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Jeremiah 5-8
Complete Jewish Bible
Jeremiah 5-8
Complete Jewish Bible
5 “Roam the streets of Yerushalayim
look around, observe and ask in its open spaces:
if you can find anyone (if there is anyone!)
who acts with justice and seeks the truth,
I will pardon her.
2 And though they say, ‘As Adonai lives,’
the fact is that they are swearing falsely.”
3 Adonai, your eyes look for truth.
You struck them, but they weren’t affected;
you [nearly] destroyed them,
but they refused correction.
They made their faces harder than rock,
refusing to repent.
4 My reaction was, “These must be the poor,
the foolish, not knowing the way of Adonai
or the rulings of their God.
5 I will go to the prominent men,
and I will speak to them;
for they know the way of Adonai
and the rulings of their God.”
But these had completely broken the yoke
and torn the harness off.
6 This is why a forest lion kills them,
why a desert wolf can plunder them,
why a leopard guards their cities —
all who leave are torn to pieces —
because their crimes are many,
their backslidings keep increasing.
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your people have abandoned me
and sworn by non-gods.
When I fed them to the full,
they committed adultery,
thronging to the brothels.
8 They have become like well-fed horses,
lusty stallions, each one neighing
after his neighbor’s wife.
9 Should I not punish for this?” asks Adonai.
“Should I not be avenged on a nation like this?”
10 Go through her rows [of vines], and destroy them
(but don’t destroy them completely):
strip away her branches,
they do not belong to Adonai.
11 “For the house of Isra’el
and the house of Y’hudah
have thoroughly betrayed me,” says Adonai.
12 They have denied Adonai,
they have said, “He won’t do anything,
calamity will not strike us,
we will see neither sword nor famine.
13 The prophets are merely wind,
they do not have the word;
the things that they are predicting
will happen only to them.”
14 Therefore Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot says:
“Because you people speak this way,
I will make my words fire in your mouth, [Yirmeyahu,]
and this people wood;
so that it will devour them.
15 I will bring on you, house of Isra’el,
a distant nation,” says Adonai,
“an enduring nation, an ancient nation,
a nation whose language you do not know —
you will not understand what they are saying.
16 Their quiver is like an open grave,
they are all mighty warriors.
17 They will eat up your harvest and your bread,
they will eat up your sons and your daughters,
they will eat up your flocks and your herds,
they will eat up your vines and your fig trees;
with the sword they will beat down
your fortified cities, in which you trust.
18 But even in those days,” says Adonai,
“I will not completely destroy you.
19 And when your people ask, ‘Why has Adonai
our God done all these things to us?’
you are to give them this answer:
‘Just as you abandoned me
and served strange gods in your own land,
so likewise you will serve strangers
in a land that is not your own.’
20 Announce this in the house of Ya‘akov,
proclaim it in Y’hudah; say:
21 ‘Hear this, stupid, brainless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:
22 Don’t you fear me? — says Adonai.
Won’t you tremble at my presence?
I made the shore the limit for the sea;
by eternal decree it cannot pass.
Its waves may toss, but to no avail;
although they roar, they cannot cross it.
23 But this people has a rebellious, defiant heart;
they have rebelled and gone!
24 They don’t say to themselves,
“Let’s fear Adonai our God,
who gives the fall and spring rains in season,
who reserves us the weeks assigned for harvest.”
25 Your crimes have overturned nature’s rules,
your sins have kept back good from you.’
26 “For among my people there are wicked men,
who, like fowlers, lie in wait and set traps
to catch their fellow human beings.
27 Their houses are as full of fraud
as a cage full of birds.
They grow rich and great, 28 sleek and bloated;
they excel in acts of wickedness
but do not plead on behalf of the orphan,
thus enabling his cause to succeed;
nor do they judge in favor of the poor.
29 “Should I not punish for this?” asks Adonai.
“Should I not be avenged on a nation like this?
30 A shocking and horrifying thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,
the cohanim obey the prophets,
and my people love it that way.
But what will you do at the end of it all?
6 “Head for cover, people of Binyamin,
get out of Yerushalayim!
