JEREMIAH

1 THE word of God which came to Jeremias the son of Chelcias, of the priests, who dwelt in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 2 accordingly as the word of God came to him in the days of Josias son of Amos king of Juda, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 And it was in the days of Joakim son of Josias king of Juda, until the eleventh year of Sedekias king of Juda, even until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

4 And the word of the Lord came to him, sayiny, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth from the womb, I sanctified thee; I appointed thee a prophet to the nations.

6 And I said, O Lord, thou that art supreme Lord, behold, I know not how to speak, for I am a child. 7 And the Lord said to me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all to whomsoever I shall send thee, and according to all the words that I shall command thee, thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid before them: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. 9 And the Lord stretched forth his hand to me, and touched my mouth: and the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put my words into thy mouth.

10 Behold, I have appointed thee this day over nations and over kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to rebuild, and to plant.

11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, What seest thou? And I said, A rod of an almond tree. 12 And the Lord said to me, Thou hast well seen: for I have watched over my words to perform them. 13 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, A caldron on the fire; and the face of it is toward the north. 14 And the Lord said to me, From the north shall flame forth evils upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, behold, I call together all the kingdoms of the earth from the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and shall set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls round about her, and against all the cities of Juda. 16 And I will speak to them in judgment, concerning all their iniquity, forasmuch as they have forsaken me, and sacrificed to strange gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

17 And do thou gird up thy loins, and stand up, and speak all the words that I shall command thee: be not afraid of their face, neither be thou alarmed before them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. 18 Behold, I have made thee this day as a strong city, and as a brazen wall, strong against all the kings of Juda, and the princes thereof, and the people of the land. 19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall by no means prevail against thee; because I am with thee, to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

2 And he said, Thus saith the Lord, 2 I remember the kindness of thy youth, and the love of thine espousals, 3 in following the Holy One of Israel, saith the Lord. Israel was the holy people to the Lord, and the first-fruits of his increase: all that devoured him shall offend; evils shall come upon them, saith the Lord.

4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and every family of the house of Israel. 5 Thus saith the Lord, What trespass have your fathers found in me, that they have revolted far from me, and gone after vanities, and become vain? 6 And they said not, Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who guided us in the wilderness, in an untried and trackless land, in a land which no man at all went through, and no man dwelt there? 7 And I brought you to Carmel, that ye should eat the fruits thereof, and the good thereof; and ye went in, and defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. 8 The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that held by the law knew me not: the shepherds also sinned against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after that which profited not.

9 Therefore I will yet plead with you, and will plead with your children’s children. 10 For go to the isles of the Chettians, and see; and send to Kedar, and observe accurately, and see if such things have been done; 11 if the nations will change their gods, though they are not gods: but my people have changed their glory, for that from which they shall not be profited. 12 The heaven is amazed at this, and is very exceedingly horror-struck, says the Lord. 13 For my people has committed two faults, and evil ones: they have forsaken me, the fountain of water of life, and hewn out for themselves broken cisterns, which will not be able to hold water.

14 Is Israel a servant, or a home-born slave? why has he become a spoil? 15 The lions roared upon him, and uttered their voice, which have made his land a wilderness: and his cities are broken down, that they should not be inhabited. 16 Also the children of Memphis and Taphnas have known thee, and mocked thee. 17 Has not thy forsaking me brought these things upon thee? saith the Lord thy God.

18 And now what hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the water of Geon? and what hast thou to do with the way of the Assyrians, to drink the water of rivers? 19 Thine apostasy shall correct thee, and thy wickedness shall reprove thee: know then, and see, that thy forsaking me has been bitter to thee, saith the Lord thy God; and I have taken no pleasure in thee, saith the Lord thy God.

20 For of old thou hast broken thy yoke, and plucked asunder thy bands; and thou hast said, I will not serve thee, but will go upon every high hill, and under every shady tree, there will I indulge in my fornication. 21 Yet I planted thee a fruitful vine, entirely of the right sort: how art thou a strange vine turned to bitterness! 22 Though thou shouldest wash thyself with nitre, and multiply to thyself soap, still thou art stained by thine iniquities before me, saith the Lord.

23 How wilt thou say, I am not polluted, and have not gone after Baal? behold thy ways in the burial-ground, and know what thou hast done: her voice has howled in the evening: 24 she has extended her ways over the waters of the desert; she was hurried along by the lusts of her soul; she is given up to them, who will turn her back? none that seek her shall be weary; at the time of her humiliation they shall find her. 25 Withdraw thy foot from a rough way, and thy throat from thirst: but she said, I will strengthen myself: for she loved strangers, and went after them.

26 As is the shame of a thief when he is caught, so shall the children of Israel be ashamed; they, and their kings, and their princes, and their priests, and their prophets. 27 They said to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast begotten me: and they have turned their backs to me, and not their faces: yet in the time of their afflictions they will say, Arise, and save us. 28 And where are thy gods, which thou madest for thyself? will they arise and save in the time of thine affliction? for according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Juda; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem they sacrificed to Baal. 29 Wherefore do ye speak unto me? ye all have been ungodly, and ye all have transgressed against me, saith the Lord. 30 In vain have I smitten your children; ye have not received correction: a sword has devoured your prophets as a destroying lion; yet ye feared not.

31 Hear ye the word of the Lord: thus saith the Lord, Have I been a wilderness or a dry land to Israel? wherefore has my people said, We will not be ruled over, and will not come to thee any more? 32 Will a bride forget her ornaments, or a virgin her girdle? but my people has forgotten me days without number. 33 What fair device wilt thou yet employ in thy ways, so as to seek love? it shall not be so; moreover thou hast done wickedly in corrupting thy ways; 34 and in thine hands has been found the blood of innocent souls; I have not found them in holes, but on every oak. 35 Yet thou saidst, I am innocent: only let his wrath be turned away from me.

Behold, I will plead with thee, whereas thou sayest, I have not sinned. 36 For thou hast been so exceedingly contemptuous as to repeat thy ways; but thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assur. 37 For thou shalt go forth thence also with thine hands upon thine head; for the Lord has rejected thine hope, and thou shalt not prosper in it.

3 If a man put away his wife, and she depart from him, and become another man’s, shall she return to him any more at all? shall not that woman be utterly defiled? yet thou hast gone a-whoring with many shepherds, and hast returned to me, saith the Lord. 2 Lift up thine eyes to look straight forward, and see where thou hast not been utterly defiled. Thou hast sat for them by the wayside as a deserted crow, and hast defiled the land with thy fornications and thy wickedness. 3 And thou didst retain many shepherds for a stumbling-block to thyself: thou hadst a whore’s face, thou didst become shameless toward all.

4 Hast thou not called me as it were a home, and the father and guide of thy virgin-time? 5 Will God’s anger continue for ever, or be preserved to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done these bad things, and hadst power to do them.

6 And the Lord said to me in the days of Josias the king, Hast thou seen what things the house of Israel has done to me? they have gone on every high mountain, and under every shady tree, and have committed fornication there. 7 And I said after she had committed all these acts of fornication, Turn again to me. Yet she returned not. And faithless Juda saw her faithlessness. 8 And I saw that (for all the sins of which she was convicted, wherein the house of Israel committed adultery, and I put her away, and gave into her hands a bill of divorcement,) yet faithless Juda feared not, but went and herself also committed fornication. 9 And her fornication was nothing accounted of; and she committed adultery with wood and stone. 10 And for all these things faithless Juda turned not to me with all her heart, but falsely.

11 And the Lord said to me, Israel has justified himself more than faithless Juda.12 Go and read these words toward the north, and thou shalt say, Return to me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not set my face against you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not be angry with you for ever. 13 Nevertheless, know thine iniquity, that thou hast sinned against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to strangers under every shady tree, but thou didst not hearken to my voice, saith the Lord. 14 Turn, ye children that have revolted, says the Lord; for I will rule over you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you in to Sion: 15 and I will give you shepherds after my heart, and they shall certainly tend you with knowledge.

16 And it shall come to pass that when ye are multiplied and increased upon the land, saith the Lord, in those days they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Holy One of Israel: it shall not come to mind; it shall not be named; neither shall it be visited; nor shall this be done any more. 17 In those days and at that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered to it: and they shall not walk any more after the imaginations of their evil heart.

18 In those days the house of Juda shall come together to the house of Israel, and they shall come, together, from the land of the north, and from all the countries, to the land, which I caused their fathers to inherit. 19 And I said, So be it, Lord, for thou saidst, I will set thee among children, and will give thee a choice land, the inheritance of the Almighty God of the Gentiles: and I said, Ye shall call me Father; and ye shall not turn away from me. 20 But as a wife acts treacherously against her husband, so has the house of Israel dealt treacherously against me, saith the Lord.

21 A voice from the lips was heard, even of weeping and supplication of the children of Israel: for they have dealt unrighteously in their ways, they have forgotten God their Holy One. 22 Turn, ye children that are given to turning, and I will heal your bruises.

Behold, we will be thy servants; for thou art the Lord our God. 23 Truly the hills and the strength of the mountains were a lying refuge: but by the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. 24 But shame has consumed the labours of our fathers from our youth; their sheep and their calves, and their sons and their daughters. 25 We have lain down in our shame, and our disgrace has covered us: because we and our fathers have sinned before our God, from our youth until this day; and we have not hearkened to the voice of the Lord our God.

4 If Israel will return to me, saith the Lord, he shall return: and if he will remove his abominations out of his mouth, and fear before me, and swear, 2 the Lord lives, with truth, in judgment and righteousness, then shall nations bless by him, and by him they shall praise God in Jerusalem.

3 For thus saith the Lord to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Break up fresh ground for yourselves, and sow not among thorns. 4 Circumcise yourselves to your God, and circumcise your hardness of heart, ye men of Juda, and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my wrath go forth as fire, and burn, and there be none to quench it, because of the evil of your devices.

5 Declare ye in Juda, and let it be heard in Jerusalem: say ye, Sound the trumpet in the land; cry ye aloud: say ye, Gather yourselves together, and let us enter into the fortified cities. 6 Gather up your wares and flee to Sion: hasten, stay not: for I will bring evils from the north, and great destruction. 7 The lion is gone up from his lair, he has roused himself to the destruction of the nations, and has gone forth out of his place, to make the land desolate; and the cities shall be destroyed, so as to be without inhabitant. 8 For these things gird yourselves with sackclothes, and lament, and howl: for the anger of the Lord is not turned away from you. 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be amazed, and the prophets shall wonder.

10 And I said, O sovereign Lord, verily thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, There shall be peace; whereas behold, the sword has reached even to their soul.

11 At that time they shall say to this people and to Jerusalem, There is a spirit of error in the wilderness: the way of the daughter of my people is not to purity, nor to holiness. 12 But a spirit of full vengeance shall come upon me; and now I declare my judgments against them. 13 Behold, he shall come up as a cloud, and his chariots as a tempest: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are in misery.

14 Cleanse thine heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayest be saved: how long will thy grievous thoughts be within thee? 15 For a voice of one publishing from Dan shall come, and trouble out of mount Ephraim shall be heard of. 16 Remind ye the nations; behold, they are come: proclaim it in Jerusalem, that bands are approaching from a land afar off, and have uttered their voice against the cities of Juda. 17 As keepers of a field, they have surrounded her; because thou, saith the Lord, hast neglected me. 18 Thy ways and thy devices have brought these things upon thee; this is thy wickedness, for it is bitter, for it has reached to thy heart.

19 I am pained in my bowels, my bowels, and the sensitive powers of my heart; my soul is in great commotion, my heart is torn: I will not be silent, for my soul has heard the sound of a trumpet, the cry of war, and of distress: it calls on destruction; 20 for all the land is distressed: suddenly my tabernacle is distressed, my curtains have been rent asunder. 21 How long shall I see fugitives, and hear the sound of the trumpet?

22 For the princes of my people have not known me, they are foolish and unwise children: they are wise to do evil, but how to do good they have not known.

23 I looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was not; and to the sky, and there was no light in it. 24 I beheld the mountains, and they trembled, and I saw all the hills in commotion. 25 I looked, and, behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the sky were scared. 26 I saw, and, behold, Carmel was desert, and all the cities were burnt with fire at the presence of the Lord, and at the presence of his fierce anger they were utterly destroyed.

27 Thus saith the Lord, The whole land shall be desolate; but I will not make a full end. 28 For these things let the earth mourn, and let the sky he dark above: for I have spoken, and I will not repent; I have purposed, and I will not turn back from it. 29 The whole land has recoiled from the noise of the horseman and the bent bow; they have gone into the caves, and have hidden themselves in the groves, and have gone up upon the rocks: every city was abandoned, no man dwelt in them. 30 And what wilt thou do? Though thou clothe thyself with scarlet, and adorn thyself with golden ornaments; though thou adorn thine eyes with stibium, thy beauty will be in vain: thy lovers have rejected thee, they seek thy life.

31 For I have heard thy groaning as the voice of a woman in travail, as of her that brings forth her first child; the voice of the daughter of Zion shall fail through weakness, and she shall lose the strength of her hands, saying, Woe is me! for my soul faints because of the slain.

5 Run ye about in the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and know, and seek in her broad places, if ye can find one, if there is any one that does judgment, and seeks faithfulness; and I will pardon them, saith the Lord. 2 The Lord lives, they say; do they not therefore swear falsely? 3 O Lord, thine eyes are upon faithfulness: thou hast scourged them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them; but they would not receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; and they would not return. 4 Then I said, It may be they are poor; for they are weak, for they know not the way of the Lord, or the judgment of God. 5 I will go to the rich men, and will speak to them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of God: but, behold, with one consent they have broken the yoke, they have burst the bonds.

6 Therefore has a lion out of the forest smitten them, and a wolf has destroyed them even to their houses, and a leopard has watched against their cities: all that go forth from them shall be hunted: for they have multiplied their ungodliness, they have strengthened themselves in their revoltings. 7 In what way shall I forgive thee for these things? Thy sons have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: and I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery, and lodged in harlots’ houses. 8 They became as wanton horses: they neighed each one after his neighbour’s wife. 9 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this.

10 Go up upon her battlements, and break them down; but make not a full end: leave her buttresses; for they are the Lord’s. 11 For the house of Israel have indeed dealt treacherously against me, saith the Lord: the house of Juda also 12 have lied to their Lord, and they have said, These things are not so; no evils shall come upon us; and we shall not see sword or famine. 13 Our prophets became wind, and the word of the Lord was not in them.

14 Therefore thus saith the Lord Almighty, Because ye have spoken this word, behold, I have made my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them. 15 Behold, I will bring upon you a nation from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord; a nation the sound of whose language one shall not understand. 16 They are all mighty men: 17 and they shall devour your harvest, and your bread; and shall devour your sons, and your daughters; and they shall devour your sheep, and your calves, and devour your vineyards, and your fig-plantations, and your olive yards: and they shall utterly destroy your strong cities, wherein ye trusted, with the sword. 18 And it shall come to pass in those days, saith the Lord thy God, that I will not utterly destroy you.

19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore has the Lord our God done all these things to us? that thou shalt say to them, Because ye served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.

20 Proclaim these things to the house of Jacob, and let them be heard in the house of Juda. 21 Hear ye now these things, O foolish and senseless people; who have eyes, and see not; and have ears, and hear not: 22 will ye not be afraid of me? saith the Lord; and will ye not fear before me, who have set the sand for a bound to the sea, as a perpetual ordinance, and it shall not pass it: yea, it shall rage, but not prevail; and its waves shall roar, but not pass over it.

23 But this people has a disobedient and rebellious heart; and they have turned aside and gone back: 24 and they have not said in their heart, Let us fear now the Lord our God, who gives us the early and latter rain, according to the season of the fulfilment of the ordinance of harvest, and has preserved it for us. 25 Your transgressions have turned away these things, and your sins have removed good things from you. 26 For among my people were found ungodly men; and they have set snares to destroy men, and have caught them.

27 As a snare which has been set is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore have they grown great, and become rich: 28 and they have transgressed the rule of judgment; they have not judged the cause of the orphan, nor have they judged the cause of the widow. 29 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

30 Shocking and horrible deeds have been done on the land; 31 the prophets utter unrighteous prophecies, and the priests have clapped their hands: and my people has loved to have it thus: and what will ye do for the future?

6 Strengthen yourselves, ye children of Benjamin, to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and sound an alarm with the trumpet in Thecue, and set up a signal over Bæthacharma: for evil threatens from the north, and a great destruction is coming. 2 And thy pride, O daughter of Sion, shall be taken away. 3 The shepherds and their flocks shall come to her; and they shall pitch their tents against her round about, and shall feed their flocks each with his hand.

4 Prepare yourselves for war against her; rise up, and let us go up against her at noon. Woe to us! for the day has gone down, for the shadows of the day fail. 5 Rise, and let us go up against her by night, and destroy her foundations.

6 For thus saith the Lord, Hew down her trees, array a numerous force against Jerusalem. O false city; there is all oppression in her. 7 As a cistern cools water, so her wickedness cools her, ungodliness and misery shall be heard in her, as continually before her.

8 Thou shalt be chastened, O Jerusalem, with pain and the scourge, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee a desert land, which shall not be inhabited.

9 For thus says the Lord, Glean, glean thoroughly as a vine the remnant of Israel: turn back your hands as a grape-gatherer to his basket. 10 To whom shall I speak, and testify, that he may hearken? behold, thine ears are uncircumcised, and they shall not be able to hear: behold, the word of the Lord is become to them a reproach, they will not at all desire it.

11 And I allowed my wrath to come to the full, yet I kept it in, and did not utterly destroy them: I will pour it out on the children without, and on the assembly of young men together: for man and woman shall be taken together, the old man with him that is full of days. 12 And their houses shall be turned to others, with their fields and their wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of this land, saith the Lord.

13 For from the least of them even to the greatest they have all committed iniquity; from the priest even to the false prophet they have all wrought falsely. 14 And they healed the breach of my people imperfectly, making light of it, and saying, Peace, peace: and where is peace? 15 They were ashamed because they failed; yet they were not ashamed as those who are truly ashamed, and they knew not their own disgrace: therefore shall they utterly fall when they do fall, and in the time of visitation shall they perish, said the Lord.

16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths of the Lord; and see what is the good way, and walk in it, and ye shall find purification for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in them. 17 I have set watchmen over you, saying, Hear ye the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hear it.

18 Therefore have the nations heard, and they that feed their flocks.19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evils upon this people, even the fruit of their rebellions; for they have not heeded my words, and they have rejected my law. 20 Wherefore do ye bring me frankincense from Saba, and cinnamon from a land afar off? your whole-burnt-offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices have not been pleasant to me. 21 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring weakness upon this people, and the fathers and sons shall be weak together; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.

