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Jeremiah 5-8
21st Century King James Version
Jeremiah 5-8
21st Century King James Version
5 “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 Therefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall despoil 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 neighbor’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 Therefore, 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 afar, 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 sepulcher; 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 fortified cities, wherein thou trusted, 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, ‘Why doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us?’ Then shalt thou answer them, ‘As ye have forsaken Me and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying:
21 Hear now this, O foolish people and without understanding, who have eyes and see not, who have ears and hear not:
22 Fear ye not Me?” saith the Lord. “Will ye not tremble at My presence, who 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 have revolted and gone.
24 Neither say they in their heart, ‘Let us now fear the Lord our God, who 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 withheld good things from you.
26 For among My people are found wicked men; they lie in 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 have become great and have waxed rich.
28 They have waxed fat, they shine; yea, they surpass 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 “An astonishing 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?
6 “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 mound 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 are heard in her; before Me continually are 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 thoroughly 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 slightingly, 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 highways 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 stumbling blocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbor 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 despoiler shall suddenly come upon us.
27 “I have set thee as 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 by 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.”
7 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, who 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 thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor,
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 Has 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 because of the wickedness of My people Israel.
13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spoke 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 spoke 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 has 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 carcasses of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten 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.
8 “‘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 worshiped. 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, who 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 has 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 spoke not aright; no man repented 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 slightingly, 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 fortified 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 have 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 within 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?
Jeremiah 5-8
New International Version
Jeremiah 5-8
New International Version
Not One Is Upright
5 “Go up and down(A) the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,(B)
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person(C)
who deals honestly(D) and seeks the truth,
I will forgive(E) this city.
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(F)
still they are swearing falsely.(G)”
3 Lord, do not your eyes(H) look for truth?
You struck(I) them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.(J)
They made their faces harder than stone(K)
and refused to repent.(L)
4 I thought, “These are only the poor;
they are foolish,(M)
for they do not know(N) the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.
5 So I will go to the leaders(O)
and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
and torn off the bonds.(P)
6 Therefore a lion from the forest(Q) will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will ravage(R) them,
a leopard(S) will lie in wait near their towns
to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
and their backslidings many.(T)
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn(U) by gods that are not gods.(V)
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery(W)
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.(X)
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man’s wife.(Y)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”(Z)
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(AA) myself
on such a nation as this?
10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
but do not destroy them completely.(AB)
Strip off her branches,
for these people do not belong to the Lord.
11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah
have been utterly unfaithful(AC) to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 They have lied(AD) about the Lord;
they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(AE)
we will never see sword or famine.(AF)
13 The prophets(AG) are but wind(AH)
and the word is not in them;
so let what they say be done to them.”
14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:
“Because the people have spoken these words,
I will make my words in your mouth(AI) a fire(AJ)
and these people the wood it consumes.(AK)
15 People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
“I am bringing a distant nation(AL) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
a people whose language(AM) you do not know,
whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their quivers(AN) are like an open grave;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour(AO) your harvests and food,
devour(AP) your sons and daughters;
they will devour(AQ) your flocks and herds,
devour your vines and fig trees.(AR)
With the sword(AS) they will destroy
the fortified cities(AT) in which you trust.(AU)
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy(AV) you completely. 19 And when the people ask,(AW) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods(AX) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners(AY) in a land not your own.’
20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim(AZ) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(BA)
who have eyes(BB) but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:(BC)
22 Should you not fear(BD) me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble(BE) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(BF)
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar,(BG) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(BH) hearts;
they have turned aside(BI) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear(BJ) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(BK) in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(BL)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.(BM)
26 “Among my people are the wicked(BN)
who lie in wait(BO) like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps(BP) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;(BQ)
they have become rich(BR) and powerful
28 and have grown fat(BS) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(BT)
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(BU)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(BV) myself
on such a nation as this?
30 “A horrible(BW) and shocking thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,(BX)
the priests(BY) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?(BZ)
Jerusalem Under Siege
6 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet(CA) in Tekoa!(CB)
Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!(CC)
For disaster looms out of the north,(CD)
even terrible destruction.
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion,(CE)
so beautiful and delicate.(CF)
3 Shepherds(CG) with their flocks will come against her;
they will pitch their tents around(CH) her,
each tending his own portion.”
4 “Prepare for battle against her!
Arise, let us attack at noon!(CI)
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
and the shadows of evening grow long.
5 So arise, let us attack at night
and destroy her fortresses!”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Cut down the trees(CJ)
and build siege ramps(CK) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression.(CL)
7 As a well pours out its water,
so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence(CM) and destruction(CN) resound in her;
her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8 Take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away(CO) from you
and make your land desolate
so no one can live in it.”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Let them glean the remnant(CP) of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen(CQ) to me?
Their ears are closed[a](CR)
so they cannot hear.(CS)
The word(CT) of the Lord is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath(CU) of the Lord,
and I cannot hold it in.(CV)
“Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the young men(CW) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
and the old, those weighed down with years.(CX)
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,(CY)
together with their fields and their wives,(CZ)
when I stretch out my hand(DA)
against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
all(DB) are greedy for gain;(DC)
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(DD)
14 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.(DE)
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.(DF)
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish(DG) them,”
says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,(DH)
ask where the good way(DI) is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest(DJ) for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen(DK) over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’(DL)
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’(DM)
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
you who are witnesses,
observe what will happen to them.
