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Jeremiah 6:14-8:19
English Standard Version
Jeremiah 6:14-8:19
English Standard Version
14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, (A)‘Peace, peace,’
(B)when there is no peace.
15 (C)Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
(D)at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,”
says the Lord.
16 Thus says the Lord:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for (E)the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
(F)and find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 (G)I set watchmen over you, saying,
‘Pay attention to (H)the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, (I)‘We will not pay attention.’
18 Therefore hear, O nations,
and know, O congregation, what will happen to them.
19 Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people,
(J)the fruit of their devices,
because they have not paid attention to my words;
and as for my law, they have rejected it.
20 (K)What use to me is (L)frankincense that comes from (M)Sheba,
or sweet cane from a distant land?
(N)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord:
(O)‘Behold, I will lay before this people
stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble;
fathers and sons together,
neighbor and friend shall perish.’”
22 Thus says the Lord:
(P)“Behold, a people is coming (Q)from the north country,
a great nation is stirring from (R)the farthest parts of the earth.
23 They lay hold on bow and javelin;
they are (S)cruel and have no mercy;
(T)the sound of them is like the roaring sea;
they ride on horses,
set in array as a man for battle,
against you, O daughter of Zion!”
24 We have heard the report of it;
(U)our hands fall helpless;
anguish has taken hold of us,
(V)pain as of a woman in labor.
25 Go not out into the field,
nor walk on the road,
for the enemy has a sword;
(W)terror is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people, (X)put on sackcloth,
and (Y)roll in ashes;
(Z)make mourning as for an only son,
most bitter lamentation,
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you (AA)a tester of metals among my people,
that you may know and (AB)test their ways.
28 (AC)They are all stubbornly rebellious,
(AD)going about with slanders;
they are (AE)bronze and iron;
all of them act corruptly.
29 The (AF)bellows blow fiercely;
the lead is consumed by the fire;
(AG)in vain the refining goes on,
for the wicked are not removed.
30 (AH)Rejected silver they are called,
for the Lord has rejected them.”
Evil in the Land
7 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 (AI)“Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord. 3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (AJ)Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4 (AK)Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’
5 “For if you truly (AL)amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly (AM)execute justice one with another, 6 if you (AN)do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, (AO)or shed innocent blood in this place, (AP)and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, 7 (AQ)then I will let you dwell in this place, (AR)in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.
8 “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 (AS)Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, (AT)swear falsely, (AU)make offerings to Baal, (AV)and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, (AW)which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 (AX)Has this house, (AY)which is called by my name, (AZ)become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord. 12 Go now to (BA)my place that was in Shiloh, (BB)where I made my name dwell at first, and (BC)see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these things, declares the Lord, and (BD)when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and (BE)when I called you, you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to (BF)the house (BG)that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, (BH)as I did to Shiloh. 15 (BI)And I will cast you out of my sight, (BJ)as I cast out all your kinsmen, all the offspring of (BK)Ephraim.
16 “As for you, (BL)do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, (BM)and the women knead dough, to (BN)make cakes for (BO)the queen of heaven. And (BP)they pour out drink offerings to other gods, (BQ)to provoke me to anger. 19 (BR)Is it I whom they provoke? declares the Lord. Is it not themselves, (BS)to their own shame? 20 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, (BT)my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; (BU)it will burn and not be quenched.”
21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (BV)“Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. 22 For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them (BW)concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them: (BX)‘Obey my voice, and (BY)I will be your God, and you shall be my people. (BZ)And walk in all the way that I command you, (CA)that it may be well with you.’ 24 (CB)But they did not obey or incline their ear, (CC)but walked in their own counsels and (CD)the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and (CE)went backward and not forward. 25 From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, (CF)I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. 26 (CG)Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, (CH)but stiffened their neck. (CI)They did worse than their fathers.
27 (CJ)“So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. (CK)You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; (CL)truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.
29 (CM)“‘Cut off your hair and cast it away;
raise a lamentation on (CN)the bare heights,
for the Lord has rejected and forsaken
the generation of his wrath.’
