Jeremiah 6
King James Version
6 O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.
2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
3 The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.
4 Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.
5 Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.
6 For thus hath the Lord of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.
7 As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds.
8 Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.
9 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.
10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.
12 And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord.
13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.
16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.
19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.
20 To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.
21 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.
22 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.
23 They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion.
24 We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.
25 Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.
27 I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way.
28 They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.
29 The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.
30 Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.
Jeremiah 6
1599 Geneva Bible
6 1 The coming of the Assyrians and Chaldeans. 16 He exhorteth the Jews to repentance.
1 O ye children of [a]Benjamin, prepare to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in [b]Tekoa: set up a standard upon [c]Beth-Haccerem: for a plague appeareth out of the North and great destruction.
2 I have compared the daughter of Zion to [d]a beautiful and dainty woman.
3 The Pastors with their flocks [e]shall come unto her: they shall pitch their tents round about by her, and everyone shall feed in his place.
4 [f]Prepare war against her: arise, and let us go up toward the South: woe unto us: for the day declineth, and the shadows of the evening are stretched out.
5 Arise, and let us go up by night, and destroy her palaces.
6 For thus hath the Lord of hosts said, Hew down wood, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this city must be visited; all oppression is in the midst of it.
7 As the fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her malice; [g]cruelty and spoil is continually heard in her before me, with sorrow and strokes.
8 Be thou instructed, O [h]Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee, lest I make thee desolate as a land that none inhabiteth.
9 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall gather as a vine, the residue of Israel: turn [i]back thine hand as the grape gatherer into the baskets.
10 Unto whom shall I speak, and admonish that they may hear? behold, their ears are [j]uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them as a reproach: they have no delight in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord: I am weary with holding it: [k]I will pour it out upon the [l]children in the street, and likewise upon the assembly of the young men: for the husband shall even be taken with the wife, and the aged with him that is full of days.
12 And their houses with their lands, and wives also shall be turned unto strangers: for I will stretch out mine hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord.
13 For from the least of them, even unto the greatest of them, everyone is given unto covetousness, and from the Prophet even unto the Priest, they all deal falsely.
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people with sweet words, saying, [m]Peace, peace, when there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not ashamed, no neither could they have any shame: therefore they shall fall among the [n]slain: when I shall visit them, they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.
16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand in the ways and behold, and ask for the [o]old way, which is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls: but they said, We will not walk therein.
17 Also I set [p]watchmen over you, which said, Take heed to the sound of the trumpet: but they said, We will not take heed.
18 Hear therefore, ye [q]Gentiles, and thou Congregation know, what is among them.
19 Hear, O earth, behold, I will cause a plague to come upon this people, even the fruit of their own imaginations: because they have not taken heed unto my words, nor to my Law, but cast it off.
20 To what purpose bringest thou me [r]incense from Sheba, and sweet calamus from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not pleasant, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.
21 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them: the neighbor and his friend shall perish.
22 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people cometh from the [s]North country, and a great nation shall arise from the sides of the earth.
23 With bow and shield shall they be weaponed: they are cruel and will have no compassion: their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses well appointed, like men of war against thee, O daughter Zion.
24 We have heard their fame, and our hands wax [t]feeble: sorrow is come upon us, as the sorrow of a woman in travail.
25 Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way: for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in the ashes: make lamentation, and bitter mourning as for thine only son: for the destroyer shall suddenly come upon us.
27 I have set [u]thee for a defense and fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their ways.
28 They are all rebellious traitors, walking craftily; they are brass and iron, they all are destroyers,
29 The [v]bellows are burnt; the lead is consumed in the fire; the founder melteth in vain; for the wicked are not taken away.
30 They shall call them reprobate silver, because the Lord hath rejected them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 6:1 He speaketh to them chiefly because they should take heed by the example of their brethren, the other half of their tribe, which were now carried away prisoners.
- Jeremiah 6:1 Which was a city in Judah, six miles from Bethlehem, 2 Chron. 11:6.
- Jeremiah 6:1 Read Neh. 3:14.
- Jeremiah 6:2 I have entreated her gently, and given her abundance of all things.
- Jeremiah 6:3 She shall be so destroyed; that the sheep may be fed in her.
- Jeremiah 6:4 He speaketh this in the person of the Babylonians, which complain that the time faileth them before they have brought their enterprises to pass.
- Jeremiah 6:7 He showeth the cause why it should be destroyed, and how it cometh of themselves.
- Jeremiah 6:8 He warneth them to amend by his correction, and turn to him by repentance.
- Jeremiah 6:9 He exhorteth the Babylonians to be diligent to search out all and to leave none.
- Jeremiah 6:10 They delight to hear vain things, and to shut up their ears to true doctrine.
- Jeremiah 6:11 As the Lord had given him his word to be as a fire of his indignation to burn the wicked, Jer. 5:14, so he kindleth it now when he seeth that all remedies are past.
- Jeremiah 6:11 None shall be spared.
- Jeremiah 6:14 When the people began to fear God’s judgments, the false prophets comforted them by flatterings, showing that God would send peace and not war.
- Jeremiah 6:15 Hebrew, them that fall.
- Jeremiah 6:16 Wherein the Patriarchs and Prophets walked, directed by the word of God: signifying that there is no true way, but that which God prescribeth.
- Jeremiah 6:17 Prophets which should warn you of the dangers that were at hand.
- Jeremiah 6:18 God taketh all the world to witness, and the insensible creatures, of the ingratitude of the Jews.
- Jeremiah 6:20 Read Isa. 1:11 and Amos 5:21.
- Jeremiah 6:22 From Babylon by Dan, which was North from Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 6:24 For fear of the enemy: he speaketh this in the person of the Jews.
- Jeremiah 6:27 Meaning, Jeremiah, whom God had appointed to try out the godly from the wicked, as a founder doth the pure metal from the dross.
- Jeremiah 6:29 All the pain and labor that hath been taken with them, is lost.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
