Amplified Bible (AMP)

A Lament over Zion

1 Oh that my head were waters

And my 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 (a mere shelter) for wayfaring men,

That I might leave my people

And go away from them!

For they are all adulterers [worshiping idols instead of the Lord],

[They are] an assembly of treacherous men [of weak character, men without integrity].

3 “They bend their tongue like their bow;

[Their] lies and not truth prevailandgrow strong in the land;

For they proceed from evil to evil,

And they do not knowandunderstandandacknowledge Me,” says the Lord.

4 “Let everyone beware of his neighbor

And do not trust any brother.

For every brother is a supplanter [like Jacob, a deceiver, ready to grab his brother’s heel],

And every neighbor goes around as a slanderer.

5 “Everyone deceivesandmocks his neighbor

And does not speak the truth.

They have taught their tongue to speak lies;

They exhaust themselves with sinandcruelty.

6 “Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit [oppression upon oppression and deceit upon deceit];

Through deceit they refuse to know (understand) Me,” says the Lord.

7 Therefore thus says the Lordof hosts,

“Behold, I will refine them [through suffering] and test them;

For how else should I deal with the daughter of My people?

8 “Their tongue is a murderous arrow;

It speaks deceit;

With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor,

But in his heart he lays trapsandwaits in ambush for him.

9 “Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord.

“Shall I not avenge Myself

On such a nation as this?

10 “I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains,

And a [funeral] dirge for the pastures of the wilderness,

Because they are burned upanddesolated so that no one passes through [them];

Nor can anyone hear the lowing of cattle.

Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they are gone.

11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,

A hauntanddwelling place of jackals;

And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”

12 Who is the wise man who may understand this [without any doubt]? To whom has the mouth of the Lordspoken, so that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined, laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through?

13 The Lordsaid, “Because they haveturned away from My law which I set before them, and have not listened toandobeyed My voice nor walked in accordance with it,

14 but have walked stubbornly after their [own] heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,”

15 therefore thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them bitterandpoisonous water to drink.

16 I will [also] scatter them among nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them.”

17 Thus says the Lordof hosts,

“Consider and call for the mourning women to come;

Send for the wailing women to come.

18 “Let them hurry and take up a wailing for us,

That our eyes may shed tears

And our eyelids flow with water.

19 “For a sound of wailing is heard [coming] from Zion:

‘How we are ruined!

We are greatly perplexedandutterly shamed,

Because we have left the land,

Because they have torn down our dwellings.’”

20 Now hear the word of the Lord, O you women,

And let your ear hear the word of His mouth;

Teach your daughters a song of mourning,

And each one [teach] her neighbor a dirge.

21 For death has come up through our windows;

It has entered our palaces,

Cutting off the children from the streets

And the young men from the town squares.

22 Speak, “Thus says the Lord,

‘The dead bodies of men will fall like dung on the open field,

And like sheaves [of grain] behind the reaper,

And no one will gather them.’”

23 Thus says the Lord, “Let not the one who is wiseandskillful boast in his insight; let not the one who is mightyandpowerful boast in his strength; let not the one who is rich boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] abundance;

24 but let the one who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me [and acknowledges Me and honors Me as God and recognizes without any doubt], that I am the Lordwho practices lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight,” says the Lord.

25 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised [physically] and yet uncircumcised [spiritually]–

26 Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those who live in the desert who clip off the hair on their temples; for all these nations are uncircumcised (sinful, impure), and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.”

A Satire on Idolatry

1 Hear the word which the Lordspeaks to you, O house of Israel.

2 Thus says the Lord,

“Do not learn the way of the [pagan] nations,

And do not be terrifiedanddistressed by the signs of the heavens

Although the pagans are terrified by them;

3 For the customsanddecrees of the peoples are [mere] delusion [exercises in futility];

It is only wood which one cuts from the forest [to make a god],

The work of the hands of the craftsman with the axeorcutting tool.

4 “They adorn the idol with silver and with gold;

They fasten it with hammers and nails

So that it will not fall apart.

5 “They are like scarecrows in a cucumber field;

They cannot speak;

They have to be carried,

Because they cannot walk!

