Jeremiah 6

1 “Flee for safety, you children of Benjamin, out of the middle of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa and raise up a signal on Beth Haccherem, for evil looks out from the north with a great destruction.

Strengthen yourselves, ye children of Benjamin, [to flee] out of the midst of Jerusalem, and sound an alarm with the trumpet in Thecue, and set up a signal over Baethacharma: for evil threatens from the north, and a great destruction is coming.

2 I will cut off the beautiful and delicate one, the daughter of Zion.

And [thy] pride, O daughter of Sion, shall be taken away.

3 Shepherds with their flocks will come to her. They will pitch their tents against her all around. They will feed everyone in his place.”

The shepherds and their flocks shall come to her; and they shall pitch [their] tents against her round about, and shall feed [their flocks] each with his hand.

4 “Prepare war against her! Arise! Let’s go up at noon. Woe to us! For the day declines, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

Prepare yourselves for war against her; rise up, and let us go up against her at noon. Woe to us! for the day has gone down, for the shadows of the day fail.

5 Arise! Let’s go up by night, and let’s destroy her palaces.”

Rise, and let us go up against her by night, and destroy her foundations.

6 For the LORD of Armies said, “Cut down trees, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem. This is the city to be visited. She is filled with oppression within herself.

For thus saith the Lord, Hew down her trees, array a numerous force against Jerusalem. O false city; [there is] all oppression in her.

7 As a well produces its waters, so she produces her wickedness. Violence and destruction is heard in her. Sickness and wounds are continually before me.

As a cistern cools water, so her wickedness cools her, ungodliness and misery shall be heard in her, [as] continually before her.

8 Be instructed, Jerusalem, lest my soul be alienated from you, lest I make you a desolation, an uninhabited land.”

Thou shalt be chastened, O Jerusalem, with pain and the scourge, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee a desert land, which shall not be inhabited.

9 The LORD of Armies says, “They will thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel like a vine. Turn again your hand as a grape gatherer into the baskets.”

For thus saith the Lord, Glean, glean thoroughly as a vine the remnant of Israel: turn back [your hands] as a grape-gatherer to his basket.

10 To whom should I speak and testify, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they can’t listen. Behold, the LORD’s word has become a reproach to them. They have no delight in it.

To whom shall I speak, and testify, that he may hearken? behold, thine ears are uncircumcised, and they shall not be able to hear: behold, the word of the Lord is become to them a reproach, they will not at all desire it.

11 Therefore I am full of the LORD’s wrath. I am weary with holding it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife will be taken, the aged with him who is full of days.

And I allowed my wrath to come to full, yet I kept [it] in, and did not utterly destroy them: I will pour it out on the children without, and on the assembly of young men together: for man and woman shall be taken together, the old man with him that is full of days.

12 Their houses will be turned to others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out my hand on the inhabitants of the land, says the LORD.”

And their houses shall be turned to others, [with] their fields and their wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of this land, saith the Lord.

13 “For from their least even to their greatest, everyone is given to covetousness. From the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.

For from the least of them even to the greatest they have all committed iniquity; from the priest even to the false prophet they have all wrought falsely.

14 They have healed also the hurt of my people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace.

And they healed the breach of my people [imperfectly], making light [of it], and saying, Peace, peace, and where is peace?

15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush. Therefore they will fall amongst those who fall. When I visit them, they will be cast down,” says the LORD.

They were ashamed because they failed; yet they were not ashamed as those who are [truly] ashamed, and they knew not their own disgrace: therefore shall they [utterly] fall when they do fall, and in the time of visitation shall they perish, said the Lord.

16 The LORD says, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, ‘Where is the good way?’ and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths of the Lord; and see what is the good way, and walk in it, and ye shall find purification for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [in them].

17 I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen!’

I have set watchmen over you, [saying], Hear ye the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hear [it].

18 Therefore hear, you nations, and know, congregation, what is amongst them.

Therefore have the nations heard, and they that feed their flocks.

19 Hear, earth! Behold, I will bring evil on this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not listened to my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it.

Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evils upon this people, [even] the fruit of their rebellions; for they have not heeded my words, and they have rejected my law.

20 To what purpose does frankincense from Sheba come to me, and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.”

Wherefore do ye bring me frankincense from Saba, and cinnamon from a land afar off? your whole-burnt-offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices have not been pleasant to me.

21 Therefore the LORD says, “Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people. The fathers and the sons together will stumble against them. The neighbour and his friend will perish.”

Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I [will] bring weakness upon this people, and the fathers and sons shall be weak together; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.

22 The LORD says, “Behold, a people comes from the north country. A great nation will be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.

Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people comes from the north, and nations shall be stirred up from the end of the earth.

23 They take hold of bow and spear. They are cruel, and have no mercy. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride on horses, everyone set in array, as a man to the battle, against you, daughter of Zion.”

They shall lay hold on bow and spear; [the people] is fierce, and will have no mercy; their voice is as the roaring sea; they shall array themselves for war against thee as fire on horses and chariots, O daughter of Sion.

24 We have heard its report. Our hands become feeble. Anguish has taken hold of us, and pains as of a woman in labour.

We have heard the report of them: our hands are weakened: anguish has seized us, the pangs as of a woman in travail.

25 Don’t go out into the field or walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and terror are on every side.

Go not forth into the field, and walk not in the ways; for the sword of the enemy lingers round about.

26 Daughter of my people, clothe yourself with sackcloth, and wallow in ashes! Mourn, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation, for the destroyer will suddenly come on us.

O daughter of my people, gird thyself with sackcloth: sprinkle [thyself] with ashes; make for thyself pitiable lamentation, [as] the mourning for a beloved [son]: for misery will come suddenly upon you.

27 “I have made you a tester of metals and a fortress amongst my people, that you may know and try their way.

I have caused thee to be tried among tried nations, and thou shalt know me when I have tried their way.

28 They are all grievous rebels, going around to slander. They are bronze and iron. All of them deal corruptly.

[They are] all disobedient, walking perversely: [they are] brass and iron; they are all corrupted.

29 The bellows blow fiercely. The lead is consumed in the fire. In vain they go on refining, for the wicked are not plucked away.

The bellows have failed from the fire, the lead has failed: the silversmith works at his trade in vain; their wickedness is not consumed.

30 Men will call them rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.”

Call ye them reprobate silver, because the Lord has rejected them.