Bible in 90 Days
19 I will set a (A)sign among them and will send those who have escaped from them to the nations: (B)Tarshish, [a]Put, (C)Lud, [b]Meshech, (D)Tubal, and [c]Javan, to the distant (E)coastlands that have neither heard My report nor seen My glory. And they will (F)declare My glory among the nations. 20 Then they shall (G)bring all your brothers from all the nations as a grain offering to Yahweh, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, and on camels, to My (H)holy mountain Jerusalem,” says Yahweh, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a (I)clean vessel to the house of Yahweh. 21 I will also take some of them for (J)priests and for Levites,” says Yahweh.
22 “For just as the (K)new heavens and the new earth
Which I make will endure before Me,” declares Yahweh,
“So your (L)seed and your (M)name will endure.
23 And it shall be from (N)new moon to new moon
And from sabbath to sabbath,
All [d]mankind will come to (O)worship before Me,” says Yahweh.
24 “Then they will go forth and look
On the (P)corpses of the men
Who have [e](Q)transgressed against Me.
For their (R)worm will not die
(S)And their fire will not be quenched;
And they will be an object of (T)contempt to all [f]mankind.”
Yahweh Sends Jeremiah the Prophet
1 The words of (U)Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in (V)Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of [g]Yahweh came in the days of (W)Josiah the son of (X)Amon, king of Judah, in the (Y)thirteenth year of his reign. 3 And it came in the days of (Z)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of (AA)Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
4 Now the word of Yahweh came to me saying,
5 “Before I (AB)formed you in the [h]innermost parts I knew you,
And (AC)before you came out from the womb I set you apart;
I have (AD)given you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then (AE)I said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh!
Behold, I do not know how to speak
Because (AF)I am a youth.”
7 But Yahweh said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
(AG)Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And (AH)all that I command you, you shall speak.
8 (AI)Do not be afraid of them,
For (AJ)I am with you to deliver you,” declares Yahweh.
9 Then Yahweh sent forth His hand and (AK)touched my mouth, and Yahweh said to me,
“Behold, I have (AL)put My words in your mouth.
10 See, (AM)I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
(AN)To uproot and to tear down,
To cause to perish and to pull down,
(AO)To build and to plant.”
The Almond Rod and Boiling Pot
11 Now the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “What do you see, (AP)Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of an [i]almond tree.” 12 Then Yahweh said to me, “You have seen well, for (AQ)I am [j]watching over My word to do it.”
13 The word of Yahweh came to me a second time saying, “(AR)What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling (AS)pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then Yahweh said to me, “(AT)From the north the evil [k]will break open on all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, behold, I am calling (AU)all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares Yahweh; “and they will come, and each one of them will (AV)put his throne at the opening of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about and against all the (AW)cities of Judah. 16 I will speak My judgments on them concerning all their evil, whereby they have (AX)forsaken Me and have (AY)burned incense to other gods and worshiped the (AZ)works of their own hands. 17 Now, (BA)gird up your loins and arise and speak to them all which I command you. (BB)Do not be dismayed before them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 Now behold, I have given you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests, and to the people of the land. 19 And they will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for (BC)I am with you to deliver you,” declares Yahweh.
Judah Transgresses Against Yahweh
2 Now the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 2 “Go and (BD)call out in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh,
“I remember concerning you the (BE)lovingkindness of your youth,
The love of your betrothals,
(BF)Your walking after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
3 Israel was (BG)holy to Yahweh,
The (BH)first of His produce.
(BI)All who ate of it became guilty;
Evil came upon them,” declares Yahweh.’”
4 Hear the word of Yahweh, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says Yahweh,
“(BJ)What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me
And walked after (BK)vanity and became vain?
6 They did not say, ‘Where is Yahweh
Who (BL)brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who (BM)led us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of the shadow of death,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no man inhabited?’
7 I brought you into the (BN)fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and (BO)defiled My land,
And My inheritance you made an abomination.
8 The (BP)priests did not say, ‘Where is Yahweh?’
And those who handle the law (BQ)did not know Me;
The [l]shepherds also transgressed against Me,
And the (BR)prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after (BS)things that did not profit.
9 “Therefore I will yet (BT)contend with you,” declares Yahweh,
“And with your sons’ sons I will contend.
10 For (BU)cross to the coastlands of [m]Kittim and see,
And send to (BV)Kedar and perceive closely
And see if there has been such a thing as this!
11 Has a nation changed gods
Though (BW)they were not gods?
But My people have (BX)changed their glory
For that which does not profit.
12 Be appalled, (BY)O heavens, at this,
And be horribly afraid, be very devastated,” declares Yahweh.
13 “For My people have done two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The (BZ)fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves (CA)cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.
14 “Is Israel (CB)a slave? Or is he a homeborn slave?
Why has he become plunder?
15 The young (CC)lions have roared at him;
They have given forth their voice.
And they have (CD)made his land a desolation;
His cities have been turned into ruin, without inhabitant.
16 Also the [n]men of (CE)Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have [o]shaved the (CF)top of your head.
17 Have you not (CG)done this to yourself
By your forsaking Yahweh your God
When He (CH)led you in the way?
18 But now what are you doing (CI)on the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of the [p](CJ)Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
To drink the waters of the [q]River?
19 (CK)Your own evil will chastise you,
And your (CL)acts of faithlessness will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and (CM)bitter
For you to forsake Yahweh your God,
And (CN)the dread of Me is not in you,” declares Lord Yahweh of hosts.
20 “For long ago [r](CO)I broke your yoke
And tore off your bonds;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every (CP)high hill
And under every green tree
You have lain down as a harlot.
21 Yet I (CQ)planted you a choice vine,
A completely true seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the (CR)degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 Although you (CS)wash yourself with lye
And [s]use much soap,
The (CT)stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares Lord Yahweh.
23 “(CU)How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;
I have not walked after the (CV)Baals’?
Look at your way in the (CW)valley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel (CX)entangling her ways,
24 A (CY)wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
In the time of her [t]heat who can turn her away?
All who seek her will not become weary;
In her month they will find her.
25 Keep your feet from being barefoot
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘(CZ)It is [u]hopeless!
No! For I have (DA)loved strangers,
And after them I will walk.’
26 “As the (DB)thief is shamed when he is found,
So the house of Israel is shamed;
They, their kings, their princes,
And their priests and their prophets,
27 Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their (DC)back to Me
And not their face;
But in the (DD)time when their evil comes they will say,
‘Arise and save us.’
28 But where are your (DE)gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can (DF)save you
In the time when your evil comes;
For (DG)according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.
29 “Why do you contend with Me?
You have (DH)all transgressed against Me,” declares Yahweh.
30 “(DI)In vain I have struck your sons;
They received no discipline.
Your (DJ)sword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
31 O generation, [v]behold the word of Yahweh.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel
Or a (DK)land of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘(DL)We are free to roam;
We will no longer come to You’?
32 Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have (DM)forgotten Me
Days without number.
33 How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even [w]the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
The (DN)lifeblood of the innocent needy;
You did not find them (DO)breaking in.
But in spite of all these things,
35 Yet you said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will (DP)enter into judgment with you
Because you (DQ)say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 Why do you (DR)despise Him so much
In changing your way?
Also, (DS)you will be put to shame by Egypt
As you were put to shame by (DT)Assyria.
37 From this place also you will go out
With (DU)your hands on your head;
For Yahweh has rejected (DV)those in whom you trust,
And you will not succeed with them.”
The Polluted Land
3 God [x]says, “(DW)If a husband divorces his wife
And she goes from him
And belongs to another man,
Will he still return to her?
Will not that land be completely [y]polluted?
But you (DX)are a harlot with many [z]lovers;
Yet you (DY)turn to Me,” declares Yahweh.
2 “Lift up your eyes to the (DZ)bare heights and see;
Where have you not been ravished?
By the roads you have (EA)sat for them
Like [aa]an Arab in the wilderness,
And you have (EB)polluted a land
With your harlotry and with your evil.
3 Therefore the (EC)showers have been withheld,
And the [ab]late rain has not [ac]come.
Yet you had a (ED)harlot’s forehead;
You refused to feel dishonor.
4 Have you not just now called to Me,
‘(EE)My Father, You are the [ad](EF)close companion of my (EG)youth?
5 (EH)Will He be angry forever?
Will He keep it to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken
And have done evil things,
And you have [ae]had your way.”
Faithless Israel Called to Repentance
6 Then Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She (EI)went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. 7 (EJ)I said, ‘After she has done all these things, she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her (EK)treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and (EL)given her a certificate of divorce, yet her (EM)treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. 9 So it was, because of the lightness of her harlotry, that she (EN)polluted the land and committed adultery with (EO)stones and trees. 10 Yet in spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in (EP)lying,” declares Yahweh.
