Jeremiah 8

At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:

1The LORD says: at that time, people will open the graves in Judah. They will bring out the bones of kings, leaders, priests, and prophets. They will bring out the bones of the people of Jerusalem too.

2And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.

2The bones will be spread out under the sun, the moon, and the stars. Those are the things the people loved, served, followed, asked for help, and worshiped. No one will gather the bones or bury them. They will lie on the ground like animal waste.

Note"All the host of heaven" is an old way of saying the sun, the moon, and the stars.

3And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.

3Some of this evil family will still be left alive. But they will want to die instead of live. That will be true everywhere I have sent them, says the LORD of Hosts, the LORD who commands great armies.

4Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?

4Tell them this is what the LORD says: When people fall down, don't they get back up? When someone walks away, doesn't he come back?

5Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

5Then why do these people in Jerusalem keep walking away from me? They never stop. They hold on tight to lies. They refuse to come back.

6I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.

6I listened carefully, but they did not say what was right. No one was sorry for the wrong he did. No one asked, "What have I done?" Each one ran his own way, like a horse charging into battle.

7Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.

7Even the stork in the sky knows when it is time to fly. The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush know when to come back each year. But my people do not know what the LORD wants.

8How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.

8How can you say, "We are wise, and we have the LORD's law"? Look at what happened. The pens of the scribes have turned it into a lie.

NoteScribes were men who copied out God's law by hand. "In vain" here means their writing has been made false and useless.

9The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?

9The wise men will be ashamed. They will be upset and caught like animals in a trap. They said no to the word of the LORD. So what wisdom do they really have?

10Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

10So I will give their wives to other men. I will give their fields to new owners. From the smallest person to the greatest, they all want more and more. Prophets and priests alike all cheat and lie.

11For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

11My dear people have a deep wound. But these men cover it with a small bandage and call it fixed. They say, "Everything is fine, everything is fine." But nothing is fine at all.

12Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

12Were they ashamed of the awful things they did? No, not one bit. Their faces did not even turn red. So they will fall down with everyone else who falls. When I punish them, they will go down, says the LORD.

13I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.

13I will take away all that they have, says the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine and no figs on the tree. Even the leaves will dry up. What I gave them will be gone.

14Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

14The people say: Why are we sitting here? Let's gather together. Let's run inside the cities with strong walls and be quiet there. The LORD our God has made us quiet. He has given us bitter, poisoned water to drink, because we sinned against him.

15We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!

15We hoped for peace, but nothing good came. We hoped for a time of healing, but trouble came instead.

16The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.

16The enemy's horses are snorting up north in Dan. You can hear them. The whole land shakes at the noise of their strong horses. They have come and eaten up the land and all that is in it. They have taken the city and everyone living in it.

17For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.

17Look, I will send snakes among you, says the LORD. They are poisonous snakes that no snake charmer can calm. They will bite you.

Note"Cockatrice" was an old English word for a snake with deadly poison.

18When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.

18I try to find comfort when I am sad. But my heart feels weak inside me.

19Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?

19Listen to my dear people crying out from a land far away. They ask, "Is the LORD not in Zion anymore? Zion is another name for Jerusalem. Is her king not there?" The LORD answers, "Why did they make me angry with their carved statues and worthless foreign gods?"

20The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.

20The harvest time is over. The summer has ended. And we are still not saved.

21For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.

21My dear people are broken, so I am broken too. I walk around sad and dark. Fear and shock have taken hold of me.

22Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

22Is there no healing medicine in Gilead? Is there no doctor there? Then why are my dear people still not well?

NoteBalm was a thick sap from a tree, used as medicine. Gilead was a place known for making it.