Bible verse by verse

[_LittleNipper]

Jeremiah 5:1-31

“Search among the streets of Jerusalem look about, observe and ask in its open market places: if there is anyone acting with justice and seeking the truth, I will pardon the city.

And though they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ the fact is that they are swearing insincerely.”

Lord, your eyes seek out truth. You struck them, but they weren’t affected. You nearly destroyed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces unemotional, refusing to repent.

Jeremiah's reaction was, “These must be the poor fools, not knowing the Lord's direction or God's statutes.

I will visit the prominent men, and I will talk with them; for they know the Lord's way..." But these had completely gone about their own business without God's guidance.

This is why a forest lion kills them, why a desert wolf can plunder them, why a leopard guards their cities — all leaving are torn to pieces since their crimes are many, their backsliding increasing.

“Why should I forgive you? Your people have left me and sworn by make believe deities. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery, thronging the brothels.

They have become as well-fed horses, lusty stallions, each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife.

Should I ignore this?” asks the Lord. “Should I not take vengeance on a nation like this?”

Go through her covered walls, and destroy them (but not destroy them entirely): strip away her branches, they do not belong to the Lord.

“For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have totally betrayed me,” says the Lord.

They denied the Lord, saying, “He won’t do anything, calamity will not strike us, we will have neither war or famine.

The prophets are full of hot air, they're making all this up; the things that they are predicting will occure only to them.”

Therefore Jehovah, the Lord of Hosts says: “Because you people speak this way, I will make my words fire in your mouth, and this people wood; so that it will devour them.

I will bring upon you, house of Israel a foreign nation,” says the Lord, “a strong ancient nation, whose language is unknown to you. You will not understand what they say.

Their quiver means death is near, they are all mighty warriors.

They will eat up your harvest and bread, devour your sons and daughters, eat up your flocks and herds --- your vines and fig trees. With swords they will beat down your walled cities, in which you trust.

But even in those days,” says the Lord, “I will not completely destroy you.

And when your people ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God brought this upon us?’ you are to give them this response: ‘Just as you abandoned me and served strange gods in your own land, so in return you will serve strangers in a foreign land.’

Announce this in the house of the Lord, proclaim it in Judah; say:

‘Hear this, stupid, brainless people, who have eyes but do not see --- ears but do not hear:

Don’t you regard me? — says the Lord, "Won’t you tremble at My presence? I made the shore the limit for the sea; by eternal decree it cannot pass. Its waves may toss, but to no avail; although they roar, they cannot cross it.

But this people has a rebellious, defiant heart; they have rebelled and gone!

They don’t say to themselves, “Let’s regard the Lord our God, who brings the fall and spring rains seasonally, who reserves us the weeks assigned for harvest.”

Your crimes have overrun nature’s rules, your sins have withheld good from you.’

“For among my people there are wicked men, who, like fowlers, lie in wait and set traps to entrap their fellow man.

Their houses are as full of fraud as a cage full of birds. They grow rich and great, sleek and bloated; they're great at wicked acts, but do not plead on behalf of the orphan, helping his cause;
nor do they hold regard for the poor.

“Should I not punish for this?” asks the Lord. “Should I not take revenge on a nation like this?

A shocking and horrible thing has happened in the land:

The prophets prophesy lies, the priests obey the prophets, and my people enjoy it that way. But what will you do when it is finished?


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Go to and fro in streets of Jerusalem, And see, I pray you, and know, And seek in her broad places, if ye find a man, If there be one doing judgment, seeking stedfastness -- Then am I propitious to her.

2 And if they say, `Jehovah liveth,' Surely to a falsehood they swear.

3 Jehovah, Thine eyes, are they not on stedfastness? Thou hast smitten them, and they have not grieved, Thou hast consumed them, They have refused to receive instruction, They made their faces harder than a rock, They have refused to turn back.

4 And I -- I said, `Surely these [are] poor, They have been foolish, For they have not known the way of Jehovah, The judgment of their God.

5 I get me to the great, and I speak with them, For they have known the way of Jehovah, The judgment of their God.' Surely they together have broken the yoke, They have drawn away the bands.

6 Therefore smitten them hath a lion out of the forest, A wolf of the deserts doth spoil them, A leopard is watching over their cities, Every one who is going out of them is torn, For many have been their transgressions, Mighty have been their backslidings.

7 For this I am not propitious to thee, Thy sons have forsaken Me, And are satisfied by that which is not god, I satisfy them, and they commit adultery, And at the house of a harlot They gather themselves together.

8 Fed horses -- they have been early risers, Each to the wife of his neighbour they neigh.

9 For these do I not lay a charge? An affirmation of Jehovah, And on a nation such as this, Doth not My soul avenge itself?

10 Go ye up on her walls, and destroy, And a completion make not, Turn aside her branches, for they [are] not Jehovah's,

11 For dealt treacherously against Me have the house of Israel, And the house of Judah, an affirmation of Jehovah.

12 They have lied against Jehovah, And they say, `[It is] not He, Nor come in against us doth evil, Yea, sword and famine we do not see.

13 And the prophets become wind, And the word is not in them,' -- thus it is done by them.

14 Therefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, Because of your speaking this word, Lo, I am making My words in thy mouth become fire, And this people wood, and it hath devoured them.

15 Lo, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, an affirmation of Jehovah, A nation -- strong it [is], a nation -- from of old it [is], A nation -- thou knowest not its tongue, Nor understandest what it speaketh.

16 Its quiver [is] as an open sepulchre, All of them -- mighty ones.

17 And it hath consumed thy harvest and thy bread, They consume thy sons, and thy daughters, It consumeth thy flock, and thy herd, It consumeth thy vine, and thy fig-tree, It maketh poor thy fenced cities, In which thou art trusting -- by the sword.

18 And even in those days, an affirmation of Jehovah, I do not make you a completion.

19 And it hath come to pass, when ye say, `For what hath Jehovah our God done to us all these?' That thou hast said unto them, `As ye have forsaken Me, And serve the gods of a foreigner in your land, So do ye serve strangers in a land not yours.

20 Declare ye this in the house of Jacob, And sound ye it in Judah, saying,

21 Hear ye, I pray you, this, O people, foolish and without heart, Eyes they have, and they see not, Ears they have, and they hear not.

22 Me do ye not fear, an affirmation of Jehovah? From My presence are ye not pained? Who hath made sand the border of the sea, A limit age-during, and it passeth not over it, They shake themselves, and they are not able, Yea, sounded have its billows, and they pass not over.

23 And this people hath an apostate and rebellious heart, They have turned aside, and they go on.

24 And they have not said in their heart, `Let us fear, we pray you, Jehovah our God, who is giving rain, The sprinkling and the gathered, in its season, The appointed weeks of harvest He keepeth for us.'

25 Your iniquities have turned these away, And your sins have kept the good from you.

26 For the wicked have been found among My people. It looketh about the covering of snares, They have set up a trap -- men they capture.

27 As a cage full of fowls, So their houses are full of deceit, Therefore they have been great, and are rich.

28 They have been fat, they have shone, Yea, they have overpassed the acts of the evil, Judgment they have not judged, The judgment of the fatherless -- and they prosper, And the judgment of the needy they have not judged.

29 For these do not I inspect, an affirmation of Jehovah, On a nation such as this, Doth not My soul avenge itself?

30 An astonishing and horrible thing hath been in the land.

31 The prophets have prophesied falsely, And the priests bear rule by their means, And My people have loved [it] so, And what do they at its latter end?

