Jeremiah 11
11
Judah’s Unfaithfulness to the Covenant
1 # 11:1 This is the chapter of the broken covenant. This begins a section of thirteen chapters (chs. 11–23) filled with warnings and rebukes. It is possible that Jeremiah gave this sermon before his sermon in the temple starting in ch. 7. However, others date the message Jeremiah gave in this chapter as coming after Hilkiah discovered the book of the law during the reign of King Josiah. Yahweh spoke these words to Jeremiah: 2“Hear the terms of this covenant and repeat them to the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem. 3Preach to them, ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel, says to you: A curse will rest on whoever disobeys the terms of this covenant 4that I made with your ancestors when I freed them from the fiery, iron furnace of their suffering in Egypt. Now, listen to my voice and do all that I commanded you, and you will be a beloved people to me, and I, I will be your God, 5so that I may keep the promise that I gave to your fathers to give them a beautiful land flowing with milk and honey, # 11:5 A “land flowing with milk and honey” is a figure of speech for a lush, fertile land that would bring them prosperity. the land which is yours today.’ ”
And I answered him, and said, “Yes, Yahweh, amen.”
6Then Yahweh said to me: “Preach this message in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them. 7For I warned your fathers repeatedly, when I freed them from the land of Egypt until now, to listen to my voice. 8But they refused to listen or change their ways. # 11:8 Or “bend their ears.” They lived in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, # 11:8 The stubbornness of the hearts of God’s people was a constant refrain in Jeremiah’s preaching. See 3:17; 7:24, 26; 9:14; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12; 23:17. so I finally enforced the penalties of disobeying this covenant and its terms which I commanded them to keep.’ ”
The Broken Covenant
9And Yahweh said to me: “The people of Judah and Jerusalem conspire against me. 10They have turned back to commit again the same sins of their ancestors, who ignored my words. They, too, have chased after foreign gods to serve them. The people of Israel and the people of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their ancestors.
11“Therefore, I, Yahweh, say: Behold! I am bringing calamity upon them from which they will not be able to escape. # 11:11 See Prov. 29:1; Jer. 15:2; Amos 9:1–4. And they will cry to me, but I will pay no attention. 12The cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but those false gods certainly will not be able to save them when calamity comes. 13The people of Judah worship as many gods as they have cities. They have as many altars to burn incense to that shameful one, Baal, # 11:13 See 2 Kings 21:3; Jer. 3:24. as they have streets in Jerusalem.
14“Jeremiah, do not pray for these people nor cry out nor intercede on their behalf, for when trouble strikes and they cry out to me, I will pay no attention.
15“My dearly beloved ones have done so much evil that they no longer have a right to come into my temple. Can the flesh of their many sacrifices avert their doom? When I send calamity, they will have nothing to be joyful about. # 11:15 Scholars are virtually in agreement that the Hebrew text of v. 15 is uncertain and extremely difficult to translate. 16I, Yahweh, once called you a green olive tree, full of leaves and bearing beautiful fruit. But with the sound of a great roar, I will set fire and consume its branches. 17For I, Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, planted you and have decreed disaster against you because of the evil of the people of Israel and the people of Judah. You have provoked me to anger by burning incense to Baal.”
A Plot against Jeremiah’s Life
18I knew about the evil some people were doing;
it was Yahweh who revealed it to me.
19I was like a trusting lamb led to the slaughter.
I had no idea they were speaking about me when they said,
“Let’s destroy the tree while it’s in full bloom. # 11:19 A comparable saying in English would be, “Let’s cut him off in his prime.”
We’ll kill him # 11:19 Or “Let’s cut him off from the land of the living.”
so that no one will remember him anymore.”
20Then I prayed, “Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies,
you always judge fairly,
and you test # 11:20 The Hebrew word for “test [try]” is bochen, which can also be translated “watchtower.” the most secret thoughts and desires of the heart.
I have placed my cause before you,
so let me live long enough
to see you take revenge on them.”
21Yahweh responded with a word for the men of Anathoth who wanted to take my life and who said to me, “You must no longer prophesy in the name of Yahweh, or we will certainly kill you.”
22So Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, said, “Listen, I will punish them. The young men will die in battle, their sons and their daughters will die by food shortages, 23and none will survive. For I will bring disaster upon the men of Anathoth when I come to punish them.” # 11:23 Yahweh’s judgment upon those of Jeremiah’s birthplace, Anathoth, was indeed severe. See Mark 6:4.
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Jeremiah 11: TPT
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