Study Desk

The words of ^(C1)Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in ^(C2)Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,

to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of ^(C1)Josiah the son of ^(C2)Amon, king of Judah, in the ^(C3)thirteenth year of his reign.

It came also in the days of ^(C1)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of ^(C2)Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"Before I ^(C1)formed you in the womb I knew you, And ^(C2)before you were born I consecrated you; I have ^(C3)appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Then ^(C1)I said, "Oh, Lord ^(F1)GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because ^(C2)I am a youth."

But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' ^(C1)Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And ^(C2)all that I command you, you shall speak.

-"^(C1)Do not be afraid of them, For ^(C2)I am with you to save you," declares the LORD.

Then the LORD stretched out His hand and ^(C1)touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have ^(C2)put My words in your mouth.

-"See, ^(C1)I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, ^(C2)To root out and to tear down, To destroy and to overthrow, ^(C3)To build and to plant."

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "What do you see, ^(C1)Jeremiah?" And I said, "I see a branch of an ^(F1)almond tree."

Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for ^(C1)I am ^(F1)watching over My word to perform it."

And the word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, "^(C1)What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling ^(C2)pot, facing away from the north."

Then the LORD said to me, "^(C1)Out of the north the evil ^(F1)will be unleashed on all the inhabitants of the land.

"For, behold, I am calling ^(C1)all the families of the kingdoms of the north," declares the LORD; "and they will come and ^(C2)place, each one of them, his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls around, and against all the ^(C3)cities of Judah.

"And I will ^(F1)pronounce My judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, since they have ^(C1)abandoned Me and have ^(F2)(C2)offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the ^(C3)works of their own hands.

"Now, ^(C1)belt your garment around your waist and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. ^(C2)Do not be dismayed before them, or I will make you dismayed before them.

"Now behold, I have made you today like a fortified city and like a pillar of iron and walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its leaders, to its priests, and to the people of the land.

"And they will fight against you but they will not overcome you, for ^(C1)I am with you to save you," declares the LORD.

Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"Go and ^(C1)proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, 'This is what the LORD says: "I remember regarding you the ^(F1)(C2)devotion of your youth, Your love when you were a bride, ^(C3)Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown.

-"Israel was ^(C1)holy to the LORD, The ^(C2)first of His harvest. ^(C3)All who ate of it became guilty; Evil came upon them," declares the LORD.'"

Hear the word of the LORD, house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.

This is what the LORD says: "^(C1)What injustice did your fathers find in Me, That they went far from Me, And walked after ^(C2)emptiness and became empty?

-"They did not say, 'Where is the LORD Who ^(C1)brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who ^(C2)led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and of pits, Through a land of drought and of ^(F1)deep darkness, Through a land that no one crossed And where no person lived?'

-"I brought you into the ^(C1)fruitful land To eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and ^(C2)defiled My land, And you made My inheritance an abomination.

-"The ^(C1)priests did not say, 'Where is the LORD?' And those who handle the Law ^(C2)did not know Me; The ^(F1)rulers also revolted against Me, And the ^(C3)prophets prophesied by Baal And walked after ^(C4)things that were of no benefit.

"Therefore I will still ^(C1)contend with you," declares the LORD, "And I will contend with your sons' sons.

-"For ^(C1)cross to the coastlands of ^(F1)Kittim and see, And send to ^(C2)Kedar and observe closely, And see if there has been anything like this!

-"Has a nation changed gods, When ^(C1)they were not gods? But My people have ^(C2)exchanged their glory For that which is of no benefit.

-"Be appalled at this, ^(C1)you heavens, And shudder, be very desolate," declares the LORD.

"For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned Me, The ^(C1)fountain of living waters, To carve out for themselves ^(C2)cisterns, Broken cisterns That do not hold water.

"Is Israel ^(C1)a slave? Or is he a servant born in the home? Why has he become plunder?

-"The young ^(C1)lions have roared at him, They have ^(F1)roared loudly. And they have ^(C2)made his land a waste; His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.

