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14 The word of the Lord, that was made to Jeremy, of the words of dryness. (The word of the Lord, that was made to Jeremiah, about the drought.)

Judah wailed, and the gates thereof fell down (and its cities fell down), and be made dark in [the] earth, and the cry of Jerusalem went up.

Greater men sent their less(er) men to (the) water; they came to draw water, and they found no water, (and) they brought again their vessels void; they were shamed and tormented, and they covered their heads,

for [the] destroying of the land, for rain came not in the land. (The) Earth-tillers were shamed, (and) they covered their heads.

For why and an hind calved in the field, and left her calves, for none herb was (for there was no grass);

and wild asses stood in rocks, and drew wind as dragons; their eyes failed, for none herb was. (and the wild donkeys stood on the high rocks, and drew up the wind like jackals; and their eyes failed, for there was no grass.)

If our wickednesses answer to us, Lord, do thou for thy name, for our turnings away be many; we have sinned against thee. (Our wickednesses witness against us, Lord, but do thou it for the sake of thy name, even though our turnings away, that is, our sins, be many; yea, we have sinned against thee.)

Thou abiding of Israel, the saviour thereof in the time of tribulation, why shalt thou be as a comeling in the land, and as a waygoer bowing [down] to dwell? (O hope of Israel, its Saviour in the time of trouble, why shalt thou be like a newcomer in the land, and like a waygoer bowing down to rest?)

why shalt thou be as a man of unstable dwelling, as a strong man that may not save? Forsooth, Lord, thou art in us, and thine holy name is called to help on us; forsake thou not us. (why shalt thou be like a person of unstable dwelling, like a strong man who cannot save? For Lord, thou art in the midst of us, and thy holy name is called on to help us/and we be called by thy name; do not thou abandon us.)

10 The Lord saith these things to this people, that loved to stir his feet, and rested not, and pleased not the Lord; now he shall have mind on the wickednesses of them, and he shall visit the sins of them. (The Lord saith these things to this people, who loved to stir their feet, that is, to go astray, and did not rest, and did not please the Lord; now he shall remember their wickednesses, and he shall punish them for their sins.)

11 And the Lord said to me, Do not thou pray for this people into good. (And the Lord said to me, Do not thou pray for the well-being of this people.)

12 When they shall fast, I shall not hear the prayers of them; and if they offer burnt sacrifices and slain sacrifices, I shall not receive them, for I shall waste them by sword and hunger and pestilence.

13 And I said, A! A! A! Lord God, [the] prophets say to them, Ye shall not see sword, and hunger shall not be in you, but he shall give to you very peace in this place. (And I said, O! O! O! Lord God, the prophets say to them, Ye shall not see a sword, and hunger shall not be among you, but he shall give you true peace in this place.)

14 And the Lord said to me, The prophets prophesy falsely in my name; I sent not them (I did not send them), and I commanded not to them, neither I spake to them; they prophesy to you a false revelation, and a guileful divining, and the deceiving of their heart.

15 Therefore the Lord saith these things of the prophets that prophesy in my name, which I sent not, and say, Sword and hunger shall not be in this land; Those prophets shall be wasted by sword and hunger. (And so the Lord saith these things about the prophets who prophesy in my name, whom I did not send, and who say, The sword and hunger shall not be in this land; Those prophets shall be destroyed by the sword and hunger.)

16 And the peoples, to which they prophesied, shall be cast forth in the ways of Jerusalem, for hunger and sword, and none there shall be, that shall bury them; they and the wives of them, the sons and the daughters of them; and I shall shed out on them their evil. (And the people, to whom they prophesied, shall be thrown forth on the ways of Jerusalem, because of hunger and the sword, and no one shall bury them, yea, they and their wives, and their sons and their daughters; and I shall pour out their own evil upon them.)

17 And thou shalt say to them this word, Mine eyes lead down a tear by night and day, and be it not still; for the virgin, the daughter of my people, is defouled by great defouling, with the worst wound greatly. (And thou shalt say to them this word, Let my eyes stream down tears night and day, and cease they not; for the virgin daughter of my people is defiled with great defiling, yea, so greatly with the very worst wounds.)

18 If I go out to [the] fields, lo! men be slain with sword; and if I enter into the city, lo! men be made lean for hunger (lo! people be made lean by hunger); also a prophet and a priest went into the land which they knew not.

19 Whether thou casting away hast cast away Judah, either thy soul hath loathed Zion? why therefore hast thou smitten us, so that no health there is? We abided peace, and no good is; and we abided time of healing, and lo! troubling is. (Casting away, hast thou cast away Judah, or hath thy soul loathed Zion? and so why hast thou struck us, so that now there is no health?/so that now there is no deliverance? We waited for peace, but nothing good hath come; and we waited for a time of healing, or of deliverance, but lo! there is only a time of trouble.)

20 Lord, we have known our unfaithfulness, and the wickednesses of our fathers, for we have sinned to thee. (Lord, we acknowledge our unfaithfulness, and the wickednesses of our forefathers, for we all have sinned against thee.)

21 Give thou not us into shame, for thy name, neither do thou despite to us; have thou mind on the seat of thy glory, make thou not void thy bond of peace with us. (Give thou us not unto shame, for the sake of thy name, nor despise thou us; remember thou the throne of thy glory, make thou not void thy covenant with us.)

22 Whether in graven images of heathen men be they that (can make) rain, either heavens may give rains? whether thou art not our Lord God, whom we abided? For thou madest all these things. (Can any of the carved idols of the heathen make rain, or can the heavens give out rain by themselves? art thou not the Lord our God, whom we have waited for? For thou madest all these things.)

Drought, Famine, Sword

14 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(A)

“Judah mourns,(B)
    her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
    and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
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)
The ground is cracked
    because there is no rain in the land;(E)
the farmers are dismayed
    and cover their heads.
Even the doe in the field
    deserts her newborn fawn
    because there is no grass.(F)
Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(G)
    and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
    for lack of food.”(H)

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.
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?
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)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 14:14 Or visions, worthless divinations

14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.

Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

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.

Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.

Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.

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.

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.

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?

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.