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The Book of Jeremiah
Jeremiah was a prophet. He told people what God told
him to say.
He was 20 years old when he began to prophesize. He continued for 45
years. Most of his prophecies were warnings. God was warning Israel and
Judah to start behaving better. But the people wouldn't listen to
Jeremiah, and he felt sad. Some people call him, "the weeping
prophet" because he cried so much.
Jeremiah started prophesized around the year of 626 BC
and ended in 582 BC.
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Jeremiah 1
About Jeremiah the prophet and the list of years
when God talked to him.
These are the words of Jeremiah. His father's name was Hilkiah. He was one of
the priests who lived in Anathoth (in the area of Benjamin).
[1] The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in
Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
God spoke to Jeremiah during the 13th year that
Josiah was the king of Judah. Josiah's father was Amon.
[2] To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of
Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
God also spoke to Jeremiah when Josiah's son,
Jehoiakim, became king. He continued to talk to him until the 11th year that
Josiah's other son, Zedekiah, was king. In that year, in the 5th month,
Jerusalem was captured.
[3] It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of
Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of
Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
God tells Jeremiah that He will tell him what to say. Jeremiah is not sure he is
capable, but God convinces him.
Jeremiah said, "This is what God said to me.
Before I made you in your mother's
belly, I knew you. Before you were born, I picked you and made you special to be
a prophet. I picked you to tell everyone what I say.
[4] Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
[5] Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest
forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the
nations.
Then I said, "But God, look at me. I cannot
speak. I am a child."
[6] Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
But the Lord said to me, "Don't say you're a
child because you will go where I send you, and you will say what I tell you to
say. Don't be afraid of how people look at you because I am with you to help
you."
[7] But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go
to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
[8] Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee,
saith the LORD.
Then, the Lord touched my mouth with His hand.
The Lord said, "See, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have put you in
charge of countries and kingdoms. I put you in charge to get out and destroy the
bad. I put you in charge to build and plant."
[9] Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD
said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
[10] See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the
kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to
build, and to plant.
Also, the Lord said to me, "Jeremiah, what do you see?"
I said, "I see the branch of an almond tree."
[11] Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what
seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
Then God said to me, "You have seen it well. I will make that happen."
[12] Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten
my word to perform it.
God tells Jeremiah that evil will come from the
north. (This is what later happens when the Assyrians capture Israel.)
Then, God talked to me another time. He said, "What do you see?"
I said, "I see a pot that is boiling. It's top is facing the north."
[13] And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What
seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the
north.
Then, God said to me, "This is what will happen.
Evil will come from the north. It will cover all of the people who live in the
land. I will call the kingdoms that are in the north. They will come and take
over. They will put their thrones at the gates of Jerusalem. They will rule over
the walls and the cities of Judah.
[14] Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break
forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
[15] For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north,
saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at
the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round
about, and against all the cities of Judah.
The people in Judah and Israel will be captured.
They will be punished because they have been worshiping idols and false gods.
I will tell them their punishments for all of
their evil and wickedness. They have forgotten Me. They have been burning
incense to worship other gods. They have been worshiping idols they made
themselves.
[16] And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their
wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and
worshipped the works of their own hands.
God tells Jeremiah He will help him when the people get upset at what he says.
So, get ready and go tell them everything that I tell you. Don't worry about how
they look at you or I will make you confused in front of them.
[17] Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all
that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before
them.
I have made you strong like a city with a wall,
like an iron pillar, and like brass walls. You will be strong against all of
Judah and the kings and princes of Judah. You will be strong against the
priest and the people of Judah. They will fight against you, but they will not
defeat you because I am with you to save you."
[18] For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron
pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah,
against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people
of the land.
[19] And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail
against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
Jeremiah 2
God asks the people why they have left
Him
Jeremiah told the people what God said next.
God said to Jeremiah, "Go and tell Jerusalem,
'This
is what God says."
God said, " I remember you when you were young. You were kind and loved me like
you were my bride. You followed me into a new land and followed me in the
wilderness."
[1] Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
[2] Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I
remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou
wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
Israel was holy to the Lord. It was the first of His harvest. I punished
everyone who hurt Israel.
[3] Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his
increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the
LORD.
"House of Jacob and all of the families of Israel,
hear what God is saying. He asked, why have your fathers left Me? What did I do
wrong? They are going after foolish things. They have become foolish, too.
