Jeremiah 9-11 - Prayer Tents

9If 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.H5414H7218H4325H5869H4726H1832H1058H3119H3915H2491H1323H5971 2Oh, 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.H5414H4057H4411H732H5800H5971H3212H5003H6116H898

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 the Lord.H1869H3956H7198H8267H1396H530H776H3318H7451H7451H3045H5002H3068 4“Beware of your neighbor! Don’t even trust your brother! For brother takes advantage of brother, and friend slanders friend.H8104H376H7453H982H251H251H6117H6117H7453H1980H7400 5They 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.H2048H376H7453H1696H571H3925H3956H1696H8267H3811H5753 6They pile lie upon lie and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,” says the Lord.H3427H8432H4820H4820H3985H3045H5002H3068 7Therefore, this is what the Lord of 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?H559H3068H6635H6884H974H6213H6440H1323H5971 8For their tongues shoot lies like poisoned arrows. They speak friendly words to their neighbors while scheming in their heart to kill them.H3956H2671H7819H1696H4820H1696H7965H7453H6310H7130H7760H696 9Should I not punish them for this?” says the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?”H6485H5002H3068H5315H5358H1471 10I 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.H2022H5375H1065H5092H4999H4057H7015H3341H376H5674H8085H6963H4735H5775H8064H929H5074H1980 11“I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins,” says the Lord. “It will be a place haunted by jackals. The towns of Judah will be ghost towns, with no one living in them.”H5414H3389H1530H4583H8577H5414H5892H3063H8077H3427 12Who is wise enough to understand all this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it to others? Why has the land been so ruined that no one dares to travel through it?H2450H376H995H6310H3068H1696H5046H776H6H3341H4057H5674 13The Lord replies, “This has happened because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said.H3068H559H5800H8451H5414H6440H8085H6963H1980 14Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshiped the images of Baal, as their ancestors taught them.H3212H310H8307H3820H310H1168H1H3925 15So now, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Look! I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink.H559H3068H6635H430H3478H398H5971H3939H4325H7219H8248 16I 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.”H6327H1471H1H3045H7971H2719H310H3615

Weeping in Jerusalem

17This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “Consider all this, and call for the mourners. Send for the women who mourn at funerals.H559H3068H6635H995H7121H6969H935H7971H2450H935 18Quick! Begin your weeping! Let the tears flow from your eyes.H4116H5375H5092H5869H3381H1832H6079H5140H4325 19Hear the people of Jerusalem crying in despair, ‘We are ruined! We are completely humiliated! We must leave our land, because our homes have been torn down.’”H6963H5092H8085H6726H7703H3966H954H5800H776H4908H7993 20Listen, you women, to the words of the Lord; open your ears to what he has to say. Teach your daughters to wail; teach one another how to lament.H8085H1697H3068H802H241H3947H1697H6310H3925H1323H5092H802H7468H7015 21For 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.H4194H5927H2474H935H759H3772H5768H2351H970H7339 22This is what the Lord says: “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.”H1696H5002H3068H5038H120H5307H1828H6440H7704H5995H310H7114H622 23This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches.H559H3068H2450H1984H2451H1368H1984H1369H6223H1984H6239 24But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!H1984H1984H7919H3045H3068H6213H2617H4941H6666H776H2654H5002H3068 25“A time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit—H3117H935H5002H3068H6485H4135H6190 26the 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.”H4714H3063H123H1121H5983H4124H7112H6285H3427H4057H1471H6189H1004H3478H6189H3820

Idolatry Brings Destruction

10Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel!H8085H1697H3068H1696H1004H3478 2This is what the Lord says: “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.H559H3068H3925H1870H1471H2865H226H8064H1471H2865H1992 3Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.H2708H5971H1892H3772H6086H3293H4639H3027H2796H4621 4They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over.H3302H3701H2091H2388H4548H4717H6328 5Their 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.”H4749H8560H1696H5375H5375H6805H3372H7489H3190 6Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power.H3068H1419H8034H1419H1369 7Who 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.H3372H4428H1471H2969H2450H1471H4438 8People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood!H259H1197H3688H6086H4148H1892 9They 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.H3701H7554H935H8659H2091H210H4639H2796H3027H6884H8504H713H3830H4639H2450 10But the Lord is 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.H3068H571H430H2416H430H5769H4428H7110H776H7493H1471H3557H2195 11Say 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.”H1836H560H426H3809H5648H8065H778H7H772H8460H429H8065 12But God made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens.H6213H776H3581H3559H8398H2451H5186H8064H8394 13When 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.H5414H6963H1995H4325H8064H5387H5927H7097H776H6213H1300H4306H3318H7307H214 14The 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.H120H1197H1847H6884H3001H6459H5262H8267H7307 15Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.H1892H4639H8595H6256H6486H6 16But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including Israel, his own special possession. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!H2506H3290H3335H3478H7626H5159H3068H6635H8034

