Impending Disaster for Jerusalem

Flee for safety, (A)O people of Benjamin,
    from the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow the trumpet in (B)Tekoa,
    and raise a signal on (C)Beth-haccherem,
for disaster looms (D)out of the north,
    and great destruction.
The lovely and delicately bred I will destroy,
    (E)the daughter of Zion.[a]
(F)Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her;
    (G)they shall pitch their tents around her;
    they shall pasture, each in his place.
(H)“Prepare war against her;
    arise, and let us attack (I)at noon!
Woe to us, for the day declines,
    for the shadows of evening lengthen!
Arise, and let us attack by night
    and destroy her palaces!”

For thus says the Lord of hosts:
(J)“Cut down her trees;
    (K)cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem.
This is the city that must be (L)punished;
    there is nothing but oppression within her.
(M)As a well keeps its water fresh,
    so she keeps fresh her evil;
(N)violence and destruction are heard within her;
    sickness and wounds are ever before me.
Be warned, O Jerusalem,
    (O)lest I turn from you in disgust,
lest I make you (P)a desolation,
    an uninhabited land.”

Thus says the Lord of hosts:
(Q)“They shall glean thoroughly as a vine
    the remnant of Israel;
like a grape gatherer pass your hand again
    over its branches.”
10 (R)To whom shall I speak and give warning,
    that they may hear?
(S)Behold, their ears are uncircumcised,
    (T)they cannot listen;
behold, (U)the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn;
    they take no pleasure in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord;
    (V)I am weary of holding it in.
(W)“Pour it out upon the children in the street,
    and upon the gatherings of young men, also;
(X)both husband and wife (Y)shall be taken,
    the elderly and the very aged.
12 (Z)Their houses shall be turned over to others,
    their fields and wives together,
for I will stretch out my hand
    against the inhabitants of the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 (AA)“For from the least to the greatest of them,
    everyone (AB)is greedy for unjust gain;
and from (AC)prophet to priest,
    everyone deals falsely.
14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
    saying, (AD)‘Peace, peace,’
    (AE)when there is no peace.
15 (AF)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;
    (AG)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 (AH)the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
    (AI)and find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 (AJ)I set watchmen over you, saying,
    ‘Pay attention to (AK)the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, (AL)‘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,
    (AM)the fruit of their devices,
because they have not paid attention to my words;
    and as for my law, they have rejected it.
20 (AN)What use to me is (AO)frankincense that comes from (AP)Sheba,
    or sweet cane from a distant land?
(AQ)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
    nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord:
(AR)‘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:
(AS)“Behold, a people is coming (AT)from the north country,
    a great nation is stirring from (AU)the farthest parts of the earth.
23 They lay hold on bow and javelin;
    they are (AV)cruel and have no mercy;
    (AW)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;
    (AX)our hands fall helpless;
anguish has taken hold of us,
    (AY)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;
    (AZ)terror is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people, (BA)put on sackcloth,
    and (BB)roll in ashes;
(BC)make mourning as for an only son,
    most bitter lamentation,
for suddenly the destroyer
    will come upon us.

27 “I have made you (BD)a tester of metals among my people,
    that you may know and (BE)test their ways.
28 (BF)They are all stubbornly rebellious,
    (BG)going about with slanders;
they are (BH)bronze and iron;
    all of them act corruptly.
29 The (BI)bellows blow fiercely;
    the lead is consumed by the fire;
(BJ)in vain the refining goes on,
    for the wicked are not removed.
30 (BK)Rejected silver they are called,
    for the Lord has rejected them.”

Evil in the Land

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: (BL)“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. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (BM)Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. (BN)Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’

“For if you truly (BO)amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly (BP)execute justice one with another, if you (BQ)do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, (BR)or shed innocent blood in this place, (BS)and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, (BT)then I will let you dwell in this place, (BU)in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.

“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. (BV)Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, (BW)swear falsely, (BX)make offerings to Baal, (BY)and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, (BZ)which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 (CA)Has this house, (CB)which is called by my name, (CC)become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord. 12 Go now to (CD)my place that was in Shiloh, (CE)where I made my name dwell at first, and (CF)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 (CG)when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and (CH)when I called you, you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to (CI)the house (CJ)that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, (CK)as I did to Shiloh. 15 (CL)And I will cast you out of my sight, (CM)as I cast out all your kinsmen, all the offspring of (CN)Ephraim.

