11. For the stone from the wall crieth out,

And the beam from the timber answereth it. 12. Woe to him that buildeth a town by blood, And establisheth a city by iniquity!

13. Behold, it is determined by the LORD of hosts, That nations shall labor for the fire,

And kingdoms weary themselves for naught.

14. For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

15.

Woe to him who giveth his neighbor drink,

Who poureth out the strong wine, and maketh him drunken,
That he may look upon his disgrace!

16. Thou shalt be filled with shame instead of glory;

To thee shall come the cup in the right hand of the LORD,
And foul shame shall be upon thy glory.

17. For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee,

18.

And the destruction of the beasts which made them afraid,
On account of the blood of men, and violence against the land,
Against the city and all its inhabitants.

What profiteth the graven image,

When the maker hath graven it?

Or the molten image, and the teacher of lies,
That the artificer trusteth in his work,

When he maketh dumb idols?

19. Woe to him who saith to the wood, Awake!
To the dumb stone, Arise! Will it teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
And there is no breath within it.

20. But the LORD is in his holy temple;
Be silent before him, all the earth!

(Chap. II.)

JEREMIAH,

About 625-585, B. C. E.

I.

The call of Jeremiah to his office. Expostulation with Israel on account of their ingratitude and disobedience.

1

THE words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests, who dwelt in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin; to 2. whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his 3. reign; to whom it also came in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem into captivity in the fifth month 4. The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed thee, I knew thee; and before thou camest into the world, I chose thee; I appointed thee to be a prophet to the nations. 5. Then said I, Alas, O Lord Eternal! Behold, I am not able to speak; for I am a child.

6.

But the LORD said to me, Say not, I am a child; but go to whomever I send thee, and speak whatever I command thee! 7. Be not afraid of them! For I am with thee to help thee, saith the LORD

8. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. 9. The LORD also said to me, Behold, I have put my words in thy 10. mouth. Behold, I have set thee this day over nations and over kingdoms, to root, out and to pull down, and to destroy, and to overthrow; and to build, and to plant. (Chap. I; 1-10-) 11. Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob,

And all the families of the house of Israel!

Thus saith the LORD:

What fault did your fathers find in me,

That they went far from me,

And walked after vanity, and practised folly?

12. They said not, Where is the LORD,

Who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
Who led us through the wilderness,

Through a land of deserts and pits,

Through a land of drought and deathlike gloom,
Through a land which no man passed through,
And where no man dwelt?

13. I brought you to a land of fruitful fields,
To eat the fruit thereof, and the good thereof;
But when ye had come in, ye defiled my
land,
And made my inhertitance an abomination.
14. The priests said not, Where is the LORD?
And the teachers of the law knew me not;
The rulers also rebelled against me;

The prophets prophesied in the name of Baal,
And walked after things that could not profit.

15. Thy wickedness shall chasten thee,

And thy transgressions reprove thee,

And thou shalt know and see that it is an evil and bitter thing
That thou hast forsaken the LORD,

And that the fear of me was not with thee,

Saith God, the LORD of hosts.

(Chap. II; 4-8, 19.)

1.

II.

Reformation enjoined. Disobedience of the people denounced
and punishment threatened.

RETURN, O rebellious Israel, saith the LORD!

I will not turn a frowning face upon you;

For I am merciful, saith the LORD, I retain not anger forever.

2. Only acknowledge thine iniquity,

That thou hast rebelled against the LORD thy God,

And hast roved about to strangers under every green tree, And hast not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. (Chap. III: 12-13.) 3. If thou wilt return to me, O Israel, saith the LORD,

Thou shalt return [to thy land];

If thou wilt put away thy abominations from my sight,
Thou shalt no more be a wanderer [in a foreign land].

4. If thou wilt swear, as the LORD liveth!

In truth, in justice, and in righteousness,

Then shall the nations bless themselves by thee,
And in thee shall they glory.

5. Thy way and thy doings have brought this upon thee;
This is the fruit of thy wickedness;

6.

It is bitter; it reacheth to thy heart.

(Chap. IV; 1-2, 18.)

Run ye through the streets of Jerusalem, [saith the LORD,] And see now, and know, and seek in her broad places,

If ye can find a single man, if there be one that doeth justice,
That seeketh uprightness, and I will forgive her.

7. Yea, though they say, "As the LORD liveth!"
Yet do they swear falsely.

8.

9.

Are not thine eyes upon the truth, O LORD,

Thou hast smitten them, but they have not grieved;

Thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction;

They have made their faces harder than a rock;

They have refused to return.

Then I said, These are only the poor;

They are the foolish, because they know not the way of the
LORD, the law of their God.

10. I will get me to the great ones, and I will speak to them;
For they know the way of the LORD, the law of their God.
But these also have together broken the yoke;

They have burst the bands.

11. Astonishing and horrible is that which is done in this land;
12. The prophets prophesy falsely,

And the priests rule under their guidance,
And my people love to have it so.

But what will ye do in the end of it?

(Chap. V; 1-5,30-31.)

13. From the least of them even to the greatest,

Every one is greedy of gain; prophet and priest alike,
Every one of them practiseth deceit.

14. They heal the wound of my people slightly,

Saying, Peace! peace! when there is no peace.

15. Are they ashamed that they have done abominable things? Nay, they are not at all ashamed; they know not how to blush; Therefore shall they fall with them that fall;

16.

At the time when I punish them,

They shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

Thus saith the LORD: Stand ye upon the ways and look;
And ask for the old paths, "Where is the good way ?"
Walk ye in it, and ye shall find for yourselves rest.

17. But they say, We will not walk in it.

18. I have also set watchmen over you, [saying,]

Hearken to the sound of the trumpet!

But they say, We will not hearken.

19. Therefore hear, O ye nations,

And know, ye assembled multitude, what shall come upon them! 20. Hear thou, Ŏ earth! behold, I bring evil upon this people,

The fruit of their devices;

Because they have not hearkened to my words,

And have even rejected my law.

(Chap. VI; 13-20.)

III.

The practice of virtue, not the possession of the Temple nor the sacrifices, will be the protection of the people.

1.

HEAR the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah,

Who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD! ·

2. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings,

And I will suffer you to dwell in this place! 3. Trust ye not in lying words, when they say,

"The temple of the LORD. the temple of the LORD
The temple of the LORD are these."

4. Yet if ye will thoroughly amend your ways and your doings,
And dispense justice between man and man,

5. If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, And shed not innocent blood in this place,

And go not after other gods to your own hurt,

6. Then will I cause you to dwell in this place,

In the land which I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. 7. Behold, ye trust in lying words without profit.

8. Will ye steal, and murder, and commit adultery,
And swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal,
And go after strange gods, which ye know not,
9. And then come and stand before me in this house,
Which is called by my name, and say, "We are delivered !"
Whilst ye practise all these abominations.

10. Is this house, which is called by my name,

Become a den for robbers in your eyes?

11. Behold, I myself have seen it, saith the LORD. 12. But do they vex me, saith the LORD?

13.

Do they not rather vex themselves, to the confusion of their own faces?

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel :

Add your burnt-offerings to your sacrifices, and eat ye the flesh. 14. For I spake not to your fathers, nor commanded them Concerning burnt-offerings and sacrifices,

At the time when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; 15. But this command gave I to them:

"Hearken," said I," to my voice, and I will be your God,
And ye shall be my people.

And walk ye in all the ways which I command you,

That it may go well with you.'

16. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear,