Jeremiah 14:1-13
Jeremiah 14:1-13 King James Version (KJV)
The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth. Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads. Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads. Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass. And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass. O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not. Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
Jeremiah 14:1-13 The Message (MSG)
GOD’s Message that came to Jeremiah regarding the drought: “Judah weeps, her cities mourn. The people fall to the ground, moaning, while sounds of Jerusalem’s sobs rise up, up. The rich people sent their servants for water. They went to the cisterns, but the cisterns were dry. They came back with empty buckets, wringing their hands, shaking their heads. All the farm work has stopped. Not a drop of rain has fallen. The farmers don’t know what to do. They wring their hands, they shake their heads. Even the doe abandons her fawn in the field because there is no grass— Eyes glazed over, on her last legs, nothing but skin and bones.” We know we’re guilty. We’ve lived bad lives— but do something, GOD. Do it for your sake! Time and time again we’ve betrayed you. No doubt about it—we’ve sinned against you. Hope of Israel! Our only hope! Israel’s last chance in this trouble! Why are you acting like a tourist, taking in the sights, here today and gone tomorrow? Why do you just stand there and stare, like someone who doesn’t know what to do in a crisis? But GOD, you are, in fact, here, here with us! You know who we are—you named us! Don’t leave us without a leg to stand on. Then GOD said of these people: “Since they loved to wander this way and that, never giving a thought to where they were going, I will now have nothing more to do with them— except to note their guilt and punish their sins.” GOD said to me, “Don’t pray that everything will turn out all right for this people. When they skip their meals in order to pray, I won’t listen to a thing they say. When they redouble their prayers, bringing all kinds of offerings from their herds and crops, I’ll not accept them. I’m finishing them off with war and famine and disease.” I said, “But Master, GOD! Their preachers have been telling them that everything is going to be all right—no war and no famine—that there’s nothing to worry about.”
Jeremiah 14:1-13 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah in regard to the drought: “Judah mourns And her gates languish; They sit on the ground in mourning, And the cry of Jerusalem has ascended. Their nobles have sent their servants for water; They have come to the cisterns and found no water. They have returned with their vessels empty; They have been put to shame and humiliated, And they cover their heads. Because the ground is cracked, For there has been no rain on the land; The farmers have been put to shame, They have covered their heads. For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young, Because there is no grass. The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; They pant for air like jackals, Their eyes fail For there is no vegetation. Although our iniquities testify against us, O LORD, act for Your name’s sake! Truly our apostasies have been many, We have sinned against You. O Hope of Israel, Its Savior in time of distress, Why are You like a stranger in the land Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night? Why are You like a man dismayed, Like a mighty man who cannot save? Yet You are in our midst, O LORD, And we are called by Your name; Do not forsake us!” Thus says the LORD to this people, “Even so they have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check. Therefore the LORD does not accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account.” So the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine and pestilence.” But, “Ah, Lord GOD!” I said, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”
Jeremiah 14:1-13 New Century Version (NCV)
These are the words that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah about the time when there was no rain: “The nation of Judah cries as if someone has died, and her cities are very sad. They are distressed over the land. A cry goes up to God from Jerusalem. The important men send their servants to get water. They go to the wells, but they find no water. So they return with empty jars. They are ashamed and embarrassed and cover their heads in shame. The ground is dry and cracked open, because no rain falls on the land. The farmers are upset and sad, so they cover their heads in shame. Even the mother deer in the field leaves her newborn fawn to die, because there is no grass. Wild donkeys stand on the bare hills and sniff the wind like wild dogs. But their eyes go blind, because there is no food.” We know that we suffer because of our sins. LORD, do something to help us for the good of your name. We have left you many times; we have sinned against you. God, the Hope of Israel, you have saved Israel in times of trouble. Why are you like a stranger in the land, or like a traveler who only stays one night? Why are you like someone who has been attacked by surprise, like a warrior who is not able to save anyone? But you are among us, LORD, and we are called by your name so don’t leave us without help! This is what the LORD says about the people of Judah: “They really love to wander from me; they don’t stop themselves from leaving me. So now the LORD will not accept them. He will now remember the evil they do and will punish them for their sins.” Then the LORD said, “Don’t pray for good things to happen to the people of Judah. Even if they fast, I will not listen to their prayers. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy the people of Judah with war, hunger, and terrible diseases.” But I said, “Oh, Lord GOD, the prophets keep telling the people, ‘You will not suffer from an enemy’s sword or from hunger. I, the LORD, will give you peace in this land.’ ”
