Judgment Against Wicked Kings
1This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the kinga of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2‘Hearb the word of the LORD to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s thronec—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.d 3This is what the LORD says: Do what is juste and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressorf the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,g and do not shed innocent bloodh in this place. 4For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kingsi who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5But if you do not obeyj these commands, declares the LORD, I sweark by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’ ”
6For this is what the LORD says about the palace of the king of Judah:
“Though you are like Gileadl to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,m
I will surely make you like a wasteland,n
like towns not inhabited.
7I will send destroyerso against you,
each man with his weapons,
and they will cutp up your fine cedar beams
and throw them into the fire.q
8“People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’r 9And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.s’ ”
10Do not weep for the deadt king or mournu his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never returnv
nor see his native land again.
11For this is what the LORD says about Shallum1,w son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. 12He will diex in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
13“Woey to him who buildsz his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not payinga them for their labor.
14He says, ‘I will build myself a great palaceb
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedarc
and decorates it in red.d
15“Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,e
so all went wellf with him.
16He defended the cause of the poor and needy,g
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to knowh me?”
declares the LORD.
17“But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,i
on shedding innocent bloodj
and on oppression and extortion.”k
18Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“They will not mournl for him:
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
19He will have the burialm of a donkey—
dragged away and thrownn
outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
20“Go up to Lebanon and cry out,o
let your voice be heard in Bashan,p
cry out from Abarim,q
for all your alliesr are crushed.
21I warned you when you felt secure,s
but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;t
you have not obeyedu me.
22The windv will drive all your shepherdsw away,
and your alliesx will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgracedy
because of all your wickedness.
23You who live in ‘Lebanon,2,z’
who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
paina like that of a woman in labor!
24“As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Jehoiachin3,b son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ringc on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25I will deliverd you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.4 26I will hurle you and the motherf who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27You will never come back to the land you long to returng to.”
28Is this man Jehoiachinh a despised, broken pot,i
an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurledj out,
cast into a landk they do not know?
hear the word of the LORD!
30This is what the LORD says:
“Record this man as if childless,m
a man who will not prospern in his lifetime,
for none of his offspringo will prosper,
none will sit on the thronep of David
or rule anymore in Judah.”
The Righteous Branch
1“Woe to the shepherdsa who are destroying and scatteringb the sheep of my pasture!”c declares the LORD. 2Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherdsd who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flocke and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evilf you have done,” declares the LORD. 3“I myself will gather the remnantg of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,h where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4I will place shepherdsi over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraidj or terrified, nor will any be missing,k” declares the LORD.
5“The days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will raise up for David1 a righteous Branch,l
a Kingm who will reignn wisely
and do what is just and righto in the land.
6In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.p
This is the nameq by which he will be called:
The LORD Our Righteous Savior.r
7“So then, the days are coming,”s declares the LORD, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’t 8but they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”u
Lying Prophets
9Concerning the prophets:
My heartv is broken within me;
all my bones tremble.w
I am like a drunken man,
like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the LORD
and his holy words.x
10The land is full of adulterers;y
because of the curse2,z the land lies parched
and the pasturesa in the wilderness are withered.b
The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.
11“Both prophet and priest are godless;c
even in my templed I find their wickedness,”
declares the LORD.
12“Therefore their path will become slippery;e
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished,f”
declares the LORD.
13“Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baalg
and led my people Israel astray.h
14And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible:i
They commit adultery and live a lie.j
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,k
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.l
They are all like Sodomm to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”n
15Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says concerning the prophets:
“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,o
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodlinessp has spread throughout the land.”
16This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“Do not listenq to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visionsr from their own minds,
not from the mouths of the LORD.
17They keep sayingt to those who despise me,
‘The LORD says: You will have peace.’u
And to all who follow the stubbornnessv of their hearts
they say, ‘No harmw will come to you.’
18But which of them has stood in the councilx of the LORD
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwindz swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20The angera of the LORD will not turn backb
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
21I did not sendc these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.
22But if they had stood in my council,d
they would have proclaimede my words to my people
and would have turnedf them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.g
declares the LORD,
“and not a God far away?
24Who can hidei in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the LORD.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”j
declares the LORD.
25“I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy liesk in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!l I had a dream!’ 26How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusionsm of their own minds?n 27They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forgeto my name, just as their ancestors forgotp my name through Baal worship.q 28Let the prophet who has a dreamr recount the dream, but let the one who has my words speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD. 29“Is not my word like fire,”t declares the LORD, “and like a hammeru that breaks a rock in pieces?
30“Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am againstv the prophetsw who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The LORD declares.’x 32Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,y” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astrayz with their reckless lies,a yet I did not sendb or appoint them. They do not benefitc these people in the least,” declares the LORD.
False Prophecy
33“When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the messaged from the LORD?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsakee you, declares the LORD.’ 34If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a messagef from the LORD,’ I will punishg them and their household. 35This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the LORD’s answer?’h or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ 36But you must not mention ‘a message from the LORD’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distorti the words of the living God,j the LORD Almighty, our God. 37This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the LORD’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ 38Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the LORD,’ this is what the LORD says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the LORD,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the LORD.’ 39Therefore, I will surely forget you and castk you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. 40I will bring on you everlasting disgracel—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”
Two Baskets of Figs
1After Jehoiachin1,a son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the LORD showed me two baskets of figsb placed in front of the temple of the LORD. 2One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early;c the other basket had very badd figs, so bad they could not be eaten. Photo Photo
3Then the LORD asked me, “What do you see,e Jeremiah?”
“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”
4Then the word of the LORD came to me: 5“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sentf away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.2 6My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them backg to this land. I will buildh them up and not tear them down; I will planti them and not uproot them. 7I will give them a heart to knowj me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people,k and I will be their God, for they will returnl to me with all their heart.m
8“ ‘But like the badn figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiaho king of Judah, his officialsp and the survivorsq from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.r 9I will make them abhorrents and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword,t a curse3,u and an object of ridicule, wherever I banishv them. 10I will send the sword,w faminex and plaguey against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.z’ ”
Seventy Years of Captivity
1The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakima son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzarb king of Babylon. 2So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judahc and to all those living in Jerusalem: 3For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiahd son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the word of the LORD has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again,e but you have not listened.f
4And though the LORD has sent all his servants the prophetsg to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.h 5They said, “Turni now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the landj the LORD gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. 6Do not follow other godsk to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”
7“But you did not listen to me,” declares the LORD, “and you have arousedl my anger with what your hands have made,m and you have brought harmn to yourselves.”
8Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9I will summono all the peoples of the northp and my servantq Nebuchadnezzarr king of Babylon,” declares the LORD, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy1,s them and make them an object of horror and scorn,t and an everlasting ruin.u 10I will banish from them the soundsv of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom,w the sound of millstonesx and the light of the lamp.y 11This whole country will become a desolate wasteland,z and these nations will servea the king of Babylon seventy years.b Article: How Does One Calculate the “70 Years”?
12“But when the seventy yearsc are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylond and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,2 for their guilt,” declares the LORD, “and will make it desolatee forever. 13I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are writtenf in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14They themselves will be enslavedg by many nationsh and great kings; I will repayi them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”
The Cup of God’s Wrath
15This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cupj filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I sendk you drink it. 16When they drinkl it, they will staggerm and go madn because of the swordo I will send among them.”
17So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sentp me drink it: 18Jerusalemq and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruinr and an object of horror and scorn,s a curse3,t—as they are today;u 19Pharaoh kingv of Egypt,w his attendants, his officials and all his people, 20and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz;x all the kings of the Philistinesy (those of Ashkelon,z Gaza,a Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); 21Edom,b Moabc and Ammon;d 22all the kings of Tyree and Sidon;f the kings of the coastlandsg across the sea; 23Dedan,h Tema,i Buzj and all who are in distant places4;k 24all the kings of Arabial and all the kings of the foreign peoplem who live in the wilderness; 25all the kings of Zimri,n Elamo and Media;p 26and all the kings of the north,q near and far, one after the other—all the kingdomsr on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak5,s will drink it too.
27“Then tell them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunkt and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the swordu I will send among you.’ 28But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drinkv, tell them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: You must drink it! 29See, I am beginning to bring disasterw on the city that bears my Name,x and will you indeed go unpunished?y You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a swordz on alla who live on the earth,b declares the LORD Almighty.’
