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Jeremiah 8:4-9:26
English Standard Version
Jeremiah 8:4-9:26
English Standard Version
Sin and Treachery
4 “You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord:
(A)When men fall, do they not rise again?
If one turns away, does he not return?
5 Why then has this people (B)turned away
in perpetual (C)backsliding?
(D)They hold fast to deceit;
they refuse to return.
6 (E)I have paid attention and listened,
but they have not spoken rightly;
no man relents of his evil,
saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turns to his own course,
(F)like a horse plunging headlong into battle.
7 Even the stork in the heavens
knows her times,
and (G)the turtledove, (H)swallow, and crane[a]
keep the time of their coming,
(I)but my people know not
the rules[b] of the Lord.
8 (J)“How can you say, ‘We are wise,
and the law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
has made it into a lie.
9 (K)The wise men shall be put to shame;
they shall be dismayed (L)and taken;
behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord,
so what wisdom is in them?
10 (M)Therefore I will give their wives to others
and their fields to conquerors,
because from the least to the greatest
everyone (N)is greedy for unjust gain;
from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
11 They have healed (O)the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, (P)they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
(Q)Therefore they shall fall among the fallen;
when I punish them, they shall be overthrown,
says the Lord.
13 When I would gather them, declares the Lord,
there are (R)no grapes on the vine,
(S)nor figs on the fig tree;
(T)even the leaves are withered,
and what I gave them has passed away from them.”[c]
14 Why do we sit still?
(U)Gather together; (V)let us go into the fortified cities
and perish there,
for the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and has (W)given us (X)poisoned water to drink,
because we have sinned against the Lord.
15 (Y)We looked for peace, but no good came;
for a time of healing, but behold, terror.
16 (Z)“The snorting of their horses is heard (AA)from Dan;
at the sound of the neighing (AB)of their stallions
(AC)the whole land quakes.
They come (AD)and devour the land and all that fills it,
the city and those who dwell in it.
17 For behold, I am sending among you (AE)serpents,
adders (AF)that cannot be charmed,
(AG)and they shall bite you,”
declares the Lord.
Jeremiah Grieves for His People
18 My joy is gone; grief is upon me;[d]
(AH)my heart is sick within me.
19 Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people
from (AI)the length and breadth of the land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
(AJ)Is her King not in her?”
(AK)“Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images
and with their foreign idols?”
20 “The harvest is past, the summer is ended,
and we are not saved.”
21 For the wound of (AL)the daughter of my people is my heart wounded;
(AM)I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me.
22 Is there no (AN)balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has the health of the daughter of my people
not been restored?
9 [e] (AO)Oh that my head were waters,
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
that I might weep day and night
for the slain of (AP)the daughter of my people!
2 [f] Oh that I had in the desert
a travelers' lodging place,
that I might leave my people
and go away from them!
For they are all (AQ)adulterers,
a company of (AR)treacherous men.
3 (AS)They bend their tongue like a bow;
falsehood and not truth has grown strong[g] in the land;
for they proceed from evil to evil,
(AT)and they do not know me, declares the Lord.
4 (AU)Let everyone beware of his neighbor,
and put no trust in any brother,
for every (AV)brother is a deceiver,
and every neighbor (AW)goes about as a slanderer.
5 Everyone deceives his neighbor,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongue to speak lies;
they weary themselves committing iniquity.
6 Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit,
(AX)they refuse to know me, declares the Lord.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Behold, (AY)I will refine them and (AZ)test them,
for what else can I do, (BA)because of my people?
8 (BB)Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
(BC)it speaks deceitfully;
with his mouth (BD)each speaks peace to his neighbor,
but in his heart (BE)he plans an ambush for him.
9 (BF)Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord,
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?
10 “I will take up weeping and wailing for the mountains,
and a lamentation for (BG)the pastures of the wilderness,
(BH)because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard;
(BI)both the birds of the air and the beasts
have fled and are gone.
11 (BJ)I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
(BK)a lair of jackals,
(BL)and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation,
without inhabitant.”
12 (BM)Who is the man so wise that he can understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined (BN)and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? 13 And the Lord says: (BO)“Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, 14 but (BP)have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (BQ)Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them (BR)poisonous water to drink. 16 (BS)I will scatter them among the nations (BT)whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will (BU)send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.”
17 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
(BV)“Consider, and call for the mourning women to come;
send for the skillful women to come;
18 let them make haste (BW)and raise a wailing over us,
(BX)that our eyes may run down with tears
and our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
(BY)‘How we are ruined!
