Jeremiah’s Message at the Temple Gate

1These are the wordes, that God spake vnto Ieremy: 2Stonde vnder the gates of the LORDES house, and crie out these wordes there, with a loude voyce, and saye: Heare the worde of the LORDE, all ye of Iuda, that go in at this dore, to honoure the LORDE. 3Thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel. Amende youre wayes and youre councels, and I wil let you dwell in this place. 4Trust not in false lyenge wordes, sayenge: here is the temple of the LORDE, here is the temple of the LORDE, here is the temple of the LORDE. 5For yf ye will amende youre waies and councels, yf ye wil iudge right betwixte a man and his neghboure: 6yf ye wil not oppresse the straunger, the fatherles & the wyddowe: yf ye will not shed innocent bloude in this place: yf ye wil not cleue to strauge goddes to youre owne destruction: 7then wil I let you dwell in this place, yee in the londe that I gaue afore tyme vnto youre fathers for euer.

8But take hede, yee trust in councels, that begyle you and do you no good. 9For when ye haue stolle, murthured, committed aduoutrie, and periury: Whe ye haue offred vnto Baal, folowinge straunge & vnknowne goddes: 10Then come ye, and stonde before me in this house (which hath my name geuen vnto it) and saye: Tush, we are absolued quyte, though we haue done all these abhominacions. 11What? thinke you this house that beareth my name, is a denne of theues? And these thinges are not done priuely, but before myne eyes, saieth the LORDE.

12Go to my place in Silo, where vnto I gaue my name afore tyme, and loke well what I dyd to the same place, for the wickednes of my people of Israel. 13And now, though ye haue done all these dedes (saieth the LORDE) and I my self rose vp euer by tymes to warne you and to comon with you: yet wolde ye not heare me: I called, ye wolde not answere. 14And therfore euen as I haue done vnto Silo, so wil I do to this house, that my name is geuen vnto, (and that ye put youre trust in) yee vnto the place that I haue geuen to you and youre fathers. 15And I shal thrust you out of my sight, as I haue cast out all youre brethren the whole sede of Ephraim.

Judah’s Idolatry Persists

16Therfore thou shalt not praye for this people, thou shalt nether geue thakes, nor byd prayer for them: thou shalt make no intercession to me for them, for in no wise will I heare the. 17Seist thou not what they do in the cities of Iuda, and without Ierusalem? 18The children gather stickes, the fathers kyndle the fyre, the mothers kneade the dowe, to bake cakes for the quene of heauen. They poure out drinkoffringes vnto strauge goddes, to prouoke me vnto wrath: 19How be it they hurte not me (saieth the LORDE) but rather confounde, and shame them selues. 20And therfore thus saieth the LORDE God: beholde, my wrath and my indignacion shalbe poured out vpon this place, vpon men and catell, vpo the trees in the felde and all frute of the londe, & it shal burne so, that no man maye quench it.

21Thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes, the God of Israel: Ye heape vp youre burntoffringes with youre sacrifices, & eate ye flesh. 22But when I brought youre fathers out of Egipte, I spake no worde vnto them of burntoffringes and sacrifices: 23but this I commaunded them, sayenge: herken and obeye my voyce, and I shalbe youre God and ye shal be my people: so that ye walke in all the wayes, which I haue comaunded you, that ye maye prospere. 24But they were not obedient, they inclyned not their eares there vnto, but went after their owne ymagynacions and after the mocions of their owne wicked herte, and so turned them selues awaye, and conuerted not vnto me. 25And this haue they done, from the tyme that youre fathers came out of Egipte, vnto this daye. Neuertheles, I sent vnto them my seruauntes all the prophetes: I rose vp early and sent them worde, 26yet wolde they not herke, ner offre me their eares, but were obstinate, and worse then their fathers.

27And thou shalt now speake all these wordes vnto them, but they shal not heare the: thou shalt crie vpon them, but they shal not answere the. 28Therfore shalt thou saye vnto them: this is the people, that nether heareth the voyce of the LORDE their God, ner receaueth his correction. Faithfulnes & treuth is clene rooted out of their mouth.

29Wherfore cut of thine hayre, and cast it awaye, take vp a complaynte in the whole londe: for the LORDE shal cast awaye, and scatre the people, yt he is displeased withall.

The Valley of Slaughter

30For the children of Iuda haue done euell in my sight, saieth the LORDE. They haue set vp their abhominacions, in the house yt hath my name, and haue defyled it. 31They haue also buylded an aulter at Tophet, which is in the valley of ye childre of Enno: yt they might burne their sonnes and doughters, which I neuer comaunded them, nether came it euer in my thought.

32And therfore beholde, the dayes shal come (saieth the LORDE) that it shal no more be called. Tophet, or the valley of the children of Ennon, but the valley of the slayne: for in Tophet they shalbe buried, because they shal els haue no rowme. 33Yee ye deed bodies of this people shal be eaten vp of the foules of the ayre & wilde beastes of the earth, & no man shal fraye them awaie. 34And as for the voyce of myrth & gladnesse of the cities of Iuda, & Ierusalem, the voyce of the brydegrome and of the bryde: I will make them ceasse, for the londe shal be desolate.