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Jeremiah 15-18
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah 15-18
New American Standard Bible
Judgment Must Come
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Even (A)if (B)Moses and (C)Samuel were to (D)stand before Me, My [a]heart would not be [b]with this people. (E)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 (F)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 (G)appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the Lord: “the sword to kill, the (H)dogs to drag away, and the (I)birds of the sky and the animals of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will (J)make them an object of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of (K)Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “Indeed, who will have (L)pity on you, Jerusalem,
Or who will (M)mourn for you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
6 You who have (N)forsaken Me,” declares the Lord,
“You keep (O)going backward.
So I will (P)stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am (Q)tired of relenting!
7 I will (R)winnow them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will (S)bereave them of children, I will destroy My people;
(T)They did not [c]repent of their ways.
8 Their (U)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 (V)destroyer at noon;
I will suddenly bring down on her
Shock and horror.
9 She who (W)gave birth to seven sons withers away;
[d]Her breathing is labored.
Her (X)sun has set while it was still day;
She has been (Y)shamed and humiliated.
So I will (Z)turn over their survivors to the sword
Before their enemies,” declares the Lord.
10 (AA)Woe to me, my mother, that you have given birth to me
As a (AB)man of strife and a man of contention to all the land!
I have not (AC)lent, nor have people lent money to me,
Yet everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said, “I will certainly (AD)set you free for purposes of good;
I will certainly make the (AE)enemy plead with you
In a time of disaster and a time of distress.
12 “Can anyone smash iron,
(AF)Iron from the north, or bronze?
13 I will give your (AG)wealth and your treasures
As plunder (AH)without cost,
For all your sins
And within all your borders.
14 Then I will make your enemies bring your possessions
Into a (AI)land that you do not know;
For a (AJ)fire has been kindled in My anger,
And it will burn upon you.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer and God’s Answer
15 (AK)You know, Lord;
Remember me, take notice of me,
And (AL)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;
Know that (AM)for Your sake I endure reproach.
16 Your words were found and I (AN)ate them,
And Your (AO)words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart;
For I have been (AP)called by Your name,
Lord God of armies.
17 I (AQ)did not sit in a circle of revelers and celebrate.
Because of Your hand upon me I sat (AR)alone,
For You (AS)filled me with indignation.
18 Why has my pain been endless
And my (AT)wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
Will You indeed be to me (AU)like a deceptive stream
With water that is unreliable?
19 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“(AV)If you return, then I will restore you—
(AW)You will stand before Me;
And (AX)if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become [e]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 (AY)make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze;
And though they fight against you,
They will not prevail over you;
For (AZ)I am with you to save you
And rescue you,” declares the Lord.
21 “So I will (BA)rescue you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will (BB)redeem you from the [f]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 (BC)mothers who give birth to them, and their (BD)fathers who father them in this land: 4 “They will (BE)die of deadly diseases, they (BF)will not be mourned or buried; they will be like (BG)dung on the surface of the ground. And they will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the (BH)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 (BI)mourning, or go to mourn or to console them; for I have (BJ)withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares the Lord, “and My (BK)favor and compassion. 6 Both (BL)great people and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, people will not mourn for them, nor will anyone (BM)make cuts on himself or have his head (BN)shaved for them. 7 People will not (BO)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 (BP)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 (BQ)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, ‘(BR)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 (BS)because your forefathers have abandoned Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and have followed (BT)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 (BU)more than your forefathers; for behold, each one of you is following the (BV)stubbornness of his own (BW)evil heart, without listening to Me. 13 So I will (BX)hurl you off this land to the (BY)land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will (BZ)serve other gods day and night, because I will show you no compassion.’
God Will Restore Them
14 “(CA)Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives, who (CB)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 (CC)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 (CD)fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will fish for them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will (CE)hunt them (CF)from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. 17 (CG)For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, (CH)nor is their wrongdoing concealed from My eyes. 18 I will first repay them (CI)double for their wrongdoing and their sin, because they have (CJ)defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their (CK)detestable idols and their abominations.”
19 Lord, my (CL)strength and my stronghold,
And my (CM)refuge in the day of distress,
To You the (CN)nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but (CO)falsehood,
Futility, and [g](CP)things of no benefit.”
