Study Desk

^[a](a)Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the ^(b)daughter of my people!

^[b](c)Oh that I had in the desert A wayfarers' lodging place; That I might leave my people And go from them! For all of them are ^(d)adulterers, An assembly of ^(e)treacherous men.

"They ^(f)bend their tongue like their bow; Lies and not truth prevail in the land; For they ^(g)proceed from evil to evil, And they ^(h)do not know Me," declares the Lord .

"Let everyone ⁽ⁱ⁾be on guard against his neighbor, And ^(j)do not trust any brother; Because every ^(k)brother deals ^[c]craftily, And every neighbor ^(l)goes about as a slanderer.

"Everyone ^(m)deceives his neighbor And does not speak the truth, They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They ⁽ⁿ⁾weary themselves committing iniquity.

"Your ^(o)dwelling is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they ^(p)refuse to know Me," declares the Lord .

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, "Behold, I will refine them and ^(q)assay them; For ^(r)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?

"Their ^(s)tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one ^(t)speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he ^(u)sets an ambush for him.

"^(v)Shall I not punish them for these things?" declares the Lord . "On a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself?

"For the ^(w)mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing, And for the pastures of the ^(x)wilderness a dirge, Because they are ^(y)laid waste so that no one passes through, And the lowing of the cattle is not heard; Both the ^(z)birds of the sky and the beasts have fled; they are gone.

"I will make Jerusalem a ^(aa)heap of ruins, A haunt of ^(ab)jackals; And I will make the cities of Judah a ^(ac)desolation, without inhabitant."

Who is the ^(ad)wise man that may understand this? And who is he to whom ^(ae)the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? ^(af)Why is the land ruined, laid waste like a desert, so that no one passes through?

The Lord said, "Because they have ^(ag)forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it,

but have ^(ah)walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the ^(ai)Baals, as their ^(aj)fathers taught them,"

therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "behold, ^(ak)I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them ^(al)poisoned water to drink.

I will ^(am)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the ^(an)sword after them until I have annihilated them."

Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Consider and call for the ^(ao)mourning women, that they may come; And send for the ^[d](ap)wailing women, that they may come!

"Let them make haste and take up a wailing for us, That our ^(aq)eyes may shed tears And our eyelids flow with water.

"For a voice of ^(ar)wailing is heard from Zion, ‘^(as)How are we ruined! We are put to great shame, For we have ^(at)left the land, Because they have cast down our dwellings.'"

Now hear the word of the Lord , O you ^(au)women, And let your ear receive the word of His mouth; Teach your daughters wailing, And everyone her neighbor a dirge.

For ^(av)death has come up through our windows; It has entered our palaces To cut off the ^(aw)children from the streets, The young men from the town squares.

Speak, "Thus says the Lord , ‘The corpses of men will fall ^(ax)like dung on the open field, And like the sheaf after the reaper, But no one will gather them.'"

Thus says the Lord , "^(ay)Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the ^(az)mighty man boast of his might, let not a ^(ba)rich man boast of his riches;

but let him who boasts ^(bb)boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who ^(bc)exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I ^(bd)delight in these things," declares the Lord .

"Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord , "that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet ^(be)uncircumcised—

Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and ^(bf)all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are ^(bg)uncircumcised of heart."

Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.

Thus says the Lord , "^(a)Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Although the nations are terrified by them;

For the customs of the peoples are ^[a](b)delusion; Because ^(c)it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.

"They ^(d)decorate it with silver and with gold; They ^(e)fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter.

"Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they ^(f)cannot speak; They must be ^(g)carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they ^(h)can do no harm, Nor can they do any good."

⁽ⁱ⁾There is none like You, O Lord ; You are ^(j)great, and great is Your name in might.

^(k)Who would not fear You, O ^(l)King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the ^(m)wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.

But they are altogether ⁽ⁿ⁾stupid and foolish In their discipline of ^[b]delusion—^[c]their idol is wood!

