Bible in 90 Days
14 Every man is (A)stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his [a]idols;
For his molten images are deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are (B)worthless, a work of mockery;
In the (C)time of their punishment they will perish.
16 The (D)portion of Jacob is not like these;
For the [b](E)Maker of all is He,
And (F)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The (G)Lord of hosts is His name.
17 (H)Pick up your bundle from the ground,
You who dwell under siege!
18 For thus says the Lord,
“Behold, I am (I)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And will cause them distress,
That they may [c]be found.”
19 (J)Woe is me, because of my [d]injury!
My (K)wound is incurable.
But I said, “Truly this is a sickness,
And I (L)must bear it.”
20 My (M)tent is destroyed,
And all my ropes are broken;
My (N)sons have gone from me and are no more.
There is (O)no one to stretch out my tent again
Or to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become stupid
And (P)have not sought the Lord;
Therefore they have not prospered,
And (Q)all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a (R)report! Behold, it comes—
A great commotion (S)out of the land of the north—
To (T)make the cities of Judah
A desolation, a haunt of jackals.
23 I know, O Lord, that (U)a man’s way is not in himself,
(V)Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
24 (W)Correct me, O Lord, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will [e]bring me to nothing.
25 (X)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that (Y)do not know You
And on the families that (Z)do not call Your name;
For they have devoured Jacob;
They have (AA)devoured him and consumed him
And have laid waste his [f]habitation.
The Broken Covenant
11 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “(AB)Hear the words of this (AC)covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “(AD)Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your forefathers in the (AE)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the (AF)iron furnace, saying, ‘(AG)Listen to My voice, and [g]do according to all which I command you; so you shall be (AH)My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to confirm the (AI)oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I said, “(AJ)Amen, O Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me, “(AK)Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘(AL)Hear the words of this covenant and (AM)do them. 7 For I solemnly (AN)warned your fathers in the (AO)day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, [h](AP)warning persistently, saying, “(AQ)Listen to My voice.” 8 Yet they (AR)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the (AS)words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “A (AT)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have (AU)turned back to the iniquities of their [i]ancestors who (AV)refused to hear My words, and they (AW)have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have (AX)broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” 11 Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am (AY)bringing disaster on them which they will (AZ)not be able to escape; though they will (BA)cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will (BB)go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they surely will not save them in the time of their disaster. 13 For your gods are [j](BC)as many as your cities, O Judah; and [k]as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the (BD)shameful thing, altars to (BE)burn incense to Baal.
14 “Therefore (BF)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will (BG)not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.
15 “What right has My (BH)beloved in My house
When (BI)she has done many vile deeds?
Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
[l]So that you can rejoice?”
16 The Lord called your name,
“A (BJ)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the (BK)noise of a great tumult
He has (BL)kindled fire on it,
And its branches are worthless.
17 The Lord of hosts, who (BM)planted you, has (BN)pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have [m]done to provoke Me by [n](BO)offering up sacrifices to Baal.
Plots against Jeremiah
18 Moreover, the Lord (BP)made it known to me and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle (BQ)lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had (BR)devised plots against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its [o]fruit,
And (BS)let us cut him off from the (BT)land of the living,
That his (BU)name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts, who (BV)judges righteously,
Who (BW)tries the [p]feelings and the heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You have I [q]committed my cause.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of (BX)Anathoth, who (BY)seek your life, saying, “(BZ)Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you will not (CA)die at our hand”; 22 therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, I am about to (CB)punish them! The (CC)young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine; 23 and a remnant (CD)will not be left to them, for I will (CE)bring disaster on the men of Anathoth—(CF)the year of their punishment.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer
12 (CG)Righteous are You, O Lord, that I would plead my case with You;
Indeed I would (CH)discuss matters of justice with You:
Why has the (CI)way of the wicked prospered?
Why are all those who (CJ)deal in treachery at ease?
2 You have (CK)planted them, they have also taken root;
They grow, they have even produced fruit.
You are (CL)near [r]to their lips
But far from their [s]mind.
3 But You (CM)know me, O Lord;
You see me;
And You (CN)examine my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter
And [t]set them apart for a (CO)day of carnage!
4 How long is the (CP)land to mourn
And the (CQ)vegetation of the countryside to wither?
For the (CR)wickedness of those who dwell in it,
(CS)Animals and birds have been snatched away,
Because men have said, “He will not see our latter (CT)ending.”
5 “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out,
Then how can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the [u](CU)thicket of the Jordan?
6 “For even your (CV)brothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have cried aloud after you.
Do not believe them, although they may say (CW)nice things to you.”
God’s Answer
7 “I have (CX)forsaken My house,
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have given the (CY)beloved of My soul
Into the hand of her enemies.
8 “My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has [v](CZ)roared against Me;
Therefore I have come to (DA)hate her.
9 “Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the (DB)birds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the (DC)beasts of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 “Many (DD)shepherds have ruined My (DE)vineyard,
They have (DF)trampled down My field;
They have made My (DG)pleasant field
A desolate wilderness.
11 “[w]It has been made a desolation,
Desolate, it (DH)mourns [x]before Me;
The (DI)whole land has been made desolate,
Because no man (DJ)lays it to heart.
12 “On all the [y](DK)bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For a (DL)sword of the Lord is devouring
From one end of the land even to the [z]other;
There is (DM)no peace for [aa]anyone.
13 “They have (DN)sown wheat and have reaped thorns,
They have (DO)strained themselves [ab]to no profit.
But be ashamed of your [ac](DP)harvest
Because of the (DQ)fierce anger of the Lord.”
14 Thus says the Lord concerning all My (DR)wicked neighbors who (DS)strike at the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel, “Behold I am about to uproot them from their land and will (DT)uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will (DU)again have compassion on them; and I will (DV)bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. 16 Then if they will really (DW)learn the ways of My people, to (DX)swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught My people to (DY)swear by Baal, they will be (DZ)built up in the midst of My people. 17 But if they will not listen, then I will (EA)uproot that nation, uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord.
The Ruined Waistband
13 Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and (EB)buy yourself a linen waistband and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the waistband in accordance with the (EC)word of the Lord and put it around my waist. 3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the waistband that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to [ad]the (ED)Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, (EE)as the Lord had commanded me. 6 After many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the waistband which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it; and lo, the waistband was ruined, it was totally worthless.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Just so will I destroy the (EF)pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This wicked people, who (EG)refuse to listen to My words, who (EH)walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless. 11 For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah (EI)cling to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for [ae](EJ)renown, for (EK)praise and for glory; but they (EL)did not listen.’
Captivity Threatened
12 “Therefore you are to speak this word to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Every jug is to be filled with wine.”’ And when they say to you, ‘Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?’ 13 then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land—the kings that sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with (EM)drunkenness! 14 I will (EN)dash them against each other, both the (EO)fathers and the sons together,” declares the Lord. “I will (EP)not show pity nor be sorry nor have compassion so as not to destroy them.”’”
15 Listen and give heed, do not be (EQ)haughty,
For the Lord has spoken.
16 (ER)Give glory to the Lord your God,
Before He brings (ES)darkness
And before your (ET)feet stumble
On the dusky mountains,
And while you are hoping for light
He makes it into (EU)deep darkness,
And turns it into gloom.
17 But (EV)if you will not listen to it,
My soul will (EW)sob in secret for such pride;
And my eyes will bitterly weep
And flow down with tears,
Because the (EX)flock of the Lord has been taken captive.
18 Say to the (EY)king and the queen mother,
“(EZ)Take a lowly seat,
For your beautiful (FA)crown
Has come down from your head.”
19 The (FB)cities of the Negev have been locked up,
And there is no one to open them;
All (FC)Judah has been carried into exile,
Wholly carried into exile.
20 “Lift up your eyes and see
Those coming (FD)from the north.
Where is the (FE)flock that was given you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 “What will you say when He appoints over you—
And you yourself had taught them—
Former [af](FF)companions to be head over you?