Blow the shofar in T’koa,
light the beacon on Beit-Hakerem.
For disaster threatens from the north,
with great destruction.
2 Although she is beautiful and delicate,
I am cutting off the daughter of Tziyon.”
3 Shepherds advance on her with their flocks;
all around her they pitch their tents,
each grazing his own plot of pasture.
4 “Prepare for war against her!
Get up! Let’s attack at noon!”
“Woe to us! for the day is waning,
evening shadows are lengthening.”
5 “Get up! Let’s attack at night!
Let’s destroy her palaces!”
6 For Adonai-Tzva’ot says this:
“Cut down her trees, and raise a siege-ramp
against Yerushalayim!
This is the city to be punished;
in her there is nothing but oppression.
7 Just as a cistern keeps its water fresh,
so she keeps her wickedness fresh!
Violence and destruction are heard within her,
always before me sickness and wounds.
8 Accept correction, Yerushalayim,
or I will be estranged from you
and turn you into a desolate waste,
a land without inhabitants.”
9 Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot:
“They will glean the remnant of Isra’el
as thoroughly as in a vineyard —
one last time, like a grape-picker,
pass your hand over the vines.”
10 To whom should I speak? Whom should I warn?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are dull, they can’t pay attention.
For them the word of Adonai has become
unattractive, an object of scorn.
11 This is why I am full of Adonai’s fury;
I am weary of holding it back.
“Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the groups of young men gathered;
for husbands and wives will be taken together,
seniors as well as the very old.
12 Their homes will be turned over to others,
their fields together with their wives.
Yes, I will stretch out my hand against those
who are living in the land,” says Adonai.
13 “For from the least to the greatest of them,
all are greedy for gains;
prophets and cohanim alike,
they all practice fraud —
14 they dress the wound of my people,
but only superficially,
saying, ‘There is perfect shalom,’
when there is no shalom.
15 “They should be ashamed
of their detestable deeds,
but they are not ashamed at all;
they don’t know how to blush.
Therefore when others fall,
they too will fall;
when I punish them,
they will stumble,” says Adonai.
16 Here is what Adonai says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask about the ancient paths,
‘Which one is the good way?’
Take it, and you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not take it.’
17 I appointed sentinels to direct them:
‘Listen for the sound of the shofar.’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 So hear, you nations; know, you assembly,
what there is against them.
19 Hear, oh earth! I am going
to bring disaster on this people;
it is the consequence
of their own way of thinking;
for they pay no attention to my words;
and as for my Torah, they reject it.
20 What do I care about incense from Sh’va
or sweet cane from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are unacceptable,
your sacrifices don’t please me.”
21 Therefore thus says Adonai:
“I will put obstacles in the way of this people
that they will stumble over —
fathers and sons, neighbors and friends,
all will perish together.”
22 Here is what Adonai says:
“A people is coming from the land of the north,
a great nation will be aroused from the ends of the earth.
23 They will take hold of bow and spear;
they are cruel; they have no compassion:
their noise as they ride on horses
is like the roaring sea;
and they are equipped for battle
against you, daughter of Tziyon.
24 ‘We have heard the news,
and our hands fall limp;
anguish has seized us,
pain like a mother’s in childbirth.’”
25 Don’t go into the countryside,
don’t walk out on the road;
for the sword of the enemy is spreading
terror in every direction.
26 Daughter of my people,
put on sackcloth, roll in ashes,
mourn as if for an only son,
wail most bitterly;
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you a refiner and tester of my people,
to know and test how they behave.
28 All of them are total rebels,
spreading slanderous gossip;
they are bronze and iron, [inferior metals,]
all of them corrupt.
29 The bellows blast away;
and though the lead is consumed by the fire,
in vain has the smelter refined,
for the wicked have not been separated.
30 They are called ‘rejected silver,’
because Adonai has rejected them.”
