= DASV: Digital American Standard Version<= br>
= &nb= sp; = DASV: Jeremiah 1

¹ The words = of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.

² The word o= f the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah the son of A= mon, king of Judah.

³ It also ca= me in the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, w= hen Jerusalem was carried away into exile.

⁴ Now the wo= rd of the LORD came to me, saying,

⁵ "Befo= re I formed you in the womb I knew you,

&nb= sp; before you came out of the womb I consecrated you;

&nb= sp; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

⁶ Then I replied, "O, sovereign LORD! = I don't know how to speak, for I am too young."

⁷ But the LO= RD answered me, "Do not say 'I am too young;' for you will go to whomever= I send you, and you must say whatever I tell you to.

⁸ Do not be = afraid because of them, for I am with you to rescue you," says the LORD.=

⁹ Then the L= ORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth. The LORD said to me, "Look, I have = put my words in your mouth.

¹⁰ See, today= I have appointed you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and = to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."<= /o:p>

¹¹ Then the word of the LORD came to me, say= ing, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" I replied, "I see a branch of an almond tree."

¹² Then the L= ORD said to me, "You have seen accurately, for I am watching over my word to perform it."

¹³ Then the word of the LORD came to me a se= cond time, saying, "What do you see?" I replied, "I see a pot of = boiling water; tipping at us from the north."

¹⁴ Then the L= ORD said to me, "Out of the north evil will break out on all the inhabitan= ts of this land.

¹⁵ For I am a= bout to call all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north," says the LORD; <= o:p>

&nb= sp; "They will come, and they will all set their thrones

&nb= sp; = at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,

&nb= sp; = against all the walls that surround it

&nb= sp; = and against all the cities of Judah.

¹⁶ I will declare my judgments against them

&nb= sp; = concerning all their wickedness in forsaking me.

&nb= sp; They have burned incense to other gods,

&nb= sp; = and worshipped the works of their own hands.

¹⁷ But prepare yourself for action, stand up, and tell them everything that I command you.= Do not be afraid of them, or I myself will make you afraid before them.

¹⁸ For I have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall to stand= against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and= the people of the land.

¹⁹ They will fight against you but they will not overcome you, because I am with you,&qu= ot; says the LORD, "to rescue you."

= &nb= sp; = DASV: Jeremiah 2

¹ The word o= f the LORD came to me, saying,

² "Go a= nd proclaim in the ears of the people of Jerusalem, saying, 'This is what the LORD says= ,

&nb= sp; I remember the devotion of your youth,

&nb= sp; = you loved me as a young bride does;

you = followed me in the wilderness,

&nb= sp; = in a land that was not sown.

³ Israel was= holy to the LORD,

&nb= sp; the firstfruits of his harvest.

All who devo= ured them were held guilty;

&nb= sp; disaster will come on them,"'

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; says the LORD.

⁴ Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jac= ob,

&nb= sp; and all the families of the house of Israel:

⁵ This is wh= at the LORD says,

&nb= sp; "What did your fathers find wrong with me,

&nb= sp; = that they strayed so far from me?

&nb= sp; They have walked after worthless idols,

&nb= sp; = and they themselves became worthless.

⁶ They never asked, 'Where is the LORD

&nb= sp; who brought us up out of the land of Egypt,

who led us t= hrough the wilderness,

&nb= sp; a land of deserts and pits,

&nb= sp; a land of drought and deep darkness,

&nb= sp; a land that no one travels through,

&nb= sp; = and where no one lives?'

⁷ I brought = you into a plentiful land,

&nb= sp; to eat its fruit and goodness.

But when you enter= ed it,

&nb= sp; you defiled my land,

&nb= sp; = and made my heritage an abomination.

⁸ The priest= s never asked, 'Where is the LORD?'

&nb= sp; Those who handled the law did not know me.

&nb= sp; The rulers also rebelled against me;

&nb= sp; the prophets prophesied by Baal,

&nb= sp; = and followed idols that do not profit.

⁹ So once again I will make my accusation against you,"

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = says the LORD,

&nb= sp; "and I will even bring charges against your grandchildren.

¹⁰ Cross over= to the shores of Cyprus, and see.

&nb= sp; Send someone to Kedar and carefully search;

&nb= sp; = see if such a thing has ever happened.

¹¹ Has a nati= on ever changed its gods,

&nb= sp; even though they are not gods at all?

But my people have changed their Glory

&nb= sp; for idols that are worthless.

¹² Be appalle= d at this, O heavens,

&nb= sp; and shocked with horror,"

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = says the LORD.

¹³ "For my people have committed two ev= ils:

&nb= sp; they have forsaken me,

&nb= sp; = the fountain of living water,

&nb= sp; and dug out cisterns,

&nb= sp; = broken cisterns that can hold no water.

¹⁴ Is Israel = a slave?

&nb= sp; Was he born a slave?

&nb= sp; Why then has he been carried off as plunder?

¹⁵ The young lions have roared against him;

&nb= sp; they have roared loudly.

They have ma= de his land a wasteland;

&nb= sp; his cities are burned up, without inhabitant.

¹⁶ Even the p= eople of Memphis and Tahpanhes

&nb= sp; have shaved the crown of your head.

¹⁷ Did you no= t bring this on yourself

&nb= sp; by forsaking the LORD your God,

&nb= sp; = when he led you on the way?

¹⁸ Now what h= ave you really gained by going to Egypt,

&nb= sp; to drink the waters of the Nile?

Or what have= you gained by going to Assyria,

&nb= sp; to drink the waters of the Euphrates?

¹⁹ Your own wickedness will bring on you punishment,

&nb= sp; and your apostasy will result in your being disciplined.

Know, theref= ore and realize that it is an evil thing

&nb= sp; and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God,

and th= e fear of me is not in you,"

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; says the sovereign LORD of hosts.

²⁰ "For long ago I broke your yoke,

&nb= sp; and burst your chains;

&nb= sp; you said, 'I wil= l not serve you.'

For on every= high hill and under every green tree

&nb= sp; you lay yourself down like a whore.

²¹ Yet I planted you like a choice vine,

&nb= sp; from the best stock.

How th= en did you turn into degenerate branches

&nb= sp; of a foreign vine to me?

²² For though= you wash yourself with detergent,

&nb= sp; and use a lot of soap,

yet the stain of your guilt is before me,"

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = says the sovereign LORD.

²³ "How can you claim, 'I am not defile= d,

&nb= sp; I have not gone after the Baals?'

Just l= ook at how you acted in the valley;

&nb= sp; realize what you have done.

You ar= e a restless camel running here and there.

²⁴ A wild fem= ale donkey at home in the wilderness,

&nb= sp; that in her heat sniffs at the wind.

Who can restrain her when she is in heat?

&nb= sp; No one who seeks her need weary themselves;

&nb= sp; = for at her mating time they will easily find her.

²⁵ Do not cha= se other gods until your shoes are worn out,

&nb= sp; and your throat becomes parched.

But you said, 'It is useless,

&nb= sp; for I love foreign gods,

&nb= sp; = and I want to pursue them.'

²⁶ As the thief is ashamed when he is caught= ,

&nb= sp; so the house of Israel will be shamed--

&nb= sp; = they, their kings, their officials,

&nb= sp; = their priests, and their prophets.

²⁷ They say t= o a piece of wood, 'You are my father;'

&nb= sp; and to a block of stone, 'You have given me birth.'

For th= ey have turned their backs to me,

&nb= sp; and not their faces.

But wh= en they get in trouble they will plead,

&nb= sp; 'Come and save us.'

²⁸ But where = are your gods that you have made?

&nb= sp; Let them rise up and save you

&nb= sp; = in your time of trouble, if they can.

For yo= u have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah.

²⁹ Why will y= ou argue with me?

&nb= sp; You all have rebelled against me,"

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; says the LORD.

³⁰ "It w= as useless to have smitten your children;

&nb= sp; they do not respond to correction.

Your own swo= rd has devoured your prophets

&nb= sp; like a ferocious lion.

³¹ You of this generation, look at the word = of the LORD.

&nb= sp; Have I been a wilderness to Israel?

= Have I been like a land of deep darkness?

Why do my pe= ople say,

&nb= sp; 'We are free, we will no longer come to you?'

³² Does a you= ng woman forget about her jewelry,

&nb= sp; or a bride her wedding attire?

Yet my peopl= e have forgotten me,

&nb= sp; days without number.

³³ How good y= ou have become at chasing lovers!

&nb= sp; Even a prostitute could learn a lesson from you.

³⁴ Also in yo= ur skirts is found the blood of the innocent poor,

&nb= sp; though you did not catch them breaking into your house.

Yet in spite= of all these things,

³⁵ you still claim, 'I am innocent;

&nb= sp; surely he's not angry with me anymore.'

Look, I am rendering judgment on you,

&nb= sp; because you claim, 'I have not sinned.'

³⁶ Why do you flit about changing your ways?

&nb= sp; You will be put to shame by Egypt,

&nb= sp; = just as you were put to shame by Assyria.

³⁷ You will be led away there with your hands on your head,

&nb= sp; for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,

&nb= sp; and you will not be helped by them.

= &nb= sp; = DASV: Jeremiah 3

¹ "If a= man divorces his wife, and she leaves him,

&nb= sp; and becomes another man's wife,

&= nbsp; can he get back together with her again?

Would that n= ot totally pollute the land?

But you have played the prostitute with many lovers,

&nb= sp; yet you expect to return to me?"

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = says the LORD.

² "Lift= up your eyes to the bare hilltops, and see.

&nb= sp; Where have you not committed adultery with other gods?

By the roadways yo= u have sat waiting for them,

&nb= sp; as an Arab in the desert.

You have pol= luted the land with your whoring

&nb= sp; and with your wickedness.

³ Therefore = the showers have been withheld,

&nb= sp; and there has been no spring rain.

Yet you have= the defiant look of a prostitute,

&nb= sp; you refuse to be ashamed.

⁴ Even now y= ou call out to me,

&nb= sp; 'My Father, you have been my guide since my youth.

⁵ &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Will you retain your anger forever?

&nb= sp; = Will you stay mad to the end?'

This is what= you say,

&nb= sp; yet you have done all the evil you could."

⁶ The LORD said to me in the days of Josiah= the king, "Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has prostituted herself.

⁷ I thought,= 'After she had done all these things, surely she will return to me. But she has no= t returned and her faithless sister Judah saw it.

⁸ She saw th= at for the adultery of Israel I sent her away and gave her a bill of divorce, = yet her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid; she also went and became a prostit= ute.