Do not be afraid of them,

For they can do no harmorevil,

Nor can they do any good.”

6 There is none like You, O Lord;

You are great, and great is Your mightyandpowerful name.

7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?

For it is appropriateandit is Your due!

For among all the wise men of the nations

And in all their kingdoms,

There is none like You.

8 But they are altogether irrationalandstupid and foolish

In theirdiscipline of delusion–their idol is [only] wood [it is ridiculous, empty and worthless]!

9 Silverthat has beenbeaten [into plates] is brought fromTarshish,

And gold fromUphaz,

The work of the craftsman and of the hand of the goldsmith;

Violet and purple are their clothing;

They are all the work of skilled men.

10 But the Lordis the true Godandthe God who is Truth;

He is the living God and the everlasting King.

The earth quakesandshudders at His wrath,

And the nations are not able to endure His indignation.

11 In this manner you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

12 God made the earth by His power;

He established the world by His wisdom

And by His understandingandskill He has stretched out the heavens.

13 When He utters His voice,there isa tumult ofwaters in the heavens,

And He causes the cloudsandthe mist to ascend from the end of the earth;

He makes lightning for the rain,

And brings out the wind from His treasuriesandfrom His storehouses.

14 Every man has become [like a brute] irrationalandstupid, without knowledge [of God];

Every goldsmith is shamed by his carved idols;

For his molten images are fraudsandlies,

And there is no breath in them.

15 They are worthlessanddevoid of promise, a work of delusionandmockery;

In their time of [trial and] punishment they will perish [without hope].

16 The Portion of Jacob [the true God on whom Israel has a claim] is not like these;

For He is the DesignerandMaker of all things,

And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance [and He will not fail them]–

The Lordof hosts is His name.

17 Gather up your bundle [of goods] from the ground,

You who live under siege.

18 For thus says the Lord;

“Behold, I am slinging out at this time the people of this land,

And will cause them [great] distress,

That they may find it [to be as I have said].”

19 “Woe to me because of my [spiritual] brokenness!” [says Jeremiah, speaking for the nation.]

“My wound is incurable.”

But I said, “Surely this sicknessandsufferingandgrief are mine,

And I must bear it.”

20 My tent is destroyed,

And all my [tent] cords are broken;

My children have been taken from me [as captives] and are no more.

There is no one to stretch out my tent again

And to set up my [tent] curtains.

21 For the shepherds [of the people] have become [like brutes,] irrationalandstupid,

And have not searched for the Lordorasked about Himorrealized their need for Him;

Therefore they have not been wiseandhave not prospered,

And all their flocks are scattered.

22 The sound of a report! Behold, [the invader] comes–

A great commotion from the country of the north (Babylonia)–

To make the cities of Judah

A desolation, a hauntanddwelling place of jackals.

23 O Lord, I know that the path of [life of] a man is not in himself;

It is not within [the limited ability of] man [even one at his best] to chooseanddirect his steps [in life].

24 O Lord, correct me [along with Your people], but with mercyandin just measure–

Not in Your anger, or You will crush meandbring me to nothing.

25 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not knownorrecognize You

And on the families that do not call Your name.

For they have devoured Jacob;

They have devoured him and consumed him

And made his land a desolate waste.

The Broken Covenant

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord,

2 “Hear the words of this [solemn] covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the people of Jerusalem.

3 Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant

4 which I commanded your fathers at the time that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice and do according to all that I command you. So you shall be My people, and I will be your God,’

5 that I may complete the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land [of plenty]flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I answered, “Amen (so be it), O Lord.”

6 And the Lordsaid to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Hear the words of this [solemn] covenant and do them.

7 ~‘For I solemnly warned your fathers at the time that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, warning them persistently, saying, “Obey My voice.”

8 ~‘Yet they did not obey or incline their ear [to listen to Me], but everyone walked in the stubborn way of his [own] evil heart. Therefore I brought on them all [the suffering threatened in] the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”

9 Then the Lordsaid to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the people of Jerusalem.

10 They have returned to the wickedness of their ancestors who refused to hear My words; they have followed other gods [in order] to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My [solemn] covenant which I made with their fathers.”

