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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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 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.

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.

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.

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
Luke 19:43
For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side.

Deuteronomy 20:19
When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them?

Deuteronomy 20:20
But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.

Isaiah 37:33
So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: 'He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build up a siege ramp against it.

Jeremiah 22:17
"But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression."

Jeremiah 32:24
See how the siege ramps are mounted against the city to capture it. And by sword and famine and plague, the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened, as You now see!

Jeremiah 32:31
For this city has aroused My wrath and fury from the day it was built until now. Therefore I will remove it from My presence


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.














(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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