Jeremiah
Chapter 8
1 At that time, God says, they will take out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the princes, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem from their graves.
2 They will lay them out under the sun, and the moon, and all the stars in the sky, which they loved, served, followed, sought after, and worshipped. They won’t be collected or buried; they will become like waste on the ground.
3 Those left from this wicked family, in every place where I’ve sent them, will prefer death over life, says God.
4 Also, tell them, “This is what God says: If they fall, won’t they get up? If someone turns away, won’t they come back?”
5 Why do the people of Jerusalem keep turning away forever? They cling to lies and won’t turn back.
6 I listened and heard, but they did not speak correctly: no one felt sorry for their evil ways, asking, “What have I done?” Everyone kept to their own path, like a horse charging into battle.
7 Yes, the stork in the sky knows her set times; and the dove, the crane, and the swallow keep track of their migration time; but my people do not understand God’s laws.
8 Why do you say, “We are wise, and we have God’s law”? Look, it was useless for him to write it; the scribes’ work is useless.
9 The wise men feel ashamed, confused, and trapped because they have ignored God’s word; so, what wisdom do they really have?
10 So I will give their wives to others and their fields to new owners, because everyone, from the least to the greatest, is greedy, and from the prophet to the priest, everyone lies.
11 They have only slightly healed my people’s wounds, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.
12 Did they feel shame when they did wrong? No, they had no shame at all and could not even blush. So they will fall with those who fall; when it’s time for their punishment, they will be brought down, says God.
13 God says, “I will certainly destroy them. There will be no grapes on the vines, no figs on the fig trees, and the leaves will wither. Everything I gave them will be taken away.”
14 Why are we just sitting here? Let’s gather and go into the fortified cities and stay quiet there: for God has made us silent and given us bitter water to drink because we have sinned against God.
15 We hoped for peace, but nothing good happened; we wanted a time of healing, but we found distress!
16 People heard his horses snorting from Dan; the land shook from the noise of his mighty horses. They came, ate up the land, and everything in it, including the city and its people.
17 Look, I will send snakes, venomous ones, among you, which cannot be tamed, and they will bite you, says God.
18 When I try to soothe my sadness, my heart feels weak inside me.
19 Listen to my people’s daughter crying out from a distant land: Isn’t God in Zion? Isn’t her king there? Why have they made me angry with their idols and pointless foreign gods?
20 The harvest is over, the summer has finished, and we are not rescued.
21 I am in pain because my people are suffering; I am deeply sad and shocked.
22 Is there no medicine in Gilead; is there no doctor there? Why then isn’t the health of my people restored?