Jeremiah 6

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Flee in a body, Benjaminites, right away from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Light the beaconon Beth-ha-Cherem! For disaster lowers from the north, an immense calamity.	1 Flee, sons of Benjamin, out of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa, raise a signal over Beth-haccherem; For evil threatens from the north, and mighty destruction.
2 Beautiful, delicate as she is, I shal destroy the daughter of Zion!	2 O lovely and delicate daughter Zion, you are ruined!
3 Shepherds are advancing on her with their flocks. They have pitched their tents all round her, eachgrazes his part.	3 Against her, shepherds come with their flocks; all around, they pitch their tents, each one grazes his portion.
4 Prepare for holy war against her! To arms! We shall attack at noon! Disaster for us! The light is fading,the evening shadows lengthen.	4 "Prepare for war against her, Up! let us rush upon her at midday! Alas! the day is waning, evening shadows lengthen;
5 To arms! We shall attack at night and destroy her palaces.	5 Up! let us rush upon her by night, destroy her palaces!"
6 For Yahweh Sabaoth says this, 'Cut down trees, throw up an earthwork outside Jerusalem: this is thecity to be punished, with nothing but oppression in her.	6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Hew down her trees, throw up a siege mound against Jerusalem. Woe to the city marked for punishment; nought but oppression within her!
7 As a wel keeps its water fresh so she keeps her wickedness fresh. Violence and ruin are what you hearin her, wounds and blows always forced on my attention.	7 As the well gushes out its waters, so she gushes out her wickedness. Violence and destruction resound in her; ever before me are wounds and blows.
8 Reform, Jerusalem, or I shal turn my attention away from you and reduce you to a desert, a land withoutpeople.'	8 Be warned, O Jerusalem, lest I be estranged from you; Lest I turn you into a desert, a land where no man dwells.
9 Yahweh Sabaoth says this, 'They will glean, glean what is left of Israel like a vine. Like a grape-picker,pass your hand again over the branches!'	9 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Glean, glean like a vine the remnant of Israel; Pass your hand, like a vintager, repeatedly over the tendrils.
10 To whom should I speak, whom warn, for them to hear? Look, their ears are uncircumcised, theycannot listen. Look, for them Yahweh's word is something to sneer at, they have no taste for it.	10 To whom shall I speak? whom shall I warn, and be heard? See! their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot give heed; See, the word of the LORD has become for them an object of scorn, which they will not have.
11 So I am full of Yahweh's wrath, I am weary of holding it in. Then pour it on the children in the streets,and on the bands of youths as wel , for husband and wife wil both be taken, the greybeard and the man weigheddown with years.	11 Therefore my wrath brims up within me, I am weary of holding it in; I will pour it out upon the child in the street, upon the young men gathered together. Yes, all will be taken, husband and wife, graybeard with ancient.
12 Their houses wil pass to other men, so wil their fields and wives. Yes, I shal stretch my hand overthose living in this country, Yahweh declares.	12 Their houses will fall to strangers, their fields and their wives as well; For I will stretch forth my hand against those who dwell in this land, says the LORD.
13 For, from the least to greatest, they are al greedy for gain; prophet no less than priest, al of thempractise fraud.	13 Small and great alike, all are greedy for gain; prophet and priest, all practice fraud.
14 Without concern they dress my people's wound, saying, 'Peace! Peace!' whereas there is no peace.	14 They would repair, as though it were nought, the injury to my people: "Peace, peace!" they say, though there is no peace.
15 They should be ashamed of their loathsome deeds. Not they! They feel no shame, they do not evenknow how to blush. And so as others fall, they too wil fal , will be thrown down when I come and punish them,Yahweh says.	15 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.
16 Yahweh says this, 'Stand at the crossroads and look, ask for the ancient paths: which was the goodway? Take it and you wil find rest for yourselves. But they have said, "We wil not take it."	16 Thus says the LORD: Stand beside the earliest roads, ask the pathways of old Which is the way to good, and walk it; thus you will find rest for your souls. But they said, "We will not walk it."
17 I posted look-outs on your behalf: Listen to the sound of the trumpet! But they said, "We will not listen."	17 When I raised up watchmen for them: "Hearken to the sound of the trumpet!" they said, "We will not hearken."
18 Then hear, you nations, and know, assembly, what is going to happen to them!	18 Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O earth, what I will do with them:
19 Listen, earth! Watch, I shal bring disaster on this people: it is the fruit of the way they think, since theyhave not listened to my words nor to my law, but have rejected it.	19 See, I bring evil upon this people, the fruit of their own schemes, Because they heeded not my words, because they despised my law.
20 What do I care about incense imported from Sheba, or fragrant cane from a distant country? Your burntofferings are not acceptable, your sacrifices do not please me.'	20 Of what use to me incense that comes from Sheba, or sweet cane from far-off lands? Your holocausts find no favor with me, your sacrifices please me not.
21 And so, Yahweh says this, 'In front of this people I shal now lay obstacles for them to stumble over;father and son alike, neighbour and friend will perish.'	21 Therefore, thus says the LORD: See, I will place before this people obstacles to bring them down; Fathers and sons alike, neighbors and friends shall perish.
22 Yahweh says this, 'Look, a people is coming from the land of the north, from the far ends of the earth agreat nation is rising;	22 Thus says the LORD: See, a people comes from the land of the north, a great nation, roused from the ends of the earth.
23 they are armed with bow and spear, they are cruel and pitiless; their noise is like the roaring of the sea;they are riding horses, they are ready to fight against you as one man, against you, daughter of Zion.	23 Bow and javelin they wield; cruel and pitiless are they. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride forth on steeds, Each in his place, for battle against you, daughter Zion.
24 We have heard the news, our hands fal limp, anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman inlabour.	24 We hear the report of them; helpless fall our hands, Anguish takes hold of us, throes like a mother's in childbirth.
25 Do not go out into the countryside, do not venture onto the roads, for the enemy's sword is there, terroron every side.	25 Go not forth into the field, step not into the street, Beware of the enemy's sword; terror on every side!
26 Put on sackcloth, daughter of my people, rol in ashes; mourn as for an only son, a very bitter dirge. Foron us suddenly the destroyer is coming.	26 O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes. Mourn as for an only child with bitter wailing, For sudden upon us comes the destroyer.
27 'I have appointed you as tester of my people, to learn and to test how they behave.	27 A tester among my people I have appointed you, to search and test their way.
28 Al of them are total rebels peddlers of slander, hard as bronze and iron, al agents of corruption.	28 Arch-rebels are they all, dealers in slander, all of them corrupt.
29 The bel ows blast away to make the fire burn away the lead. In vain the smelter does his work, for thedross is not purged out.	29 The bellows roars, the lead is consumed by the fire; In vain has the smelter refined, the wicked are not drawn off.
30 "Silver-reject", men cal them, and indeed Yahweh has rejected them!'	30 "Silver rejected" they shall be called, for the LORD has rejected them.