Jeremiah 8

1 “At that time,” A declaration of YHWH, “They bring the bones of the kings of Judah, And the bones of its princes, And the bones of the priests, And the bones of the prophets, And the bones of inhabitants of Jerusalem, Out of their graves,

“In that time, says the Lord, they will cast out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its leaders, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of those who were living in Jerusalem, from their graves.

2 And have spread them to sun, and to moon, And to all the host of the heavens, that they have loved, And that they have served, And that they have walked after, And that they have sought, And to which they have bowed themselves, They are not gathered, nor buried, They are for dung on the face of the ground.

And they will spread them out before the sun and the moon and the entire army of the heavens, which they have loved, and served, and followed, and which they have sought and adored. They will not be collected, and they will not be buried. They will be like manure upon the face of the earth.

3 And death is chosen rather than life By all the remnant who are left of this evil family, In all the remaining places, to where I have driven them,” A declaration of YHWH of Hosts.

And they will greatly prefer death to life: all those who will have been left from this wicked kindred, in all the forsaken places to which I will cast them out, says the Lord of hosts.

4 “And you have said to them, Thus said YHWH: Do they fall, and not rise? Does he turn back, and not return?

And you will say to them: Thus says the Lord: He who falls, will he not rise again? And he who has been turned away, will he not return?

5 Why has this people of Jerusalem Turned back—a continuous backsliding? They have kept hold on deceit, They have refused to turn back.

Then why have this people in Jerusalem turned away with a contentious loathing? They have taken hold of what is false, and they are not willing to return.

6 I have given attention, indeed, I listen, They do not speak right, No man has sighed over his wickedness, Saying, What have I done? Everyone has turned to his courses, As a horse is rushing into battle.

I paid close attention and I listened carefully. No one is speaking what is good. There is no one who does penance for his sin, saying: ‘What have I done?’ They have all turned to their own course, like a horse rushing with fury into battle.

7 Even a stork in the heavens has known her seasons, And turtle, and swallow, and crane, Have watched the time of their coming, And—My people have not known the judgment of YHWH.

The hawk in the heavens has known her time. The turtledove, and the swallow, and the stork have kept the time of their arrival. But my people have not known the judgment of the Lord.

8 How do you say, We [are] wise, And the Law of YHWH [is] with us? Surely, behold, it has worked falsely, The false pen of scribes.

How can you say: ‘We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us?’ Truly, the lying pen of the scribes has wrought falsehood.

9 The wise have been ashamed, They have been frightened, and are captured, Behold, they kicked against a word of YHWH, And what wisdom do they have?

The wise men have been confounded; they were terrified and captured. For they cast aside the word of the Lord, and there is no wisdom in them.

10 Therefore, I give their wives to others, Their fields to dispossessors, For from the least even to the greatest, Everyone is gaining dishonest gain, From prophet even to priest, everyone is dealing falsely.

Because of this, I will give their wives to outsiders and their fields to others as an inheritance. For from the least, even to the greatest, they all pursue avarice; from the prophet, even to the priest, they all act with deceit.

11 And they heal the breach of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, Peace, peace! And there is no peace.

And they healed the destruction of the daughter of my people with disgrace, by saying: ‘Peace, peace,’ though there was no peace.

12 They were ashamed when they did abomination! Indeed, they are not ashamed at all, And they have not known blushing, Therefore, they fall among falling ones, They stumble in the time of their inspection, said YHWH.

They have been confounded because they committed abomination. Or rather, they have not been confounded with shame, for they do not know how to blush. For this reason, they will fall among the fallen. In the time of their visitation, they will fall, says the Lord.

13 I utterly consume them,” A declaration of YHWH, “There are no grapes in the vine, Indeed, there are no figs in the fig tree, And the leaf has faded, And the strength they have passes from them.

When gathering, I will gather them together, says the Lord. There are no grapes on the vine, and there are no figs on the fig tree. The leaves have fallen. And I have given them the things that have passed away.”

14 Why are we sitting still? Be gathered, and we go into the fortified cities, And we are silent there, For our God YHWH has made us silent, Indeed, He causes us to drink water of gall, For we have sinned against YHWH.

“Why are we sitting still? Assemble, and let us enter the fortified city, and let us remain silent there. For the Lord our God has brought us to silence, and he has given us the water of gall as a drink. For we have sinned against the Lord.

15 Looking for peace—and there is no good, For a time of healing, and behold—terror.

We expected peace, but there was nothing good. We expected a time of health, and behold, dread.”

16 The snorting of his horses has been heard from Dan, From the voice of the neighings of his mighty ones, All the land has trembled, And they come in and consume the land and its fullness, The city and the inhabitants in it.

“From Dan, the snorting of his horses was heard; the entire land was shaken by the voice of the neighing of his fighters. And they arrived and devoured the land and its plenitude, the city and its inhabitants.

17 For behold, I am sending serpents among you, Vipers that have no charmer, And they have bitten you,” A declaration of YHWH.

For behold, I will send among you serpents, king snakes, against which there is no charm, and they will bite you, says the Lord.

18 My sorrow [is] beyond comfort, My heart [is] sick in me.

My sorrow is beyond sorrow; my heart mourns within me.

19 Behold, the voice of a cry of the daughter of my people from a far-off land, Is YHWH not in Zion? Is her King not in her? “Why have they provoked Me with their carved images, With the vanities of a foreigner?”

Behold, the voice of the daughter of my people from a far away land. Is the Lord not with Zion, and is her king not within her? Then why have they provoked me to wrath by their graven images, and by their strange vanities?

20 Harvest has passed, summer has ended, And we have not been saved.

The harvest has passed by, the summer is at an end, and we have not been saved.

21 For a breach of the daughter of my people I have been broken, I have been dark, Astonishment has seized me.

Over the destruction of the daughter of my people, I am contrite and saddened; astonishment has taken hold of me.

22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why has the health of the daughter of my people not gone up?

Is there no balm in Gilead? Or is there no physician there? Then why has the wound of the daughter of my people not been closed?”