Jeremiah 8

The LORD declared that the bones of Jerusalem's kings, priests, and prophets would be spread before the sun and moon they had worshiped. The people refused to return, and even the stork knows her appointed times, but God's people do not know His judgment. Jeremiah wept for the hurt of his people, asking whether there was no balm in Gilead and no physician there.

v	King James Version	Modern English
1	At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:	"At that time," says the LORD, "the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be brought out of their graves.
2	And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.	They will be spread out before the sun and the moon and all the stars of the sky — the things they loved and served and followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried but will be like dung on the surface of the ground.
3	And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.	And death will be preferred to life by all the survivors of this evil family who remain in all the places where I have driven them," says the LORD of hosts.
4	Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?	"Say to them, 'This is what the LORD says: When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return?
5	Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.	Why then have these people of Jerusalem turned away? Why do they cling to deceit and refuse to return?
6	I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.	I have listened carefully but they do not say what is right. Not one of them repents of their wickedness by asking, "What have I done?" Each one keeps charging ahead like a horse rushing into battle.
7	Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their migration; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.	Even the stork in the sky knows its appointed seasons. The dove, the swift, and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But My people do not know the requirements of the LORD.
8	How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.	How can You say, "We are wise and we have the law of the LORD"? Actually, the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely.
9	The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?	The wise will be put to shame. They will be dismayed and caught. They have rejected the word of the LORD — what kind of wisdom do they have?
10	Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.	Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain. From prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
11	For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.	They dress the wound of my people as though it were nothing, saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.
12	Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.	Were they ashamed when they committed these detestable acts? No — they felt no shame at all. They did not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen. When they are punished, they will stumble," says the LORD.
13	I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.	"'I will take away their harvest,' says the LORD. 'There will be no grapes on the vine, no figs on the fig tree, and the leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken away.'"
14	Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.	Why are we sitting here? Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us to perish. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
15	We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, but behold trouble!	We hoped for peace but no good has come. We hoped for a time of healing but found only terror.
16	The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.	The snorting of the enemy's horses is heard from Dan. The whole land trembles at the sound of the neighing of their powerful horses. They have come to devour the land and everything in it — the city and all who live there.
17	For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.	"I am sending poisonous snakes among You, vipers that cannot be charmed. They will bite You," says the LORD.
18	When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.	My grief is beyond healing. My heart is sick within me.
19	Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?	Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away: "Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King not there?" "Why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved images and their foreign idols?"
20	The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.	"The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved."
21	For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.	Since my people are broken, I am broken. I mourn — horror seizes me.
22	Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?	Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the healing of my people not come?