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Jeremiah 4-6
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jeremiah 4-6
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Blessing or Curse
4 If you return,[a] Israel—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
you will return to Me,(A)
if you remove your detestable idols(B)
from My presence
and do not waver,
2 then you can swear, “As the Lord lives,”(C)
in truth,(D) in justice, and in righteousness,(E)
then the nations will be blessed[b] by Him(F)
and will pride themselves in Him.(G)
3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
Break up the unplowed ground;(H)
do not sow among the thorns.(I)
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;
remove the foreskin of your hearts,(J)
men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem.
Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire
and burn with no one to extinguish it(K)
because of your evil deeds.
Judgment from the North
5 Declare in Judah, proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
Blow the ram’s horn throughout the land.(L)
Cry out loudly and say:
Assemble yourselves,
and let’s flee to the fortified cities.
6 Lift up a signal flag toward Zion.(M)
Run for cover! Don’t stand still!
For I am bringing disaster from the north—
a great destruction.(N)
7 A lion has gone up from his thicket;(O)
a destroyer of nations has set out.
He has left his lair
to make your land a waste.
Your cities will be reduced to uninhabited ruins.(P)
8 Because of this, put on sackcloth;
mourn and wail,(Q)
for the Lord’s burning anger(R)
has not turned away from us.
9 “On that day”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the king and the officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be scared speechless.”
10 I said, “Oh no, Lord God, You have certainly deceived(S) this people and Jerusalem, by announcing, ‘You will have peace,’(T) while a sword is at[c] our throats.”
11 “At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, ‘A searing wind(U) blows from the barren heights in the wilderness on the way to My dear[d] people. It comes not to winnow or to sift; 12 a wind too strong for this comes at My call.[e] Now I will also pronounce judgments against them.’”(V)
13 Look, he advances like clouds;(W)
his chariots are like a storm.(X)
His horses are swifter than eagles.(Y)
Woe to us, for we are ruined!(Z)
14 Wash the evil from your heart,(AA) Jerusalem,
so that you will be delivered.
How long will you harbor
malicious thoughts within you?(AB)
15 For a voice announces from Dan,
proclaiming malice from Mount Ephraim.
16 Warn the nations: Look!
Proclaim to Jerusalem:
Those who besiege are coming
from a distant land;(AC)
they raise their voices
against the cities of Judah.
17 They have her surrounded(AD)
like those who guard a field,
because she has rebelled against Me.(AE)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
18 Your way of life and your actions
have brought this on you.(AF)
This is your punishment. It is very bitter,
because it has reached your heart!
Jeremiah’s Lament
19 My anguish, my anguish![f] I writhe in agony!
Oh, the pain in[g] my heart!(AG)
My heart pounds;
I cannot be silent.
For you, my soul,
have heard the sound of the ram’s horn—
the shout of battle.
20 Disaster after disaster(AH) is reported
because the whole land is destroyed.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed,
my tent curtains, in a moment.
21 How long must I see the signal flag
and hear the sound of the ram’s horn?
22 “For My people are fools;
they do not know Me.
They are foolish children,
without understanding.(AI)
They are skilled in doing what is evil,
but they do not know how to do what is good.”(AJ)
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty.(AK)
I looked to the heavens,
and their light was gone.(AL)
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;(AM)
all the hills shook.
25 I looked, and no man was left;(AN)
all the birds of the sky had fled.(AO)
26 I looked, and the fertile field(AP) was a wilderness.(AQ)
All its cities were torn down
because of the Lord
and His burning anger.(AR)
27 For this is what the Lord says:
The whole land will be a desolation,(AS)
but I will not finish it off.(AT)
28 Because of this, the earth will mourn;(AU)
the skies above will grow dark.(AV)
I have spoken; I have planned,
and I will not relent or turn back from it.(AW)
29 Every city flees(AX)
at the sound of the horseman and the archer.
They enter the thickets
and climb among the rocks.(AY)
Every city is abandoned;
no inhabitant is left.
30 And you, devastated one, what are you doing(AZ)
that you dress yourself in scarlet,
that you adorn yourself with gold jewelry,
that you enlarge your eyes with paint?(BA)
You beautify yourself for nothing.
Your lovers reject you;(BB)
they want to take your life.(BC)
31 I hear a cry like a woman in labor,(BD)
a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child.
The cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath,
stretching out her hands:(BE)
Woe is me, for my life is weary
because of the murderers!
