1 T hat which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah in regard to the drought:

Yahweh’s word that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought.

2 “ Judah mourns And her gates languish; They sit on the ground in mourning, And the cry of Jerusalem has ascended.

Judah mourns, and its gates languish, they sit in black on the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

3 “ 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.

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 disappointed and confounded, and cover their heads.

4 “ 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.

Because of the ground which is cracked, because no rain has been in the land, the plowmen are disappointed, they cover their heads.

5 “ For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young, Because there is no grass.

Yes, the hind also in the field calves, and forsakes her young, because there is no grass.

6 “ The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; They pant for air like jackals, Their eyes fail For there is no vegetation.

The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights, they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage.

7 “ 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.

Though our iniquities testify against us, work for your name’s sake, Yahweh; for our rebellions are many; we have sinned against you.

8 “ 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?

You hope of Israel, its Savior in the time of trouble, why should you be as a foreigner in the land, and as a wayfaring man who turns aside to stay for a night?

9 “ 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!”

Why should you be like a scared man, as a mighty man who can’t save? Yet you, Yahweh, are in the middle of us, and we are called by your name; don’t leave us.

10 T hus 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.”

Yahweh says to this people, Even so have they loved to wander; they have not refrained their feet: therefore Yahweh does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.

11 S o the Lord said to me, “ Do not pray for the welfare of this people.

Yahweh said to me, Don’t pray for this people for their good.

12 W hen 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.” False Prophets

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.

13 B ut, “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.’”

Then I said, Ah, Lord Yahweh! behold, the prophets tell them, You shall not see the sword, neither shall you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.

14 T hen the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.

Then Yahweh said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name; I didn’t send them, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke I to them: they prophesy to you a lying vision, and divination, and a thing of nothing, and the deceit of their own heart.

15 T herefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them—yet they keep saying, ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’— by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end!

Therefore Yahweh says concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name, and I didn’t send them, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land: By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.

16 T he people also to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to bury them— neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters—for I will pour out their own wickedness on them.

The people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have no one to bury them—them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness on them.

17 “ You will say this word to them, ‘ Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow, With a sorely infected wound.

You shall say this word to them, Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound.

18 ‘ If I go out to the country, Behold, those slain with the sword! Or if I enter the city, Behold, diseases of famine! For both prophet and priest Have gone roving about in the land that they do not know.’”

If I go out into the field, then, behold, the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then, behold, those who are sick with famine! for both the prophet and the priest go about in the land, and have no knowledge.

19 H ave You completely rejected Judah? Or have You loathed Zion? Why have You stricken us so that we are beyond healing? We waited for peace, but nothing good came; And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!

Have you utterly rejected Judah? has your soul loathed Zion? why have you struck us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and behold, dismay!

20 W e know our wickedness, O Lord, The iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against You.

We acknowledge, Yahweh, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against you.

21 D o not despise us, for Your own name’s sake; Do not disgrace the throne of Your glory; Remember and do not annul Your covenant with us.

Do not abhor us, for your name’s sake; do not disgrace the throne of your glory: remember, don’t break your covenant with us.

22 A re there any among the idols of the nations who give rain? Or can the heavens grant showers? Is it not You, O Lord our God? Therefore we hope in You, For You are the one who has done all these things.

Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? or can the sky give showers? Aren’t you he, Yahweh our God? therefore we will wait for you; for you have made all these things.