because of the great blasphemies of the children of Israel and Judah, which they have done to provoke me: yea they, their kings, their princes, their Priests, their Prophets, whole Judah, and all the citizens of Jerusalem.

"'Moreover thus hath the LORD God of Israel spoken, concerning this city, which - as ye yourselves confess - shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, when it is won with the sword, with hunger and with pestilence.

Thus, I say, spake the LORD God of Israel, "Concerning the houses of this city, and the houses of the kings of Judah: they shall be broken through the ordinance and weapons,

And I will return the captivity of Judah and Israel: and will set them up again as they were afore.

Behold, the time cometh, sayeth the LORD, that I will perform the good thing, which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

And in his days Judah shall be safe, and Israel shall dwell without fear. And this is the name that they shall call him: 'The LORD our righteousness.'

"For thus the LORD promiseth: David shall never want one to sit upon the stool of the house of Israel:

"Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel: Go, and speak to Zedekiah the king of Judah, and tell him, 'The LORD sendeth thee this word: Behold, I will deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall burn it,

"Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers, when I brought them out of Egypt, that they should no more be bondmen: saying,

"Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Go and tell whole Judah and all the inhabiters of Jerusalem: Will ye not be reformed, to obey my words, sayeth the LORD?

And therefore thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon everyone that dwelleth in Jerusalem, all the trouble that I have devised against them. For I have spoken unto them, but they would not follow: I have called unto them, nevertheless they would give me no answer."

Jeremiah also spake unto the household of the Rechabites, "Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Forsomuch as ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath bidden you:

Therefore thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not fail, but have one out of his stock, to stand always before me."

"Take a book, and write therein all the words, that I have spoken to thee, to Israel, to Judah, and to all the people, from the time that I began for to speak unto thee in the reign of Josiah, unto this day.

"Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel: This answer shall ye give to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me for counsel, 'Behold, Pharaoh's host which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into his own land:

Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, "Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: If cause be, that thou wilt go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, thou shalt save thy life, and this city shall not be burnt, yea both thou and thy household shall escape with your lives.

Go and tell Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, 'Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: Behold, the cruel and sharp plague that I have devised for this city, will I bring upon them, that thou shalt see it:

Now the pit wherein Ishmael did cast the dead bodies of the men whom he slew because of Gedaliah, had king Asa caused to be made, for fear of Baasha the king of Israel, and the same pit did Ishmael fill with slain men.

and said unto them, "Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel unto whom ye sent me, to lay forth your prayers before him:

Wherefore hear now the word of the LORD, O ye remnant of Judah. Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: If ye be wholly purposed to go into Egypt, and to be there as strangers:

For thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: Like as my wrath and indignation is come upon the inhabiters of Jerusalem, so shall my displeasure go forth upon you also, if ye go into Egypt: For there ye shall be reviled, abhorred, brought to shame and confusion: and as for this place, ye shall never see it more.

and say unto them, 'Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and call for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon my servant, and will set his seat upon these stones that I have hid, and he shall spread his tent over them.

Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel, "Ye have seen all the misery that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; so that this day they are desolate, and no man dwelling therein:

Now therefore thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: How happeneth it, that ye do so great evil unto your own souls, thus to destroy the men and women, children and babes of Judah? So that none of you is left,

"Therefore thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: I am steadfastly advised and determined to punish you, and to root out all Judah.

Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: Ye and your wives have spoken with your own mouth, the thing that ye have fulfilled in deed. Yea, thus have ye said, 'We will not fail, but do the thing that pleaseth us: we will do sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of heaven.' Purposely have ye set up your own good meanings, and hastily have ye fulfilled your own intent.

"Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel unto thee, O Baruch:

Moreover, sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: Behold I will visit that restless people of Alexandria, Pharaoh and Egypt; yea, both their gods and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that put their trust in him.

But be not thou afraid, O my servant Jacob; fear not thou, O Israel. For lo, I will help thee from far, and thy seed from the land of thy captivity. Jacob also shall come again, and be in rest: he shall be rich, and no man shall do him harm.

Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel against Moab, "Woe be to the city of Nebo, for it shall be laid waste, brought to confusion and taken. Yea the strong city of Kiriathaim shall be brought to shame, and afraid.

And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, like as Israel was ashamed of Bethel, wherein she put her trust.

O Israel, shalt thou not laugh him to scorn, when he is taken among thieves? Yea, because of thy words that thou hast spoken against him, thou shalt be driven away.

As concerning the Ammonites, thus the LORD sayeth, "Hath Israel no children, or is he without a heir? Why hath your king then taken Gad in? Wherefore doth his people dwell in his cities?

In those days, and at that time, sayeth the LORD, the children of Israel shall come; they and the children of Judah, weeping and making haste, and shall seek the LORD their God.

