Bible in 90 Days
14 Every man is (A)senseless, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven images;
For his molten images are a lie,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are (B)vanity, 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 [a](E)Maker of all is He,
And (F)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
(G)Yahweh of hosts is His name.
17 (H)Gather up your bundle from the ground,
You who inhabit a land under siege!
18 For thus says Yahweh,
“Behold, I am (I)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And will cause them distress,
That they may find it.”
19 (J)Woe is me, because of my [b]injury!
My (K)wound is desperately sick.
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 torn out;
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 senseless
And (P)have not sought Yahweh;
Therefore they have not prospered,
And (Q)all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a (R)report! Behold, it comes—
A great quaking (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 Yahweh, that (U)a man’s way is not in himself,
(V)Nor is it in a man who walks to [c]direct his steps.
24 (W)Discipline me, O Yahweh, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, lest You [d]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 made desolate his [e]abode.
The Broken Covenant
11 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 “(AB)Hear the words of this (AC)covenant, and you shall speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem 3 and say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “(AD)Cursed is the man who does not hear the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your fathers 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 [f]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 establish the (AI)oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I answered and said, “(AJ)Amen, O Yahweh.”
6 And Yahweh said to me, “(AK)Call out all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘(AL)Hear the words of this covenant so that you will (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, (AP)rising up early and warning, saying, “(AQ)Listen to My voice.” 8 Yet they (AR)did not listen 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 Yahweh 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 [g]ancestors who (AV)refused to hear My words, and they (AW)have walked after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have (AX)broken My covenant which I cut with their fathers.” 11 Therefore thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am (AY)bringing calamity on them which they will (AZ)not be able to get out of; and 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 calamity. 13 For your gods are (BC)the number of your cities, O Judah; and the number of the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the (BD)shameful thing, altars to (BE)burn incense to Baal.
14 “But as for you, (BF)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry of lamentation or prayer for them; for I will (BG)not listen when they call to Me because of their calamity.
15 What possession has My (BH)beloved in My house
When (BI)she has done many schemes of wickedness?
Can the flesh, which is set apart as holy, take away from you your calamity,
[h]So that you can exult?”
16 Yahweh 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 foliage has an evil demise.
17 Yahweh of hosts, who (BM)planted you, has (BN)spoken forth evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have [i]done to provoke Me to anger by (BO)burning incense to Baal.
Men Seek Jeremiah’s Life
18 Moreover, Yahweh (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 thoughts against me, saying,
“Let us make the tree with its [j]fruit a ruin,
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 Yahweh of hosts, who (BV)judges righteously,
Who (BW)tests the [k]insides and the heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You have I revealed my case.
21 Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning the men of (BX)Anathoth, who (BY)seek your life, saying, “(BZ)Do not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, so that you will not (CA)die at our hand”; 22 therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Behold, I am about to (CB)punish them! The (CC)choice 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 calamity on the men of Anathoth—(CF)the year of their punishment.”
Jeremiah’s Plea
12 (CG)Righteous are You, O Yahweh, when I would plead my case with You;
Indeed I would (CH)speak matters of justice with You:
Why has the (CI)way of the wicked succeeded?
Why are all those who (CJ)deal in treachery complacent?
2 You have (CK)planted them; they have also taken root;
They grow; they have even produced fruit.
You are (CL)near [l]to their lips
But far from their [m]inmost being.
3 But You, O Yahweh, You (CM)know me;
You see me;
And You (CN)test my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter
And [n]set them apart for a (CO)day of carnage!
4 How long is the (CP)land to mourn
And the (CQ)plants of every field to dry up?
Because of the (CR)evil of those who inhabit it,
(CS)Animals and birds have been swept away,
Because men have said, “He will not see our latter (CT)ending.”
Yahweh Answers Jeremiah
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 [o](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 called aloud after you.
Do not believe them, although they may say (CW)nice things to you.”