[_LittleNipper]

Jeremiah 6:1-30

“Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Escape from Jerusalem! Sound the horn at Tekoa! Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster arises from the north, bringing terrible destruction.

I will destroy Daughter Zion, so beautiful and delicate.

Shepherds with their flocks will come upon her; they will pitch their tents about her, each tending his own portion.”

“Prepare to fight her! Get up, let's attack at noon! But, sadly, the daylight is fading, and the shadows of evening grow long.

So arise, let's attack at night and destroy her fortresses!”

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Cut down the trees and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; it is oppressive.

As a well distributes water, so she distributes wickedness. Violence and destruction fester in her; her sickness and wounds are always before me.

Take warning, Jerusalem, or I will turn my back on you and make your land worthless so no one can survive there.”

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Let them harvest the remnant of Israel as completely as a vine; move your hand among the branches again, like one picking grapes.”

To whom can I speak and provide a warning? Who will listen? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them. They take no joy from it.

But I am full of the Lord's wrath, and I cannot withhold any. “Pour it upon the children in the street and on the young men gathered together; both husband and wife will be caught by it, plus the old, who are worn out.

Their houses will be inhabited by others, along with their fields and their wives --- when I stretch out my hand upon those living in the land,”
declares the Lord.

“From the menial to the ruler, all are greedy for power; prophets and priests alike practice deceit.

They bandage the wound of my people as though mere scratches. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is NONE!

Are they ashamed of their detestable behavior? No, they don't care and have forgotten how to blush. As a result they will fall among the dead; they will be taken down when I punish them,” says the Lord.

This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find peace for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not consider it.’

I appointed watchmen among you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the horn!’ But you said, ‘Forget about it.’

Therefore hear, you nations; you who are witnesses, observe the result of their ignorance.

Hear, you earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the result of their schemes, because they have not listened to My words and rejected My law.

What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus (rare oil) from a foreign country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices are wasted to me.”

Therefore this is what the Lord says: “I will put obstacles before this people. Both parents and children will stumble over them; neighbors and friends will perish.”

This is what the Lord says: “Look, an army is coming from a northern country; a great nation is being mobilized from the ends of the earth.

They are armed with bow and spear. They are cruel and merciless. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Zion.”

We have heard reports concerning them, and our hands can do nothing. Anguish grips us, pain like that of a woman in labor.

Do not go out to the fields or walk the open roads, for the enemy has a sword, and there is horror on everywhere.

Put on sackcloth, My people, and roll in ashes; mourn with bitter wailing as for an only child, for suddenly the destroyer will be at us.

“I have made you a tester of metals and My people the ore, that you may observe and test their ways.

They are all hardened criminals, going about to slander. They are bronze mixed with iron; they all act corruptly.

The bellows blow fiercely to burn away the lead with fire but the refining continues vainly. The wicked are not removed.

They are called scrap silver, because the Lord rejects them.”


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Strengthen yourselves, sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem, And in Tekoa blow ye a trumpet, And over Beth-Haccerem lift ye up a flame, For evil hath been seen from the north, And great destruction.

2 The comely and the delicate one I have cut off, The daughter of Zion.

3 Unto her come do shepherds and their droves, They have stricken tents by her round about, They have fed each [in] his own station.

4 Sanctify ye against her the battle, Rise, and we go up at noon. Wo to us, for turned hath the day, For stretched out are the shades of evening,

5 `Rise, and we go up by night, And we destroy her palaces.'

6 For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Cut down her wood, And pour out against Jerusalem a mount, She [is] the city to be inspected, Wholly -- she is oppression in her midst.

7 As the digging of a well, is [for] its waters, So she hath digged [for] her wickedness, Violence and spoil is heard in her, Before My face continually [are] sickness and smiting.

8 Be instructed, O Jerusalem, Lest My soul be alienated from thee, Lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited.

9 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: They surely glean, as a vine, the remnant of Israel, Put back thy hand, as a gatherer to the baskets.

10 To whom do I speak, and testify, and they hear? Lo, their ear [is] uncircumcised, And they are not able to attend. Lo, a word of Jehovah hath been to them for a reproach, They delight not in it.

11 And with the fury of Jehovah I have been filled, (I have been weary of containing,) To pour [it] on the suckling in the street, And on the assembly of youths together, For even husband with wife are captured, An elder with one full of days,

12 And their houses have been turned to others, Fields and wives together, For I stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah.

13 For from their least unto their greatest, Every one is gaining dishonest gain, And from prophet even unto priest, Every one is dealing falsely,

14 And they heal the breach of the daughter of my people slightly, Saying, `Peace, peace!' and there is no peace.

15 They were ashamed when they did abomination! Yea, they are not at all ashamed, Yea, blushing they have not known, Therefore they do fall among those falling, In the time I have inspected them, They stumble, said Jehovah.

16 Thus said Jehovah: Stand ye by the ways and see, and ask for paths of old, Where [is] this -- the good way? and go ye in it, And find rest for yourselves. And they say, `We do not go.'

17 And I have raised up for you watchmen, Attend ye to the voice of the trumpet. And they say, `We do not attend.'

18 Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O company, That which [is] upon them.

19 Hear, O earth, lo, I am bringing evil on this people, The fruit of their devices, For to My words they gave no attention, And My law -- they kick against it.

20 Why [is] this to Me? frankincense from Sheba cometh, And the sweet cane from a land afar off, Your burnt-offerings [are] not for acceptance, And your sacrifices have not been sweet to Me.

21 Therefore thus said Jehovah: Lo, I do give to this people stumbling blocks, And stumbled against them have fathers and sons together, The neighbour and his friend do perish.

22 Thus said Jehovah: Lo, a people hath come from a north country, And a great nation is stirred up from the sides of the earth.

23 Bow and javelin they take hold of, Fierce it [is], and they have no mercy, Their voice as a sea doth sound, And on horses they ride, set in array as a man of war, Against thee, O daughter of Zion.

24 `We have heard its sound, feeble have been our hands, Distress hath seized us, pain as of a travailing woman.

25 Go not forth to the field, And in the way walk not, For a sword hath the enemy, fear [is] round about.

26 O daughter of My people, Gird on sackcloth, and roll thyself in ashes, The mourning of an only one make for thee, A lamentation most bitter, For suddenly come doth the spoiler against us.

27 A watch-tower I have given thee, Among My people a fortress, And thou knowest, and hast tried their way.

28 All of them are turned aside by apostates, Walking slanderously -- brass and iron, All of them are corrupters.

29 The bellows have been burnt, By fire hath the lead been consumed, In vain hath a refiner refined, And the wicked have not been drawn away.

30 `Silver rejected,' they have called to them, For Jehovah hath kicked against them!

[_LittleNipper]

Jeremiah 7:1-34

The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:

Stand in the gate way of the house of the Lord and proclaim this:

Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter at these gates to worship the Lord.

The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel says: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will enable you to live in this place.

Do not trust false words and shout, “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”

For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your deeds, if you thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor, do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or embrace foreign gods to your detriment, then I will enable you to dwell in this place, in the land that I handed to your fathers, to the end of the age.

Actually, you trust in lying words that are valueless.

Shall you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after foreign gods unknown to you, and come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, “We are saved,” so that you may do all abominations?

Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves to you? Absolutely, even I observe this," says the Lord.

But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name originally, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.

