Font Size
Jeremiah 1-4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Jeremiah 1-4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,(A) 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.(B) 3 It came also in the days of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah until the end of the eleventh year of King Zedekiah son of Josiah of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.(C)
Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
4 Now 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 a prophet to the nations.”(D)
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.”(E) 7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy,’
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.”(F)
9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,
“Now I have put my words in your mouth.(G)
10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”(H)
11 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”(I) 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching[a] over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, tilted away from the north.”(J)
14 Then the Lord said to me: “Out of the north disaster shall break out on all the inhabitants of the land.(K) 15 For now I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord, and they shall come, and all of them shall set their thrones at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its surrounding walls and against all the cities of Judah.(L) 16 And I will utter my judgments against them for all their wickedness in forsaking me; they have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands.(M) 17 But you, gird up your loins; stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them.(N) 18 And I for my part have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land.(O) 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.”(P)
God Pleads with Israel to Repent
2 The word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord:
I remember the devotion of your youth,
your love as a bride,
how you followed me in the wilderness,
in a land not sown.(Q)
3 Israel was holy to the Lord,
the first fruits of his harvest.
All who ate of it were held guilty;
disaster came upon them,
says the Lord.(R)
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord:
What wrong did your ancestors find in me
that they went far from me
and went after worthless things and became worthless themselves?(S)
6 They did not say, “Where is the Lord,
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us in the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
in a land that no one passes through,
where no one lives?”(T)
7 I brought you into a plentiful land
to eat its fruits and its good things.
But when you entered you defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.(U)
8 The priests did not say, “Where is the Lord?”
Those who handle the law did not know me;
the rulers[b] transgressed against me;
the prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after things that do not profit.(V)
9 Therefore once more I accuse you,
says the Lord,
and I accuse your children’s children.(W)
10 Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look;
send to Kedar and examine with care;
see if there has ever been such a thing.
11 Has a nation changed its gods,
even though they are no gods?
But my people have changed their glory
for something that does not profit.(X)
12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
be shocked; be utterly desolate,
says the Lord,
13 for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living water,
and dug out cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns
that can hold no water.(Y)
14 Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
Why then has he become plunder?(Z)
15 The lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.(AA)
16 Moreover, the people of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have broken the crown of your head.(AB)
17 Have you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
while he led you in the way?(AC)
18 What then do you gain by going to Egypt,
to drink the waters of the Nile?
Or what do you gain by going to Assyria,
to drink the waters of the Euphrates?(AD)
19 Your wickedness will punish you,
and your faithlessness will convict you.
Know and see that it is evil and bitter
for you to forsake the Lord your God;
the fear of me is not in you,
says the Lord God of hosts.(AE)
20 For long ago you broke your yoke
and burst your bonds,
and you said, “I will not serve!”
On every high hill
and under every green tree
you sprawled and prostituted yourself.(AF)
21 Yet I planted you as a choice vine
from the purest stock.
How then did you turn degenerate
and become a wild vine?(AG)
22 Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,
says the Lord God.(AH)
23 How can you say, “I am not defiled;
I have not gone after the Baals”?
Look at your way in the valley;
know what you have done:
a restive young camel interlacing her tracks,(AI)
24 a wild ass at home in the wilderness
in her heat sniffing the wind!
Who can restrain her lust?
None who seek her need weary themselves;
in her month they will find her.(AJ)
25 Keep your feet from going bare
and your throat from thirst.
But you said, “It is no use,
for I have loved strangers,
and after them I will go.”(AK)
26 As a thief is shamed when caught,
so the house of Israel shall be shamed:
they, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets,(AL)
27 who say to a tree, “You are my father,”
and to a stone, “You gave me birth.”
For they have turned their backs to me
and not their faces.
But in the time of their trouble they say,
“Come and save us!”(AM)
28 But where are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them come, if they can save you,
in your time of trouble,
for you have as many gods
as you have towns, O Judah.(AN)
29 Why do you complain against me?
You have all rebelled against me,
says the Lord.(AO)
30 In vain I have struck down your children;
they accepted no correction.
