Jeremiah 7

King James Version

Full text for Jeremiah Chapter 7

1¶ The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all [ye of] Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.

3Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.

4Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, [are] these.

5For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;

6[If] ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:

7Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.

8Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

9Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;

10And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?

11Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen [it], saith the LORD.

12But go ye now unto my place which [was] in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

13And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;

14Therefore will I do unto [this] house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

15And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, [even] the whole seed of Ephraim.

16¶ Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.

17Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

18The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead [their] dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

19Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: [do they] not [provoke] themselves to the confusion of their own faces?

20Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

21¶ Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.

22For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:

23But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

24But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels [and] in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

25Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending [them]:

26Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.

27Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.

28But thou shalt say unto them, This [is] a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

29¶ Cut off thine hair, [O Jerusalem], and cast [it] away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

30For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.

31And they have built the high places of Tophet, which [is] in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded [them] not, neither came it into my heart.

32Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.

33And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray [them] away.

34Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Jeremiah is commanded to warn Judah against trusting in the temple while living in sin and idolatry. The Lord declares that their unrighteousness, including child sacrifice and worship of other gods, will lead to the destruction of the temple and the desolation of the land, mirroring the fate of Shiloh. God emphasizes that obedience, not mere ritual, is what He truly desires, but Judah has stubbornly refused to heed His prophets.

Medium Summary

The Lord instructs Jeremiah to stand at the temple gate, urging Judah to amend their ways and cease trusting in the temple's presence as a guarantee of safety amidst their widespread sins. God condemns their hypocrisy, likening His house to a "den of robbers" and recalling the destruction of Shiloh as a precedent for the impending judgment on Jerusalem and its temple due to their persistent disobedience. Jeremiah is forbidden to intercede for them, as they actively provoke God's anger through idolatry, including worshipping the "queen of heaven." The Lord clarifies that He commanded obedience, not sacrifices, upon their exodus, yet they consistently rejected His voice and the prophets. Consequently, severe judgment, including the defilement of the temple and the horrific practice of child sacrifice in Tophet, will result in the land's desolation and the cessation of all joy.

Long Summary

Jeremiah receives a divine command to stand at the gate of the Lord's house and proclaim a message to all Judah, urging them to amend their ways and doings. The Lord warns them against trusting in the mere presence of the temple while they engage in a litany of sins, including stealing, murder, adultery, false swearing, and burning incense to Baal and other gods. He questions their presumption of being delivered to continue these abominations, declaring His house has become a "den of robbers." As a stark warning, God points to the fate of Shiloh, where His name first dwelt, indicating that He will do likewise to the Jerusalem temple and cast Judah out of His sight, just as He did with Ephraim, because they have ignored His persistent calls through the prophets. Jeremiah is explicitly forbidden to pray for this people, as their idolatry, exemplified by families making cakes for the "queen of heaven" and pouring out drink offerings to other gods, has deeply provoked the Lord's anger. This fury is promised to be poured out upon the land, its people, and its produce, burning unquenchably. The Lord further clarifies that His primary command to their fathers upon leaving Egypt was not concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices, but rather to obey His voice and walk in His ways, promising to be their God and make them His people. However, they consistently refused to hearken, instead following the imagination of their evil hearts and going backward. Despite sending prophets daily, they hardened their necks and did worse than their fathers, rendering Jeremiah's own words unheard. The chapter concludes with a call for lamentation, as Judah has done evil by setting abominations in the temple and building high places in Tophet, the Valley of Hinnom, to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—a practice God never commanded nor conceived. Therefore, this valley will be renamed the "valley of slaughter," filled with unburied corpses, and all sounds of mirth, gladness, bridegroom, and bride will cease from the cities of Judah and Jerusalem, leaving the land utterly desolate.

Core Concepts

  • False Security in the TempleThe people of Judah are warned against trusting in the physical presence of the Lord's temple as a guarantee of safety, despite their widespread sinfulness. The Lord explicitly calls this reliance a trust in "lying words" that cannot profit them.
  • Obedience Over RitualThe Lord emphasizes that His primary command to Israel upon their exodus was to obey His voice and walk in His ways, not concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. This highlights a divine preference for moral and ethical conduct over mere religious ritual when the heart is unrighteous.
  • Idolatry and Child SacrificeJudah is condemned for widespread idolatry, including worshipping the "queen of heaven" and, most horrifically, sacrificing their children by fire in Tophet. These practices are presented as extreme provocations of God's anger, which He never commanded.
  • The Fate of Shiloh as a WarningGod references the destruction of Shiloh, where His name first dwelt, as a historical precedent and a severe warning. This illustrates that even sacred places are not immune to divine judgment when the people are wicked and disobedient.
  • Rejection of Prophetic WarningsDespite the Lord "rising up early and speaking" through His prophets since the exodus, the people of Judah consistently refused to hearken or incline their ear. This stubborn disobedience and hardening of their neck is a key reason for the impending judgment.
  • Temple as a Den of RobbersThe Lord accuses the people of treating His house, which is called by His name, as a "den of robbers." This implies they used the temple as a place to seek absolution or a safe haven while continuing their sinful and violent practices outside its walls.
  • Desolation and Loss of JoyAs a severe consequence of their sin and disobedience, the Lord promises that the land will become utterly desolate. All sounds of mirth, gladness, and celebration, such as the voices of bridegrooms and brides, will cease from the cities of Judah and Jerusalem.