Jeremiah 8

1 "At that time," says YHWH, "they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his officials, 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,” declares the LORD, “the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves.

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.

They will be exposed to the sun and moon, and to all the host of heaven which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up or buried, but will become like dung lying on the ground.

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 YHWH of hosts.

And wherever I have banished them, the remnant of this evil family will choose death over life,” declares the LORD of Hosts.

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

So you are to tell them this is what the LORD says: “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not return?

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

Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.

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 have listened and heard; they do not speak what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, asking, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone has pursued his own course like a horse charging into battle.

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 YHWH's law.

Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons. The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush keep their time of migration, but My people do not know the requirements of the LORD.

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

How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us,’ when in fact the lying pen of the scribes has produced a deception?

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

The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?

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.

Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.

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

They dress the wound of the daughter of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.

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 YHWH.

Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse, says the LORD.

13 I will utterly consume them, says YHWH: 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 take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them.”

14 "Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there; for YHWH our God has put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against YHWH.

Why are we just sitting here? Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

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

We hoped for peace, but no good has come, for a time of healing, but there was only terror.

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 snorting of enemy horses is heard from Dan. At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds, the whole land quakes. They come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who dwell in it.

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

“For behold, I will send snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you,”

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

My sorrow is beyond healing; my heart is faint within me.

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

Listen to the cry of the daughter of my people from a land far away: “Is the LORD no longer in Zion? Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved images, with their worthless foreign idols?”

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

“The harvest has passed, the summer has ended, but we have not been saved.”

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

For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am crushed. I mourn; horror has gripped me.

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 balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?