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Jeremiah 16:16-18:23
New King James Version
Jeremiah 16:16-18:23
New King James Version
16 “Behold, I will send for many (A)fishermen,” says the Lord, “and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. 17 For My (B)eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. 18 And first I will repay (C)double for their iniquity and their sin, because (D)they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols.”
19 O Lord, (E)my strength and my fortress,
(F)My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and (G)unprofitable things.”
20 Will a man make gods for himself,
(H)Which are not gods?
21 “Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know,
I will cause them to know
My hand and My might;
And they shall know that (I)My name is the Lord.
Judah’s Sin and Punishment
17 “The sin of Judah is (J)written with a (K)pen of iron;
With the point of a diamond it is (L)engraved
On the tablet of their heart,
And on the horns of your altars,
2 While their children remember
Their altars and their (M)wooden[a] images
By the green trees on the high hills.
3 O My mountain in the field,
I will give as plunder your wealth, all your treasures,
And your high places of sin within all your borders.
4 And you, even yourself,
Shall let go of your heritage which I gave you;
And I will cause you to serve your enemies
In (N)the land which you do not know;
For (O)you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall burn forever.”
5 Thus says the Lord:
(P)“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes (Q)flesh his [b]strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
6 For he shall be (R)like a shrub in the desert,
And (S)shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
(T)In a salt land which is not inhabited.
7 “Blessed(U) is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
8 For he shall be (V)like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not [c]fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
9 “The (W)heart is deceitful above all things,
And [d]desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
10 I, the Lord, (X)search the heart,
I test the [e]mind,
(Y)Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.
11 “As a partridge that [f]broods but does not hatch,
So is he who gets riches, but not by right;
It (Z)will leave him in the midst of his days,
And at his end he will be (AA)a fool.”
12 A glorious high throne from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Lord, (AB)the hope of Israel,
(AC)All who forsake You shall be ashamed.
“Those who depart from Me
Shall be (AD)written in the earth,
Because they have forsaken the Lord,
The (AE)fountain of living waters.”
Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance
14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For (AF)You are my praise.
15 Indeed they say to me,
(AG)“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come now!”
16 As for me, (AH)I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You,
Nor have I desired the woeful day;
You know what came out of my lips;
It was right there before You.
17 Do not be a terror to me;
(AI)You are my hope in the day of doom.
18 (AJ)Let them be ashamed who persecute me,
But (AK)do not let me be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed,
But do not let me be dismayed.
Bring on them the day of doom,
And (AL)destroy[g] them with double destruction!
Hallow the Sabbath Day
19 Thus the Lord said to me: “Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, by which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, (AM)‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the Lord: (AN)“Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I (AO)commanded your fathers. 23 (AP)But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but [h]made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.
24 “And it shall be, (AQ)if you heed Me carefully,” says the Lord, “to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the (AR)Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it, 25 (AS)then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever. 26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from (AT)the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from (AU)the [i]lowland, from the mountains and from (AV)the [j]South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing (AW)sacrifices of praise to the house of the Lord.
27 “But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then (AX)I will kindle a fire in its gates, (AY)and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be (AZ)quenched.” ’ ”
The Potter and the Clay
18 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the [k]wheel. 4 And the vessel that he [l]made of clay was [m]marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, (BA)can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, (BB)as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! 7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to (BC)pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8 (BD)if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, (BE)I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. 9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, 10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.
11 “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. (BF)Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings (BG)good.” ’ ”
God’s Warning Rejected
12 And they said, (BH)“That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one [n]obey the (BI)dictates[o] of his evil heart.”
13 Therefore thus says the Lord:
(BJ)“Ask now among the Gentiles,
Who has heard such things?
The virgin of Israel has done (BK)a very horrible thing.
14 Will a man [p]leave the snow water of Lebanon,
Which comes from the rock of the field?
Will the cold flowing waters be forsaken for strange waters?
15 “Because My people have forgotten (BL)Me,
They have burned incense to worthless idols.
And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways,
From the (BM)ancient paths,
To walk in pathways and not on a highway,
16 To make their land (BN)desolate and a perpetual (BO)hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And shake his head.
17 (BP)I will scatter them (BQ)as with an east wind before the enemy;
(BR)I will [q]show them the back and not the face
In the day of their calamity.”
Jeremiah Persecuted
18 Then they said, (BS)“Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; (BT)for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us attack him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.”
19 Give heed to me, O Lord,
And listen to the voice of those who contend with me!
20 (BU)Shall evil be repaid for good?
For they have (BV)dug a pit for my life.
Remember that I (BW)stood before You
To speak good [r]for them,
To turn away Your wrath from them.
21 Therefore (BX)deliver up their children to the famine,
And pour out their blood
By the force of the sword;
Let their wives become widows
And (BY)bereaved of their children.
Let their men be put to death,
Their young men be slain
By the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses,
When You bring a troop suddenly upon them;
For they have dug a pit to take me,
And hidden snares for my feet.
23 Yet, Lord, You know all their counsel
Which is against me, to slay me.