⁹ Because she took her whoring so lightly, the land was polluted, since she committed adultery with wood and stone.

¹⁰ Yet after = all this her treacherous sister Judah has not returned to me with her whole hea= rt, but has only pretended to do so," says the LORD.

¹¹ Then the L= ORD said to me, "Faithless Israel has shown herself to be more righteous t= han treacherous Judah.

¹² Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,

&nb= sp; 'Return, faithless Israel, says the LORD.

&nb= sp; = I will not look on you with anger,

&nb= sp; for I am merciful, says the LORD,

&nb= sp; = I will not be angry forever.

¹³ Just acknowledge your sin,

&nb= sp; = that you have rebelled against the LORD your God,

&nb= sp; and have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree,

&nb= sp; = and you have not obeyed my voice,'" says the LORD.

¹⁴ "Come back, O faithless childr= en," says the LORD; "for I am your master and I will bring you back, one fr= om a city, and two from a clan, I will bring you to Zion.

¹⁵ I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will shepherd you with knowledge and understanding.

¹⁶ It will co= me to pass, when your numbers have multiplied and increased in the land, in th= ose days," says the LORD, "they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' It wil= l not even come to mind or be remembered. It will not be missed and another one will not be made.

¹⁷ At that ti= me they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the LORD,' and all the nations will= be gathered to Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. They will no longer fo= llow after the stubbornness of their own evil hearts.

¹⁸ In those d= ays the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will both return from the land of the north to the land that I gave your forefathers = for an inheritance."

¹⁹ Then I said,

&nb= sp; "How I would love to treat you like one of my own children

&nb= sp; = and give you a pleasant land,

&nb= sp; = a beautiful heritage of all the nations!

&nb= sp; Then I thought, 'You would call me My Father,'

&nb= sp; = and would not turn away from following me.

²⁰ But as an unfaithful wife leaves her husband,

&nb= sp; so you have been unfaithful to me, O house of Israel," =

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; says the LORD.

²¹ A voice is heard on the bare hilltops,

&nb= sp; the weeping and pleading of the children of Israel,

becaus= e they have perverted their way;

&nb= sp; they have forgotten the LORD their God.

²² Return, O faithless children;

&nb= sp; I will heal your unfaithfulness.

'Look,= we are coming to you,

&nb= sp; for you are the LORD our God.

²³ We realize= the hills are a delusion,

&nb= sp; the sacred orgies on the mountains.

Truly = the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.

²⁴ But from o= ur youth the shameful idolatrous thing

&nb= sp; has devoured all that our fathers had labored for,

&nb= sp; = their flocks and herds,

&nb= sp; = their sons and daughters.

²⁵ Let us lie down in our shame,

&nb= sp; and let our disgrace cover us;

for we have = sinned against the LORD our God,

&nb= sp; both we and our forefathers,

= from our youth even to this day.

We hav= e not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.'"

= &nb= sp; = DASV: Jeremiah 4

¹ "If y= ou will return, O Israel,"

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = says the LORD,

"if you= will return to me,

&nb= sp; if you will put away your detestable idols out of my sight, =

&nb= sp; = and no longer be so fickle,

² and if you= will swear, 'As the LORD lives,'

&nb= sp; in truth, justice, and righteousness;

then the nat= ions will be blessed by him,

&nb= sp; and they will boast about him."

³ For this is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem,

"= Break up your fallow ground,

&nb= sp; and do not sow among thorns.

⁴ Circumcise yourselves to the LORD,

&nb= sp; and cut away the foreskins of your heart,

&nb= sp; = you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem.

If not, my w= rath will go forth like fire,

&nb= sp; and burn so that no one can extinguish it

&nb= sp; = because of your evil deeds.

⁵ Declare in Judah, and publish in Jerusale= m

&nb= sp; and say, 'Blow the war trumpet in the land.'

&nb= sp; Cry aloud and say, 'Assemble yourselves,

&nb= sp; = and flee into the fortified cities.'

⁶ Set up a s= ignal flag telling them to go to Zion,

&nb= sp; flee for safety, do not wait;

for I will b= ring disaster from the north,

&nb= sp; and great destruction."

⁷ A lion is = gone up from its thicket,

&nb= sp; and a destroyer of nations is on his way.

He has= left his place to make your land a wasteland,

&nb= sp; your cities become ruins without inhabitant.

⁸ For this c= lothe yourself with sackcloth, lament and wail;

&nb= sp; for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.=

⁹ "In that day," says the LORD, <= o:p>

&nb= sp; "the king and the officials will lose heart;

&nb= sp; = the priests will be appalled,

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; and the prophets will be stunned."

¹⁰ Then I sai= d, "Ah, sovereign LORD, surely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem, when yo= u say, 'You will have peace,' when the sword is at our throat.

¹¹ At that ti= me it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, "A blistering wind comes= from the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to win= now or to cleanse.

¹² A wind too strong for that comes from me. Now I will also announce judgments against t= hem."

¹³ "Look= , He comes up like clouds,

&nb= sp; and his chariots like a whirlwind.

His horses a= re swifter than eagles.

&nb= sp; Woe to us! For we are ruined."

¹⁴ "O Jerusalem, wash the wickedness from your heart

&nb= sp; that you may be saved.

How long wil= l you retain evil thoughts within you?

