Month: December 2019

Jerusalem’s Last Warning

1 “Run for your lives, you people of Benjamin!

Get out of Jerusalem!

Sound the alarm in Tekoa!

Send up a signal at Beth-hakkerem!

A powerful army is coming from the north,

coming with disaster and destruction.

2 O Jerusalem,you are my beautiful and delicate daughter—

but I will destroy you!

3 Enemies will surround you, like shepherds camped around the city.

Each chooses a place for his troops to devour.

4 They shout, ‘Prepare for battle!

Attack at noon!’

‘No, it’s too late; the day is fading,

and the evening shadows are falling.’

5 ‘Well then, let’s attack at night

and destroy her palaces!’”

6 This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies says:

“Cut down the trees for battering rams.

Build siege ramps against the walls of Jerusalem.

This is the city to be punished,

for she is wicked through and through.

7 She spouts evil like a fountain.

Her streets echo with the sounds of violence and destruction.

I always see her sickness and sores.

8 Listen to this warning, Jerusalem,

or I will turn from you in disgust.

Listen, or I will turn you into a heap of ruins,

a land where no one lives.”

9 This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies says:

“Even the few who remain in Israel

will be picked over again,

as when a harvester checks each vine a second time

to pick the grapes that were missed.”

Judah’s Constant Rebellion

10 To whom can I give warning?

Who will listen when I speak?

Their ears are closed,

and they cannot hear.

They scorn the word of theLord.

They don’t want to listen at all.

11 So now I am filled with theLord’s fury.

Yes, I am tired of holding it in!

“I will pour out my fury on children playing in the streets

and on gatherings of young men,

on husbands and wives

and on those who are old and gray.

12 Their homes will be turned over to their enemies,

as will their fields and their wives.

For I will raise my powerful fist

against the people of this land,”

says theLord.

13 “From the least to the greatest,

their lives are ruled by greed.

From prophets to priests,

they are all frauds.

14 They offer superficial treatments

for my people’s mortal wound.

They give assurances of peace

when there is no peace.

15 Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions?

Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!

Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.

They will be brought down when I punish them,”

says theLord.

Judah Rejects the Lord’s Way

16 This is what theLordsays:

“Stop at the crossroads and look around.

Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.

Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.

But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’

17 I posted watchmen over you who said,

‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’

But you replied,

‘No! We won’t pay attention!’

18 “Therefore, listen to this, all you nations.

Take note of my people’s situation.

19 Listen, all the earth!

I will bring disaster on my people.

It is the fruit of their own schemes,

because they refuse to listen to me.

They have rejected my word.

20 There’s no use offering me sweet frankincense from Sheba.

Keep your fragrant calamus imported from distant lands!

I will not accept your burnt offerings.

Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me.”

21 Therefore, this is what theLordsays:

“I will put obstacles in my people’s path.

Fathers and sons will both fall over them.

Neighbors and friends will die together.”

An Invasion from the North

22 This is what theLordsays:

“Look! A great army coming from the north!

A great nation is rising against you from far-off lands.

23 They are armed with bows and spears.

They are cruel and show no mercy.

They sound like a roaring sea

as they ride forward on horses.

They are coming in battle formation,

planning to destroy you, beautiful Jerusalem.”

24 We have heard reports about the enemy,

and we wring our hands in fright.

Pangs of anguish have gripped us,

like those of a woman in labor.

25 Don’t go out to the fields!

Don’t travel on the roads!

The enemy’s sword is everywhere

and terrorizes us at every turn!

26 Oh, my people, dress yourselves in burlap

and sit among the ashes.

Mourn and weep bitterly, as for the loss of an only son.

For suddenly the destroying armies will be upon you!

27 “Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals,

that you may determine the quality of my people.

28 They are the worst kind of rebel,

full of slander.

They are as hard as bronze and iron,

and they lead others into corruption.

29 The bellows fiercely fan the flames

to burn out the corruption.

But it does not purify them,

for the wickedness remains.

30 I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’

for I, theLord, am discarding them.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/6-0d536d59c486bd52ab0a0592fef70e07.mp3?version_id=116—

Jeremiah Speaks at the Temple

1 TheLordgave another message to Jeremiah. He said,

2 “Go to the entrance of theLord’s Temple, and give this message to the people: ‘O Judah, listen to this message from theLord! Listen to it, all of you who worship here!