7 This word came to Yirmeyahu from Adonai: 2 “Stand at the gate of the house of Adonai and proclaim this word: ‘Listen to the word of Adonai, all you from Y’hudah who enter these gates to worship Adonai! 3 Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: “Improve your ways and actions, and I will let you stay in this place. 4 Don’t rely on that deceitful slogan, ‘The temple of Adonai, the temple of Adonai — these [buildings] are the temple of Adonai.’ 5 No, but if you really improve your ways and actions; if you really administer justice between people; 6 if you stop oppressing foreigners, orphans and widows; if you stop shedding innocent blood in this place; and if you stop following other gods, to your own harm; 7 then I will let you stay in this place, in the land I gave to your ancestors forever and ever. 8 Look! You are relying on deceitful words that can’t do you any good. 9 First you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, offer to Ba‘al and go after other gods that you haven’t known. 10 Then you come and stand before me in this house that bears my name and say, ‘We are saved’ — so that you can go on doing these abominations! 11 Do you regard this house, which bears my name, as a cave for bandits? I can see for myself what’s going on,” says Adonai. 12 “Go to the place in Shiloh that used to be mine, that used to bear my name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Isra’el. 13 I spoke to you again and again, but you wouldn’t listen. I called you, but you wouldn’t answer. Now,” says Adonai, “because you have done all these things, 14 I will do to the house that bears my name, on which you rely, and to the place I gave you and your ancestors, what I did to Shiloh; 15 and I will drive you out of my presence, just as I drove out all your kinsmen, all the descendants of Efrayim.”’
16 “So you, [Yirmeyahu,] don’t pray for this people! Don’t cry, pray or intercede on their behalf with me; because I won’t listen to you. 17 Don’t you see what they are doing in the cities of Y’hudah and in the streets of Yerushalayim? 18 The children gather the wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and, just to provoke me, they pour out drink offerings to other gods! 19 Are they really provoking me,” asks Adonai, “or are they provoking themselves, to their own ruin?”
20 Therefore, here is what Adonai Elohim says: “My anger and fury will be poured out on this place, on men, animals, trees in the fields and produce growing from the ground; and it will burn without being quenched.”
21 Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el: “You may as well eat the meat of your burnt offerings along with that of your sacrifices. 22 For I didn’t speak to your ancestors or give them orders concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. 23 Rather, what I did order them was this: ‘Pay attention to what I say. Then I will be your God, and you will be my people. In everything, live according to the way that I order you, so that things will go well for you.’ 24 But they neither listened nor paid attention, but lived according to their own plans, in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, thus going backward and not forward. 25 You have done this from the day your ancestors came out of Egypt until today. Even though I sent you all my servants the prophets, sending them time after time, 26 they would not listen or pay attention to me, but stiffened their necks; they did worse than their ancestors. 27 So tell them all this; but they won’t listen to you; likewise, call to them; but they won’t answer you. 28 Therefore, say to them,
‘This is the nation that has not listened
to the voice of Adonai their God.
They won’t take correction; faithfulness has perished;
it has vanished from their mouths.
29 Cut off your hair, and throw it away,
take up a lament on the bare hills,
for Adonai has rejected and abandoned
the generation that rouses his anger.’
30 “For the people of Y’hudah have done what is evil from my perspective,” says Adonai; “they have set up their detestable things in the house which bears my name, to defile it. 31 They have built the high places of Tofet in the Ben-Hinnom Valley, to burn their sons and daughters in the fire, something I never ordered; in fact, such a thing never even entered my mind! 32 Therefore, the days are coming,” says Adonai, “when it will no longer be called either Tofet or the Ben-Hinnom Valley, but the Valley of Slaughter — they will put the dead in Tofet, because there will be no space left [anywhere else]. 33 The corpses of this people will become food for the birds in the air and the wild animals; no one will frighten them away. 34 Then in the cities of Y’hudah and the streets of Yerushalayim I will silence the sounds of joy and gladness and the voices of bridegroom and bride; because the land will be reduced to ruins.
