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Chapter 1
1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah,
of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 2
To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of
Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3
It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the
end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the
carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. 4
Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out
of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 6
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 7
But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that
I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8
Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the
LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth his hand,
and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in
thy mouth. 10 See, I have this day set
thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and
to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. 11
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou?
And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. 12
Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to
perform it. 13 And the word of the LORD
came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a
seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. 14
Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all
the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, lo, I
will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and
they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the
gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against
all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will
utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken
me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their
own hands. 17 Thou therefore gird up thy
loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed
at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. 18
For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and
brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the
princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the
land. 19 And they shall fight against
thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the
LORD, to deliver thee.
Chapter
2
1 Moreover the word of the LORD came to
me, saying, 2 Go and cry in the ears of
Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy
youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the
wilderness, in a land that was not sown. 3
Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that
devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD. 4
Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the
house of Israel: 5 Thus saith the LORD,
What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and
have walked after vanity, and are become vain? 6
Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of
Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of
pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that
no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? 7
And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the
goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine
heritage an abomination. 8 The priests
said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the
pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and
walked after things that do not profit. 9
Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's
children will I plead. 10 For pass over
the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and
see if there be such a thing. 11 Hath a
nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed
their glory for that which doth not profit. 12
Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very
desolate, saith the LORD. 13 For my people
have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters,
and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. 14
Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled? 15
The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his
cities are burned without inhabitant. 16
Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head. 17
Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD
thy God, when he led thee by the way? 18
And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor?
or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
19 Thine own wickedness shall correct
thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is
an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my
fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. 20
For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I
will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou
wanderest, playing the harlot. 21 Yet I
had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned
into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? 22
For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine
iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD. 23
How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way
in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing
her ways; 24 A wild ass used to the
wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can
turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month
they shall find her. 25 Withhold thy foot
from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no
hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go. 26
As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed;
they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets. 27
Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me
forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the
time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. 28
But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can
save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities
are thy gods, O Judah. 29 Wherefore will
ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD. 30
In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own
sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion. 31
O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel?
a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more
unto thee? 32 Can a maid forget her
ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without
number. 33 Why trimmest thou thy way to
seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways. 34
Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have
not found it by secret search, but upon all these. 35
Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me.
Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned. 36
Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of
Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria. 37
Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD
hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.
Chapter 3
1 They say, If a man put away his wife,
and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again?
shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with
many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. 2
Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien
with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and
thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. 3
Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain;
and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. 4
Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my
youth? 5 Will he reserve his anger for
ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things
as thou couldest. 6 The LORD said also
unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding
Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green
tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7
And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she
returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery
I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister
Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 9
And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the
land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. 10
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with
her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. 11
And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more
than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim
these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith
the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful,
saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. 13
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD
thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree,
and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. 14
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I
will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 15
And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with
knowledge and understanding. 16 And it
shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those
days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the
LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither
shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. 17
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the
nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem:
neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. 18
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they
shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given
for an inheritance unto your fathers. 19
But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant
land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me,
My father; and shalt not turn away from me. 20
Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt
treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. 21
A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the
children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten
the LORD their God. 22 Return, ye
backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto
thee; for thou art the LORD our God. 23
Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of
mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. 24
For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks
and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25
We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned
against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day,
and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
Chapter
4
1 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the
LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my
sight, then shalt thou not remove. 2 And
thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness;
and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. 3
For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow
ground, and sow not among thorns. 4
Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye
men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire,
and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. 5
Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in
the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into
the defenced cities. 6 Set up the standard
toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great
destruction. 7 The lion is come up from
his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth
from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste,
without an inhabitant. 8 For this gird you
with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned
back from us. 9 And it shall come to pass
at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the
heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets
shall wonder. 10 Then said I, Ah, Lord
GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye
shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul. 11
At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the
high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor
to cleanse, 12 Even a full wind from those
places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them. 13
Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind:
his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. 14
O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How
long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? 15
For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim. 16
Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers
come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah. 17
As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been
rebellious against me, saith the LORD. 18
Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy
wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart. 19
My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in
me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the
trumpet, the alarm of war. 20 Destruction
upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents
spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. 21
How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22
For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and
they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have
no knowledge. 23 I beheld the earth, and,
lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24
I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man,
and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26
I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities
thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. 27
For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not
make a full end. 28 For this shall the
earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have
purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. 29
The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall
go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and
not a man dwell therein. 30 And when thou
art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson,
though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face
with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise
thee, they will seek thy life. 31 For I
have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that
bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that
bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul
is wearied because of murderers.
