Jeremiah 1-6
New Catholic Bible
Prophecies in the Days of Josiah[a]
Chapter 1
1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, a member of the priestly family in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord came to him during the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah. 3 Then it continued through the reign of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, when in the fifth month the inhabitants of Jerusalem were carried off into exile.
Jeremiah’s Call from God. 4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you.
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
6 Then I replied, “Ah, Lord God! You must be aware that I am not skilled in the art of speaking. I am only a young boy.” 7 But the Lord said:
Do not say, “I am only a young boy.”
You will go to whomever I send you,
and you will speak whatever I command you.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched my mouth, and he said to me:
Behold, I have placed my words into your mouth.
10 This day I have established you
over nations and kingdoms,
to uproot and to pull down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.
11 [b]The word of the Lord came to me, inquiring, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I replied, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have answered well, for I am watching to ensure that my word is fulfilled.”
13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, asking, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a boiling cauldron that is tilting away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said:
From the north disaster will boil over
upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For now I am summoning all the tribes
of the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord.
Their kings will advance,
and each will establish his throne
in front of the gates of Jerusalem,
against all its surrounding walls
and against all the cities of Judah.
16 I will issue my judgments against them
for all their wickedness in abandoning me,
in offering sacrifices to other gods
and worshiping what their hands have fashioned.
17 As for you, be prepared for action;
stand up and tell them
everything that I command you.
Do not have any fear of them
or I will make you cringe in terror before them.
18 For this very day
I have made you into a fortified city,
a pillar of iron, a wall of bronze,
to overcome the entire country—
the kings and the princes of Judah,
its priests and its people.
19 They will fight against you
but they will not be victorious,
for I will be at your side to deliver you,
says the Lord.
Chapter 2[c]
Israel’s Unfaithfulness.[d] 1 The word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 Go forth and proclaim this message in the hearing of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord:
I remember the devotion you displayed in your youth,
your love like that of a bride,
when you followed me through the desert,
through a land that was unsown.
3 Israel was sacred to the Lord,
the firstfruits of his harvest.
Any people who partook of them were deemed guilty,
and disaster afflicted them, says the Lord.
4 Listen to the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord:
What fault did your ancestors find in me
that causes them to stray so far from my side,
pursuing worthless idols[e]
and thereby becoming worthless themselves?
6 They never thought to ask, “Where is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt
and led us through the wilderness,
through a land of deserts and ravines,
a land of drought and intense darkness,
a land through which no one travels,
and a land in which no one dwells?”
7 I brought you into a fertile land
bursting forth with fruit and rich produce.
But when you entered, you defiled my land
and made my heritage loathsome.
8 The priests did not ask,
“Where is the Lord?”
Those who dealt with the law did not know me,
and even the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal
and worshiped gods who were powerless.
9 Therefore, says the Lord,
I will once again accuse you,
and I will further accuse
even your children’s children.
10 Cross over to the coast of the Kittim[f] and inquire;
send to Kedar and observe carefully.
See if anything similar to this
has ever previously occurred.
11 Has a nation ever changed its gods,
even though they are not gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glory
for something that cannot help them in any way,
12 Be incredulous at this, O heavens;
shudder in your horror, says the Lord.
13 For my people are guilty of two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living water,
and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that hold no water.
14 Is Israel a slave?
Was he born to be a servant?
Why then has he become plunder?
15 His enemies roar loudly at him like lions;[g]
they have made his country a wasteland;
his cities are burned to the ground and deserted.
16 The people of Memphis[h] and Tahpanhes
have shaved the crown of your head.
17 Have you not brought all this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord, your God,
when he guided you along the way?
18 What advantage would you now achieve
by traveling to Egypt
to drink the waters of the Nile?
What would you gain by traveling to Assyria
to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
19 Your wickedness will bring about your punishment,
and your infidelities will condemn you.
Therefore, concentrate your thoughts
and see how bitter it is
to forsake the Lord, your God,
and to have no fear of me,
says the Lord, the God of hosts.
20 A long time ago you broke your yoke
and burst your bonds,
saying, “I will not serve.”
On every high hill
and under every green tree
you have sprawled and given yourself to harlotry.