Jeremiah 14:1-13 American Standard Version (ASV)
The word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought. Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish, they sit in black upon the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. And their nobles send their little ones to the waters: they come to the cisterns, and find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are put to shame and confounded, and cover their heads. Because of the ground which is cracked, for that no rain hath been in the land, the plowmen are put to shame, they cover their heads. Yea, the hind also in the field calveth, and forsaketh her young, because there is no grass. And the wild asses stand on the bare heights, they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage. Though our iniquities testify against us, work thou for thy name’s sake, O Jehovah; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. O thou hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in the time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a sojourner in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest thou be as a man affrighted, as a mighty man that cannot save? Yet thou, O Jehovah, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not. Thus saith Jehovah unto this people, Even so have they loved to wander; they have not refrained their feet: therefore Jehovah doth not accept them; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. And Jehovah said unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt-offering and meal-offering, I will not accept them; but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
Jeremiah 14:1-13 New International Version (NIV)
This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: “Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads. The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads. Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn because there is no grass. Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights and pant like jackals; their eyes fail for lack of food.” Although our sins testify against us, do something, LORD, for the sake of your name. For we have often rebelled; we have sinned against you. You who are the hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night? Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You are among us, LORD, and we bear your name; do not forsake us! This is what the LORD says about this people: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the LORD does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.” But I said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”
Jeremiah 14:1-13 New King James Version (NKJV)
The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts. “Judah mourns, And her gates languish; They mourn for the land, And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up. Their nobles have sent their lads for water; They went to the cisterns and found no water. They returned with their vessels empty; They were ashamed and confounded And covered their heads. Because the ground is parched, For there was no rain in the land, The plowmen were ashamed; They covered their heads. Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field, But left because there was no grass. And the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights; They sniffed at the wind like jackals; Their eyes failed because there was no grass.” O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, Do it for Your name’s sake; For our backslidings are many, We have sinned against You. O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble, Why should You be like a stranger in the land, And like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night? Why should You be like a man astonished, Like a mighty one who cannot save? Yet You, O LORD, are in our midst, And we are called by Your name; Do not leave us! Thus says the LORD to this people: “Thus they have loved to wander; They have not restrained their feet. Therefore the LORD does not accept them; He will remember their iniquity now, And punish their sins.” Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for this people, for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ”
Jeremiah 14:1-13 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: “Judah mourns And her gates languish; Her people sit on the ground in mourning clothes And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up. “Their nobles have sent their servants for water; They have come to the cisterns and found no water. They have returned with empty vessels; They have been shamed and humiliated, And they cover their heads. “The ground is cracked Because there has been no rain on the land; The farmers are distressed, And they have covered their heads [in shame]. “The doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young Because there is no grass. “And the wild donkeys stand on the barren heights; They pant for air like jackals, Their eyesight fails Because there is no grass. “O LORD, though our many sins testify against us” [prays Jeremiah], “Act now [for us and] for Your name’s sake [so that the faithless may witness Your faithfulness]! For our backslidings are countless; We have sinned against You. “O Hope of Israel, Her Savior in time of distress and trouble, Why should You be like a sojourner (temporary resident) in the land Or like a traveler who turns aside and spreads his tent to linger [only] for a night? “Why should You be [hesitant and inactive] like a man astounded and perplexed, Like a mighty man unable to save? Yet You, O LORD, are among us, And we are called by Your name; Do not leave us!” Thus says the LORD to this people [Judah], “In the manner and to the degree [already pointed out] they have loved to wander; they have not restrained their feet. Therefore the LORD does not accept them; He will now remember [in detail] their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” So the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for good things for this people. Though they fast, I will not hear their cry; and though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them [because they are done as obligations, and not as acts of loving obedience]. Instead I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.” But I said, “Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, the [false] prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I [the LORD] will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”