And now, because you have done all these deeds, says the Lord, and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you never answered.

Therefore I will do the same to this house, which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the location which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

I will cast you out of My sight as I have cast out all your brothers, even the entire linage of Ephraim.

As for you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry nor prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me, for I will not hear you.

Do you not observe what they're doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes in honor of some queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, provoking My anger.

Do they provoke Me to anger? says the Lord. Do they not provoke themselves to the shame of their own faces?

Therefore says the Lord God: My anger and My fury will be poured out upon this place, upon man and upon beast, upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground. It shall burn, and not be extinguished.

The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel says, " Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh.

For I didn't speak to your fathers, nor commanded them when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.

But this thing I commanded them, saying, “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I commanded you, that things may go well for you.”

But they never listened, nor gave an ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart --- digressing and not progressing.

Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to today, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them.

Yet they did not listen to Me, nor gave an ear, but hardened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

Therefore you will say all these words to them. But they will not listen to you. You will also call to them, but they will not answer you.

You shall say to them: This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God, nor receive correction. Truth has perished, and has been cut off from their mouth.

Chop off your hair, Dear Jerusalem, and throw it away, and take up crying on high places; for the Lord has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.

For the sons of Judah have committed evil in My sight, says the Lord. They have displayed their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it.

They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, to consume their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command them, nor did I ever consider.

Therefore, truly the days are coming, says the Lord, that it will no more be called Topheth, nor the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place.

The corpses of this people shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth; and no one will scare them away.

Then I will cause to end from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the sounds of laughter and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall become desolate.


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 The word that hath been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

2 Stand in the gate of the house of Jehovah, and thou hast proclaimed there this word, and hast said, Hear a word of Jehovah, all ye of Judah, who are coming in at these gates, to bow before Jehovah:

3 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Amend your ways, and your doings, And I cause you to dwell in this place.

4 Do not trust for yourselves Unto the words of falsehood, saying, The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, The temple of Jehovah [are] they!

5 For, if ye do thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, If ye do judgment thoroughly Between a man and his neighbour,

6 Sojourner, fatherless, and widow, ye oppress not, And innocent blood do not shed in this place, And after other gods do not walk, for evil to yourselves,

7 Then I have caused you to dwell in this place, In the land that I gave to your fathers, From age even unto age.

8 Lo, ye are trusting for yourselves On the words of falsehood, so as not to profit.

9 Stealing, murdering, and committing adultery, And swearing to falsehood, and giving perfume to Baal, And going after other gods whom ye knew not.

10 And ye have come in and stood before Me, In this house on which My name is called, And have said, `We have been delivered,' In order to do all these abominations.

11 A den of burglars hath this house, On which My name is called, been in your eyes? Even I, lo, I have seen, an affirmation of Jehovah.

12 But go ye, I pray you, Unto My place that [is] in Shiloh, Where I caused My name to dwell at first, And see that which I have done to it, For the wickedness of My people Israel.

13 And now, because of your doing all these works, An affirmation of Jehovah, And I speak unto you, rising early and speaking, And ye have not hearkened, And I call you, and ye have not answered,

14 I also to the house on which My name is called, In which ye are trusting, And to the place that I gave to you, and to your fathers, Have done, as I have done to Shiloh.

15 And I have cast you from before My face, As I have cast out all your brethren, The whole seed of Ephraim.

16 And thou dost not pray for this people, Nor lift up for them crying and prayer, Nor intercede with Me, for I hear thee not.

17 Art thou not seeing what they are doing In cities of Judah, and in streets of Jerusalem?

18 The sons are gathering wood, And the fathers are causing the fire to burn, And the women are kneading dough, To make cakes to the queen of the heavens, And to pour out libations to other gods, So as to provoke Me to anger.

19 Me are they provoking to anger? an affirmation of Jehovah, Is it not themselves, For the shame of their own faces?

20 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah, Lo, Mine anger and My fury is poured out on this place, On man, and beast, and on tree of the field, And on fruit of the ground, And it hath burned, and it is not quenched.

21 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Your burnt-offerings add to your sacrifices, And eat ye flesh.

22 For I did not speak with your fathers, Nor did I command them in the day of My bringing them out of the land of Egypt, Concerning the matters of burnt-offering and sacrifice,

23 But this thing I commanded them, saying: Hearken to My voice, And I have been to you for God, And ye -- ye are to Me for a people, And have walked in all the way that I command you, So that it is well for you.

24 And they have not hearkened, nor inclined their ear, And they walk in the counsels, In the stubbornness, of their evil heart, And are for backward, and not for forward.

25 Even from the day when your fathers Went out of the land of Egypt till this day, I send to you all my servants the prophets, Daily rising early and sending,

26 And they have not hearkened unto Me, Nor inclined their ear, and harden their neck, They have done evil above their fathers.

27 And thou hast spoken unto them all these words, And they do not hearken to thee, And thou hast called unto them, And they do not answer thee.

28 And thou hast said unto them: This [is] the nation that hath not hearkened, To the voice of Jehovah its God, Nor have they accepted instruction, Perished hath stedfastness, Yea, it hath been cut off from their mouth.

29 Cut off thy crown, and cast [it] away, And lift up on high places lamentation, For Jehovah hath rejected, And He leaveth the generation of His wrath.

30 For the sons of Judah Have done the evil thing in Mine eyes, An affirmation of Jehovah, They have set their abominations in the house On which My name is called -- to defile it,

31 And have built the high places of Tophet, That [are] in the valley of the son of Hinnom, To burn their sons and their daughters with fire, Which I did not command, Nor did it come up on My heart.

32 Therefore, lo, days are coming, An affirmation of Jehovah, And it is not said any more, `The Tophet,' And `Valley of the son of Hinnom,' But `Valley of the slaughter,' And they have buried in Tophet -- without place.

33 And the carcase of this people hath been for food To a fowl of the heavens, and to a beast of the earth, And there is none troubling.

34 And I have caused to cease from cities of Judah, And from streets of Jerusalem, The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, Voice of bridegroom, and voice of bride, For the land doth become a desolation!

[_LittleNipper]

Jeremiah 8:1-22

“In due time", declares the Lord," the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be desecrated.

They will be exhumed and exposed to the sun, the moon and all the stars of the heavens, "gods" they chose to love, serve and observed, consult and worship. They will not be gathered or buried, but will be like poop lying on the ground.

Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life," declares the Lord Almighty.

“Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘When people tumble, do they not get up? When someone walks away, do they not return?

Why then have these people walked away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They hold on to deceit; they refuse to come back.

I have listened to every word, but they do not say what is correct. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What am I doing?” Each pursues their own way like a horse charging into battle.

Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed times, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But My people nave no clue regarding Me.

How can you say, “We are wise, for we possess the Lord's Law, when actually the lying pen of the scribes has interpreted it falsely?

The wise will shame them. They will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?

Therefore I will hand their wives to other men, their fields to new owners. From the peasant to the noble, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests the same, all practice deceit.

They bandage the wound of my people as though not dangerous. “Peace, peace,” they say, when nor exists!

Are they ashamed of such detestable behavior? No, they don't care at all; they've forgotten how to blush. So they will end up among the fallen. They will be taken down when they are punished," says the Lord.

“I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord. There will be no grapes on the vine, no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I give them will be taken from them.”

Why are we just sitting around? Lets group and flee to the walled cities to die there! For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish and provided poisoned drinking water, because we have sinned against Him.