Will not (FG)pangs take hold of you
Like a woman in childbirth?
22 “If you (FH)say in your heart,
‘(FI)Why have these things happened to me?’
Because of the (FJ)magnitude of your iniquity
(FK)Your skirts have been removed
And your heels have [ag]been exposed.
23 “(FL)Can the Ethiopian change his skin
Or the leopard his spots?
Then you also can (FM)do good
Who are accustomed to doing evil.
24 “Therefore I will (FN)scatter them like drifting straw
To the desert (FO)wind.
25 “This is your (FP)lot, the portion measured to you
From Me,” declares the Lord,
“Because you have (FQ)forgotten Me
And trusted in falsehood.
26 “So I Myself have also (FR)stripped your skirts off over your face,
That your shame may be seen.
27 “As for your (FS)adulteries and your lustful neighings,
The (FT)lewdness of your prostitution
On the (FU)hills in the field,
I have seen your abominations.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
(FV)How long will you remain unclean?”
Drought and a Prayer for Mercy
14 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah in regard to the (FW)drought:
2 “Judah mourns
And (FX)her gates languish;
They sit on the ground (FY)in mourning,
And the (FZ)cry of Jerusalem has ascended.
3 “Their nobles have (GA)sent their [ah]servants for water;
They have come to the (GB)cisterns and found no water.
They have returned with their vessels empty;
They have been (GC)put to shame and humiliated,
And they (GD)cover their heads.
4 “Because the (GE)ground is [ai]cracked,
For there has been (GF)no rain on the land;
The (GG)farmers have been put to shame,
They have covered their heads.
5 “For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young,
Because there is (GH)no grass.
6 “The (GI)wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals,
Their eyes fail
For there is (GJ)no vegetation.
7 “Although our (GK)iniquities testify against us,
O Lord, act (GL)for Your name’s sake!
Truly our (GM)apostasies have been many,
We have (GN)sinned against You.
8 “O (GO)Hope of Israel,
Its (GP)Savior in (GQ)time of distress,
Why are You like a stranger in the land
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night?
9 “Why are You like a man dismayed,
Like a mighty man who (GR)cannot save?
Yet (GS)You are in our midst, O Lord,
And we are (GT)called by Your name;
Do not forsake us!”
10 Thus says the Lord to this people, “Even so they have (GU)loved to wander; they have not (GV)kept their feet in check. Therefore the Lord does (GW)not accept them; now He will (GX)remember their iniquity and call their sins to account.” 11 So the Lord said to me, “(GY)Do not pray for the welfare of this people. 12 When they fast, I am (GZ)not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer (HA)burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to (HB)make an end of them by the (HC)sword, famine and pestilence.”
False Prophets
13 But, “Ah, Lord [aj]God!” I said, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You (HD)will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you [ak]lasting (HE)peace in this place.’” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “The (HF)prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. (HG)I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a (HH)false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own [al]minds. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them—yet they keep saying, ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’—(HI)by sword and famine those prophets shall [am]meet their end! 16 The people also to whom they are prophesying will be (HJ)thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to (HK)bury them—neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters—for I will (HL)pour out their own wickedness on them.
17 “You will say this word to them,
‘(HM)Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day,
And let them not cease;
For the virgin (HN)daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow,
With a sorely (HO)infected wound.
18 ‘If I (HP)go out to the country,
Behold, those [an]slain with the sword!
Or if I enter the city,
Behold, diseases of famine!
For (HQ)both prophet and priest
Have [ao]gone roving about in the land that they do not know.’”
19 Have You completely (HR)rejected Judah?
Or have [ap]You loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that we (HS)are beyond healing?
We (HT)waited for peace, but nothing good came;
And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
20 We (HU)know our wickedness, O Lord,
The iniquity of our fathers, for (HV)we have sinned against You.
21 Do not despise us, (HW)for Your own name’s sake;
Do not disgrace the (HX)throne of Your glory;
Remember and do not annul Your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the [aq](HY)idols of the nations who (HZ)give rain?