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 (CZ)given forth its voice 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 portion;
They have made My (DG)desired portion
A desolate wilderness.
11 [p]It has been made a desolation;
Desolate, it (DH)mourns [q]before Me;
The (DI)whole land has been made desolate
Because no man (DJ)sets it upon his heart.
12 On all the [r](DK)bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For a (DL)sword of Yahweh is devouring
From one end of the land even to the [s]other;
There is (DM)no peace for any flesh.
13 They have (DN)sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
They have (DO)strained themselves [t]to no profit.
But be ashamed of your (DP)produce
Because of the (DQ)burning anger of Yahweh.”
14 Thus says Yahweh concerning all My (DR)evil neighbors who (DS)beat at the inheritance with which I have caused My people Israel to inherit, “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)return and have compassion on them; and I will (DV)cause them to return, 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 Yahweh 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 make it perish,” declares Yahweh.
The Ruined Belt
13 Thus Yahweh said to me, “Go and (EB)buy yourself a linen belt and put it around your loins, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the belt in accordance with the (EC)word of Yahweh and put it around my loins. 3 Then the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the belt that you have bought, which is around your loins, and arise, go to [u]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 Yahweh had commanded me. 6 Now it happened that after many days Yahweh said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the belt which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the belt from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the belt was ruined; it was totally worthless.
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Just so will I ruin the (EF)pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who (EG)refuse to listen to My words, who (EH)walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have walked after other gods to serve them and to worship them, let them be just like this belt which is totally worthless. 11 For as the belt clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah (EI)cling to Me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for a (EJ)name, for (EK)praise, and for beauty; but they (EL)did not listen.’
The Magnitude of Israel’s Iniquity
12 “Therefore you are to say this word to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Every jug is to be filled with wine.”’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?’ 13 Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “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)shatter them against each other, both the (EO)fathers and the sons together,” declares Yahweh. “I will (EP)not spare nor show pity nor have compassion so as not to ruin them.”’”
15 Listen and give ear, do not be (EQ)haughty,
For Yahweh has spoken.
16 (ER)Give glory to Yahweh your God,
Before He brings (ES)darkness
And before your (ET)feet [v]stumble
On the dusky mountains;
And while you are hoping for light,
He makes it into the (EU)shadow of death
And turns it into dense gloom.
17 But (EV)if you will not listen to it,
My soul will (EW)cry in secret for such pride;
And my eyes will bitterly weep
And flow down with tears
Because the (EX)flock of Yahweh 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 closed up,
And there is no one to open them;
All (FC)Judah has been taken away into exile,
Wholly taken away 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 [w](FF)companions to be head over you?
Will not (FG)pangs seize 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 uncovered
And your heels have suffered violence.
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 chaff passing away
Into the wilderness (FO)wind.
25 This is your (FP)lot, the portion measured to you
From Me,” declares Yahweh,
“Because you have (FQ)forgotten Me
And trusted in lies.
26 So I Myself have also (FR)stripped your skirts off over your face,
That your disgrace 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 detestable things.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
(FV)How long will you not cleanse yourself?”
Yahweh Will Not Listen to Their Cry
14 That which came as the word of Yahweh 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)outcry of Jerusalem has gone up.
3 Their mighty ones have (GA)sent their [x]underlings for water;
They have come to the (GB)trenches and found no water.
They have returned with their vessels empty;
They have been (GC)put to shame and dishonored,
And they (GD)cover their heads.
4 Because the (GE)ground is [y]dismayed,
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 forsake 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 answer against us,
O Yahweh, act (GL)for Your name’s sake!
Truly our (GM)acts of faithlessness 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 sojourner in the land
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent to lodge for the night?
9 Why are You like a man confused,
Like a mighty man who (GR)cannot save?
Yet (GS)You are in our midst, O Yahweh,
And we are (GT)called by Your name;
Do not leave us!”
