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Jeremiah 8-15
New International Version
Jeremiah 8-15
New International Version
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(A) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed(B) 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(C) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.(D) They will not be gathered up or buried,(E) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(F) 3 Wherever I banish them,(G) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,(H) 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?(I)
When someone turns away,(J) do they not return?
5 Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(K)
they refuse to return.(L)
6 I have listened(M) attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(N) of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(O)
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(P)
the requirements of the Lord.
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law(Q) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise(R) will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed(S) and trapped.(T)
Since they have rejected the word(U) of the Lord,
what kind of wisdom(V) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.(W)
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;(X)
prophets(Y) and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(Z)
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace.(AA)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame(AB) 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,(AC)
says the Lord.(AD)
13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.(AE)
There will be no figs(AF) on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.(AG)
What I have given them
will be taken(AH) from them.[a]’”
14 Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(AI)
and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water(AJ) to drink,
because we have sinned(AK) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(AL)
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(AM)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(AN)
is heard from Dan;(AO)
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.(AP)
They have come to devour(AQ)
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(AR) among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,(AS)
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.
18 You who are my Comforter[b] in sorrow,
my heart is faint(AT) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
from a land far away:(AU)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King(AV) no longer there?”
20 “The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”
21 Since my people are crushed,(AZ) I am crushed;
I mourn,(BA) and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?(BB)
Is there no physician(BC) there?
Why then is there no healing(BD)
for the wound of my people?
9 [c]1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!(BE)
I would weep(BF) day and night
for the slain of my people.(BG)
2 Oh, that I had in the desert(BH)
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,(BI)
a crowd of unfaithful(BJ) people.
3 “They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;(BK)
it is not by truth
that they triumph[d] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge(BL) me,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your friends;(BM)
do not trust anyone in your clan.(BN)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[e](BO)
and every friend a slanderer.(BP)
5 Friend deceives friend,(BQ)
and no one speaks the truth.(BR)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(BS)
they weary themselves with sinning.
6 You[f] live in the midst of deception;(BT)
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will refine(BU) and test(BV) them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tongue(BW) is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(BX)
but in their hearts they set traps(BY) for them.(BZ)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(CA) myself
on such a nation as this?”
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.(CB)
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(CC) have all fled
and the animals are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap(CD) of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;(CE)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(CF)
so no one can live there.”(CG)
12 Who is wise(CH) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.(CI) 14 Instead, they have followed(CJ) the stubbornness of their hearts;(CK) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food(CL) and drink poisoned water.(CM) 16 I will scatter them among nations(CN) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(CO) and I will pursue them with the sword(CP) until I have made an end of them.”(CQ)
17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Consider now! Call for the wailing women(CR) to come;
send for the most skillful of them.
18 Let them come quickly
and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
and water streams from our eyelids.(CS)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How ruined(CT) we are!
How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
because our houses are in ruins.’”
20 Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
open your ears to the words of his mouth.(CU)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.(CV)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(CW)
and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
and the young men(CX) from the public squares.
22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:
“‘Dead bodies will lie
like dung(CY) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.’”
23 This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom(CZ)
or the strong boast of their strength(DA)
or the rich boast of their riches,(DB)
24 but let the one who boasts boast(DC) about this:
that they have the understanding to know(DD) me,
that I am the Lord,(DE) who exercises kindness,(DF)
justice and righteousness(DG) on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.
25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh(DH)— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.[g](DI) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,(DJ) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(DK)”
God and Idols(DL)
10 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:
“Do not learn the ways of the nations(DM)
or be terrified by signs(DN) in the heavens,
though the nations are terrified by them.
3 For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman(DO) shapes it with his chisel.(DP)
4 They adorn it with silver(DQ) and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.(DR)
5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
their idols cannot speak;(DS)
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.(DT)
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm(DU)
nor can they do any good.”(DV)
6 No one is like you,(DW) Lord;
you are great,(DX)
and your name is mighty in power.
7 Who should not fear(DY) you,
King of the nations?(DZ)
This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.
8 They are all senseless(EA) and foolish;(EB)
they are taught by worthless wooden idols.(EC)
9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish(ED)
and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have made(EE)
is then dressed in blue and purple—
all made by skilled workers.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God,(EF) the eternal King.(EG)
When he is angry,(EH) the earth trembles;(EI)
the nations cannot endure his wrath.(EJ)
11 “Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish(EK) from the earth and from under the heavens.’”[h]
12 But God made(EL) the earth(EM) by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom(EN)
and stretched out the heavens(EO) by his understanding.
13 When he thunders,(EP) the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning(EQ) with the rain(ER)
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(ES)
14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed(ET) by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(EU)
they have no breath in them.