Beaten ^(o)silver is brought from ^(p)Tarshish, And ^(q)gold from Uphaz, The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; Violet and purple are their clothing; They are all the ^(r)work of skilled men.

But the Lord is the ^(s)true God; He is the ^(t)living God and the ^(u)everlasting King. At His wrath the ^(v)earth quakes, And the nations cannot ^(w)endure His indignation.

^[d]Thus you shall say to them, "The ^(x)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will ^(y)perish from the earth and from under the ^[e]heavens."

It is ^(z)He who made the earth by His power, Who ^(aa)established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has ^(ab)stretched out the heavens.

When He utters His ^(ac)voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the ^(ad)clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the ^(ae)wind from His storehouses.

Every man is ^(af)stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his ^[f]idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them.

They are ^(ag)worthless, a work of mockery; In the ^(ah)time of their punishment they will perish.

The ^(ai)portion of Jacob is not like these; For the ^[g](aj)Maker of all is He, And ^(ak)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The ^(al) Lord of hosts is His name.

^(am)Pick up your bundle from the ground, You who dwell under siege!

For thus says the Lord , "Behold, I am ^(an)slinging out the inhabitants of the land At this time, And will cause them distress, That they may ^[h]be found."

^(ao)Woe is me, because of my ^[i]injury! My ^(ap)wound is incurable. But I said, "Truly this is a sickness, And I ^(aq)must bear it."

My ^(ar)tent is destroyed, And all my ropes are broken; My ^(as)sons have gone from me and are no more. There is ^(at)no one to stretch out my tent again Or to set up my curtains.

For the shepherds have become stupid And ^(au)have not sought the Lord ; Therefore they have not prospered, And ^(av)all their flock is scattered.

The sound of a ^(aw)report! Behold, it comes— A great commotion ^(ax)out of the land of the north— To ^(ay)make the cities of Judah A desolation, a haunt of jackals.

I know, O Lord , that ^(az)a man's way is not in himself, ^(ba)Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.

^(bb)Correct me, O Lord , but with justice; Not with Your anger, or You will ^[j]bring me to nothing.

^(bc)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that ^(bd)do not know You And on the families that ^(be)do not call Your name; For they have devoured Jacob; They have ^(bf)devoured him and consumed him And have laid waste his ^[k]habitation.

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord , saying,

"^(a)Hear the words of this ^(b)covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord , the God of Israel, "^(c)Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant

which I commanded your forefathers in the ^(d)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the ^(e)iron furnace, saying, ‘^(f)Listen to My voice, and ^[a]do according to all which I command you; so you shall be ^(g)My people, and I will be your God,'

in order to confirm the ^(h)oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day."'" Then I said, "⁽ⁱ⁾Amen, O Lord ."

And the Lord said to me, "^(j)Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘^(k)Hear the words of this covenant and ^(l)do them.

For I solemnly ^(m)warned your fathers in the ⁽ⁿ⁾day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, ^[b](o)warning persistently, saying, "^(p)Listen to My voice."

Yet they ^(q)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the ^(r)words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.'"

Then the Lord said to me, "A ^(s)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

They have ^(t)turned back to the iniquities of their ^[c]ancestors who ^(u)refused to hear My words, and they ^(v)have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have ^(w)broken My covenant which I made with their fathers."

Therefore thus says the Lord , "Behold I am ^(x)bringing disaster on them which they will ^(y)not be able to escape; though they will ^(z)cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them.

Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will ^(aa)go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they surely will not save them in the time of their disaster.

For your gods are ^[d](ab)as many as your cities, O Judah; and ^[e]as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the ^(ac)shameful thing, altars to ^(ad)burn incense to Baal.

"Therefore ^(ae)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will ^(af)not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.

"What right has My ^(ag)beloved in My house When ^(ah)she has done many vile deeds? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, ^[f]So that you can rejoice?"

