Beginning
4 The Lord says this:
‘People of Israel, you should return to me.
If you want to do that,
you must throw away your idols.
Remove those disgusting things
and do not turn away from me again.
2 You must be honest and do what is right.
You must do what you promise to do.
You can show that your promise is true
when you add, “As surely as the Lord is alive.”
Then other nations will see that I have blessed you.
They will pray that I will bless them too.
and they will praise me.’
3 The Lord says this to the people of Jerusalem and all Judah:
‘Prepare yourselves, like a farmer who ploughs his fields.
Do not plant your seeds where weeds are growing.
4 Give yourselves to me, the Lord,
and agree to serve me faithfully.
Remove from your lives everything that is not right,
so that you obey my covenant.
If you do not do that,
I will be very angry with you.
I will punish you like a hot fire that destroys things.
Nobody will be able to stop my anger.
People of Judah and Jerusalem,
if you continue to do wicked things,
I will certainly punish you.’
An enemy will attack from the north
5 The Lord said:
‘Shout this message to the people in Jerusalem and in all Judah:
“Make a loud noise with trumpets in all the land!”
Shout loudly, “Come together!
We must all run to the cities with strong walls!”
6 Lift up a flag that shows the way to Zion!
Run quickly to a safe place! Do not wait!
I will soon bring great trouble from the north.
An enemy will destroy your country.
7 Yes, a strong army is coming,
like a lion that has left its cave.[a]
It has come out to destroy many nations.
It will attack your whole land.
Your cities will become heaps of stones,
and nobody will live in them.
8 So wear rough sackcloth!
Weep and cry aloud.
Say, “The Lord is still very angry with us.” ’
9 The Lord says:
‘When this happens, the king and his officers will be afraid.
The priests will shake with fear.
The prophets will be unable to speak.’
10 Then I said, ‘Lord God, that is terrible! You have deceived the people of Judah and Jerusalem. You told them, “You will live in peace.” But now an enemy is ready to attack us!’
11 The Lord will tell the people at that time, ‘A hot wind will blow from the hills in the desert. It will not be a little wind that blows chaff from wheat. It will be a strong storm that blows away the people that I love. 12 I will send a strong wind of punishment on my people.’
13 Look! The enemy army is coming like dark clouds!
Their chariots make the noise of a storm.
Their horses move faster than eagles in the sky.
Terrible trouble has come. We will all die!
14 People of Jerusalem, remove the evil things from your lives.
Then the Lord may save you.
Do not continue to have wicked ideas.
15 People are bringing a message from Dan
and from the hill country of Ephraim.
The message says that great trouble is coming.[b]
16 They say, ‘Warn all the nations that the enemy is coming!’
Shout this message in Jerusalem:
‘An army is coming from a country that is far away.
They will attack the towns in Judah.
17 Their soldiers are all around Jerusalem's walls,
like guards around a farmer's field.’
The Lord says, ‘This will happen because the people of Judah have turned against me. 18 I will punish you very much, because that is what you deserve. You have lived in a wicked way and you have done evil things. My punishment will give you pain that goes all through you.’
Jeremiah is very upset
19 I am so upset!
My body is shaking with pain.
My heart beats hard inside me.
I cannot keep still.
I cannot keep quiet.
I have heard the noise of the enemy's trumpets
and the shouts of their soldiers.
20 They are winning one battle after another!
They are destroying the whole land.
Our homes are becoming heaps of stones.
They quickly knock down our tents.
21 How long will our enemy continue to attack us?
How long will I see their flags and hear their trumpets?
22 The Lord says,
‘My people are fools.
They do not know me.
They are like children who do not know anything.
They understand nothing.
They are very clever at doing evil things.
But they do not know how to do what is good.’
Jeremiah's vision
23 I looked at the earth.
It had no shape and it was empty.
I looked at the sky.
Its light had disappeared.
24 I looked at the mountains.
They were shaking.
All the hills were moving around.
25 When I looked, I saw no people.
All the birds had flown away.
26 The land where crops had grown was now a desert.
All the cities had become heaps of stones.
The Lord had caused this to happen
because he was very angry.
27 The Lord had said,
‘The whole land will become like a desert,
but I will not completely destroy it.
28 So the earth will be sad and weep.
The sky will become dark.[c]
I have said what I will do.
And I will not change my thoughts.
I will do as I have decided.’
29 When the enemy attacks a town,
the people will run away to escape.
The enemy soldiers will ride on horses,
and they will shoot arrows.
When the people hear them,
some of them will hide among trees.
Some of them will climb up among the rocks.
All the towns will become empty.
Nobody will live in them.
30 Yes, Jerusalem, an enemy has destroyed you!
You tried to make friends,
like a woman who wears a beautiful dress.
You wore your gold and your jewels.
You painted around your eyes.
But all that has not helped you.
The nations that you wanted to be your lovers have turned against you.
Now they want to kill you.