-"Also the ^(F1)men of ^(C1)Memphis and Tahpanhes Have ^(F2)shaved ^(C2)your head.

-"Have you not ^(C1)done this to yourself By your abandoning the LORD your God When He ^(C1)led you in the way?

-"But now what are you doing ^(C1)on the road to Egypt, Except to drink the waters of the ^(F1)(C2)Nile? Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria, Except to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?

-"^(C1)Your own wickedness will correct you, And your ^(C2)apostasies will punish you; Know therefore and see that it is evil and ^(C3)bitter For you to abandon the LORD your God, And ^(C4)the fear of Me is not in you," declares the Lord ^(F1)GOD of armies.

"For long ago ^(F1)(C1)I broke your yoke And tore off your restraints; But you said, 'I will not serve!' For on every ^(C2)high hill And under every leafy tree You have lain down as a prostitute.

-"Yet I ^(C1)planted you as a choice vine, A completely faithful seed. How then have you turned yourself before Me Into the ^(C2)degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?

-"Although you ^(C1)wash yourself with lye And ^(F1)use much soap, The ^(C2)stain of your guilt is before Me," declares the Lord ^(F2)GOD.

"^(C1)How can you say, 'I am not defiled, I have not gone after the ^(C2)Baals'? Look at your way in the ^(C3)valley! Know what you have done! You are a swift young camel ^(C4)running about senselessly on her ways,

A ^(C1)wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness, That sniffs the wind in her passion. Who can turn her away in her mating season? None who seek her will grow weary; In her month they will find her.

-"Keep your feet from being bare, And your throat from thirst; But you said, '^(C1)It is ^(F1)hopeless! No! For I have ^(C2)loved strangers, And I will walk after them.'

"Like the shame of a ^(C1)thief when he is discovered, So the house of Israel is shamed; They, their kings, their leaders, Their priests, and their prophets,

Who say to a tree, 'You are my father,' And to a stone, 'You gave me birth.' For they have turned their ^(C1)backs to Me, And not their faces; But in the ^(C2)time of their ^(F1)trouble they will say, 'Arise and save us!'

-"But where are your ^(C1)gods Which you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can ^(C2)save you In the time of your ^(F1)trouble! For ^(C3)as many as the number of your cities Are your gods, Judah.

"Why do you contend with Me? You have ^(C1)all revolted against Me," declares the LORD.

"^(C1)In vain I have struck your sons; They did not accept discipline. Your ^(C2)sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion.

-"You generation, look to the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, Or a ^(C1)land of thick darkness? Why do My people say, '^(C2)We are free to roam; We will no longer come to You'?

-"Can a virgin forget her jewelry, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have ^(C1)forgotten Me For days without number.

-"How well you prepare your way To seek love! Therefore even to the wicked women You have taught your ways.

-"Also on your skirts is found The ^(C1)lifeblood of the innocent poor; You did not find them ^(C2)breaking in. But in spite of all these things,

You said, 'I am innocent; Surely His anger is turned away from me.' Behold, I will ^(C1)enter into judgment with you Because you ^(C2)say, 'I have not sinned.'

-"Why do you ^(C1)go around so much Changing your way? Also, ^(C2)you will be put to shame by Egypt, Just as you were put to shame by ^(C3)Assyria.

-"From this place as well you will go out With ^(C1)your hands on your head; For the LORD has rejected ^(C2)those in whom you trust, And you will not prosper with them."

God ^(F1)says, "^(C1)If a husband divorces his wife And she leaves him And becomes another man's wife, Will he return to her again? Would that land not be completely defiled? But you ^(C2)are a prostitute with many ^(F2)lovers; Yet you ^(C3)turn to Me," declares the LORD.

"Raise your eyes to the ^(C1)bare heights and see; Where have you not been violated? You have ^(C2)sat for them by the roads Like an Arab in the desert, And you have ^(C3)defiled a land With your prostitution and your wickedness.

