Jeremiah 6:6
New International Version
This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Cut down the trees and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; it is filled with oppression.

New Living Translation
This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: “Cut down the trees for battering rams. Build siege ramps against the walls of Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, for she is wicked through and through.

English Standard Version
For thus says the LORD of hosts: “Cut down her trees; cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem. This is the city that must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her.

Berean Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.

King James Bible
For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.

New King James Version
For thus has the LORD of hosts said: “Cut down trees, And build a mound against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished. She is full of oppression in her midst.

New American Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD of armies says: “Cut down her trees And pile up an assault ramp against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only oppression.

NASB 1995
For thus says the LORD of hosts, “Cut down her trees And cast up a siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only oppression.

NASB 1977
For thus says the LORD of hosts, “Cut down her trees, And cast up a siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only oppression.

Legacy Standard Bible
For thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Cut down her trees And cast up a siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only oppression.

Amplified Bible
For the LORD of hosts has said, “Cut down her trees And build a siege [mound] against Jerusalem. This is the city which must be punished; There is nothing but oppression inside her [walls].

Christian Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD of Armies says: Cut down the trees; raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished. There is nothing but oppression within her.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: Cut down the trees; raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished. There is nothing but oppression within her.

American Standard Version
For thus hath Jehovah of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.

Contemporary English Version
I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I will command these armies to chop down trees and build a ramp up to the walls of Jerusalem. People of Jerusalem, I must punish you for your injustice.

English Revised Version
For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast up a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is what the LORD of Armies says: Cut down its trees. Build up dirt mounds to attack Jerusalem. This city must be punished. There is nothing but oppression in it.

Good News Translation
The LORD Almighty has ordered these kings to cut down trees and build mounds in order to besiege Jerusalem. He has said, "I will punish this city because it is full of oppression.

International Standard Version
For this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Cut down trees and set up siege works against Jerusalem. It is the city to be judged, and there is oppression throughout the entire city.

Majority Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ?Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.

NET Bible
All of this is because the LORD who rules over all has said: 'Cut down the trees around Jerusalem and build up a siege ramp against its walls. This is the city which is to be punished. Nothing but oppression happens in it.

New Heart English Bible
For the LORD of hosts said, "Cut down trees, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem. She is the city to be punished; she is full of oppression in the midst of her.

Webster's Bible Translation
For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.

World English Bible
For Yahweh of Armies said, “Cut down trees, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem. This is the city to be visited. She is filled with oppression within herself.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For thus said YHWH of Hosts: “Cut down her wood, "" And pour out a mound against Jerusalem, "" She [is] the city to be inspected, "" She [is] full of oppression in her midst.

Young's Literal Translation
For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Cut down her wood, And pour out against Jerusalem a mount, She is the city to be inspected, Wholly -- she is oppression in her midst.

Smith's Literal Translation
For thus said Jehovah of armies, Cut off the wood, and throw up a mound against Jerusalem: this the city to be reviewed; oppression is wholly in her midst.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For thus saith the Lord of hosts: Hew down her trees, cast up a trench about Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited, all oppression is in the midst of her.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For thus says the Lord of hosts: “Cut down her trees, and build a rampart around Jerusalem. This is the city of visitation! Every kind of false claim is in her midst.

New American Bible
For thus says the LORD of hosts: Hew down her trees, throw up a siege mound against Jerusalem. Woe to the city marked for punishment; there is nothing but oppression within her!

New Revised Standard Version
For thus says the LORD of hosts: Cut down her trees; cast up a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This is the city that must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For thus says the LORD of hosts, Hew down her trees and cast a mound against Jerusalem; this is the city to be visited with destruction; all of her calumnies are in the midst of her.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For thus says LORD JEHOVAH: ‘Cut down her trees and set an ambush against Jerusalem. This is the city that was visited and all her slanders within her
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For thus hath the LORD of hosts said: Hew ye down her trees, And cast up a mound against Jerusalem; This is the city to be punished; Everywhere there is oppression in the midst of her.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For thus saith the Lord, Hew down her trees, array a numerous force against Jerusalem. O false city; there is all oppression in her.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jerusalem's Final Warning
5Rise up, let us attack by night and destroy her fortresses!’ ” 6For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst. 7As a well gushes its water, so she pours out her evil. Violence and destruction resound in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me.…

Cross References
Isaiah 29:3
I will camp in a circle around you; I will besiege you with towers and set up siege works against you.

Ezekiel 4:2
Then lay siege against it: Construct a siege wall, build a ramp to it, set up camps against it, and place battering rams around it on all sides.

2 Kings 25:1
So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.

2 Chronicles 36:19
Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value.

Lamentations 2:8
The LORD determined to destroy the wall of the Daughter of Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withdraw His hand from destroying. He made the ramparts and walls lament; together they waste away.

Micah 3:12
Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.

Isaiah 5:5
Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.

Isaiah 10:5-6
Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. / I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.

Ezekiel 21:22
In his right hand appears the portent for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to call for the slaughter, to lift a battle cry, to direct the battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect a siege wall.

Amos 3:11
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “An enemy will surround the land; he will pull down your strongholds and plunder your citadels.”

Matthew 24:2
“Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Luke 19:43-44
For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. / They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

Mark 13:2
“Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Matthew 23:37-38
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! / Look, your house is left to you desolate.

Luke 21:20
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near.


Treasury of Scripture

For thus has the LORD of hosts said, Hew you down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the middle of her.

