Jeremiah 8:4-22
New American Standard Bible 1995
4 “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord,
“Do men (A)fall and not get up again?
Does one turn away and not [a]repent?
5 “Why then has this people, Jerusalem,
(B)Turned away in continual apostasy?
They (C)hold fast to deceit,
They (D)refuse to return.
6 “I (E)have listened and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
(F)No man repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his course,
Like a (G)horse charging into the battle.
7 “Even the stork in the sky
(H)Knows her seasons;
And the (I)turtledove and the swift and the thrush
Observe the time of their [b]migration;
But (J)My people do not know
The ordinance of the Lord.
8 “(K)How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
9 “The wise men are (L)put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have (M)rejected the word of the Lord,
And what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 “Therefore I will (N)give their wives to others,
Their fields to [c]new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is (O)greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest
Everyone practices deceit.
11 “They (P)heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
12 “Were they (Q)ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They certainly were not ashamed,
And they did not know how to blush;
Therefore they shall (R)fall among those who fall;
At the (S)time of their punishment they shall be brought down,”
Says the Lord.
13 “I will (T)surely snatch them away,” declares the Lord;
“There will be (U)no grapes on the vine
And (V)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?
(W)Assemble yourselves, and let us (X)go into the fortified cities
And let us perish there,
Because the Lord our God has doomed us
And given us (Y)poisoned water to drink,
For (Z)we have sinned against the Lord.
15 We (AA)waited for peace, but no good came;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 From (AB)Dan is heard the snorting of his horses;
At the sound of the neighing of his (AC)stallions
The whole land quakes;
For they come and (AD)devour the land and its fullness,
The city and its inhabitants.
17 “For behold, I am (AE)sending serpents against you,
Adders, for which there is (AF)no charm,
And they will bite you,” declares the Lord.
18 [d]My (AG)sorrow is beyond healing,
My (AH)heart is faint within me!
19 Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a (AI)distant land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”
“Why have they (AJ)provoked Me with their graven images, with foreign [e](AK)idols?”
20 “Harvest is past, summer is ended,
And we are not saved.”
21 For the (AL)brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken;
I (AM)mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no (AN)balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
(AO)Why then has not the [f]health of the daughter of my people [g]been restored?
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 8:4 Lit turn back
- Jeremiah 8:7 Lit coming
- Jeremiah 8:10 Lit possessing ones
- Jeremiah 8:18 So Gr and versions
- Jeremiah 8:19 Lit vanities
- Jeremiah 8:22 Or healing
- Jeremiah 8:22 Lit gone up
Jeremiah 9-11
New American Standard Bible 1995
A Lament over Zion
9 [a](A)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 (B)daughter of my people!
2 [b](C)Oh that I had in the desert
A wayfarers’ lodging place;
That I might leave my people
And go from them!
For all of them are (D)adulterers,
An assembly of (E)treacherous men.
3 “They (F)bend their tongue like their bow;
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they (G)proceed from evil to evil,
And they (H)do not know Me,” declares the Lord.
4 “Let everyone (I)be on guard against his neighbor,
And (J)do not trust any brother;
Because every (K)brother deals [c]craftily,
And every neighbor (L)goes about as a slanderer.
5 “Everyone (M)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth,
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (N)weary themselves committing iniquity.
6 “Your (O)dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (P)refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts,
“Behold, I will refine them and (Q)assay them;
For (R)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8 “Their (S)tongue is a deadly arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one (T)speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he (U)sets an ambush for him.
9 “(V)Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord.
“On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?
10 “For the (W)mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing,
And for the pastures of the (X)wilderness a dirge,
Because they are (Y)laid waste so that no one passes through,
And the lowing of the cattle is not heard;
Both the (Z)birds of the sky and the beasts have fled; they are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem a (AA)heap of ruins,
A haunt of (AB)jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a (AC)desolation, without inhabitant.”
12 Who is the (AD)wise man that may understand this? And who is he to whom (AE)the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? (AF)Why is the land ruined, laid waste like a desert, so that no one passes through? 13 The Lord said, “Because they have (AG)forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have (AH)walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the (AI)Baals, as their (AJ)fathers taught them,” 15 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, (AK)I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them (AL)poisoned water to drink. 16 I will (AM)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the (AN)sword after them until I have annihilated them.”
17 Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“Consider and call for the (AO)mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the [d](AP)wailing women, that they may come!
18 “Let them make haste and take up a wailing for us,
That our (AQ)eyes may shed tears
And our eyelids flow with water.
19 “For a voice of (AR)wailing is heard from Zion,
‘(AS)How are we ruined!
We are put to great shame,
For we have (AT)left the land,
Because they have cast down our dwellings.’”
20 Now hear the word of the Lord, O you (AU)women,
And let your ear receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And everyone her neighbor a dirge.
21 For (AV)death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our palaces
To cut off the (AW)children from the streets,
The young men from the town squares.
22 Speak, “Thus says the Lord,
‘The corpses of men will fall (AX)like dung on the open field,
And like the sheaf after the reaper,
But no one will gather them.’”
23 Thus says the Lord, “(AY)Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the (AZ)mighty man boast of his might, let not a (BA)rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts (BB)boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who (BC)exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I (BD)delight in these things,” declares the Lord.
25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet (BE)uncircumcised— 26 Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and (BF)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 (BG)uncircumcised of heart.”
A Satire on Idolatry
10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord,
“(BH)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 customs of the peoples are [e](BI)delusion;
Because (BJ)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 “They (BK)decorate it with silver and with gold;
They (BL)fasten it with nails and with hammers
So that it will not totter.
5 “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they,
And they (BM)cannot speak;
They must be (BN)carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they (BO)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 (BP)There is none like You, O Lord;
You are (BQ)great, and great is Your name in might.
7 (BR)Who would not fear You, O (BS)King of the nations?
Indeed it is Your due!
For among all the (BT)wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether (BU)stupid and foolish
In their discipline of [f]delusion—[g]their idol is wood!
9 Beaten (BV)silver is brought from (BW)Tarshish,
And (BX)gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Violet and purple are their clothing;
They are all the (BY)work of skilled men.
10 But the Lord is the (BZ)true God;
He is the (CA)living God and the (CB)everlasting King.
At His wrath the (CC)earth quakes,
And the nations cannot (CD)endure His indignation.
11 [h]Thus you shall say to them, “The (CE)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will (CF)perish from the earth and from under the [i]heavens.”
12 It is (CG)He who made the earth by His power,
Who (CH)established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has (CI)stretched out the heavens.
13 When He utters His (CJ)voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
And He causes the (CK)clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the (CL)wind from His storehouses.
14 Every man is (CM)stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his [j]idols;
For his molten images are deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are (CN)worthless, a work of mockery;
In the (CO)time of their punishment they will perish.
16 The (CP)portion of Jacob is not like these;
For the [k](CQ)Maker of all is He,
And (CR)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The (CS)Lord of hosts is His name.
17 (CT)Pick up your bundle from the ground,
You who dwell under siege!
18 For thus says the Lord,
“Behold, I am (CU)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And will cause them distress,
That they may [l]be found.”
19 (CV)Woe is me, because of my [m]injury!
My (CW)wound is incurable.
But I said, “Truly this is a sickness,
And I (CX)must bear it.”
20 My (CY)tent is destroyed,
And all my ropes are broken;
My (CZ)sons have gone from me and are no more.
There is (DA)no one to stretch out my tent again
Or to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become stupid
And (DB)have not sought the Lord;
Therefore they have not prospered,
And (DC)all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a (DD)report! Behold, it comes—
A great commotion (DE)out of the land of the north—
To (DF)make the cities of Judah
A desolation, a haunt of jackals.
23 I know, O Lord, that (DG)a man’s way is not in himself,
(DH)Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
24 (DI)Correct me, O Lord, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will [n]bring me to nothing.
25 (DJ)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that (DK)do not know You
And on the families that (DL)do not call Your name;
For they have devoured Jacob;
They have (DM)devoured him and consumed him
And have laid waste his [o]habitation.
The Broken Covenant
11 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “(DN)Hear the words of this (DO)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, “(DP)Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your forefathers in the (DQ)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the (DR)iron furnace, saying, ‘(DS)Listen to My voice, and [p]do according to all which I command you; so you shall be (DT)My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to confirm the (DU)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, “(DV)Amen, O Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me, “(DW)Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘(DX)Hear the words of this covenant and (DY)do them. 7 For I solemnly (DZ)warned your fathers in the (EA)day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, [q](EB)warning persistently, saying, “(EC)Listen to My voice.” 8 Yet they (ED)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 (EE)words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “A (EF)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have (EG)turned back to the iniquities of their [r]ancestors who (EH)refused to hear My words, and they (EI)have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have (EJ)broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” 11 Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am (EK)bringing disaster on them which they will (EL)not be able to escape; though they will (EM)cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will (EN)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 [s](EO)as many as your cities, O Judah; and [t]as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the (EP)shameful thing, altars to (EQ)burn incense to Baal.
14 “Therefore (ER)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will (ES)not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.
15 “What right has My (ET)beloved in My house
When (EU)she has done many vile deeds?
Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
[u]So that you can rejoice?”
16 The Lord called your name,
“A (EV)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the (EW)noise of a great tumult
He has (EX)kindled fire on it,
And its branches are worthless.
17 The Lord of hosts, who (EY)planted you, has (EZ)pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have [v]done to provoke Me by [w](FA)offering up sacrifices to Baal.
Plots against Jeremiah
18 Moreover, the Lord (FB)made it known to me and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle (FC)lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had (FD)devised plots against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its [x]fruit,
And (FE)let us cut him off from the (FF)land of the living,
That his (FG)name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts, who (FH)judges righteously,
Who (FI)tries the [y]feelings and the heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You have I [z]committed my cause.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of (FJ)Anathoth, who (FK)seek your life, saying, “(FL)Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you will not (FM)die at our hand”; 22 therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, I am about to (FN)punish them! The (FO)young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine; 23 and a remnant (FP)will not be left to them, for I will (FQ)bring disaster on the men of Anathoth—(FR)the year of their punishment.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
- Jeremiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
- Jeremiah 9:4 I.e. like Jacob (a play on words)
- Jeremiah 9:17 Lit skilled
- Jeremiah 10:3 Lit vanity
- Jeremiah 10:8 Lit vanities, or idols
- Jeremiah 10:8 Lit it is
- Jeremiah 10:11 This verse is in Aram
- Jeremiah 10:11 Or these heavens
- Jeremiah 10:14 Or graven image
- Jeremiah 10:16 Lit Fashioner
- Jeremiah 10:18 Lit find
- Jeremiah 10:19 Lit breaking
- Jeremiah 10:24 Lit diminish me
- Jeremiah 10:25 Or pasture
- Jeremiah 11:4 Lit do them
- Jeremiah 11:7 Lit rising early and warning
- Jeremiah 11:10 Lit former fathers
- Jeremiah 11:13 Lit the number of
- Jeremiah 11:13 Lit the number of
- Jeremiah 11:15 Lit Then
- Jeremiah 11:17 Or done for themselves
- Jeremiah 11:17 Or burning incense
- Jeremiah 11:19 Lit bread
- Jeremiah 11:20 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 11:20 Lit revealed
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