The Valley of Slaughter
30 “For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the Lord. They have set (CO)their detestable things in the house (CP)that is called by my name, to (CQ)defile it. 31 And they have built the high places of (CR)Topheth, which is in (CS)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, (CT)to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, (CU)which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32 (CV)Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it will no more be called (CW)Topheth, or (CX)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; (CY)for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. 33 (CZ)And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, (DA)and none will frighten them away. 34 (DB)And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, (DC)for the land shall become a waste.
8 “At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be brought out of their tombs. 2 And they shall be spread (DD)before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, which they have gone after, and which they have sought and worshiped. (DE)And they shall not be gathered or buried. (DF)They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. 3 (DG)Death shall be preferred to life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family (DH)in all the places where I have driven them, declares the Lord of hosts.
Sin and Treachery
4 “You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord:
(DI)When men fall, do they not rise again?
If one turns away, does he not return?
5 Why then has this people (DJ)turned away
in perpetual (DK)backsliding?
(DL)They hold fast to deceit;
they refuse to return.
6 (DM)I have paid attention and listened,
but they have not spoken rightly;
no man relents of his evil,
saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turns to his own course,
(DN)like a horse plunging headlong into battle.
7 Even the stork in the heavens
knows her times,
and (DO)the turtledove, (DP)swallow, and crane[a]
keep the time of their coming,
(DQ)but my people know not
the rules[b] of the Lord.
8 (DR)“How can you say, ‘We are wise,
and the law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
has made it into a lie.
9 (DS)The wise men shall be put to shame;
they shall be dismayed (DT)and taken;
behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord,
so what wisdom is in them?
10 (DU)Therefore I will give their wives to others
and their fields to conquerors,
because from the least to the greatest
everyone (DV)is greedy for unjust gain;
from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
11 They have healed (DW)the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, (DX)they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
(DY)Therefore they shall fall among the fallen;
when I punish them, they shall be overthrown,
says the Lord.
13 When I would gather them, declares the Lord,
there are (DZ)no grapes on the vine,
(EA)nor figs on the fig tree;
(EB)even the leaves are withered,
and what I gave them has passed away from them.”[c]
14 Why do we sit still?
(EC)Gather together; (ED)let us go into the fortified cities
and perish there,
for the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and has (EE)given us (EF)poisoned water to drink,
because we have sinned against the Lord.
15 (EG)We looked for peace, but no good came;
for a time of healing, but behold, terror.
16 (EH)“The snorting of their horses is heard (EI)from Dan;
at the sound of the neighing (EJ)of their stallions
(EK)the whole land quakes.
They come (EL)and devour the land and all that fills it,
the city and those who dwell in it.
17 For behold, I am sending among you (EM)serpents,
adders (EN)that cannot be charmed,
(EO)and they shall bite you,”
declares the Lord.
Jeremiah Grieves for His People
18 My joy is gone; grief is upon me;[d]
(EP)my heart is sick within me.
19 Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people
from (EQ)the length and breadth of the land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
(ER)Is her King not in her?”
(ES)“Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images
and with their foreign idols?”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 8:7 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Jeremiah 8:7 Or just decrees
- Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Jeremiah 8:18 Compare Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Jeremiah 6:14-8:19
New International Version
Jeremiah 6:14-8:19
New International Version
14 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.(A)
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.(B)
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish(C) them,”
says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,(D)
ask where the good way(E) is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest(F) for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen(G) over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’(H)
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’(I)
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
you who are witnesses,
observe what will happen to them.