We hoped for peace but nothing came of it ----------- for a time of healing but there is only pestilence.

The snorting of the enemy’s horses is heard from Dan; with the neighing of their stallions the whole country trembles. They have come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and every citizen.

“See, I will send venomous snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you,” declares the Lord.

You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is broken.

Hear the cry of my people from a foreign country: “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?"

Why have they aroused my anger with their idols ---- worthless foreign idols?

The harvest is over, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.

Since my people are trampled, I am crushed; I mourn, and terror grabs hold.

Is there no balm in Gilead or doctor there? Why then is there no healing for this wound to my people


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 At that time, an affirmation of Jehovah, They bring the bones of the kings of Judah, And the bones of its princes, And the bones of the priests, And the bones of the prophets, And the bones of inhabitants of Jerusalem, Out of their graves,

2 And have spread them to sun, and to moon, And to all the host of the heavens, that they have loved, And that they have served, And that they have walked after, And that they have sought, And to which they have bowed themselves, They are not gathered, nor buried, They are for dung on the face of the ground.

3 And chosen is death rather than life By all the remnant who are left of this evil family, In all the remaining places, whither I have driven them, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts.

4 And thou hast said unto them: Thus said Jehovah, Do they fall, and not rise? Doth he turn back, and not return?

5 Wherefore hath this people of Jerusalem Turned back -- a perpetual backsliding? They have kept hold on deceit, They have refused to turn back.

6 I have given attention, yea, I hearken, They do not speak right, No man hath repented of his wickedness, Saying, What have I done? Every one hath turned to his courses, As a horse is rushing into battle.

7 Even a stork in the heavens hath known her seasons, And turtle, and swallow, and crane, Have watched the time of their coming, And -- My people have not known the judgment of Jehovah.

8 How do ye say, We [are] wise, And the law of Jehovah [is] with us? Surely, lo, falsely it hath wrought, The false pen of scribes.

9 Ashamed have been the wise, They have been affrighted, and are captured, Lo, against a word of Jehovah they kicked, And the wisdom of what -- have they?

10 Therefore, I give their wives to others, Their fields to dispossessors, For from the least even unto the greatest, Every one is gaining dishonest gain, From prophet even unto priest, every one is dealing falsely.

11 And they heal the breach of the daughter of my people slightly, Saying, Peace, peace! and there is no peace.

12 They were ashamed when they did abomination! Yea, they are not at all ashamed, And blushing they have not known, Therefore, they do fall among falling ones, In the time of their inspection they stumble, said Jehovah.

13 I utterly consume them, an affirmation of Jehovah, There are no grapes in the vine, Yea, there are no figs in the fig-tree, And the leaf hath faded, And the strength they have passeth from them.

14 Wherefore are we sitting still? Be gathered, and we go in to the fenced cities, And we are silent there, For Jehovah our God hath made us silent, Yea, He causeth us to drink water of gall, For we have sinned against Jehovah.

15 Looking for peace -- and there is no good, For a time of healing, and lo, terror.

16 From Dan hath been heard the snorting of his horses, From the voice of the neighings of his mighty ones, Trembled hath all the land, And they come in and consume the land and its fulness, The city and the inhabitants in it.

17 For, lo, I am sending among you serpents, Vipers that have no charmer, And they have bitten you, an affirmation of Jehovah.

18 My refreshing for me [is] sorrow, For me my heart [is] sick.

19 Lo, the voice of a cry of the daughter of my people from a land afar off, Is Jehovah not in Zion? is her king not in her? Wherefore have they provoked Me with their graven images, With the vanities of a foreigner?

20 Harvest hath passed, summer hath ended, And we -- we have not been saved.

21 For a breach of the daughter of my people have I been broken, I have been black, astonishment hath seized me.

22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? For wherefore hath not the health of the daughter of my people gone up?

[_LittleNipper]

Jeremiah 9:1-26

I wish that my head was filled with water and my eyes a tear fountain, that I might weep continually for the dead of my people!

Oh, that I had in the wilderness a lodging shanty built by wayfaring men, that I might escape my people and leave them! For they all are adulterers, a collection of dangerous men.

They bend their tongues like their bow; lies and not truth is the norm throughout the land; for they jump from one evil to the next, and they do not realize Me, says the Lord.

Let everyone be careful of his neighbor, and do not trust in any brother; for every brother usurps, and every neighbor walks about slandering.

Everyone deceives his neighbor and does not speak truthfully. They have trained their tongue to lie; they wear themselves out in committing vice.

Your habitation is in the middle of deceit; through deceit they refuse to comprehend Me, says the Lord.

The Lord of Hosts, as a result says:

"Now, I will refine and evaluate them; for what else shall I do for the daughter of My people?

Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it's deceitful. One speaks friendly to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies in wait.

Shall I not punish them for such things? says the Lord. Shall my soul not take vengeance on a nation of this leaning?

For the mountains I will make a career of weeping and wailing, and for the habitations in the wilderness I'll lament, because they are burned up so that no one can pass through them; nor can men hear the lowing of the cattle. Both the fowl of the air and the beast have totally fled.

I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins and a den of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah ghost towns.

Who is the wise man who may understand this? And who is he to whom the Lord has spoken, that he may pronounce it? Why is the land ruined and burned up like a wilderness, so that none pass through?

And the Lord said: Because they have ignored My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My command, nor walked in it,

but have walked after the lust of their own heart and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them."

Therefore thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: "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 nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. And I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them."

The Lord of Hosts says:

Consider and call for the professional crying women, that they may come; and send for wailing women, that they may come.

And make them hurry and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes tear and our eyelids gush out water.

For the sound of wailing is heard from Zion, “We're devastated! We're totally humiliated because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.”

Yet hear the word of the Lord, O you women, and let your ear hear what He says; and teach your daughters to cry, and all her neighbors a lamentation.

“For death has come through our windows; and has entered our palaces, to chase children from the streets, and the young men from the squares.”

This says the Lord:

“The carcasses of men shall fall as poop upon the empty field, and as the sheaf after the harvester, and no one shall come to collect them.”

This says the Lord: "Let not the wise man that pride in his brains, the mighty man in his might, nor the wealthy man in his riches;

but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who works lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth. For in these things I delight, says the Lord.

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet pagan.

Egypt, Judah, Edom, the children of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the wilderness who cut the hair sprouting upon their temples; for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart."


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Who doth make my head waters, And mine eye a fountain of tears? And I weep by day and by night, For the wounded of the daughter of my people.

2 Who doth give me in a wilderness A lodging-place of travellers? And I leave my people, and go from them, For all of them [are] adulterers, An assembly of treacherous ones.

3 And they bend their tongue, their bow [is] a lie, And not for stedfastness have they been mighty in the land, For from evil unto evil they have gone forth, And Me they have not known, An affirmation of Jehovah!

4 Each of his friend -- beware ye, And on any brother, do not trust, For every brother doth utterly supplant, For every friend slanderously doth walk,

5 And each at his friend they mock, And truth they do not speak, They taught their tongue to speak falsehood, To commit iniquity they have laboured.

6 thy dwelling [is] in the midst of deceit, Through deceit they refused to know Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.

7 Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Lo, I am refining them, and have tried them, For how do I do because of the daughter of My people?

8 A slaughtering arrow [is] their tongue, Deceit it hath spoken in its mouth, Peace with its neighbour it speaketh, And in its heart it layeth its ambush,

9 For these things do not I see after them? An affirmation of Jehovah, Against a nation such as this doth not My soul avenge itself?

