Septuagint (Greek Old Testament)

that I may confirm mine oath, which I sware to your fathers, to give them a land flowing [with] milk and honey, as [it is] this day. Then I answered and said, So be it, O Lord.

And the Lord said to me, Read these words in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.

But they did [them] not.

And the Lord said to me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Juda, and among the dwellers in Jerusalem.

They are turned [aside] to the iniquities of their fathers that were of old, who would not hearken to my words: and, behold, they go after strange gods, to serve them: and the house of Israel and the house of Juda have broken my covenant, which I made with their fathers.

Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I bring evils upon this people, out of which they shall not be able to come forth; and they shall presently cry to me, but I will not hearken to them.

And the cities of Juda and the dwellers in Jerusalem shall go, and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense; which shall not deliver them in the time of their troubles.

For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Juda; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to burn incense to Baal.

And thou, pray not for this people, and intercede not for them in supplication and prayer: for I will not hear in the day in which they call upon me, in the day of their affliction.

Why has [my] beloved wrought abomination in my house? will prayers and holy offerings take away thy wickedness from thee, or shalt thou escape by these things?

The Lord called thy name a fair olive tree, of a goodly shade in appearance, at the noise of its being lopped, fire was kindled against it; great is the affliction [coming] upon thee: her branches are become good for nothing.

And the Lord that planted thee has pronounced evils against thee, because of the iniquity of the house of Israel and the house of Juda, whatsoever they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger by burning incense to Baal.

O Lord, teach me, and I shall know: then I saw their practices.

But I as an innocent lamb led to the slaughter, knew not: against me they devised an evil device, saying, Come and let us put wood into his bread, and let us utterly destroy him from off the land of the living, and let his name not be remembered any more.

O Lord, that judgest righteously, trying the reins and hearts, let me see thy vengeance [taken] upon them, for to thee I have declared my cause.

Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, that seek my life, that say, Thou shalt not prophesy at all in the name of the Lord, but if thou dost, thou shalt die by our hands:

behold, I will visit them: their young men shall die by the sword; and their sons and their daughters shall die of famine:

and there shall be no remnant [left] of them; for I will bring evil upon the dwellers in Anathoth, in the year of their visitation.

Righteous art thou, O Lord, that I may make my defence to thee, yea, I will speak to thee [of] judgments. Why [is it] that the way of ungodly [men] prospers? [that] all that deal very treacherously are flourishing?

Thou hast planted them, and they have taken root; they have begotten children, and become fruitful; thou art near to their mouth, and far from their reins.

But thou, Lord, knowest me; thou hast proved my heart before thee; purify them for the day of their slaughter.

How long shall the land mourn, and the grass of the field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell in it? the beasts and birds are utterly destroyed; because [the people] said, God shall not see our ways.

Thy feet run, and they cause thee to faint; how wilt thou prepare [to ride] upon horses? and thou hast been confident in the land of thy peace? how wilt thou do in the roaring of Jordan?

For even thy brethren and the house of thy father, even these have dealt treacherously with thee; and they have cried out, they are gathered together in pursuit of thee; trust not thou in them, though they shall speak fair [words] to thee.

I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given my beloved one into the hands of her enemies.

My inheritance has become to me as a lion in a forest; she has uttered her voice against me; therefore have I hated her.

Is not my inheritance to me a hyæna's cave, or a cave round about her? Go ye, gather together all the wild beasts of the field, and let them come to devour her.

Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have defiled my portion, they have made my desirable portion a trackless wilderness;

it is made a complete ruin: for my sake the whole land has been utterly ruined, because there is none that lays [the matter] to heart.

The ravagers are come to every passage in the wilderness: for the sword of the Lord will devour from one end of the land to the other: no flesh has any peace.

Sow wheat, and reap thorns; their portions shall not profit them: be ashamed of your boasting, because of reproach before the Lord.

For thus saith the Lord concerning all the evil neighbours that touch mine inheritance, which I have divided to my people Israel; Behold, I [will] draw them away from their land, and I will cast out Juda from the midst of them.

And it shall come to pass, after I have cast them out, [that] I will return, and have mercy upon them, and will cause them to dwell every one in his inheritance, and every one in his land.

And it shall be, if they will indeed learn the way of my people, to swear by my name, [saying], The Lord lives; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall [that nation] be built in the midst of my people.

But if they will not return, then will I cut off that nation with utter ruin and destruction.

Thus saith the Lord, Go and procure for thyself a linen girdle, and put it about thy loins, and let it not be put in water.

So I procured the girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it about my loins.

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Take the girdle that is upon thy loins, and arise, and go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

So I went, and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.

And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said to me, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take thence the girdle, which I commanded thee to hide there.

So I went to the river Euphrates, and dug, and took the girdle out of the place where I [had] buried it: and, behold, it was rotten, utterly good for nothing.

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord,

Thus will I mar the pride of Juda, and the pride of Jerusalem;

[even] this great pride [of the men] that will not hearken to my words, and have gone after strange gods, to serve them, and to worship them: and they shall be as this girdle, which can be used for nothing.

For as a girdle cleaves about the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave to myself the house of Israel, and the whole house of Juda; that they might be to me a famous people, and a praise, and a glory: but they did not hearken to me.

And thou shalt say to this people, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and it shall come to pass, if they shall say to thee, Shall we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine? that thou shalt say to them,

Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I [will] fill the inhabitants of this land, and their kings the sons of David that sit upon their throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and Juda and all the dwellers in Jerusalem, with strong drink.

And I will scatter them a man and his brother, and their fathers and their sons together: I will not have compassion, saith the Lord, and I will not spare, neither will I pity [to save them] from destruction.

Hear ye, and give ear, and be not proud: for the Lord has spoken.

Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and ye shall wait for light, and behold the shadow of death, and they shall be brought into darkness.

But if ye will not hearken, your soul shall weep in secret because of pride, and your eyes shall pour down tears, because the Lord's flock is sorely bruised.

Say ye to the king and the princes, Humble yourselves, and sit down; for your crown of glory is removed from your head.

The cities toward the south were shut, and there was none to open [them]: Juda is removed [into captivity], they have suffered a complete removal.

Lift up thine eyes, O Jerusalem, and behold them that come from the north; where is the flock that was given thee, the sheep of thy glory?

What wilt thou say when they shall visit thee, for thou didst teach them lessons for rule against thyself; shall not pangs seize thee as a woman in travail?

And if thou shouldest say in thine heart, Wherefore have these things happened to me? Because of the abundance of thine iniquity have thy skirts been discovered, that thine heels might be exposed.

If the Ethiopian shall change his skin, or the leopardess her spots, then shall ye be able to do good, having learnt evil.

So I scattered them as sticks carried by the wind into the wilderness.

Thus is thy lot, and the reward of your disobedience to me, saith the Lord; as thou didst forget me, and trust in lies,

I also will expose thy skirts upon thy face, and thy shame shall be seen;

thine adultery also, and thy neighing, and the looseness of thy fornication: on the hills and in the fields I have seen thine abominations. Woe to thee, O Jerusalem, for thou hast not been purified so as to follow me; how long yet [shall it be]?

And the Word of the Lord came to Jeremias concerning the Drought.

Judea has mourned, and her gates are emptied, and are darkened upon the earth; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

And her nobles have sent their little ones to the water: they came to the wells, and found no water: and brought back their vessels empty.

And the labours of the land failed, because there was no rain: the husbandmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.

And hinds calved in the field, and forsook [it], because there was no grass.

The wild asses stood by the forests, and snuffed up the wind; their eyes failed, because there was no grass.

Our sins have risen up against us: O Lord, do thou for us for thine own sake; for our sins are many before thee; for we have sinned against thee.

O Lord, [thou art] the hope of Israel, and deliverest [us] in time of troubles; why art thou become as a sojourner upon the land, or as one born in the land, yet turning aside for a resting-place?