21 I had planted you as a choice vine
from the purest stock.
How then did you degenerate
into a wild and corrupt vine?
22 Even if you would scrub yourself with lye
and use soap in great abundance,
the stain of your guilt
would still be clearly visible to me,
says the Lord God.
23 How can you say, “I am not defiled;
I have not gone after the Baals”?
Recall your conduct in the valley;
realize what you have done:
you have been like a restless she-camel
24 sniffing the wind in her lust;
who can restrain her ardor?
No males should exhaust themselves seeking her;
in her month they will find her.
25 You should stop before you wear out your shoes
and your throat becomes parched.
But you said, “It is hopeless.
I love these strangers,
and I must go after them.”
26 As a thief is ashamed when he is caught,
so the house of Israel will be ashamed:
they, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets,
27 those who say to a piece of wood, “You are my father,”
and to a stone, “You gave birth to me.”
They have turned their backs to me,
not their faces;
yet, in their time of trouble, they cry out,
“Rise up and save us!”
28 Where are the gods you have made for yourself?
Let them come to save you
in your time of trouble.
For you have as many towns
as you have gods, O Judah.
29 Why do you dare to plead with me?
You have all rebelled against me, says the Lord.
30 In vain I struck down your children,
but they refused to accept my correction.
Your own sword has devoured your prophets
like a ravening lion.
31 You of this generation,
behold the word of the Lord!
Have I been a desert for Israel
or a land of darkness?
Why then do my people say,
“We have broken away;
we will come to you no more”?
32 Does a girl forget her jewelry
or a bride her sash?
Yet for days beyond number
my people have forgotten me.
33 How well you direct your course
in the pursuit of love.
Even wanton women have profited
from their observance of your ways.
34 On your clothing can be found
the life-blood of the innocent poor,
whom you never caught breaking into a house.
Despite all this,[i]
35 you continue to proclaim, “I am innocent;
obviously, he has no cause to be angry with me.”
But behold, I will bring judgment upon you
for claiming that you have not sinned.
36 How nonchalant you are
as you change your course.
Just as you were shamed by Assyria,
you will be put to shame by Egypt.
37 From there also you will depart
with your hands upon your head.
For the Lord has rejected those upon whom you rely,
and with them you will not prosper.
Chapter 3
1 [j]If a man divorces his wife,
and she leaves him
and marries another man,
does he have the right to return to her?
Would not that land be completely defiled?
But, says the Lord,
you have been unfaithful with many lovers,
and yet you would return to me?
2 Lift up your eyes to the barren heights
and recall whether there is any place
that you have not offered your body to another.
By the waysides you waited for lovers
like an Arab in the desert.
You defiled the land
with your harlotry and wickedness.
3 Therefore, the rain showers were withheld
and the spring rains have not fallen.
Yet you have the brazen boldness of a prostitute,
and you refuse to blush with shame.
4 Not so long ago you addressed me,
“My Father, the beloved friend of my youth,
5 will you be angry with me forever
and continue your wrath toward me to the end?”
This is how you speak,
but you continue to be obstinate
and to do every evil you can.
Judah and Israel. 6 During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me: Have you seen what that faithless Israel has done, how she went to the top of every high hill and under every green tree and there played the harlot? 7 But I truly believed that after she had done all this, she would return to me. However, she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. 8 She also saw that I had sent that faithless Israel away with a decree of divorce because of all of her acts of adultery.
However that faithless sister Judah was not frightened; she too went off and played the harlot. 9 In her eagerness to sin, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stones and pieces of wood. 10 Despite all this, her faithless sister Judah did not return to me with sincerity of heart but only as a show of pretense, says the Lord.
11 Promises of Restoration. Then the Lord said to me: Compared with the traitorous Judah, faithless Israel has proved to be less guilty. 12 Go forth and proclaim these words toward the north, saying:
Return, rebel Israel, says the Lord.
I will not look upon you in anger.
For I am merciful, says the Lord;
my wrath will not continue forever.
13 Simply acknowledge your guilt
and your rebellion against the Lord, your God,
how you prostituted yourself with strangers
under every green tree
and refused to listen to my voice,
says the Lord.