¹⁵ For a voice declares from Dan,

&nb= sp; and publishes disaster from the hil= ls of Ephraim.

¹⁶ Announce i= t to the nations;

&nb= sp; publish it against Jerusalem,

'the one bes= ieging is coming from a far country,

&nb= sp; and raising the battle cry against the towns of Judah.'

¹⁷ They have surrounded her like watchmen guarding a field,

&nb= sp; because she has been rebellious against me,"&= nbsp; says the LORD.

¹⁸ "Your= behavior and actions

&nb= sp; have brought these things on you;

this i= s your bitter punishment,

&nb= sp; for it has penetrated into your heart."

¹⁹ My anguish= , my anguish!

&nb= sp; I writhe in pain,

O how = my heart hurts;

&nb= sp; my heart throbs within me;

I cannot be = quiet,

because I have heard the sound of the war trumpet,

&nb= sp; &= nbsp; the alarm of war.

²⁰ One destru= ction on top of another;

&nb= sp; the whole land lies in rubble.

Suddenly my = tents are destroyed,

&nb= sp; my curtains torn down in a moment.

²¹ How long w= ill I see the battle flags,

&nb= sp; and hear the sound of the war trumpet?

²² "My people are foolish;

&nb= sp; they do not know me.

They are sen= seless children,

&nb= sp; and they have no understanding.

They a= re skillful at doing evil,

&nb= sp; but they have no knowledge of how to do good."

²³ I looked at the earth; =

&nb= sp; it was formless and empty;

and at the heavens,

&nb= sp; they had no light.

²⁴ I looked at the mountains;

&nb= sp; they trembled;

&nb= sp; all the hills moved back and forth.

²⁵ I looked a= nd there were no human beings;

&nb= sp; all the birds of the heavens had fled.

²⁶ I looked, = the fruitful field had become a desert;

&nb= sp; all its cities were turned to rubble

at the prese= nce of the LORD,

&nb= sp; and before his fierce anger.

²⁷ For this is what the LORD says,

&nb= sp; "The whole land will be desolate,

&nb= sp; = yet I will not totally destroy it.

²⁸ Because of= this the earth will mourn,

&nb= sp; and the heavens above grow dark;

because I ha= ve spoken it,

&nb= sp; I have purposed it,

and I have n= ot changed my mind,

&nb= sp; and I will not turn back.

²⁹ Every city flees from the roar of the horsemen and bowmen;

&nb= sp; they hide in the bushes,

&nb= sp; and climb up on the rocks.

Every city i= s abandoned,

&nb= sp; and no one will live in them.

³⁰ When you are made desolate, what will you= do?

&nb= sp; Though you clothe yourself with scarlet,

&nb= sp; though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,

&nb= sp; though you enlarge your eyes with eye shadow,

in vain you attempt to make yourself beautiful;

&nb= sp; your lovers despise you,

&nb= sp; = they seek your life.

³¹ For I have heard a cry like a woman in labor,

&nb= sp; anguish, like one giving birth to her first child,

the cry of t= he daughter of Zion gasping for breath,

&nb= sp; reaching out her hands for help, saying,

&nb= sp; = "Woe is me! My life fades away before these murderers."

= &nb= sp; = DASV: Jeremiah 5

¹ "Sear= ch up and down the streets of Jerusalem,

&nb= sp; look around and know,

&nb= sp; = inspect its squares,

&nb= sp; see if you can find one person

&nb= sp; = who acts justly and seeks truth,

and I = will pardon the city.

² Though the= y say, 'As the LORD lives;'

&nb= sp; in fact they are swearing falsely."

³ O LORD, do= not your eyes look for truth?

&nb= sp; You have struck them,

&nb= sp; = but they felt no pain.

&nb= sp; You have consumed them,

&nb= sp; = but they refused to be corrected.

&nb= sp; They have made their faces harder than a rock;

&nb= sp; = they have refused to repent.

⁴ Then I said, "Surely these are just = the poor;

&nb= sp; they are foolish,

for th= ey do not know the way of LORD,

&nb= sp; or the law of their God.

⁵ I will go = to the leaders

&nb= sp; and will speak to them,

for these kn= ow the way of the LORD,

&nb= sp; and the law of their God."

But these, t= o a person, have broken the yoke of God's law,

&nb= sp; and burst the bonds.

⁶ So a lion = out of the forest will slay them,

&nb= sp; a desert wolf will destroy them,

a leopard wi= ll lurk outside their cities

&nb= sp; and every one that goes out will be torn in pieces,

because thei= r rebellions are many

&nb= sp; and their unfaithfulness has increased.

⁷ "How can I pardon you?

&nb= sp; Even your children have forsaken me,

&nb= sp; = and sworn by those who are not gods.

When I had fed the= m to their full,

&nb= sp; then they committed adultery,

&nb= sp; and flocked to the houses of harlots.

⁸ They were = like well-fed stallions running wild,

&nb= sp; every one neighing after his neighbor's wife.

⁹ Will I not= punish them for these things?" says the LORD.

= "Should I not be avenged on such a nation as this?

¹⁰ Go through= her vineyards and destroy,

&nb= sp; but do not totally destroy them.

Strip = away her branches,

&nb= sp; for they are not LORD's.

¹¹ For the ho= use of Israel and the house of Judah

&nb= sp; have been absolutely unfaithful to me,"

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; &= nbsp; says the LORD.

