1 The Sin and Treachery of Judah “At that time,” says the L, “they [the Babylonian army] will bring out from their graves theThe graves were opened to get any treasure they might contain, but the bones were scattered in order to humiliate and intimidate the Jews.bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its princes, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
2 They will [carelessly scatter and] spread them out before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which the dead have loved and which they have served, and which they have walked after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or be buried; they will be likeThe man-made gods of the stars and the moon and the sun were of no help to their worshipers.dung on the face of the earth.
3 And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant of those who remain of this evil family (nation), who remain in all the places to which I have driven them,” says the Lof hosts.
4 “Moreover [Jeremiah], you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the L,“Do men fall and not rise up again?Does one turn away [from God] and not repentandreturn [to Him]?
5 Why then has this people of JerusalemTurned away with a perpetual turning away [from Me]?They hold tightly toIdolatry is deceitful because in their idolatry men and women worship that which is false and worthless. It deludes the worshipers and causes them to believe a lie.deceit (idolatry);They refuse to repentandreturn [to God].
6 I have listened and heard,But they have spoken what is not right;No man repented of his wickedness,Saying, ‘What have I done?’Everyone turns to his [individual] course,As the horse rushes like a torrent into battle.
7 Even the stork in the skyKnows her seasons [of migration],And the turtledove, the swallow and the craneObserve the time of their return.But My people do not knowThe law of the L.
8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise,And the law of the Lis with us [and we are learned in its language and teachings]’?Behold, [the truth is that] the lying pen of the scribesHas made the law into a lie [a mere code of ceremonial observances].
9 The wise men are shamed,They are dismayed and caught.Behold, they have [manipulated and] rejected the [truth in the] word of the L,And what kind of wisdomandinsight do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to othersAnd their fields to new owners;Because from the least even to the greatestEveryone is greedy for [unjust] gain;From the prophet even to the priestEveryone practices deceitanddeals in corruption.
11 For they have treated the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’When there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed because of the extremely disgustingandshamefully vile things they had done?They were not at all ashamed,And they did not know how to blush.Therefore, they shall fall among those who fall;At the time of their punishment they shall be overthrown,”Says the L.
13 “I will gatherandsnatch them away [utterly consuming them],” says the L.“There will be no grapes on the vine,Nor figs on the fig tree,And even the leaf will wither;And the things that I have given them will pass away [by the hand of those whom I have appointed].” ’ ”
14 Why are we sitting still [the people wonder]?Assemble yourselves, and let us enter the fortified citiesAnd let us die there,For the Lour God has decreed our ruinAnd given us bitterandpoisonous water to drink,Because we have sinned against the L.
15 We waited for peaceandsalvation, but no good came,And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 The snorting of [Nebuchadnezzar’s] horses is heard from Dan [on Palestine’s northern border].At the sound of the neighing of his strong stallionsThe whole land quakes;For they come and devour the land and all that is in it,The city and those who live in it.
17 “For behold, I am sending serpents among you,Vipers which cannot be charmed,And they will bite you,” says the L.
18 Oh, that I (Jeremiah) could find comfort from my sorrow [for my grief is beyond healing],My heart is sickandfaintwithin me!
19 Behold, [hear the sound of] the cry of the daughter of my people from the distant land [of Babylon]:“Is not the Lin Zion? Is not her King within her?”[But the Lanswers] “Why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved images and with foreign idols?”
20 “The harvest is past, the summer has endedandthe gathering of fruit is over,But we are not saved,” [comes the voice of the people again].
21 For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I (Jeremiah) am broken;I mourn, anxiety has gripped me.
22 Is there no balm inA scenic, fertile mountain region east of the Jordan River famous for its medicinal herbs and spices.Gilead?Is there no physician there?Why then has not the [spiritual] health of the daughter of my people been restored?