14 [k]Return, rebellious children, says the Lord, for I am your Master. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 Over you I will appoint shepherds after my own heart, and they will direct you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and grown numerous in the land, says the Lord, they will no longer say in those days, “The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.” They will no longer think of it, or remember it, or realize that it is gone, or make another.
17 When that time comes, Jerusalem will be called the throne of the Lord, and all the nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they stubbornly follow their own evil inclinations. 18 In those days the house of Judah will unite with the house of Israel, and together they will come from the land of the north to the land that I gave to your fathers as a heritage.
Call for Conversion
19 [l]I then gave consideration
as to how I would treat you as sons
and give you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful heritage of all the nations.
Further, I thought that you would call me “Father” and never cease to follow me.
20 But like a woman who is unfaithful to her husband,
so you have been unfaithful to me,
O house of Israel, says the Lord.
21 A cry on the bare heights is heard,
the plaintive weeping of Israel’s children,
because they have perverted their ways
and forgotten the Lord, their God.
22 Return, you rebellious children,
and I will forgive your faithlessness.
Here we are! We are returning to you,
for you are the Lord, our God.
23 The hills are truly a delusion,
as is the tumult on the mountains.
Truly in the Lord, our God alone
is the salvation of Israel.
24 Ever since we were young,
Baal has devoured everything
for which our fathers toiled:
their flocks and their herds,
their sons and their daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame
and let our dishonor cover us.
For we have sinned against the Lord, our God,
we and our ancestors,
from our youth even to this very day,
and we failed to obey the voice of the Lord, our God.
Chapter 4
1 If you return, O Israel, says the Lord,
if you return to me,
if you banish your loathsome idols from my sight
and do not go astray,
2 and if you swear, “As the Lord lives!”
in truth, in justice, and in uprightness,
then the nations will bless themselves by him
and will glory in him.
3 For these are the words of the Lord to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
Break up your unplowed ground
and do not sow among thorns.
4 For the sake of the Lord be circumcised
and remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath will leap forth like fire
and burn with no one to quench it
because of your evil deeds.
Invasion from the North[m]
5 Announce it in Judah;
proclaim it in Jerusalem.
Blow the trumpet throughout the land;
shout aloud the command,
“Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!”
6 Raise the signal to proceed toward Zion!
Flee for safety! Do not delay!
For I am bringing disaster from the north
as well as immense destruction.
7 A lion has come forth from its lair
the destroyer of nations has set forth.
He has left his lair
to make your towns a wasteland;
they will be in ruins and uninhabited.
8 Therefore, wrap yourselves in sackcloth,
beat your breasts and wail,
because the blazing anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 On that day, says the Lord,
the courage of the kings and the princes will fail;
the priests will be horrified
and the prophets will be astounded.
10 Then I said, “Alas, Lord God,
you completely deceived the people and Jerusalem
when you promised that we would have peace,
for now the sword is held at our throats.”
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem:
A scorching wind comes forth from the desert heights
and sweeps down on my people,
although not to winnow or to cleanse.
12 A wind far too strong for that
will come forth at my bidding,
and I myself will pass judgment on them.
13 Behold, he advances
like storm clouds;
like a whirlwind are his chariots.
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Disaster threatens us. We are lost.
14 Cleanse your heart of all wickedness
so that you may be saved.
How long will you allow evil thoughts to lodge within you?
15 A voice from Dan[n] declares the news
proclaiming disaster from Mount Ephraim.
16 Announce this to the nations,
make it known to Jerusalem:
Besiegers are coming from a distant land,
shouting their war cry against the cities of Judah.
17 They surround her like watchmen guarding a field
because she has rebelled against me, says the Lord.
18 Your conduct and your evil deeds
have brought this upon you.
How bitter is your punishment!
It has pierced the depths of your heart.
19 How great is my anguish
that causes me to writhe in pain!
I cannot keep silent in my agony
as my heart beats wildly.
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet
and that of the battle cry.
20 One disaster follows upon another;
the entire land lies in ruins.
My tents are suddenly destroyed,
everything that offered me shelter.
21 How long must I see the standard raised
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 My people are fools;
they do not know me.
