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[a]O that my head were a spring of water
    and my eyes a fountain of tears,
so that I might weep day and night
    for the slain of the daughter of my people!(A)
[b]O that I had in the desert
    a traveler’s lodging place,
that I might leave my people
    and go away from them!
For they are all adulterers,
    a band of traitors.(B)
They bend their tongues like bows;
    they have grown strong in the land for falsehood and not for truth,
for they proceed from evil to evil,
    and they do not know me, says the Lord.(C)

Beware of your neighbors,
    and put no trust in any of your kin,
for all your kin are supplanters,
    and every neighbor goes around like a slanderer.(D)
They all deceive their neighbors,
    and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongues to speak lies;
    they commit iniquity and are too weary to repent.[c](E)
Oppression upon oppression, deceit[d] upon deceit!
    They refuse to know me, says the Lord.(F)

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
I will now refine and test them,
    for what else can I do with the daughter of my people?(G)
Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
    it speaks deceit through the mouth.
They all speak friendly words to their neighbors
    but inwardly are planning to lay an ambush.(H)
Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord,
    and shall I not bring retribution
    on a nation such as this?(I)

10 Take up[e] weeping and wailing for the mountains
    and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness,
because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,
    and the lowing of cattle is not heard;
both the birds of the air and the animals
    have fled and are gone.(J)
11 I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
    a lair of jackals,
and I will make the towns of Judah a desolation,
    without inhabitant.(K)

12 Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, so that they may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through?(L) 13 And the Lord says: Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accordance with it(M) 14 but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.(N) 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am feeding this people with wormwood and giving them poisonous water to drink.(O) 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them.(P)

The People Mourn in Judgment

17 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Consider and call for the mourning women to come;
    send for the skilled women to come;(Q)
18 let them quickly raise a dirge over us,
    so that our eyes may run down with tears
    and our eyelids flow with water.(R)
19 For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
    “How we are ruined!
    We are utterly shamed
because we have left the land,
    because they have cast down our dwellings.”(S)

20 Hear, O women, the word of the Lord,
    and let your ears receive the word of his mouth;
teach to your daughters a dirge
    and each to her neighbor a lament.(T)
21 “Death has come up into our windows;
    it has entered our palaces
to cut off the children from the streets
    and the young men from the squares.”(U)
22 Speak! Thus says the Lord:
“Human corpses shall fall
    like dung upon the open field,
like sheaves behind the reaper,
    and no one shall gather them.”(V)

23 Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom; do not let the mighty boast in their might; do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth;(W) 24 but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.(X)

25 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will attend to all those who are circumcised only in the foreskin:(Y) 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the Ammonites, Moab, and all those with shaved temples who live in the desert. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(Z)

Idolatry Has Brought Ruin on Israel

10 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord:

Do not learn the way of the nations
    or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens,
    for the nations are dismayed at them.(AA)
For the customs of the peoples are false:
a tree from the forest is cut down
    and worked with an ax by the hands of an artisan;(AB)
they deck it with silver and gold;
    they fasten it with hammers and nails
    so that it cannot move.(AC)
Their idols[f] are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
    and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
    for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
    for they cannot do evil,
    nor is it in them to do good.(AD)

There is none like you, O Lord;
    you are great, and your name is great in might.(AE)
Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
    For that is your due;
among all the wise ones of the nations
    and in all their kingdoms
    there is no one like you.(AF)
They are both stupid and foolish;
    the instruction given by idols
    is no better than wood![g](AG)
Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish
    and gold from Uphaz.
They are the work of the artisan and of the hands of the goldsmith;
    their clothing is blue and purple;
    they are all the product of skilled workers.(AH)
10 But the Lord is the true God;
    he is the living God and the everlasting King.
At his wrath the earth quakes,
    and the nations cannot endure his indignation.[h](AI)

11 Thus shall you say to them: The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.[i](AJ)

12 It is he who made the earth by his power,
    who established the world by his wisdom
    and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.(AK)
13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
    and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(AL)
14 Everyone is stupid and without knowledge;
    goldsmiths are all put to shame by their idols,
for their images are false,
    and there is no breath in them.(AM)
15 They are worthless, a work of delusion;
    at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16 The portion of Jacob is not like these,
    for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
    the Lord of hosts is his name.(AN)

The Coming Exile

17 Gather up your bundle from the ground,
    O you who live under siege!
18 For thus says the Lord:
I am going to sling out the inhabitants of the land
    at this time,
and I will bring distress on them,
    so that they shall feel it.

