Jeremiah 11:15
New International Version
“What is my beloved doing in my temple as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your punishment? When you engage in your wickedness, then you rejoice.”

New Living Translation
“What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple, when they have done so many immoral things? Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction? They actually rejoice in doing evil!

English Standard Version
What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult?

Berean Standard Bible
What right has My beloved in My house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your doom, so that you can rejoice?

King James Bible
What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

New King James Version
“What has My beloved to do in My house, Having done lewd deeds with many? And the holy flesh has passed from you. When you do evil, then you rejoice.

New American Standard Bible
“What right has My beloved in My house When she has carried out many evil schemes? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, So that you can rejoice?”

NASB 1995
“What right has My beloved in My house When she has done many vile deeds? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, So that you can rejoice?”

NASB 1977
“What right has My beloved in My house When she has done many vile deeds? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, So that you can rejoice?”

Legacy Standard Bible
What possession has My beloved in My house When she has done many schemes of wickedness? Can the flesh, which is set apart as holy, take away from you your calamity, So that you can exult?”

Amplified Bible
“What right has My beloved [to be] in My house When she has done many vile things and acted treacherously [over and over again]? Can vows and the meat of your sacrifices remove your wickedness from you and cancel the consequences of your sin, So that you can [escape your judgment and] rejoice?”

Christian Standard Bible
What right does my beloved have to be in my house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can holy meat prevent your disaster so you can celebrate?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
What right does My beloved have to be in My house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can holy meat prevent your disaster so you can rejoice?

American Standard Version
What hath my beloved to do in my house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

Contemporary English Version
Then the LORD told me to say to the people of Judah: You are my chosen people, but you have no right to be here in my temple, doing such evil things. The sacrifices you offer me won't protect you from disaster, so stop celebrating.

English Revised Version
What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"What right do these people I love have to be in my house when they do so many devious things? Can the meat from their sacrifices turn disaster away from them? They rejoice when they do evil."

Good News Translation
The LORD says, "The people I love are doing evil things. What right do they have to be in my Temple? Do they think they can prevent disaster by making promises and by offering animal sacrifices? Will they then rejoice?

International Standard Version
"What right does my beloved have in my house, when she has carried out many evil schemes? Can sacrificial flesh turn disaster away from you, so you can rejoice?"

Majority Standard Bible
What right has My beloved in My house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your doom, so that you can rejoice?

NET Bible
The LORD says to the people of Judah, "What right do you have to be in my temple, my beloved people? Many of you have done wicked things. Can your acts of treachery be so easily canceled by sacred offerings that you take joy in doing evil even while you make them?

New Heart English Bible
"What has my beloved to do in my house, since she has done many vile deeds? Can holy meat avert your disaster so that you can rejoice?"

Webster's Bible Translation
What hath my beloved to do in my house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many; and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

World English Bible
What has my beloved to do in my house, since she has behaved lewdly with many, and the holy flesh has passed from you? When you do evil, then you rejoice.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
What has My beloved to do in My house, "" Her doing wickedness with many, "" And does the holy flesh pass over from you? When you do evil, then you exult.

Young's Literal Translation
What -- to My beloved in My house, Her doing wickedness with many, And the holy flesh do pass over from thee? When thou dost evil, then thou exultest.

Smith's Literal Translation
What is to my beloved in my house making mischief to many, and they shall cause the holy flesh to pass away from thee? for thou didst evil, then wilt thou exult.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
What is the meaning that my beloved hath wrought muck wickedness in my house? shall the holy flesh take away from thee thy crimes, in which thou hast boasted?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Why has my beloved wrought great wickedness in my house? How can the holy flesh take away from you your wickedness, in which you have gloried?

New American Bible
What right has my beloved in my house, while she devises her plots? Can vows and sacred meat turn away your disaster from you? Will you still be jubilant

New Revised Standard Version
What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done vile deeds? Can vows and sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Why has my beloved wrought so much lewdness in my temple? Therefore the holy meat shall pass away from you, for your evil is exceedingly increased.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Why has my beloved committed much impurity in my house? They shall take away the flesh of holiness from you, because of your evil that has prevailed
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
What hath My beloved to do in My house, Seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, And the hallowed flesh is passed from thee? When thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Why has my beloved wrought abomination in my house? will prayers and holy offerings take away thy wickedness from thee, or shalt thou escape by these things?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Broken Covenant
14As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me in their time of disaster. 15What right has My beloved in My house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your doom, so that you can rejoice? 16The LORD once called you a flourishing olive tree, beautiful with well-formed fruit. But with a mighty roar He will set it on fire, and its branches will be consumed.…

Cross References
Isaiah 1:11-15
“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. / When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you—this trampling of My courts? / Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly. ...

Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Amos 5:21-24
“I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. / Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard. / Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. ...

Psalm 50:16-17
To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips? / For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.

Isaiah 29:13
Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

Matthew 15:8-9
‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

Mark 7:6-7
Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

Micah 6:6-8
With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? / Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? / He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Isaiah 58:1-5
“Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins. / For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.” / “Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers. ...

1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.

Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. / Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ / Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

Luke 6:46
Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?

Romans 2:17-24
Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; / if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; / if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those in darkness, ...

James 1:22-25
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. / For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, / and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ...

Ezekiel 33:31-32
So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. / Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice.


Treasury of Scripture

What has my beloved to do in my house, seeing she has worked lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from you? when you do evil, then you rejoice.

What, etc.

Luke 8:28
When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.

my.

Jeremiah 2:2
Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

Jeremiah 3:14
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

Jeremiah 12:7
I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

to do.

Jeremiah 3:8
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

Jeremiah 7:8-11
Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit…

Jeremiah 15:1
Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.

seeing.

Jeremiah 3:1,2
They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD…

Ezekiel 16:25
Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.

Ezekiel 23:2
Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:

the holy.

Haggai 2:12-14
If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No…

Titus 1:15
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

thou doest evil.

Proverbs 2:14
Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

Proverbs 10:23
It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.

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Beloved Consecrated Deeds Disaster Doom Engage Evil Exult Flesh Hallowed Holy House Judah Lewdness Meat Oaths Part Passed Practise Punishment Rejoice Rejoicest Right Sacrificial Safe Thought Trouble Vile Vows Way Worked Wrought
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Beloved Consecrated Deeds Disaster Doom Engage Evil Exult Flesh Hallowed Holy House Judah Lewdness Meat Oaths Part Passed Practise Punishment Rejoice Rejoicest Right Sacrificial Safe Thought Trouble Vile Vows Way Worked Wrought
Jeremiah 11
1. Jeremiah proclaims God's covenant;
8. rebukes the peoples' disobeying thereof;
11. prophesies evils to come upon them;
18. and upon the men of Anathoth, for conspiring to kill him.














What is My beloved doing in My house
The phrase "My beloved" is a poignant reminder of the intimate relationship God desires with His people, Israel. The Hebrew word used here is "yadid," which conveys a sense of deep affection and cherished relationship. Historically, Israel is often depicted as God's chosen and beloved nation, akin to a bride. The "house" refers to the temple, the sacred place where God dwells among His people. This rhetorical question underscores the incongruity of Israel's presence in the temple while engaging in idolatry and disobedience. It challenges the reader to reflect on the sincerity of their worship and relationship with God.

as she works out her evil schemes
The phrase "evil schemes" translates from the Hebrew "mezimmah," which implies deliberate and calculated plans of wrongdoing. This highlights the premeditated nature of Israel's sin, not merely accidental or impulsive acts. Historically, this refers to the idolatrous practices and alliances with pagan nations that Israel pursued, contrary to God's commandments. The phrase serves as a warning against the dangers of allowing one's heart to devise plans that are contrary to God's will, emphasizing the need for purity and integrity in one's spiritual walk.

Can consecrated meat avert your punishment?
"Consecrated meat" refers to the sacrificial offerings made in the temple, which were meant to atone for sin and restore fellowship with God. The Hebrew word "qodesh" signifies something set apart for a sacred purpose. However, the rhetorical question implies that ritual sacrifices are ineffective in the absence of genuine repentance and obedience. This echoes the prophetic theme found throughout the Old Testament, where God desires mercy and obedience over mere ritual (1 Samuel 15:22, Hosea 6:6). It serves as a reminder that external religious practices cannot substitute for a heart aligned with God's will.

When you engage in your wickedness, then you rejoice
The word "wickedness" is translated from the Hebrew "ra'ah," which encompasses evil, harm, and moral corruption. The phrase suggests a disturbing delight in sinful behavior, indicating a hardened heart that finds joy in actions contrary to God's commands. Historically, this reflects the period of spiritual decline in Judah, where the people not only sinned but took pleasure in their rebellion. This serves as a sobering reminder of the deceitfulness of sin and the importance of maintaining a heart sensitive to God's conviction, urging believers to find their joy in righteousness and obedience to God.

(15) My beloved.--sc., Judah--or, perhaps, Israel collectively--as the betrothed of Jehovah. What has she to do, what part or lot has she in that house of Jehovah which she pollutes?

Seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many.--The Hebrew is difficult, and probably corrupt. The most probable rendering is What hath my beloved to do in my house, to work it even evil devices? Thy many, i.e. (probably, as in Jeremiah 3:1), thy many lovers, and the holy flesh (i.e., her sacrifices), will they make it (the guilt of her devices) to pass away from thee? Keeping the present text of the Hebrew the latter clause would run, they shall pass away from thee, i.e., shall leave thee, as thou wert, unreconciled and unforgiven. A conjectural emendation, following the LXX., gives, will thy vows and the holy flesh remove thy evil from thee . . . The general sense is, however, clear. A religion of mere ritual-sacrifices and the like will not avail to save. The Hebrew for "lewdness" does not convey the idea which we now attach to the English word, but means primarily a plan of any kind, and then a "device" or "scheme" in a bad sense, as in Psalm 10:2; Psalm 21:11; Proverbs 14:17. Probably the translators, here, as in Acts 17:5; Acts 18:14, used the word in this more general sense. Primarily, indeed, "lewd" in Old English was simply the opposite of "learned." . . .

Verse 15. - What hath my beloved to do in mine house? "My beloved" is evidently the Jewish people, who in Jeremiah 12:7 is called "the dearly beloved of my soul." The Divine Speaker expresses surprise that one who has now so poor a claim to the title of "my beloved" should appear in his holy house. It is spoken in the spirit of that earlier revelation of Isaiah, "When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to trample my courts?" (Isaiah 1:12). The Jews, it would seem, came to the temple to pray, but their prayer is not accepted, because it is associated with unholy practices. They thought by formal prayers and sacrifices to pay off their debt to the Deity, and so be free to go on with their old devices (as in Jeremiah 7:15). This seems the best view of the difficult words which follow, but it implies a correction of the certainly ungrammatical rendering of the Authorized Version - seeing she hath wrought lewdness - into to work the wicked device. But here begins the most obscure part of the verse. With many cannot be right; for "with" has nothing corresponding to it in the Hebrew; the word in the original simply means "the many," and as it is immediately followed by a noun in the singular with "and," and a verb in the plural, it is plain that it must (if correctly read) be part of the subject of the latter. The Septuagint, however, has a different reading, which may very well be correct, and out of which the received Hebrew reading may easily have grown - "Can vows and holy [i.e. hallowed] flesh remove from thee thy wickedness [or perhaps, 'thy calamity']?" The connection thus becomes easy. "Vows and holy flesh" (i.e. the flesh of sacrifices, Haggai 2:12), naturally go together; the only other possible way of taking the passage (assuming the correctness of the 'received text) - " the great ones and the holy flesh shall pass away from thee" - is obviously inadmissible. "Vows and sacrifices," however, precisely express the true association of ideas. A man made a vow, and he generally paid it in the form of a sacrifice. But, inquires Jehovah, "Can such vows and such Victims please God, and expiate thy wickedness [or, 'avert thy calamity']? Then thou mightest rejoice." The latter words are not, indeed, more exact than those of the Authorized Version, but are in accordance with grammar, and suit the preceding question. It is not certain, however, that the text is right here; the Septuagint has η} τούτοις διαφεύξῃ. (Notice that Keil, conservative to a fault in matters affecting the received text, agrees with the above correction, which is also adopted by Ewald, Hitzig, and Graf.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
What right
מֶ֣ה (meh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

has My beloved
לִֽידִידִ֞י (lî·ḏî·ḏî)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3039: Beloved

in My house,
בְּבֵיתִ֗י (bə·ḇê·ṯî)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1004: A house

having carried out
עֲשׂוֹתָ֤הּ (‘ă·śō·w·ṯāh)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

so many
הָֽרַבִּ֔ים (hā·rab·bîm)
Article | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great

evil schemes?
הַֽמְזִמָּ֙תָה֙ (ham·zim·mā·ṯāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4209: A plan, evil, sometimes good

Can consecrated
קֹ֖דֶשׁ (qō·ḏeš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6944: A sacred place, thing, sanctity

meat
וּבְשַׂר־ (ū·ḇə·śar-)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1320: Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, man

avert
יַעַבְר֣וּ (ya·‘aḇ·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

your doom,
רָעָתֵ֖כִי (rā·‘ā·ṯê·ḵî)
Adjective - feminine singular construct | second person feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

so that
אָ֥ז (’āz)
Adverb
Strong's 227: At that time, place, therefore

you can rejoice?
תַּעֲלֹֽזִי׃ (ta·‘ă·lō·zî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 5937: To jump for, joy, exult


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 11:15 What has my beloved to do (Jer.)
Jeremiah 11:14
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