Jeremiah, 7

1. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

1. These words were spoken by Yahweh, to Jeremiah,

2. Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all [ye of] Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.

2. "Stand at the gate of Yahweh's house and proclaim this in a loud voice: Listen to what Yahweh says, all you people of Judah (who enter these gates to worship Yahweh).

3. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.

3. Yahweh the God of Israel says this: Amend your ways and your deeds and I will stay with you in this place.

4. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, [are] these.

4. Rely not on empty words such as: "Look, the Temple of Yahweh! the Temple of Yahweh! This is the Temple of Yahweh!"

5. For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;

5. It is far better for you to amend your ways and act justly with all.

6. [If] ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:

6. Do not abuse the stranger, orphan or widow or shed innocent blood in this place or follow false gods to your own ruin.

7. Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.

7. Then I will stay with you in this place, in the land I gave to your forefathers in times past and forever.

8. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

8. But you trust in deceptive and useless words.

9. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;

9. You steal, kill, take the wife of your neighbor; you swear falsely, worship Baal and follow foreign gods who are not yours.

10. And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?

10. Then, after doing all these horrible things, you come and stand before me in this temple that bears my Name and say, "Now we are safe."

11. Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen [it], saith the LORD.

11. Is this house on which rests my Name a den of thieves? I have seen this myself - it is Yahweh who speaks.

12. But go ye now unto my place which [was] in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

12. Go to the sanctuary at Shiloh in Israel, where I first let my Name rest, and see what I did to that place because of the wickedness of my people Israel.

13. And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;

13. You have done all this and have not listened when I repeatedly warned you; neither have you answered when I called you.

14. Therefore will I do unto [this] house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

14. What I did in Shiloh, I will likewise do to this temple on which rests my Name, this sacred place in which you trust and which I have given to you and to your forefathers.

15. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, [even] the whole seed of Ephraim.

15. As for you, I will drive you out of my sight, just as I cast away all your kinsmen in the north, the entire race of Ephraim.

16. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.

16. Do not plead for this people. Make no prayer or supplication for them; do not press me on their behalf because I will not listen to you.

17. Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

17. Don't you see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

18. The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead [their] dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

18. The children gather wood and the fathers light fire. The women knead dough to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven and pour out drink offerings for foreign gods.

19. Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: [do they] not [provoke] themselves to the confusion of their own faces?

19. They do this to belittle me. But is it me they belittle? asks Yahweh. No, they belittle themselves to their own confusion.

20. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

20. Because of this Yahweh has spoken, "The fury of my anger will be poured out on this place, both on man and beast, on the trees in the fields and on the produce of the earth; it will burn and not be extinguished."

21. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.

21. This is what Yahweh of hosts, says to you, "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat the flesh.

22. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:

22. When I brought your forefathers out of Egypt I did not give them mandate regarding sacrifices and burnt offerings.

23. But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

23. One thing I did command them: Listen to my voice and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in the way I command you and all will be well with you.

24. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels [and] in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

24. But they did not listen and paid no attention; they followed the bad habits of their stubborn heart and turned away from me.

25. Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending [them]:

25. From the time I brought their forefathers out of Egypt until this day I have continually sent them my servants, the prophets,

26. Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.

26. but this stiff-necked people did not listen. They paid no attention and were worse than their forefathers.

27. Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.

27. You may say all these things to them but they will not listen; you will call them but they will not answer.

28. But thou shalt say unto them, This [is] a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

28. This is a nation that did not obey Yahweh and refused to be disciplined; truth has perished and is no longer heard from their lips.

29. Cut off thine hair, [O Jerusalem], and cast [it] away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

29. Cut off your hair and throw it away. Intone a lament on the bare heights, for Yahweh has rejected and foresaken these people.' This is Yahweh's word.

30. For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.

30. The people of Judah have done what disgusts me; they have placed their idols in the sanctuary that houses my Name and defiled it.

31. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which [is] in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded [them] not, neither came it into my heart.

31. They have built the temple of Topheth in the valley of Hinnom where they burn their sons and daughters, something I never commanded or even thought of.

32. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.

32. Hence the time will come when it will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth for lack of space elsewhere.

33. And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray [them] away.

33. And the corpses of this people will be eaten by birds and animals; and none will scare them away.

34. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.

34. In the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem I will bring to an end all expressions of joy and happiness, the songs of the bride and bridegroom, for the land will become a wilderness.