8 The Lord says, ‘At that time, your enemies will open the graves of your leaders and they will remove their bones. [ a ] They will remove the bones of Judah's kings and their officers, as well as the priests and prophets. They will also remove the bones of the ordinary people of Jerusalem. 2 They will leave the bones all over the ground, under the sun, the moon and the stars. Those were the gods that my people loved. They served them and they worshipped them. Nobody will take their bones and bury them again. They will lie on the ground, like dung. 3 The people of this wicked nation who are still alive will want to die. I will send them away as prisoners to other countries. They will not want to live in those places. They will all want to die.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.
4 ‘Jeremiah, tell the people that this is what I, the Lord , say to them:
When people fall down, they get up again.
When people realize that they are on the wrong road,
they turn around.
5 So why have the people of Jerusalem not turned back to me?
They turn away from me all the time.
They believe the lies of false gods,
and they refuse to return to me.
6 I have listened carefully to them,
but they do not say what is right.
They are not sorry for the wicked things that they have done.
None of them say, “I have done something wrong.”
They all continue to do what they want to do.
They are like horses that are running into a battle.
7 Even birds know when it is time for them to move to a different place.
That is true for storks, doves, swallows and cranes. [ b ]
Birds know when it is time to return,
but my people do not know my laws.
8 You say, “We are wise
because we have the law of the Lord .”
But I tell you, your teachers have changed my laws.
They teach you lies instead.
9 Those wise teachers will be ashamed and upset.
Enemies will catch them as their prisoners.
They have refused to accept the Lord 's message.
So they are not really wise.
10 I will give their wives to other men.
Their fields will belong to other men.
They all cheat other people to get what they want.
Important people and ordinary people do that.
Prophets and priests do that.
They love to deceive people.
11 They tell my dear people that their wounds are not bad.
They say to them,
“No problem! You will have peace.”
But there will be no peace for my people.
12 They are not ashamed of the disgusting things that they do.
They do not even know what shame is.
They have forgotten how to be ashamed.
So they will fall to the ground,
as other people have fallen.
When I punish them,
that will be the end of them.’
That is what the Lord says.
13 The Lord says,
‘I will take away the crops from their fields.’
‘No figs or grapes will grow on their trees. [ c ]
The leaves on their trees will dry up and die.
All the good things that I gave to them will disappear.’
14 The people say:
‘We should not sit here and do nothing.
We must all go together into our strong cities.
If we have to die, we will die there!
The Lord our God has said that we must die.
We have done bad things against him.
He has decided to punish us with death.
He has given us water to drink that has poison in it.
15 We wanted to have peace,
but nothing good has happened to us.
We wanted to rest without trouble,
but instead we are afraid.
16 In the city of Dan, people can already hear
the noise of the enemy's horses. [ d ]
They are coming to attack our land,
so everyone shakes with fear.
They will destroy the whole land
and everything in it.
They will destroy the cities
and all the people who live in them.’
17 The Lord says,
‘Yes! I am sending an enemy's army to attack you.
They will be like dangerous snakes that have poison.
Nobody can stop them!
They will bite you and kill you.’
18 I said,
‘I am very sad and upset.
I will never get better again.
19 Listen to my dear people!
They are calling out for help everywhere in the land.
They are saying, “Is the Lord still with us in Zion?
Is he still there to rule us as our King?” ’
The Lord replies,
‘They worship images of false gods.
and useless foreign idols.
That has made me very angry.’
20 The people say,
‘We have taken in all our crops from the fields.
The summer has finished.
And still nobody has rescued us.’
21 I am very upset
because my dear people have so much pain.
I weep and I cry, as if a friend had died.
22 Surely there is a medicine in Gilead.
There is a doctor there who can make my dear people better.
But my people are still ill.
Why are they not better?
8 This message is from the Lord : “At that time men will take the bones of the kings and important rulers of Judah from their tombs. They will take the bones of the priests and prophets from their tombs. They will take the bones of all the people of Jerusalem from their tombs. 2 They will spread the bones on the ground under the sun, the moon, and the stars. The people of Jerusalem love to worship the sun, the moon, and the stars. No one will gather the bones and bury them again. So the bones of those people will be like dung thrown on the ground.