16 “As for you, (CO)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, (CP)and the women knead dough, to (CQ)make cakes for (CR)the queen of heaven. And (CS)they pour out drink offerings to other gods, (CT)to provoke me to anger. 19 (CU)Is it I whom they provoke? declares the Lord. Is it not themselves, (CV)to their own shame? 20 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, (CW)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; (CX)it will burn and not be quenched.”

21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (CY)“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 (CZ)concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them: (DA)‘Obey my voice, and (DB)I will be your God, and you shall be my people. (DC)And walk in all the way that I command you, (DD)that it may be well with you.’ 24 (DE)But they did not obey or incline their ear, (DF)but walked in their own counsels and (DG)the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and (DH)went backward and not forward. 25 From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, (DI)I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. 26 (DJ)Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, (DK)but stiffened their neck. (DL)They did worse than their fathers.

27 (DM)“So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. (DN)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; (DO)truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.

29 (DP)“‘Cut off your hair and cast it away;
    raise a lamentation on (DQ)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 (DR)their detestable things in the house (DS)that is called by my name, to (DT)defile it. 31 And they have built the high places of (DU)Topheth, which is in (DV)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, (DW)to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, (DX)which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32 (DY)Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it will no more be called (DZ)Topheth, or (EA)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; (EB)for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. 33 (EC)And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, (ED)and none will frighten them away. 34 (EE)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, (EF)for the land shall become a waste.

“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. And they shall be spread (EG)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. (EH)And they shall not be gathered or buried. (EI)They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. (EJ)Death shall be preferred to life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family (EK)in all the places where I have driven them, declares the Lord of hosts.

Sin and Treachery

“You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord:
(EL)When men fall, do they not rise again?
    If one turns away, does he not return?
Why then has this people (EM)turned away
    in perpetual (EN)backsliding?
(EO)They hold fast to deceit;
    they refuse to return.
(EP)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,
    (EQ)like a horse plunging headlong into battle.
Even the stork in the heavens
    knows her times,
and (ER)the turtledove, (ES)swallow, and crane[b]
    keep the time of their coming,
(ET)but my people know not
    the rules[c] of the Lord.

(EU)“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.
(EV)The wise men shall be put to shame;
    they shall be dismayed (EW)and taken;
behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord,
    so what wisdom is in them?
10 (EX)Therefore I will give their wives to others
    and their fields to conquerors,
because from the least to the greatest
    everyone (EY)is greedy for unjust gain;
from prophet to priest,
    everyone deals falsely.
11 They have healed (EZ)the wound of my people lightly,
    saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
    when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
    No, (FA)they were not at all ashamed;
    they did not know how to blush.
(FB)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 (FC)no grapes on the vine,
    (FD)nor figs on the fig tree;
(FE)even the leaves are withered,
    and what I gave them has passed away from them.”[d]

14 Why do we sit still?
(FF)Gather together; (FG)let us go into the fortified cities
    and perish there,
for the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
    and has (FH)given us (FI)poisoned water to drink,
    because we have sinned against the Lord.
15 (FJ)We looked for peace, but no good came;
    for a time of healing, but behold, terror.

16 (FK)“The snorting of their horses is heard (FL)from Dan;
    at the sound of the neighing (FM)of their stallions
    (FN)the whole land quakes.
They come (FO)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 (FP)serpents,
    adders (FQ)that cannot be charmed,
    (FR)and they shall bite you,”
declares the Lord.

Jeremiah Grieves for His People

18 My joy is gone; grief is upon me;[e]
    (FS)my heart is sick within me.
19 Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people
    from (FT)the length and breadth of the land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
    (FU)Is her King not in her?”
(FV)“Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images
    and with their foreign idols?”
20 “The harvest is past, the summer is ended,
    and we are not saved.”
21 For the wound of (FW)the daughter of my people is my heart wounded;
    (FX)I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me.

22 Is there no (FY)balm in Gilead?
    Is there no physician there?
Why then has the health of the daughter of my people
    not been restored?

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 6:2 Or I have likened the daughter of Zion to the loveliest pasture
  2. Jeremiah 8:7 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  3. Jeremiah 8:7 Or just decrees
  4. Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  5. Jeremiah 8:18 Compare Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

Jerusalem Under Siege

“Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
    Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet(A) in Tekoa!(B)
    Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!(C)
For disaster looms out of the north,(D)
    even terrible destruction.
I will destroy Daughter Zion,(E)
    so beautiful and delicate.(F)
Shepherds(G) with their flocks will come against her;
    they will pitch their tents around(H) her,
    each tending his own portion.”