19 Hear, you earth:(DN)
I am bringing disaster(DO) on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,(DP)
because they have not listened to my words(DQ)
and have rejected my law.(DR)
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba(DS)
or sweet calamus(DT) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;(DU)
your sacrifices(DV) do not please me.”(DW)
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble(DX) over them;
neighbors and friends will perish.”
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, an army is coming
from the land of the north;(DY)
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.(DZ)
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.(EA)
They sound like the roaring sea(EB)
as they ride on their horses;(EC)
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.(ED)”
24 We have heard reports about them,
and our hands hang limp.(EE)
Anguish(EF) has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(EG)
25 Do not go out to the fields
or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
and there is terror on every side.(EH)
26 Put on sackcloth,(EI) my people,
and roll in ashes;(EJ)
mourn with bitter wailing(EK)
as for an only son,(EL)
for suddenly the destroyer(EM)
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you a tester(EN) of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,(EO)
going about to slander.(EP)
They are bronze and iron;(EQ)
they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining(ER) goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,(ES)
because the Lord has rejected them.”(ET)
False Religion Worthless
7 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Stand(EU) at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:
“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. 3 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways(EV) and your actions, and I will let you live(EW) in this place. 4 Do not trust(EX) in deceptive(EY) words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” 5 If you really change(EZ) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,(FA) 6 if you do not oppress(FB) the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood(FC) in this place, and if you do not follow other gods(FD) to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land(FE) I gave your ancestors(FF) for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting(FG) in deceptive(FH) words that are worthless.
9 “‘Will you steal(FI) and murder,(FJ) commit adultery(FK) and perjury,[b](FL) burn incense to Baal(FM) and follow other gods(FN) you have not known, 10 and then come and stand(FO) before me in this house,(FP) which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?(FQ) 11 Has this house,(FR) which bears my Name, become a den of robbers(FS) to you? But I have been watching!(FT) declares the Lord.
12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh(FU) where I first made a dwelling(FV) for my Name,(FW) and see what I did(FX) to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke(FY) to you again and again,(FZ) but you did not listen;(GA) I called(GB) you, but you did not answer.(GC) 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh(GD) I will now do to the house that bears my Name,(GE) the temple(GF) you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence,(GG) just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’(GH)
16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea(GI) or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen(GJ) to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.(GK) They pour out drink offerings(GL) to other gods to arouse(GM) my anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking?(GN) declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?(GO)
20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign(GP) Lord says: My anger(GQ) and my wrath will be poured(GR) out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.(GS)
21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices(GT) and eat(GU) the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands(GV) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,(GW) 23 but I gave them this command:(GX) Obey(GY) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.(GZ) Walk in obedience to all(HA) I command you, that it may go well(HB) with you. 24 But they did not listen(HC) or pay attention;(HD) instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.(HE) They went backward(HF) and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again(HG) I sent you my servants(HH) the prophets.(HI) 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention.(HJ) They were stiff-necked(HK) and did more evil than their ancestors.’(HL)
27 “When you tell(HM) them all this, they will not listen(HN) to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.(HO) 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction.(HP) Truth(HQ) has perished; it has vanished from their lips.
29 “‘Cut off(HR) your hair and throw it away; take up a lament(HS) on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned(HT) this generation that is under his wrath.
The Valley of Slaughter
30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil(HU) in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols(HV) in the house that bears my Name and have defiled(HW) it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth(HX) in the Valley of Ben Hinnom(HY) to burn their sons and daughters(HZ) in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.(IA) 32 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter,(IB) for they will bury(IC) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses(ID) of this people will become food(IE) for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.(IF) 34 I will bring an end to the sounds(IG) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom(IH) in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,(II) for the land will become desolate.(IJ)
8 “‘At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones(IK) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed(IL) from their graves. 2 They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served(IM) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.(IN) They will not be gathered up or buried,(IO) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(IP) 3 Wherever I banish them,(IQ) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,(IR) declares the Lord Almighty.’
Sin and Punishment
4 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?(IS)
When someone turns away,(IT) do they not return?
5 Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(IU)
they refuse to return.(IV)
6 I have listened(IW) attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(IX) of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(IY)
like a horse charging into battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know(IZ)
the requirements of the Lord.
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law(JA) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise(JB) will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed(JC) and trapped.(JD)
Since they have rejected the word(JE) of the Lord,
what kind of wisdom(JF) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.(JG)
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;(JH)
prophets(JI) and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(JJ)
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace.(JK)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame(JL) at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished,(JM)
says the Lord.(JN)
13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.(JO)
There will be no figs(JP) on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.(JQ)
What I have given them
will be taken(JR) from them.[c]’”
14 Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(JS)
and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water(JT) to drink,
because we have sinned(JU) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(JV)
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(JW)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(JX)
is heard from Dan;(JY)
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.(JZ)
They have come to devour(KA)
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(KB) among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,(KC)
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.
18 You who are my Comforter[d] in sorrow,
my heart is faint(KD) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
from a land far away:(KE)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King(KF) no longer there?”
20 “The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 6:10 Hebrew uncircumcised
- Jeremiah 7:9 Or and swear by false gods
- Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
- Jeremiah 8:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.