10 For the mountains I lift up weeping and wailing, And for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, For they have been burnt up without any passing over, Nor have they heard the voice of cattle, From the fowl of the heavens unto the beast they have fled, they have gone.

11 And I make Jerusalem become heaps, A habitation of dragons, And the cities of Judah I make a desolation, Without inhabitant.

12 Who [is] the wise man? and he understandeth this, And he to whom the mouth of Jehovah spake? And he doth declare it, For what hath the land perished? It hath been burnt up as a wilderness, Without any passing through.

13 And Jehovah saith: Because of their forsaking My law that I set before them, And they have not hearkened to My voice nor walked in it,

14 And they walk after the stubbornness of their heart, And after the Baalim, that their fathers taught them,

15 Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Lo, I am causing them -- this people -- to eat wormwood, And I have caused them to drink water of gall,

16 And I have scattered them among nations Which they knew not, they and their fathers, And have sent after them the sword, Till I have consumed them.

17 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Consider ye, and call for mourning women, And they come, And to the wise women send, and they come,

18 And they hasten, and lift up for us a wailing. And run down our eyes do tears, And from our eyelids do waters flow.

19 For -- a voice of wailing is heard from Zion: How have we been spoiled! We have been greatly ashamed, Because we have forsaken the land, Because they have cast down our tabernacles.

20 But hear, ye women, a word of Jehovah, And your ear receiveth a word of His mouth, And teach ye your daughters wailing, and each her neighbour lamentation.

21 For death hath come up into our windows, It hath come into our palaces, To cut off the suckling from without, Young men from the broad places.

22 Speak thus -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And fallen hath the carcase of man, As dung on the face of the field, And as a handful after the reaper, And there is none gathering.

23 Thus said Jehovah: Let not the wise boast himself in his wisdom, Nor let the mighty boast himself in his might, Let not the rich boast himself in his riches,

24 But -- in this let the boaster boast himself, In understanding and knowing Me, For I [am] Jehovah, doing kindness, Judgment, and righteousness, in the earth, For in these I have delighted, An affirmation of Jehovah.

25 Lo, days are coming -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have laid a charge on all circumcised in the foreskin,

26 On Egypt, and on Judah, and on Edom, And on the sons of Ammon, and on Moab, And on all cutting the corner [of the beard], Who are dwelling in the wilderness, For all the nations [are] uncircumcised, And all the house of Israel [are] uncircumcised in heart!

[_LittleNipper]

Jeremiah 10:1-25

Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord:


Do not learn the traits of the nations; do not fear the signs of heaven, although the nations are upset by them.

For the customs of the people are vain; for with the axe one chops down a tree of the forest, the labor at the hands of the workman.

They cover it with silver and gold; they fasten it hammers and nails so that it may not topple.

As a palm they stiff, and do not talk, They must be carried about, for they cannot walk> Don't be afraid of them, because they cannot perform either good nor evil.

There is no one like You, dear Lord. You are great, and Your name is powerful.

Who would not fear You, Dear King of the nations? Indeed, You are owed. For among all the wise men everywhere, among all their kingdoms, there is none like You.

But they are altogether thoughtless and foolish; the tree is a doctrine of vanities.

Silver shaped into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the labor of the workman and the foundry; blue and purple are their clothing; they all are the work of skilled craftsmen.

But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and an everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot outlast His indignation.

Sat this to them: The gods that did not create the heavens and the earth shall disappear from the earth and from below these heavens.

He has create the earth in His power. He established the properties of nature in His wisdom and spreads out the heavens in His discretion.

When He applies His voice, there is an abundance of waters in the heavens, and He causes the vapors to go up from remote parts of the earth; He brings lightning with rain, and sends the wind from His reserves.

Every man is stupid, in the light of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by idols; for his molded image is fake, and nonliving.

They are vain and a work of mockery; in the time of their punishment they shall die.

The portion of Jacob is not like them, for He is the Creator of everything, and Israel is the key of His inheritance. The Lord of Hosts is His name.

Pack up your goods out of the land, you inhabitant of the fortress.

For the Lord says: I will throughout the inhabitants of the land at this time, and upset them that they may be discovered.

I'm miserable because of my brokenness! My wound is grievous. But I said, “Truly this is an illness, and I must bear it.”

My tabernacle is devastated, and all My cords are broken. My sons have left me and are gone. There is no one to spread My tent anymore, and to set up My curtains.

For the shepherds have become inconsiderate and have not sought the Lord. Therefore they have not prospered, and all their flocks scattered.

Listen! The sound of the report has arrived, a wild ruckus from the north country, to ruin the cities of Judah and leave a place for jackals.

Dear Lord, I know that the direction for man is not from within himself; it is not in man who walks to know the way.

Dear Lord, correct me justly but not angrily because You could destroy me.

Pour out Your temper upon the nations that do not recognize You and upon the families that do not call upon Your name; for they have chewed, devoured and consumed Jacob. They have ruined his lodging.



Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Hear ye the word, O house of Israel, That Jehovah hath spoken for you.

2 Thus said Jehovah: Unto the way of the nations accustom not yourselves, And by the signs of the heavens be not affrighted, For the nations are affrighted by them.

3 For the statutes of the peoples are vanity, For a tree from a forest hath one cut, Work of the hands of an artificer, with an axe,

4 With silver and with gold they beautify it, With nails and with hammers they fix it, And it doth not stumble.

5 As a palm they [are] stiff, and they speak not, They are surely borne, for they step not, Be not afraid of them, for they do no evil, Yea, also to do good is not in them.

6 Because there is none like Thee, O Jehovah, Great [art] Thou, and great Thy name in might.

7 Who doth not fear Thee, king of the nations? For to Thee it is becoming, For among all the wise of the nations, And in all their kingdom there is none like Thee.

8 And in one they are brutish and foolish, An instruction of vanities [is] the tree itself.

9 Spread-out silver from Tarshish is brought, And gold from Uphaz, Work of an artizan, and of the hands of a refiner, Blue and purple [is] their clothing, Work of the skilful -- all of them.

10 And Jehovah [is] a God of truth, He [is] a living God, and a king age-during, From His wrath shake doth the earth, And nations endure not His indignation.

11 Thus do ye say to them, The gods Who the heavens and earth have not made, They do perish from the earth, And from under these heavens.

12 The maker of the earth by His power, The establisher of the world by His wisdom, Who, by His understanding, stretched forth the heavens,

13 At the voice He giveth forth, A multitude of waters [is] in the heavens, And He causeth vapours to come up from the end of the earth, Lightnings for rain He hath made, And bringeth out wind from His treasures.

14 Brutish is every man by knowledge, Put to shame is every refiner by a graven image, For false [is] his molten image. And there is no breath in them.

15 Vanity [are] they, work of erring ones, In the time of their inspection they perish.

16 Not like these [is] the Portion of Jacob, For framer of all things [is] He, And Israel [is] the rod of His inheritance, Jehovah of Hosts [is] His name.

17 Gather from the land thy merchandise, O dweller in the bulwark,

18 For thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land at this time, And have been an adversary to them, So that they are found out.

19 Wo to me for my breaking, Grievious hath been my smiting, And I said, Only, this [is] my sickness, and I bear it.

20 My tent hath been spoiled, And all my cords have been broken, My sons have gone out from me, and they are not, There is none stretching out any more my tent, And raising up my curtains.