“Prepare for battle against her!
    Arise, let us attack at noon!(I)
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
    and the shadows of evening grow long.
So arise, let us attack at night
    and destroy her fortresses!”

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Cut down the trees(J)
    and build siege ramps(K) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
    it is filled with oppression.(L)
As a well pours out its water,
    so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence(M) and destruction(N) resound in her;
    her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
Take warning, Jerusalem,
    or I will turn away(O) from you
and make your land desolate
    so no one can live in it.”

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Let them glean the remnant(P) 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(Q) to me?
Their ears are closed[a](R)
    so they cannot hear.(S)
The word(T) of the Lord is offensive to them;
    they find no pleasure in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath(U) of the Lord,
    and I cannot hold it in.(V)

“Pour it out on the children in the street
    and on the young men(W) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
    and the old, those weighed down with years.(X)
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,(Y)
    together with their fields and their wives,(Z)
when I stretch out my hand(AA)
    against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
    all(AB) are greedy for gain;(AC)
prophets and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.(AD)
14 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
    when there is no peace.(AE)
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.(AF)
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when I punish(AG) them,”
says the Lord.

16 This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,(AH)
ask where the good way(AI) is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest(AJ) for your souls.
    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen(AK) over you and said,
    ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’(AL)
    But you said, ‘We will not listen.’(AM)
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
    you who are witnesses,
    observe what will happen to them.
19 Hear, you earth:(AN)
    I am bringing disaster(AO) on this people,
    the fruit of their schemes,(AP)
because they have not listened to my words(AQ)
    and have rejected my law.(AR)
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba(AS)
    or sweet calamus(AT) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;(AU)
    your sacrifices(AV) do not please me.”(AW)

21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“I will put obstacles before this people.
    Parents and children alike will stumble(AX) 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;(AY)
a great nation is being stirred up
    from the ends of the earth.(AZ)
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
    they are cruel and show no mercy.(BA)
They sound like the roaring sea(BB)
    as they ride on their horses;(BC)
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Zion.(BD)

24 We have heard reports about them,
    and our hands hang limp.(BE)
Anguish(BF) has gripped us,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(BG)
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.(BH)
26 Put on sackcloth,(BI) my people,
    and roll in ashes;(BJ)
mourn with bitter wailing(BK)
    as for an only son,(BL)
for suddenly the destroyer(BM)
    will come upon us.

27 “I have made you a tester(BN) of metals
    and my people the ore,
that you may observe
    and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,(BO)
    going about to slander.(BP)
They are bronze and iron;(BQ)
    they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
    to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining(BR) goes on in vain;
    the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,(BS)
    because the Lord has rejected them.”(BT)

False Religion Worthless

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand(BU) 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. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways(BV) and your actions, and I will let you live(BW) in this place. Do not trust(BX) in deceptive(BY) words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change(BZ) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,(CA) if you do not oppress(CB) the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood(CC) in this place, and if you do not follow other gods(CD) to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land(CE) I gave your ancestors(CF) for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting(CG) in deceptive(CH) words that are worthless.

“‘Will you steal(CI) and murder,(CJ) commit adultery(CK) and perjury,[b](CL) burn incense to Baal(CM) and follow other gods(CN) you have not known, 10 and then come and stand(CO) before me in this house,(CP) which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?(CQ) 11 Has this house,(CR) which bears my Name, become a den of robbers(CS) to you? But I have been watching!(CT) declares the Lord.

12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh(CU) where I first made a dwelling(CV) for my Name,(CW) and see what I did(CX) to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke(CY) to you again and again,(CZ) but you did not listen;(DA) I called(DB) you, but you did not answer.(DC) 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh(DD) I will now do to the house that bears my Name,(DE) the temple(DF) you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence,(DG) just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’(DH)

16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea(DI) or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen(DJ) 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.(DK) They pour out drink offerings(DL) to other gods to arouse(DM) my anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking?(DN) declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?(DO)

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign(DP) Lord says: My anger(DQ) and my wrath will be poured(DR) 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.(DS)

21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices(DT) and eat(DU) the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands(DV) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,(DW) 23 but I gave them this command:(DX) Obey(DY) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.(DZ) Walk in obedience to all(EA) I command you, that it may go well(EB) with you. 24 But they did not listen(EC) or pay attention;(ED) instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.(EE) They went backward(EF) and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again(EG) I sent you my servants(EH) the prophets.(EI) 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention.(EJ) They were stiff-necked(EK) and did more evil than their ancestors.’(EL)

27 “When you tell(EM) them all this, they will not listen(EN) to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.(EO) 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction.(EP) Truth(EQ) has perished; it has vanished from their lips.

