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Jeremiah 13-24
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah 13-24
New American Standard Bible
The Ruined Undergarment
13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and (A)buy yourself a linen undergarment and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the undergarment in accordance with the (B)word of the Lord, and put it around my waist. 3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the undergarment that you bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the (C)Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, (D)as the Lord had commanded me. 6 After many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the undergarment which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the undergarment from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the undergarment was ruined, it was completely useless.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “This is what the Lord says: ‘To the same extent I will destroy the (E)pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This wicked people, who (F)refuse to listen to My words, who (G)walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have followed other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this undergarment which is completely useless. 11 For as the undergarment clings to the waist of a man, so I made the entire household of Israel and the entire household of Judah (H)cling to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that they might be My people, for [a](I)renown, for (J)praise, and for glory; but they (K)did not listen.’
Captivity Threatened
12 “Therefore you are to speak this word to them. ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Every jug is to be filled with wine.”’ And when they say to you, ‘Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?’ 13 then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to fill all the inhabitants of this land—the kings who sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with (L)drunkenness! 14 Then I will (M)smash them against each other, both the (N)fathers and the sons together,” declares the Lord. “I will (O)not have compassion nor be troubled nor take pity so as to keep from destroying them.”’”
15 Listen and pay attention, do not be (P)haughty;
For the Lord has spoken.
16 (Q)Give glory to the Lord your God
Before He brings (R)darkness
And before your (S)feet stumble
On the mountains in the dark,
And while you are hoping for light
He makes it into (T)gloom,
And turns it into thick darkness.
17 But (U)if you do not listen to it,
My soul will (V)weep in secret for such pride;
And my eyes will shed
And stream down tears,
Because the (W)flock of the Lord has been taken captive.
18 Say to the (X)king and the queen mother,
“(Y)Take a lowly seat,
For your beautiful (Z)crown
Has come down from your head.”
19 The (AA)cities of the Negev have been locked up,
And there is no one to open them;
All (AB)Judah has been taken into exile,
Wholly taken into exile.
20 “Raise your eyes and see
Those coming (AC)from the north.
Where is the (AD)flock that was given you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 What will you say when He appoints over you—
And you yourself had taught them—
Former (AE)companions to be head over you?
Will (AF)sharp pains not take hold of you
Like a woman in childbirth?
22 If you (AG)say in your heart,
‘(AH)Why have these things happened to me?’
Because of the (AI)magnitude of your wrongdoing
(AJ)Your skirts have been removed
And your [b]heels have suffered violence.
23 (AK)Can the Ethiopian change his skin,
Or the leopard his spots?
Then you as well can (AL)do good
Who are accustomed to doing evil.
24 Therefore I will (AM)scatter them like drifting straw
To the desert (AN)wind.
25 This is your (AO)lot, the portion measured to you
From Me,” declares the Lord,
“Because you have (AP)forgotten Me
And trusted in falsehood.
26 So I Myself have (AQ)stripped your skirts off over your face,
So that your shame will be seen.
27 As for your (AR)adulteries and your lustful neighings,
The (AS)outrageous sin of your prostitution
On the (AT)hills in the field,
I have seen your abominations.
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
(AU)How long will you remain unclean?”
Drought and a Prayer for Mercy
14 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah regarding the (AV)drought:
2 “Judah mourns
And (AW)her gates languish;
Her people sit on the ground (AX)in mourning garments,
And the (AY)cry of Jerusalem has ascended.
3 Their nobles have (AZ)sent their [c]servants for water;
They have come to the (BA)cisterns and found no water.
They have returned with their containers empty;
They have been (BB)put to shame and humiliated,
And they (BC)cover their heads,
4 Because the (BD)ground is [d]cracked,
For there has been (BE)no rain on the land.
The (BF)farmers have been put to shame,
They have covered their heads.
5 For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young,
Because there is (BG)no grass.
6 The (BH)wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals,
Their eyes fail
Because there is (BI)no vegetation.
7 Though our (BJ)wrongdoings testify against us,
Lord, act (BK)for the sake of Your name!
Our (BL)apostasies have indeed been many,
We have (BM)sinned against You.
8 (BN)Hope of Israel,
Its (BO)Savior in (BP)time of distress,
Why are You like a stranger in the land,
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night?
9 Why are You like a confused person,
Like a warrior who (BQ)cannot save?
Yet (BR)You are in our midst, Lord,
And we are (BS)called by Your name;
Do not leave us!”
10 This is what the Lord says to this people: “So much they have (BT)loved to wander; they have not (BU)restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does (BV)not accept them; now He will (BW)remember their wrongdoing and call their sins to account.” 11 So the Lord said to me, “(BX)Do not pray for a good outcome on behalf of this people. 12 When they fast, I am (BY)not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer (BZ)burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather, I am going to (CA)put an end to them by the (CB)sword, famine, and plague.”
False Prophets
13 But I said, “Oh, Lord [e]God! Behold, the prophets are telling them, ‘You (CC)will not see a sword, nor will you have famine; on the contrary, I will give you lasting (CD)peace in this place.’” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “The (CE)prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. (CF)I have neither sent them nor commanded them, nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a (CG)false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own [f]minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them—yet they keep saying: ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’—(CH)by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! 16 And the people to whom they are prophesying will be (CI)thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to (CJ)bury them—neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will (CK)pour out their own wickedness upon them.
17 You will say this word to them,
‘(CL)Let my eyes stream down tears night and day,
And let them not cease;
For the virgin (CM)daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow,
With a sorely (CN)infected wound.
18 If I (CO)go out to the country,
There are those killed by the sword!
Or if I enter the city,
There are diseases from famine!
For (CP)both prophet and priest
Have wandered around in the land that they do not know.’”
19 Have You completely (CQ)rejected Judah?
Or have [g]You loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that we (CR)are beyond healing?
We (CS)waited for peace, but nothing good came;
And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
20 We (CT)know our wickedness, Lord,
The wrongdoing of our fathers, for (CU)we have sinned against You.
21 Do not despise us, (CV)for the sake of Your own name;
Do not disgrace the (CW)throne of Your glory.
Remember and do not annul Your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the [h](CX)idols of the nations who (CY)give rain?
Or can the heavens grant showers?
Is it not You, Lord our God?
Therefore we (CZ)wait for You,
For You are the one who has done all these things.
Judgment Must Come
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Even (DA)if (DB)Moses and (DC)Samuel were to (DD)stand before Me, My [i]heart would not be [j]with this people. (DE)Send them away from My presence and have them go! 2 And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“Those destined (DF)for death, to death;
And those destined for the sword, to the sword;
And those destined for famine, to famine;
And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”’
3 And I will (DG)appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the Lord: “the sword to kill, the (DH)dogs to drag away, and the (DI)birds of the sky and the animals of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will (DJ)make them an object of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of (DK)Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “Indeed, who will have (DL)pity on you, Jerusalem,
Or who will (DM)mourn for you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
6 You who have (DN)forsaken Me,” declares the Lord,
“You keep (DO)going backward.
