Jeremiah 14
1 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah when there was no water.
This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah regarding the drought,
2 Judah is weeping and its doors are dark with sorrow, and people are seated on the earth clothed in black; and the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.
“Let Judah mourn; let her gates fall apart. They are wailing for the land; their cries for Jerusalem are going up.
3 Their great men have sent their servants for water: they come to the holes and there is no water to be seen; they come back with nothing in their vessels; they are overcome with shame and fear, covering their heads.
Their mighty ones send out their servants for water. When they go to the trenches, they cannot find water. They all return unsuccessful; they cover their heads ashamed and dishonored.
4 Those who do work on the land are in fear, for there has been no rain on the land, and the farmers are shamed, covering their heads.
Because of this the ground is cracked, for there is no rain in the land. The plowmen are ashamed and cover their heads.
5 And the roe, giving birth in the field, lets her young one be uncared for, because there is no grass.
For even the doe leaves her young in the fields and abandons them, for there is no grass.
6 And the asses of the field on the open hilltops are opening their mouths wide like jackals to get air; their eyes are hollow because there is no grass.
The wild donkeys stand on the bare plains and they pant in the wind like jackals. Their eyes fail to work, for there is no vegetation.”
7 Though our sins give witness against us, do something, O Lord, for the honour of your name: for again and again we have been turned away from you, we have done evil against you.
Even though our iniquities testify against us, Yahweh, act for the sake of your name. For our faithless actions increase; we have sinned against you.
8 O you hope of Israel, its saviour in time of trouble, why are you like one who is strange in the land, and like a traveller putting up his tent for a night?
You are the Hope of Israel, the one who saves him in the time of distress, why will you be like a stranger in the land, like a foreign wanderer who stretches out and spends just one night?
9 Why are you like a man surprised, like a man of war who is not able to give help? but you, O Lord, are with us, and we are named by your name; do not go away from us.
Why are you like someone who is astounded, or like a warrior who has no power to rescue? You are in our midst, Yahweh, and your name is called over us. Do not leave us!
10 This is what the Lord has said about this people: Even so they have been glad to go from the right way; they have not kept their feet from wandering, so the Lord has no pleasure in them; now he will keep their wrongdoing in mind and send punishment for their sins.
Yahweh says this to this people: “Since they love to wander, they have not held back their feet from doing so.” Yahweh is not pleased with them. Now he calls to mind their iniquity and has punished their sins.
11 And the Lord said to me, Make no prayer for this people for their good.
Yahweh said to me, “Do not pray for good on behalf of this people.
12 When they go without food, I will not give ear to their cry; when they give burned offerings and meal offerings, I will not take pleasure in them: but I will put an end to them by the sword and by need of food and by disease.
For if they fast, I will not listen to their wailing, and if they offer up burnt offerings and food offerings, I will not take pleasure in them. For I will put an end to them by sword, famine, and plague.”
13 Then I said, Ah, Lord God! see, the prophets say to them, You will not see the sword or be short of food; but I will give you certain peace in this place.
Then I said, “Oh, Lord Yahweh! Behold! The prophets are saying to the people, 'You will not see the sword; there will be no famine for you, for I will give you true security in this place.'”
14 Then the Lord said to me, The prophets say false words in my name, and I gave them no orders, and I said nothing to them: what they say to you is a false vision and wonder-working words without substance, the deceit of their hearts.
Yahweh said to me, “The prophets prophesy deceit in my name. I did not send them out, nor did I give them any command or speak to them. But deceitful visions and useless, deceitful divination coming from their own minds are what they are prophesying to you.”
15 So this is what the Lord has said about the prophets who make use of my name, though I sent them not, and say, The sword and need of food will not be in this land: the sword and need of food will put an end to those prophets.
Therefore Yahweh says this, “About the prophets prophesying in my name but whom I did not send out—those who say there will be no sword or famine in this land: These prophets will perish by sword and famine.
16 And the people to whom they are prophets will be pushed out dead into the streets of Jerusalem, because there is no food, and because of the sword; and they will have no one to put their bodies into the earth, them or their wives or their sons or their daughters: for I will let loose their evil-doing on them.
Then the people to whom they prophesied will be thrown out in the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and sword, for there will be no one to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters—for I will pour out their wickedness on them.
17 And you are to say this word to them, Let my eyes be streaming with water night and day, and let it not be stopped; for the virgin daughter of my people is wounded with a great wound, with a very bitter blow.
Say this word to them: 'Let my eyes flow with tears, night and day. Do not let them stop, for there will be a great collapse of the virgin daughter of my people— a great and incurable wound.
18 If I go out into the open country, there are those put to death by the sword! and if I go into the town, there are those who are diseased from need of food! for the prophet and the priest go about in the land and have no knowledge.
If I go out to the field, there are the ones who were killed by the sword! If I come to the city, there are the diseases that are caused by famine. Both the prophet and the priest wander about the land, and they do not know.'”
19 Have you completely given up Judah? is your soul turned in disgust from Zion? why have you given us blows from which there is no one to make us well? we were looking for peace, but no good came; and for a time of well-being, but there was only a great fear.
Have you completely rejected Judah? Do you hate Zion? Why will you afflict us when there is no healing for us? We hoped for peace, but there was nothing good— and for a time of healing, but see, there is only terror.
20 We are conscious, O Lord, of our sin and of the wrongdoing of our fathers: we have done evil against you.
We admit, Yahweh, our offenses, the iniquity of our ancestors, for we have sinned against you.
21 Do not be turned from us in disgust, because of your name; do not put shame on the seat of your glory: keep us in mind, let not your agreement with us be broken.
Do not reject us! For the sake of your name, do not make your glorious throne a disgrace. Remember and do not break your covenant with us.
22 Are any of the false gods of the nations able to make rain come? are the heavens able to give showers? are you not he, O Lord our God? so we will go on waiting for you, for you have done all these things.
Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the skies themselves send down showers? Are you not the one, Yahweh our God? We wait for you, for you are the one who does all these things.
