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Jeremiah 6-8
New Life Version
Jeremiah 6-8
New Life Version
Armies around Jerusalem
6 “Run away to be safe, O sons of Benjamin! Run from Jerusalem! Blow the horn in Tekoa, and light a fire in Beth-haccerem. For a sinful power is coming down from the north, that will destroy much. 2 I will cut off the beautiful and fine ones, the people of Zion. 3 Shepherds and their flocks will come to her. They will set up their tents around her and feed their flocks there, each in his place. 4 Make war against her. Rise up, let us go and fight her at noon. It is bad for us, for the day is passing! The shadows of the evening are longer! 5 Rise up, let us go and fight in the night and destroy her strong houses!” 6 For the Lord of All says, “Cut down her trees, and build a battle-wall against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished. There is nothing but a sinful power that makes hard times for others within her. 7 As a well keeps its water good for drinking, so Jerusalem keeps going on in her sin. The sounds of those who fight and those who destroy are heard in her. Sickness and sorrow are always before Me. 8 Listen about the danger, O Jerusalem, or I will become a stranger to you. I will make you a waste, a land with no people.”
Israel Will Not Listen
9 The Lord of All says, “They will gather all the people of Israel who are left like gathering from the vine. Pass your hand over the branches again like one who gathers grapes.” 10 Whom should I tell of the danger, that they may hear? See, their ears are closed and they cannot listen. They have become ashamed of the Word of the Lord. They have no joy in it. 11 But I am full of the anger of the Lord. I am tired of holding it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the young men gathered together. For both husband and wife will be taken, the old and those who have lived a very long time. 12 Their houses, their fields and their wives will be given to others. I will put out My hand against the people of the land,” says the Lord. 13 “For from the least to the greatest of them, every one is always wanting something. And from the man of God to the religious leader, every one lies to get what he wants. 14 They have healed the hurt of My people only a little, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed because of the sinful things they had done? No, they were not ashamed at all. They did not even know how to turn red. So they will fall among those who fall. When I punish them, they will be brought down,” says the Lord.
Israel Will Not Go God’s Way
16 The Lord says, “Stand by where the roads cross, and look. Ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ 17 I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the horn!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ 18 So hear, O nations, and know, O people, what will happen to them. 19 Hear, O earth. See, I am bringing much trouble upon these people. It is the fruit of their plans, because they have not listened to My words. And they have turned away from My law. 20 Why does special perfume come to Me from Sheba, or sweet spices from a far away land? I will not receive your burnt gifts on the altar in worship. The gifts you give on the altar are not pleasing to Me.” 21 So the Lord says, “See, I am laying things in front of these people, and they will fall over them. Fathers and sons will fall together, and neighbor and friend will die.”
Armies from the North
22 The Lord says, “See, a people is coming from the north country. A great nation is being raised up from the farthest parts of the earth. 23 They take hold of bow and spear. They are hard on people and have no pity. Their voice sounds like the sea. They ride on horses, dressed as a man for battle against you, O people of Zion!” 24 We have heard about it. Our hands fall weak. Suffering has taken hold of us, like the pain of a woman giving birth. 25 Do not go out into the field, and do not walk on the road. For the one who hates us has a sword. Fear is all around us. 26 O daughter of my people, dress in cloth made from hair and roll in ashes. Have sorrow as if you lost your only son. Cry with a bitter cry. For all at once the destroyer will come upon us.
27 “I have asked you to test My people, that you may know and test their ways.” 28 All of them are strongwilled in turning to their own way, going about telling stories to hurt people. They are brass and iron. All of them are sinful. 29 Air is blown hard on the fire to burn up the lead. It is of no use because the sinful ones are not taken away. 30 They are called waste silver, because the Lord has turned away from them.
Israel Must Not Trust in Lying Words
7 This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house and make this word known: ‘Hear the Word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who go through these gates to worship the Lord!’” 3 The Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, “Change your ways and your works for the better, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust the lies that say, ‘This is the house of the Lord, the house of the Lord, the house of the Lord.’ 5 For if you for sure change your ways and what you do for the better, if you are fair as you judge between a man and his neighbor, 6 if you do not make it hard for the stranger from another land, or the child whose parents have died, or the woman whose husband has died, and do not kill those who are not guilty in this place, and stop going after other gods, for that will destroy you, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
8 “See, you are trusting in lies which cannot help you. 9 Will you steal, kill, do sex sins, make false promises, give gifts to the false god Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are safe and free!’ and still do all these hated sins? 11 Has this house which is called by My name become a place of robbers in your eyes? See, I Myself have seen it,” says the Lord.
12 “But go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a place for My name. And see what I did to it because of the sin of My people Israel. 13 Now you have done all these things,” says the Lord. “I spoke to you again and again, but you did not hear. I called you but you did not answer. 14 So as I did to Shiloh, I will do to the house that is called by My name and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave you and your fathers. 15 I will send you away from My eyes, as I have sent away all your brothers, all the children of Ephraim.
