 “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath[c](AT) and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.(AU)
6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” 7 So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride(AV) of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen(AW) to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts(AX) and go after other gods(AY) to serve and worship them,(AZ) will be like this belt—completely useless!(BA) 11 For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown(BB) and praise and honor.(BC) But they have not listened.’(BD)
Wineskins
12 “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ 13 then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness(BE) all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. 14 I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the Lord. I will allow no pity(BF) or mercy or compassion(BG) to keep me from destroying(BH) them.’”
Threat of Captivity
15 Hear and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the Lord has spoken.(BI)
16 Give glory(BJ) to the Lord your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(BK)
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to utter darkness
and change it to deep gloom.(BL)
17 If you do not listen,(BM)
I will weep in secret
because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
overflowing with tears,(BN)
because the Lord’s flock(BO) will be taken captive.(BP)
18 Say to the king(BQ) and to the queen mother,(BR)
“Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(BS)
will fall from your heads.”
19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up,
and there will be no one to open them.
All Judah(BT) will be carried into exile,
carried completely away.
20 Look up and see
those who are coming from the north.(BU)
Where is the flock(BV) that was entrusted to you,
the sheep of which you boasted?
21 What will you say when the Lord sets over you
those you cultivated as your special allies?(BW)
Will not pain grip you
like that of a woman in labor?(BX)
22 And if you ask yourself,
“Why has this happened to me?”(BY)—
it is because of your many sins(BZ)
that your skirts have been torn off(CA)
and your body mistreated.(CB)
23 Can an Ethiopian[d] change his skin
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.(CC)
24 “I will scatter you like chaff(CD)
driven by the desert wind.(CE)
25 This is your lot,
the portion(CF) I have decreed for you,”
declares the Lord,
“because you have forgotten(CG) me
and trusted in false gods.(CH)
26 I will pull up your skirts over your face
that your shame may be seen(CI)—
27 your adulteries and lustful neighings,
your shameless prostitution!(CJ)
I have seen your detestable acts
on the hills and in the fields.(CK)
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
How long will you be unclean?”(CL)
Drought, Famine, Sword
14 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(CM)
2 “Judah mourns,(CN)
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
3 The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water.(CO)
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.(CP)
4 The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;(CQ)
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.(CR)
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(CS)
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food.”(CT)
7 Although our sins testify(CU) against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.(CV)
For we have often rebelled;(CW)
we have sinned(CX) against you.
8 You who are the hope(CY) of Israel,
its Savior(CZ) in times of distress,(DA)
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?(DB)
You are among(DC) us, Lord,
and we bear your name;(DD)
do not forsake(DE) us!
10 This is what the Lord says about this people:
“They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.(DF)
So the Lord does not accept(DG) them;
he will now remember(DH) their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.”(DI)
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray(DJ) for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;(DK) though they offer burnt offerings(DL) and grain offerings,(DM) I will not accept(DN) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,(DO) famine(DP) and plague.”(DQ)
13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets(DR) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.(DS) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace(DT) in this place.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies(DU) in my name. I have not sent(DV) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,(DW) divinations,(DX) idolatries[e] and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish(DY) by sword and famine.(DZ) 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury(EA) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.(EB) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.(EC)
17 “Speak this word to them:
“‘Let my eyes overflow with tears(ED)
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin(EE) Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.(EF)
18 If I go into the country,
I see those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see the ravages of famine.(EG)
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not.(EH)’”
19 Have you rejected Judah completely?(EI)
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?(EJ)
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(EK)
20 We acknowledge(EL) our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;(EM)
we have indeed sinned(EN) against you.
21 For the sake of your name(EO) do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.(EP)
Remember your covenant(EQ) with us
and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols(ER) of the nations bring rain?(ES)
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.(ET)
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(EU) and Samuel(EV) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(EW) Send them away from my presence!(EX) Let them go! 2 And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘Those destined for death, to death;
those for the sword, to the sword;(EY)
those for starvation, to starvation;(EZ)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(FA)
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers(FB) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(FC) to kill and the dogs(FD) to drag away and the birds(FE) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(FF) 4 I will make them abhorrent(FG) to all the kingdoms of the earth(FH) because of what Manasseh(FI) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who will have pity(FJ) on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will stop to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected(FK) me,” declares the Lord.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(FL) and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.(FM)
7 I will winnow(FN) them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(FO) and destruction on my people,(FP)
for they have not changed their ways.(FQ)
8 I will make their widows(FR) more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(FS)
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.(FT)
9 The mother of seven will grow faint(FU)
and breathe her last.(FV)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgraced(FW) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(FX)
before their enemies,”(FY)
declares the Lord.