15 They are worthless,(EV) the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
16 He who is the Portion(EW) of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,(EX)
including Israel, the people of his inheritance(EY)—
the Lord Almighty is his name.(EZ)
Coming Destruction
17 Gather up your belongings(FA) to leave the land,
you who live under siege.
18 For this is what the Lord says:
“At this time I will hurl(FB) out
those who live in this land;
I will bring distress(FC) on them
so that they may be captured.”
19 Woe to me because of my injury!
My wound(FD) is incurable!
Yet I said to myself,
“This is my sickness, and I must endure(FE) it.”
20 My tent(FF) is destroyed;
all its ropes are snapped.
My children are gone from me and are no more;(FG)
no one is left now to pitch my tent
or to set up my shelter.
21 The shepherds(FH) are senseless(FI)
and do not inquire of the Lord;(FJ)
so they do not prosper(FK)
and all their flock is scattered.(FL)
22 Listen! The report is coming—
a great commotion from the land of the north!(FM)
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,(FN)
a haunt of jackals.(FO)
Jeremiah’s Prayer
23 Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;
it is not for them to direct their steps.(FP)
24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—
not in your anger,(FQ)
or you will reduce me to nothing.(FR)
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations(FS)
that do not acknowledge you,
on the peoples who do not call on your name.(FT)
For they have devoured(FU) Jacob;
they have devoured him completely
and destroyed his homeland.(FV)
The Covenant Is Broken
11 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the terms of this covenant(FW) and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed(FX) is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— 4 the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt,(FY) out of the iron-smelting furnace.(FZ)’ I said, ‘Obey(GA) me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people,(GB) and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore(GC) to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’(GD)—the land you possess today.”
I answered, “Amen,(GE) Lord.”
6 The Lord said to me, “Proclaim(GF) all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow(GG) them. 7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again,(GH) saying, “Obey me.” 8 But they did not listen or pay attention;(GI) instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(GJ) So I brought on them all the curses(GK) of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.(GL)’”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy(GM) among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors,(GN) who refused to listen to my words.(GO) They have followed other gods(GP) to serve them.(GQ) Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant(GR) I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster(GS) they cannot escape.(GT) Although they cry(GU) out to me, I will not listen(GV) to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense,(GW) but they will not help them at all when disaster(GX) strikes. 13 You, Judah, have as many gods(GY) as you have towns;(GZ) and the altars you have set up to burn incense(HA) to that shameful(HB) god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’
14 “Do not pray(HC) for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen(HD) when they call to me in the time of their distress.
15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple
as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
Can consecrated meat(HE) avert your punishment?(HF)
When you engage in your wickedness,
then you rejoice.[i]”
16 The Lord called you a thriving olive tree(HG)
with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
he will set it on fire,(HH)
and its branches will be broken.(HI)
17 The Lord Almighty, who planted(HJ) you, has decreed disaster(HK) for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused(HL) my anger by burning incense to Baal.(HM)
Plot Against Jeremiah
18 Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;(HN) I did not realize that they had plotted(HO) against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,(HP)
that his name be remembered(HQ) no more.”
20 But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously(HR)
and test the heart(HS) and mind,(HT)
let me see your vengeance(HU) on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth(HV) who are threatening to kill you,(HW) saying, “Do not prophesy(HX) in the name of the Lord or you will die(HY) by our hands”— 22 therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men(HZ) will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23 Not even a remnant(IA) will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.(IB)”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
12 You are always righteous,(IC) Lord,
when I bring a case(ID) before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:(IE)
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?(IF)
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have planted(IG) them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.(IH)
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.(II)
3 Yet you know me, Lord;
you see me and test(IJ) my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep(IK) to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!(IL)
4 How long will the land lie parched(IM)
and the grass in every field be withered?(IN)
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.(IO)
Moreover, the people are saying,
“He will not see what happens to us.”
God’s Answer
5 “If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[j] in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets(IP) by[k] the Jordan?
6 Your relatives, members of your own family—
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.(IQ)
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.(IR)
7 “I will forsake(IS) my house,
abandon(IT) my inheritance;
I will give the one I love(IU)
into the hands of her enemies.(IV)
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lion(IW) in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.(IX)
9 Has not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of prey
that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.(IY)
10 Many shepherds(IZ) will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.(JA)
11 It will be made a wasteland,(JB)
parched and desolate before me;(JC)
the whole land will be laid waste
because there is no one who cares.