¹² They have denied what the LORD says,

&nb= sp; by saying, "He won't do anything.

No disaster = will come on us;

&nb= sp; we will not see the sword or famine.

¹³ The prophe= ts are mere blustering wind,

&nb= sp; and the word of God is not in them.

Let th= ose threats happen to them."

¹⁴ Therefore = this is what the LORD says,

&nb= sp; the God of hosts,

"Becaus= e you talk like this,

&nb= sp; I will make my words a fire in your mouth,

&nb= sp; and this people will be consumed like wood.

¹⁵ I will bri= ng a nation on you from far away, O house of Israel,"

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = says the LORD.

"= It is an ancient nation that has endured,

&nb= sp; a nation whose language you do not know,

&nb= sp; = you cannot understand what they say.

¹⁶ Their quiv= er is like an open tomb;

&nb= sp; they are all mighty warriors.

¹⁷ They will = eat up your harvest and food;

&nb= sp; they will devour your sons and daughters.

They will eat up y= our flocks and herds;

&nb= sp; they will eat up your vines and fig trees.

They will decimate= your fortified cities with the sword,

&nb= sp; those you trusted in.

¹⁸ But even in those days," says the LORD,

&nb= sp; "I will not totally destroy you.

¹⁹ When you a= sk,

&nb= sp; 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?'

Then you will say = to them,

&nb= sp; 'It is because they have abandoned me,

&nb= sp; = and served foreign gods in your land,

= so you will= serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'

²⁰ Declare th= is in the house of Jacob,

&nb= sp; and proclaim it in Judah:

²¹ Hear this,= O foolish people who lack understanding,

&nb= sp; who have eyes, but do not see;

&nb= sp; who have ears, but do not hear.

²² Do you not= fear me?" says the LORD.

&nb= sp; "Will you not tremble at my presence?

&nb= sp; I placed the sand for the boundary of the sea,

&nb= sp; = a permanent barrier that it cannot pass.

Even though the waves toss themselves against it,

&nb= sp; = yet they cannot prevail.

&nb= sp; Even though they roar,

&nb= sp; = yet they cannot pass over it.

²³ But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;

&nb= sp; they have turned aside and left.

²⁴ They do not say in their heart,

&nb= sp; 'Let us now fear the LORD our God,

&nb= sp; = who gives the autumn and spring rains at the right time,

&nb= sp; = who guarantees for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

²⁵ Your iniquities have stopped these things,

&nb= sp; your sins have deprived you of good.

²⁶ For the wi= cked are found among my people;

&nb= sp; they watch like bird catchers who hide,

&nb= sp; = only they set traps to catch people.

²⁷ Like a cage full of birds,

&nb= sp; so their houses are full of deceit;

theref= ore they have become great,

&nb= sp; and grown rich.

²⁸ They have grown fat and sleek.

&nb= sp; Their deeds of wickedness know no limit;

they do not = plead the cause of the fatherless

&nb= sp; that they may prosper,

= and do not defend the rights of the needy.

²⁹ Should I n= ot punish them for these things?"

&nb= sp; = says the LORD;

= "Should I not be avenged on such a nation as this?

³⁰ A shocking= and horrible thing

&nb= sp; has happened in the land:

³¹ The prophe= ts prophesy falsely,

&nb= sp; and the priests rule by their own authority,

&nb= sp; = and my people love it that way.

&nb= sp; But what will you do when the end comes?"

= = &nb= sp; DASV: Jeremiah 6

¹ "Flee= for safety, O people of Benjamin!

&nb= sp; Get out of Jerusalem!

Blow the tru= mpet in Tekoa,

&nb= sp; and send out a signal from Beth-haccherem!

For disaster= is emerging from the north,

&nb= sp; and great destruction.

² The lovely= and delicate one,

&nb= sp; the daughter of Zion I will destroy.

³ Kings like= shepherds with their flocks will come against her;

&nb= sp; they will pitch their tents surrounding her.

They each will fee= d in their assigned place.

⁴ They will = say, 'Prepare for battle against her;

&nb= sp; get up and let us attack at noon.'

Later, 'Woe = to us! For the day is fading,

&nb= sp; for the shadows of the evening are lengthening.

⁵ Get up, and let us attack at night,

&nb= sp; and let us destroy her palaces.'"

⁶ For this is what the LORD says,

&nb= sp; "Cut down trees,

&nb= sp; = and cast up a siege ramp against Jerusalem.

This is the = city to be punished.

&nb= sp; There is nothing but oppression in her midst.

⁷ As a well = pours out its waters,

&nb= sp; so she pours out her wickedness.

Violence and destruction is heard in her;

&nb= sp; her sickness and wounds are continually before me.

⁸ Be warned,= O Jerusalem,

&nb= sp; or I will turn away from you in disgust;

&nb= sp; I will turn you into a ruin,

&nb= sp; = a land not inhabited."

⁹ This is what the LORD of hosts says,

&nb= sp; "They will thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel like a vine. =

&nb= sp; Go over it again, your hand as a grape gatherer into the branches.<= /span>

¹⁰ To whom ca= n I speak and offer a warning?

&nb= sp; Look, their ears are closed,

&nb= sp; = they cannot hear.

Look,= the word of the LORD has become a joke to them;

&nb= sp; = they have no delight in it.