Your own sword devoured your prophets
like a ravening lion.(AP)
31 And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord![c]
Have I been a wilderness to Israel
or a land of thick darkness?
Why then do my people say, “We are free;
we will come to you no more”?(AQ)
32 Can a young woman forget her ornaments
or a bride her attire?
Yet my people have forgotten me,
days without number.(AR)
33 How well you direct your course
to seek lovers!
So that even to wicked women
you have taught your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
the lifeblood of the innocent poor,
though you did not catch them breaking in.
Yet in spite of all these things[d](AS)
35 you say, “I am innocent;
surely his anger has turned from me.”
Now I am bringing you to judgment
for saying, “I have not sinned.”(AT)
36 Why do you go about so much
to change your way?
You shall be put to shame by Egypt
as you were put to shame by Assyria.(AU)
37 From there also you will come away
with your hands on your head,
for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
and you will not prosper through them.(AV)
Unfaithful Israel
3 If[e] a man divorces his wife
and she goes from him
and becomes another man’s wife,
will he return to her?
Would not such a land be greatly polluted?
You have prostituted yourself with many lovers,
and would you return to me?
says the Lord.(AW)
2 Look up to the bare heights[f] and see!
Where have you not been lain with?
By the waysides you sat waiting for lovers,
like a nomad in the wilderness.
You have polluted the land
with your prostitutions and wickedness.(AX)
3 Therefore the showers have been withheld,
and the spring rain has not come,
yet you have the forehead of a prostitute;
you refuse to be ashamed.(AY)
4 Have you not just now called to me,
“My Father, you are the friend of my youth—(AZ)
5 will he be angry forever,
will he be indignant to the end?”
This is how you have spoken,
but you have done all the evil that you could.(BA)
A Call to Repentance
6 The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree and prostituted herself there?(BB) 7 And I thought, “After she has done all this she will return to me,” but she did not return, and her false sister Judah saw it.(BC) 8 She[g] saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce, yet her false sister Judah did not fear, but she also went and prostituted herself.(BD) 9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree.(BE) 10 Yet for all this her false sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart but only in pretense, says the Lord.(BF)
11 Then the Lord said to me: Faithless Israel has shown herself less guilty than false Judah.(BG) 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say:
Return, faithless Israel,
says the Lord.
I will not look on you in anger,
for I am merciful,
says the Lord;
I will not be angry forever.(BH)
13 Only acknowledge your guilt,
that you have rebelled against the Lord your God
and scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree
and have not obeyed my voice,
says the Lord.(BI)
14 Return, O faithless children,
says the Lord,
for I am your husband;
I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
and I will bring you to Zion.(BJ)
15 I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.(BK) 16 And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the Lord, they shall no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed, nor shall another one be made.(BL) 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no longer stubbornly follow their own evil will.(BM) 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your ancestors for a heritage.(BN)
19 I thought
how I would set you among my children
and give you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful heritage of all the nations.
And I thought you would call to me, “My Father,”
and would not turn from following me.(BO)
20 Instead, as a faithless wife leaves her husband,
so you have been faithless to me, O house of Israel,
says the Lord.(BP)
21 A voice on the bare heights[h] is heard,
the plaintive weeping of Israel’s children,
because they have perverted their way;
they have forgotten the Lord their God:(BQ)
22 Return, O faithless children,
I will heal your faithlessness.
“Here we come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.(BR)
23 Truly the hills are[i] a delusion,
a tumult on the mountains.
