Study Desk

The words of Jeremiah,^(a) the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests living in Anathoth^(b) in the territory of Benjamin.

The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah^(c) son of Amon, king of Judah.

It also came throughout the days of Jehoiakim^(d) son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah^(e) son of Josiah, king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

The word of the Lord came to me:

I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.^(f) I appointed you a prophet to the nations.^(g)

But I protested, "Oh no, Lord, God ! Look, I don't know how to speak^(h) since I am only a youth."⁽ⁱ⁾

Then the Lord said to me: Do not say, "I am only a youth,"^(j) for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you.^(k)

Do not be afraid of anyone,^(l) for I will be with you to deliver you.^(m) This is the Lord 's declaration.

Then the Lord reached out His hand, touched my mouth,⁽ⁿ⁾ and told me: I have now filled your mouth with My words.^(o)

See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and demolish,^(p) to build and plant.^(q)

Then the word of the Lord came to me, asking, "What do you see, Jeremiah?"^(r) I replied, "I see a branch of an almond tree."

The Lord said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I watch over My word to accomplish it."^(s)

Again the word of the Lord came to me inquiring, "What do you see?" And I replied, "I see a boiling pot,^(t) its lip tilted from the north to the south."

Then the Lord said to me, "Disaster will be poured out^[a] from the north^(u) on all who live in the land.

Indeed, I am about to summon all the clans and kingdoms of the north."^(v) This is the Lord 's declaration. They will come, and each king will set up his throne at the entrance to Jerusalem's gates. They will attack all her surrounding walls and all the other cities of Judah.

"I will pronounce My judgments against them for all the evil they did when they abandoned Me to burn incense to other gods and to worship the works of their own hands.^(w)

"Now, get ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them^(x) or I will cause you to cower before them.

Today, I am the One who has made you a fortified city,^(y) an iron pillar, and bronze walls^(z) against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the population.

They will fight against you but never prevail over you,^(aa) since I am with you to rescue you."^(ab) This is the Lord 's declaration.

The word of the Lord came to me:

"Go and announce directly to Jerusalem that this is what the Lord says: I remember the loyalty of your youth,^(a) your love as a bride— how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.

Israel was holy to the Lord ,^(b) the firstfruits of His harvest.^(c) All who ate of it found themselves guilty;^(d) disaster came on them." This is the Lord 's declaration.

Hear the word of the Lord , house of Jacob and all families of the house of Israel.

This is what the Lord says: What fault did your fathers find in Me^(e) that they went so far from Me, followed worthless idols,^(f) and became worthless themselves?^(g)

They stopped asking, "Where is the Lord ^(h) who brought us from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness,⁽ⁱ⁾ through a land of deserts and ravines, through a land of drought and darkness,^[a] a land no one traveled through and where no one lived?"

I brought you to a fertile land^(j) to eat its fruit and bounty, but after you entered, you defiled My land;^(k) you made My inheritance^(l) detestable.

The priests quit asking, "Where is the Lord ?" The experts in the law no longer knew Me,^(m) and the rulers⁽ⁿ⁾ rebelled against Me. The prophets prophesied by^[b] Baal^(o) and followed useless idols.^(p)

Therefore, I will bring a case against you again. This is the Lord 's declaration. I will bring a case against your children's children.^(q)

Cross over to Cyprus^[c](r) and take a look. Send someone to Kedar^(s) and consider carefully; see if there has ever been anything like this:

Has a nation ever exchanged its gods?^(t) (But they were not gods!^(u)) Yet My people have exchanged their^[d] Glory for useless idols.^(v)

Be horrified at this, heavens;^(w) be shocked and utterly appalled. This is the Lord 's declaration.

For My people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned Me,^(x) the fountain of living water,^(y) and dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.^(z)

Is Israel a slave? Was he born into slavery?^[e] Why else has he become a prey?

The young lions have roared at him;^(aa) they have roared loudly. They have laid waste his land.^(ab) His cities are in ruins, without inhabitants.

The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes^(ac) have also broken your skull.

Have you not brought this on yourself^(ad) by abandoning the Lord your God while He was leading you along the way?

Now what will you gain by traveling along the way to Egypt^(ae) to drink the waters of the Nile?^[f] What will you gain by traveling along the way to Assyria^(af) to drink the waters of the Euphrates?^(ag)

Your own evil will discipline you;^(ah) your own apostasies will reprimand you. Think it over and see how evil and bitter^(ai) it is for you to abandon the Lord your God and to have no fear of Me. This is the declaration of the Lord God of Hosts.