19 Woe is me because of my hurt!
    My wound is severe.
But I said, “Truly this is my punishment,
    and I must bear it.”(AO)
20 My tent is destroyed,
    and all my cords are broken;
my children have gone from me,
    and they are no more;
there is no one to spread my tent again
    and to set up my curtains.(AP)
21 For the shepherds are stupid
    and do not inquire of the Lord;
therefore they have not prospered,
    and all their flock is scattered.(AQ)

22 Hear, a noise! Listen, it is coming—
    a great commotion from the land of the north
to make the cities of Judah a desolation,
    a lair of jackals.(AR)

23 I know, O Lord, that the way of humans is not in their control,
    that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps.(AS)
24 Correct me, O Lord, but in just measure;
    not in your anger, or you will bring me to nothing.(AT)

25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you
    and on the peoples that do not call on your name,
for they have devoured Jacob;
    they have devoured him and consumed him
    and have laid waste his habitation.(AU)

Israel and Judah Have Broken the Covenant

11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Cursed be anyone who does not heed the words of this covenant,(AV) which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron smelter, saying, ‘Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God,(AW) that I may perform the oath that I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.’ ” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”(AX)

And the Lord said to me: Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them. For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, “Obey my voice.”(AY) Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of an evil will. So I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.(AZ)

And the Lord said to me: Conspiracy exists among the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.(BA) 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors of old, who refused to heed my words; they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their ancestors.(BB) 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, assuredly I am going to bring disaster upon them that they cannot escape; though they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.(BC) 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they will never save them in the time of their trouble.(BD) 13 For your gods have become as many as your towns, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars to shame you have set up, altars to make offerings to Baal.

14 As for you, do not pray for this people or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble.(BE) 15 What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done vile deeds? Can vows[j] and sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult?(BF) 16 The Lord once called you, “A green olive tree, fair with goodly fruit,” but with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed.(BG) 17 The Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.(BH)

Jeremiah’s Life Threatened

18 It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew;
    then you showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle lamb
    led to the slaughter.
And I did not know it was against me
    that they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit;
    let us cut him off from the land of the living,
    so that his name will no longer be remembered!”(BI)
20 But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously,
    who try the heart and the mind,
let me see your retribution upon them,
    for to you I have committed my cause.(BJ)

21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the people of Anathoth who seek your life and say, “You shall not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”(BK) 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: I am going to punish them; the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, 23 and not even a remnant shall be left of them. For I will bring disaster upon the people of Anathoth, the year of their punishment.(BL)

Footnotes

  1. 9.1 8.23 in Heb
  2. 9.2 9.1 in Heb
  3. 9.5 Cn Compare Gk: Heb they weary themselves with iniquity. Your dwelling
  4. 9.6 Cn Compare Gk: Heb Your dwelling in the midst of deceit
  5. 9.10 Gk Syr: Heb I will take up
  6. 10.5 Heb They
  7. 10.8 Q ms Gk lack 10.6–8
  8. 10.10 Q ms Gk lack 10.10
  9. 10.11 This verse is in Aramaic
  10. 11.15 Gk: Heb Can many

[a]Oh, that my head were a spring of water
    and my eyes a fountain of tears!(A)
I would weep(B) day and night
    for the slain of my people.(C)
Oh, that I had in the desert(D)
    a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
    and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,(E)
    a crowd of unfaithful(F) people.

“They make ready their tongue
    like a bow, to shoot lies;(G)
it is not by truth
    that they triumph[b] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
    they do not acknowledge(H) me,”
declares the Lord.
“Beware of your friends;(I)
    do not trust anyone in your clan.(J)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[c](K)
    and every friend a slanderer.(L)
Friend deceives friend,(M)
    and no one speaks the truth.(N)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(O)
    they weary themselves with sinning.
You[d] live in the midst of deception;(P)
    in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.

Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will refine(Q) and test(R) them,
    for what else can I do
    because of the sin of my people?
Their tongue(S) is a deadly arrow;
    it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(T)
    but in their hearts they set traps(U) for them.(V)
Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(W) 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.(X)
They are desolate and untraveled,
    and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(Y) have all fled
    and the animals are gone.

11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap(Z) of ruins,
    a haunt of jackals;(AA)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(AB)
    so no one can live there.”(AC)

12 Who is wise(AD) 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.(AE) 14 Instead, they have followed(AF) the stubbornness of their hearts;(AG) 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(AH) and drink poisoned water.(AI) 16 I will scatter them among nations(AJ) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(AK) and I will pursue them with the sword(AL) until I have made an end of them.”(AM)

17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Consider now! Call for the wailing women(AN) 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.(AO)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
    ‘How ruined(AP) 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.(AQ)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
    teach one another a lament.(AR)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(AS)
    and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
    and the young men(AT) from the public squares.

22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:

“‘Dead bodies will lie
    like dung(AU) 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(AV)
    or the strong boast of their strength(AW)
    or the rich boast of their riches,(AX)
24 but let the one who boasts boast(AY) about this:
    that they have the understanding to know(AZ) me,
that I am the Lord,(BA) who exercises kindness,(BB)
    justice and righteousness(BC) 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(BD) 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.[e](BE) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,(BF) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(BG)

God and Idols(BH)

10 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. This is what the Lord says:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations(BI)
    or be terrified by signs(BJ) in the heavens,
    though the nations are terrified by them.
For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
    they cut a tree out of the forest,
    and a craftsman(BK) shapes it with his chisel.(BL)
They adorn it with silver(BM) and gold;
    they fasten it with hammer and nails
    so it will not totter.(BN)
Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
    their idols cannot speak;(BO)
they must be carried
    because they cannot walk.(BP)
Do not fear them;
    they can do no harm(BQ)
    nor can they do any good.”(BR)

No one is like you,(BS) Lord;
    you are great,(BT)
    and your name is mighty in power.
Who should not fear(BU) you,
    King of the nations?(BV)
    This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
    and in all their kingdoms,
    there is no one like you.

They are all senseless(BW) and foolish;(BX)
    they are taught by worthless wooden idols.(BY)
Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish(BZ)
    and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have made(CA)
    is then dressed in blue and purple—
    all made by skilled workers.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
    he is the living God,(CB) the eternal King.(CC)
When he is angry,(CD) the earth trembles;(CE)
    the nations cannot endure his wrath.(CF)

11 “Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish(CG) from the earth and from under the heavens.’”[f]

12 But God made(CH) the earth(CI) by his power;
    he founded the world by his wisdom(CJ)
    and stretched out the heavens(CK) by his understanding.
13 When he thunders,(CL) the waters in the heavens roar;
    he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning(CM) with the rain(CN)
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(CO)

14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
    every goldsmith is shamed(CP) by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(CQ)
    they have no breath in them.
15 They are worthless,(CR) the objects of mockery;
    when their judgment comes, they will perish.
16 He who is the Portion(CS) of Jacob is not like these,
    for he is the Maker of all things,(CT)
including Israel, the people of his inheritance(CU)
    the Lord Almighty is his name.(CV)

Coming Destruction

17 Gather up your belongings(CW) to leave the land,
    you who live under siege.
18 For this is what the Lord says:
    “At this time I will hurl(CX) out
    those who live in this land;
I will bring distress(CY) on them
    so that they may be captured.”

19 Woe to me because of my injury!
    My wound(CZ) is incurable!
Yet I said to myself,
    “This is my sickness, and I must endure(DA) it.”
20 My tent(DB) is destroyed;
    all its ropes are snapped.
My children are gone from me and are no more;(DC)
    no one is left now to pitch my tent
    or to set up my shelter.
21 The shepherds(DD) are senseless(DE)
    and do not inquire of the Lord;(DF)
so they do not prosper(DG)
    and all their flock is scattered.(DH)
22 Listen! The report is coming—
    a great commotion from the land of the north!(DI)
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,(DJ)
    a haunt of jackals.(DK)

Jeremiah’s Prayer

23 Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;
    it is not for them to direct their steps.(DL)
24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—
    not in your anger,(DM)
    or you will reduce me to nothing.(DN)
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations(DO)
    that do not acknowledge you,
    on the peoples who do not call on your name.(DP)
For they have devoured(DQ) Jacob;
    they have devoured him completely
    and destroyed his homeland.(DR)

The Covenant Is Broken

11 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Listen to the terms of this covenant(DS) and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed(DT) is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt,(DU) out of the iron-smelting furnace.(DV)’ I said, ‘Obey(DW) me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people,(DX) and I will be your God. Then I will fulfill the oath I swore(DY) to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’(DZ)—the land you possess today.”

I answered, “Amen,(EA) Lord.”

The Lord said to me, “Proclaim(EB) all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow(EC) them. From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again,(ED) saying, “Obey me.” But they did not listen or pay attention;(EE) instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(EF) So I brought on them all the curses(EG) of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.(EH)’”

Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy(EI) among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors,(EJ) who refused to listen to my words.(EK) They have followed other gods(EL) to serve them.(EM) Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant(EN) I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster(EO) they cannot escape.(EP) Although they cry(EQ) out to me, I will not listen(ER) to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense,(ES) but they will not help them at all when disaster(ET) strikes. 13 You, Judah, have as many gods(EU) as you have towns;(EV) and the altars you have set up to burn incense(EW) to that shameful(EX) god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’

14 “Do not pray(EY) for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen(EZ) when they call to me in the time of their distress.

