Message at the Temple Gate

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, (A)Stand at the gate of the Lords house and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the Lord!’” This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “(B)Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you live in this place. (C)Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘[a]This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ For (D)if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly (E)practice justice between a person and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the [b](F)orphan, or the widow, and do not shed (G)innocent blood in this place, nor (H)follow other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you (I)live in this place, in the (J)land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.

“Behold, you are trusting in (K)deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, [c](L)offer sacrifices to Baal, and follow (M)other gods that you have not known, 10 then (N)come and stand before Me in (O)this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are saved!’—so that you may do all these abominations? 11 Has (P)this house, which is called by My name, become a (Q)den of robbers in your sight? Behold, (R)I Myself have seen it,” declares the Lord.

12 “But go now to My place which was in (S)Shiloh, where I (T)made My name dwell at the beginning, and (U)see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these things,” declares the Lord, “and I spoke to you, (V)speaking again and again, but you did not listen, and I (W)called you but you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the (X)house which is called by My name, (Y)in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, just as I (Z)did to Shiloh. 15 I will (AA)hurl you out of My sight, just as I have hurled out all your brothers, all the [d]descendants of (AB)Ephraim.

16 “As for you, (AC)do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not plead with Me; for I am not listening to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The [e]children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make sacrificial cakes for the queen of heaven; and they (AD)pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to (AE)provoke Me to anger. 19 (AF)Are they provoking Me?” declares the Lord. “Is it not themselves instead, to their [f]own (AG)shame?” 20 Therefore this is what the Lord [g]God says: “Behold, My (AH)anger and My wrath will be poured out on this place, on human and animal life, and on the (AI)trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; and it will burn and not be quenched.”

21 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Add your (AJ)burnt offerings to your sacrifices and (AK)eat flesh. 22 For I did not (AL)speak to your fathers, or command them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this is [h]what I commanded them, saying, ‘(AM)Obey My voice, and (AN)I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you shall walk [i]entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may (AO)go well for you.’ 24 Yet they (AP)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked by their own advice and in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and they [j](AQ)went backward and not forward. 25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have (AR)sent you all My servants the prophets, sending them daily, again and again. 26 Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but (AS)stiffened their neck; they (AT)did more evil than their fathers.

27 “So you shall (AU)speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; and you shall call to them, but they will (AV)not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that (AW)did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept discipline; [k](AX)trustworthiness has perished and has been eliminated from their mouth.

29 (AY)Cut off [l]your hair and throw it away,
And (AZ)take up a song of mourning on the bare heights;
For the Lord has (BA)rejected and forsaken
The generation of His wrath.’

30 For the sons of Judah have done that which is evil in My sight,” declares the Lord. “They have (BB)put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. 31 They have (BC)built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, to (BD)burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I (BE)did not command, and it did not come into My [m]mind.

32 (BF)Therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but the Valley of the Slaughter; for they will (BG)bury in Topheth [n]because there is no other place. 33 The (BH)dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth; and no one will frighten them away. 34 Then I will (BI)eliminate from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride; for the (BJ)land will become a site of ruins.

The Sin and Treachery of Judah

“At that time,” declares the Lord, “they will (BK)bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the (BL)heavenly [o]lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered (BM)nor buried; (BN)they will be like dung on the face of the ground. And (BO)death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the (BP)places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of armies.

“You shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“Do people (BQ)fall and not get up?
Does one turn away and not [p]repent?
Why has this people, Jerusalem,
(BR)Turned away in continual apostasy?
They (BS)hold on to deceit,
They (BT)refuse to return.
I (BU)have listened and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
(BV)No one repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
Like a (BW)horse charging into the battle.
Even the stork in the sky
(BX)Knows her seasons;
And the (BY)turtledove, the swallow, and the crane
Keep to the time of their [q]migration;
But (BZ)My people do not know
The judgment of the Lord.

(CA)How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the Law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
The wise men are (CB)put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have (CC)rejected the word of the Lord,
So what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will (CD)give their wives to others,
Their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is (CE)greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone practices deceit.
11 They have (CF)healed the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
12 Were they (CG)ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They were not ashamed at all,
And they did not know how to be ashamed;
Therefore they will (CH)fall among those who fall;
At the (CI)time of their punishment they will collapse,”
Says the Lord.

