Judah’s Sin and Punishment 1 DBY At that time, saith Jehovah, they shall bring forth the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves; BSB BSB: “At that time,” declares the LORD, “the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves.
2 DBY and they shall spread them out to the sun and to the moon and to all the host of the heavens, which they have loved, and which they have served, and after which they have walked, and which they have sought, and which they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the ground. BSB BSB: They will be exposed to the sun and moon, and to all the host of heaven which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up or buried, but will become like dung lying on the ground.
3 DBY And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family, in all the places whither I have driven those that remain, saith Jehovah of hosts. BSB BSB: And wherever I have banished them, the remnant of this evil family will choose death over life,” declares the LORD of Hosts.
4 DBY And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah: Do men fall, and not rise up? Doth one turn away, and not return? BSB BSB: So you are to tell them this is what the LORD says: “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not return?
5 DBY Why hath this people of Jerusalem slidden back with a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. BSB BSB: Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.
6 DBY I hearkened and heard: they speak not what is right; there is no man who repenteth him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? Every one turneth to his course, like a horse rushing into the battle. BSB BSB: I have listened and heard; they do not speak what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, asking, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone has pursued his own course like a horse charging into battle.
7 DBY Even a stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times, and the turtle-dove and the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of Jehovah. BSB BSB: Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons. The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush keep their time of migration, but My people do not know the requirements of the LORD.
8 DBY How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of Jehovah is with us? Behold, certainly the lying pen of the scribes hath made it falsehood. BSB BSB: How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us,’ when in fact the lying pen of the scribes has produced a deception?
9 DBY The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: behold, they have rejected Jehovah's word; and what wisdom is in them? BSB BSB: The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?
10 DBY Therefore will I give their wives unto others, their fields to those that shall possess them ; for every one, from the least even unto the greatest, is given to covetousness; from the prophet even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely. BSB BSB: Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
11 DBY And they have healed the breach of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace! when there is no peace. BSB BSB: They dress the wound of the daughter of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.
12 DBY Are they ashamed that they have committed abomination? Nay, they are not at all ashamed, and they know not how to blush. Therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall stumble, saith Jehovah. BSB BSB: Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse, says the LORD.
The People Respond 14 DBY Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fenced cities, and let us be silent there: for Jehovah our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Jehovah. BSB BSB: Why are we just sitting here? Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
15 DBY Peace is looked for, and there is no good; a time of healing, and behold, terror. BSB BSB: We hoped for peace, but no good has come, for a time of healing, but there was only terror.
16 DBY The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan: the whole land trembleth at the sound of the neighing of his steeds, and they come, and devour the land, and all it contains, the city and those that dwell therein. BSB BSB: The snorting of enemy horses is heard from Dan. At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds, the whole land quakes. They come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who dwell in it.
17 DBY For behold, I send among you serpents, vipers against which there is no charm, and they shall bite you, saith Jehovah. BSB BSB: “For behold, I will send snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah Weeps for His People 18 DBY My comfort in my sadness! my heart is faint in me! BSB BSB: My sorrow is beyond healing; my heart is faint within me.
19 DBY Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people, from a very far country: Is not Jehovah in Zion? Is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, with foreign vanities? BSB BSB: Listen to the cry of the daughter of my people from a land far away: “Is the LORD no longer in Zion? Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved images, with their worthless foreign idols?”
20 DBY The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. BSB BSB: “The harvest has passed, the summer has ended, but we have not been saved.”
21 DBY — For the breach of the daughter of my people am I crushed; I go mourning; astonishment hath taken hold of me. BSB BSB: For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am crushed. I mourn; horror has gripped me.
22 DBY Is there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? Why then is there no dressing applied for the healing of the daughter of my people? BSB BSB: Is there no balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.