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Jeremiah 7

7 The message that came to m Jeremiah from the Eternal: 2 Stand at the gate of the Eternal’s house and make this proclamation there. “Listen to the Eternal’s message, all you Judahites, who enter by these gates to worship the Eternal; 3 here is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, has to say. Amend your life and doings, that I may dwell among you in the temple here. 4 Never rely on false phrases like, ‘This is the Eternal’s own temple, his very own temple, his very own temple!’ 5 [[If you really amend your life and doings, if you really see justice done between man and man, 6 if you give up oppressing aliens, orphans, and widows, give up shedding innocent blood in this place and following other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will allow you to remain in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers for all time.]] 8 You are relying on false phrases, to no profit. 9 What? Steal, murder, commit adultery, perjure yourselves, sacrifice to Baal, wander after other, outside gods, 10 and then come to present yourselves before me in this house, which belongs to me, thinking you are now quite safe--safe to go on with all these abominable practices! 11 Do you take this house, my very own house, for a robbers’ cave? I see you, the Eternal cries, I see you! 12 Go to my sacred shrine at Shilo, where at first I fixed my presence; look at what I did to it, on account of the wickedness of Israel my people! 13 So now with you. Since you have done all this, since you would not listen when I spoke to you eagerly and earnestly, since you would not answer my call--as I did to Shilo, 14 so will I do to my very own house here, the house on which you rest your confidence, the place that I gave to you and your fathers. 15 And I will fling you out of my sight, as I flung out your kinsmen, the whole race of Ephraim.

16 Jeremiah, pray not for this people; lift no cry for them, and lay no plea of intercession before me, for I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children are gathering firewood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven; also they pour libations out to other gods--in order to spite me! 19 Spite me? says the Eternal--they are spiting themselves, bringing shame on themselves! 20 This, therefore, is the sentence of the Lord Eternal: my anger and fury shall be poured on this place, over man and beast, tree and crop; it shall burn, never to be quenched.”

21 This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “You can add your burnt-offerings to your other sacrifices, and eat the flesh yourselves! 22 When I brought your fathers from the land of Egypt, I said nothing to them, I gave them no orders, about burnt-offerings or sacrifices; 23 my orders were, ‘Listen to my voice, and I will be your God, as you shall be my people: live exactly as I order you, that you may prosper.’ 24 But they would not listen, they would not lend an ear; they lived as their own evil, stubborn hearts prompted them; they grew worse instead of better. 25 From the day your fathers left the land of Egypt, down to this day, I have been sending you all my servants the prophets eagerly and earnestly. 26 But this people would not listen to me, they would not lend an ear; they were obdurate, they did worse than their fathers.

[[Tell them all this

yet they will not listen to you;

summon them,

yet they will not reply.]]

Tell them, here is the nation

that would never listen

to the voice of the Eternal

their own God,

that never would be schooled,

that has ceased even to speak of being faithful.”

“Cut off your tresses, cast them away,

raise dirges on the bare heights;

for the Eternal has rejected and renounced

a race with whom he is wroth.

30 For the men of Judah have done evil under my eyes,” says the Eternal; “they have defiled the house that belongs to me, by putting their detestable idols inside it, 31 and they have erected shrines to Topheth, in the valley belonging to Ben-Hinnom, for burning alive their sons and daughters--a thing that I never ordered, a thing that never entered my mind! 32 So the day will come, the Eternal declares, when its name shall no longer be Topheth, or The valley belonging to Ben-Hinnom, but The valley of Slaughter; for they will be burying corpses in Topheth, till no room is left. 33 The corpses of this people shall be food for wild birds and wild beasts; no one shall scare them away. 34 And I will silence in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the sound of mirth and joy, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; the land shall lie waste.