11 And Yahweh said to me, “(EQ)Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and call out these words toward the north and say,
‘[af](ER)Return, faithless Israel,’ declares Yahweh;
‘(ES)I will not [ag]look upon you in anger.
For I am (ET)One of lovingkindness,’ declares Yahweh;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 Only [ah](EU)acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against Yahweh your God
And have (EV)scattered your ways of harlotry to the strangers (EW)under every green tree,
And you have not listened to My voice,’ declares Yahweh.
14 ‘[ai]Return, O faithless sons,’ declares Yahweh;
‘For I am a (EX)master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
And (EY)I will bring you to Zion.’
15 “Then I will give you (EZ)shepherds after My own heart, who will [aj](FA)shepherd you on knowledge and understanding. 16 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and fruitful in the land,” declares Yahweh, “they will (FB)no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of Yahweh.’ And it will not come upon the heart, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The (FC)Throne of Yahweh,’ and (FD)all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the (FE)name of Yahweh; nor will they (FF)walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18 (FG)In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together (FH)from the land of the north to the (FI)land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.
19 “Then I said,
‘How I would set you among [ak]My sons
And give you a pleasant land,
The most (FJ)beautiful inheritance of the nations!’
And I said, ‘You shall call Me, (FK)“My Father,”
And not turn away from following Me.’
20 Surely, as a woman treacherously departs from her [al]lover,
So you have (FL)dealt treacherously with Me,
O house of Israel,” declares Yahweh.
21 A voice is heard on the (FM)bare heights,
The weeping and the supplications of the sons of Israel;
Because they have perverted their way,
They have (FN)forgotten Yahweh their God.
22 [am]“Return, O faithless sons;
(FO)I will heal your faithlessness.”
“Behold, we come to You,
For You are Yahweh our God.
23 Surely, (FP)the hills are a lie,
A tumult on the mountains.
Surely in (FQ)Yahweh our God
Is the salvation of Israel.
24 “But (FR)the shameful thing has devoured the labor of our fathers since our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our (FS)shame, and let our dishonor cover us; for we have sinned against Yahweh our God, we and our fathers, (FT)from our youth even to this day. And we have not listened to the voice of Yahweh our God.”
Yahweh Calls Israel to Return to Him
4 “If you will (FU)return, O Israel,” declares Yahweh,
“Then you should return to Me.
And (FV)if you will put away your detested things from My presence
And will not waver
2 And you will (FW)swear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’
(FX)In truth, in justice, and in righteousness;
Then the (FY)nations will [an]be blessed in Him,
And (FZ)in Him they will boast.”
3 For thus says Yahweh to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,
“[ao](GA)Break up your fallow ground,
And (GB)do not sow among thorns.
4 (GC)Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh
And remove the foreskins of your heart,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My (GD)wrath go forth like fire
And burn with (GE)none to quench it
Because of the evil of your deeds.”
Evil from the North
5 Declare in Judah and make it heard in Jerusalem and say,
“(GF)Blow the trumpet in the land;
Call out, make your voice full, and say,
‘(GG)Gather yourselves, and let us go
Into the fortified cities.’
6 Lift up a (GH)standard toward Zion!
Seek safety, do not stand still,
For I am bringing (GI)evil from the north,
And great destruction.
7 A (GJ)lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a (GK)destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To (GL)make your land a desolation.
Your cities will be turned into ruins
Without inhabitant.
8 For this, (GM)I gird myself with sackcloth,
Lament and wail;
For the (GN)burning anger of Yahweh
Has not turned back from us.”
9 “It will be in that day,” declares Yahweh, “that the (GO)heart of the king and the heart of the princes will perish; and the priests will be appalled, and the (GP)prophets will be astonished.”
10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Surely You have utterly (GQ)deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘(GR)You will have peace’; whereas a sword touches the [ap]throat.”
11 In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A [aq](GS)scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness along the way of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too full for these things—will come [ar]for My purpose; now I will also speak judgments against them.
13 Behold, he (GT)goes up like clouds,
And his (GU)chariots like the whirlwind;
His horses are (GV)swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for (GW)we are devastated!”
14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,
That you may be saved.
How long will your (GX)wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from (GY)Dan,
And makes wickedness heard from Mount Ephraim.
