Jeremiah 11

The Broken Covenant

1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 ^a“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ^bCursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant 4that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, ^cfrom the iron furnace, saying, ^dListen to my voice, and do all that I command you. ^eSo shall you be my people, and I will be your God, 5 ^fthat I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers, ^gto give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”

6And the Lord said to me, ^h“Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ⁱHear the words of this covenant and do them. 7For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, ^jwarning them persistently, even to this day, saying, ^kObey my voice. 8 ^lYet they did not obey or incline their ear, ^mbut everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all ⁿthe words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”

9Again the Lord said to me, ^o“A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10They have turned back to ^pthe iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. ^qThey have gone after other gods to serve them. ^rThe house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. 11Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. ^sThough they cry to me, I will not listen to them. 12Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem ^twill go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, ^ubut they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. 13 ^vFor your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, ^waltars to make offerings to Baal.

14“Therefore ^xdo not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, ^yfor I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. 15 ^zWhat right has my beloved in my house, ^aawhen she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? ^abCan you then exult? 16The Lord once called you ^ac‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But ^adwith the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and ^aeits branches will be consumed. 17The Lord of hosts, ^afwho planted you, has decreed disaster against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, ^agprovoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.”

18 The Lord made it known to me and I knew;
then you showed me their deeds.
19But I was ^ahlike a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
I did not know ^aiit was against me
they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
^ajlet us cut him off from ^akthe land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.”
20But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
who ^altests ^amthe heart and the mind,
^anlet me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you have I committed my cause.
21Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of ^aoAnathoth, ^apwho seek your life, and say, ^aq“Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”— 22therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, 23and none of them shall be left. For I will bring disaster upon the men of ^arAnathoth, ^asthe year of their punishment.”

Jeremiah 46

Judgment on Egypt

1The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet ^atconcerning the nations.

2About Egypt. ^auConcerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in ^avthe fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

3 ^aw“Prepare buckler and shield,
and advance for battle!
4 ^axHarness the horses;
mount, O horsemen!
Take your stations with your helmets,
^aypolish your spears,
put on your armor!
5Why have I seen it?
They are dismayed
and have turned backward.
Their ^azwarriors are beaten down
and have fled in haste;
^bathey look not back—
^bbterror on every side!

declares the Lord.
6 “The swift cannot flee away,
nor the warrior escape;
^bcin the north by the river Euphrates
^bdthey have stumbled and fallen.
7 “Who is this, ^berising like the Nile,
like rivers ^bfwhose waters surge?
8Egypt rises like the Nile,
like rivers ^bgwhose waters surge.
He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth,
I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.’
9 ^bhAdvance, O horses,
and rage, O chariots!
Let the warriors go out:
men of Cush and ^biPut who handle the shield,
^bjmen of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.
10 ^bkThat day is the day of the Lord God of hosts,
^bla day of vengeance,
^bmto avenge himself on his foes.
^bnThe sword shall devour and be sated
and drink its fill of their blood.
For the Lord God of hosts holds ^boa sacrifice
^bpin the north country ^bqby the river Euphrates.
11 ^brGo up to Gilead, and take ^bsbalm,
O virgin daughter of Egypt!
In vain you have used many medicines;
^btthere is no healing for you.
12The nations have heard of your shame,
and the earth is full of your cry;
^bufor warrior has stumbled against warrior;
they have both fallen together.”
13The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of ^bvNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt:

14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in ^bwMigdol;
proclaim in ^bxMemphis and ^byTahpanhes;
say, ^bz‘Stand ready and be prepared,
for ^cathe sword shall devour around you.’
15Why are your mighty ones face down?
They do not stand ▼

▼Hebrew He does not stand

because the Lord thrust them down.
16He made many stumble, ^ccand they fell,
and they said one to another,
‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people
and to the land of our birth,
^cdbecause of the sword of the oppressor.’
17Call the name of ^cePharaoh, king of Egypt,
‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.’
18 ^cf“As I live, declares the King,
^cgwhose name is the Lord of hosts,
like ^chTabor among the mountains
and like ^ciCarmel by the sea, shall one come.
19 ^cjPrepare yourselves baggage for exile,
O ^ckinhabitants of Egypt!
For ^clMemphis shall become a waste,
a ruin, ^cmwithout inhabitant.
20 “A beautiful ^cnheifer is Egypt,
but a biting fly ^cofrom the north has come upon her.
21Even her hired soldiers in her midst
are like ^cpfattened calves;
yes, they have turned and fled together;
they did not stand,
for the day of their calamity has come upon them,
^cqthe time of their punishment.
22 “She makes ^cra sound like a serpent gliding away;
for her enemies march in force
and come against her with axes
^cslike those who fell trees.
23 ^ctThey shall cut down her forest,

declares the Lord,
though it is impenetrable,
because ^cuthey are more numerous than locusts;
they are without number.
24The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame;
she shall be delivered into the hand of ^cva people from the north.”
25The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon ^cwAmon of ^cxThebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt ^cyand her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 ^czI will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. ^daAfterward Egypt shall be inhabited ^dbas in the days of old, declares the Lord.

27 ^dc“But fear not, O Jacob my servant,
nor be dismayed, O Israel,
for behold, I will save you from far away,
and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
and none shall make him afraid.
28 ^ddFear not, O Jacob my servant,

declares the Lord,
for I am with you.
I will make a full end of all the nations
to which I have driven you,
but of you I will not make a full end.
^deI will discipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”