“You shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“Do people (A)fall and not get up?
Does one turn away and not [a]repent?
Why has this people, Jerusalem,
(B)Turned away in continual apostasy?
They (C)hold on to deceit,
They (D)refuse to return.
I (E)have listened and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
(F)No one repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
Like a (G)horse charging into the battle.
Even the stork in the sky
(H)Knows her seasons;
And the (I)turtledove, the swallow, and the crane
Keep to the time of their [b]migration;
But (J)My people do not know
The judgment of the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 8:4 Lit turn back
  2. Jeremiah 8:7 Lit coming

Yahweh Questions His People

“And you shall say to them, ‘Thus asks[a] Yahweh:

“Do men fall and not stand up?
    If one turns away does he not return?
Why has this people, Jerusalem, turned away in enduring apostasy?
    They have kept hold of deceit, they have refused to return.[b]
I have listened attentively,
    and I have listened.
They do not speak honestly,
    there is no man who regrets his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’
All of them are turning to their ways of running,
    like a horse plunging into battle.
Even the stork in heaven knows its appointed time,
    and the turtledove, and the swallow, and the song bird,
they observe the time of their coming.
    But my people do not know the ordinance[c] of Yahweh.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 8:4 Or “says”
  2. Jeremiah 8:5 Or “repent”
  3. Jeremiah 8:7 Or “law”

Sin and Punishment

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

“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?(A)
    When someone turns away,(B) do they not return?
Why then have these people turned away?
    Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(C)
    they refuse to return.(D)
I have listened(E) attentively,
    but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(F) of their wickedness,
    saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(G)
    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(H)
    the requirements of the Lord.

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