¹¹ But I am f= ull of the wrath of the LORD;

&nb= sp; I am weary from holding it in.

"Pour it out on the children in the street, <= /p>

&nb= sp; and upon the assembly of young men as well;

both husband and wife will be taken= ,

&nb= sp; the aged and those well along in years.

¹² Their hous= es will be turned over to others,

&nb= sp; as well as their fields and their wives;

I will stret= ch out my hand on the inhabitants of the land,"

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; says the LORD.

¹³ "For = from the least to the greatest of them

&nb= sp; every one is greedy for dishonest gain.

From the pro= phet even to the priest,

&nb= sp; they all practice deceit.

¹⁴ They have = treated the wound of my people

&nb= sp; = as if it were only superficial,

&nb= sp; saying, 'Peace, peace;'

&nb= sp; = when there is no peace.

¹⁵ Are they ashamed that they have committed such detestable things? =

&nb= sp; No, they were not ashamed at all;

&nb= sp; = they cannot even blush.

Theref= ore they will fall among those who have fallen dead.

&nb= sp; At the time I will punish them,

&nb= sp; = they will be knocked down," says the LORD.

¹⁶ This is wh= at the LORD says,

&nb= sp; "Stand at the crossroads and look,

&nb= sp; = ask for the old paths,

&nb= sp; = where the good way is,

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; and walk in it,

&nb= sp; and you will find rest for your souls.

&nb= sp; But they said, 'We will not walk that way.'

¹⁷ I set up w= atchmen over you, saying,
&= nbsp; 'Listen for the sound of the trumpet.'

&nb= sp; But they said, 'We won't listen.'

¹⁸ Therefore = listen, you nations,

&nb= sp; realize, O congregation, what is going to happen to them.

¹⁹ Listen, O earth:

&nb= sp; I will bring disaster on this people,

&nb= sp; = which is the fruit of their schemes,

&nb= sp; because they have not paid attention to my words;

&nb= sp; = they have rejected my law.

²⁰ Do I care = when they offer frankincense from Sheba,

&nb= sp; and sweet smelling calamus from a far country?

Your b= urnt offerings are not acceptable;

&nb= sp; your sacrifices are not pleasing to me."

²¹ Therefore this is what the LORD says,

&nb= sp; "Look, I will lay stumbling blocks in front of this people;

&nb= sp; = the fathers and sons both will stumble over them.

&nb= sp; = Friends and neighbors will perish."

²² This is what the LORD says,

&nb= sp; "Look, a people is coming from the north country;

&nb= sp; = a great nation is being stirred up

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; from the farthest parts of the earth.

²³ They lay h= old on bows and spears;

&nb= sp; they are cruel and have no mercy;

&nb= sp; their voice roars like the sea,

&nb= sp; = as they ride out on horses.

Every one is set in battle formation

&nb= sp; = as a unit coming to the battle, against you,

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; O daughter of Zion.

²⁴ They will = say, 'We have heard the report about them.

&nb= sp; Our hands fall limp,

&nb= sp; = anguish has taken hold of us,

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; like the pain of a woman in labor.

²⁵ Do not go = out into the field,

&nb= sp; or walk by the road;

becaus= e of the sword of the enemy,

&nb= sp; terror is on every side.'

²⁶ O daughter= of my people,

&nb= sp; dress in sackcloth,

&nb= sp; = grovel in ashes.

Grieve= as you would for an only son,

&nb= sp; with bitter weeping,

for the destroyer will come on us suddenly.

²⁷ I have mad= e you, Jeremiah, a tester and a fortress among my people,

&nb= sp; that you may know and test their ways.

²⁸ They are a= ll stubborn rebels,

&nb= sp; going around peddling slander.

They a= re bronze and iron;

&nb= sp; they all act corruptly.

²⁹ The refini= ng bellows blow fiercely;

&nb= sp; the lead is consumed by the fire.

In vai= n they attempt to refine;

&nb= sp; the wicked are not removed.

³⁰ They are called 'rejected silver',

&nb= sp; for the LORD has rejected them."

= &nb= sp; = DASV: Jeremiah 7

¹ The word c= ame to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

² "Stan= d in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim this word there, and say, 'Hear = the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah, who enter through these gates to worship the LORD.

³ This is wh= at the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Improve your ways and your acti= ons, and I will let you stay in this place.

⁴ Do not tru= st in lying words, that claim, 'This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of = the LORD, the temple of the LORD.'

⁵ For if you= truly improve your ways and your actions, if you truly practice justice between e= ach other,

⁶ if you do = not oppress the foreigners, fatherless, and widow, or shed innocent blood in this place= , and do not follow after other gods to your own peril,

⁷ then I wil= l allow you to stay in this place, in the land that I gave to your forefathers, for= ever and ever.

⁸ Look, you trust in lying words that cannot benefit you.

⁹ Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and follow after other gods that you have not known,

¹⁰ and then c= ome and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and claim, '= We are safe;' only to continue doing all these disgusting things?

¹¹ Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Lo= ok, I myself have seen everything," says the LORD.

¹² "Go now to my place that was in Shil= oh where I first caused my name to dwell, and discover what I did to it becaus= e of the wickedness of my people Israel.

¹³ Now becaus= e you have done all these things," says the LORD, "and I spoke to you a= bout it repeatedly, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer= ,

¹⁴ therefore = I will do to this house, which is called by my name, that you trust in, the place = that I gave to you and to your forefathers, just as I did to Shiloh.<= /span>

¹⁵ I will dri= ve you out of my sight, just as I drove into exile all your relatives, even th= e entire offspring of Ephraim.

¹⁶ Therefore do not pray for this people, Je= remiah, do not lift up a cry, prayer for them, or make intercession to me, for I wi= ll not listen to you.

¹⁷ Do you not= see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?=

¹⁸ The childr= en gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough= , to make cakes to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other g= ods, just so they may provoke me to anger.

¹⁹ But are th= ey really provoking me?" says the LORD. "Are they not really hurting themse= lves, to their own shame?"

²⁰ Therefore = this is what the sovereign LORD says: "My anger and wrath will be poured ou= t on this place, on human beings, animals, trees of the field, and the fruit of = the ground. It will burn and not be extinguished."

²¹ This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says, "Go right ahead and add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the meat.

²² For I did = not speak to your forefathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of = the land of Egypt just about burnt offerings or sacrifices.

²³ This is wh= at I commanded them, 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you will be my people; walk completely in the way that I command you, so that it may go we= ll with you.'

²⁴ But they d= id not listen or incline their ears. Instead they followed the stubborn counse= ls of their own evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.

²⁵ Since the = day that your forefathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have sen= t to you my servants the prophets, repeatedly rising early and sending them.

²⁶ Yet they d= id not listen to me, or incline their ears, but stiffened their stubborn necks even worse than their forefathers did.

²⁷ Tell them = all these words; but they will not listen to you. Now you will call to them, but they will not answer you.

²⁸ Tell them,= 'this is the nation that has not obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, or accep= ted correction. Truth has perished; it is banished from their mouths.

²⁹ Cut off yo= ur hair and throw it away, take up a lamentation on the barren hilltops, for the LO= RD has rejected and forsaken the generation that has provoked his wrath.<= /o:p>

³⁰ The people= of Judah have done evil in my sight, says the LORD. They have set up their disgusting = idols in the house that is called by my name to defile it.

³¹ They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of Ben Hinnom, to = burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; something I never commanded nor= did such a thing ever enter my mind.

³² Therefore,= the days are coming, says the LORD, that it will no more be called Topheth, or = the valley of Ben Hinnom, but The Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury their dead in Topheth until there is no room left.

³³ The dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth, and no one will frighten them away.<= /p>

³⁴ Then I wil= l bring to an end the sound of joy and gladness of brides and grooms in the cities = of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become a wastela= nd.'"

= &nb= sp; = DASV: Jeremiah 8

¹ "At t= hat time," says the LORD, "they will bring out the bones of the kings= of Judah and his officials, and the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be exhumed out of their graves.<= o:p>

² They will spread them before the sun, moon, and all the host of heaven, which they ha= ve loved and served, which they have followed after, sought, and worshipped. T= hey will not be respectfully gathered or be reburied, but they will be spread like m= anure on the face of the ground.

³ Death will= be preferred to life by all the survivors who remain of this evil family, who remain in = all the places where I have driven them," says the LORD of hosts.

⁴ You are to= tell them, "This is what the LORD says:

&nb= sp; 'When people fall, do they not get up again?

&nb= sp; Will one turn away and not return?

⁵ Why then d= o these people of Jerusalem turn away

&nb= sp; with perpetual apostasy?

They hold ti= ghtly to deceit;

&nb= sp; they refuse to return.

⁶ I have listened carefully,

&nb= sp; but they do not speak honestly.

No one repents of = his wickedness,

&nb= sp; saying, "What have I done?"

Each o= ne turns back to his own course,

&nb= sp; like a horse charging into battle.

⁷ Yes, the s= tork in the heavens knows her appointed times;

&nb= sp; and the turtledove, swallow and the crane

&nb= sp; = observe the time for their migration.

But my people do not know what the LORD requires.

⁸ How can you say, "We are wise,

&nb= sp; the law of the LORD is with us?"

The false pe= n of the scribes have turned it into a lie.

⁹ The sages = will be put to shame;

&nb= sp; they are dismayed and caught in their own trap.

Since they h= ave rejected the word of the LORD,

&nb= sp; what type of wisdom is in them?

¹⁰ Therefore = I will give their wives to others,

&nb= sp; and their fields to those who conquer them,

because everyone f= rom the least to the greatest

&nb= sp; is dominated by greed;

from the pro= phet to the priest, everyone acts deceptively.

¹¹ They have = treated the wound of my people

&nb= sp; as if it were only superficial,

saying, &quo= t;Peace, peace;" when there is no peace.

¹² Are they ashamed they had committed such an abomination?

&nb= sp; No, they are not ashamed at all.

&nb= sp; = They do not even know how to blush.

Therefore th= ey will fall among those who have fallen dead;

&nb= sp; in the time of their punishment they will be brought down,'" <= /span>

&nb= sp; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; = says the LORD.

¹³ "I will totally consume them," = says the LORD.

&nb= sp; "There will be no grapes left on the vine,

&nb= sp; = or figs on the fig tree,

&nb= sp; = even the leaves will fade.

The things that I have given them

&nb= sp; = will be taken away from them."

¹⁴ They say, "Why do we sit still?

