Jeremiah 6

O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.

1People of Benjamin, run away from Jerusalem to a safe place! Blow the horn in the town of Tekoa. Light a warning fire in Beth-haccerem. Trouble is coming from the north, and it will ruin much.

2I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.

2The city of Zion is like a lovely, gentle woman. That is what I have compared her to.

Note"Daughter of Zion" is a name for the city of Jerusalem and the people who live there. The Bible often talks about a city as if it were a person.

3The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.

3Enemy leaders will come with their armies, the way shepherds come with their sheep. They will set up their tents all around the city. Each one will take his own part of it.

4Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

4They say, "Get ready to fight her! Let's attack at noon." Then they say, "Oh no, the daylight is going. The evening shadows are getting long."

5Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.

5"Then let's get up and attack at night. Let's tear down her strong houses."

6For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.

6The LORD who commands armies says this: "Cut down trees. Pile up dirt into a ramp against Jerusalem's wall. This city must be punished. Inside her, people only hurt each other."

7As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds.

7A well keeps pushing out fresh water. In the same way, this city keeps pushing out evil. You can hear fighting and stealing inside her. I always see her hurts and her wounds.

8Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.

8Listen and learn, Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you. I will leave you empty, a land where nobody lives.

9Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.

9The LORD who commands armies says this: "Pick the last of Israel clean, the way you pick a grapevine. Go over the branches again with your hand, like a grape picker."

10To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

10Who can I warn? Who will even listen to me? Their ears are shut, so they cannot hear. They do not like what the LORD says. It only makes them angry.

11Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.

11But I am full of the LORD's anger. I am tired of holding it in. God says, "Pour it out on the children in the street. Pour it out on the young men together. Husbands and wives will be taken away, and old people too."

12And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD.

12"Their houses will be given to other people. So will their fields and their wives. I will reach out my hand against everyone in this land," says the LORD.

13For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

13"Every one of them wants more and more, from the least important to the greatest. Every one of them lies, from prophets to priests."

14They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

14"They cover my people's wound without really caring. They say, 'Everything is fine, everything is fine.' But nothing is fine."

15Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

15"Are they sorry for the awful things they did? No, they are not sorry at all. They do not even know how to blush. So they will fall down with the others who fall. When I punish them, they will drop," says the LORD.

16Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

16The LORD says this: "Stand where the roads meet and look around. Ask about the old paths. Ask, 'Where is the good way?' Then walk on it, and you will find rest inside you." But the people said, "We will not walk on it!"

17Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.

17"I gave you watchmen, guards who warn the city. I told you, 'Listen for the sound of the horn.'" But the people said, "We will not listen!"

18Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.

18So listen, all you nations. All you gathered people, learn what will happen to them.

19Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.

19Listen, earth! I am bringing trouble on these people. It grows out of the plans they made. They would not listen to my words, and they said no to my teaching.

20To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.

20Why do you bring me sweet-smelling spices from far away Sheba? Why bring sweet cane from a faraway land? I will not accept the gifts you burn for me. Your offerings do not make me happy.

21Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.

21So the LORD says this: "I will put things in their path to trip them. Fathers and sons will stumble together. Neighbors and friends will die."

22Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.

22The LORD says this: "Look, an army is coming from the land up north. A great nation is coming from far away."

23They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion.

23"They carry bows and spears. They are hard, and they show no kindness. Their shouting roars like the sea. They ride horses and line up for war against you, city of Zion."

24We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

24We have heard the news, and our hands hang down. We hurt and we are afraid, like a woman having a baby.

25Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side.

25Do not go out to the fields. Do not walk on the road. The enemy has a sword. There is fear everywhere.

26O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.

26My dear people, put on rough cloth and roll in ashes. Cry hard, the way you would cry for an only son. The one who destroys is coming, and coming fast.

NoteLong ago, when people were very sad, they put on scratchy cloth and sat in ashes. It was a way to show everyone how much they hurt inside.

27I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way.

27God says, "I have made you a tester of my people, like a worker who tests metal. You will watch them and learn how they live."

28They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.

28"They all turn away and will not come back. They walk around saying mean things about others. They are as hard as bronze and iron, and they spoil everything."

29The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.

29"The fire blows hot to burn the junk out of the metal. But the work does no good. The bad is still not taken out."

NoteWorkers used to melt silver in a very hot fire to burn out the junk mixed in it. Here God says the fire was used, but the junk stayed. "Reprobate silver" in the old wording just means silver that failed the test.

30Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.

30"People will call them silver that was thrown away, because the LORD has said no to them."