Type of a linen girdle.

CHAP XIII, XIV.

A grievous famine. 16 And it shall come to pass, if they will 15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not diligently learn the ways of my people, to proud: for the LORD hath spoken. swear by my name, The LORD fiveth; as 16 Give glory to the LORD your God, they taught my people to swear by Baal; before he cause darkness, and before your then shall they be built in the midst of my feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and people. while ye look for light, he turn it into the 17 But if they will not obey, I will ut- shadow of death, and make it gross darkterly pluck up and destroy that nation, ness. saith the LORD.

THU

CHAP. XIII.

HUS saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. 2 So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.

3 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,

4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.

6 And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it and behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

8 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

9 Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock is carried away captive.

18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.

19 The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.

20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?

21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?

22 And if thou say in thy heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.

23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

24 Therefore will I scatter them as the 10 This evil people, which refuse to hear stubble that passeth away by the wind of my words, which walk in the imagination the wilderness.

of their heart, and walk after other gods, to 25 This is thy lot, the portion of thy serve them, and to worship them, shall measures from me, saith the LORD; beeven be as this girdle, which is good for cause thou hast forgotten me, and trusted nothing. in falsehood.

11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins 26 Therefore will I discover thy skirts of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto upon thy face, that thy shame may appear. me the whole house of Israel and the whole 27 I have seen thine adulteries, and thy house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, might be unto me for a people, and for a and thine abominations on the hills in the name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but fields. Wo unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt they would not hear. thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?

12 T Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?

CHAP. XIV.

HE word of the LORD that came to Je

remiah concerning the dearth.

2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; 13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the 3 And their nobles have sent their little inhabitants of this land, even the kings that ones to the waters: they came to the pits, sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and found no water; they returned with and the prophets, and all the inhabitants their vessels empty; they were ashamed of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. and confounded, and covered their heads.

14 And I will dash them one against ano- 4 Because the ground is chapt, for there ther, even the fathers and the sons together, was no rain in the earth, the ploughmen were saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, ashamed, they covered their heads. nor have mercy, but destroy them. 5 Yea, the hind also calved in the field,

The prayer of the prophet.

JEREMIAH.

and forsook it, because there was no grass. into the city, then behold them that are
The rejection of the Jews.
6 And the wild asses did stand in the sick with famine! yea, both the prophet
high places, they snuffed up the wind like and the priest go about into a land that
dragons; their eyes did fail, because there they know not.

was no grass.

7¶O LORD, though our iniquities tes- hath thy soul loathed Zion? Why hast 19 Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? tify against us, do thou it for thy name's thou smitten us, and there is no healing for sake: for our backslidings are many; we us? we looked for peace, and there is no have sinned against thee. 8 O the Hope of Israel, the Saviour hold trouble! good; and for the time of healing, and bethereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for we have sinned against thee. for a night?

9 Why shouldest thou be as a man as tonished, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us

not.

20 We acknowledge, O LORD, our

do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: 21 Do not abhor us; for thy name's sake, remember, break not thy covenant with us.

the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can 22 Are there any among the vanities of 10 Thus saith the LORD unto this O LORD our God? therefore we will wait the heavens give showers? Art not thou he, people, Thus have they loved to wander, upon thee: for thou hast made all these they have not refrained their feet, there-things. fore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and Hoses and Samuel stood before me,

visit their sins.

CHAP. XV.

HEN said the LORD unto me, Though

11 Then said the LORD unto me, Pray yet my mind could not be toward this not for this people for their good. 12 When they fast, I will not hear their let them go forth. people: cast them out of my sight, and cry; and when they offer burnt-offering and an oblation, I will not accept them; unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then 2 And it shall come to pass, if they say but I will consume them by the sword, thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD; and by the famine, and by the pestilence. Such as are for death, to death; and such 13 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! be- as are for the sword, to the sword; and hold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall such as are for the famine, to the famine; not see the sword, neither shall ye have and such as are for the captivity, to the famine; but I will give you assured peace captivity.

in this place.

14 Then the LORD said unto me, The kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, 3 And I will appoint over them four prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the them not, neither have I commanded heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to them, neither spake unto them: they pro- devour and destroy. phesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

into all kingdoms of the earth, because of 4 And I will cause them to be removed 15 Therefore thus saith the LORD con- dah, for that which he did in Jerusalem. Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Jucerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or 5 For who shall have pity upon thee, O Sword and famine shall not be in this who shall go aside to ask how thou doest? land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. 6 Thou hast forsaken me, saith the 16 And the people to whom they pro- will I stretch out my hand against thee, and LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore phesy shall be cast out in the streets of destroy thee; I am weary with repenting. Jerusalem, because of the famine, and the sword; and they shall have none to bury gates of the land; I will bereave them of 7 And I will fan them with a fan in the them, them, their wives, nor their sons, children, I will destroy my people, since nor their daughters: for I will pour their they return not from their ways. wickedness upon them. 8 Their widows are increased to me

17¶ Therefore thou shalt say this word above the sand of the seas: I have brought unto them; Let mine eyes run down with upon them against the mother of the young tears night and day, and let them not men a spoiler at noon-day: I have caused cease: for the virgin daughter of my peo- him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors ple is broken with a great breach, with a upon the city. very grievous blow.