29 “‘Cut off(ER) your hair and throw it away; take up a lament(ES) on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned(ET) this generation that is under his wrath.

The Valley of Slaughter

30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil(EU) in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols(EV) in the house that bears my Name and have defiled(EW) it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth(EX) in the Valley of Ben Hinnom(EY) to burn their sons and daughters(EZ) in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.(FA) 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,(FB) for they will bury(FC) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses(FD) of this people will become food(FE) for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.(FF) 34 I will bring an end to the sounds(FG) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom(FH) in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,(FI) for the land will become desolate.(FJ)

“‘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(FK) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed(FL) from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served(FM) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.(FN) They will not be gathered up or buried,(FO) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(FP) Wherever I banish them,(FQ) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,(FR) declares the Lord Almighty.’

Sin and Punishment

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?(FS)
    When someone turns away,(FT) do they not return?
Why then have these people turned away?
    Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(FU)
    they refuse to return.(FV)
I have listened(FW) attentively,
    but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(FX) of their wickedness,
    saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(FY)
    like a horse charging into battle.
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(FZ)
    the requirements of the Lord.

“‘How can you say, “We are wise,
    for we have the law(GA) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
    has handled it falsely?
The wise(GB) will be put to shame;
    they will be dismayed(GC) and trapped.(GD)
Since they have rejected the word(GE) of the Lord,
    what kind of wisdom(GF) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
    and their fields to new owners.(GG)
From the least to the greatest,
    all are greedy for gain;(GH)
prophets(GI) and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.(GJ)
11 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
    when there is no peace.(GK)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame(GL) 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,(GM)
says the Lord.(GN)

13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
    There will be no grapes on the vine.(GO)
There will be no figs(GP) on the tree,
    and their leaves will wither.(GQ)
What I have given them
    will be taken(GR) from them.[c]’”

14 Why are we sitting here?
    Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(GS)
    and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
    and given us poisoned water(GT) to drink,
    because we have sinned(GU) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(GV)
    but no good has come,
for a time of healing
    but there is only terror.(GW)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(GX)
    is heard from Dan;(GY)
at the neighing of their stallions
    the whole land trembles.(GZ)
They have come to devour(HA)
    the land and everything in it,
    the city and all who live there.

17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(HB) among you,
    vipers that cannot be charmed,(HC)
    and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.

18 You who are my Comforter[d] in sorrow,
    my heart is faint(HD) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
    from a land far away:(HE)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
    Is her King(HF) no longer there?”

“Why have they aroused(HG) my anger with their images,
    with their worthless(HH) foreign idols?”(HI)

20 “The harvest is past,
    the summer has ended,
    and we are not saved.”

21 Since my people are crushed,(HJ) I am crushed;
    I mourn,(HK) and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?(HL)
    Is there no physician(HM) there?
Why then is there no healing(HN)
    for the wound of my people?

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 6:10 Hebrew uncircumcised
  2. Jeremiah 7:9 Or and swear by false gods
  3. Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
  4. Jeremiah 8:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. (A)Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and (B)he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now (C)in the Law, Moses commanded us (D)to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said (E)to test him, (F)that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, (G)“Let him who is without sin among you (H)be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, (I)“Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on (J)sin no more.”]]

I Am the Light of the World

12 (K)Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, (L)“I am the light of the world. Whoever (M)follows me will not (N)walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, (O)“You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, (P)my testimony is true, for I know (Q)where I came from and (R)where I am going, but (S)you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 (T)You judge according to the flesh; (U)I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, (V)my judgment is true, for (W)it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father[a] who sent me. 17 (X)In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and (Y)the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, (Z)“You know neither me nor my Father. (AA)If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in (AB)the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but (AC)no one arrested him, because (AD)his hour had not yet come.

