Jeremiah 6:6-27

6 For this is what the Lord of armies says:
“ ^aCut down her trees
And pile up an ^bassault ramp against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
In whose midst there is only ^coppression.
7 “ ^dAs a well ▼

▼Lit keeps cold

keeps its waters fresh,
So she ▼

▼Lit keeps cold

keeps fresh her wickedness.
^gViolence and destruction are heard in her;
^hSickness and wounds are constantly before Me.
8 “ ⁱBe warned, Jerusalem,
Or ▼

▼Lit my soul

, ^kI shall be alienated from you,
And make you a desolation,
An uninhabited land.”

9 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“They will ^lthoroughly glean the ^mremnant of Israel like the vine;
Pass your hand over the branches again
Like a grape gatherer.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
That they may hear?
Behold, their ⁿears are ▼

▼Lit uncircumcised

closed
And they cannot listen.
Behold, ^pthe word of the Lord has become for them a rebuke;
They take no delight in it.
11 But I am ^qfull of the wrath of the Lord;
I am ^rweary of holding it in.
“ ^sPour it out on the children in the street
And on the ▼

▼Lit council

gathering of young men together;
For both husband and wife shall be taken,
The old ▼

▼Lit with fullness of days

and the very old.
12 “Their ^vhouses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together;
For I will ^wstretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord.
13 “For ^xfrom the least of them to the greatest of them,
Everyone is ^ygreedy for gain,
And from the prophet to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.
14 “They have ^zhealed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
15 “Were they ^aaashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They were not ashamed at all,
Nor did they know even how to be ashamed.
Therefore they will fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They will collapse,” says the Lord.

16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ^abancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
Then ^acyou will find a resting place for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 “And I set ^adwatchmen over you, saying,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 “Therefore hear, you nations,
And know, you congregation, what is among them.
19 “ ^aeHear, earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people,
The ^affruit of their ▼

▼Or devices

plans,
Because they have not listened to My words,
And as for My Law, they have ^ahrejected it also.
20 “ ^aiFor what purpose does ^ajfrankincense come to Me from Sheba,
And the ▼

▼Lit good

, ^alsweet cane from a distant land?
^amYour burnt offerings are not acceptable
And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”
21 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, ^anI am ▼

▼Lit giving

placing stumbling blocks before this people.
And they will stumble against them,
^apFathers and sons together;
Neighbor and ▼

▼Lit his friend

friend will perish.”

The Enemy from the North

22 This is what the Lord says:
“Behold, there is ^ara people coming from the north land,
And a great nation will be stirred up from the ^asremote parts of the earth.
23 “They seize ^atbow and spear;
They are ^aucruel and have no mercy;
Their voice ^avroars like the sea,
And they ride on horses,
Lined up as a man for the battle
Against you, daughter of Zion!”
24 We have ^awheard the report of it;
Our hands are limp.
^axAnguish has seized us,
Pain like that of a woman in childbirth.
25 ^ayDo not go out into the field,
And ^azdo not walk on the road;
For the enemy has a sword,
^baTerror is on every side.
26 Daughter of my people, ^bbput on sackcloth
And ^bcroll in ashes;
▼

▼Lit Make for yourself mourning

, ^beMourn as for an only son,
A most bitter mourning.
For suddenly the destroyer
Will come against us.

27 “I have ^bfmade you an assayer and an examiner among My people,
So that you may know and put their way to the test.”