The Depravity of Jerusalem
5 Roam(BF) through the streets of Jerusalem.
Look and take note;
search in her squares.
If you find one person,(BG)
any who acts justly,
who seeks to be faithful,
then I will forgive her.(BH)
2 When they say, “As the Lord lives,”(BI)
they are swearing falsely.(BJ)
3 Lord, don’t Your eyes look for faithfulness?(BK)
You have struck them, but they felt no pain.(BL)
You finished them off,
but they refused to accept discipline.(BM)
They made their faces harder than rock,(BN)
and they refused to return.(BO)
4 Then I thought:
They are just the poor;
they have played the fool.
For they don’t understand the way of the Lord,(BP)
the justice of their God.(BQ)
5 I will go to the powerful
and speak to them.
Surely they know the way of the Lord,
the justice of their God.(BR)
However, these also had broken the yoke
and torn off the chains.(BS)
6 Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down.(BT)
A wolf from an arid plain will ravage them.
A leopard(BU) keeps watch over their cities.
Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces
because their rebellious acts are many,(BV)
their unfaithful deeds numerous.(BW)
7 Why should I forgive you?
Your children have abandoned Me
and sworn by those who are not gods.(BX)
I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery;(BY)
they gashed themselves(BZ) at the[h] prostitute’s house.
8 They are well-fed,[i] eager[j] stallions,(CA)
each neighing(CB) after someone else’s wife.(CC)
9 Should I not punish them for these things?(CD)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Should I not avenge Myself(CE)
on such a nation as this?
10 Go up among her vineyard terraces and destroy them,(CF)
but do not finish them off.(CG)
Prune away her shoots,
for they do not belong to the Lord.(CH)
11 They, the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
have dealt very treacherously with Me.(CI)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
12 They have contradicted the Lord
and insisted, “It won’t happen.[k](CJ)
Harm won’t come to us;
we won’t see sword or famine.”
13 The prophets become only wind,
for the Lord’s word is not in them.
This will in fact happen to them.
Coming Judgment
14 Therefore, this is what the Lord God of Hosts says:
Because you have spoken this word,
I am going to make My words
become fire in your mouth.(CK)
These people are the wood,
and the fire will consume them.(CL)
15 I am about to bring a nation
from far away against you,(CM)
house of Israel.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
It is an established nation,
an ancient nation,
a nation whose language you do not know
and whose speech you do not understand.(CN)
16 Their quiver is like an open grave;(CO)
they are all mighty warriors.
17 They will consume your harvest and your food.(CP)
They will consume your sons and your daughters.
They will consume your flocks and your herds.
They will consume your vines and your fig trees.
They will destroy with the sword
your fortified cities(CQ) in which you trust.
18 “But even in those days”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will not finish you off.(CR) 19 When people ask, ‘For what offense has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ You will respond to them: Just as you abandoned Me(CS) and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.(CT)
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah, saying:
21 Hear this,
you foolish and senseless[l] people.(CU)
They have eyes, but they don’t see.
They have ears, but they don’t hear.(CV)
22 Do you not fear Me?
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Do you not tremble before Me,
the One who set the sand as the boundary of the sea,
an enduring barrier that it cannot cross?(CW)
The waves surge, but they cannot prevail.
They roar but cannot pass over it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.(CX)
They have turned aside and have gone away.
24 They have not said to themselves,
‘Let’s fear the Lord our God,(CY)
who gives the rain,(CZ) both early and late,(DA) in its season,(DB)
who guarantees to us the fixed weeks of the harvest.’
25 Your guilty acts have diverted these things from you.
Your sins have withheld My bounty from you,(DC)
26 for wicked men live among My people.
They watch like fowlers lying in wait.[m](DD)
They set a trap;(DE)
they catch men.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
so their houses are full of deceit.(DF)
Therefore they have grown powerful and rich.
28 They have become fat(DG) and sleek.
They have also excelled in evil matters.
They have not taken up cases,
such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper,
and they have not defended the rights of the needy.(DH)
29 Should I not punish them for these things?
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Should I not avenge Myself(DI)
on such a nation as this?
30 A horrible, terrible thing
has taken place in the land.(DJ)
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,(DK)
and the priests rule by their own authority.
My people love it like this.
But what will you do at the end of it?(DL)
Threatened Siege of Jerusalem
6 “Run for cover,(DM) Benjaminites,
out of Jerusalem!
