Jeremiah 7:18-26

English Standard Version

¹⁸ The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, ^(A)and the women knead dough, to ^(B)make cakes for ^(C)the queen of heaven. And ^(D)they pour out drink offerings to other gods, ^(E)to provoke me to anger. ^19 (F)Is it I whom they provoke? declares the Lord. Is it not themselves, ^(G)to their own shame? ²⁰ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, ^(H)my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; ^(I)it will burn and not be quenched.”

²¹ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(J)“Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. ²² For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them ^(K)concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. ²³ But this command I gave them: ^(L)‘Obey my voice, and ^(M)I will be your God, and you shall be my people. ^(N)And walk in all the way that I command you, ^(O)that it may be well with you.’ ^24 (P)But they did not obey or incline their ear, ^(Q)but walked in their own counsels and ^(R)the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and ^(S)went backward and not forward. ²⁵ From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, ^(T)I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. ^26 (U)Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, ^(V)but stiffened their neck. ^(W)They did worse than their fathers.