22 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people comes from the north, and nations shall be stirred up from the end of the earth. 23 They shall lay hold on bow and spear; the people is fierce, and will have no mercy; their voice is as the roaring sea; they shall array themselves for war against thee as fire on horses and chariots, O daughter of Sion.

24 We have heard the report of them: our hands are weakened: anguish has seized us, the pangs as of a woman in travail. 25 Go not forth into the field, and walk not in the ways; for the sword of the enemy lingers round about. 26 O daughter of my people, gird thyself with sackcloth: sprinkle thyself with ashes; make for thyself pitiable lamentation, as the mourning for a beloved son: for misery will come suddenly upon you.

27 I have caused thee to be tried among tried nations, and thou shalt know me when I have tried their way. 28 They are all disobedient, walking perversely: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupted. 29 The bellows have failed from the fire, the lead has failed: the silversmith works at his trade in vain; their wickedness is not consumed. 30 Call ye them reprobate silver, because the Lord has rejected them.

7 2 Hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judea. 3 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Correct your ways and your devices, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Trust not in yourselves with lying words, for they shall not profit you at all, saying, It is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.

5 For if ye thoroughly correct your ways and your practices, and do indeed execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; 6 and oppress not the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, and go not after strange gods to your hurt: 7 then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land which I gave to your fathers of old and for ever.

8 But whereas ye have trusted in lying words, whereby ye shall not be profited; 9 and ye murder, and commit adultery, and steal, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and are gone after strange gods whom ye know not, 10 so that it is evil with you; yet have ye come, and stood before me in the house, whereon my name is called, and ye have said, We have refrained from doing all these abominations. 11 Is my house, whereon my name is called, a den of robbers in your eyes? And, behold, I have seen it, saith the Lord. 12 For go ye to my place which is in Selo, where I caused my name to dwell before, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel.

13 And now, because ye have done all these deeds, and I spoke to you, but ye hearkened not to me; and I called you, but ye answered not; 14 therefore I also will do to the house whereon my name is called, wherein ye trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Selo. 15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I cast away your brethren, all the seed of Ephraim.

16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, and intercede not for them to be pitied, yea, pray not, and approach me not for them: for I will not hearken unto thee. 17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 Their children gather wood, and their fathers kindle a fire, and their women knead dough, to make cakes to the host of heaven; and they have poured out drink-offerings to strange gods, that they might provoke me to anger. 19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the Lord: do they not provoke themselves, that their faces may be ashamed?

20 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, my anger and wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and upon the men, and upon the cattle, and upon every tree of their field, and upon the fruits of the land; and it shall burn, and not be quenched.

21 Thus saith the Lord, Gather your whole-burnt-offerings with your meat-offerings, and eat flesh. 22 For I spoke not to your fathers, and commanded them not in the day wherein I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, concerning whole-burnt-offerings and sacrifice: 23 but I commanded them this thing, saying, Hear ye my voice, and I will be to you a God, and ye shall be to me a people: and walk ye in all my ways, which I shall command you, that it may be well with you. 24 But they hearkened not to me, and their ear gave no heed, but they walked in the imaginations of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward; 25 from the day that their fathers went forth out of the land of Egypt, even until this day. And I sent to you all my servants, the prophets, by day and early in the morning: yea, I sent them, 26 but they hearkened not to me, and their ear gave no heed; and they made their neck harder than their fathers.

27 Therefore thou shalt speak this word to them; 28 This is the nation which has not hearkened to the voice of the Lord, nor received correction: truth has failed from their mouth.

29 Cut off thine hair, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on thy lips; for the Lord has reprobated and rejected the generation that does these things. 30 For the children of Juda have wrought evil before me, saith the Lord; they have set their abominations in the house on which my name is called, to defile it. 31 And they have built the altar of Tapheth, which is in the valley of the son of Ennom, to burn their sons and their daughters with fire; which I did not command them to do, neither did I design it in my heart.

32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when they shall no more say, The altar of Tapheth, and the valley of the son of Ennom, but, The valley of the slain; and they shall bury in Tapheth, for want of room. 33 And the dead bodies of this people shall be for food to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the earth; and there shall be none to drive them away. 34 And I will destroy out of the cities of Juda, and the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of them that make merry, and the voice of them that rejoice, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride; for the whole land shall become a desolation.

8 At that time, saith the Lord, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Juda, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves; 2 and they shall spread them out to the sun, and the moon, and to all the stars, and to all the host of heaven, which they have loved, and which they have served, and after which they have walked, and to which they have held, and which they have worshipped; they shall not be mourned for, nither shall they be buried; but they shall be for an example on the face of the earth, 3 because they chose death rather than life, even to all the remnant that are left of that family, in every place whither I shall drive them out.

4 For thus saith the Lord, Shall not he that falls arise? or he that turns away, shall he not turn back again? 5 Wherefore has this my people turned away with a shameless revolting, and strengthened themselves in their wilfulness, and refused to return? 6 Hearken, I pray you, and hear: will they not speak thus, There is no man that repents of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? the runner has failed from his course, as a tired horse in his neighing. 7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knows her time, also the turtle-dove and wild swallow; the sparrows observe the times of their coming in; but this my people knows not the judgments of the Lord.

8 How will ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? In vain have the scribes used a false pen. 9 The wise men are ashamed, and alarmed, and taken; because they have rejected the word of the Lord; what wisdom is there in them? 10 Therefore will I give their wives to others, and their fields to new inheritors; and they shall gather their fruits, saith the Lord.13 There are no grapes on the vines, and there are no figs on the fig-trees, and the leaves have fallen off.

14 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. 15 We assembled for peace, but there was no prosperity; for a time of healing, but behold anxiety.

16 We shall hear the neighing of his swift horses out of Dan: the whole land quaked at the sound of the neighing of his horses; and he shall come, and devour the land and the fulness of it; the city, and them that dwell in it. 17 For, behold, I send forth against you deadly serpents, which cannot be charmed, and they shall bite you 18 mortally with the pain of your distressed heart.

19 Behold, there is a sound of the cry of the daughter of my people from a land afar off: Is not the Lord in Sion? is there not a king there? because they have provoked me with their graven images, and with strange vanities. 20 The summer is gone, the harvest is past, and we are not saved.

21 For the breach of the daughter of my people I have been saddened: in my perplexity pangs have seized upon me as of a woman in travail. 22 And is there no balm in Galaad, or is there no physician there? why has not the healing of the daughter of my people taken place?

9 Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes? then would I weep for this my people day and night, even for the slain of the daughter of my people.

2 Who would give me a most distant lodge in the wilderness, that I might leave my people, and depart from them? for they all commit adultery, an assembly of treacherous men. 3 And they have bent their tongue like a bow: falsehood and not faithfulness has prevailed upon the earth; for they have gone on from evil to evil, and have not known me, saith the Lord. 4 Beware ye each of his neighbour, and trust ye not in your brethren: for every one will surely supplant, and every friend will walk craftily. 5 Every one will mock his friend; they will not speak truth: their tongue has learned to speak falsehoods; they have committed iniquity, they ceased not, so as to return. 6 There is usury upon usury, and deceit upon deceit: they would not know me, saith the Lord.

7 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will try them with fire, and prove them; for I will do thus because of the wickedness of the daughter of my people. 8 Their tongue is a wounding arrow; the words of their mouth are deceitful: one speaks peaceably to his neighbour, but in himself retains enmity. 9 Shall I not visit for these things? says the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a people as this? 10 Take up a lamentation for the mountains, and a mournful dirge for the paths of the wilderness, for they are desolate for want of men; they heard not the sound of life from the birds of the sky, nor the cattle: they were amazed, they are gone. 11 And I will remove the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and make it a dwelling-place of dragons; and I will utterly waste the cities of Juda, so that they shall not be inhabited.

12 Who is the wise man, that he may understand this? and he that has the word of the mouth of the Lord addressed to him, let him tell you wherefore the land has been destroyed, has been ravaged by fire like a desert, so that no one passes through it. 13 And the Lord said to me, Because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them, and have not hearkened to my voice; 14 but went after the lusts of their evil heart, and after the idols which their fathers taught them to worship: 15 therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them with trouble and will cause them to drink water of gall: 16 and I will scatter them among the nations, to them whom neither they nor their fathers knew; and I will send a sword upon them, until I have consumed them with it.

17 Thus saith the Lord, Call ye the mourning women, and let them come; and send to the wise women, and let them utter their voice; 18 and let them take up a lamentation for you, and let your eyes pour down tears, and your eyelids drop water. 19 For a voice of lamentation has been heard in Sion, How are we become wretched! we are greatly ashamed, for we have forsaken the land, and have abandoned our tabernacles! 20 Hear now, ye women, the word of God, and let your ears receive the words of his mouth, and teach your daughters lamentation, and every woman her neighbour a dirge. 21 For death has come up through your windows, it has entered into our land, to destroy the infants without, and the young men from the streets. 22 And the carcases of the men shall be for an example on the face of the field of your land, like grass after the mower, and there shall be none to gather them.

23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the strong man boast in his strength, and let not the rich man boast in his wealth; 24 but let him that boasts boast in this, the understanding and knowing that I am the Lord that exercise mercy, and judgment, and righteousness, upon the earth; for in these things is my pleasure, says the Lord.

25 Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will visit upon all the circumcised their uncircumcision; 26 on Egypt, and on Idumea, and on Edom, and on the children of Ammon, and on the children of Moab, and on every one that shaves his face round about, even them that dwell in the wilderness; for all the Gentiles are uncircumcised in flesh, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in their hearts.

10 Hear ye the word of the Lord, which he has spoken to you, O house of Israel.

2 Thus saith the Lord, Learn ye not the ways of the heathen, and be not alarmed at the signs of the sky, for they are alarmed at them, falling on their faces. 3 For the customs of the nations are vain; it is a tree cut out of the forest, the work of the carpenter, or a molten image. 4 They are beautified with silver and gold, they fix them with hammers and nails; 5 they will set them up that they may not move; it is wrought silver, they will not walk, it is forged silver 9 brought from Tharsis, gold will come from Mophaz, and the work of goldsmiths, they are all the works of craftsmen, they will clothe themselves with blue and scarlet. 5 They must certainly be borne, for they cannot ride of themselves. Fear them not; for they cannot do any evil, and there is no good in them.

11 Thus shall ye say to them, Let the gods which have not made heaven and earth perish from off the earth, and from under this sky. 12 It is the Lord that made the earth by his strength, who set up the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the sky, 13 and set abundance of waters in the sky, and brought up clouds from the ends of the earth; he made lightnings for the rain, and brought forth light out of his treasures. 14 Every man is deprived of knowledge, every goldsmith is confounded because of his graven images; for he has cast false gods, there is no breath in them. 15 They are vain works, wrought in mockery; in the time of their visitation they shall perish. 16 Such is not the portion of Jacob; for he that formed all things, he is his inheritance; the Lord is his name.

17 He has gathered thy substance from without that lodged in choice vessels. 18 For thus says the Lord, Behold, I will overthrow the inhabitants of this land with affliction, that thy plague may be discovered.

19 Alas for thy ruin! thy plague is grievous: and I said, Surely this is thy wound, and it has overtaken thee. 20 Thy tabernacle is in a ruinous state, it has perished; and all thy curtains have been torn asunder: my children and my cattle are no more: there is no more any place for my tabernacle, nor place for my curtains. 21 For the shepherds have become foolish, and have not sought the Lord; therefore the whole pasture has failed, and the sheep have been scattered. 22 Behold, there comes a sound of a noise, and a great earthquake from the land of the north, to make the cities of Juda a desolation, and a resting-place for ostriches.

23 I know, O Lord, that man’s way is not his own; neither shall a man go, and direct his going. 24 Chasten us, O Lord, but with judgment; and not in wrath, lest thou make us few. 25 Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that have not known thee, and upon the families that have not called upon thy name: for they have devoured Jacob, and consumed him, and have made his pasture desolate.

11 The word that came to Jeremias from the Lord, saying,

2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and thou shalt speak to the men of Juda, and to the dwellers in Jerusalem; 3 and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Cursed is the man, who shall not hearken to the words of this covenant, 4 which I commanded your fathers, in the day wherein I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, saying, Hearken to my voice, and do all things that I shall command you; so shall ye be to me a people, and I will be to you a God; 5 that I may confirm mine oath, which I sware to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then I answered and said, So be it, O Lord. 6 And the Lord said to me, Read these words in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them. 8 But they did them not.

9 And the Lord said to me, A conspiracv is found among the men of Juda, and among the dwellers in Jerusalem. 10 They are turned aside to the iniquities of their fathers that were of old, who would not hearken to my words: and, behold, they go after strange gods, to serve them: and the house of Israel and the house of Juda have broken my covenant, which I made with their fathers.

11 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I bring evils upon this people, out of which they shall not be able to come forth; and they shall presently cry to me, but I will not hearken to them. 12 And the cities of Juda and the dwellers in Jerusalem shall go, and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense; which shall not deliver them in the time of their troubles. 13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Juda; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to burn incense to Baal.

14 And thou, pray not for this people, and intercede not for them in supplication and prayer: for I will not hear in the day in which they call upon me, in the day of their affliction. 15 Why has my beloved wrought abomination in my house? will prayers and holy offerings take away thy wickedness from thee, or shalt thou escape by these things? 16 The Lord called thy name a fair olive tree, of a goodly shade in appearance, at the noise of its being lopped, fire was kindled against it; great is the affliction coming upon thee: her branches are become good for nothing. 17 And the Lord that planted thee has pronounced evils against thee, because of the iniquity of the house of Israel and the house of Juda, whatsoever they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger by burning incense to Baal.

18 O Lord, teach me, and I shall know: then I saw their practices. 19 But I as an innocent lamb led to the slaughter, knew not: against me they devised an evil device, saying, Come and let us put wood into his bread, and let us utterly destroy him from off the land of the living, and let his name not be remembered any more. 20 O Lord, that judgest righteously, trying the reins and hearts, let me see thy vengeance taken upon them, for to thee I have declared my cause.

21 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, that seek my life, that say, Thou shalt not prophesy at all in the name of the Lord, but if thou dost, thou shalt die by our hands: 22 behold, I will visit them: their young men shall die by the sword; and their sons and their daughters shall die of famine: 23 and there shall be no remnant left of them; for I will bring evil upon the dwellers in Anathoth, in the year of their visitation.

12 Righteous art thou, O Lord, that I may make my defence to thee, yea, I will speak to thee of judgments. Why is it that the way of ungodly men prospers? that all that deal very treacherously are flourishing? 2 Thou hast planted them, and they have taken root; they have begotten children, and become fruitful; thou art near to their mouth, and far from their reins. 3 But thou, Lord, knowest me; thou hast proved my heart before thee; purify them for the day of their slaughter. 4 How long shall the land mourn, and the grass of the field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell in it? the beasts and birds are utterly destroyed; because the people said, God shall not see our ways.

5 Thy feet run, and they cause thee to faint; how wilt thou prepare to ride upon horses? and thou hast been confident in the land of thy peace? how wilt thou do in the roaring of Jordan? 6 For even thy brethren and the house of thy father, even these have dealt treacherously with thee; and they have cried out, they are gathered together in pursuit of thee; trust not thou in them, though they shall speak fair words to thee.

7 I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given my beloved one into the hands of her enemies. 8 My inheritance has become to me as a lion in a forest; she has uttered her voice against me; therefore have I hated her. 9 Is not my inheritance to me a hyæna’s cave, or a cave round about her? Go ye, gather together all the wild beasts of the field, and let them come to devour her.

10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have defiled my portion, they have made my desirable portion a trackless wilderness; 11 it is made a complete ruin: for my sake the whole land has been utterly ruined, because there is none that lays the matter to heart. 12 The ravagers are come to every passage in the wilderness: for the sword of the Lord will devour from one end of the land to the other: no flesh has any peace. 13 Sow wheat, and reap thorns; their portions shall not profit them: be ashamed of your boasting, because of reproach before the Lord.

14 For thus saith the Lord concerning all the evil neighbours that touch mine inheritance, which I have divided to my people Israel; Behold, I will draw them away from their land, and I will cast out Juda from the midst of them.

15 And it shall come to pass, after I have cast them out, that I will return, and have mercy upon them, and will cause them to dwell every one in his inheritance, and every one in his land. 16 And it shall be, if they will indeed learn the way of my people, to swear by my name, saying, The Lord lives; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall that nation be built in the midst of my people. 17 But if they will not return, then will I cut off that nation with utter ruin and destruction.

13 Thus saith the Lord, Go and procure for thyself a linen girdle, and put it about thy loins, and let it not be put in water. 2 So I procured the girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it about my loins. 3 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 4 Take the girdle that is upon thy loins, and arise, and go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. 5 So I went, and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. 6 And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said to me, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take thence the girdle, which I commanded thee to hide there. 7 So I went to the river Euphrates, and dug, and took the girdle out of the place where I had buried it: and, behold, it was rotten, utterly good for nothing.

8 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, 9 Thus will I mar the pride of Juda, and the pride of Jerusalem; 10 even this great pride of the men that will not hearken to my words, and have gone after strange gods, to serve them, and to worship them: and they shall be as this girdle, which can be used for nothing. 11 For as a girdle cleaves about the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave to myself the house of Israel, and the whole house of Juda; that they might be to me a famous people, and a praise, and a glory: but they did not hearken to me.

12 And thou shalt say to this people, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and it shall come to pass, if they shall say to thee, Shall we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine? that thou shalt say to them, 13 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will fill the inhabitants of this land, and their kings the sons of David that sit upon their throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and Juda and all the dwellers in Jerusalem, with strong drink. 14 And I will scatter them a man and his brother, and their fathers and their sons together: I will not have compassion, saith the Lord, and I will not spare, neither will I pity to save them from destruction.

15 Hear ye, and give ear, and be not proud: for the Lord has spoken. 16 Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and ye shall wait for light, and behold the shadow of death, and they shall be brought into darkness. 17 But if ye will not hearken, your soul shall weep in secret because of pride, and your eyes shall pour down tears, because the Lord’s flock is sorely bruised.

18 Say ye to the king and the princes, Humble yourselves, and sit down; for your crown of glory is removed from your head. 19 The cities toward the south were shut, and there was none to open them: Juda is removed into captivity, they have suffered a complete removal. 20 Lift up thine eyes, O Jerusalem, and behold them that come from the north; where is the flock that was given thee, the sheep of thy glory? 21 What wilt thou say when they shall visit thee, for thou didst teach them lessons for rule against thyself; shall not pangs seize thee as a woman in travail? 22 And if thou shouldest say in thine heart, Wherefore have these things happened to me? Because of the abundance of thine iniquity have thy skirts been discovered, that thine heels might be exposed.

