1 AT that time, saith the Lord, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the Lord of hosts.
4 Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?
5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
6 I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.
7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord.
8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?
10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.
13 I will surely consume them, saith the Lord: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.
14 Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord.
15 We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!
16 The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.
17 For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord.
18 When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.
19 Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?
20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

1At that time, sayeth the Lord, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Iudah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the Priests, and the bones of the Prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Ierusalem out of their graues.

2And they shall spread them before the Sunne, and the Moone, and all the hoste of heauen whom they haue loued, and whom they haue serued, and after whom they haue walked, and whom they haue sought, and whom they haue worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried, they shall be for doung, vpon the face of the earth.

3And death shall bee chosen rather then life, by all the residue of them that remaine of this euill family, which remaine in all the places whither I haue driuen them, saith the Lord of hosts.

4 Moreouer thou shalt say vnto them, Thus saith the Lord, Shall they fall, and not arise? shall hee turne away, and not returne?

5Why then is this people of Ierusalem slidden backe, by a perpetual backesliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to returne.

6I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickednesse, saying, What haue I done? euery one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battell.

7Yea the Storke in the heauen knoweth her appointed times, and the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow obserue the time of their coming; but my people know not the iudgement of the Lord.

8How doe ye say, We are wise, and the Law of the Lord is with vs? Loe, certainly, in vaine made he it, the pen of the scribes is in vaine.

9The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken; loe, they haue reiected the word of the Lord, and what wisedome is in them?

10Therfore will I giue their wiues vnto others, & their fields to them that shall inherite them: for euery one from the least euen vnto the greatest is giuen to couetousnes, from the Prophet euen vnto the priest, euery one dealeth falsly.

11For they haue healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.

12Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fal, in the time of their visitation they shall be cast downe, saith the Lord.

13 I will surely consume them, saith the Lord; there shalbe no grapes on the vine, nor figges on the figtree, and the leafe shall fade, and the things that I haue giuen them, shall passe away from them.

14Why doe wee sit still? assemble your selues, and let vs enter into the defenced cities, and let vs be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put vs to silence, and giuen vs waters of gall to drink, because we haue sinned against the Lord.

15We looked for peace, but no good came: and for a time of health, and behold trouble.

16The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones, for they are come and haue deuoured the land, and all that is in it, the citie, and those that dwell therein.

17For behold, I wil send serpents, cockatrices among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you; saith the Lord.

18 When I would comfort my selfe against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.

19Behold the voice of the crie of the daughter of my people because of them that dwel in a farre countrey: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? why haue they prouoked me to anger with their grauen images, and with strange vanities?

20The haruest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saued.

21For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt, I am blacke: astonishment hath taken hold on me.

22Is there no balme in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recouered?

III == Job 3:21-22 ; 7:15-16 ; Rev 9:6

V == Jer 5:3 ; 7:24 ; 9:6

VI == 2nd Peter 3:9

VII == Song 2:12 ; Isa 1:3 ; Jer 5:4-5

VII == Isa 10:1 ; Rom 2:17

IX == Jer 6:15

X == Deut 28:30 ; Isa 56:11 ; Jer 6:12-13 ; Amos 5:11 ; Zeph 1:13

XI == Jer 6:14 ; Ezek 13:10

XII == Jer 3:3 ; 6:15

XIII == Isa 5:1 ; Joel 1:7 ; Matt 21:19 ; Luke 13:6

XIV == Jer 4:5 ; 9:15 ; 23:15

XV == Jer 14:19

XVI == Judg 5:22 ; Jer 4:15 ; 47:3

XVII == Ps 58:4-5 ; Eccl 10:11

XIX == Deut 32:21 ; Isa 1:4 ; 39:3

XXI == Jer 4:19 ; 9:1 ; 14:17 ; Joel 2:6 ; Nah 2:10

XXII == Gen 37:25 ; 43:11 ; Isa 22:4 ; Jer 4:19 ; 13:17 ; 14:17 ; 6:11 ; 51:8 ; Lam 2:11 ; 3:48

1 At that time, says the LORD, the bones of the kings and princes of Judah, the bones of the priests and the prophets, and the bones of the citizens of Jerusalem will be emptied out of their graves

2 and spread out before the sun and the moon and the whole army of heaven, which they loved and served, which they followed, consulted, and worshiped. They will not be gathered up for burial, but will lie like dung upon the ground.