16 “Make mention of it to the nations, saying, ‘Behold!’
Make it heard over Jerusalem,
‘Besiegers come from a (GZ)far country,
And (HA)give forth their voices against the cities of Judah.
17 Like watchmen of a field they are (HB)against her round about
Because she has (HC)rebelled against Me,’ declares Yahweh.
18 Your (HD)ways and your deeds
Have done these things to you.
This is your evil. How (HE)bitter!
How it has touched your heart!”
Anguish over Judah’s Desolation
19 (HF)My [as]soul, my [at]soul! I am in anguish! [au]Oh, my heart!
My (HG)heart is pounding in me;
I cannot be silent
Because [av]you have heard, O my soul,
The (HH)sound of the trumpet,
The shout of war.
20 (HI)Destruction upon destruction is called out,
For the (HJ)whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my (HK)tents are devastated,
My curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see the standard
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “(HL)For My people are ignorant fools,
They know Me not;
They are simpleminded children
And have no understanding.
They are wise to (HM)do evil,
But to do good they do not know.”
23 I saw on the earth, and behold, it was [aw](HN)formless and void;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I saw on the mountains, and behold, they were (HO)quaking,
And all the hills [ax]moved to and fro.
25 I saw, and behold, there was no man,
And all the (HP)birds of the sky had fled.
26 I saw, and behold, [ay]the (HQ)fruitful orchard was a wilderness,
And all its cities were torn down
Before Yahweh, before His burning anger.
27 For thus says Yahweh,
“The (HR)whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will (HS)not execute a complete destruction.
28 For this the (HT)earth shall mourn
And the (HU)heavens above be dark
Because I have (HV)spoken; I have purposed,
And I will not [az]relent, nor will I turn from it.”
29 At the sound of the horseman and bowman (HW)every city flees;
They (HX)go into the thickets and climb up among the rocks;
(HY)Every city is forsaken,
And no man inhabits them.
30 And you, O devastated one, (HZ)what will you do?
Although you dress in scarlet,
Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold,
Although you (IA)enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you make yourself beautiful.
Your [ba](IB)lovers despise you;
They seek your life.
31 For I heard a sound as of a woman in labor pains,
The distress as of one giving birth to her first child,
The sound of the daughter of Zion (IC)gasping for breath,
(ID)Stretching out her [bb]hands, saying,
“Ah, woe is me, for my soul faints before murderers.”
Jerusalem Refuses to Repent
5 “(IE)Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
And see now and know,
And seek in her open squares,
If you can (IF)find a man,
(IG)If there is one who does justice, who seeks faithfulness,
Then I will pardon her.
2 And (IH)if they say, ‘As Yahweh lives,’
Then they swear to a lie.”
3 O Yahweh, do not (II)Your eyes look for faithfulness?
You have (IJ)struck them,
But they did not [bc]weaken;
You have consumed them,
But they (IK)refused to receive discipline.
They have (IL)made their faces stronger than rock;
They have refused to [bd]repent.
4 Then I said, “They are only the poor;
They are foolish;
For they (IM)do not know the way of Yahweh
Or the legal judgment of their God.
5 Let me go to the great
And let me speak to them,
For (IN)they know the way of Yahweh
And the legal judgment of their God.”
But they too, altogether, have (IO)broken the yoke
And torn apart the bonds.
6 Therefore (IP)a lion from the forest will strike them down;
A (IQ)wolf of the deserts will devastate them;
A (IR)leopard is watching their cities.
Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces
Because their (IS)transgressions are many;
Their acts of faithlessness are mighty.
7 “Why should I pardon you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And (IT)sworn by those who are (IU)not gods.
I had satisfied them to the full,
Then they (IV)committed adultery
And trooped to the harlot’s house.
8 They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing after his (IW)neighbor’s wife.
9 Shall I not punish [be]these people,” declares Yahweh,
“And on a nation such as this
(IX)Shall I not avenge Myself?
10 “Go up through her vine rows and make them a ruin,
But do not make a complete destruction;
Remove her branches,
For they are not Yahweh’s.
11 For the (IY)house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares Yahweh.
12 They have (IZ)dealt falsely about Yahweh
And said, “[bf](JA)Not He;
Calamity will (JB)not come on us,
And we (JC)will not see sword or famine.
13 The (JD)prophets are as wind,
And the word is not in them.
