The King James Bible:
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Jeremiah 1:1-52:34 (KJV)
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in
the land of Benjamin: [2] To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son
of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. [3] It came also in the days
of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of
Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in
the fifth month. [4] Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [5] Before I formed
thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified
thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. [6] Then said I, Ah, Lord God!
behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
[7] But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that
I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. [8] Be not afraid of
their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. [9] Then the Lord put
forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my
words in thy mouth. [10] See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the
kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and
to plant.
[11] Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou?
And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. [12] Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast
well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it. [13] And the word of the Lord came
unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and
the face thereof is toward the north. [14] Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north
an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. [15] For, lo, I will call
all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and
they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and
against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. [16] And
I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken
me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
[17] Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I
command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. [18] For,
behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls
against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against
the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. [19] And they shall fight
against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the
Lord, to deliver thee.
[2:1] Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, [2] Go and cry in the ears
of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth,
the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that
was not sown. [3] Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase:
all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord. [4] Hear ye
the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:
[5] Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are
gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? [6] Neither said
they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through
the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of
the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?
[7] And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness
thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.
[8] The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not:
the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked
after things that do not profit.
[9] Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord, and with your children's
children will I plead. [10] For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto
Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing. [11] Hath a nation
changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for
that which doth not profit. [12] Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly
afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. [13] For my people have committed two evils;
they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken
cisterns, that can hold no water.
[14] Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled? [15] The young
lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned
without inhabitant. [16] Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of
thy head. [17] Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the
Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way? [18] And now what hast thou to do in the way
of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to
drink the waters of the river? [19] Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy
backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and
bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith
the Lord God of hosts.
[20] For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I
will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest,
playing the harlot. [21] Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how
then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? [22] For though
thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much sope, yet thine iniquity is marked before
me, saith the Lord God. [23] How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after
Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary
traversing her ways; [24] A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at
her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not
weary themselves; in her month they shall find her. [25] Withhold thy foot from being
unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have
loved strangers, and after them will I go. [26] As the thief is ashamed when he is found,
so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests,
and their prophets, [27] Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast
brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the
time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. [28] But where are thy gods that
thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble:
for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah. [29] Wherefore will ye
plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the Lord. [30] In vain have I
smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your
prophets, like a destroying lion.
[31] O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto
Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more
unto thee? [32] Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people
have forgotten me days without number. [33] Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love?
therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways. [34] Also in thy skirts is
found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search,
but upon all these. [35] Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall
turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
[36] Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of
Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria. [37] Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine
hands upon thine head: for the Lord hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not
prosper in them.
[3:1] They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another
man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou
hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord. [2] Lift
up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the
ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the
land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. [3] Therefore the showers have been
withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou
refusedst to be ashamed. [4] Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou
art the guide of my youth? [5] Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the
end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
[6] The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that
which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under
every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. [7] And I said after she had done all
these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah
saw it. [8] And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed
adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister
Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. [9] And it came to pass through
the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with
stones and with stocks. [10] And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not
turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord. [11] And the Lord
said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
[12] Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding
Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am
merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever. [13] Only acknowledge thine
iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy
ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the
Lord. [14] Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I
will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: [15] And
I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and
understanding. [16] And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the
land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of
the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall
they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. [17] At that time they shall call
Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the
name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of
their evil heart. [18] In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of
Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have
given for an inheritance unto your fathers. [19] But I said, How shall I put thee among
the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations?
and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
[20] Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt
treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord. [21] A voice was heard upon the
high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted
their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God. [22] Return, ye backsliding
children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the
Lord our God. [23] Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the
multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. [24] For
shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their
herds, their sons and their daughters. [25] We lie down in our shame, and our confusion
covereth us: for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our
youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.