8 “At that time,” says Adonai, “[these enemies] will remove the bones of the kings of Y’hudah, the bones of his princes, the bones of the cohanim, the bones of the prophets and the bones of the inhabitants of Yerushalayim from their graves. 2 They will spread them out, exposed to the sun, the moon and the entire army of heaven, whom they loved, served, walked after, sought after and worshipped. The bones will not be collected or reburied but will be left lying on the ground like dung. 3 All the survivors of this evil family who remain wherever I have driven them will prefer death to life,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot. 4 “You are to tell them that Adonai says:
‘If a person falls, doesn’t he get up again?
If someone goes astray, doesn’t he turn back?
5 Why do these people keep backsliding?
Why is their backsliding so persistent?
They cling to deceit and refuse to return!
6 I listened attentively but they spoke nothing right.
No one repents of his wickedness,
saying, “What have I done!”
Each runs off in his own direction,
like a horse plunging headlong into battle.
7 Storks in the sky know their seasons;
doves, swallows and cranes their migration times;
but my people do not know
the rulings of Adonai!
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise;
Adonai’s Torah is with us,”
when in fact the lying pen of the scribes
has turned it into falsehood?
9 The wise are put to shame,
alarmed, entrapped.
They have rejected the word of Adonai,
so what wisdom do they have?
10 “‘Therefore I will give their wives to others,
and their fields to those who take them over;
for from the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gains;
prophets and cohanim alike
all practice fraud —
11 they dress the wound of the daughter of my people,
but only superficially,
saying, “There is perfect shalom,”
when there is no shalom.
12 They should be ashamed
of their detestable deeds,
but they are not ashamed at all,
they don’t know how to blush.
So when others fall, they too will fall;
when I punish them, they will stumble,’
says Adonai.
13 “‘I will put an end to them,’ says Adonai.
‘There are no grapes on the vine,
and no figs on the fig tree;
the leaf has withered; and what I have given them
will pass from their possession.’”
14 “Why are we sitting still? Assemble!
Let’s enter the fortified cities
and meet our doom there!
For Adonai our God has doomed us;
he has given us bitter water to drink,
because we have sinned against Adonai.
15 When we look for peace, nothing good comes;
when we seek a time of healing, instead there is terror.”
16 From Dan can be heard the snorting of his horses;
when his stallions neigh, the whole land trembles.
For they come devouring the land and all in it,
the city and those who dwell there.
17 “Yes, now I am sending snakes among you,
vipers that no one can charm,
and they will bite you,” says Adonai.
18 My grief has no cure, I am sick at heart.
19 Listen to my people’s cry of distress
out of a distant land:
“Is Adonai no longer in Tziyon?
Is her king no longer there?”
“Why do they provoke me with their idols
and their futile foreign gods?”
20 “The harvest has passed, the summer is over,
and still we are not saved.”
21 The daughter of my people is broken,
and it’s tearing me to pieces;
everything looks dark to me,
horror seizes me.
22 Has Gil‘ad exhausted its healing resin?
Is no physician there?
If there is, then why is the daughter of my people
so slow to recover her health?
23 (9:1) I wish my head were made of water
and my eyes were a fountain of tears,
so that I could cry day and night
over the slain of the daughter of my people!
Jeremiah 5-8
New International Version
Jeremiah 5-8
New International Version
Not One Is Upright
5 “Go up and down(A) the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,(B)
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person(C)
who deals honestly(D) and seeks the truth,
I will forgive(E) this city.
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(F)
still they are swearing falsely.(G)”
3 Lord, do not your eyes(H) look for truth?
You struck(I) them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.(J)
They made their faces harder than stone(K)
and refused to repent.(L)
4 I thought, “These are only the poor;
they are foolish,(M)
for they do not know(N) the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.
5 So I will go to the leaders(O)
and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
and torn off the bonds.(P)
6 Therefore a lion from the forest(Q) will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will ravage(R) them,
a leopard(S) will lie in wait near their towns
to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
and their backslidings many.(T)
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn(U) by gods that are not gods.(V)
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery(W)
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.(X)
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man’s wife.(Y)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”(Z)
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(AA) myself
on such a nation as this?
10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
but do not destroy them completely.(AB)
Strip off her branches,
for these people do not belong to the Lord.
