Jeremiah 14-17
New American Standard Bible
Drought and a Prayer for Mercy
14 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah regarding the (A)drought:
2 “Judah mourns
And (B)her gates languish;
Her people sit on the ground (C)in mourning garments,
And the (D)cry of Jerusalem has ascended.
3 Their nobles have (E)sent their [a]servants for water;
They have come to the (F)cisterns and found no water.
They have returned with their containers empty;
They have been (G)put to shame and humiliated,
And they (H)cover their heads,
4 Because the (I)ground is [b]cracked,
For there has been (J)no rain on the land.
The (K)farmers have been put to shame,
They have covered their heads.
5 For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young,
Because there is (L)no grass.
6 The (M)wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals,
Their eyes fail
Because there is (N)no vegetation.
7 Though our (O)wrongdoings testify against us,
Lord, act (P)for the sake of Your name!
Our (Q)apostasies have indeed been many,
We have (R)sinned against You.
8 (S)Hope of Israel,
Its (T)Savior in (U)time of distress,
Why are You like a stranger in the land,
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night?
9 Why are You like a confused person,
Like a warrior who (V)cannot save?
Yet (W)You are in our midst, Lord,
And we are (X)called by Your name;
Do not leave us!”
10 This is what the Lord says to this people: “So much they have (Y)loved to wander; they have not (Z)restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does (AA)not accept them; now He will (AB)remember their wrongdoing and call their sins to account.” 11 So the Lord said to me, “(AC)Do not pray for a good outcome on behalf of this people. 12 When they fast, I am (AD)not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer (AE)burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather, I am going to (AF)put an end to them by the (AG)sword, famine, and plague.”
False Prophets
13 But I said, “Oh, Lord [c]God! Behold, the prophets are telling them, ‘You (AH)will not see a sword, nor will you have famine; on the contrary, I will give you lasting (AI)peace in this place.’” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “The (AJ)prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. (AK)I have neither sent them nor commanded them, nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a (AL)false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own [d]minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them—yet they keep saying: ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’—(AM)by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! 16 And the people to whom they are prophesying will be (AN)thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to (AO)bury them—neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will (AP)pour out their own wickedness upon them.
17 You will say this word to them,
‘(AQ)Let my eyes stream down tears night and day,
And let them not cease;
For the virgin (AR)daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow,
With a sorely (AS)infected wound.
18 If I (AT)go out to the country,
There are those killed by the sword!
Or if I enter the city,
There are diseases from famine!
For (AU)both prophet and priest
Have wandered around in the land that they do not know.’”
19 Have You completely (AV)rejected Judah?
Or have [e]You loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that we (AW)are beyond healing?
We (AX)waited for peace, but nothing good came;
And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
20 We (AY)know our wickedness, Lord,
The wrongdoing of our fathers, for (AZ)we have sinned against You.
21 Do not despise us, (BA)for the sake of Your own name;
Do not disgrace the (BB)throne of Your glory.
Remember and do not annul Your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the [f](BC)idols of the nations who (BD)give rain?
Or can the heavens grant showers?
Is it not You, Lord our God?
Therefore we (BE)wait for You,
For You are the one who has done all these things.
Judgment Must Come
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Even (BF)if (BG)Moses and (BH)Samuel were to (BI)stand before Me, My [g]heart would not be [h]with this people. (BJ)Send them away from My presence and have them go! 2 And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“Those destined (BK)for death, to death;
And those destined for the sword, to the sword;
And those destined for famine, to famine;
And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”’
3 And I will (BL)appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the Lord: “the sword to kill, the (BM)dogs to drag away, and the (BN)birds of the sky and the animals of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will (BO)make them an object of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of (BP)Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “Indeed, who will have (BQ)pity on you, Jerusalem,
Or who will (BR)mourn for you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
6 You who have (BS)forsaken Me,” declares the Lord,
“You keep (BT)going backward.
So I will (BU)stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am (BV)tired of relenting!
7 I will (BW)winnow them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will (BX)bereave them of children, I will destroy My people;
(BY)They did not [i]repent of their ways.
8 Their (BZ)widows will be more numerous before Me
Than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of a young man,
A (CA)destroyer at noon;
I will suddenly bring down on her
Shock and horror.
9 She who (CB)gave birth to seven sons withers away;
[j]Her breathing is labored.
Her (CC)sun has set while it was still day;
She has been (CD)shamed and humiliated.