3 Death will be preferred to life by all the survivors of this wicked race who remain in any of the places to which I banish them, says the LORD of hosts.

4 Tell them: Thus says the LORD: When someone falls, does he not rise again? if he goes astray, does he not turn back?

5 Why do these people rebel with obstinate resistance? Why do they cling to deceptive idols, refuse to turn back?

6 I listen closely: they speak what is not true; No one repents of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done!" Everyone keeps on running his course, like a steed dashing into battle.

7 Even the stork in the air knows it seasons; Turtledove, swallow and thrush observe their time of return, But my people do not know the ordinance of the LORD.

8 How can you say, "We are wise, we have the law of the LORD"? Why, that has been changed into falsehood by the lying pen of the scribes!

9 The wise are confounded, dismayed and ensnared; Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, of what avail is their wisdom?

10 Therefore, I will give their wives to strangers, their fields to spoilers. Small and great alike, all are greedy for gain, prophet and priest, all practice fraud.

11 They would repair, as though it were nought, the injury to the daughter of my people: "Peace, peace!" they say, though there is no peace.

12 They are odious; they have done abominable things, yet they are not at all ashamed, they know not how to blush. Hence they shall be among those who fall; in their time of punishment they shall go down, says the LORD.

13 I will gather them all in, says the LORD: no grapes on the vine, No figs on the fig trees, foliage withered!

14 Why do we remain here? Let us form ranks and enter the walled cities, to perish there; For the LORD has wrought our destruction, he has given us poison to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

15 We wait for peace to no avail; for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.

16 From Dan is heard the snorting of his steeds; The neighing of his stallions shakes the whole land. They come devouring the land and all it contains, the city and those who dwell in it.

17 Yes, I will send against you poisonous snakes, Against which no charm will work when they bite you, says the LORD.

18 My grief is incurable, my heart within me is faint.

19 Listen! the cry of the daughter of my people, far and wide in the land! Is the LORD no longer in Zion, is her King no longer in her midst? (Why do they provoke me with their idols, with their foreign nonentities?)

20 "The harvest has passed, the summer is at an end, and yet we are not safe!"

21 I am broken by the ruin of the daughter of my people. I am disconsolate; horror has seized me.

22 Is there no balm in Gilead, no physician there? Why grows not new flesh over the wound of the daughter of my people?

23 Oh, that my head were a spring of water, my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night over the slain of the daughter of my people!

v 1-3. Those who escaped in Jerusalem would prefer death to life, and bones of the dead would be desecrated, exposing them to the gods they had worshiped.

v 4-7. In answer to three questions, they would not rise from sins, wouldn’t repent but rush to sin as a horse to battle, and didn’t have the sense of a bird to obey God.

v 8-12. They were proud they had the law of God, but the leaders used it falsely. They claimed their offense was minor and wrongfully proclaimed peace. As in 6:15, they were so unashamed of their wickedness they could not even blush.

v 13-17. Judgment was certain, and too late the people would flee to fortified cities, knowing even there they were unsafe because of their sin. Babylon’s armies swooping in from the north would be as fatal as poisonous snakes.

v 18-22. Jeremiah had such empathy for his people he was depressed. They wondered why God, their King had deserted them when His temple was among them, but the problem was their sin, not His absence. Too late, like harvest is passed, they realize they should have repented, but now they have no hope. (Same as unsaved today who reject Christ and will face judgment.) Gilead was famous for it’s healing balm, but it was incapable and too late to cure Judah of it’s wickedness.