Israel is a scattered flock, the Lions have dispersed them. First the king of the Assyrians devoured them, last of all this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath bruised all their bones.

Therefore thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: Behold, I will visit the king of Babylon and his kingdom, as I have visited the king of the Assyrians.

And will bring Israel again to his pleasant pasture, that he may feed upon Carmel and Bashan, and be satisfied upon the mount of Ephraim and Gilead.

In those days and at the same time, sayeth the LORD, if the offense of Israel be sought for, there shall none be found. If men inquire for the sin of Judah, there shall be none: for I will be merciful unto them, whom I suffer to remain over.

'Call up all the archers against Babylon! Pitch your tents round about her, that none escape!' Recompense her, as she hath deserved: and according as she hath done, so deal with her again. For she hath set up herself against the LORD, against the holy one of Israel.

"Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: The children of Israel and Judah suffer violence together. All they that have them in captivity, keep them fast and will not let them go.

As for Israel and Judah, they shall not be forsaken of their God, of the LORD of Hosts, of the holy one of Israel: no, though they have filled all their land full of sin.

"For thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: The daughter of Babylon hath been in her time like as a threshing floor, but shortly shall her harvest come.

Like as Babylon hath beaten down and slain many out of Israel, so shall there fall many, and be slain, in all her kingdom.

{Aleph} Alas, how hath the LORD darkened the daughter of Zion so sore in his wrath? As for the honour of Israel, he hath casten it down from heaven: How happeneth it, that he remembered not his own foot stool when he was angry?

{Gimel} In the wrath of his indignation he hath broken all the horn of Israel: he hath withdrawn his righthand from the enemy. Yea, a flame of fire is kindled in Jacob, and hath consumed up all round about.

{He} The LORD is become like as it were an enemy: he hath cast down Israel and all his places. Yea, all his strongholds hath he destroyed, and filled the daughter of Judah with much sorrow and heaviness.

And he said, "Behold, thou son of man: I will send thee to the children of Israel, to those renegades and obstinate people - for they have taken part against me, and are run away from me: both they and their forefathers unto this day.

After this said he unto me, "Thou son of man, eat that, whatsoever it be: Yea, eat that closed book, and go thy way, and speak unto the children of Israel."

And he said unto me, "Thou son of man, get thee soon unto the house of Israel, and show them the words that I command thee.

For I send thee not to a people that hath a strange, unknown, or hard speech, but unto the house of Israel;

But the house of Israel will not follow thee, for they will not follow me. Yea, all the house of Israel have stiff foreheads, and hard hearts.

"Thou son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore take good heed to the words, and give them warning at my commandment.

Moreover, take an iron pan, and set it betwixt thee and the city instead of an iron wall. Then set thy face toward it, besiege it, and lay ordinance against it, to win it. This shall be a token unto the house of Israel.

But thou shalt sleep upon thy left side, and lay the sin of the house of Israel upon thee. Certain days appointed, thou shalt sleep upon that side, and bear their sins.

Nevertheless, I will appoint thee a time to put out their sins and the number of the days: Three hundred and ninety days must thou bear the wickedness of the house of Israel.

And with that said the LORD, "Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread in the midst of the Gentiles, among whom I will scatter them."

Then take a courtesy of it, and cast it in the midst of the fire: and burn it in the fire. Out of the same fire shall there go a flame upon the whole house of Israel."

"Thou son of man, turn thy face to the mountains of Israel, that thou mayest prophesy unto them,

and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD God, O ye mountains of Israel: Thus hath the LORD God spoken to the mountains, hills, rivers, valleys and dales. Behold, I will bring a sword over you, and destroy your high places.

And the dead carcasses of the children of Israel will I cast before their images, your bones will I straw round about your altars and dwelling places.

The LORD said moreover unto me, "Smite thy hands together, and stamp with thy feet, and say, 'Woe worth all the abominations and wickednesses of the house of Israel, for because of them they shall perish with the sword, with hunger and with pestilence.

"Thee I call, O thou son of man. Thus sayeth the LORD God unto the land of Israel: The end cometh: yea, verily the end cometh upon all the four corners of the land.

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was in the same place: even as I had seen it afore in the field.

And he said furthermore unto me, "Thou son of man, seest thou what these do? Seest thou the great abominations that the house of Israel commit in this place? Which ought not to be done in my sanctuary: But turn thee about, and thou shalt see yet greater abominations."

So I went in, and saw: and behold, there were all manner of images of worms and beasts, all Idols and abominations of the house of Israel painted every which one round about the wall.

There stood also before the images: Seventy lords of the counsel of the house of Israel; and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. And every one of them had a censor in his hand, and out of the incense there went a smoke, as it had been a cloud.

Then said he unto me, "Thou son of man, hast thou seen what the Senators of the house of Israel do secretly, everyone in his chamber? For they say, 'Tush, the LORD seeth us not, the LORD regardeth not the world.'"

