6“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.H1121H1144H5756H7130H3389H8628H7782H8620H5375H4864H1021H7451H8259H6828H1419H7667 2O Jerusalem, you are my beautiful and delicate daughter—but I will destroy you!H1820H1323H6726H5116H6026 3Enemies will surround you, like shepherds camped around the city. Each chooses a place for his troops to devour.H7462H5739H935H8628H168H5439H7462H376H3027 4They shout, ‘Prepare for battle! Attack at noon!’ ‘No, it’s too late; the day is fading, and the evening shadows are falling.’H6942H4421H6965H5927H6672H188H3117H6437H6752H6153H5186 5‘Well then, let’s attack at night and destroy her palaces!’”H6965H5927H3915H7843H759 6This is what the Lord of 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.H3068H6635H559H3772H6097H8210H5550H3389H5892H6485H6233H7130 7She spouts evil like a fountain. Her streets echo with the sounds of violence and destruction. I always see her sickness and sores.H953H6979H4325H6979H7451H2555H7701H8085H6440H8548H2483H4347 8Listen 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.”H3256H3389H5315H3363H7760H8077H776H3427 9This is what the Lord of 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.”H559H3068H6635H5953H5953H7611H3478H1612H7725H3027H1219H5552 10To whom can I give warning? Who will listen when I speak? Their ears are closed, and they cannot hear. They scorn the word of the Lord. They don’t want to listen at all.H1696H5749H8085H241H6189H3201H7181H1697H3068H2781H2654 11So now I am filled with the Lord’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.H4392H2534H3068H3811H3557H8210H5768H2351H5475H970H3162H376H802H3920H2205H4390H3117 12Their 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 the Lord.H1004H5437H312H7704H802H3162H5186H3027H3427H776H5002H3068 13“From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.H6996H1419H1214H1215H5030H3548H6213H8267 14They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.H7495H7667H1323H5971H7043H559H7965H7965H7965 15Are 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 the Lord.H3001H6213H8441H1571H954H954H1571H3045H3637H5307H5307H6256H6485H3782H559H3068 16This is what the Lord says: “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!’H559H3068H5975H1870H7200H7592H5769H5410H2896H1870H3212H4672H4771H5315H559H3212 17I posted watchmen over you who said, ‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’ But you replied, ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’H6965H6822H7181H6963H7782H559H7181 18“Therefore, listen to this, all you nations. Take note of my people’s situation.H8085H1471H3045H5712 19Listen, 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.H8085H776H935H7451H5971H6529H4284H7181H1697H8451H3988 20There’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.”H935H3828H7614H2896H7070H4801H776H5930H7522H2077H6149 21Therefore, this is what the Lord says: “I will put obstacles in my people’s path. Fathers and sons will both fall over them. Neighbors and friends will die together.”H559H3068H5414H4383H5971H1H1121H3162H3782H7934H7453H6 22This is what the Lord says: “Look! A great army coming from the north! A great nation is rising against you from far-off lands.H559H3068H5971H935H6828H776H1419H1471H5782H3411H776 23They 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.”H2388H7198H3591H394H7355H6963H1993H3220H7392H5483H6186H376H4421H1323H6726 24We 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.H8085H8089H3027H7503H6869H2388H2427H3205 25Don’t go out to the fields! Don’t travel on the roads! The enemy’s sword is everywhere and terrorizes us at every turn!H3318H7704H3212H1870H2719H341H4032H5439 26Oh, 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!H1323H5971H2296H8242H6428H665H6213H60H3173H8563H4553H7703H6597H935 27“Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals, that you may determine the quality of my people.H5414H969H4013H5971H3045H974H1870 28They are the worst kind of rebel, full of slander. They are as hard as bronze and iron, and they lead others into corruption.H5493H5637H1980H7400H5178H1270H7843 29The bellows fiercely fan the flames to burn out the corruption. But it does not purify them, for the wickedness remains.H4647H2787H5777H8552H800H784H6884H6884H7723H7451H5423 30I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’ for I, the Lord, am discarding them.”H3988H3701H7121H3068H3988
7The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said,H1697H3414H3068H559 2“Go to the entrance of the Lord’s Temple, and give this message to the people: ‘O Judah, listen to this message from the Lord! Listen to it, all of you who worship here!H5975H8179H3068H1004H7121H1697H559H8085H1697H3068H3063H935H8179H7812H3068 3This is what the Lord of 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.H559H3068H6635H430H3478H3190H1870H4611H7931H4725 4But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. They chant, “The Lord’s Temple is here! The Lord’s Temple is here!”H982H8267H1697H559H1964H3068H1964H3068H1964H3068 5But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice;H3190H3190H1870H4611H6213H6213H4941H376H7453 6only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols.H6231H1616H3490H490H8210H5355H1818H4725H3212H310H312H430H7451 7Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.H7931H4725H776H5414H1H5704H5769H5769 8“‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie!H982H8267H1697H3276 9Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours,H1589H7523H5003H7650H8267H6999H1168H1980H310H312H430H3045 10and 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?H935H5975H6440H1004H7121H8034H559H5337H6213H8441 11Don’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, the Lord, have spoken!H1004H7121H8034H4631H6530H5869H7200H5002H3068 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.H3212H4725H7887H7931H8034H7223H7200H6213H6440H7451H5971H3478 13While you were doing these wicked things, says the Lord, I spoke to you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen. I called out to you, but you refused to answer.H6213H4639H5002H3068H1696H7925H1696H8085H7121H6030 14So 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.H6213H1004H7121H8034H982H4725H5414H1H6213H7887 