Wycliffe WYC
New International Reader's Version NIRV
1 The word of the Lord, that was made to Jeremy, of the words of dryness. (The word of the Lord, that was made to Jeremiah, about the drought.)
1
A message came to me from the Lord. He told me there wouldn't be any rain in the land. He said,
2 Judah wailed, and the gates thereof fell down (and its cities fell down), and be made dark in [the] earth, and the cry of Jerusalem went up.
2
"Judah is filled with sadness. Its cities are wasting away. The people sob over the land. Crying is heard in Jerusalem.
3 Greater men sent their less(er) men to (the) water; they came to draw water, and they found no water, (and) they brought again their vessels void; they were shamed and tormented, and they covered their heads,
3
The nobles send their servants to get water. They go to the wells. But they do not find any water. They return with empty jars. They are terrified. They do not have any hope. They cover their heads.
4 for [the] destroying of the land, for rain came not in the land. (The) Earth-tillers were shamed, (and) they covered their heads.
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The ground is dry and cracked. There isn't any rain in the land. The farmers are terrified. They cover their heads.
5 For why and an hind calved in the field, and left her calves, for none herb was (for there was no grass);
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Even the does in the fields desert their newborn fawns. There isn't any grass to eat.
6 and wild asses stood in rocks, and drew wind as dragons; their eyes failed, for none herb was. (and the wild donkeys stood on the high rocks, and drew up the wind like jackals; and their eyes failed, for there was no grass.)
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Wild donkeys stand on the bare hilltops. They long for water as wild dogs do. Their eyesight fails because they do not have any grass to eat."
7 If our wickednesses answer to us, Lord, do thou for thy name, for our turnings away be many; we have sinned against thee. (Our wickednesses witness against us, Lord, but do thou it for the sake of thy name, even though our turnings away, that is, our sins, be many; yea, we have sinned against thee.)
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Our sins are a witness against us. Lord, do something for the honor of your name. We have completely turned away from you. We've sinned against you.
8 Thou abiding of Israel, the saviour thereof in the time of tribulation, why shalt thou be as a comeling in the land, and as a waygoer bowing [down] to dwell? (O hope of Israel, its Saviour in the time of trouble, why shalt thou be like a newcomer in the land, and like a waygoer bowing down to rest?)
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You are Israel's only hope. You save us when we're in trouble. Why are you like a stranger to us? Why are you like a traveler who stays for only one night?
9 why shalt thou be as a man of unstable dwelling, as a strong man that may not save? Forsooth, Lord, thou art in us, and thine holy name is called to help on us; forsake thou not us. (why shalt thou be like a person of unstable dwelling, like a strong man who cannot save? For Lord, thou art in the midst of us, and thy holy name is called on to help us/and we be called by thy name; do not thou abandon us.)
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Why are you like a man who is taken by surprise? Why are you like a soldier who can't save anyone? Lord, you are among us. And we are your people. Please don't desert us!
10 The Lord saith these things to this people, that loved to stir his feet, and rested not, and pleased not the Lord; now he shall have mind on the wickednesses of them, and he shall visit the sins of them. (The Lord saith these things to this people, who loved to stir their feet, that is, to go astray, and did not rest, and did not please the Lord; now he shall remember their wickednesses, and he shall punish them for their sins.)
10
The LORD has given me a message about these people. He says, "They really love to wander away from me. Their feet go down the wrong path. I do not accept these people. I will remember the evil things they have done. I will punish them for their sins."
11 And the Lord said to me, Do not thou pray for this people into good. (And the Lord said to me, Do not thou pray for the well-being of this people.)
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The LORD continued, "Do not pray that things will go well with them.
12 When they shall fast, I shall not hear the prayers of them; and if they offer burnt sacrifices and slain sacrifices, I shall not receive them, for I shall waste them by sword and hunger and pestilence.
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Even if they go without food, I will not listen to their cry for help. They might sacrifice burnt offerings and grain offerings. But I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with war, hunger and plague."
13 And I said, A! A! A! Lord God, [the] prophets say to them, Ye shall not see sword, and hunger shall not be in you, but he shall give to you very peace in this place. (And I said, O! O! O! Lord God, the prophets say to them, Ye shall not see a sword, and hunger shall not be among you, but he shall give you true peace in this place.)
