1At that time , saith Jehovah , 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 ; 2and they shall spread them before the sun , and the moon , and all the host of heaven , which they have loved, and which they have served , and after which they have walked , and which they have sought , and which they have worshipped : they shall not be gathered, nor be buried , they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth . 3And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family , that remain in all the places whither I have driven them , saith Jehovah of hosts . 4Moreover thou shalt say unto them , Thus saith Jehovah : Shall men fall , and not rise up again ? Shall one turn away , and not return ? 5Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding ? they hold fast deceit , they refuse to return . 6I hearkened and heard , but they spake not aright : no man repenteth him of his wickedness , saying , What have I done ? every one turneth to his course , as a horse that rusheth headlong in the battle . 7Yea , the stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times ; and the turtle-dove and the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the law of Jehovah .
The False Prophets and Their Deception
8How do ye say, We are wise , and the law of Jehovah is with us ? But , behold , the false pen of the scribes hath wrought falsely . 9The wise men are put to shame, they are dismayed and taken : lo , they have rejected the word of Jehovah ; and what manner of wisdom is in them ? 10Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall possess 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 . 11And they have 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 fall ; in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down , saith Jehovah .
The Coming Judgment and Mourning
13I will utterly consume them , saith Jehovah : 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 . 14Why do we sit still ? assemble yourselves , and let us enter into the fortified cities , and let us be silent there ; for Jehovah our God hath put us to silence , and given us water of gall to drink , because we have sinned against Jehovah . 15We looked for peace , but no good came; and for a time of healing , and , behold , dismay! 16The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan : at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones the whole land trembleth; for they are come , and have devoured the land and all that is in it ; the city and those that dwell therein . 17For , behold , I will send serpents , adders , among you , which will not be charmed ; and they shall bite you , saith Jehovah .
Hope Amidst Despair
18Oh that I could comfort myself against sorrow ! my heart is faint within me . 19Behold , the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a land that is very far off : is not Jehovah in Zion ? is not her King in her ? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images , and with foreign vanities ? 20The harvest is past , the summer is ended , and we are not saved . 21For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt : I mourn ; dismay hath taken hold on me . 22Is there no balm in Gilead ? is there no physician there ? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered ?