Jeremiah 8

The Bones Brought Out

1 “At that time,” declares the LORD, “the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the princes, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be dug up from their graves.”

2 “They will be spread out under the sun, moon, and stars, the very things they loved, worshiped, and followed. They will not be gathered or buried; they will lie like trash on the ground.”

3 “All who survive this evil family will prefer death over life wherever I scatter them,” declares the LORD of armies.

Judah’s Complete Rebellion

4 “Tell them: This is what the LORD says, When people fall, do they not get back up, When they turn the wrong way, do they not try to return?”

5 “Why then has this people of Jerusalem turned away with endless backsliding, They cling to deceit and refuse to come back.”

6 “I have listened and heard, they do not speak truth. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Each one rushes headfirst into sin like a horse charging into battle.”

7 “Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons. The dove, the swift, and the thrush know when to migrate. But My people do not know the requirements of the LORD.”

False Wisdom and False Peace

8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us,’ when the lying pen of the scribes has turned it into a lie?”

9 “The wise men will be put to shame. They will be shocked and trapped. Why, Because they rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they have?”

10 “So I will give their wives to others and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, everyone is chasing dishonest gain. Prophets and priests alike, all of them practice lies.”

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

12 “Were they ashamed when they committed disgusting things, Not at all. They did not even blush. So they will fall with everyone else; when I punish them, they will be thrown down,” says the LORD.

The Coming Ruin

13 “I tried to gather them,” declares the LORD, “but there are no grapes on the vine and no figs on the fig tree. Even the leaves have withered. What I gave them is now taken away.”

14 “Why are we just sitting here, Let us gather and go into the fortified cities and die there. For the LORD our God has doomed us and given us poisoned water to drink, because we sinned against Him.”

15 “We hoped for peace, but no good came; for healing, but instead came terror.”

16 “The snorting of enemy horses can be heard from Dan. At the sound of their stallions neighing, the whole land trembles. They have come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who live there.”

17 “Look, I am sending venomous snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah’s Grief

18 “My sorrow is beyond healing; my heart is faint because of this.”

19 “Listen, the cry of My people from a distant land: ‘Is the LORD not in Zion, Is her King not there?’ Why have they angered Me with their carved idols and worthless foreign gods?”

20 “The harvest is past, the summer is over, and we are not saved.”

21 “Since My people are crushed, I am crushed. I mourn, and horror has seized Me.”

22 “Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there, Why then has the healing of My people not come?”