Sound the ram’s horn(DN) in Tekoa;(DO)
raise a smoke signal(DP) over Beth-haccherem,[n]
for disaster threatens from the north,(DQ)
even great destruction.
2 Though she is beautiful and delicate,
I will destroy[o] Daughter Zion.
3 Shepherds and their flocks will come against her;
they will pitch their tents all around her.(DR)
Each will pasture his own portion.
4 Set them apart for war(DS) against her;
rise up, let’s attack at noon.
Woe to us, for the day is passing;
the evening shadows grow long.
5 Rise up, let’s attack by night.
Let us destroy her fortresses.”
6 For this is what the Lord of Hosts says:
Cut down the trees;(DT)
raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished.
There is nothing but oppression within her.(DU)
7 As a well gushes out its water,
so she pours out her evil.[p]
Violence and destruction(DV) resound in her.
Sickness and wounds keep coming to My attention.
8 Be warned, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away from you;(DW)
I will make you a desolation,
a land without inhabitants.(DX)
Wrath on Israel
9 This is what the Lord of Hosts says:
Glean the remnant of Israel(DY)
as thoroughly as a vine.
Pass your hand once more like a grape gatherer
over the branches.
10 Who can I speak to and give such a warning[q]
that they will listen?
Look, their ear is uncircumcised,[r](DZ)
so they cannot pay attention.
See, the word of the Lord has become contemptible to them—
they find no pleasure in it.(EA)
11 But I am full of the Lord’s wrath;
I am tired of holding it back.(EB)
Pour it out on the children in the street,(EC)
on the gang of young men as well.
For both husband and wife will be captured,
the old with the very old.[s]
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,(ED)
their fields and wives as well,
for I will stretch out My hand(EE)
against the inhabitants of the land.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
13 For from the least to the greatest of them,(EF)
everyone is making profit dishonestly.(EG)
From prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.(EH)
14 They have treated My people’s brokenness superficially,
claiming, “Peace, peace,”(EI)
when there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they acted so abhorrently?
They weren’t at all ashamed.
They can no longer feel humiliation.(EJ)
Therefore, they will fall among the fallen.
When I punish them, they will collapse,(EK)
says the Lord.
Disaster because of Disobedience
16 This is what the Lord says:
Stand by the roadways and look.
Ask about the ancient paths:(EL)
Which is the way to what is good?
Then take it
and find rest for yourselves.(EM)
But they protested, “We won’t!”
17 I appointed watchmen over you(EN)
and said: Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.
But they protested, “We won’t listen!”
18 Therefore listen, you nations
and you witnesses,
learn what the charge is against them.
19 Listen, earth!
I am about to bring disaster on these people,
the fruit of their own plotting,(EO)
for they have paid no attention to My word.
They have rejected My instruction.(EP)
20 What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba(EQ)
or sweet cane(ER) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;
your sacrifices do not please Me.(ES)
21 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
I am going to place stumbling blocks before these people;
fathers and sons together will stumble over them;(ET)
friends and neighbors will also perish.
A Cruel Nation from the North
22 This is what the Lord says:
Look, an army is coming from a northern land;(EU)
a great nation will be awakened
from the remote regions of the earth.(EV)
23 They grasp bow and javelin.
They are cruel and show no mercy.(EW)
Their voice roars like the sea,(EX)
and they ride on horses,
lined up like men in battle formation
against you, Daughter Zion.
24 We have heard about it,
and we are discouraged.[t]
Distress has seized us—
pain like a woman in(EY) labor.(EZ)
25 Don’t go out to the fields;
don’t walk on the road.
For the enemy has a sword;
terror is on every side.(FA)
26 My dear[u] people, dress yourselves in sackcloth
and roll in the dust.(FB)
Mourn as you would for an only son,(FC)
a bitter lament,
for suddenly the destroyer(FD) will come on us.(FE)
Jeremiah Appointed as an Examiner
27 I have appointed you to be an assayer among My people—
a refiner[v]—
so you may know and assay their way of life.(FF)
28 All are stubborn rebels
spreading slander.(FG)
They are bronze and iron;
all of them are corrupt.(FH)
29 The bellows blow,
blasting the lead with fire.
The refining is completely in vain;
the evil ones are not separated out.
