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Jeremiah 5

⁵ So I will go to the leaders ⁵ and speak to them; ⁵ surely they know the way of the Lord, ⁵ the requirements of their God." ⁵ But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke ⁵ and torn off the bonds.

⁶ Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, ⁶ a wolf from the desert will ravage them, ⁶ a leopard will lie in wait near their towns ⁶ to tear to pieces any who venture out, ⁶ for their rebellion is great ⁶ and their backslidings many.

⁷ "Why should I forgive you? ⁷ Your children have forsaken me ⁷ and sworn by gods that are not gods. ⁷ I supplied all their needs, ⁷ yet they committed adultery ⁷ and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.

⁸ They are well-fed, lusty stallions, ⁸ each neighing for another man's wife.

⁹ Should I not punish them for this?" ⁹ declares the Lord. ⁹ "Should I not avenge myself ⁹ on such a nation as this?

¹⁰ "Go through her vineyards and ravage them, ¹⁰ but do not destroy them completely. ¹⁰ Strip off her branches, ¹⁰ for these people do not belong to the Lord.

¹¹ The house of Israel and the house of Judah ¹¹ have been utterly unfaithful to me," ¹¹ declares the Lord.

¹² They have lied about the Lord; ¹² they said, "He will do nothing! ¹² No harm will come to us; ¹² we will never see sword or famine.

¹³ The prophets are but wind ¹³ and the word is not in them; ¹³ so let what they say be done to them."

¹⁴ Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says: ¹⁴ "Because the people have spoken these words, ¹⁴ I will make my words in your mouth a fire ¹⁴ and these people the wood it consumes.

¹⁵ O house of Israel," declares the Lord, ¹⁵ "I am bringing a distant nation against you— ¹⁵ an ancient and enduring nation, ¹⁵ a people whose language you do not know, ¹⁵ whose speech you do not understand.

¹⁶ Their quivers are like an open grave; ¹⁶ all of them are mighty warriors.

¹⁷ They will devour your harvests and food, ¹⁷ devour your sons and daughters; ¹⁷ they will devour your flocks and herds, ¹⁷ devour your vines and fig trees. ¹⁷ With the sword they will destroy ¹⁷ the fortified cities in which you trust.

¹⁸ "Yet even in those days," declares the Lord, "I will not destroy you completely. ¹⁹ And when the people ask, 'Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?' you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.'

²⁰ "Announce this to the house of Jacob ²⁰ and proclaim it in Judah:

²¹ Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, ²¹ who have eyes but do not see, ²¹ who have ears but do not hear:

²² Should you not fear me?" declares the Lord. ²² "Should you not tremble in my presence? ²² I made the sand a boundary for the sea, ²² an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. ²² The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; ²² they may roar, but they cannot cross it.

²³ But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; ²³ they have turned aside and gone away.

²⁴ They do not say to themselves, ²⁴ 'Let us fear the Lord our God, ²⁴ who gives autumn and spring rains in season, ²⁴ who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'

²⁵ Your wrongdoings have kept these away; ²⁵ your sins have deprived you of good.

²⁶ "Among my people are wicked men ²⁶ who lie in wait like men who snare birds ²⁶ and like those who set traps to catch men.

²⁷ Like cages full of birds, ²⁷ their houses are full of deceit; ²⁷ they have become rich and powerful ²⁸ and have grown fat and sleek. ²⁸ Their evil deeds have no limit; ²⁸ they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, ²⁸ they do not defend the rights of the poor.

²⁹ Should I not punish them for this?" ²⁹ declares the Lord. ²⁹ "Should I not avenge myself ²⁹ on such a nation as this?

³⁰ "A horrible and shocking thing ³⁰ has happened in the land:

³¹ The prophets prophesy lies, ³¹ the priests rule by their own authority, ³¹ and my people love it this way. ³¹ But what will you do in the end?

Jeremiah 6

¹ Jerusalem Under Siege

¹ "Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! ¹ Flee from Jerusalem! ¹ Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! ¹ Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! ¹ For disaster looms out of the north, ¹ even terrible destruction.

² I will destroy the Daughter of Zion, ² so beautiful and delicate.

³ Shepherds with their flocks will come against her; ³ they will pitch their tents around her, ³ each tending his own portion."