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Jeremiah 6
1. The enemies sent against Judah,
4. encourage themselves.
6. God sets them on work because of their sins.
9. The prophet laments the judgments of God because of their sins.
18. He proclaims God's wrath.
26. He calls the people to mourn for the judgment on their sins.














“This is what the LORD of Hosts says”
This phrase introduces a divine proclamation, emphasizing the authority and sovereignty of God. The title "LORD of Hosts" (Yahweh Sabaoth) underscores God's command over the heavenly armies, reflecting His supreme power and ability to execute judgment or deliverance. Historically, this title reassures the Israelites of God's omnipotence and His active role in the affairs of nations.

“Cut down the trees”
This command is a metaphorical and literal directive for siege warfare, where trees would be used to build siege works. The Hebrew root "karath" implies a decisive action, often associated with covenant-making or breaking. In this context, it signifies the impending judgment and destruction that God is orchestrating against Jerusalem due to their persistent disobedience.

“and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem.”
The phrase describes a common military tactic in ancient warfare, where attackers would build ramps to breach city walls. Archaeologically, evidence of such siege ramps has been found in ancient Near Eastern sites, confirming the historical accuracy of these tactics. This imagery conveys the seriousness of the threat facing Jerusalem, symbolizing the inevitable consequences of their rebellion against God.

“This city must be punished;”
The necessity of punishment is highlighted here, with the Hebrew root "paqad" indicating a divine visitation for the purpose of judgment. This reflects the biblical principle of divine justice, where God holds His people accountable for their actions. The phrase underscores the moral and spiritual corruption of Jerusalem, necessitating divine intervention.

“there is nothing but oppression in her midst.”
The word "oppression" (Hebrew: "osheq") denotes social injustice and exploitation, which were rampant in Jerusalem. This phrase paints a picture of a society that has strayed far from God's laws, where the vulnerable are mistreated. Scripturally, this echoes the prophetic calls for justice and righteousness, reminding believers of God's heart for the oppressed and His call for His people to reflect His character in their communities.

(6) Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount.--The words describe graphically the process of an Eastern siege as seen in the Assyrian bas-reliefs (Layard, Mon. of Nineveh, i. 73-76). Compare 2Samuel 20:15; Job 19:12; Isaiah 29:3; Ezekiel 4:2. First the neighbouring country is cleared by cutting down the trees; next, either by piling earth on these as a timber framework, or using the earth alone, a "mount" (or, in later English, a mound) was raised till it reached the level of the wall of the besieged city; and then the assault was made. The law of Israel forbade, it may be noted, this destruction, but apparently only in the case of fruit-trees (Deuteronomy 20:19-20). There is no adequate ground for the marginal rendering, "pour out the engine of shot."

Is . . . to be visited.--Literally, is visited, in the sense of "punished," but Hebrew usage gives to the verb so employed a gerundive force. The words admit, however, of the rendering, this is the city; it is proved that wholly oppression is in the midst of her. . . .

Verse 6. - Hew ye down trees; rather, her trees. Hewing down trees was an ordinary feature of Assyrian and Babylonian expeditions. Thus, Assurnacirpal "caused the forests of all (his enemies) to fall" ('Records of the Past,' 3:40, 77), and Shalmaneser calls himself "the trampler on the heads of mountains and all forests "(Ibid. p. 83; comp. p. 90). The timber was partly required for their palaces and fleets, but also, as the context here suggests, for warlike operations. "Trees," as Professor Rawlinson remarks, "were sometimes cut down and built into the mound" (see next note); they would also be used for the "bulwarks" or siege instruments spoken of in Deuteronomy 20:20. Cast a mount; literally, pour a mount (or "bank," as it is elsewhere rendered), with reference to the emptying of the baskets of earth required for building up the "mount" (mound). Habakkuk (Habakkuk 1:10) says of the Chaldeans, "He laugheth at every stronghold, and heapeth up earth, and taketh it" (comp, also 2 Samuel 20:15; Isaiah 37:33). The intention of the mound was not so much to bring the besiegers on a level with the top of the walls as to enable them to work the battering-rams to better advantage (Rawlinson, 'Ancient Monarchies,' 1:472). She is wholly oppression, etc.; rather, she is the city that is punished; wholly oppression is in the midst of her.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

this is what
כֹ֤ה (ḵōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

of Hosts
צְבָא֔וֹת (ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign

says:
אָמַר֙ (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Cut down
כִּרְת֣וּ (kir·ṯū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

the trees
עֵצָ֔ה (‘ê·ṣāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6097: Timber

and raise
וְשִׁפְכ֥וּ (wə·šip̄·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 8210: To spill forth, to expend, to sprawl out

a siege ramp
סֹלְלָ֑ה (sō·lə·lāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5550: A military mound, rampart of besiegers

against
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

Jerusalem.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם (yə·rū·šā·lim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel

This
הִ֚יא (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

city
הָעִ֣יר (hā·‘îr)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

must be punished;
הָפְקַ֔ד (hā·p̄ə·qaḏ)
Verb - Hofal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6485: To visit, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit

there is nothing but
כֻּלָּ֖הּ (kul·lāh)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

oppression
עֹ֥שֶׁק (‘ō·šeq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6233: Injury, fraud, distress, unjust gain

in her midst.
בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ׃ (bə·qir·bāh)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 6:6 For thus has Yahweh of Armies said (Jer.)
Jeremiah 6:5
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