Or can the heavens grant showers?
Is it not You, O Lord our God?
Therefore we [ar](IA)hope in You,
For You are the one who has done all these things.
Judgment Must Come
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Even (IB)though (IC)Moses and (ID)Samuel were to (IE)stand before Me, My [as]heart would not be [at]with this people; (IF)send them away from My presence and let them go! 2 And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord:
“Those destined (IG)for death, to death;
And those destined for the sword, to the sword;
And those destined for famine, to famine;
And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”’
3 I will (IH)appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the Lord: “the sword to slay, the (II)dogs to drag off, and the (IJ)birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will (IK)make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of (IL)Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “Indeed, who will have (IM)pity on you, O Jerusalem,
Or who will (IN)mourn for you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
6 “You who have (IO)forsaken Me,” declares the Lord,
“You keep (IP)going backward.
So I will (IQ)stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am (IR)tired of relenting!
7 “I will (IS)winnow them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will (IT)bereave them of children, I will destroy My people;
(IU)They did not [au]repent of their ways.
8 “Their (IV)widows will be more numerous before Me
Than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of a young man,
A (IW)destroyer at noonday;
I will suddenly bring down on her
Anguish and dismay.
9 “She who (IX)bore seven sons pines away;
[av]Her breathing is labored.
Her (IY)sun has set while it was yet day;
She has been (IZ)shamed and humiliated.
So I will (JA)give over their survivors to the sword
Before their enemies,” declares the Lord.
10 (JB)Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me
As a (JC)man of strife and a man of contention to all the land!
I have not (JD)lent, nor have men lent money to me,
Yet everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said, “Surely I will (JE)set you free for purposes of good;
Surely I will cause the (JF)enemy to make supplication to you
In a time of disaster and a time of distress.
12 “Can anyone smash iron,
(JG)Iron from the north, or bronze?
13 “Your (JH)wealth and your treasures
I will give for booty (JI)without cost,
Even for all your sins
And within all your borders.
14 “Then I will cause your enemies to bring [aw]it
Into a (JJ)land you do not know;
For a (JK)fire has been kindled in My anger,
It will burn upon you.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer and God’s Answer
15 (JL)You who know, O Lord,
Remember me, take notice of me,
And (JM)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;
Know that (JN)for Your sake I endure reproach.
16 Your words were found and I (JO)ate them,
And Your (JP)words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been (JQ)called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.
17 I (JR)did not sit in the circle of merrymakers,
Nor did I exult.
Because of Your hand upon me I sat (JS)alone,
For You (JT)filled me with indignation.
18 Why has my pain been perpetual
And my (JU)wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
Will You indeed be to me (JV)like a deceptive stream
With water that is unreliable?
19 Therefore, thus says the Lord,
“(JW)If you return, then I will restore you—
(JX)Before Me you will stand;
And (JY)if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become [ax]My spokesman.
They for their part may turn to you,
But as for you, you must not turn to them.
20 “Then I will (JZ)make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze;
And though they fight against you,
They will not prevail over you;
For (KA)I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” declares the Lord.
21 “So I will (KB)deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will (KC)redeem you from the [ay]grasp of the violent.”
Distresses Foretold
16 The word of the Lord also came to me saying, 2 “You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their (KD)mothers who bear them, and their (KE)fathers who beget them in this land: 4 “They will (KF)die of deadly diseases, they (KG)will not be lamented or buried; they will be as (KH)dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the (KI)birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth.”
5 For thus says the Lord, “Do not enter a house of [az](KJ)mourning, or go to lament or to console them; for I have (KK)withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares the Lord, “My (KL)lovingkindness and compassion. 6 Both (KM)great men and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, they will not be lamented, nor will anyone (KN)gash himself or (KO)shave his head for them. 7 Men will not (KP)break bread in mourning for them, to comfort anyone for the dead, nor give them a cup of consolation to drink for anyone’s father or mother. 8 Moreover you shall (KQ)not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink.” 9 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I am going to [ba](KR)eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.