23 If the Ethiopian shall change his skin, or the leopardess her spots, then shall ye be able to do good, having learnt evil. 24 So I scattered them as sticks carried by the wind into the wilderness. 25 Thus is thy lot, and the reward of your disobedience to me, saith the Lord; as thou didst forget me, and trust in lies, 26 I also will expose thy skirts upon thy face, and thy shame shall be seen; 27 thine adultery also, and thy neighing, and the looseness of thy fornication: on the hills and in the fields I have seen thine abominations. Woe to thee, 0 Jerusalem, for thou hast not been purified so as to follow me; how long yet shall it be?

14 AND THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JEREMIAS CONCERNING THE DROUGHT.

2 Judea has mourned, and her gates are emptied, and are darkened upon the earth; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. 3 And her nobles have sent their little ones to the water: they came to the wells, and found no water: and brought back their vessels empty. 4 And the labours of the land failed, because there was no rain: the husbandmen were ashamed, they covered their heads. 5 And hinds calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass. 6 The wild asses stood by the forests, and snuffed up the wind; their eyes failed, because there was no grass.

7 Our sins have risen up against us: O Lord, do thou for us for thine own sake; for our sins are many before thee; for we have sinned against thee. 8 O Lord, thou art the hope of Israel, and deliverest us in time of troubles; why art thou become as a sojourner upon the land, or as one born in the land, yet turning aside for a resting-place? 9 Wilt thou be as a man asleep, or as a strong man that cannot save? yet thou art among us, O Lord, and thy name is called upon us; forget us not.

10 Thus saith the Lord to this people, They have loved to wander, and they have not spared, therefore God has not prospered them; now will he remember their iniquity. 11 And the Lord said to me, Pray not for this people for their good: 12 for though they fast, I will not hear their supplication; and though they offer whole-burnt-offerings and sacrifices, I will take no pleasure in them: for I will consume them with sword, and with famine, and with pestilence.

13 And I said, O ever living Lord! behold, their prophets prophesy, and say, Ye shall not see a sword, nor shall famine be among you; for I will give truth and peace on the land, and in this place.

14 Then the Lord said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, and I commanded them not, and I spoke not to them: for they prophesy to you false visions, and divinations, and auguries, and devices of their own heart. 15 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy lies in my name, and I sent them not, who say, Sword and famine shall not be upon this land; they shall die by a grievous death, and the prophets shall be consumed by famine. 16 And the people to whom they prophesy, they also shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, because of the sword and famine; and there shall be none to bury them: their wives also, and their sons, and their daughters shall die thus; and I will pour out their wickedness upon them.

17 And thou shalt speak this word to them; Let your eyes shed tears day and night, and let them not cease: for the daughter of my people has been sorely bruised, and her plague is very grievous. 18 If I go forth into the plain, then behold the slain by the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold the distress of famine! for priest and prophet have gone to a land which they knew not.

19 Hast thou utterly rejected Juda? and has thy soul departed from Sion? wherefore hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we waited for peace, but there was no prosperity; for a time of healing, and behold trouble! 20 We know, O Lord, our sins, and the iniquities of our fathers: for we have sinned before thee. 21 Refrain for thy name’s sake, destroy not the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us. 22 Is there any one among the idols of the Gentiles that can give rain? and will the sky yield his fulness at their bidding? Art not thou he? we will even wait on thee, O Lord: for thou hast made all these things.

15 And the Lord said to me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before my face, my soul could not be toward them: dismiss this people, and let them go forth. 2 And it shall be, if they say to thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord; As many as are for death, to death; and as many as are for famine, to famine; and as many as are for the sword, to the sword; and as many as are for captivity, to captivity. 3 And I will punish them with four kinds of death, saith the Lord, the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the wild beasts of the earth, and the birds of the sky to devour and destroy. 4 And I will deliver them up for distress to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasses son of Ezekias king of Juda, for all that he did in Jerusalem.

5 Who will spare thee, O Jerusalem? and who will fear for thee? or who will turn back to ask for thy welfare? 6 Thou hast turned away from me, saith the Lord, thou wilt go back: therefore I will stretch out my hand, and will destroy thee, and will no more spare them. 7 And I will completely scatter them; in the gates of my people they are bereaved of children: they have destroyed my people because of their iniquities.

8 Their widows have been multiplied more than the sand of the sea: I have brought young men against the mother, even distress at noon-day: I have suddenly cast upon her trembling and anxiety. 9 She that bore seven is spent; her soul has fainted under trouble; her sun is gone down while it is yet noon; she is ashamed and disgraced: I will give the remnant of them to the sword before their enemies.

10 Woe is me, my mother! thou hast born me as some man of strife, and at variance with the whole earth; I have not helped others, nor has any one helped me; my strength has failed among them that curse me. 11 Be it so, Lord, in their prosperity; surely I stood before thee in the time of their calamities, and in the time of their affliction, for their good against the enemy. 12 Will iron be known? whereas thy strength is a brazen covering. 13 Yea, I will give thy treasures for a spoil as a recompence, because of all thy sins, and that in all thy borders. 14 And I will enslave thee to thine enemies round about, in a land which thou hast not known; for a fire has been kindled out of my wrath; it shall burn upon you.

15 O Lord, remember me, and visit me, and vindicate me before them that persecute me; do not bear long with them; know how I have met with reproach for thy sake, from those who set at nought thy words; 16 consume them; and thy word shall be to me for the joy and gladness of my heart: for thy name has been called upon me, O Lord Almighty. 17 I have not sat in the assembly of them as they mocked, but I feared because of thy power: I sat alone, for I was filled with bitterness.

18 Why do they that grieve me prevail against me? my wound is severe; whence shall I be healed? it is indeed become to me as deceitful water, that has no faithfulness.

19 Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou wilt return, then will I restore thee, and thou shalt stand before my face: and if thou wilt bring forth the precious from the worthless, thou shalt be as my mouth: and they shall return to thee; but thou shalt not return to them. 20 And I will make thee to this people as a strong brazen wall; and they shall fight against thee, but they shall by no means prevail against thee; 21 for I am with thee to save thee, and to deliver thee out of the hand of wicked men; and I will ransom thee out of the hand of pestilent men.

16 And thou shalt not take a wife, saith the Lord God of Israel: 2 and there shall be no son born to thee, nor daughter in this place. 3 For thus saith the Lord concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that have born them, and concerning their fathers that have begotten them in this land; 4 They shall die of grievous death; they shall not be lamented, nor buried; they shall be for an example on the face of the earth; and they shall be for the wild beasts of the land, and for the birds of the sky: they shall fall by the sword, and shall be consumed with famine.

5 Thus saith the Lord, Enter not into their mourning feast, and go not to lament, and mourn not for them: for I have removed my peace from this people. 6 They shall not bewail them, nor make cuttings for them, and they shall not shave themselves for them: 7 and there shall be no bread broken in mourning for them for consolation over the dead: they shall not give one to drink a cup for consolation over his father or his mother.

8 Thou shalt not enter into the banquet-house, to sit with them to eat and to drink. 9 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will make to cease out of this place before your eyes, and in your days, the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.

10 And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt report to this people all these words, and they shall say to thee, Wherefore has the Lord pronounced against us all these evils? what is our unrighteousness? and what is our sin which we have sinned before the Lord our God? 11 Then thou shalt say to them, Because your fathers forsook me, saith the Lord, and went after strange gods and served them, and worshipped them, and forsook me, and kept not my law; 12 (and ye sinned worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the lusts of your own evil heart, so as not to hearken to me); 13 therefore I will cast you off from this good land into a land which neither ye nor your fathers have known; and ye shall serve there other gods, who shall have no mercy upon you.

14 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when they shall no more say, The Lord lives, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 15 but, The Lord lives, who brought up the house of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the countries whither they were thrust out: and I will restore them to their own land, which I gave to their fathers.

16 Behold, I will send many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send many hunters, and they shall hunt them upon every mountain, and upon every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. 17 For mine eyes are upon all their ways; and their iniquities have not been hidden from mine eyes. 18 And I will recompense their mischiefs doubly, and their sins, whereby they have profaned my land with the carcases of their abominations, and with their iniquities, whereby they have trespassed against mine inheritance.

19 O Lord, thou art my strength, and mine help, and my refuge in days of evil: to thee the Gentiles shall come from the end of the earth, and shall say, How vain were the idols which our fathers procured to themselves, and there is no help in them. 20 Will a man make gods for himself, whereas these are no gods? 21 Therefore, behold, I will at this time manifest my hand to them, and will make known to them my power; and they shall know that my name is Lord.

17 5 Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and will lean his arm of flesh upon him, while his heart departs from the Lord. 6 And he shall be as the wild tamarisk in the desert: he shall not see when good comes; but he shall dwell in barren places, and in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord shall be. 8 And he shall be as a thriving tree by the waters, and he shall cast forth his root toward a moist place: he shall not fear when heat comes, and there shall be upon him shady branches: he shall not fear in a year of drought, and he shall not fail to bear fruit.

9 The heart is deep beyond all things, and it is the man, and who can know him? 10 I the Lord try the hearts, and prove the reins, to give to every one according to his ways, and according to the fruits of his devices.

11 The partridge utters her voice, she gathers eggs which she did not lay; so is a man gaining his wealth unjustly; in the midst of his days his riches shall leave him, and at his latter end he will be a fool.

12 An exalted throne of glory is our sanctuary. 13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, let all that have left thee be ashamed, let them that have revolted be written on the earth, because they have forsaken the fountain of life, the Lord.

14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou art my boast.

15 Behold, they say to me, Where is the word of the Lord? let it come. 16 But I have not been weary of following thee, nor have I desired the day of man; thou knowest; the words that proceed out of my lips are before thy face. 17 Be not to me a stranger, but spare me in the evil day. 18 Let them that persecute me be ashamed, but let me not be ashamed: let them be alarmed, but let me not be alarmed: bring upon them the evil day, crush them with double destruction.

19 Thus saith the Lord; Go and stand in the gates of the children of thy people, by which the kings of Juda enter, and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and thou shalt say to them, Hear the word of the Lord, ye kings of Juda, and all Judea, and all Jerusalem, all who go in at these gates: 21 thus saith the Lord; Take heed to your souls, and take up no burdens on the sabbath-day, and go not forth through the gates of Jerusalem; 22 and carry forth no burdens out of your houses on the sabbath-day, and ye shall do no work: sanctify the sabbath-day, as I commanded your fathers. 23 But they hearkened not, and inclined not their ear, but stiffened their neck more than their fathers did, so as not to hear me, and not to receive correction.

24 And it shall come to pass, if ye will hearken to me, saith the Lord, to carry in no burdens through the gates of this city on the sabbath-day, and to sanctify the sabbath-day, so as to do no work upon it, 25 that there shall enter through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, and riding on their chariots and horses, they, and their princes, the men of Juda, and the dwellers in Jerusalem: and this city shall be inhabited for ever. 26 And men shall come out of the cities of Juda, and from round about Jerusalem, and out of the land of Benjamin, and out of the plain country, and from the hill country, and from the south country, bringing whole-burnt-offerings, and sacrifices, and incense, and manna, and frankincense, bringing praise to the house of the Lord.

27 But it shall come to pass, if ye will not hearken to me to sanctify the sabbath-day, to bear no burdens, nor go in with them by the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath-day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the streets of Jerusalem, and shall not be quenched.

18 The word that came from the Lord to 2 Jeremias, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there thou shalt hear my words. 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was making a vessel on the stones. 4 And the vessel which he was making with his hands fell: so he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good to him to make it. 5 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

6 Shall I not be able, O house of Israel, to do to you as this potter? behold, as the clay of the potter are ye in my hands. 7 If I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation, or upon a kingdom, to cut them off, and to destroy them; 8 and that nation turn from all their sins, then will I repent of the evils which I purposed to do to them. 9 And if I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation and kingdom, to rebuild and to plant it; 10 and they do evil before me, so as not to hearken to my voice, then will I repent of the good which I spoke of, to do it to them.

11 And now say to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Behold, I prepare evils against you, and devise a device against you: let every one turn now from his evil way, and amend your practices. 12 And they said, We will quit ourselves like men, for we will pursue our perverse ways, and we will perform each the lusts of his evil heart.

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Enquire now among the nations, who has heard such very horrible things as the virgin of Israel has done? 14 Will fertilising streams fail to flow from a rock, or snow fail from Libanus? will water violently impelled by the wind turn aside? 15 For my people have forgotten me, they have offered incense in vain, and they fail in their ways, leaving the ancient tracks, to enter upon impassable paths; 16 to make their land a desolation, and a perpetual hissing; all that go through it shall be amazed, and shall shake their heads. 17 I will scatter them before their enemies like an east wind; I will show them the day of their destruction.

18 Then they said, Come, and let us devise a device against Jeremias; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and we will hear all his words.

19 Hear me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my pleading. 20 Forasmuch as evil is rewarded for good; for they have spoken words against my soul, and they have hidden the punishment they meant for me; remember that I stood before thy face, to speak good for them, to turn away thy wrath from them. 21 Therefore do thou deliver their sons to famine, and gather them to the power of the sword: let their women be childless and widows; and let their men be cut off by death, and their young men fall by the sword in war. 22 Let there be a cry in their houses: thou shalt bring upon them robbers suddenly: for they have formed a plan to take me, and have hidden snares for me.

23 And thou, Lord, knowest all their deadly counsel against me: account not their iniquities guiltless, and blot not out their sins from before thee: let their weakness come before thee; deal with them in the time of thy wrath.

19 Then said the Lord to me, Go and get an earthen bottle, the work of the potter, and thou shalt bring some of the elders of the people, and of the priests; 2 and thou shalt go forth to the burial-place of the sons of their children, which is at the entrance of the gate of Charsith; and do thou read there all these words which I shall speak to thee: 3 and thou shalt say to them,

Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of Juda, and men of Juda, and the dwellers in Jerusalem, and they that enter in by these gates; thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, so that the ears of every one that hears it shall tingle. 4 Because they forsook me, and profaned this place, and burnt incense in it to strange gods, which they and their fathers knew not; and the kings of Juda have filled this place with innocent blood, 5 and built high places for Baal, to burn their children in the fire, which things I commanded not, neither did I design them in my heart:

6 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when this place shall no more be called, The fall and burial-place of the son of Ennom, but, The burial-place of slaughter. 7 And I will destroy the counsel of Juda and the counsel of Jerusalem in this place; and I will cast them down with the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the sky and to the wild beasts of the earth. 8 And I will bring this city to desolation and make it a hissing; every one that passes by it shall scowl, and hiss because of all her plague. 9 And they shall eat the flesh of their sons, and the flesh of their daughters; and they shall eat every one the flesh of his neighbour in the blockade, and in the siege wherewith their enemies shall besiege them.

10 And thou shalt break the bottle in the sight of the men that go forth with thee, 11 and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord, Thus will I break in pieces this people, and this city, even as an earthen vessel is broken in pieces which cannot be mended again. 12 Thus will I do, saith the Lord, to this place, and to the inhabitants of it, that this city may be given up, as one that is falling to ruin. 13 And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Juda shall be as a ruinous place, because of their uncleannesses in all the houses, wherein they burnt incense upon their roofs to all the host of heaven, and poured drink-offerings to strange gods.

14 And Jeremias came from the place of the Fall, whither the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the Lord’s house; and said to all the people, Thus saith the Lord; 15 Behold, I bring upon this city, and upon all the cities belonging to it, and upon the villages of it, all the evils which I have spoken against it, because they have hardened their neck, that they might not hearken to my commands.

20 Now Paschor the son of Emmer, the priest, who also had been appointed chief of the house of the Lord, heard Jeremias prophesying these words. 2 And he smote him, and cast him into the dungeon which was by the gate of the upper house that was set apart, which was by the house of the Lord.

3 And Paschor brought Jeremias out of the dungeon: and Jeremias said to him, The Lord has not called thy name Paschor, but Exile. 4 For thus saith the Lord, Behold I will give thee up to captivity with all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall see it: and I will give thee and all Juda into the hands of the king of Babylon, and they shall carry them captives, and cut them in pieces with swords. 5 And I will give all the strength of this city, and all the labours of it, and all the treasures of the king of Juda, into the hands of his enemies, and they shall bring them to Babylon. 6 And thou and all the dwellers in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt die in Babylon, and there thou and all thy friends shall be buried, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.

7 Thou hast deceived me, O Lord, and I have been deceived: thou hast been strong, and hast prevailed: I am become a laughing-stock, I am continually mocked every day. 8 For I will laugh with my bitter speech, I will call upon rebellion and misery: for the word of the Lord is become a reproach to me and a mockery all my days. 9 Then I said, I will by no means name the name of the Lord, and I will no more at all speak in his name. But it was as burning fire flaming in my bones, and I am utterly weakened on all sides, and cannot bear up. 10 For I have heard the reproach of many gathering round, saying, Conspire ye, and let us conspire together against him, even all his friends: watch his intentions, if perhaps he shall be deceived, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall be avenged on him.

11 But the Lord was with me as a mighty man of war: therefore they persecuted me; but could not perceive anything against me, they were greatly confounded, for they perceived not their disgrace, which shall never be forgotten.

12 O Lord, that provest just deeds, understanding the reins and hearts, let me see thy vengeance upon them: for to thee I have revealed my cause. 13 Sing ye to the Lord, sing praise to him: for he has rescued the soul of the poor from the hand of evil-doers.

14 Cursed be the day wherein I was born: the day wherein my mother brought me forth, let it not be blessed. 15 Cursed be the man who brought the glad tidings to my father, saying, A male child is born to thee. 16 Let that man rejoice as the cities which the Lord overthrew in wrath, and repented not: let him hear crying in the morning, and loud lamentation at noon; 17 because he slew me not in the womb, and my mother became not my tomb, and her womb always great with me. 18 Why is it that I came forth of the womb to see troubles and distresses, and my days are spent in shame?

21 THE WORD THAT CAME FROM THE LORD TO JEREMIAS, WHEN KING SEDEKIAS SENT TO HIM PASCHOR THE SON OF MELCHIAS, AND SOPHONIAS SON OF BASÆAS, THE PRIEST, SAYING,

2 Enquire of the Lord for us; for the king of Babylon has risen up against us; if the Lord will do according to all his wonderful works, and the king shall depart from us.

3 And Jeremias said to them, Thus shall ye say to Sedekias king of Juda, 4 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war wherewith ye fight against the Chaldeans that have besieged you from outside the wall, and I will gather them into the midst of this city. 5 And I will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, with wrath and great anger. 6 And I will smite all the dwellers in this city, both men and cattle, with grievous pestilence: and they shall die. 7 And after this, thus saith the Lord; I will give Sedekias king of Juda, and his servants, and the people that is left in this city from the pestilence, and from the famine, and from the sword, into the hands of their enemies, that seek their lives: and they shall cut them in pieces with the edge of the sword: I will not spare them, and I will not have compassion upon them.

