Jeremiah 8

1 "At that time," says the LORD, "they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his officials, and the bones of the cohanim, 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 will take the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his rulers, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem out of their resting-places:

2 and they shall spread them 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 which they have worshiped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried, they shall be for dung on the surface of the earth.

And they will put them out before the sun and the moon and all the stars of heaven, whose lovers and servants they have been, after whom they have gone, to whom they have made prayers, and to whom they have given worship: they will not be put together or placed in the earth; they will be waste on the face of the earth.

3 Death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family, that remain in all the places where I have driven them," says the LORD of hosts.

And death will be desired more than life by the rest of this evil family who are still living in all the places where I have sent them away, says the Lord of armies.

4 "Moreover you shall tell them, 'Thus says the LORD: Shall men fall, and not rise up again? Shall one turn away, and not return?

Further, you are to say to them, This is what the Lord has said: Will those who are falling not be lifted up again? will he who has gone away not come back?

5 Why then do these people of Jerusalem turn away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast deceit; they refuse to return.

Why do these people of Jerusalem go back, for ever turning away? they will not give up their deceit, they will not come back.

6 I listened and heard, but they did not speak what is right: no man repents him of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done?" Everyone turns to his course, as a horse that rushes headlong in the battle.

I took note and gave ear, but no one said what is right: no man had regret for his evil-doing, saying, What have I done? everyone goes off on his way like a horse rushing to the fight.

7 Yes, the stork in the sky knows her appointed times; and the turtledove and the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming; but my people do not know the LORD's law.

Truly, the stork in the heavens is conscious of her fixed times; the dove and the swallow and the crane keep to the times of their coming; but my people have no knowledge of the law of the Lord.

8 How can you say, "We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us?" But, look, the lying pen of the scribes has worked falsehood.

How is it that you say, We are wise and the law of the Lord is with us? But see, the false pen of the scribes has made it false.

9 The wise men are disappointed, they are dismayed and taken: look, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what kind of wisdom is in them?

The wise men are shamed, they are overcome with fear and taken: see, they have given up the word of the Lord; and what use is their wisdom to them?

10 therefore I will give their wives to others, and their fields to those who shall possess them: for everyone from the least even to the greatest is given to covetousness; from the prophet even to the priest every one deals falsely.

So I will give their wives to others, and their fields to those who will take them for themselves: for everyone, from the least to the greatest, is given up to getting money; from the priest even to the prophet, everyone is false.

11 They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people superficially, saying, "Peace, peace;" when there is no peace.

And they have made little of the wounds of the daughter of Zion, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No. They were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among those who fall; in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, says the LORD.

Let them be put to shame because they have done disgusting things. They had no shame, they were not able to become red with shame: so they will come down with those who are falling: in the time of their punishment they will be made low, says the Lord.

13 I will utterly consume them, says the LORD: no grapes shall be 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.'"

I will put an end to them completely, says the Lord: there are no grapes on the vine and no figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf is dry.

14 "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 has put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

Why are we seated doing nothing? come together, and let us go to the walled towns, and let destruction overtake us there, for the Lord our God has sent destruction on us, and given us bitter water for our drink, because we have done evil against the Lord.

15 We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and look, dismay.

We were looking for peace, but no good came; and for a time of well-being, but there is only a great fear.

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

The loud breathing of the horses comes to our ears from Dan: at the sound of the outcry of his war-horses, all the land is shaking with fear; for they have come, and have made a meal of the land and everything in it; the town and the people living in it.

17 For, look, I will send serpents, adders, among you, which will not be charmed; and they shall bite you," says the LORD.

See, I will send snakes and poison-snakes among you, against which the wonder-worker has no power; and they will give you wounds which may not be made well, says the Lord.

18 "My joy for me is sorrow. My heart is faint within me.

Sorrow has come on me! my heart in me is feeble.

19 Look, the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a land that is very far off: 'Isn't the LORD in Zion? Isn't her King in her?'" "Why have they provoked me to anger with their engraved images, and with foreign vanities?"

The voice of the cry of the daughter of my people comes from a far land: Is the Lord not in Zion? is not her King in her? Why have they made me angry with their images and their strange gods which are no gods?

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

The grain-cutting is past, the summer is ended, and no salvation has come to us.

21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt: I mourn; dismay has taken hold on me.

For the destruction of the daughter of my people I am broken: I am dressed in the clothing of grief; fear has taken me in its grip.

22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then isn't the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

Is there no life-giving oil in Gilead? is there no expert in medical arts? why then have my people not been made well?