10 “Now when you tell this people all these words, they will say to you, ‘(KS)For what reason has the Lord declared all this great calamity against us? And what is our iniquity, or what is our sin which we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 Then you are to say to them, ‘It is (KT)because your forefathers have forsaken Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and have followed (KU)other gods and served them and bowed down to them; but Me they have forsaken and have not kept My law. 12 You too have done evil, even (KV)more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the (KW)stubbornness of his own (KX)evil heart, without listening to Me. 13 So I will (KY)hurl you out of this land into the (KZ)land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will (LA)serve other gods day and night, for I will grant you no favor.’
God Will Restore Them
14 “(LB)Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives, who (LC)brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the (LD)land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.
16 “Behold, I am going to send for many (LE)fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will (LF)hunt them (LG)from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. 17 (LH)For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, (LI)nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes. 18 I will first (LJ)doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have (LK)polluted My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their (LL)detestable idols and with their abominations.”
19 O Lord, my (LM)strength and my stronghold,
And my (LN)refuge in the day of distress,
To You the (LO)nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but (LP)falsehood,
Futility and [bb](LQ)things of no profit.”
20 Can man make gods for himself?
Yet they are (LR)not gods!
21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—
This time I will (LS)make them know
My [bc]power and My might;
And they shall (LT)know that My name is the Lord.”
The Deceitful Heart
17 The (LU)sin of Judah is written down with an (LV)iron stylus;
With a diamond point it is (LW)engraved upon the tablet of their heart
And on the horns of [bd]their altars,
2 As they remember their (LX)children,
So they remember their altars and their [be](LY)Asherim
By (LZ)green trees on the high hills.
3 O (MA)mountain of Mine in the countryside,
I will (MB)give over your wealth and all your treasures for booty,
Your high places for sin throughout your borders.
4 And you will, even of yourself, (MC)let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your (MD)enemies
In the (ME)land which you do not know;
For you have (MF)kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.
5 Thus says the Lord,
“(MG)Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes (MH)flesh his [bf]strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 “For he will be like a (MI)bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A (MJ)land of salt [bg]without inhabitant.
7 “(MK)Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose (ML)trust is the Lord.
8 “For he will be like a (MM)tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of (MN)drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.
9 “The (MO)heart is more (MP)deceitful than all else
And is desperately (MQ)sick;
Who can understand it?
10 “I, the Lord, (MR)search the heart,
I test the [bh]mind,
Even (MS)to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the [bi]results of his deeds.
11 “As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is he who (MT)makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the midst of his days it will forsake him,
And in [bj]the end he will be a (MU)fool.”
12 (MV)A glorious throne on high from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Lord, the (MW)hope of Israel,
All who (MX)forsake You will be put to shame.
Those who turn [bk]away on earth will be (MY)written down,
Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord.
14 (MZ)Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;
(NA)Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my (NB)praise.
15 Look, they keep (NC)saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come now!”
16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd after You,
Nor have I longed for the woeful day;
(ND)You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips
Was in Your presence.
17 Do not be a (NE)terror to me;
You are my (NF)refuge in the day of disaster.
18 Let those who persecute me be (NG)put to shame, but as for me, (NH)let me not be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed.
(NI)Bring on them a day of disaster,
And crush them with twofold destruction!
The Sabbath Must Be Kept
19 Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and stand in the [bl]public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as in all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, ‘(NJ)Listen to the word of the Lord, (NK)kings of Judah, and all Judah and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates: 21 Thus says the Lord, “(NL)Take heed for yourselves, and (NM)do not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the sabbath day (NN)nor do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I (NO)commanded your [bm]forefathers. 23 Yet they (NP)did not listen or incline their ears, but (NQ)stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction.
24 “But it will come about, if you (NR)listen attentively to Me,” declares the Lord, “to (NS)bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, (NT)but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 (NU)then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes (NV)sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this (NW)city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come in from the (NX)cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the (NY)lowland, from the hill country and from the (NZ)Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27 But (OA)if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then (OB)I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will (OC)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and (OD)not be quenched.”’”