So I will (CE)turn over their survivors to the sword
Before their enemies,” declares the Lord.
10 (CF)Woe to me, my mother, that you have given birth to me
As a (CG)man of strife and a man of contention to all the land!
I have not (CH)lent, nor have people lent money to me,
Yet everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said, “I will certainly (CI)set you free for purposes of good;
I will certainly make the (CJ)enemy plead with you
In a time of disaster and a time of distress.
12 “Can anyone smash iron,
(CK)Iron from the north, or bronze?
13 I will give your (CL)wealth and your treasures
As plunder (CM)without cost,
For all your sins
And within all your borders.
14 Then I will make your enemies bring your possessions
Into a (CN)land that you do not know;
For a (CO)fire has been kindled in My anger,
And it will burn upon you.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer and God’s Answer
15 (CP)You know, Lord;
Remember me, take notice of me,
And (CQ)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;
Know that (CR)for Your sake I endure reproach.
16 Your words were found and I (CS)ate them,
And Your (CT)words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart;
For I have been (CU)called by Your name,
Lord God of armies.
17 I (CV)did not sit in a circle of revelers and celebrate.
Because of Your hand upon me I sat (CW)alone,
For You (CX)filled me with indignation.
18 Why has my pain been endless
And my (CY)wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
Will You indeed be to me (CZ)like a deceptive stream
With water that is unreliable?
19 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“(DA)If you return, then I will restore you—
(DB)You will stand before Me;
And (DC)if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become [k]My spokesman.
They, for their part, may turn to you,
But as for you, you are not to turn to them.
20 Then I will (DD)make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze;
And though they fight against you,
They will not prevail over you;
For (DE)I am with you to save you
And rescue you,” declares the Lord.
21 “So I will (DF)rescue you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will (DG)redeem you from the [l]grasp of the violent.”
Distresses Foretold
16 The word of the Lord also came to me, saying, 2 “You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For this is what the Lord says concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their (DH)mothers who give birth to them, and their (DI)fathers who father them in this land: 4 “They will (DJ)die of deadly diseases, they (DK)will not be mourned or buried; they will be like (DL)dung on the surface of the ground. And they will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the (DM)birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.”
5 For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house of (DN)mourning, or go to mourn or to console them; for I have (DO)withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares the Lord, “and My (DP)favor and compassion. 6 Both (DQ)great people and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, people will not mourn for them, nor will anyone (DR)make cuts on himself or have his head (DS)shaved for them. 7 People will not (DT)break bread in mourning for them, to comfort anyone for the dead, nor give them a cup of consolation to drink for anyone’s father or mother. 8 Moreover, you shall (DU)not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink.” 9 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to (DV)eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of joy, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.
10 “Now it will happen that, when you tell this people all these words, they will say to you, ‘(DW)For what reason has the Lord declared all this great disaster against us? And what is our wrongdoing, or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 Then you are to say to them, ‘It is (DX)because your forefathers have abandoned Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and have followed (DY)other gods, and served and worshiped them; but they have abandoned Me and have not kept My Law. 12 You too have done evil, even (DZ)more than your forefathers; for behold, each one of you is following the (EA)stubbornness of his own (EB)evil heart, without listening to Me. 13 So I will (EC)hurl you off this land to the (ED)land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will (EE)serve other gods day and night, because I will show you no compassion.’
God Will Restore Them
14 “(EF)Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives, who (EG)brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the (EH)land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.
16 “Behold, I am going to send for many (EI)fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will fish for them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will (EJ)hunt them (EK)from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. 17 (EL)For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, (EM)nor is their wrongdoing concealed from My eyes. 18 I will first repay them (EN)double for their wrongdoing and their sin, because they have (EO)defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their (EP)detestable idols and their abominations.”
19 Lord, my (EQ)strength and my stronghold,
And my (ER)refuge in the day of distress,
To You the (ES)nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but (ET)falsehood,
Futility, and [m](EU)things of no benefit.”
20 Can a person make gods for himself?
But they are (EV)not gods!
21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—
This time I will (EW)make them know
My [n]power and My might;
And they will (EX)know that My name is the Lord.”
The Deceitful Heart
17 The (EY)sin of Judah is written with an (EZ)iron stylus;
With a diamond point it is (FA)engraved on the tablet of their hearts
And on the horns of [o]their altars,
2 As they remember their (FB)children,
So they remember their altars and their [p](FC)Asherim
By (FD)green trees on the high hills.
