7
1 The
word that came
to Jeremiah from
the LORD, saying,
2 “Stand
in the gate
of the LORD’s
house, and
proclaim this word
there, and say, ‘Hear
the LORD’s word,
all you of
Judah, who enter
in at these
gates to worship
the LORD.’ ”
3 The
LORD of Armies,
the God of
Israel says, “Amend
your ways and
your doings, and
I will cause you
to dwell in
this place.
4 Don’t trust
in lying words,
saying, ‘The LORD’s
temple, the LORD’s
temple, the LORD’s
temple, are these.’
5 For
if you thoroughly
amend your ways
and your doings,
if you thoroughly
execute justice
between a man and
his neighbor;
6 if you don’t
oppress the
foreigner, the
fatherless, and
the widow, and don’t
shed innocent
blood in this
place, and don’t
walk after other gods
to your own hurt,
7 then
I will cause
you to dwell
in this place,
in the land
that I gave
to your fathers,
from of old
even forever more.
8 Behold,
you trust in lying
words that can’t
profit.
9 Will
you steal, murder,
commit adultery,
swear falsely,
burn incense to
Baal, and walk
after other gods
that you have
not known,
10 then come
and stand before
me in this
house, which is
called by my
name, and say, ‘We
are delivered,’
that you may
do all these
abominations?
11 Has
this house, which
is called by
my name, become
a den of
robbers in your
eyes? Behold, I
myself have seen
it,” says the
LORD.
12 “But
go now to
my place which
was in Shiloh,
where I caused
my name to
dwell at the
first, and see
what I did
to it for
the wickedness of
my people Israel.
13 Now,
because you have
done all these
works,” says the
LORD, “and I
spoke to you,
rising up early
and speaking, but
you didn’t hear;
and I called
you, but you didn’t
answer;
14 therefore
I will do
to the house
which is called
by my name,
in which you trust,
and to the
place which I
gave to you
and to
your fathers, as I
did to Shiloh.
15 I
will cast you
out of my
sight, as I
have cast out
all your brothers,
even the whole
offspring
of Ephraim.
16 “Therefore
don’t pray for
this people. Don’t
lift up a
cry or prayer
for them or
make intercession
to me; for
I will not
hear you.
17 Don’t you
see what they
do in the
cities of Judah
and in the
streets of
Jerusalem?
18 The
children gather
wood, and
the fathers kindle
the fire, and
the women knead
the dough, to
make cakes to
the queen of
the sky, and
to pour out
drink offerings
to other gods, that
they may provoke
me to anger.
19 Do
they provoke me
to anger?” says
the LORD. “Don’t
they provoke
themselves, to the
confusion of their
own faces?”
20 Therefore
the Lord GOD
says: “Behold, my
anger and my
wrath will be
poured out on
this place, on
man, on animal, on
the trees of
the field, and
on the fruit
of the ground;
and it will
burn and will
not be quenched.”
21 The
LORD of Armies,
the God of
Israel says: “Add
your burnt
offerings to your
sacrifices and eat
meat.
22 For
I didn’t speak to
your fathers or
command them in
the day that
I brought them
out of the land
of Egypt
concerning burnt
offerings or
sacrifices;
23 but
this thing I
commanded them,
saying, ‘Listen to
my voice, and
I will be
your God, and
you shall be
my people. Walk
in all the
way that I
command you, that
it may be
well with you.’
24 But
they didn’t listen
or turn their
ear, but walked
in their own
counsels and in
the stubbornness
of their evil
heart, and
went backward, and
not forward.
25 Since
the day that
your fathers came
out of the land
of Egypt to
this day, I
have sent to
you all my
servants the
prophets, daily
rising up early
and sending them.
26 Yet
they didn’t listen
to me or
incline their ear,
but made their
neck stiff. They
did worse than
their fathers.
27 “You
shall speak all
these words to
them, but they
will not listen
to you. You
shall also call
to them, but
they will not
answer you.
28 You
shall tell them,
‘This is the
nation that has
not listened to
the LORD their
God’s voice, nor
received instruction.
Truth has perished,
and is cut
off from their
mouth.’
29 Cut
off your hair,
and throw it
away, and take
up a lamentation
on the bare
heights; for the
LORD has rejected
and forsaken the
generation of his
wrath.
30 “For
the children of
Judah have done
that which is
evil in my
sight,” says the
LORD. “They have
set their
abominations in
the house which
is called by
my name, to
defile it.
31 They
have built the
high places of
Topheth, which is
in the valley
of the son
of Hinnom, to
burn their sons
and their
daughters in
the fire, which
I didn’t command,
nor did it
come into my
mind.
32 Therefore
behold, the days
come”, says the
LORD, “that it
will no more
be called ‘Topheth’
or ‘The valley
of the son
of Hinnom’, but ‘The
valley of
Slaughter’; for
they will bury
in Topheth until
there is no
place to bury.
33 The
dead bodies of
this people will
be food for
the birds of
the sky, and
for the animals
of the earth.
No one will
frighten them away.
34 Then
I will cause
to cease from
the cities of
Judah and from
the streets of
Jerusalem the
voice of mirth
and the voice
of gladness, the
voice of the
bridegroom and the
voice of the
bride; for the land
will become a
waste.”