19 Hear, you earth:(J)
I am bringing disaster(K) on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,(L)
because they have not listened to my words(M)
and have rejected my law.(N)
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba(O)
or sweet calamus(P) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;(Q)
your sacrifices(R) do not please me.”(S)
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble(T) 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;(U)
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.(V)
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.(W)
They sound like the roaring sea(X)
as they ride on their horses;(Y)
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.(Z)”
24 We have heard reports about them,
and our hands hang limp.(AA)
Anguish(AB) has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(AC)
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.(AD)
26 Put on sackcloth,(AE) my people,
and roll in ashes;(AF)
mourn with bitter wailing(AG)
as for an only son,(AH)
for suddenly the destroyer(AI)
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you a tester(AJ) of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,(AK)
going about to slander.(AL)
They are bronze and iron;(AM)
they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining(AN) goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,(AO)
because the Lord has rejected them.”(AP)
False Religion Worthless
7 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Stand(AQ) 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(AR) and your actions, and I will let you live(AS) in this place. 4 Do not trust(AT) in deceptive(AU) 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(AV) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,(AW) 6 if you do not oppress(AX) the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood(AY) in this place, and if you do not follow other gods(AZ) to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land(BA) I gave your ancestors(BB) for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting(BC) in deceptive(BD) words that are worthless.
9 “‘Will you steal(BE) and murder,(BF) commit adultery(BG) and perjury,[a](BH) burn incense to Baal(BI) and follow other gods(BJ) you have not known, 10 and then come and stand(BK) before me in this house,(BL) which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?(BM) 11 Has this house,(BN) which bears my Name, become a den of robbers(BO) to you? But I have been watching!(BP) declares the Lord.
12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh(BQ) where I first made a dwelling(BR) for my Name,(BS) and see what I did(BT) to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke(BU) to you again and again,(BV) but you did not listen;(BW) I called(BX) you, but you did not answer.(BY) 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh(BZ) I will now do to the house that bears my Name,(CA) the temple(CB) you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence,(CC) just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’(CD)
16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea(CE) or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen(CF) 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.(CG) They pour out drink offerings(CH) to other gods to arouse(CI) my anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking?(CJ) declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?(CK)
20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign(CL) Lord says: My anger(CM) and my wrath will be poured(CN) 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.(CO)
21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices(CP) and eat(CQ) the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands(CR) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,(CS) 23 but I gave them this command:(CT) Obey(CU) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.(CV) Walk in obedience to all(CW) I command you, that it may go well(CX) with you. 24 But they did not listen(CY) or pay attention;(CZ) instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.(DA) They went backward(DB) and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again(DC) I sent you my servants(DD) the prophets.(DE) 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention.(DF) They were stiff-necked(DG) and did more evil than their ancestors.’(DH)
27 “When you tell(DI) them all this, they will not listen(DJ) to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.(DK) 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction.(DL) Truth(DM) has perished; it has vanished from their lips.
29 “‘Cut off(DN) your hair and throw it away; take up a lament(DO) on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned(DP) this generation that is under his wrath.
The Valley of Slaughter
30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil(DQ) in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols(DR) in the house that bears my Name and have defiled(DS) it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth(DT) in the Valley of Ben Hinnom(DU) to burn their sons and daughters(DV) in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.(DW) 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,(DX) for they will bury(DY) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses(DZ) of this people will become food(EA) for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.(EB) 34 I will bring an end to the sounds(EC) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom(ED) in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,(EE) for the land will become desolate.(EF)
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(EG) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed(EH) 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(EI) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.(EJ) They will not be gathered up or buried,(EK) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(EL) 3 Wherever I banish them,(EM) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,(EN) 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?(EO)
When someone turns away,(EP) do they not return?
5 Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(EQ)
they refuse to return.(ER)
6 I have listened(ES) attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(ET) of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(EU)
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(EV)
the requirements of the Lord.
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law(EW) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise(EX) will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed(EY) and trapped.(EZ)
Since they have rejected the word(FA) of the Lord,
what kind of wisdom(FB) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.(FC)
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;(FD)
prophets(FE) and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(FF)
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace.(FG)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame(FH) 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,(FI)
says the Lord.(FJ)
13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.(FK)
There will be no figs(FL) on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.(FM)
What I have given them
will be taken(FN) from them.[b]’”
14 Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(FO)
and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water(FP) to drink,
because we have sinned(FQ) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(FR)
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(FS)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(FT)
is heard from Dan;(FU)
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.(FV)
They have come to devour(FW)
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(FX) among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,(FY)
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- 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.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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.