Jeremiah 14
Amplified Bible
Drought and a Prayer for Mercy
14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
2
“Judah mourns
And her gates languish;
Her people sit on the ground in mourning clothes
And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.
3
“Their nobles have sent their servants for water;
They have come to the cisterns and found no water.
They have returned with empty vessels;
They have been shamed and humiliated,
And they cover their heads.
4
“The ground is cracked
Because there has been no rain on the land;
The farmers are distressed,
And they have covered their heads [in shame].
5
“The doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young
Because there is no grass.
6
“And the wild donkeys stand on the barren heights;
They pant for air like jackals,
Their eyesight fails
Because there is no grass.
7
“O Lord, though our many sins testify against us” [prays Jeremiah],
“Act now [for us and] for Your name’s sake [so that the faithless may witness Your faithfulness]!
For our backslidings are countless;
We have sinned against You.
8
“O Hope of Israel,
Her Savior in time of distress and trouble,
Why should You be like a sojourner (temporary resident) in the land
Or like a traveler who turns aside and spreads his tent to linger [only] for a night?
9
“Why should You be [hesitant and inactive] like a man astounded and perplexed,
Like a mighty man unable to save?
Yet You, O Lord, are among us,
And we are called by Your name;
Do not leave us!”
10 Thus says the Lord to this people [Judah], “In the manner and to the degree [already pointed out] they have loved to wander; they have not restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does not accept them; He will now remember [in detail] their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” 11 So the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for good things for this people. 12 Though they fast, I will not hear their cry; and though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them [because they are done as obligations, and not as acts of loving obedience]. Instead I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”
False Prophets
13 But I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, the [false] prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I [the Lord] will give you lasting peace in this place.’” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “The [counterfeit] prophets are prophesying lies in My Name. I have neither sent them nor authorized them nor spoken to them. They are prophesying to you made-up visions [pretending to call forth responses from handmade gods], a worthless divination and the deceit of their own mind. 15 Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the [false] prophets who are prophesying in My Name, although I did not send them—yet they keep saying, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’: by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end and be consumed. 16 And the people to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword; and they will have no one to bury them—neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will pour out their [own] wickedness on them [and not only on the imposters posing as prophets, for the people could not have been deceived without their own consent].
17
“Therefore [Jeremiah] you will say this word to them,
‘Let my eyes flow with tears night and day,
And let them never cease;
For the virgin daughter of my people has been crushed with a great blow,
With a very serious and severely infected wound.
18
‘If I go out into the field,
Then I gaze on those slaughtered with the sword!
And if I enter the city,
Then I gaze on [those tormented with] the diseases of famine!
For both prophet and priest [who should have guided the people]
Go about [bewildered and exiled] in a land (Babylon) that they do not know or understand.’”
19
Have You [O Lord] completely rejected Judah?
Do You loathe Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that there is no healing for us?
We looked for peace and completeness, but nothing good came;
And [we hoped] for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
20
We know and acknowledge, O Lord,
Our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against You.
21
Do not treat us with contempt and condemn us, for Your own name’s sake;
Do not disgrace Your [a]glorious throne;
Remember [with consideration] and do not break Your [solemn] covenant with us.
22
Are there any among the idols of the nations who can send rain?
Or can the heavens [of their own will] give showers?
Is it not You, O Lord our God?
Therefore we will wait and hope [confidently] in You,
For You are the one who has made all these things [the heavens and the rain].
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 14:21 The temple in Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 14
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 14
The Great Drought.[a] 1 This is the word of the Lord that was given to Jeremiah during the drought:
2 Judah is in mourning,
and her towns languish.
Her people lie on the ground in mourning;
a cry of anguish goes up from Jerusalem.
3 The nobles send their servants for water,
but when they come to the cisterns
they find no water,
and they return with their jars empty.
Ashamed and in despair
they cover their heads.[b]
4 Because the ground is cracked
due to a total lack of rainfall,
the farmers are desperate,
and they too cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the open country
abandons her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the bare heights
and pant for air like jackals,
while their eyes grow dim
because of a lack of pasture.
7 Even though our sins bear witness against us,
take action, O Lord, for your name’s sake;
forgive us for our many acts of infidelity,
our countless sins against you.
8 O Lord, you are the hope of Israel
and its savior in time of need.
Why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who only stays for a single night?
9 Why should you be taken unawares,
like a warrior who is powerless to help us?
You are in our midst, O Lord,
and we bear your name.
Do not forsake us!
10 Thus says the Lord about this people:
Truly they have loved to stray
and have not restrained their feet.
Therefore, the Lord no longer takes pleasure in them;
he will now remember their iniquity
and punish their sins.
11 Then the Lord said to me: Do not intercede for this people or pray for their welfare. 12 If they fast, I will not listen to their cry. If they offer holocausts or grain offerings, I will not accept them. Rather, I will destroy them by the sword, famine, and plague.
13 In response I said, “Ah, Lord God, the prophets continue to say to them that they will suffer neither sword nor famine, since you will give them lasting peace in this place.”
14 Then the Lord said to me: The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them or give them any orders or speak to them. They are prophesying to you lying visions, worthless divinations, and delusions of their own minds.
15 Therefore, thus says the Lord about the prophets who are prophesying in his name: Although I did not send them, they continue to assert that neither sword nor famine will afflict this land. By sword and famine those same prophets will perish. 16 Furthermore, the people to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and the sword. No one will bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour down on them their own wickedness.
17 This is the message you are to deliver to them:
Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night without ceasing,
for my virgin daughter—my people—
has suffered a crushing blow
and is grievously injured.
18 If I go out into the open fields,
I see those slain by the sword.
If I go into the city,
I behold those who have perished through famine.
Even prophets and priests roam in confusion
in a land they do not know.
19 Have you rejected Judah completely?
Has Zion become loathsome to you?
Why have you afflicted us
to a point where we cannot be healed?
We hope for peace, but to no avail,
for a time of healing, only to encounter terror.
20 O Lord, we acknowledge our wickedness
and the guilt of our fathers;
we have indeed sinned against you.
21 For your name’s sake do not reject us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.
Remember your covenant with us
and do not break it.
22 Can any worthless idols of the nations bring rain?
Do the heavens send down rain showers on their own?
No, it is you who accomplish all this,
O Lord, our God,
and therefore, we place our hope in you.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 14:1 In some memorable circumstances, Moses had become the advocate for his people (Ex 32:11; Num 14:13). In the hour of catastrophe, Jeremiah does the same, but the Lord refuses to be softened.
- Jeremiah 14:3 Cover their heads: a sign of mourning.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
