The Drought

14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(A)

Judah mourns;
her gates languish.(B)
Her people are on the ground in mourning;
Jerusalem’s cry rises up.(C)
Their nobles send their servants[a] for water.
They go to the cisterns;
they find no water;
their containers return empty.
They are ashamed and humiliated;
they cover their heads.(D)
The ground is cracked
since no rain has fallen on the land.
The farmers are ashamed;(E)
they cover their heads.
Even the doe in the field
gives birth and abandons her fawn
since there is no grass.
Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(F)
panting for air like jackals.
Their eyes fail
because there are no green plants.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 14:3 Lit little ones

Destruction on the horizon

14 The Lord’s word to Jeremiah concerning the droughts:

Judah mourns;
    her gates wither away.
The people fall to the ground in sorrow,
    as sobs of Jerusalem ascend.
The rich send their servants for water,
    but the wells run dry.
They return with empty jars,
    ashamed, bewildered, and in despair.
Because the ground is cracked due to lack of rain,
    the farmers too are ashamed;
    they cover their heads.
Even the doe in the field
    abandons her newborn,
    for there’s no grass.
The wild donkeys stand on the well-traveled paths,
    panting like thirsty dogs;
        they go blind
        since there’s nothing to eat.

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