JEREMIAH
CHAPTER 11
The Jews are cursed for breaking the covenant of obedience—The Lord will not hear their prayers.
2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:
5 That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, so be it, O LORD.
6 Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.
7 For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.
8 Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.
9 And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10 They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
11 ¶ Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken [ Hebrew "Shema" is translated here as hearken which means to "listen" and "obey". ] unto them.
12 Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal. [ Incense mean offerring up prayers to Baal. ]
14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, [ (Mormon 1:16) ] neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.
15 What hath my beloved [ Israel. ] to do in mine house, [ The temple. ] seeing she [ Feminine tense because we are his bride. ] hath wrought lewdness with many, [ Immorality. ] and the holy flesh is passed from thee? [ Who are they being immoral with? False Gods. Such that the acceptable sacrifice has ceased. ] when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.
[ They find and delight in doing evil things. ]
16 The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: [ So at one time they were productive. ] with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, [ They are now apostate. ] and the branches of it are broken.
[ They are scattered. ]
17 For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, [ The one who established thee through covenant with him. ] hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense [ Prayers. ] unto Baal.
18 ¶ And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, [ You cannot hide things from Gods prophets. ] and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.
19 But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.
[ This verse speaks of Jeremiah, who is a type for Christ. ]
20 But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.
21 Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, [ Jeremiah's own home town is plotting against him. So think about that - it will be made of of alot of families and friends - how sad. Just like the people of Nazereth tried to do to Christ when they took him to the hill to push him off the cliff because he is claiming to be the Messiah, his own home town, his family and friends. (Luke 4:24) ] that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand: