Jeremiah 14

1 That which has been the word of YHWH to Jeremiah concerning the matters of the scarcities:

The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought.

2 “Judah has mourned, and her gates have languished, They have mourned to the earth, And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.

Judah mourneth, and her gates languish; they lie grieved on the ground; and the distressed cry of Jerusalem ascendeth upward.

3 And their majestic ones have sent their little ones to the water, They have come to ditches, They have not found water, They have turned back—their vessels empty! They have been ashamed, And have blushed and covered their head.

And their nobles have sent out their subordinates for water: they come to the pits, they find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are ashamed and confounded, and cover their head.

4 Because the ground has been broken, For there has been no rain in the land, Farmers have been ashamed, They have covered their head.

Because of the ground which is cracked open, since there hath been no rain in the land, are the ploughmen ashamed, they cover their head.

5 For even the doe in the field has brought forth—to forsake [it!] For there has been no grass.

Yea, the hind also bringeth forth her young in the field, and forsaketh [them], because there is no grass.

6 And wild donkeys have stood on high places, They have swallowed up wind like dragons, Their eyes have been consumed, for there is no herb.”

And the wild asses stand on the mountain-tops, they snuff up the wind like serpents: their eyes fail, because there are no herbs.

7 Surely our iniquities have testified against us, O YHWH, work for Your Name’s sake, For our backslidings have been many, We have sinned against You.

If our iniquities testify against us, O Lord, do thou act for the sake of thy name; for our backslidings are many; against thee have we sinned.

8 O Hope of Israel—its Savior in time of trouble, Why are You as a sojourner in the land? And as a traveler turned aside to lodge?

O thou hope of Israel, his saviour in time of trouble, why shouldst thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfarer that turneth aside to lodge for a night?

9 Why are You as one mute? As a mighty one not able to save? And You [are] in our midst, O YHWH, And Your Name is called over us, Do not leave us.

Why shouldst thou be as a man that is surprised, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou art in the midst of us, O Lord, and we are called by thy name: abandon us not.

10 Thus said YHWH concerning this people: “They have loved to wander well, They have not restrained their feet, And YHWH has not accepted them, Now He remembers their iniquity, And inspects their sin.”

Thus hath said the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander about, their feet have they not restrained: therefore the Lord doth not receive them in favor; now will he remember their iniquity, and will punish their sins.

11 And YHWH says to me: “You do not pray for this people for good.

Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not in behalf of this people for their good.

12 When they fast, I do not listen to their cry, and when they cause burnt-offering and present to ascend, I do not accept them; for I am consuming them by sword, and by famine, and by pestilence.”

When they fast, I will not hear their entreaty: and when they offer burnt-offering and meat-offering, I will not receive them in favor; but by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence, will I make an end of them.

13 And I say, “Aah! Lord YHWH, behold, the prophets are saying to them: You do not see a sword, indeed, famine is not [on] you, for I give true peace to you in this place.”

Then said I, Ah, Lord Eternal! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but a permanent peace will I give you in this place.

14 And YHWH says to me: “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My Name. I did not send them, nor command them, nor have I spoken to them. A false vision, and divination, and vanity—indeed, they are prophesying the deceit of their own heart to you.

Then said the Lord unto me, Falsehood do the prophets prophesy in my name; I have not sent them, neither have I commanded them, neither have I spoken unto them: a vision of falsehood, and divination, and idolatrous folly, and the deceit of their heart do they prophesy unto you.

15 Therefore, thus said YHWH concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My Name and I have not sent them, and they are saying, Sword and famine is not in this land: By sword and by famine are these prophets consumed.

Therefore thus hath said the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, when I have not sent them, while they say, Sword and famine shall not come in this land: By the sword and by the famine shall these prophets come to their end.

16 And the people to whom they are prophesying are cast into out-places of Jerusalem, because of the famine and the sword, and they have none burying them—them, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters—and I have poured out their evil on them.

And the people to whom they prophesy shall lie cast down in the streets of Jerusalem by means of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters; for I will pour out their wickedness over them.

17 And you have said this word to them: Tears come down my eyes night and day, And they do not cease, For [with] a great breach, The virgin daughter of my people has been broken, A very grievous stroke.

But thou shalt say unto them this word. My eyes shall run down with tears night and day, and they shall not cease; for with a great breach is the virgin-daughter of my people broken, with a very painful blow.

18 If I have gone forth to the field, Then, behold, the pierced of the sword! And if I have entered the city, Then, behold, the diseased of famine! For both prophet and priest have gone up and down To a land that they did not know.”

If I go forth into the field, behold, there are the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, behold, there are those that are sick with famine! for both the prophet and the priest travel round into a land that they know not.

19 Have You utterly rejected Judah? Has Your soul loathed Zion? Why have You struck us, And there is no healing to us? Looking for peace, and there is no good, And for a time of healing, and behold, terror.

Hast thou entirely rejected Judah? or hath thy soul loathing on Zion? why hast thou smitten us, so that there is no healing for us? we hoped for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold, there is terror!

20 We have known, O YHWH, our wickedness, The iniquity of our fathers, For we have sinned against You.

We know, O Lord, our wickedness, the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against thee.

21 Do not despise, for Your Name’s sake, Do not dishonor the throne of Your glory, Remember, do not break Your covenant with us.

Do not cast us off, for the sake of thy name, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.

22 Are there any among the vanities of the nations causing rain? And do the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O our God YHWH? And we wait for you, for You have done all these!

Are there any among the vanities of the nations those that bestow rain? or can the heavens give forth showers? Behold, thou art this, O Lord our God, and we will hope in thee; for thou hast done all these things.