“‘At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones(A) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed(B) from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served(C) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.(D) They will not be gathered up or buried,(E) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(F) Wherever I banish them,(G) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,(H) declares the Lord Almighty.’

Sin and Punishment

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?(I)
    When someone turns away,(J) do they not return?
Why then have these people turned away?
    Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(K)
    they refuse to return.(L)
I have listened(M) attentively,
    but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(N) of their wickedness,
    saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(O)
    like a horse charging into battle.
Even the stork in the sky
    knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
    observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know(P)
    the requirements of the Lord.

“‘How can you say, “We are wise,
    for we have the law(Q) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
    has handled it falsely?
The wise(R) will be put to shame;
    they will be dismayed(S) and trapped.(T)
Since they have rejected the word(U) of the Lord,
    what kind of wisdom(V) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
    and their fields to new owners.(W)
From the least to the greatest,
    all are greedy for gain;(X)
prophets(Y) and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.(Z)
11 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
    when there is no peace.(AA)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame(AB) at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when they are punished,(AC)
says the Lord.(AD)

13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
    There will be no grapes on the vine.(AE)
There will be no figs(AF) on the tree,
    and their leaves will wither.(AG)
What I have given them
    will be taken(AH) from them.[a]’”

14 Why are we sitting here?
    Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(AI)
    and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
    and given us poisoned water(AJ) to drink,
    because we have sinned(AK) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(AL)
    but no good has come,
for a time of healing
    but there is only terror.(AM)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(AN)
    is heard from Dan;(AO)
at the neighing of their stallions
    the whole land trembles.(AP)
They have come to devour(AQ)
    the land and everything in it,
    the city and all who live there.

17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(AR) among you,
    vipers that cannot be charmed,(AS)
    and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.

18 You who are my Comforter[b] in sorrow,
    my heart is faint(AT) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
    from a land far away:(AU)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
    Is her King(AV) no longer there?”

“Why have they aroused(AW) my anger with their images,
    with their worthless(AX) foreign idols?”(AY)

20 “The harvest is past,
    the summer has ended,
    and we are not saved.”

21 Since my people are crushed,(AZ) I am crushed;
    I mourn,(BA) and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?(BB)
    Is there no physician(BC) there?
Why then is there no healing(BD)
    for the wound of my people?

[c]Oh, that my head were a spring of water
    and my eyes a fountain of tears!(BE)
I would weep(BF) day and night
    for the slain of my people.(BG)
Oh, that I had in the desert(BH)
    a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
    and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,(BI)
    a crowd of unfaithful(BJ) people.

“They make ready their tongue
    like a bow, to shoot lies;(BK)
it is not by truth
    that they triumph[d] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
    they do not acknowledge(BL) me,”
declares the Lord.
“Beware of your friends;(BM)
    do not trust anyone in your clan.(BN)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[e](BO)
    and every friend a slanderer.(BP)
Friend deceives friend,(BQ)
    and no one speaks the truth.(BR)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(BS)
    they weary themselves with sinning.
You[f] live in the midst of deception;(BT)
    in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.

Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will refine(BU) and test(BV) them,
    for what else can I do
    because of the sin of my people?
Their tongue(BW) is a deadly arrow;
    it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(BX)
    but in their hearts they set traps(BY) for them.(BZ)
Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(CA) myself
    on such a nation as this?”

10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
    and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.(CB)
They are desolate and untraveled,
    and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(CC) have all fled
    and the animals are gone.

11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap(CD) of ruins,
    a haunt of jackals;(CE)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(CF)
    so no one can live there.”(CG)

12 Who is wise(CH) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?

13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.(CI) 14 Instead, they have followed(CJ) the stubbornness of their hearts;(CK) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food(CL) and drink poisoned water.(CM) 16 I will scatter them among nations(CN) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(CO) and I will pursue them with the sword(CP) until I have made an end of them.”(CQ)

17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Consider now! Call for the wailing women(CR) to come;
    send for the most skillful of them.
18 Let them come quickly
    and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
    and water streams from our eyelids.(CS)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
    ‘How ruined(CT) we are!
    How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
    because our houses are in ruins.’”