15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple
    as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
    Can consecrated meat(FA) avert your punishment?(FB)
When you engage in your wickedness,
    then you rejoice.[g]

16 The Lord called you a thriving olive tree(FC)
    with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
    he will set it on fire,(FD)
    and its branches will be broken.(FE)

17 The Lord Almighty, who planted(FF) you, has decreed disaster(FG) for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused(FH) my anger by burning incense to Baal.(FI)

Plot Against Jeremiah

18 Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;(FJ) I did not realize that they had plotted(FK) against me, saying,

“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
    let us cut him off from the land of the living,(FL)
    that his name be remembered(FM) no more.”
20 But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously(FN)
    and test the heart(FO) and mind,(FP)
let me see your vengeance(FQ) on them,
    for to you I have committed my cause.

21 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth(FR) who are threatening to kill you,(FS) saying, “Do not prophesy(FT) in the name of the Lord or you will die(FU) by our hands”— 22 therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men(FV) will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23 Not even a remnant(FW) will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.(FX)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
  2. Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
  3. Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
  4. Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
  5. Jeremiah 9:26 Or wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads
  6. Jeremiah 10:11 The text of this verse is in Aramaic.
  7. Jeremiah 11:15 Or Could consecrated meat avert your punishment? / Then you would rejoice

Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.

And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.

Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.

And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.

Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord.

Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.

11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.

12 Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?

13 And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;

14 But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:

15 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

16 I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.

17 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:

18 And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.

19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.

20 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.

21 For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.

22 Speak, Thus saith the Lord, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.

23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.

25 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;

26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

10 Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.

But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.

Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.

10 But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.

12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

14 Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

15 They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

16 The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The Lord of hosts is his name.

17 Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress.

18 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.

19 Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous; but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.

20 My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.

21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.

22 Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.

23 O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

24 O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.

25 Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.

11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying,

Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

And say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,

Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:

That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O Lord.

Then the Lord said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.

For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.

Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do: but they did them not.

And the Lord said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

10 They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.

11 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.

12 Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.

13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.

14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.

15 What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

16 The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.

17 For the Lord of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.

18 And the Lord hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.

19 But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.

20 But, O Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.

21 Therefore thus saith the Lord of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the Lord, that thou die not by our hand:

22 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:

23 And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.

Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed.(A) Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful to them on the ground that they are brothers and sisters; rather, they must serve them all the more, since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved.[a]

False Teaching and True Riches

Teach and urge these duties.(B) Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness(C) is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions,(D) and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.[b](E) Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment,(F) for we brought nothing into the world, so that[c] we can take nothing out of it, but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.(G) 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

The Good Fight of Faith

11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made[d] the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.(H) 13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you(I) 14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ,(J) 15 which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.(K) 16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.(L)

17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but rather on God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.(M) 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share,(N) 19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Personal Instructions and Benediction

20 Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge;(O) 21 by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith.

Grace be with you.[e]

Footnotes

  1. 6.2 Or since they are believers and beloved, who devote themselves to good deeds
  2. 6.5 Other ancient authorities add Withdraw yourself from such people
  3. 6.7 Other ancient authorities read world; it is certain that
  4. 6.12 Gk confessed
  5. 6.21 The Greek word for you here is plural; in other ancient authorities it is singular. Other ancient authorities add Amen

All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect,(A) so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered.(B) Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers.(C) Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare[a] of their slaves.

False Teachers and the Love of Money

These are the things you are to teach and insist on.(D) If anyone teaches otherwise(E) and does not agree to the sound instruction(F) of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited(G) and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words(H) that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth(I) and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

But godliness with contentment(J) is great gain.(K) For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.(L) But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.(M) Those who want to get rich(N) fall into temptation and a trap(O) and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money(P) is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith(Q) and pierced themselves with many griefs.(R)

Final Charge to Timothy

11 But you, man of God,(S) flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness,(T) faith, love,(U) endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight(V) of the faith. Take hold of(W) the eternal life(X) to which you were called when you made your good confession(Y) in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate(Z) made the good confession,(AA) I charge you(AB) 14 to keep this command without spot or blame(AC) until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,(AD) 15 which God will bring about in his own time(AE)—God, the blessed(AF) and only Ruler,(AG) the King of kings and Lord of lords,(AH) 16 who alone is immortal(AI) and who lives in unapproachable light,(AJ) whom no one has seen or can see.(AK) To him be honor and might forever. Amen.(AL)

17 Command those who are rich(AM) in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth,(AN) which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,(AO) who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.(AP) 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds,(AQ) and to be generous and willing to share.(AR) 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves(AS) as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of(AT) the life that is truly life.

20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted(AU) to your care. Turn away from godless chatter(AV) and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.(AW)

Grace be with you all.(AX)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 6:2 Or and benefit from the service

Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;

14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.