&nb= sp; Assemble together, let us enter into the fortified cities

&nb= sp; = and let us die there.

For the LO= RD our God has condemned us to death,

&nb= sp; = and given us poisoned water to drink,

&nb= sp; because we have sinned against the LORD.

¹⁵ We looked = for peace,

&nb= sp; but no good comes our way.
We hoped f= or a time of healing,

&nb= sp; but instead, only terror."

¹⁶ "The snorting of his warhorses is heard from Dan,

&nb= sp; at the sound of the neighing of his strong stallions

&nb= sp; = the whole earth quakes.

They are coming to devour the land = and all that is in it;

&nb= sp; the city and those who live there.

¹⁷ Look, I am sending an enemy like serpents among you,

&nb= sp; like vipers that cannot be charmed,

and they wil= l bite you," says the LORD.

¹⁸ I said, "My grief is beyond cure!

&nb= sp; My heart is faint within me.

¹⁹ Look, the voice of the cry of my people

&nb= sp; from a land that is very far off:

Is not the L= ORD in Zion?

&nb= sp; Is her King not in her?"

"Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images,

&nb= sp; and with foreign idols?"

²⁰ "The harvest is past,

&nb= sp; the summer is ended, &n= bsp;

&nb= sp; = and we are not saved," they lament.

²¹ For I am broken because of the brokenness= of my people;

&nb= sp; I mourn; dismay has taken hold of me.

²² Is there no balm in Gilead?

&nb= sp; Is there no physician there?

Why has the = wound of my people not been healed?

= &nb= sp; = DASV: Jeremiah 9

¹ "O th= at my head were a spring of water,

&nb= sp; and my eyes a fountain of tears,

that I= might weep day and night

&nb= sp; for the slain of the daughter of my people!

² O that I h= ad a lodge for travelers in the wilderness,

&nb= sp; that I might leave my people and go away from them!

For th= ey are all adulterers,

&nb= sp; a gang of traitors.

³ They bend their tongue like a bow

&nb= sp; ready to shoot out lies.

They have grown st= rong in the land,

&nb= sp; but not for the cause of truth;

for th= ey proceed from one evil to the next,

&nb= sp; and they do not know me," says the LORD.

⁴ "Let each one beware of his neighbor= ,

&nb= sp; and do not trust any brother.

For ev= ery brother will supplant by deception,

&nb= sp; and every neighbor will go around as a slanderer.

⁵ Everyone w= ill deceive his neighbor,

&nb= sp; and no one tells the truth.

They have ta= ught their tongue to speak lies;

&nb= sp; they wear themselves out trying to commit sin.

⁶ Your home = is in the midst of one lie on top of another.

&nb= sp; They refuse to know me," says the LORD.

⁷ Therefore = this is what the LORD of hosts says,

&nb= sp; "I will refine and test them, =

&nb= sp; = for what else can I do with my people?

⁸ Their tong= ue is a deadly arrow;

&nb= sp; it speaks deceit.

Each one spe= aks friendly words to his neighbor with his mouth,

&nb= sp; but in his heart he sets up an ambush for him.

⁹ Shall I no= t punish them for these things?" says the LORD.

&nb= sp; "Shall I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?"

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

&nb= sp; and for the pastures of the wilderness I will lament,

becaus= e they are so scorched,

&nb= sp; no one passes through them.

They c= annot hear the sound of the cattle there.

&nb= sp; Both the birds of the air and the beasts

&nb= sp; = have fled and gone.

¹¹ I will make Jerusalem into a heap of rubble,

&nb= sp; a haunt of jackals;

I will= make the cities of Judah an uninhabitable wasteland.

¹² Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken so that he may explain it? Why is the land devastated and scorched like a wilderness so that no one passes throug= h it?

¹³ Then the L= ORD said, "This happened because they have forsaken my law that I set befo= re them, and have not obeyed my voice, or walked according to it,

¹⁴ but have f= ollowed after their own stubborn hearts. They pursued the Baals, just as their pare= nts taught them."

¹⁵ Therefore = this is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says, "Look, I will feed this people with bitter food and give them poisoned water to drink.

¹⁶ I will sca= tter them also among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known= . I will send the sword after them until I have destroyed them."

¹⁷ This is wh= at the LORD of hosts says,

&nb= sp; "Consider, and call for the mourning women to come;

&nb= sp; = send for those most skilled at it.

¹⁸ Let them h= urry and wail for us,

&nb= sp; that our eyes may stream with tears

&nb= sp; = and our eyelids overflow with water.

¹⁹ For a voic= e of wailing is heard from Zion,

&nb= sp; 'O how we are ruined!

&nb= sp; = We are absolutely shamed;

we hav= e had to forsake the land,

&nb= sp; because they have torn down our homes.'"

²⁰ Yet hear the word of the LORD, O women, <= o:p>

&nb= sp; and let your ear receive the word of his mouth;

&nb= sp; = teach your daughters to wail,

&nb= sp; = and everyone her neighbor a lament.

²¹ For death = has climbed in through our windows;

&nb= sp; it has entered into our palaces,

to cut off t= he children in the streets

&nb= sp; and the young from the town squares.

²² Say, This = is what the LORD says,

&nb= sp; "The corpses will fall like manure spread on the open field, <= /p>

&nb= sp; and like grain fallen behind the reaper with no one to pick it up."

²³