-"Therefore the ^(C1)showers have been withheld, And there has been no spring rain. Yet you had a ^(C2)prostitute's ^(F1)forehead; You refused to be ashamed.

-"Have you not just now called to Me, '^(C1)My Father, You are the ^(C2)friend of my ^(C3)youth?

-'^(C1)Will He be angry forever, Or keep His anger to the end?' Behold, you have spoken And have done evil things, And you have ^(F1)had your own way."

Then the LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah, "Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She ^(C1)went up on every high hill and under every leafy tree, and she prostituted herself there.

"Yet ^(C1)I ^(F1)thought, 'After she has done all these things she will return to Me'; but she did not return, and her ^(C2)treacherous sister Judah saw it.

"And I saw that for all the ^(F1)adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and ^(C1)given her a certificate of divorce, yet her ^(C2)treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and prostituted herself also.

"And because of the thoughtlessness of her prostitution, she ^(C1)defiled the land and committed ^(F1)adultery with ^(C2)stones and trees.

"Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in ^(C1)deception," declares the LORD.

And the LORD said to me, "^(C1)Faithless Israel has proved herself to be more righteous than treacherous Judah.

"Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, '^(C1)Return, faithless Israel,' declares the LORD; '^(C2)I will not ^(F1)look at you in anger. For I am ^(C3)gracious,' declares the LORD; 'I will not be angry forever.

-'Only ^(F1)(C1)acknowledge your wrongdoing, That you have revolted against the LORD your God, And have ^(C2)scattered your ^(F2)favors to the strangers ^(C3)under every leafy tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,' declares the LORD.

'Return, you faithless sons,' declares the LORD; 'For I am a ^(C1)master to you, And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, And ^(C2)bring you to Zion.'

"Then I will give you ^(C1)shepherds ^(F1)after My own heart, who will ^(C2)feed you knowledge and understanding.

"And it shall be in those days when you become numerous and are fruitful in the land," declares the LORD, "they will ^(C1)no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor miss it, nor will it be made again.

"At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The ^(C1)Throne of the LORD,' and ^(C2)all the nations will assemble at it, at Jerusalem, for the ^(C3)name of the LORD; and they will no longer ^(C4)follow the stubbornness of their evil heart.

"^(C1)In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together ^(C2)from the land of the north to the ^(C3)land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.

"Then I said, 'How I would set you among ^(F1)My sons And give you a pleasant land, The most ^(C1)beautiful inheritance of the nations!' And I said, 'You shall call Me, ^(C2)My Father, And not turn away from following Me.'

-"However, as a woman treacherously leaves her lover, So you have ^(C1)dealt treacherously with Me, House of Israel," declares the LORD.

A voice is heard on the ^(C1)bare heights, The weeping, the pleading of the sons of Israel. Because they have perverted their way, They have ^(C2)forgotten the LORD their God.

"Return, you faithless sons, ^(C1)I will heal your faithlessness." "Behold, we come to You; For You are the LORD our God.

-"Certainly ^(C1)the hills are a deception, ^(F1)Commotion on the mountains. Certainly in the ^(C2)LORD our God Is the salvation of Israel.

"But ^(C1)the shame has consumed the product of our fathers' labor since our youth—their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

"Let us lie down in our ^(C1)shame, and let our humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, ^(C2)from our youth even to this day. And we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God."

"If you will ^(C1)return, Israel," declares the LORD, "Then you should return to Me. And ^(C2)if you will put away your detestable things from My presence, And will not waver,

And if you will ^(C1)swear, 'As the LORD lives,' ^(C2)In truth, in justice, and in righteousness; Then the ^(C3)nations will bless themselves in Him, And ^(C4)in Him they will boast."

For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: "^(F1)(C1)Break up your uncultivated ground, And ^(C2)do not sow among thorns.

-"^(C1)Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your hearts, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My ^(C2)wrath will spread like fire And burn with ^(C3)no one to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds."

Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, "^(C1)Blow the trumpet in the land; Cry aloud and say, '^(C2)Assemble, and let's go Into the fortified cities.'

-"Raise a ^(C1)flag toward Zion! Take refuge, do not stand still, For I am bringing ^(C2)evil from the north, And great destruction.

-"A ^(C1)lion has gone up from his thicket, And a ^(C2)destroyer of nations has set out; He has gone out from his place To ^(C3)make your land a waste. Your cities will be ruins, Without an inhabitant.

-"For this, ^(C1)put on sackcloth, Mourn and wail; For the ^(C2)fierce anger of the LORD Has not turned away from us."

"And it shall come about on that day," declares the LORD, "that the ^(C1)heart of the king and the hearts of the leaders will fail; and the priests will tremble, and the ^(C2)prophets will be astonished."

Then I said, "Oh, Lord ^(F1)GOD! Surely You have utterly ^(C1)deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, '^(C2)You will have peace'; yet a sword touches the ^(F2)throat."

At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, "A ^(C1)scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness, in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse,

a wind too ^(F1)strong for ^(F2)this—will come ^(F3)at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them."

"Behold, he ^(C1)goes up like clouds, And his ^(C2)chariots like the whirlwind; His horses are ^(C3)swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for ^(C4)we are ruined!"

Wash your heart from evil, Jerusalem, So that you may be saved. How long will your ^(C1)wicked thoughts Lodge within you?

For a voice declares from ^(C1)Dan, And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.

"Report it to the nations, now! Proclaim to Jerusalem, '^(F1)Enemies are coming from a ^(C1)remote country, And ^(C2)they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.

-'Like watchmen of a field they are ^(C1)against her all around, Because she has ^(C2)rebelled against Me,' declares the LORD.

-"Your ^(C1)ways and your deeds Have ^(F1)brought these things upon you. This is your evil. How ^(C2)bitter! How it has touched your heart!"

^(C1)My ^(F1)soul, my ^(F1)soul! I am in anguish! ^(F2)Oh, my heart! My ^(C2)heart is pounding in me; I cannot keep silent, Because, ^(F3)my soul, you have heard The ^(C3)sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.

^(C1)Disaster upon disaster is proclaimed, For the ^(C2)whole land is devastated; Suddenly my ^(C3)tents are devastated, And my curtains in an instant.

How long must I see the flag And hear the sound of the trumpet?

"^(C1)For My people are foolish, They do not know Me; They are foolish children And have no understanding. They are skillful at ^(C2)doing evil, But they do not know how to do good."

I looked at the earth, and behold, it was a ^(F1)(C1)formless and desolate emptiness; And to the heavens, and they had no light.

I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were ^(C1)quaking, And all the hills jolted back and forth.

I looked, and behold, there was no human, And all the ^(C1)birds of the sky had fled.

I looked, and behold, ^(F1)the ^(C1)fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were pulled down Before the LORD, before His fierce anger.

For this is what the LORD says: "The ^(C1)whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will ^(C2)not execute a complete destruction.

-"For this the ^(C1)earth will mourn, And the ^(C2)heavens above will become dark, Because I have ^(C3)spoken, I have purposed, And I have not ^(F1)changed My mind, nor will I turn from it."

At the sound of the horseman and archer ^(C1)every city flees; They ^(C2)go into the thickets and climb among the rocks; ^(C3)Every city is abandoned, And no one lives in them.

And you, desolate one, ^(C1)what will you do? Although you dress in scarlet, Although you adorn yourself with jewelry of gold, Although you ^(C2)enlarge your eyes with makeup, In vain you make yourself beautiful. Your ^(F1)(C3)lovers despise you; They seek your life.

For I heard a voice cry as of a woman in labor, The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child. The voice of the daughter of Zion ^(C1)gasping for breath, ^(C2)Stretching out her ^(F1)hands, saying, "Ah, woe to me, for ^(F2)I faint before murderers."

"^(C1)Roam about through the streets of Jerusalem, And look and take notice. And seek in her public squares, If you can ^(C2)find a person, ^(C3)If there is one who does justice, who seeks honesty, Then I will forgive ^(F1)her.