8 And thou shalt say to this people, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I have set before you the way of life, and the way of death. 9 He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, and by famine: but he that goes forth to advance to the Chaldeans that have besieged you, shall live, and his life shall be to him for a spoil, and he shall live. 10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good: it shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall consume it with fire.

11 O house of the king of Juda, hear ye the word of the Lord. 12 O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Judge judgment in the morning, and act rightly, and rescue the spoiled one from the hand of him that wrongs him, lest mine anger be kindled like fire, and it burn, and there be none to quench it. 13 Behold, I am against thee that dwellest in the valley of Sor; in the plain country, even against them that say, Who shall alarm us? or who shall enter into our habitation? 14 And I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.

22 Thus saith the Lord; Go thou, and go down to the house of the king of Juda, and thou shalt speak there this word, 2 and thou shalt say,

Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Juda, that sittest on the throne of David, thou, and thy house, and thy people, and they that go in at these gates: 3 thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and justice, and rescue the spoiled out of the hand of him that wrongs him: and oppress not the stranger, and orphan, and widow, and sin not, and shed no innocent blood in this place. 4 For if ye will indeed perform this word, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, and riding on chariots and horses, they, and their servants, and their people. 5 But if ye will not perform these words, by myself have I sworn, says the Lord, that this house shall be brought to desolation.

6 For thus saith the Lord concerning the house of the king of Juda; Thou art Galaad to me, and the head of Libanus: yet surely I will make thee a desert, even cities that shall not be inhabited: 7 and I will bring upon thee a destroying man, and his axe: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. 8 And nations shall pass through this city, and each shall say to his neighbour, Why has the Lord done thus to this great city? 9 And they shall say, Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped strange gods, and served them.

10 Weep not for the dead, nor lament for him: weep bitterly for him that goes away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native land. 11 For thus says the Lord concerning Sellem the son of Josias, who reigns in the place of Josias his father, who has gone forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more: 12 but in that place whither I have carried him captive, there shall he die, and shall see this land no more.

13 He that builds his house not with justice, and his upper chambers not with judgment, who works by means of his neighbour for nothing, and will by no means give him his reward. 14 Thou hast built for thyself a well-proportioned house, airy chambers, fitted with windows, and wainscoted with cedar, and painted with vermilion. 15 Shalt thou reign, because thou art provoked with thy father Achaz? they shall not eat, and they shall not drink: it is better for thee to execute judgment and justice. 16 They understood not, they judged not the cause of the afflicted, nor the cause of the poor: is not this thy not knowing me? saith the Lord. 17 Behold, thine eyes are not good, nor thine heart, but they go after thy covetousness, and after the innocent blood to shed it, and after acts of injustice and slaughter, to commit them.

18 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Joakim son of Josias, king of Juda, even concerning this man; they shall not bewail him, saying, Ah brother! neither shall they at all weep for him, saying, Alas Lord. 19 He shall be buried with the burial of an ass; he shall be dragged roughly along and cast outside the gate of Jerusalem.

20 Go up to Libanus, and cry; and utter thy voice to Basan, and cry aloud to the extremity of the sea: for all thy lovers are destroyed. 21 I spoke to thee on occasion of thy trespass, but thou saidst, I will not hearken. This has been thy way from thy youth, thou hast not hearkened to my voice. 22 The wind shall tend all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; for then shalt thou be ashamed and disgraced because of all thy lovers. 23 O thou that dwellest in Libanus, making thy nest in the cedars, thou shalt groan heavily, when pangs as of a travailing woman are come upon thee.

24 As I live, saith the Lord, though Jechonias son of Joakim king of Juda were indeed the seal upon my right hand, thence would I pluck thee; 25 and I will deliver thee into the hands of them that seek thy life, before whom thou art afraid, into the hands of the Chaldeans. 26 And I will cast forth thee, and thy mother that bore thee, into a land where thou wast not born; and there ye shall die. 27 But they shall by no means return to the land which they long for in their souls. 28 Jechonias is dishonoured as a good-for-nothing vessel; for he is thrown out and cast forth into a land which he knew not.

29 Land, land, hear the word of the Lord, 30 Write ye this man an outcast: for there shall none of his seed at all grow up to sit on the throne of David, or as a prince yet in Juda.

23 Woe to the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of their pasture! 2 Therefore thus saith the Lord against them that tend my people; Ye have scattered my sheep, and driven them out, and ye have not visited them: behold, I will take vengeance upon you according to your evil practices. 3 And I will gather in the remnant of my people in every land, whither I have driven them out, and will set them in their pasture; and they shall increase and be multiplied. 4 And I will raise up shepherds to them, who shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be alarmed, saith the Lord.

5 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and understand, and shall execute judgment and righteousness on the earth. 6 In his days both Juda shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell securely: and this is his name, which the Lord shall call him, Josedec among the prophets.

9 My heart is broken within me; all my bones are shaken: I am become as a broken-down man, and as a man overcome with wine, because of the Lord, and because of the excellence of his glory. 10 For because of these things the land mourns; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up; and their course is become evil, and so also their strength. 11 For priest and prophet are defiled; and I have seen their iniquities in my house. 12 Therefore let their way be to them slippery and dark: and they shall be tripped up and fall in it: for I will bring evils upon them, in the year of their visitation.

13 And in the prophets of Samaria I have seen lawless deeds; they prophesied by Baal, and led my people Israel astray. 14 Also in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen horrible things: as they committed adultery, and walked in lies, and strengthened the hands of many, that they should not return each from his evil way: they are all become to me as Sodoma, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrha.

15 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will feed them with pain, and give them bitter water to drink: for from the prophets of Jerusalem has defilement gone forth into all the land.

16 Thus saith the Lord Almighty, Hearken not to the words of the prophets: for they frame a vain vision for themselves; they speak from their own heart, and not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They say to them that reject the word of the Lord, There shall be peace to you; and to all that walk after their own lusts, and to every one that walks in the error of his heart, they have said, No evil shall come upon thee. 18 For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, and seen his word? who has hearkened, and heard? 19 Behold, there is an earthquake from the Lord, and anger proceeds to a convulsion, it shall come violently upon the ungodly. 20 And the Lord’s wrath shall return no more, until he have accomplished it, and until he have established it, according to the purpose of his heart: at the end of the days they shall understand it.

21 I sent not the prophets, yet they ran: neither spoke I to them, yet they prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and if they had hearkened to my words, then would they have turned my people from their evil practices.

23 I am a God nigh at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off. 24 Shall any one hide himself in secret places, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.

25 I have heard what the prophets say, what they prophesy in my name, saying falsely, I have seen a night vision. 26 How long shall these things be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, when they prophesy the purposes of their own heart? 27 Who devise that men may forget my law by their dreams, which they have told every one to his neighbour, as their fathers forgot my name in the worship of Baal. 28 The prophet who has a dream, let him tell his dream; and he in whom is my word spoken to him, let him tell my word truly: what is the chaff to the corn? so are my words, saith the Lord. 29 Behold, are not my words as fire? says the Lord; and as an axe cutting the rock?

30 Behold, I am therefore against the prophets, saith the Lord God, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets that put forth prophecies of mere words, and slumber their sleep. 32 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets that prophesy false dreams, and have not told them truly, and have caused my people to err by their lies, and by their errors; yet I sent them not, and commanded them not; therefore, they shall not profit this people at all.

33 And if this people, or the priest, or the prophet, should ask, What is the burden of the Lord? then thou shalt say to them, Ye are the burden, and I will dash you down, saith the Lord. 34 As for the prophet, and the priests, and the people, who shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even take vengeance on that man, and on his house. 35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What has the Lord answered? and, what has the Lord said? 36 And do ye name no more the burden of the Lord; for his own word shall be a man’s burden. 37 But wherefore, say ye, has the Lord our God spoken? 38 Therefore thus says the Lord our God; Because ye have spoken this word, The burden of the Lord, and I sent to you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord; 39 therefore, behold, I will seize, and dash down you and the city which I gave to you and your fathers. 40 And I will bring upon you an everlasting reproach, and everlasting disgrace, which shall not be forgotten.

7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when they shall no more say, The Lord lives, who brought up the house of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 8 but The Lord lives, who has gathered the whole seed of Israel from the north land, and from all the countries whither he had driven them out, and has restored them into their own land.

24 The Lord shewed me two baskets of figs, lying in front of the temple of the Lord, after Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried captive Jechonias son of Joakim king of Juda, and the princes, and the artificers, and the prisoners, and the rich men out of Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. 2 The one basket was full of very good figs, as the early figs; and the other basket was full of very bad figs, which could not be eaten, for their badness. 3 And the Lord said to me, What seest thou Jeremias? and I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, for their badness.

4 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; As these good figs, so will I acknowledge the Jews that have been carried away captive, whom I have sent forth out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for good. 6 And I will fix mine eyes upon them for good, and I will restore them into this land for good: and I will build them up, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

7 And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be to me a people, and I will be to them a God: for they shall turn to me with all their heart.

8 And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, for their badness; thus saith the Lord, so will I deliver Sedekias king of Juda, and his nobles, and the remnant of Jerusalem, them that are left in this land, and the dwellers in Egypt. 9 And I will cause them to be dispersed into all the kingdoms of the earth, and they shall be for a reproach, and a proverb, and an object of hatred, and a curse, in every place whither I have driven them out. 10 And I will send against them famine, and pestilence, and the sword, until they are consumed from off the land which I gave them.

25 THE WORD THAT CAME TO JEREMIAS concerning all the people of Juda in the fourth year of Joakim, son of Josias, king of Juda; 2 which he spoke to all the people of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

3 In the thirteenth year of Josias, son of Amos, king of Juda, even until this day for three and twenty years, I have both spoken to you, rising early and speaking, 4 and I sent to you my servants the prophets, sending them early; (but ye hearkened not, and listened not with your ears;) saying, 5 Turn ye every one from his evil way, and from your evil practices, and ye shall dwell in the land which I gave to you and your fathers, of old and for ever. 6 Go ye not after strange gods, to serve them, and to worship them, that ye provoke me not by the works of your hands, to do you hurt. 7 But ye hearkened not to me.

8 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Since ye believed not my words, 9 behold, I will send and take a family from the north, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants of it, and against all the nations round about it, and I will make them utterly waste, and make them a desolation, and a hissing, and an everlasting reproach. 10 And I will destroy from among them the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the scent of ointment, and the light of a candle. 11 And all the land shall be a desolation; and they shall serve among the Gentiles seventy years.

12 And when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will take vengeance on that nation, and will make them a perpetual desolation. 13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have spoken against it, even all things that are written in this book.

34 THE PROPHECIES OF JEREMIAS AGAINST THE NATIONS OF ÆLAM.

35 Thus saith the Lord, The bow of Ælam is broken, even the chief of their power. 36 And I will bring upon Ælam the four winds from the four corners of heaven, and I will disperse them toward all these winds; and there shall be no nation to which they shall not come—even the outcasts of Ælam. 37 And I will put them in fear before their enemies that seek their life; and I will bring evils upon them according to my great anger; and I will send forth my sword after them, until I have utterly destroyed them. 38 And I will set my throne in Ælam, and will send forth thence king and rulers. 39 But it shall come to pass at the end of days, that I will turn the captivity of Ælam, saith the Lord.

26 In the beginning of the reign of king Sedekias, there came this word concerning Ælam.

2 FOR EGYPT, AGAINST THE POWER OF PHARAO NECHAO KING OF EGYPT, who was by the river Euphrates in Charmis, whom Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Joakim king of Juda.

3 Take up arms and spears, and draw nigh to battle; 4 and harness the horses: mount, ye horsemen, and stand ready in your helmets; advance the spears, and put on your breast-plates.

5 Why do they fear, and turn back? even because their mighty men shall be slain: they have utterly fled, and being hemmed in they have not rallied, saith the Lord. 6 Let not the swift flee, and let not the mighty man escape to the north: the forces at Euphrates are become feeble, and they have fallen.

7 Who is this that shall come up as a river, and as rivers roll their waves? 8 The waters of Egypt shall come up like a river: and he said, I will go up, and will cover the earth, and will destroy the dwellers in it. 9 Mount ye the horses, prepare the chariots; go forth, ye warriors of the Ethiopians, and Libyans armed with shields; and mount, ye Lydians, bend the bow. 10 And that day shall be to the Lord our God a day of vengeance, to take vengeance on his enemies: and the sword of the Lord shall devour, and be glutted, and be drunken with their blood: for the Lord has a sacrifice from the land of the north at the river Euphrates.

11 Go up to Galaad, and take balm for the virgin daughter of Egypt: in vain hast thou multiplied thy medicines; there is no help in thee. 12 The nations have heard thy voice, and the land has been filled with thy cry: for the warriors have fainted fighting one against another, and both are fallen together.

13 THE WORDS WHICH THE LORD SPOKE by Jeremias, concerning the coming of the king of Babylon to smite the land of Egypt.

14 Proclaim it at Magdol, and declare it at Memphis: say ye, Stand up, and prepare; for the sword has devoured thy yew-tree.

15 Wherefore has Apis fled from thee? thy choice calf has not remained; for the Lord has utterly weakened him. 16 And thy multitude has fainted and fallen; and each one said to his neighbour, Let us arise, and return into our country to our people, from the Grecian sword. 17 Call ye the name of Pharao Nechao king of Egypt, Saon esbeie moed. 18 As I live, saith the Lord God, he shall come as Itabyrion among the mountains, and as Carmel that is on the sea. 19 O daughter of Egypt dwelling at home, prepare thee stuff for removing: for Memphis shall be utterly desolate, and shall be called Woe, because there are no inhabitants in it.

20 Egypt is a fair heifer, but destruction from the north is come upon her. 21 Also her hired soldiers in the midst of her are as fatted calves fed in her; for they also have turned, and fled with one accord: they stood not, for the day of destruction was come upon them, and the time of their retribution. 22 Their voice is as that of a hissing serpent, for they go upon the sand; they shall come upon Egypt with axes, as men that cut wood. 23 They shall cut down her forest, saith the Lord, for their number cannot at all be conjectured, for it exceeds the locust in multitude, and they are innumerable. 24 The daughter of Egypt is confounded; she is delivered into the hands of a people from the north.

25 Behold, I will avenge Ammon her son upon Pharao, and upon them that trust in him.

27 But fear not thou, my servant Jacob, neither be thou alarmed, Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be at ease, and sleep, and there shall be no one to trouble him. 28 Fear not thou, my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; for I am with thee: she that was without fear and in luxury, has been delivered up: for I will make a full end of every nation among whom I have thrust thee forth; but I will not cause thee to fail: yet will I chastise thee in the way of judgment, and will not hold thee entirely guiltless.

27 THE WORD OF THE LORD WHICH HE SPOKE AGAINST BABYLON.

2 Proclaim ye among the Gentiles, and cause the tidings to be heard, and suppress them not: say ye, Babylon is taken, Belus is confounded; the fearless, the luxurious Mærodach is delivered up. 3 For a nation has come up against her from the north, he shall utterly ravage her land, and there shall be none to dwell in it, neither man nor beast.

4 In those days, and at that time, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Juda together; they shall proceed, weeping as they go, seeking the Lord their God. 5 They shall ask the way till they come to Sion, for that way shall they set their face; and they shall come and flee for refuge to the Lord their God; for the everlasting covenant shall not be forgotten.

6 My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds thrust them out, they caused them to wander on the mountains: they went from mountain to hill, they forgot their resting-place. 7 All that found them consumed them: their enemies said, Let us not leave them alone, because they have sinned against the Lord: he that gathered their fathers had a pasture of righteousness.

8 Flee ye out of the midst of Babylon, and from the land of the Chaldeans, and go forth, and be as serpents before sleep. 9 For, behold, I stir up against Babylon the gatherings of nations out of the land of the north; and they shall set themselves in array against her: thence shall she be taken, as the dart of an expert warrior shall not return empty. 10 And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied.

11 Because ye rejoiced, and boasted, while plundering mine heritage; because ye exulted as calves in the grass, and pushed with the horn as bulls. 12 Your mother is greatly ashamed; your mother that bore you for prosperity is confounded: she is the last of the nations, desolate, 13 by reason of the Lord’s anger: it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be all a desolation; and every one that passes through Babylon shall scowl, and they shall hiss at all her plague.

14 Set yourselves in array against Babylon round about, all ye that bend the bow; shoot at her, spare not your arrows, 15 and prevail against her: her hands are weakened, her bulwarks are fallen, and her wall is broken down: for it is vengeance from God: take vengeance upon her; as she has done, do to her. 16 Utterly destroy seed out of Babylon, and him that holds a sickle in time of harvest: for fear of the Grecian sword, they shall return every one to his people, and every one shall flee to his own land.

17 Israel is a wandering sheep; the lions have driven him out: the king of Assyria first devoured him, and afterwards this king of Babylon has gnawed his bones. 18 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will take vengeance on the king of Babylon, and upon his land, as I took vengeance on the king of Assyria. 19 And I will restore Israel to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and on Mount Ephraim and in Galaad, and his soul shall be satisfied. 20 In those days, and at that time, they shall seek for the iniquity of Israel, and there shall be none; and for the sins of Juda, and they shall not be found: for I will be merciful to them that are left 21 on the land, saith the Lord.

Go up against it roughly, and against them that dwell on it: avenge, O sword, and destroy utterly, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I command thee. 22 A sound of war, and great destruction in the land of the Chaldeans! 23 How is the hammer of the whole earth broken and crushed! How is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! 24 They shall come upon thee, and thou shalt not know it, Babylon, that thou wilt even be taken captive: thou art found and taken, because thou didst resist the Lord.

25 The Lord has opened his treasury, and brought forth the weapons of his anger: for the Lord God has a work in the land of the Chaldeans. 26 For her times are come: open ye her storehouses: search her as a cave, and utterly destroy her: let there be no remnant of her. 27 Dry ye up all her fruits, and let them go down to the slaughter: woe to them! for their day is come, and the time of their retribution. 28 A voice of men fleeing and escaping from the land of Babylon, to declare to Sion the vengeance that comes from the Lord our God.

29 Summon many against Babylon, even every one that bends the bow: camp against her round about; let no one of her people escape: render to her according to her works; according to all that she has done, do to her: for she has resisted the Lord, the Holy God of Israel. 30 Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her warriors shall be cast down, saith the Lord.

31 Behold, I am against thee the haughty one, saith the Lord: for thy day is come, and the time of thy retribution. 32 And thy pride shall fail, and fall, and there shall be no one to set it up again: and I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all things round about her.