11 Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am bringing disasterandsuffering on them which they will not be able to escape; though they cry to Me, I will not listen to them.

12 Then the cities of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry to the [man-made] gods to whom they burn incense, but they cannot save them in the time of their disaster.

13 For [as many as] the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah; and [as many as] the number of the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.

14 “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, for I shall not listen when they cry to Me in the time of their disaster.

15 “What right has My beloved [to be] in My house

When she has done many vile thingsandacted treacherously [over and over again]?

Can vowsandthe meat of your sacrifices remove your wickedness from youandcancel the consequences of your sin,

So that you can [escape your judgment and] rejoice?”

16 The Lord[acknowledged you once as worthy and] called your name,

“A green olive tree, fairandbeautiful in fruit and form”;

But with the roar of a great tempest

He has set fire to it,

And its branches are worthless.

17 For the Lordof hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evilandhorror against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me [to anger] by offering sacrificesandburning incense to Baal.

Plots against Jeremiah

18 Then the Lordgave me knowledge [of their plot], and I knew it;

So You [O Lord] revealed their deeds to me.

19 But I was like a gentleandtame lamb brought to the slaughter;

And I did not know that they had devised plotsandschemes against me, saying,

“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit;

Let us cut him off from the land of the living,

That his name be remembered no longer.”

20 But, O Lordof hosts, who judges righteously,

Who tests the feelings and the heart (mind),

Let me see Your vengeance on them,

For to You I have committed my cause.

21 Therefore thus says the Lordregarding the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you will not die by our hand.”

22 Therefore, thus says the Lordof hosts, “Behold, I am about to punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and their daughters will die by famine;

23 and there will be no remnant [of the conspirators] left, for I will bring disasterandhorror on the men of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”

Jeremiah’s Prayer

1 You, O Lordare [uncompromisingly] righteousandconsistently just when I plead my case with You;

Yet let me discuss issues of justice with You:

Why has the way of the wicked prospered?

Why are those who deal in treachery (deceit) at easeandthriving?

2 You have planted them, they have also taken root;

They grow, they have even produced fruit.

You arehonored by their [hypocritical] lips

But [You are] far from their heartandmind.

3 But You, O Lord, know me [and understand my devotion to You];

You see me;

And You examinethe attitude ofmy heart toward You.

Drag out the faithless like sheep for the slaughter [O Lord]

And set them apart for the day of slaughter.

4 How long must the land mourn

And the grass of the countryside wither?

Because of the wickednessandhypocrisy of those who live in it,

The beasts and the birds are consumedandare swept away [by the drought],

Because men [mocking me] have said, “He will not [live long enough to] see [what happens at] our final end.”

5 [The Lordrebukes Jeremiah for his impatience, saying] “If you have raced with men on foot and they have tired you out,

Then how can you compete with horses?

If you fall down in a land of peace [where you feel secure],

Then how will you do [among the lions] in the [flooded] thicket beside the Jordan?

6 “For even your [tribal] brothers and the household of your father,

Even they have dealt treacherously (unfaithfully) with you;

Indeed they are [like a pack of hounds] howling after you.

Do not believe them, although they may say kind wordsandpromise you good things.”

God’s Answer

7 “I have abandoned My house,

I have given up My [precious] inheritance (Judah);

I have given the [dearly] beloved of My life

Into the hands of her enemies.

8 “My inheritance has become to Me

Like a lion in the forest;

She has raised her voiceandroared against Me;

So I have come to [treat her as if I] hate her.

9 “Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me [unlike the others]?

Are the birds of prey (enemies) surrounding her on every side?

Go, gather all the [wild] beasts of the field;

Bring them to devour [her]!

10 “Many shepherds (invaders) have destroyed My vineyard (Judah),

They have trampled My field underfoot;

They have made My pleasant field

A desolate wilderness.

11 “They have made it a wasteland,

Desolate, it mourns before Me;

The whole land has been made a wasteland,

Because no man takes it to heart.

12 “Destroyers have come

On all the caravan roads in the desert,

For the sword of the Lord(Babylon) is devouring

From one end of the land even to the other;

No one has peaceora way of escape.

13 “They have planted wheat but have reaped thorns;

They have exhausted themselves but without profit.

