Jeremiah 8:14

Judgment

¹² Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse, says the LORD.

¹³ I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them.”

Why are we just sitting here? Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

¹⁵ We hoped for peace, but no good has come, for a time of healing, but there was only terror.

¹⁶ The snorting of enemy horses is heard from Dan. At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds, the whole land quakes. They come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who dwell in it.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Why are we just sitting here? Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
KJV: 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.
WEB: “Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves! Let’s enter into the fortified cities, and let’s be silent there; for the LORD our God has put us to silence, and given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
ASV: Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there; for Jehovah our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Jehovah.
DARBY: Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fenced cities, and let us be silent there: for Jehovah our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Jehovah.
BLB: Why are we sitting? Gather yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there, for YHWH our God has made us perish, and given us water of gall, because we have sinned against YHWH—

ÅB: Hvorfor sitter vi stille? Samle dere og la oss gå inn i de faste byer og gå til grunne der! For Herren vår Gud vil la oss gå til grunne og gi oss beskt vann å drikke fordi vi har syndet mot Herren.
OTB: Hvorfor sitter vi stille? Samle dere, la oss flykte til de befestede byene og omkomme der. For Herren vår Gud har bestemt vår ødeleggelse og gitt oss forgiftet vann å drikke, fordi vi har syndet mot Ham.
B1930: Hvorfor sitter vi stille? Samle eder og la oss gå inn i de faste byer og gå til grunne der! For Herren vår Gud vil la oss gå til grunne og gi oss beskt vann å drikke fordi vi har syndet mot Herren.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Jeremiah 23:15
Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says concerning the prophets: “I will feed them wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”
Read in context
Jeremiah 9:15
Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.
Read in context
Psalms 69:21
They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.
Read in context
Jeremiah 35:11
So when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched into the land, we said: ‘Come, let us go into Jerusalem to escape the armies of the Chaldeans and the Arameans.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”
Read in context
Lamentations 3:19
Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
Read in context
Deuteronomy 32:32
But their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter.
Read in context
2 Samuel 20:6
And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and elude us.”
Read in context
Matthew 27:34
they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
Read in context