30 They are called rejected silver,
for the Lord has rejected them.(FI)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 4:1 Or Repent
- Jeremiah 4:2 Or will bless themselves
- Jeremiah 4:10 Lit sword touches
- Jeremiah 4:11 Lit to the daughter of My
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit comes for Me
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit My inner parts, my inner parts
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit the walls of
- Jeremiah 5:7 Or adultery and trooped to the, or adultery and lodged at the; Hb obscure
- Jeremiah 5:8 Lit well-equipped; Hb obscure
- Jeremiah 5:8 Lit early-rising; Hb obscure
- Jeremiah 5:12 Lit He does not exist
- Jeremiah 5:21 Lit without heart
- Jeremiah 5:26 Hb obscure
- Jeremiah 6:1 = House of the Vineyard
- Jeremiah 6:2 Or silence
- Jeremiah 6:7 Or well keeps its water fresh, so she keeps her evil fresh
- Jeremiah 6:10 Or and bear witness
- Jeremiah 6:10 They are unresponsive to God.
- Jeremiah 6:11 Lit with fullness of days
- Jeremiah 6:24 Lit and our hands fail
- Jeremiah 6:26 Lit Daughter of My
- Jeremiah 6:27 Text emended; MT reads fortress
Jeremiah 4-6
New International Version
Jeremiah 4-6
New International Version
4 “If you, Israel, will return,(A)
then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols(B) out of my sight
and no longer go astray,
2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear,(C) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(D)
then the nations will invoke blessings(E) by him
and in him they will boast.(F)”
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“Break up your unplowed ground(G)
and do not sow among thorns.(H)
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
circumcise your hearts,(I)
you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath(J) will flare up and burn like fire(K)
because of the evil(L) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(M) it.
Disaster From the North
5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim(N) in Jerusalem and say:
‘Sound the trumpet(O) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
‘Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!’(P)
6 Raise the signal(Q) to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster(R) from the north,(S)
even terrible destruction.”
7 A lion(T) has come out of his lair;(U)
a destroyer(V) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to lay waste(W) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins(X)
without inhabitant.
8 So put on sackcloth,(Y)
lament(Z) and wail,
for the fierce anger(AA) of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,(AB)
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”(AC)
10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived(AD) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’(AE) when the sword is at our throats!”
11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind(AF) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind(AG) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments(AH) against them.”
13 Look! He advances like the clouds,(AI)
his chariots(AJ) come like a whirlwind,(AK)
his horses(AL) are swifter than eagles.(AM)
Woe to us! We are ruined!(AN)
14 Jerusalem, wash(AO) the evil from your heart and be saved.(AP)
How long(AQ) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan,(AR)
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.(AS)
16 “Tell this to the nations,
proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,(AT)
raising a war cry(AU) against the cities of Judah.(AV)
17 They surround(AW) her like men guarding a field,
because she has rebelled(AX) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
18 “Your own conduct and actions(AY)
have brought this on you.(AZ)
This is your punishment.
How bitter(BA) it is!
How it pierces to the heart!”
19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!(BB)
I writhe in pain.(BC)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds(BD) within me,
I cannot keep silent.(BE)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;(BF)
I have heard the battle cry.(BG)
20 Disaster follows disaster;(BH)
the whole land lies in ruins.(BI)
In an instant my tents(BJ) are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard(BK)
and hear the sound of the trumpet?(BL)
22 “My people are fools;(BM)
they do not know me.(BN)
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.(BO)
They are skilled in doing evil;(BP)
they know not how to do good.”(BQ)
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;(BR)
and at the heavens,
and their light(BS) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;(BT)
all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.(BU)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;(BV)
all its towns lay in ruins(BW)
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(BX)
27 This is what the Lord says:
“The whole land will be ruined,(BY)
though I will not destroy(BZ) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn(CA)
and the heavens above grow dark,(CB)
because I have spoken and will not relent,(CC)
I have decided and will not turn back.(CD)”
29 At the sound of horsemen and archers(CE)
every town takes to flight.(CF)
Some go into the thickets;
some climb up among the rocks.(CG)
All the towns are deserted;(CH)
no one lives in them.
30 What are you doing,(CI) you devastated one?
Why dress yourself in scarlet
and put on jewels(CJ) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?(CK)
You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers(CL) despise you;
they want to kill you.(CM)
31 I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,(CN)
a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion(CO) gasping for breath,(CP)
stretching out her hands(CQ) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
my life is given over to murderers.”(CR)
Not One Is Upright
5 “Go up and down(CS) the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,(CT)
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person(CU)
who deals honestly(CV) and seeks the truth,
I will forgive(CW) this city.
