Jeremiah 11:1–12:17
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 “aHear the words of this bcovenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
3 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “aCursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant
4 which I commanded your forefathers in the aday that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the biron furnace, saying, ‘cListen to My voice, and 1do according to all which I command you; so you shall be dMy people, and I will be your God,’
5 in order to confirm the aoath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.” ’ ” Then I said, “bAmen, O Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me, “aProclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘bHear the words of this covenant and cdo them.
7 ‘For I solemnly awarned your fathers in the bday that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, 1cwarning persistently, saying, “dListen to My voice.”
8 ‘Yet they adid not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the bwords of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’ ”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “A aconspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10 “They have aturned back to the iniquities of their 1ancestors who brefused to hear My words, and they chave gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dbroken My covenant which I made with their fathers.”
11 Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am abringing disaster on them which they will bnot be able to escape; though they will ccry to Me, yet I will not listen to them.
12 “Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will ago and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they surely will not save them in the time of their disaster.
13 “For your gods are 1aas many as your cities, O Judah; and 1as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the bshameful thing, altars to cburn incense to Baal.
14 “Therefore ado not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will bnot listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.
15 “What right has My abeloved in My house
When bshe has done many vile deeds?
Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
1So that you can rejoice?”
“A agreen olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the bnoise of a great tumult
He has ckindled fire on it,
And its branches are worthless.
17 The Lord of hosts, who aplanted you, has bpronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have 1done to provoke Me by 2coffering up sacrifices to Baal.
18 Moreover, the Lord amade it known to me and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle alamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had bdevised plots against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its 1fruit,
And clet us cut him off from the dland of the living,
That his ename be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts, who ajudges righteously,
Who btries the 1feelings and the heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You have I 2committed my cause.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of aAnathoth, who bseek your life, saying, “cDo not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you will not ddie at our hand”;
22 therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, I am about to apunish them! The byoung men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine;
23 and a remnant awill not be left to them, for I will bbring disaster on the men of Anathoth—cthe year of their punishment.”
1 aRighteous are You, O Lord, that I would plead my case with You;
Indeed I would bdiscuss matters of justice with You:
Why has the cway of the wicked prospered?
Why are all those who ddeal in treachery at ease?
2 You have aplanted them, they have also taken root;
They grow, they have even produced fruit.
But far from their 2mind.
3 But You aknow me, O Lord;
You see me;
And You bexamine my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter
And 1set them apart for a cday of carnage!
4 How long is the aland to mourn
And the bvegetation of the countryside to wither?
For the cwickedness of those who dwell in it,
dAnimals and birds have been snatched away,
Because men have said, “He will not see our latter eending.”
5 “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out,
Then how can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the 1athicket of the Jordan?
6 “For even your abrothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have cried aloud after you.
Do not believe them, although they may say bnice things to you.”
7 “I have aforsaken My house,
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have given the bbeloved of My soul
Into the hand of her enemies.
8 “My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
Therefore I have come to bhate her.
9 “Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the abirds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the bbeasts of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 “Many ashepherds have ruined My bvineyard,
They have ctrampled down My field;
They have made My dpleasant field
A desolate wilderness.
11 “1It has been made a desolation,
Desolate, it amourns 2before Me;
The bwhole land has been made desolate,
Because no man clays it to heart.
12 “On all the 1abare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For a bsword of the Lord is devouring
From one end of the land even to the 2other;
There is cno peace for 3anyone.
13 “They have asown wheat and have reaped thorns,
They have bstrained themselves 1to no profit.
But be ashamed of your 2charvest
Because of the dfierce anger of the Lord.”
14 Thus says the Lord concerning all My awicked neighbors who bstrike at the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel, “Behold I am about to uproot them from their land and will cuproot the house of Judah from among them.
15 “And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will aagain have compassion on them; and I will bbring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land.
16 “Then if they will really alearn the ways of My people, to bswear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught My people to cswear by Baal, they will be dbuilt up in the midst of My people.
17 “But if they will not listen, then I will auproot that nation, uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord.