Jeremiah 8

1 At that time, saith Jehovah, they shall bring forth the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves;

At that time, saith the Lord, shall they bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves.

2 and they shall spread them out to the sun and to the moon and to all the host of the heavens, which they have loved, and which they have served, and after which they have walked, and which they have sought, and which they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the ground.

And they shall spread them out before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, which they have loved, and which they have served, and after which they have walked, and which they have sought, and to which they have prostrated themselves: they shall not be gathered up, and they shall not be buried; dung upon the face of the ground shall they become.

3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family, in all the places whither I have driven those that remain, saith Jehovah of hosts.

And death shall be preferable to life, for all the residue of those that are left of this evil family, who are left in all the places whither I shall have driven them, saith the Lord of hosts.

4 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah: Do [men] fall, and not rise up? Doth one turn away, and not return?

And thou shalt say unto them, Thus hath said the Lord, Shall they fall, and not arise? will he turn away, and not return?

5 Why hath this people of Jerusalem slidden back with a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

Why then remaineth this people, Jerusalem, rebellious by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast on deceit, they refuse to return.

6 I hearkened and heard: they speak not what is right; there is no man who repenteth him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? Every one turneth to his course, like a horse rushing into the battle.

I listened and heard, but they would not speak aright; no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned again to his course, as the impetuous horse in the battle.

7 Even a stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times, and the turtle-dove and the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of Jehovah.

Yea, the stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle, and the swallow, atad the crane observe the time of their coming home; but my people know not the ordinance of the Lord.

8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of Jehovah is with us? Behold, certainly the lying pen of the scribes hath made it falsehood.

How can ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Truly, behold in vain wrought the pen, in vain the writers.

9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: behold, they have rejected Jehovah's word; and what wisdom is in them?

The wise men are ashamed, they are discouraged and caught, lo, the word of the Lord have they rejected; and what wisdom have they [now]?

10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, their fields to those that shall possess [them]; for every one, from the least even unto the greatest, is given to covetousness; from the prophet even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely.

Therefore will I give their wives unto others, their fields to conquerors; for from the least even unto the greatest, every one is seeking his own gain: from the prophet even unto the priest every one practiseth falsehood.

11 And they have healed the breach of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace! when there is no peace.

And they heal the breach of the daughter of my people very lightly, saying, Peace, peace: when there is no peace.

12 Are they ashamed that they have committed abomination? Nay, they are not at all ashamed, and they know not how to blush. Therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall stumble, saith Jehovah.

They should have been ashamed, because they had committed abomination; but they neither felt the least shame, nor did they know how to blush: therefore shall they fall among those that fall; at the time of their punishment shall they stumble, saith the Lord.

13 I will utterly take them away, saith Jehovah: there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig-tree; and the leaf is faded: and I will give them up to those that shall pass over them.

I will surely make an end of them, saith the Lord: [there shall be left] no grapes on the vine, and no figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall wither; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.

14 Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fenced cities, and let us be silent there: for Jehovah our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Jehovah.

“Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there; for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us poison-water to drink; because we have sinned against the Lord.

15 Peace is looked for, and there is no good; a time of healing, and behold, terror.

We hoped for peace, but no happiness is here; for a time of cure, and behold here is terror.”

16 The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan: the whole land trembleth at the sound of the neighing of his steeds, and they come, and devour the land, and all it contains, the city and those that dwell therein.

From Dan was heard the snorting of his horses; at the sound of the neighing of his war-steeds trembleth the whole land: and they are come, and devour the land, and all that filleth it; the city, and those that dwell therein.

17 For behold, I send among you serpents, vipers against which there is no charm, and they shall bite you, saith Jehovah.

For, behold, I will send out against you serpents, basilisks, for which there is no charm, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord.

18 My comfort in my sadness! my heart is faint in me!

When I would cheer myself up against sorrow, my heart within me is pained.

19 Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people, from a very far country: Is not Jehovah in Zion? Is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, with foreign vanities?

Behold [I hear] the voice of the complaint of the daughter of my people [coming] out of a far-off land: “Is the Lord not in Zion? is her king no more in her?” “Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with the vanities of the stranger?”

20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.

“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not yet helped.”

21 — For the breach of the daughter of my people am I crushed; I go mourning; astonishment hath taken hold of me.

Because of the breach of the daughter of my people am I broken: I am grieved; astonishment hath taken fast hold on me.

22 Is there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? Why then is there no dressing applied for the healing of the daughter of my people?

Is there no [more] balm in Gil'ad? or is no physician there? why then is there not placed a plaster [on the wound of] the daughter of my people?