[4] Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families
of the house of Israel:
[5] Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me,
that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become
vain?
God reminds them how He helped them leave Egypt.
They don't talk about the miracles I brought them through.
They don't talk about how I brought them up out of Egypt and led them through
the wilderness. They don't talk about how I led them through deserts, droughts, and
pits and through the shadow of death where no man had passed through or lived.
[6] Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the
land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and
of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land
that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?
I brought you into a country with many
things in it. I brought you in to eat the fruit and the other good things in it.
But, when you entered, you made My land dirty. You made My heritage ugly.
[7] And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof
and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine
heritage an abomination.
The priests did not ask where I was. The
people in charge of the law did not know me. The pastors also sinned against Me.
The prophets told prophecies from the false god, Baal. They walked after things
that are not good.
[8] The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law
knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets
prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.
"So I will plead with you," said God. "I will plead
with your children's children.
[9] Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your
children's children will I plead.
Look around at other countries to see if they've
done so bad as this. Look at the islands of Chittim and look at Kedar. Has any
other country changed its gods even if they are just false gods? But My people
have changed their glory for something that is not precious.
[10] For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar,
and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.
[11] Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my
people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
"Heavens look, and you will be amazed. You will be afraid and very empty," said
the Lord.
[12] Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye
very desolate, saith the LORD.
My people have done 2 evil things. First, they left
Me. I was the fountain of living water. Second, they tried to collect water from
me in broken containers.
[13] For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the
fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that
can hold no water.
Is Israel a servant? Was he born a slave? Why is he
captured in war?
[14] Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?
God says that other countries will take over Israel and
Judah because they are being evil and wicked.
Young lions roared loudly. They destroyed his land. His cities are burned
down. No one lives there.
[15] The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land
waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.
People from Noph and Tahapanes have broken your
heads.
[16] Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy
head.
You have brought this on yourself. You turned
away from the Lord your God when He was leading you.
[17] Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken
the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?
What are you doing now acting like people in Egypt?
They drink the water of Sihor. Or why are you acting like people in Assyria?
They drink water from the river.
[18] And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the
waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the
waters of the river?
Your own wickedness will punish you. When you turn from God, you will know that
it is evil and bitter. You have turned away from the Lord your God. God
says you don't respect and love Him.
[19] Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall
reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that
thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the
Lord GOD of hosts.
Back in a previous time, I broke your yoke and broke
your chains. You said you would not sin. But, now you are sinning on every high
hill and under every green tree.
[20] For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and
thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every
green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.
I had planted you to be like a noble vine. You had
the right seed, but you turned into a bad vine. You are strange to me.
[21] Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then
art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?
You wash with strong soap, but you are dirty to God.
[22] For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet
thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.
How can you say that you are not dirty? How can you
say you have not worship the false god, Baal? You know that you have done wrong
things. You are like a fast camel or a wild donkey. You are full of lust.
Anyone can have them.
[23] How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim?
see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary
traversing her ways;
[24] A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her
pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not
weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.
Change your ways. But you have said no. You love
strange gods and you will continue to go after them.
[25] Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but
thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them
will I go.
A thief regrets his crime only if he is caught.
Israel is the same - their kings, princes, priests, and prophets.
[26] As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel
ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their
prophets,
They sin by saying to rocks and animals, "You are my
father or you have made me." They have turned their backs on God. But when they
have trouble, they will ask God to save them.
[27] Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast
brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face:
but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
Where are the gods that you made for yourself? Tell
them to get up and save you when you have trouble. You have as many false gods
as you have cities in Judah.
[28] But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if
they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of
thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.
"You will beg me for help. You have all sinned
against me," says the Lord. "I have punished your children, but they still don't
obey Me. You have killed prophets like a lion destroys people."
[29] Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against
me, saith the LORD.
[30] In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction:
your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
I ask this generation, have I been a wilderness or
land of darkness to you? Why do you think you can do everything without My help?
[31] O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness
unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will
come no more unto thee?
Can a woman forget her jewelry? Can a bride forget
her wedding dress? But my people have forgotten me for a very long time.
[32] Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my
people have forgotten me days without number.
Why do you such things to look for love? You have
also taught wicked people what do do.