31 I can hear people who are calling out.
It sounds like a woman who is giving birth to her first baby.
She is calling out with great pain.
It is Jerusalem who is crying!
She is calling out for help.
She says, ‘Help me! I am very weak.
These murderers have come to kill me!’
Punishment for Judah's people
5 The Lord said,
‘Run along all the streets of Jerusalem.
Look carefully all around you.
Look in all the public places of the city.
Try to find one person who is honest.
Try to find one person who wants to know the truth.
If you find one person like that,
I will forgive all the people in the city.
2 They make promises and they say,
“I will do it, as surely as the Lord lives.”
But what they say is all lies.’
3 Lord, you want people to be honest and true.
You have punished your people,
but they did not feel any pain.
You nearly destroyed them,
but they still refuse to change.
Their minds have become as hard as rock.
They refuse to turn back to you.
4 I thought, ‘These are poor, foolish people.
They do not understand what the Lord wants them to do.
They do not know his commands.
5 So I will go to speak to the leaders.
They will surely understand what the Lord wants.
They will know his commands.’
But all of them have turned against the Lord too.
They refuse to obey his authority.
6 So lions will come out of the forest to attack them.
Wolves will come from the desert to destroy them.
Leopards will wait outside their cities.
They will kill anyone who goes outside.[d]
That will happen because the people have turned against the Lord.
They have done many bad things.
7 The Lord said,
‘Jerusalem, I have to punish you.
Your people have turned away from me.
They have served gods that are not true gods.
I gave them everything that they needed.
But they left me, like a wife who leaves her husband.
The men hurry to the houses of prostitutes.
8 They are like strong male horses.
They cannot wait to have sex with another man's wife.’
9 The Lord says this:
‘I must punish them for what they have done.
I will pay back this wicked nation for their sins.’
10 The Lord says this to Judah's enemies:
‘March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah,
and destroy the vines.
But do not destroy them completely.
Pull the branches from the trees.
Do this, because these people do not belong to the Lord.[e]
11 The people of Israel and Judah have turned against me.
12 They have told lies about the Lord.
They have said, “He will not punish us!
No trouble will come to us.
There will be no war. There will be no famine.
13 The prophets speak empty words.
They do not speak the Lord's messages.
The troubles that they talk about should happen to them, not us!” ’
14 Because of that, the Lord God Almighty said to me,
‘That is what the people are saying.
So I will give you a strong message to speak to them.
It will be like fire that comes out of your mouth.
And the people will burn like wood in that fire.’
15 The Lord says this:
‘Listen to me, you people of Israel.
I will bring an army to attack you.
They will come from a nation that is far away.
It is a strong nation that started long ago.
You do not know their language.
You cannot understand what they say.
16 They are all brave soldiers.
They shoot arrows that will kill you.
17 They will eat all the crops in your fields
and the food that you have stored.
They will take your sons and your daughters for themselves.
They will kill your sheep and your cows for food.
They will eat all your grapes and your figs.
They will attack your strong cities
where you thought you would be safe.
Their soldiers will knock down the walls.’
18 But the Lord says this: ‘Even at that time, I will not destroy you completely. 19 So, Jeremiah, the people may ask you, “Why has the Lord our God done this to us?” Then tell them, “It is because you have turned away from me. You have chosen to serve foreign gods in your own land. So now you will have to serve foreign people and their gods in a land that is not your own land.”
20 Tell this message to the descendants of Jacob.
Shout it everywhere in Judah.
21 Tell them, “Hear this message,
you foolish and stupid people.
You have eyes, but you do not see properly.
You have ears, but you do not hear properly.” ’
22 The Lord says, ‘You should respect me and obey me.
You should shake with fear when you come to me.
I made the sand as an edge for the sea.
It is like a wall that the sea cannot cross.
The sea's waves may attack the shore,
but it cannot go further than that edge.
23 But these people do not obey me, as the waves do.
They have turned away from me.
They have chosen to go their own way.
24 They do not say to themselves,
“We should respect the Lord our God.
He sends rain for us in the autumn and in the spring.
He makes sure that we have a harvest from our crops.”
25 But instead, your sins have stopped these good things.
You have not received God's blessing.
26 There are wicked men among my people.
They like to catch people and rob them.
They hide like someone who wants to catch a bird.
They put out their traps to kill what they want.
27 Their houses are full of valuable things,
like a trap that is full of beautiful birds.
They have cheated people
and they have robbed them.
That is how they have become rich and powerful.
28 They are very fat and healthy.
They will never stop doing evil things.
They do not help poor people or children who have no family.
They do not try to get justice for them.’
29 The Lord says,
‘I will certainly punish them for what they have done.
I will pay back this wicked nation for their sins.
30 A terrible thing is happening in the land of Judah.
31 The prophets speak messages that are not true.
The priests make their own rules for people to obey.
And my people love to live like this!
But when all this comes to an end,
my people will be helpless!’