11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah
have been utterly unfaithful(AC) to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 They have lied(AD) about the Lord;
they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(AE)
we will never see sword or famine.(AF)
13 The prophets(AG) are but wind(AH)
and the word is not in them;
so let what they say be done to them.”
14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:
“Because the people have spoken these words,
I will make my words in your mouth(AI) a fire(AJ)
and these people the wood it consumes.(AK)
15 People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
“I am bringing a distant nation(AL) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
a people whose language(AM) you do not know,
whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their quivers(AN) are like an open grave;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour(AO) your harvests and food,
devour(AP) your sons and daughters;
they will devour(AQ) your flocks and herds,
devour your vines and fig trees.(AR)
With the sword(AS) they will destroy
the fortified cities(AT) in which you trust.(AU)
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy(AV) you completely. 19 And when the people ask,(AW) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods(AX) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners(AY) in a land not your own.’
20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim(AZ) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(BA)
who have eyes(BB) but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:(BC)
22 Should you not fear(BD) me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble(BE) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(BF)
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar,(BG) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(BH) hearts;
they have turned aside(BI) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear(BJ) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(BK) in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(BL)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.(BM)
26 “Among my people are the wicked(BN)
who lie in wait(BO) like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps(BP) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;(BQ)
they have become rich(BR) and powerful
28 and have grown fat(BS) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(BT)
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(BU)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(BV) myself
on such a nation as this?
30 “A horrible(BW) and shocking thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,(BX)
the priests(BY) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?(BZ)
Jerusalem Under Siege
6 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet(CA) in Tekoa!(CB)
Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!(CC)
For disaster looms out of the north,(CD)
even terrible destruction.
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion,(CE)
so beautiful and delicate.(CF)
3 Shepherds(CG) with their flocks will come against her;
they will pitch their tents around(CH) her,
each tending his own portion.”
4 “Prepare for battle against her!
Arise, let us attack at noon!(CI)
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
and the shadows of evening grow long.
5 So arise, let us attack at night
and destroy her fortresses!”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Cut down the trees(CJ)
and build siege ramps(CK) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression.(CL)
7 As a well pours out its water,
so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence(CM) and destruction(CN) resound in her;
her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8 Take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away(CO) from you
and make your land desolate
so no one can live in it.”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Let them glean the remnant(CP) of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen(CQ) to me?
Their ears are closed[a](CR)
so they cannot hear.(CS)
The word(CT) of the Lord is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath(CU) of the Lord,
and I cannot hold it in.(CV)
“Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the young men(CW) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
and the old, those weighed down with years.(CX)
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,(CY)
together with their fields and their wives,(CZ)
when I stretch out my hand(DA)
against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
all(DB) are greedy for gain;(DC)
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(DD)
14 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.(DE)
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.(DF)
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish(DG) them,”
says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,(DH)
ask where the good way(DI) is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest(DJ) for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen(DK) over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’(DL)
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’(DM)
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
you who are witnesses,
observe what will happen to them.
19 Hear, you earth:(DN)
I am bringing disaster(DO) on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,(DP)
because they have not listened to my words(DQ)
and have rejected my law.(DR)
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba(DS)
or sweet calamus(DT) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;(DU)
your sacrifices(DV) do not please me.”(DW)
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble(DX) over them;
neighbors and friends will perish.”
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, an army is coming
from the land of the north;(DY)
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.(DZ)
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.(EA)
They sound like the roaring sea(EB)
as they ride on their horses;(EC)
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.(ED)”
24 We have heard reports about them,
and our hands hang limp.(EE)
Anguish(EF) has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(EG)
25 Do not go out to the fields
or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
and there is terror on every side.(EH)
26 Put on sackcloth,(EI) my people,
and roll in ashes;(EJ)
mourn with bitter wailing(EK)
as for an only son,(EL)
for suddenly the destroyer(EM)
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you a tester(EN) of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,(EO)
going about to slander.(EP)
They are bronze and iron;(EQ)
they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining(ER) goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,(ES)
because the Lord has rejected them.”(ET)
False Religion Worthless
7 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Stand(EU) at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:
“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. 3 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways(EV) and your actions, and I will let you live(EW) in this place. 4 Do not trust(EX) in deceptive(EY) words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” 5 If you really change(EZ) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,(FA) 6 if you do not oppress(FB) the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood(FC) in this place, and if you do not follow other gods(FD) to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land(FE) I gave your ancestors(FF) for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting(FG) in deceptive(FH) words that are worthless.
