1 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:
2 And 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.
3 And
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.
4 Moreover thou shalt
say unto them, Thus
saith the
LORD; Shall they
fall, and not
arise? shall he turn
away, and not
return?
5 Why then is this
people of
Jerusalem slidden
back by a
perpetual backsliding? they
hold fast
deceit, they
refuse to
return.
6 I
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.
7 Yea, 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.
8 How 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.
9 The
wise men are
ashamed, they are
dismayed and
taken: lo, they have
rejected the
word of the
LORD; and what
wisdom is in them?
10 Therefore 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.
11 For they have
healed the
hurt of the
daughter of my
people slightly,
saying,
Peace,
peace; when there is no
peace.
12 Were 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.
13 I 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.
14 Why 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.
15 We
looked for
peace, but no
good came; and for a
time of
health, and behold
trouble!
16 The
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.
17 For, behold, I will
send serpents,
cockatrices, among you, which will not be
charmed, and they shall
bite you,
saith the
LORD.
18 When I would
comfort myself against
sorrow, my
heart is
faint in me.
19 Behold 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?
20 The
harvest is
past, the
summer is
ended, and we are not
saved.
21 For the
hurt of the
daughter of my
people am I
hurt; I am
black;
astonishment hath taken
hold on me.
22 Is there no
balm in
Gilead; is there no
physician there? why
then is not the
health of the
daughter of my
people recovered?