For long ago I^[g] broke your yoke;^(aj) I^[h] tore off your chains. You insisted, "I will not serve!" On every high hill and under every green tree^(ak) you lie down like a prostitute.^(al)

I planted you, a choice vine^(am) from the very best seed. How then could you turn into a degenerate, foreign vine?^(an)

Even if you wash with lye and use a great amount of soap,^(ao) the stain of your sin is still in front of Me.^(ap) This is the Lord God 's declaration.

How can you protest, "I am not defiled; I have not followed the Baals"?^(aq) Look at your behavior in the valley; acknowledge what you have done.^(ar) You are a swift young camel twisting and turning on her way,

a wild donkey^(as) at home^[i] in the wilderness. She sniffs the wind in the heat of her desire. Who can control her passion? All who look for her will not become tired; they will find her in her mating season.^[j]

Keep your feet from going bare and your throat from thirst. But you say, "It's hopeless;^(at) I love strangers,^(au) and I will continue to follow them."

Like the shame of a thief when he is caught, so the house of Israel has been put to shame.^(av) They, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets^(aw)

say to a tree, "You are my father," and to a stone, "You gave birth to me." For they have turned their back to Me and not their face,^(ax) yet in their time of disaster^(ay) they beg, "Rise up and save us!"

But where are your gods you made for yourself? Let them rise up and save you^(az) in your time of disaster if they can, for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah.

Why do you bring a case against Me?^(ba) All of you have rebelled against Me. This is the Lord 's declaration.

I have struck down your children in vain; they would not accept discipline.^(bb) Your own sword has devoured your prophets^(bc) like a ravaging lion.

Evil generation, pay attention to the word of the Lord ! Have I been a wilderness to Israel or a land of dense darkness?^(bd) Why do My people claim, "We will go where we want;^[k] we will no longer come to You"?

Can a young woman forget her jewelry^(be) or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me^(bf) for countless days.

How skillfully you pursue love; you also teach evil women your ways.

Moreover, your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor.^(bg) You did not catch them breaking and entering.^(bh) But in spite of all these things

you claim, "I am innocent.^(bi) His anger is sure to turn away from me." But I will certainly judge you because you have said, "I have not sinned."^(bj)

How unstable you are,^(bk) constantly changing your ways! You will be put to shame by Egypt^(bl) just as you were put to shame by Assyria.

Moreover, you will be led out from here with your hands on your head^(bm) since the Lord has rejected those you trust;^(bn) you will not succeed even with their help.^[l]

If^[a] a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her?^(a) Wouldn't such a land^[b] become totally defiled? But you! You have played the prostitute with many partners^(b)— can you return to Me?^(c) This is the Lord 's declaration.

Look to the barren heights^(d) and see. Where have you not been immoral? You sat waiting for them beside the highways^(e) like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.^(f)

This is why the showers haven't come^(g)— why there has been no spring rain. You have the brazen look^(h) of a prostitute^[c] and refuse to be ashamed.⁽ⁱ⁾

Have you not lately called to Me, "My Father.^(j) You were my friend in my youth.^(k)

Will He bear a grudge forever?^(l) Will He be endlessly infuriated?" This is what you have said, but you have done the evil things you are capable of.

In the days of King Josiah the Lord asked me, "Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has ascended every high hill and gone under every green tree to prostitute herself there.^(m)

I thought: After she has done all these things, she will return to Me.⁽ⁿ⁾ But she didn't return, and her treacherous sister Judah^(o) saw it.

I^[d] observed that it was because unfaithful Israel had committed adultery that I had sent her away and had given her a certificate of divorce.^(p) Nevertheless, her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid but also went and prostituted herself.^(q)

Indifferent to^[e] her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones^(r) and trees.^(s)

Yet in spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah didn't return to Me with all her heart^(t)—only in pretense." This is the Lord 's declaration.

The Lord announced to me, "Unfaithful Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.^(u)

Go, proclaim these words to the north, and say: Return, unfaithful Israel.^(v) This is the Lord 's declaration. I will not look on you with anger,^[f] for I am unfailing in My love.^(w) This is the Lord 's declaration. I will not be angry forever.^(x)

Only acknowledge your guilt^(y)— you have rebelled against the Lord your God.^(z) You have scattered your favors to strangers under every green tree^(aa) and have not obeyed My voice. This is the Lord 's declaration.

