THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH
King James Version
1 ¶ 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.
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 soap, 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.
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.
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 trumpet, 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.
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?
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 Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and
great destruction.
2 I have likened
the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
3 The shepherds
with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her
round about; they shall feed every one in his place.
4 Prepare ye war
against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.
5 Arise, and let
us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.
6 For thus hath
the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a 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.
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.
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?
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.
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 vapours 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.
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.
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.
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?