21 For the shepherds have become brutish, And Jehovah they have not sought, Therefore they have not acted wisely, And all their flock is scattered.

22 A voice of a report, lo, it hath come, Even a great shaking from the north country, To make the cities of Judah a desolation, A habitation of dragons.

23 I have known, O Jehovah, that not of man [is] his way, Not of man the going and establishing of his step.

24 Chastise me, O Jehovah, only in judgment, Not in Thine anger, lest Thou make me small.

25 Pour out Thy fury on the nations that have not known Thee, And on the families that have not called in Thy name, For they have eaten up Jacob, Yea, they have eaten him up, yea, they consume him, And his habitation they have made desolate!

[_LittleNipper]

Jeremiah 11:1-23

The Lord spoke to Jeremiah another time and said,

"Remind the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem that I established a contract with their fathers—and cursed is the man who does not regard it!

For I explained to them when I brought them out of slavery in Egypt that if they would obey me and do what I commanded them, then they and all their children would belong to Me and I would be their God."

"Now, Israel, obey Me," says the Lord, "So that the wonderful things I swore I'd do if you obeyed will happen. I want to give you a land that “flows with milk and honey,” as it does at this moment."

Then I replied, “So be it, Lord!”

Then the Lord said, "Broadcast this message in Jerusalem’s streets—go from city to city throughout the country and say, Remember this agreement that your fathers made with God, and do all the things they promised Him they would.

For I solemnly said to your fathers when I brought them from Egypt—and have repeated it over and over again until this day: Obey my every command!

But your fathers didn’t do it. They wouldn’t even listen. Each followed his own stubborn will and his proud heart. Because they refused to obey, I did to them all the evils stated in the contract."

Again the Lord spoke to me and said, "I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the men of Judah and Jerusalem.

They have resumed the sins of their forefathers, refusing to listen to me and worshipping idols. The agreement I made with their fathers is broken and negated."

Therefore, the Lord says, "I am going to bring calamity upon them, and there will be no escape. Though they cry for mercy, I will not heed their pleas.

Then they will pray to their statues and burn incense before them, but that cannot save them from their time of anguish and despair.

Oh my people, you have as many gods as cities, and your altars of shame (burning incense to Baal) line every street in Jerusalem.

Therefore, Jeremiah, pray no longer for this people, neither weep nor beg for them; for I will not listen to them when they are finally reach desperation to beg Me for help.

What right do My beloved people have to come anymore to My Temple --- being unfaithful and worshipping other gods. Can promises and sacrifices now avert your doom and give you life and joy again?"

The Lord used to describe you as His green olive tree, beautiful to look at and covered with good fruit; but now He has sent the fury of your enemies to consume you leaving you broken and charred.

It is because of the wickedness of Israel and Judah in burning incense to Baal that the Lord Almighty who planted the tree has ordered it uprooted.

Then the Lord told me concerning their plans and showed me their evil plots.

I had been as naïve as a lamb or ox on the way to slaughter. I had no clue they were planning to murder me! “Let’s destroy this man and all his messages,” they said. “Let’s kill him so that his name will be forgotten.”

Dear Lord Almighty, you are just. Observe the hearts and motives of such men. Punish them for all that they have planned! I turn to you for justice.

And the Lord answered, "The men of the city of Anathoth will be punished for planning to murder you. They will tell you not to prophesy in God’s name on pain of death.

And so their young men shall die in battle; their children shall starve.

Not one of these plotters of Anathoth shall live, for I will bring a great disaster upon them. Their end is here."


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 The word that hath been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying:

2 `Hear ye the words of this covenant, and ye have spoken unto the men of Judah, and unto the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

3 and thou hast said unto them, Thus said Jehovah God of Israel: Cursed [is] the man who doth not obey the words of this covenant,

4 That I commanded your fathers, In the day of My bringing them out from the land of Egypt, Out of the iron furnace, saying, Hearken to My voice, and ye have done them, According to all that I command you, And ye have been to Me for a people, And I am to you for God,

5 In order to establish the oath that I have sworn to your fathers, To give to them a land flowing with milk and honey, as this day. And I answer and say, `Amen, O Jehovah.'

6 And Jehovah saith 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 ye have done them.

7 For I certainly testified against your fathers, In the day of My bringing them up out of the land of Egypt -- till this day, Rising early and testifying, saying, Hearken to My voice,

8 And they have not hearkened nor inclined their ear, And they walk each in the stubbornness of their evil heart, And I bring on them all the words of this covenant, That I commanded to do, and they did not.'

9 And Jehovah saith unto me: `A conspiracy is found in the men of Judah, And in the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their first fathers, Who refused to hear My words, And they have gone after other gods to serve them, The house of Israel, and the house of Judah, Have made void My covenant, that I made with their fathers.

11 Therefore thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am bringing in unto them evil, That they are not able to go out from, And they have cried unto Me, And I do not hearken unto them.

12 And the cities of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem have gone, And they have cried unto the gods, To whom they are making perfume, And they give no deliverance at all to them, In the time of their vexation.

13 For -- the number of thy cities have been thy gods, O Judah, And -- the number of the streets of Jerusalem Ye have placed altars to a shameful thing, Altars to make perfume to Baal.

14 And thou, thou dost not pray for this people, Nor dost thou lift up for them cry and prayer, For I do not hearken in the time of their calling unto Me for their vexation.

15 What -- to My beloved in My house, Her doing wickedness with many, And the holy flesh do pass over from thee? When thou dost evil, then thou exultest.

16 `An olive, green, fair, of goodly fruit,' Hath Jehovah called thy name, At the noise of a great tumult He hath kindled fire against it, And broken have been its thin branches.

17 And Jehovah of Hosts, who is planting thee, Hath spoken evil concerning thee, For the evil of the house of Israel, and of the house of Judah, That they have done to themselves, To provoke Me to anger, to make perfume to Baal.

18 And, O Jehovah, cause me to know, and I know, Then Thou hast showed me their doings.

19 And I [am] as a trained lamb brought to slaughter, And I have not known That against me they have devised devices: We destroy the tree with its food, and cut him off From the land of the living, And his name is not remembered again.

20 And O Jehovah of Hosts, judging righteousness, Trying reins and heart, I do see Thy vengeance against them, For unto Thee I have revealed my cause.'

21 Therefore, thus said Jehovah concerning the men of Anathoth, who are seeking thy life, saying: Do not prophesy in the name of Jehovah, And thou dost not die by our hands.

22 Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts: `Lo, I am seeing after them, The chosen ones die by sword, Their sons and their daughters die by famine,

23 And they have no remnant, For I bring evil unto the men of Anathoth, The year of their inspection!'

[_LittleNipper]

Jeremiah 12:1-17
Dear Lord, you are righteous that I beg You. Let me talk with You about just matters. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are all happy who deal treacherously?

You have planted them; indeed, they've rooted and grow bringing forth fruit. You are near in what they say, but far from their thoughts.

But You, dear Lord, know me. You have seen me and tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and ready them for the day of slaughter.

How long shall the land mourn and the herbs in every field wither due to the evil of those who dwell there. The beasts and the birds have been snatched away, because they said,“He will not see our latter end.”

If running with the footmen wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?

For even your brothers and the household of your father have dealt treacherously with you. Indeed, they have cried aloud after you. Do not believe them though they speak pleasantly to you.

I have forsaken My house and abandoned My heritage. I have given the dearly beloved of My soul over to her enemies.

