14 This is the Lord 's message that he gave to Jeremiah about the famine:
2 ‘Judah's people are very sad and upset.
The people in Judah's cities are becoming weak.
They are sitting on the ground and they are weeping.
Jerusalem's people call to me for help.
3 Rich people send their servants to get water.
They go to the wells, but they do not find any water.
They return home with empty water jars.
They are ashamed and upset.
They hide their faces in their hands.
4 There has been no rain anywhere.
The ground is breaking apart.
The farmers too are very upset.
They hide their faces in their hands.
5 There is no grass in the fields for the deer to eat.
So the mother deer runs away from her new baby.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the empty hills.
They breathe very fast, like thirsty jackals.
Their eyes hurt as they look for grass,
but there is no food for them to eat.’
7 ‘ Lord , our many sins show that we are guilty. [ a ]
But please help us, to show that you are our God.
We have turned away from you many times.
We have done bad things against you.
8 You are the one that we Israelites hope to give us help.
You are the one who saves us when we are in trouble.
But now you live among us like a foreigner.
You are like a visitor who stays for only one night.
9 You seem to be like a helpless person.
You are like a brave fighter who has lost his strength to save anyone.
But surely you are among us, Lord .
We belong to you as your own people.
Do not leave us alone!’
10 The Lord says this about his people:
‘These people love to go wherever they want.
They do not try to stay near to me.
So they do not please me.
Now I will remember the wrong things that they have done.
I will punish them for their sins.’
11 The Lord said to me, ‘Do not pray that I will do any more good things for these people. 12 Even if they fast, I will not listen when they ask me for help. I will not accept the burnt offerings or grain offerings that they offer to me. Instead, I will use war, famine and disease to destroy them.’
13 I said, ‘ Lord God, the prophets are deceiving the people. They say that there will not be any war or famine or disease that will hurt the people. Instead, they say that you have promised peace in our land.’
14 The Lord said to me, ‘Those prophets say that they speak my messages, but they are telling lies. I did not send them. I did not give them my authority. I did not give them any messages. They are deceiving people with the visions that they talk about. When they prophesy about things, it means nothing. They only speak about their own foolish ideas. 15 They claim to speak with my authority, but I did not send them. They say that there will be no war or famine. So I tell you, this is what will happen to those prophets: War and famine will kill them. 16 And the people that they are speaking their messages to will also die because of war and famine. Their bodies will lie in Jerusalem's streets. Nobody will be there to bury them. This will happen to the men, their wives, their sons and their daughters. I will punish them as they deserve, because they are so wicked.
17 Say this to the people, Jeremiah:
“Tears pour from my eyes all the time.
I weep through each day and each night.
I am sad about my own dear people.
A great trouble has knocked them to the ground.
They have received a very bad wound.
18 When I go out into the fields,
I see the bodies of people who have died in war.
When I look in the city,
I see people who are dying from famine.
The prophets and the priests are busy with their work.
But they do not understand what is happening.” ’
19 ‘ Lord , have you completely turned away from the people of Judah?
Do you really hate the people of Zion?
You have knocked us down
so that we will never get better.
We hoped to live in peace,
but nothing good happened to us.
We hoped to have rest from our troubles,
but instead we live in fear.
20 Lord , we agree that we are wicked people.
Our ancestors also did bad things.
We have turned against you.
21 But please do not refuse to help us.
Show that you are a faithful God.
Jerusalem is the place where you have your beautiful throne.
So do not go away and leave us.
Remember the covenant that you made with us.
Please do what you promised to do for us.
22 The idols of other nations are useless.
None of them can cause rain to fall.
And the sky itself does not make rain.
No, it is you, Lord , our God, who sends rain.
You alone do all these things,
so we trust you to help us.’
14 This is the Lord ’s message to Jeremiah about the drought [ a ] :
2 “The nation of Judah cries for people who have died.
The people in the cities of Judah grow weaker and weaker.
They lie on the ground.
People in Jerusalem, cry to God for help.
3 The leaders of the people send their servants to get water.
The servants go to the water storage places,
but they don’t find any water.
The servants come back with empty jars,
so they are ashamed and embarrassed.
They cover their heads from shame.
4 No one prepares the ground for crops. [ b ]
No rain falls on the land.
The farmers are depressed.
