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Jeremiah 29

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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¹ The word of the LORD came [again] to me, saying,

² Son of man, if a land sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it and destroy its source of bread and send famine on it and cut off from it both man and animal, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in that land, by their own righteousness (right standing with God) they could only save (deliver) themselves, says the Lord GOD.

³ If I were to cause predatory beasts to pass through the land and they ravaged it and depopulated it of children, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through because of the predators, though these three men were in the land, as I live, says the Lord GOD, "they could not save either their sons or their daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate (ruined, deserted).

⁴ Or if I were to bring a sword on that land and say, 'Let a sword go through the land and cut off man and animal from it,'

⁵ even though these three men were in the land, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "they could not save either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be saved.

⁶ Or if I should send a virulent disease into that land and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and animal from it,

⁷ even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "they could not save either their son or their daughter; they would save only themselves by their righteousness [that is, their right-standing with God—their moral and spiritual integrity]."

⁸ For thus says the Lord GOD, "How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem—sword, famine, predatory beasts, and virulent disease—to cut off man and animal from it!

⁹ Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it [escaping the judgments], both sons and daughters. Listen carefully, they are going to come out to you [in Babylon] and you will see their [wicked] conduct and [despicable] actions; then you will be at peace in regard to the disaster which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought on it [has been deserved].

¹⁰ Then they will reassure[2] you [in regard to the appropriateness of the judgments] when you see their [heinous] conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done without cause whatever I did to it," declares the Lord GOD.

¹¹ And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

¹² Son of man, how is the wood of the grapevine (Israel) better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? Can wood be taken from it to make any object? Or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel? If it has been thrown into the fire for fuel, and the fire has consumed both of its ends and the middle section has been charred, is it suitable or useful for anything? Notice this, even when it was complete, it was not useful and was not made into anything. How much less, after the fire has burned [part of] it and [the remainder of] it is charred, can it still be made into anything? Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Like the wood of the grapevine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the people of Jerusalem; and I set My face against them. Though they have come out of the fire, yet the fire will consume them. Then you will know [without any doubt] that I am the LORD, when I set My face against them. 'I will make the land desolate (ruined, deserted), because they have acted unfaithfully [through their idolatry],' says the Lord GOD.

¹³ Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

¹⁴ Son of man, make Jerusalem understand [the heinous and vile nature of] her repulsive (idolatrous) acts and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem (all of Israel), Your [spiritual] origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your [spiritual] father was an[1] Amorite and your [spiritual] mother a Hittite.

¹⁵ And as for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing, nor were you rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths.

¹⁶ No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out in the open field, for you were loathed on the day that you were born.

¹⁷ "When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your [newborn] blood, I said to you while you were there in your blood, 'Live!' Yes, I said to you while you were there in your blood, 'Live!'

¹⁸ I made you (Israel) multiply like plants [which grow] in the field, and you grew up and became tall and you reached the age for [wearing] fine jewelry; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown, yet you were naked and bare.

¹⁹ "Then I passed by you [again] and looked on you; behold, you were maturing and at the time for love, and I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore [an oath] to you and entered into a covenant with you," says the Lord GOD, "and you became Mine."

²⁰ Then I washed you with water; yes, I [thoroughly] washed away from you the [clinging] blood and anointed you with oil. I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of[2] porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments and I put bracelets on your wrists and a necklace around your neck. I also put a ring in your nostril and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was [made] of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil; so you were extremely beautiful and you advanced and prospered into royalty. Then your fame went out among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My majesty and splendor which I bestowed on you, says the Lord GOD.

²¹ "But you trusted in and relied on your beauty and prostituted yourself [in idolatry and its debauched rituals] because of your fame, and you poured out your immoralities on every [willing] passer-by and your beauty was his [as you worshiped the idols of the Gentile nations].

²² You took some of your clothes and made for yourself [decorated] high places and shrines of various colors and prostituted yourself on them—things which should never have come about and taken place.

²³ You also took your beautiful jewels and beautiful vessels made of My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men so that you could prostitute yourself with them;

²⁴ and you took your embroidered clothing and covered them, and offered My oil and My incense before them.

²⁵ Also My bread which I gave you, [made from the] fine flour and oil and honey with which I fed you, you even offered it before idols [no better than cow dung] as a sweet and soothing aroma; so it happened," says the Lord GOD.

²⁶ Moreover, you took your sons and your daughters whom you had borne to Me, and you destroyed them as sacrifices [to your man-made gods]. Were your gross immoralities so small a matter? You slaughtered My children and offered them up to [worthless] idols, forcing them to pass through the [hideousness of the] fire.

²⁷ And in all your repulsive acts and prostitutions (idolatrous immoralities) you did not [pause to] remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, squirming in your [newborn] blood.

²⁸ "Then it came about after all your wickedness ('Woe, woe to you!' says the Lord GOD),

²⁹ that you built yourself an[3] altar for prostitution and made yourself a high place [for ritual prostitution] in every square [of Jerusalem].

³⁰ At the beginning of every street you built your high place and made your beauty repulsive; and you offered your body to every passer-by and multiplied your obscene immorality.

³¹ You also prostituted yourself with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors [by embracing their pagan rituals], and you multiplied your obscene immorality to provoke Me to anger.

