Jeremiah 11:1–12:17

*The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 aHear ye the words of athis 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; bCursed 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, cfrom the iron furnace, dsaying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: dso shall ye be my people, and I will be your God: 5 That I may perform ethe oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them fa 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 ffin the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, aHear ye the words of this covenant, and bgdo 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, hrising early and protesting, dsaying, Obey my voice. 8 iYet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but kwalked every one in the ||imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all athe words of this covenant, gwhich I commanded them to do; but they did them not. 9 And the Lord said unto me, lA conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They are turned back to mthe 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 nhave 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 othough 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 pFor 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 qTherefore pray not thou for this people, qneither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for oI will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their †trouble.

15 r†What hath smy beloved to do in mine house, seeing tshe hath wrought lewdness with many, and uthe holy flesh is passed from thee? ||when thou doest evil, vthen thou rejoicest. 16 The Lord called thy name, wA green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great xtumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and ythe branches of it are broken. 17 For the Lord of hosts, zthat 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 ato 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 blike a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that cthey had devised devices against me, dsaying, eLet us destroy †gthe tree with the fruit thereof, and hlet us cut him off from ithe land of the living, jthat his name may be no more remembered. 20 But, O Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, kthat ltriest the reins and mthe heart, nlet me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.

21 Therefore thus saith the Lord of the men of oAnathoth, pthat seek thy life, saying, qProphesy not in the name of the Lord, rthat 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 sI will bring evil upon the men of oAnathoth, even stthe year of their visitation.

12 aRighteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet ||let me btalk with thee of thy judgments: cWherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they dhappy that edeal very treacherously? 2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: †they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: fthou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. 3 But thou, O Lord, gknowest me: thou hast seen me, and htried mine heart †toward thee: ipull them out klike sheep for the slaughter, and lprepare them for mthe day of slaughter. 4 How long shall nthe land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, ofor the wickedness of them that dwell therein? pthe 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 ppcontend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in qthe swelling of Jordan? 6 For even rthy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have edealt treacherously with thee; yea, ||they have called a multitude after thee: sbelieve them not, though they speak †fair words unto thee.

7 I have forsaken mine house, I have left tmine heritage; I have given †the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. 8 tMine 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 ubird, uthe birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, ||vcome to devour. 10 Many wpastors have destroyed xmy vineyard, ythey have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my †pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. 11 They have made it desolate, and being desolate nit mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man zlayeth 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 aThey have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: bthey have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and ||they shall be ashamed of cyour revenues dbecause of the fierce anger of the Lord.

14 Thus saith the Lord against all emine evil neighbours, fthat touch the inheritance gwhich 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 hI will return, and hhave compassion on them, and hiwill 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, kto swear by my name, The Lord liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall lthey be built in the midst of my people. 17 But mif they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.