Jeremiah 14

Drought and a Prayer for Mercy

1That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah in regard to the 1drought:2“Judah mourns And 2her gates languish; They sit on the ground 3in mourning, And the 4cry of Jerusalem has ascended.3Their nobles have 5sent their 6servants for water; They have come to the 7cisterns and found no water. They have returned with their vessels empty; They have been 8put to shame and humiliated, And they 9cover their heads.4Because the 10ground is 11cracked, For there has been 12no rain on the land; The 13farmers have been put to shame, They have covered their heads.5For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young, Because there is 14no grass.6The 15wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; They pant for air like jackals, Their eyes fail For there is 16no vegetation.7Although our 17iniquities testify against us, O Lord, act 18for Your name’s sake! Truly our 19apostasies have been many, We have 20sinned against You.8O 21Hope of Israel, Its 22Savior in 23time of distress, Why are You like a stranger in the land Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night?9Why are You like a man dismayed, Like a mighty man who 24cannot save? Yet 25You are in our midst, O Lord, And we are 26called by Your name; Do not forsake us!”

10Thus says the Lord to this people, “Even so they have 27loved to wander; they have not 28kept their feet in check. Therefore the Lord does 29not accept them; now He will 30remember their iniquity and call their sins to account.” 11So the Lord said to me, “31Do not pray for the welfare of this people. 12When they fast, I am 32not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer 33burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to 34make an end of them by the 35sword, famine and pestilence.”

False Prophets

13But, “Ah, Lord 36God!” I said, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You 37will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you 38lasting 39peace in this place.’” 14Then the Lord said to me, “The 40prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. 41I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a 42false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own 43minds. 15Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them--yet they keep saying, ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’--44by sword and famine those prophets shall 45meet their end! 16The people also to whom they are prophesying will be 46thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to 47bury them--neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters--for I will 48pour out their own wickedness on them.17You will say this word to them, ‘49Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin 50daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow, With a sorely 51infected wound.18If I 52go out to the country, Behold, those 53slain with the sword! Or if I enter the city, Behold, diseases of famine! For 54both prophet and priest Have 55gone roving about in the land that they do not know.’”

19Have You completely 56rejected Judah? Or have 57You loathed Zion? Why have You stricken us so that we 58are beyond healing? We 59waited for peace, but nothing good came; And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!20We 60know our wickedness, O Lord, The iniquity of our fathers, for 61we have sinned against You.21Do not despise us, 62for Your own name’s sake; Do not disgrace the 63throne of Your glory; Remember and do not annul Your covenant with us.22Are there any among the 6465idols of the nations who 66give rain? Or can the heavens grant showers? Is it not You, O Lord our God? Therefore we 6768hope in You, For You are the one who has done all these things.