The Readable Bible: Jeremiah & Lamentations

Jeremiah Lamentations

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The Readable Bible

Jeremiah Lamentations

A Weeping Prophet

Translated and Edited by Rodney S. Laughlin Brendan I. Kennedy, PhD

Birmingham, Alabama

The Readable Bible: Jeremiah – Lamentations

Iron Stream

An imprint of Iron Stream Media 100 Missionary Ridge Birmingham, AL 35242 www.ironstreammedia.com

Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin

The Readable Bible text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred verses without express written permission of the publisher provided that (a) the verses quoted do not account for more than 25 percent of the total work in which they are quoted, (b) no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted, (c) all quotations conform accurately to The Readable Bible text, and (d) one of the following credit lines appears on the copyright page or title page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked TRB are taken from The Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from The Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

When quotations from The Readable Bible text are used in not-for-sale media (e.g., church bulletins, orders of service, newsletters, digital presentations), a copyright notice is not required, but the initials “TRB” must appear at the end of each quotation. Websites and blogs may quote up to five hundred verses without express written permission provided they include the initials “TRB” at the end of each quotation and provided that the verses quoted account for not more than 25 percent of any web page upon which they appear and that no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2022938636

Cover design: twoline | | Studio

Interior designer/illustrator: Clyde Adams (www.clydeadams.com)

Map geographic features courtesy of Bible Mapper (www.biblemapper.com).

Typeface: Veritas AE from Altered Ego Fonts, a division of Aespire

To the Reader

Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets

Introduction to Jeremiah

Before You Read

Prophetic Books

Note on Dates of Events

Familiar Verses

. . . . .

Lamentations. . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Map Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Weights and Measures in Jeremiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

People in Jeremiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Subject Index Jeremiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lamentations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Jewish Calendar

Notes

Format and Presentation Notes

Words and Phrases

The Lord Has Rejected

The Sins of Judah

Punishment of Judah

Historical Note 1

Jeremiah Mourns

Jeremiah 8

19

Jeremiah 9

Jeremiah 10 Jeremiah 11

The Lord Is Bringing Disaster

Historical Note 2

God Tells Jeremiah to Persevere

Judah and Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed

Historical Note 3

Jeremiah 12

25 Jeremiah 13

26

Jeremiah 14

Jeremiah Pleads for Judah and Jerusalem

Jeremiah 15 Jeremiah 16

God Tells Jeremiah to Separate Himself from Judah

Judah and Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed

Interlude: Two Lessons

The Sabbath Is to Be Kept

Like a Potter, God Is Sovereign

Northern Israel and Jerusalem Will Be Broken

The Temple Leader Will Be Exiled

29

28 Jeremiah Struggles with God

32 Jeremiah 17

Jeremiah 18

Jeremiah 19

Jeremiah 20

Note

Will Burn

God Offers Judah a Reprieve, Calls for Repentance

Josiah’s Sons Will Be Punished

God Will Gather a Remnant and Raise Up a Righteous Branch

Will Throw Away the False Prophets

God Will Separate the Good (Figs) from the Bad (Figs)

God Will Use Nebuchadnezzar

Judah Will Be Punished

Cup of Wrath

Many Nations Will Drink the Cup of God’s Wrath

Historical Note 5

Jeremiah’s Life Is Threatened

Nations Must Submit to Nebuchadnezzar

Israel Must Submit to Nebuchadnezzar

Historical Note 6

the False Prophet

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

Yourselves in Babylon

Exiles Will Return to Jerusalem

Current Residents Will Be Punished

the False Prophet Will Be Punished

the False Prophet Will Be Punished

Judah and Northern Israel Will Be Restored

Israel Will Return to Zion

21

Jeremiah 22

Jeremiah 23

Jeremiah 24

25

Jeremiah 26

Jeremiah 27

Jeremiah 28

Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah 30

Israel’s

Will Be

God Will Make a New

Houses and Land Will Be Bought Again

More Suffering Will Precede

God Will Restore and Purify

God Will Keep His Covenant with David

Zedekiah Will Die in Babylon

for Not Releasing Slaves Is Coming

The Faithfulness of the Recabites Will Be Rewarded

Jehoiakim’s Iniquity Will Be Punished

Historical Note 7

34

35

36

Jeremiah 37 Jeremiah Is Arrested

38

Jeremiah Put into a Cistern.......................................