Chapter
5
1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of
Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye
can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth;
and I will pardon it. 2 And though they
say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely. 3
O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they
have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive
correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to
return. 4 Therefore I said, Surely these
are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the
judgment of their God. 5 I will get me
unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the
LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke,
and burst the bonds. 6 Wherefore a lion
out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them,
a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall
be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings
are increased. 7 How shall I pardon thee
for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods:
when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled
themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. 8
They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's
wife. 9 Shall I not visit for these
things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as
this? 10 Go ye up upon her walls, and
destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not
the LORD's. 11 For the house of Israel and
the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD. 12
They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon
us; neither shall we see sword nor famine: 13
And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it
be done unto them. 14 Wherefore thus saith
the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words
in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them. 15
Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD:
it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou
knowest not, neither understandest what they say. 16
Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men. 17
And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy
daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall
eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities,
wherein thou trustedst, with the sword. 18
Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you.
19 And it shall come to pass, when ye
shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt
thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your
land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not your's. 20
Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying, 21
Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and
see not; which have ears, and hear not: 22
Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have
placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot
pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail;
though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? 23
But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and
gone. 24 Neither say they in their heart,
Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the
latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. 25
Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden
good things from you. 26 For among my
people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set
a trap, they catch men. 27 As a cage is
full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become
great, and waxen rich. 28 They are waxen
fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the
cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy
do they not judge. 29 Shall I not visit
for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation
as this? 30 A wonderful and horrible thing
is committed in the land; 31 The prophets
prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love
to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
Chapter 6
1 O ye children of Benjamin, gather
yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa,
and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north,
and great destruction. 2 I have likened
the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman. 3
The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their
tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place. 4
Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for
the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out. 5
Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces. 6
For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount
against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in
the midst of her. 7 As a fountain casteth
out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard
in her; before me continually is grief and wounds. 8
Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee
desolate, a land not inhabited. 9 Thus
saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a
vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets. 10
To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear
is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto
them a reproach; they have no delight in it. 11
Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will
pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men
together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him
that is full of days. 12 And their houses
shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will
stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD. 13
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to
covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth
falsely. 14 They have healed also the hurt
of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no
peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they had
committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they
blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit
them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. 16
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,
where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.
But they said, We will not walk therein. 17
Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But
they said, We will not hearken. 18
Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. 19
Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of
their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law,
but rejected it. 20 To what purpose cometh
there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your
burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. 21
Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this
people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the
neighbour and his friend shall perish. 22
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great
nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth. 23
They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their
voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for
war against thee, O daughter of Zion. 24
We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of
us, and pain, as of a woman in travail. 25
Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and
fear is on every side. 26 O daughter of my
people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee
mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall
suddenly come upon us. 27 I have set thee
for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their
way. 28 They are all grievous revolters,
walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters. 29
The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in
vain: for the wicked are not plucked away. 30
Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.
Chapter
7
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the
LORD, saying, 2 Stand in the gate of the
LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD,
all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. 3
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your
doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the
LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these. 5
For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute
judgment between a man and his neighbour; 6
If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not
innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: 7
Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your
fathers, for ever and ever. 8 Behold, ye
trust in lying words, that cannot profit. 9
Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense
unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; 10
And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say,
We are delivered to do all these abominations? 11
Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?
Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD. 12
But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the
first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. 13
And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto
you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye
answered not; 14 Therefore will I do unto
this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place
which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. 15
And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even
the whole seed of Ephraim. 16 Therefore
pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither
make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. 17
Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of
Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood,
and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes
to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that
they may provoke me to anger. 19 Do they
provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the
confusion of their own faces? 20 Therefore
thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon
this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon
the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched. 21
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto
your sacrifices, and eat flesh. 22 For I
spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them
out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: 23
But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God,
and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded
you, that it may be well unto you. 24 But
they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in
the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. 25
Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this
day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up
early and sending them: 26 Yet they
hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did
worse than their fathers. 27 Therefore
thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee:
thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. 28
But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the
LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from
their mouth. 29 Cut off thine hair, O
Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the
LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. 30
For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have
set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. 31
And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son
of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded
them not, neither came it into my heart. 32
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be
called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter:
for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. 33
And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and
for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. 34
Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of
Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the
bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.
Chapter
8
1 At that time, saith the LORD, they shall
bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the
bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves: 2
And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of
heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they
have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they
shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of
the earth. 3 And death shall be chosen
rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family,
which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of
hosts. 4 Moreover thou shalt say unto
them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away,
and not return? 5 Why then is this people
of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit,
they refuse to return. 6 I hearkened and
heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying,
What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the
battle. 7 Yea, the stork in the heaven
knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow
observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the
LORD. 8 How do ye say, We are wise, and
the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the
scribes is in vain. 9 The wise men are
ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the
LORD; and what wisdom is in them? 10
Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that
shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given
to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth
falsely. 11 For they have healed the hurt
of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no
peace. 12 Were they ashamed when they had
committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they
blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their
visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. 13
I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the
vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I
have given them shall pass away from them. 14
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced
cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence,
and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD. 15
We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold
trouble! 16 The snorting of his horses was
heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his
strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in
it; the city, and those that dwell therein. 17
For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be
charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD. 18
When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me. 19
Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that
dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why
have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange
vanities? 20 The harvest is past, the
summer is ended, and we are not saved. 21
For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment
hath taken hold on me. 22 Is there no balm
in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the
daughter of my people recovered?
Chapter
9
1 Oh that my head were waters, and mine
eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the
daughter of my people! 2 Oh that I had in
the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people,
and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. 3
And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant
for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know
not me, saith the LORD. 4 Take ye heed
every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother
will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. 5
And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth:
they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit
iniquity. 6 Thine habitation is in the
midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD. 7
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them;
for how shall I do for the daughter of my people? 8
Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably
to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait. 9
Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be
avenged on such a nation as this? 10 For
the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of
the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass
through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the
heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone. 11
And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the
cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. 12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth
of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and
is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through? 13
And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them,
and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein; 14
But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim,
which their fathers taught them: 15
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed
them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. 16
I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers
have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them. 17
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that
they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come: 18
And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run
down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters. 19
For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly
confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast
us out. 20 Yet hear the word of the LORD,
O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your
daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation. 21
For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut
off the children from without, and the young men from the streets. 22
Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the
open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise
man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not
the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But
let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that
I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the
earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. 25
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are
circumcised with the uncircumcised; 26
Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that
are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations
are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.
Chapter
10
1 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh
unto you, O house of Israel: 2 Thus saith
the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of
heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3
For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the
forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with
hammers, that it move not. 5 They are
upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they
cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in
them to do good. 6 Forasmuch as there is
none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. 7
Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain:
forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms,
there is none like unto thee. 8 But they
are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. 9
Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the
work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their
clothing: they are all the work of cunning men. 10
But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at
his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide
his indignation. 11 Thus shall ye say unto
them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall
perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. 12
He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his
wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. 13
When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and
he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh
lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. 14
Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven
image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. 15
They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they
shall perish. 16 The portion of Jacob is
not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his
inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name. 17
Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress. 18
For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at
this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so. 19
Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous; but I said, Truly this is a grief,
and I must bear it. 20 My tabernacle is
spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they
are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my
curtains. 21 For the pastors are become
brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all
their flocks shall be scattered. 22
Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north
country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons. 23
O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that
walketh to direct his steps. 24 O LORD,
correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to
nothing. 25 Pour out thy fury 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.
