Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for this people, for their good.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh said to me, “Don’t pray for this people for their good.
- KJV Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.
- BSB Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people.
- NASB So the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for a good outcome on behalf of this people.
- NLT Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for these people anymore.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people's welfare, signaling that judgment is now fixed. It marks a sobering point where intercession will not avert the coming discipline.
Overview
This command, repeated elsewhere in Jeremiah (7:16; 11:14), reveals that the nation's persistent rebellion has reached a point where God has determined to judge. It does not deny the general power of prayer but shows that God's patience has a limit when sin is unrepented. It magnifies the mercy of the gospel, where Christ intercedes effectively for all who turn to Him (Hebrews 7:25).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Jer 7:16“Therefore don’t pray for this people, neither lift up a cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me; for I will not hear you.
- Jer 11:14“Therefore don’t pray for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry to me because of their trouble.
- Exod 32:32–34Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin — and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.”
- Jer 15:1Then Yahweh said to me, “Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind would not be toward this people. Cast them out of my sight, and let them go out!
- Exod 32:10Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 14:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.