Jeremiah 8:14

King James Version

Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord .

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Why are we just sitting here?Gather together; let us enter the fortified citiesand perish there,for the Lord our God has destroyed us.He has given us poisoned water to drink,because we have sinned against the Lord.

Hebrew Names Version
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there; for the LORD our God has put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

English Standard Version
Why do we sit still? Gather together; let us go into the fortified cities and perish there, for the Lord our God has doomed us to perish and has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord .

New American Standard Bible
Why are we sitting still? Assemble yourselves, and let's go into the fortified cities And perish there, For the LORD our God has doomed us And given us poisoned water to drink, Because we have sinned against the LORD.

New Century Version
"Why are we just sitting here? Let's get together! We have sinned against the Lord , so he has given us poisoned water to drink. Come, let's run to the strong, walled cities. The Lord our God has decided that we must die, so let's die there.

Amplified Bible
Why are we sitting still [the people wonder]? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter the fortified cities And let us die there, For the LORD our God has decreed our ruin And given us bitter and poisonous water to drink, Because we have sinned against the LORD.

World English Bible
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there; for Yahweh our God has put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Yahweh.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Why doe we stay? assemble your selues, and let vs enter into the strong cities, and let vs be quiet there: for the Lorde our God hath put vs to silence and giuen vs water with gall to drinke, because we haue sinned against the Lord.

Legacy Standard Bible
Why are we sitting still?Gather yourselves, and let us go into the fortified citiesAnd let us be silent thereBecause Yahweh our God has silenced usAnd given us poisoned water to drink,For we have sinned against Yahweh.

Berean Standard Bible
"Why are we just sitting here? Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

Contemporary English Version
The people of Judah say to each other, "What are we waiting for? Let's run to a town with walls and die there. We rebelled against the Lord , and we were sentenced to die by drinking poison.

Complete Jewish Bible
"Why are we sitting still? Assemble! Let's enter the fortified cities and meet our doom there! For Adonai our God has doomed us; he has given us bitter water to drink, because we have sinned against Adonai .

Darby Translation
Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fenced cities, and let us be silent there: for Jehovah our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Jehovah.

Easy-to-Read Version
"They will say, ‘Why are we just sitting here? Come, let's run to the strong cities. If the Lord our God is going to make us die, then let's die there. We have sinned against the Lord , so he has given us poisoned water to drink.

George Lamsa Translation
And they shall say, Why do we dwell here? Let us gather together and let us enter into the fortified cities and let us be silent there; for the LORD our God has silenced us and has given us bitter water to drink because we have sinned against the LORD.

Good News Translation
"Why are we sitting still?" God's people ask. "Come on, we will run to the fortified cities and die there. The Lord our God has condemned us to die; he has given us poison to drink, because we have sinned against him.

Lexham English Bible
Why are we sitting? Gather, and let us go into the fortified cities, and let us perish there, for Yahweh our God has caused us to perish, and has provided drink for us, water of poison, because we have sinned against Yahweh.

Literal Translation
Why do we sit still? Gather yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities; and let us be silent there. For Jehovah our God has made us silent there, and He has made us drink poisonous water, because we have sinnedagainst Jehovah.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
why prolonge we the tyme? Let vs gather oure selues together, and go in to the stronge cite, there shall we be in rest: For the LORDE oure God hath put vs to sylence, and geuen vs water myxte with gall, to drynke, because we haue synned agaynst him.

American Standard Version
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there; for Jehovah our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Jehovah.

Bible in Basic English
Why are we seated doing nothing? come together, and let us go to the walled towns, and let destruction overtake us there, for the Lord our God has sent destruction on us, and given us bitter water for our drink, because we have done evil against the Lord.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be cut off there; for the LORD our God hath cut us off, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

King James Version (1611)
Why doe wee sit still? Assemble your selues, and let vs enter into the defenced cities, and let vs be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put vs to silence, and giuen vs waters of gall to drink, because we haue sinned against the Lord.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Why prolong we the time? Let vs gather our selues together, and go into the strong citie, there shall we be in rest: for the Lorde our God hath put vs to scilence, and geuen vs water mixt with gall to drinke, because we haue sinned against hym.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the strong cities, and let us be cast out there: for God has cast us out, and made us drink water of gall, because we have sinned before him.

English Revised Version
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whi sitten we? come ye togidere, entre we in to a strong citee, and be we stille there; for oure Lord hath maad vs to be stille, and yaf to vs drynk the watir of galle; for we han synned to the Lord.

Update Bible Version
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there; for Yahweh our God has put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Yahweh.

Webster's Bible Translation
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

New English Translation
The people say, "Why are we just sitting here? Let us gather together inside the fortified cities. Let us at least die there fighting, since the Lord our God has condemned us to die. He has condemned us to drink the poison waters of judgment because we have sinned against him.

New King James Version
"Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, And let us enter the fortified cities, And let us be silent there. For the LORD our God has put us to silence And given us water of gall to drink, Because we have sinned against the LORD.