Chapter
11
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; Cursed be the man
that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, 4
Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the
land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them,
according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be
your God: 5 That I may perform the oath
which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and
honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD. 6
Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim 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 earnestly protested unto
your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even
unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice. 8
Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the
imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words
of this covenant, which I commanded them to do: but they did them not. 9
And the LORD said unto me, A 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: 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 evil upon them, which they
shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not
hearken unto them. 12 Then shall the
cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom
they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their
trouble. 13 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 to that shameful thing, even altars to burn
incense unto Baal. 14 Therefore pray not
thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not
hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble. 15
What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with
many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou
rejoicest. 16 The LORD called thy name, A
green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he
hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken. 17
For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for
the evil 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 given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me
their doings. 19 But I was like a lamb or
an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised
devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and
let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more
remembered. 20 But, O LORD of hosts, that
judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy
vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause. 21
Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life,
saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand: 22
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young
men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine: 23
And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of
Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.
Chapter
12
1 Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead
with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of
the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? 2
Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring
forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. 3
But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward
thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and 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, He
shall not see our last end. 5 If thou hast
run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend
with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied
thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? 6
For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt
treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe
them not, though they speak fair words unto thee. 7
I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly
beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. 8
Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me:
therefore have I hated it. 9 Mine heritage
is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye,
assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour. 10
Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under
foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. 11
They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole
land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. 12
The spoilers are come upon all high places through 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
They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain,
but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the
fierce anger of the LORD. 14 Thus saith
the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, 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 it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and
have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage,
and every man to his land. 16 And it shall
come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by
my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall
they be built in the midst of my people. 17
But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,
saith the LORD.
Chapter
13
1 Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get
thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. 2
So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins. 3
And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, 4
Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to
Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. 5
So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. 6
And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to
Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide
there. 7 Then I went to Euphrates, and
digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the
girdle was marred, it 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 mar the pride of Judah, and the
great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil
people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their
heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even
be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. 11
For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave
unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD;
that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and
for a glory: but they would not hear. 12
Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of
Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do
we not certainly 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 David's throne, and the
priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with
drunkenness. 14 And I will dash them one
against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will
not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them. 15
Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken. 16
Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet
stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into
the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. 17
But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride;
and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock
is carried away captive. 18 Say unto the
king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities
shall come down, even the crown of your glory. 19
The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall
be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive. 20
Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock
that was given thee, thy beautiful flock? 21
What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be
captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in
travail? 22 And if thou say in thine
heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity
are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare. 23
Can the Ethiopian 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 passeth away by the wind of
the wilderness. 25 This is thy lot, the
portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me,
and trusted in falsehood. 26 Therefore
will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear. 27
I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom,
and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem!
wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
Chapter
14
1 The word of the LORD that came to
Jeremiah concerning the dearth. 2 Judah
mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and
the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. 3 And
their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits,
and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed
and confounded, and covered their heads. 4
Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen
were ashamed, they covered their heads. 5
Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no
grass. 6 And the wild asses did stand in
the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail,
because there was no grass. 7 O LORD,
though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for
our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. 8
O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou
be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry
for a night? 9 Why shouldest thou be as a
man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the
midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not. 10
Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have
not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now
remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. 11
Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. 12
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering
and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword,
and by the famine, and by the pestilence. 13
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see
the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in
this place. 14 Then the LORD said unto me,
The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded
them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and
divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. 15
Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name,
and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land;
By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. 16
And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of
Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury
them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour
their wickedness upon them. 17 Therefore
thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and
day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with
a great breach, with a very grievous blow. 18
If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I
enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the
prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not. 19
Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou
smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no
good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble! 20
We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we
have sinned against thee. 21 Do not abhor
us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember,
break not thy covenant with us. 22 Are
there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the
heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait
upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.