9 She that hath borne seven languisheth:

18 If I go forth into the field, then be- she hath given up the ghost; her sun is hold the slain with the sword! and if I enter gone down while it was yet day: she hath

574

The complaint of Jeremiah.

CHAP. XVI.

The utter ruin of the Jews. been ashamed and confounded: and the they shall not be lamented; neither sha residue of them will I deliver to the sword they be buried; but they shall be as dung before their enemies, saith the LORD. upon the face of the earth: and they shall

10 Wo is me, my mother, that thou be consumed by the sword, and by famine; hast borne me a man of strife and a man of and their carcasses shall be meat for the contention to the whole earth! I have fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to earth. me on usury; yet every one of them doth

curse me.

5 For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to 11 The LORD said, Verily it shall be lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken well with thy remnant; verily I will away my peace from this people, saith the cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the LORD, even loving-kindness and mercies. time of evil and in the time of affliction. 6 Both the great and the small shall die 12 Shall iron break the northern iron in this land: they shall not be buried, neiand the steel? ther shall men lament for them, nor cut 13 Thy substance and thy treasures themselves, nor make themselves bald for will I give to the spoil without price, and them :

that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders. 7 Neither shall men tear themselves for 14 And I will make thee to pass with them in mourning, to comfort them for the thine enemics into a land which thou know-dead; neither shall men give them the cup est not for a fire is kindled in mine anger, of consolation to drink for their father or which shall burn upon you. for their mother.

15 O LORD, thou knowest: remem- 8 Thou shalt not also go into the house ber me, and visit me, and revenge me of of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to my persecutors; take me not away in thy drink.

long-suffering: know that for thy sake I 9 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to

have suffered rebuke.

16 Thy words were found, and I did cease out of this place in your eyes, and in eat them; and thy word was unto me the your days, the voice of mirth, and the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am voice of gladness, the voice of the bridecalled by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. groom, and the voice of the bride.

17 I sat not in the assembly of the mock- 10 T And it shall come to pass, when ers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy thou shalt shew this people all these words, hand: for thou hast filled me with indigna- and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore tion. hath the LORD pronounced all this great 18 Why is my pain perpetual, and my evil against us? or what is our iniquity? wound incurable, which refuseth to be or what is our sin that we have committed healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me against the LORD our God? as a liar, and as waters that fail?

11 Then shalt thou say unto them, Be

19 Therefore thus saith the LORD, If cause your fathers have forsaken me, saith thou return, then will I bring thee again, the LORD, and have walked after other and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou gods, and have served them, and have take forth the precious from the vile, thou worshipped them, and have forsaken me, shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto and have not kept my law; thee; but return not thou unto them.

12 And ye have done worse than your 20 And I will make thee unto this peo- fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one ple a fenced brazen wall: and they shall after the imagination of his evil heart, that fight against thee, but they shall not prevail they may not hearken unto me: against thee: for I am with thee to save 13 Therefore will I cast you out of this thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. land into a land that ye know not, neither 21 And I will deliver thee out of the ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye hand of the wicked, and I will redeem serve other gods day and night; where I thee out of the hand of the terrible.

THE

CHAP. XVI.

HE word of the LORD came also unto
me, saying,

2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons nor daughters in this place.

will not shew you favour.

14 Therefore behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

15 But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of 3 For thus saith the LORD concerning the north, and from all the lands whither the sons and concerning the daughters that he had driven them: and I will bring them are born in this place, and concerning their again into their land that I gave unto their mothers that bare them, and concerning fathers.

their fathers that begat them in this land: 16 ¶ Behold, I will send for many fish4 They shall die of grievous deaths; ers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them,

The captivity of Judah.

JEREMIAH. In God alone is sure salvation.

and after will I send for many hunters, and his ways, and according to the fruit of his
they shall hunt them from every mountain, doings.
and from every hill, and out of the holes
of the rocks.

11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and 17 For mine eyes are upon all their and not by right, shall leave them in the hatcheth the not; so he thatgetteth riches, ways they are not hid from my face,nei-midst of his days, and at his end shall be a ther is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.

fool.

18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they beginning is the place of our sanctuary. 12 A glorious high throne from the have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcasses of their de-forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they 13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that testable and abominable things. 19 O LORD, my strength and my for-earth, because they have forsaken the that depart from me shall be written in the tress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, LORD, the fountain of living waters. the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for 14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and thou art my praise. things wherein there is no profit.

20 Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?