So be ashamed of your harvest

Because of the fierceandraging anger of the Lord.”

14 Thus says the Lordregarding all My evil neighbors (Gentile nations) who strike at the inheritance which I have granted to My people Israel, “Behold, I will uproot them from their land and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them.

15 And it shall come about that after I have uprooted them, I will returnandhave compassion on them; and I will bring them back again, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land.

16 And if these [neighboring nations] will diligently learn the ways of My people, to swear by My Name, saying, ‘As the Lordlives’–even as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they will be built up among My people.

17 But if [any nation] will not listenandobey, I will [completely] uproot and destroy that nation, says the Lord.”

The Ruined Waistband

1 Thus the Lordsaid to me, “Go and buy yourself a linen waistband and put it on yourloins, but do not put it in water.”

2 So I bought the waistband according to the word of the Lordand put it on my loins.

3 Then the word of the Lordcame to me a second time, saying,

4 “Get up and take the waistband that you have bought, which is [wrapped] around your loins, and go to the [river] Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.”

5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lordhad commanded me.

6 And after many days the Lordsaid to me, “Get up, go to the Euphrates and get the waistband which I commanded you to hide there.”

7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the waistband was decayedandruined; it was completely worthless.

8 Then the word of the Lordcame to me, saying,

9 “Thus says the Lord, ‘In this same way I shall destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

10 ~‘These wickedandmalevolent people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubborn way of their heart and have followed other gods [which are nothing–just man-made carvings] to serve them and to worship them, let them be just like this waistband which is completely worthless.

11 ~‘For as the waistband clings to the body of a man, so I caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,’ says the Lord, ‘that they might be for Me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory; but they did not listenandobey.’

Captivity Threatened

12 “Therefore you are to speak this word to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Every jar should be filled with wine.”’ The people will say to you, ‘Do we not already know that every jar should be filled with wine?’

13 Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am about to fill with drunkenness all the people of this land, even the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all the people of Jerusalem.

14 I will smash them one against another, both the fathers and the sons together,” says the Lord. “I shall destroy them [nothing will restrain Me]; I will not show pity nor be sorry nor have compassion.”’”

15 Listen and pay close attention, do not be haughtyandoverconfident,

For the Lordhas spoken [says Jeremiah].

16 Give glory to the Lordyour God,

Before He brings darkness

And before your feet stumble

On the darkandshadowy mountains,

And while you are longing for light

He turns it into the shadow of death,

And makes it into thick darkness.

17 But if you will not listenandobey,

My soul will weep in secret for your pride;

My eyes will weep bitterly

And flow with tears,

Because the Lord’sflock has been taken captive.

18 Say to the king and the queen mother,

“Humble yourselvesandtake a lowly seat,

For your beautiful crown [the crown of your glory]

Has come down from your head.”

19 The cities of the South (the Negev) have been closed up,

And there is no one to open them;

All Judah has been carried into exile,

Completely carried away into exile.

20 “Lift up your eyes and see

Those coming from the north.

Where is the flock that was given to you [to shepherd],

Your beautiful flock?

21 “What will you say [O Jerusalem] when the Lordappoints [foreign nations to rule] over you–

Those former friends and allies whom you have encouraged [to be your companions]–

Will not pain seize you

Like [that of] a woman in childbirth?

22 “And if you [wonder and] say in your heart,

‘Why have these things happened to me?’

It is because of the greatnessandnature of your sin

That your skirts have beenpulled away [subjecting you to public disgrace]

And [like a barefoot slave] your heels have been wounded.

23 “Can the Ethiopian change his skin

Or the leopard his spots?

Then you also can do good

Who are accustomed to evilandeven trained to do it.

24 “Therefore I will scatter you like drifting straw

[Driven away] by the desert wind.

25 “This is your destiny, the portion [of judgment] measured to you

From Me,” says the Lord,

“Because you have forgotten Me

And trusted in [pagan] lies [the counterfeit gods, and the pretense of alliance].”

26 “So I Myself will throw your skirts up over your face,

That your shame may be exposed [publicly].

