Chronological
10 The constellations of the stars are not to be feared. 5 The weakness of idols. 6 Of the power of God. 21 Their Pastors are become brute beasts.
1 Hear ye the word of the Lord that he speaketh unto you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not afraid for the [a]signs of heaven, though the heathen be afraid of such.
3 For the [b]customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest (which is the work of the hands of the carpenter) with the axe,
4 And another decketh it [c]with silver, and with gold: they fasten it with nails and hammers that it fall not.
5 The idols stand up as the palm tree, but speak not: they are borne because they cannot go: fear them not, for they cannot do evil, neither can they do good.
6 There is none like unto thee, O Lord: [d]thou art great, and thy Name is great in power.
7 Who would not fear thee, O king of nations? for to thee appertaineth the dominion: for among all the wise men of the Gentiles, and in all their kingdoms there is none like thee.
8 But altogether they dote, and are foolish: for the stock is a [e]doctrine of vanity.
9 Silver plates are brought from Tarshish, and gold [f]from Uphaz, for the work of the workman, and the hands of the founder: the blue silk, and the purple is their clothing: all these things are made by cunning men.
10 But the Lord is the God of truth: he is the living God, and an everlasting King: at his anger the earth shall tremble, and the nations cannot abide his wrath.
11 (Thus shall you say unto them, The gods [g]that have not made the heavens and the earth, shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.)
12 He hath made the earth by his power, and established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his discretion.
13 He giveth by his voice the multitude of waters in the heaven, and he causeth the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth: he turneth lightnings to rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
14 Every man is a [h]beast by his own knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his melting is but falsehood, and there is no breath therein.
15 They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
16 The [i]portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the maker of all things, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the Lord of hosts is his Name.
17 ¶ [j]Gather up thy wares out of the land, O thou that dwellest in the strong place.
18 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, at this time I will throw as with a sling the inhabitants of the land, and will trouble them, and they shall find it so.
19 Woe is me for my destruction, and my grievous plague: but I thought, Yet it [k]is my sorrow, and I will bear it.
20 [l]My Tabernacle is destroyed, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone from me, and are not: there is none to spread out my tent anymore, and to set up my curtains.
21 For the Pastors [m]are become beasts, and have not sought the Lord: therefore have they none understanding: and all the flocks of their pastures are scattered.
22 Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the [n]North country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.
23 O Lord, I know that [o]the way of man is not in himself, neither is it in man to walk and to direct his steps.
24 O Lord, correct me, but with [p]judgment, not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.
25 Pour out [q]thy wrath upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy Name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.
11 3 A curse of them that obey not the word of God’s covenant. 10 The people of Judah following the steps of their fathers, worship strange gods. 15 The Lord forbiddeth Jeremiah to pray for them.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, [r]Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
4 Which I commanded unto your fathers, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do according to all these things which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God,
5 That I may confirm the oath, that I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land, which floweth with milk and honey, as appeareth this day. Then answered [s]I, and said, So be it, O Lord.
6 Then the Lord said unto me, Cry all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.
7 For I have protested unto your fathers, when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt unto this day, [t]rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.
8 Nevertheless they would not obey, nor incline their ear: but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his [u]wicked heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the [v]words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, but they did it not.
9 And the Lord said unto me, A [w]conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10 They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words: and they went after other gods to serve them: thus the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant, which I made with their fathers.
11 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring a plague upon them, which they shall not be able to escape, and though they cry unto me, [x]I will not hear them.
12 Then shall the cities of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense, but they shall not be able to help them in time of their trouble.
13 [y]For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah, and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars of confusion, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.
14 Therefore thou shalt not [z]pray for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for when they cry unto me in their trouble, I will not hear them.
15 What should my [aa]beloved tarry in mine house, seeing they have committed abomination with many, and the holy flesh [ab]goeth away from thee: yet when thou doest evil, thou rejoicest.
16 The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: but with [ac]noise and great tumult he hath set fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
17 For the Lord of hosts that planted thee, hath pronounced a plague against thee, for the wickedness of the house of Israel, and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal,
18 And the Lord hath taught me, and I know it, even then thou showedst me [ad]their practices.
19 But I was like a lamb, or a bullock, that is brought to the slaughter, and I knew not that they had devised thus against me, saying, Let us [ae]destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and cut him out of the land of the living, that his name may be no more in memory,
20 But O Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, and triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy [af]vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.
21 The Lord therefore speaketh thus of the men of [ag]Anathoth, (that seek thy life, and say, [ah]Prophesy not in the name of the Lord, that thou die not by our hands.)
22 Thus therefore saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will visit them: the young men shall die by the sword: their sons and their daughters shall die by famine,
23 And none of them shall remain: for I will bring a plague upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.
12 1 The Prophet marvelleth at the prosperity of the wicked, although he confess God to be righteous. 7 The Jews are forsaken of the Lord. 10 He speaketh against pastors and preachers, that seduce the people. 14 The Lord threateneth destruction unto the nations that troubled Judah.
1 O Lord, if I dispute with thee, thou art [ai]righteous: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: wherefore doth the way of the wicked [aj]prosper? why are all they in wealth that rebelliously transgress?
2 Thou hast planted them, and they have taken root: they grow, and bring forth fruit, thou art near in their mouth, and far from their [ak]reins.
3 But thou, Lord, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and [al]prepare them for the day of slaughter.
4 How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds, because they said, [am]He will not see our last end.
5 If thou hast run with the [an]footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou match thyself with horses? and if thou thoughtest thyself safe in a peaceable land, what wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?
6 For even thy brethren and the house of thy father, even they have dealt unfaithfully with thee, and they have cried out altogether upon thee: but believe them not, though they speak fair to thee.
7 I have forsaken [ao]mine house: I have left mine heritage: I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies.
8 Mine heritage is unto me, as a [ap]lion in the forest: it crieth out against me, therefore have I hated it.
9 Shall mine heritage be unto me, as a bird [aq]of divers colors? are not the birds about her, saying, Come, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to eat her?
10 Many pastors have destroyed my [ar]vineyard, and trodden my portion under foot: of my pleasant portion they have made a desolate wilderness.
11 They have laid it waste, and it, being waste mourneth unto me, and the whole land lieth waste, because no man setteth his mind on [as]it.
12 The destroyers are come upon all the high places in the wilderness: for the sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end of the land, even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.
13 [at]They have sown wheat, and reaped thorns: they were [au]sick, and had no profit: and they were ashamed of [av]your fruits, because of the fierce wrath of the Lord.
14 Thus saith the Lord against all mine evil [aw]neighbors, that touch the inheritance, which I have caused my people Israel to inherit, Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.
15 And after that I have plucked them out, I [ax]will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring again every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.
16 And if they will learn the [ay]ways of my people, to swear by my Name, (The [az]Lord liveth, as they taught my people to swear by Baal) then shall they be built [ba]in the midst of my people.
17 But if they will not obey, then will I utterly pluck up, and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.
13 The destruction of the Jews is prefigured. 11 Why Israel was received to be the people of God, and why they were forsaken. 15 He exhorteth them to repentance.
1 Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go, and buy thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
2 So I bought the girdle according to the commandment of the Lord, and put it upon my loins.
3 And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying,
4 Take the girdle that thou hast bought, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go toward [bb]Perath, and hide it there in the cleft of the rock.
5 So I went, and hid it by Perath, as the Lord had commanded me.
6 And after many days the Lord said unto me, Arise, go toward Perath, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
7 Then went I to Perath, and dug, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it, and behold, the girdle was corrupt, and was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9 Thus saith the Lord, After this manner will I destroy the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 This wicked people have refused to hear my word, and walk after the stubbornness of their own heart, and walk after other gods to serve them, and to worship them: therefore they shall be as this girdle, which is profitable to nothing.
11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I tied to me the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord, that they might be my people: that they might have a name, and praise, and glory, but they would not hear.
12 Therefore thou shalt say unto them this word, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Every [bc]bottle shall be filled with wine, and they shall say unto thee, do we not know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon the throne of David, and the Priests and the Prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness.
14 And I will [bd]dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord: I will not spare, I will not pity, nor have compassion, but destroy them.
15 Hear and give ear, be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken it.
16 Give glory to the Lord your God before he bring [be]darkness, and or ever your feet stumble in the dark mountains, and while you look for [bf]light, he turn it into the shadow of death and make it as darkness.
17 But if ye will not hear this, my soul shall [bg]weep in secret for your pride, and mine eye shall weep and drop down tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.
18 Say unto the [bh]King and to the Queen: Humble yourselves, sit down, for the crown of your glory shall come down from your heads.
19 The cities of [bi]the South shall be shut up, and no man shall open them: all Judah shall be carried away captive: it shall be wholly carried away captive:
20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the North: where is the [bj]flock that was given thee, even thy beautiful flock?
21 What wilt thou say when he shall visit thee? (for thou hast [bk]taught them to be captains and as chief over thee) shall not sorrow take thee as a woman in travail?
22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the multitude of thine iniquities are thy skirts [bl]discovered and thy heels made bare.
23 Can the black Moor change his skin? or the leopard his spots, then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil?
24 Therefore will I scatter them, as the stubble that is taken away with the South wind.
25 This is thy portion, and the part of thy measures from me, saith the Lord, because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in lies.
26 Therefore I have also discovered thy skirts upon thy face, [bm]that thy shame may appear.
27 I have seen thine adulteries, and thy [bn]neighings, the filthiness of thy whoredom on the hills in [bo]the fields, and thine abominations. [Woe] unto thee, O Jerusalem: wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
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