Israel Does Not Obey
16 “As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not lift up a cry or prayer for them. Do not speak with Me about them, for I do 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 make the fire. And the women make bread and cakes for the queen of heaven. They pour out drink gifts to other gods to make Me angry. 19 Do they make Me angry?” says the Lord. “Is it not themselves they hurt, to their own shame?” 20 So the Lord God says, “See, My anger will be poured out on this place, on man and animal, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. It will burn and not be stopped.”
21 The Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, “Add your burnt gifts to the animals you kill on the altar, and eat the flesh. 22 For when I brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or tell them what to do about burnt gifts and animals killed on the altar. 23 But I did tell them, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. Walk in all the way that I tell you, that it may be well with you.’ 24 Yet they did not obey or listen, but walked in the way they wanted to and in the strong-will of their sinful heart. They only stepped back and did not go on. 25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My servants who speak for Me. I have risen up early and sent them day after day. 26 Yet they did not listen to Me or turn their ear to Me, but made their neck hard. They sinned more than their fathers.
Israel’s Sinful Actions
27 “You will speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You will call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 And you will say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or receive His strong teaching. They have lost the truth. It has been cut off from their mouth. 29 Cut off your hair and throw it away. And cry in sorrow on the open hill-tops. For the Lord has turned away and left the people who made Him angry.’ 30 For the sons of Judah have done what is sinful in My eyes,” says the Lord. “They have put their hated things in the house that is called by My name, to make it unclean. 31 And they have built the high places of Topheth, in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I did not tell them to do this. It did not come into My mind. 32 So the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when it will not be called Topheth any more, or the valley of the son of Hinnom. But it will be called the valley of Killing. For they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place. 33 The dead bodies of these people will be food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the earth. And no one will send them away in fear. 34 Then in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, I will put an end to the voice of joy and the voice of happiness, the voice of the man to be married and the voice of the bride. For the land will become a waste.
8 “At that time,” says the Lord, “they will bring out the bones of the kings and leaders of Judah, the bones of the religious leaders, the bones of the men of God, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem from their graves. 2 And they will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the stars of heaven. For these they have loved, and served, and followed, and looked for, and worshiped. The bones will not be gathered or buried. They will be as animal waste on top of the ground. 3 And death will be chosen instead of life by all those who are left of this sinful family in all the places where I have driven them,” says the Lord of All.
Sin and Its Punishment
4 “You will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not return? 5 Why then have the people of Jerusalem always turned away from Me? They hold on to what is false, and will not return. 6 I have listened and heard, but they have not said what is right. No man turned from his sinful way, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Every one turns to his own way like a horse running into battle. 7 Even the stork in the sky knows her times. And the turtle-dove, crane, and swallow keep the time of their coming. But My people do not know the Law of the Lord.
8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the Law of the Lord is with us’? See, the lying hand of the writers has made it into a lie. 9 The wise men are put to shame. They are troubled and taken. See, they have turned away from the Word of the Lord, and what kind of wisdom do they have? 10 So I will give their wives to others, and their fields to new owners. Because from the least to the greatest, every one is always wanting much. From the man of God to the religious leader, no one can be trusted in what he does. 11 They have healed the hurt of My people very little, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. 12 Were they ashamed because of the hated sin they had done? They were not ashamed at all. They did not even know how to turn red. So they will fall among those who fall. When I punish them, they will be put down,” says the Lord.
13 “For sure I will take them away,” says the Lord. “There will be no grapes on the vine, and no figs on the fig tree, and the leaves will dry up. What I have given them will pass away.” 14 Why are we sitting here? Gather together, and let us go into the strong cities and die there. For the Lord our God has given us up to die. He has given us poison in our water to drink, for we have sinned against Him. 15 We waited for peace, but no good came. We waited for a time of healing, but see, there is much trouble. 16 The noise of his horses is heard from Dan. The whole land shakes at the sound of his war horses. For they come and destroy the land and everything that is in it, the city and those who live in it. 17 “For see, I am sending the worst of snakes against you, poison snakes which cannot be stopped. And they will bite you,” says the Lord.
18 My sorrow is too much to heal. My heart is weak within me. 19 Listen! It is the cry of my people from a far away land: “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not in her?” “Why have they made Me angry with their objects of worship, and with strange gods?” 20 “Gathering time is past, summer is ended, and we are not saved.” 21 I am hurt because my people are hurt. I am filled with sorrow, and fear has taken hold of me. 22 Is there no healing oil in Gilead? Is there no doctor there? Why then have my people not been healed?
Jeremiah 6-8
New International Version
Jeremiah 6-8
New International Version
Jerusalem Under Siege
6 “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.
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion,(E)
so beautiful and delicate.(F)
3 Shepherds(G) with their flocks will come against her;
they will pitch their tents around(H) her,
each tending his own portion.”
4 “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.
5 So arise, let us attack at night
and destroy her fortresses!”
6 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)
7 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.
8 Take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away(O) 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(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
7 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “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. 3 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. 4 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!” 5 If you really change(BZ) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,(CA) 6 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, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land(CE) I gave your ancestors(CF) for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting(CG) in deceptive(CH) words that are worthless.
9 “‘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)
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(FK) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed(FL) 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(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) 3 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
4 “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?
5 Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(FU)
they refuse to return.(FV)
6 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.
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(FZ)
the requirements of the Lord.
8 “‘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?
9 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?”
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.
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