| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1“At that time,” says the LORD, “they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves. | 1“At that time,” declares the LORD, “the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. |
| 2They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. | 2They will be exposed to the sun and moon, and to all the host of heaven which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up or buried, but will become like dung lying on the ground. |
| 3Then death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of this evil family, who remain in all the places where I have driven them,” says the LORD of hosts. | 3And wherever I have banished them, the remnant of this evil family will choose death over life,” declares the LORD of Hosts. |
| 4“Moreover you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Will they fall and not rise? Will one turn away and not return? | 4So you are to tell them this is what the LORD says: “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not return? |
| 5Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return. | 5Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. |
| 6I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle. | 6I have listened and heard; they do not speak what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, asking, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone has pursued his own course like a horse charging into battle. |
| 7“Even the stork in the heavens Knows her appointed times; And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow Observe the time of their coming. But My people do not know the judgment of the LORD. | 7Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons. The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush keep their time of migration, but My people do not know the requirements of the LORD. |
| 8“How can you say, ‘We are wise, And the law of the LORD is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. | 8How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us,’ when in fact the lying pen of the scribes has produced a deception? |
| 9The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD; So what wisdom do they have? | 9The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have? |
| 10Therefore I will give their wives to others, And their fields to those who will inherit them; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is given to covetousness; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely. | 10Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit. |
| 11For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. | 11They dress the wound of the daughter of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all. |
| 12Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; In the time of their punishment They shall be cast down,” says the LORD. | 12Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse, says the LORD. |
| 13“I will surely consume them,” says the LORD. “No grapes shall be on the vine, Nor figs on the fig tree, And the leaf shall fade; And the things I have given them shall pass away from them.” ’ ” | 13I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them.” |
| 14“Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, And let us enter the fortified cities, And let us be silent there. For the LORD our God has put us to silence And given us water of gall to drink, Because we have sinned against the LORD. | 14Why are we just sitting here? Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD. |
| 15“We looked for peace, but no good came; And for a time of health, and there was trouble! | 15We hoped for peace, but no good has come, for a time of healing, but there was only terror. |
| 16The snorting of His horses was heard from Dan. The whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of His strong ones; For they have come and devoured the land and all that is in it, The city and those who dwell in it.” | 16The snorting of enemy horses is heard from Dan. At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds, the whole land quakes. They come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who dwell in it. |
| 17“For behold, I will send serpents among you, Vipers which cannot be charmed, And they shall bite you,” says the LORD. | 17“For behold, I will send snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you,” declares the LORD. |
| 18I would comfort myself in sorrow; My heart is faint in me. | 18My sorrow is beyond healing; my heart is faint within me. |
| 19Listen! The voice, The cry of the daughter of my people From a far country: “Is not the LORD in Zion? Is not her King in her?” “Why have they provoked Me to anger With their carved images— With foreign idols?” | 19Listen to the cry of the daughter of my people from a land far away: “Is the LORD no longer in Zion? Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved images, with their worthless foreign idols?” |
| 20“The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And we are not saved!” | 20“The harvest has passed, the summer has ended, but we have not been saved.” |
| 21For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; Astonishment has taken hold of me. | 21For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am crushed. I mourn; horror has gripped me. |
| 22Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery For the health of the daughter of my people? | 22Is there no balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? |
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