Online Bible

The Sin and Treachery of Judah

“At that time,” declares the LORD, “they will ^abring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. 2 They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the ^aheavenly ¹lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered ^bnor buried; ^cthey will be like dung on the face of the ground. 3 And ^adeath will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the ^bplaces to which I have driven them,” declares the LORD of armies. 4 “You shall say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says:“Do people ^afall and not get up?Does one turn away and not ¹repent?

5 “Why has this people, Jerusalem,^aTurned away in continual apostasy?They ^bhold on to deceit,They ^crefuse to return.6 “I ^ahave listened and heard,They have spoken what is not right;^bNo one repented of his wickedness,Saying, ‘What have I done?’Everyone turned to his own course,Like a ^chorse charging into the battle.7 “Even the stork in the sky^aKnows her seasons;And the ^bturtledove, the swallow, and the craneKeep to the time of their ¹migration;But ^cMy people do not knowThe judgment of the LORD.

8 “^aHow can you say, ‘We are wise,And the Law of the LORD is with us’?But behold, the lying pen of the scribesHas made it into a lie.9 “The wise men are ^aput to shame,They are dismayed and caught;Behold, they have ^brejected the word of the LORD,So what kind of wisdom do they have?10 “Therefore I will ^agive their wives to others,Their fields to new owners;Because from the least even to the greatestEveryone is ^bgreedy for gain;From the prophet even to the priest,Everyone practices deceit.11 “They have ^ahealed the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’But there is no peace.12 “Were they ^aashamed because of the abomination they had done?They were not ashamed at all,And they did not know how to be ashamed;Therefore they will ^bfall among those who fall;At the ^ctime of their punishment they will collapse,”Says the LORD.

13 “I will ^acertainly snatch them away,” declares the LORD.“There will be ^bno grapes on the vineAnd ^cno figs on the fig tree,And the leaf will wither;And what I have given them will pass away.”’”14 Why are we sitting still?^aAssemble yourselves, and let’s ^bgo into the fortified citiesAnd perish there,For the LORD our God has doomed usAnd given us ^cpoisoned water to drink,Because ^dwe have sinned against the LORD.15 We ^awaited for peace, but no good came;For a time of healing, but behold, terror!16 From ^aDan there is heard the snorting of his horses;At the sound of the neighing of his ^bstallionsThe whole land quakes;For they come and ^cdevour the land and its fullness,The city and its inhabitants.17 “For behold, I am ^asending serpents among you,Vipers for which there is ^bno charm;And they will bite you,” declares the LORD.

18 ¹My ^asorrow is beyond healing,My ^bheart is faint within me!19 Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a ^adistant land:“Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”“Why have they ^bprovoked Me with their carved images, with foreign ¹^cidols?”20 “Harvest is past, summer is over,And we are not saved.”21 I am broken over the ^abrokenness of the daughter of my people.I ^bmourn, dismay has taken hold of me.22 Is there no ^abalm in Gilead?Is there no physician there?^bWhy then has not the ¹health of the daughter of my people ²been restored?

The Faithlessness of Jerusalem

“At that time,” declares Yahweh, “they will ^abring 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 ^ahost 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 ^bor buried; ^cthey will be as dung on the face of the ground. 3 And ^adeath will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the ^bplaces to which I have banished them,” declares Yahweh of hosts. 4 “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh,“Do men ^afall and not get up again?Does one turn away and not ¹turn back?

5 “Why then has this people, Jerusalem,¹^aTurned away in continual faithlessness?They ^bhold fast to deceit;They ^crefuse to return.6 “I ^ahave given heed and heard,They have spoken what is not right;^bNo man regretted his evil,Saying, ‘What have I done?’Everyone turned to his course,Like a ^chorse charging into the battle.7 “Even the stork in the sky^aKnows her seasons;And the ^bturtledove and the swift and the craneKeep the time of their ¹migration;But ^cMy people do not knowThe legal judgment of Yahweh.

8 “^aHow can you say, ‘We are wise,And the law of Yahweh is with us’?But behold, the lying pen of the scribesHas made it into a lie.9 “The wise men are ^aput to shame;They are dismayed and captured;Behold, they have ^brejected the word of Yahweh,And what kind of wisdom do they have?10 “Therefore I will ^agive their wives to others,Their fields to ¹new possessors,Because from the least even to the greatestEveryone is ^bgreedy for gain;From the prophet even to the priestEveryone practices lying.11 “They ^aheal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’But there is no peace.12 “Were they ^aashamed because of the abomination they had done?They certainly were not ashamed,And they did not know how to feel dishonor;Therefore they shall ^bfall among those who fall;At the ^ctime of their ¹punishment they shall be brought down,”Says Yahweh.

13 “I will ^asurely gather them up,” declares Yahweh;“There will be ^bno grapes on the vineAnd ^cno figs on the fig tree,And the leaf will wither;And what I have given them will pass away.”’”14 Why are we sitting still?^aGather yourselves, and let us ^bgo into the fortified citiesAnd let us be silent thereBecause Yahweh our God has silenced usAnd given us ¹^cpoisoned water to drink,For ^dwe have sinned against Yahweh.15 We ^awaited for peace, but there was no good;For a time of healing, but behold, terror!16 From ^aDan is heard the snorting of his horses;At the sound of the neighing of his ^bvaliant steedsThe whole land quakes;And they come and ^cdevour the land as well as its fullness,The city and its inhabitants.17 “For behold, I am ^asending serpents against you,Vipers, for which there is ^bno charm,And they will bite you,” declares Yahweh.

Sorrow over Zion

18 ¹My ^asorrow is beyond healing;My ^bheart is faint within me!19 Behold, the sound! The cry of the daughter of my people from a ^adistant land:“Is Yahweh not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”“Why have they ^bprovoked Me to anger with their graven images, with foreign ¹^cidols?”20 “Harvest is past, summer is ended,And we are not saved.”21 For the ^abrokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken;I ^bmourn, desolation has taken hold of me.22 Is there no ^abalm in Gilead?Is there no physician there?^bWhy then has not the ¹health of the daughter of my people gone up?