3 (FE)Mountain of Mine in the countryside,
I will (FF)turn over your wealth and all your treasures as plunder,
Your high places for sin throughout your borders.
4 And you will, even of yourself, (FG)let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your (FH)enemies
In the (FI)land which you do not know;
For you have (FJ)kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“(FK)Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes (FL)flesh his [q]strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 For he will be like a (FM)bush in the desert,
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A (FN)land of salt that is not inhabited.
7 (FO)Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose (FP)trust is the Lord.
8 For he will be like a (FQ)tree planted by the water
That extends its roots by a stream,
And does not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of (FR)drought,
Nor cease to yield fruit.
9 “The (FS)heart is more (FT)deceitful than all else
And is desperately (FU)sick;
Who can understand it?
10 I, the Lord, (FV)search the heart,
I test the [r]mind,
(FW)To give to each person according to his ways,
According to the [s]results of his deeds.
11 As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is a person who (FX)makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the middle of his days it will abandon him,
And in [t]the end he will be a (FY)fool.”
12 (FZ)A glorious throne on high from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, the (GA)hope of Israel,
All who (GB)abandon You will be put to shame.
Those who turn [u]away on earth will be (GC)written down,
Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, that is the Lord.
14 (GD)Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
(GE)Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my (GF)praise.
15 Look, they keep (GG)saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come now!”
16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd following after You,
Nor have I longed for the disastrous day;
(GH)You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips
Was in Your presence.
17 Do not be a (GI)terror to me;
You are my (GJ)refuge in a day of disaster.
18 Let those who persecute me be (GK)put to shame, but as for me, (GL)let me not be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed.
(GM)Bring on them a day of disaster,
And crush them with double destruction!
The Sabbath Must Be Kept
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the [v]public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, ‘(GN)Listen to the word of the Lord, you (GO)kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: “(GP)Take care for yourselves, and (GQ)do not carry any [w]load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day (GR)nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I (GS)commanded your [x]forefathers. 23 Yet they (GT)did not listen or incline their ears, but (GU)stiffened their necks so as not to listen or accept discipline.
24 “But it will come about, if you (GV)give your attention to Me,” declares the Lord, “to (GW)bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, (GX)but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 (GY)then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and officials (GZ)sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this (HA)city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come in from the (HB)cities of Judah and from the areas surrounding Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the (HC)lowland, from the hill country, and from the (HD)Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27 But (HE)if you do not listen to Me, to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then (HF)I will set fire to its gates, and it will (HG)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and (HH)not go out.”’”
Notas al pie
- Jeremiah 14:3 Lit little ones
- Jeremiah 14:4 Lit shattered
- Jeremiah 14:13 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 14:14 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 14:19 Lit Your soul
- Jeremiah 14:22 Lit futilities
- Jeremiah 15:1 Lit soul
- Jeremiah 15:1 Lit toward
- Jeremiah 15:7 Lit turn back from
- Jeremiah 15:9 Or She has breathed out her soul
- Jeremiah 15:19 Lit as My mouth
- Jeremiah 15:21 Lit palm
- Jeremiah 16:19 Lit there is nothing profitable in them
- Jeremiah 16:21 Lit hand
- Jeremiah 17:1 As in ancient versions; MT your
- Jeremiah 17:2 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
- Jeremiah 17:5 Lit arm
- Jeremiah 17:10 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 17:10 Lit fruit
- Jeremiah 17:11 Lit his
- Jeremiah 17:13 Lit away from Me
- Jeremiah 17:19 Lit gate of the sons of the people
- Jeremiah 17:21 Or burden
- Jeremiah 17:22 Lit fathers
Jeremiah 14-17
New Living Translation
Judah’s Terrible Drought
14 This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord, explaining why he was holding back the rain:
2 “Judah wilts;
commerce at the city gates grinds to a halt.
All the people sit on the ground in mourning,
and a great cry rises from Jerusalem.
3 The nobles send servants to get water,
but all the wells are dry.
The servants return with empty pitchers,
confused and desperate,
covering their heads in grief.
4 The ground is parched
and cracked for lack of rain.
The farmers are deeply troubled;
they, too, cover their heads.
5 Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn
because there is no grass in the field.
6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare hills
panting like thirsty jackals.
They strain their eyes looking for grass,
but there is none to be found.”
7 The people say, “Our wickedness has caught up with us, Lord,
but help us for the sake of your own reputation.