The Lord called your name, "A ^(ai)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form"; With the ^(aj)noise of a great tumult He has ^(ak)kindled fire on it, And its branches are worthless.

The Lord of hosts, who ^(al)planted you, has ^(am)pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have ^[g]done to provoke Me by ^[h](an)offering up sacrifices to Baal.

Moreover, the Lord ^(ao)made it known to me and I knew it; Then You showed me their deeds.

But I was like a gentle ^(ap)lamb led to the slaughter; And I did not know that they had ^(aq)devised plots against me, saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its ^[i]fruit, And ^(ar)let us cut him off from the ^(as)land of the living, That his ^(at)name be remembered no more."

But, O Lord of hosts, who ^(au)judges righteously, Who ^(av)tries the ^[j]feelings and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You have I ^[k]committed my cause.

Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of ^(aw)Anathoth, who ^(ax)seek your life, saying, "^(ay)Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord , so that you will not ^(az)die at our hand";

therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, "Behold, I am about to ^(ba)punish them! The ^(bb)young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine;

and a remnant ^(bc)will not be left to them, for I will ^(bd)bring disaster on the men of Anathoth—^(be)the year of their punishment."

^(a)Righteous are You, O Lord , that I would plead my case with You; Indeed I would ^(b)discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the ^(c)way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who ^(d)deal in treachery at ease?

You have ^(e)planted them, they have also taken root; They grow, they have even produced fruit. You are ^(f)near ^[a]to their lips But far from their ^[b]mind.

But You ^(g)know me, O Lord ; You see me; And You ^(h)examine my heart's attitude toward You. Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter And ^[c]set them apart for a ⁽ⁱ⁾day of carnage!

How long is the ^(j)land to mourn And the ^(k)vegetation of the countryside to wither? For the ^(l)wickedness of those who dwell in it, ^(m)Animals and birds have been snatched away, Because men have said, "He will not see our latter ⁽ⁿ⁾ending."

"If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the ^[d](o)thicket of the Jordan?

"For even your ^(p)brothers and the household of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you, Even they have cried aloud after you. Do not believe them, although they may say ^(q)nice things to you."

"I have ^(r)forsaken My house, I have abandoned My inheritance; I have given the ^(s)beloved of My soul Into the hand of her enemies.

"My inheritance has become to Me Like a lion in the forest; She has ^[e](t)roared against Me; Therefore I have come to ^(u)hate her.

"Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me? Are the ^(v)birds of prey against her on every side? Go, gather all the ^(w)beasts of the field, Bring them to devour!

"Many ^(x)shepherds have ruined My ^(y)vineyard, They have ^(z)trampled down My field; They have made My ^(aa)pleasant field A desolate wilderness.

"^[f]It has been made a desolation, Desolate, it ^(ab)mourns ^[g]before Me; The ^(ac)whole land has been made desolate, Because no man ^(ad)lays it to heart.

"On all the ^[h](ae)bare heights in the wilderness Destroyers have come, For a ^(af)sword of the Lord is devouring From one end of the land even to the ^[i]other; There is ^(ag)no peace for ^[j]anyone.

"They have ^(ah)sown wheat and have reaped thorns, They have ^(ai)strained themselves ^[k]to no profit. But be ashamed of your ^[l](aj)harvest Because of the ^(ak)fierce anger of the Lord ."

Thus says the Lord concerning all My ^(al)wicked neighbors who ^(am)strike at the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel, "Behold I am about to uproot them from their land and will ^(an)uproot the house of Judah from among them.

And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will ^(ao)again have compassion on them; and I will ^(ap)bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land.

Then if they will really ^(aq)learn the ways of My people, to ^(ar)swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,' even as they taught My people to ^(as)swear by Baal, they will be ^(at)built up in the midst of My people.

But if they will not listen, then I will ^(au)uproot that nation, uproot and destroy it," declares the Lord .