Jeremiah Rescued

Warns Zedekiah Again

Jerusalem Conquered (I)

Nebuchadnezzar Conquers Judah

Jeremiah 39

74

75

Nebuchadnezzar Protects Jeremiah 75

Jeremiah 40

Gedaliah’s Rule over Judah

76

Jeremiah 41

Ishmael’s Rule over Judah 77

Johanan’s Rule over Judah

78

Jeremiah 42

God Instructs the Remnant to Remain in Judah

78

Judean Remnant Flees to Egypt 80

Jeremiah 43

The Judean Remnant Flees to Egypt

Will Conquer Egypt

80

80

Historical Note

Jeremiah 45

Part 3. Prophecies About God’s Judgment upon the Nations

46

Judgment upon Egypt

Judgment upon Philistia

upon

Judgment upon Moab

Judgment upon Moab

Judgment upon Ammon

Judgment upon Nations

upon Edom

upon Damascus

upon Kedar and Hazor

upon Elam

upon Babylon

to the Babylonians

47

48

49

Jeremiah 50

Lamentations

Lamentations 1

Jeremiah’s Lament over Jerusalem 107

Lamentations 2

Jeremiah’s Lament over Judah 109

Lamentations 3

Jeremiah Laments—in Hope 112

Jeremiah’s Lessons

113

Jeremiah’s Prayer for Vengeance 114

Lamentations 4

Israel’s Punishment Is Complete; Edom’s Is Coming 114

Lamentations 5

Jeremiah’s Prayer for Israel’s Restoration 116

To the Reader

One day I was standing in an airport bookstore looking for a book to read. I asked myself, “Why am I looking for something to read when I have a Bible in my briefcase?” I answered, “The Bible is hard to read. I want to read something easier.” Then I asked myself, “Why is it so hard to read? You’re a seminary graduate, a former pastor, a Bible teacher!” Thus began a quest that has led to The Readable Bible—the Bible as it would look if Moses, Joshua, Matthew, Mark, Paul, and the other writers had been sitting in front of a computer when God spoke through them.

It seems to me that the Bible is hard to read because all material is presented in sentence format. Today we use tables to present census information and charts for genealogies. When we want something built, we draw up a specification document. Law codes are organized in outline form. We use bullet points, bold text, and other aids to help us grasp information. Yet in today’s Bibles, all the information is still presented in sentence format in plain text. Surely those men of old would have used modern formats if they had known about them when God spoke through them. Modern formatting does not change the information; it simply presents it in a way that makes it easier to grasp. The Readable Bible brings you the biblical text in modern formats.

You may struggle with the idea of Scripture in modern formats. Actually, all of today’s Bibles present the text in a form much different from that of the original manuscripts. Consider how many format changes that were developed over the past two thousand years led to the format considered normal today. Each change was radical in its time:

• Vowels: The earliest Hebrew manuscripts have no vowels; they were added hundreds of years later.

• Capital Letters: The Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament manuscripts have no uppercase and lowercase letters.

• Punctuation: The original manuscripts have no punctuation (no commas or periods!).

• Chapter Numbers: These were not common in Bibles until the thirteenth century AD.

• Verse Numbers: The first verse-numbering system was developed over a thousand years after the last Bible book was written. It had one-third of today’s verse numbers, making verses three or four times longer. Today’s Christian Bible numbering system was not developed until the sixteenth century.

• Paragraphs: The first paragraphed King James Bible was published in the mid-1800s.

So presenting the words of Scripture in tables, cascading the text of long, complex sentences, and using other modern formatting techniques is simply continuing the long-term trend of making the Bible easier to understand.

Our hope is that people who have never read the Bible will decide to read this version because it is so approachable. Please give a copy to someone who struggles to understand the Bible and, especially, to those who do not read the Bible.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to all the members of our editing team, our volunteer development team, and the many others who have donated funds and worked to bring The Readable Bible to completion.

A big “thank you” to my designer and partner in this project, Clyde Adams, for joining me in this faith venture. He has turned the translation into well-laid-out text and my formatting concepts into reality. The maps, tables, charts, book layout, and cover are all his work.

Most of all, I thank my wife, Rebecca, for her ideas, her love, and her strong support of this endeavor over the past twelve years.

Dedication

And now I dedicate to our Lord this translation of his holy Word, humbly asking him to grant that it may bring forth fruit to his glory and the building up of his people.

Spring

Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets

Old Testament prophets were spokespersons for God, proclaiming the will of God. Sometimes God gave them a vision or understanding of the future, and depending on what that future held, they warned or encouraged people by telling them what God had said.

Generally, the prophets’ lives were lonely ones. They typically felt alone in their faith—sometimes they had to proclaim that judgment was coming, making them quite unpopular among a people who were enjoying their rebellion against God. Other times they had to proclaim that, though everyone had given up hope, God would restore Israel. Such preaching led to isolation, abuse, and ridicule by both kings and commoners.a Nevertheless, they stood for God regardless of the consequences.

The prophets were only people, just like us. They had moments of doubt, waning faith,b and self-pity.c They sometimes wanted to quitd and cried out to God for relief, even for vengeance on their enemies.e

God used the prophets for many purposes, to correct people, call them to repentance and a restored relationship with him, encourage them, reveal truths about himself and his creation, tell people what he wanted them to do, reveal actions that he was going to take (e.g., pronounce judgment or blessing), announce who he had appointed as Israel’s leader, and lay a foundation of knowledge to help people recognize the coming Messiah, Jesus.

God revealed coming events to some prophets. While informing the people about the future was important, it was a small part of the prophets’ overall ministries. Every prophecy’s foundational purpose was to bring people back to a walk with God by strengthening their faith. Predictive prophecy (and the recording of it) was to strengthen future generations in their faith, confirming that the past, present, and future are all within the knowledge and control of God.

The prophetic books record not only the words God spoke to and through the prophets but also the thoughts of the prophets themselves and the people to whom they spoke. When there is an unclear or abrupt change in the source of the words, The Readable Bible alerts you with an italicized lead-in (e.g., “And I replied . . .”).

In the prophetic books, “Declares the Lord” occurs several hundred times within prophetic utterances. It is often unclear whether the expression is a comment of the prophet or words of God. It usually means “this is a solemn declaration/message.”

Except in cases where the expression is clearly words of the prophet, in prophetic books it is punctuated as words of God.

a See 1 Kings 22:26–27.

b See Exodus 4:1–13.

c See Jeremiah 15:10.

d See 1 Kings 19:1–4; Jonah 4:1.

e See Jeremiah 11:19–12:4.

Introduction to Jeremiah

Jeremiah was a prophet who ministered in the last five decades of the kingdom of Judah, from the thirteenth year of good King Josiah (about 627 BC) through the reigns of the wicked kings Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, to the exile in about 586 BC, and a short time beyond. He watched the kingdom deteriorate from the godly and prosperous reign of Josiah, to idolatry, ruin, and slaughter at the end.

Jeremiah was a member of a priestly family from the town of Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. His name means “May Yahweh Lift Up.” He was called to prophetic ministry when he was young, probably still a teenager.a Late in his life, his friend and associate Baruch became his secretary.b He recorded Jeremiah’s dictated messages and distributed them.c

The book of Jeremiah consists mainly of fierce denunciations of Judah’s idolatry. It is mostly both poetry and prose, but it also has historical narratives, letters, laments, and wisdom-like discourses. Predictions of God’s judgment on other nations, much of it in poetic form, come toward the end of the book.d

Jeremiah’s life is a model of single-minded obedience to God. God warned Jeremiah that he would be bitterly opposed by his audience all his life.e He told Jeremiah not to marry and have a family because of the disaster that would happen to Judah.f Jeremiah repeatedly complained to God about his difficult task,g but God repeatedly reassured him that his power would strengthen and protect him.h

Jeremiah often spoke of the political entity of the ten tribes to the north that were taken into exile by Assyria about 722 BC. To avoid confusion, when it is referred to as “Israel,” the prefix “Northern” is supplied. Thus the term “Israel” alone always refers to the full landmass of Israel and/or the united kingdom of Judah and Israel together, the political entity that had been ruled by Saul, David, and Solomon. The book is a mixture of prophecy and historical narrative. You may find the text easier to follow if you browse the contents table before you begin reading the text.

Before You Read

Words in italics are additions to the biblical text. In the context of commands, rules, and regulations, “shall,” “must,” and “are/is to” are equal terms, all the same strength.

Read lists from top to bottom in the first column then read the next column.