"Return, you faithless children"^(ab)—this is the Lord 's declaration—"for I am your master,^(ac) and I will take you,^(ad) one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

I will give you shepherds who are loyal to Me,^[g](ae) and they will shepherd you with knowledge and skill.

When you multiply and increase in the land,^(af) in those days"—the Lord 's declaration—"no one will say any longer, ‘The ark of the Lord 's covenant.'^(ag) It will never come to mind, and no one will remember or miss it. It will never again be made.

At that time Jerusalem will be called, Yahweh's Throne,^(ah) and all the nations will be gathered to it,^(ai) to the name of Yahweh in Jerusalem.^(aj) They will cease to follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.

In those days the house of Judah will join with the house of Israel,^(ak) and they will come together from the land of the north to the land I have given your ancestors to inherit."^(al)

I thought: How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance^(am) of all the nations. I thought: You will call Me, my Father, and never turn away from Me.

However, as a woman may betray her lover,^[h] so you have betrayed^(an) Me, house of Israel. This is the Lord 's declaration.

A sound is heard on the barren heights, the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy, for they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the Lord their God.^(ao)

Return, you faithless children. I will heal your unfaithfulness.^(ap) "Here we are, coming to You, for You are the Lord our God.

Surely, falsehood comes from the hills, commotion from the mountains,^(aq) but the salvation of Israel is only in the Lord our God.^(ar)

From the time of our youth the shameful one^[i] has consumed what our fathers have worked for— their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us.^(as) We have sinned against the Lord our God,^(at) both we and our fathers, from the time of our youth even to this day.^(au) We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God."

If you return,^[a] Israel— this is the Lord 's declaration— you will return to Me,^(a) if you remove your detestable idols^(b) from My presence and do not waver,

then you can swear, "As the Lord lives,"^(c) in truth,^(d) in justice, and in righteousness,^(e) then the nations will be blessed^[b] by Him^(f) and will pride themselves in Him.^(g)

For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up the unplowed ground;^(h) do not sow among the thorns.⁽ⁱ⁾

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord ; remove the foreskin of your hearts,^(j) men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it^(k) because of your evil deeds.

Declare in Judah, proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: Blow the ram's horn throughout the land.^(l) Cry out loudly and say: Assemble yourselves, and let's flee to the fortified cities.

Lift up a signal flag toward Zion.^(m) Run for cover! Don't stand still! For I am bringing disaster from the north— a great destruction.⁽ⁿ⁾

A lion has gone up from his thicket;^(o) a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his lair to make your land a waste. Your cities will be reduced to uninhabited ruins.^(p)

Because of this, put on sackcloth; mourn and wail,^(q) for the Lord 's burning anger^(r) has not turned away from us.

"On that day"—this is the Lord 's declaration—"the king and the officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be scared speechless."

I said, "Oh no, Lord God , You have certainly deceived^(s) this people and Jerusalem, by announcing, ‘You will have peace,'^(t) while a sword is at^[c] our throats."

"At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, ‘A searing wind^(u) blows from the barren heights in the wilderness on the way to My dear^[d] people. It comes not to winnow or to sift;

a wind too strong for this comes at My call.^[e] Now I will also pronounce judgments against them.'"^(v)

Look, he advances like clouds;^(w) his chariots are like a storm.^(x) His horses are swifter than eagles.^(y) Woe to us, for we are ruined!^(z)

Wash the evil from your heart,^(aa) Jerusalem, so that you will be delivered. How long will you harbor malicious thoughts within you?^(ab)

For a voice announces from Dan, proclaiming malice from Mount Ephraim.

Warn the nations: Look! Proclaim to Jerusalem: Those who besiege are coming from a distant land;^(ac) they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.

They have her surrounded^(ad) like those who guard a field, because she has rebelled against Me.^(ae) This is the Lord 's declaration.

Your way of life and your actions have brought this on you.^(af) This is your punishment. It is very bitter, because it has reached your heart!

My anguish, my anguish!^[f] I writhe in agony! Oh, the pain in^[g] my heart!^(ag) My heart pounds; I cannot be silent. For you, my soul, have heard the sound of the ram's horn— the shout of battle.

Disaster after disaster^(ah) is reported because the whole land is destroyed. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my tent curtains, in a moment.

How long must I see the signal flag and hear the sound of the ram's horn?

