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Jewish Publication Society Bible: Jeremiah 7

Book of ChroniclesHebrew Bible TranslationJewish Publication Society Bible

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This is a prophetic oracle from the Hebrew Bible, specifically Jeremiah chapter 7, belonging to the tradition of classical Israelite prophecy. Delivered at the Jerusalem Temple gate, it constitutes God's indictment of Judah for moral corruption and religious syncretism — the people combine Temple worship with theft, murder, adultery, and the worship of Baal and "the queen of heaven." A distinctively sharp claim runs through the passage: ritual observance and the Temple's mere presence offer no protection, and God explicitly demotes sacrificial worship as secondary to ethical obedience, stating he never commanded burnt-offerings when Israel left Egypt but only commanded faithfulness. The text invokes the destruction of Shiloh (an earlier Israelite sanctuary) as a historical precedent and warns that Jerusalem's Temple will meet the same fate. Particularly striking is the reference to child sacrifice at Topheth in the valley of Hinnom, which God declares was never commanded and never even entered his mind — a repudiation both moral and theological. The passage closes with an unconditional sentence: the valley will become a mass burial ground, and all joy will be silenced from Judah's cities.

Jewish Publication Society Bible: Jeremiah 7

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