We encourage you to read “Translation Notes” and “Format and Presentation Notes” in the back of the book. They are easy reading and will increase your understanding of the text.

Please browse the glossary before you begin reading. You will find helpful information about words that appear frequently in this book, as well as important explanations of the words “L” and “Yahweh.”

a See Jeremiah 1:4–6.

b See Jeremiah 32:12 and onward.

c See Jeremiah 36:10.

d See Jeremiah 46–50.

e See Jeremiah 1:7–8, 17–19.

f See Jeremiah 16:1–7.

g See Jeremiah 1:6; 8:18–9:2; 12:1–4; 20:7–12.

h See Jeremiah 1:8–10, 17–19.

Jeremiah

Part 1. The Call of Jeremiah

Jeremiah 1

The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, a priest who lived in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the L came to him during the reign of a Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.b 3 It continued through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah another son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in August.c

1

4 The word of the L came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I set you apart. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

6 I said, “Oh, Lord G, please, I don’t know how to speak; I am only a youth!”

7 But the L said to me, “Don’t say, ‘ I am only a youth,’ for you will go to everyone I send you to, and you will say everything I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to rescue you, declares the L.”

9 The L reached out his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, “Know this: I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, I have commissioned you this very day to prophesy to the nations and the kingdoms, to uproot and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, and to build and to plant.”

11 The word of the L came to me, saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

I said, “I see an almond branch.”d

12 The L said to me, “You have seen correctly, because I am watching over my word to perform it.”e

13 The word of the L came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?”

I answered, “I see a boiling pot facing away from the north.”

14 The L said to me, “Disaster will break out from the north on all the residents of the land.

a Literally, “days of.” And verse 3.

b About 627 BC.

c Literally, “in the fifth month.” About 586 BC. d Literally, “a rod of an almond tree.”

e The words for “watching” and “almond” sound very similar in Hebrew.

I am calling on all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lo

They will come and every one of them will set up their thrones at the entrance to the gates of Jerusalem and attacka all her surrounding walls and attack all the cities of Judah.

I will pronounce my judgment on the residents for all their evil, because they have abandoned me— they have burned incense to other gods, and they have bowed down to what their hands have made.

As for you, take courage; b get up and tell them everything I will command you; don’t be terrified by them, or else I will terrify you before them.

As for me, look, today I am making you like a fortified city, the entire land, an iron pillar, against the kings of Judah, a bronze wall its officials, its priests, and the common people.

They will fight against you but not overcome you, because I will be with you to rescue you, declares the Lo

Part 2. Prophecies About God’s Judgment on Judah and Northern Israel

2 Jeremiah Judah Has Deserted God and Chosen Idols

1 The word of the L came to me:

“Go, call out in the hearing of everyone in Jerusalem, ‘ The L says this: I remember the faithfulness of your youth, your love as a new bride— when you followed me in the wilderness, in an uncultivated land.

Israel was set apart for the L

as the firstfruits of his harvest. Everyone who devoured it became guilty, and disaster came upon them, declares the L

4 Listen to the word of the L, house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel! 5 The L says this: “What evil did your ancestors find against me that they kept their distance from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves

a Literally, “and on” or “and against”; twice in this verse.

Literally, “gird up your loins.”

Literally, “people of the land.”

6

They did not say, ‘Where is the L, the one who brought us up from the land of Egypt, the one who led us through the wilderness, a land full of deserts and pits, drought and deep shadows, a land where no one passes through and no one lives? ’

7 “I brought you into a fertile landa to eat its fruit and its good things. But you entered and defiled my land. You made my inheritance an abomination.

8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the L? ’

Those who handle the law did not know me. The shepherds transgressed against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and followed things that do not profit.

9 Therefore

I will contend with you again, declares the L, and I will contend with your grandchildren.

10 “Cross over to the coasts of Kittimb and look. Send messengers to Kedar c and pay close attention.

See if there has ever been such a thing as this!

11 Has a nation ever changed its gods? But they are not even gods! But my people have exchanged their glory for what does not profit.

12 Be appalled over this, O heavens! Be horrified and utterly desolate, declares the Lo.

13 “My people have done two evil things: They have 1) abandoned me, a fresh, flowing spring of water, and 2) dug cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

14 Is Israel a slave bought with money or a slave by birth? Why has he become plunder? 15 Lions have growled at him; they have roared. They have made his land a waste; his towns are devastated and deserted. 16 Also, the men from Memphis and Tahpanhes have scalped you.d 17 Haven’t you done this to yourself, abandoning the L your God as he was leading you on the way?