12 Over all the barren heights in the desert
destroyers will swarm,
for the sword(JD) of the Lord(JE) will devour(JF)
from one end of the land to the other;(JG)
no one will be safe.(JH)
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.(JI)
They will bear the shame of their harvest
because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”(JJ)
14 This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance(JK) I gave my people Israel, I will uproot(JL) them from their lands and I will uproot(JM) the people of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion(JN) and will bring(JO) each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. 16 And if they learn(JP) well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’(JQ)—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal(JR)—then they will be established among my people.(JS) 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy(JT) it,” declares the Lord.
A Linen Belt
13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” 2 So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist.
3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time:(JU) 4 “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath[l](JV) and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.(JW)
6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” 7 So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride(JX) of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen(JY) to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts(JZ) and go after other gods(KA) to serve and worship them,(KB) will be like this belt—completely useless!(KC) 11 For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown(KD) and praise and honor.(KE) But they have not listened.’(KF)
Wineskins
12 “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ 13 then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness(KG) all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. 14 I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the Lord. I will allow no pity(KH) or mercy or compassion(KI) to keep me from destroying(KJ) them.’”
Threat of Captivity
15 Hear and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the Lord has spoken.(KK)
16 Give glory(KL) to the Lord your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(KM)
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to utter darkness
and change it to deep gloom.(KN)
17 If you do not listen,(KO)
I will weep in secret
because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
overflowing with tears,(KP)
because the Lord’s flock(KQ) will be taken captive.(KR)
18 Say to the king(KS) and to the queen mother,(KT)
“Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(KU)
will fall from your heads.”
19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up,
and there will be no one to open them.
All Judah(KV) will be carried into exile,
carried completely away.
20 Look up and see
those who are coming from the north.(KW)
Where is the flock(KX) that was entrusted to you,
the sheep of which you boasted?
21 What will you say when the Lord sets over you
those you cultivated as your special allies?(KY)
Will not pain grip you
like that of a woman in labor?(KZ)
22 And if you ask yourself,
“Why has this happened to me?”(LA)—
it is because of your many sins(LB)
that your skirts have been torn off(LC)
and your body mistreated.(LD)
23 Can an Ethiopian[m] change his skin
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.(LE)
24 “I will scatter you like chaff(LF)
driven by the desert wind.(LG)
25 This is your lot,
the portion(LH) I have decreed for you,”
declares the Lord,
“because you have forgotten(LI) me
and trusted in false gods.(LJ)
26 I will pull up your skirts over your face
that your shame may be seen(LK)—
27 your adulteries and lustful neighings,
your shameless prostitution!(LL)
I have seen your detestable acts
on the hills and in the fields.(LM)
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
How long will you be unclean?”(LN)
Drought, Famine, Sword
14 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(LO)
2 “Judah mourns,(LP)
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
3 The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water.(LQ)
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.(LR)
4 The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;(LS)
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.(LT)
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(LU)
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food.”(LV)
7 Although our sins testify(LW) against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.(LX)
For we have often rebelled;(LY)
we have sinned(LZ) against you.
8 You who are the hope(MA) of Israel,
its Savior(MB) in times of distress,(MC)
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?(MD)
You are among(ME) us, Lord,
and we bear your name;(MF)
do not forsake(MG) us!
10 This is what the Lord says about this people:
“They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.(MH)
So the Lord does not accept(MI) them;
he will now remember(MJ) their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.”(MK)
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray(ML) for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;(MM) though they offer burnt offerings(MN) and grain offerings,(MO) I will not accept(MP) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,(MQ) famine(MR) and plague.”(MS)
13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets(MT) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.(MU) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace(MV) in this place.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies(MW) in my name. I have not sent(MX) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,(MY) divinations,(MZ) idolatries[n] and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish(NA) by sword and famine.(NB) 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury(NC) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.(ND) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.(NE)
17 “Speak this word to them:
“‘Let my eyes overflow with tears(NF)
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin(NG) Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.(NH)
18 If I go into the country,
I see those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see the ravages of famine.(NI)
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not.(NJ)’”
19 Have you rejected Judah completely?(NK)
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?(NL)
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(NM)
20 We acknowledge(NN) our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;(NO)
we have indeed sinned(NP) against you.
21 For the sake of your name(NQ) do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.(NR)
Remember your covenant(NS) with us
and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols(NT) of the nations bring rain?(NU)
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.(NV)
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(NW) and Samuel(NX) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(NY) Send them away from my presence!(NZ) Let them go! 2 And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘Those destined for death, to death;
those for the sword, to the sword;(OA)
those for starvation, to starvation;(OB)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(OC)
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers(OD) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(OE) to kill and the dogs(OF) to drag away and the birds(OG) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(OH) 4 I will make them abhorrent(OI) to all the kingdoms of the earth(OJ) because of what Manasseh(OK) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who will have pity(OL) on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will stop to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected(OM) me,” declares the Lord.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(ON) and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.(OO)
7 I will winnow(OP) them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(OQ) and destruction on my people,(OR)
for they have not changed their ways.(OS)
8 I will make their widows(OT) more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(OU)
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.(OV)
9 The mother of seven will grow faint(OW)
and breathe her last.(OX)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgraced(OY) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(OZ)
before their enemies,”(PA)
declares the Lord.