10 Thus says Yahweh to this people, “Even so they have (GU)loved to wander; they have not (GV)kept their feet in check. Therefore Yahweh does (GW)not accept them; now He will (GX)remember their iniquity and punish their sins.” 11 So Yahweh said to me, “(GY)Do not pray for the good 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.”
Lying Prophets
13 But, “Ah, Lord Yahweh!” I said, “Behold, the prophets are saying to them, ‘You (HD)will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you true (HE)peace in this place.’” 14 Then Yahweh said to me, “The (HF)prophets are prophesying lies in My name. (HG)I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a (HH)vision of lies, divination, futility, and the deception of their own hearts. 15 Therefore thus says Yahweh 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 that sword and famine those prophets shall [z]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 evil on them.
17 And 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 shattered with a mighty shattering,
With a sorely (HO)sick wound.
18 If I (HP)go out to the field,
Behold, those [aa]slain with the sword!
Or if I enter the city,
Behold, diseases of famine!
For (HQ)both prophet and priest
Have gone around as merchants in the land that they do not know.’”
19 Have You completely (HR)rejected Judah?
Or [ab]have You loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that (HS)there is no healing for us?
We (HT)hoped for peace, but there was no good;
And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
20 We (HU)know our wickedness, O Yahweh,
The iniquity of our fathers, for (HV)we have sinned against You.
21 Do not [ac]despise us, (HW)for Your own name’s sake;
Do not disgrace the (HX)throne of Your glory;
Remember and do not break Your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the [ad](HY)idols of the nations who (HZ)give rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Is it not You, O Yahweh our God?
Therefore we [ae](IA)hope in You,
For You are the one who has done all these things.
Yahweh Appoints Four Kinds of Doom
15 Then Yahweh said to me, “Even (IB)though (IC)Moses and (ID)Samuel were to (IE)stand before Me, My soul would not be [af]with this people; (IF)send them away from My presence and let them go! 2 And it will be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says Yahweh:
“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 Yahweh: “the sword to kill, the (II)dogs to drag off, and the (IJ)birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and bring to ruin. 4 I will (IK)give them over to be an example of terror 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 (IM)spare you, O Jerusalem,
Or who will (IN)console you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your well-being?
6 You who have (IO)abandoned Me,” declares Yahweh,
“You keep (IP)going backward.
So I will (IQ)stretch out My hand against you and bring you to ruin;
I am (IR)tired of [ag]relenting!
7 And I will (IS)winnow them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will (IT)bereave them of children; I will make My people perish;
(IU)They did not [ah]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 choice man,
A (IW)destroyer at noonday;
I will suddenly bring down on her
Anguish and terror.
9 She who (IX)bore seven sons languishes;
[ai]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 Yahweh.
Jeremiah Pleads for Vengeance
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 Yahweh said, “Surely I will (JE)set you free for purposes of good;
Surely I will cause the (JF)enemy to intercede with 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 plunder (JI)without cost,
Even for all your sins
And within all your borders.
14 Then I will cause your enemies to pass [aj]it over
Into a (JJ)land you do not know,
For a (JK)fire has been kindled in My anger;
It will burn upon you.”
15 (JL)You who know, O Yahweh,
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 joy and gladness in my heart,
For I have been (JQ)called by Your name,
O Yahweh 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?
Yahweh’s Answer
19 Therefore thus says Yahweh,
“(JW)If you return, then I will cause you to return—
(JX)Before Me you will stand;
And (JY)if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become [ak]My mouthpiece.
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 they will fight against you,
But they will not prevail against you,
For (KA)I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” declares Yahweh.
21 “So I will (KB)deliver you from the hand of the evil ones,
And I will (KC)redeem you from the [al]grasp of the ruthless ones.”
