THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah 6 ©
God represents lively before the eyes of the people the approaching arrival of the Babylonians, the siege and capture of Jerusalem, and their deportation into captivity, vs. 1, 11, 12, 21, 22, etc. He exhorts them to repentance, 8, 16. But forasmuch as all manner of wickedness, as cruelty, oppression and violence, 7. Hardness of heart, rebellion, obstinacy, 10, 16, 17, 29, 30. Covetousness, 13. Backbiting, 28. Falsehood and flattery of priests and prophets, 13, 14, 15. Contempt of God’s Word, and following their own imagination, 19, 28. Hypocritical worship, 20 prevailed, He foretells them that they shall all, one after another, be thrust forth out of the land, 9. And He strengthens the prophet against the wickedness of the people, and the fruitfulness of his ministry among them, 27, 29.
O YE children of Benjamin, 1gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in 2Tekoa, and set up a 3sign of fire in 4Beth-haccerem: for evil 5appeareth out of the 6north,a and great 7destruction.
I have 8likened the 9daughter of Zion to a 10comely and delicate woman.
The 11shepherds with their 12flocks shall come unto her; they shall 13pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his 14place.
15Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at 16noon. Woe unto us! for the 17day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are 18stretched out.
Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.
¶For thus hath the LORD of 19hosts said, Hew ye down 20trees, and 21castb a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be 22visited; she is wholly oppression 23in the midst of her.
As a fountain 24casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is 25grief and wounds.
Be thou 26instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul 27depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.
¶Thus saith the LORD of hosts, 28They shall 29throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turnc back thine hand as a 30grapegatherer into the baskets.
To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their eardis 31uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a 32reproach; they have no delight in 33it.
Therefore I am full of the 34fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I 35will pour it out upon the 36children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is 37full of days.
Ande their houses shall be 38turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD.
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is 39givenf to covetousness; and from 40the prophet even unto the priest every one 41dealeth falsely.
Theyg have 42healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people 43slightly, saying, 44Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
45Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, 46they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the 47old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, andh ye shall find 48rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Also I set 49watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
¶Therefore hear, 50ye nations, and know, O 51congregation, 52what is among them.
Hear, O 53earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the 54fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.
Toi what purpose cometh there to me 55incense from 56Sheba, and the sweet 57cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not 58acceptable, nor your sacrifices 59sweet unto me.
Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay 60stumblingblocks before this people, and the 61fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the 62north country, and a greatj nation shall be 63raised from the sides 64of the earth.
They shall 65lay hold on bow and 66spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and 67they ride upon horses, 68set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion.
We have heard the 69fame thereof: our hands wax 70feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman ink travail.
Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and 71fear is on every side.
¶O daughter of my people, girdlthee with 72sackcloth, and 73wallow thyself in 74ashes: make thee mourning, 75as for an only son, 76most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.
77I have set thee for a 78tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their 79way.
They are all 80grievous revolters, walking with 81slanders: they are 82brassm and iron; they are all 83corrupters.
84The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the foundern85melteth in vain: for the wicked are not 86plucked away.
Reprobate silver shall men 87call them, because the LORD hath rejectedo them.