13 “I will (CJ)certainly snatch them away,” declares the Lord.
“There will be (CK)no grapes on the vine
And (CL)no figs on the fig tree,
And the leaf will wither;
And what I have given them will pass away.”’”
14 Why are we sitting still?
(CM)Assemble yourselves, and let’s (CN)go into the fortified cities
And perish there,
For the Lord our God has doomed us
And given us (CO)poisoned water to drink,
Because (CP)we have sinned against the Lord.
15 We (CQ)waited for peace, but no good came;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 From (CR)Dan there is heard the snorting of his horses;
At the sound of the neighing of his (CS)stallions
The whole land quakes;
For they come and (CT)devour the land and its fullness,
The city and its inhabitants.
17 “For behold, I am (CU)sending serpents among you,
Vipers for which there is (CV)no charm;
And they will bite you,” declares the Lord.

18 [r]My (CW)sorrow is beyond healing,
My (CX)heart is faint within me!
19 Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a (CY)distant land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”
“Why have they (CZ)provoked Me with their carved images, with foreign [s](DA)idols?”
20 “Harvest is past, summer is over,
And we are not saved.”
21 I am broken over the (DB)brokenness of the daughter of my people.
I (DC)mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no (DD)balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
(DE)Why then has not the [t]health of the daughter of my people [u]been restored?

Grief over Zion

[v](DF)Oh, that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For those slain of the (DG)daughter of my people!
[w](DH)Oh that I had in the desert
A travelers’ lodging place;
So that I might leave my people
And go away from them!
For all of them are (DI)adulterers,
An assembly of (DJ)treacherous people.
“They (DK)bend their tongues like their bows;
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they (DL)proceed from evil to evil,
And they (DM)do not know Me,” declares the Lord.
“Let everyone (DN)be on guard against his neighbor,
And (DO)do not trust any brother;
Because every (DP)brother utterly [x]betrays,
And every neighbor (DQ)goes about as a slanderer.
Everyone (DR)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth.
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (DS)weary themselves committing wrongdoing.
Your (DT)dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (DU)refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.

Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says:

“Behold, I will refine them and (DV)put them to the test;
For (DW)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
Their (DX)tongue is a deadly arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one (DY)speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he (DZ)sets an ambush for him.
(EA)Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord.
“Shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?

10 “I will take up a weeping and wailing for the (EB)mountains,
And for the pastures of the (EC)wilderness a song of mourning,
Because they are (ED)laid waste so that no one passes through,
And the sound of the livestock is not heard;
Both the (EE)birds of the sky and the animals have fled; they are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem a (EF)heap of ruins,
A haunt of (EG)jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a (EH)desolation without inhabitant.”

12 Who is the (EI)wise person who may understand this? And who is he to whom (EJ)the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? (EK)Why is the land destroyed, laid waste like the desert, so that no one passes through? 13 The Lord said, “Because they have (EL)abandoned My Law which I put before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have (EM)followed the stubbornness of their heart and the (EN)Baals, [y]as their (EO)fathers taught them,” 15 therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, (EP)I will feed this people wormwood; and I will give them (EQ)poisoned water to drink. 16 I will also (ER)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the (ES)sword after them until I have put an end to them.”

17 This is what the Lord of armies says:

“Consider and call for the (ET)mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the [z](EU)skillful women, that they may come!
18 Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us,
So that our (EV)eyes may shed tears,
And our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a voice of (EW)wailing is heard from Zion:
(EX)How devastated we are!
We are put to great shame,
For we have (EY)abandoned the land
Because they have torn down our homes.’”
20 Now hear the word of the Lord, you (EZ)women,
And let your ears receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And have every woman teach her neighbor a song of mourning.
21 For (FA)death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our palaces
To eliminate the (FB)children from the streets,
The young men from the public squares.
22 Speak, “This is what the Lord says:
‘The corpses of people will fall (FC)like dung on the open field,
And like the sheaf after the reaper,
But no one will gather them.’”

23 This is what the Lord says: “(FD)Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the (FE)mighty man boast of his might, nor a (FF)rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts (FG)boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who (FH)exercises [aa]mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I (FI)delight in these things,” declares the Lord.

25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet (FJ)uncircumcised— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and (FK)all those inhabiting the desert who trim the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (FL)uncircumcised of heart.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 7:4 Lit They are
  2. Jeremiah 7:6 Or fatherless
  3. Jeremiah 7:9 Or burn incense
  4. Jeremiah 7:15 Lit seed
  5. Jeremiah 7:18 Lit sons
  6. Jeremiah 7:19 Lit their faces’
  7. Jeremiah 7:20 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  8. Jeremiah 7:23 Lit the word
  9. Jeremiah 7:23 Lit in all the way
  10. Jeremiah 7:24 Lit were
  11. Jeremiah 7:28 Or faithfulness
  12. Jeremiah 7:29 Lit your crown
  13. Jeremiah 7:31 Lit heart
  14. Jeremiah 7:32 Or until there is no place left
  15. Jeremiah 8:2 Lit host
  16. Jeremiah 8:4 Lit turn back
  17. Jeremiah 8:7 Lit coming
  18. Jeremiah 8:18 As in LXX and ancient versions
  19. Jeremiah 8:19 Lit futilities
  20. Jeremiah 8:22 Or healing
  21. Jeremiah 8:22 Lit gone up
  22. Jeremiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
  23. Jeremiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
  24. Jeremiah 9:4 I.e., like Jacob (a play on words)
  25. Jeremiah 9:14 Lit which
  26. Jeremiah 9:17 I.e., professional mourners
  27. Jeremiah 9:24 Or faithfulness

False Religion Worthless

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand(A) at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:

“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways(B) and your actions, and I will let you live(C) in this place. Do not trust(D) in deceptive(E) words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change(F) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,(G) if you do not oppress(H) the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood(I) in this place, and if you do not follow other gods(J) to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land(K) I gave your ancestors(L) for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting(M) in deceptive(N) words that are worthless.

“‘Will you steal(O) and murder,(P) commit adultery(Q) and perjury,[a](R) burn incense to Baal(S) and follow other gods(T) you have not known, 10 and then come and stand(U) before me in this house,(V) which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?(W) 11 Has this house,(X) which bears my Name, become a den of robbers(Y) to you? But I have been watching!(Z) declares the Lord.

12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh(AA) where I first made a dwelling(AB) for my Name,(AC) and see what I did(AD) to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke(AE) to you again and again,(AF) but you did not listen;(AG) I called(AH) you, but you did not answer.(AI) 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh(AJ) I will now do to the house that bears my Name,(AK) the temple(AL) you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence,(AM) just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’(AN)

16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea(AO) or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen(AP) to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.(AQ) They pour out drink offerings(AR) to other gods to arouse(AS) my anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking?(AT) declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?(AU)

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign(AV) Lord says: My anger(AW) and my wrath will be poured(AX) out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.(AY)

21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices(AZ) and eat(BA) the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands(BB) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,(BC) 23 but I gave them this command:(BD) Obey(BE) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.(BF) Walk in obedience to all(BG) I command you, that it may go well(BH) with you. 24 But they did not listen(BI) or pay attention;(BJ) instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.(BK) They went backward(BL) and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again(BM) I sent you my servants(BN) the prophets.(BO) 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention.(BP) They were stiff-necked(BQ) and did more evil than their ancestors.’(BR)

27 “When you tell(BS) them all this, they will not listen(BT) to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.(BU) 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction.(BV) Truth(BW) has perished; it has vanished from their lips.

29 “‘Cut off(BX) your hair and throw it away; take up a lament(BY) on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned(BZ) this generation that is under his wrath.

The Valley of Slaughter

30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil(CA) in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols(CB) in the house that bears my Name and have defiled(CC) it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth(CD) in the Valley of Ben Hinnom(CE) to burn their sons and daughters(CF) in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.(CG) 32 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter,(CH) for they will bury(CI) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses(CJ) of this people will become food(CK) for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.(CL) 34 I will bring an end to the sounds(CM) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom(CN) in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,(CO) for the land will become desolate.(CP)

“‘At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones(CQ) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed(CR) from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served(CS) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.(CT) They will not be gathered up or buried,(CU) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(CV) Wherever I banish them,(CW) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,(CX) declares the Lord Almighty.’

Sin and Punishment

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?(CY)
    When someone turns away,(CZ) do they not return?
Why then have these people turned away?
    Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(DA)
    they refuse to return.(DB)
I have listened(DC) attentively,
    but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(DD) of their wickedness,
    saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(DE)
    like a horse charging into battle.
Even the stork in the sky
    knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
    observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know(DF)
    the requirements of the Lord.