So I will (DP)stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am (DQ)tired of relenting!
7 I will (DR)winnow them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will (DS)bereave them of children, I will destroy My people;
(DT)They did not [k]repent of their ways.
8 Their (DU)widows will be more numerous before Me
Than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of a young man,
A (DV)destroyer at noon;
I will suddenly bring down on her
Shock and horror.
9 She who (DW)gave birth to seven sons withers away;
[l]Her breathing is labored.
Her (DX)sun has set while it was still day;
She has been (DY)shamed and humiliated.
So I will (DZ)turn over their survivors to the sword
Before their enemies,” declares the Lord.
10 (EA)Woe to me, my mother, that you have given birth to me
As a (EB)man of strife and a man of contention to all the land!
I have not (EC)lent, nor have people lent money to me,
Yet everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said, “I will certainly (ED)set you free for purposes of good;
I will certainly make the (EE)enemy plead with you
In a time of disaster and a time of distress.
12 “Can anyone smash iron,
(EF)Iron from the north, or bronze?
13 I will give your (EG)wealth and your treasures
As plunder (EH)without cost,
For all your sins
And within all your borders.
14 Then I will make your enemies bring your possessions
Into a (EI)land that you do not know;
For a (EJ)fire has been kindled in My anger,
And it will burn upon you.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer and God’s Answer
15 (EK)You know, Lord;
Remember me, take notice of me,
And (EL)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;
Know that (EM)for Your sake I endure reproach.
16 Your words were found and I (EN)ate them,
And Your (EO)words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart;
For I have been (EP)called by Your name,
Lord God of armies.
17 I (EQ)did not sit in a circle of revelers and celebrate.
Because of Your hand upon me I sat (ER)alone,
For You (ES)filled me with indignation.
18 Why has my pain been endless
And my (ET)wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
Will You indeed be to me (EU)like a deceptive stream
With water that is unreliable?
19 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“(EV)If you return, then I will restore you—
(EW)You will stand before Me;
And (EX)if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become [m]My spokesman.
They, for their part, may turn to you,
But as for you, you are not to turn to them.
20 Then I will (EY)make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze;
And though they fight against you,
They will not prevail over you;
For (EZ)I am with you to save you
And rescue you,” declares the Lord.
21 “So I will (FA)rescue you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will (FB)redeem you from the [n]grasp of the violent.”
Distresses Foretold
16 The word of the Lord also came to me, saying, 2 “You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For this is what the Lord says concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their (FC)mothers who give birth to them, and their (FD)fathers who father them in this land: 4 “They will (FE)die of deadly diseases, they (FF)will not be mourned or buried; they will be like (FG)dung on the surface of the ground. And they will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the (FH)birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.”
5 For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house of (FI)mourning, or go to mourn or to console them; for I have (FJ)withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares the Lord, “and My (FK)favor and compassion. 6 Both (FL)great people and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, people will not mourn for them, nor will anyone (FM)make cuts on himself or have his head (FN)shaved for them. 7 People will not (FO)break bread in mourning for them, to comfort anyone for the dead, nor give them a cup of consolation to drink for anyone’s father or mother. 8 Moreover, you shall (FP)not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink.” 9 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to (FQ)eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of joy, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.
10 “Now it will happen that, when you tell this people all these words, they will say to you, ‘(FR)For what reason has the Lord declared all this great disaster against us? And what is our wrongdoing, or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 Then you are to say to them, ‘It is (FS)because your forefathers have abandoned Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and have followed (FT)other gods, and served and worshiped them; but they have abandoned Me and have not kept My Law. 12 You too have done evil, even (FU)more than your forefathers; for behold, each one of you is following the (FV)stubbornness of his own (FW)evil heart, without listening to Me. 13 So I will (FX)hurl you off this land to the (FY)land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will (FZ)serve other gods day and night, because I will show you no compassion.’
God Will Restore Them
14 “(GA)Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives, who (GB)brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the (GC)land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.
16 “Behold, I am going to send for many (GD)fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will fish for them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will (GE)hunt them (GF)from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. 17 (GG)For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, (GH)nor is their wrongdoing concealed from My eyes. 18 I will first repay them (GI)double for their wrongdoing and their sin, because they have (GJ)defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their (GK)detestable idols and their abominations.”
19 Lord, my (GL)strength and my stronghold,
And my (GM)refuge in the day of distress,
To You the (GN)nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but (GO)falsehood,
Futility, and [o](GP)things of no benefit.”
20 Can a person make gods for himself?
But they are (GQ)not gods!
21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—
This time I will (GR)make them know
My [p]power and My might;
And they will (GS)know that My name is the Lord.”
The Deceitful Heart
17 The (GT)sin of Judah is written with an (GU)iron stylus;
With a diamond point it is (GV)engraved on the tablet of their hearts
And on the horns of [q]their altars,
2 As they remember their (GW)children,
So they remember their altars and their [r](GX)Asherim
By (GY)green trees on the high hills.
3 (GZ)Mountain of Mine in the countryside,
I will (HA)turn over your wealth and all your treasures as plunder,
Your high places for sin throughout your borders.
4 And you will, even of yourself, (HB)let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your (HC)enemies
In the (HD)land which you do not know;
For you have (HE)kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“(HF)Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes (HG)flesh his [s]strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 For he will be like a (HH)bush in the desert,
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A (HI)land of salt that is not inhabited.
7 (HJ)Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose (HK)trust is the Lord.
8 For he will be like a (HL)tree planted by the water
That extends its roots by a stream,
And does not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of (HM)drought,
Nor cease to yield fruit.
9 “The (HN)heart is more (HO)deceitful than all else
And is desperately (HP)sick;
Who can understand it?
10 I, the Lord, (HQ)search the heart,
I test the [t]mind,
(HR)To give to each person according to his ways,
According to the [u]results of his deeds.
11 As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is a person who (HS)makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the middle of his days it will abandon him,
And in [v]the end he will be a (HT)fool.”
12 (HU)A glorious throne on high from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, the (HV)hope of Israel,
All who (HW)abandon You will be put to shame.
Those who turn [w]away on earth will be (HX)written down,
Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, that is the Lord.
14 (HY)Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
(HZ)Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my (IA)praise.
15 Look, they keep (IB)saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come now!”
16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd following after You,
Nor have I longed for the disastrous day;
(IC)You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips
Was in Your presence.
17 Do not be a (ID)terror to me;
You are my (IE)refuge in a day of disaster.