Jeremiah warns the people of Jerusalem
6 You descendants of Benjamin,
you must run away to be safe!
Escape from Jerusalem!
Make a noise with a trumpet in Tekoa!
Light a fire to warn people in Beth-Hakkerem!
A great army is coming from the north.
It will come to destroy everything!
2 Jerusalem is a beautiful city,
like a daughter that I love.
She cannot protect herself,
and I will destroy her.
3 Kings will come to attack the city.
They will bring their armies,
like shepherds with their sheep.
They will make their camps all around the city.
Each of them will take their own piece of land.
4 They will say to their soldiers,
‘Get ready to attack the city!
We will attack at noon!’
But if the day is almost finished, they will say,
‘It is already evening and it will soon be dark.
5 So we should attack them in the night.
We will destroy all their strong buildings!’
6 This will happen because Lord Almighty has said,
‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem.
Use them to build towers to the top of the city's walls.
I must punish Jerusalem.
It is full of cruel people.
7 They never stop doing wicked things,
like water that pours out from a spring.
It is full of the noise of violence and fights.
Everywhere I see people who have disease and wounds.
8 Listen to me as I warn you, Jerusalem.
If not, I will turn away from you.
I will destroy you completely.
Nobody will live on your land any more.’
9 The Lord Almighty said this:
‘I will let the enemy take all the people from Israel,
like a farmer who picks all the grapes from his vine.
So check the vines carefully,
to see if there are some grapes that you can save.’
10 I replied,
‘If I speak to people and I warn them,
nobody will listen to me.
They have shut their ears so that they cannot hear.
They hate the Lord's message.
They do not want to hear it.
11 I am as angry with them as you are, Lord.
I can no longer control my anger.’
The Lord replied,
‘Tell everyone how angry you are!
Tell the children who play in the streets,
Tell the young men who meet together.
Include all the men and their wives,
as well as the old people, and those who are near to death.
12 I will give their houses to other people to live in.
Other people will take their fields and their wives.
Yes, I will punish the people who live in this land.’
That is what the Lord says.
13 ‘They all cheat other people to get what they want.
Important people and ordinary people do that.
Prophets and priests do that.
They love to deceive people.
14 They tell my people that their wounds are not bad.
They say to them,
“No problem! You will have peace!”
But there will be no peace for my people.
15 They are not ashamed of the disgusting things that they do.
They do not even know what shame is.
They have forgotten how to be ashamed.
So they will fall to the ground,
as other people have fallen.
When I decide to punish them,
that will be the end of them.’
That is what the Lord says.
16 The Lord said to his people,
‘Stand at the place where the roads cross,
and look carefully.
Ask where the ways of your ancestors are.[f]
Find the good way, and go along that way.
Then you will live in peace.’
But the people said, ‘No, we will not go that way. ’
17 The Lord said,
‘I sent my prophets to warn you of danger.
They said, “Listen for the noise of the trumpet!
That will tell you when danger is near.”
But you said, “We do not want to listen.”
18 So listen to me, all you nations.
Look carefully!
See what will happen to my people.
19 Hear me, all people on the earth.
I will cause great trouble for my people.
I will punish them as a result of their wrong thoughts.
They have not listened to my messages.
They have turned against my law.
20 They may offer to me sweet incense that comes from Sheba.
But that does not please me.
The spices that they bring from lands far away
do not please me either.
I will not accept the burnt offerings or other sacrifices
that they offer to me.’
21 So this is what the Lord says:
‘I will send troubles to make these people fall down.
Fathers and their children will all fall to the ground.
Their friends and their neighbours will die.’
22 This is what the Lord says:
‘Look! An army is coming from the north.
A great nation is preparing to attack you
from a place that is far away.
23 Its soldiers carry bows and spears as their weapons.
They are always cruel and they are never kind.
They ride into the battle on their horses,
and it sounds like the noise of the sea.
They are ready to attack you,
people of Jerusalem.’
24 The people say,
‘We have heard news about them,
and we are very frightened.
We feel too weak to fight.
We are afraid and in pain,
like a woman who is giving birth.
25 Do not go out into the fields.
Do not travel on the roads.
Our enemies are everywhere.
They have their swords ready to attack us.
Danger is all around us.’
26 So I say, ‘My dear people, show that you are sorry.
Wear sackcloth and sit in ashes.
Weep and cry aloud,
as if your only child had died.
Realize that the enemy's army will soon be here
and they are ready to destroy us.’
27 The Lord said to me,
‘I have sent you to test my people.
Test them like someone tests metal.
Watch them carefully,
to see how they live.
28 They have completely turned against God.
They refuse to change their minds.
They tell lies against people,
and they cheat them.
29 A very hot fire can remove the dirt from silver
and make it pure.
I punish my people to make them pure,
but it is useless.
There are too many wicked people,
so I cannot make them pure.
30 I, the Lord, cannot accept them,
so they are like useless silver.’
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