30“Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:
“ ‘The LORD will roarc from on high;
he will thunderd from his holy dwellinge
and roar mightily against his land.
He will shout like those who treadf the grapes,
shout against all who live on the earth.
31The tumultg will resound to the ends of the earth,
for the LORD will bring chargesh against the nations;
he will bring judgmenti on allj mankind
and put the wicked to the sword,k’ ”
declares the LORD.
32This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“Look! Disasterl is spreading
from nation to nation;m
a mighty stormn is rising
from the ends of the earth.”o
33At that time those slainp by the LORD will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gatheredq up or buried,r but will be like dung lying on the ground.
34Weep and wail, you shepherds;s
rollt in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
For your time to be slaughteredu has come;
you will fall like the best of the rams.6,v
35The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,
the leaders of the flock no place to escape.w
36Hear the cryx of the shepherds,y
the wailing of the leaders of the flock,
for the LORD is destroying their pasture.
37The peaceful meadows will be laid waste
because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
38Like a lionz he will leave his lair,
and their land will become desolatea
because of the sword7 of the oppressorb
and because of the LORD’s fierce anger.c
Jeremiah Threatened With Death
1Early in the reign of Jehoiakima son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the LORD: 2“This is what the LORD says: Stand in the courtyardb of the LORD’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the LORD.c Telld them everything I command you; do not omite a word. 3Perhaps they will listen and each will turnf from their evil ways. Then I will relentg and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. 4Say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: If you do not listenh to me and follow my law,i which I have set before you, 5and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listenedj), 6then I will make this house like Shilohk and this city a curse1,l among all the nations of the earth.’ ”
7The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD. 8But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the LORD had commandedm him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seizedn him and said, “You must die!o 9Why do you prophesy in the LORD’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?”p And all the people crowdedq around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
10When the officialsr of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the LORD and took their places at the entrance of the New Gates of the LORD’s house. 11Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to deatht because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”u
12Then Jeremiah said to all the officialsv and all the people: “The LORD sent me to prophesyw against this house and this city all the things you have heard.x 13Now reformy your ways and your actions and obeyz the LORD your God. Then the LORD will relenta and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14As for me, I am in your hands;b do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent bloodc on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these wordsd in your hearing.”
16Then the officialse and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death!f He has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.”
17Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, 18“Micahg of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says:
19“Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiahl fear the LORD and seekm his favor? And did not the LORD relent,n so that he did not bring the disastero he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disasterp on ourselves!”
20(Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearimq was another man who prophesied in the name of the LORD; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. 21When King Jehoiakimr and all his officers and officialss heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death.t But Uriah heard of it and fledu in fear to Egypt. 22King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathanv son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. 23They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a swordw and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)x
24Furthermore, Ahikamy son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar
1Early in the reign of Zedekiah1,a son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2This is what the LORD said to me: “Make a yokeb out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. 3Then sendc word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon,d Tyre and Sidone through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: 5With my great power and outstretched armf I madeg the earth and its people and the animalsh that are on it, and I givei it to anyone I please. 6Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servantj Nebuchadnezzark king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.l 7All nations will servem him and his son and his grandson until the timen for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugateo him. Photo
8“ ‘ “If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punishp that nation with the sword,q faminer and plague,s declares the LORD, until I destroy it by his hand. 9So do not listen to your prophets,t your diviners,u your interpreters of dreams,v your mediumsw or your sorcerersx who tell you, ‘You will not servey the king of Babylon.’ 10They prophesy liesz to you that will only serve to removea you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. 11But if any nation will bow its neck under the yokeb of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to livec there, declares the LORD.” ’ ”
12I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoked of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.e 13Why will you and your people dief by the sword, famine and plagueg with which the LORD has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14Do not listenh to the words of the prophetsi who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying liesj to you. 15‘I have not sentk them,’ declares the LORD. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name.l Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish,m both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’ ”
16Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articlesn from the LORD’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you. 17Do not listeno to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live.p Why should this city become a ruin? 18If they are prophets and have the word of the LORD, let them pleadq with the LORD Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the LORD and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. 19For this is what the LORD Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea,r the movable stands and the other articless that are left in this city, 20which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carriedt Jehoiachin2,u son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the LORD and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22‘They will be takenv to Babylon and there they will remain until the dayw I come for them,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bringx them back and restore them to this place.’ ”
The False Prophet Hananiah
1In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiaha king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon,b said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people: 2“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yokec of the king of Babylon. 3Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articlesd of the LORD’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. 4I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin1,e son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”f
5Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD. 6He said, “Amen! May the LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the LORD’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.g 7Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: 8From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plagueh against many countries and great kingdoms. 9But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true.i”
10Then the prophet Hananiah took the yokej off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, 11and he saidk before all the people, “This is what the LORD says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’ ” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.