Yahweh Withdraws His Favor
16 The word of Yahweh 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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh, “Do not enter the house of the (KJ)funeral meal, or go to lament or to console them; for I have (KK)withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares Yahweh, “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 comforting 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 Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I am going to (KR)cause to cease from this place, before your eyes and in your days, 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 Yahweh declared all this great calamity against us? And what is our iniquity, or what is our sin which we have committed against Yahweh our God?’ 11 Then you are to say to them, ‘It is (KT)because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and have walked after (KU)other gods and served them and worshiped them; but Me they have forsaken and have not kept My law. 12 You too have done evil, even (KV)more than your fathers; 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.’
They Shall Know My Name Is Yahweh
14 “(LB)Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As Yahweh lives, who (LC)brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the (LD)land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.
16 “Behold, I am going to send for many (LE)fishermen,” declares Yahweh, “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 crevices 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)profaned My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their (LL)detestable idols and with their abominations.”
19 O Yahweh, my (LM)strength and my strong defense,
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)lies,
Futility and [am](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 [an]power and My might;
And they shall (LT)know that My name is Yahweh.”
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 [ao]their altars,
2 As they remember their (LX)children,
So they remember their altars and their [ap](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 plunder,
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 Yahweh,
“(MG)Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes (MH)flesh his [aq]strength,
And whose heart turns away from Yahweh.
6 And he will be like a (MI)juniper in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will dwell in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A (MJ)land of salt [ar]which is not inhabited.
7 (MK)Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh
And whose (ML)trust is Yahweh.
8 And he will be like a (MM)tree planted by the water,
That sends forth 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 refrain from yielding fruit.
9 “The (MO)heart is more (MP)deceitful than all else
And is [as]desperately (MQ)sick;
Who can know it?
10 I, Yahweh, (MR)search the heart;
I test the [at]inmost being,
Even (MS)to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the fruit 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 [au]the end he will be a (MU)wicked fool.”
12 (MV)A glorious throne on high from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Yahweh, the (MW)hope of Israel,
All who (MX)forsake You will be put to shame.
Those who turn [av]away on earth will be (MY)written down
Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even Yahweh.
14 (MZ)Heal me, O Yahweh, and I will be healed;
(NA)Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my (NB)praise.
15 Behold, they keep (NC)saying to me,
“Where is the word of Yahweh?
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 [aw]sickening 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 calamity.
18 Let those who pursue 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 calamity,
And [ax]crush them with twofold [ay]crushing!
Keep the Sabbath Day Holy
19 Thus Yahweh said to me, “Go and stand in the [az]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 Yahweh, (NK)kings of Judah and all Judah and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates: 21 Thus says Yahweh, “(NL)Take care of 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 fathers. 23 Yet they (NP)did not listen or incline their ears, but (NQ)stiffened their necks in order not to listen or receive discipline.
24 “But it will be, if you (NR)listen carefully to Me,” declares Yahweh, “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 [ba](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 And they will come in from the (NX)cities of Judah and from all around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the [bb](NY)Shephelah, from the hill country, and from the (NZ)Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of Yahweh. 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 Yahweh saying, 2 “Arise and (OE)go down to the potter’s house, and there I will make you hear My words.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was making something on the [bc]wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was ruined in the hand of the potter, so he turned around and made it into another vessel, according to what was right in the eyes of the potter to make.
5 Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 6 “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares Yahweh. “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 tear down, or to make it perish; 8 (OH)but if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will [bd](OI)relent concerning the calamity I planned to do against 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 but if it does (OK)evil in My sight by not listening to My voice, then I will [be](OL)relent concerning the good which I promised, to do good to it. 11 So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am (OM)forming calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh (ON)turn back, each of you from his evil way, and do good in 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 Yahweh,
‘(OQ)Ask now among the nations,
Who ever heard the like of [bf]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 strange land ever uprooted?
15 For (OT)My people have forgotten Me;
(OU)They burn incense [bg]to worthless gods,
And they [bh]have stumbled [bi]from their ways,
[bj]From the (OV)ancient paths,
To walk in bypaths,
Not on a (OW)highway,
16 To make their land an (OX)object of horror,
An object of perpetual (OY)hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be [bk]horrified
And (OZ)shake his head.
