14

Sword, Famine, and Pestilence

¹The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts.
²“Judah mourns,
And ⚓her gates languish;
They ⚓mourn for the land,
And ⚓the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.
³Their nobles have sent their lads for water;
They went to the cisterns and found no water.
They returned with their vessels empty;
They were ⚓ashamed and confounded
⚓And covered their heads.
⁴Because the ground is parched,
For there was ⚓no rain in the land,
The plowmen were ashamed;
They covered their heads.
⁵Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field,
But left because there was no grass.
⁶And ⚓the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights;
They sniffed at the wind like jackals;
Their eyes failed because there was no grass.”
⁷O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us,
Do it ⚓for Your name’s sake;
For our backslidings are many,
We have sinned against You.
⁸⚓O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble,
Why should You be like a stranger in the land,
And like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
⁹Why should You be like a man astonished,
Like a mighty one ⚓who cannot save?
Yet You, O Lord, ⚓are in our midst,
And we are called by Your name;
Do not leave us!
¹⁰Thus says the Lord to this people:
⚓“Thus they have loved to wander;
They have not restrained their feet.
Therefore the Lord does not accept them;
⚓He will remember their iniquity now,
And punish their sins.”
¹¹Then the Lord said to me, ⚓“Do not pray for this people, for their good. ¹²⚓When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and ⚓when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But ⚓I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.”
¹³⚓Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured ⚓peace in this place.’ ”
¹⁴And the Lord said to me, ⚓“The prophets prophesy lies in My name. ⚓I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the ⚓deceit of their heart. ¹⁵Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, ⚓and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’—‘By sword and famine those prophets shall 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; ⚓they will have no one to bury them—them nor their wives, their sons nor their daughters—for I will pour their wickedness on them.’
¹⁷“Therefore you shall say this word to them:
⚓‘Let my eyes flow with tears night and day,
And let them not cease;
⚓For the virgin daughter of my people
Has been broken with a mighty stroke, with a very severe blow.
¹⁸If I go out to ⚓the field,
Then behold, those slain with the sword!
And if I enter the city,
Then behold, those sick from famine!
Yes, both prophet and ⚓priest go about in a land they do not know.’ ”

The People Plead for Mercy

¹⁹⚓Have You utterly rejected Judah?
Has Your soul loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that ⚓there is no healing for us?
⚓We looked for peace, but there was no good;
And for the time of healing, and there was trouble.
²⁰We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness
And the iniquity of our ⚓fathers,
For ⚓we have sinned against You.
²¹Do not abhor us, for Your name’s sake;
Do not disgrace the throne of Your glory.
⚓Remember, do not break Your covenant with us.
²²⚓Are there any among ⚓the idols of the nations that can cause ⚓rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
⚓Are You not He, O Lord our God?
Therefore we will wait for You,
Since You have made all these.

14

Drought, Famine, Sword

¹This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
²“Judah mourns,
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
³The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water.
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.
⁴The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
⁵Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.
⁶Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food.”

⁷Although our sins testify against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.
For we have often rebelled;
we have sinned against you.
⁸You who are the hope of Israel,
its Savior in times of distress,
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
⁹Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?
You are among us, Lord,
and we bear your name;
do not forsake us!
¹⁰This is what the Lord says about this people:
“They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.
So the Lord does not accept them;
he will now remember their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.”
¹¹Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. ¹²Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”
¹³But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”
¹⁴Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries⚓ and the delusions of their own minds. ¹⁵Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine. ¹⁶And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them, their wives, their sons and their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.
¹⁷“Speak this word to them:
“ ‘Let my eyes overflow with tears
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.
¹⁸If I go into the country,
I see those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see the ravages of famine.
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not.’ ”

¹⁹Have you rejected Judah completely?
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.
²⁰We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;
we have indeed sinned against you.
²¹For the sake of your name do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.
Remember your covenant with us
and do not break it.
²²Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.