18 Let those who persecute me be (IF)put to shame, but as for me, (IG)let me not be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed.
(IH)Bring on them a day of disaster,
And crush them with double destruction!
The Sabbath Must Be Kept
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the [x]public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, ‘(II)Listen to the word of the Lord, you (IJ)kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: “(IK)Take care for yourselves, and (IL)do not carry any [y]load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day (IM)nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I (IN)commanded your [z]forefathers. 23 Yet they (IO)did not listen or incline their ears, but (IP)stiffened their necks so as not to listen or accept discipline.
24 “But it will come about, if you (IQ)give your attention to Me,” declares the Lord, “to (IR)bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, (IS)but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 (IT)then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and officials (IU)sitting 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 (IV)city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come in from the (IW)cities of Judah and from the areas surrounding Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the (IX)lowland, from the hill country, and from the (IY)Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27 But (IZ)if you do not listen to Me, to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then (JA)I will set fire to its gates, and it will (JB)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and (JC)not go out.”’”
The Potter and the Clay
18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Arise and (JD)go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the (JE)clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (JF)uproot it, to tear it down, or to destroy it; 8 (JG)if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will (JH)relent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (JI)build up or to plant it; 10 if it does (JJ)evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will (JK)relent of the good with which I said [aa]that I would bless it. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am (JL)forming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now (JM)turn back, each of you from his evil way, and [ab]correct your ways and your deeds!”’ 12 But (JN)they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will [ac]persist in the (JO)stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
‘(JP)Just ask among the nations,
Who ever heard anything like [ad]this?
The (JQ)virgin of Israel
Has done a most (JR)appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 For (JS)My people have forgotten Me,
(JT)They burn incense [ae]to worthless gods.
And they [af]have stumbled in their ways,
In the (JU)ancient roads,
To walk on paths,
Not on a (JV)highway,
16 To make their land a (JW)desolation,
An object of perpetual (JX)hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And (JY)shake his head.
17 Like an (JZ)east wind I will (KA)scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will [ag]show them (KB)My back and not My face
(KC)In the day of their disaster.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let’s (KD)devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the (KE)Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor (KF)advice by the wise, nor the divine (KG)word by the prophet! Come, and let’s (KH)strike at him with our tongue, and let’s (KI)pay no attention to any of his words.”
19 Give Your attention to me, Lord,
And listen to [ah]what my opponents are saying!
20 (KJ)Should good be repaid with evil?
For they have (KK)dug a pit for [ai]me.
Remember how I (KL)stood before You
To speak good in their behalf,
So as to turn Your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, (KM)give their children over to famine
And turn them over to the [aj]power of the sword;
And let their wives become (KN)childless and (KO)widowed.
Let their men also be slaughtered to death,
Their (KP)young men struck and killed by the sword in battle.
22 May a (KQ)cry be heard from their houses
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
(KR)For they have dug a pit to capture me
And (KS)hidden snares for my feet.
23 But You, Lord, know
All their [ak]deadly schemes against me;
(KT)Do not [al]forgive their wrongdoing
Or wipe out their sin from Your sight.
But may they be [am](KU)overthrown before You;
Deal with them in the (KV)time of Your anger!
The Broken Jar
19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a (KW)potter’s earthenware (KX)jar, and take some of the (KY)elders of the people and some of the [an](KZ)senior priests. 2 Then go out to the (LA)Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the [ao]Potsherd Gate, and (LB)proclaim there the words that I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you (LC)kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold I am going to bring a (LD)disaster upon this place, at which the (LE)ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. 4 Since they have (LF)abandoned Me and have (LG)made this place foreign, and have burned [ap]sacrifices in it to (LH)other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and since they have filled this place with the (LI)blood of the innocent 5 and have built the (LJ)high places of Baal to burn their (LK)sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I did not command nor speak of, nor did it ever enter My [aq]mind; 6 therefore, behold, (LL)days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called (LM)Topheth or (LN)the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And I will (LO)frustrate the planning of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and (LP)I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will make their (LQ)carcasses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. 8 I will also turn this city into an object of (LR)horror and [ar]hissing; (LS)everyone who passes by it will be appalled and [as]hiss because of all its [at]disasters. 9 And I will make them (LT)eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the siege and in the hardship with which their enemies and those who seek their life will torment them.”’
10 “Then you are to break the (LU)jar in the sight of the men who accompany you, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “To the same extent I will (LV)break this people and this city, just as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will (LW)bury their dead in Topheth, [au]because there is no other place for burial. 12 This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 The (LX)houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be (LY)defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the (LZ)houses on whose rooftops they burned [av]sacrifices to (MA)all the heavenly [aw]lights and (MB)poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”
14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the (MC)courtyard of the Lord’s house and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and all its towns the entire disaster that I have declared against it, because they have (MD)stiffened their necks so (ME)as not to listen to My words.’”
Pashhur Persecutes Jeremiah
20 When Pashhur the priest, the son of (MF)Immer, who was (MG)chief overseer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet (MH)beaten and put him in the (MI)stocks that were at the upper (MJ)Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 Then on the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has (MK)called you, but rather [ax](ML)Magor-missabib. 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to make you a (MM)horror to yourself and to all your friends; and while (MN)your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will (MO)hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will take them away as (MP)exiles to Babylon and will kill them with the sword. 5 I will also give all the (MQ)wealth of this city, all its produce and all its valuable things—even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will (MR)hand over to their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. 6 And you, (MS)Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your (MT)friends to whom you have (MU)falsely prophesied.’”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
7 Lord, You persuaded me and I let myself be persuaded;
You have (MV)overcome me and prevailed.
I have become a (MW)laughingstock all day long;
Everyone (MX)mocks me.
8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
I (MY)proclaim violence and destruction,
Because for me the (MZ)word of the Lord has [ay]resulted
In taunting and derision all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not (NA)remember Him
Nor speak anymore in His name,”
Then in (NB)my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am tired of holding it in,
And (NC)I cannot endure it.
10 For (ND)I have heard the whispering of many,
“(NE)Terror on every side!
(NF)Denounce him; let’s denounce him!”
[az]All my (NG)trusted friends,
Watching for my fall, say:
“Perhaps he will be persuaded, so that we may (NH)prevail against him
And take our revenge on him.”
11 But the (NI)Lord is with me like a powerful champion;
Therefore my (NJ)persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be put to great shame because they have [ba]failed,
An (NK)everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, Lord of armies, who (NL)tests the righteous,
Who sees the [bb]mind and the heart;
Let me (NM)see Your vengeance on them,
For (NN)to You I have disclosed my cause.
13 (NO)Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord!
For He has (NP)saved the soul of the needy one
From the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the (NQ)day when I was born;
May the day when my mother gave birth to me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought the news
To my father, saying,
“A [bc](NR)boy has been born to you!”