[4:1] If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou
wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. [2] And
thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the
nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
[3] For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow
ground, and sow not among thorns. [4] Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away
the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury
come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your
doings. [5] Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet
in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the
defenced cities. [6] Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring
evil from the north, and a great destruction. [7] The lion is come up from his thicket,
and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make
thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. [8] For
this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not
turned back from us. [9] And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the Lord, that the
heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be
astonished, and the prophets shall wonder. [10] Then said I, Ah, Lord God! surely thou
hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the
sword reacheth unto the soul. [11] At that time shall it be said to this people and to
Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my
people, not to fan, nor to cleanse, [12] Even a full wind from those places shall come
unto me: now also will I give sentence against them. [13] Behold, he shall come up as
clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe
unto us! for we are spoiled. [14] O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that
thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? [15] For a
voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim. [16] Make ye
mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far
country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah. [17] As keepers of a
field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me,
saith the Lord. [18] Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is
thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
[19] My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in
me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trump,
the alarm of war. [20] Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is
spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. [21] How long shall
I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? [22] For my people is foolish,
they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they
are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. [23] I beheld the earth, and,
lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. [24] I beheld
the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. [25] I beheld,
and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. [26] I beheld,
and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down
at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. [27] For thus hath the Lord said,
The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. [28] For this shall the
earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed
it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. [29] The whole city shall flee
for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon
the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein. [30] And when thou
art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou
deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain
shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life. [31]
For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that
bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth
herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because
of murderers.
[5:1] 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] Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall
spoil 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 neighbour'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] Wherefore 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 far, 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 sepulchre, 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
fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, 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, Wherefore doeth the Lord our God
all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like 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; which have eyes, and see not;
which have ears, and hear not: [22] Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble
at my presence, which 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 are revolted and gone. [24] Neither say
they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that 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 withholden
good things from you. [26] For among my people are found wicked men: they lay 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 are become great, and waxen rich. [28]
They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass 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] A wonderful 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?
[6:1] 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 Beth-haccerem: 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 mount
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 is heard in her; before me continually is 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 throughly 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 slightly,
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 ways, 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 stumblingblocks before this people, and
the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour 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 spoiler shall
suddenly come upon us. [27] I have set thee for 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 of 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.
[7:1] 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, that 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 throughly amend your
ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
[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] Is 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 for the wickedness of my people
Israel. [13] And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake
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 spake 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 is
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 carcases of this people shall
be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray
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.
[8:1] 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 worshipped: 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, which 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 is 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 spake not aright: no man repented him 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 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?
[9:1] Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might
weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! [2] Oh that I had in the
wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from
them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. [3] And they bend their
tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth;
for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord. [4] Take ye
heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will
utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. [5] And they will deceive
every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to
speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. [6] Thine habitation is in the midst
of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord. [7] Therefore thus
saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for
the daughter of my people? [8] Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit:
one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
[9] Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be
avenged on such a nation as this? [10] For the mountains will I take up a weeping and
wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned
up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle;
both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone. [11] And I will make
Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate,
without an inhabitant.
[12] Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth
of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is
burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through? [13] And the Lord saith, Because
they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither
walked therein; [14] But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after
Baalim, which their fathers taught them: [15] Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the
God of Israel; Behold, 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 heathen, whom neither
they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have
consumed them.
[17] Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women,
that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come: [18] And let them
make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our
eyelids gush out with waters. [19] For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are
we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our
dwellings have cast us out. [20] Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women, and let your
ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her
neighbour lamentation. [21] For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into
our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.
[22] Speak, Thus saith the Lord, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the
open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
[23] Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the
mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: [24] But let him
that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord
which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these
things I delight, saith the Lord.
[25] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are
circumcised with the uncircumcised; [26] Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of
Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness:
for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in
the heart.
[10:1] Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: [2]
Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs
of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. [3] For the customs of the people are
vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman,
with the axe. [4] They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and
with hammers, that it move not. [5] They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not:
they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot
do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. [6] Forasmuch as there is none like unto
thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. [7] Who would not fear
thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise
men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. [8] But they
are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. [9] Silver
spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the
workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all
the work of cunning men. [10] But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an
everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able
to abide his indignation. [11] Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made
the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these
heavens. [12] He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his
wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. [13] When he uttereth his
voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend
from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind
out of his treasures. [14] Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is
confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath
in them. [15] They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation
they shall perish. [16] The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of
all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The Lord of hosts is his name.
[17] Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress. [18] For
thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once,
and will distress them, that they may find it so.