My heritage is to Me as a lion in the woods. She cries out against Me; therefore I despise her.

My heritage is to Me as a spotted vulture; the other vultures reject her. Come, gather all the beasts of the field, bring them to feed.

Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard. They have trampled My portion under foot, turning My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

They have made it desolate, and being so, it weeps to Me. The whole land has become desolate, because no one cares.

The destroyers have come upon all high places through the wilderness, for the sword of the Lord shall slaughter from the one end of the country to the other. No one shall have peace.

They have sown wheat, but reap thorns. They have overworked themselves without gaining a profit. And they shall be ashamed of your harvest because of the terrible anger of the Lord.

This the Lord says, "Against all My evil neighbors who touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit, I will pull them out of their land and separate the house of Judah from among them.

It shall happen that after I have pulled them out, I will again have compassion on them, and will return, every man to his heritage --- every man to his land.

It shall eventually happen if they diligently learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name, “As the Lord lives,” as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they will be built up among My people.

But if they will not obey, I will utterly pull up and destroy that nation," says the Lord.


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Righteous [art] Thou, O Jehovah, When I plead towards thee, Only, judgments do I speak with Thee, Wherefore did the way of the wicked prosper? At rest have been all treacherous dealers.

2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root, They go on, yea, they have made fruit, Near [art] Thou in their mouth, And far off from their reins.

3 And Thou, O Jehovah, Thou hast known me, Thou seest me, and hast tried my heart with Thee, Draw them away as sheep to slaughter, And separate them for a day of slaughter.

4 Till when doth the earth mourn, And the herb of the whole field wither? For the wickedness of those dwelling in it, Consumed have been beast and fowl, Because they said, `He doth not see our latter end.'

5 For -- with footmen thou hast run, And they weary thee, And how dost thou fret thyself with horses! Even in the land of peace, [In which] thou art confident -- And how dost thou in the rising of Jordan!

6 For even thy brethren and the house of thy father, Even they dealt treacherously against thee, Even they -- they called after thee fully, Trust not in them, when they speak to thee good things.

7 I have forsaken My house, I have left Mine inheritance, I have given the beloved of My soul Into the hand of her enemies.

8 Mine inheritance hath been to Me as a lion in a forest, She gave forth against Me with her voice, Therefore I have hated her.

9 A speckled fowl [is] Mine inheritance to Me? Is the fowl round about against her? Come, assemble, every beast of the field, Come ye for food.

10 Many shepherds did destroy My vineyard, They have trodden down My portion, They have made My desirable portion Become a wilderness -- a desolation.

11 He hath made it become a desolation, The desolation hath mourned unto Me, Desolated hath been all the land, But there is no one laying it to heart.

12 On all high places in the plain have spoilers come in, For the sword of Jehovah is consuming, From the end of the land even unto the end of the land, There is no peace to any flesh.

13 They sowed wheat, and have thorns reaped, They have become sick -- they profit not, And they have been ashamed of your increases, Because of the fierceness of the anger of Jehovah.

14 Thus said Jehovah concerning all my evil neighbours, who are striking against the inheritance that I caused my people -- Israel -- to inherit: `Lo, I am plucking them from off their ground, And the house of Judah I pluck out of their midst.

15 And it hath been, after My plucking them out, I turn back, and have pitied them, And I have brought them back, Each to his inheritance, and each to his land.

16 And it hath come to pass, If they learn well the ways of My people, To swear by My name, `Jehovah liveth,' As they taught My people to swear by Baal, Then they have been built up in the midst of My people.

17 And if they do not hearken, Then I have plucked up that nation, Plucking up and destroying, An affirmation of Jehovah!'

[_LittleNipper]

Jeremiah 13:1-27

The Lord said this to me: “Purchase a linen belt and wrap it about your waist, and do not wash it.”

So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and bound it about my waist.

Then again the Lord said to me:

“Take the belt you bought and are wearing, and go to Perath presently and hide it there in a fissure among the rocks.”

So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord said.

Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you hid there.”

So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and totally useless.

Then the word of the Lord came to me:

“The Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and prideful Jerusalem.

These wicked people, refuse to listen to my words, follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after false gods to serve and worship them, will become like this belt—completely useless!

For as a belt is fastened around the waist, so I fastened all the people of Israel and Judah to me,’ states the Lord, ‘to be my people for my fame, praise and honor. But they have not listened.’

“Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we already know this?’

Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to make as a drunk who live in this land, including the kings sitting on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those residing at Jerusalem.

I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the Lord. I will not allow pity or mercy or compassion to keep me from destroying them.’”

Listen and pay attention, don't be arrogant, for the Lord says this. Give glory to the Lord your God before He brings this darkness, before your feet stumble among the darkening hills. You desire light, but he will turn it to total darkness and deep gloom.

If you do not obey, I will weep secretly because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the Lord’s flock will be captured.

Say to the king and queen mother, "Get off your thrones, for your glorious crowns will fall from your heads.”

The cities in the Negev will be shuttered, and there will be none to open them. All Judah will be taken away into exile.

Look up and see those who are coming from the north. Where is the flock that was given you, the sheep of which you boasted?

What will you say when the Lord establishes over you those you nurtured as your special allies? Will not be gripped in pain like a woman in childbirth?

And if you ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?”— it is because of your many sins that your robes have been torn off and your body mistreated.

Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to be evil.

“I will scatter you like chaff blown by the desert wind.

This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you,” states the Lord, “because you have ignored Me and had faith in false gods.

I will pull up your robes over your face that your shame may be exposed—

your adulteries and lustful howling, your shameless prostitution! I have witnessed your detestable acts on the hills and in the fields. Misery to you, Jerusalem! How long will you remain unclean?”


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Thus said Jehovah unto me, `Go, and thou hast got for thee a girdle of linen, and hast placed it on thy loins, and into water thou dost not cause it to enter:'

2 and I get the girdle, according to the word of Jehovah, and I place [it] on my loins.

3 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me a second time, saying,

4 `Take the girdle that thou hast got, that [is] on thy loins, and rise, go to Phrat, and hide it there in a hole of the rock;

5 and I go and hide it by Phrat, as Jehovah commanded me.

6 And it cometh to pass, at the end of many days, that Jehovah saith unto me, `Rise, go to Phrat, and take thence the girdle, that I commanded thee to hide there;'

7 and I go to Phrat, and dig, and take the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and lo, the girdle hath been marred, it is not profitable for anything.

8 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, `Thus said Jehovah:

9 Thus do I mar the excellency of Judah, And the great excellency of Jerusalem.

10 This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, Who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, And go after other gods to serve them, And to bow themselves to them, Yea it is -- as this girdle, that is not profitable for anything.

11 For, as the girdle cleaveth unto the loins of a man, So I caused to cleave unto Me The whole house of Israel, And the whole house of Judah, an affirmation of Jehovah, To be to Me for a people, and for a name, And for praise, and for beauty, And they have not hearkened.

12 And thou hast said unto them this word, Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, `Every bottle is full of wine,' And they have said unto thee: `Do we not certainly know that every bottle is full of wine?'

13 And thou hast said unto them, `Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am filling all the inhabitants of this land, And the kings who sit for David on his throne, And the priests, and the prophets, And all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, [With] drunkenness,

14 And have dashed them one against another, And the fathers and the sons together, An affirmation of Jehovah, I do not pity, nor spare, nor have I mercy, So as not to destroy them.

