Jeremiah

JEREMIAH 13:23
23 A black man cannot change the color of
his skin,
and a leopard cannot change its spots.
In the same way, Jerusalem, you cannot
change and do good.
You always do bad things.
24 “ I will force you to leave your homes.
You will run in all directions.
You will be like chaff* blown away by
the desert wind.
25 This is what will happen to you.
This is your part in my plans.”
This message is from the Lord.
“ Why will this happen?
Because you forgot me.
You trusted false gods.
26 Jerusalem, I will pull your skirt up over
your face.
Everyone will see you,
and you will be ashamed.
27 I saw the terrible things you did. a
I saw you laughing and having sex with
your lovers.
I know about your plans to be like a
prostitute.
I have seen you on the hills and in the
fields.
It will be very bad for you, Jerusalem.
How long will you continue doing your
dirty sins?”
Drought and False Prophets
14 1This is the Lord’s message to Jeremiah
about the droughtb: 2 “ The nation of Judah* cries for people who
have died.
The people in the cities of Judah grow
weaker and weaker.
They lie on the ground.
People in Jerusalem, cry to God for help.
3 The leaders of the people send their
servants to get water.
The servants go to the water storage
places,
but they don’t find any water.
The servants come back with empty jars,
so they are ashamed and embarrassed.
They cover their heads from shame.
4 No one prepares the ground for crops. c
No rain falls on the land.
The farmers are depressed.
So they cover their heads from shame.
5 Even the mother deer in the field leaves
her newborn baby alone,
a 13:27 I saw … you did This is probably talking
about worshiping false gods. But part of that wor‑
ship was having sex with temple prostitutes.
b 14:1 drought A time when no rain falls, and the
crops become dry and die.
c 14:4 No one … crops This follows the ancient
Greek version. The Hebrew text here is hard to
understand.
612
because there is no grass.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the bare hills.
They sniff the wind like jackals.*
But their eyes cannot find any food,
because there are no plants to eat.
7 “ We know that this is our fault.
We are now suffering because of our
sins.
Lord, do something to help us for the
good of your name.
We admit that we have left you many
times.
We have sinned against you.
8 God, you are the hope of Israel*!
You save Israel in times of trouble.
But now it seems like you are a stranger
in the land,
like a traveler who only stays one night.
9 You seem like a man who has been
attacked by surprise,
like a soldier who does not have the
power to save anyone.
But, Lord, you are with us.
We are called by your name, so don’t
leave us without help!”
10This is what the Lord says about the
people of Judah: “The people of Judah really
love to leave me. They don’t stop themselves
from leaving me. So now the Lord will not
accept them. Now he will remember the
evil they do. He will punish them for their
sins.”
11Then the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah,
don’t pray for good things to happen to the
people of Judah. 12They might begin to fast*
and pray to me, but I will not listen to their
prayers. Even if they offer burnt offerings*
and grain offerings to me, I will not accept
them. I will destroy the people of Judah with
war. I will take away their food, and they will
starve. And I will destroy them with terrible
diseases.”
13But I said, “Lord God, the prophets were
telling the people something different. They
were telling the people of Judah, ‘You will not
suffer from war or from hunger. The Lord will
give you peace in this land.’”
14Then the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah,
those prophets are telling lies in my name.
I did not send them or command them or
speak to them. Their prophecies came from
false visions, worthless magic, and their own
wishful thinking. 15So this is what I say about
the prophets who are speaking in my name.
I did not send them. They said, ‘No enemy
with swords will ever attack this country.
There will never be hunger in this land.’ So
those prophets will die from hunger or by an
enemy’s sword. 16And the people they spoke
to will be thrown into the streets. The people
will die from hunger and war. I will punish
them, and no one will be there to bury them,
their wives, their sons, or their daughters.