Jeremiah 6

1 Go in flight out of Jerusalem, so that you may be safe, you children of Benjamin, and let the horn be sounded in Tekoa, and the flag be lifted up on Beth-haccherem: for evil is looking out from the north, and a great destruction.

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 Beth-haccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.

2 The fair and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will be cut off by my hand.

I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate [woman].

3 Keepers of sheep with their flocks will come to her; they will put up their tents round her; everyone will get food in his place.

The shepherds with their flocks shall come to her; they shall pitch [their] tents against her on every side; they shall feed every one in his place.

4 Make war ready against her; up! let us go up when the sun is high. Sorrow is ours! for the day is turned and the shades of evening are stretched out.

Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe to us! for the day departeth, for the shadows of the evening are lengthened.

5 Up! let us go up by night, and send destruction on her great houses.

Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.

6 For this is what the Lord of armies has said: Let trees be cut down and an earthwork be placed against Jerusalem: sorrow on the false town! inside her there is nothing but cruel ways.

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 the spring keeps its waters cold, so she keeps her evil in her: the sound of cruel and violent behaviour is in her; before me at all times are disease and wounds.

As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and devastation is heard in her; before me continually [are] grief and wounds.

8 Undergo teaching, O Jerusalem, or my soul will be turned away from you, and I will make you a waste, an unpeopled land.

Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.

9 This is what the Lord of armies has said: Everything will be taken from the rest of Israel as the last grapes are taken from the vine; let your hand be turned to the small branches, like one pulling off grapes.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thy hand as a grape-gatherer into the baskets.

10 To whom am I to give word, witnessing so that they may take note? see, their ears are stopped, and they are not able to give attention: see, the word of the Lord has been a cause of shame to them, they have no delight in it.

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 to them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

11 For this reason I am full of the wrath of the Lord, I am tired of keeping it in: may it be let loose on the children in the street, and on the band of the young men together: for even the husband with his wife will be taken, the old man with him who is full of days.

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 will be handed over to others, their fields and their wives together: for my hand will be stretched out against the people of the land, says the Lord.

And their houses shall be turned to 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 to the greatest, everyone is given up to getting money; from the prophet even to the priest, everyone is working deceit.

For from the least of them even to the greatest of them every one [is] given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest every one dealeth falsely.

14 And they have made little of the wounds of my people, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace.

15 Let them be put to shame because they have done disgusting things. They had no shame, they were not able to become red with shame: so they will come down with those who are falling: when my punishment comes on them, they will be made low, says the Lord.

Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? no, 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 This is what the Lord has said: Take your place looking out on the ways; make search for the old roads, saying, Where is the good way? and go in it that you may have rest for your souls. But they said, We will not go in it.

Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where [is] the good way, and walk in it, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [in it].

17 And I put watchmen over you, saying, Give attention to the sound of the horn; but they said, We will not give attention.

Also I set watchmen over you, [saying], Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.

18 So then, give ear, you nations, and ...

Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what [is] among them.

19 Give ear, O earth: see, I will make evil come on this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not given attention to my words, and they would have nothing to do with my law.

Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, [even] the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened to my words, nor to my law, but have rejected it.

20 To what purpose does sweet perfume come to me from Sheba, and spices from a far country? your burned offerings give me no pleasure, your offerings of beasts are not pleasing to me.

To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a distant country? your burnt-offerings [are] not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet to me.

21 For this reason the Lord has said, See, I will put stones in the way of this people: and the fathers and the sons together will go falling over them; the neighbour and his friend will come to destruction.

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 The Lord has said, See, a people is coming from the north country, a great nation will be put in motion from the inmost parts of the earth.

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 Bows and spears are in their hands; they are cruel and have no mercy; their voice is like the thunder of the sea, and they go on horses; everyone in his place like men going to the fight, against you, O daughter of Zion.

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 The news of it has come to our ears; our hands have become feeble: trouble has come on us and pain, like the pain of a woman in childbirth.

We have heard the fame of it: our hands become feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, [and] pain, as of a woman in travail.

25 Go not out into the field or by the way; for there is the sword of the attacker, and fear on every side.

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, put on haircloth, rolling yourself in the dust: give yourself to sorrow, as for an only son, with most bitter cries of grief; for he who makes waste will come on us suddenly.

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 made you a tester among my people, so that you may have knowledge of their way and put it to the test.

I have set thee [for] a tower [and] a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way.

28 All of them are turned away, going about with false stories; they are brass and iron: they are all workers of deceit.

They [are] all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: [they are] brass and iron; they [are] all corrupters.

29 The blower is blowing strongly, the lead is burned away in the fire: they go on heating the metal to no purpose, for the evil-doers are not taken away.

The bellows is burned, the lead is consumed by the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.

30 They will be named waste silver, because the Lord has given them up.

Reprobate silver shall [men] call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.