thy name. For they have devoured Jacob, and swallowed him up; they have cleared him up, and laid his habitation waste.
(Jeremiah)
Chapter 11
God’s Covenant. The Jews’ transgression Jeremiah’s life danger 1. This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2. Hear ye the words of this covenant, and tell them unto them that are in Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Cursed be he that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,

Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt
out of the iron furnace, saying, Hearken unto my voice, and do as I have commanded you; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God,

That I may keep the oath which I sware unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. And I answered and said, Lord, yea, so be it.

And the LORD said unto me, Preach all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear the words of this covenant, and do them.

For I have testified unto your fathers from the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt unto this day, and have borne witness early, saying, Hearken unto my voice.

But they hearkened not, neither inclined their ears; but went every man according to his own evil heart. Therefore will I also cause to pass upon you all the words of this covenant, which I commanded to be done, and yet they have not done them.

And the LORD said unto me, I know well how they are routed in Judah and in Jerusalem.

They turn again to the sins of their forefathers, who also would not hearken unto my words, and followed after other gods, and served them. So the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant, which I made with their fathers.

Therefore, behold, saith the LORD, I will bring upon them a calamity, which they shall not escape: and when they cry unto me, I will not hear them.

Let the cities of Judah therefore, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, go and cry unto the gods which they have burned incense unto: but they will not help them in their trouble.

For many a city, and many a god, hast thou, O Judah: and many a street is Jerusalem, and many an altar of shame have ye set up to burn incense unto Baal.

Now therefore pray not for this people, neither make supplication nor prayer for them: for I will not hear them when they cry unto me in their affliction.

What have my friends to do in my house? They do all wickedness, and think that the holy flesh shall take it from them: and when they do evil, they are well pleased.

The LORD called thee a green olive tree, fair and fruitful: but now hath he kindled a fire round about the same with a great cry of murder, that the boughs thereof must perish.

For the LORD of hosts, which planted thee, hath brought thee evil, because of the wickedness of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they do, to provoke me to anger with their incense, which they do unto Baal.

The LORD hath revealed it unto me, that I might know it; and he hath shewed me their doings,

That they might bring me as a poor sheep to the slaughter. For I knew not that they had consulted against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with his fruit, and cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be never more remembered.

But thou, O LORD of hosts, righteous judge, that tryest the kidneys and the hearts, let me see thy vengeance upon them: for I have committed my cause unto thee.

Therefore thus saith the LORD against the men of Anathoth, which stand after thy life, and say: Prophesy not unto us in the name of the LORD, lest thou die at our hands.

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will punish them; and their young men shall be slain with the sword, and their sons and their daughters shall die of hunger; and there shall not be left any of them;

For I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth in the year when they shall be afflicted.
(Jeremiah)
Chapter 12
The bliss of the wicked will soon come to an end.

O Lord, though I would be right with thee, yet thou art right: yet of the right must I speak unto thee. Why is it that the wicked are so well off, and the scornful have all things in abundance?

Thou plantest them, that they take root, and grow, and bring forth fruit: thou sufferest them to boast much of thee, and chastenest them not.

But thou, O LORD, knowest me, and hast judged me, and hast tried my heart before thee. But thou hast let them go free as sheep to be slain, and hast spared them to be strangled.

How long shall the land be laid waste, and the grass of the field wither in every place, because of the wickedness of the inhabitants, that both cattle and fowl shall be no more? For they say: He knoweth well how we shall fare.

If they that go on foot wear thee out, how wilt thou fare when thou goest with horsemen? And if thou seek safety in the land of peace, what shall become of thee by Jordan the proud?

For thy brethren also, and thy father’s house, have despised thee, and have cried out against thee. Therefore trust thou not in them, though they speak kindly unto thee.

Therefore have I forsaken my house, and shunned my inheritance, and delivered my dear soul into the hand of mine enemies.

My inheritance is become unto me as a lion in the forest, and roareth against me: therefore am I grieved against him.

My inheritance is like the speckled bird around which the birds gather. Come and gather yourselves together, all ye beasts of the field; come and feed.

Shepherds, and many of them, have spoiled my vineyard, and trodden down my field; they have made my good land desolate, they have made it waste.

I see already how it is so miserably desolate; yea, the whole land is desolate. But no one wants to take it to heart.

For the destroyer passeth over all the hills of the wilderness, and the devouring sword of the LORD from one end of the land even unto the other: and there shall no flesh have peace.

They sow wheat, but they shall reap thistles: they make it sour unto them, but they shall not enjoy it: they shall not be glad of their revenue before the fierce anger of the LORD.

Thus saith the LORD against all my wicked neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have distributed for my people Israel: Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and will pluck the house of Judah out of their substance.

And it shall come to pass, when I have plucked them out, that I will have mercy upon them again, and will restore every man to his inheritance, and to his own land.

And it shall come to pass, when they shall learn of my people, that they shall swear by my name: As the LORD liveth, as they have taught my people to swear by Baal, so shall they be built among my people.

But if they will not hearken, then will I pluck up such people, and destroy them, saith the LORD.
(Jeremiah)
Chapter 13
Punishment of the Jews, in effigies of the linen belt and wine leech.

Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and buy thee a linen girdle, and with it ferment thy loins, and wet it not.

And I bought a girdle according to the commandment of the LORD, and girded it about my loins.

And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying: 4. Take the girdle which thou hast bought, and girded it about thy loins, and arise, and go to the Phrath, and hide it there in a grove of stones.

And I went and hid him at Phrath, as the LORD commanded me.

And after a long time the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to the Phrath, and fetch again the girdle, which I commanded thee to hide there.

And I went to the Phrath, and digged up, and took the girdle out of the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was corrupt, that it was no more good.

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I destroy the great hope of Judah and Jerusalem.

The wicked people, which will not hearken unto my words, but go according to the deceit of their heart, and follow other gods, to serve them, and to worship them: they shall be as the girdle that is no more good.

For as a man girdeth a girdle about his loins, so have I, saith the LORD, girded about me all the house of Israel, and all the house of Judah, that they should be my people, for a name, for
praise, and for honour: but they will not hear.

Now therefore say unto them this word, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let all the vessels be filled with wine. And they shall say unto thee, Who knoweth not that all the vessels shall be filled with wine?

Say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will fill all that