15 Hear, and give ear -- be not haughty, For Jehovah hath spoken.

16 Give ye to Jehovah your God honour, Before He doth cause darkness, And before your feet stumble on dark mountains, And ye have waited for light, And He hath made it for death-shade, And hath appointed [it] for thick darkness.

17 And if ye do not hear it, In secret places doth my soul weep, because of pride, Yea, it weepeth sore, And the tear cometh down mine eyes, For the flock of Jehovah hath been taken captive.

18 Say to the king and to the mistress: Make yourselves low -- sit still, For come down have your principalities, The crown of your beauty.

19 The cities of the south have been shut up, And there is none opening, Judah hath been removed -- all of her, She hath been removed completely --

20 Lift up your eyes, and see those coming in from the north, Where [is] the drove given to thee, thy beautiful flock?

21 What dost thou say, when He looketh after thee? And thou -- thou hast taught them [to be] over thee -- leaders for head? Do not pangs seize thee as a travailing woman?

22 And when thou dost say in thy heart, `Wherefore have these met me?' For the abundance of thine iniquity Have thy skirts been uncovered, Have thy heels suffered violence.

23 Doth a Cushite change his skin? and a leopard his spots? Ye also are able to do good, who are accustomed to do evil.

24 And I scatter them as stubble, Passing away, by a wind of the wilderness.

25 This [is] thy lot, the portion of thy measures from Me -- an affirmation of Jehovah, Because thou hast forgotten me, And dost trust in falsehood.

26 I also have made bare thy skirts before thy face, And thy shame hath been seen.

27 Thine adulteries, and thy neighings, The wickedness of thy whoredom, on heights in a field, I have seen thine abominations. Wo to thee, O Jerusalem, Thou art not cleansed, after when [is it] again?

[_LittleNipper]

Jeremiah 14:1-22

The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

Judah mourns, and the gates deteriorate; they sit on the ground mourning, and the cry of Jerusalem assends.

Their nobles have sent their servants for water. They came to the cisterns and found no water. They returned with empty vessels. They were ashamed and humiliated, and covered their heads.

Because the ground is encrusted, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed; they have covered their heads.

Indeed, the deer also calved in the field and abandoned her young because there was no grass.

The wild donkeys stand in the high places panting for air like jackals; their eyes fail because there is no nourishment.

Dear Lord, though our sins testify against us, do it for Your name’s sake. In reality, our backslidings are many; we have sinned against You.

The Hope of Israel, its Savior in troubled times, why should You be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man who moves out of his way to pitch his tent for a night?

Why should You be as a man shocked, as a mighty man who cannot save? Yet You, Dear Lord, are in our midst, and we are pray in Your name. Do not reject us!

So says the Lord to this people:

So, they love to wander. They have not focused upon Me. Therefore, the Lord does not accept them; He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.

Then the Lord told me, "Do not pray for the good of this people.

When they fast, I will not hear their cry. And when they offer a burnt offering and an oblation, I will ignore them. But I will consume them by the sword, famine, and through pestilence.

Yet I said, “Ah, Lord God! Here the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ”

Then the Lord said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not authorized nor have I commanded them nor have I spoken to them. They prophesy to you a false vision and prediction with emptiness, and the deceit of their heart.

Therefore the Lord says concerning these prophets, “Sword and famine will not be in this land.” By sword and famine those prophets will be eradicated.

The people to whom they prophesy will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword. And they will have no one to bury them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will heap their wickedness upon them.

Therefore you will tell them:

Let my eyes tear night and day, without ceasing; for the virgin daughter of my people has been broken with a great blow, with a festering wound.

If I go out into the field, I see those killed with the sword! And if I enter the city, I see those who are sick with famine! Indeed, both the prophet and the priest go about a land that they do not remember.

Have You utterly rejected Judah? Does Your soul loathed Zion? Why have You stricken us so that there is no healing for us? We sought peace, but there was nothing good nor for the time of healing, but there is trouble!

We acknowledge, Dear Lord, our wickedness and the sins of our fathers, for we did sin against You.

Do not hate us. For Your name’s sake, do not disgrace Your glorious throne. Remember and do not break Your covenant to us.

Are there any idols among the nations that can bring about rain? Can the heavens provide showers if not by You, Dear Lord our God? Therefore, we will wait for You, for You have done all these things.


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 That which hath been the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah concerning the matters of the dearths:

2 Mourned hath Judah, and her gates have languished, They have mourned to the earth, And the cry of Jerusalem hath gone up.

3 And their honourable ones have sent their little ones to the water, They have come unto ditches, They have not found water, They have turned back -- their vessels empty! They have been ashamed, And have blushed and covered their head.

4 Because the ground hath been broken, For there hath been no rain in the land, Ashamed have been husbandmen, They have covered their head.

5 For even the hind in the field hath brought forth -- to forsake [it!] For there hath been no grass.

6 And wild asses have stood on high places, They have swallowed up wind like dragons, Consumed have been their eyes, for there is no herb.

7 Surely our iniquities have testified against us, O Jehovah, work for Thy name's sake, For many have been our backslidings, Against Thee we have sinned.

8 O Hope of Israel -- its saviour in time of trouble, Why art Thou as a sojourner in the land? And as a traveller turned aside to lodge?

9 Why art Thou as one dumb? As a mighty one not able to save? And Thou [art] in our midst, O Jehovah, And Thy name over us is called, leave us not.

10 Thus said Jehovah concerning this people: Well they have loved to wander, Their feet they have not restrained, And Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin.

11 And Jehovah saith unto me: Thou dost not pray for this people for good,

12 When they fast, I hearken not unto their cry, And when they cause to ascend burnt-offering and present, I accept them not, For by sword, and by famine, And by pestilence, I am consuming them.

13 And I say, `Ah, Lord Jehovah, Lo, the prophets are saying to them: Ye do not see a sword, yea, famine is not to you, For true peace I give to you in this place.'

14 And Jehovah saith unto me: Falsehood the prophets are prophesying in My name, I did not send them, nor command them, Nor have I spoken unto them: A false vision, and divination, and vanity, And the deceit of their own heart, they are prophesying to you.

15 Therefore, thus said Jehovah concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, and I have not sent them, and they are saying, Sword and famine is not in this land: By sword and by famine are these prophets consumed.

16 And the people to whom they are prophesying, Are cast into out-places of Jerusalem, Because of the famine, and of the sword, And they have none burying them, Them, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, And I have poured out upon them this evil.

17 And thou hast said unto them this word: Tears come down mine eyes night and day, And they do not cease, For, [with] a great breach, Broken hath been the virgin daughter of my people, A very grievous stroke.

18 If I have gone forth to the field, Then, lo, the pierced of the sword! And if I have entered the city, Then, lo, the diseased of famine! For both prophet and priest have gone up and down Unto a land that they knew not.

19 Hast Thou utterly rejected Judah? Zion hath Thy soul loathed? Wherefore hast Thou smitten us, And there is no healing to us? Looking for peace, and there is no good, And for a time of healing, and lo, terror.

20 We have known, O Jehovah, our wickedness, The iniquity of our fathers, For we have sinned against Thee.

21 Do not despise, for Thy name's sake, Dishonour not the throne of Thine honour, Remember, break not Thy covenant with us.

22 Are there among the vanities of the nations any causing rain? And do the heavens give showers? Art not Thou He, O Jehovah our God? And we wait for thee, for Thou -- Thou hast done all these!