And made him very happy.
16 But may that man be like the cities
Which the Lord (NS)overthrew without [bd]relenting,
And may he hear an (NT)outcry in the morning
And [be]an alarm for war at noon;
17 Because he did not (NU)kill me [bf]before birth,
So that my mother would have been my grave,
And her womb forever pregnant.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
To (NV)look at trouble and sorrow,
So that my (NW)days have been spent in (NX)shame?
Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah
21 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when (NY)King Zedekiah sent to him (NZ)Pashhur the son of Malchijah and (OA)Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Please (OB)inquire of the Lord in our behalf, because (OC)Nebuchadnezzar king of (OD)Babylon is making war against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us (OE)in accordance with all His [bg]wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”
3 But Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to (OF)turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you are making war against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will (OG)gather them into the middle of this city. 5 And I (OH)Myself will make war against you with an (OI)outstretched hand and a mighty arm, and in (OJ)anger, wrath, and great indignation. 6 I will also strike the inhabitants of this city, both the people and the animals; they will die of a great (OK)plague. 7 Then afterward,” declares the Lord, “(OL)I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, that is, those who survive in this city from the plague, the sword, and the famine, over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to their enemies, and to those who seek their lives; and he will strike and kill them with the edge of the sword. He (OM)will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’
8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am (ON)setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Anyone who (OO)stays in this city will die by the (OP)sword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who leaves and goes over to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as plunder. 10 For I have (OQ)set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be (OR)handed over to the king of Babylon and he will (OS)burn it with fire.”’
11 “Then say to the household of the (OT)king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 (OU)house of David, this is what the Lord says:
“(OV)Administer justice [bh]every (OW)morning;
And save the person who has been robbed from the [bi]power of his oppressor,
(OX)So that My wrath will not spread like fire
And (OY)burn, with no one to extinguish it,
Because of the evil of their deeds.
13 “Behold, (OZ)I am against you, you inhabitant of the (PA)valley,
You [bj]rocky plain,” declares the Lord,
“You who say, ‘(PB)Who will come down against us?
Or who will enter our dwellings?’
14 But I will punish you (PC)according to the [bk]results of your deeds,” declares the Lord,
“And I will (PD)kindle a fire in its forest
So that it may devour all its surroundings.”’”
Warning of Jerusalem’s Fall
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there speak this word, 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who (PE)sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3 This is what the Lord says: “(PF)Do justice and righteousness, and save one who has been robbed from the power of his (PG)oppressor. And (PH)do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not (PI)shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed perform this [bl]instruction, then (PJ)kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting [bm]in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, the king himself, his servants, and his people. 5 (PK)But if you will not obey these words, I (PL)swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a place of ruins.”’” 6 For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“You are like (PM)Gilead to Me,
Like the summit of Lebanon;
Yet most assuredly I will make you a (PN)wilderness,
Cities that are not inhabited.
7 For I will set apart (PO)destroyers against you,
Each with his weapons;
And they will (PP)cut down your choicest cedars
And (PQ)throw them on the fire.
8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will (PR)say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this great city?’ 9 Then they will [bn]answer, ‘Because they (PS)abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”
10 (PT)Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,
But weep deeply for the one who goes away;
For (PU)he will never return
Or see his native land.
11 For this is what the Lord says regarding [bo](PV)Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of his father Josiah, who went out from this place: “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they took him into exile, there he will (PW)die and he will not see this land again.
Messages about the Kings
13 “Woe to him who builds his house (PX)without righteousness,
And his upstairs rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And (PY)does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will (PZ)build myself a large house
With spacious upstairs rooms,
And cut out its windows,
[bp]Paneling it with (QA)cedar and painting it [bq]bright red.’
15 Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Did your father not eat and drink
And (QB)do justice and righteousness?
Then it was (QC)well for him.
16 He pled the cause of the (QD)afflicted and the poor,
Then it was well.
(QE)Is that not what it means to know Me?”
Declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own (QF)dishonest gain,
And on (QG)shedding innocent blood,
And on practicing oppression and extortion.”
18 Therefore this is what the Lord says regarding (QH)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
“They will not (QI)mourn for him:
‘(QJ)Oh, my brother!’ or, ‘Oh, sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Oh, for the master!’ or, ‘Oh, for his splendor!’
19 He will be (QK)buried with a donkey’s burial,
Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
And raise your voice in Bashan;
Cry out also from (QL)Abarim,
For all your (QM)lovers have been crushed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity;
But (QN)you said, ‘I will not listen!’
(QO)This has been your way (QP)from your youth,
That you have not obeyed My voice.
22 The wind will sweep away all your (QQ)shepherds,
And your (QR)lovers will go into captivity;
Then you will certainly be (QS)ashamed and humiliated
Because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in Lebanon,
Nested in the cedars,
How you will groan when sharp pains come on you,
(QT)Pain like a woman in childbirth!
24 “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even if [br](QU)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a (QV)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull [bs]you [bt]off; 25 and I will (QW)hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26 I will (QX)hurl you and your (QY)mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.
28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
Or is he an (QZ)undesirable vessel?
Why have he and his descendants been (RA)hurled out
And cast into a (RB)land that they had not known?
29 (RC)O land, land, land,
Hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
‘Write this man down as (RD)childless,
A man who will (RE)not prosper in his days;
For no man among his (RF)descendants will prosper
Sitting on the throne of David
Or ruling again in Judah.’”
The Coming Messiah: the Righteous Branch
23 “(RG)Woe to the shepherds who are causing the (RH)sheep of My pasture to (RI)perish and are scattering them!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says concerning the shepherds who are [bu]tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not been concerned about them; behold, I am going to (RJ)call you to account for the (RK)evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord. 3 “Then I Myself will (RL)gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will also raise up (RM)shepherds over them and they will [bv]tend them; and they will (RN)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, (RO)nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
5 “Behold, the (RP)days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous [bw](RQ)Branch;
And He will (RR)reign as king and [bx]act wisely
And (RS)do justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In His days Judah will be saved,
And (RT)Israel will live securely;
And this is His (RU)name by which He will be called,
‘The (RV)Lord Our Righteousness.’
7 “(RW)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of Egypt,’ 8 (RX)but, ‘As the Lord lives, who (RY)brought up and led the descendants of the household of Israel back from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”
False Prophets Denounced
9 As for the prophets:
My (RZ)heart is broken within me,
All my bones tremble;
I have become like a drunken man,
And like a man overcome by wine,
Because of the Lord
And because of His holy words.
10 For the land is full of (SA)adulterers;
For the land (SB)mourns because of the curse.
The (SC)pastures of the wilderness have dried up.
Their course is evil
And their might is not right.