17 Like an (PA)east wind I will (PB)scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will [bl]show them (PC)My back and not My face
(PD)In the day of their disaster.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let us (PE)devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the (PF)law is not going to perish from the priest, nor (PG)counsel to the wise man, 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 Yahweh,
And listen to the voice of those who contend against me!
20 (PK)Should good be repaid with evil?
For they have (PL)dug a pit for [bm]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 [bn]power of the sword;
And let their wives become (PO)childless and (PP)widowed.
Let their men also be [bo]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 Yahweh, know
All their [bp]deadly counsel against me;
(PU)Do not atone for their iniquity
Or blot out their sin from before You.
But may they be [bq](PV)overthrown before You;
Deal with them in the (PW)time of Your anger!
The Broken Jar
19 Thus says Yahweh, “Go and buy a (PX)potter’s earthenware (PY)jar, and take some of the (PZ)elders of the people and some of the (QA)elders of the priests. 2 Then go out to the (QB)valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and there (QC)call out the words that I tell you 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, O (QD)kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says Yahweh 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 a foreign place and have burned incense in it to (QI)other gods, that neither they nor their fathers 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 come upon My heart, 6 therefore, behold, (QM)days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “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)empty out the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem to the point of destruction 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 an (QS)object of horror and of hissing; (QT)everyone who passes by it will be [br]horrified and hiss because of all its [bs]slaughtering. 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 you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh 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 [bt]because there is no other place for burial. 12 This is what I will do to this place and its inhabitants,” declares Yahweh, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 And 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 incense to (RB)all the heavenly host and (RC)poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”
14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where Yahweh had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the (RD)court of the house of Yahweh and said to all the people: 15 “Thus says Yahweh 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 spoken against it because they have (RE)stiffened their necks so (RF)as not to hear My words.’”
Yahweh Speaks Against Pashhur
20 Then Pashhur the priest, the son of (RG)Immer, who was (RH)ruling overseer in the house of Yahweh, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words; 2 and Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet (RI)struck and put him in the (RJ)stocks that were at the upper (RK)Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of Yahweh. 3 Now it happened that on the next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. And Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name Yahweh has (RL)called you, but rather [bu](RM)Magor-missabib. 4 For thus says Yahweh, ‘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 take them away into (RQ)exile to Babylon and will strike them down with the sword. 5 I will also give over all the (RR)wealth of this city, all the fruit of its labor, and all its precious 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)prophesied lies.’”
Jeremiah Curses the Day He Was Born
7 O Yahweh, You have enticed me, and I was enticed;
You were (RW)stronger than I, and You 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)call out violence and devastation
Because for me the (SA)word of Yahweh has [bv]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 prevail.
10 For (SE)I have heard the bad report of many,
“(SF)Terror on every side!
(SG)Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!”
[bw]All my (SH)trusted friends,
Keeping watch for my fall, say:
“Perhaps he will be [bx]deceived, so that we may (SI)prevail against him
And take our revenge on him.”
11 But (SJ)Yahweh is with me like a ruthless mighty one;
Therefore my (SK)persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be utterly ashamed, because they have not prospered,
With an (SL)everlasting dishonor that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, O Yahweh of hosts, You who (SM)test the righteous,
Who see the [by]mind and the heart;
Let me (SN)see Your vengeance on them,
For (SO)to You I have revealed my cause.
13 (SP)Sing to Yahweh, praise Yahweh!
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 good news
To my father, saying,
“A [bz](SS)baby boy has been born to you!”
And made him very glad.