“‘How can you say, “We are wise,
    for we have the law(DG) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
    has handled it falsely?
The wise(DH) will be put to shame;
    they will be dismayed(DI) and trapped.(DJ)
Since they have rejected the word(DK) of the Lord,
    what kind of wisdom(DL) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
    and their fields to new owners.(DM)
From the least to the greatest,
    all are greedy for gain;(DN)
prophets(DO) and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.(DP)
11 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
    when there is no peace.(DQ)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame(DR) at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when they are punished,(DS)
says the Lord.(DT)

13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
    There will be no grapes on the vine.(DU)
There will be no figs(DV) on the tree,
    and their leaves will wither.(DW)
What I have given them
    will be taken(DX) from them.[b]’”

14 Why are we sitting here?
    Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(DY)
    and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
    and given us poisoned water(DZ) to drink,
    because we have sinned(EA) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(EB)
    but no good has come,
for a time of healing
    but there is only terror.(EC)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(ED)
    is heard from Dan;(EE)
at the neighing of their stallions
    the whole land trembles.(EF)
They have come to devour(EG)
    the land and everything in it,
    the city and all who live there.

17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(EH) among you,
    vipers that cannot be charmed,(EI)
    and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.

18 You who are my Comforter[c] in sorrow,
    my heart is faint(EJ) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
    from a land far away:(EK)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
    Is her King(EL) no longer there?”

“Why have they aroused(EM) my anger with their images,
    with their worthless(EN) foreign idols?”(EO)

20 “The harvest is past,
    the summer has ended,
    and we are not saved.”

21 Since my people are crushed,(EP) I am crushed;
    I mourn,(EQ) and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?(ER)
    Is there no physician(ES) there?
Why then is there no healing(ET)
    for the wound of my people?

[d]Oh, that my head were a spring of water
    and my eyes a fountain of tears!(EU)
I would weep(EV) day and night
    for the slain of my people.(EW)
Oh, that I had in the desert(EX)
    a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
    and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,(EY)
    a crowd of unfaithful(EZ) people.

“They make ready their tongue
    like a bow, to shoot lies;(FA)
it is not by truth
    that they triumph[e] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
    they do not acknowledge(FB) me,”
declares the Lord.
“Beware of your friends;(FC)
    do not trust anyone in your clan.(FD)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[f](FE)
    and every friend a slanderer.(FF)
Friend deceives friend,(FG)
    and no one speaks the truth.(FH)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(FI)
    they weary themselves with sinning.
You[g] live in the midst of deception;(FJ)
    in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.

Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will refine(FK) and test(FL) them,
    for what else can I do
    because of the sin of my people?
Their tongue(FM) is a deadly arrow;
    it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(FN)
    but in their hearts they set traps(FO) for them.(FP)
Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(FQ) myself
    on such a nation as this?”

10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
    and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.(FR)
They are desolate and untraveled,
    and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(FS) have all fled
    and the animals are gone.

11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap(FT) of ruins,
    a haunt of jackals;(FU)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(FV)
    so no one can live there.”(FW)

12 Who is wise(FX) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?

13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.(FY) 14 Instead, they have followed(FZ) the stubbornness of their hearts;(GA) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food(GB) and drink poisoned water.(GC) 16 I will scatter them among nations(GD) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(GE) and I will pursue them with the sword(GF) until I have made an end of them.”(GG)

17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Consider now! Call for the wailing women(GH) to come;
    send for the most skillful of them.
18 Let them come quickly
    and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
    and water streams from our eyelids.(GI)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
    ‘How ruined(GJ) we are!
    How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
    because our houses are in ruins.’”

20 Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
    open your ears to the words of his mouth.(GK)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
    teach one another a lament.(GL)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(GM)
    and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
    and the young men(GN) from the public squares.

22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:

“‘Dead bodies will lie
    like dung(GO) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
    with no one to gather them.’”

23 This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom(GP)
    or the strong boast of their strength(GQ)
    or the rich boast of their riches,(GR)
24 but let the one who boasts boast(GS) about this:
    that they have the understanding to know(GT) me,
that I am the Lord,(GU) who exercises kindness,(GV)
    justice and righteousness(GW) on earth,
    for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh(GX) 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.[h](GY) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,(GZ) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(HA)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 7:9 Or and swear by false gods
  2. Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
  3. Jeremiah 8:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  4. Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
  5. Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
  6. Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
  7. Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
  8. Jeremiah 9:26 Or wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads

The Lord’s Supper

13 Now before the Feast of (A)the Passover, Jesus, knowing that (B)His hour had come that He would depart from this world (C)to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them [a]to the end. And during supper, (D)the devil having already put into the heart of (E)Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, (F)knowing that the Father had handed all things over to Him, and that (G)He had come forth from God and was going back to God, *got up from supper and *laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and (H)tied it around Himself.

