Jeremiah 8:14-17
New English Translation
Jeremiah Laments over the Coming Destruction
14 The people say,[a]
“Why are we just sitting here?
Let us gather together inside the fortified cities.[b]
Let us at least die there fighting,[c]
since the Lord our God has condemned us to die.
He has condemned us to drink the poison waters of judgment[d]
because we have sinned against him.[e]
15 We hoped for good fortune, but nothing good has come of it.
We hoped for a time of relief, but instead we experience terror.[f]
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses
is already being heard in the city of Dan.
The sound of the neighing of their stallions[g]
causes the whole land to tremble with fear.
They are coming to destroy the land and everything in it.
They are coming to destroy[h] the cities and everyone who lives in them.”
17 The Lord says,[i]
“Yes indeed,[j] I am sending an enemy against you
that will be like poisonous snakes that cannot be charmed away.[k]
And they will inflict fatal wounds on you.”[l]
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 8:14 tn The words “The people say” are not in the text but are implicit in the shift of speakers between vv. 4-13 and vv. 14-16. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Jeremiah 8:14 tn Heb “Gather together and let us enter into the fortified cities.”
- Jeremiah 8:14 tn Heb “Let us die there.” The words “at least” and “fighting” are intended to bring out the contrast of passive surrender to death in the open country and active resistance to the death implicit in the context.
- Jeremiah 8:14 tn The words “of judgment” are not in the text but are intended to show that “poison water” is not literal but figurative of judgment at the hands of God through the agency of the enemy mentioned in v. 16.
- Jeremiah 8:14 tn Heb “against the Lord.” The switch is for the sake of smoothness in English.
- Jeremiah 8:15 tn Heb “[We hoped] for a time of healing but, behold, terror.”
- Jeremiah 8:16 tn Heb “his stallions.”
- Jeremiah 8:16 tn The words “They are coming to destroy” are not in the text. They are inserted to break up a long sentence in conformity with contemporary English style.
- Jeremiah 8:17 tn These words, which are at the end of the Hebrew verse, are brought forward to show at the outset the shift in speaker.
- Jeremiah 8:17 tn Heb “Indeed [or For] behold!” The translation is intended to convey some of the connection that is suggested by the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the verse.
- Jeremiah 8:17 tn Heb “I am sending against you snakes, poisonous ones which cannot be charmed.” In light of the context, literal snakes are scarcely meant. So the metaphor is turned into a simile to prevent possible confusion. For a similar metaphorical use of animals for enemies see 5:6.
- Jeremiah 8:17 tn Heb “they will bite you.” There does not appear to be any way to avoid the possible confusion that literal snakes are meant here except to paraphrase. Possibly one could say, “And they will attack you and ‘bite’ you,” but enclosing the word “bite” in quotations might lead to even further confusion.
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