We have turned away from you
and sinned against you again and again.
8 O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble,
why are you like a stranger to us?
Why are you like a traveler passing through the land,
stopping only for the night?
9 Are you also confused?
Is our champion helpless to save us?
You are right here among us, Lord.
We are known as your people.
Please don’t abandon us now!”
10 So this is what the Lord says to his people:
“You love to wander far from me
and do not restrain yourselves.
Therefore, I will no longer accept you as my people.
Now I will remember all your wickedness
and will punish you for your sins.”
The Lord Forbids Jeremiah to Intercede
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for these people anymore. 12 When they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease.”
13 Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, their prophets are telling them, ‘All is well—no war or famine will come. The Lord will surely send you peace.’”
14 Then the Lord said, “These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts. 15 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I will punish these lying prophets, for they have spoken in my name even though I never sent them. They say that no war or famine will come, but they themselves will die by war and famine! 16 As for the people to whom they prophesy—their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one left to bury them. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters—all will be gone. For I will pour out their own wickedness on them. 17 Now, Jeremiah, say this to them:
“Night and day my eyes overflow with tears.
I cannot stop weeping,
for my virgin daughter—my precious people—
has been struck down
and lies mortally wounded.
18 If I go out into the fields,
I see the bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy.
If I walk the city streets,
I see people who have died of starvation.
The prophets and priests continue with their work,
but they don’t know what they’re doing.”
A Prayer for Healing
19 Lord, have you completely rejected Judah?
Do you really hate Jerusalem?[a]
Why have you wounded us past all hope of healing?
We hoped for peace, but no peace came.
We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.
20 Lord, we confess our wickedness
and that of our ancestors, too.
We all have sinned against you.
21 For the sake of your reputation, Lord, do not abandon us.
Do not disgrace your own glorious throne.
Please remember us,
and do not break your covenant with us.
22 Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain?
Does it fall from the sky by itself?
No, you are the one, O Lord our God!
Only you can do such things.
So we will wait for you to help us.
Judah’s Inevitable Doom
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn’t help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight! 2 And if they say to you, ‘But where can we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘Those who are destined for death, to death;
those who are destined for war, to war;
those who are destined for famine, to famine;
those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.’
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the Lord. “I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left. 4 Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
5 “Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem?
Who will weep for you?
Who will even bother to ask how you are?
6 You have abandoned me
and turned your back on me,”
says the Lord.
“Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you.
I am tired of always giving you another chance.
7 I will winnow you like grain at the gates of your cities
and take away the children you hold dear.
I will destroy my own people,
because they refuse to change their evil ways.
8 There will be more widows
than the grains of sand on the seashore.
At noontime I will bring a destroyer
against the mothers of young men.
I will cause anguish and terror
to come upon them suddenly.
9 The mother of seven grows faint and gasps for breath;
her sun has gone down while it is still day.
She sits childless now,
disgraced and humiliated.
And I will hand over those who are left
to be killed by the enemy.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
10 Then I said,
“What sorrow is mine, my mother.
Oh, that I had died at birth!
I am hated everywhere I go.
I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclose
nor a borrower who refuses to pay—
yet they all curse me.”
11 The Lord replied,
“I will take care of you, Jeremiah.
Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalf
in times of trouble and distress.
12 Can a man break a bar of iron from the north,
or a bar of bronze?
13 At no cost to them,
I will hand over your wealth and treasures
as plunder to your enemies,
for sin runs rampant in your land.
14 I will tell your enemies to take you
as captives to a foreign land.
For my anger blazes like a fire
that will burn forever.[b]”
15 Then I said,
“Lord, you know what’s happening to me.
Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors!
Please give me time; don’t let me die young.
It’s for your sake that I am suffering.
16 When I discovered your words, I devoured them.
They are my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
17 I never joined the people in their merry feasts.
I sat alone because your hand was on me.
I was filled with indignation at their sins.
18 Why then does my suffering continue?
Why is my wound so incurable?
Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook,
like a spring that has gone dry.”
19 This is how the Lord responds:
“If you return to me, I will restore you
so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
do not let them influence you!
20 They will fight against you like an attacking army,
but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze.
They will not conquer you,
for I am with you to protect and rescue you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
21 Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men.
I will rescue you from their cruel hands.”
Jeremiah Forbidden to Marry
16 The Lord gave me another message. He said, 2 “Do not get married or have children in this place. 3 For this is what the Lord says about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers: 4 They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.”
