Jeremiah 6

Threatened Siege of Jerusalem

6“Run for cover, ^gBenjaminites,

out of Jerusalem!

Sound the ram’s horn ^hin Tekoa; ⁱ

raise a smoke signal ^jover Beth-haccherem, ^k

for disaster threatens from the north, ^l

even great destruction.

²Though she is beautiful and delicate,

I will destroy ^mDaughter Zion.

³Shepherds and their flocks will come against her;

they will pitch their tents all around her. ⁿ

Each will pasture his own portion.

⁴Set them apart for war ^oagainst her;

rise up, let’s attack at noon.

Woe to us, for the day is passing;

the evening shadows grow long.

⁵Rise up, let’s attack by night.

Let us destroy her fortresses.”

⁶For this is what the Lord of Hosts says:

Cut down the trees; ^p

raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem.

This city must be punished.

There is nothing but oppression within her. ^q

⁷As a well gushes out its water,

so she pours out her evil. ^r

Violence and destruction ^sresound in her.

Sickness and wounds keep coming to My attention.

⁸Be warned, Jerusalem,

or I will turn away from you; ^t

I will make you a desolation,

a land without inhabitants. ^u

Wrath on Israel

⁹This is what the Lord of Hosts says:

Glean the remnant of Israel ^v

as thoroughly as a vine.

Pass your hand once more like a grape gatherer

over the branches.

¹⁰Who can I speak to and give such a warning ^w

that they will listen?

Look, their ear is uncircumcised, ^xy

so they cannot pay attention.

See, the word of the Lord has become contemptible to them—

they find no pleasure in it. ^z

¹¹But I am full of the Lord’s wrath;

I am tired of holding it back. ^a

Pour it out on the children in the street, ^b

on the gang of young men as well.

For both husband and wife will be captured,

the old with the very old. ^c

¹²Their houses will be turned over to others, ^d

their fields and wives as well,

for I will stretch out My hand ^e

against the inhabitants of the land.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

¹³For from the least to the greatest of them, ^f

everyone is making profit dishonestly. ^g

From prophet to priest,

everyone deals falsely. ^h

¹⁴They have treated My people’s brokenness superficially,

claiming, “Peace, peace,” ⁱ

when there is no peace.

¹⁵Were they ashamed when they acted so abhorrently?

They weren’t at all ashamed.

They can no longer feel humiliation. ^j

Therefore, they will fall among the fallen.

When I punish them, they will collapse, ^k

says the Lord.

Disaster because of Disobedience

¹⁶This is what the Lord says:

Stand by the roadways and look.

Ask about the ancient paths: ^l

Which is the way to what is good?

Then take it

and find rest for yourselves. ^m

But they protested, “We won’t!”

¹⁷I appointed watchmen over you ⁿ

and said: Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.

But they protested, “We won’t listen!”

¹⁸Therefore listen, you nations

and you witnesses,

learn what the charge is against them.

¹⁹Listen, earth!

I am about to bring disaster on these people,

the fruit of their own plotting, ^o

for they have paid no attention to My word.

They have rejected My instruction. ^p

²⁰What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba ^q

or sweet cane ^rfrom a distant land?

Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;

your sacrifices do not please Me. ^s

²¹Therefore, this is what the Lord says:

I am going to place stumbling blocks before these people;

fathers and sons together will stumble over them; ^t

friends and neighbors will also perish.

A Cruel Nation from the North

²²This is what the Lord says:

Look, an army is coming from a northern land; ^u

a great nation will be awakened

from the remote regions of the earth. ^v

²³They grasp bow and javelin.

They are cruel and show no mercy. ^w

Their voice roars like the sea, ^x

and they ride on horses,

lined up like men in battle formation

against you, Daughter Zion.

²⁴We have heard about it,

and we are discouraged. ^y

Distress has seized us—

pain like a woman in ^zlabor. ^a

²⁵Don’t go out to the fields;

don’t walk on the road.

For the enemy has a sword;

terror is on every side. ^b

²⁶My dear ^cpeople, dress yourselves in sackcloth

and roll in the dust. ^d

Mourn as you would for an only son, ^e

a bitter lament,

for suddenly the destroyer ^fwill come on us. ^g

Jeremiah Appointed as an Examiner

²⁷I have appointed you to be an assayer among My people—

a refiner ^h—

so you may know and assay their way of life. ⁱ

²⁸All are stubborn rebels

spreading slander. ^j

They are bronze and iron;

all of them are corrupt. ^k

²⁹The bellows blow,

blasting the lead with fire.

The refining is completely in vain;

the evil ones are not separated out.

³⁰They are called rejected silver,

for the Lord has rejected them. ^l