3 This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:

“‘Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land.

4 But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because theLord’s Temple is here. They chant, “TheLord’s Temple is here! TheLord’s Temple is here!”

5 But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice;

6 only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols.

7 Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.

8 “‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie!

9 Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours,

10 and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again?

11 Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, theLord, have spoken!

12 “‘Go now to the place at Shiloh where I once put the Tabernacle that bore my name. See what I did there because of all the wickedness of my people, the Israelites.

13 While you were doing these wicked things, says theLord, I spoke to you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen. I called out to you, but you refused to answer.

14 So just as I destroyed Shiloh, I will now destroy this Temple that bears my name, this Temple that you trust in for help, this place that I gave to you and your ancestors.

15 And I will send you out of my sight into exile, just as I did your relatives, the people of Israel.’

Judah’s Persistent Idolatry

16 “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you.

17 Don’t you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

18 No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods!

19 Am I the one they are hurting?” asks theLord. “Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame.”

20 So this is what the SovereignLordsays: “I will pour out my terrible fury on this place. Its people, animals, trees, and crops will be consumed by the unquenchable fire of my anger.”

21 This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves!

22 When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them.

23 This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’

24 “But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward.

25 From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out.

26 But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors.

27 “Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond.

28 Say to them, ‘This is the nation whose people will not obey theLordtheir God and who refuse to be taught. Truth has vanished from among them; it is no longer heard on their lips.

29 Shave your head in mourning, and weep alone on the mountains. For theLordhas rejected and forsaken this generation that has provoked his fury.’

The Valley of Slaughter

30 “The people of Judah have sinned before my very eyes,” says theLord. “They have set up their abominable idols right in the Temple that bears my name, defiling it.

31 They have built pagan shrines at Topheth, the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!

32 So beware, for the time is coming,” says theLord, “when that garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. They will bury the bodies in Topheth until there is no more room for them.

33 The bodies of my people will be food for the vultures and wild animals, and no one will be left to scare them away.

34 I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in the streets of Jerusalem. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard in the towns of Judah. The land will lie in complete desolation.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/7-266fa375280f851669a07a38aba34e48.mp3?version_id=116—

1 “In that day,” says theLord, “the enemy will break open the graves of the kings and officials of Judah, and the graves of the priests, prophets, and common people of Jerusalem.

2 They will spread out their bones on the ground before the sun, moon, and stars—the gods my people have loved, served, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up again or buried but will be scattered on the ground like manure.

3 And the people of this evil nation who survive will wish to die rather than live where I will send them. I, theLordof Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!

Deception by False Prophets

4 “Jeremiah, say to the people, ‘This is what theLordsays:

“‘When people fall down, don’t they get up again?

When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back?

5 Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path?

Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back?

They cling tightly to their lies

and will not turn around.

6 I listen to their conversations

and don’t hear a word of truth.

Is anyone sorry for doing wrong?

Does anyone say, “What a terrible thing I have done”?

No! All are running down the path of sin

as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle!

7 Even the stork that flies across the sky

knows the time of her migration,

as do the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane.

They all return at the proper time each year.

But not my people!

They do not know theLord’s laws.

8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of theLord,”

when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies?

9 These wise teachers will fall

into the trap of their own foolishness,

for they have rejected the word of theLord.

Are they so wise after all?

10 I will give their wives to others

and their farms to strangers.

From the least to the greatest,

their lives are ruled by greed.

Yes, even my prophets and priests are like that.

They are all frauds.

11 They offer superficial treatments

for my people’s mortal wound.

They give assurances of peace

when there is no peace.

12 Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions?

Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!

Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.

They will be brought down when I punish them,

says theLord.

13 I will surely consume them.

There will be no more harvests of figs and grapes.

Their fruit trees will all die.

Whatever I gave them will soon be gone.

I, theLord, have spoken!’

14 “Then the people will say,

‘Why should we wait here to die?

Come, let’s go to the fortified towns and die there.