33 Thus saith the Lord; The children of Israel and the children of Juda have been oppressed: all they that have taken them captive have oppressed them together; for they would not let them go. 34 But their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name: he will enter into judgment with his adversaries, that he may destroy the earth; 35 and he will sharpen a sword against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her nobles and upon her wise men; 36 a sword upon her warriors, and they shall be weakened: a sword upon their horses, and upon their chariots: 37 a sword upon their warriors, and upon the mixed people in the midst of her; and they shall be as women: a sword upon the treasures, and they shall be scattered upon her water, 38 and they shall be ashamed: for it is a land of graven images; and in the islands, where they boasted. 39 Therefore shall idols dwell in the islands, and the young of monsters shall dwell in it: it shall not be inhabited any more for ever. 40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities bordering upon them, saith the Lord: no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn there.

41 Behold, a people comes from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be stirred up from the end of the earth; holding bow and dagger: 42 the people is fierce, and will have no mercy: their voices shall sound as the sea, they shall ride upon horses, prepared for war, like fire, against thee, O daughter of Babylon. 43 The king of Babylon heard the sound of them, and his hands were enfeebled: anguish overcame him, pangs as of a woman in travail. 44 Behold, he shall come up as a lion from Jordan to Gæthan; for I will speedily drive them from her, and I will set all the youths against her: for who is like me? and who will resist me? and who is this shepherd who will stand before me?

45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, which he has taken against Babylon; and his devices, which he has devised upon the Chaldeans inhabiting it: surely lambs of their flock shall be destroyed: surely pasture shall be cut off from them. 46 For at the sound of the taking of Babylon the earth shall quake, and a cry shall be heard among the nations.

28 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I stir up against Babylon, and against the Chaldeans dwelling therein, a deadly burning wind. 2 And I will send forth against Babylon spoilers, and they shall spoil her, and shall ravage her land. Woe to Babylon round about her in the day of her affliction. 3 Let the archer bend his bow, and him that has armour put it on: and spare ye not her young men, but destroy ye all her host. 4 And slain men shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and men pierced through shall fall without it.

5 For Israel and Juda have not been forsaken of their God, of the Lord Almighty; whereas their land was filled with iniquity against the holy things of Israel. 6 Flee ye out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every one his soul: and be not overthrown in her iniquity; for it is the time of her retribution from the Lord; he is rendering to her a recompence. 7 Babylon has been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, causing all the earth to be drunken: the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore they were shaken. 8 And Babylon is fallen suddenly, and is broken to pieces: lament for her; take balm for her deadly wound, if by any means she may be healed. 9 We tried to heal Babylon, but she was not healed: let us forsake her, and depart every one to his own country: for her judgment has reached to the heaven, it has mounted up to the stars. 10 The Lord has brought forth his judgment: come, and let us declare in Sion the works of the Lord our God.

11 Prepare the arrows; fill the quivers: the Lord has stirred up the spirit of the king of the Medes: for his wrath is against Babylon, to destroy it utterly; for it is the Lord’s vengeance, it is the vengeance of his people. 12 Lift up a standard on the walls of Babylon, prepare the quivers, rouse the guards, prepare the weapons: for the Lord has taken the work in hand, and will execute what he has spoken against the inhabitants of Babylon, 13 dwelling on many waters, and amidst the abundance of her treasures; thine end is come verily into thy bowels. 14 For the Lord has sworn by his arm, saying, I will fill thee with men as with locusts; and they that come down shall cry against thee.

15 The Lord made the earth by his power, preparing the world by his wisdom, by his understanding he stretched out the heaven. 16 At his voice he makes a sound of water in the heaven, and brings up clouds from the extremity of the earth; he makes lightnings for rain, and brings light out of his treasures. 17 Every man has completely lost understanding; every goldsmith is confounded because of his graven images: for they have cast false gods, there is no breath in them. 18 They are vain works, objects of scorn; in the time of their visitation they shall perish. 19 Not such is Jacob’s portion; for he that formed all things, he is his inheritance; the Lord is his name.

20 Thou scatterest for me the weapons of war: and I will scatter nations by thee, and will destroy kings by means of thee. 21 And by thee I will scatter the horse and his rider; and by thee I will scatter chariots and them that ride in them. 22 And by thee I will scatter youth and maid; and by thee I will scatter man and woman. 23 And by thee I will scatter the shepherd and his flock; and by thee I will scatter the husbandman and his husbandry; and by thee I will scatter leaders and the captains. 24 And I will recompense to Babylon and to all the Chaldeans that dwell there all their mischiefs that they have done to Sion before your eyes, saith the Lord.

25 Behold, I am against thee, the ruined mountain, that destroys the whole earth; and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will roll thee down upon the rocks, and will make thee as a burnt mountain. 26 And they shall not take from thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for a foundation; for thou shalt be a desolation for ever, saith the Lord.

27 Lift up a standard in the land, sound the trumpet among the nations, consecrate the nations against her, raise up kings against her by me, and that for the people of Achanaz; set against her engines of war; bring up against her horses as a multitude of locusts. 28 Bring up nations against her, even the king of the Medes and of the whole earth, his rulers, and all his captains. 29 The earth has quaked and been troubled, because the purpose of the Lord has risen up against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, and uninhabitable.

30 The warrior of Babylon has failed to fight; they shall sit there in the siege; their power is broken; they are become like women; her tabernacles have been set on fire; her bars are broken. 31 One shall rush, running to meet another runner, and one shall go with tidings to meet another with tidings, to bring tidings to the king of Babylon, that his city is taken. 32 At the end of his passages they were taken, and his cisterns they have burnt with fire, and his warriors are going forth.

33 For thus saith the Lord, The houses of the king of Babylon shall be threshed as a floor in the season; yet a little while, and her harvest shall come.

34 He has devoured me, he has torn me asunder, airy darkness has come upon me; Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon has swallowed me up, as a dragon has he filled his belly with my delicacies. 35 My troubles and my distresses have driven me out into Babylon, shall she that dwells in Sion say; and my blood shall be upon the Chaldeans dwelling there, shall Jerusalem say.

36 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will judge thine adversary, and I will execute vengeance for thee; and I will waste her sea, and dry up her fountain. 37 And Babylon shall be a desolation, and shall not be inhabited. 38 For they rose up together as lions, and as lions’ whelps. 39 In their heat I will give them a draught, and make them drunk, that they may be stupified, and sleep an everlasting sleep, and not awake, says the Lord. 40 And bring thou them down as lambs to the slaughter, and rams with kids.

41 How has the boast of all the earth been taken and caught in a snare! how has Babylon become a desolation among the nations! 42 The sea has come up upon Babylon with the sound of its waves, and she is covered. 43 Her cities are become like a dry and trackless land; not so much as one man shall dwell in it, neither shall a son of man lodge in it. 44 And I will take vengeance on Babylon, and bring forth out of her mouth what she has swallowed down, and the nations shall no more be gathered to her: 49 and in Babylon the slain men of all the earth shall fall. 50 Go forth of the land, ye that escape, and stay not; ye that are afar off, remember the Lord, and let Jerusalem come into your mind. 51 We are ashamed, because we have heard our reproach; disgrace has covered our face; aliens are come into our sanctuary, even into the house of the Lord.

52 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will take vengeance upon her graven images: and slain men shall fall in all her land. 53 For though Babylon should go up as the heaven, and though she should strengthen her walls with her power, from me shall come they that shall destroy her, saith the Lord. 54 A sound of a cry in Babylon, and great destruction in the land of the Chaldeans: 55 for the Lord has utterly destroyed Babylon, and cut off from her the great voice sounding as many waters: he has consigned her voice to destruction. 56 For distress has come upon Babylon, her warriors are taken, their bows are useless: for God recompenses them. 57 The Lord recompense, and will make her leaders and her wise men and her captains completely drunk, saith the king, the Lord Almighty is his name.

58 Thus saith the Lord, The wall of Babylon was made broad, but it shall be completely broken down, and her high gates shall be burnt with fire; and the peoples shall not labour in vain, nor the nations fail in their rule.

59 THE WORD WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED THE PROPHET JEREMIAS to say to Saræas son of Nerias, son of Maasæas, when he went from Sedekias king of Juda to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. And Saræas was over the bounties. 60 And Jeremias wrote in a book all the evils which should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon. 61 And Jeremias said to Saræas, When thou art come to Babylon, and shalt see and read all these words; 62 then thou shalt say, O Lord God, thou hast spoken against this place, to destroy it, and that there should be none to dwell in it, neither man nor beast; for it shall be a desolation for ever. 63 And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt cease from reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone upon it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates; 64 and shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and not rise, because of the evils which I bring upon it.

29 THUS SAITH THE LORD AGAINST THE PHILISTINES;

2 Behold, waters come up from the north, and shall become a sweeping torrent, and it shall sweep away the land, and its fulness; the city, and them that dwell in it: and men shall cry and all that dwell in the land shall howl, 3 at the sound of his rushing, at the sound of his hoofs, and at the rattling of his chariots, at the noise of his wheels: the fathers turned not to their children because of the weakness of their hands, 4 in the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines: and I will utterly destroy Tyre and Sidon, and all the rest of their allies: for the Lord will destroy the remaining in habitants of the islands. 5 Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ascalon is cast away, and the remnant of the Enakim.

6 How long wilt thou smite, O sword of the Lord? how long will it be ere thou art quiet? return into thy sheath, rest, and be removed.

7 How shall it be quiet, whereas the Lord has given it a commission against Ascalon, and against the regions on the sea-coast, to awake against the remaining countries!

7 CONCERNING IDUMEA, thus saith the Lord; There is no longer wisdom in Thæman, counsel has perished from the wise ones, their wisdom is gone, 8 their place has been deceived. Dig deep for a dwelling, ye that inhabit Dædam, for he has wrought grievously: I brought trouble upon him in the time at which I visited him. 9 For grape-gatherers are come, who shall not leave thee a remnant; as thieves by night, they shall lay their hand upon thy possessions.

10 For I have stripped Esau, I have uncovered their secret places, they shall have no power to hide themselves, they have perished each by the hand of his brother, my neighbour, and it is impossible 11 for thy fatherless one to be left to live, but I shall live, and the widows trust in me.

12 For thus saith the Lord; They who were not appointed to drink the cup have drunk it; and thou shalt by no means be cleared: 13 for by myself I have sworn, saith the Lord, that thou shalt be in the midst of her an impassable land, and a reproach, and a curse; and all her cities shall be desert for ever.

14 I have heard a report from the Lord, and he has sent messengers to the nations, saying, Assemble yourselves, and come against her; rise ye up to war. 15 I have made thee small among the nations, utterly contemptible among men. 16 Thine insolence has risen up against thee, the fierceness of thine heart has burst the holes of the rocks, it has seized upon the strength of a lofty hill; for as an eagle he set his nest on high: thence will I bring thee down.

17 And Idumea shall be a desert: every one that passes by shall hiss at it. 18 As Sodom was overthrown and Gomorrha and they that sojourned in her, saith the Lord Almighty, no man shall dwell there, nor shall any son of man inhabit there. 19 Behold, he shall come up as a lion out of the midst of Jordan to the place of Ætham: for I will speedily drive them from it, and do ye set the young men against her: for who is like me? and who will withstand me? and who is this shepherd, who shall confront me?

20 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, which he has framed against Idumea; and his device, which he has devised against the inhabitants of Thæman: surely the least of the sheep shall be swept off; surely their dwelling shall be made desolate for them. 21 For at the sound of their fall the earth was scared, and the cry of the sea was not heard. 22 Behold, he shall look upon her as an eagle, and spread forth his wings over her strongholds; and the heart of the mighty men of Idumea shall be in that day as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

30 CONCERNING THE SONS OF AMMON thus saith the Lord, Are there no sons in Israel? or have they no one to succeed them? wherefore has Melchol inherited Galaad, and why shall their people dwell in their cities? 2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will cause to be heard in Rabbath a tumult of wars; and they shall become a waste and ruined place, and her altars shall be burned with fire; then shall Israel succeed to his dominion. 3 Howl, O Esebon, for Gai has perished; cry, ye daughters of Rabbath, gird yourselves with sackclothes, and lament; for Melchol shall go into banishment, his priests and his princes together.

4 Why do ye exult in the plains of the Enakim, thou haughty daughter, that trustest in thy treasures, that sayest, Who shall come in to me? 5 Behold, I will bring terror upon thee, saith the Lord, from all the country round about thee; and ye shall be scattered every one right before him, and there is none to gather you.

28 CONCERNING KEDAR THE QUEEN OF THE PALACE, WHOM NABUCHODONOSOR KING OF BABYLON SMOTE, thus says the Lord;

Arise ye, and go up to Kedar, and fill the sons of Kedem. 29 They shall take their tents and their sheep, they shall take for themselves their garments, and all their baggage and their camels; and summon ye destruction against them from every side. 30 Flee ye, dig very deep for a dwelling-place, ye that dwell in the palace; for the king of Babylon has framed a counsel, and devised a device against you.

31 Rise up, and go up against a nation settled and dwelling at ease, who have no doors, nor bolts, nor bars, who dwell alone. 32 And their camels shall be a spoil, and the multitude of their cattle shall be destroyed: and I will scatter them as chaff with every wind, having their hair cut about their foreheads, I will bring on their overthrow from all sides, saith the Lord. 33 And the palace shall be a resting-place for ostriches, and desolate for ever: no man shall abide there, and no son of man shall dwell there.

23 CONCERNING DAMASCUS. Emath is brought to shame, and Arphath: for they have heard an evil report: they are amazed, they are angry, they shall be utterly unable to rest. 24 Damascus is utterly weakened, she is put to flight; trembling has seized upon her. 25 How has she not left my city, they have loved the village?

26 Therefore shall the young men fall in thy streets, and all thy warriors shall fall, saith the Lord. 27 And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall devour the streets of the son of Ader.

31 Thus has the Lord said concerning MOAB, Woe to Nabau! for it has perished: Cariathaim is taken: Amath and Agath are put to shame. 2 There is no longer any healing for Moab, nor glorying in Esebon: he has devised evils against her: we have cut her off from being a nation, and she shall be completely still: after thee shall go a sword; 3 for there is a voice of men crying out of Oronaim, destruction and great ruin. 4 Moab is ruined, proclaim it to Zogora: 5 for Aloth is filled with weeping: one shall go up weeping by the way of Oronaim; ye have heard a cry of destruction.

6 Flee ye, and save your lives, and ye shall be as a wild ass in the desert. 7 Since thou hast trusted in thy strong-hold, therefore thou shalt be taken: and Chamos shall go forth into captivity, and his priests, and his princes together. 8 And destruction shall come upon every city, it shall by no means escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain country shall be completely destroyed, as the Lord has said. 9 Set marks upon Moab, for she shall be touched with a plague-spot, and all her cities shall become desolate; whence shall there be an inhabitant for her? 10 Cursed is the man that does the works of the Lord carelessly, keeping back his sword from blood.

11 Moab has been at ease from a child, and trusted in his glory; he has not poured out his liquor from vessel to vessel, and has not gone into banishment, therefore his taste remained in him, and his smell departed not. 12 Therefore, behold, his days come, saith the Lord, when I shall send upon him bad leaders, and they shall lead him astray, and they shall utterly break in pieces his possessions, and shall cut his horns asunder. 13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chamos, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bæthel their hope, having trusted in them.

14 How will ye say, We are strong, and men strong for war? 15 Moab is ruined, even his city, and his choice young men have gone down to slaughter. 16 The day of Moab is near at hand, and his iniquity moves swiftly to vengeance. 17 Shake the head at him, all ye that are round about him; all of you utter his name; say ye, How is the glorious staff broken to pieces, the rod of magnificence!

18 Come down from thy glory, and sit down in a damp place: Dæbon shall be broken, because Moab is destroyed: there has gone up against thee one to ravage thy strong-hold. 19 Stand by the way, and look, thou that dwellest in Arer; and ask him that is fleeing, and him that escapes, and say, What has happened?

20 Moab is put to shame, because he is broken: howl and cry; proclaim in Arnon, that Moab has perished. 21 And judgment is coming against the land of Misor, upon Chelon, and Rephas, and Mophas, 22 and upon Dæbon, and upon Nabau, and upon the house of Dæthlathaim, 23 and upon Cariathaim, and upon the house of Gæmol, and upon the house of Maon, 24 and upon Carioth, and upon Bosor, and upon all the cities of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is broken, and his arm is crushed.

26 Make ye him drunk; for he has magnified himself against the Lord: and Moab shall clap with his hand, and shall be also himself a laughing-stock. 27 For surely Israel was to thee a laughing-stock, and was found among thy thefts, because thou didst fight against him. 28 The inhabitants of Moab have left the cities, and dwelt in rocks; they have become as doves nestling in rocks, at the mouth of a cave.

29 And I have heard of the pride of Moab, he has greatly heightened his pride and his haughtiness, and his heart has been lifted up. 30 But I know his works: is it not enough for him? has he not done thus?

31 Therefore howl ye for Moab on all sides; cry out against the shorn men in a gloomy place. I will weep for thee, 32 O vine of Aserema, as with the weeping of Jazer: thy branches are gone over the sea, they reached the cities of Jazer: destruction has come upon thy fruits, and upon thy grape-gatherers. 33 Joy and gladness have been utterly swept off the land of Moab: and though there was wine in thy presses, in the morning they trod it not, neither in the evening did they raise the cry of joy. 34 From the cry of Esebon even to Ætam their cities uttered their voice, from Zogor to Oronaim, and their tidings as a heifer of three years old, for the water also of Nebrin shall be dried up.

35 And I will destroy Moab, saith the Lord, as he comes up to the altar, and burns incense to his gods. 36 Therefore the heart of Moab shall sound as pipes, my heart shall sound as a pipe for the shorn men; forasmuch as what every man has gained has perished from him. 37 They shall all have their heads shaved in every place, and every beard shall be shaved; and all hands shall beat the breasts, and on all loins shall be sackcloth. 38 And on all the housetops of Moab, and in his streets shall be mourning: for I have broken him, saith the Lord, as a vessel, which is useless. 39 How has he changed! how has Moab turned his back! Moab is put to shame, and become a laughing-stock, and an object of anger to all that are round about him.

40 For thus said the Lord; 41 Carioth is taken, and the strong-holds have been taken together. 42 And Moab shall perish from being a multitude, because he has magnified himself against the Lord. 43 A snare, and fear, and the pit, are upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab. 44 He that flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he that comes up out of the pit shall even be taken in the snare: for I will bring these things upon Moab in the year of their visitation.

32 15 Thus said the Lord God of Israel; Take the cup of this unmixed wine from mine hand, and thou shalt cause all the nations to drink, to whom I send thee. 16 And they shall drink, and vomit, and be mad, because of the sword which I send among them.

17 So I took the cup out of the Lord’s hand, and caused the nations to whom the Lord sent me to drink: 18 Jerusalem, and the cities of Juda, and the kings of Juda, and his princes, to make them a desert place, a desolation, and a hissing; 19 and Pharao king of Egypt, and his servants, and his nobles, and all his people; 20 and all the mingled people, and all the kings of the Philistines, and Ascalon, and Gaza, and Accaron, and the remnant of Azotus, 21 and Idumea, and the land of Moab, and the children of Ammon, 22 and the kings of Tyre, and the kings of Sidon, and the kings in the country beyond the sea, 23 and Dædan, and Thæman, and Ros, and every one that is shaved round about the face, 24 and all the mingled people lodging in the wilderness, 25 and all the kings of Ælam, and all the kings of the Persians, 26 and all the kings from the north, the far and the near, each one with his brother, and all the kingdoms which are on the face of the earth.

27 And thou shalt say to them, Thus said the Lord Almighty; Drink ye, be ye drunken; and ye shall vomit, and shall fall, and shall in nowise rise, because of the sword which I send among you. 28 And it shall come to pass, when they refuse to take the cup out of thine hand, to drink it, that thou shalt say, Thus said the Lord; Ye shall surely drink. 29 For I am beginning to afflict the city whereon my name is called, and ye shall by no means be held guiltless: for I am calling a sword upon all that dwell upon the earth.

30 And thou shalt prophesy against them these words, and shalt say, The Lord shall speak from on high, from his sanctuary he will utter his voice; he will pronounce a declaration on his place; and these shall answer like men gathering grapes: and destruction is coming on them that dwell on the earth, 31 even upon the extreme part of the earth; for the Lord has a controversy with the nations, he is pleading with all flesh, and the ungodly are given to the sword, saith the Lord.

32 Thus said the Lord; Behold, evils are proceeding from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind goes forth from the end of the earth. 33 And the slain of the Lord shall be in the day of the Lord from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth: they shall not be buried; they shall be as dung on the face of the earth. 34 Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and lament, ye rams of the flock: for your days have been completed for slaughter, and ye shall fall as the choice rams. 35 And flight shall perish from the shepherds, and safety from the rams of the flock. 36 A voice of the crying of the shepherds, and a moaning of the sheep and the rams: for the Lord has destroyed their pastures. 37 And the peaceable abodes that remain shall be destroyed before the fierceness of my anger. 38 He has forsaken his lair, as a lion: for their land is become desolate before the great sword.

33 IN THE BEGINNING OF THE REIGN OF KING JOAKIM SON OF JOSIAS THERE CAME THIS WORD FROM THE LORD.

2 Thus said the Lord; Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and thou shalt declare to all the Jews, and to all that come to worship in the house of the Lord, all the words which I commanded thee to speak to them; abate not one word. 3 Peradventure they will hear, and turn every one from his evil way: then I will cease from the evils which I purpose to do to them, because of their evil practices. 4 And thou shalt say, Thus said the Lord; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my statutes which I set before you, 5 to hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send to you early in the morning; yea, I sent them, but ye hearkened not to me; 6 then will I make this house as Selo, and I will make this city a curse to all the nations of all the earth.

7 And the priests, and the false prophets, and all the people heard Jeremias speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 And it came to pass, when Jeremias had ceased speaking all that the Lord had ordered him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the false prophets and all the people took him, saying, 9 Thou shalt surely die, because thou hast prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, This house shall be as Selo, and this city shall be made quite destitute of inhabitants.

And all the people assembled against Jeremias in the house of the Lord. 10 And the princes of Juda heard this word, and they went up out of the house of the king to the house of the Lord, and sat in the entrance of the new gate. 11 Then the priests and the false prophets said to the princes and to all the people, The judgment of death is due to this man; because he has prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.

12 Then Jeremias spoke to the princes, and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city, all the words which ye have heard. 13 And now amend your ways and your works, and hearken to the voice of the Lord; and the Lord shall cease from the evils which he has pronounced against you. 14 And behold, I am in your hands; do to me as is expedient, and as it is best for you. 15 But know for a certainty, that if ye slay me, ye bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon them that dwell in it; for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak in your ears all these words.

16 Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and to the false prophets; Judgment of death is not due to this man; for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God. 17 And there rose up men of the elders of the land, and said to all the assembly of the people, 18 Michæas the Morathite lived in the days of Ezekias king of Juda, and said to all the people of Juda, Thus saith the Lord; Sion shall be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become a desolation, and the mountain of the house shall be a thicket of trees. 19 Did Ezekias and all Juda in any way slay him? Was it not that they feared the Lord, and they made supplication before the Lord, and the Lord ceased from the evils which he had pronounced against them? whereas we have wrought great evil against our own souls.

20 And there was another man prophesying in the name of the Lord, Urias the son of Samæas of Cariathifarim; and he prophesied concerning this land according to all the words of Jeremias. 21 And king Joakim and all the princes heard all his words, and sought to slay him; and Urias heard it and went into Egypt. 22 And the king sent men into Egypt; 23 and they brought him thence, and brought him in to the king; and he smote him with the sword, and cast him into the sepulchre of the children of his people. 24 Nevertheless the hand of Achicam son of Saphan was with Jeremias, to prevent his being delivered into the hands of the people, or being killed.

34 2 Thus said the Lord; Make to thyself bonds and yokes, and put them about thy neck, 3 and thou shalt send them to the king of Idumea, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the children of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hands of their messengers that come to meet them at Jerusalem to Sedekias king of Juda. 4 And thou shalt commission them to say to their lords, Thus said the Lord God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to your lords; 5 I have made the earth by my great power, and with my high arm, and I will give it to whomsoever it shall seem good in mine eyes. 6 I gave the earth to Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon to serve him, and the wild beasts of the field to labour for him. 8 And the nation and kingdom, all that shall not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, with sword and famine will I visit them, saith the Lord, until they are consumed by his hand.

9 And hearken ye not to your false prophets, nor to them that divine to you, nor to them that foretel events by dreams to you, nor to your auguries, nor your sorcerers, that say, Ye shall by no means work for the king of Babylon: 10 for they prophesy lies to you, to remove you far from your land. 11 But the nation which shall put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, I will even leave it upon its land, and it shall serve him, and dwell in it.

12 I spoke also to Sedekias king of Juda according to all these words, saying, Put your neck into the yoke, and serve the king of Babylon. 14 For they prophesy unrighteous words to you, for I sent them not, saith the Lord; and they prophesy in my name unjustly, that I might destroy you, and ye should perish, and your prophets, who unrighteously prophesy lies to you.

16 I spoke to you, and to all this people, and to the priests, saying, Thus said the Lord; Hearken not to the words of the prophets that prophesy to you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord’s house shall return from Babylon: for they prophesy to you unrighteous words. 17 I sent them not. 18 If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is in them, let them meet me, for thus has the Lord said.

19 And as for the remaining vessels, 20 which the king of Babylon took not, when he carried Jechonias prisoner out of Jerusalem, 22 they shall go into Babylon, saith the Lord.

35 And it came to pass in the fourth year of Sedekias king of Juda, in the fifth month, that Ananias the false prophet, the son of Azor, from Gabaon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the sight of the priests and all the people, saying, 2 Thus saith the Lord; I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Yet two full years, and I will return into this place the vessels of the house of the Lord, 4 and Jechonias, and the captivity of Juda: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

5 Then Jeremias spoke to Ananias in the sight of all the people, and in the sight of the priests that stood in the house of the Lord, 6 and Jeremias said, May the Lord indeed do thus; may he confirm thy word which thou dost prophesy, to return the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the captivity, out of Babylon to this place. 7 Nevertheless hear ye the word of the Lord which I speak in your ears, and in the ears of all the people. 8 The prophets that were before me and before you of old, also prophesied over much country, and against great kingdoms, concerning war. 9 As for the prophet that has prophesied for peace, when the word has come to pass, they shall know the prophet whom the Lord has sent them in truth.

10 Then Ananias took the yokes from the neck of Jeremias in the sight of all the people, and broke them to pieces. 11 And Ananias spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus said the Lord; Thus will I break the yoke of the king of Babylon from the necks of all the nations. And Jeremias went his way.

12 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, after that Ananias had broken the yokes off his neck, saying, 13 Go and speak to Ananias, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but I will make instead of them yokes of iron. 14 For thus said the Lord, I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all the nations, that they may serve the king of Babylon. 15 And Jeremias said to Ananias, The Lord has not sent thee; and thou hast caused this people to trust in unrighteousness. 16 Therefore thus said the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee off from the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die. 17 So he died in the seventh month.

36 And these are the words of the book which Jeremias sent from Jerusalem to the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the false prophets, even an epistle to Babylon for the captivity, and to all the people; 2 (after the departure of Jechonias the king and the queen, and the eunuchs, and every freeman, and bondman, and artificer, out of Jerusalem;) 3 by the hand of Eleasan son of Saphan, and Gamarias son of Chelcias, (whom Sedekias king of Juda sent to the king of Babylon to Babylon) saying,

4 Thus said the Lord God of Israel concerning the captivity which I caused to be carried away from Jerusalem; 5 Build ye houses, and inhabit them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruits thereof; 6 and take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and be multiplied, and be not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the land into which I have carried you captive, and ye shall pray to the Lord for the people: for in its peace ye shall have peace.

8 For thus saith the Lord; Let not the false prophets that are among you persuade you, and let not your diviners persuade you, and hearken not to your dreams which ye dream. 9 For they prophesy to you unrighteous words in my name; and I sent them not. 10 For thus said the Lord; When seventy years shall be on the point of being accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and will confirm my words to you, to bring back your people to this place. 11 And I will devise for you a device of peace, and not evil, to bestow upon you these good things. 12 And do ye pray to me, and I will hearken to you: and do ye earnestly seek me, and ye shall find me; 13 for ye shall seek me with your whole heart. 14 And I will appear to you: 15 whereas ye said, The Lord has appointed for us prophets in Babylon:

21 Thus saith the Lord concerning Achiab, and concerning Sedekias; Behold, I will deliver them into the hands of the king of Babylon; and he shall smite them in your sight. 22 And they shall make of them a curse in all the captivity of Juda in Babylon, saying, The Lord do to thee as he did to Sedekias, and as he did to Achiab, whom the king of Babylon fried in the fire; 23 because of the iniquity which they wrought in Israel, and because they committed adultery with the wives of their fellow-citizens, and spoke a word in my name, which I did not command them to speak, and I am witness, saith the Lord.

24 And to Samæas the Ælamite thou shalt say, 25 I sent thee not in my name: and to Sophonias the priest the son of Maasæas say thou, 26 The Lord has made thee priest in the place of Jodae the priest, to be ruler in the house of the Lord over every prophet, and to every madman, and thou shalt put them in prison, and into the dungeon. 27 And now wherefore have ye reviled together Jeremias of Anathoth, who prophesied to you? 28 Did he not send for this purpose? for in the course of this month he sent to you to Babylon, saying, It is far off: build ye houses, and inhabit them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 29 And Sophonias read the book in the ears of Jeremias.

30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying, 31 Send to the captivity, saying, Thus saith the Lord concerning Samæas the Ælamite, Since Samæas has prophesied to you, and I sent him not, and he has made you to trust in iniquity, 32 therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will visit Samæas, and his family: and there shall not be a man of them in the midst of you to see the good which I will do to you: they shall not see it.

37 THE WORD THAT CAME TO JEREMIAS FROM THE LORD, SAYING, 2 Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying,

Write all the words which I have spoken to thee in a book. 3 For, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel and Juda, said the Lord: and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they shall be lords of it.

4 AND THESE ARE THE WORDS WHICH THE LORD SPOKE CONCERNING ISRAEL AND JUDA:

5 Thus said the Lord: Ye shall hear a sound of fear, there is fear, and there is not peace. 6 Enquire, and see if a male has born a child? and ask concerning the fear, wherein they shall hold their loins, and look for safety: for I have seen every man, and his hands are on his loins; their faces are turned to paleness. 7 For that day is great, and there is not such another; and it is a time of straitness to Jacob; but he shall be saved out of it. 8 In that day, said the Lord, I will break the yoke off their neck, and will burst their bonds, and they shall no longer serve strangers: 9 but they shall serve the Lord their God; and I will raise up to them David their king.

12 Thus saith the Lord; I have brought on thee destruction; thy stroke is painful. 13 There is none to judge thy cause: thou hast been painfully treated for healing, there is no help for thee. 14 All thy friends have forgotten thee; they shall not ask about thee at all, for I have smitten thee with the stroke of an enemy, even severe correction: thy sins have abounded above all thine iniquity. 16a Therefore all that devour thee shall be eaten, and all thine enemies shall eat all their own flesh. 15 Thy sins have abounded beyond the multitude of their iniquities, therefore they have done these things to thee. 16b And they that spoil thee shall become a spoil, and I will give up to be plundered all that have plundered thee. 17 For I will bring about thy healing, I will heal thee of thy grievous wound, saith the Lord; for thou art called Dispersed: she is your prey, for no one seeks after her.

18 Thus said the Lord; Behold, I will turn the captivity of Jacob, and will have pity upon his prisoners; and the city shall be built upon her hill, and the people shall settle after their manner. 19 And there shall go forth from them singers, even the sound of men making merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not at all be diminished. 20 And their sons shall go in as before, and their testimonies shall be established before me, and I will visit them that afflict them. 21 And their mighty ones shall be over them, and their prince shall proceed of themselves; and I will gather them, and they shall return to me: for who is this that has set his heart to return to me? says the Lord.

23 For the wrathful anger of the Lord has gone forth, even a whirlwind of anger has gone forth: it shall come upon the ungodly. 24 The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he shall execute it, and until he shall establish the purpose of his heart: in the latter days ye shall know these things.

38 At that time, saith the Lord, I will be a God to the family of Israel, and they shall be to me a people. 2 Thus saith the Lord, I found him warm in the wilderness with them that were slain with the sword: go ye and destroy not Israel. 3 The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore have I drawn thee in compassion. 4 For I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt yet take thy timbrel, and go forth with the party of them that make merry. 5 For ye have planted vineyards on the mountains of Samaria: plant ye, and praise. 6 For it is a day when those that plead on the mountains of Ephraim shall call, saying, Arise ye, and go up to Sion to the Lord your God.

7 For thus saith the Lord to Jacob; Rejoice ye, and exult over the head of the nations: make proclamation, and praise ye: say, The Lord has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel. 8 Behold, I bring them from the north, and will gather them from the end of the earth to the feast of the passover: and the people shall beget a great multitude, and they shall return hither. 9 They went forth with weeping, and I will bring them back with consolation, causing them to lodge by the channels of waters in a straight way, and they shall not err in it: for I am become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.

10 Hear the words of the Lord, ye nations, and proclaim them to the islands afar off; say, He that scattered Israel will also gather him, and keep him as one that feeds his flock. 11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, he has rescued him out of the hand of them that were stronger than he. 12 And they shall come, and shall rejoice in the mount of Sion, and shall come to the good things of the Lord, even to a land of corn, and wine, and fruits, and cattle, and sheep: and their soul shall be as a fruitful tree; and they shall hunger no more. 13 Then shall the virgins rejoice in the assembly of young men, and the old men shall rejoice; and I will turn their mourning into joy, and will make them merry. 14 I will expand and cheer with wine the soul of the priests the sons of Levi, and my people shall be satisfied with my good things: thus says the Lord.

15 A voice was heard in Rama, of lamentation, and of weeping, and wailing; Rachel would not cease weeping for her children, because they are not.

16 Thus saith the Lord; Let thy voice cease from weeping, and thine eyes from thy tears: for there is a reward for thy works; and they shall return from the land of thine enemies. 17 There shall be an abiding home for thy children.

18 I have heard the sound of Ephraim lamenting, and saying, Thou hast chastened me, and I was chastened; I as a calf was not willingly taught: turn thou me, and I shall turn; for thou art the Lord my God. 19 For after my captivity I repented; and after I knew, I groaned for the day of shame, and shewed thee that I bore reproach from my youth. 20 Ephraim is a beloved son, a pleasing child to me: for because my words are in him, I will surely remember him: therefore I made haste to help him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.

21 Prepare thyself, O Sion; execute vengeance; look to thy ways: return, O virgin of Israel, by the way by which thou wentest, return mourning to thy cities. 22 How long, O disgraced daughter, wilt thou turn away? for the Lord has created safety for a new plantation: men shall go about in safety.

23 For thus saith the Lord; They shall yet speak this word in the land of Juda, and in the cities thereof, when I shall turn his captivity; blessed be the Lord on his righteous holy mountain! 24 And there shall be dwellers in the cities of Juda, and in all his land, together with the husbandman, and the shepherd shall go forth with the flock. 25 For I have saturated every thirsting soul, and filled every hungry soul. 26 Therefore I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet to me.

27 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Juda with the seed of man, and the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass, that as I watched over them, to pull down, and to afflict, so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, says the Lord. 29 In those days they shall certainly not say, The fathers ate a sour grape, and the children’s teeth were set on edge. 30 But every one shall die in his own sin; and the teeth of him that eats the sour grape shall be set on edge.

31 Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Juda: 32 not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took hold of their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; for they abode not in my covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 33 For this is my covenant which I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, says the Lord, I will surely put my laws into their mind, and write them on their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. 34 And they shall not at all teach every one his fellow citizen, and every one his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them: for I will be merciful to their iniquities, and their sins I will remember no more.

37 Though the sky should be raised to a greater height, saith the Lord, and though the ground of the earth should be sunk lower beneath, yet I will not cast off the family of Israel, saith the Lord, for all that they have done.

35 Thus saith the Lord, who gives the sun for a light by day, the moon and the stars for a light by night, and makes a roaring in the sea, so that the waves thereof roar; the Lord Almighty is his name: 36 if these ordinances cease from before me, saith the Lord, then shall the family of Israel cease to be a nation before me for ever.

38 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when the city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Anameel to the gate of the corner. 39 And the measurement of it shall proceed in front of them as far as the hills of Gareb, and it shall be compassed with a circular wall of choice stones. 40 And all the Asaremoth even to Nachal Kedron, as far as the corner of the horse-gate eastward, shall be holiness to the Lord; and it shall not fail any more, and shall not be destroyed for ever.

39 The word that came from the Lord to Jeremias in the tenth year of king Sedekias, this is the eighteenth year of king Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon.

2 And the host of the king of Babylon had made a rampart against Jerusalem: and Jeremias was kept in the court of the prison, which is in the king’s house; 3 in which king Sedekias had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 4 and Sedekias shall by no means be delivered out of the hand of the Chaldeans, for he shall certainly be given up into the hands of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shall speak to his mouth, and his eyes shall look upon his eyes; 5 and Sedekias shall go into Babylon, and dwell there?

6 AND THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JEREMIAS, SAYING, 7 Behold, Anameel the son of Salom thy father’s brother is coming to thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for thou hast the right to take it as a purchase.

8 So Anameel the son of Salom my father’s brother came to me into the court of the prison, and said, Buy thee my field that is in the land of Benjamin, in Anathoth: for thou hast a right to buy it, and thou art the elder. So I knew that it was the word of the Lord. 9 And I bought the field of Anameel the son of my father’s brother, and I weighed him seventeen shekels of silver. 10 And I wrote it in a book, and sealed it, and took the testimony of witnesses, and weighed the money in the balance. 11 And I took the book of the purchase that was sealed; 12 and I gave it to Baruch son of Nerias, son of Maasæas, in the sight of Anameel my father’s brother’s son, and in the sight of the men that stood by and wrote in the book of the purchase, and in the sight of the Jews that were in the court of the prison. 13 And I charged Baruch in their presence, saying, Thus saith the Lord Almighty; 14 Take this book of the purchase, and the book that has been read; and thou shalt put it into an earthen vessel, that it may remain many days. 15 For thus saith the Lord; There shall yet be bought fields and houses and vineyards in this land.

16 And I prayed to the Lord after I had given the book of the purchase to Baruch the son of Nerias, saying,

17 O ever living Lord! thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power, and with thy high and lofty arm: nothing can be hidden from thee. 18 Granting mercy to thousands, and recompensing the sins of the fathers into the bosoms of their children after them: the great, the strong God; 19 the Lord of great counsel, and mighty in deeds, the great Almighty God, and Lord of great name: thine eyes are upon the ways of the children of men, to give to every one according to his way: 20 who hast wrought signs and wonders in the land of Egypt even to this day, and in Israel, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and thou didst make for thyself a name, as at this day; 21 and thou didst bring out thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, with a mighty hand, and with a high arm, and with great sights; 22 and thou gavest them this land, which thou didst swear to give to their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey; 23 and they went in, and took it; but they hearkened not to thy voice, and walked not in thine ordinances; they did none of the things which thou didst command them, and they caused all these calamities to happen to them. 24 Behold, a multitude is come against the city to take it; and the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans that fight against it, by the power of the sword, and the famine: as thou hast spoken, so has it happened. 25 And thou sayest to me, Buy thee the field for money; and I wrote a book, and sealed it, and took the testimony of witnesses: and the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.

26 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

27 I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: shall anything be hidden from me! 28 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel; This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it: 29 and the Chaldeans shall come to war against this city, and they shall burn this city with fire, and shall burn down the houses wherein they burnt incense on the roofs thereof to Baal, and poured drink-offerings to other gods, to provoke me. 30 For the children of Israel and the children of Juda alone did evil in my sight from their youth. 31 For this city was obnoxious to my anger and my wrath, from the day that they built it even to this day; that I should remove it from my presence, 32 because of all the wickedness of the children of Israel and Juda, which they wrought to provoke me, they and their kings, and their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, the men of Juda, and the dwellers in Jerusalem. 33 And they turned the back to me, and not the face: whereas I taught them early in the morning, but they hearkened no more to receive instruction. 34 And they set their pollutions in the house, on which my name was called, by their uncleannesses. 35 And they built to Baal the altars that are in the valley of the son of Ennom, to offer their sons and their daughters to king Moloch; which things I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Juda to sin.

36 And now thus has the Lord God of Israel said concerning this city, of which thou sayest, It shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by famine, and banishment. 37 Behold, I will gather them out of every land, where I have scattered them in my anger, and my wrath, and great fury; and I will bring them back into this place, and will cause them to dwell safely: 38 and they shall be to me a people, and I will be to them a God. 39 And I will give them another way, and another heart, to fear me continually, and that for good to them and their children after them. 40 And I will make with them an everlasting covenant, which I will by no means turn away from them, and I will put my fear into their heart, that they may not depart from me. 41 And I will visit them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, and with all my heart, and with all my soul.

42 For thus saith the Lord; As I have brought upon this people all these great evils, so will I bring upon them all the good things which I pronounced upon them. 43 And there shall yet be fields bought in the land, of which thou sayest, It shall be destitute of man and beast; and they are delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. 44 And they shall buy fields for money, and thou shalt write a book, and seal it, and shalt take the testimony of witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and round about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Juda, and in the cities of the mountain, and in the cities of the plain, and in the cities of the south: for I will turn their captivity.

40 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias the second time, when he was yet bound in the court of the prison, saying,

2 Thus saith the Lord, who made the earth and formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name; 3 Cry to me, and I will answer thee, and will declare to thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. 4 For thus saith the Lord concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the king of Juda, which have been pulled down for mounds and fortifications, 5 to fight against the Chaldeans, and to fill it with the corpses of men, whom I smote in mine anger and my wrath, and turned away my face from them, for all their wickedness: 6 Behold, I bring upon her healing and cure, and I will show myself to them, and will heal her, and make both peace and security.

7 And I will turn the captivity of Juda, and the captivity of Israel, and will build them, even as before. 8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned against me, and will not remember their sins, whereby they have sinned against me, and revolted from me. 9 And it shall be for joy and praise, and for glory to all the people of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I will do: and they shall fear and be provoked for all the good things and for all the peace which I will bring upon them.

10 Thus saith the Lord; There shall yet be heard in this place, of which ye say, It is destitute of men and cattle, in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem, the places that have been made desolate for want of men and cattle, 11 the voice of gladness, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of men saying, Give thanks to the Lord Almighty: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endures for ever: and they shall bring gifts into the house of the Lord; for I will turn all the captivity of that land as before, said the Lord. 12 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; There shall yet be in this place, that is desert for want of man and beast, in all the cities thereof, resting-places for shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. 13 In the cities of the hill country, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the cities round about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Juda, flocks shall yet pass under the hand of him that numbers them, saith the Lord.

41 The word that came to Jeremias from the Lord (now Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the country of his dominion, were warring against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Juda,) saying,

2 Thus has the Lord said; Go to Sedekias king of Juda, and thou shalt say to him, Thus has the Lord said, This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it, and shall burn it with fire: 3 and thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt certainly be taken, and shalt be given into his hands; and thine eyes shall see his eyes, and thou shalt enter into Babylon.

4 But hear the word of the Lord, O Sedekias king of Juda; Thus saith the Lord, 5 Thou shalt die in peace: and as they wept for thy fathers that reigned before thee, they shall weep also for thee, saying, Ah lord! and they shall lament for thee down to the grave: for I have spoken the word, said the Lord.

6 And Jeremias spoke to king Sedekias all these words in Jerusalem. 7 And the host of the king of Babylon warred against Jerusalem, and against the cities of Juda, and against Lachis, and against Azeca: for these strong cities were left among the cities of Juda.

8 The word that came from the Lord to Jeremias, after king Sedekias had concluded a covenant with the people to proclaim a release; 9 that every one should set at liberty his servant, and every one his handmaid, the Hebrew man and Hebrew woman, that no man of Juda should be a bondman. 10 Then all the nobles, and all the people who had entered into the covenant, engaging to set free every one his man-servant, and every one his maid, turned, 11 and gave them over to be men-servants and maid-servants.

12 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying, 13 Thus saith the Lord; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day wherein I took them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying, 14 When six years are accomplished, thou shalt set free thy brother the Hebrew, who shall be sold to thee: for he shall serve thee six years, and then thou shalt let him go free: but they hearkened not to me, and inclined not their ear. 15 And this day they turned to do that which was right in my sight, to proclaim every one the release of his neighbour; and they had concluded a covenant before me, in the house whereon my name is called. 16 But ye turned and profaned my name, to bring back every one his servant, and every one his handmaid, whom ye had sent forth free and at their own disposal, to be to you men-servants and maid-servants.

17 Therefore thus said the Lord; Ye have not hearkened to me, to proclaim a release every one to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a release to you, to the sword, and to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will give you up to dispersion among all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, who have not kept my covenant, which they made before me, the calf which they prepared to sacrifice with it, 19 the princes of Juda, and the men in power, and the priests, and the people; 20 I will even give them to their enemies, and their carcases shall be food for the birds of the sky and for the wild beasts of the earth. 21 And I will give Sedekias king of Judea, and their princes, into the hands of their enemies, and the host of the king of Babylon shall come upon them that run away from them. 22 Behold, I will give command, says the Lord, and will bring them back to this land; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire, and the cities of Juda; and I will make them desolate without inhabitants.

42 THE WORD THAT CAME TO JEREMIAS from the Lord in the days of Joakim, king of Juda, saying, 2 Go to the house of the Archabin, and thou shalt bring them to the house of the Lord, into one of the courts, and give them wine to drink.

3 So I brought forth Jechonias the son of Jeremin the son of Chabasin, and his brethren, and his sons, and all the family of the Archabin; 4 and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Joanan, the son of Ananias, the son of Godolias, a man of God, who dwells near the house of the princes that are over the house of Maasæas the son of Selom, who kept the court. 5 And I set before them a jar of wine, and cups, and I said, Drink ye wine.

6 But they said, We will on no account drink wine, for our father Jonadab the son of Rechab commanded us, saying, Ye shall on no account drink wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever: 7 nor shall ye at all build houses, nor sow any seed, nor shall ye have a vineyard: for ye shall dwell in tents all your days; that ye may live many days upon the land, in which ye sojourn. 8 And we hearkened to the voice of Jonadab our father, so as to drink no wine all our days, we, and our wives, and our sons, and our daughters; 9 and so as to build no houses to dwell in: and we have had no vineyard, nor field, nor seed: 10 but we have dwelt in tents, and have hearkened, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11 And it came to pass, when Nabuchodonosor came up against the land, that we said we would come in; and we entered into Jerusalem, for fear of the host of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the host of the Assyrians: and we dwelt there.

12 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 13 Thus saith the Lord, Go, and say to the men of Juda, and to them that dwell in Jerusalem, Will ye not receive correction to hearken to my words? 14 The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the word which he commanded his children, that they should drink no wine; and they have not drunk it: but I spoke to you early, and ye hearkened not. 15 And I sent to you my servants the prophets, saying, Turn ye every one from his evil way, and amend your practices, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell upon the land which I gave to you and to your fathers: but ye inclined not your ears, and hearkened not. 16 But the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command of their father; but this people has not hearkened to me. 17 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring upon Juda and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evils which I pronounced against them.

18 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Since the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have hearkened to the command of their father, to do as their father commanded them: 19 there shall never be wanting a man of the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab to stand before my face while the earth remains.

43 IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF JOAKIM son of Josias king of Juda, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Take thee a roll of a book, and write upon it all the words which I spoke to thee against Jerusalem, and against Juda, and against all the nations, from the day when I spoke to thee, from the days of Josias king of Juda, even to this day. 3 Perhaps the house of Juda will hear all the evils which I purpose to do to them; that they may turn from their evil way; and so I will be merciful to their iniquities and their sins.

4 So Jeremias called Baruch the son of Nerias: and he wrote from the mouth of Jeremias all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken to him, on a roll of a book. 5 And Jeremias commanded Baruch, saying, I am in prison; I cannot enter into the house of the Lord: 6 so thou shalt read in this roll in the ears of the people in the house of the Lord, on the fast day; and in the ears of all Juda that come out of their cities, thou shalt read to them. 7 Peradventure their supplication will come before the Lord, and they will turn from their evil way: for great is the wrath and the anger of the Lord, which he has pronounced against this people.

8 And Baruch did according to all that Jeremias commanded him—reading in the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house. 9 And it came to pass in the eighth year of king Joakim, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem, and the house of Juda, proclaimed a fast before the Lord. 10 And Baruch read in the book the words of Jeremias in the house of the Lord, in the house of Gamarias son of Saphan the scribe, in the upper court, in the entrance of the new gate of the house of the Lord, and in the ears of all the people.

11 And Michæas the son of Gamarias the son of Saphan heard all the words of the Lord, out of the book. 12 And he went down to the king’s house, into the house of the scribe: and, behold, there were sitting there all the princes, Elisama the scribe, and Dalæas the son of Selemias, and Jonathan the son of Acchobor, and Gamarias the son of Saphan, and Sedekias the son of Ananias, and all the princes. 13 And Michæas reported to them all the words which he had heard Baruch reading in the ears of the people.

14 And all the princes sent to Baruch son of Nerias Judin the son of Nathanias, the son of Selemias, the son of Chusi, saying, Take in thine hand the roll in which thou readest in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch took the roll, and went down to them. 15 And they said to him, Read it again in our ears. And Baruch read it. 16 And it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, that they took counsel each with his neighbour, and said, Let us by all means tell the king all these words. 17 And they asked Baruch, saying, Where didst thou write all these words? 18 And Baruch said, Jeremias told me from his own mouth all these words, and I wrote them in a book. 19 And they said to Baruch, Go, and hide, thou and Jeremias; let no man know where ye are.

20 And they went in to the king into the court, and gave the roll to one to keep in the house of Elisama; and they told the king all these words. 21 And the king sent Judin to fetch the roll: and he took it out of the house of Elisama: and Judin read in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes who stood round the king. 22 Now the king was sitting in the winter house: and there was a fire on the hearth before him. 23 And it came to pass when Judin had read three or four leaves, he cut them off with a penknife, and cast them into the fire that was on the hearth, until the whole roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. 24 And the king and his servants that heard all these words sought not the Lord, and rent not their garments. 25 But Elnathan and Godolias suggested to the king that he should burn the roll.

26 And the king commanded Jeremeel the king’s son, and Saræas the son of Esriel, to take Baruch and Jeremias: but they were hidden.

27 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, after the king had burnt the roll, even all the words which Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremias, saying, 28 Again take thou another roll, and write all the words that were on the roll, which king Joakim has burnt. 29 And thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast burnt this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come in, and destroy this land, and man and cattle shall fail from off it?

30 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Joakim king of Juda; He shall not have a man to sit on the throne of David: and his carcase shall be cast forth in the heat by day, and in the frost by night. 31 And I will visit him, and his family, and his servants: and I will bring upon him, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the land of Juda, all the evils which I spoke of to them; and they hearkened not.

32 And Baruch took another roll, and wrote upon it from the mouth of Jeremias all the words of the book which Joakim had burnt: and there were yet more words added to it like the former.

44 And Sedekias the son of Josias reigned instead of Joakim, whom Nabuchodonosor appointed to reign over Juda. 2 And he and his servants and the people of the land hearkened not to the words of the Lord, which he spoke by Jeremias.

3 And king Sedekias sent Joachal son of Selemias and Sophonias the priest son of Maasæas to Jeremias, saying, Pray now for us to the Lord. 4 Now Jeremias came and went through the midst of the city: for they had not put him into the house of the prison. 5 And the host of Pharao was come forth out of Egypt; and the Chaldeans heard the report of them, and they went up from Jerusalem.

6 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying, 7 Thus said the Lord; Thus shalt thou say to the king of Juda who sent to thee, to seek me; Behold, the army of Pharao which is come forth to help you: they shall return to the land of Egypt: 8 and the Chaldeans themselves shall turn again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. 9 For thus saith the Lord; Suppose not in your hearts, saying, The Chaldeans will certainly depart from us: for they shall not depart. 10 And though ye should smite the whole host of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there should be left a few wounded men, these should rise up each in his place, and burn this city with fire.

11 And it came to pass, when the host of the Chaldeans had gone up from Jerusalem for fear of the host of Pharao, 12 that Jeremias went forth from Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to buy thence a property in the midst of the people. 13 And he was in the gate of Benjamin, and there was there a man with whom he lodged, Saruia the son of Selemias, the son of Ananias; and he caught Jeremias, saying, Thou art fleeing to the Chaldeans. 14 And he said, It is false; I do not flee to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him; and Saruia caught Jeremias, and brought him to the princes. 15 And the princes were very angry with Jeremias, and smote him, and sent him into the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made this a prison.

16 So Jeremias came into the dungeon, and into the cells, and he remained there many days. 17 Then Sedekias sent, and called him; and the king asked him secretly, saying, Is there a word from the Lord? and he said, There is: thou shalt be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon. 18 And Jeremias said to the king, Wherein have I wronged thee, or thy servants, or this people, that thou puttest me in prison? 19 And where are your prophets who prophesied to you saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against this land? 20 Now therefore, my lord the king, let my supplication come before thy face: and why dost thou send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe? and let me not on any account die there. 21 Then the king commanded, and they cast him into the prison, and gave him a loaf a day out of the place where they bake, until the bread failed out of the city. So Jeremias continued in the court of the prison.

45 And Saphanias the son of Nathan, and Godolias the son of Paschor, and Joachal the son of Semelias, heard the words which Jeremias spoke to the people, saying,

2 Thus saith the Lord; He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine: but he that goes out to the Chaldeans shall live; and his soul shall be given him for a found treasure, and he shall live. 3 For thus says the Lord; This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the host of the king of Babylon, and they shall take it. 4 And they said to the king, Let that man, we pray thee, be slain, for he weakens the hands of the fighting men that are left in the city, and the hands of all the people, speaking to them according to these words: for this man does not prophesy peace to this people, but evil. 5 Then the king said, Behold, he is in your hands. For the king could not resist them. 6 And they cast him into the dungeon of Melchias the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison; and they let him down into the pit: and there was no water in the pit, but mire: and he was in the mire.

7 And Abdemelech the Ethiopian heard, (now he was in the king’s household,) that they had put Jeremias into the dungeon; and the king was in the gate of Benjamin: 8 and he went forth to him, and spoke to the king and said, 9 Thou hast done evil in what thou hast done to slay this man with hunger: for there is no more bread in the city. 10 And the king commanded Abdemelech, saying, Take with thee hence thirty men, and bring him up out of the dungeon, that he die not. 11 So Abdemelech took the men, and went into the underground part of the king’s house, and took thence old rags and old ropes, and threw them to Jeremias into the dungeon. 12 And he said, Put these under the ropes. And Jeremias did so. 13 And they drew him with the ropes, and lifted him out of the dungeon: and Jeremias remained in the court of the prison.

14 Then the king sent, and called him to himself into the house of Aselisel, which was in the house of the Lord: and the king said to him, I will ask thee a question, and I pray thee hide nothing from me.

15 And Jeremias said to the king, If I tell thee, wilt thou not certainly put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not at all hearken to me. 16 And the king swore to him, saying, As the Lord lives who gave us this soul, I will not slay thee, neither will I give thee into the hands of these men.