[19] Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief,
and I must bear it. [20] My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my
children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent
any more, and to set up my curtains. [21] For the pastors are become brutish, and have
not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be
scattered. [22] Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the
north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.
[23] O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that
walketh to direct his steps. [24] O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine
anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. [25] Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know
thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob,
and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.
[11:1] The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, [2] Hear ye the words
of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
[3] And say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Cursed be the man that
obeyeth not the words of this covenant, [4] Which I commanded your fathers in the day
that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey
my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people,
and I will be your God: [5] That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your
fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then
answered I, and said, So be it, O Lord. [6] Then the Lord said 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 do them. [7] For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in
the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early
and protesting, saying, Obey my voice. [8] Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear,
but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon
them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.
[9] And the Lord said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among
the inhabitants of Jerusalem. [10] They are turned back to the iniquities of their
forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve
them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made
with their fathers.
[11] Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they
shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto
them. [12] Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto
the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of
their trouble. [13] For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and
according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that
shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal. [14] Therefore pray not thou for
this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the
time that they cry unto me for their trouble. [15] What hath my beloved to do in mine
house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from
thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest. [16] The Lord called thy name, A green
olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled
fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken. [17] For the Lord of hosts, that planted
thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the
house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in
offering incense unto Baal.
[18] And the Lord hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst
me their doings. [19] But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter;
and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree
with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name
may be no more remembered. [20] But, O Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, that
triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I
revealed my cause. [21] Therefore thus saith the Lord of the men of Anathoth, that seek
thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the Lord, that thou die not by our hand:
[22] Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men
shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine: [23] And
there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even
the year of their visitation.
[12:1] Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee
of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they
happy that deal very treacherously? [2] Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken
root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from
their reins. [3] But thou, O Lord, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart
toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of
slaughter. [4] How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for
the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds;
because they said, He shall not see our last end. [5] If thou hast run with the footmen,
and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land
of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the
swelling of Jordan? [6] For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they
have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe
them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.
[7] I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly
beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. [8] Mine heritage is unto me as a lion
in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it. [9] Mine heritage is
unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all
the beasts of the field, come to devour. [10] Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard,
they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate
wilderness. [11] They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the
whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. [12] The spoilers are
come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the Lord shall devour
from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have
peace. [13] They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to
pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the
fierce anger of the Lord.
[14] Thus saith the Lord against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the
inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them
out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. [15] And it shall
come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on
them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.
[16] And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to
swear by my name, The Lord liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall
they be built in the midst of my people. [17] But if they will not obey, I will utterly
pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.
[13:1] Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon
thy loins, and put it not in water. [2] So I got a girdle according to the word of the
Lord, and put it on my loins. [3] And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time,
saying, [4] Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to
Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. [5] So I went, and hid it by
Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. [6] And it came to pass after many days, that the
Lord said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I
commanded thee to hide there. [7] Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the
girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was
profitable for nothing. [8] Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [9] Thus
saith the Lord, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of
Jerusalem. [10] This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the
imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship
them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. [11] For as the girdle
cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of
Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be unto me for a
people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
[12] Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the Lord God of
Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not
certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine? [13] Then shalt thou say unto
them, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the
kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. [14] And I will dash them one against
another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord: I will not pity, nor
spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
[15] Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken. [16] Give glory
to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the
dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and
make it gross darkness. [17] But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret
places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the
Lord's flock is carried away captive. [18] Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble
yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your
glory. [19] The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah
shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive. [20]
Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was
given thee, thy beautiful flock? [21] What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for
thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take
thee, as a woman in travail?
[22] And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the
greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare. [23] Can
the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that
are accustomed to do evil. [24] Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth
away by the wind of the wilderness. [25] This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures
from me, saith the Lord; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood. [26]
Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear. [27] I
have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine
abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be
made clean? when shall it once be?
[14:1] The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth. [2] Judah
mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of
Jerusalem is gone up. [3] And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters:
they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they
were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads. [4] Because the ground is chapt,
for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
[5] Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.
[6] And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like
dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.
[7] O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's
sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. [8] O the hope of
Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in
the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? [9] Why
shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O Lord,
art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.
