Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary. {The broad...: or, The walls of broad Babylon} {broken: or, made naked}

Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass {yourselves} about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks {that} ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

{There is} no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

The isles saw {it}, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

Wherefore do ye spend money for {that which is} not bread? and your labour for {that which} satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye {that which is} good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. {spend: Heb. weigh}

[A Song of degrees for Solomon.] Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh {but} in vain. {for...: or, of Solomon} {that...: Heb. that are builders of it in it}

Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.

And the LORD said, Behold, the people {is} one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up {riches}, and knoweth not who shall gather them. {a vain...: Heb. an image}

And {one} told David, saying, Ahithophel {is} among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far {are} the words of Jeremiah.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary. {The broad...: or, The walls of broad Babylon} {broken: or, made naked}

Wherefore do ye spend money for {that which is} not bread? and your labour for {that which} satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye {that which is} good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. {spend: Heb. weigh}

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good {is there} to the owners thereof, saving the beholding {of them} with their eyes?

And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, {and} weary themselves to commit iniquity. {deceive: or, mock}

For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain:

What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, {but} shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD. {they shall: or, ye shall}

She hath wearied {herself} with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum {shall be} in the fire.

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. {Labour not: or, Work not}

And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.

Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; {yet} saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved. {life: or, living}

She is hardened against her young ones, as though {they were} not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;

Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth {that which is} not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! {Woe...: or, Ho, he}

He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far {are} the words of Jeremiah.

The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint. {with the tongs: or, with an axe}

Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from {these things} that shall come upon thee. {astrologers: Heb. viewers of the heavens} {the monthly...: Heb. that give knowledge concerning the months}

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all {was} vanity and vexation of spirit, and {there was} no profit under the sun.

An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips {there is} as a burning fire. {An...: Heb. A man of Belial}