Jeremiah 6:1–7:27
Flee for safety, O children of Benjamin,
from the midst of Jerusalem.
And in Tekoa blow a horn,
and on Beth-haccherem lift up a signal,
for evil looks down from the north,
and a great destruction.
2 The lovely and the delicate,
the daughter of Jerusalem, I will destroy.
3 Shepherds and their flocks will come against her,
they will pitch their tents against her all around,
they will pasture, each his ⌊portion⌋.a
4 ⌊Sanctify⌋b war against her.
Arise, and let us attack at noon.
Woe to us, for the day turns,
for the shadows of evening are lengthened.
5 Arise, and let us attack by night,
and let us destroy her citadel fortresses.”
6 For thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Cut down trees and heap up a siege ramp against Jerusalem.
This is the city that must be punished,
its oppression is in its midst.
7 As a water well keeps its water cool,
so she keeps cool her wickedness.
Violence and destruction are heard within her,
sickness and woundsc are continually ⌊before me⌋.d
lest I turn away from you in disgust,
lest I make you a desolation,
a land that is not inhabited.”
“They will thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine,
turn back your hand over the branches like a grape-gatherer.
10 To whom shall I speak and admonish,
that they may hear?
Look, their ears are ⌊closed⌋,e
and they are not able to listen attentively.
Look, the word of Yahweh is to them an object of scorn,
they do not delight in it.
11 But I am full with the wrath of Yahweh,
I struggle to hold itf in.
Pour it out on the childreng in the street,
and on the assembliesh of young men at the same time.
For even husband with wife will get trapped,
the old with him who is full of days.
12 And their houses will be turned over to others,
their fields and their wives together.
For I will stretch out my hand
against the inhabitants of the land,” ⌊declares⌋i Yahweh.
13 “For from the smallest of them to the greatest of them,
⌊everyone⌋j makes profit for unlawful gain.
And from the prophet to the priest,
⌊everyone⌋k practices deceit.
14 And they have treated the wound of my people lightly,
⌊saying⌋,l ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.
15 Have they acted ashamed, for they have committed a detestable thing?
Not at all, nor were they ashamed; they did not know to feel humiliated.
⌊Therefore⌋m they will fall among those who fall at the time I punish them,
they will stumble,” says Yahweh.
16 Thus says Yahweh: “Stand at the roads and look,
and ask for the ancient paths, where the way of the good is,
and walk in it, and find rest for your inner selves.n
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’o
17 And I raised up watchmen over you:
‘Listen attentively to the sound of a horn.’
But they said, ‘We will not listen attentively.’
18 ⌊Therefore⌋p hear, O nations, and know, O community,
⌊what will happen to them⌋.q
look, I am about to bring disaster to this people,
the fruit of their plans,
because they have not listened attentively to my words,
and my teaching, they have rejected it also.
Frankincense comes from Sheba,
and the precious spice reed from a distant land.
Your burnt offerings are not ⌊acceptable⌋,r
your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.”
21 ⌊Therefore⌋s thus says Yahweh:
“Look, I am about to put before this people stumbling blocks,
and they will stumble against them,
fathers and children together,
neighbor and his friend will perish.”
“Look, a people is coming from the land of the north,
a great nation is woken up from the farthest part of the earth.
23 The bow and the short sword they grasp are cruel,
and they show no mercy.
Their sound roars like the sea, and on horses they ride,
drawn up like a man for battle against you, O daughter of Zion.”
our hands grow slack,
anxiety has grasped us,
pain as a woman who gives birth.
25 You must not go out into the field,
and you must not walk on the road,
for ⌊the enemy has a sword⌋,t
terror is all around.
gird yourself with sackcloth,
and roll about in the ashes in mourning,
a mourning ceremony as for an only child.
Make for yourself wailing of bitterness,
for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.
27 “I have made you an assayer among my people, a fortification,
so that you may know and put to the test their ways.u
28 All of them are stubborn rebels,
going about talking slander.
They are bronze and iron,
they are all behaving corruptly.
29 The bellowsv are burned up,
lead is consumed by fire.
⌊In vain⌋w ⌊he keeps on refining⌋,x
but the wicked are not torn apart.
30 ⌊They are called⌋y rejected silver,
For Yahweh has rejected them.”
Jeremiah’s Proclamation at the Gate of the House of Yahweh
7 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, ⌊saying⌋,a 2 “Stand in the gate of the house of Yahweh and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, all of Judah, those who enter through these gates to bow in worship to Yahweh. 3 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Make your ways and your deeds good and let me dwell with you in this place. 4 Do not trust in ⌊the deceitful words⌋,b ⌊saying⌋,c ‘The temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh, they are the temple of Yahweh.’ 5 For if you truly make your ways and your deeds good, if you truly do justice between a man and his neighbor, 6 you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, you do not shed innocent blood in this place, and you do not go after other gods ⌊to your harm⌋,d 7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestorse ⌊forever and ever⌋.f
8 Look, you are relying for yourselves on ⌊deceitful words⌋g without benefiting. 9 Will you steal? Will you murder? And will you commit adultery? And will you swear ⌊falsely⌋?h And will you make a smoke offering to the Baal? And will you go after other gods whom you have not known? 10 And then you come and you stand ⌊before⌋i me in this house, which is called ⌊by my name⌋,j and you say, ‘we are safe ⌊to go on doing⌋k all of these detestable things.’ 11 Has this house, which is called ⌊by my name⌋,l become a cave of robbers in your eyes? Look, I, even I, have seen it,” m ⌊declares⌋n Yahweh.
12 “For go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell in the beginning, and see what I did to it ⌊because of⌋o the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 And now, because of your doing all these things,” ⌊declares⌋p Yahweh, “and ⌊I have spoken to you over and over again⌋,q and you have not listened, and I called you, and you have not answered, 14 therefore I will do to the house that is called ⌊by my name⌋,r in which you are trusting, and to the place that I gave to you and to your ancestorss ⌊what⌋t I did to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you ⌊out of my sight⌋u just as I cast out all of your blood relatives,v all of the offspring of Ephraim.” ’
16 “And you, you must not pray for this people, and you must not lift up for them a cry of entreaty or a prayer, and you must not plead with me, for I will not hear you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children are gathering wood, and the fathers are kindling the fire, and the women are kneading dough to make sacrificial cakes for the queen of heaven, and they pour out libations to other gods for the sake of provoking me to anger. 19 Are they provoking me to anger? ” ⌊declares⌋w Yahweh, “Is it not themselves they hurt, for the sake of the shame of their faces?” 20 ⌊Therefore⌋x thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Look, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, on the humankind, and on the animal, and on the tree of the field, and on the fruit of the ground, and it will burn and not be extinguished.”
21 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. 22 For I did not speak with your ancestors,y nor did I command them in the day of bringing them out from the land of Egypt, concerning the matter of burnt offering and sacrifice. 23 But I only commanded them this word, ⌊saying⌋,z ‘Obey my voice, and I will be to you God, and you will be to me people, and you must walk in all of the way that I command you, so that it goes well with you.’ 24 Yet they did not obey, and they did not incline their ear, but they walked in their own plans, in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and ⌊they became worse instead of better⌋.a 25 From the day that your ancestorsb came out from the land of Egypt until this day I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, day after day, ⌊sending again and again⌋.c 26 Yet they have not listened to me and they have not inclined their ear, but they have hardened their neck, they did more evil than their ancestors.d 27 So you shall speak to them all these words, but they will not listen to you, and you shall call to them, but they will not answer you.