[10] Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have
not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord doth not accept them; he will now remember
their iniquity, and visit their sins. [11] Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this
people for their good. [12] When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they
offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by
the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
[13] Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see
the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
[14] Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not,
neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false
vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. [15]
Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I
sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and
famine shall those prophets be consumed. [16] And the people to whom they prophesy shall
be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they
shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for
I will pour their wickedness upon them.
[17] Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears
night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken
with a great breach, with a very grievous blow. [18] If I go forth into the field, then
behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are
sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they
know not. [19] Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou
smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good;
and for the time of healing, and behold trouble! [20] We acknowledge, O Lord, our
wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee. [21] Do not
abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break
not thy covenant with us. [22] Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can
cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Lord our God? therefore
we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.
[15:1] Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my
mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.
[2] And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then
thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord; Such as are for death, to death; and such as
are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such
as are for the captivity, to the captivity. [3] And I will appoint over them four kinds,
saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and
the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy. [4] And I will cause them to be removed
into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah,
for that which he did in Jerusalem. [5] For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem?
or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest? [6] Thou hast
forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand
against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting. [7] And I will fan them with a
fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people,
since they return not from their ways. [8] Their widows are increased to me above the
sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler
at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city. [9]
She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down
while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will
I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the Lord.
[10] Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of
contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on
usury; yet every one of them doth curse me. [11] The Lord said, Verily it shall be well
with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil
and in the time of affliction. [12] Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?
[13] Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for
all thy sins, even in all thy borders. [14] And I will make thee to pass with thine
enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which
shall burn upon you.
[15] O Lord, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my
persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have
suffered rebuke. [16] Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me
the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
[17] I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy
hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation. [18] Why is my pain perpetual, and my
wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar,
and as waters that fail?
[19] Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again,
and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou
shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. [20] And
I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against
thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to
deliver thee, saith the Lord. [21] And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked,
and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.
[16:1] The word of the Lord came also unto me, saying, [2] Thou shalt not take thee
a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place. [3] For thus saith the
Lord concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and
concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in
this land; [4] They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither
shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they
shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the
fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. [5] For thus saith the Lord, Enter not
into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away
my peace from this people, saith the Lord, even lovingkindness and mercies. [6] Both the
great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men
lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them: [7] Neither shall
men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men
give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother. [8] Thou
shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink. [9]
For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of
this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness,
the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.
[10] And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words,
and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil
against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against
the Lord our God? [11] Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken
me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have
worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; [12] And ye have done
worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil
heart, that they may not hearken unto me: [13] Therefore will I cast you out of this land
into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other
gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.
[14] Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be
said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
[15] But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the
north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again
into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
[16] Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them;
and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and
from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. [17] For mine eyes are upon all their
ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. [18]
And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have
defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable
and abominable things. [19] O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the
day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and
shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no
profit. [20] Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? [21] Therefore,
behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my
might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord.
[17:1] The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a
diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
[2] Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon
the high hills. [3] O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy
treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders. [4] And
thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will
cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled
a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.
[5] Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh
his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. [6] For he shall be like the heath in
the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in
the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. [7] Blessed is the man that trusteth in
the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. [8] For he shall be as a tree planted by the
waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat
cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought,
neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
[9] The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know
it? [10] I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according
to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. [11] As the partridge sitteth on
eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave
them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
[12] A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. [13] O
Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart
from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain
of living waters. [14] Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be
saved: for thou art my praise.
[15] Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the Lord? let it come now. [16]
As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired
the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee. [17]
Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil. [18] Let them be confounded
that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be
dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
[19] Thus said the Lord unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the
people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the
gates of Jerusalem; [20] And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of
Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:
[21] Thus saith the Lord; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day,
nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; [22] Neither carry forth a burden out of your
houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I
commanded your fathers. [23] But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made
their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. [24] And it shall
come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden
through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no
work therein; [25] Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes
sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their
princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain
for ever. [26] And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about
Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and
from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and
incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the Lord. [27] But if ye
will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even
entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in
the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be
quenched.
[18:1] The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, [2] Arise, and go down
to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. [3] Then I went down
to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. [4] And the vessel
that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another
vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. [5] Then the word of the Lord came to
me, saying, [6] O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord.
Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
[7] At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck
up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; [8] If that nation, against whom I have
pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto
them. [9] And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a
kingdom, to build and to plant it; [10] If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my
voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
[11] Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a
device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and
your doings good. [12] And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own
devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. [13] Therefore thus
saith the Lord; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of
Israel hath done a very horrible thing. [14] Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which
cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from
another place be forsaken? [15] Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned
incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient
paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; [16] To make their land desolate, and a
perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
[17] I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the
back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
[18] Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law
shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the
prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of
his words. [19] Give heed to me, O Lord, and hearken to the voice of them that contend
with me. [20] Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul.
Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from
them. [21] Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by
the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows;
and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
[22] Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon
them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet. [23] Yet, Lord,
thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither
blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with
them in the time of thine anger.
[19:1] Thus saith the Lord, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of the
ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests; [2] And go forth unto the
valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there
the words that I shall tell thee, [3] And say, Hear ye the word of the Lord, O kings of
Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel;
Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall
tingle. [4] Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned
incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the
kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; [5] They have
built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto
Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: [6] Therefore,
behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet,
nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter. [7] And I will make
void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by
the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their
carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the
earth. [8] And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth
thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. [9] And I will
cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they
shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their
enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them. [10] Then shalt thou break
the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, [11] And shalt say unto them, Thus
saith the Lord of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh
a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet,
till there be no place to bury. [12] Thus will I do unto this place, saith the Lord, and
to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet: [13] And the houses of
Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet,
because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of
heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods. [14] Then came Jeremiah from
Tophet, whither the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the
Lord's house; and said to all the people, [15] Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I
have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not
hear my words.
[20:1] Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the
house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. [2] Then Pashur smote
Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin,
which was by the house of the Lord. [3] And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur
brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The Lord hath not
called thy name Pashur, but Magor-missabib. [4] For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will
make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword
of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand
of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them
with the sword. [5] Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the
labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings
of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take
them, and carry them to Babylon. [6] And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house
shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and
shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.
[7] O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and
hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. [8] For since I spake, I
cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach
unto me, and a derision, daily. [9] Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor
speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in
my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
[10] For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we
will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be
enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him. [11] But
the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and
they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their
everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. [12] But, O Lord of hosts, that triest
the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for
unto thee have I opened my cause. [13] Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord: for he
hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
[14] Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me
be blessed. [15] Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child
is born unto thee; making him very glad. [16] And let that man be as the cities which the
Lord overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the
shouting at noontide; [17] Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might
have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me. [18] Wherefore came I forth
out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
[21:1] The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when king Zedekiah sent unto
him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, [2]
Enquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war
against us; if so be that the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works,
that he may go up from us. [3] Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to
Zedekiah: [4] Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of
war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against
the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the
midst of this city. [5] And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and
with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. [6] And I will smite
the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.
[7] And afterward, saith the Lord, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his
servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the
sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the
hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall
smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor
have mercy.
[8] And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before
you the way of life, and the way of death. [9] He that abideth in this city shall die by
the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth
to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a
prey. [10] For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the
Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with
fire.
[11] And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the Lord;
[12] O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver
him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and
burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. [13] Behold, I am
against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the Lord; which
say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? [14] But I
will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle
a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
[22:1] Thus saith the Lord; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak
there this word, [2] And say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, that sittest
upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these
gates: [3] Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the
spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the
stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. [4]
For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house
kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his
servants, and his people. [5] But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself,
saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. [6] For thus saith the Lord
unto the king's house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet
surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited. [7] And I will
prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy
choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. [8] And many nations shall pass by this city,
and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto
this great city? [9] Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of
the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.
[10] Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth
away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. [11] For thus saith the
Lord touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah
his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more:
[12] But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this
land no more.
