Font Size
Jeremiah 8:8-22
King James Version
Jeremiah 8:8-22
King James Version
8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?
10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.
13 I will surely consume them, saith the Lord: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.
14 Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord.
15 We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!
16 The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.
17 For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord.
18 When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.
19 Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?
20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
Read full chapter
Jeremiah 8:8-22
New International Version
Jeremiah 8:8-22
New International Version
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law(A) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise(B) will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed(C) and trapped.(D)
Since they have rejected the word(E) of the Lord,
what kind of wisdom(F) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.(G)
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;(H)
prophets(I) and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(J)
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace.(K)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame(L) 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,(M)
says the Lord.(N)
13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.(O)
There will be no figs(P) on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.(Q)
What I have given them
will be taken(R) from them.[a]’”
14 Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(S)
and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water(T) to drink,
because we have sinned(U) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(V)
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(W)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(X)
is heard from Dan;(Y)
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.(Z)
They have come to devour(AA)
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(AB) among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,(AC)
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.
18 You who are my Comforter[b] in sorrow,
my heart is faint(AD) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
from a land far away:(AE)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King(AF) no longer there?”
20 “The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”
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.
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.