Jeremiah 8

1 At that time, saith Yhwh, they shall 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:

At that time, says the Lord, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Juda, 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 before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.

and they shall spread them out to the sun, and the moon, and to all the stars, and to all the host of heaven, which they have loved, and which they have served, and after which they have walked, and to which they have held, and which they have worshipped; they shall not be mourned for, neither shall they be buried; but they shall be for an example on the face of the earth,

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

because they chose death rather than life, even to all the remnant that are left of that family, in every place whither I shall drive them out.

4 Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Yhwh; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?

For thus says the Lord, Shall not he that falls arise? or he that turns away, shall he not turn back again?

5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

Therefore has this my people turned away with a shameless revolting, and strengthened themselves in their willfulness, and refused to return?

6 I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.

Listen, I pray you, and hear: will they not speak thus, There is no man that repents of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? the runner has failed from his course, as a tired horse in his neighing.

7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtledove and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of Yhwh.

Yes, the stork in the heaven knows her time, [also] the turtle-dove and wild swallow; the sparrows observe the times of their coming in; but this my people knows not the judgments of the Lord.

8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of Yhwh is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.

How will you say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? In vain have the scribes used a false pen.

9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of Yhwh; and what wisdom is in them?

The wise men are ashamed, and alarmed, and taken; because they have rejected the word of the Lord; what wisdom is there in them?

10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit 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 to others, and their fields to [new] inheritors; and they shall gather their fruits, says the Lord.

11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith Yhwh.

13 I will surely consume them, saith Yhwh: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.

There are no grapes on the vines, and there are no figs on the fig-trees, and the leaves have fallen off.

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

Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the strong cities, and let us be cast out there: for God has cast us out, and made us drink water of gall, because we have sinned before him.

15 We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!

We assembled for peace, but there was no prosperity; for a time of healing, but behold anxiety.

16 The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.

We shall hear the neighing of his swift horses out of Dan: the whole land quaked at the sound of the neighing of his horses; and he shall come, and devour the land and the fullness of it; the city, and them that dwell in it.

17 For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith Yhwh.

For, behold, I send forth against you deadly serpents, which can’t be charmed, and they shall bite you

18 When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.

mortally with the pain of your distressed heart.

19 Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not Yhwh in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?

Behold, [there is] a sound of the cry of the daughter of my people from a land afar off: Is not the Lord in Sion? is there not a king there? because they have provoked me with their graven [images], and with strange vanities.

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

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

21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.

For the breach of the daughter of my people I have been saddened: in my perplexity pangs have seized upon me as of a woman in travail.

22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

And is there no balm in Galaad, or is there no physician there? why has not the healing of the daughter of my people taken place?