[13] Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by
wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;
[14] That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out
windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. [15] Shalt thou reign,
because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment
and justice, and then it was well with him? [16] He judged the cause of the poor and
needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the Lord. [17] But thine
eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood,
and for oppression, and for violence, to do it. [18] Therefore thus saith the Lord
concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him,
saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or,
Ah his glory! [19] He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth
beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
[20] Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the
passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed. [21] I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but
thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou
obeyedst not my voice. [22] The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall
go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy
wickedness. [23] O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how
gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail! [24]
As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the
signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; [25] And I will give thee into
the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest,
even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
[26] And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where
ye were not born; and there shall ye die. [27] But to the land whereunto they desire to
return, thither shall they not return. [28] Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is
he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are
cast into a land which they know not? [29] O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the
Lord. [30] Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper
in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and
ruling any more in Judah.
[23:1] Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!
saith the Lord. [2] Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that
feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited
them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. [3] And I
will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and
will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. [4] And I
will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor
be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.
[5] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous
Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the
earth. [6] In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is
his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. [7] Therefore, behold,
the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which
brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; [8] But, The Lord liveth,
which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country,
and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
[9] Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am
like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and
because of the words of his holiness. [10] For the land is full of adulterers; for
because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried
up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right. [11] For both prophet and
priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord. [12]
Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be
driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their
visitation, saith the Lord. [13] And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they
prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. [14] I have seen also in the
prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they
strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they
are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. [15] Therefore
thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with
wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is
profaneness gone forth into all the land. [16] Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not
unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a
vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. [17] They say still unto
them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every
one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
[18] For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his
word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? [19] Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is
gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of
the wicked. [20] The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till
he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it
perfectly. [21] I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them,
yet they prophesied. [22] But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people
to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the
evil of their doings. [23] Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?
[24] Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do
not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. [25] I have heard what the prophets said,
that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. [26] How long
shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of
the deceit of their own heart; [27] Which think to cause my people to forget my name by
their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten
my name for Baal. [28] The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that
hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the
Lord. [29] Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh
the rock in pieces? [30] Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord,
that steal my words every one from his neighbour. [31] Behold, I am against the prophets,
saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. [32] Behold, I am against them
that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err
by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore
they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord.
[33] And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What
is the burden of the Lord? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even
forsake you, saith the Lord. [34] And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people,
that shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that man and his house. [35]
Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the
Lord answered? and, What hath the Lord spoken? [36] And the burden of the Lord shall ye
mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the
words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God. [37] Thus shalt thou say to the
prophet, What hath the Lord answered thee? and, What hath the Lord spoken? [38] But since
ye say, The burden of the Lord; therefore thus saith the Lord; Because ye say this word,
The burden of the Lord, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of
the Lord; [39] Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake
you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence: [40]
And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not
be forgotten.
[24:1] The Lord shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the
temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive
Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the
carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. [2] One basket
had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very
naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. [3] Then said the Lord unto me,
What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very
evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
[4] Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [5] Thus saith the Lord, the
God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away
captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for
their good. [6] For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again
to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and
not pluck them up. [7] And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and
they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with
their whole heart.
[8] And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith
the Lord, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of
Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: [9] And I
will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be
a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
[10] And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be
consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
[25:1] The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the
fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; [2] The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the
people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, [3] From the thirteenth
year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and
twentieth year, the word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you,
rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened. [4] And the Lord hath sent unto you
all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened,
nor inclined your ear to hear. [5] They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil
way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given
unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever: [6] And go not after other gods to serve
them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and
I will do you no hurt. [7] Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the Lord; that ye
might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
[8] Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, [9]
Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and
Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land,
and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will
utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual
desolations. [10] Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of
gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the
millstones, and the light of the candle. [11] And this whole land shall be a desolation,
and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
[12] And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will
punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the
land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. [13] And I will bring upon
that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in
this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. [14] For many nations
and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according
to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.
[15] For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury
at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. [16] And they
shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
[17] Then took I the cup at the Lord's hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom
the Lord had sent me: [18] To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings
thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing,
and a curse; as it is this day; [19] Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his
princes, and all his people; [20] And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the
land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah,
and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, [21] Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,
[22] And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles
which are beyond the sea, [23] Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost
corners, [24] And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that
dwell in the desert, [25] And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all
the kings of the Medes, [26] And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with
another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the
king of Sheshach shall drink after them. [27] Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus
saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall,
and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. [28] And it shall be,
if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink. [29] For, lo, I begin to bring
evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye
shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the
earth, saith the Lord of hosts. [30] Therefore prophesy thou against them all these
words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his
holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as
they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. [31] A noise shall
come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he
will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the
Lord. [32] Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to
nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. [33] And
the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other
end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be
dung upon the ground.
