Jeremiah 11
11
The Terms of This Covenant
1The Message that came to Jeremiah from God:
2-4a “Preach to the people of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them this: ‘This is God’s Message, the Message of Israel’s God to you. Anyone who does not keep the terms of this covenant is cursed. The terms are clear. I made them plain to your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt, out of the iron furnace of suffering.
4b-5 “‘Obey what I tell you. Do exactly what I command you. Your obedience will close the deal. You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours. This will provide the conditions in which I will be able to do what I promised your ancestors: to give them a fertile and lush land. And, as you know, that’s what I did.’”
“Yes, God,” I replied. “That’s true.”
6-8 God continued: “Preach all this in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. Say, ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and carry them out! I warned your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt and I’ve kept up the warnings. I haven’t quit warning them for a moment. I warned them from morning to night: “Obey me or else!” But they didn’t obey. They paid no attention to me. They did whatever they wanted to do, whenever they wanted to do it, until finally I stepped in and ordered the punishments set out in the covenant, which, despite all my warnings, they had ignored.’”
9-10Then God said, “There’s a conspiracy among the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. They’ve plotted to reenact the sins of their ancestors—the ones who disobeyed me and decided to go after other gods and worship them. Israel and Judah are in this together, mindlessly breaking the covenant I made with their ancestors.
11-13“Well, your God has something to say about this: Watch out! I’m about to visit doom on you, and no one will get out of it. You’re going to cry for help but I won’t listen. Then all the people in Judah and Jerusalem will start praying to the gods you’ve been sacrificing to all these years, but it won’t do a bit of good. You’ve got as many gods as you have villages, Judah! And you’ve got enough altars for sacrifices to that impotent sex god Baal to put one on every street corner in Jerusalem!
14“And as for you, Jeremiah, I don’t want you praying for this people. Nothing! Not a word of petition. Indeed, I’m not going to listen to a single syllable of their crisis-prayers.”
Promises and Pious Programs
15-16“What business do the ones I love have figuring out
how to get off the hook? And right in the house of worship!
Do you think making promises and devising pious programs
will save you from doom?
Do you think you can get out of this
by becoming more religious?
A mighty oak tree, majestic and glorious—
that’s how I once described you.
But it will only take a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning
to leave you a shattered wreck.
17“I, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who planted you—yes, I have pronounced doom on you. Why? Because of the disastrous life you’ve lived, Israel and Judah alike, goading me to anger with your continuous worship and offerings to that sorry god Baal.”
* * *
18-19 God told me what was going on. That’s how I knew.
You, God, opened my eyes to their evil scheming.
I had no idea what was going on—naive as a lamb
being led to slaughter!
I didn’t know they had it in for me,
didn’t know of their behind-the-scenes plots:
“Let’s get rid of the preacher.
That will stop the sermons!
Let’s get rid of him for good.
He won’t be remembered for long.”
20Then I said, “God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
you’re a fair judge.
You examine and cross-examine
human actions and motives.
I want to see these people shown up and put down!
I’m an open book before you. Clear my name.”
21-23That sent a signal to God, who spoke up: “Here’s what I’ll do to the men of Anathoth who are trying to murder you, the men who say, ‘Don’t preach to us in God’s name or we’ll kill you.’ Yes, it’s God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaking. Indeed! I’ll call them to account: Their young people will die in battle, their children will die of starvation, and there will be no one left at all, none. I’m visiting the men of Anathoth with doom. Doomsday!”
Currently Selected:
Jeremiah 11: MSG
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Jeremiah 11
11
The Broken Covenant
1The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,#Literally “to say” 2“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the people#Literally “man” of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 3and say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: “The man is cursed who does not obey the words of this covenant, 4which I commanded your ancestors#Or “fathers” in the day of my bringing them from the land of Egypt, from the furnace of iron, saying,#Literally “to say” ‘Listen to my voice and do according to all that I command you, so will you be my people, and I will be your God.’#Literally “and you shall be to me as people and I will be to you as God” 5in order to keep the oath that I swore to your ancestors,#Or “fathers” to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.” ’ ” Then I answered and said, “Let it be so,#Literally “Amen” O Yahweh.”
6And Yahweh said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying,#Literally “to say” ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them, 7for I solemnly admonished your ancestors#Or “fathers” in the day of my leading them out from the land of Egypt and up to this day, admonishing persistently,#Literally “do early and admonishing” saying,#Literally “to say” “Obey my voice.” 8But they did not obey and they did not incline their ear. Instead each one walked in the stubbornness of his#Hebrew “their” evil heart. Therefore, I brought on them all the words of this covenant which I commanded them#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation to do, and they did not do it.’ ”#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
9And Yahweh said to me, “A conspiracy is found among the people#Literally “man” of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10They have turned back to the iniquities of their former ancestors,#Or “fathers” who refused to obey my words, and they have gone after other gods, to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made#Literally “cut” with their ancestors.”#Or “fathers”
11Therefore#Literally “To thus” thus says Yahweh, “I am about to bring on them disaster from which they will not be able to escape. Though they cry out to me, yet I will not listen to them. 12Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they are making smoke offerings, but they will certainly not save them in the time of their trouble. 13For the number of your towns are your gods, O Judah, and the number of the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful things, to make smoke offerings to Baal. 14Therefore you must not pray for this people, and you must not lift up for them a cry of entreaty, or a prayer, for I will not listen in the time of their calling to me, in the time of their trouble.
15What rights has my beloved in my house#Literally “What for my beloved in my house”
when she has done many wicked things?#Hebrew “wicked thing”
Can the flesh of holiness pass over you?
For you engage in your wickedness,#Literally “your wickedness” then you exult.
16Yahweh called your name, ‘A leafy olive tree, beautiful with fine fruit.’#Literally “beautiful of fruit of appearance”
With the sound of a great storm he will set fire to it,
and its branches will be good for nothing.
17And Yahweh of hosts, the one who planted you,
has spoken evil against you,
because of the evil of the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
that they have done to themselves,
to provoke me to anger by making smoke offerings to Baal.”
A Warning for the People of Anathoth
18Moreover, Yahweh let it be made known to me, and I knew.
Then you showed me their deeds.
19And I was like a gentle ram-lamb that is brought to slaughter,
and I did not know that they planned plans against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
and let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered.”
20But O Yahweh of hosts, who judges in righteousness,
who tests the inmost being,#Literally “kidney” and the mind,#Literally “heart”
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have revealed my legal case.
21Therefore#Literally “To thus” thus says Yahweh concerning the people#Or “men” of Anathoth who seek your life, saying,#Literally “to say” “You shall not prophesy in the name of Yahweh or#Literally “and not” you will die by our hand.” 22Therefore#Literally “To thus” thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Look, I am about to punish them. The young men will die by the sword. Their sons and their daughters will die by the famine. 23And a remnant will not be left for them, for I will bring disaster to the people#Or “men” of Anathoth, the year of their punishment.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software