Self-interpreting Bible

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Jeremiah 16

1Under the types of the prophet's abstaining from marriage, and from the houses of feasting and mourning, the utter ruin of the Jews is foreshewed; 10and that because they were even worse than their fathers. 14Their return from captivity shall be more memorable than their deliverance out of Egypt. 16God will recompense their idolatry double, and the Gentiles shall turn to God.


1 THE aword of the LORD came also unto me, saying,

2 Thou bshalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.

3 For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;

    4 They cshall die of grievous deaths; dthey shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and ethey shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and ftheir carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

    5 For thus saith the LORD, gEnter not into the 1house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: hfor I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.

    6 Both the great and the small shall die in this land: ithey shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor jcut themselves, nor kmake themselves bald for them:

    7 Neither shall men 2tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the lcup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.

    8 Thou mshalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.

    9 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, nI will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.

    10 ¶And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, oWherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?

    11 Then shalt thou say unto them, pBecause your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;

    12 And ye have done qworse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the 3imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:

    13 Therefore rwill I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.

    14 ¶4Therefore, behold, sthe days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, tThe LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

    15 But, The LORD liveth, uthat brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: vand I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

    16 ¶Behold, wI will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the xholes of the rocks.

    17 For mine yeyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, zneither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.

    18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin adouble; because bthey have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the ccarcases of their detestable and abominable things.

    19 O LORD, dmy strength, and emy fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, fthe Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, gSurely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.

    20 Shall a man make gods unto himself, hand they are no gods?

    21 Therefore, behold, iI will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that jmy name is 5The LORD.