10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(FZ)
a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(GA)
I have neither lent(GB) nor borrowed,
yet everyone curses(GC) me.
11 The Lord said,
“Surely I will deliver you(GD) for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies plead(GE) with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.
12 “Can a man break iron—
iron from the north(GF)—or bronze?
13 “Your wealth(GG) and your treasures
I will give as plunder,(GH) without charge,(GI)
because of all your sins
throughout your country.(GJ)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
in[f] a land you do not know,(GK)
for my anger will kindle a fire(GL)
that will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand;
remember me and care for me.
Avenge me on my persecutors.(GM)
You are long-suffering(GN)—do not take me away;
think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(GO)
16 When your words came, I ate(GP) them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(GQ)
for I bear your name,(GR)
Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(GS) in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(GT) was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?(GU)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails.(GV)
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve(GW) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.(GX)
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(GY) to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome(GZ) you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”(HA)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(HB) you from the hands of the wicked(HC)
and deliver(HD) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(HE)
Day of Disaster
16 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You must not marry(HF) and have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers:(HG) 4 “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried(HH) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(HI) They will perish by sword and famine,(HJ) and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”(HK)
5 For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity(HL) from this people,” declares the Lord. 6 “Both high and low will die in this land.(HM) They will not be buried or mourned,(HN) and no one will cut(HO) themselves or shave(HP) their head for the dead. 7 No one will offer food(HQ) to comfort those who mourn(HR) for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console(HS) them.
8 “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.(HT) 9 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds(HU) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride(HV) and bridegroom in this place.(HW)
10 “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’(HX) 11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped(HY) them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.(HZ) 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors.(IA) See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts(IB) instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land(IC) into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known,(ID) and there you will serve other gods(IE) day and night, for I will show you no favor.’(IF)
14 “However, the days are coming,”(IG) declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(IH) 15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north(II) and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’(IJ) For I will restore(IK) them to the land I gave their ancestors.(IL)
16 “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them.(IM) After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt(IN) them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.(IO) 17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden(IP) from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.(IQ) 18 I will repay(IR) them double(IS) for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land(IT) with the lifeless forms of their vile images(IU) and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.(IV)”(IW)
19 Lord, my strength and my fortress,
my refuge(IX) in time of distress,
to you the nations will come(IY)
from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,(IZ)
worthless idols(JA) that did them no good.(JB)
20 Do people make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!”(JC)
21 “Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name(JD) is the Lord.
17 “Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool,(JE)
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their hearts(JF)
and on the horns(JG) of their altars.
2 Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles[g](JH)
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.(JI)
3 My mountain in the land
and your[h] wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,(JJ)
together with your high places,(JK)
because of sin throughout your country.(JL)
4 Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritance(JM) I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies(JN)
in a land(JO) you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burn(JP) forever.”
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,(JQ)
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.(JR)
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places(JS) of the desert,
in a salt(JT) land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed(JU) is the one who trusts(JV) in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.(JW)
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought(JX)
and never fails to bear fruit.”(JY)
9 The heart(JZ) is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart(KA)
and examine the mind,(KB)
to reward(KC) each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”(KD)
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
and in the end they will prove to be fools.(KE)
12 A glorious throne,(KF) exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are the hope(KG) of Israel;
all who forsake(KH) you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust(KI)
because they have forsaken the Lord,
the spring of living water.(KJ)
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;(KK)
save(KL) me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.(KM)
15 They keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it now be fulfilled!”(KN)
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips(KO) is open before you.
17 Do not be a terror(KP) to me;
you are my refuge(KQ) in the day of disaster.(KR)
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but keep me from shame;
let them be terrified,
but keep me from terror.
Bring on them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction.(KS)
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People,[i] through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.(KT) 20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem(KU) who come through these gates.(KV) 21 This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath(KW) day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.(KX) 23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention;(KY) they were stiff-necked(KZ) and would not listen or respond to discipline.(LA) 24 But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy(LB) by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne(LC) will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.(LD) 26 People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev,(LE) bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not obey(LF) me to keep the Sabbath(LG) day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire(LH) in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”(LI)
At the Potter’s House
18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay(LJ) in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,(LK) Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,(LL) torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent(LM) and not inflict on it the disaster(LN) I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built(LO) up and planted, 10 and if it does evil(LP) in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider(LQ) the good I had intended to do for it.(LR)
11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster(LS) for you and devising a plan(LT) against you. So turn(LU) from your evil ways,(LV) each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’(LW) 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use.(LX) We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.(LY)’”
13 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“Inquire among the nations:
Who has ever heard anything like this?(LZ)
A most horrible(MA) thing has been done
by Virgin(MB) Israel.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon
ever vanish from its rocky slopes?
Do its cool waters from distant sources
ever stop flowing?[j]
15 Yet my people have forgotten(MC) me;
they burn incense(MD) to worthless idols,(ME)
which made them stumble(MF) in their ways,
in the ancient paths.(MG)
They made them walk in byways,
on roads not built up.(MH)
16 Their land will be an object of horror(MI)
and of lasting scorn;(MJ)
all who pass by will be appalled(MK)
and will shake their heads.(ML)
17 Like a wind(MM) from the east,
I will scatter them before their enemies;
I will show them my back and not my face(MN)
in the day of their disaster.”
18 They said, “Come, let’s make plans(MO) against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest(MP) will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise,(MQ) nor the word from the prophets.(MR) So come, let’s attack him with our tongues(MS) and pay no attention to anything he says.”
19 Listen to me, Lord;
hear what my accusers(MT) are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?(MU)
Yet they have dug a pit(MV) for me.
Remember that I stood(MW) before you
and spoke in their behalf(MX)
to turn your wrath away from them.
21 So give their children over to famine;(MY)
hand them over to the power of the sword.(MZ)
Let their wives be made childless and widows;(NA)
let their men be put to death,
their young men(NB) slain by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry(NC) be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit(ND) to capture me
and have hidden snares(NE) for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, know
all their plots to kill(NF) me.
Do not forgive(NG) their crimes
or blot out their sins from your sight.
Let them be overthrown before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger.(NH)
19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter.(NI) Take along some of the elders(NJ) of the people and of the priests 2 and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom,(NK) near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings(NL) of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster(NM) on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.(NN) 4 For they have forsaken(NO) me and made this a place of foreign gods(NP); they have burned incense(NQ) in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.(NR) 5 They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children(NS) in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.(NT) 6 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth(NU) or the Valley of Ben Hinnom,(NV) but the Valley of Slaughter.(NW)
7 “‘In this place I will ruin[k] the plans(NX) of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies,(NY) at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses(NZ) as food(OA) to the birds and the wild animals. 8 I will devastate this city and make it an object of horror and scorn;(OB) all who pass by will be appalled(OC) and will scoff because of all its wounds.(OD) 9 I will make them eat(OE) the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh because their enemies(OF) will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them.’
10 “Then break the jar(OG) while those who go with you are watching, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash(OH) this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury(OI) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 12 This is what I will do to this place and to those who live here, declares the Lord. I will make this city like Topheth. 13 The houses(OJ) in Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled(OK) like this place, Topheth—all the houses where they burned incense on the roofs(OL) to all the starry hosts(OM) and poured out drink offerings(ON) to other gods.’”
14 Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court(OO) of the Lord’s temple and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and all the villages around it every disaster(OP) I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked(OQ) and would not listen(OR) to my words.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or you feel secure only
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or the flooding of
- Jeremiah 13:4 Or possibly to the Euphrates; similarly in verses 5-7
- Jeremiah 13:23 Hebrew Cushite (probably a person from the upper Nile region)
- Jeremiah 14:14 Or visions, worthless divinations
- Jeremiah 15:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac (see also 17:4); most Hebrew manuscripts I will cause your enemies to bring you / into
- Jeremiah 17:2 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
- Jeremiah 17:3 Or hills / 3 and the mountains of the land. / Your
- Jeremiah 17:19 Or Army
- Jeremiah 18:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
- Jeremiah 19:7 The Hebrew for ruin sounds like the Hebrew for jar (see verses 1 and 10).
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.