20 Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
    open your ears to the words of his mouth.(CU)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
    teach one another a lament.(CV)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(CW)
    and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
    and the young men(CX) from the public squares.

22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:

“‘Dead bodies will lie
    like dung(CY) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
    with no one to gather them.’”

23 This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom(CZ)
    or the strong boast of their strength(DA)
    or the rich boast of their riches,(DB)
24 but let the one who boasts boast(DC) about this:
    that they have the understanding to know(DD) me,
that I am the Lord,(DE) who exercises kindness,(DF)
    justice and righteousness(DG) on earth,
    for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh(DH) 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.[g](DI) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,(DJ) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(DK)

God and Idols(DL)

10 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. This is what the Lord says:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations(DM)
    or be terrified by signs(DN) in the heavens,
    though the nations are terrified by them.
For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
    they cut a tree out of the forest,
    and a craftsman(DO) shapes it with his chisel.(DP)
They adorn it with silver(DQ) and gold;
    they fasten it with hammer and nails
    so it will not totter.(DR)
Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
    their idols cannot speak;(DS)
they must be carried
    because they cannot walk.(DT)
Do not fear them;
    they can do no harm(DU)
    nor can they do any good.”(DV)

No one is like you,(DW) Lord;
    you are great,(DX)
    and your name is mighty in power.
Who should not fear(DY) you,
    King of the nations?(DZ)
    This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
    and in all their kingdoms,
    there is no one like you.

They are all senseless(EA) and foolish;(EB)
    they are taught by worthless wooden idols.(EC)
Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish(ED)
    and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have made(EE)
    is then dressed in blue and purple—
    all made by skilled workers.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
    he is the living God,(EF) the eternal King.(EG)
When he is angry,(EH) the earth trembles;(EI)
    the nations cannot endure his wrath.(EJ)

11 “Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish(EK) from the earth and from under the heavens.’”[h]

12 But God made(EL) the earth(EM) by his power;
    he founded the world by his wisdom(EN)
    and stretched out the heavens(EO) by his understanding.
13 When he thunders,(EP) the waters in the heavens roar;
    he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning(EQ) with the rain(ER)
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(ES)

14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
    every goldsmith is shamed(ET) by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(EU)
    they have no breath in them.
15 They are worthless,(EV) the objects of mockery;
    when their judgment comes, they will perish.
16 He who is the Portion(EW) of Jacob is not like these,
    for he is the Maker of all things,(EX)
including Israel, the people of his inheritance(EY)
    the Lord Almighty is his name.(EZ)

Coming Destruction

17 Gather up your belongings(FA) to leave the land,
    you who live under siege.
18 For this is what the Lord says:
    “At this time I will hurl(FB) out
    those who live in this land;
I will bring distress(FC) on them
    so that they may be captured.”

19 Woe to me because of my injury!
    My wound(FD) is incurable!
Yet I said to myself,
    “This is my sickness, and I must endure(FE) it.”
20 My tent(FF) is destroyed;
    all its ropes are snapped.
My children are gone from me and are no more;(FG)
    no one is left now to pitch my tent
    or to set up my shelter.
21 The shepherds(FH) are senseless(FI)
    and do not inquire of the Lord;(FJ)
so they do not prosper(FK)
    and all their flock is scattered.(FL)
22 Listen! The report is coming—
    a great commotion from the land of the north!(FM)
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,(FN)
    a haunt of jackals.(FO)

Jeremiah’s Prayer

23 Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;
    it is not for them to direct their steps.(FP)
24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—
    not in your anger,(FQ)
    or you will reduce me to nothing.(FR)
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations(FS)
    that do not acknowledge you,
    on the peoples who do not call on your name.(FT)
For they have devoured(FU) Jacob;
    they have devoured him completely
    and destroyed his homeland.(FV)

The Covenant Is Broken

11 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Listen to the terms of this covenant(FW) and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed(FX) is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt,(FY) out of the iron-smelting furnace.(FZ)’ I said, ‘Obey(GA) me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people,(GB) and I will be your God. Then I will fulfill the oath I swore(GC) to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’(GD)—the land you possess today.”

