Jeremiah 16

1 The worde of the Lord came also vnto mee, saying,

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, nor haue sonnes nor daughters in this place.

“You must not marry or have sons or daughters in this place.”

3 For thus sayeth the Lord concerning the sonnes, and concerning the daughters that are borne in this place, and concerning their mothers that beare them, and concerning their fathers, that beget them in this land,

For this is what the LORD says concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and the mothers who bore them, and the fathers who fathered them in this land:

4 They shall die of deathes and diseases: they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried, but they shalbe as dung vpon the earth, and they shalbe consumed by the sword, and by famine, and their carkeises shall be meate for the foules of the heauen, and for the beasts of the earth.

“They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like dung on the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine, and their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and beasts of the earth.”

5 For thus saith the Lord, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither goe to lament, nor be moued for the: for I haue taken my peace, from this people, saith the Lord, euen mercy and compassion.

Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal. Do not go to mourn or show sympathy, for I have removed from this people My peace, My loving devotion, and My compassion,” declares the LORD.

6 Both the great, and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them nor cut themselues, nor make themselues balde for them.

“Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them.

7 They shall not stretch out the hands for the in the mourning to comfort them for the dead, neither shall they giue them the cup of consolation to drinke for their father or for their mother.

No food will be offered to comfort those who mourn the dead; not even a cup of consolation will be given for the loss of a father or mother.

8 Thou shalt not also goe into the house of feasting to sit with them to eate and to drinke.

You must not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down with them to eat and drink.

9 For thus sayth the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Beholde, I wil cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, euen in your dayes the voyce of myrth, and the voyce of gladnes, the voyce of the bridegrome and the voyce of the bride.

For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am going to remove from this place, before your very eyes and in your days, the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom.

10 And when thou shalt shewe this people all these wordes, and they shall say vnto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great plague against vs? or what is our iniquitie? and what is our sinne that we haue committed against the Lord our God?

When you tell these people all these things, they will ask you, ‘Why has the LORD pronounced all this great disaster against us? What is our guilt? What is the sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?’

11 Then shalt thou say vnto them, Because your fathers haue forsaken me, sayth the Lord, and haue walked after other gods, and haue serued them, and worshipped them, and haue forsaken me, and haue not kept my Law,

Then you are to answer them: ‘It is because your fathers have forsaken Me, declares the LORD, and followed other gods, and served and worshiped them. They abandoned Me and did not keep My instruction.

12 (And ye haue done worse then your fathers: for beholde, you walke euery one after the stubbernesse of his wicked heart, and will not heare me)

And you have done more evil than your fathers. See how each of you follows the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying Me.

13 Therefore will I driue you out of this land into a lande that ye knowe not, neither you, nor your fathers, and there shall ye serue other gods day and night: for I will shew you no grace.

So I will cast you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’

14 Behold therfore, saith the Lord, the dayes come that it shall no more be sayde, The Lord liueth, which brought vp the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,

Yet behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’

15 But the Lord liueth, that brought vp the children of Israel from the lande of the North, and from all the landes where hee had scattered them, and I wil bring them againe into their land that I gaue vnto their fathers.

Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their land that I gave to their forefathers.

16 Behold, sayth the Lord, I wil send out many fishers, and they shall fish them, and after, will I send out many hunters, and they shall hunt them from euery mountaine and from euery hill, and out of the caues of the rockes.

But for now I will send for many fishermen, declares the LORD, and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill, even from the clefts of the rocks.

17 For mine eyes are vpon al their wayes: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquitie hid from mine eyes.

For My eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from My face, and their guilt is not concealed from My eyes.

18 And first I will recompense their iniquitie and their sinne double, because they haue defiled my lande, and haue filled mine inheritance with their filthie carions and their abominations.

And I will first repay them double their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and they have filled My inheritance with their abominations.”

19 O Lord, thou art my force, and my strength and my refuge in the day of affliction: the Gentiles shall come vnto thee from the ends of the world, and shall say, Surely our fathers haue inherited lies, and vanitie, wherein was no profite.

O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited nothing but lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.

20 Shall a man make gods vnto himselfe, and they are no gods?

Can man make gods for himself? Such are not gods!”

21 Beholde, therefore I will this once teach them: I will shewe them mine hande and my power, and they shall know that my Name is the Lord.

“Therefore behold, I will inform them, and this time I will make them know My power and My might; then they will know that My name is the LORD.