Jeremiah Chapter 14
Showing all 22 verses for Jeremiah Chapter 14.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth. "
"This message from God came to Jeremiah about a severe drought."
When your world dries up and things you relied on disappear, don't just endure it numbly. Let it become a moment of honest self-examination rather than despair.
"Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. "
"Judah is in mourning; its towns are struggling, its gates darkened with dust like grieving people. Jerusalem's cry of distress rises up."
I see full-scale suffering, not just statistics. When your grief feels too big to put into words, know that your cry still rises and is heard.
"And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads. "
"The wealthy send their servants for water; they reach the cisterns and find them dry, come back with empty jars, humiliated and covering their heads in shame."
No amount of money or status shields you from every hardship life brings. Learn to hold onto what actually sustains you, not just what you can buy.
"Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads. "
"The ground is cracked and parched from lack of rain; farmers are ashamed and cover their heads in despair."
When your efforts fail through no fault of your own, that's not proof you're worthless - it's proof you're human, living in a world you don't fully control.
"Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass. "
"Even the doe gives birth out in the open field and abandons her fawn, because there's no grass to eat."
Scarcity and desperation can push anyone, even the most caring, to abandon what they'd normally protect. Show compassion rather than judgement towards what people do under extreme pressure.
"And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass. "
"Wild donkeys stand on bare hilltops, panting for air like jackals, their eyesight failing because there's no grass."
Everyone has a breaking point. If you're struggling despite being strong, that's not weakness - it's a sign the pressure on you is genuinely severe and needs addressing.
"O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. "
"Jeremiah prays: "Lord, even though our own wrongdoing testifies against us, act anyway for the sake of your own reputation - we've turned away from you many times, we have sinned against you.""
You don't need to be perfect to ask for help - just honest. I don't wait for you to earn grace before offering it; come as you actually are, admitting what's true.
"O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? "
""You who are Israel's hope, the one who saves in times of trouble - why are you acting like a stranger passing through, like a traveller who only stops for one night?""
It's alright to tell me honestly when you feel like I've become a stranger to you. I'd rather hear your real doubt than a performance of certainty.
"Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not. "
""Why are you like someone stunned and helpless, like a warrior who can't save anyone? Yet you are among us, Lord, and we bear your name - don't abandon us!""
Crying out "don't leave me" isn't weakness - it's one of the most honest prayers there is. I stay close to those who are honest about their fear of being alone.
"Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. "
"This is what the Lord says about this people: "They loved wandering away from me, they never held themselves back - so I do not accept them. I will now remember their wrongdoing and hold them to account.""
I care about your heart, but real change means more than words spoken in a crisis - it means actually turning your feet in a new direction. Don't just cry out; walk differently.
"Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. "
"Then the Lord told Jeremiah, "Don't pray for this people's wellbeing.""
Sometimes love means letting someone face the consequences of their choices rather than shielding them forever. That's not abandonment - it's respecting that real change has to come from within.
"When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. "
""When they fast, I won't listen to their cries; when they offer sacrifices, I won't accept them. Instead I'll destroy them by war, famine, and disease.""
I'm not interested in empty gestures if they're disconnected from how you actually treat people. Sincerity and action matter more than performance.
"Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. "
"Jeremiah objects: "But Lord, the prophets keep telling the people, 'You won't see war or famine - I'll give you lasting peace right here!'""
Watch out for whoever only ever tells you what feels comfortable. I'd rather you hear a hard truth from someone who loves you than false comfort from someone who doesn't.
"Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. "
"The Lord replied, "These prophets are lying in my name. I didn't send them, I never spoke to them - they're handing out false visions, empty divination, and the deceptions of their own minds.""
Test what people tell you against real fruit and real integrity, not just confidence or charisma. I want you discerning, not gullible.
"Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. "
""So this is what will happen to the prophets speaking in my name without my sending them, who say 'no war or famine will come here': they themselves will die by war and famine.""
If you mislead people for comfort or gain, you're not exempt from the consequences you denied existed. Speaking truth, even hard truth, is a responsibility I take seriously.
"And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them. "
""And the people who listened to these prophets will be thrown out into Jerusalem's streets, victims of famine and war, with no one left to bury them - not their wives, sons, or daughters. I will pour their own wickedness back on them.""
Take responsibility for what you choose to believe, especially when it's just telling you what you want to hear. I want you to seek truth actively, not passively accept whatever's easiest.
"Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow. "
""Say this to them: let my eyes overflow with tears night and day, without stopping - because my people, like a young woman, have been shattered by a terrible, devastating wound.""
You can hold someone accountable and still grieve for them - the two aren't opposites. I weep over brokenness even when it's the fruit of choices I warned against.
"If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not. "
""If I go out to the countryside, I see people killed by war; if I go into the city, I see people dying of hunger. Even the prophets and priests wander a land they no longer recognise.""
When a whole system fails, don't expect the "experts" or leaders to have all the answers either. Sometimes everyone is equally lost, and that's when honesty and humility matter most.
"Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble! "
""Have you completely rejected Judah? Do you despise Jerusalem? Why have you struck us down with no healing in sight? We hoped for peace but got nothing good; we expected healing but got disaster instead.""
It's okay to ask "why" when things go wrong, even to me directly. Honest questions asked within relationship are never disrespectful - they're a sign you're still engaged, not walking away.
"We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee. "
""We admit our wrongdoing, Lord, and the sins of our ancestors too - we have sinned against you.""
Owning your part honestly, without excuses, is the doorway to real change. I don't need perfect people, just honest ones willing to face the truth about themselves.
"Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us. "
""Don't reject us, for the sake of your own reputation. Don't dishonour your glorious throne. Remember us - don't break your covenant with us.""
When you feel unworthy of help, remember love isn't only given to the deserving. I keep my promises because of who I am, not because you've earned them.
"Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things. "
""Can any of the false gods of the nations make it rain? Can the sky do that on its own? Isn't it you, Lord our God, who does this? So we will keep waiting on you - you're the one who made everything.""
When you've cried out honestly and still don't have your answer, keep placing your trust in what's actually real and reliable, rather than false substitutes promising quick fixes. Waiting with hope is itself an act of faith.