Thus it will be done to them!”
A Stubborn and Rebellious People
14 Therefore, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts,
“Because you have spoken this word,
Behold, I am (JE)making My words in your mouth fire
And this people wood, and it will devour them.
15 Behold, I am (JF)bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares Yahweh.
“It is an enduring nation;
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose (JG)tongue you do not know,
Nor can you [bg]understand what they say.
16 Their (JH)quiver is like an (JI)open grave;
All of them are mighty men.
17 They will (JJ)devour your harvest and your food;
They will devour your sons and your daughters;
They will devour your flocks and your herds;
They will devour your (JK)vines and your fig trees;
They will demolish with the sword your (JL)fortified cities in which you trust.
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares Yahweh, “I will not make you a complete destruction. 19 It shall come about (JM)when [bh]they say, ‘Why has Yahweh our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will (JN)serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And cause it to be heard in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Now hear this, O people who are simpleminded fools and without a heart of wisdom,
Who have (JO)eyes but do not see,
Who have ears but do not hear.
22 Do you not (JP)fear Me?’ declares Yahweh.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have (JQ)placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
A perpetual statute, so it cannot cross over it.
Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.
23 But this people has a (JR)stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and gone away.
24 They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear Yahweh our God,
Who (JS)gives rain in its season,
Both (JT)the [bi]early rain and the [bj]late rain,
Who keeps for us
The (JU)appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 Your (JV)iniquities have turned these away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.
26 For wicked men are found among My people;
They (JW)watch like fowlers [bk]lying in wait;
They set a [bl]trap;
They catch men.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of (JX)deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.
28 They are (JY)fat, they are sleek;
They also [bm]excel in deeds of evil;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the [bn](JZ)orphan, that they may succeed;
And they do not [bo]render justice for the poor.
29 (KA)Shall I not punish [bp]these people?’ declares Yahweh,
‘On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?’
30 “A horrible and (KB)appalling thing
Has happened in the land:
31 The (KC)prophets prophesy with lying,
And the priests have dominion [bq]by their own hand;
And My people (KD)love it so!
But what will you do at the end of it?
Yahweh Disciplines Israel
6 “Flee for safety, O sons of (KE)Benjamin,
From the midst of Jerusalem!
Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa
And raise a signal over [br](KF)Beth-haccerem,
For evil looks down from the (KG)north,
As well as great destruction.
2 The comely and (KH)delicate one, (KI)the daughter of Zion, I will ruin.
3 (KJ)Shepherds and their flocks will come to her;
They will (KK)pitch their tents [bs]around her;
They will pasture each in his [bt]place.
4 (KL)Set yourselves apart for war against her;
Arise, and let us go up at (KM)noon.
Woe to us, for the day declines,
For the shadows of the evening stretch out!
5 Arise, and let us go up by night
And [bu](KN)destroy her [bv]palaces!”
6 For thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“(KO)Cut down her trees
And cast up a (KP)siege against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
In whose midst there is only (KQ)oppression.
7 (KR)Like a well [bw]keeps its waters fresh,
So she [bx]keeps fresh her evil.
(KS)Violence and devastation are heard in her;
(KT)Sickness and wounds are continually before Me.
8 (KU)Heed discipline, O Jerusalem,
Lest (KV)My soul become disgusted at you,
Lest I make you a desolation,
A land not inhabited.”
9 Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“They will (KW)thoroughly glean as the vine the (KX)remnant of Israel;
Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer
Over the branches.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning
That they may hear?
Behold, their (KY)ears are uncircumcised,
And they cannot give heed.
Behold, (KZ)the word of Yahweh has become a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
11 But I am (LA)full of the wrath of Yahweh;
I am (LB)weary of holding it in.
“(LC)Pour it out on the infants in the street
And on the [by]gathering of choice men together;
For both husband and wife shall be captured,
The aged with the one full of days.
12 Their (LD)houses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together,
For I will (LE)stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares Yahweh.
13 “For (LF)from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is (LG)greedy for gain,
And from the prophet even to the priest
Everyone practices lying.
14 They have (LH)healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
15 Were they (LI)ashamed because of the abomination they have done?
They were not even ashamed at all;
They did not even know how to feel dishonor.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says Yahweh.
16 Thus says Yahweh,
“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the (LJ)ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
And (LK)you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 And I set (LL)watchmen over you, saying,
‘Give heed to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not give heed.’