Jeremiah 14:1-13 New Living Translation (NLT)
This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD, explaining why he was holding back the rain: “Judah wilts; commerce at the city gates grinds to a halt. All the people sit on the ground in mourning, and a great cry rises from Jerusalem. The nobles send servants to get water, but all the wells are dry. The servants return with empty pitchers, confused and desperate, covering their heads in grief. The ground is parched and cracked for lack of rain. The farmers are deeply troubled; they, too, cover their heads. Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn because there is no grass in the field. The wild donkeys stand on the bare hills panting like thirsty jackals. They strain their eyes looking for grass, but there is none to be found.” The people say, “Our wickedness has caught up with us, LORD, but help us for the sake of your own reputation. We have turned away from you and sinned against you again and again. O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble, why are you like a stranger to us? Why are you like a traveler passing through the land, stopping only for the night? Are you also confused? Is our champion helpless to save us? You are right here among us, LORD. We are known as your people. Please don’t abandon us now!” So this is what the LORD says to his people: “You love to wander far from me and do not restrain yourselves. Therefore, I will no longer accept you as my people. Now I will remember all your wickedness and will punish you for your sins.” LORD Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for these people anymore. When they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease.” Then I said, “O Sovereign LORD, their prophets are telling them, ‘All is well—no war or famine will come. The LORD will surely send you peace.’”
Jeremiah 14:1-13 The Passion Translation (TPT)
This is what YAHWEH spoke to me concerning the drought: “Judah is weeping, and her doors are dark with discouragement. Her people sink to the ground in mourning; their cries of lament rise from Jerusalem. The elite send their servants for water, but when they come to the cisterns, they are bone dry. So, they return with their vessels empty. Humiliated, they cover their faces with shame. Since there has been no rain, the ground is dry and cracked at harvest season, and the farmers hang their heads in humiliation. Because there is no grass, even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawn. The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights, Panting for air like jackals; their eyes are glazed over because there is no pasture.” Our guilty sins cry out against us; in our rebellion, time and time again, we have sinned against you. YAHWEH, do something to help us, for the sake of your honor. O Hope of Israel, Our only deliverer in time of trouble, why do you act like some stranger in the land, like an uninterested traveler who stops only for the night? You are a mighty warrior! Why are you acting like a man overcome with weakness, like someone who can’t save us? Yet here you are, dwelling among us, YAHWEH. You’ve attached your name to us. Don’t leave us now! Then YAHWEH spoke to me concerning these people: “They love to go astray, and they find such pleasure in their wandering. Therefore, I no longer find pleasure in them. Now I will remember all the evil they have done and punish their sins.” And YAHWEH said to me, “Don’t intercede on behalf of these people! They can fast and pray all they want, but I still won’t listen to their cry. Neither will I accept their burnt offerings and meal offerings that they present to me. I will destroy them by war, food shortages, and plague.” I said, “But Lord YAHWEH! The prophets are prophesying: ‘You won’t experience war; neither will food shortages come upon you. God will protect you securely in this place.’ ”
Jeremiah 14:1-13 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: “Judah mourns, and her gates languish; her people lament on the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem goes up. Her nobles send their servants for water; they come to the cisterns; they find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are ashamed and confounded and cover their heads. Because of the ground that is dismayed, since there is no rain on the land, the farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads. Even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawn because there is no grass. The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail because there is no vegetation. “Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you. O you hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why should you be like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night? Why should you be like a man confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot save? Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not leave us.” Thus says the LORD concerning this people: “They have loved to wander thus; they have not restrained their feet; therefore the LORD does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.” The LORD said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.” Then I said: “Ah, Lord GOD, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’”