So they cover their heads from shame.
5 Even the mother deer in the field leaves her newborn baby alone,
because there is no grass.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the bare hills.
They sniff the wind like jackals.
But their eyes cannot find any food,
because there are no plants to eat.
7 “We know that this is our fault.
We are now suffering because of our sins.
Lord , do something to help us for the good of your name.
We admit that we have left you many times.
We have sinned against you.
8 God, you are the hope of Israel!
You save Israel in times of trouble.
But now it seems like you are a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who only stays one night.
9 You seem like a man who has been attacked by surprise,
like a soldier who does not have the power to save anyone.
But, Lord , you are with us.
We are called by your name, so don’t leave us without help!”
10 This is what the Lord says about the people of Judah: “The people of Judah really love to leave me. They don’t stop themselves from leaving me. So now the Lord will not accept them. Now he will remember the evil they do. He will punish them for their sins.”
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, don’t pray for good things to happen to the people of Judah. 12 They might begin to fast and pray to me, but I will not listen to their prayers. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. I will destroy the people of Judah with war. I will take away their food, and they will starve. And I will destroy them with terrible diseases.”
13 But I said, “Lord God , the prophets were telling the people something different. They were telling the people of Judah, ‘You will not suffer from war or from hunger. The Lord will give you peace in this land.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, those prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or command them or speak to them. Their prophecies came from false visions, worthless magic, and their own wishful thinking. 15 So this is what I, the Lord , say about the prophets who are speaking in my name. I did not send them. They said, ‘No enemy will ever attack this country. There will never be hunger in this land.’ So those prophets will die from hunger or by an enemy’s sword. 16 And the people they spoke to will be thrown into the streets. The people will die from hunger and war. I will punish them, and no one will be there to bury them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters.
17 “Jeremiah, speak this message to the people of Judah:
‘My eyes fill with tears
night and day without stopping.
I cry for my virgin daughter, [ c ] and for my dear people,
because someone hit them and crushed them.
They have been hurt very badly.
18 If I go into the country,
I see the bodies of those killed in war.
If I go into the city,
I see people sick from hunger.
The priests and prophets continue their work,
but they don’t understand what is happening.’”
19 Lord, have you completely rejected the nation of Judah?
Do you hate Zion?
You hurt us so badly that we cannot be made well again.
Why did you do that?
We were hoping for peace,
but nothing good has come.
We were hoping for a time of healing,
but only terror came.
20 Lord , we know that we are wicked.
We know that our ancestors did evil things.
Yes, we sinned against you.
21 For the good of your name, don’t push us away.
Don’t take away the honor from your glorious throne.
Remember your agreement with us
and do not break it.
22 Foreign idols don’t have the power to bring rain.
The sky does not have the power to send down showers of rain.
You, the Lord our God, are our only hope.
You are the one who made all these things.
14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
3 And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.
4 Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
5 Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.
6 And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.
7 O Lord , though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.
8 O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?
9 Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O Lord , art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.
10 Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.
11 Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.
12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
13 Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
14 Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
15 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.
17 Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.
18 If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.
19 Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!
20 We acknowledge, O Lord , our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.
21 Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.
14 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah regarding the ( A ) drought:
2 “Judah mourns
And ( B ) her gates languish;
Her people sit on the ground ( C ) in mourning garments,
And the ( D ) cry of Jerusalem has ascended.
3 Their nobles have ( E ) sent their [ a ] servants for water;
They have come to the ( F ) cisterns and found no water.
They have returned with their containers empty;
They have been ( G ) put to shame and humiliated,
And they ( H ) cover their heads,
4 Because the ( I ) ground is [ b ] cracked,
For there has been ( J ) no rain on the land.
The ( K ) farmers have been put to shame,
They have covered their heads.
5 For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young ,
Because there is ( L ) no grass.
6 The ( M ) wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals,
Their eyes fail
Because there is ( N ) no vegetation.
7 Though our ( O ) wrongdoings testify against us,
Lord , act ( P ) for the sake of Your name!
Our ( Q ) apostasies have indeed been many,
We have ( R ) sinned against You.
8 ( S ) Hope of Israel,
Its ( T ) Savior in ( U ) time of distress,
Why are You like a stranger in the land,
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night?
9 Why are You like a confused person,
Like a warrior who ( V ) cannot save?
