The Book of Jeremiah
16: 1The word of Jehovah came also unto me, saying, 16:2Thou shalt not take thee a
wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters, in this place. 16:3For thus saith
Jehovah concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this
place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers
that begat them in this land: 16:4They shall die grievous deaths: they shall not be
lamented, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the
ground; and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their dead
bodies shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth.
16:5For thus saith Jehovah, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to
lament, neither bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people,
saith Jehovah, even lovingkindness and tender mercies. 16:6Both great and small
shall die in this land; they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them,
nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them; 16:7neither shall men break
bread for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give
them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother. 16:8And
thou shalt not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and to drink.
16:9For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will cause to cease
out of this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the
voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. 16:10And
it shall come to pass, when thou shalt show this people all these words, and they
shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath Jehovah pronounced all this great evil against
us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against
Jehovah our God? 16:11Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have
forsaken me, saith Jehovah, and have walked after other gods, and have served
them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my
law; 16:12and ye have done evil more than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every
one after the stubbornness of his evil heart, so that ye hearken not unto me:
16:13therefore will I cast you forth out of this land into the land that ye have not
known, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and
night; for I will show you no favor. 16:14Therefore, behold, the days come, saith
Jehovah, that it shall no more be said, As Jehovah liveth, that brought up the
children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 16:15but, As Jehovah liveth, that brought
up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the countries
whither he had driven them. And I will bring them again into their land that I
gave unto their fathers. 16:16Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith Jehovah, and
they shall fish them up; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall
hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the clefts of the
rocks. 16:17For mine eyes are upon all their ways; they are not hid from my face,
neither is their iniquity concealed from mine eyes. 16:18And first I will recompense
their iniquity and their sin double, because they have polluted my land with the
carcasses of their detestable things, and have filled mine inheritance with their
abominations. 16:19O Jehovah, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in
the day of affliction, unto thee shall the nations come from the ends of the earth,
and shall say, Our fathers have inherited nought but lies, even vanity and things
wherein there is no profit. 16:20Shall a man make unto himself gods, which yet are
no gods? 16:21Therefore, behold, I will cause them to know, this once will I cause
them to know my hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is
Jehovah.