[34] Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal
of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished;
and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. [35] And the shepherds shall have no way to
flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. [36] A voice of the cry of the shepherds,
and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the Lord hath spoiled
their pasture. [37] And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce
anger of the Lord. [38] He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is
desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.
[26:1] In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah
came this word from the Lord, saying, [2] Thus saith the Lord; Stand in the court of the
Lord's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord's
house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word: [3] If
so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of
the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings. [4] And
thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in
my law, which I have set before you, [5] To hearken to the words of my servants the
prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not
hearkened; [6] Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse
to all the nations of the earth. [7] So the priests and the prophets and all the people
heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.
[8] Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord
had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all
the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die. [9] Why hast thou prophesied in the
name of the Lord, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be
desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the
house of the Lord.
[10] When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's
house unto the house of the Lord, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's
house. [11] Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the
people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as
ye have heard with your ears.
[12] Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The
Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye
have heard. [13] Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the
Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against
you. [14] As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto
you. [15] But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring
innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for
of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.
[16] Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets;
This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.
[17] Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the
people, saying, [18] Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of
Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Zion
shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the
house as the high places of a forest. [19] Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put
him at all to death? did he not fear the Lord, and besought the Lord, and the Lord
repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure
great evil against our souls. [20] And there was also a man that prophesied in the name
of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim, who prophesied against this
city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah: [21] And when
Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the
king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and
went into Egypt; [22] And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the
son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt. [23] And they fetched forth Urijah
out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and
cast his dead body into the graves of the common people. [24] Nevertheless the hand of
Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand
of the people to put him to death.
[27:1] In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah
came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, [2] Thus saith the Lord to me; Make
thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, [3] And send them to the king of Edom,
and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and
to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah
king of Judah; [4] And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of
hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; [5] I have made the earth,
the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched
arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. [6] And now have I given all
these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the
beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. [7] And all nations shall serve
him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many
nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. [8] And it shall come to pass,
that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of
Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that
nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the
pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. [9] Therefore hearken not ye to your
prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your
sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: [10] For
they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive
you out, and ye should perish. [11] But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke
of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land,
saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
[12] I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying,
Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and
live. [13] Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the
pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of
Babylon? [14] Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you,
saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. [15]
For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I
might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto
you. [16] Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the
Lord; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold,
the vessels of the Lord's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they
prophesy a lie unto you. [17] Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live:
wherefore should this city be laid waste? [18] But if they be prophets, and if the word
of the Lord be with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the
vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah,
and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
[19] For thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the
sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in
this city, [20] Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away
captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all
the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem; [21] Yea, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house of
the king of Judah and of Jerusalem; [22] They shall be carried to Babylon, and there
shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the Lord; then will I bring them up,
and restore them to this place.
[28:1] And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah
king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur
the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the Lord, in the presence
of the priests and of all the people, saying, [2] Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the
God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. [3] Within two full
years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, that
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon:
[4] And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah,
with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the Lord: for I will break
the yoke of the king of Babylon.
[5] Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the
priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the Lord, [6]
Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the Lord do so: the Lord perform thy words which
thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the Lord's house, and all that is
carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. [7] Nevertheless hear thou now this
word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; [8] The prophets that
have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and
against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. [9] The prophet which
prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the
prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him.
[10] Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck,
and brake it. [11] And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus
saith the Lord; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the
neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his
way.
[12] Then the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah
the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, [13]
Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood;
but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. [14] For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the
God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they
may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him
the beasts of the field also.
[15] Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah;
The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. [16]
Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth:
this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. [17] So
Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
[29:1] Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from
Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the
priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away
captive from Jerusalem to Babylon; [2] (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and
the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were
departed from Jerusalem;) [3] By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the
son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon) saying, [4] Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are
carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
[5] Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; [6]
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your
daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased
there, and not diminished. [7] And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you
to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof
shall ye have peace.
[8] For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and
your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams
which ye cause to be dreamed. [9] For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have
not sent them, saith the Lord.