15And I will send you out of my sight into exile, just as I did your relatives, the people of Israel.’H7993H6440H7993H251H2233H669 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.H6419H5971H5375H7440H8605H1157H6293H8085 17Don’t you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?H7200H6213H5892H3063H2351H3389 18No 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!H1121H3950H6086H1H1197H784H802H3888H1217H6213H3561H4446H8064H5258H5262H312H430H3707 19Am I the one they are hurting?” asks the Lord. “Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame.”H3707H5002H3068H1322H6440 20So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “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.”H559H136H3069H639H2534H5413H4725H120H929H6086H7704H6529H127H1197H3518 21This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves!H559H3068H6635H430H3478H5595H5930H2077H398H1320 22When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them.H1696H1H6680H3117H3318H776H4714H1697H5930H2077 23This 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!’H1697H6680H559H8085H6963H430H5971H1980H1870H6680H3190 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.H8085H5186H241H3212H4156H8307H7451H3820H268H6440 25From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out.H3117H1H3318H776H4714H3117H7971H5650H5030H3117H7925H7971 26But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors.H8085H5186H241H7185H6203H7489H1 27“Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond.H1696H1697H8085H7121H6030 28Say to them, ‘This is the nation whose people will not obey the Lord their God and who refuse to be taught. Truth has vanished from among them; it is no longer heard on their lips.H559H1471H8085H6963H3068H430H3947H4148H530H6H3772H6310 29Shave your head in mourning, and weep alone on the mountains. For the Lord has rejected and forsaken this generation that has provoked his fury.’H1494H5145H7993H5375H7015H8205H3068H3988H5203H1755H5678 30“The people of Judah have sinned before my very eyes,” says the Lord. “They have set up their abominable idols right in the Temple that bears my name, defiling it.H1121H3063H6213H7451H5869H5002H3068H7760H8251H1004H7121H8034H2930 31They 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!H1129H1116H8612H1516H1121H2011H8313H1121H1323H784H6680H5927H3820 32So beware, for the time is coming,” says the Lord, “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.H3117H935H5002H3068H559H8612H1516H1121H2011H1516H2028H6912H8612H369H4725 33The bodies of my people will be food for the vultures and wild animals, and no one will be left to scare them away.H5038H5971H3978H5775H8064H929H776H2729 34I 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.H7673H5892H3063H2351H3389H6963H8342H6963H8057H6963H2860H6963H3618H776H2723
8“In that day,” says the Lord, “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.H6256H5002H3068H3318H6106H4428H3063H6106H8269H6106H3548H6106H5030H6106H3427H3389H6913 2They 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.H7849H8121H3394H6635H8064H157H5647H310H1980H1875H7812H622H6912H1828H6440H127 3And the people of this evil nation who survive will wish to die rather than live where I will send them. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!H4194H977H2416H7611H7604H7451H4940H7604H4725H5080H5002H3068H6635 4“Jeremiah, say to the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘When people fall down, don’t they get up again? When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back?H559H559H3068H5307H6965H7725H7725 5Then 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.H5971H3389H7725H5329H4878H2388H8649H3985H7725 6I 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!H7181H8085H1696H376H5162H5921H7451H559H6213H7725H4794H5483H7857H4421 7Even 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 the Lord’s laws.H2624H8064H3045H4150H8449H5483H5693H8104H6256H935H5971H3045H4941H3068 8“‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of the Lord,” when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies?H559H2450H8451H3068H403H8267H6213H5842H5608H8267 9These wise teachers will fall into the trap of their own foolishness, for they have rejected the word of the Lord. Are they so wise after all?H2450H3001H2865H3920H3988H1697H3068H2451 10I 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.H5414H802H312H7704H3423H6996H1419H1214H1215H5030H3548H6213H8267 11They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.H7495H7667H1323H5971H7043H559H7965H7965H7965 12Are 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 the Lord.H3001H6213H8441H954H954H3045H3637H5307H5307H6256H6486H3782H559H3068 13I 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, the Lord, have spoken!’H622H5486H5002H3068H6025H1612H8384H8384H5929H5034H5414H5674 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 the Lord our God has decreed our destruction and has given us a cup of poison to drink because we sinned against the Lord.H3427H622H935H4013H5892H1826H3068H430H1826H4325H7219H8248H2398H3068 15We hoped for peace, but no peace came. We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.’H6960H7965H2896H6256H4832H1205 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.H5170H5483H8085H1835H776H7493H6963H4684H47H935H398H776H4393H5892H3427 17I will send these enemy troops among you like poisonous snakes you cannot charm. They will bite you, and you will die. I, the Lord, have spoken!”H7971H5175H6848H3908H5391H5002H3068 18My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken.H4010H3015H3820H1742 19Listen to the weeping of my people; it can be heard all across the land. “Has the Lord abandoned 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 the Lord.H6963H7775H1323H5971H4801H776H3068H6726H4428H3707H6456H5236H1892 20“The harvest is finished, and the summer is gone,” the people cry, “yet we are not saved!”H7105H5674H7019H3615H3467 21I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief.H7667H1323H5971H7665H6937H8047H2388 22Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?H6875H1568H7495H3588H724H1323H5971H5927
Dublin, OH
, you are my beautiful and delicate daughter—but I will destroy you!H1820