18 And now, why do you take the road to Egypt to drink from the Nile? Why do you take the road to Assyria to drink from the Euphrates? e 19 Your wickedness will punish you, and your apostasies will reprove you.

Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to abandon the L your God. There is no awe of me in you, declares the Lord G

of Armies.

a Literally, “a land of plantation.”

b “Kittim”: probably the island of Cyprus.

c “Kedar”: probably Arabia.

d Or “have shaved your head.” Literally, “have grazed on the top of your head.”

e Literally, “what is the road to Egypt to you, to drink the water of Shihor? What is the road to Assyria to you, to drink water from the river?”

“Long ago

I broke your yoke and tore apart your bonds.

But you said, ‘ I will not serve you!’

Indeed, on every high hill and beneath every lush tree you lay down like a prostitute.

21 I myself planted you as a choice vine, from completely reliable stock. How did you turn against me and become a corrupt, wild vine?a

22 Even if you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your sin is before me, declares the Lord G

.

23 How can you say, ‘ I am not defiled;

I have not followed the Baals’ ?

Look at your behavior b in the valley. Understand what you have done: You are a fast, young she-camel, running here and there to mate,c 24 a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness, sniffing the wind in her lust.

When she is in heat, who can restrain her? Nobody! All the males who seek her need not tire themselves searching; in her mating month they will easily find her.

25 Stop running after other gods until your sandals wear outd and your throat is dry.

But you said, ‘No! It is hopeless! I love foreign gods, and I will follow them.’

26 “As a thief is ashamed when they are discovered, so the house of Israel is ashamed—they, their kings, nobles, priests, and prophets. 27 They say to a piece of wood, ‘My father!’ and to a carved stone, ‘You gave me birth!’ They have turned their backs to me and not their faces, yet in a time of disaster they will say, ‘Rise up and save us!’ 28 But where are your gods that you made for yourselves? Let them rise up if they can save you in your time of disaster, for you have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah!

29 “Why do you argue with me? All of you have transgressed against me, declares the L 30 I have chastisede your children in vain; they have not accepted correction. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a marauding lion. 31 You in this generation, look at the word of the L:

Have I been like a wilderness to Israel or a deep, dark land?

Why do my people say, ‘We will roam, not come back to you anymore’ ?

32 Can a young woman forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding gown? f But my people have forgotten me for days without number!

a Literally, “alien vine.”

b Literally, “your way.”

c Literally, “she-camel, interweaving her ways.”

d Literally, “Withhold your foot . . . until your feet are unshod.”

e Literally, “I have struck.”

f Literally, “her ribbons.”

33 “How well you prepare your way to seek illicit love!

You have even taught wicked women your ways.

34 The blood of the innocent poor is even found on your clothing, though you did not find them breaking in.

Yet in spite of all this, 35 you say, ‘ I am innocent. Surely his anger has turned from me.’ Listen! I am about to judge you because you said, ‘ I have not sinned.’ 36 Why do you flit about so much, changing your way! You will be put to shame by Egypt just as you were by Assyria. 37 You will leave there with your hands on your head, for the L has rejected those on whom you are relying; you will not prosper with them.”

Jeremiah 3

Judah Is Running Away, but God Is Waiting

1 The Lord says, “If a husband divorces his wife and she leaves him and becomes another man’s wife, can the first husband return to her again? Wouldn’t that land be utterly defiled? But you have slept around with many lovers, and now you want to return to me, declares the Lo

2 Raise your eyes to the barren heights and see: Where have you not whored yourself ? a You sat waiting by the road for your lovers like a nomadb in the wilderness. The land is defiled by your adulteries and wickedness!

3 “Therefore the showers have been withheld, and the spring rains never came.c But you continue to have the shameless lookd of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed! 4 Haven’t you just cried out to me, ‘My father! You have been my friend from my youth.’

5 Will he be angry forever? Will he keep his wrath to the end? ’ Look, you keep talking like this, but you do all the evil you can.”