For theLordour God has decreed our destruction

and has given us a cup of poison to drink

because we sinned against theLord.

15 We hoped for peace, but no peace came.

We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.’

16 “The snorting of the enemies’ warhorses can be heard

all the way from the land of Dan in the north!

The neighing of their stallions makes the whole land tremble.

They are coming to devour the land and everything in it—

cities and people alike.

17 I will send these enemy troops among you

like poisonous snakes you cannot charm.

They will bite you, and you will die.

I, theLord, have spoken!”

Jeremiah Weeps for Sinful Judah

18 My grief is beyond healing;

my heart is broken.

19 Listen to the weeping of my people;

it can be heard all across the land.

“Has theLordabandoned Jerusalem?” the people ask.

“Is her King no longer there?”

“Oh, why have they provoked my anger with their carved idols

and their worthless foreign gods?” says theLord.

20 “The harvest is finished,

and the summer is gone,” the people cry,

“yet we are not saved!”

21 I hurt with the hurt of my people.

I mourn and am overcome with grief.

22 Is there no medicine in Gilead?

Is there no physician there?

Why is there no healing

for the wounds of my people?

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/8-db3239c6366bc7731ba049f22ed2c824.mp3?version_id=116—

1 If only my head were a pool of water

and my eyes a fountain of tears,

I would weep day and night

for all my people who have been slaughtered.

2 Oh, that I could go away and forget my people

and live in a travelers’ shack in the desert.

For they are all adulterers—

a pack of treacherous liars.

Judgment for Disobedience

3 “My people bend their tongues like bows

to shoot out lies.

They refuse to stand up for the truth.

They only go from bad to worse.

They do not know me,”

says theLord.

4 “Beware of your neighbor!

Don’t even trust your brother!

For brother takes advantage of brother,

and friend slanders friend.

5 They all fool and defraud each other;

no one tells the truth.

With practiced tongues they tell lies;

they wear themselves out with all their sinning.

6 They pile lie upon lie

and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,”

says theLord.

7 Therefore, this is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies says:

“See, I will melt them down in a crucible

and test them like metal.

What else can I do with my people?

8 For their tongues shoot lies like poisoned arrows.

They speak friendly words to their neighbors

while scheming in their heart to kill them.

9 Should I not punish them for this?” says theLord.

“Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?”

10 I will weep for the mountains

and wail for the wilderness pastures.

For they are desolate and empty of life;

the lowing of cattle is heard no more;

the birds and wild animals have all fled.

11 “I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins,” says theLord.

“It will be a place haunted by jackals.

The towns of Judah will be ghost towns,

with no one living in them.”

12 Who is wise enough to understand all this? Who has been instructed by theLordand can explain it to others? Why has the land been so ruined that no one dares to travel through it?

13 TheLordreplies, “This has happened because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said.

14 Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshiped the images of Baal, as their ancestors taught them.

15 So now, this is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Look! I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink.

16 I will scatter them around the world, in places they and their ancestors never heard of, and even there I will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.”

Weeping in Jerusalem

17 This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies says:

“Consider all this, and call for the mourners.

Send for the women who mourn at funerals.

18 Quick! Begin your weeping!

Let the tears flow from your eyes.

19 Hear the people of Jerusalemcrying in despair,

‘We are ruined! We are completely humiliated!

We must leave our land,

because our homes have been torn down.’”

20 Listen, you women, to the words of theLord;

open your ears to what he has to say.

Teach your daughters to wail;

teach one another how to lament.

21 For death has crept in through our windows

and has entered our mansions.

It has killed off the flower of our youth:

Children no longer play in the streets,

and young men no longer gather in the squares.

22 This is what theLordsays:

“Bodies will be scattered across the fields like clumps of manure,

like bundles of grain after the harvest.

No one will be left to bury them.”

23 This is what theLordsays:

“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,

or the powerful boast in their power,

or the rich boast in their riches.

24 But those who wish to boast

should boast in this alone:

that they truly know me and understand that I am theLord

who demonstrates unfailing love

and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,

and that I delight in these things.

I, theLord, have spoken!

25 “A time is coming,” says theLord, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit—

26 the Egyptians, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, the people who live in the desert in remote places,and yes, even the people of Judah. And like all these pagan nations, the people of Israel also have uncircumcised hearts.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/9-12114c66b3794f288c4fdee31ef9370e.mp3?version_id=116—

Idolatry Brings Destruction

1 Hear the word that theLordspeaks to you, O Israel!

2 This is what theLordsays:

“Do not act like the other nations,

who try to read their future in the stars.

Do not be afraid of their predictions,

even though other nations are terrified by them.

3 Their ways are futile and foolish.

They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.

4 They decorate it with gold and silver

and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails

so it won’t fall over.

5 Their gods are like

helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!

They cannot speak,

and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.

Do not be afraid of such gods,

for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

6 Lord, there is no one like you!

For you are great, and your name is full of power.

7 Who would not fear you, O King of nations?

That title belongs to you alone!

Among all the wise people of the earth

and in all the kingdoms of the world,

there is no one like you.

8 People who worship idols are stupid and foolish.

The things they worship are made of wood!

9 They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish

and gold from Uphaz,

and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen

who make their idols.

Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes

made by expert tailors.

10 But theLordis the only true God.

He is the living God and the everlasting King!

The whole earth trembles at his anger.

The nations cannot stand up to his wrath.

11 Say this to those who worship other gods: “Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

12 But theLordmade the earth by his power,

and he preserves it by his wisdom.

With his own understanding

he stretched out the heavens.

13 When he speaks in the thunder,

the heavens roar with rain.

He causes the clouds to rise over the earth.

He sends the lightning with the rain

and releases the wind from his storehouses.

14 The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge!

The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make,

for their carefully shaped works are a fraud.

These idols have no breath or power.

15 Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!

On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.

16 But the God of Israelis no idol!

He is the Creator of everything that exists,

including Israel, his own special possession.

TheLordof Heaven’s Armies is his name!

The Coming Destruction

17 Pack your bags and prepare to leave;

the siege is about to begin.

18 For this is what theLordsays:

“Suddenly, I will fling out

all you who live in this land.

I will pour great troubles upon you,

and at last you will feel my anger.”

19 My wound is severe,

and my grief is great.

My sickness is incurable,

but I must bear it.

20 My home is gone,

and no one is left to help me rebuild it.

My children have been taken away,

and I will never see them again.

21 The shepherds of my people have lost their senses.

They no longer seek wisdom from theLord.

Therefore, they fail completely,

and their flocks are scattered.

22 Listen! Hear the terrifying roar of great armies

as they roll down from the north.

The towns of Judah will be destroyed

and become a haunt for jackals.

Jeremiah’s Prayer

23 I know,Lord, that our lives are not our own.

We are not able to plan our own course.

24 So correct me,Lord, but please be gentle.

Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.

25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you—

on the peoples that do not call upon your name.

For they have devoured your people Israel;

they have devoured and consumed them,

making the land a desolate wilderness.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/10-a00e6b16efc4320e19b0d25fa559305b.mp3?version_id=116—

Judah’s Broken Covenant

1 TheLordgave another message to Jeremiah. He said,

2 “Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my covenant with them.

3 Say to them, ‘This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant!

4 For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, “If you obey me and do whatever I command you, then you will be my people, and I will be your God.”

5 I said this so I could keep my promise to your ancestors to give you a land flowing with milk and honey—the land you live in today.’”

Then I replied, “Amen,Lord! May it be so.”

6 Then theLordsaid, “Broadcast this message in the streets of Jerusalem. Go from town to town throughout the land and say, ‘Remember the ancient covenant, and do everything it requires.

7 For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, “Obey me!” I have repeated this warning over and over to this day,

8 but your ancestors did not listen or even pay attention. Instead, they stubbornly followed their own evil desires. And because they refused to obey, I brought upon them all the curses described in this covenant.’”

9 Again theLordspoke to me and said, “I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors. They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods. Israel and Judah have both broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.

11 Therefore, this is what theLordsays: I am going to bring calamity upon them, and they will not escape. Though they beg for mercy, I will not listen to their cries.

12 Then the people of Judah and Jerusalem will pray to their idols and burn incense before them. But the idols will not save them when disaster strikes!

