THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH

Jeremiah 11 ©

God causes His covenant with Israel to be proclaimed by the prophet, v. 1, etc. He punishes the previous and the present breach of covenant committed by Israel and Judah by manifold idolatry, 8. Why He intends to bring a great and an unavoidable mischief upon them, 11, 16, 17. Forbids the prophet to pray for them, 14. Complains of the people’s hypocritical worship services and carelessness, 15. The prophet complains unto God of the murderous conspiracy of his countrymen of Anathoth against him, and desires God’s vengeance on them, which God foretells him that He will bring upon them, 18.

1

THE word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2

1Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the 2men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

3

And say 3thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursedabe the 4man that 5obeyeth not the words of this covenant,

4

Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the 6ironb furnace, saying, Obeyc my 7voice, and do 8them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my 9people, and I will be your God:

5

That I may perform the oathd which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land 10flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, 11So be it, O LORD.

6

Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.

7

For I 12earnestly protested unto your fathers 13in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising 14earlye and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.

8

Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear,f but walked every one in the 15imaginationg16of their evil heart: therefore I 17will bring upon them all the 18words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.

9

And the LORD said unto me, A 19conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

10

They are turned back to the iniquities of their 20forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and 21they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have 22broken my covenant which I 23made with their fathers.

11

¶Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring 24evil upon them, which they shall not be able to 25escape; and though they shall cryh unto me, I will not hearken unto them.

12

Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them 26at all in the time of their 27trouble.

13

For 28accordingi to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that 29shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.

14

Therefore prayj not 30thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.

15

31What hath my 32beloved to do in 33mine house, seeing 34she hath wrought 35lewdness 36with many, and 37the holy flesh is passed from thee? 38when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

16

The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of 39goodly fruit: with the noise of a great 40tumult he hath kindled 41fire upon 42it, and the 43branches of it 44are broken.

17

For the LORD of hosts, that 45plantedk thee, hath pronounced 46evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves 47to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.

18

¶And the 48LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: 49then thou shewedst me their doings.

19

But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought 50to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised 51devices against me, saying, Let us destroy 52the tree with the 53fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the 54land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.

20

But, O LORD of hosts, that 55judgest righteously, thatl triest the 56reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance 57on them: for unto thee have I 58revealed my cause.

21

Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of 59Anathoth, that seek thy 60life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:

22

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will 61punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:

23

And there shall be no 62remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even 63the year of their visitation.