Jeremiah 11
Living Bible
11 1-3 Then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah once again and said:
Remind the men of Judah and all the people of Jerusalem that I made a contract with their fathers—and cursed is the man who does not heed it! 4 For I told them at the time I brought them out of slavery in Egypt that if they would obey me and do whatever I commanded them, then they and all their children would be mine and I would be their God. 5 And now, Israel, obey me, says the Lord, so that I can do for you the wonderful things I swore I would if you obeyed. I want to give you a land that “flows with milk and honey,” as it is today.
Then I replied, “So be it, Lord!”
6 Then the Lord said: Broadcast this message in Jerusalem’s streets—go from city to city throughout the land and say, Remember this agreement that your fathers made with God, and do all the things they promised him they would. 7 For I solemnly said to your fathers when I brought them out of Egypt—and have kept on saying it over and over again until this day: Obey my every command! 8 But your fathers didn’t do it. They wouldn’t even listen. Each followed his own stubborn will and his proud heart. Because they refused to obey, I did to them all the evils stated in the contract.
9 Again the Lord spoke to me and said: I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the men of Judah and Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their fathers, refusing to listen to me and worshiping idols. The agreement I made with their fathers is broken and canceled. 11 Therefore, the Lord says, I am going to bring calamity down upon them, and they shall not escape. Though they cry for mercy, I will not listen to their pleas. 12 Then they will pray to their idols and burn incense before them, but that cannot save them from their time of anguish and despair. 13 O my people, you have as many gods as there are cities, and your altars of shame (your altars to burn incense to Baal) are along every street in Jerusalem.
14 Therefore, Jeremiah, pray no longer for this people, neither weep nor plead for them; for I will not listen to them when they are finally desperate enough to beg me for help. 15 What right do my beloved people have to come anymore to my Temple? For you have been unfaithful and worshiped other gods. Can promises and sacrifices now avert your doom and give you life and joy again?
16 The Lord used to call you his green olive tree, beautiful to see and full of good fruit; but now he has sent the fury of your enemies to burn you up and leave you broken and charred. 17 It is because of the wickedness of Israel and Judah in offering incense to Baal that the Lord Almighty who planted the tree has ordered it destroyed.
18 Then the Lord told me all about their plans and showed me their evil plots. 19 I had been as unsuspecting as a lamb or ox on the way to slaughter. I didn’t know that they were planning to kill me! “Let’s destroy this man and all his messages,” they said. “Let’s kill him so that his name will be forever forgotten.”
20 O Lord Almighty, you are just. See the hearts and motives of these men. Repay them for all that they have planned! I look to you for justice.
21-22 And the Lord replied, The men of the city of Anathoth shall be punished for planning to kill you. They will tell you not to prophesy in God’s name on pain of death. And so their young men shall die in battle; their boys and girls shall starve. 23 Not one of these plotters of Anathoth shall survive, for I will bring a great disaster upon them. Their time has come.
Jeremiah 11
New King James Version
The Broken Covenant
11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: (A)“Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, (B)from the iron furnace, saying, (C)‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 that I may establish the (D)oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them (E)‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as it is this day.” ’ ”
And I answered and said, [a]“So be it, Lord.”
6 Then the Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: ‘Hear the words of this covenant (F)and do them. 7 For I earnestly exhorted your fathers in the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, until this day, (G)rising early and exhorting, saying, “Obey My voice.” 8 (H)Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but (I)everyone [b]followed the dictates of his evil heart; therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but which they have not done.’ ”
9 And the Lord said to me, (J)“A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to (K)the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone 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 says the Lord: “Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to [c]escape; and (L)though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and (M)cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. 13 For according to the number of your (N)cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.
14 “So (O)do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.
15 “What(P) has My beloved to do in My house,
Having (Q)done lewd deeds with many?
And (R)the holy flesh has passed from you.
When you do evil, then you (S)rejoice.
16 The Lord called your name,
(T)Green Olive Tree, Lovely and of Good Fruit.
With the noise of a great tumult
He has kindled fire on it,
And its branches are broken.
17 “For the Lord of hosts, (U)who planted you, has pronounced doom against you 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 to Baal.”
Jeremiah’s Life Threatened
18 Now the Lord gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings. 19 But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, (V)and let us cut him off from (W)the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts,
You who judge righteously,
(X)Testing the [d]mind and the heart,
Let me see Your (Y)vengeance on them,
For to You I have revealed my cause.
21 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of (Z)Anathoth who seek your life, saying, (AA)‘Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, lest you die by our hand’— 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall (AB)die by famine; 23 and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even (AC)the year of their punishment.’ ”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 11:5 Heb. Amen
- Jeremiah 11:8 walked in the stubbornness or imagination
- Jeremiah 11:11 Lit. go out
- Jeremiah 11:20 Most secret parts, lit. kidneys
Jeremiah 11
English Standard Version
The Broken Covenant
11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 (A)“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3 You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: (B)Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant 4 that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, (C)from the iron furnace, saying, (D)Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. (E)So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, 5 (F)that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers, (G)to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me, (H)“Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: (I)Hear the words of this covenant and do them. 7 For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, (J)warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, (K)Obey my voice. 8 (L)Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, (M)but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all (N)the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”
9 Again the Lord said to me, (O)“A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to (P)the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. (Q)They have gone after other gods to serve them. (R)The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. (S)Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (T)will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, (U)but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. 13 (V)For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, (W)altars to make offerings to Baal.
14 “Therefore (X)do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, (Y)for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. 15 (Z)What right has my beloved in my house, (AA)when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? (AB)Can you then exult? 16 The Lord once called you (AC)‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But (AD)with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and (AE)its branches will be consumed. 17 The Lord of hosts, (AF)who planted you, has decreed disaster against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, (AG)provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.”
18 The Lord made it known to me and I knew;
then you showed me their deeds.
19 But I was (AH)like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
I did not know (AI)it was against me
they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
(AJ)let us cut him off from (AK)the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
who (AL)tests (AM)the heart and the mind,
(AN)let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you have I committed my cause.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of (AO)Anathoth, (AP)who seek your life, and say, (AQ)“Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”— 22 therefore thus says 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 none of them shall be left. For I will bring disaster upon the men of (AR)Anathoth, (AS)the year of their punishment.”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