13 Look now, people of Judah; you have as many gods as you have towns. You have as many altars of shame—altars for burning incense to your god Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem.

14 “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.

15 “What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple,

when they have done so many immoral things?

Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction?

They actually rejoice in doing evil!

16 I, theLord, once called them a thriving olive tree,

beautiful to see and full of good fruit.

But now I have sent the fury of their enemies

to burn them with fire,

leaving them charred and broken.

17 “I, theLordof Heaven’s Armies, who planted this olive tree, have ordered it destroyed. For the people of Israel and Judah have done evil, arousing my anger by burning incense to Baal.”

A Plot against Jeremiah

18 Then theLordtold me about the plots my enemies were making against me.

19 I was like a lamb being led to the slaughter. I had no idea that they were planning to kill me! “Let’s destroy this man and all his words,” they said. “Let’s cut him down, so his name will be forgotten forever.”

20 OLordof Heaven’s Armies,

you make righteous judgments,

and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.

Let me see your vengeance against them,

for I have committed my cause to you.

21 This is what theLordsays about the men of Anathoth who wanted me dead. They had said, “We will kill you if you do not stop prophesying in theLord’s name.”

22 So this is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies says about them: “I will punish them! Their young men will die in battle, and their boys and girls will starve to death.

23 Not one of these plotters from Anathoth will survive, for I will bring disaster upon them when their time of punishment comes.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/11-deae8647b0f84873ff106a07feedd1ac.mp3?version_id=116—

Jeremiah Questions the Lord’s Justice

1 Lord, you always give me justice

when I bring a case before you.

So let me bring you this complaint:

Why are the wicked so prosperous?

Why are evil people so happy?

2 You have planted them,

and they have taken root and prospered.

Your name is on their lips,

but you are far from their hearts.

3 But as for me,Lord, you know my heart.

You see me and test my thoughts.

Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered!

Set them aside to be slaughtered!

4 How long must this land mourn?

Even the grass in the fields has withered.

The wild animals and birds have disappeared

because of the evil in the land.

For the people have said,

“TheLorddoesn’t see what’s ahead for us!”

The Lord’s Reply to Jeremiah

5 “If racing against mere men makes you tired,

how will you race against horses?

If you stumble and fall on open ground,

what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?

6 Even your brothers, members of your own family,

have turned against you.

They plot and raise complaints against you.

Do not trust them,

no matter how pleasantly they speak.

7 “I have abandoned my people, my special possession.

I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies.

8 My chosen people have roared at me like a lion of the forest,

so I have treated them with contempt.

9 My chosen people act like speckled vultures,

but they themselves are surrounded by vultures.

Bring on the wild animals to pick their corpses clean!

10 “Many rulers have ravaged my vineyard,

trampling down the vines

and turning all its beauty into a barren wilderness.

11 They have made it an empty wasteland;

I hear its mournful cry.

The whole land is desolate,

and no one even cares.

12 On all the bare hilltops,

destroying armies can be seen.

The sword of theLorddevours people

from one end of the nation to the other.

No one will escape!

13 My people have planted wheat

but are harvesting thorns.

They have worn themselves out,

but it has done them no good.

They will harvest a crop of shame

because of the fierce anger of theLord.”

A Message for Israel’s Neighbors

14 Now this is what theLordsays: “I will uproot from their land all the evil nations reaching out for the possession I gave my people Israel. And I will uproot Judah from among them.

15 But afterward I will return and have compassion on all of them. I will bring them home to their own lands again, each nation to its own possession.

16 And if these nations truly learn the ways of my people, and if they learn to swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as theLordlives’ (just as they taught my people to swear by the name of Baal), then they will be given a place among my people.

17 But any nation who refuses to obey me will be uprooted and destroyed. I, theLord, have spoken!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/12-1e4f050e83fb6b52057cc899f9ebe138.mp3?version_id=116—

Jeremiah’s Linen Loincloth

1 This is what theLordsaid to me: “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it.”

2 So I bought the loincloth as theLorddirected me, and I put it on.

3 Then theLordgave me another message:

4 “Take the linen loincloth you are wearing, and go to the Euphrates River.Hide it there in a hole in the rocks.”