17 And Jeremias said to him, Thus saith the Lord; If thou wilt indeed go forth to the captains of the king of Babylon, thy soul shall live, and this city shall certainly not be burnt with fire; and thou shalt live, and thy house. 18 But if thou wilt not go forth, this city shall be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt by no means escape.

19 And the king said to Jeremias, I consider the Jews that have gone over to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hands, and they mock me.

20 And Jeremias said, They shall in no wise deliver thee up. Hear the word of the Lord which I speak to thee; and it shall be better for thee, and thy soul shall live. 21 But if thou wilt not go forth, this is the word which the Lord has shewn me. 22 And, behold, all the women that are left in the house of the king of Juda were brought forth to the princes of the king of Babylon; and they said, The men who were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and will prevail against thee; and they shall cause thy foot to slide and fail, they have turned back from thee. 23 And they shall bring forth thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt by no means escape, for thou shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burnt.

24 Then the king said to him, Let no man know any of these words, and certainly thou shalt not die. 25 And if the princes shall hear that I have spoken to thee, and they come to thee, and say to thee, Tell us, what said the king to thee? hide it not from us, and we will in no wise slay thee, and what said the king to thee? 26 Then thou shalt say to them, I brought my supplication before the presence of the king, that he would not send me back into the house of Jonathan, that I should die there.

27 And all the princes came to Jeremias, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words, which the king had commanded him. And they were silent, because the word of the Lord was not heard. 28 And Jeremias remained in the court of the prison, until the time when Jerusalem was taken.

46 And it came to pass in the ninth month of Sedekias king of Juda, that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and they besieged it. 2 And in the eleventh year of Sedekias, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up. 3 And all the leaders of the king of Babylon went in, and sat in the middle gate, Marganasar, and Samagoth, and Nabusachar, and Nabusaris, Nagargas, Naserrabamath, and the rest of the leaders of the king of Babylon, 4 and they sent, and took Jeremias out of the court of the prison, and gave him in charge to Godolias the son of Achicam, the son of Saphan: and they brought him out, and he sat in the midst of the people.

15 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias in the court of the prison, saying, 16 Go and say to Abdemelech the Ethiopian, Thus said the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good. 17 But I will save thee in that day, and I will by no means deliver thee into the hands of the men before whom thou art afraid. 18 For I will surely save thee, and thou shalt by no means fall by the sword; and thou shalt find thy life, because thou didst trust in me, saith the Lord.

47 The word that came from the Lord to Jeremias, after that Nabuzardan the captain of the guard had let him go out of Rama, when he had taken him in manacles in the midst of the captivity of Juda, even those who were carried to Babylon.

2 And the chief captain of the guard took him, and said to him, The Lord thy God has pronounced all these evils upon this place: 3 and the Lord has done it; because ye sinned against him, and hearkened not to his voice. 4 Behold, I have loosed thee from the manacles that were upon thine hands. If it seem good to thee to go with me to Babylon, then will I set mine eyes upon thee. 5 But if not, depart; return to Godolias the son of Achicam, the son of Saphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed governor in the land of Juda, and dwell with him in the midst of the people in the land of Juda: to whatsoever places it seems good in thine eyes to go, do thou even go. And the captain of the guard made him presents, and let him go. 6 And he came to Godolias to Massepha, and dwelt in the midst of his people that was left in the land.

7 And all the leaders of the host that was in the country, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Godolias governor in the land, and they committed to him the men and their wives, whom Nabuchodonosor had not removed to Babylon. 8 And there came to Godolias to Massepha Ismael the son of Nathanias, and Joanan son of Caree, and Saræas the son of Thanaemeth, and the sons of Jophe the Netophathite, and Ezonias son of the Mochathite, they and their men.

9 And Godolias swore to them and to their men, saying, Be not afraid before the children of the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be better for you. 10 And, behold, I dwell in your presence at Massepha, to stand before the Chaldeans who shall come against you: and do ye gather grapes, and fruits, and oil, and put them into your vessels, and dwell in the cities which ye have obtained possession of.

11 And all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and those that were in Idumea, and those that were in all the rest of the country, heard that the king of Babylon had granted a remnant to Juda, and that he had appointed over them Godolias the son of Achicam. 12 And they came to Godolias into the land of Juda, to Massepha, and gathered grapes, and very much summer fruit, and oil.

13 And Joanan the son of Caree, and all the leaders of the host, who were in the fields, came to Godolias to Massepha, 14 and said to him, Dost thou indeed know that king Beleissa son of Ammon has sent Ismael to thee to slay thee? But Godolias believed them not. 15 And Joanan said to Godolias secretly in Massepha, I will go now and smite Ismael, and let no man know it; lest he slay thee, and all the Jews that are gathered to thee be dispersed, and the remnant of Juda perish. 16 But Godolias said to Joanan, Do not this thing, for thou speakest lies concerning Ismael.

48 Now it came to pass in the seventh month that Ismael the son of Nathanias the son of Eleasa of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, to Godolias to Massepha: and they ate bread there together. 2 And Ismael rose up, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Godolias, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor over the land, 3 and all the Jews that were with him in Massepha, and all the Chaldeans that were found there.

4 And it came to pass on the second day after he had smitten Godolias, and no man knew of it, 5 that there came men from Sychem, and from Salem, and from Samaria, even eighty men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and beating their breasts, and they had manna and frankincense in their hands, to bring them into the house of the Lord. 6 And Ismael went out to meet them; and they went on and wept: and he said to them, Come in to Godolias. 7 And it came to pass, when they had entered into the midst of the city, that he slew them and cast them into a pit. 8 But ten men were found there, and they said to Ismael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, wheat and barley, honey and oil. So he passed by, and slew them not in the midst of their brethren.

9 Now the pit into which Ismael cast all whom he smote, is the great pit, which king Asa had made for fear of Baasa king of Israel: even this Ismael filled with slain men.

10 And Ismael brought back all the people that were left in Massepha, and the king’s daughter, whom the captain of the guard had committed in charge to Godolias the son of Achicam: and he went away beyond the children of Ammon.

11 And Joanan the son of Careë, and all the leaders of the host that were with him, heard of all the evil deeds which Ismael had done. 12 And they brought all their army, and went to fight against him, and found him near much water in Gabaon. 13 And it came to pass, when all the people that was with Ismael saw Joanan, and the leaders of the host that was with him, 14 that they returned to Joanan. 15 But Ismael escaped with eight men and went to the children of Ammon.

16 And Joanan, and all the leaders of the host that were with him, took all the remnant of the people, whom he had brought back from Ismael, mighty men in war, and the women, and the other property, and the eunuchs, whom they had brought back from Gabaon: 17 and they departed, and dwelt in Gaberoch-amaa, that is by Bethleem, to go into Egypt, for fear of the Chaldeans: 18 for they were afraid of them, because Ismael had smitten Godolias, whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land.

49 Then came all the leaders of the host, and Joanan, and Azarias the son of Maasæas, and all the people great and small, 2 to Jeremias the prophet, and said to him, Let now our supplication come before thy face, and pray thou to the Lord thy God for this remnant; for we are left few out of many, as thine eyes see. 3 And let the Lord thy God declare to us the way wherein we should walk, and the thing which we should do.

4 And Jeremias said to them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray for you to the Lord our God, according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever word the Lord God shall answer, I will declare it to you; I will not hide anything from you.

5 And they said to Jeremias, Let the Lord be between us for a just and faithful witness, if we do not according to every word which the Lord shall send to us. 6 And whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will hearken to the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, because we shall hearken to the voice of the Lord our God.

7 And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the Lord came to Jeremias. 8 And he called Joanan, and the leaders of the host, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9 and he said to them, Thus saith the Lord; 10 If ye will indeed dwell in this land, I will build you, and will not pull you down, but will plant you, and in no wise pluck you up: for I have ceased from the calamities which I brought upon you. 11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, says the Lord: for I am with you, to deliver you, and save you out of their hand. 12 And I will grant you mercy, and pity you, and will restore you to your land.

13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, that we may not hearken to the voice of the Lord; 14 for we will go into the land of Egypt, and we shall see no war, and shall not hear the sound of a trumpet, and we shall not hunger for bread; and there we will dwell: 15 then hear the word of the Lord; thus says the Lord; 16 If ye set your face toward Egypt, and go in there to dwell; then it shall be, that the sword which ye fear shall find you in the land of Egypt, and the famine to which ye have regard, shall overtake you, coming after you in Egypt; and there ye shall die. 17 And all the men, and all the strangers who have set their face toward the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall be consumed by the sword, and by the famine: and there shall not one of them escape from the evils which I bring upon them.

18 For thus saith the Lord; As my wrath has dropped upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall my wrath drop upon you, when ye have entered into Egypt: and ye shall be a desolation, and under the power of others, and a curse and a reproach: and ye shall no more see this place.

19 These are the words which the Lord has spoken concerning you the remnant of Juda; Enter ye not into Egypt: and now know ye for a certainty, 20 that ye have wrought wickedness in your hearts, when ye sent me, saying, Pray thou for us to the Lord; and according to all that the Lord shall speak to thee we will do. 21 And ye have not hearkened to the voice of the Lord, with which he sent me to you. 22 Now therefore ye shall perish by sword and by famine, in the place which ye desire to go into to dwell there.

50 And it came to pass, when Jeremias ceased speaking to the people all the words of the Lord, for which the Lord had sent him to them, even all these words, 2 that Azarias son of Maasæas spoke, and Joanan, the son of Careë, and all the men who had spoken to Jeremias, saying, It is false: the Lord has not sent thee to us, saying, Enter not into Egypt to dwell there: 3 but Baruch the son of Nerias sets thee against us, that thou mayest deliver us into the hands of the Chaldeans, to kill us, and that we should be carried away captives to Babylon. 4 So Joanan, and all the leaders of the host, and all the people, refused to hearken to the voice of the Lord, to dwell in the land of Juda.

5 And Joanan, and all the leaders of the host, took all the remnant of Juda, who had returned to dwell in the land; 6 the mighty men, and the women, and the children that were left, and the daughters of the king, and the souls which Nabuzardan had left with Godolias the son of Achicam, and Jeremias the prophet, and Baruch the son of Nerias. 7 And they came into Egypt: for they hearkened not to the voice of the Lord: and they entered into Taphnas.

8 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias in Taphnas, saying, 9 Take thee great stones, and hide them in the entrance, at the gate of the house of Pharao in Taphnas, in the sight of the men of Juda: 10 and thou shalt say, Thus has the Lord said; Behold, I will send, and will bring Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and he shall place his throne upon these stones which thou hast hidden, and he shall lift up weapons against them. 11 And he shall enter in, and smite the land of Egypt, delivering some for death to death; and some for captivity to captivity; and some for the sword to the sword. 12 And he shall kindle a fire in the houses of their gods, and shall burn them, and shall carry them away captives: and shall search the land of Egypt, as a shepherd searches his garment; and he shall go forth in peace. 13 And he shall break to pieces the pillars of Heliopolis that are in On, and shall burn their houses with fire.

51 THE WORD THAT CAME TO JEREMIAS for all the Jews dwelling in the land of Egypt, and for those settled in Magdolo and in Taphnas, and in the land of Pathura, saying,

2 Thus has the Lord God of Israel said; Ye have seen all the evils which I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon the cities of Juda; and, behold, they are desolate without inhabitants, 3 because of their wickedness, which they have wrought to provoke me, by going to burn incense to other gods, whom ye knew not. 4 Yet I sent to you my servants the prophets early in the morning, and I sent, saying, Do not ye this abominable thing which I hate.

5 But they hearkened not to me, and inclined not their ear to turn from their wickedness, so as not to burn incense to strange gods. 6 So mine anger and my wrath dropped upon them, and was kindled in the gates of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they became a desolation and a waste, as at this day.

7 And now thus has the Lord Almighty said, Wherefore do ye commit these great evils against your souls? to cut off man and woman of you, infant and suckling from the midst of Juda, to the end that not one of you should be left; 8 by provoking me with the works of your hands, to burn incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, into which ye entered to dwell there, that ye might be cut off, and that ye might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have ye forgotten the sins of your fathers, and the sins of the kings of Juda, and the sins of your princes, and the sins of your wives, which they wrought in the land of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 And have not ceased even to this day, and they have not kept to my ordinances, which I set before their fathers.

11 Therefore thus says the Lord; Behold, I do set my face against you 12 to destroy all the remnant that are in Egypt; and they shall fall by the sword, and by famine, and shall be consumed small and great: and they shall be for reproach, and for destruction, and for a curse. 13 And I will visit them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have visited Jerusalem, with sword and with famine: 14 and there shall not one be preserved of the remnant of Juda that sojourn in the land of Egypt, to return to the land of Juda, to which they hope in their hearts to return: they shall not return, but only they that escape.

15 Then all the men that knew that their wives burned incense, and all the women, a great multitude, and all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathura, answered Jeremias, saying,

16 As for the word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken to thee. 17 For we will surely perform every word that shall proceed out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour drink-offerings to her, as we and our fathers have done, and our kings and princes, in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem: and so we were filled with bread, and were well, and saw no evils. 18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, we have all been brought low, and have been consumed by sword and by famine. 19 And whereas we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured drink-offerings to her, did we make cakes to her, and pour drink-offerings to her, without our husbands?

20 Then Jeremias answered all the people, the mighty men, and the women, and all the people that returned him these words for answer, saying, 21 Did not the Lord remember the incense which ye burned in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, and your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land? and came it not into his heart? 22 And the Lord could no longer bear you, because of the wickedness of your doings, and because of your abominations which ye wrought; and so your land became a desolation and a waste, and a curse, as at this day; 23 because of your burning incense, and because of the things wherein ye sinned against the Lord: and ye have not hearkened to the voice of the Lord, and have not walked in his ordinances, and in his law, and in his testimonies; and so these evils have come upon you.

24 And Jeremias said to the people, and to the women, Hear ye the word of the Lord. 25 Thus has the Lord God of Israel said; Ye women have spoken with your mouth, and ye fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour drink-offerings to her: full well did ye keep to your vows, and ye have indeed performed them. 26 Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Jews dwelling in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord, my name shall no longer be in the mouth of every Jew to say, The Lord lives, in all the land of Egypt. 27 For I have watched over them, to hurt them, and not to do them good: and all the Jews dwelling in the land of Egypt shall perish by sword and by famine, until they are utterly consumed. 28 And they that escape the sword shall return to the land of Juda few in number, and the remnant of Juda, who have continued in the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose word shall stand.

29 And this shall be a sign to you, that I will visit you for evil. 30 Thus said the Lord; Behold, I will give Uaphres king of Egypt into the hands of his enemy, and into the hands of one that seeks his life; as I gave Sedekias king of Juda into the hands of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, his enemy, and who sought his life.

31 THE WORD WHICH JEREMIAS THE PROPHET spoke to Baruch son of Nerias, when he wrote these words in the book from the mouth of Jeremias, in the fourth year of Joakim the son of Josias king of Juda.

32 Thus has the Lord said to thee, O Baruch. 33 Whereas thou hast said, Alas! alas! for the Lord has laid a grievous trouble upon me; I lay down in groaning, I found no rest; 34 say thou to him, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I pull down those whom I have built up, and I pluck up those whom I have planted. 35 And wilt thou seek great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I bring evil upon all flesh, says the Lord: but I will give to thee thy life for a spoil in every place whither thou shalt go.

52 It was the twenty-first year of Sedekias, when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Amitaal, the daughter of Jeremias, of Lobena.

4 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the ninth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and they made a rampart round it, and built a wall round about it with large stones.

5 So the city was besieged, until the eleventh year of king Sedekias, 6 on the ninth day of the month, and then the famine was severe in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 7 And the city was broken up, and all the men of war went out by night by the way of the gate, between the wall and the outworks, which were by the king’s garden; and the Chaldeans were by the city round about; and they went by the way leading to the wilderness. 8 But the host of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook him in the country beyond Jericho; and all his servants were dispersed from about him. 9 And they took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon to Deblatha, and he judged him. 10 And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Sedekias before his eyes; and he slew all the princes of Juda in Deblatha. 11 And he put out the eyes of Sedekias, and bound him in fetters; and the king of Babylon brought him to Babylon, and put him into the grinding-house, until the day when he died.

12 And in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nabuzardan the captain of the guard, who waited on the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem; 13 and he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house; and all the houses of the city, and every great house he burnt with fire. 14 And the host of the Chaldeans that was with the captain of the guard pulled down all the wall of Jerusalem round about. 16 But the captain of the guard left the remnant of the people to be vinedressers and husbandmen.

17 And the Chaldeans broke in pieces the brazen pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of the Lord, and they took the brass thereof, and carried it away to Babylon. 18 Also the rim, and the bowls, and the flesh-hooks, and all the brazen vessels, wherewith they ministered; 19 and the basons, and the snuffers, and the oil-funnels, and the candlesticks, and the censers, and the cups, the golden, of gold, and the silver, of silver, the captain of the guard took away. 20 And the two pillars, and the one sea, and the twelve brazen oxen under the sea, which things king Solomon made for the house of the Lord; the brass of which articles was without weight.

21 And as for the pillars, the height of one pillar was thirty-five cubits; and a line of twelve cubits compassed it round; and the thickness of it all round was four fingers. 22 And there was a brazen chapiter upon them, and the length was five cubits, even the height of one chapiter; and there were on the chapiter round about network and pomegranates, all of brass: and correspondingly the second pillar had eight pomegranates to a cubit for the twelve cubits. 23 And the pomegranates were ninety-six on a side; and all the pomegranates on the network round about were a hundred.

24 And the captain of the guard took the chief priest, and the second priest, and those that kept the way; 25 and one eunuch, who was over the men of war, and seven men of renown, who were in the king’s presence, that were found in the city; and the scribe of the forces, who did the part of a scribe to the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city. 26 And Nabuzardan the captain of the king’s guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Deblatha. 27 And the king of Babylon smote them in Deblatha, in the land of Æmath.

31 And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year after that Joakim king of Juda had been carried away captive, in the twelfth month, on the four and twentieth day of the month, that Ulæmadachar king of Babylon, in the year in which he began to reign, raised the head of Joakim king of Juda, and shaved him, and brought him out of the house where he was kept, 32 and spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the kings that were with him in Babylon, 33 changed his prison garments: and he ate bread continually before him all the days that he lived. 34 And his appointed portion was given him continually by the king of Babylon from day to day, until the day when he died.

TABLE SHEWING THE ORDER OF SEVERAL CHAPTERS AND VERSES IN JEREMIAH, AS THEY APPEAR IN THE HEBREW AND SEPTUAGINT RESPECTIVELY.

Hebrew, Vulgate, & English.

              Septuagint.