I answered, “Amen,(GE) Lord.”

The Lord said to me, “Proclaim(GF) all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow(GG) them. From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again,(GH) saying, “Obey me.” But they did not listen or pay attention;(GI) instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(GJ) So I brought on them all the curses(GK) of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.(GL)’”

Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy(GM) among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors,(GN) who refused to listen to my words.(GO) They have followed other gods(GP) to serve them.(GQ) Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant(GR) I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster(GS) they cannot escape.(GT) Although they cry(GU) out to me, I will not listen(GV) to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense,(GW) but they will not help them at all when disaster(GX) strikes. 13 You, Judah, have as many gods(GY) as you have towns;(GZ) and the altars you have set up to burn incense(HA) to that shameful(HB) god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’

14 “Do not pray(HC) for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen(HD) when they call to me in the time of their distress.

15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple
    as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
    Can consecrated meat(HE) avert your punishment?(HF)
When you engage in your wickedness,
    then you rejoice.[i]

16 The Lord called you a thriving olive tree(HG)
    with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
    he will set it on fire,(HH)
    and its branches will be broken.(HI)

17 The Lord Almighty, who planted(HJ) you, has decreed disaster(HK) for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused(HL) my anger by burning incense to Baal.(HM)

Plot Against Jeremiah

18 Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;(HN) I did not realize that they had plotted(HO) against me, saying,

“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
    let us cut him off from the land of the living,(HP)
    that his name be remembered(HQ) no more.”
20 But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously(HR)
    and test the heart(HS) and mind,(HT)
let me see your vengeance(HU) on them,
    for to you I have committed my cause.

21 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth(HV) who are threatening to kill you,(HW) saying, “Do not prophesy(HX) in the name of the Lord or you will die(HY) by our hands”— 22 therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men(HZ) will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23 Not even a remnant(IA) will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.(IB)

Jeremiah’s Complaint

12 You are always righteous,(IC) Lord,
    when I bring a case(ID) before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:(IE)
    Why does the way of the wicked prosper?(IF)
    Why do all the faithless live at ease?
You have planted(IG) them, and they have taken root;
    they grow and bear fruit.(IH)
You are always on their lips
    but far from their hearts.(II)
Yet you know me, Lord;
    you see me and test(IJ) my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep(IK) to be butchered!
    Set them apart for the day of slaughter!(IL)
How long will the land lie parched(IM)
    and the grass in every field be withered?(IN)
Because those who live in it are wicked,
    the animals and birds have perished.(IO)
Moreover, the people are saying,
    “He will not see what happens to us.”

God’s Answer

“If you have raced with men on foot
    and they have worn you out,
    how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[j] in safe country,
    how will you manage in the thickets(IP) by[k] the Jordan?
Your relatives, members of your own family—
    even they have betrayed you;
    they have raised a loud cry against you.(IQ)
Do not trust them,
    though they speak well of you.(IR)

“I will forsake(IS) my house,
    abandon(IT) my inheritance;
I will give the one I love(IU)
    into the hands of her enemies.(IV)
My inheritance has become to me
    like a lion(IW) in the forest.
She roars at me;
    therefore I hate her.(IX)
Has not my inheritance become to me
    like a speckled bird of prey
    that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
    bring them to devour.(IY)
10 Many shepherds(IZ) will ruin my vineyard
    and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
    into a desolate wasteland.(JA)
11 It will be made a wasteland,(JB)
    parched and desolate before me;(JC)
the whole land will be laid waste
    because there is no one who cares.
12 Over all the barren heights in the desert
    destroyers will swarm,
for the sword(JD) of the Lord(JE) will devour(JF)
    from one end of the land to the other;(JG)
    no one will be safe.(JH)
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
    they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.(JI)
They will bear the shame of their harvest
    because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”(JJ)

14 This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance(JK) I gave my people Israel, I will uproot(JL) them from their lands and I will uproot(JM) the people of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion(JN) and will bring(JO) each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. 16 And if they learn(JP) well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’(JQ)—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal(JR)—then they will be established among my people.(JS) 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy(JT) it,” declares the Lord.