11 “For (SD)both prophet and priest are defiled;
Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their way will be like (SE)slippery paths to them,
They will be driven away into the (SF)gloom and fall down in it;
For I will bring (SG)disaster upon them,
The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.
13 “Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an (SH)offensive thing:
They (SI)prophesied by Baal and (SJ)led My people Israel astray.
14 Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a (SK)horrible thing:
The committing of (SL)adultery and walking in deceit;
And they strengthen the hands of (SM)evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.
All of them have become to Me like (SN)Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says concerning the prophets:
‘Behold, I am going to (SO)feed them wormwood
And make them drink poisonous water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Ungodliness has spread into all the land.’”
16 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“(SP)Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are (SQ)leading you into futility;
They tell a (SR)vision of their own [by]imagination,
Not (SS)from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They keep saying to those who (ST)despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, “(SU)You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the (SV)stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘(SW)Disaster will not come on you.’
18 But (SX)who has stood in the council of the Lord,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has paid (SY)attention to [bz]His word and listened?
19 Behold, the (SZ)storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling tempest;
It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 The (TA)anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has (TB)performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
(TC)In the last days you will clearly understand it.
21 (TD)I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.
22 But if they had (TE)stood in My council,
Then they would have (TF)announced My words to My people,
And would have turned them back from their evil way
And from the evil of their deeds.
23 “Am I a God who is (TG)near,” declares the Lord,
“And not a God far off?
24 Can a person (TH)hide himself in hiding places
So that I do not see him?” declares the Lord.
“(TI)Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.
25 “I have (TJ)heard what the prophets have said who (TK)prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a (TL)dream, I had a dream!’ 26 How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the (TM)deceitfulness of their own heart, 27 who intend to (TN)make My people forget My name by their dreams which they report to one another, just as their fathers (TO)forgot My name because of Baal? 28 The prophet who has a dream may report his dream, but let him who has (TP)My word speak My word truthfully. (TQ)What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is My word not like (TR)fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a (TS)hammer which shatters a rock? 30 Therefore behold, (TT)I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal My words from each other. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who [ca]use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares!’ 32 Behold, I am against those who have prophesied (TU)false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and reported them and led My people astray by their lies and (TV)reckless boasting; yet (TW)I did not send them nor command them, nor do they (TX)provide this people the slightest benefit,” declares the Lord.
33 “Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the [cb](TY)pronouncement of the Lord?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What [cc]pronouncement?’ The Lord declares, ‘I will (TZ)abandon you.’ 34 Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The (UA)pronouncement of the Lord,’ I will bring punishment upon that person and his household. 35 This is what each one of you will say to his neighbor and to his brother: ‘(UB)What has the Lord answered?’ or, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 For you will no longer remember the pronouncement of the Lord, because every person’s own word will become the pronouncement, and you have (UC)perverted the words of the (UD)living God, the Lord of armies, our God. 37 This is what you will say to that prophet: ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 And if you say, ‘The pronouncement of the Lord!’ for that reason the Lord says this: ‘Because you said this word, “The pronouncement of the Lord!” I have also sent word to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The pronouncement of the Lord!’”’ 39 Therefore behold, (UE)I will certainly forget you and thrust you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers. 40 I will put an everlasting (UF)disgrace on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”
Baskets of Figs and the Returnees
24 After (UG)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and metalworkers from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two (UH)baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like (UI)first-ripe figs, and the other basket had (UJ)very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness. 3 Then the Lord said to me, “(UK)What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs: the good figs are very good, and the bad ones, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard (UL)as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. 6 For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will (UM)bring them back to this land; and I will (UN)build them up and not overthrow them, and I will (UO)plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will also give them a (UP)heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be (UQ)My people, and I will be their God, for they will (UR)return to Me wholeheartedly.
8 ‘But like the (US)bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness,’ indeed, this is what the Lord says, ‘so will I give up (UT)Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the (UU)remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and the ones who live in the land of (UV)Egypt. 9 I will (UW)make them an object of terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a (UX)disgrace and a proverb, a taunt and a (UY)curse in all the places where I will scatter them. 10 And I will send the (UZ)sword, the famine, and the plague upon them until they are eliminated from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 13:11 Lit a name
- Jeremiah 13:22 I.e., a euphemism for private parts
- Jeremiah 14:3 Lit little ones
- Jeremiah 14:4 Lit shattered
- Jeremiah 14:13 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 14:14 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 14:19 Lit Your soul
- Jeremiah 14:22 Lit futilities
- Jeremiah 15:1 Lit soul
- Jeremiah 15:1 Lit toward
- Jeremiah 15:7 Lit turn back from
- Jeremiah 15:9 Or She has breathed out her soul
- Jeremiah 15:19 Lit as My mouth
- Jeremiah 15:21 Lit palm
- Jeremiah 16:19 Lit there is nothing profitable in them
- Jeremiah 16:21 Lit hand
- Jeremiah 17:1 As in ancient versions; MT your
- Jeremiah 17:2 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
- Jeremiah 17:5 Lit arm
- Jeremiah 17:10 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 17:10 Lit fruit
- Jeremiah 17:11 Lit his
- Jeremiah 17:13 Lit away from Me
- Jeremiah 17:19 Lit gate of the sons of the people
- Jeremiah 17:21 Or burden
- Jeremiah 17:22 Lit fathers
- Jeremiah 18:10 Lit to do it good
- Jeremiah 18:11 Lit make good
- Jeremiah 18:12 Lit do the
- Jeremiah 18:13 Lit these
- Jeremiah 18:15 Lit to worthlessness
- Jeremiah 18:15 As in ancient versions; MT caused them to
- Jeremiah 18:17 As in ancient versions; MT look them in the back and not in the face
- Jeremiah 18:19 Lit the voice of my opponents
- Jeremiah 18:20 Lit my soul
- Jeremiah 18:21 Lit hands of
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit unto death
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit cover over, atone for
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit ones made to stumble
- Jeremiah 19:1 Or elders of the
- Jeremiah 19:2 I.e., pottery fragment
- Jeremiah 19:4 Or incense
- Jeremiah 19:5 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 19:8 Or whistling
- Jeremiah 19:8 Or whistle
- Jeremiah 19:8 Lit wounds
- Jeremiah 19:11 Or until there is no place left to bury
- Jeremiah 19:13 Or incense
- Jeremiah 19:13 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
- Jeremiah 20:3 I.e., horror on every side
- Jeremiah 20:8 Lit become
- Jeremiah 20:10 Lit Every man of my peace
- Jeremiah 20:11 Lit not succeeded; or not acted wisely
- Jeremiah 20:12 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 20:15 Lit male child
- Jeremiah 20:16 Lit being sorry
- Jeremiah 20:16 Or a trumpet blast
- Jeremiah 20:17 Lit from the womb
- Jeremiah 21:2 Or miracles
- Jeremiah 21:12 Or in the
- Jeremiah 21:12 Lit hand
- Jeremiah 21:13 Lit rock of the level place
- Jeremiah 21:14 Lit fruit
- Jeremiah 22:4 Lit word
- Jeremiah 22:4 Lit for David
- Jeremiah 22:9 Lit say
- Jeremiah 22:11 I.e., Jehoahaz
- Jeremiah 22:14 Or Paneled
- Jeremiah 22:14 Or vermilion
- Jeremiah 22:24 I.e., Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 22:24 I.e., Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 22:24 Lit off from there
- Jeremiah 23:2 Lit shepherding
- Jeremiah 23:4 Or shepherd
- Jeremiah 23:5 Lit Sprout
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or succeed
- Jeremiah 23:16 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 23:18 Another reading is My
- Jeremiah 23:31 Lit take
- Jeremiah 23:33 Or burden, and so throughout the ch
- Jeremiah 23:33 Or burden, and so throughout the ch
Jeremiah 13-23
New International Version
Jeremiah 13-23
New International Version
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:(A) 4 “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath[a](B) and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.(C)
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(D) of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen(E) to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts(F) and go after other gods(G) to serve and worship them,(H) will be like this belt—completely useless!(I) 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(J) and praise and honor.(K) But they have not listened.’(L)
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(M) 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(N) or mercy or compassion(O) to keep me from destroying(P) them.’”