21 Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know my hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The LORD.

CHAP. XVII.

is the word of the LORD? let it come now. 15 T Behold, they say unto me, Where

being a pastor to follow thee: neither have 16 As for me, I have not hastened from desired the woful day; thou knowest : that which came out of my lips was right before thee.

I

HE sin of Judah is written with a pen my hope in the day of evil. 17 Be not a terror unto me: thou art Toison, and with the point of a dia

mond: it is graven upon the table of their cute me, but let not me be confounded: 18 Let them be confounded that perseheart, and upon the horns of your altars; let them be dismayed, but let not me be 2 Whilst their children remember their dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, altars and their groves by the green trees and destroy them with double destruction. upon the high hills. 19 Thus said the LORD unto me; Go

3 Omy mountain in the field, I will give and stand in the gate of the children of thy substance and all thy treasures to the the people, whereby the kings of Judah spoil, and thy high places for sin, through- come in, and by the which they go out, out all thy borders. 4 And thou, even thyself, shalt disconand in all the gates of Jerusalem; tinue from thy heritage that I gave thee; of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all 20 And say unto them, Hear ye the word and I will cause thee to serve thine ene-Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusamies in the land which thou knowest not:lem, that enter in by the gates: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.

21 Thus saith the LORD; Take heed 5 T Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of to yourselves, and bear no burden on the the man that trusteth in man, and maketh Jerusalem; flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

22 Neither carry forth a burden out of 6 For he shall be like the heath in the ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath your houses on the sabbath day, neither do desert, and shall not see when good day, as I commanded your fathers. cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and their ear, but made their neck stiff, that 23 But they obeyed not, neither inclined not inhabited. they might not hear, nor receive instruction. 24 And it shall come to pass, if ye dili8 For he shall be as a tree planted by to bring in no burden through the gates of gently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, the waters, and that spreadeth out her this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the roots by the river, and shall not see when sabbath day, to do no work therein; heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of of this city kings and princes sitting upon 25 Then shall there enter into the gates drought, neither shall cease from yielding the throne of David, riding in chariots and fruit. 9 ¶ The heart is deceitful above all of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusaon horses, they and their princes, the men things, and desperately wicked: who can lem: and this city shall remain for ever. know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the of Judah, and from the places about Je26 And they shall come from the cities reins, even to give every man according to rusalem, and from the land of Benjamin,

576

The type of the polter.

CHAP. XVIII, XIX.

Judgments threatened. and from the plain, and from the moun- and they have caused them to stumble in tains, and from the south, bringing burnt- their ways from the ancient paths, to walk offerings, and sacrifices, and meat-offer- in paths, in a way not cast up; ings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices 16 To make their land desolate, and a of praise, unto the house of the LORD. perpetual hissing; every one that passeth 27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to thereby shall be astonished, and wag his hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear head.

a burden, even entering in at the gates of 17 I will scatter them as with an east Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I wind before the enemy; I will shew them kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it the back, and not the face, in the day of shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and their calamity. it shall not be quenched.

THE

CHAP. XVIII.

18 ¶ Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the

HE word which came to Jeremiah law shall not perish from the priest, nor
from the LORD, saying,
counsel from the wise, nor the word from

2 Arise, and go down to the potter's the prophet. Come, and let us smite him house, and there I will cause thee to hear with the tongue, and let us not give heed my words. to any of his words.

3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

19 Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. 20 Shall evil be recompensed for good? 4 And the vessel that he made of clay for they have digged a pit for my soul. was marred in the hand of the potter: so Remember that I stood before thee to he made it again another vessel, as seemed speak good for them, and to turn away thy good to the potter to make it. wrath from them.

5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

60 house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel.

21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword

7 At what instant I shall speak concern-in battle. ing a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it:

22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to 8 If that nation against whom I have take me, and hid snares for my feet. pronounced, turn from their evil, I will re- 23 Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their pent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. counsel against me to slay me: forgive not 9 And at what instant I shall speak con- their iniquity, neither blot out their sin cerning a nation, and concerning a king-from thy sight, but let them be overthrown dom, to build and to plant it; before thee; deal thus with them in the 10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey time of thine anger. not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

TH

CHAP. XIX.

HUS saith the LORD, Go and get a 11 Now therefore go to, speak to the potter's earthen bottle, and take of men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Je- the ancients of the people, and of the anrusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; cients of the priests;

Behold, I frame evil against you, and de- 2 And go forth unto the valley of the vise a device against you: return ye now son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of every one from his evil way, and make the east gate, and proclaim there the words your ways and your doings good. that I shall tell thee.

12 And they said, There is no hope: but 3 And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, we will walk after our own devices, and O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jeruwe will every one do the imagination of his salem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the evil heart. God of Israel, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle.

13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ve now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

4 Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;

15 Because my people hath forgotten 5 They have built also the high places me, they have burned incense to vanity, of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for