They are senseless children
who have no semblance of understanding.
They are skilled in the practice of evil
but they do not know how to do good.
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was a formless wasteland;
I gazed at the heavens,
but I could not discern any light.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking,
while all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I looked, but I could not see anyone;
even the birds of the air had flown away.
26 I looked, and the fertile land had become a desert;
all of its towns lay in ruins
before the Lord, before his blazing anger.
27 Thus says the Lord:
The entire land will be a desolate waste,
but I will not destroy it completely.
28 Because of this the earth will mourn
and the heavens above will grow dark.
For I have spoken and made clear my intention,
and I will not relent or turn back.
29 At the shouts of horsemen and archers
every city takes to flight.
Some people crawl into the thickets
while others scale the rocks.
All the cities are abandoned,
with no one to live in them.
30 What are you doing, you who are doomed,
by clothing yourself in purple,
adorning yourself with ornaments of gold
and shading your eyes with cosmetics?
You are beautifying yourself in vain,
for your lovers despise you,
and they only seek your life.
31 I hear cries like those of a woman in labor,
the anguished groans of one bearing her first child.
They are the screams of daughter Zion gasping for breath
as she stretches forth her hands and cries out,
“Woe is me; I am dying.
I sink exhausted before my murderers.”
Chapter 5[o]
Evil Everywhere
1 Roam through the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and take careful note;
search through the public squares.
If you can find even one person
who acts justly and seeks the truth,
I will pardon this city.
2 Even though they say, “As the Lord lives,”
they are in fact swearing falsely.
3 Do your eyes not search for truth, O Lord?
When you struck them, they felt no anguish;
when you brought them down, they refused correction.
They have made their faces harder than stone
and refused to repent.
4 Then I thought, “These are only the poor;
they tend to act foolishly.
For they do not know the way of the Lord
or the ordinances of their God.
5 Therefore, I will go to their leaders
and speak to them.
Surely they will know the way of the Lord
and their responsibilities to their God.”
But those, too, had broken the yoke
and torn away from their bonds.
6 Therefore, lions from the forest will tear them to pieces,
and wolves from the desert will ravage them.
Leopards will be on the prowl around their cities;
all those who depart from them
will be torn to pieces
because of their many crimes
and their apostasies
without number.
7 Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me to swear by gods
that are not gods in any way.
When I gave them everything they needed,
they committed adultery
and hastened to the houses of prostitutes.
8 They are well-fed and lusty stallions,
each one neighing for his neighbor’s wife.
9 Shall I not punish them for these things?
asks the Lord.
Shall I not take vengeance on a nation such as this?
10 Ascend to her vineyards and ravage them
but do not totally destroy them.
Strip off her branches,
for these people no longer belong to the Lord.
11 Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah
have been completely unfaithful to me, says the Lord.
12 They have denied the Lord,
boldly asserting, “He will do nothing.
No harm will come to us;
we will not endure either sword or famine.
13 The prophets are nothing but wind;
the word is not in them.
Their dire predictions will redound upon them.”
14 Therefore, the Lord, the God of hosts, has this to say:
Because you have said these things,
my words will become a fire in your mouth,
and I will make this people like wood
that the fire will consume.
15 Be forewarned that I will bring against you
a nation from a great distance,
O house of Israel, says the Lord—
a long-existent nation,
a nation founded long ago,
a people whose language you do not know
and whose speech you cannot understand.
16 The quivers of these people are like open graves;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour your harvest and your food,
they will devour your sons and your daughters;
they will devour your flocks and your herds,
they will devour your vines and your fig trees;
with their swords they will destroy
your fortified towns in which you place your trust.
18 [p]Yet even in those days, declares the Lord, I will not completely destroy you. 19 And when the people ask, “Why has the Lord, our God, done all this to us?” reply to them, “As you have forsaken the Lord and served alien gods in your own land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.”
20 Announce this in the house of Jacob,
proclaim it in Judah:
21 Pay attention to this,
you foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear.
22 Do you have no fear of me? asks the Lord.
Do you not tremble before me?
I was the one who established the sand
as the boundary for the sea,
a perpetual barrier that it can never pass.
