Jeremiah 14
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Will Not Listen to Their Cry
14 That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah in regard to the (A)drought:
2 “Judah mourns,
And (B)her gates languish;
They sit on the ground (C)in mourning,
And the (D)outcry of Jerusalem has gone up.
3 Their mighty ones have (E)sent their [a]underlings for water;
They have come to the (F)trenches and found no water.
They have returned with their vessels empty;
They have been (G)put to shame and dishonored,
And they (H)cover their heads.
4 Because the (I)ground is [b]dismayed,
For there has been (J)no rain on the land,
The (K)farmers have been put to shame;
They have covered their heads.
5 For even the doe in the field has given birth only to forsake her young
Because there is (L)no grass.
6 The (M)wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals;
Their eyes fail
For there is (N)no vegetation.
7 Although our (O)iniquities answer against us,
O Yahweh, act (P)for Your name’s sake!
Truly our (Q)acts of faithlessness have been many;
We have (R)sinned against You.
8 O (S)Hope of Israel,
Its (T)Savior in (U)time of distress,
Why are You like a sojourner in the land
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent to lodge for the night?
9 Why are You like a man confused,
Like a mighty man who (V)cannot save?
Yet (W)You are in our midst, O Yahweh,
And we are (X)called by Your name;
Do not leave us!”
10 Thus says Yahweh to this people, “Even so they have (Y)loved to wander; they have not (Z)kept their feet in check. Therefore Yahweh does (AA)not accept them; now He will (AB)remember their iniquity and punish their sins.” 11 So Yahweh said to me, “(AC)Do not pray for the good of this people. 12 When they fast, I am (AD)not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer (AE)burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to (AF)make an end of them by the (AG)sword, famine, and pestilence.”
Lying Prophets
13 But, “Ah, Lord Yahweh!” I said, “Behold, the prophets are saying to them, ‘You (AH)will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you true (AI)peace in this place.’” 14 Then Yahweh said to me, “The (AJ)prophets are prophesying lies in My name. (AK)I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a (AL)vision of lies, divination, futility, and the deception of their own hearts. 15 Therefore thus says Yahweh 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’—(AM)by that sword and famine those prophets shall [c]meet their end! 16 The people also to whom they are prophesying will be (AN)thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to (AO)bury them—neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters—for I will (AP)pour out their own evil on them.
17 And you will say this word to them,
‘(AQ)Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day,
And let them not cease,
For the virgin (AR)daughter of my people has been shattered with a mighty shattering,
With a sorely (AS)sick wound.
18 If I (AT)go out to the field,
Behold, those [d]slain with the sword!
Or if I enter the city,
Behold, diseases of famine!
For (AU)both prophet and priest
Have gone around as merchants in the land that they do not know.’”
19 Have You completely (AV)rejected Judah?
Or [e]have You loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that (AW)there is no healing for us?
We (AX)hoped for peace, but there was no good;
And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
20 We (AY)know our wickedness, O Yahweh,
The iniquity of our fathers, for (AZ)we have sinned against You.
21 Do not [f]despise us, (BA)for Your own name’s sake;
Do not disgrace the (BB)throne of Your glory;
Remember and do not break Your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the [g](BC)idols of the nations who (BD)give rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Is it not You, O Yahweh our God?
Therefore we [h](BE)hope in You,
For You are the one who has done all these things.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 14:3 Lit little ones
- Jeremiah 14:4 Cracked
- Jeremiah 14:15 Lit be finished
- Jeremiah 14:18 Lit pierced
- Jeremiah 14:19 Lit has Your soul
- Jeremiah 14:21 Or spurn
- Jeremiah 14:22 Lit vanities
- Jeremiah 14:22 Or wait for
Jeremiah 14
Common English Bible
Destruction on the horizon
14 The Lord’s word to Jeremiah concerning the droughts:
2 Judah mourns;
her gates wither away.
The people fall to the ground in sorrow,
as sobs of Jerusalem ascend.
3 The rich send their servants for water,
but the wells run dry.
They return with empty jars,
ashamed, bewildered, and in despair.
4 Because the ground is cracked due to lack of rain,
the farmers too are ashamed;
they cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
abandons her newborn,
for there’s no grass.
6 The wild donkeys stand on the well-traveled paths,
panting like thirsty dogs;
they go blind
since there’s nothing to eat.
7 Even though our sins testify against us,
help us, Lord, for your name’s sake.
We have turned away from you
and sinned against you time and again.
8 You are the hope of Israel,
its savior in times of trouble.
Why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a tourist spending only the night?
9 Why are you like one taken by surprise,
like a warrior unable to act?
Yet you are in our midst, Lord;
we are called by your name.
Don’t give up on us.
10 This is what the Lord proclaims about this people:
Since they have loved to wander off
and haven’t restrained themselves,
I[a] won’t accept them.
Now I will recall their wrongdoing
and punish their sin.
11 The Lord said to me: Don’t pray for the safety of these people. 12 When they fast, I won’t pay attention to their pleas, and when they offer entirely burned offerings and grain offerings, I won’t accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease.
13 I replied, “Lord God, the prophets are telling them: ‘You won’t see war or famine, for I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me: The prophets are telling lies in my name. I haven’t sent them. I haven’t commanded them. I haven’t spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, worthless predictions, and deceit they have made up on their own. 15 Therefore, this is what the Lord proclaims concerning the prophets who are speaking in my name when I didn’t send them, and who are telling you that war or famine will never come to this land: Those very prophets will die in war and by famine! 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one to bury them or their wives and children. I will pour out on them their own wickedness.
17 So deliver this word to them:
My eyes well up with tears;
I can’t stop weeping—day and night,
because my virgin daughter, my people,
has suffered a crushing blow
and is mortally wounded.
18 If I go into the fields,
I see only the slain in battle.
If I enter the city,
I see only those suffering from famine.
Even both prophet and priest
wander about aimlessly in ignorance.
19 Have you completely rejected Judah?
Do you hate Zion?
Why then have you mortally wounded us?
We look for peace,
but nothing good comes of it;
for a time of healing,
only to be terrorized.
20 We acknowledge our sin, Lord,
the wrongdoing of our ancestors,
because we have sinned against you.
21 For your name’s sake, don’t reject us,
don’t scorn your glorious throne.
Remember your covenant with us;
don’t break it.
22 Can any of the false gods of the nations make it rain?
Can the sky by itself bring showers?
Aren’t you the Lord, our God?
You are our hope,
since only you can do such things.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 14:10 Or the Lord
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