Chapter
15
1 Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses
and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast
them out of my sight, and let them go forth. 2
And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth?
then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD; Such as are for death, to death;
and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to
the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity. 3
And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and
the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to
devour and destroy. 4 And I will cause
them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son
of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem. 5
For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who
shall go aside to ask how thou doest? 6
Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I
stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting. 7
And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of
children, I will destroy my people since they return not from their ways. 8
Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon
them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him
to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city. 9
She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is
gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the
residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the
LORD. 10 Woe is me, my mother, that thou
hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have
neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them
doth curse me. 11 The LORD said, Verily it
shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee
well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction. 12
Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel? 13
Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that
for all thy sins, even in all thy borders. 14
And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest
not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you. 15
O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my
persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I
have suffered rebuke. 16 Thy words were
found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of
mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. 17
I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of
thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation. 18
Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed?
wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail? 19
Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and
thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile,
thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto
them. 20 And I will make thee unto this
people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall
not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee,
saith the LORD. 21 And I will deliver thee
out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the
terrible.
Chapter
16
1 The word of the LORD came also unto me,
saying, 2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife,
neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place. 3
For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that
are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and
concerning their fathers that begat them in this land; 4
They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall
they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they
shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat
for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. 5
For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to
lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith
the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies. 6
Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried,
neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald
for them: 7 Neither shall men tear
themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men
give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother. 8
Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and
to drink. 9 For thus saith the LORD of
hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in
your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the
voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride. 10
And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and
they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil
against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed
against the LORD our God? 11 Then shalt
thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and
have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them,
and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; 12
And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after
the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me: 13
Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither
ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I
will not shew you favour. 14 Therefore,
behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD
liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 15
But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of
the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring
them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. 16
Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them;
and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every
mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. 17
For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is
their iniquity hid from mine eyes. 18 And
first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have
defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their
detestable and abominable things. 19 O
LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the
Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely
our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. 20
Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? 21
Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to
know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The LORD.
Chapter
17
1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen
of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their
heart, and upon the horns of your altars; 2
Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees
upon the high hills. 3 O my mountain in
the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy
high places for sin, throughout all thy borders. 4
And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee;
and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not:
for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever. 5
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh
his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6
For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good
cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land
and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man
that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8
For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her
roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be
green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from
yielding fruit. 9 The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according
to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. 11
As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth
riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his
end shall be a fool. 12 A glorious high
throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. 13
O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they
that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken
the LORD, the fountain of living waters. 14
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou
art my praise. 15 Behold, they say unto
me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now. 16
As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have
I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right
before thee. 17 Be not a terror unto me:
thou art my hope in the day of evil. 18
Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them
be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and
destroy them with double destruction. 19
Thus said the LORD unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the
people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in
all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 And say
unto them, Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and
all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates: 21
Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath
day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22
Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do
ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. 23
But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that
they might not hear, nor receive instruction. 24
And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to
bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow
the sabbath day, to do no work therein; 25
Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting
upon 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 city shall
remain for ever. 26 And they shall come
from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land
of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south,
bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and
bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD. 27
But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a
burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will
I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of
Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
Chapter
18
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the
LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the
potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the
wheels. 4 And the vessel that he made of
clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel,
as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold,
as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 7
At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to
pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; 8
If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will
repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 9
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom,
to build and to plant it; 10 If it do evil
in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good,
wherewith I said I would benefit them. 11
Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and
devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make
your ways and your doings good. 12 And
they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will
every one do the imagination of his evil heart. 13
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such
things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing. 14
Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or
shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? 15
Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and
they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk
in paths, in a way not cast up; 16 To make
their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby
shall be astonished, and wag his head. 17
I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the
back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity. 18
Then said they, Come and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law
shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from
the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give
heed to any of his words. 19 Give heed to
me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. 20
Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul.
Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy
wrath from them. 21 Therefore deliver up
their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the
sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let
their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle. 22
Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly
upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet. 23
Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not
their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be
overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.
Chapter
19
1 Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a
potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the
ancients of the priests; 2 And go forth
unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate,
and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee, 3
And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of
Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring
evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. 4
Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned
incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known,
nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; 5
They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for
burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it
into my mind: 6 Therefore, behold, the
days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor
The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter. 7
And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I
will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of
them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the
fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. 8
And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth
thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. 9
And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their
daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and
straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall
straiten them. 10 Then shalt thou break
the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, 11
And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this
people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made
whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.
12 Thus will I do unto this place, saith
the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet: 13
And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be
defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they
have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink
offerings unto other gods. 14 Then came
Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in
the court of the LORD's house; and said to all the people, 15
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this
city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it,
because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.
Chapter
20
1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest,
who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah
prophesied these things. 2 Then Pashur
smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate
of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD. 3
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the
stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur,
but Magormissabib. 4 For thus saith the
LORD, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and
they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it:
and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall
carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. 5
Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours
thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings
of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and
take them, and carry them to Babylon. 6
And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and
thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there,
thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies. 7
O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and
hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. 8
For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of
the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. 9
Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But
his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was
weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. 10
For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we
will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he
will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge
on him. 11 But the LORD is with me as a
mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not
prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their
everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. 12
But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the
heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause. 13
Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the
poor from the hand of evildoers. 14 Cursed
be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be
blessed. 15 Cursed be the man who brought
tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very
glad. 16 And let that man be as the cities
which the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the
morning, and the shouting at noontide; 17
Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my
grave, and her womb to be always great with me. 18
Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days
should be consumed with shame?
Chapter
21
1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from
the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and
Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, 2
Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all
his wondrous works, that he may go up from us. 3
Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: 4
Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war
that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and
against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble
them into the midst of this city. 5 And I
myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm,
even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. 6
And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall
die of a great pestilence. 7 And
afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his
servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence,
from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that
seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall
not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy. 8
And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before
you the way of life, and the way of death. 9
He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by
the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege
you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. 10
For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the
LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn
it with fire. 11 And touching the house of
the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD; 12
O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and
deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go
out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your
doings. 13 Behold, I am against thee, O
inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who
shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? 14
But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and
I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round
about it.
Chapter
22
1 Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the
house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, 2
And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the
throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these
gates: 3 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye
judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the
oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor
the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. 4
For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this
house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses,
he, and his servants, and his people. 5
But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that
this house shall become a desolation. 6
For thus saith the LORD unto the king's house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me,
and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities
which are not inhabited. 7 And I will
prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut
down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. 8
And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his
neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city? 9
Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD
their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them. 10
Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth
away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. 11
For thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which
reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He
shall not return thither any more: 12 But
he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this
land no more. 13 Woe unto him that
buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his
neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; 14
That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out
windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. 15
Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat
and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him? 16
He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not
this to know me? saith the LORD. 17 But
thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed
innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it. 18
Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of
Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they
shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! 19
He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the
gates of Jerusalem. 20 Go up to Lebanon,
and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: for all thy
lovers are destroyed. 21 I spake unto thee
in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner
from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. 22
The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity:
surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. 23
O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt
thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail! 24
As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were
the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; 25
And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand
of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26
And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country,
where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. 27
But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return. 28
Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no
pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land
which they know not? 29 O earth, earth,
earth, hear the word of the LORD. 30 Thus
saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his
days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David,
and ruling any more in Judah.