[33] Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also
taught the wicked ones thy ways.
You have blood of innocent people on your clothes.
It is no secret. It is on everything.
[34] Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor
innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
Even so, you say that you are innocent. You don't
think God will be mad at you. But, I will punish you because you have said you
have not sinned.
[35] Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn
from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
Why are you going through so much trouble to change your ways?
Egypt will be bad to you just like Assyria was.
[36] Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be
ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
They won't help you. God will reject them. You will go away from them with
your hands on your head.
[37] Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head:
for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.
Jeremiah 3
God compares the people in Israel and Judah to a wife who is unfaithful.
They talk about the Jewish law. If a man divorces
his wife, and she leaves him and marries another man, will the first man want
her back? Isn't she now dirty? But that is what you have done to Me. You
have left Me for other gods, then you came back to Me.
[1] They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become
another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly
polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to
me, saith the LORD.
Look up at the places where you worship false gods.
You have been sitting there with your false gods. You are like an Arabian who
wanders alone in the wilderness. You have made your land dirty because you are
wicked and are like prostitutes.
[2] Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not
been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the
wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy
wickedness.
That is why it won't rain. You did not feel ashamed
of what you did. Will you not come back to me and say, "Father, you were my
guide when I was young. Will He be angry forever? Will He stay angry until the
end?" But you have said and done evil things every time you could.
[3] Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no
latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
[4] Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the
guide of my youth?
[5] Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end?
Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
Both Israel and Judah have sinned.
The Lord also talked to Jeremiah when Josiah was
the king. He said, "Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone
up on every high mountain and under every green tree and acted like a prostitute.
After she did these things, I told her to turn back to Me. But she did not
return to Me. Her dishonest sister, Judah, saw this. Judah didn't change and
continued to be like a prostitute.
[6] The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou
seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high
mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
[7] And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me.
But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
[8] And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel
committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her
treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
She made the land dirty. She committed adultery with
other false gods.
[9] And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she
defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Judah saw this, but they did not turn back to God with their whole heart. They
only pretended to turn back to God. .
[10] And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned
unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
The Lord told Jeremiah that Israel backslid, but she
was better off than Judah.
[11] And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified
herself more than treacherous Judah.
The Lord told Jeremiah to go to the north and
tell backsliding Israel to come back. He said He will not punish them with His
anger.
[12] Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou
backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon
you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Israel must admit they did wrong and sinned against
the Lord God. They have sinned with false gods. They have not obeyed God's
voice.
[13] Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against
the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green
tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
What will happen if they start following God again.
God said, "Turn back, you backsliding children. I
will take you all home to Zion. I will give you leaders who know my heart. They
will show you knowledge and understanding. Later on, you will be
multiplied. You won't have the Ark of the Covenant then because the Lord
will be with you.
[14] Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto
you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring
you to Zion:
[15] And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall
feed you with knowledge and understanding.
[16] And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in
the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the
covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember
it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
They will call Jerusalem the Lord's throne. All of
the nations will gather there. They will come to Jerusalem, to the name of the
Lord. They won't do evil things anymore.
[17] At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and
all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to
Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil
heart.
At that time, Judah and Israel will come together in
the land I gave your ancestors. I thought you would call me Father and be loyal
to Me.
[18] In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of
Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land
that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
[19] But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a
pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt
call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
But Israel, you have left Me, like a wife who
leaves her husband.
[20] Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have
ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.
Israel was crying in the places where they
worshiped false gods. God says He will heal them if they come back to Him. God
wants them to say, "We are back. We are ashamed because we sinned against God
for a long time. We have not obeyed God."
[21] A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of
the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have
forgotten the LORD their God.
[22] Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.
Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
[23] Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the
multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
[24] For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth;
their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
[25] We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have
sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto
this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
Jeremiah 4
God wants Israel and Judah to come back to Him.
This is what the Lord says to Israel:
If you will come back to me, Israel, and stop
worshiping false gods, then you can stay. You will swear that I live and that I am
honest and good and fair.
[1] If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if
thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not
remove.
[2] And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in
righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall
they glory.
God told Judah and Jerusalem to plow their farms
that sit empty. They should not plant seeds in thorns.
[3] For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up
your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
Focus on God and not other things. If you don't, my
anger will come out like a fire that can't be put out.