20 Can a person make gods for himself?
But they are (CQ)not gods!
21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—
This time I will (CR)make them know
My [h]power and My might;
And they will (CS)know that My name is the Lord.”
The Deceitful Heart
17 The (CT)sin of Judah is written with an (CU)iron stylus;
With a diamond point it is (CV)engraved on the tablet of their hearts
And on the horns of [i]their altars,
2 As they remember their (CW)children,
So they remember their altars and their [j](CX)Asherim
By (CY)green trees on the high hills.
3 (CZ)Mountain of Mine in the countryside,
I will (DA)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, (DB)let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your (DC)enemies
In the (DD)land which you do not know;
For you have (DE)kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“(DF)Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes (DG)flesh his [k]strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 For he will be like a (DH)bush in the desert,
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A (DI)land of salt that is not inhabited.
7 (DJ)Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose (DK)trust is the Lord.
8 For he will be like a (DL)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 (DM)drought,
Nor cease to yield fruit.
9 “The (DN)heart is more (DO)deceitful than all else
And is desperately (DP)sick;
Who can understand it?
10 I, the Lord, (DQ)search the heart,
I test the [l]mind,
(DR)To give to each person according to his ways,
According to the [m]results of his deeds.
11 As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is a person who (DS)makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the middle of his days it will abandon him,
And in [n]the end he will be a (DT)fool.”
12 (DU)A glorious throne on high from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, the (DV)hope of Israel,
All who (DW)abandon You will be put to shame.
Those who turn [o]away on earth will be (DX)written down,
Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, that is the Lord.
14 (DY)Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
(DZ)Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my (EA)praise.
15 Look, they keep (EB)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;
(EC)You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips
Was in Your presence.
17 Do not be a (ED)terror to me;
You are my (EE)refuge in a day of disaster.
18 Let those who persecute me be (EF)put to shame, but as for me, (EG)let me not be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed.
(EH)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 [p]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, ‘(EI)Listen to the word of the Lord, you (EJ)kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: “(EK)Take care for yourselves, and (EL)do not carry any [q]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 (EM)nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I (EN)commanded your [r]forefathers. 23 Yet they (EO)did not listen or incline their ears, but (EP)stiffened their necks so as not to listen or accept discipline.
24 “But it will come about, if you (EQ)give your attention to Me,” declares the Lord, “to (ER)bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, (ES)but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 (ET)then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and officials (EU)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 (EV)city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come in from the (EW)cities of Judah and from the areas surrounding Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the (EX)lowland, from the hill country, and from the (EY)Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27 But (EZ)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 (FA)I will set fire to its gates, and it will (FB)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and (FC)not go out.”’”
The Potter and the Clay
18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Arise and (FD)go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the (FE)clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (FF)uproot it, to tear it down, or to destroy it; 8 (FG)if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will (FH)relent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (FI)build up or to plant it; 10 if it does (FJ)evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will (FK)relent of the good with which I said [s]that I would bless it. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am (FL)forming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now (FM)turn back, each of you from his evil way, and [t]correct your ways and your deeds!”’ 12 But (FN)they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will [u]persist in the (FO)stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
‘(FP)Just ask among the nations,
Who ever heard anything like [v]this?
The (FQ)virgin of Israel
Has done a most (FR)appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 For (FS)My people have forgotten Me,
(FT)They burn incense [w]to worthless gods.
And they [x]have stumbled in their ways,
In the (FU)ancient roads,
To walk on paths,
Not on a (FV)highway,
16 To make their land a (FW)desolation,
An object of perpetual (FX)hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And (FY)shake his head.
17 Like an (FZ)east wind I will (GA)scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will [y]show them (GB)My back and not My face
(GC)In the day of their disaster.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let’s (GD)devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the (GE)Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor (GF)advice by the wise, nor the divine (GG)word by the prophet! Come, and let’s (GH)strike at him with our tongue, and let’s (GI)pay no attention to any of his words.”
19 Give Your attention to me, Lord,
And listen to [z]what my opponents are saying!
20 (GJ)Should good be repaid with evil?
For they have (GK)dug a pit for [aa]me.
Remember how I (GL)stood before You
To speak good in their behalf,
So as to turn Your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, (GM)give their children over to famine
And turn them over to the [ab]power of the sword;
And let their wives become (GN)childless and (GO)widowed.