5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates as theLordhad instructed me.

6 A long time afterward theLordsaid to me, “Go back to the Euphrates and get the loincloth I told you to hide there.”

7 So I went to the Euphrates and dug it out of the hole where I had hidden it. But now it was rotting and falling apart. The loincloth was good for nothing.

8 Then I received this message from theLord:

9 “This is what theLordsays: This shows how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem.

10 These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this loincloth—good for nothing!

11 As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says theLord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory—an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.

12 “So tell them, ‘This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says: May all your jars be filled with wine.’ And they will reply, ‘Of course! Jars are made to be filled with wine!’

13 “Then tell them, ‘No, this is what theLordmeans: I will fill everyone in this land with drunkenness—from the king sitting on David’s throne to the priests and the prophets, right down to the common people of Jerusalem.

14 I will smash them against each other, even parents against children, says theLord. I will not let my pity or mercy or compassion keep me from destroying them.’”

A Warning against Pride

15 Listen and pay attention!

Do not be arrogant, for theLordhas spoken.

16 Give glory to theLordyour God

before it is too late.

Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you,

causing you to stumble and fall on the darkening mountains.

For then, when you look for light,

you will find only terrible darkness and gloom.

17 And if you still refuse to listen,

I will weep alone because of your pride.

My eyes will overflow with tears,

because theLord’s flock will be led away into exile.

18 Say to the king and his mother,

“Come down from your thrones

and sit in the dust,

for your glorious crowns

will soon be snatched from your heads.”

19 The towns of the Negev will close their gates,

and no one will be able to open them.

The people of Judah will be taken away as captives.

All will be carried into exile.

20 Open up your eyes and see

the armies marching down from the north!

Where is your flock—

your beautiful flock—

that he gave you to care for?

21 What will you say when theLordtakes the allies you have cultivated

and appoints them as your rulers?

Pangs of anguish will grip you,

like those of a woman in labor!

22 You may ask yourself,

“Why is all this happening to me?”

It is because of your many sins!

That is why you have been stripped

and raped by invading armies.

23 Can an Ethiopianchange the color of his skin?

Can a leopard take away its spots?

Neither can you start doing good,

for you have always done evil.

24 “I will scatter you like chaff

that is blown away by the desert winds.

25 This is your allotment,

the portion I have assigned to you,”

says theLord,

“for you have forgotten me,

putting your trust in false gods.

26 I myself will strip you

and expose you to shame.

27 I have seen your adultery and lust,

and your disgusting idol worship out in the fields and on the hills.

What sorrow awaits you, Jerusalem!

How long before you are pure?”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/13-9a70431d99a3560f817f5e307e859617.mp3?version_id=116—

Judah’s Terrible Drought

1 This message came to Jeremiah from theLord, explaining why he was holding back the rain:

2 “Judah wilts;

commerce at the city gates grinds to a halt.

All the people sit on the ground in mourning,

and a great cry rises from Jerusalem.

3 The nobles send servants to get water,

but all the wells are dry.

The servants return with empty pitchers,

confused and desperate,

covering their heads in grief.

4 The ground is parched

and cracked for lack of rain.

The farmers are deeply troubled;

they, too, cover their heads.

5 Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn

because there is no grass in the field.

6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare hills

panting like thirsty jackals.

They strain their eyes looking for grass,

but there is none to be found.”

7 The people say, “Our wickedness has caught up with us,Lord,

but help us for the sake of your own reputation.

We have turned away from you

and sinned against you again and again.

8 O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble,

why are you like a stranger to us?

Why are you like a traveler passing through the land,

stopping only for the night?

9 Are you also confused?

Is our champion helpless to save us?

You are right here among us,Lord.

We are known as your people.

Please don’t abandon us now!”

10 So this is what theLordsays to his people:

“You love to wander far from me

and do not restrain yourselves.

Therefore, I will no longer accept you as my people.

Now I will remember all your wickedness

and will punish you for your sins.”

The Lord Forbids Jeremiah to Intercede

11 Then theLordsaid to me, “Do not pray for these people anymore.

12 When they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease.”

13 Then I said, “O SovereignLord, their prophets are telling them, ‘All is well—no war or famine will come. TheLordwill surely send you peace.’”