Threat of Captivity
15 Hear and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the Lord has spoken.(Q)
16 Give glory(R) to the Lord your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(S)
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to utter darkness
and change it to deep gloom.(T)
17 If you do not listen,(U)
I will weep in secret
because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
overflowing with tears,(V)
because the Lord’s flock(W) will be taken captive.(X)
18 Say to the king(Y) and to the queen mother,(Z)
“Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(AA)
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(AB) will be carried into exile,
carried completely away.
20 Look up and see
those who are coming from the north.(AC)
Where is the flock(AD) 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?(AE)
Will not pain grip you
like that of a woman in labor?(AF)
22 And if you ask yourself,
“Why has this happened to me?”(AG)—
it is because of your many sins(AH)
that your skirts have been torn off(AI)
and your body mistreated.(AJ)
23 Can an Ethiopian[b] change his skin
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.(AK)
24 “I will scatter you like chaff(AL)
driven by the desert wind.(AM)
25 This is your lot,
the portion(AN) I have decreed for you,”
declares the Lord,
“because you have forgotten(AO) me
and trusted in false gods.(AP)
26 I will pull up your skirts over your face
that your shame may be seen(AQ)—
27 your adulteries and lustful neighings,
your shameless prostitution!(AR)
I have seen your detestable acts
on the hills and in the fields.(AS)
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
How long will you be unclean?”(AT)
Drought, Famine, Sword
14 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(AU)
2 “Judah mourns,(AV)
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.(AW)
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.(AX)
4 The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;(AY)
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.(AZ)
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(BA)
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food.”(BB)
7 Although our sins testify(BC) against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.(BD)
For we have often rebelled;(BE)
we have sinned(BF) against you.
8 You who are the hope(BG) of Israel,
its Savior(BH) in times of distress,(BI)
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?(BJ)
You are among(BK) us, Lord,
and we bear your name;(BL)
do not forsake(BM) us!
10 This is what the Lord says about this people:
“They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.(BN)
So the Lord does not accept(BO) them;
he will now remember(BP) their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.”(BQ)
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray(BR) for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;(BS) though they offer burnt offerings(BT) and grain offerings,(BU) I will not accept(BV) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,(BW) famine(BX) and plague.”(BY)
13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets(BZ) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.(CA) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace(CB) in this place.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies(CC) in my name. I have not sent(CD) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,(CE) divinations,(CF) idolatries[c] 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(CG) by sword and famine.(CH) 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(CI) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.(CJ) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.(CK)
17 “Speak this word to them:
“‘Let my eyes overflow with tears(CL)
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin(CM) Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.(CN)
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.(CO)
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not.(CP)’”
19 Have you rejected Judah completely?(CQ)
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?(CR)
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(CS)
20 We acknowledge(CT) our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;(CU)
we have indeed sinned(CV) against you.
21 For the sake of your name(CW) do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.(CX)
Remember your covenant(CY) with us
and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols(CZ) of the nations bring rain?(DA)
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.(DB)
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(DC) and Samuel(DD) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(DE) Send them away from my presence!(DF) 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;(DG)
those for starvation, to starvation;(DH)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(DI)
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers(DJ) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(DK) to kill and the dogs(DL) to drag away and the birds(DM) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(DN) 4 I will make them abhorrent(DO) to all the kingdoms of the earth(DP) because of what Manasseh(DQ) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who will have pity(DR) on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will stop to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected(DS) me,” declares the Lord.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(DT) and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.(DU)
7 I will winnow(DV) them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(DW) and destruction on my people,(DX)
for they have not changed their ways.(DY)
8 I will make their widows(DZ) more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(EA)
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.(EB)
9 The mother of seven will grow faint(EC)
and breathe her last.(ED)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgraced(EE) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(EF)
before their enemies,”(EG)
declares the Lord.
10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(EH)
a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(EI)
I have neither lent(EJ) nor borrowed,
yet everyone curses(EK) me.
11 The Lord said,
“Surely I will deliver you(EL) for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies plead(EM) with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.
12 “Can a man break iron—
iron from the north(EN)—or bronze?
13 “Your wealth(EO) and your treasures
I will give as plunder,(EP) without charge,(EQ)
because of all your sins
throughout your country.(ER)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
in[d] a land you do not know,(ES)
for my anger will kindle a fire(ET)
that will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand;
remember me and care for me.
Avenge me on my persecutors.(EU)
You are long-suffering(EV)—do not take me away;
think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(EW)
16 When your words came, I ate(EX) them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(EY)
for I bear your name,(EZ)
Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(FA) in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(FB) was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?(FC)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails.(FD)
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve(FE) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.(FF)
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(FG) to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome(FH) you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”(FI)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(FJ) you from the hands of the wicked(FK)
and deliver(FL) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(FM)
Day of Disaster
16 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You must not marry(FN) 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:(FO) 4 “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried(FP) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(FQ) They will perish by sword and famine,(FR) and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”(FS)
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(FT) from this people,” declares the Lord. 6 “Both high and low will die in this land.(FU) They will not be buried or mourned,(FV) and no one will cut(FW) themselves or shave(FX) their head for the dead. 7 No one will offer food(FY) to comfort those who mourn(FZ) for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console(GA) them.
