Jeremiah

¹ “At that time,” declares Yahweh, “they will bring out 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 the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves.

² And they will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served, and which they have walked after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or buried; they will be as dung on the face of the ground.

³ And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the places to which I have banished them,” declares Yahweh of hosts.

⁴ Does one turn away and not turn back?

⁵ Turned away in continual faithlessness? They hold fast to deceit; They refuse to return.

⁶ They have spoken what is not right; No man regretted his evil, Saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned to his course, Like a horse charging into the battle.

⁷ Knows her seasons; And the turtledove and the swift and the crane Keep the time of their migration; But My people do not know The legal judgment of Yahweh.

⁸ And the law of Yahweh is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes Has made it into a lie.

⁹ They are dismayed and captured; Behold, they have rejected the word of Yahweh, And what kind of wisdom do they have?

¹⁰ Their fields to new possessors, Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is greedy for gain; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone practices lying.

¹¹ Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace.

¹² They certainly were not ashamed, And they did not know how to feel dishonor; Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time of their punishment they shall be brought down,” Says Yahweh.

¹³ “There will be no grapes on the vine And no figs on the fig tree, And the leaf will wither; And what I have given them will pass away.”’”

¹⁴ Gather yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities And let us be silent there Because Yahweh our God has silenced us And given us poisoned water to drink, For we have sinned against Yahweh.

¹⁵ For a time of healing, but behold, terror!

¹⁶ At the sound of the neighing of his valiant steeds The whole land quakes; And they come and devour the land as well as its fullness, The city and its inhabitants.

¹⁷ Vipers, for which there is no charm, And they will bite you,” declares Yahweh.

¹⁸ My sorrow is beyond healing; My heart is faint within me!

¹⁹ “Is Yahweh not in Zion? Is her King not within her?” “Why have they provoked Me to anger with their graven images, with foreign idols?”

²⁰ And we are not saved.”

²¹ I mourn, desolation has taken hold of me.

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