New Living Translation
"Then the people will say, ‘Why should we wait here to die? Come, let's go to the fortified towns and die there. For the Lord our God has decreed our destruction and has given us a cup of poison to drink because we sinned against the Lord .

New Life Bible
Why are we sitting here? Gather together, and let us go into the strong cities and die there. For the Lord our God has given us up to die. He has given us poison in our water to drink, for we have sinned against Him.

New Revised Standard
Why do we sit still? Gather together, let us go into the fortified cities and perish there; for the Lord our God has doomed us to perish, and has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord .

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Why are, well sitting still? Gather yourselves together and let us enter the defenced cities And let us be silent there, - For, Yahweh our God, hath put us to silence And made us drink poisoned water, Because we have sinned against Yahweh.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fenced city, and let us be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and hath given us water of gall to drink: for we have sinned against the Lord.

Revised Standard Version
Why do we sit still? Gather together, let us go into the fortified cities and perish there; for the LORD our God has doomed us to perish, and has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

Young's Literal Translation
Wherefore are we sitting still? Be gathered, and we go in to the fenced cities, And we are silent there, For Jehovah our God hath made us silent, Yea, He causeth us to drink water of gall, For we have sinned against Jehovah.

THE MESSAGE
So why are we sitting here, doing nothing? Let's get organized. Let's go to the big city and at least die fighting. We've gotten God 's ultimatum: We're damned if we do and damned if we don't— damned because of our sin against him. We hoped things would turn out for the best, but it didn't happen that way. We were waiting around for healing— and terror showed up! From Dan at the northern borders we hear the hooves of horses, Horses galloping, horses neighing. The ground shudders and quakes. They're going to swallow up the whole country. Towns and people alike—fodder for war.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Why are we sitting still? Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities And let us perish there, Because the LORD our God has doomed us And given us poisoned water to drink, For we have sinned against the LORD.

Contextual Overview

¹³ I will surely consume them, saith the Lord : there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them. ¹⁴ Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord . ¹⁵ We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble! ¹⁶ The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein. ¹⁷ For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord . ¹⁸ When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me. ¹⁹ Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities? ²⁰ The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. ²¹ For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. ²² Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

do: 2 Kings 7:3, 2 Kings 7:4

enter: Jeremiah 4:5, Jeremiah 4:6, Jeremiah 35:11, 2 Samuel 20:6

be silent: Leviticus 10:3, Psalms 39:2, Lamentations 3:27, Lamentations 3:28, Amos 6:10, Habakkuk 2:20, Zechariah 2:13

water: Jeremiah 9:15, Jeremiah 23:15, Numbers 5:18-24, Deuteronomy 32:32, Psalms 69:21, Lamentations 3:19, Matthew 27:34

gall: or, poison

Reciprocal: Genesis 42:1 - Why do ye Deuteronomy 32:33 - the poison Joshua 10:19 - suffer them Joshua 10:20 - fenced cities 1 Samuel 2:9 - be silent Ecclesiastes 3:7 - time to keep Jeremiah 6:25 - Go not Jeremiah 8:4 - Moreover Jeremiah 34:7 - fought against Lamentations 2:10 - and keep Lamentations 3:5 - gall Nahum 3:11 - thou also Zechariah 12:2 - trembling Acts 22:16 - why

Cross-References

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Genesis 8:13
And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

Genesis 8:14
And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Why do we sit still?.... In the country, where were barrenness and want of provisions; in the villages and unwalled towns, where they were exposed to the spoils and ravages of the enemy. These words, with what follow, are the words of the prophet, in the language of the Israelites, as Kimchi observes.

Assemble yourselves; this is the gathering together, in order to be consumed, before threatened, which they themselves were made to do:

and let us enter into the defenced cities; such as Jerusalem, where they thought they should be safe from their enemies:

and let us be silent there; either promising themselves rest, quietness, and security; or suggesting that it would be right in them to say nothing by way of complaint; having no reason to murmur at their afflictions, since they were no other than what their own sins had brought upon them:

for the Lord our God hath put us to silence; stopped their mouths that they could not complain, being convicted in their consciences of their sins; and brought them into a state of destruction and death, which makes silent:

and given us water of gall to drink; afflictions bitter and deadly. The Targum is,

"and hath made us drink the cup of an evil curse, as the heads of serpents;''

a poisonous and deadly potion:

because we have sinned against the Lord; which they were obliged to own; though it does not appear that they had true repentance for their sins, or amended their ways; sometimes confession of sin is made without either of these.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The people rouse one another to exertion. “Why,” they ask, “do we remain here to be overwhelmed?” They are ready now to follow the command given (see the marginal reference), but with the conviction that all hope is over.

Let us be silent there - Rather, let us perish there, literally “be put to silence.”

Water of gall - i. e., poison. The word rendered “gall” was probably the belladonna, or night-shade, to the “berries” of which the grapes of Israel were compared.