Jeremiah 14 - Easy To Read Version Easy To Read Version
Jeremiah 14

¹ This is the Lord’s message to Jeremiah about the drought: {\cf2\super [119]}

² “The nation of Judah cries for people\par that have died.\par The people in the cities of Judah\par grow weaker and weaker.\par Those people lie on the ground.\par People in Jerusalem cry to God for help.\par

³ The leaders of the people send their servants\par to get water.\par The servants go to the water storage places,\par but they don’t find any water.\par The servants come back with empty jars.\par So they are ashamed and embarrassed.\par They cover their heads from shame.\par

⁴ No person prepares the ground for crops. {\cf2\super [120]} \par No rain falls on the land.\par The farmers are depressed.\par So they cover their heads from shame.\par

⁵ Even the mother deer in the field\par leaves her newborn baby alone.\par She does this because there is no grass.\par

⁶ Wild donkeys stand on the bare hills.\par They sniff the wind like jackals. {\cf2\super [121]} \par But their eyes can’t find any food,\par because there are no plants to eat.\par

⁷ “We know that those things are our fault.\par We are now suffering because of our sins.\par Lord, do something to help us for the good of your name.\par We admit that we left you many times.\par We have sinned against you.\par

⁸ God, you are the Hope of Israel!\par You save Israel in times of trouble.\par But now it seems like you are\par a stranger in the land.\par It seems like you are a traveler that only stays one night.\par

⁹ You seem like a man that has been attacked by surprise.\par You seem like a soldier that does not have the power to save anyone.\par But Lord, you are with us.\par We are called by your name,\par So don’t leave us without help!”\par

¹⁰ This is what the Lord says about the people of Judah: “The people of Judah really love to leave me. Those people don’t stop themselves from leaving me. So now, the Lord will not accept them. Now the Lord will remember the bad things they do. The Lord will punish them for their sins.”

¹¹ Then the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, don’t pray for good things to happen to the people of Judah.

¹² The people of Judah might begin to fast {\cf2\super [122]} \{and pray to me\}. But I will not listen to their prayers. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept those people. I will destroy the people of Judah with war. I will take away their food, and the people of Judah will starve. And I will destroy them with terrible diseases.”

¹³ But I said to the Lord, “Lord, my Master, the prophets were telling the people something different. They were telling the people of Judah, ‘You people will not suffer from an enemy’s sword. You will never suffer from hunger. The Lord will give you peace in this land.’”

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, those prophets are preaching lies in my name. I did not send those prophets. I did not command them or speak to them. Those prophets have been preaching false visions, worthless magic, and their own wishful thinking.

¹⁵ So this is what I say about the prophets that are preaching in my name. I did not send those prophets. Those prophets said, ‘No enemy with swords will ever attack this country. There will never be hunger in this land.’ Those prophets will die from hunger and an enemy’s sword will kill them.

¹⁶ And the people those prophets spoke to will be thrown into the streets. Those people will die from hunger and from an enemy’s sword. No person will be there to bury those people, or their wives or their sons or daughters. I will punish them.

¹⁷ “Jeremiah, speak this message\par to the people of Judah:\par ‘My eyes are filled with tears.\par I will cry night and day without stopping.\par I will cry for my virgin daughter. {\cf2\super [123]} \par I will cry for my people.\par Why? Because someone hit them\par and crushed them.\par They have been hurt very badly.\par

¹⁸ If I go into the country,\par I see the people that were killed\par with swords.\par If I go into the city,\par I see much sickness,\par because the people have no food.\par The priests and the prophets\par have been taken away to a foreign land.’”\par

¹⁹ “Lord, have you completely rejected\par the nation of Judah?\par Lord, do you hate Zion {\cf2\super [124]} ?\par You hurt us so badly\par that we can’t be made well again.\par Why did you do that?\par We were hoping for peace,\par but nothing good has come.\par We were hoping for a time of healing,\par but only terror came.\par

²⁰ Lord, we know that we are evil people.\par We know that our ancestors {\cf2\super [125]} did bad things.\par Yes, we sinned against you.\par

²¹ Lord, for the good of your name,\par don’t push us away.\par Don’t take away the honor\par from your glorious throne.\par Remember your Agreement {\cf2\super [126]} with us.\par Don’t break that Agreement.\par

²² Foreign idols don’t have the power\par to bring rain.\par The sky does not have the power\par to send showers of rain down.\par You are our only hope.\par You are the One who made all these things.”\par