27 “I have seen your vileanddetestable acts,

Even your adulteries and yourlustfulneighings [after idols],

And the lewdness of your prostitution

On the hills in the fields.

Woe (judgment is coming) to you, O Jerusalem!

How long will you remain unclean [by ignoring My precepts]?”

Drought and a Prayer for Mercy

1 The word of the Lordthat came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

2 “Judah mourns

And her gates languish;

Her people sit on the ground in mourningclothes

And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.

3 “Their nobles have sent their servants for water;

They have come to the cisterns and found no water.

They have returned with empty vessels;

They have been shamed and humiliated,

And they cover their heads.

4 “The ground is cracked

Because there has been no rain on the land;

The farmers are distressed,

And they have covered their heads [in shame].

5 “The doe in the field has given birth only to abandonher young

Because there is no grass.

6 “And the wild donkeys stand on the barren heights;

They pant for air like jackals,

Their eyesight fails

Because there is no grass.

7 “O Lord, though our many sins testify against us” [prays Jeremiah],

“Act now [for us and] for Your name’s sake [so that the faithless may witness Your faithfulness]!

For our backslidings are countless;

We have sinned against You.

8 “O Hope of Israel,

Her Savior in time of distressandtrouble,

Why should You be like a sojourner (temporary resident) in the land

Or like a traveler who turns asideandspreads his tent to linger [only] for a night?

9 “Why should You be [hesitant and inactive] like a man astoundedandperplexed,

Like a mighty man unable to save?

Yet You, O Lord, are among us,

And we are called by Your name;

Do not leave us!”

10 Thus says the Lordto this people [Judah], “In the mannerandto the degree [already pointed out] they have loved to wander; they have not restrained their feet. Therefore the Lorddoes not accept them; He will now remember [in detail] their wickedness and punish them for their sins.”

11 So the Lordsaid to me, “Do not pray for good things for this people.

12 Though they fast, I will not hear their cry; and though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them [because they are done as obligations, and not as acts of loving obedience]. Instead I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”

False Prophets

13 But I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, the [false] prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I [the Lord] will give you lasting peace in this place.’”

14 Then the Lordsaid to me, “The [counterfeit] prophets are prophesying lies in My Name. I have neither sent them nor authorized them nor spoken to them. They are prophesying to you made-up visions [pretending to call forth responses from handmade gods], a worthless divination and the deceit of their own mind.

15 Therefore, thus says the Lordconcerning the [false] prophets who are prophesying in My Name, although I did not send them–yet they keep saying, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’: by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their endandbe consumed.

16 And the people to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword; and they will have no one to bury them–neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will pour out their [own] wickedness on them [and not only on the imposters posing as prophets, for the people could not have been deceived without their own consent].

17 “Therefore [Jeremiah] you will say this word to them,

‘Let my eyes flow with tears night and day,

And let them never cease;

For the virgin daughter of my people has been crushed with a great blow,

With a very seriousandseverely infected wound.

18 ‘If I go out into the field,

Then I gaze on those slaughtered with the sword!

And if I enter the city,

Then I gaze on [those tormented with] the diseases of famine!

For both prophet and priest [who should have guided the people]

Go about [bewildered and exiled] in a land (Babylon) that they do not knoworunderstand.’”

19 Have You [O Lord] completely rejected Judah?

Do You loathe Zion?

Why have You stricken us so that there is no healing for us?

We looked for peaceandcompleteness, but nothing good came;

And [we hoped] for a time of healing, but behold, terror!

20 We knowandacknowledge, O Lord,

Our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against You.

21 Do not treat us with contemptandcondemn us, for Your own name’s sake;

Do not disgrace Yourglorious throne;

Remember [with consideration] and do not break Your [solemn] covenant with us.

22 Are there any among the idols of the nations who can send rain?

Or can the heavens [of their own will] give showers?

Is it not You, O Lordour God?

Therefore we will waitandhope [confidently] in You,

For You are the one who has made all these things [the heavens and the rain].

Judgment Must Come

1 Then the Lordsaid to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me [interceding for them], My heart would still not be [turned with favor] toward this people [Judah]. Send them away from My presenceandout of My sight and let them go!