"For My people are fools; they do not know Me. They are foolish children, without understanding.^(ai) They are skilled in doing what is evil, but they do not know how to do what is good."^(aj)

I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty.^(ak) I looked to the heavens, and their light was gone.^(al)

I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking;^(am) all the hills shook.

I looked, and no man was left;^(an) all the birds of the sky had fled.^(ao)

I looked, and the fertile field^(ap) was a wilderness.^(aq) All its cities were torn down because of the Lord and His burning anger.^(ar)

For this is what the Lord says: The whole land will be a desolation,^(as) but I will not finish it off.^(at)

Because of this, the earth will mourn;^(au) the skies above will grow dark.^(av) I have spoken; I have planned, and I will not relent or turn back from it.^(aw)

Every city flees^(ax) at the sound of the horseman and the archer. They enter the thickets and climb among the rocks.^(ay) Every city is abandoned; no inhabitant is left.

And you, devastated one, what are you doing^(az) that you dress yourself in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with gold jewelry, that you enlarge your eyes with paint?^(ba) You beautify yourself for nothing. Your lovers reject you;^(bb) they want to take your life.^(bc)

I hear a cry like a woman in labor,^(bd) a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child. The cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands:^(be) Woe is me, for my life is weary because of the murderers!

Roam^(a) through the streets of Jerusalem. Look and take note; search in her squares. If you find one person,^(b) any who acts justly, who seeks to be faithful, then I will forgive her.^(c)

When they say, "As the Lord lives,"^(d) they are swearing falsely.^(e)

Lord , don't Your eyes look for faithfulness?^(f) You have struck them, but they felt no pain.^(g) You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline.^(h) They made their faces harder than rock,⁽ⁱ⁾ and they refused to return.^(j)

Then I thought: They are just the poor; they have played the fool. For they don't understand the way of the Lord ,^(k) the justice of their God.^(l)

I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the Lord , the justice of their God.^(m) However, these also had broken the yoke and torn off the chains.⁽ⁿ⁾

Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down.^(o) A wolf from an arid plain will ravage them. A leopard^(p) keeps watch over their cities. Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces because their rebellious acts are many,^(q) their unfaithful deeds numerous.^(r)

Why should I forgive you? Your children have abandoned Me and sworn by those who are not gods.^(s) I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery;^(t) they gashed themselves^(u) at the^[a] prostitute's house.

They are well-fed,^[b] eager^[c] stallions,^(v) each neighing^(w) after someone else's wife.^(x)

Should I not punish them for these things?^(y) This is the Lord 's declaration. Should I not avenge Myself^(z) on such a nation as this?

Go up among her vineyard terraces and destroy them,^(aa) but do not finish them off.^(ab) Prune away her shoots, for they do not belong to the Lord .^(ac)

They, the house of Israel and the house of Judah, have dealt very treacherously with Me.^(ad) This is the Lord 's declaration.

They have contradicted the Lord and insisted, "It won't happen.^[d](ae) Harm won't come to us; we won't see sword or famine."

The prophets become only wind, for the Lord 's word is not in them. This will in fact happen to them.

Therefore, this is what the Lord God of Hosts says: Because you have spoken this word, I am going to make My words become fire in your mouth.^(af) These people are the wood, and the fire will consume them.^(ag)

I am about to bring a nation from far away against you,^(ah) house of Israel. This is the Lord 's declaration. It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.^(ai)

Their quiver is like an open grave;^(aj) they are all mighty warriors.

They will consume your harvest and your food.^(ak) They will consume your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vines and your fig trees. They will destroy with the sword your fortified cities^(al) in which you trust.

"But even in those days"—this is the Lord 's declaration—"I will not finish you off.^(am)

When people ask, ‘For what offense has the Lord our God done all these things to us?' You will respond to them: Just as you abandoned Me^(an) and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.^(ao)

"Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah, saying:

Hear this, you foolish and senseless^[e] people.^(ap) They have eyes, but they don't see. They have ears, but they don't hear.^(aq)

Do you not fear Me? This is the Lord 's declaration. Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary of the sea, an enduring barrier that it cannot cross?^(ar) The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot pass over it.

But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.^(as) They have turned aside and have gone away.

They have not said to themselves, ‘Let's fear the Lord our God,^(at) who gives the rain,^(au) both early and late,^(av) in its season,^(aw) who guarantees to us the fixed weeks of the harvest.'