A Linen Belt

13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist.

Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time:(JU) “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath[l](JV) and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.(JW)

Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.

Then the word of the Lord came to me: “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride(JX) of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen(JY) to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts(JZ) and go after other gods(KA) to serve and worship them,(KB) will be like this belt—completely useless!(KC) 11 For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown(KD) and praise and honor.(KE) But they have not listened.’(KF)

Wineskins

12 “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ 13 then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness(KG) all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. 14 I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the Lord. I will allow no pity(KH) or mercy or compassion(KI) to keep me from destroying(KJ) them.’”

Threat of Captivity

15 Hear and pay attention,
    do not be arrogant,
    for the Lord has spoken.(KK)
16 Give glory(KL) to the Lord your God
    before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(KM)
    on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
    but he will turn it to utter darkness
    and change it to deep gloom.(KN)
17 If you do not listen,(KO)
    I will weep in secret
    because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
    overflowing with tears,(KP)
    because the Lord’s flock(KQ) will be taken captive.(KR)

18 Say to the king(KS) and to the queen mother,(KT)
    “Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(KU)
    will fall from your heads.”
19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up,
    and there will be no one to open them.
All Judah(KV) will be carried into exile,
    carried completely away.

20 Look up and see
    those who are coming from the north.(KW)
Where is the flock(KX) that was entrusted to you,
    the sheep of which you boasted?
21 What will you say when the Lord sets over you
    those you cultivated as your special allies?(KY)
Will not pain grip you
    like that of a woman in labor?(KZ)
22 And if you ask yourself,
    “Why has this happened to me?”(LA)
it is because of your many sins(LB)
    that your skirts have been torn off(LC)
    and your body mistreated.(LD)
23 Can an Ethiopian[m] change his skin
    or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
    who are accustomed to doing evil.(LE)

24 “I will scatter you like chaff(LF)
    driven by the desert wind.(LG)
25 This is your lot,
    the portion(LH) I have decreed for you,”
declares the Lord,
“because you have forgotten(LI) me
    and trusted in false gods.(LJ)
26 I will pull up your skirts over your face
    that your shame may be seen(LK)
27 your adulteries and lustful neighings,
    your shameless prostitution!(LL)
I have seen your detestable acts
    on the hills and in the fields.(LM)
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
    How long will you be unclean?”(LN)

Drought, Famine, Sword

14 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(LO)

“Judah mourns,(LP)
    her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
    and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
The nobles send their servants for water;
    they go to the cisterns
    but find no water.(LQ)
They return with their jars unfilled;
    dismayed and despairing,
    they cover their heads.(LR)
The ground is cracked
    because there is no rain in the land;(LS)
the farmers are dismayed
    and cover their heads.
Even the doe in the field
    deserts her newborn fawn
    because there is no grass.(LT)
Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(LU)
    and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
    for lack of food.”(LV)

Although our sins testify(LW) against us,
    do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.(LX)
For we have often rebelled;(LY)
    we have sinned(LZ) against you.
You who are the hope(MA) of Israel,
    its Savior(MB) in times of distress,(MC)
why are you like a stranger in the land,
    like a traveler who stays only a night?
Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
    like a warrior powerless to save?(MD)
You are among(ME) us, Lord,
    and we bear your name;(MF)
    do not forsake(MG) us!

10 This is what the Lord says about this people:

“They greatly love to wander;
    they do not restrain their feet.(MH)
So the Lord does not accept(MI) them;
    he will now remember(MJ) their wickedness
    and punish them for their sins.”(MK)

11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray(ML) for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;(MM) though they offer burnt offerings(MN) and grain offerings,(MO) I will not accept(MP) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,(MQ) famine(MR) and plague.”(MS)

13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets(MT) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.(MU) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace(MV) in this place.’”