2 And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord:

“Those [destined] for death, to death;

Those for the sword, to the sword;

Those for famine, to famine;

Those for captivity, to captivity.”’

3 I will appoint four kinds of destroyers over them,” says the Lord, “the sword to slay, the dogs to tearanddrag away, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and to destroy.

4 I will make them an object of horror to all nations of the earth because of Manasseh [the despicable] son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for the [evil and detestable] things which he did in Jerusalem.

5 “For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem,

Or who will mourn for you,

Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?

6 “You have abandoned (rejected) Me,” says the Lord.

“You keep going backward.

Therefore I shall stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;

I am tired of delaying [your punishment]!

7 “I will winnow (sort, separate) them with a winnowing fork

At the gates of the land;

I will deprive them of children, I will destroy My people;

They did not repentandturn from their [evil] ways.

8 “I will make their widows more numerous before Me

Than the sand of the seas;

I will bring against them, against the mother of the young men,

Adestroyer at noonday;

I will suddenly cause anguish and terror

To fall on her.

9 “She who has borne seven [sons] languishes;

She has breathed out her soul.

Her sun has set while it was still day;

She has been shamed and humiliated.

So I will hand over [the rest of] the survivors to the sword

Before their enemies,” says the Lord.

10 Woe to me, my mother, that you have given birth to me

To be a man of strife and a man of contention to all the earth!

I have not loaned, nor have men lent money to me,

Yet everyone curses me.

11 The Lordsaid, “Surely [it will go well for Judah’s obedient remnant for] I will set you free for goodpurposes;

Surely [Jeremiah] I will [intercede for you with the enemy and I will] cause the enemy to plead with you [for help]

In a time of disaster and a time of distress.

12 “Can anyone crush iron,

The iron from the north, or bronze?

13 “Your [nation’s] riches and your treasures

I will give as plunder without price [to the Babylonians],

Because of all your sins

And within all your territories.

14 “Then I will make your enemies bring [you along with] your possessions

Into a land which you do not know [for there you will serve your conquerors];

For a fire has been kindled in My anger,

Which will burn upon you.”

Jeremiah’s Prayer and God’s Answer

15 O Lord, You knowandunderstand;

Remember me [thoughtfully], take notice of me,

take vengeance for me on my persecutors.

Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;

Know that for Your sake I endure [continual] rebukeanddishonor.

16 Your words were found and I ate them,

And Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart;

For I have been called by Your name,

O LordGod of hosts.

17 I did not sit with the group of those who celebrate,

Nor did I rejoice;

I sat alone because Your [powerful] hand wasupon me,

For You had filled me with indignation [at their sin].

18 Why has my pain been perpetual

And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

Will you indeed be to me like a deceptivebrook

With water that is unreliable?

19 Therefore, thus says the Lord[to Jeremiah],

“If you repent [and give up this mistaken attitude of despair and self-pity], then I will restore you [to a state of inner peace]

So that you may stand before Me [as My obedient representative];

And if you separate the precious from the worthless [examining yourself and cleansing your heart from unwarranted doubt concerning My faithfulness],

You will become My spokesman.

Let the people turn to you [and learn to value My values]–

But you, you must not turn to them [with regard for their idolatry and wickedness].

20 “And I will make you to this people

A fortified wall of bronze;

They will fight against you,

But they will not prevail over you,

For I am with you [always] to save you

Andprotect you,” says the Lord.

21 “So I will rescue you out of the hand of the wicked,

And I will redeem you from the [grasping] palm of the terribleandruthless [tyrant].”

Distresses Foretold

1 The word of the Lordalso came to me, saying,

2 “You shall not take a wife or have sons and daughters in this place (Jerusalem).”

3 For thus says the Lordconcerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who give birth to them, and the fathers who father them in this land:

4 “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried; they will be like dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth.”

5 For thus says the Lord, “Do not enter a house of mourning, nor go to lament (express grief) or bemoan [the dead], for I have taken My peace away from this people,” says the Lord, “even My lovingkindness and compassion.

6 Both great men and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, nor will they be lamented (mourned over with expressions of grief in death), nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them [in mourning].

7 Peoplewill not offer food to the mourners, to comfort anyone [as they grieve] for the dead, nor give them a cup of consolation to drink for anyone’s father or mother.