10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(PB)
a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(PC)
I have neither lent(PD) nor borrowed,
yet everyone curses(PE) me.
11 The Lord said,
“Surely I will deliver you(PF) for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies plead(PG) with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.
12 “Can a man break iron—
iron from the north(PH)—or bronze?
13 “Your wealth(PI) and your treasures
I will give as plunder,(PJ) without charge,(PK)
because of all your sins
throughout your country.(PL)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
in[o] a land you do not know,(PM)
for my anger will kindle a fire(PN)
that will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand;
remember me and care for me.
Avenge me on my persecutors.(PO)
You are long-suffering(PP)—do not take me away;
think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(PQ)
16 When your words came, I ate(PR) them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(PS)
for I bear your name,(PT)
Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(PU) in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(PV) was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?(PW)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails.(PX)
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve(PY) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.(PZ)
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(QA) to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome(QB) you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”(QC)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(QD) you from the hands of the wicked(QE)
and deliver(QF) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(QG)
Footnotes
- 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.
- Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
- Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
- Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
- Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
- Jeremiah 9:26 Or wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads
- Jeremiah 10:11 The text of this verse is in Aramaic.
- Jeremiah 11:15 Or Could consecrated meat avert your punishment? / Then you would rejoice
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or you feel secure only
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or the flooding of
- Jeremiah 13:4 Or possibly to the Euphrates; similarly in verses 5-7
- Jeremiah 13:23 Hebrew Cushite (probably a person from the upper Nile region)
- Jeremiah 14:14 Or visions, worthless divinations
- Jeremiah 15:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac (see also 17:4); most Hebrew manuscripts I will cause your enemies to bring you / into
Jeremiah 8-15
King James Version
Jeremiah 8-15
King James Version
8 At that time, saith the Lord, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the Lord of hosts.
4 Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?
5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
6 I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.
7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord.
8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?
10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.
13 I will surely consume them, saith the Lord: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.
14 Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord.
15 We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!
16 The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.
17 For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord.
18 When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.
19 Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?
20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
9 Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
2 Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
3 And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.
4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6 Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord.
7 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?
8 Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
9 Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
12 Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
13 And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;
14 But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:
15 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
16 I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.
17 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:
18 And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.
19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.
20 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.
21 For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.
22 Speak, Thus saith the Lord, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.
25 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.
10 Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
2 Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
8 But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.
9 Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
10 But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.
12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
14 Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
15 They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
16 The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The Lord of hosts is his name.
17 Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress.
18 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.
19 Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous; but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.
20 My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.
21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.
22 Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.
23 O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
24 O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.
25 Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.
11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying,
2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:
5 That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O Lord.
6 Then the Lord said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.
7 For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.
8 Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do: but they did them not.
9 And the Lord said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10 They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
11 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.
12 Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.
14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.
15 What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.
16 The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
17 For the Lord of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.
18 And the Lord hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.
19 But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.
20 But, O Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.
21 Therefore thus saith the Lord of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the Lord, that thou die not by our hand:
22 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:
23 And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.
12 Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.
3 But thou, O Lord, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
4 How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.
5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?
6 For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.
7 I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.
8 Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.
9 Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.
10 Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
11 They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.
12 The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.
13 They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
14 Thus saith the Lord against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.
15 And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.
16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The Lord liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.
17 But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.
13 Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
2 So I got a girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my loins.
3 And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying,
4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.
6 And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9 Thus saith the Lord, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.
11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
12 Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.
14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.
16 Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive.
18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
19 The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.
20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
24 Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
25 This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the Lord; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.
26 Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.
27 I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
3 And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.
4 Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
5 Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.
6 And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.
7 O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.
8 O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?
9 Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.
10 Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.
11 Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.
12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
13 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
14 Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
15 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.
17 Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.
18 If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.
19 Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!
20 We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.
21 Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.
15 Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.
2 And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.
3 And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.
4 And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.
5 For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?
6 Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.
7 And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people since they return not from their ways.
8 Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.
9 She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the Lord.
10 Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.
11 The Lord said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.
12 Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?
13 Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.
14 And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.
15 O Lord, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.
16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
17 I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.
20 And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
21 And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.
New International Version (NIV) 
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