Study Desk

The prophets prophecie falsely, and the priests beare rule by their meanes, and my people loue to haue it so: and what will yee doe in the end therof?

As a fountaine casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickednesse: violence and spoile is heard in her, before me continually is griefe and wounds.

For the mountaines will I take vp a weeping and wayling, and for the habitations of the wildernesse a lamentation, because they are burnt vp, so that none can passe through them, neither can men heare the voyce of the cattell, both the foule of the heauens, and the beast are fled, they are gone.

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

Which I commaunded your fathers in the day that I brought them foorth out of the land of Egypt, from the yron furnace, saying, Obey my voyce, and doe them, according to all which I command you: so shall yee be my people, and I will be your God.

That I may performe the othe which I haue sworne vnto your fathers, to giue them a land flowing with milke and honie, as it is this day: then answered I, and said, So bee it, O Lord.

So I got a girdle, according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my loines.

So I went and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commaunded mee.

For as the girdle cleaueth to the loines of a man: so haue I caused to cleaue vnto me the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of Iudah, saith the Lord; that they might bee vnto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not heare.

As the partrich sitteth on egges, and hatcheth them not: so he that getteth riches and not by right, shall leaue them in the midst of his dayes, and at his end shall be a foole.

And the vessell that he made of clay, was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it againe another vessell as seemed good to the potter to make it.

O house of Israel, cannot I doe with you as this potter, saith the Lord ? Behold, as the clay is in the potters hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

And shalt say vnto them; Thus saith the Lord of hostes, Euen so will I breake this people and this citie as one breaketh a potters vessell that cannot bee made whole againe, and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place else to bury.

Enquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for vs (for Nebuchad-rezzar king of Babylon maketh warre against vs) if so be that the Lord will deale with vs, according to all his wondrous workes, that he may goe vp from vs.

One basket had very good figges, euen like the figges that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figges, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.

Then said the Lord vnto me; What seest thou Ieremiah? and I said: Figges: the good figges, very good and the euill, very euill, that cannot be eaten, they are so euill.

Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Like these good figges, so will I acknowledge them that are caried away captiue of Iudah, whom I haue sent out of this place into the land of the Caldeans for their good.

And as the euill figges which cannot be eaten, they are so euill; (Surely thus saith the Lord) so will I giue Zedekiah the king of Iudah, and his princes, and the residue of Ierusalem, that remaine in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt.

If so bee they will hearken, and turne euery man from his euill way, that I may repent me of the euil which I purpose to doe vnto them, because of the euil of their doings.

So the priests and the prophets, and all the people heard Ieremiah speaking these wordes in the house of the Lord.