6 The L said to me during the days of King Josiah, “Have you seen what Northern Israel did when she turned away from me? She went up on every high hill and beneath every lush tree and prostituted herself there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this, she would return to me, but she did not return. Her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw e that I sent faithless Northern Israel away and gave her a certificate of divorce because of all her acts of adultery, but her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid; she also went and prostituted herself. 9 Because Northern Israel thought nothing of her immorality,f she defiled the land and committed adultery with idols made of stone and wood. 10 In spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only for show, declares the L

a “Whored yourself”: Hebrew: shuggalt, the most obscene word for sexual relations in biblical Hebrew. b Literally, “an Arab.”

c Literally, “rains were not.”

d Literally,”the forehead.”.

e From the Septuagint; Masoretic text: “I saw.”

f Literally, “Because of the lightness of her immorality.”

11 The L said to me, “Faithless Northern Israel is more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and call out these words toward the north and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel, declares the L

I will not scowl upona you, because I am faithful, declares the L.

I will not keep my anger forever.

13 Only acknowledge your guilt: that you have transgressed against the L your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every lush tree, and you have not listened to my voice, declares the L.

14 Come back, wayward children, declares the L, because I am your husband.

I will take you, one from a town and two from a clan, and bring you to Zion. 15 I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and understanding.

16 You will be fruitful and increase in the land in those days, declares the L.

They will no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the L ”

It will no longer come to mind nor be remembered. It will not be missed, nor will another be made.

17 At that time they will call Jerusalem “The Throne of the L.”

All the nations will be gathered to it, to worship the name of the L in Jerusalem.

They will no longer follow their stubborn, evil hearts.

18 In those days the people of Judah will walk with the people of Northern Israel, and they will come together from the northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

19 “ ‘I thought about how I would put you among my children and give you a delightful land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations.

I thought you would call me “My Father” and not turn away from me.

20 Surely, as a woman double-crosses her lover, you have double-crossed me, people of Northern Israel, declares the L

21 A voice is heard on the barren heights: the people of Israel weeping, begging for mercy, for they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the L their God.

22 The Lord says, “Turn, wayward children! I will heal your waywardness.”

Let them reply, “See, we are coming back to you, for you are the L our God.

23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the heights and the hills is a deception.

a Literally, “I will not cast my face down upon.”

Surely the salvation of Israel is in the L our God.

24 The shameful idol has eaten up the profit from our ancestors’ toil since our youth—eaten their flocks, their herds, their sons, and their daughters.

25 Let’s lie down in our shame. Let our disgrace cover us, for we have sinned against the L our God, both we and our ancestors from our youth until today. We have not obeyed the voice of the L our God.”

Jeremiah 4

Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed

1 “If you want to return, O Israel, declares the L, return to me. If you remove your detestable idols from my presence and do not stray, 2 and if you swear, ‘As the L lives,’ truthfully, justly, and uprightly, then the nations will call upon him for blessings, and they will boast of him.”

3 For the L says this to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground,a and don’t sow among thorns.

4 Be circumcised to the L, and remove the foreskins from your hearts, O people of Judah and residents of Jerusalem, or else my wrath will spread like fire and burn with nothing to extinguish it because of your evil deeds.

5 “Report it in Judah, and in Jerusalem announce and say, ‘Sound the trumpet in the land!’ Cry out and say: ‘ Gather together! Let’s get into our fortified cities!’

6 Raise a signal to get into Zion!b Don’t stand there; run for cover, because I am bringing disaster and great destruction from the north.

7 A lion has gone up from his thicket, and one who destroys nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to lay waste to your land. Your cities will be ruined, with no one living there. 8 Because of this, put on sackcloth; lament and wail, for the L’s fierce anger has not turned from us.’

9 “On that day, declares the L, the heart of the king and the heart of the officials will perish, the priests will be horrified, and the prophets will be appalled.”

a “Your fallow ground”: a metaphor for the landscape of the heart. “Fallow ground” is intentionally neither plowed nor planted. In ancient Israel, land was left fallow in the Sabbath Year (see Leviticus 25:4) or due to laziness of the farmer.

b Literally, “a signal toward Zion.”

10 I said, “Alas, Lord G

, how completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at a our throats!”

11 The Lord said, “At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, ‘A burning wind on the barren heights in the wilderness blows toward the daughter of my people, but it is not just to winnow or cleanse— 12 a wind too strong for this comes from me. Now I will also pronounce judgments on them.’ 13 Then they will say, ‘Look! He goes up like clouds; his chariot is like a storm; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! We are ruined!’