9 “‘Will you steal(FI) and murder,(FJ) commit adultery(FK) and perjury,[b](FL) burn incense to Baal(FM) and follow other gods(FN) you have not known, 10 and then come and stand(FO) before me in this house,(FP) which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?(FQ) 11 Has this house,(FR) which bears my Name, become a den of robbers(FS) to you? But I have been watching!(FT) declares the Lord.
12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh(FU) where I first made a dwelling(FV) for my Name,(FW) and see what I did(FX) to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke(FY) to you again and again,(FZ) but you did not listen;(GA) I called(GB) you, but you did not answer.(GC) 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh(GD) I will now do to the house that bears my Name,(GE) the temple(GF) you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence,(GG) just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’(GH)
16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea(GI) or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen(GJ) to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.(GK) They pour out drink offerings(GL) to other gods to arouse(GM) my anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking?(GN) declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?(GO)
20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign(GP) Lord says: My anger(GQ) and my wrath will be poured(GR) out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.(GS)
21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices(GT) and eat(GU) the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands(GV) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,(GW) 23 but I gave them this command:(GX) Obey(GY) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.(GZ) Walk in obedience to all(HA) I command you, that it may go well(HB) with you. 24 But they did not listen(HC) or pay attention;(HD) instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.(HE) They went backward(HF) and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again(HG) I sent you my servants(HH) the prophets.(HI) 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention.(HJ) They were stiff-necked(HK) and did more evil than their ancestors.’(HL)
27 “When you tell(HM) them all this, they will not listen(HN) to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.(HO) 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction.(HP) Truth(HQ) has perished; it has vanished from their lips.
29 “‘Cut off(HR) your hair and throw it away; take up a lament(HS) on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned(HT) this generation that is under his wrath.
The Valley of Slaughter
30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil(HU) in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols(HV) in the house that bears my Name and have defiled(HW) it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth(HX) in the Valley of Ben Hinnom(HY) to burn their sons and daughters(HZ) in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.(IA) 32 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter,(IB) for they will bury(IC) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses(ID) of this people will become food(IE) for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.(IF) 34 I will bring an end to the sounds(IG) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom(IH) in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,(II) for the land will become desolate.(IJ)
8 “‘At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones(IK) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed(IL) from their graves. 2 They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served(IM) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.(IN) They will not be gathered up or buried,(IO) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(IP) 3 Wherever I banish them,(IQ) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,(IR) declares the Lord Almighty.’
Sin and Punishment
4 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?(IS)
When someone turns away,(IT) do they not return?
5 Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(IU)
they refuse to return.(IV)
6 I have listened(IW) attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(IX) of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(IY)
like a horse charging into battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know(IZ)
the requirements of the Lord.
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law(JA) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise(JB) will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed(JC) and trapped.(JD)
Since they have rejected the word(JE) of the Lord,
what kind of wisdom(JF) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.(JG)
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;(JH)
prophets(JI) and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(JJ)
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace.(JK)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame(JL) at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished,(JM)
says the Lord.(JN)
13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.(JO)
There will be no figs(JP) on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.(JQ)
What I have given them
will be taken(JR) from them.[c]’”
14 Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(JS)
and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water(JT) to drink,
because we have sinned(JU) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(JV)
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(JW)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(JX)
is heard from Dan;(JY)
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.(JZ)
They have come to devour(KA)
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(KB) among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,(KC)
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.
18 You who are my Comforter[d] in sorrow,
my heart is faint(KD) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
from a land far away:(KE)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King(KF) no longer there?”
20 “The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 6:10 Hebrew uncircumcised
- Jeremiah 7:9 Or and swear by false gods
- Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
- Jeremiah 8:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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