⁴ "Prepare for battle against her! ⁴ Arise, let us attack at noon! ⁴ But, alas, the daylight is fading, ⁴ and the shadows of evening grow long.

⁵ So arise, let us attack at night ⁵ and destroy her fortresses!"

⁶ This is what the Lord Almighty says: ⁶ "Cut down the trees ⁶ and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. ⁶ This city must be punished; ⁶ it is filled with oppression.

⁷ As a well pours out its water, ⁷ so she pours out her wickedness. ⁷ Violence and destruction resound in her; ⁷ her sickness and wounds are ever before me.

⁸ Take warning, O Jerusalem, ⁸ or I will turn away from you ⁸ and make your land desolate ⁸ so no one can live in it."

⁹ This is what the Lord Almighty says: ⁹ "Let them glean the remnant of Israel ⁹ as thoroughly as a vine; ⁹ pass your hand over the branches again, ⁹ like one gathering grapes."

¹⁰ To whom can I speak and give warning? ¹⁰ Who will listen to me? ¹⁰ Their ears are closed^[a] ¹⁰ so they cannot hear. ¹⁰ The word of the Lord is offensive to them; ¹⁰ they find no pleasure in it.

¹¹ But I am full of the wrath of the Lord, ¹¹ and I cannot hold it in. ¹¹ "Pour it out on the children in the street ¹¹ and on the young men gathered together; ¹¹ both husband and wife will be caught in it, ¹¹ and the old, those weighed down with years.

¹² Their houses will be turned over to others, ¹² together with their fields and their wives, ¹² when I stretch out my hand ¹² against those who live in the land," ¹² declares the Lord.

¹³ "From the least to the greatest, ¹³ all are greedy for gain; ¹³ prophets and priests alike, ¹³ all practice deceit.

¹⁴ They dress the wound of my people ¹⁴ as though it were not serious. ¹⁴ 'Peace, peace,' they say, ¹⁴ when there is no peace.

¹⁵ Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? ¹⁵ No, they have no shame at all; ¹⁵ they do not even know how to blush. ¹⁵ So they will fall among the fallen; ¹⁵ they will be brought down when I punish them," ¹⁵ says the Lord.

¹⁶ This is what the Lord says: ¹⁶ "Stand at the crossroads and look; ¹⁶ ask for the ancient paths, ¹⁶ ask where the good way is, and walk in it, ¹⁶ and you will find rest for your souls. ¹⁶ But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'

¹⁷ I appointed watchmen over you and said, ¹⁷ 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' ¹⁷ But you said, 'We will not listen.'

¹⁸ Therefore hear, O nations; ¹⁸ observe, O witnesses, ¹⁸ what will happen to them.

¹⁹ Hear, O earth: ¹⁹ I am bringing disaster on this people, ¹⁹ the fruit of their schemes, ¹⁹ because they have not listened to my words ¹⁹ and have rejected my law.

²⁰ What do I care about incense from Sheba ²⁰ or sweet calamus from a distant land? ²⁰ Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; ²⁰ your sacrifices do not please me."

²¹ Therefore this is what the Lord says: ²¹ "I will put obstacles before this people. ²¹ Fathers and sons alike will stumble over them; ²¹ neighbors and friends will perish."

²² This is what the Lord says: ²² "Look, an army is coming ²² from the land of the north; ²² a great nation is being stirred up ²² from the ends of the earth.

²³ They are armed with bow and spear; ²³ they are cruel and show no mercy. ²³ They sound like the roaring sea ²³ as they ride on their horses; ²³ they come like men in battle formation ²³ to attack you, O Daughter of Zion."

²⁴ We have heard reports about them, ²⁴ and our hands hang limp. ²⁴ Anguish has gripped us, ²⁴ pain like that of a woman in labor.

²⁵ Do not go out to the fields ²⁵ or walk on the roads, ²⁵ for the enemy has a sword, ²⁵ and there is terror on every side.

²⁶ O my people, put on sackcloth ²⁶ and roll in ashes; ²⁶ mourn with bitter wailing ²⁶ as for an only son, ²⁶ for suddenly the destroyer ²⁶ will come upon us.