3 “I will force the people of Judah to leave their homes and their land. They will be taken away to foreign lands. Some of the people of Judah who were not killed in the war will wish that they had been killed.” This message is from the Lord All-Powerful.
4 “Jeremiah, say this to the people of Judah: ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘You know if a man falls down,
he gets up again.
And if a man goes the wrong way,
he turns around and comes back.
5 The people of Judah went the wrong way.
But why do the people of Jerusalem continue going the wrong way?
They believe their own lies.
They refuse to turn around and come back.
6 I have listened to them very carefully,
but they don’t say what is right.
They are not sorry for their sins.
They don’t think about the evil they have done.
They do things without thinking.
They are like horses running into a battle.
7 Even the birds in the sky
know the right time to do things.
The storks, doves, swifts, and thrushes
know when it is time to fly to a new home.
But my people don’t know
what the Lord wants them to do.
8 “‘You keep saying, “We have the Lord ’s teachings. So we are wise!”
But this is not true, because the scribes have lied with their pens.
9 These “wise people” refused to listen to the Lord ’s teachings.
So they are not really wise at all.
These “wise people” were trapped.
They became shocked and ashamed.
10 So I will give their wives to other men.
I will give their fields to new owners.
All the people of Israel want more and more money.
All of them, from the least important to the most important, are like that.
Even the prophets and priests tell lies.
11 They should bandage the wounds my people have suffered,
but they treat their wounds like small scratches.
They say, “It’s all right, everything is all right.”
But it is not all right!
12 They should be ashamed of the evil things they do,
but they are not ashamed at all.
They don’t know enough to be embarrassed by their sins.
So they will be punished with everyone else.
They will be thrown to the ground when I punish the people.’”
This is what the Lord said.
13 “‘I will take away their fruit and crops
so that there will be no harvest, says the Lord .
There will be no grapes on the vine and no figs on the fig tree.
Even the leaves will become dry and die.
I will take away the things I gave them.’” [ a ]
14 “They will say, ‘Why are we just sitting here?
Come, let’s run to the strong cities.
If the Lord our God is going to make us die,
then let’s die there.
We have sinned against the Lord ,
so he has given us poisoned water to drink.
15 We hoped to have peace,
but nothing good has come.
We hoped that he would forgive us,
but only disaster has come.
16 From the land of the tribe of Dan,
we hear the snorting [ b ] of the enemy’s horses.
The ground shakes from the pounding of their hooves.
They have come to destroy the land
and everything in it.
They have come to destroy the city
and all the people who live there.’”
17 “People of Judah, I am sending poisonous snakes [ c ] to attack you.
These snakes cannot be controlled.
They will bite you.”
This message is from the Lord .
18 God, I am very sad and afraid.
19 Listen to my people.
Everywhere in this country, people are crying for help.
They say, “Is the Lord still at Zion?
Is Zion’s King still there?”
But God says,
“The people of Judah worshiped their worthless foreign idols.
That made me very angry!
Why did they do that?”
20 And the people say,
“Harvest time is over.
Summer is gone,
and still we have not been saved.”
21 My people are hurt, so I am hurt.
I am too sad to speak.
22 Surely there is some medicine in Gilead.
Surely there is a doctor in Gilead.
So why are the wounds of my people not healed?
8 At that time, saith the Lord , they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the Lord of hosts.
4 Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord ; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?
5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
6 I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.
7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord .
8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord ; and what wisdom is in them?
10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord .
13 I will surely consume them, saith the Lord : there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.
14 Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord .
15 We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!
16 The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.
17 For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord .
18 When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.
19 Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?
20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
8 “At that time,” declares the Lord , “they will ( A ) bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. 2 They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the ( B ) heavenly [ a ] lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered ( C ) nor buried; ( D ) they will be like dung on the face of the ground. 3 And ( E ) death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the ( F ) places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of armies.
4 “You shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“Do people ( G ) fall and not get up?
Does one turn away and not [ b ] repent?
5 Why has this people, Jerusalem,
( H ) Turned away in continual apostasy?
They ( I ) hold on to deceit,
They ( J ) refuse to return.