Truly in the Lord our God
is the salvation of Israel.(BS)
24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our ancestors had labored, 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 day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”(BT)
4 If you return, O Israel,
says the Lord,
if you return to me,
if you remove your abominations from my presence
and do not waver,(BU)
2 and if you swear, “As the Lord lives!”
in truth, in justice, and in uprightness,
then nations shall be blessed[j] by you,[k]
and by you[l] they shall boast.(BV)
3 For thus says the Lord to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
Break up your fallow ground,
and do not sow among thorns.(BW)
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;
remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or else my wrath will go forth like fire
and burn with no one to quench it,
because of the evil of your doings.(BX)
Invasion and Desolation of Judah Threatened
5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
Blow the trumpet through the land;
shout aloud[m] and say,
“Gather together, and let us go
into the fortified cities!”(BY)
6 Raise a standard toward Zion;
flee for safety; do not delay,
for I am bringing evil from the north
and a great destruction.(BZ)
7 A lion has gone up from its thicket;
a destroyer of nations has set out;
he has gone out from his place
to make your land a waste;
your cities will be ruins
without inhabitant.(CA)
8 Because of this put on sackcloth,
lament and wail:
“The fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us.”(CB)
9 On that day, says the Lord, courage shall fail the king and the officials; the priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.(CC) 10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, how utterly you have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ even while the sword is at the throat!”(CD)
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights[n] in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse,(CE) 12 a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgment against them.(CF)
13 Look! He comes up like clouds,
his chariots like the whirlwind;
his horses are swifter than eagles—
woe to us, for we are ruined!(CG)
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart clean of wickedness
so that you may be saved.
How long shall your evil schemes
lodge within you?(CH)
15 For a voice declares from Dan
and proclaims disaster from Mount Ephraim.
16 Tell the nations, “Here they are!”
Proclaim against Jerusalem,
“Besiegers come from a distant land;
they shout against the cities of Judah.(CI)
17 They have closed in around her like watchers of a field
because she has rebelled against me,
says the Lord.(CJ)
18 Your ways and your doings
have brought this upon you.
This is your doom; how bitter it is!
It has reached your very heart.”(CK)
Sorrow for a Doomed Nation
19 My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!
Oh, the walls of my heart!
My heart is beating wildly;
I cannot keep silent,
for I[o] hear the sound of the trumpet,
the alarm of war.(CL)
20 Disaster overtakes disaster;
the whole land is laid waste.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed,
my curtains in a moment.(CM)
21 How long must I see the standard
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “For my people are foolish;
they do not know me;
they are stupid children;
they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil
but do not know how to do good.”(CN)
23 I looked on the earth, and it was complete chaos,
and to the heavens, and they had no light.(CO)
24 I looked on the mountains, and they were quaking,
and all the hills moved to and fro.(CP)
25 I looked, and there was no one at all,
and all the birds of the air had fled.(CQ)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert,
and all its cities were laid in ruins
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(CR)
27 For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation, yet I will not make a full end.(CS)
28 Because of this the earth shall mourn
and the heavens above grow black,
for I have spoken; I have purposed;
I have not relented, nor will I turn back.(CT)
29 At the noise of horseman and archer
every town takes to flight;
they enter thickets; they climb among rocks;
all the towns are forsaken,
and no one lives in them.(CU)
30 And you, O desolate one,
what do you mean that you dress in crimson,
that you deck yourself with ornaments of gold,
that you enlarge your eyes with paint?
In vain you beautify yourself.
Your lovers despise you;
they seek your life.(CV)
31 For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor,
anguish as of one bringing forth her first child,
the cry of daughter Zion gasping for breath,
stretching out her hands,
“Woe is me! I am fainting before killers!”(CW)
Footnotes
- 1.12 In Heb the word for almond resembles the word for watching
- 2.8 Heb shepherds
- 2.31 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 2.34 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 3.1 Gk Syr: Heb Saying, If
- 3.2 Or the trails
- 3.8 Gk mss Syr: Heb I
- 3.21 Or the trails
- 3.23 Gk Syr Vg: Heb Truly from the hills is
- 4.2 Or shall bless themselves
- 4.2 Cn: Heb him
- 4.2 Cn: Heb him
- 4.5 Or shout, take your weapons: Heb shout, fill (your hand)
- 4.11 Or the trails
- 4.19 Or for you, O my soul,
Jeremiah 1-4
New International Version
Jeremiah 1-4
New International Version
1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth(A) in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord came(B) to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah(C) son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim(D) son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah(E) son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.(F)
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb(G) I knew[a](H) you,
before you were born(I) I set you apart;(J)
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.(K)”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;(L) I am too young.”(M)
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid(N) of them, for I am with you(O) and will rescue(P) you,” declares the Lord.(Q)
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched(R) my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.(S) 10 See, today I appoint you over nations(T) and kingdoms to uproot(U) and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”(V)
11 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”(W)
“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching[b](X) to see that my word is fulfilled.”
13 The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”(Y)
“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”
14 The Lord said to me, “From the north(Z) disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15 I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord.
“Their kings will come and set up their thrones
in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
they will come against all her surrounding walls
and against all the towns of Judah.(AA)
16 I will pronounce my judgments(AB) on my people
because of their wickedness(AC) in forsaking me,(AD)
in burning incense to other gods(AE)
and in worshiping(AF) what their hands have made.(AG)
17 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say(AH) to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified(AI) by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you(AJ) a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome(AK) you, for I am with you(AL) and will rescue(AM) you,” declares the Lord.
Israel Forsakes God
2 The word(AN) of the Lord came to me: 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:
“This is what the Lord says:
“‘I remember the devotion of your youth,(AO)
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,(AP)
through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy(AQ) to the Lord,(AR)
the firstfruits(AS) of his harvest;
all who devoured(AT) her were held guilty,(AU)
and disaster overtook them,’”
declares the Lord.
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you descendants of Jacob,
all you clans of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“What fault did your ancestors find in me,
that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols(AV)
and became worthless(AW) themselves.
6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord,
who brought us up out of Egypt(AX)
and led us through the barren wilderness,
through a land of deserts(AY) and ravines,(AZ)
a land of drought and utter darkness,
a land where no one travels(BA) and no one lives?’
7 I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and rich produce.(BB)
But you came and defiled my land
and made my inheritance detestable.(BC)
8 The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me;(BD)
the leaders(BE) rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,(BF)
following worthless idols.(BG)
9 “Therefore I bring charges(BH) against you again,”
declares the Lord.
“And I will bring charges against your children’s children.
10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus(BI) and look,
send to Kedar[c](BJ) and observe closely;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
11 Has a nation ever changed its gods?
(Yet they are not gods(BK) at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious(BL) God
for worthless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens,
and shudder with great horror,”
declares the Lord.
13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken(BM) me,
the spring of living water,(BN)
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
14 Is Israel a servant, a slave(BO) by birth?
Why then has he become plunder?
15 Lions(BP) have roared;
they have growled at him.
They have laid waste(BQ) his land;
his towns are burned(BR) and deserted.(BS)
16 Also, the men of Memphis(BT) and Tahpanhes(BU)
have cracked your skull.
17 Have you not brought this on yourselves(BV)
by forsaking(BW) the Lord your God
when he led you in the way?
18 Now why go to Egypt(BX)
to drink water from the Nile[d]?(BY)
And why go to Assyria(BZ)
to drink water from the Euphrates?(CA)
19 Your wickedness will punish you;
your backsliding(CB) will rebuke(CC) you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitter(CD) it is for you
when you forsake(CE) the Lord your God
and have no awe(CF) of me,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke(CG)
and tore off your bonds;(CH)
you said, ‘I will not serve you!’(CI)
Indeed, on every high hill(CJ)
and under every spreading tree(CK)
you lay down as a prostitute.(CL)
21 I had planted(CM) you like a choice vine(CN)
of sound and reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me
into a corrupt,(CO) wild vine?
22 Although you wash(CP) yourself with soap(CQ)
and use an abundance of cleansing powder,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.(CR)
23 “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;(CS)
I have not run after the Baals’?(CT)
See how you behaved in the valley;(CU)
consider what you have done.
You are a swift she-camel
running(CV) here and there,
24 a wild donkey(CW) accustomed to the desert,(CX)
sniffing the wind in her craving—
in her heat who can restrain her?
Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves;
at mating time they will find her.
25 Do not run until your feet are bare
and your throat is dry.
But you said, ‘It’s no use!(CY)
I love foreign gods,(CZ)
and I must go after them.’(DA)
26 “As a thief is disgraced(DB) when he is caught,
so the people of Israel are disgraced—
they, their kings and their officials,
their priests(DC) and their prophets.(DD)
27 They say to wood,(DE) ‘You are my father,’
and to stone,(DF) ‘You gave me birth.’
They have turned their backs(DG) to me
and not their faces;(DH)
yet when they are in trouble,(DI) they say,
‘Come and save(DJ) us!’
28 Where then are the gods(DK) you made for yourselves?
Let them come if they can save you
when you are in trouble!(DL)
For you, Judah, have as many gods
as you have towns.(DM)
29 “Why do you bring charges against me?
You have all(DN) rebelled against me,”
declares the Lord.
30 “In vain I punished your people;
they did not respond to correction.(DO)
Your sword has devoured your prophets(DP)
like a ravenous lion.
31 “You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord:
“Have I been a desert to Israel
or a land of great darkness?(DQ)
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
we will come to you no more’?(DR)
32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgotten(DS) me,
days without number.
33 How skilled you are at pursuing(DT) love!
Even the worst of women can learn from your ways.
34 On your clothes is found
the lifeblood(DU) of the innocent poor,
though you did not catch them breaking in.(DV)
Yet in spite of all this
35 you say, ‘I am innocent;(DW)
he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment(DX) on you
because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’(DY)
36 Why do you go about so much,
changing(DZ) your ways?
You will be disappointed by Egypt(EA)
as you were by Assyria.
37 You will also leave that place
with your hands on your head,(EB)
for the Lord has rejected those you trust;
you will not be helped(EC) by them.
3 “If a man divorces(ED) his wife
and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
Would not the land be completely defiled?(EE)
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers(EF)—
would you now return to me?”(EG)
declares the Lord.
2 “Look up to the barren heights(EH) and see.
Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadside(EI) you sat waiting for lovers,
sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land(EJ)
with your prostitution(EK) and wickedness.
3 Therefore the showers have been withheld,(EL)
and no spring rains(EM) have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen(EN) look of a prostitute;
you refuse to blush with shame.(EO)
4 Have you not just called to me:
‘My Father,(EP) my friend from my youth,(EQ)
5 will you always be angry?(ER)
Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
but you do all the evil you can.”
Unfaithful Israel
6 During the reign of King Josiah,(ES) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless(ET) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree(EU) and has committed adultery(EV) there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister(EW) Judah saw it.(EX) 8 I gave faithless Israel(EY) her certificate of divorce(EZ) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;(FA) she also went out and committed adultery. 9 Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land(FB) and committed adultery(FC) with stone(FD) and wood.(FE) 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return(FF) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,(FG)” declares the Lord.(FH)
11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous(FI) than unfaithful(FJ) Judah.(FK) 12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(FL)
“‘Return,(FM) faithless(FN) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(FO) declares the Lord,
‘I will not be angry(FP) forever.
13 Only acknowledge(FQ) your guilt—
you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods(FR)
under every spreading tree,(FS)
and have not obeyed(FT) me,’”
declares the Lord.
14 “Return,(FU) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.(FV) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds(FW) after my own heart,(FX) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark(FY) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;(FZ) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne(GA) of the Lord, and all nations(GB) will gather in Jerusalem to honor(GC) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(GD) 18 In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,(GE) and together(GF) they will come from a northern(GG) land to the land(GH) I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
19 “I myself said,
“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
and give you a pleasant land,(GI)
the most beautiful inheritance(GJ) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’(GK)
and not turn away from following me.
20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
so you, Israel, have been unfaithful(GL) to me,”
declares the Lord.
21 A cry is heard on the barren heights,(GM)
the weeping(GN) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten(GO) the Lord their God.
“Yes, we will come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.
23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills(GS)
and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
is the salvation(GT) of Israel.
24 From our youth shameful(GU) gods have consumed
the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,(GV)
and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned(GW) against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors;(GX)
from our youth(GY) till this day
we have not obeyed(GZ) the Lord our God.”