Yet ( W ) You are in our midst, Lord ,
And we are ( X ) called by Your name;
Do not leave us!”
10 This is what the Lord says to this people: “So much they have ( Y ) loved to wander; they have not ( Z ) restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does ( AA ) not accept them; now He will ( AB ) remember their wrongdoing and call their sins to account.” 11 So the Lord said to me, “ ( AC ) Do not pray for a good outcome on behalf of this people. 12 When they fast, I am ( AD ) not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer ( AE ) burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather, I am going to ( AF ) put an end to them by the ( AG ) sword, famine, and plague.”
13 But I said, “Oh, Lord [ c ] God ! Behold, the prophets are telling them, ‘You ( AH ) will not see a sword, nor will you have famine; on the contrary, I will give you lasting ( AI ) peace in this place.’” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “The ( AJ ) prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. ( AK ) I have neither sent them nor commanded them, nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a ( AL ) false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own [ d ] minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them—yet they keep saying: ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’— ( AM ) by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! 16 And the people to whom they are prophesying will be ( AN ) thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to ( AO ) bury them— neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will ( AP ) pour out their own wickedness upon them.
17 You will say this word to them,
‘ ( AQ ) Let my eyes stream down tears night and day,
And let them not cease;
For the virgin ( AR ) daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow,
With a sorely ( AS ) infected wound.
18 If I ( AT ) go out to the country,
There are those killed by the sword!
Or if I enter the city,
There are diseases from famine!
For ( AU ) both prophet and priest
Have wandered around in the land that they do not know.’”
19 Have You completely ( AV ) rejected Judah?
Or have [ e ] You loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that we ( AW ) are beyond healing?
We ( AX ) waited for peace, but nothing good came ;
And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
20 We ( AY ) know our wickedness, Lord ,
The wrongdoing of our fathers, for ( AZ ) we have sinned against You.
21 Do not despise us , ( BA ) for the sake of Your own name;
Do not disgrace the ( BB ) throne of Your glory.
Remember and do not annul Your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the [ f ] ( BC ) idols of the nations who ( BD ) give rain?
Or can the heavens grant showers?
Is it not You, Lord our God?
Therefore we ( BE ) wait for You,
For You are the one who has done all these things.
14 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: ( A )
2 “Judah mourns, ( B )
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
3 The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water. ( C )
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads. ( D )
4 The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land; ( E )
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass. ( F )
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights ( G )
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food.” ( H )
7 Although our sins testify ( I ) against us,
do something, Lord , for the sake of your name. ( J )
For we have often rebelled; ( K )
we have sinned ( L ) against you.
8 You who are the hope ( M ) of Israel,
its Savior ( N ) in times of distress, ( O )
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save? ( P )
You are among ( Q ) us, Lord ,
and we bear your name; ( R )
do not forsake ( S ) us!
10 This is what the Lord says about this people:
“They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet. ( T )
So the Lord does not accept ( U ) them;
he will now remember ( V ) their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.” ( W )
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray ( X ) for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; ( Y ) though they offer burnt offerings ( Z ) and grain offerings, ( AA ) I will not accept ( AB ) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, ( AC ) famine ( AD ) and plague.” ( AE )
13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord ! The prophets ( AF ) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. ( AG ) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace ( AH ) in this place.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies ( AI ) in my name. I have not sent ( AJ ) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, ( AK ) divinations, ( AL ) idolatries [ a ] and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish ( AM ) by sword and famine. ( AN ) 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury ( AO ) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters. ( AP ) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve. ( AQ )
17 “Speak this word to them:
“‘Let my eyes overflow with tears ( AR )
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin ( AS ) Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow. ( AT )
18 If I go into the country,
I see those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see the ravages of famine. ( AU )
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not. ( AV ) ’”
19 Have you rejected Judah completely? ( AW )
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed? ( AX )
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror. ( AY )
20 We acknowledge ( AZ ) our wickedness, Lord ,
and the guilt of our ancestors; ( BA )
we have indeed sinned ( BB ) against you.
21 For the sake of your name ( BC ) do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne. ( BD )
Remember your covenant ( BE ) with us
and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols ( BF ) of the nations bring rain? ( BG )
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this. ( BH )