8 “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.(GB) 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(GC) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride(GD) and bridegroom in this place.(GE)
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?’(GF) 11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped(GG) them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.(GH) 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors.(GI) See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts(GJ) instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land(GK) into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known,(GL) and there you will serve other gods(GM) day and night, for I will show you no favor.’(GN)
14 “However, the days are coming,”(GO) declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(GP) 15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north(GQ) and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’(GR) For I will restore(GS) them to the land I gave their ancestors.(GT)
16 “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them.(GU) After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt(GV) them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.(GW) 17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden(GX) from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.(GY) 18 I will repay(GZ) them double(HA) for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land(HB) with the lifeless forms of their vile images(HC) and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.(HD)”(HE)
19 Lord, my strength and my fortress,
my refuge(HF) in time of distress,
to you the nations will come(HG)
from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,(HH)
worthless idols(HI) that did them no good.(HJ)
20 Do people make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!”(HK)
21 “Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name(HL) is the Lord.
17 “Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool,(HM)
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their hearts(HN)
and on the horns(HO) of their altars.
2 Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles[e](HP)
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.(HQ)
3 My mountain in the land
and your[f] wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,(HR)
together with your high places,(HS)
because of sin throughout your country.(HT)
4 Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritance(HU) I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies(HV)
in a land(HW) you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burn(HX) forever.”
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,(HY)
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.(HZ)
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(IA) of the desert,
in a salt(IB) land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed(IC) is the one who trusts(ID) 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.(IE)
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought(IF)
and never fails to bear fruit.”(IG)
9 The heart(IH) is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart(II)
and examine the mind,(IJ)
to reward(IK) each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”(IL)
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.(IM)
12 A glorious throne,(IN) exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are the hope(IO) of Israel;
all who forsake(IP) you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust(IQ)
because they have forsaken the Lord,
the spring of living water.(IR)
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;(IS)
save(IT) me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.(IU)
15 They keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it now be fulfilled!”(IV)
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips(IW) is open before you.
17 Do not be a terror(IX) to me;
you are my refuge(IY) in the day of disaster.(IZ)
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.(JA)
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People,[g] through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.(JB) 20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem(JC) who come through these gates.(JD) 21 This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath(JE) 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.(JF) 23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention;(JG) they were stiff-necked(JH) and would not listen or respond to discipline.(JI) 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(JJ) by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne(JK) 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.(JL) 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,(JM) 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(JN) me to keep the Sabbath(JO) 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(JP) in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”(JQ)
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(JR) in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,(JS) Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,(JT) torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent(JU) and not inflict on it the disaster(JV) I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built(JW) up and planted, 10 and if it does evil(JX) in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider(JY) the good I had intended to do for it.(JZ)
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(KA) for you and devising a plan(KB) against you. So turn(KC) from your evil ways,(KD) each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’(KE) 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use.(KF) We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.(KG)’”
13 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“Inquire among the nations:
Who has ever heard anything like this?(KH)
A most horrible(KI) thing has been done
by Virgin(KJ) Israel.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon
ever vanish from its rocky slopes?
Do its cool waters from distant sources
ever stop flowing?[h]
15 Yet my people have forgotten(KK) me;
they burn incense(KL) to worthless idols,(KM)
which made them stumble(KN) in their ways,
in the ancient paths.(KO)
They made them walk in byways,
on roads not built up.(KP)
16 Their land will be an object of horror(KQ)
and of lasting scorn;(KR)
all who pass by will be appalled(KS)
and will shake their heads.(KT)
17 Like a wind(KU) from the east,
I will scatter them before their enemies;
I will show them my back and not my face(KV)
in the day of their disaster.”
18 They said, “Come, let’s make plans(KW) against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest(KX) will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise,(KY) nor the word from the prophets.(KZ) So come, let’s attack him with our tongues(LA) and pay no attention to anything he says.”
19 Listen to me, Lord;
hear what my accusers(LB) are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?(LC)
Yet they have dug a pit(LD) for me.
Remember that I stood(LE) before you
and spoke in their behalf(LF)
to turn your wrath away from them.
21 So give their children over to famine;(LG)
hand them over to the power of the sword.(LH)
Let their wives be made childless and widows;(LI)
let their men be put to death,
their young men(LJ) slain by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry(LK) be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit(LL) to capture me
and have hidden snares(LM) for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, know
all their plots to kill(LN) me.
Do not forgive(LO) 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.(LP)
19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter.(LQ) Take along some of the elders(LR) of the people and of the priests 2 and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom,(LS) 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(LT) 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(LU) on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.(LV) 4 For they have forsaken(LW) me and made this a place of foreign gods(LX); they have burned incense(LY) 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.(LZ) 5 They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children(MA) in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.(MB) 6 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth(MC) or the Valley of Ben Hinnom,(MD) but the Valley of Slaughter.(ME)
7 “‘In this place I will ruin[i] the plans(MF) of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies,(MG) at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses(MH) as food(MI) to the birds and the wild animals. 8 I will devastate this city and make it an object of horror and scorn;(MJ) all who pass by will be appalled(MK) and will scoff because of all its wounds.(ML) 9 I will make them eat(MM) the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh because their enemies(MN) will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them.’
10 “Then break the jar(MO) while those who go with you are watching, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash(MP) this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury(MQ) 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(MR) in Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled(MS) like this place, Topheth—all the houses where they burned incense on the roofs(MT) to all the starry hosts(MU) and poured out drink offerings(MV) to other gods.’”
14 Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court(MW) 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(MX) I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked(MY) and would not listen(MZ) to my words.’”
Jeremiah and Pashhur
20 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer,(NA) the official(NB) in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten(NC) and put in the stocks(ND) at the Upper Gate of Benjamin(NE) at the Lord’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name(NF) for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.(NG) 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes(NH) you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give(NI) all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry(NJ) them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. 5 I will deliver all the wealth(NK) of this city into the hands of their enemies—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away(NL) as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied(NM) lies.’”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
7 You deceived[j](NN) me, Lord, and I was deceived[k];
you overpowered(NO) me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed(NP) all day long;
everyone mocks(NQ) me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.(NR)
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach(NS) all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word
or speak anymore in his name,”(NT)
his word is in my heart like a fire,(NU)
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;(NV)
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whispering,
“Terror(NW) on every side!
Denounce(NX) him! Let’s denounce him!”
All my friends(NY)
are waiting for me to slip,(NZ) saying,
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail(OA) over him
and take our revenge(OB) on him.”
11 But the Lord(OC) is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors(OD) will stumble and not prevail.(OE)
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;(OF)
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,(OG)
let me see your vengeance(OH) on them,
for to you I have committed(OI) my cause.