14 Then theLordsaid, “These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts.

15 Therefore, this is what theLordsays: I will punish these lying prophets, for they have spoken in my name even though I never sent them. They say that no war or famine will come, but they themselves will die by war and famine!

16 As for the people to whom they prophesy—their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one left to bury them. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters—all will be gone. For I will pour out their own wickedness on them.

17 Now, Jeremiah, say this to them:

“Night and day my eyes overflow with tears.

I cannot stop weeping,

for my virgin daughter—my precious people—

has been struck down

and lies mortally wounded.

18 If I go out into the fields,

I see the bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy.

If I walk the city streets,

I see people who have died of starvation.

The prophets and priests continue with their work,

but they don’t know what they’re doing.”

A Prayer for Healing

19 Lord, have you completely rejected Judah?

Do you really hate Jerusalem?

Why have you wounded us past all hope of healing?

We hoped for peace, but no peace came.

We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.

20 Lord, we confess our wickedness

and that of our ancestors, too.

We all have sinned against you.

21 For the sake of your reputation,Lord, do not abandon us.

Do not disgrace your own glorious throne.

Please remember us,

and do not break your covenant with us.

22 Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain?

Does it fall from the sky by itself?

No, you are the one, OLordour God!

Only you can do such things.

So we will wait for you to help us.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/14-ee38e4a8cb7125b020e9485919ae4afd.mp3?version_id=116—

Judah’s Inevitable Doom

1 Then theLordsaid to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn’t help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight!

2 And if they say to you, ‘But where can we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what theLordsays:

“‘Those who are destined for death, to death;

those who are destined for war, to war;

those who are destined for famine, to famine;

those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.’

3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says theLord. “I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left.

4 Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

5 “Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem?

Who will weep for you?

Who will even bother to ask how you are?

6 You have abandoned me

and turned your back on me,”

says theLord.

“Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you.

I am tired of always giving you another chance.

7 I will winnow you like grain at the gates of your cities

and take away the children you hold dear.

I will destroy my own people,

because they refuse to change their evil ways.

8 There will be more widows

than the grains of sand on the seashore.

At noontime I will bring a destroyer

against the mothers of young men.

I will cause anguish and terror

to come upon them suddenly.

9 The mother of seven grows faint and gasps for breath;

her sun has gone down while it is still day.

She sits childless now,

disgraced and humiliated.

And I will hand over those who are left

to be killed by the enemy.

I, theLord, have spoken!”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

10 Then I said,

“What sorrow is mine, my mother.

Oh, that I had died at birth!

I am hated everywhere I go.

I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclose

nor a borrower who refuses to pay—

yet they all curse me.”

11 TheLordreplied,

“I will take care of you, Jeremiah.

Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalf

in times of trouble and distress.

12 Can a man break a bar of iron from the north,

or a bar of bronze?

13 At no cost to them,

I will hand over your wealth and treasures

as plunder to your enemies,

for sin runs rampant in your land.

14 I will tell your enemies to take you

as captives to a foreign land.

For my anger blazes like a fire

that will burn forever.”

15 Then I said,

“Lord, you know what’s happening to me.

Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors!

Please give me time; don’t let me die young.

It’s for your sake that I am suffering.

16 When I discovered your words, I devoured them.

They are my joy and my heart’s delight,

for I bear your name,

OLordGod of Heaven’s Armies.

17 I never joined the people in their merry feasts.

I sat alone because your hand was on me.

I was filled with indignation at their sins.

18 Why then does my suffering continue?

Why is my wound so incurable?

Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook,

like a spring that has gone dry.”

19 This is how theLordresponds:

“If you return to me, I will restore you

so you can continue to serve me.

If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,

you will be my spokesman.

You must influence them;

do not let them influence you!

20 They will fight against you like an attacking army,

but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze.

They will not conquer you,

for I am with you to protect and rescue you.

I, theLord, have spoken!

21 Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men.

I will rescue you from their cruel hands.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/15-a641f5ccff81fa79b00fbe5fc4cf40ed.mp3?version_id=116—