18 Therefore hear, O nations,
And know, O congregation, what is among them.
19 (LM)Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing evil on this people,
The (LN)fruit of their [bz]plans,
Because they have not given heed to My words,
And as for My law, they have (LO)rejected it also.
20 (LP)For what purpose does (LQ)frankincense come to Me from Sheba
And the [ca](LR)sweet cane from a distant land?
(LS)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”
21 Therefore, thus says Yahweh,
“Behold, (LT)I am [cb]laying stumbling blocks before this people.
And they will stumble against them,
(LU)Fathers and sons together;
Neighbor and [cc]friend will perish.”
Mourn the Coming Destroyer
22 Thus says Yahweh,
“Behold, (LV)a people is coming from the land of the north,
And a great nation will be aroused from the (LW)remote parts of the earth.
23 They take hold of (LX)bow and spear;
They are (LY)cruel and have no compassion;
Their voice (LZ)roars like the sea,
And they ride on horses,
Arranged as a man for the battle
Against you, O daughter of Zion!”
24 We have (MA)heard the report of it;
Our hands are limp.
(MB)Distress has taken hold of us,
Pain as of a woman in childbirth.
25 (MC)Do not go out into the field
And (MD)do not walk on the road,
For the enemy has a sword;
(ME)Terror is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people, (MF)gird yourself with sackcloth
And (MG)roll in ashes;
[cd](MH)Mourn as for an only son,
A lamentation most bitter.
For suddenly the destroyer
Will come upon us.
27 “I have (MI)made you a tester of metals and [ce]an assayer among My people,
That you may know and test their way.”
28 All of them are rebelliously stubborn,
(MJ)Going about as a slanderer.
They are (MK)bronze and iron;
They, all of them, are corrupt.
29 The bellows blow fiercely;
The lead [cf]is consumed by the fire;
In vain the refining goes on,
But the (ML)evil ones are not [cg]separated.
30 (MM)They call them rejected silver
Because (MN)Yahweh has rejected them.
Yahweh’s Warning from the Temple Gate
7 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 “(MO)Stand in the gate of the house of Yahweh, and you shall call out there this word, and you shall say, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship Yahweh!’” 3 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “(MP)Make your ways and your deeds good, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4 (MQ)Do not trust in lying words, saying, ‘[ch]This is the temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh.’ 5 For (MR)if you truly make your ways and your deeds good, if you truly (MS)do justice between a man and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the sojourner, the [ci](MT)orphan, or the widow, and do not shed (MU)innocent blood in this place, nor (MV)walk after other gods to your own evil demise, 7 then I will let you (MW)dwell in this place, in the (MX)land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
8 “Behold, you are trusting in (MY)lying words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear while lying, and (MZ)burn incense to Baal and walk after (NA)other gods that you have not known, 10 then (NB)come and stand before Me in (NC)this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—that you may do all these abominations? 11 Has (ND)this house, which is called by My name, become a (NE)robbers’ den in your sight? Behold, (NF)I, even I, have seen it,” declares Yahweh.
12 “But go now to My place which was in (NG)Shiloh, where I (NH)made My name dwell at the first, and (NI)see what I did to it because of the evil of My people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these works,” declares Yahweh, “and I spoke to you, (NJ)rising up early and (NK)speaking, but you did not hear, and I (NL)called you but you did not answer, 14 therefore, I will do to the (NM)house which is called by My name, (NN)in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, as I (NO)did to Shiloh. 15 I will (NP)cast you out of My presence, as I have cast out all your brothers, all the seed of (NQ)Ephraim.
16 “As for you, (NR)do not pray for this people and do not lift up a cry of lamentation or prayer for them and do not intercede with Me, for I am not hearing you. 17 Are you not seeing what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The [cj]children gather wood, and the fathers make the fire burn, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they (NS)pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to (NT)provoke Me. 19 (NU)Do they provoke Me?” declares Yahweh. “Is it not themselves they provoke to the (NV)shame of their own face?” 20 Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, My (NW)anger and My wrath will be poured out on this place, on man and on beast and on the (NX)trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground; and it will burn and not be quenched.”