The Potter and the Clay
18 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, 2 “Arise and (OE)go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the [bn]wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 6 “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the (OF)clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (OG)uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; 8 (OH)if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will [bo](OI)relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (OJ)build up or to plant it; 10 if it does (OK)evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will [bp](OL)think better of the good with which I had promised to [bq]bless it. 11 So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am (OM)fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh (ON)turn back, each of you from his evil way, and [br]reform your ways and your deeds.”’ 12 But (OO)they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the (OP)stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore thus says the Lord,
‘(OQ)Ask now among the nations,
Who ever heard the like of [bs]this?
The (OR)virgin of Israel
Has done a most (OS)appalling thing.
14 ‘Does the snow of Lebanon forsake the rock of the open country?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever snatched away?
15 ‘For (OT)My people have forgotten Me,
(OU)They burn incense [bt]to worthless gods
And they [bu]have stumbled [bv]from their ways,
[bw]From the (OV)ancient paths,
To walk in bypaths,
Not on a (OW)highway,
16 To make their land a (OX)desolation,
An object of perpetual (OY)hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And (OZ)shake his head.
17 ‘Like an (PA)east wind I will (PB)scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will [bx]show them (PC)My back and not My face
(PD)In the day of their calamity.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let us (PE)devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the (PF)law is not going to be lost to the priest, nor (PG)counsel to the sage, nor the divine (PH)word to the prophet! Come on and let us (PI)strike at him with our tongue, and let us (PJ)give no heed to any of his words.”
19 Do give heed to me, O Lord,
And listen to [by]what my opponents are saying!
20 (PK)Should good be repaid with evil?
For they have (PL)dug a pit for [bz]me.
Remember how I (PM)stood before You
To speak good on their behalf,
So as to turn away Your wrath from them.
21 Therefore, (PN)give their children over to famine
And deliver them up to the [ca]power of the sword;
And let their wives become (PO)childless and (PP)widowed.
Let their men also be smitten to death,
Their (PQ)young men struck down by the sword in battle.
22 May an (PR)outcry be heard from their houses,
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
(PS)For they have dug a pit to capture me
And (PT)hidden snares for my feet.
23 Yet You, O Lord, know
All their [cb]deadly designs against me;
(PU)Do not [cc]forgive their iniquity
Or blot out their sin from Your sight.
But may they be [cd](PV)overthrown before You;
Deal with them in the (PW)time of Your anger!
The Broken Jar
19 Thus says the Lord, “Go and buy a (PX)potter’s earthenware (PY)jar, and take some of the (PZ)elders of the people and some of the [ce](QA)senior priests. 2 Then go out to the (QB)valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and (QC)proclaim there the words that I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O (QD)kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold I am about to bring a (QE)calamity upon this place, at which the (QF)ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. 4 Because they have (QG)forsaken Me and have (QH)made this an alien place and have burned [cf]sacrifices in it to (QI)other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the (QJ)blood of the innocent 5 and have built the (QK)high places of Baal to burn their (QL)sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My [cg]mind; 6 therefore, behold, (QM)days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called (QN)Topheth or (QO)the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter. 7 I will (QP)make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and (QQ)I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will give over their (QR)carcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. 8 I will also make this city a (QS)desolation and an object of hissing; (QT)everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its [ch]disasters. 9 I will make them (QU)eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them.”’
10 “Then you are to break the (QV)jar in the sight of the men who accompany you 11 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Just so will I (QW)break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will (QX)bury in Topheth [ci]because there is no other place for burial. 12 This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 The (QY)houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be (QZ)defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the (RA)houses on whose rooftops they burned [cj]sacrifices to (RB)all the heavenly host and (RC)poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”
14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the (RD)court of the Lord’s house and said to all the people: 15 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it, because they have (RE)stiffened their necks so (RF)as not to heed My words.’”
Pashhur Persecutes Jeremiah
20 When Pashhur the priest, the son of (RG)Immer, who was (RH)chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet (RI)beaten and put him in the (RJ)stocks that were at the upper (RK)Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 On the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has (RL)called you, but rather [ck](RM)Magor-missabib. 4 For thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am going to make you a (RN)terror to yourself and to all your friends; and while (RO)your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will (RP)give over all Judah to the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away as (RQ)exiles to Babylon and will slay them with the sword. 5 I will also give over all the (RR)wealth of this city, all its produce and all its costly things; even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give over to the (RS)hand of their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away and bring them to Babylon. 6 And you, (RT)Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your (RU)friends to whom you have (RV)falsely prophesied.’”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
7 O Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived;
You have (RW)overcome me and prevailed.
I have become a (RX)laughingstock all day long;
Everyone (RY)mocks me.
8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
I (RZ)proclaim violence and destruction,
Because for me the (SA)word of the Lord has [cl]resulted
In reproach and derision all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not (SB)remember Him
Or speak anymore in His name,”
Then in (SC)my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am weary of holding it in,
And (SD)I cannot endure it.
10 For (SE)I have heard the whispering of many,
“(SF)Terror on every side!
(SG)Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!”
[cm]All my (SH)trusted friends,
Watching for my fall, say:
“Perhaps he will be [cn]deceived, so that we may (SI)prevail against him
And take our revenge on him.”
11 But the (SJ)Lord is with me like a dread champion;
Therefore my (SK)persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be utterly ashamed, because they have [co]failed,
With an (SL)everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, O Lord of hosts, You who (SM)test the righteous,
Who see the [cp]mind and the heart;
Let me (SN)see Your vengeance on them;
For (SO)to You I have set forth my cause.
13 (SP)Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord!
For He has (SQ)delivered the soul of the needy one
From the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the (SR)day when I was born;
Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me!
15 Cursed be the man who brought the news
To my father, saying,
“A [cq](SS)baby boy has been born to you!”
And made him very happy.
16 But let that man be like the cities
Which the Lord (ST)overthrew without [cr]relenting,
And let him hear an (SU)outcry in the morning
And a [cs]shout of alarm at noon;
17 Because he did not (SV)kill me [ct]before birth,
So that my mother would have been my grave,
And her womb ever pregnant.
18 Why did I ever come forth from the womb
To (SW)look on trouble and sorrow,
So that my (SX)days have been spent in (SY)shame?
Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah
21 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when (SZ)King Zedekiah sent to him (TA)Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and (TB)Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Please (TC)inquire of the Lord on our behalf, for (TD)Nebuchadnezzar king of (TE)Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us (TF)according to all His [cu]wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4 ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to (TG)turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will (TH)gather them into the center of this city. 5 I (TI)Myself will war against you with an (TJ)outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in (TK)anger and wrath and great indignation. 6 I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great (TL)pestilence. 7 Then afterwards,” declares the Lord, “(TM)I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He (TN)will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’
8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I (TO)set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who (TP)dwells in this city will die by the (TQ)sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty. 10 For I have (TR)set My face against this city for [cv]harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be (TS)given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will (TT)burn it with fire.”’
11 “Then say to the household of the (TU)king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O (TV)house of David, thus says the Lord:
“(TW)Administer justice [cw]every (TX)morning;
And deliver the person who has been robbed from the [cx]power of his oppressor,
(TY)That My wrath may not go forth like fire
And (TZ)burn with none to extinguish it,
Because of the evil of their deeds.
13 “Behold, (UA)I am against you, O (UB)valley dweller,
O [cy]rocky plain,” declares the Lord,
“You men who say, ‘(UC)Who will come down against us?
Or who will enter into our habitations?’
14 “But I will punish you (UD)according to the [cz]results of your deeds,” declares the Lord,
“And I will (UE)kindle a fire in its forest
That it may devour all its environs.”’”