Chapter
23
1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and
scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. 2
Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my
people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited
them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. 3
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have
driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be
fruitful and increase. 4 And I will set up
shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be
dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. 5
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous
Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah
shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he
shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 7
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say,
The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of
Egypt; 8 But, The LORD liveth, which
brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north
country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell
in their own land. 9 Mine heart within me
is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man,
and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the
words of his holiness. 10 For the land is
full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant
places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force
is not right. 11 For both prophet and
priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the
LORD. 12 Wherefore their way shall be unto
them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall
therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation,
saith the LORD. 13 And I have seen folly
in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel
to err. 14 I have seen also in the
prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies:
they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his
wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof
as Gomorrah. 15 Therefore thus saith the
LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood,
and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is
profaneness gone forth into all the land. 16
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that
prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart,
and not out of the mouth of the LORD. 17
They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have
peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own
heart, No evil shall come upon you. 18 For
who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his
word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? 19
Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous
whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. 20
The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have
performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it
perfectly. 21 I have not sent these
prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 22
But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words,
then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of
their doings. 23 Am I a God at hand, saith
the LORD, and not a God afar off? 24 Can
any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do
not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. 25
I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I
have dreamed, I have dreamed. 26 How long
shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are
prophets of the deceit of their own heart; 27
Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell
every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. 28
The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word,
let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the
LORD. 29 Is not my word like as a fire?
saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 30
Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my
words every one from his neighbour. 31
Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and
say, He saith. 32 Behold, I am against
them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my
people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor
commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the
LORD. 33 And when this people, or the
prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD?
thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the
LORD. 34 And as for the prophet, and the
priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even
punish that man and his house. 35 Thus
shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath
the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken? 36
And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall
be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of
hosts our God. 37 Thus shalt thou say to
the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken? 38
But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because
ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye
shall not say, The burden of the LORD; 39
Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you,
and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence: 40
And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which
shall not be forgotten.
Chapter
24
1 The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two
baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of
Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and
smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. 2
One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the
other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. 3
Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the
good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so
evil. 4 Again the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying, 5 Thus saith the LORD,
the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are
carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land
of the Chaldeans for their good. 6 For I
will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land:
and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not
pluck them up. 7 And I will give them an
heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be
their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. 8
And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith
the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the
residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land
of Egypt: 9 And I will deliver them to be
removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and
a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them. 10
And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they
be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
Chapter
25
1 The word that came to Jeremiah
concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of
Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;
2 The which Jeremiah the prophet spake
unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 3
From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this
day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto
me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not
hearkened. 4 And the LORD hath sent unto
you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have
not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. 5
They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of
your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your
fathers for ever and ever: 6 And go not
after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger
with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. 7
Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to
anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. 8
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, 9
Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and
Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this
land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round
about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an
hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10
Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness,
the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the
millstones, and the light of the candle. 11
And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these
nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12
And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will
punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity,
and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. 13
And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it,
even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against
all the nations. 14 For many nations and
great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them
according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands. 15
For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at
my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. 16
And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will
send among them. 17 Then took I the cup at
the LORD's hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent
me: 18 To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities
of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a
desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day; 19
Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; 20
And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the
kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and
the remnant of Ashdod, 21 Edom, and Moab,
and the children of Ammon, 22 And all the
kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are
beyond the sea, 23 Dedan, and Tema, and
Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners, 24
And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell
in the desert, 25 And all the kings of
Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes, 26
And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the
kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of
Sheshach shall drink after them. 27
Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because
of the sword which I will send among you. 28
And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then
shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly
drink. 29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil
on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye
shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of
the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. 30
Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The
LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he
shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that
tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31
A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a
controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them
that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. 32
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation,
and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. 33
And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even
unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered,
nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. 34
Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of
the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are
accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. 35
And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to
escape. 36 A voice of the cry of the
shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the
LORD hath spoiled their pasture. 37 And
the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD. 38
He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of
the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.
Chapter
26
1 In the beginning of the reign of
Jehoiakim the son o
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