Let their men also be slaughtered to death,
Their (GP)young men struck and killed by the sword in battle.
22 May a (GQ)cry be heard from their houses
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
(GR)For they have dug a pit to capture me
And (GS)hidden snares for my feet.
23 But You, Lord, know
All their [ac]deadly schemes against me;
(GT)Do not [ad]forgive their wrongdoing
Or wipe out their sin from Your sight.
But may they be [ae](GU)overthrown before You;
Deal with them in the (GV)time of Your anger!
Footnotes
- 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 18:10 Lit to do it good
- Jeremiah 18:11 Lit make good
- Jeremiah 18:12 Lit do the
- Jeremiah 18:13 Lit these
- Jeremiah 18:15 Lit to worthlessness
- Jeremiah 18:15 As in ancient versions; MT caused them to
- Jeremiah 18:17 As in ancient versions; MT look them in the back and not in the face
- Jeremiah 18:19 Lit the voice of my opponents
- Jeremiah 18:20 Lit my soul
- Jeremiah 18:21 Lit hands of
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit unto death
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit cover over, atone for
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit ones made to stumble
Jeremiah 15-18
New International Version
Jeremiah 15-18
New International Version
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(A) and Samuel(B) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(C) Send them away from my presence!(D) 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;(E)
those for starvation, to starvation;(F)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(G)
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers(H) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(I) to kill and the dogs(J) to drag away and the birds(K) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(L) 4 I will make them abhorrent(M) to all the kingdoms of the earth(N) because of what Manasseh(O) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who will have pity(P) on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will stop to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected(Q) me,” declares the Lord.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(R) and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.(S)
7 I will winnow(T) them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(U) and destruction on my people,(V)
for they have not changed their ways.(W)
8 I will make their widows(X) more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(Y)
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.(Z)
9 The mother of seven will grow faint(AA)
and breathe her last.(AB)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgraced(AC) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(AD)
before their enemies,”(AE)
declares the Lord.
10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(AF)
a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(AG)
I have neither lent(AH) nor borrowed,
yet everyone curses(AI) me.
11 The Lord said,
“Surely I will deliver you(AJ) for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies plead(AK) with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.
12 “Can a man break iron—
iron from the north(AL)—or bronze?
13 “Your wealth(AM) and your treasures
I will give as plunder,(AN) without charge,(AO)
because of all your sins
throughout your country.(AP)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
in[a] a land you do not know,(AQ)
for my anger will kindle a fire(AR)
that will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand;
remember me and care for me.
Avenge me on my persecutors.(AS)
You are long-suffering(AT)—do not take me away;
think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(AU)
16 When your words came, I ate(AV) them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(AW)
for I bear your name,(AX)
Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(AY) in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(AZ) was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?(BA)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails.(BB)
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve(BC) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.(BD)
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(BE) to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome(BF) you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”(BG)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(BH) you from the hands of the wicked(BI)
and deliver(BJ) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(BK)
Day of Disaster
16 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You must not marry(BL) and have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers:(BM) 4 “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried(BN) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(BO) They will perish by sword and famine,(BP) and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”(BQ)
5 For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity(BR) from this people,” declares the Lord. 6 “Both high and low will die in this land.(BS) They will not be buried or mourned,(BT) and no one will cut(BU) themselves or shave(BV) their head for the dead. 7 No one will offer food(BW) to comfort those who mourn(BX) for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console(BY) them.
8 “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.(BZ) 9 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds(CA) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride(CB) and bridegroom in this place.(CC)
10 “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’(CD) 11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped(CE) them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.(CF) 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors.(CG) See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts(CH) instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land(CI) into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known,(CJ) and there you will serve other gods(CK) day and night, for I will show you no favor.’(CL)
14 “However, the days are coming,”(CM) declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(CN) 15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north(CO) and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’(CP) For I will restore(CQ) them to the land I gave their ancestors.(CR)
16 “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them.(CS) After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt(CT) them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.(CU) 17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden(CV) from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.(CW) 18 I will repay(CX) them double(CY) for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land(CZ) with the lifeless forms of their vile images(DA) and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.(DB)”(DC)
19 Lord, my strength and my fortress,
my refuge(DD) in time of distress,
to you the nations will come(DE)
from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,(DF)
worthless idols(DG) that did them no good.(DH)
20 Do people make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!”(DI)
21 “Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name(DJ) is the Lord.
