Jeremiah 16
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Withdraws His Favor
16 The word of Yahweh also came to me saying, 2 “You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For thus says Yahweh concerning the sons and daughters born in this place and concerning their (A)mothers who bear them and their (B)fathers who beget them in this land: 4 “They will (C)die of deadly diseases; they (D)will not be lamented or buried; they will be as (E)dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the (F)birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth.”
5 For thus says Yahweh, “Do not enter the house of the (G)funeral meal, or go to lament or to console them; for I have (H)withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares Yahweh, “My (I)lovingkindness and compassion. 6 Both (J)great men and small will die in this land; they will not be buried; they will not be lamented, nor will anyone (K)gash himself or (L)shave his head for them. 7 Men will not (M)break bread in mourning for them, to comfort anyone for the dead, nor give them a cup of comforting to drink for anyone’s father or mother. 8 Moreover you shall (N)not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink.” 9 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I am going to (O)cause to cease from this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.
10 “Now when you tell this people all these words, they will say to you, ‘(P)For what reason has Yahweh declared all this great calamity against us? And what is our iniquity, or what is our sin which we have committed against Yahweh our God?’ 11 Then you are to say to them, ‘It is (Q)because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and have walked after (R)other gods and served them and worshiped them; but Me they have forsaken and have not kept My law. 12 You too have done evil, even (S)more than your fathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the (T)stubbornness of his own (U)evil heart, without listening to Me. 13 So I will (V)hurl you out of this land into the (W)land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will (X)serve other gods day and night, for I will grant you no favor.’
They Shall Know My Name Is Yahweh
14 “(Y)Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As Yahweh lives, who (Z)brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the (AA)land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.
16 “Behold, I am going to send for many (AB)fishermen,” declares Yahweh, “and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will (AC)hunt them (AD)from every mountain and every hill and from the crevices of the rocks. 17 (AE)For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, (AF)nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes. 18 I will first (AG)doubly repay their iniquity and their sin because they have (AH)profaned My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their (AI)detestable idols and with their abominations.”
19 O Yahweh, my (AJ)strength and my strong defense,
And my (AK)refuge in the day of distress,
To You the (AL)nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but (AM)lies,
Futility and [a](AN)things of no profit.”
20 Can man make gods for himself?
Yet they are (AO)not gods!
21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—
This time I will (AP)make them know
My [b]power and My might;
And they shall (AQ)know that My name is Yahweh.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 16:19 Lit there is nothing profitable in them
- Jeremiah 16:21 Lit hand
Jeremiah 16
Christian Standard Bible
No Marriage for Jeremiah
16 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Do not marry or have sons or daughters in this place. 3 For this is what the Lord says concerning sons and daughters born in this place as well as concerning the mothers who bear them and the fathers who father them in this land: 4 They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like manure on the soil’s surface.(A) They will be finished off by sword and famine. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.(B)
5 “For this is what the Lord says: Don’t enter a house where a mourning feast is taking place.[a] Don’t go to lament or sympathize with them, for I have removed my peace from these people as well as my faithful love and compassion.” This is the Lord’s declaration.(C) 6 “Both great and small will die in this land without burial. No lament will be made for them, nor will anyone cut himself or(D) shave his head for them.[b] 7 Food won’t be provided for the mourner(E) to comfort him because of the dead. A consoling drink won’t be given him for the loss of his father or mother. 8 Do not enter the house where feasting is taking place to sit with them to eat and drink. 9 For this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am about to eliminate from this place, before your very eyes and in your time, the sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the bride.(F)
Abandoning the Lord and His Law
10 “When you tell these people all these things, they will say to you, ‘Why has the Lord declared all this terrible disaster against us?(G) What is our iniquity? What is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 Then you will answer them, ‘Because your ancestors abandoned me(H)—this is the Lord’s declaration—and followed other gods, served them, and bowed in worship to them.(I) Indeed, they abandoned me and did not keep my instruction. 12 You did more evil than your ancestors.(J) Look, each one of you was following the stubbornness of his evil heart, not obeying me. 13 So I will hurl you from this land into a land that you and your ancestors have not known.(K) There you will worship other gods(L) both day and night, for I will not grant you grace.’[c]
14 “However, look, the days are coming”(M)—the Lord’s declaration—“when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’(N) 15 but rather, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of the north(O) and from all the other lands where he had banished them.’ For I will return them to their land that I gave to their ancestors.(P)
Punishment of Exile
16 “I am about to send for many fishermen”(Q)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and they will fish for them. Then I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and out of the clefts of the rocks, 17 for my gaze takes in all their ways.(R) They are not concealed from me, and their iniquity is not hidden from my sight. 18 I will first repay them double for their iniquity(S) and sin because they have polluted my land. They have filled my inheritance with the carcasses of their abhorrent and detestable idols.”
19 Lord, my strength and my stronghold,
my refuge in a time of distress,(T)
the nations will come to you
from the ends of the earth, and they will say,
“Our ancestors inherited only lies,
worthless idols(U) of no benefit at all.”
20 Can one make gods for himself?
But they are not gods.(V)
21 “Therefore, I am about to inform them,
and this time I will make them know
my power and my might;
then they will know that my name is the Lord.”(W)
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