We are utterly shamed,
because we have left the land,
because they have cast down our dwellings.’”
20 Hear, O women, the word of the Lord,
and let your ear receive the word of his mouth;
teach to your daughters a lament,
and each to her neighbor a dirge.
21 For death has come up into our windows;
it has entered our palaces,
(BZ)cutting off the children from the streets
and the young men from the squares.
22 Speak: “Thus declares the Lord,
(CA)‘The dead bodies of men shall fall
like dung upon the open field,
(CB)like sheaves after the reaper,
and none shall gather them.’”
23 Thus says the Lord: (CC)“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but (CD)let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. (CE)For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
25 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when (CF)I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— 26 (CG)Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and (CH)all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (CI)uncircumcised in heart.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 8:7 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Jeremiah 8:7 Or just decrees
- Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Jeremiah 8:18 Compare Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Jeremiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Hebrew
- Jeremiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Hebrew
- Jeremiah 9:3 Septuagint; Hebrew and not for truth they have grown strong
Jeremiah 8:4-9:26
New International Version
Jeremiah 8:4-9:26
New International Version
Sin and Punishment
4 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?(A)
When someone turns away,(B) do they not return?
5 Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(C)
they refuse to return.(D)
6 I have listened(E) attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(F) of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(G)
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(H)
the requirements of the Lord.
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law(I) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise(J) will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed(K) and trapped.(L)
Since they have rejected the word(M) of the Lord,
what kind of wisdom(N) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.(O)
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;(P)
prophets(Q) and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(R)
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace.(S)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame(T) 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,(U)
says the Lord.(V)
13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.(W)
There will be no figs(X) on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.(Y)
What I have given them
will be taken(Z) from them.[a]’”
14 Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(AA)
and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water(AB) to drink,
because we have sinned(AC) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(AD)
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(AE)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(AF)
is heard from Dan;(AG)
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.(AH)
They have come to devour(AI)
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(AJ) among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,(AK)
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.
18 You who are my Comforter[b] in sorrow,
my heart is faint(AL) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
from a land far away:(AM)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King(AN) no longer there?”
20 “The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”
21 Since my people are crushed,(AR) I am crushed;
I mourn,(AS) and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?(AT)
Is there no physician(AU) there?
Why then is there no healing(AV)
for the wound of my people?
9 [c]1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!(AW)
I would weep(AX) day and night
for the slain of my people.(AY)
2 Oh, that I had in the desert(AZ)
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,(BA)
a crowd of unfaithful(BB) people.
3 “They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;(BC)
it is not by truth
that they triumph[d] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge(BD) me,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your friends;(BE)
do not trust anyone in your clan.(BF)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[e](BG)
and every friend a slanderer.(BH)
5 Friend deceives friend,(BI)
and no one speaks the truth.(BJ)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(BK)
they weary themselves with sinning.
6 You[f] live in the midst of deception;(BL)
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will refine(BM) and test(BN) them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tongue(BO) is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(BP)
but in their hearts they set traps(BQ) for them.(BR)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(BS) myself
on such a nation as this?”
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.(BT)
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(BU) have all fled
and the animals are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap(BV) of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;(BW)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(BX)
so no one can live there.”(BY)
12 Who is wise(BZ) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.(CA) 14 Instead, they have followed(CB) the stubbornness of their hearts;(CC) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food(CD) and drink poisoned water.(CE) 16 I will scatter them among nations(CF) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(CG) and I will pursue them with the sword(CH) until I have made an end of them.”(CI)
17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Consider now! Call for the wailing women(CJ) to come;
send for the most skillful of them.
18 Let them come quickly
and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
and water streams from our eyelids.(CK)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How ruined(CL) we are!
How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
because our houses are in ruins.’”
20 Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
open your ears to the words of his mouth.(CM)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.(CN)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(CO)
and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
and the young men(CP) from the public squares.
22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:
“‘Dead bodies will lie
like dung(CQ) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.’”
23 This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom(CR)
or the strong boast of their strength(CS)
or the rich boast of their riches,(CT)
24 but let the one who boasts boast(CU) about this:
that they have the understanding to know(CV) me,
that I am the Lord,(CW) who exercises kindness,(CX)
justice and righteousness(CY) on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.
25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh(CZ)— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.[g](DA) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,(DB) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(DC)”
Footnotes
- 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.
- Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
- Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
- Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
- Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
- Jeremiah 9:26 Or wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.