13 Sing(OJ) to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues(OK) the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.(OL)
14 Cursed be the day I was born!(OM)
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns(ON)
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing(OO) in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,(OP)
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb(OQ)
to see trouble(OR) and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?(OS)
God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request
21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah(OT) sent to him Pashhur(OU) son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah(OV) son of Maaseiah. They said: 2 “Inquire(OW) now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar[l](OX) king of Babylon(OY) is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders(OZ) for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”
3 But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn(PA) against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians[m] who are outside the wall besieging(PB) you. And I will gather them inside this city. 5 I myself will fight(PC) against you with an outstretched hand(PD) and a mighty arm(PE) in furious anger and in great wrath. 6 I will strike(PF) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.(PG) 7 After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah(PH) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,(PI) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(PJ) and to their enemies(PK) who want to kill them.(PL) He will put them to the sword;(PM) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’(PN)
8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life(PO) and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.(PP) But whoever goes out and surrenders(PQ) to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.(PR) 10 I have determined to do this city harm(PS) and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands(PT) of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’(PU)
11 “Moreover, say to the royal house(PV) of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. 12 This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:
“‘Administer justice(PW) every morning;
rescue from the hand of the oppressor(PX)
the one who has been robbed,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire(PY)
because of the evil(PZ) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(QA) it.
13 I am against(QB) you, Jerusalem,
you who live above this valley(QC)
on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord—
you who say, “Who can come against us?
Who can enter our refuge?”(QD)
14 I will punish you as your deeds(QE) deserve,
declares the Lord.
I will kindle a fire(QF) in your forests(QG)
that will consume everything around you.’”
Judgment Against Wicked Kings
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king(QH) of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2 ‘Hear(QI) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne(QJ)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.(QK) 3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is just(QL) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor(QM) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,(QN) and do not shed innocent blood(QO) in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings(QP) who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you do not obey(QQ) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear(QR) by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’”
6 For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:
“Though you are like Gilead(QS) to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,(QT)
I will surely make you like a wasteland,(QU)
like towns not inhabited.
7 I will send destroyers(QV) against you,
each man with his weapons,
and they will cut(QW) up your fine cedar beams
and throw them into the fire.(QX)
8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’(QY) 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.(QZ)’”
10 Do not weep for the dead(RA) king or mourn(RB) his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return(RC)
nor see his native land again.
11 For this is what the Lord says about Shallum[n](RD) son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. 12 He will die(RE) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
13 “Woe(RF) to him who builds(RG) his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying(RH) them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace(RI)
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar(RJ)
and decorates it in red.(RK)
15 “Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,(RL)
so all went well(RM) with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,(RN)
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know(RO) me?”
declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,(RP)
on shedding innocent blood(RQ)
and on oppression and extortion.”(RR)
18 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“They will not mourn(RS) for him:
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
19 He will have the burial(RT) of a donkey—
dragged away and thrown(RU)
outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,(RV)
let your voice be heard in Bashan,(RW)
cry out from Abarim,(RX)
for all your allies(RY) are crushed.
21 I warned you when you felt secure,(RZ)
but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;(SA)
you have not obeyed(SB) me.
22 The wind(SC) will drive all your shepherds(SD) away,
and your allies(SE) will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced(SF)
because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,[o](SG)’
who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
pain(SH) like that of a woman in labor!
24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin[p](SI) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring(SJ) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliver(SK) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.[q] 26 I will hurl(SL) you and the mother(SM) who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never come back to the land you long to return(SN) to.”
28 Is this man Jehoiachin(SO) a despised, broken pot,(SP)
an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled(SQ) out,
cast into a land(SR) they do not know?
29 O land,(SS) land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,(ST)
a man who will not prosper(SU) in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring(SV) will prosper,
none will sit on the throne(SW) of David
or rule anymore in Judah.”
The Righteous Branch
23 “Woe to the shepherds(SX) who are destroying and scattering(SY) the sheep of my pasture!”(SZ) declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds(TA) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock(TB) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil(TC) you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant(TD) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,(TE) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds(TF) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid(TG) or terrified, nor will any be missing,(TH)” declares the Lord.
5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up for David[r] a righteous Branch,(TI)
a King(TJ) who will reign(TK) wisely
and do what is just and right(TL) in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.(TM)
This is the name(TN) by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.(TO)
7 “So then, the days are coming,”(TP) declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(TQ) 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”(TR)
Lying Prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart(TS) is broken within me;
all my bones tremble.(TT)
I am like a drunken man,
like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and his holy words.(TU)
10 The land is full of adulterers;(TV)
because of the curse[s](TW) the land lies parched
and the pastures(TX) in the wilderness are withered.(TY)
The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.
11 “Both prophet and priest are godless;(TZ)
even in my temple(UA) I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their path will become slippery;(UB)
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished,(UC)”
declares the Lord.
13 “Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal(UD)
and led my people Israel astray.(UE)
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible:(UF)
They commit adultery and live a lie.(UG)
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,(UH)
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.(UI)
They are all like Sodom(UJ) to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”(UK)
15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:
“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,(UL)
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness(UM) has spread throughout the land.”
16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen(UN) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions(UO) from their own minds,
not from the mouth(UP) of the Lord.
17 They keep saying(UQ) to those who despise me,
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’(UR)
And to all who follow the stubbornness(US) of their hearts
they say, ‘No harm(UT) will come to you.’
18 But which of them has stood in the council(UU) of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm(UV) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind(UW) swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger(UX) of the Lord will not turn back(UY)
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
21 I did not send(UZ) these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,(VA)
they would have proclaimed(VB) my words to my people
and would have turned(VC) them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.(VD)
23 “Am I only a God nearby,(VE)”
declares the Lord,
“and not a God far away?
24 Who can hide(VF) in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”(VG)
declares the Lord.
25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies(VH) in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!(VI) I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions(VJ) of their own minds?(VK) 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget(VL) my name, just as their ancestors forgot(VM) my name through Baal worship.(VN) 28 Let the prophet who has a dream(VO) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word(VP) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not my word like fire,”(VQ) declares the Lord, “and like a hammer(VR) that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against(VS) the prophets(VT) who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31 Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’(VU) 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,(VV)” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray(VW) with their reckless lies,(VX) yet I did not send(VY) or appoint them. They do not benefit(VZ) these people in the least,” declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- 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).
- Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
- Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
- Jeremiah 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Jeremiah and Ezekiel
- Jeremiah 21:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 9
- Jeremiah 22:11 Also called Jehoahaz
- Jeremiah 22:23 That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2)
- Jeremiah 22:24 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 28
- Jeremiah 22:25 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or up from David’s line
- Jeremiah 23:10 Or because of these things
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