Warning of Jerusalem’s Fall
22 Thus says the Lord, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who (UF)sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3 Thus says the Lord, “(UG)Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his (UH)oppressor. Also (UI)do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not (UJ)shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you men will indeed perform this thing, then (UK)kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting [da]in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, even the king himself and his servants and his people. 5 (UL)But if you will not obey these words, I (UM)swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a desolation.”’” 6 For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“You are like (UN)Gilead to Me,
Like the summit of Lebanon;
Yet most assuredly I will make you like a (UO)wilderness,
Like cities which are not inhabited.
7 “For I will set apart (UP)destroyers against you,
Each with his weapons;
And they will (UQ)cut down your choicest cedars
And (UR)throw them on the fire.
8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will (US)say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this great city?’ 9 Then they will [db]answer, ‘Because they (UT)forsook the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”
10 (UU)Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,
But weep continually for the one who goes away;
For (UV)he will never return
Or see his native land.
11 For thus says the Lord in regard to [dc](UW)Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they led him captive, there he will (UX)die and not see this land again.
Messages about the Kings
13 “Woe to him who builds his house (UY)without righteousness
And his [dd]upper rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And (UZ)does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will (VA)build myself a roomy house
With spacious [de]upper rooms,
And cut out its windows,
[df]Paneling it with (VB)cedar and painting it [dg]bright red.’
15 “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
And (VC)do justice and righteousness?
Then it was (VD)well with him.
16 “He pled the cause of the (VE)afflicted and needy;
Then it was well.
(VF)Is not that what it means to know Me?”
Declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own (VG)dishonest gain,
And on (VH)shedding innocent blood
And on practicing oppression and extortion.”
18 Therefore thus says the Lord in regard to (VI)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah,
“They will not (VJ)lament for him:
‘(VK)Alas, my brother!’ or, ‘Alas, sister!’
They will not lament for him:
‘Alas for the master!’ or, ‘Alas for his splendor!’
19 “He will be (VL)buried with a donkey’s burial,
Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
And lift up your voice in Bashan;
Cry out also from (VM)Abarim,
For all your (VN)lovers have been crushed.
21 “I spoke to you in your prosperity;
But (VO)you said, ‘I will not listen!’
(VP)This has been your practice (VQ)from your youth,
That you have not obeyed My voice.
22 “The wind will sweep away all your (VR)shepherds,
And your (VS)lovers will go into captivity;
Then you will surely be (VT)ashamed and humiliated
Because of all your wickedness.
23 “You who dwell in Lebanon,
Nested in the cedars,
How you will groan when pangs come upon you,
(VU)Pain like a woman in childbirth!
24 “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even though [dh](VV)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a (VW)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull [di]you [dj]off; 25 and I will (VX)give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 I will (VY)hurl you and your (VZ)mother who bore you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 But as for the land to which they desire to return, they will not return to it.
28 “Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
Or is he an (WA)undesirable vessel?
Why have he and his descendants been (WB)hurled out
And cast into a (WC)land that they had not known?
29 “(WD)O land, land, land,
Hear the word of the Lord!
30 “Thus says the Lord,
‘Write this man down (WE)childless,
A man who will (WF)not prosper in his days;
For no man of his (WG)descendants will prosper
Sitting on the throne of David
Or ruling again in Judah.’”
The Coming Messiah: the Righteous Branch
23 “(WH)Woe to the shepherds who are (WI)destroying and scattering the (WJ)sheep of My pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are [dk]tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to (WK)attend to you for the (WL)evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord. 3 “Then I Myself will (WM)gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will also raise up (WN)shepherds over them and they will [dl]tend them; and they will (WO)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, (WP)nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
5 “Behold, the (WQ)days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous [dm](WR)Branch;
And He will (WS)reign as king and [dn]act wisely
And (WT)do justice and righteousness in the land.
6 “In His days Judah will be saved,
And (WU)Israel will dwell securely;
And this is His (WV)name by which He will be called,
‘The (WW)Lord our righteousness.’
7 “(WX)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ 8 (WY)but, ‘As the Lord lives, who (WZ)brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.