The Broken Covenant
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from theLord, saying,
2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
3 and say to them, ‘Thus says theLordGod of Israel:“Cursedisthe man who does not obey the words of this covenant
4 which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt,from the iron furnace, saying,‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,’
5 that I may establish theoath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ asitisthis day.” ’ ”
And I answered and said, “So be it,Lord.”
6 Then theLordsaid to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: ‘Hear the words of this covenantand do them.
7 For I earnestly exhorted your fathers in the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, until this day,rising early and exhorting, saying, “Obey My voice.”
8 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, buteveryone followed the dictates of his evil heart; therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commandedthemto do, butwhichthey have not done.’ ”
9 And theLordsaid to me,“A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10 They have turned back tothe iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.”
11 Therefore thus says theLord: “Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; andthough they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them.
12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go andcry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
13 Foraccordingtothe number of yourcities were your gods, O Judah; andaccordingtothe number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars tothatshameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.
14 “Sodo not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hearthemin the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.
15 “Whathas My beloved to do in My house,
# Havingdone lewd deeds with many?
# Andthe holy flesh has passed from you.
# When you do evil, then yourejoice.
16 TheLordcalled your name,
# Green Olive Tree, Lovelyandof Good Fruit.
With the noise of a great tumult
He has kindled fire on it,
And its branches are broken.
17 “For theLordof hosts,who planted you, has pronounced doom against you for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal.”
Jeremiah’s Life Threatened
18 Now theLordgave me knowledgeofit,and I knowit;for You showed me their doings.
19 But Iwaslike a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me,saying,“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,and let us cut him off fromthe land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”
20 But, OLordof hosts,
You who judge righteously,
# Testing the mind and the heart,
# Let me see Yourvengeance on them,
For to You I have revealed my cause.
21 “Therefore thus says theLordconcerning the men ofAnathoth who seek your life, saying,‘Do not prophesy in the name of theLord, lest you die by our hand’—
22 therefore thus says theLordof hosts: ‘Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shalldie by famine;
23 and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth,eventhe year of their punishment.’ ”