21 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Add your (NY)burnt offerings to your sacrifices and (NZ)eat flesh. 22 For I did not (OA)speak to your fathers or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this is [ck]what I commanded them, saying, ‘(OB)Listen to My voice, and (OC)I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in the entire way which I command you, that it may (OD)be well with you.’ 24 Yet they (OE)did not listen or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart and [cl](OF)went backward and not forward. 25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have (OG)sent you all My slaves the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. 26 Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but (OH)stiffened their neck; they (OI)did more evil than their fathers.
27 “You shall (OJ)speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; and you shall call to them, but they will (OK)not answer you. 28 You shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that (OL)did not listen to the voice of Yahweh their God or receive discipline; [cm](OM)truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.
29 (ON)Cut off [cn]your hair and cast it away,
And (OO)lift up a funeral lamentation on the bare heights;
For Yahweh has (OP)rejected and abandoned
The generation of His wrath.’
30 For the sons of Judah have done that which is evil in My sight,” declares Yahweh, “they have (OQ)set their detestable things in the house, which is called by My name, to defile it. 31 They have (OR)built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to (OS)burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I (OT)did not command, and it did not come upon My heart.
32 “(OU)Therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when it will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of the Slaughter; for they will (OV)bury in Topheth [co]because there is no other place. 33 The (OW)dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth; and no one will frighten them away. 34 Then I will make to (OX)cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the (OY)land will become a waste place.
The Faithlessness of Jerusalem
8 “At that time,” declares Yahweh, “they will (OZ)bring out the bones of the kings of Judah and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. 2 And they will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the (PA)host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served, and which they have walked after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered (PB)or buried; (PC)they will be as dung on the face of the ground. 3 And (PD)death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the (PE)places to which I have banished them,” declares Yahweh of hosts.
4 “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh,
“Do men (PF)fall and not get up again?
Does one turn away and not [cp]turn back?
5 Why then has this people, Jerusalem,
[cq](PG)Turned away in continual faithlessness?
They (PH)hold fast to deceit;
They (PI)refuse to return.
6 I (PJ)have given heed and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
(PK)No man regretted his evil,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his course,
Like a (PL)horse charging into the battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
(PM)Knows her seasons;
And the (PN)turtledove and the swift and the crane
Keep the time of their [cr]migration;
But (PO)My people do not know
The legal judgment of Yahweh.
8 “(PP)How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the law of Yahweh is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
9 The wise men are (PQ)put to shame;
They are dismayed and captured;
Behold, they have (PR)rejected the word of Yahweh,
And what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will (PS)give their wives to others,
Their fields to [cs]new possessors,
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is (PT)greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest
Everyone practices lying.
11 They (PU)heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
12 Were they (PV)ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They certainly were not ashamed,
And they did not know how to feel dishonor;
Therefore they shall (PW)fall among those who fall;
At the (PX)time of their [ct]punishment they shall be brought down,”
Says Yahweh.
13 “I will (PY)surely gather them up,” declares Yahweh;
“There will be (PZ)no grapes on the vine
And (QA)no figs on the fig tree,
And the leaf will wither;
And what I have given them will pass away.”’”
14 Why are we sitting still?
(QB)Gather yourselves, and let us (QC)go into the fortified cities
And let us be silent there
Because Yahweh our God has silenced us
And given us [cu](QD)poisoned water to drink,
For (QE)we have sinned against Yahweh.
15 We (QF)waited for peace, but there was no good;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 From (QG)Dan is heard the snorting of his horses;
At the sound of the neighing of his (QH)valiant steeds
The whole land quakes;
And they come and (QI)devour the land as well as its fullness,
The city and its inhabitants.
17 “For behold, I am (QJ)sending serpents against you,
Vipers, for which there is (QK)no charm,
And they will bite you,” declares Yahweh.
Sorrow over Zion
18 [cv]My (QL)sorrow is beyond healing;
My (QM)heart is faint within me!
19 Behold, the sound! The cry of the daughter of my people from a (QN)distant land:
“Is Yahweh not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”
“Why have they (QO)provoked Me to anger with their graven images, with foreign [cw](QP)idols?”
20 “Harvest is past, summer is ended,
And we are not saved.”
21 For the (QQ)brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken;
I (QR)mourn, desolation has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no (QS)balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
(QT)Why then has not the [cx]health of the daughter of my people gone up?
9 [cy](QU)Oh that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the (QV)daughter of my people!
2 [cz](QW)Oh that I had in the desert
A travelers’ lodging place,
That I might leave my people
And go from them!
For all of them are (QX)adulterers,
A solemn assembly of (QY)treacherous men.