(BZ)Provide no atonement for their iniquity,
Nor blot out their sin from Your sight;
But let them be overthrown before You.
Deal thus with them
In the time of Your (CA)anger.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 17:2 Heb. Asherim, Canaanite deities
- Jeremiah 17:5 Lit. arm
- Jeremiah 17:8 Qr., Tg. see
- Jeremiah 17:9 Or incurably sick
- Jeremiah 17:10 Most secret parts, lit. kidneys
- Jeremiah 17:11 Sits on eggs
- Jeremiah 17:18 Lit. crush
- Jeremiah 17:23 Were stubborn
- Jeremiah 17:26 Heb. shephelah
- Jeremiah 17:26 Heb. Negev
- Jeremiah 18:3 Potter’s wheel
- Jeremiah 18:4 was making
- Jeremiah 18:4 ruined
- Jeremiah 18:12 Lit. do
- Jeremiah 18:12 stubbornness or imagination
- Jeremiah 18:14 forsake
- Jeremiah 18:17 So with LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT look them in
- Jeremiah 18:20 concerning
Jeremiah 16:16-18:23
New International Version
Jeremiah 16:16-18:23
New International Version
16 “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them.(A) After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt(B) them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.(C) 17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden(D) from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.(E) 18 I will repay(F) them double(G) for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land(H) with the lifeless forms of their vile images(I) and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.(J)”(K)
19 Lord, my strength and my fortress,
my refuge(L) in time of distress,
to you the nations will come(M)
from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,(N)
worthless idols(O) that did them no good.(P)
20 Do people make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!”(Q)
21 “Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name(R) is the Lord.
17 “Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool,(S)
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their hearts(T)
and on the horns(U) of their altars.
2 Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles[a](V)
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.(W)
3 My mountain in the land
and your[b] wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,(X)
together with your high places,(Y)
because of sin throughout your country.(Z)
4 Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritance(AA) I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies(AB)
in a land(AC) you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burn(AD) forever.”
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,(AE)
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.(AF)
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(AG) of the desert,
in a salt(AH) land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed(AI) is the one who trusts(AJ) 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.(AK)
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought(AL)
and never fails to bear fruit.”(AM)
9 The heart(AN) is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart(AO)
and examine the mind,(AP)
to reward(AQ) each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”(AR)
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.(AS)
12 A glorious throne,(AT) exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are the hope(AU) of Israel;
all who forsake(AV) you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust(AW)
because they have forsaken the Lord,
the spring of living water.(AX)
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;(AY)
save(AZ) me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.(BA)
15 They keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it now be fulfilled!”(BB)
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips(BC) is open before you.
17 Do not be a terror(BD) to me;
you are my refuge(BE) in the day of disaster.(BF)
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.(BG)
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People,[c] through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.(BH) 20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem(BI) who come through these gates.(BJ) 21 This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath(BK) 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.(BL) 23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention;(BM) they were stiff-necked(BN) and would not listen or respond to discipline.(BO) 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(BP) by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne(BQ) 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.(BR) 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,(BS) 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(BT) me to keep the Sabbath(BU) 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(BV) in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”(BW)
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(BX) in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,(BY) Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,(BZ) torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent(CA) and not inflict on it the disaster(CB) I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built(CC) up and planted, 10 and if it does evil(CD) in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider(CE) the good I had intended to do for it.(CF)
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(CG) for you and devising a plan(CH) against you. So turn(CI) from your evil ways,(CJ) each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’(CK) 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use.(CL) We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.(CM)’”
13 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“Inquire among the nations:
Who has ever heard anything like this?(CN)
A most horrible(CO) thing has been done
by Virgin(CP) Israel.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon
ever vanish from its rocky slopes?
Do its cool waters from distant sources
ever stop flowing?[d]
15 Yet my people have forgotten(CQ) me;
they burn incense(CR) to worthless idols,(CS)
which made them stumble(CT) in their ways,
in the ancient paths.(CU)
They made them walk in byways,
on roads not built up.(CV)
16 Their land will be an object of horror(CW)
and of lasting scorn;(CX)
all who pass by will be appalled(CY)
and will shake their heads.(CZ)
17 Like a wind(DA) from the east,
I will scatter them before their enemies;
I will show them my back and not my face(DB)
in the day of their disaster.”
18 They said, “Come, let’s make plans(DC) against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest(DD) will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise,(DE) nor the word from the prophets.(DF) So come, let’s attack him with our tongues(DG) and pay no attention to anything he says.”
19 Listen to me, Lord;
hear what my accusers(DH) are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?(DI)
Yet they have dug a pit(DJ) for me.
Remember that I stood(DK) before you
and spoke in their behalf(DL)
to turn your wrath away from them.
21 So give their children over to famine;(DM)
hand them over to the power of the sword.(DN)
Let their wives be made childless and widows;(DO)
let their men be put to death,
their young men(DP) slain by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry(DQ) be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit(DR) to capture me
and have hidden snares(DS) for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, know
all their plots to kill(DT) me.
Do not forgive(DU) 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.(DV)
Footnotes
- 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.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.