And he said unto me, "Hast thou seen this thou son of man? Thinketh the house of Israel that it is but a trifle to do these abominations here? Should they fill the land full of wickedness, and undertake to provoke me unto anger? Yea, and purposely to cast up their noses upon me?

Now when they had done the slaughter, and I yet escaped: I fell down upon my face, and cried saying, "O LORD, wilt thou then destroy all the residue of Israel, in thy sore displeasure, that thou hast poured upon Jerusalem?"

Then said he unto me, "The wickedness of the house of Israel and Judah is very great: so that the land is full of blood, and the city full of unfaithfulness. For they say, 'Tush, the LORD regardeth not the earth, he seeth us not.'

This is the beast that I saw under the God of Israel, by the water of Chebar. And I perceived, that it was the Cherubims.

And with that fell the spirit of the LORD upon me, and said unto me, "Speak, 'Thus sayeth the LORD: On this manner have ye spoken, O ye house of Israel, and I know the imaginations of your hearts.

Ye shall be slain in all the coasts of Israel. I will be avenged of you: to learn you for to know that I am the LORD.

This city shall not be your cauldron, neither shall ye be the flesh therein: but in the coasts of Israel will I punish you,

Now when I preached, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, "O LORD God, wilt thou then utterly destroy all the remnant in Israel?"

Tell them also, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: I will gather you again out of the nations, and bring you from the countries where ye be scattered, and will give you the land of Israel again:

As for thyself, thou shalt go forth in the dark. Hide thy face that thou see not the earth, for I have made thee a show-token unto the house of Israel."

"Thou son of man, if Israel, that froward household, ask thee and say, 'What doest thou there?'

Then tell them, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: This punishment toucheth the chief rulers at Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel, that dwell among them.

And unto the people of the land, speak thou on this manner: 'Thus sayeth the LORD God to them that dwell in Jerusalem, and to the land of Israel: Ye shall eat your bread with sorrow, and drink your water with heaviness. Yea, the land with the fullness thereof shall be laid waste, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

"Thou son of man, what manner of byword is that, which ye use in the land of Israel? Saying, 'Tush, seeing that the days are so slack in coming, all the visions are of none effect.'

Tell them therefore, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: I will make that byword to cease, so that it shall no more be commonly used in Israel.' But say this unto them, 'The days are at hand, that everything which hath been prophesied, shall be fulfilled.

There shall no vision be in vain, neither any prophecy fail among the children of Israel:

"Behold, thou son of man: The house of Israel say in this manner, 'Tush, as for the vision that he hath seen, it will be many a day or it come to pass: It is far off yet, the thing that he prophesieth.'

"Thou son of man, speak prophecy against those prophets that preach in Israel: and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, 'Hear ye the word of the LORD.

O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes upon the dry field:

For they stand not in the gaps, neither made they a hedge for the house of Israel, that men might abide the peril in the day of the LORD.

Mine hands shall come upon the prophets that look out vain things and preach lies: they shall not be in the council of my people, nor written in the book of the house of Israel, neither shall they come in the land of Israel: that ye may know how that I am the LORD God.

These are the prophets of Israel, which prophesy unto the city of Jerusalem, and look out visions of peace for them, whereas no peace is, sayeth the LORD God.'

There resorted unto me certain of the elders of Israel, and sat down by me.

Therefore speak unto them, and say, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Every man of the house of Israel that beareth his Idols in his heart, purposing to stumble in his own wickedness, and cometh to a prophet, to enquire anything at me by him: unto that man will I the LORD myself give answer, according to the multitude of his idols:

that the house of Israel may be snared in their own hearts, because they be clean gone from me, for their Idols' sakes.'

Wherefore, tell the house of Israel, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Be converted, forsake your idols, and turn your faces from all your abominations.

For every man, whether he be of the house of Israel, or a stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which departeth from me, and carrieth idols in his heart, purposing to go still stumbling in his own wickedness, and cometh to a Prophet, for to ask counsel at me through him: unto that man will I the LORD give answer, by mine own self.

And if that Prophet be deceived, when he telleth him a word: then I the LORD myself have deceived that Prophet, and will stretch forth mine hand upon him, to root him out of my people of Israel:

that the house of Israel be led no more from me through error, and be no more defiled in their wickedness: but that they may be my people, and I their God, sayeth the LORD God.'"

"Thou son of man, put forth a dark speaking and a parable unto the house of Israel,

"What mean ye by this common proverb, that ye use in the land of Israel, saying, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'?

As truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, ye shall use this byword no more in Israel.

he eateth not upon the hills; he lifteth not his eyes up to the Idols of Israel; he defileth not his neighbour's wife; he meddleth with no menstruous woman;