3 “They (QZ)bend their tongue like their bow;
Lies and unfaithfulness prevail in the land,
For they (RA)go onward from evil to evil,
And they (RB)do not know Me,” declares Yahweh.
4 “Let everyone (RC)beware of his neighbor,
And (RD)do not trust any brother,
Because every (RE)brother [da]surely supplants,
And every neighbor (RF)goes about as a slanderer.
5 Everyone (RG)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth;
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (RH)weary themselves committing iniquity.
6 Your (RI)habitation is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (RJ)refuse to know Me,” declares Yahweh.
7 Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Behold, I will refine them and (RK)test them;
For (RL)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8 Their (RM)tongue is a slaughtering arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one (RN)speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he (RO)sets an ambush for him.
9 (RP)Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares Yahweh.
“On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?
10 “For the (RQ)mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing,
And for the pastures of the (RR)wilderness a funeral lamentation,
Because they are (RS)turned into ruin so that no one passes through,
And the lowing of the cattle is not heard;
Both the (RT)birds of the sky and the beasts have fled; they are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem a (RU)heap of ruins,
A haunt of (RV)jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a (RW)desolation, without inhabitant.”
12 Who is the (RX)wise man that may understand this? And who is he to whom (RY)the mouth of Yahweh has spoken, that he may declare it? (RZ)Why has the land perished, turned into ruin like a desert, so that no one passes through? 13 Yahweh said, “Because they have (SA)forsaken My law, which I set before them, and have not listened to My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have (SB)walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the (SC)Baals, as their (SD)fathers taught them,” 15 therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, (SE)I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them [db](SF)poisoned water to drink. 16 I will (SG)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the (SH)sword after them until I have consumed them.”
17 Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Carefully consider and call for the (SI)mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the [dc](SJ)skillful women, that they may come!
18 Let them make haste and take up a wailing for us,
That our (SK)eyes may shed tears
And our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a voice of (SL)wailing is heard from Zion,
‘(SM)How we are destroyed!
We are put to great shame,
For we have (SN)left the land
Because they have cast down our dwellings.’”
20 Indeed, hear the word of Yahweh, O you (SO)women,
And let your ear receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And everyone her neighbor a funeral lamentation.
21 For (SP)death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our palaces
To cut off the (SQ)infants from the streets,
The choice men from the open squares.
22 Speak, “Thus declares Yahweh,
‘The corpses of men will fall (SR)like dung on the open field
And like the sheaf after the reaper,
But no one will gather them.’”
23 Thus says Yahweh, “(SS)Let not a wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the (ST)mighty man boast in his might; let not a (SU)rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts (SV)boast in this, that he [dd]understands and knows Me, that I am Yahweh who (SW)shows lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I (SX)delight in these things,” declares Yahweh.
25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet (SY)uncircumcised— 26 Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and (SZ)all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (TA)uncircumcised of heart.”
Yahweh Alone Is the Living God
10 Hear the word which Yahweh speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says Yahweh,
“(TB)Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens
Although the nations are terrified by them;
3 For the statutes of the peoples are (TC)vanity
Because (TD)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 They (TE)make it beautiful with silver and with gold;
They (TF)strengthen it with nails and with hammers
So that it will not totter.
5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they,
And they (TG)cannot speak;
They must be (TH)carried
Because they cannot take a step!
Do not fear them,
For they (TI)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 (TJ)There is none like You, O Yahweh;
You are (TK)great, and great is Your name in might.
7 (TL)Who would not fear You, O (TM)King of the nations?
Indeed it is Your due!
For among all the (TN)wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether (TO)senseless and foolish;
They are in a discipline of [de]vanities—it is mere wood!
9 Beaten (TP)silver is brought from (TQ)Tarshish,
And (TR)gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all the (TS)work of wise craftsmen.
10 But Yahweh is the (TT)true God;
He is the (TU)living God and the (TV)everlasting King.
At His wrath the (TW)earth quakes,
And the nations cannot (TX)endure His indignation.
11 [df]Thus you shall say to them, “The (TY)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will (TZ)perish from the earth and from under [dg]the heavens.”
12 It is (UA)He who made the earth by His power,
Who (UB)established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has (UC)stretched out the heavens.
13 When He gives forth His (UD)voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
And He causes the (UE)clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the (UF)wind from His storehouses.
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