6 I ( K ) have listened and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
( L ) No one repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
Like a ( M ) horse charging into the battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
( N ) Knows her seasons;
And the ( O ) turtledove, the swallow, and the crane
Keep to the time of their [ c ] migration;
But ( P ) My people do not know
The judgment of the Lord .
8 “ ( Q ) How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the Law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
9 The wise men are ( R ) put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have ( S ) rejected the word of the Lord ,
So what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will ( T ) give their wives to others,
Their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is ( U ) greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone practices deceit.
11 They have ( V ) healed the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
12 Were they ( W ) ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They were not ashamed at all,
And they did not know how to be ashamed;
Therefore they will ( X ) fall among those who fall;
At the ( Y ) time of their punishment they will collapse,”
Says the Lord .
13 “I will ( Z ) certainly snatch them away,” declares the Lord .
“There will be ( AA ) no grapes on the vine
And ( AB ) no figs on the fig tree,
And the leaf will wither;
And what I have given them will pass away.”’”
14 Why are we sitting still ?
( AC ) Assemble yourselves, and let’s ( AD ) go into the fortified cities
And perish there,
For the Lord our God has doomed us
And given us ( AE ) poisoned water to drink,
Because ( AF ) we have sinned against the Lord .
15 We ( AG ) waited for peace, but no good came ;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 From ( AH ) Dan there is heard the snorting of his horses;
At the sound of the neighing of his ( AI ) stallions
The whole land quakes;
For they come and ( AJ ) devour the land and its fullness,
The city and its inhabitants.
17 “For behold, I am ( AK ) sending serpents among you,
Vipers for which there is ( AL ) no charm;
And they will bite you,” declares the Lord .
18 [ d ] My ( AM ) sorrow is beyond healing,
My ( AN ) heart is faint within me!
19 Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a ( AO ) distant land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”
“Why have they ( AP ) provoked Me with their carved images, with foreign [ e ] ( AQ ) idols?”
20 “Harvest is past, summer is over,
And we are not saved.”
21 I am broken over the ( AR ) brokenness of the daughter of my people.
I ( AS ) mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no ( AT ) balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
( AU ) Why then has not the [ f ] health of the daughter of my people [ g ] been restored?
8 “‘At that time, declares the Lord , the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones ( A ) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed ( B ) from their graves. 2 They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served ( C ) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. ( D ) They will not be gathered up or buried, ( E ) but will be like dung lying on the ground. ( F ) 3 Wherever I banish them, ( G ) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life, ( H ) declares the Lord Almighty.’
4 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘When people fall down, do they not get up? ( I )
When someone turns away, ( J ) do they not return?
5 Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit; ( K )
they refuse to return. ( L )
6 I have listened ( M ) attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent ( N ) of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course ( O )
like a horse charging into battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know ( P )
the requirements of the Lord .
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law ( Q ) of the Lord ,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise ( R ) will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed ( S ) and trapped. ( T )
Since they have rejected the word ( U ) of the Lord ,
what kind of wisdom ( V ) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners. ( W )
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain; ( X )
prophets ( Y ) and priests alike,
all practice deceit. ( Z )
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace. ( AA )
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame ( AB ) at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished, ( AC )
says the Lord . ( AD )
13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord .
There will be no grapes on the vine. ( AE )
There will be no figs ( AF ) on the tree,
and their leaves will wither. ( AG )
What I have given them
will be taken ( AH ) from them. [ a ] ’”
14 Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities ( AI )
and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water ( AJ ) to drink,
because we have sinned ( AK ) against him.
15 We hoped for peace ( AL )
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror. ( AM )
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses ( AN )
is heard from Dan; ( AO )
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles. ( AP )
They have come to devour ( AQ )
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17 “See, I will send venomous snakes ( AR ) among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed, ( AS )
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord .
18 You who are my Comforter [ b ] in sorrow,
my heart is faint ( AT ) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
from a land far away: ( AU )
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King ( AV ) no longer there?”
“Why have they aroused ( AW ) my anger with their images,
with their worthless ( AX ) foreign idols?” ( AY )
20 “The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”