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

Then He *poured water into the basin, and began (I)washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself. So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, You are washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not realize right now, but you will understand (J)later.” Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, (K)If I do not wash you, (L)you have no [b]place with Me.” Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. And (M)you are clean—but [c]not all of you.” 11 For (N)He knew the one who was betraying Him; it was for this reason that He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 Then, when He had washed their feet, and (O)taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call Me (P)‘Teacher’ and (Q)‘Lord’; and [d]you are correct, for so I am. 14 So if I, (R)the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I gave you (S)an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you. 16 Truly, truly I say to you, (T)a slave is not greater than his master, nor is (U)[e]one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are (V)blessed if you do them. 18 (W)I am not speaking about all of you. I know the ones whom I have (X)chosen; but this is happening (Y)so that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘(Z)He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 From now on (AA)I am telling you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that (AB)I am He. 20 Truly, truly I say to you, (AC)the one who [f]receives anyone I send, [g]receives Me; and the one who [h]receives Me [i]receives Him who sent Me.”

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

21 When Jesus had said these things, He (AD)became troubled in spirit, and [j]testified and said, “Truly, truly I say to you that (AE)one of you will [k]betray Me.” 22 The disciples began looking at one another, (AF)at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. 23 Lying back on (AG)Jesus’ chest was one of His disciples, (AH)whom Jesus loved. 24 So Simon Peter *nodded to this disciple and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” 25 He then simply (AI)leaned back on Jesus’ chest and *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus then *answered, “That man is the one for whom I shall dip the piece of bread and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the piece of bread, He *took and *gave it to Judas, (AJ)the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After [l]this, (AK)Satan then (AL)entered him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you are doing, do it quickly.” 28 Now none of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. 29 For some were assuming, since Judas (AM)kept the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we need (AN)for the feast”; or else, that he was to [m](AO)give something to the poor. 30 So after receiving the piece of bread, he left immediately; and (AP)it was night.

31 Therefore when he had left, Jesus *said, “Now [n]is (AQ)the Son of Man (AR)glorified, and (AS)God [o]is glorified in Him; 32 [p]if God is glorified in Him, (AT)God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. 33 (AU)Little children, I am still with you (AV)a little longer. (AW)You will look for Me; and just as I said to the [q]Jews, now I also say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I am giving you a (AX)new commandment, (AY)that you love one another; (AZ)just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 (BA)By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

36 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, (BB)Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but (BC)you will follow later.” 37 Peter *said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? (BD)I will lay down my life for You.” 38 Jesus *replied, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly I say to you, (BE)a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.

Footnotes

  1. John 13:1 Or to the uttermost; or eternally
  2. John 13:8 Or part
  3. John 13:10 I.e., not each one
  4. John 13:13 Lit you say well
  5. John 13:16 Gr apostolos used in a non-apostolic sense
  6. John 13:20 Or accepts
  7. John 13:20 Or accepts
  8. John 13:20 Or accepts
  9. John 13:20 Or accepts
  10. John 13:21 I.e., made a solemn assertion
  11. John 13:21 Or hand Me over
  12. John 13:27 Lit the piece
  13. John 13:29 Considered especially fitting at Passover
  14. John 13:31 Or was
  15. John 13:31 Or was
  16. John 13:32 Most early mss do not contain this phrase
  17. John 13:33 I.e., Jesus’ Jewish enemies

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

13 It was just before the Passover Festival.(A) Jesus knew that the hour had come(B) for him to leave this world and go to the Father.(C) Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.(D) Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power,(E) and that he had come from God(F) and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.(G) After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet,(H) drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”(I)

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean,(J) though not every one of you.”(K) 11 For he knew who was going to betray him,(L) and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’(M) and ‘Lord,’(N) and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.(O) 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.(P) 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master,(Q) nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.(R)

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

18 “I am not referring to all of you;(S) I know those I have chosen.(T) But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture:(U) ‘He who shared my bread(V) has turned[a](W) against me.’[b](X)

19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe(Y) that I am who I am.(Z) 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”(AA)

21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit(AB) and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”(AC)

22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved,(AD) was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”(AE)

26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas,(AF) the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.(AG)

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money,(AH) some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival,(AI) or to give something to the poor.(AJ) 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.(AK)

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(AL)

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man(AM) is glorified(AN) and God is glorified in him.(AO) 32 If God is glorified in him,[c] God will glorify the Son in himself,(AP) and will glorify him at once.

33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.(AQ)

34 “A new command(AR) I give you: Love one another.(AS) As I have loved you, so you must love one another.(AT) 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”(AU)

36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”(AV)

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now,(AW) but you will follow later.”(AX)

37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!(AY)

Footnotes

  1. John 13:18 Greek has lifted up his heel
  2. John 13:18 Psalm 41:9
  3. John 13:32 Many early manuscripts do not have If God is glorified in him.