8 And you [Jeremiah] shall not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink.”

9 For thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I will remove from this place, before your very eyes and in your time, the sound of joy and the shout of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

10 “Now when you tell these people all these words and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lorddecreed all this great tragedy against us? And what is our iniquity, what is the sin which we have committed against the Lordour God?’

11 Then you are to say to them, ‘It is because your fathers have abandoned (rejected) Me,’ says the Lord, ‘and have walked after other gods and have served them and bowed down to the handmade idols and have abandoned (rejected) Me and have not kept My law,

12 and because you have done worse [things] than your fathers. Just look, every one of you walks in the stubbornness of his own evil heart, so that you do not listen [obediently] to Me.

13 ~‘Therefore I will hurl you out of this land [of Judah] into the land [of the Babylonians] which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no compassion.’

God Will Restore Them

14 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lordlives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’

15 but, ‘As the Lordlives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries to which He had driven them.’ And I will bring them back to their land which I gave to their fathers.

16 “Behold (listen carefully), I will send for many fishermen,” says the Lord, “and they will fish for them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and out of the clefts of the rocks.

17 For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their wickedness concealed from My eyes.

18 I will first doubly repayandpunish them for their wickedness and their sin [before I return them to their land], because they have profaned My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and with their abominations.”

19 [Then said Jeremiah] “O Lord, my Strength and my Stronghold,

And my Refuge in the day of distressandneed,

The nations will come to You

From the ends of the earth and say,

‘Our fathers have inherited nothing but liesandillusion,

[Worthless] things in which there is no benefit!’

20 “Can a man make gods for himself?

Such [things] are not gods!

21 “Therefore,” [says the Lord] “behold, I will make them know–

This time I will make them know

My power and My might;

And they will knowandrecognize [without any doubt] that My Name is the Lord.”

The Deceitful Heart

1 The sin of Judah is written down with an iron stylus;

With a diamond point it is engraved upon the tablet of their heart

And on the horns of their altars.

2 As they remember their children,

So theyremember[in detail] their [pagan] altars and theirAsherim

Beside green trees on the high hills.

3 O [Jerusalem] My mountain in the countryside,

I will give [to the Babylonians, as the cost of your sin] your wealth and all your treasures as plunder,

And throughout your territory, your high places of sin.

4 And you will, through your own fault, let go of your [grip on your] inheritance

That I gave you;

And I will make you serve your enemies

In a land which you do not know;

For you have kindled a fire in My anger

Which will burn forever.

5 Thus says the Lord,

“Cursed is the man who trusts inandrelies on mankind,

Making [weak, faulty human] flesh his strength,

And whose mindandheart turn away from the Lord.

6 “For he will be like a shrub in the [parched] desert;

And shall not see prosperity when it comes,

But shall live in the rocky places of the wilderness,

In an uninhabited salt land.

7 “Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believesandtrusts inandrelies on the Lord

And whose hopeandconfident expectation is the Lord.

8 “For he will be [nourished] like a tree planted by the waters,

That spreads out its roots by the river;

And will not fear the heat when it comes;

But its leaves will be greenandmoist.

And it will not be anxiousandconcerned in a year of drought

Nor stop bearing fruit.

9 “The heart is deceitful above all things

And it isextremely sick;

Who can understand it fullyandknow its secret motives?

10 “I, the Lord, searchandexamine the mind,

I test the heart,

To give to each man according to his ways,

According to the results of his deeds.

11 “Like the partridge that hatches eggs which she has not laid,

So is he who makes a fortune in ways that are unjust.

It will be lost to him before his days are over,

And in the end he will be [nothing but] a fool.”

12 A glorious throne, set on high from the beginning,

Is the place of our sanctuary (the temple).

13 O Lord, the hope of Israel,

All who abandon You will be shamed.

Those who turn away on earth will be written down,

Because they have abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living waters.

14 Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;

Save me and I will be saved,

For You are my praise.

15 Behold, they keep saying to me,

“Where is the word of the Lord[that is, the disaster that you prophesied]?

Let it come now!”

16 But as for me, I have not tried to escape from being a shepherd [walking] after You,

Nor have I longed for the woeful day [of judgment];

You know that, whatever I said

Was [spoken] in Your presenceandwas from You.

17 Do not be a terror to me;

You are my refugeandmy hope in the day of disaster.

18 Let those who persecute me be shamed, but as for me, protect me from shame;

Let them lose courage, but let me be undaunted.

Bring on them a day of tragedy,

And destroy them with double destruction!

The Sabbath Must Be Kept

19 Thus the Lordsaid to me, “Go and stand in thepublic gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, and [stand] also in all the gates of Jerusalem;

20 and say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the people of Jerusalem who enter through these gates.

21 ~‘Thus says the Lord, “Pay attention for your own good, [and for the sake of your future] do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.

22 You shall not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy [by setting it apart as a day of worship], as I commanded your fathers.

23 Yet they would not listenandobeyandcontrol their behavior; but they were stiff-necked in order not to hear and take instruction.

24 But it will come about, if you listen diligently to Me,” says the Lord, “to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it,

25 then kings and princes who will sit on the throne of David will enter through the gates of this city, riding in chariots and on horses–the kings and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will be inhabitedandendure throughout the ages.

26 People will come from the cities of Judah and the places all around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country and from the South (the Negev), bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord.

27 But if you will not listen to Me and keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load as you come in the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in her gates that cannot be extinguished, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”’”

The Potter and the Clay

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will make you hear My words.”

3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and saw that he was working at the wheel.

4 But the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled by the potter’s hand; so he made it over, reworking it and making it into another pot that seemed good to him.

5 Then the word of the Lordcame to me:

6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” says the Lord. “Look carefully, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

7 At one moment I might [suddenly] speak concerning a nation or kingdom, that I will uproot and break down and destroy;

8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I willrelentandreverse My decision concerning the devastation that I intended to do.

9 Or at another time I might [suddenly] speak about a nation or kingdom that I will build up or establish;

10 and if they do evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will reverse My decision concerning the good with which I had promised to bless them.

11 Now then, say to the men of Judah and to the citizens of Jerusalem, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am shaping a disaster and working out a plan against you. Turn back, each of you from his evil way; correct your habits and change your actions for the better.”’

12 But they will say, ‘That is hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act in accordance with the stubbornness of his evil heart.’

13 “Therefore thus says the Lord,

‘Ask now among the nations,

Who has heard of such things?

The virgin Israel

Has done a very vileandhorrible thing.

14 ‘Will the snow of [Mount] Lebanon meltandvanish from its rocks [which tower above Israel]?

Will the cold, rushing waters of foreignlands[that flow down from the distant land] be dried up?

15 ‘Yet My people have forgotten Me;

They burn incense to worthless gods,

They have stumbled from their ways

From the ancient roads,

To walk in pathways,

Not on a highway,

16 Making their land a desolationanda horror,

A thing to behissed at perpetually;

Everyone who passes by will be astounded

And shake his head [in scorn].

17 ‘I will scatter them like an east wind

Before the enemy;

I will show them My back and not My face

In the day of their disaster [says the Lord].’”

18 Then [my enemies] said, “Come and let us work out schemes against Jeremiah. Surely the law is not going to be lost to the priest [as Jeremiah predicts], nor the counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us strike him with our tongue [by making charges against him before the king], and let us ignore anything he says.”

19 Pay attention to me, O Lord[and intercede];

Listen to what my adversaries are saying [and are plotting against me]–

20 Should good be repaid with evil?

Yet they have dug a pit for me.

Remember [with compassion] that I stood before You

To speak good on their behalf,

To turn Your anger away from them.

21 Therefore, give their children over to the famine;

Give them over to the power of the sword.

And let their wives become childless and widowed;

Let their men meet death [by virulent disease],

Their young men be struck down by the sword in battle.

22 Let an outcry be heard from their houses

When You suddenly bring [a troop of] raiders upon them,

For they have dug a pit to capture me

And have hidden snares for my feet.

23 Yet You, O Lord, know

All their deadly plotting against me;

Do not forgive their wickedness

Or blot out their sin from Your sight.

But let them be overthrown before You;

Deal with them in the time of Your anger.