Its waves may rise up but cannot prevail;
they may roar but cannot cross the limits.
23 But this people has a rebellious and stubborn heart;
they have risen up in defiance and gone away.
24 Nor do they say to themselves,
“Let us fear the Lord, our God,
who gives us in their proper season
the autumn and spring rains
and unfailingly provides for us
the weeks designated for the harvest.”
25 Your iniquities have upset the order of nature,
and your sins have deprived you of its bounty.
26 For there are wicked scoundrels among my people
who, like fowlers, set traps,
but with men as their quarry.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
their houses are full of treachery.
As a result, they have grown rich and powerful,
28 well fed and well groomed.
Their wickedness knows no bounds,
and they do not practice justice in their dealings.
They do not uphold the rights of the orphan
or defend the cause of the needy.
29 How can I fail to punish such things?
says the Lord.
How can I refuse to exact vengeance on a nation such as this?
30 An appalling and outrageous situation
has occurred in the land.
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
the priests are in league with them,
and the people are delighted with this situation.
But when the end comes, what will you do?
Chapter 6[q]
Invasion and Destruction
1 O people of Jerusalem, flee for safety!
Depart immediately from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet in Tekoa![r]
Raise a signal over Beth-haccherem!
For disaster looms from the north,
immense destruction will ensue.
2 The beautiful and delicate daughter Zion
faces imminent destruction.
3 Shepherds will advance against her with their flocks;
they will pitch their tents all around her,
each one grazing his own portion of the pasture.
4 “Prepare for war against her!
Arise! We will attack at noon.”
“It is now too late.
The daylight is fading,
and the evening shadows have begun to lengthen.”
5 “On your feet! Let us attack by night
and destroy her palaces.”
6 These are the words of the Lord of hosts:
Cut down her trees
and raise up siege-ramps against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished,
for oppression is rampant within her.
7 As a well keeps its water fresh,
so she keeps fresh her wickedness.
Sounds of violence and destruction resound within her;
sickness and wounds are never out of my sight.
8 Heed my warning, O Jerusalem,
or I will turn away from you in revulsion
and reduce you to a desert,
a desolate land where no man dwells.
9 These are the words of the Lord of hosts:
Glean thoroughly like a vine
the remnant of Israel.
Like one who picks the grapes,
pass your hand once again over its branches.
10 To whom should I speak and issue warning
so that they may hear?
See, their ears are closed,
and so they cannot pay heed
They regard the word of the Lord as offensive
and they take no pleasure in it.
11 However, I am filled with the wrath of the Lord,
and I am weary of holding it in.
I will pour it out on the children in the street
as well as on the gatherings of young men.
Both husband and wife will be taken,
the elderly and those far advanced in years.
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,
together with their fields and their wives,
when I stretch out my hand
against those who dwell in the land,
says the Lord.
13 For from the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain.
All of them practice fraud,
prophets and priests alike.
14 They treat the wound of my people
as though it were a minor bruise,
saying, “All is well,”
when in reality, disaster looms on the horizon.
15 They should be ashamed
because of their abominable deeds.
Yet they are never ashamed
they do not know how to blush.
Therefore, they will fall along with the others;
they will be cast down when I punish them,
says the Lord.
16 These are the words of the Lord of hosts:
Stand at the crossroads and look around;
ask for the ancient paths.
When you are shown where the good way lies,
walk along it and your souls will find rest.
However, they said, “We will not take it.”
17 I also posted sentinels for you and said,
“Listen to the sound of the trumpet!”
But they said, “We will not give it any heed.”
18 Therefore, hear, you nations,
and come to understand, you people,
the fate that will befall them.
19 Let all on earth come to understand
the extent of the disaster I will inflict on this people,
the inescapable fruit of their schemes,
because they have not given heed to my words
and have rejected my law.
20 What use do I have for incense imported from Sheba
or fragrant cane from a distant land?
I do not regard your burnt offerings as acceptable,
nor are your sacrifices pleasing to me.
21 Therefore, thus says the Lord:
Behold, I will now place obstacles before this people
that will cause them to stumble.
Fathers and sons, friends and neighbors,
will all perish together.