-"And ^(C1)although they say, 'As the LORD lives,' Certainly they swear falsely."

LORD, do ^(C1)Your eyes not look for honesty? You have ^(C2)struck them, But they did not ^(F1)weaken; You have consumed them, But they ^(C3)refused to accept discipline. They have ^(C4)made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to repent.

Then I said, "They are only the poor, They are foolish; For they ^(C1)do not know the way of the LORD Or the judgment of their God.

-"I will go to the great And speak to them, For ^(C1)they know the way of the LORD And the judgment of their God." But together they too have ^(C2)broken the yoke And burst the restraints.

Therefore ^(C1)a lion from the forest will kill them, A ^(C2)wolf of the deserts will destroy them, A ^(C3)leopard is watching their cities. Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces, Because their ^(C4)wrongdoings are many, Their apostasies are numerous.

"Why should I forgive you? Your sons have forsaken Me And ^(C1)sworn by those who are ^(C2)not gods. When I had fed them to the full, They ^(C3)committed adultery And stayed at the prostitute's house.

-"They were well-fed lusty horses, Each one neighing at his ^(C1)neighbor's wife.

-"Shall I not punish them for these things?" declares the LORD, "And ^(C1)shall I not avenge Myself On a nation such as this?

"Go up through her vine rows and destroy, But do not execute a complete destruction; Strip away her branches, For they are not the LORD'S.

-"For the ^(C1)house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously with Me," declares the LORD.

They have ^(C1)lied about the LORD And said, "^(F1)(C2)Not He; Misfortune will ^(C3)not come upon us, ^(C4)Nor will we see sword or famine.

-"The ^(C1)prophets are as wind, And the word is not in them. So it will be done to them!"

Therefore, this is what the LORD, the God of armies says: "Because you have spoken this word, Behold, I am ^(C1)making My words fire in your mouth, And this people wood, and it will consume them.

-"Behold, I am ^(C1)bringing a nation against you from far away, you house of Israel," declares the LORD. "It is an enduring nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose ^(C2)language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say.

-"Their ^(C1)quiver is like an ^(C2)open grave, All of them are warriors.

-"They will ^(C1)devour your harvest and your food; They will devour your sons and your daughters; They will devour your flocks and your herds; They will devour your ^(C2)vines and your fig trees; They will demolish your ^(C3)fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.

"Yet even in those days," declares the LORD, "I will not make a complete destruction of you.

"And it shall come about ^(C1)when ^(F1)they say, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' then you shall say to them, 'Just as you have abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will ^(C2)serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'

"Declare this in the house of Jacob And proclaim it in Judah, saying,

'Now hear this, you foolish and ^(F1)senseless people, Who have ^(C1)eyes but do not see, Who have ears but do not hear.

-'Do you not ^(C1)fear Me?' declares the LORD. 'Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have ^(C2)placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal limit, and it will not cross over it. Though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; Though they roar, they will not cross over it.

-'But this people has a ^(C1)stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed.

-'They do not say in their heart, "Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who ^(C1)gives rain in its season, Both ^(C2)the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The ^(C3)appointed weeks of the harvest."

-'Your ^(C1)wrongdoings have turned these away, And your sins have kept good away from you.

-'For wicked people are found among My people, They ^(C1)watch like fowlers ^(F1)lying in wait; They set a trap, They catch people.

-'Like a cage full of birds, So their houses are full of ^(C1)deceit; Therefore they have become great and rich.

-'They are ^(C1)fat, they are sleek, They also ^(F1)excel in deeds of wickedness; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the ^(F2)(C2)orphan, so that they may be successful; And they do not ^(F3)defend the rights of the poor.

-'^(C1)Shall I not punish them for these things?' declares the LORD, 'Or shall I not avenge Myself On a nation such as this?'

"An appalling and ^(C1)horrible thing Has happened in the land:

The ^(C1)prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule ^(F1)on their own authority; And My people ^(C2)love it this way! But what will you do ^(F2)when the end comes?