17 “Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool,(DK)
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their hearts(DL)
and on the horns(DM) of their altars.
2 Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles[b](DN)
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.(DO)
3 My mountain in the land
and your[c] wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,(DP)
together with your high places,(DQ)
because of sin throughout your country.(DR)
4 Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritance(DS) I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies(DT)
in a land(DU) you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burn(DV) forever.”
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,(DW)
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.(DX)
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places(DY) of the desert,
in a salt(DZ) land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed(EA) is the one who trusts(EB) in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.(EC)
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought(ED)
and never fails to bear fruit.”(EE)
9 The heart(EF) is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart(EG)
and examine the mind,(EH)
to reward(EI) each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”(EJ)
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
and in the end they will prove to be fools.(EK)
12 A glorious throne,(EL) exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are the hope(EM) of Israel;
all who forsake(EN) you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust(EO)
because they have forsaken the Lord,
the spring of living water.(EP)
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;(EQ)
save(ER) me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.(ES)
15 They keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it now be fulfilled!”(ET)
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips(EU) is open before you.
17 Do not be a terror(EV) to me;
you are my refuge(EW) in the day of disaster.(EX)
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but keep me from shame;
let them be terrified,
but keep me from terror.
Bring on them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction.(EY)
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People,[d] through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.(EZ) 20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem(FA) who come through these gates.(FB) 21 This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath(FC) day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.(FD) 23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention;(FE) they were stiff-necked(FF) and would not listen or respond to discipline.(FG) 24 But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy(FH) by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne(FI) will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.(FJ) 26 People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev,(FK) bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not obey(FL) me to keep the Sabbath(FM) day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire(FN) in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”(FO)
At the Potter’s House
18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay(FP) in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,(FQ) Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,(FR) torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent(FS) and not inflict on it the disaster(FT) I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built(FU) up and planted, 10 and if it does evil(FV) in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider(FW) the good I had intended to do for it.(FX)
11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster(FY) for you and devising a plan(FZ) against you. So turn(GA) from your evil ways,(GB) each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’(GC) 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use.(GD) We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.(GE)’”
13 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“Inquire among the nations:
Who has ever heard anything like this?(GF)
A most horrible(GG) thing has been done
by Virgin(GH) Israel.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon
ever vanish from its rocky slopes?
Do its cool waters from distant sources
ever stop flowing?[e]
15 Yet my people have forgotten(GI) me;
they burn incense(GJ) to worthless idols,(GK)
which made them stumble(GL) in their ways,
in the ancient paths.(GM)
They made them walk in byways,
on roads not built up.(GN)
16 Their land will be an object of horror(GO)
and of lasting scorn;(GP)
all who pass by will be appalled(GQ)
and will shake their heads.(GR)
17 Like a wind(GS) from the east,
I will scatter them before their enemies;
I will show them my back and not my face(GT)
in the day of their disaster.”
18 They said, “Come, let’s make plans(GU) against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest(GV) will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise,(GW) nor the word from the prophets.(GX) So come, let’s attack him with our tongues(GY) and pay no attention to anything he says.”
19 Listen to me, Lord;
hear what my accusers(GZ) are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?(HA)
Yet they have dug a pit(HB) for me.
Remember that I stood(HC) before you
and spoke in their behalf(HD)
to turn your wrath away from them.
21 So give their children over to famine;(HE)
hand them over to the power of the sword.(HF)
Let their wives be made childless and widows;(HG)
let their men be put to death,
their young men(HH) slain by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry(HI) be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit(HJ) to capture me
and have hidden snares(HK) for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, know
all their plots to kill(HL) me.
Do not forgive(HM) their crimes
or blot out their sins from your sight.
Let them be overthrown before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger.(HN)
Footnotes
- 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 17:2 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
- Jeremiah 17:3 Or hills / 3 and the mountains of the land. / Your
- Jeremiah 17:19 Or Army
- Jeremiah 18:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
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