Jeremiah 6

The Enemy Approaches

1 “Run for safety, people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa, light the signal fire over Beth-haccherem, because disaster and huge destruction are coming from the north.”

2 “I am cutting off Daughter Zion, even though she was as beautiful and delicate as a woman of elegance.”

3 “Shepherds and their flocks are coming against her. They will pitch their tents around her and each one will graze his own section.”

4 ‘Prepare for battle against her!’ they will say. ‘Let us attack at noon!’ But then, ‘Too late, the day’s fading, the evening shadows are getting long.’

5 “So they will say, ‘Let us attack at night and destroy her fortresses!’”

Jerusalem’s Wickedness Exposed

6 The LORD of armies says: “Cut down trees and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. This city must be punished, nothing but oppression flows out of her.”

7 “As a spring keeps bubbling water, she keeps bubbling with wickedness. Violence and destruction echo inside her. I am always seeing sickness and wounds.”

8 “Pay attention to My warning, Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you and make your land desolate, a place no one wants.”

Israel Refuses to Listen

9 This is what the LORD of armies says: “Glean the remnant of Israel like a vine. Pass your hand over the branches again like a grape gatherer.”

10 “To whom can I speak and give warning, Their ears are closed, they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they do not want it.”

11 “I am filled with the LORD’s fury, tired of holding it in.” “So I will pour it out on the children in the streets and on the young men gathered together. Husbands and wives will be taken, the old and the very old too.”

12 “Their houses will be handed over to others, along with their fields and wives, because I will stretch out My hand against the people of this land,” declares the LORD.

Greed and False Peace

13 “From the least to the greatest, all of them are greedy for dishonest gain. Prophets and priests alike, all of them are faking it.”

14 “They treat My people’s wound like it is nothing, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.”

15 “Were they ashamed when they did disgusting things, Not at all, they did not even know how to blush. So they will fall with the rest; when I punish them, they will be thrown down,” says the LORD.

The Ancient Paths

16 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths, the good way. Walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We are not walking that way.’”

17 “I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We are not listening.’”

Judgment Is Coming

18 “Therefore hear, you nations; know what is coming to them, O assembly.”

19 “Hear this, earth: I am bringing disaster on this people because they ignored My words and rejected My law.”

20 “What good is incense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land, Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, your sacrifices do not please Me.”

The Army from the North

21 “Therefore, I am putting stumbling blocks in front of this people. Fathers and sons together will fall; neighbors and friends will perish.”

22 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Look, a people is coming from the north, a great nation being stirred up from far-off places.’”

23 “They grab bows and spears. They are cruel and show no mercy. Their roar is like the sea. They ride horses, lined up for battle against you, Daughter Zion.”

24 “We have heard the news, our hands hang limp. Anguish grips us, pain like a woman giving birth.”

25 “Do not go out into the fields or walk on the roads, the enemy’s sword is there, and terror is everywhere.”

Mourning for the People

26 “Daughter of My people, put on mourning clothes and roll in ashes. Cry loud like you are grieving for an only child, because sudden destruction is about to hit you.”

Israel Is Refined but Not Purified

27 “I made you a tester of metals among My people so you can examine their way.”

28 “They are all stubborn rebels, walking in slander. They are bronze and iron, all of them corrupt.”

29 “The bellows blow fiercely, but the refining fire is wasted, the wicked are not removed.”

30 “They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.”