Jeremiah 14

¹The word of Jehovah, which came to Jeremiah concerning a drought.

²Judah mourneth, And the gates thereof languish; They are in deep mourning upon the ground. And the cry of Jerusalem goeth up.

³The nobles send their younger ones for water; They come to the wells, they find none; They return with their vessels empty; They are ashamed and confounded; They cover their heads.

⁴Because of the ground, which is in consternation, No rain falling upon the earth, The husbandmen are ashamed, They hide their heads.

⁵Even the hind in the field is delivered, And deserteth her young, Because there is no grass.

⁶The wild asses stand upon the hills, They snuff up the wind like jackals; Their eyes fail, Because there is no grass.

⁷Though our iniquities testify against us, Yet do thou, O Jehovah, act from a regard to thine own name. For our transgressions have been many; We have sinned against thee.

⁸O thou hope of Israel, His saviour in the time of trouble, Why wilt thou be as a stranger in the land, As a traveller who spreadeth his tent to pass the night?

⁹Why wilt thou be as a man that is amazed, As a hero that cannot save? Thou art in the midst of us, O Jehovah, And we are called by thy name; Do not forsake us!

¹⁰Thus saith Jehovah concerning this people: Thus they love to wander, They restrain not their feet; Therefore Jehovah doth not accept them; Now will he remember their iniquities, And punish their sins.

¹¹Then said Jehovah to me: Pray not for this people for their good!

¹²Though they fast, I will not hear their cry; Though they offer burnt-offerings and flour-offerings, I will not accept them; But by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence, I will make an end of them.

¹³Then said I, Alas! O Lord Jehovah! Behold, the prophets say to them, "Ye shall not see the sword, Nor shall famine come upon you; But Jehovah will give you lasting peace in this place."

¹⁴Then said Jehovah to me: The prophets prophesy lies in my name; I have not sent them, nor commissioned them, nor spoken to them; A false vision, and divination, and vanity, And the fraud of their hearts, do they prophesy to you.

¹⁵Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the prophets Who prophesy in my name, though I sent them not, But who themselves say, "The sword and famine shall not be in this land": By the sword and by famine shall those prophets be consumed.

¹⁶And the people to whom they prophesy Shall be cast forth in the streets of Jerusalem By means of famine and the sword; And they shall have none to bury them,—They, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters; For I will pour their wickedness upon them.

¹⁷Thus also shalt thou speak to them: My eyes shall run down with tears night and day; They shall not cease; For a deep wound hath she received, The virgin daughter of my people, A deadly blow.

¹⁸If I go forth into the fields, Then behold them that are slain by the sword! And if I enter the city, Then behold them that pine with famine! Both prophet and priest wander about the land, they know not whither.

¹⁹Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? Doth thy soul abhor Zion? Why hast thou smitten us, so that there is no healing for us! We look for peace, and there is no good, For a time of healing, and behold, terror!

²⁰We acknowledge, O Jehovah, our wickedness, And the iniquity of our fathers; For we have sinned against thee.

²¹Do not spurn us, for thy name’s sake! Do not dishonor thy glorious throne! Call to mind, break not, thy covenant with us!

²²Are there among the vanities of the nations any that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Art not thou he, O Jehovah, our God? Therefore in thee will we trust, For thou hast made all these things!

Jeremiah 14

¹The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.

²Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

³And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.

⁴Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.

⁵Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.

⁶And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.

⁷O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.

⁸O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?

⁹Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, 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.

¹⁰Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.

¹¹Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.

¹²When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

¹³Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.

¹⁴Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

¹⁵Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.

¹⁶And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.

¹⁷Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.

¹⁸If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.

¹⁹Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!

²⁰We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.

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

²²Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.