[4] Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of
your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come
forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your
doings.
God warns them that disaster is coming from the north.
Tell everyone in Judah and Jerusalem to blow
their trumpets for warning. Get everyone together and go to the walled cities.
Raise up a flag to warn Zion. God will bring evil and destruction from the
north.
[5] Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the
trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let
us go into the defenced cities.
[6] Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring
evil from the north, and a great destruction.
The lion has come up out of his hiding place. The one who will destroy the
Gentiles is coming. He is leaving his place to destroy the land. The
cities will be destroyed. No one will live in them.
[7] The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the
Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land
desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
Put on your rough cloth. Cry and howl because God is
angry with us. He will punish us.
[8] For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce
anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.
God says that when that happens, the king, the
princes, and the priests will be shocked and confused.
[9] And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart
of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be
astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
Jeremiah thinks God has told them they will have peace,
but now they don't
Jeremiah said to God, "But God, you have deceived
your people and Jerusalem. You said they would have peace, but now a sword
reaches their soul."
[10] Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this
people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth
unto the soul.
God said, "At that time, this is what to say to the
people and to Jerusalem: A dry wind is coming from the mountains toward my
people. The wind is not to cool them. It is a strong wind that I'm sending to
punish them.
[11] At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry
wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not
to fan, nor to cleanse,
[12] Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will
I give sentence against them.
Trouble is coming. The enemy will come like clouds.
The enemy's chariot will be like a whirlwind. His horses are faster than eagles.
We will be in big trouble! He will defeat us.
[13] Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a
whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
Oh Jerusalem! Stop being wicked. Clean your hearts
so that you can be saved. How long will you keep thinking bad thoughts?
[14] O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be
saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
A voice is coming from the land of the tribe of Dan. It tells about trouble from
Mount Ephraim.
[15] For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount
Ephraim.
Tell the nations. Tell Jerusalem. Enemies of Judah
are coming from the north.
[16] Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem,
that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the
cities of Judah.
God says they will come around Judah because they have not obeyed Him.
[17] As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she
hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.
You have brought this on yourselves by being wicked.
You are wicked down into your hearts.
[18] Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is
thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
Jeremiah says he is so upset that he is sick.
Jeremiah said he was in great pain. His insides
hurt. His heart hurt and beat so loud he could hear it. He couldn't keep quiet.
He said, "My soul has heard the sound of trumpets and the alarm for war."
[19] My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh
a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the
sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
There are disasters and then more disasters. The
whole land is destroyed. The tents and curtains are destroyed very fast.
[20] Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is
spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
Jeremiah wonders how long he will see the flag and
hear the trumpet.
[21] How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the
trumpet?
God said Israel and Judah will be completely destroyed.
God said, "My people are foolish. They do not know Me. They are spoiled
children. They have no understanding. They know how to do evil things, but they
don't know how to do good things.
[22] For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish
children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do
good they have no knowledge.
I looked at the earth. There was nothing there.
There was no light in the sky.
[23] I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the
heavens, and they had no light.
I looked at the mountains. They shook, and the hills
moved a little.
[24] I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills
moved lightly.
I looked, and there were no people. All of the birds
in the sky flew away.
[25] I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the
heavens were fled.
I looked, and the farms were wilderness and bare. The cities were destroyed by
God's strong anger.
[26] I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the
cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce
anger.
God said, "The whole land will be bare and empty.
But I will not destroy the land. The earth will be sad, and the sky will
be black because I have said that's the way it will be. I will not change
my mind.
[27] For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet
will I not make a full end.
[28] For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black:
because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will
I turn back from it.
The people hear the soldiers on horses and the
soldiers with bow and arrow. They will hide in the bushes. They will climb up
and hide in the rocks. Every city will be left alone. No one will live there.
[29] The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen;
they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be
forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
When you have been defeated by another army, what
will you do? You put on your red clothes and put gold jewelry on. You make
up your face. But it is for nothing. Your lovers hate you and try to kill
you.
[30] And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest
thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though
thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy
lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
I have heard a voice like a woman having pain in labor.
She screams like a woman having her first child. It is the voice of the
daughter of Zion. She is holding out her hands and crying hard. She says, "I am
in big trouble! People are trying to kill me!"
[31] For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish
as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of
Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now!
for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
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