21 So he said to them again, (AE)“I am going away, and (AF)you will seek me, and (AG)you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, (AH)“Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, (AI)“You are from below; I am from above. (AJ)You are of this world; (AK)I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you (AL)would die in your sins, for (AM)unless you believe that (AN)I am he you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, (AO)“Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but (AP)he who sent me is true, and I declare (AQ)to the world (AR)what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that (AS)he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have (AT)lifted up the Son of Man, (AU)then you will know that (AV)I am he, and that (AW)I do nothing on my own authority, but (AX)speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And (AY)he who sent me is with me. (AZ)He has not left me alone, for (BA)I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, (BB)many believed in him.

The Truth Will Set You Free

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, (BC)“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will (BD)know the truth, and the truth (BE)will set you free.” 33 They answered him, (BF)“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, (BG)everyone who practices sin is a slave[b] to sin. 35 (BH)The slave does not remain in the house forever; (BI)the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet (BJ)you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 (BK)I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard (BL)from your father.”

You Are of Your Father the Devil

39 They answered him, (BM)“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, (BN)“If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now (BO)you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth (BP)that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, (BQ)“We were not born of sexual immorality. We have (BR)one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, (BS)“If God were your Father, you would love me, for (BT)I came from God and (BU)I am here. (BV)I came not of my own accord, but (BW)he sent me. 43 (BX)Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot (BY)bear to hear my word. 44 (BZ)You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. (CA)He was a murderer from the beginning, and (CB)does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. (CC)When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 (CD)Whoever is of God hears the words of God. (CE)The reason why you do not hear them is that (CF)you are not of God.”

Before Abraham Was, I Am

48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and (CG)have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but (CH)I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet (CI)I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, (CJ)I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never (CK)see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! (CL)Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet (CM)you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never (CN)taste death.’ 53 (CO)Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, (CP)“If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. (CQ)It is my Father who glorifies me, (CR)of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’[c] 55 But (CS)you have not known him. (CT)I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be (CU)a liar (CV)like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 (CW)Your father Abraham (CX)rejoiced (CY)that he would see my day. (CZ)He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”[d] 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, (DA)I am.” 59 So (DB)they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Footnotes

  1. John 8:16 Some manuscripts he
  2. John 8:34 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verse 35
  3. John 8:54 Some manuscripts your God
  4. John 8:57 Some manuscripts has Abraham seen you?

but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.(A)

At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.(B) The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.(C) Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap,(D) in order to have a basis for accusing him.(E)

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone(F) at her.”(G) Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,”(H) Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”(I)


Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am(J) the light of the world.(K) Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(L)

13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”(M)

14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going.(N) But you have no idea where I come from(O) or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards;(P) I pass judgment on no one.(Q) 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.(R) 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true.(S) 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”(T)

19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,”(U) Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”(V) 20 He spoke these words while teaching(W) in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put.(X) Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.(Y)

Dispute Over Who Jesus Is

21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die(Z) in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”(AA)

22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.(AB) 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he,(AC) you will indeed die in your sins.”

25 “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy,(AD) and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”(AE)

27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man,(AF) then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.(AG) 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,(AH) for I always do what pleases him.”(AI) 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.(AJ)

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching,(AK) you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”(AL)

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants(AM) and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.(AN) 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.(AO) 36 So if the Son sets you free,(AP) you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me,(AQ) because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence,(AR) and you are doing what you have heard from your father.[b](AS)

39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,”(AT) said Jesus, “then you would[c] do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me,(AU) a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.(AV) Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”(AW)

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”(AX)

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,(AY) for I have come here from God.(AZ) I have not come on my own;(BA) God sent me.(BB) 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil,(BC) and you want to carry out your father’s desires.(BD) He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.(BE) 45 Yet because I tell the truth,(BF) you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.(BG) The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Jesus’ Claims About Himself

48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan(BH) and demon-possessed?”(BI)

49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself;(BJ) but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”(BK)

52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed!(BL) Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham?(BM) He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself,(BN) my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.(BO) 55 Though you do not know him,(BP) I know him.(BQ) If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word.(BR) 56 Your father Abraham(BS) rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it(BT) and was glad.”

57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born,(BU) I am!”(BV) 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him,(BW) but Jesus hid himself,(BX) slipping away from the temple grounds.

Footnotes

  1. John 8:28 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.
  2. John 8:38 Or presence. Therefore do what you have heard from the Father.
  3. John 8:39 Some early manuscripts “If you are Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then