12After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 13“Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the LORD says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. 14This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yokel on the necks of all these nations to make them servem Nebuchadnezzarn king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.o’ ”
15Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sentp you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.q 16Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth.r This very year you are going to die,s because you have preached rebelliont against the LORD.’ ”
17In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.u
A Letter to the Exiles
1This is the text of the lettera that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.b 2(This was after King Jehoiachin1,c and the queen mother,d the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:
4This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carriede into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5“Buildf houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.g 7Also, seekh the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Prayi to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophetsj and diviners among you deceivek you. Do not listen to the dreamsl you encourage them to have.m 9They are prophesying liesn to you in my name. I have not sento them,” declares the LORD.
10This is what the LORD says: “When seventy yearsp are completed for Babylon, I will come to youq and fulfill my good promiser to bring you backs to this place. 11For I know the planst I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosperu you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.v 12Then you will callw on me and come and prayx to me, and I will listeny to you. 13You will seekz me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.a 14I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you backb from captivity.2 I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”c
15You may say, “The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” 16but this is what the LORD says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— 17yes, this is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plagued against them and I will make them like figse that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrentf to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse3,g and an object of horror,h of scorni and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19For they have not listened to my words,”j declares the LORD, “words that I sent to them again and againk by my servants the prophets.l And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the LORD.
20Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles whom I have sentm away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying liesn to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. 22Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the LORD treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burnedo in the fire.’ 23For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adulteryp with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I knowq it and am a witnessr to it,” declares the LORD.
Message to Shemaiah
24Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, 25“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniahs son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, 26‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the LORD; you should put any maniact who acts like a prophet into the stocksu and neck-irons. 27So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? 28He has sent this messagev to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.w Therefore buildx houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’ ”
29Zephaniahy the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. 30Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 31“Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the LORD says about Shemaiahz the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not senda him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, 32this is what the LORD says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.b He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the goodc things I will do for my people, declares the LORD, because he has preached rebelliond against me.’ ”
Restoration of Israel
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Writea in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3The daysb are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will bringc my people Israel and Judah back from captivity1 and restored them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the LORD.”
4These are the words the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5“This is what the LORD says:
“ ‘Cries of feare are heard—
terror, not peace.
6Ask and see:
Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,f
every face turned deathly pale?g
No other will be like it.
It will be a time of troublei for Jacob,
but he will be savedj out of it.
8“ ‘In that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty,
‘I will break the yokek off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;l
no longer will foreigners enslave them.m
9Instead, they will serve the LORD their God
whom I will raise up for them.
10“ ‘So do not be afraid,p Jacob my servant;q
do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the LORD.
‘I will surely saver you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,s
and no one will make him afraid.t
11I am with youu and will save you,’
declares the LORD.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroyv you.
I will disciplinew you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’x
12“This is what the LORD says:
“ ‘Your woundy is incurable,
your injury beyond healing.z
13There is no one to plead your cause,a
no remedy for your sore,
no healingb for you.
14All your alliesc have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemyd would
and punished you as would the cruel,e
because your guilt is so great
and your sinsf so many.