Your guilty acts have diverted these things from you. Your sins have withheld My bounty from you,^(ax)

for wicked men live among My people. They watch like fowlers lying in wait.^[f](ay) They set a trap;^(az) they catch men.

Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit.^(ba) Therefore they have grown powerful and rich.

They have become fat^(bb) and sleek. They have also excelled in evil matters. They have not taken up cases, such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper, and they have not defended the rights of the needy.^(bc)

Should I not punish them for these things? This is the Lord 's declaration. Should I not avenge Myself^(bd) on such a nation as this?

A horrible, terrible thing has taken place in the land.^(be)

The prophets prophesy falsely,^(bf) and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it like this. But what will you do at the end of it?^(bg)

"Run for cover,^(a) Benjaminites, out of Jerusalem! Sound the ram's horn^(b) in Tekoa;^(c) raise a smoke signal^(d) over Beth-haccherem,^[a] for disaster threatens from the north,^(e) even great destruction.

Though she is beautiful and delicate, I will destroy^[b] Daughter Zion.

Shepherds and their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents all around her.^(f) Each will pasture his own portion.

Set them apart for war^(g) against her; rise up, let's attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day is passing; the evening shadows grow long.

Rise up, let's attack by night. Let us destroy her fortresses."

For this is what the Lord of Hosts says: Cut down the trees;^(h) raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished. There is nothing but oppression within her.⁽ⁱ⁾

As a well gushes out its water, so she pours out her evil.^[c] Violence and destruction^(j) resound in her. Sickness and wounds keep coming to My attention.

Be warned, Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you;^(k) I will make you a desolation, a land without inhabitants.^(l)

This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Glean the remnant of Israel^(m) as thoroughly as a vine. Pass your hand once more like a grape gatherer over the branches.

Who can I speak to and give such a warning^[d] that they will listen? Look, their ear is uncircumcised,^[e](n) so they cannot pay attention. See, the word of the Lord has become contemptible to them— they find no pleasure in it.^(o)

But I am full of the Lord 's wrath; I am tired of holding it back.^(p) Pour it out on the children in the street,^(q) on the gang of young men as well. For both husband and wife will be captured, the old with the very old.^[f]

Their houses will be turned over to others,^(r) their fields and wives as well, for I will stretch out My hand^(s) against the inhabitants of the land. This is the Lord 's declaration.

For from the least to the greatest of them,^(t) everyone is making profit dishonestly.^(u) From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.^(v)

They have treated My people's brokenness superficially, claiming, "Peace, peace,"^(w) when there is no peace.

Were they ashamed when they acted so abhorrently? They weren't at all ashamed. They can no longer feel humiliation.^(x) Therefore, they will fall among the fallen. When I punish them, they will collapse,^(y) says the Lord .

This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths:^(z) Which is the way to what is good? Then take it and find rest for yourselves.^(aa) But they protested, "We won't!"

I appointed watchmen over you^(ab) and said: Listen for the sound of the ram's horn. But they protested, "We won't listen!"

Therefore listen, you nations and you witnesses, learn what the charge is against them.

Listen, earth! I am about to bring disaster on these people, the fruit of their own plotting,^(ac) for they have paid no attention to My word. They have rejected My instruction.^(ad)

What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba^(ae) or sweet cane^(af) from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.^(ag)

Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am going to place stumbling blocks before these people; fathers and sons together will stumble over them;^(ah) friends and neighbors will also perish.

This is what the Lord says: Look, an army is coming from a northern land;^(ai) a great nation will be awakened from the remote regions of the earth.^(aj)

They grasp bow and javelin. They are cruel and show no mercy.^(ak) Their voice roars like the sea,^(al) and they ride on horses, lined up like men in battle formation against you, Daughter Zion.

We have heard about it, and we are discouraged.^[g] Distress has seized us— pain like a woman in^(am) labor.^(an)

Don't go out to the fields; don't walk on the road. For the enemy has a sword; terror is on every side.^(ao)

My dear^[h] people, dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in the dust.^(ap) Mourn as you would for an only son,^(aq) a bitter lament, for suddenly the destroyer^(ar) will come on us.^(as)

I have appointed you to be an assayer among My people— a refiner^[i]— so you may know and assay their way of life.^(at)

All are stubborn rebels spreading slander.^(au) They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.^(av)

The bellows blow, blasting the lead with fire. The refining is completely in vain; the evil ones are not separated out.

They are called rejected silver, for the Lord has rejected them.^(aw)