4 “If you, Israel, will return,(HA)
then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols(HB) out of my sight
and no longer go astray,
2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear,(HC) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(HD)
then the nations will invoke blessings(HE) by him
and in him they will boast.(HF)”
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“Break up your unplowed ground(HG)
and do not sow among thorns.(HH)
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
circumcise your hearts,(HI)
you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath(HJ) will flare up and burn like fire(HK)
because of the evil(HL) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(HM) it.
Disaster From the North
5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim(HN) in Jerusalem and say:
‘Sound the trumpet(HO) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
‘Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!’(HP)
6 Raise the signal(HQ) to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster(HR) from the north,(HS)
even terrible destruction.”
7 A lion(HT) has come out of his lair;(HU)
a destroyer(HV) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to lay waste(HW) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins(HX)
without inhabitant.
8 So put on sackcloth,(HY)
lament(HZ) and wail,
for the fierce anger(IA) of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,(IB)
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”(IC)
10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived(ID) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’(IE) when the sword is at our throats!”
11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind(IF) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind(IG) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments(IH) against them.”
13 Look! He advances like the clouds,(II)
his chariots(IJ) come like a whirlwind,(IK)
his horses(IL) are swifter than eagles.(IM)
Woe to us! We are ruined!(IN)
14 Jerusalem, wash(IO) the evil from your heart and be saved.(IP)
How long(IQ) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan,(IR)
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.(IS)
16 “Tell this to the nations,
proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,(IT)
raising a war cry(IU) against the cities of Judah.(IV)
17 They surround(IW) her like men guarding a field,
because she has rebelled(IX) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
18 “Your own conduct and actions(IY)
have brought this on you.(IZ)
This is your punishment.
How bitter(JA) it is!
How it pierces to the heart!”
19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!(JB)
I writhe in pain.(JC)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds(JD) within me,
I cannot keep silent.(JE)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;(JF)
I have heard the battle cry.(JG)
20 Disaster follows disaster;(JH)
the whole land lies in ruins.(JI)
In an instant my tents(JJ) are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard(JK)
and hear the sound of the trumpet?(JL)
22 “My people are fools;(JM)
they do not know me.(JN)
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.(JO)
They are skilled in doing evil;(JP)
they know not how to do good.”(JQ)
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;(JR)
and at the heavens,
and their light(JS) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;(JT)
all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.(JU)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;(JV)
all its towns lay in ruins(JW)
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(JX)
27 This is what the Lord says:
“The whole land will be ruined,(JY)
though I will not destroy(JZ) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn(KA)
and the heavens above grow dark,(KB)
because I have spoken and will not relent,(KC)
I have decided and will not turn back.(KD)”
29 At the sound of horsemen and archers(KE)
every town takes to flight.(KF)
Some go into the thickets;
some climb up among the rocks.(KG)
All the towns are deserted;(KH)
no one lives in them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:5 Or chose
- Jeremiah 1:12 The Hebrew for watching sounds like the Hebrew for almond tree.
- Jeremiah 2:10 In the Syro-Arabian desert
- Jeremiah 2:18 Hebrew Shihor; that is, a branch of the Nile
Jeremiah 1-4
King James Version
Jeremiah 1-4
King James Version
1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
2 To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
12 Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
13 And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
14 Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.
2 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
3 Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord.
4 Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:
5 Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
6 Neither said they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?
7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.
8 The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.
9 Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord, and with your children's children will I plead.
10 For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.
11 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord.
13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
14 Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?
15 The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.
16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way?
18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.
20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.
21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?
22 For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God.
23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
24 A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.
25 Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.
26 As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets.
27 Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
28 But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.
29 Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the Lord.
30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
31 O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?
32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
33 Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
34 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
36 Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the Lord hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.
3 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord.
2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?
5 Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
6 The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever.
13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.
14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.
21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God.
23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.
24 For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.
4 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
2 And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
3 For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5 Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned back from us.
9 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the Lord, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
10 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
11 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,
12 Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.
13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
15 For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
16 Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the Lord.
18 Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
19 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
29 The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
30 And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
31 For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.