Impending Disaster for Jerusalem
1
"O you children of Benjamin,
Gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,
And set up a signal-fire in a Beth Haccerem;
b For disaster appears out of the north,
And great destruction.
2
I have likened the daughter of Zion
To a lovely and delicate woman.
3
The c shepherds with their flocks shall come to her.
They shall pitch their tents against her all around.
Each one shall pasture in his own place."
4
"Prepare d war against her;
Arise, and let us go up e at noon.
Woe to us, for the day goes away,
For the shadows of the evening are lengthening.
5
Arise, and let us go by night,
And let us destroy her palaces."
6
For thus has the LORD of hosts said:
"Cut down trees,
And build a mound against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished.
She is full of oppression in her midst.
7
f As a fountain wells up with water,
So she wells up with her wickedness.
g Violence and plundering are heard in her.
Before Me continually are grief and wounds.
8
Be instructed, O Jerusalem,
Lest h My soul depart from you;
Lest I make you desolate,
A land not inhabited."
9
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
"They shall thoroughly glean as a vine the remnant of Israel;
As a grape-gatherer, put your hand back into the branches."
10
To whom shall I speak and give warning,
That they may hear?
Indeed their i ear is uncircumcised,
And they cannot give heed.
Behold, j the word of the LORD is a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
11
Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD.
k I am weary of holding it in.
"I will pour it out l on the children outside,
And on the assembly of young men together;
For even the husband shall be taken with the wife,
The aged with him who is full of days.
12
And m their houses shall be turned over to others,
Fields and wives together;
For I will stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land," says the LORD.
13
"Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is given to n covetousness;
And from the prophet even to the o priest,
Everyone deals falsely.
14
They have also p healed the hurt of My people slightly,
q Saying, 'Peace, peace!'
When there is no peace.
15
Were they r ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed;
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time I punish them,
They shall be cast down," says the LORD.
16
Thus says the LORD:
"Stand in the ways and see,
And ask for the s old paths, where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find t rest for your souls.
But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'
17
Also, I set u watchmen over you, saying,
v 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!'
But they said, 'We will not listen.'
18
Therefore hear, you nations,
And know, O congregation, what is among them.
19
w Hear, O earth!
Behold, I will certainly bring x calamity on this people -
y The fruit of their thoughts,
Because they have not heeded My words
Nor My law, but rejected it.
20
z For what purpose to Me
Comes frankincense a from Sheba,
And b sweet cane from a far country?
c Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
Nor your sacrifices sweet to Me."
21
Therefore thus says the LORD:
"Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people,
And the fathers and the sons together shall fall on them.
The neighbor and his friend shall perish."
22
Thus says the LORD:
"Behold, a people comes from the d north country,
And a great nation will be raised from the farthest parts of the earth.
23
They will lay hold on bow and spear;
They are cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice e roars like the sea;
And they ride on horses,
As men of war set in array against you, O daughter of Zion."
24
We have heard the report of it;
Our hands grow feeble.
f Anguish has taken hold of us,
Pain as of a woman in labor.
25
Do not go out into the field,
Nor walk by the way.
Because of the sword of the enemy,
Fear is on every side.
26
O daughter of my people,
g Dress in sackcloth
h And roll about in ashes!
i Make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation;
For the plunderer will suddenly come upon us.
27
"I have set you as an assayer and j a fortress among My people,
That you may know and test their way.
28
k They are all stubborn rebels, l walking as slanderers.
They are m bronze and iron,
They are all corrupters;
29
The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
The smelter refines in vain,
For the wicked are not drawn off.
30
People will call them n rejected silver,
Because the LORD has rejected them."
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Cross References
Nehemiah 3:14
Malchijah the son of Rechab, leader of the district of Beth Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 4:6
Set up the standard toward Zion. Take refuge! Do not delay! For I will bring disaster from the north, And great destruction.
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Cross References
2 Kings 25:1 - 4
Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.
Jeremiah 4:17
Like keepers of a field they are against her all around, Because she has been rebellious against Me," says the LORD.
Jeremiah 12:10
Many rulers have destroyed My vineyard, They have trodden My portion underfoot; They have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 51:27
Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts.
Joel 3:9
Proclaim this among the nations: "Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 15:8
Their widows will be increased to Me more than the sand of the seas; I will bring against them, Against the mother of the young men, A plunderer at noonday; I will cause anguish and terror to fall on them suddenly.
Zephaniah 2:4
For Gaza shall be forsaken, And Ashkelon desolate; They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, And Ekron shall be uprooted.
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Cross References
Isaiah 57:20
But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
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Cross References
Psalms 55:9
Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
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Cross References
Ezekiel 23:18
She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness. Then I alienated Myself from her, As I had alienated Myself from her sister.
Hosea 9:12
Though they bring up their children, Yet I will bereave them to the last man. Yes, woe to them when I depart from them!
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Cross References
Exodus 6:12
And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, "The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?
Jeremiah 5:21
Hear this now, O foolish people, Without understanding, Who have eyes and see not, And who have ears and hear not:
Jeremiah 7:26
Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.
Acts 7:51
You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 8:9
The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD; So what wisdom do they have?
Jeremiah 20:8
For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, "Violence and plunder!" Because the word of the LORD was made to me A reproach and a derision daily.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 20:9
Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 9:21
For death has come through our windows, Has entered our palaces, To kill off the children - no longer to be outside! And the young men - no longer on the streets!
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 28:30
You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes.
Jeremiah 8:10
Therefore I will give their wives to others, And their fields to those who will inherit them; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is given to covetousness; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.
Jeremiah 38:22
'Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah's house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say: "Your close friends have set upon you And prevailed against you; Your feet have sunk in the mire, And they have turned away again."
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Cross References
Isaiah 56:11
Yes, they are greedy dogs Which never have enough. And they are shepherds Who cannot understand; They all look to their own way, Every one for his own gain, From his own territory.
Jeremiah 8:10
Therefore I will give their wives to others, And their fields to those who will inherit them; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is given to covetousness; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.
Jeremiah 22:17
"Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence."
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Cross References
Jeremiah 5:31
The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?
Jeremiah 23:11
For both prophet and priest are profane; Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness," says the LORD.
Micah 3:5
Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets Who make my people stray; Who chant "Peace" While they chew with their teeth, But who prepare war against him Who puts nothing into their mouths:
Micah 3:11
Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 8:11 - 15
For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, 'Peace, peace!' When there is no peace.
Ezekiel 13:10
Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, 'Peace!' when there is no peace - and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar -
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Cross References
Jeremiah 4:10
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, Saying, 'You shall have peace,' Whereas the sword reaches to the heart.
Jeremiah 23:17
They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You shall have peace" '; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.'
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Cross References
Jeremiah 3:3
Therefore the showers have been withheld, And there has been no latter rain. You have had a harlot's forehead; You refuse to be ashamed.
Jeremiah 8:12
Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; In the time of their punishment They shall be cast down," says the LORD.
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Cross References
Isaiah 8:20
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Jeremiah 18:15
Because My people have forgotten Me, They have burned incense to worthless idols. And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, From the ancient paths, To walk in pathways and not on a highway.
Malachi 4:4
Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments.
Luke 16:29
"Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'
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Cross References
Matthew 11:29
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
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Cross References
Isaiah 21:11
The burden against Dumah. He calls to me out of Seir, "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
Isaiah 58:1
Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.
Jeremiah 25:4
And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear.
Ezekiel 3:17
Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:
Habakkuk 2:1
I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 4:1
Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you.
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Cross References
Isaiah 1:2
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 19:3
And say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I will bring such a catastrophe on this place, that whoever hears of it, his ears will tingle.
Jeremiah 19:15
"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I will bring on this city and on all her towns all the doom that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their necks that they might not hear My words.'"
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Cross References
Proverbs 1:31
Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
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Cross References
Psalms 40:6
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My e...
Psalms 50:7 - 9
Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, ...
Isaiah 1:11
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrif...
Isaiah 66:3
He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; He...
Amos 5:21
I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not...
Micah 6:6
With what shall I come before the LORD, And bow...
Micah 6:7
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams...
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Cross References
Isaiah 60:6
The multitude of camels shall cover your land, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba shall come; They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD.
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Cross References
Isaiah 43:24
You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 7:21 - 23
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 1:15
For behold, I am calling All the families of the kingdoms of the north," says the LORD; "They shall come and each one set his throne At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, Against all its walls all around, And against all the cities of Judah.
Jeremiah 10:22
Behold, the noise of the report has come, And a great commotion out of the north country, To make the cities of Judah desolate, a den of jackals.
Jeremiah 50:41 - 43
Behold, a people shall come from the north, And a great nation and many kings Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
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Cross References
Isaiah 5:30
In that day they will roar against them Like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, Behold, darkness and sorrow; And the light is darkened by the clouds.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 4:31
"For I have heard a voice as of a woman in labor, The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child, The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself; She spreads her hands, saying, 'Woe is me now, for my soul is weary Because of murderers!'
Jeremiah 13:21
What will you say when He punishes you? For you have taught them To be chieftains, to be head over you. Will not pangs seize you, Like a woman in labor?
Jeremiah 49:24
Damascus has grown feeble; She turns to flee, And fear has seized her. Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in labor.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 4:8
For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, Lament and wail. For the fierce anger of the LORD Has not turned back from us.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 25:34
Wail, shepherds, and cry! Roll about in the ashes, You leaders of the flock! For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are fulfilled; You shall fall like a precious vessel.
Micah 1:10
Tell it not in Gath, Weep not at all; In Beth Aphrah Roll yourself in the dust.
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Cross References
Amos 8:10
I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist, And baldness on every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, And its end like a bitter day.
Zechariah 12:10
And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 1:18
For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land - Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 5:23
But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart; They have revolted and departed.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 9:4
Everyone take heed to his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; For every brother will utterly supplant, And every neighbor will walk with slanderers.
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Cross References
Ezekiel 22:18
Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver.
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Cross References
Isaiah 1:22
Your silver has become dross, Your wine mixed with water.
Jeremiah 7:29
'Cut off your hair and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on the desolate heights; for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.'
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.