Wilt thou be as a man asleep, or as a [strong] man that cannot save? yet thou art among us, O Lord, and thy name is called upon us; forget us not.

Thus saith the Lord to this people, They have loved to wander, and they have not spared, therefore God has not prospered them; now will he remember their iniquity.

And the Lord said to me, Pray not for this people for [their] good:

for though they fast, I will not hear their supplication; and though they offer whole-burnt-offerings and sacrifices, I will take no pleasure in them: for I will consume them with sword, and with famine, and with pestilence.

And I said, O [ever] living Lord! behold, their prophets prophesy, and say, Ye shall not see a sword, nor shall famine be among you; for I will give truth and peace on the land, and in this place.

Then the Lord said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, and I commanded them not, and I spoke not to them: for they prophesy to you false visions, and divinations, and auguries, and devices of their own heart.

Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy lies in my name, and I sent them not, who say, Sword and famine shall not be upon this land; they shall die by a grievous death, and the prophets shall be consumed by famine.

And the people to whom they prophesy, they also shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, because of the sword and famine; and there shall be none to bury them: their wives also, and their sons, and their daughters [shall die thus]; and I will pour out their wickedness upon them.

And thou shalt speak this word to them; Let your eyes shed tears day and night, and let them not cease: for the daughter of my people has been sorely bruised, and her plague is very grievous.

If I go forth into the plain, then behold the slain by the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold the distress of famine! for priest and prophet have gone to a land which they knew not.

Hast thou utterly rejected Juda? and has thy soul departed from Sion? wherefore hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we waited for peace, but there was no prosperity; for a time of healing, and behold trouble!

We know, O Lord, our sins, [and] the iniquities of our fathers: for we have sinned before thee.

Refrain for thy name's sake, destroy not the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.

Is there any one among the idols of the Gentiles that can give rain? and will the sky yield his fulness [at their bidding]? Art not thou he? we will even wait on thee, O Lord: for thou hast made all these things.

And the Lord said to me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before my face, my soul could not be toward them: dismiss this people, and let them go forth.

And it shall be, if they say to thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord; As many as are for death, to death; and as many as are for famine, to famine; and as many as are for the sword, to the sword; and as many as are for captivity, to captivity.

And I will punish them with four kinds [of death], saith the Lord, the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the wild beasts of the earth, and the birds of the sky to devour and destroy.

And I will deliver them up for distress to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasses son of Ezekias king of Juda, for all that he did in Jerusalem.

Who will spare thee, O Jerusalem? and who will fear for thee? or who will turn back [to ask] for thy welfare?

Thou hast turned away from me, saith the Lord, thou wilt go back: therefore I will stretch out my hand, and will destroy thee, and will no more spare them.

And I will completely scatter them; in the gates of my people they are bereaved of children: they have destroyed my people because of their iniquities.

Their widows have been multiplied more than the sand of the sea: I have brought young men against the mother, [even] distress at noon-day: I have suddenly cast upon her trembling and anxiety.

She that bore seven is spent; her soul has fainted under trouble; her sun is gone down while it is yet noon; she is ashamed and disgraced: I will give the remnant of them to the sword before their enemies.

Woe is me, [my] mother! thou hast born me as some man of strife, and at variance with the whole earth; I have not helped [others], nor has any one helped me; my strength has failed among them that curse me.

Be it so, Lord, in their prosperity; surely I stood before thee in the time of their calamities, and in the time of their affliction, for [their] good against the enemy.

Will iron be known? whereas thy strength is a brazen covering.

Yea, I will give thy treasures for a spoil as a recompence, because of all thy sins, and [that] in all thy borders.

And I will enslave thee to thine enemies round about, in a land which thou hast not known; for a fire has been kindled out of my wrath; it shall burn upon you.

O Lord, remember me, and visit me, and vindicate me before them that persecute me; do not bear long with them; know how I have met with reproach for thy sake, from those who set at nought thy words;

consume them; and thy word shall be to me for the joy and gladness of my heart: for thy name has been called upon me, O Lord Almighty.