22 These are the words of the Lord of hosts:
Behold, a people is approaching
from the land of the north;
a great nation is coming forth
from the ends of the earth.
23 Armed with bow and javelin,
they are cruel and lack any semblance of mercy.
Their sound is like the thunder of the sea
as they ride forth on their horses;
they approach in battle formation
to fight against you, O daughter of Zion.
24 As news about them reaches us,
our hands become limp.
Anguish has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.
25 Do not venture forth into the countryside
or walk along the roads.
Terror lurks on every side
from the swords of the enemy.
26 O daughter of my people,
wrap yourselves in sackcloth
and roll in the ashes.
Mourn as you would for an only child
with bitter lamentation.
For suddenly approaching us,
we will behold the destroyer.
27 [s]I have designated you as a tester of my people
so that you may learn and test their ways.
28 All of then are unrepentant rebels,
comfortable in slander and corrupt without exception,
hard as bronze and iron.
29 The bellows roar
and the lead is consumed by the fire.
In vain does the smelter do his work,
for the wicked are not purged out.[t]
30 They are called “rejected silver,”
for the Lord has indeed rejected them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:1 This lengthy section, which occupies half of the Book and begins with the call of Jeremiah, contains mainly prophecies addressed to the kingdom of Judah. They occur throughout the career of the prophet, although it is not possible to show a clear reductional plan.
- Jeremiah 1:11 In Hebrew, the word for almond tree means “watchful.” Because of its early blooming, the tree seems, as it were, to be waiting for spring in order to proclaim its presence. The boiling cauldron of verse 13 refers to misfortune, which, for Palestine, usually came from the north. Hard trials await Jeremiah (v. 17ff), but God will be with him.
- Jeremiah 2:1 In speaking of the covenant, which is an essential structure in the life of the Israelite people, Jeremiah uses the bold conjugal imagery of the prophet Hosea.
- Jeremiah 2:1 Foreign divinities are like poisoned wells. The image is a powerful one in a country in which water was rare and precious.
- Jeremiah 2:5 Worthless idols: they are incapable of saving their worshipers.
- Jeremiah 2:10 Kittim: Cyprus. Kedar: a nomad tribe of the Arabian Desert (see Jer 49:28).
- Jeremiah 2:15 Lions: the Assyrians, whose arms bore the emblem of the lion.
- Jeremiah 2:16 Memphis: capital of Lower Egypt. Tahpanhes: in the eastern part of the Nile Delta. The shaving is a sign of the victor’s contempt.
- Jeremiah 2:34 An allusion to sacrifices of children: see Jer 7:31. It was permissible to kill thieves caught in the act (see Ex 22:1).
- Jeremiah 3:1 “Return” is the key word in the following oracles, which have to do with both the return from exile and the return to God. Jeremiah is a pitiless censor of his people’s sins, but he will not give up the hope of conversion.
- Jeremiah 3:14 To the promise of a return of the exiles from the north, a redactor has added this later oracle, which looks to the entire people.
- Jeremiah 3:19 The song of conversion, which began in verses 1-15, continues here.
- Jeremiah 4:5 The nation has grown stubborn in its degradation; now the symbol of the boiling pot (Jer 1:13) is about to be made real. Punishment is at hand. It is impossible to determine whether the prophet is speaking of the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, the Scythians, or even some other army.
- Jeremiah 4:15 Dan: the northernmost city of Palestine.
- Jeremiah 5:1 No one is as sensitive as Jeremiah to the sin that is spreading like a canker. God has been hunted from the life of his people, without hope of a return.
- Jeremiah 5:18 These two verses were added by a later editor in order to soften the harshness of the preceding passage.
- Jeremiah 6:1 The nation has not heeded the word of God. God is about to strike without pity.
- Jeremiah 6:1 Tekoa, a little south of Bethlehem, and Beth-haccherem, west of Jerusalem, were places near the capital. The poetic style allowed the use of varied concrete names instead of repeating “Jerusalem.”
- Jeremiah 6:27 The prophet’s work is useless: Israel refuses purification.
- Jeremiah 6:29 Smelters of silver used lead because when this melted and oxidized on contact with air it drew to itself the dross from the precious metal.
