Jeremiah 11

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2 Hear^a ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

3 And say thou unto them, ^bThus saith the LORD God of Israel, ^cCursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this ^dcovenant,

4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the ^eiron furnace, saying, ^gObey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God;

5 That I may perform the ^hoath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.¹ Then answered I, and said, So be it,² O LORD.

6 Then the LORD said unto me, ⁱProclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and ^jdo them.

7 For ^kI earnestly protested unto your fathers, in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.

8 Yet^l they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination³ of their evil heart: therefore ⁿI will bring upon them all the words of this covenant,⁴ which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.

9 And the LORD said unto me, ^oA conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

10 They are turned back to ^pthe iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: ^qthe house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant, which I made with their fathers.

11 ¶ Therefore thus saith the LORD, ^rBehold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape;⁵ and ^sthough they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.⁶

12 Then shall the cities of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, go and cry ^tunto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.⁷

13 For ^uaccording to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing,⁸ even altars to burn incense unto Baal.

14 Therefore ^vpray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their ⁹trouble.¹

15 What² hath ^xmy beloved ^yto do in mine house,³ seeing she hath ^zwrought lewdness with many, and the ^aholy flesh⁴ is passed from thee? when thou doest evil,⁵ then^b thou rejoicest.

16 The LORD called thy name, ^cA green olive-tree, fair, and of goodly fruit; ^dwith the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.

17 For the LORD of hosts ^ethat planted thee ^ghath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel, and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves, to provoke me to anger, in offering incense unto Baal.

18 ¶ And the LORD ^hhath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou showedst me their doings.⁶

19 But I was ⁱlike a lamb, or an ox, that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that ^jthey had devised devices against me, saying, ^kLet us destroy the tree with the fruit⁷ thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.

20 But, O LORD of hosts, ^lthat judgest righteously, that ⁿtriest the reins and the heart, ^olet me see⁸ thy vengeance on them; ^pfor unto thee have I revealed my cause.

21 Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth that ^qseek thy life, saying, ^rProphesy not in the name of the LORD, that ^sthou die not by our hand:

22 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will ^tpunish⁹ them; the young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine;

23 And ^uthere shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even ^vthe year¹ of their visitation.