13
But I said, "LORD and King, the prophets keep telling them something else. They say, 'You won't have to suffer from war or hunger. Instead, the LORD will give you peace and rest in this place.' "
14 And the Lord said to me, The prophets prophesy falsely in my name; I sent not them (I did not send them), and I commanded not to them, neither I spake to them; they prophesy to you a false revelation, and a guileful divining, and the deceiving of their heart.
14
Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them. I have not even spoken to them. Everything they tell you about their visions or secret knowledge is a lie. They pretend to bring you messages from other gods. They try to get you to believe their own mistaken ideas.
15 Therefore the Lord saith these things of the prophets that prophesy in my name, which I sent not, and say, Sword and hunger shall not be in this land; Those prophets shall be wasted by sword and hunger. (And so the Lord saith these things about the prophets who prophesy in my name, whom I did not send, and who say, The sword and hunger shall not be in this land; Those prophets shall be destroyed by the sword and hunger.)
15
"So here is what I am saying about the prophets who are prophesying in my name. I did not send them. But they are saying, 'No war or hunger will come to this land.' Those same prophets will die because of war and hunger.
16 And the peoples, to which they prophesied, shall be cast forth in the ways of Jerusalem, for hunger and sword, and none there shall be, that shall bury them; they and the wives of them, the sons and the daughters of them; and I shall shed out on them their evil. (And the people, to whom they prophesied, shall be thrown forth on the ways of Jerusalem, because of hunger and the sword, and no one shall bury them, yea, they and their wives, and their sons and their daughters; and I shall pour out their own evil upon them.)
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And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem. They will die because of hunger and war. No one will bury their bodies. No one will bury their wives or children. I will pour trouble out on them. That is exactly what they should get.
17 And thou shalt say to them this word, Mine eyes lead down a tear by night and day, and be it not still; for the virgin, the daughter of my people, is defouled by great defouling, with the worst wound greatly. (And thou shalt say to them this word, Let my eyes stream down tears night and day, and cease they not; for the virgin daughter of my people is defiled with great defiling, yea, so greatly with the very worst wounds.)
17
"Jeremiah, give them this message. Tell them, " 'Let tears flow from my eyes. Let them pour out night and day. Never let them stop. The people of my own nation have suffered a terrible wound. They have been crushed.
18 If I go out to [the] fields, lo! men be slain with sword; and if I enter into the city, lo! men be made lean for hunger (lo! people be made lean by hunger); also a prophet and a priest went into the land which they knew not.
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Suppose I go into the country. Then I see people who have been killed with swords. Or suppose I go into the city. Then I see people who have died of hunger. Prophet and priest alike have gone to a land they hadn't had anything to do with before.' "
19 Whether thou casting away hast cast away Judah, either thy soul hath loathed Zion? why therefore hast thou smitten us, so that no health there is? We abided peace, and no good is; and we abided time of healing, and lo! troubling is. (Casting away, hast thou cast away Judah, or hath thy soul loathed Zion? and so why hast thou struck us, so that now there is no health?/so that now there is no deliverance? We waited for peace, but nothing good hath come; and we waited for a time of healing, or of deliverance, but lo! there is only a time of trouble.)
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Lord, have you turned your back on Judah completely? Do you hate the city of Zion? Why have you made us suffer? We can't be healed. We hoped peace would come. But nothing good has happened to us. We hoped we would finally be healed. But all we got was terror.
20 Lord, we have known our unfaithfulness, and the wickednesses of our fathers, for we have sinned to thee. (Lord, we acknowledge our unfaithfulness, and the wickednesses of our forefathers, for we all have sinned against thee.)
20
Lord, we admit we've done evil things. We also admit that our people of long ago were guilty. It's true that we've sinned against you.
21 Give thou not us into shame, for thy name, neither do thou despite to us; have thou mind on the seat of thy glory, make thou not void thy bond of peace with us. (Give thou us not unto shame, for the sake of thy name, nor despise thou us; remember thou the throne of thy glory, make thou not void thy covenant with us.)
21
For the honor of your name, don't turn your back on us. Don't bring shame on your glorious throne in the temple. Remember the covenant you made with us. Please don't break it.
22 Whether in graven images of heathen men be they that (can make) rain, either heavens may give rains? whether thou art not our Lord God, whom we abided? For thou madest all these things. (Can any of the carved idols of the heathen make rain, or can the heavens give out rain by themselves? art thou not the Lord our God, whom we have waited for? For thou madest all these things.)
22
Do any of the worthless gods of the nations bring rain? Do the skies send down showers all by themselves? No. LORD our God, you send the rain. So we put our hope in you. You are the one who does all of those things.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.