Jeremiah 8:1-9 ▼

1 “At that time”—this is the LORD’s declaration—“the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of her officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the residents of Jerusalem will be brought out of their graves.

2 They will be exposed to the sun, the moon, and all the stars in the sky, which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be collected and buried but will become like manure on the soil’s surface.

3 Death will be chosen over life by all the survivors of this evil family, those who remain wherever I have banished them.” This is the declaration of the LORD of Armies.

4 “You are to say to them: This is what the LORD says: Do people fall and not get up again? If they turn away, do they not return?

5 Why have these people turned away? Why is Jerusalem always turning away? They take hold of deceit; they refuse to return.

6 I have paid careful attention. They do not speak what is right. No one regrets his evil, asking, ‘What have I done? ’ Everyone has stayed his course like a horse rushing into battle.

7 Even storks in the sky know their seasons. Turtledoves, swallows, and cranes are aware of their migration, but my people do not know the requirements of the LORD.

8 “How can you claim, ‘We are wise; the law of the LORD is with us’? In fact, the lying pen of scribes has produced falsehood.

9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and snared. They have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom do they really have?