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(CX)
still they are swearing falsely.(CY)”
3 Lord, do not your eyes(CZ) look for truth?
You struck(DA) them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.(DB)
They made their faces harder than stone(DC)
and refused to repent.(DD)
4 I thought, “These are only the poor;
they are foolish,(DE)
for they do not know(DF) the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.
5 So I will go to the leaders(DG)
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.(DH)
6 Therefore a lion from the forest(DI) will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will ravage(DJ) them,
a leopard(DK) will lie in wait near their towns
to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
and their backslidings many.(DL)
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn(DM) by gods that are not gods.(DN)
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery(DO)
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.(DP)
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man’s wife.(DQ)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”(DR)
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(DS) myself
on such a nation as this?
10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
but do not destroy them completely.(DT)
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(DU) to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 They have lied(DV) about the Lord;
they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(DW)
we will never see sword or famine.(DX)
13 The prophets(DY) are but wind(DZ)
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(EA) a fire(EB)
and these people the wood it consumes.(EC)
15 People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
“I am bringing a distant nation(ED) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
a people whose language(EE) you do not know,
whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their quivers(EF) are like an open grave;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour(EG) your harvests and food,
devour(EH) your sons and daughters;
they will devour(EI) your flocks and herds,
devour your vines and fig trees.(EJ)
With the sword(EK) they will destroy
the fortified cities(EL) in which you trust.(EM)
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy(EN) you completely. 19 And when the people ask,(EO) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods(EP) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners(EQ) in a land not your own.’
20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim(ER) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(ES)
who have eyes(ET) but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:(EU)
22 Should you not fear(EV) me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble(EW) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(EX)
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar,(EY) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(EZ) hearts;
they have turned aside(FA) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear(FB) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(FC) in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(FD)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.(FE)
26 “Among my people are the wicked(FF)
who lie in wait(FG) like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps(FH) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;(FI)
they have become rich(FJ) and powerful
28 and have grown fat(FK) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(FL)
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(FM)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(FN) myself
on such a nation as this?
30 “A horrible(FO) and shocking thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,(FP)
the priests(FQ) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?(FR)
Jerusalem Under Siege
6 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet(FS) in Tekoa!(FT)
Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!(FU)
For disaster looms out of the north,(FV)
even terrible destruction.
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion,(FW)
so beautiful and delicate.(FX)
3 Shepherds(FY) with their flocks will come against her;
they will pitch their tents around(FZ) her,
each tending his own portion.”
4 “Prepare for battle against her!
Arise, let us attack at noon!(GA)
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(GB)
and build siege ramps(GC) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression.(GD)
7 As a well pours out its water,
so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence(GE) and destruction(GF) resound in her;
her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8 Take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away(GG) 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(GH) 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(GI) to me?
Their ears are closed[a](GJ)
so they cannot hear.(GK)
The word(GL) of the Lord is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath(GM) of the Lord,
and I cannot hold it in.(GN)
“Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the young men(GO) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
and the old, those weighed down with years.(GP)
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,(GQ)
together with their fields and their wives,(GR)
when I stretch out my hand(GS)
against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
all(GT) are greedy for gain;(GU)
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(GV)
14 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.(GW)
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.(GX)
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish(GY) them,”
says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,(GZ)
ask where the good way(HA) is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest(HB) for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen(HC) over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’(HD)
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’(HE)
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
you who are witnesses,
observe what will happen to them.
19 Hear, you earth:(HF)
I am bringing disaster(HG) on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,(HH)
because they have not listened to my words(HI)
and have rejected my law.(HJ)
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba(HK)
or sweet calamus(HL) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;(HM)
your sacrifices(HN) do not please me.”(HO)
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble(HP) 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;(HQ)
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.(HR)
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.(HS)
They sound like the roaring sea(HT)
as they ride on their horses;(HU)
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.(HV)”
24 We have heard reports about them,
and our hands hang limp.(HW)
Anguish(HX) has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(HY)
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.(HZ)
26 Put on sackcloth,(IA) my people,
and roll in ashes;(IB)
mourn with bitter wailing(IC)
as for an only son,(ID)
for suddenly the destroyer(IE)
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you a tester(IF) of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,(IG)
going about to slander.(IH)
They are bronze and iron;(II)
they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining(IJ) goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,(IK)
because the Lord has rejected them.”(IL)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 6:10 Hebrew uncircumcised
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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.