14 “Wash away the evil from your hearts, O people of Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will evil thoughts lodge within you? 15 A voice reports it from Dan and proclaims trouble from Mount Ephraim: 16 Tell the nations!

Yes, call out against Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers are coming from a far country.

They will raise a war cry b against the cities of Judah.

17 They are against her all around, like watchmen in a field, because she has rebelled against me, declares the L.’

18 Your ways, your acts, have brought about these things. This is the result of your wickedness. How bitter! How it strikes your heart!”

19 My heart, my heart!c

My heart trembles violently! d

My heart pounds within me; I cannot keep silent.

For I have heard the sound of the trumpet, the alarm for war!

20 Calamity upon calamity is decreed, and the whole land is devastated. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my curtains gone in a moment.

21 How long will I have to see the enemy’s battle flag and hear the trumpet sound?

22 The Lord says, “My people are foolish; they don’t know me. They are foolish children and not discerning. They are skilled at doing evil but don’t know how to do good.”

23 Then

I saw the earth, and oh, it was formless and empty! e

I saw the heavens, and they had no light!

24 I saw the mountains, and to my surprise, they trembled!

All the heights shivered!

25 I watched, and I realized there were no humans! And all the birds in the sky had fled!

a Literally, “is touching.”

b Literally, “give their voice.”

c The Hebrew word refers to the inward parts, where emotions dwell. Here it is an expression of anguish.

d Literally, “The walls of my heart writhe.”

e See Genesis 1:2.

27

26

I watched, and in fact—the productive land became wilderness, and every town was torn down before the L, before his fierce anger!

For the L says this: “The whole land will be desolate, though I will not destroy it completely.

28 For this reason the land will mourn, and the skies above will be dark, because

I have spoken; I have purposed; I will not relent, nor will I turn back from it.”

29 Every inhabitant of every town fleesa at the sound of horseman and archer. They enter thickets; they climb among rocks. All the towns are abandoned, and no one lives in them.

30 And you, devastated one, what will you do?

Why do you dress yourself in crimson, put on golden jewelry, and enlarge your eyes with makeup?

You beautify yourself for nothing. Your loversb despise you—they are seeking your life!

31 For I heard a voice like a woman in labor and a cry of distress like one giving birth to her first child— the voice of Daughter Zion gasping for breath and spreading out her hands, saying,

“Woe is me! I am fainting; my life is lost before murderers!”

Jeremiah 5

All, Even the Mighty, Have Been Treacherous

1 The Lord said, “Circle quickly through the streets of Jerusalem; look, understand, and search in her squares.

If you can find a single person who acts justly and seeks truth, then I will forgive this city.

2 If they say, ‘As the L lives,’ surely they swear falsely.”

3 And I thought, O L, don’t your eyes search for truth?

You struck them down, but they feel no anguish. You destroyed them, but they refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock. They have refused to repent.

a Literally, “The whole city flees.”

b Literally, “Those who lust for you”; that is, a prostitute’s customers.

4 Then I said to myself, these are only the poor. They are foolish, for they don’t know the way of the L

or the requirement of their God. 5 I will go to the mighty and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the L

, the requirements of their God. But as one, they have broken the yoke and torn off the bonds. 6 Therefore a lion from the forest will kill them; a wolf from the desert will ravage them; a leopard is watching their cities; anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces, because their transgressions are numerous and their apostasies are many.

7 The Lord says, “How can I forgive you for this? Your children have abandoned me and sworn by idols.a When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped off to the brothel.

8 They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife. 9 Shall I not punish them for this? declares the Lo

Shall I not avenge myself on a nation like this?

10 “Go up through her vineyards and destroy, but don’t eliminate them. Remove her branches, because they don’t belong to the L

.

11 For the people of Northern Israel and the people of Judah have been utterly treacherous to me, declares the Lo

.”

12 They have lied about the L and said, “He will do nothing.b Harm will not come to us. We will never see sword or famine.

13 The prophets are nothing but wind; the word of the Lord is not in them.

So what they say won’t happenc will be done to them!”

Judgment Is Coming

14 Therefore the L God of Armies says this: “Because you have spoken these words of mine, watch! I will make my words in your mouth like fire, and this people will be the wood, and it will consume them.”

a Literally, “by not-gods.”

b Literally, “Not he.”

c Literally, “So it.”