[10] For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I
will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this
place. [11] For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of
peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. [12] Then shall ye call upon me, and
ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. [13] And ye shall seek me, and
find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. [14] And I will be found of
you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all
the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I
will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
[15] Because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon; [16] Know
that thus saith the Lord of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all
the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with
you into captivity; [17] Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the
sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be
eaten, they are so evil. [18] And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine,
and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the
earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the
nations whither I have driven them: [19] Because they have not hearkened to my words,
saith the Lord, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and
sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord.
[20] Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord, all ye of the captivity, whom I have
sent from Jerusalem to Babylon: [21] Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, of
Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto
you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes; [22] And of them shall be taken up a
curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The Lord make thee like
Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire; [23] Because they
have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours'
wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I
know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.
[24] Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, [25] Thus
speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in
thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah
the priest, and to all the priests, saying, [26] The Lord hath made thee priest in the
stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the Lord, for
every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in
prison, and in the stocks. [27] Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of
Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you? [28] For therefore he sent unto us in
Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant
gardens, and eat the fruit of them. [29] And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the
ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
[30] Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, [31] Send to all them of
the captivity, saying, Thus saith the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because
that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in
a lie: [32] Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite,
and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold
the good that I will do for my people, saith the Lord; because he hath taught rebellion
against the Lord.
[30:1] The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, [2] Thus speaketh the
Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a
book. [3] For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity
of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the
land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
[4] And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning
Judah. [5] For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not
of peace. [6] Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I
see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are
turned into paleness? [7] Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is
even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. [8] For it shall come
to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy
neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: [9]
But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto
them.
[10] Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be
dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of
their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none
shall make him afraid. [11] For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I
make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full
end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether
unpunished. [12] For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is
grievous. [13] There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast
no healing medicines. [14] All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I
have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for
the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased. [15] Why criest thou
for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity:
because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee. [16] Therefore all
they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them,
shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey
upon thee will I give for a prey. [17] For I will restore health unto thee, and I will
heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying,
This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
[18] Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents,
and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap,
and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. [19] And out of them shall proceed
thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they
shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. [20] Their
children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before
me, and I will punish all that oppress them. [21] And their nobles shall be of
themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him
to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to
approach unto me? saith the Lord. [22] And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
[23] Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it
shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. [24] The fierce anger of the Lord shall
not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart:
in the latter days ye shall consider it.
[31:1] At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of
Israel, and they shall be my people. [2] Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left
of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to
rest. [3] The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. [4] Again I will build
thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy
tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. [5] Thou shalt yet
plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them
as common things. [6] For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim
shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. [7] For thus saith
the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish
ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. [8] Behold, I
will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and
with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child
together: a great company shall return thither. [9] They shall come with weeping, and
with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in
a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim
is my firstborn.
[10] Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off,
and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his
flock. [11] For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that
was stronger than he. [12] Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and
shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil,
and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered
garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. [13] Then shall the virgin rejoice in
the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and
will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. [14] And I will satiate the
soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,
saith the Lord.
[15] Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter
weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because
they were not. [16] Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes
from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again
from the land of the enemy. [17] And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy
children shall come again to their own border.
[18] I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and
I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be
turned; for thou art the Lord my God. [19] Surely after that I was turned, I repented;
and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even
confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. [20] Is Ephraim my dear son? is
he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still:
therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the
Lord. [21] Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the
highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to
these thy cities.
[22] How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the Lord hath
created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man. [23] Thus saith the Lord
of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and
in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The Lord bless thee, O
habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness. [24] And there shall dwell in Judah
itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with
flocks. [25] For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful
soul. [26] Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.
[27] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and
the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. [28] And it shall
come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and
to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and
to plant, saith the Lord. [29] In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have
eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. [30] But every one shall
die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on
edge.
[31] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: [32] Not according to the covenant that I
made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith
the Lord: [33] But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel;
After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it
in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. [34] And they shall
teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord:
for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the
Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
[35] Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the
ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when
the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: [36] If those ordinances depart
from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a
nation before me for ever. [37] Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and
the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of
Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.
[38] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord
from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner. [39] And the measuring line shall
yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. [40]
And the whole va