The Coming Destruction

17Pack your bags and prepare to leave; the siege is about to begin.H622H3666H776H3427H4692 18For this is what the Lord says: “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.”H559H3068H7049H3427H776H6471H6887H4672 19My wound is severe, and my grief is great. My sickness is incurable, but I must bear it.H188H7667H4347H2470H559H389H2483H5375 20My 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.H168H7703H4340H5423H1121H3318H5186H168H6965H3407 21The shepherds of my people have lost their senses. They no longer seek wisdom from the Lord. Therefore, they fail completely, and their flocks are scattered.H7462H1197H1875H3068H7919H4830H6327 22Listen! 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.H6963H8052H935H1419H7494H6828H776H7760H5892H3063H8077H4583H8577

Jeremiah’s Prayer

23I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.H3068H3045H1870H120H376H1980H3559H6806 24So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.H3068H3256H4941H639H4591 25Pour 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.H8210H2534H1471H3045H4940H7121H8034H398H3290H398H3615H5116H8074

Judah’s Broken Covenant

11The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said,H1697H3414H3068H559 2“Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my covenant with them.H8085H1697H1285H1696H376H3063H3427H3389 3Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant!H559H559H3068H430H3478H779H376H8085H1697H1285 4For 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.”H6680H1H3117H3318H776H4714H1270H3564H559H8085H6963H6213H6680H5971H430 5I 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.”H6965H7621H7650H1H5414H776H2100H2461H1706H3117H6030H559H543H3068 6Then the Lord said, “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.H3068H559H7121H1697H5892H3063H2351H3389H559H8085H1697H1285H6213 7For 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,H5749H5749H1H3117H5927H776H4714H3117H7925H5749H559H8085H6963 8but 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.’”H8085H5186H241H3212H376H8307H7451H3820H935H1697H1285H6680H6213H6213 9Again the Lord spoke to me and said, “I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the people of Judah and Jerusalem.H3068H559H7195H4672H376H3063H3427H3389 10They have returned to the sins of their forefathers. 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.H7725H5771H7223H1H3985H8085H1697H1980H310H312H430H5647H1004H3478H1004H3063H6565H1285H3772H1 11Therefore, this is what the Lord says: 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.H559H3068H935H7451H3201H3318H2199H8085 12Then 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!H5892H3063H3427H3389H1980H2199H430H6999H3467H3467H6256H7451 13Look 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.H4557H5892H430H3063H4557H2351H3389H7760H4196H1322H4196H6999H1168 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.H6419H5971H5375H7440H8605H8085H6256H7121H7451 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!H3039H1004H6213H4209H7227H6944H1320H5674H7451H5937 16I, the Lord, 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.H3068H7121H8034H7488H2132H3303H8389H6529H6963H1419H1999H3341H784H1808H7489 17“I, the Lord of 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.”H3068H6635H5193H1696H7451H1558H7451H1004H3478H1004H3063H6213H3707H6999H1168

A Plot against Jeremiah

18Then the Lord told me about the plots my enemies were making against me.H3068H3045H3045H7200H4611 19I 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.”H3532H441H2986H2873H3045H2803H4284H7843H6086H3899H3772H776H2416H8034H2142 20O Lord of 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.H3068H6635H8199H6664H974H3629H3820H7200H5360H1540H7379 21This is what the Lord says about the men of Anathoth who wanted me dead. They had said, “We will kill you if you do not stop prophesying in the Lord’s name.”H559H3068H582H6068H1245H5315H559H5012H8034H3068H4191H3027 22So this is what the Lord of 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.H559H3068H6635H6485H970H4191H2719H1121H1323H4191H7458 23Not one of these plotters from Anathoth will survive, for I will bring disaster upon them when their time of punishment comes.”H7611H935H7451H582H6068H8141H6486