14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies(MW) in my name. I have not sent(MX) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,(MY) divinations,(MZ) idolatries[n] and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish(NA) by sword and famine.(NB) 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury(NC) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.(ND) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.(NE)

17 “Speak this word to them:

“‘Let my eyes overflow with tears(NF)
    night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin(NG) Daughter, my people,
    has suffered a grievous wound,
    a crushing blow.(NH)
18 If I go into the country,
    I see those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city,
    I see the ravages of famine.(NI)
Both prophet and priest
    have gone to a land they know not.(NJ)’”

19 Have you rejected Judah completely?(NK)
    Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
    so that we cannot be healed?(NL)
We hoped for peace
    but no good has come,
for a time of healing
    but there is only terror.(NM)
20 We acknowledge(NN) our wickedness, Lord,
    and the guilt of our ancestors;(NO)
    we have indeed sinned(NP) against you.
21 For the sake of your name(NQ) do not despise us;
    do not dishonor your glorious throne.(NR)
Remember your covenant(NS) with us
    and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols(NT) of the nations bring rain?(NU)
    Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
    Therefore our hope is in you,
    for you are the one who does all this.(NV)

15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(NW) and Samuel(NX) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(NY) Send them away from my presence!(NZ) Let them go! 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;(OA)
those for starvation, to starvation;(OB)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(OC)

“I will send four kinds of destroyers(OD) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(OE) to kill and the dogs(OF) to drag away and the birds(OG) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(OH) I will make them abhorrent(OI) to all the kingdoms of the earth(OJ) because of what Manasseh(OK) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.

“Who will have pity(OL) on you, Jerusalem?
    Who will mourn for you?
    Who will stop to ask how you are?
You have rejected(OM) me,” declares the Lord.
    “You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(ON) and destroy you;
    I am tired of holding back.(OO)
I will winnow(OP) them with a winnowing fork
    at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(OQ) and destruction on my people,(OR)
    for they have not changed their ways.(OS)
I will make their widows(OT) more numerous
    than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(OU)
    against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
    anguish and terror.(OV)
The mother of seven will grow faint(OW)
    and breathe her last.(OX)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
    she will be disgraced(OY) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(OZ)
    before their enemies,”(PA)
declares the Lord.

10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(PB)
    a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(PC)
I have neither lent(PD) nor borrowed,
    yet everyone curses(PE) me.

11 The Lord said,

“Surely I will deliver you(PF) for a good purpose;
    surely I will make your enemies plead(PG) with you
    in times of disaster and times of distress.

12 “Can a man break iron—
    iron from the north(PH)—or bronze?

13 “Your wealth(PI) and your treasures
    I will give as plunder,(PJ) without charge,(PK)
because of all your sins
    throughout your country.(PL)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
    in[o] a land you do not know,(PM)
for my anger will kindle a fire(PN)
    that will burn against you.”

15 Lord, you understand;
    remember me and care for me.
    Avenge me on my persecutors.(PO)
You are long-suffering(PP)—do not take me away;
    think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(PQ)
16 When your words came, I ate(PR) them;
    they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(PS)
for I bear your name,(PT)
    Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(PU) in the company of revelers,
    never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(PV) was on me
    and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
    and my wound grievous and incurable?(PW)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
    like a spring that fails.(PX)

19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“If you repent, I will restore you
    that you may serve(PY) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
    you will be my spokesman.(PZ)
Let this people turn to you,
    but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(QA) to this people,
    a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
    but will not overcome(QB) you,
for I am with you
    to rescue and save you,”(QC)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(QD) you from the hands of the wicked(QE)
    and deliver(QF) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(QG)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
  2. Jeremiah 8:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  3. Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
  4. Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
  5. Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
  6. Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
  7. Jeremiah 9:26 Or wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads
  8. Jeremiah 10:11 The text of this verse is in Aramaic.
  9. Jeremiah 11:15 Or Could consecrated meat avert your punishment? / Then you would rejoice
  10. Jeremiah 12:5 Or you feel secure only
  11. Jeremiah 12:5 Or the flooding of
  12. Jeremiah 13:4 Or possibly to the Euphrates; similarly in verses 5-7
  13. Jeremiah 13:23 Hebrew Cushite (probably a person from the upper Nile region)
  14. Jeremiah 14:14 Or visions, worthless divinations
  15. 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

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