16 But let that man be like the cities
Which Yahweh (ST)overthrew without [ca]relenting,
And let him hear an (SU)outcry in the morning
And a [cb]shout of war at noon,
17 Because he did not (SV)put me to death from the womb,
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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh on our behalf, for [cc](TD)Nebuchadnezzar king of (TE)Babylon is warring against us; perhaps Yahweh will deal with us (TF)according to all His [cd]wonderful acts, so that the enemy will go up from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says Yahweh, the 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 strong 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 Yahweh, “(TM)I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who remain 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 enemies 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 show pity on them nor spare nor have compassion.”’
8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I (TO)set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who (TP)inhabits 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 spoil. 10 For I have (TR)set My face against this city for [ce]evil and not for good,” declares Yahweh. “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 Yahweh, 12 O (TV)house of David, thus says Yahweh:
“(TW)Render justice [cf]every (TX)morning;
And deliver the person who has been robbed from the [cg]power of his oppressor,
(TY)Lest My wrath 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)inhabitant of the valley,
O [ch]rocky plain,” declares Yahweh,
“You men who say, ‘(UC)Who will come down against us?
Or who will enter into our dwelling places?’
14 But I will punish you (UD)according to the [ci]results of your deeds,” declares Yahweh,
“And I will (UE)kindle a fire in its forest
That it may devour all its surroundings.”’”
O Land, Hear Yahweh
22 Thus says Yahweh, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there you shall speak this word 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, 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 Yahweh, “(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 sojourner, the orphan, or the widow; and do not (UJ)shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you men will indeed do this thing, then (UK)kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting for David 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 Yahweh, “that this house will become a waste place.”’” 6 For thus says Yahweh 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 Yahweh done thus to this great city?’ 9 Then they will say, ‘Because they (UT)forsook the covenant of Yahweh their God and worshiped other gods and served them.’”
10 (UU)Do not weep for the dead or console him,
But weep continually for the one who goes away,
For (UV)he will never return
Or see the land of his birth.
11 For thus says Yahweh in regard to [cj](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 took him away into exile, there he will (UX)die and not see this land again.
13 “Woe to him who builds his house (UY)without righteousness
And his [ck]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 [cl]upper rooms
And cut out its windows,
[cm]Paneling it with (VB)cedar and painting it [cn]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 Yahweh.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
Are set on nothing except your own (VG)greedy gain
And on (VH)shedding innocent blood
And on doing oppression and extortion.”
18 Therefore thus says Yahweh 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 broken.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
But (VO)you said, ‘I will not listen!’
(VP)This has been your way (VQ)from your youth,
That you have not listened to 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 feel dishonor
Because of all your evil.
23 You who inhabit 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 Yahweh, “even though [co](VV)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a (VW)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull [cp]you [cq]off; 25 and I will (VX)give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, indeed, 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 land—there you were not born, but there you will die. 27 But as for the land to which their soul desires 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 seed 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 Yahweh!
30 Thus says Yahweh,
‘Write this man down (WE)childless,
A man who will (WF)not succeed in his days;
For no man of his (WG)seed will succeed
Sitting on the throne of David
Or ruling again in Judah.’”
The Righteous Branch
23 “(WH)Woe to the shepherds who are [cr](WI)destroying and scattering the (WJ)sheep of My pasture!” declares Yahweh. 2 Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who are shepherding My people: “You have scattered My flock and banished them and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to (WK)attend to you for the (WL)evil of your deeds,” declares Yahweh. 3 “Then I Myself will (WM)gather the remnant of My flock out of all the land where I have banished them and cause them to return to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will also raise up (WN)shepherds over them, and they will [cs]shepherd them; and they will (WO)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, (WP)nor will any be left unattended,” declares Yahweh.
5 “Behold, the (WQ)days are coming,” declares Yahweh,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous [ct](WR)Branch;
And He will (WS)reign as king and [cu]prosper
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,
‘(WW)Yahweh our righteousness.’
7 “(WX)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when they will no longer say, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ 8 (WY)but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who (WZ)brought up and brought back the seed of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the lands where I had banished them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”
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