Jeremiah 8

1 “At that time—this is Yahweh's declaration—they will bring out from the graves the bones of the kings of Judah and its officials, the bones of the priests and the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

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 Then they will spread them out in the light of the sun and moon and all the stars of the skies; these things in the sky that they have followed and served, that they have walked after and sought, and that they have worshiped. The bones will not be gathered or buried again. They will be like dung on the surface 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 In every remaining place where I have driven them, they will choose death instead of life for themselves, all who are still left over from this evil nation—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

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 So say to them, 'Yahweh says this: Does anyone fall and not get up? Does anyone get lost and not try to 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 has this people, Jerusalem, turned away in permanent faithlessness? They hold on to treachery and refuse to repent.

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

6 I paid attention and listened, but they did not speak right; no one was sorry for his wickedness, no one who says, “What have I done?” All of them go where they wish, like a stallion rushing toward 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 Even the stork in heaven knows the right times; and the doves, swifts, and cranes. They go on their migrations at the right time, but my people do not know Yahweh's decrees.

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 can you say, “We are wise, for the law of Yahweh is with us”? Indeed, see! The deceitful pen of the scribes has created deceit.

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 will be ashamed. They are dismayed and trapped. Behold! They reject Yahweh's word, so what use is their wisdom?

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 So I will give their wives to others, and their fields to those who will possess them, because from the least to the greatest, all of them are greedy for dishonest gain! From the prophet to the priest, all of them practice deceit.

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

11 They healed the wounds of my people lightly, saying, “Peace, Peace,” when there was no peace.

12 Were they ashamed when they practiced abominations? They were not ashamed; they did not know how to blush! So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says Yahweh.

13 I will remove them completely—this is Yahweh's declaration—there will be no grapes on the vine, nor will there be figs on the fig trees. For the leaf will wither, and what I have given to them will pass away.

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

14 Why are we sitting here? Come together; let us go to the fortified cities, and we will become silent there in death. For Yahweh our God will silence us. He will make us drink poison, since we have sinned against him.

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 are hoping for peace, but there will be nothing good. We are hoping for a time of healing, but see, there will be terror.

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

16 The snorting of his stallions is heard from Dan. The whole earth shakes at the sound of the neighing of his strong horses. For they will come and consume the land and its wealth, the city and the ones living in it.

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 see, I am sending out snakes among you, vipers that you cannot charm. They will bite you—this is Yahweh's declaration.'”

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

18 My sorrow has no end, and my heart is sick.

mortally with the pain of your distressed heart.

19 Behold! The screaming voice of the daughter of my people from a land far away! Is Yahweh not in Zion? Is her king no longer there? Why then do they provoke me to anger with their carved figures and their worthless foreign idols?

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 has passed on, summer is over. But we have not been saved.

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

21 I am hurt because of the hurt of the daughter of my people. I mourn at the horrible things that have happened to her; I am dismayed.

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 medicine in Gilead? Is there no healer there? Why will the healing of the daughter of my people not happen?

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?