Jeremiah Chapter 6 (NIV)
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Jerusalem Under Siege“Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!Flee from Jerusalem!Sound the trumpet in Tekoa!Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!For disaster looms out of the north,even terrible destruction.
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I will destroy the Daughter of Zion,so beautiful and delicate.
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Shepherds with their flocks will come against her;they will pitch their tents around her,each tending his own portion.”
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“Prepare for battle against her!Arise, let us attack at noon!But, alas, the daylight is fading,and the shadows of evening grow long.
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So arise, let us attack at nightand destroy her fortresses!”
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This is what the Lord Almighty says:“Cut down the treesand build siege ramps against Jerusalem.This city must be punished;it is filled with oppression.
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As a well pours out its water,so she pours out her wickedness.Violence and destruction resound in her;her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
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Take warning, O Jerusalem,or I will turn away from youand make your land desolateso no one can live in it.”
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This is what the Lord Almighty says:“Let them glean the remnant of Israelas thoroughly as a vine;pass your hand over the branches again,like one gathering grapes.”
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To whom can I speak and give warning?Who will listen to me?Their ears are closedso they cannot hear.The word of the Lord is offensive to them;they find no pleasure in it.
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But I am full of the wrath of the Lord,and I cannot hold it in.“Pour it out on the children in the streetand on the young men gathered together;both husband and wife will be caught in it,and the old, those weighed down with years.
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Their houses will be turned over to others,together with their fields and their wives,when I stretch out my handagainst those who live in the land,”declares the Lord.
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“From the least to the greatest,all are greedy for gain;prophets and priests alike,all practice deceit.
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They dress the wound of my peopleas though it were not serious.‘Peace, peace,’ they say,when there is no peace.
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Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?No, they have no shame at all;they do not even know how to blush.So they will fall among the fallen;they will be brought down when I punish them,”says the Lord.
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This is what the Lord says:“Stand at the crossroads and look;ask for the ancient paths,ask where the good way is, and walk in it,and you will find rest for your souls.But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
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I appointed watchmen over you and said,‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’But you said, ‘We will not listen.’
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Therefore hear, O nations;observe, O witnesses,what will happen to them.
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Hear, O earth:I am bringing disaster on this people,the fruit of their schemes,because they have not listened to my wordsand have rejected my law.
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What do I care about incense from Shebaor sweet calamus from a distant land?Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;your sacrifices do not please me.”
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Therefore this is what the Lord says:“I will put obstacles before this people.Fathers and sons alike will stumble over them;neighbors and friends will perish.”
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This is what the Lord says:“Look, an army is comingfrom the land of the north;a great nation is being stirred upfrom the ends of the earth.
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They are armed with bow and spear;they are cruel and show no mercy.They sound like the roaring seaas they ride on their horses;they come like men in battle formationto attack you, O Daughter of Zion.”
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We have heard reports about them,and our hands hang limp.Anguish has gripped us,pain like that of a woman in labor.
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Do not go out to the fieldsor walk on the roads,for the enemy has a sword,and there is terror on every side.
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O my people, put on sackclothand roll in ashes;mourn with bitter wailingas for an only son,for suddenly the destroyerwill come upon us.
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“I have made you a tester of metalsand my people the ore,that you may observeand test their ways.
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They are all hardened rebels,going about to slander.They are bronze and iron;they all act corruptly.
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The bellows blow fiercelyto burn away the lead with fire,but the refining goes on in vain;the wicked are not purged out.
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They are called rejected silver,because the Lord has rejected them.”
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