Judah’s Coming Punishment
5 This is what the Lord says: “Do not go to funerals to mourn and show sympathy for these people, for I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy. 6 Both the great and the lowly will die in this land. No one will bury them or mourn for them. Their friends will not cut themselves in sorrow or shave their heads in sadness. 7 No one will offer a meal to comfort those who mourn for the dead—not even at the death of a mother or father. No one will send a cup of wine to console them.
8 “And do not go to their feasts and parties. Do not eat and drink with them at all. 9 For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: In your own lifetime, before your very eyes, I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in this land. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard.
10 “When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against the Lord our God?’
11 “Then you will give them the Lord’s reply: ‘It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word. 12 And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been. There you can worship idols day and night—and I will grant you no favors!’
Hope despite the Disaster
14 “But the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when people who are taking an oath will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ 15 Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ For I will bring them back to this land that I gave their ancestors.
16 “But now I am sending for many fishermen who will catch them,” says the Lord. “I am sending for hunters who will hunt them down in the mountains, hills, and caves. 17 I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me. 18 I will double their punishment for all their sins, because they have defiled my land with lifeless images of their detestable gods and have filled my territory with their evil deeds.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer of Confidence
19 Lord, you are my strength and fortress,
my refuge in the day of trouble!
Nations from around the world
will come to you and say,
“Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage,
for they worshiped worthless idols.
20 Can people make their own gods?
These are not real gods at all!”
21 The Lord says,
“Now I will show them my power;
now I will show them my might.
At last they will know and understand
that I am the Lord.
Judah’s Sin and Punishment
17 “The sin of Judah
is inscribed with an iron chisel—
engraved with a diamond point on their stony hearts
and on the corners of their altars.
2 Even their children go to worship
at their pagan altars and Asherah poles,
beneath every green tree
and on every high hill.
3 So I will hand over my holy mountain—
along with all your wealth and treasures
and your pagan shrines—
as plunder to your enemies,
for sin runs rampant in your land.
4 The wonderful possession I have reserved for you
will slip from your hands.
I will tell your enemies to take you
as captives to a foreign land.
For my anger blazes like a fire
that will burn forever.”
Wisdom from the Lord
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength
and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.
7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.
9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve.”
Jeremiah’s Trust in the Lord
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs she has not laid,
so are those who get their wealth by unjust means.
At midlife they will lose their riches;
in the end, they will become poor old fools.
12 But we worship at your throne—
eternal, high, and glorious!
13 O Lord, the hope of Israel,
all who turn away from you will be disgraced.
They will be buried in the dust of the earth,
for they have abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living water.
14 O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed;
if you save me, I will be truly saved.
My praises are for you alone!
15 People scoff at me and say,
“What is this ‘message from the Lord’ you talk about?
Why don’t your predictions come true?”
16 Lord, I have not abandoned my job
as a shepherd for your people.
I have not urged you to send disaster.
You have heard everything I’ve said.
17 Lord, don’t terrorize me!
You alone are my hope in the day of disaster.
18 Bring shame and dismay on all who persecute me,
but don’t let me experience shame and dismay.
Bring a day of terror on them.
Yes, bring double destruction upon them!
Observing the Sabbath
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand in the gates of Jerusalem, first in the gate where the king goes in and out, and then in each of the other gates. 20 Say to all the people, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and all you people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem. 21 This is what the Lord says: Listen to my warning! Stop carrying on your trade at Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day. 22 Do not do your work on the Sabbath, but make it a holy day. I gave this command to your ancestors, 23 but they did not listen or obey. They stubbornly refused to pay attention or accept my discipline.
24 “‘But if you obey me, says the Lord, and do not carry on your trade at the gates or work on the Sabbath day, and if you keep it holy, 25 then kings and their officials will go in and out of these gates forever. There will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem. Kings and their officials will always ride in and out among the people of Judah in chariots and on horses, and this city will remain forever. 26 And from all around Jerusalem, from the towns of Judah and Benjamin, from the western foothills[c] and the hill country and the Negev, the people will come with their burnt offerings and sacrifices. They will bring their grain offerings, frankincense, and thanksgiving offerings to the Lord’s Temple.
27 “‘But if you do not listen to me and refuse to keep the Sabbath holy, and if on the Sabbath day you bring loads of merchandise through the gates of Jerusalem just as on other days, then I will set fire to these gates. The fire will spread to the palaces, and no one will be able to put out the roaring flames.’”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
