Jeremiah 8

1 “At that time,” A declaration of YHWH, “They bring the bones of the kings of Judah, And the bones of its princes, And the bones of the priests, And the bones of the prophets, And the bones of inhabitants of Jerusalem, Out of their graves,

At that time, saith the Lord, they shall cast out the bones of the kings of Juda, and the bones of the princes thereof, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves.

2 And have spread them to sun, and to moon, And to all the host of the heavens, that they have loved, And that they have served, And that they have walked after, And that they have sought, And to which they have bowed themselves, They are not gathered, nor buried, They are for dung on the face of the ground.

And they shall spread them abroad to 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 adored: they shall not be gathered, and they shall not be buried: they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth.

3 And death is chosen rather than life By all the remnant who are left of this evil family, In all the remaining places, to where I have driven them,” A declaration of YHWH of Hosts.

And death shall be chosen rather than life by all that shall remain of this wicked kindred in all places, which are left, to which I have cast them out, saith the Lord of hosts.

4 “And you have said to them, Thus said YHWH: Do they fall, and not rise? Does he turn back, and not return?

And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord: Shall not he that falleth, rise again? and he that is turned away, shall he not turn again?

5 Why has this people of Jerusalem Turned back—a continuous backsliding? They have kept hold on deceit, They have refused to turn back.

Why then is this people in Jerusalem turned away with a stubborn revolting? they have laid hold on lying, and have refused to return.

6 I have given attention, indeed, I listen, They do not speak right, No man has sighed over his wickedness, Saying, What have I done? Everyone has turned to his courses, As a horse is rushing into battle.

I attended, and hearkened; no man speaketh what is good, there is none that doth penance for his sin, saying: What have I done? They are all turned to their own course, as a horse rushing to the battle.

7 Even a stork in the heavens has known her seasons, And turtle, and swallow, and crane, Have watched the time of their coming, And—My people have not known the judgment of YHWH.

The kite in the air hath known her time: the turtle, and the swallow, and the stork have observed the time of their coming: but my people have not known the judgment of the Lord.

8 How do you say, We [are] wise, And the Law of YHWH [is] with us? Surely, behold, it has worked falsely, The false pen of scribes.

How do you say: We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Indeed the lying pen of the scribes hath wrought falsehood.

9 The wise have been ashamed, They have been frightened, and are captured, Behold, they kicked against a word of YHWH, And what wisdom do they have?

The wise men are confounded, they are dismayed, and taken: for they have cast away the word of the Lord, and there is no wisdom in them.

10 Therefore, I give their wives to others, Their fields to dispossessors, For from the least even to the greatest, Everyone is gaining dishonest gain, From prophet even to priest, everyone is dealing falsely.

Therefore I will give their women to strangers, their fields to others for an inheritance: because from the least even to the greatest all follow covetousness: from the prophet even to the priest, all deal deceitfully.

11 And they heal the breach of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, Peace, peace! And there is no peace.

And they healed the breach of the daughter of my people disgracefully, saying Peace, peace: when there was no peace.

12 They were ashamed when they did abomination! Indeed, they are not ashamed at all, And they have not known blushing, Therefore, they fall among falling ones, They stumble in the time of their inspection, said YHWH.

They are confounded, because they have committed abomination: yea rather they are not confounded with confusion, and they have not know how to blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall; in the time of their visitation they shall fall, saith the Lord.

13 I utterly consume them,” A declaration of YHWH, “There are no grapes in the vine, Indeed, there are no figs in the fig tree, And the leaf has faded, And the strength they have passes from them.

Gathering I will gather them together, saith the Lord, there is no grape on the vines, and there are no figs on the fig tree, the leaf is fallen: and I have given them the things that are passed away.

14 Why are we sitting still? Be gathered, and we go into the fortified cities, And we are silent there, For our God YHWH has made us silent, Indeed, He causes us to drink water of gall, For we have sinned against YHWH.

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

15 Looking for peace—and there is no good, For a time of healing, and behold—terror.

We looked for peace and no good came: for a time of healing, and behold fear.

16 The snorting of his horses has been heard from Dan, From the voice of the neighings of his mighty ones, All the land has trembled, And they come in and consume the land and its fullness, The city and the inhabitants in it.

The snorting of his horse was heard from Dan, all the land was moved at the sound of the neighing of his warriors: and they came and devoured the land, and all that was in it: the city and its inhabitants.

17 For behold, I am sending serpents among you, Vipers that have no charmer, And they have bitten you,” A declaration of YHWH.

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

18 My sorrow [is] beyond comfort, My heart [is] sick in me.

My sorrow is above sorrow, my heart mourneth within me.

19 Behold, the voice of a cry of the daughter of my people from a far-off land, Is YHWH not in Zion? Is her King not in her? “Why have they provoked Me with their carved images, With the vanities of a foreigner?”

Behold the voice of the daughter my people from a far country: Is not the Lord in Sion, or is not her king in her? why then have they provoked me to wrath with their idols, and strange vanities?

20 Harvest has passed, summer has ended, And we have not been saved.

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

21 For a breach of the daughter of my people I have been broken, I have been dark, Astonishment has seized me.

For the affliction of the daughter of my people I am afflicted, and made sorrowful, astonishment hath taken hold on me.

22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why has the health of the daughter of my people not gone up?

Is there no balm in Galaad? or is no physician there? Why then is not the wound of the daughter of my people closed?