156 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
156 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
Judah's Terrible Drought
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# Chapter 14
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1. This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD, explaining why he was holding back the rain:
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2. "Judah wilts;
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commerce at the city gates grinds to a halt.
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All the people sit on the ground in mourning,
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and a great cry rises from Jerusalem.
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3. The nobles send servants to get water,
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but all the wells are dry.
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The servants return with empty pitchers,
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confused and desperate,
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covering their heads in grief.
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4. The ground is parched
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and cracked for lack of rain.
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The farmers are deeply troubled;
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they, too, cover their heads.
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5. Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn
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because there is no grass in the field.
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6. The wild donkeys stand on the bare hills
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panting like thirsty jackals.
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They strain their eyes looking for grass,
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but there is none to be found."
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7. The people say, "Our wickedness has caught up with us, LORD,
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but help us for the sake of your own reputation.
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We have turned away from you
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and sinned against you again and again.
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8. O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble,
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why are you like a stranger to us?
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Why are you like a traveler passing through the land,
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stopping only for the night?
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9. Are you also confused?
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Is our champion helpless to save us?
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You are right here among us, LORD.
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We are known as your people.
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Please don't abandon us now!"
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10. So this is what the LORD says to his people:
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"You love to wander far from me
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and do not restrain yourselves.
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Therefore, I will no longer accept you as my people.
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Now I will remember all your wickedness
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and will punish you for your sins."The LORD Forbids Jeremiah to Intercede
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11. Then the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for these people anymore.
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12. When they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease."
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13. Then I said, "O Sovereign LORD, their prophets are telling them, 'All is well--no war or famine will come. The LORD will surely send you peace.'"
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14. Then the LORD said, "These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts.
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15. Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I will punish these lying prophets, for they have spoken in my name even though I never sent them. They say that no war or famine will come, but they themselves will die by war and famine!
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16. As for the people to whom they prophesy--their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one left to bury them. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters--all will be gone. For I will pour out their own wickedness on them.
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17. Now, Jeremiah, say this to them:
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"Night and day my eyes overflow with tears.
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I cannot stop weeping,
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for my virgin daughter--my precious people--
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has been struck down
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and lies mortally wounded.
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18. If I go out into the fields,
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I see the bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy.
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If I walk the city streets,
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I see people who have died of starvation.
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The prophets and priests continue with their work,
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but they don't know what they're doing."
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A Prayer for Healing
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19. LORD, have you completely rejected Judah?
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Do you really hate Jerusalem?
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Why have you wounded us past all hope of healing?
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We hoped for peace, but no peace came.
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We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.
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20. LORD, we confess our wickedness
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and that of our ancestors, too.
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We all have sinned against you.
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21. For the sake of your reputation, LORD, do not abandon us.
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Do not disgrace your own glorious throne.
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Please remember us,
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and do not break your covenant with us.
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22. Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain?
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Does it fall from the sky by itself?
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No, you are the one, O LORD our God!
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Only you can do such things.
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So we will wait for you to help us.
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