15Why do you cry out over your wound,
your pain that has no cure?g
Because of your great guilt and many sins
I have done these things to you.h
16“ ‘But all who devouri you will be devoured;
all your enemies will go into exile.j
Those who plunderk you will be plundered;
all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17But I will restore you to health
and heall your wounds,’
declares the LORD,
‘because you are called an outcast,m
Zion for whom no one cares.’n
18“This is what the LORD says:
“ ‘I will restore the fortuneso of Jacob’s tentsp
and have compassionq on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuiltr on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19From them will come songss of thanksgivingt
and the sound of rejoicing.u
I will add to their numbers,v
and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,w
and they will not be disdained.
20Their childrenx will be as in days of old,
and their community will be establishedy before me;
I will punishz all who oppress them.
21Their leadera will be one of their own;
their ruler will arise from among them.b
I will bring him nearc and he will come close to me—
for who is he who will devote himself
to be close to me?’
declares the LORD.
22“ ‘So you will be my people,d
and I will be your God.e’ ”
will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
24The fierce angerg of the LORD will not turn backh
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understandi this.
1“At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will be the Goda of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”
2This is what the LORD says:
“The people who survive the sword
will find favorb in the wilderness;
I will come to give restc to Israel.”
3The LORD appeared to us in the past,1 saying:
“I have lovedd you with an everlasting love;
I have drawne you with unfailing kindness.
4I will build you up again,
and you, Virginf Israel, will be rebuilt.g
Again you will take up your timbrelsh
and go out to dancei with the joyful.j
5Again you will plantk vineyards
on the hills of Samaria;l
the farmers will plant them
and enjoy their fruit.m
6There will be a day when watchmenn cry out
on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the LORD our God.’ ”o
7This is what the LORD says:
“Singp with joy for Jacob;
shout for the foremostq of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
‘LORD, saver your people,
the remnants of Israel.’
8See, I will bring them from the land of the northt
and gatheru them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blindv and the lame,w
expectant mothers and women in labor;
a great throng will return.
9They will come with weeping;x
they will pray as I bring them back.
I will leady them beside streams of waterz
on a levela path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel’s father,b
and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
10“Hear the word of the LORD, you nations;
proclaim it in distant coastlands:c
‘He who scatteredd Israel will gathere them
and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’f
11For the LORD will deliver Jacob
and redeemg them from the hand of those strongerh than they.
12They will come and shout for joyi on the heightsj of Zion;
they will rejoice in the bountyk of the LORD—
the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,l
the young of the flocksm and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,n
and they will sorrowo no more.
13Then young women will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourningp into gladness;
I will give them comfortq and joyr instead of sorrow.
14I will satisfys the priestst with abundance,
and my people will be filled with my bounty,u”
declares the LORD.
15This is what the LORD says:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,v
mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,w
because they are no more.”x
16This is what the LORD says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,y
for your work will be rewarded,z”
declares the LORD.
“They will returna from the land of the enemy.
17So there is hopeb for your descendants,”
declares the LORD.
“Your childrenc will return to their own land.
18“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
‘You disciplinedd me like an unruly calf,e
and I have been disciplined.
Restoref me, and I will return,
because you are the LORD my God.
I repented;
after I came to understand,
I beath my breast.
I was ashamedi and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’j
20Is not Ephraim my dear son,
the childk in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
I still rememberl him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I have great compassionm for him,”
declares the LORD.
21“Set up road signs;
put up guideposts.n
Take note of the highway,o
the road that you take.
return to your towns.
unfaithfuls Daughter Israel?
The LORD will create a new thingt on earth—
23This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,3,v the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The LORD blessw you, you prosperous city,x you sacred mountain.’y 24People will livez together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.a 25I will refresh the wearyb and satisfy the faint.”c
26At this I awoked and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.
27“The days are coming,”e declares the LORD, “when I will plantf the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28Just as I watchedg over them to uprooth and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,i so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”j declares the LORD. 29“In those days people will no longer say,
30Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;m whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.
31“The days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will make a new covenantn
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah. Article: The New Covenant
32It will not be like the covenanto
I made with their ancestorsp
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,q
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husbandr to4 them,5”
declares the LORD.
33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their mindss
and write it on their hearts.t
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.u
34No longer will they teachv their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all knoww me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD.
“For I will forgivex their wickedness
and will remember their sinsy no more.”