³² Behold now [listen very carefully], I have stretched out My hand against you, reduced your portion, and handed you over to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your infamous behavior.

#	AMP
1	The word of the LORD came [again] to me, saying,
2	Son of man, if a land sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it and destroy its source of bread and send famine on it and cut off from it both man and animal, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in that land, by their own righteousness (right standing with God) they could only save (deliver) themselves, says the Lord GOD.
3	If I were to cause predatory beasts to pass through the land and they ravaged it and depopulated it of children, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through because of the predators, though these three men were in the land, as I live, says the Lord GOD, "they could not save either their sons or their daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate (ruined, deserted).
4	Or if I were to bring a sword on that land and say, 'Let a sword go through the land and cut off man and animal from it,'
5	even though these three men were in the land, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "they could not save either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be saved.
6	Or if I should send a virulent disease into that land and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and animal from it,
7	even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "they could not save either their son or their daughter; they would save only themselves by their righteousness [that is, their right-standing with God—their moral and spiritual integrity]."
8	For thus says the Lord GOD, "How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem—sword, famine, predatory beasts, and virulent disease—to cut off man and animal from it!
9	Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it [escaping the judgments], both sons and daughters. Listen carefully, they are going to come out to you [in Babylon] and you will see their [wicked] conduct and [despicable] actions; then you will be at peace in regard to the disaster which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought on it [has been deserved].
10	Then they will reassure[2] you [in regard to the appropriateness of the judgments] when you see their [heinous] conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done without cause whatever I did to it," declares the Lord GOD.
11	And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
12	Son of man, how is the wood of the grapevine (Israel) better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? Can wood be taken from it to make any object? Or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel? If it has been thrown into the fire for fuel, and the fire has consumed both of its ends and the middle section has been charred, is it suitable or useful for anything? Notice this, even when it was complete, it was not useful and was not made into anything. How much less, after the fire has burned [part of] it and [the remainder of] it is charred, can it still be made into anything? Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Like the wood of the grapevine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the people of Jerusalem; and I set My face against them. Though they have come out of the fire, yet the fire will consume them. Then you will know [without any doubt] that I am the LORD, when I set My face against them. 'I will make the land desolate (ruined, deserted), because they have acted unfaithfully [through their idolatry],' says the Lord GOD.
13	Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
14	Son of man, make Jerusalem understand [the heinous and vile nature of] her repulsive (idolatrous) acts and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem (all of Israel), Your [spiritual] origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your [spiritual] father was an[1] Amorite and your [spiritual] mother a Hittite.
15	And as for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing, nor were you rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths.
16	No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out in the open field, for you were loathed on the day that you were born.
17	"When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your [newborn] blood, I said to you while you were there in your blood, 'Live!' Yes, I said to you while you were there in your blood, 'Live!'
18	I made you (Israel) multiply like plants [which grow] in the field, and you grew up and became tall and you reached the age for [wearing] fine jewelry; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown, yet you were naked and bare.
19	"Then I passed by you [again] and looked on you; behold, you were maturing and at the time for love, and I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore [an oath] to you and entered into a covenant with you," says the Lord GOD, "and you became Mine."
20	Then I washed you with water; yes, I [thoroughly] washed away from you the [clinging] blood and anointed you with oil. I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of[2] porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments and I put bracelets on your wrists and a necklace around your neck. I also put a ring in your nostril and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was [made] of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil; so you were extremely beautiful and you advanced and prospered into royalty. Then your fame went out among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My majesty and splendor which I bestowed on you, says the Lord GOD.
21	"But you trusted in and relied on your beauty and prostituted yourself [in idolatry and its debauched rituals] because of your fame, and you poured out your immoralities on every [willing] passer-by and your beauty was his [as you worshiped the idols of the Gentile nations].
22	You took some of your clothes and made for yourself [decorated] high places and shrines of various colors and prostituted yourself on them—things which should never have come about and taken place.
23	You also took your beautiful jewels and beautiful vessels made of My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men so that you could prostitute yourself with them;
24	and you took your embroidered clothing and covered them, and offered My oil and My incense before them.
25	Also My bread which I gave you, [made from the] fine flour and oil and honey with which I fed you, you even offered it before idols [no better than cow dung] as a sweet and soothing aroma; so it happened," says the Lord GOD.
26	Moreover, you took your sons and your daughters whom you had borne to Me, and you destroyed them as sacrifices [to your man-made gods]. Were your gross immoralities so small a matter? You slaughtered My children and offered them up to [worthless] idols, forcing them to pass through the [hideousness of the] fire.
27	And in all your repulsive acts and prostitutions (idolatrous immoralities) you did not [pause to] remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, squirming in your [newborn] blood.
28	"Then it came about after all your wickedness ('Woe, woe to you!' says the Lord GOD),
29	that you built yourself an[3] altar for prostitution and made yourself a high place [for ritual prostitution] in every square [of Jerusalem].
30	At the beginning of every street you built your high place and made your beauty repulsive; and you offered your body to every passer-by and multiplied your obscene immorality.
31	You also prostituted yourself with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors [by embracing their pagan rituals], and you multiplied your obscene immorality to provoke Me to anger.
32	Behold now [listen very carefully], I have stretched out My hand against you, reduced your portion, and handed you over to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your infamous behavior.

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