35This is what the LORD says,
he who appointsz the sun
to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
to shine by night,a
who stirs up the seab
so that its waves roarc—
the LORD Almighty is his name:d
36“Only if these decreese vanish from my sight,”
declares the LORD,
“will Israelf ever cease
being a nation before me.”
37This is what the LORD says:
“Only if the heavens above can be measuredg
and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I rejecth all the descendants of Israel
because of all they have done,”
declares the LORD.
38“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this city will be rebuilti for me from the Tower of Hananelj to the Corner Gate.k 39The measuring linel will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40The whole valleym where dead bodiesn and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valleyo on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate,p will be holyq to the LORD. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”
Jeremiah Buys a Field
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tentha year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenthb year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2The army of the king of Babylon was then besiegingc Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confinedd in the courtyard of the guarde in the royal palace of Judah.
3Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesyf as you do? You say, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will captureg it. 4Zedekiahh king of Judah will not escapei the Babylonians1,j but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. 5He will takek Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him,l declares the LORD. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’ ”m
6Jeremiah said, “The word of the LORD came to me: 7Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth,n because as nearest relative it is your right and dutyo to buy it.’
8“Then, just as the LORD had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my fieldp at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’
“I knew that this was the word of the LORD; 9so I bought the fieldq at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels2 of silver.r 10I signed and sealed the deed,s had it witnessed,t and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— 12and I gave this deed to Baruchu son of Neriah,v the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
13“In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealedw and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’x
16“After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruchy son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD:
17“Ah, Sovereign LORD,z you have made the heavens and the eartha by your great power and outstretched arm.b Nothing is too hardc for you. 18You show loved to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the lapse of their childrenf after them. Great and mighty God,g whose name is the LORD Almighty,h 19great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds.i Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind;j you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.k 20You performed signs and wondersl in Egyptm and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renownn that is still yours. 21You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hando and an outstretched armp and with great terror.q 22You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.r 23They came in and took possessions of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law;t they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disasteru on them.
24“See how the siege rampsv are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague,w the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you saidx has happened,y as you now see. 25And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign LORD, say to me, ‘Buy the fieldz with silver and have the transaction witnessed.a’ ”
26Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 27“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind.b Is anything too hard for me?c 28Therefore this is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzard king of Babylon, who will capture it.e 29The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down,f along with the housesg where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offeringsh to other gods.i
30“The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth;j indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my angerk with what their hands have made,l declares the LORD. 31From the day it was built until now, this citym has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must removen it from my sight. 32The people of Israel and Judah have provokedo me by all the evilp they have done—they, their kings and officials,q their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 33They turned their backsr to me and not their faces; though I taughts them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.t 34They set up their vile imagesu in the house that bears my Namev and defiledw it. 35They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnomx to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek,y though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mindz—that they should do such a detestablea thing and so make Judah sin.b
36“You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plaguec it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 37I will surely gatherd them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious angere and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.f 38They will be my people,g and I will be their God. 39I will give them singlenessh of heart and action, so that they will always feari me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40I will make an everlasting covenantj with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspirek them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.l 41I will rejoicem in doing them goodn and will assuredly planto them in this land with all my heart and soul.p
42“This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamityq on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promisedr them. 43Once more fields will be boughts in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolatet waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ 44Fields will be bought for silver, and deedsu will be signed, sealed and witnessedv in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,w because I will restorex their fortunes,3 declares the LORD.”
Promise of Restoration
1While Jeremiah was still confineda in the courtyardb of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him a second time:c 2“This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth,d the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name:e 3‘Callf to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchableg things you do not know.’ 4For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siegeh rampsi and the sword 5in the fight with the Babylonians1: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath.j I will hide my facek from this city because of all its wickedness.
6“ ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heall my people and will let them enjoy abundant peacem and security. 7I will bring Judahn and Israel back from captivity2,o and will rebuildp them as they were before.q 8I will cleanser them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgives all their sins of rebellion against me. 9Then this city will bring me renown,t joy, praiseu and honorv before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremblew at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’
10“This is what the LORD says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.”x Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted,y inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more 11the sounds of joy and gladness,z the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offeringsa to the house of the LORD, saying,
For I will restore the fortunesd of the land as they were before,e’ says the LORD.
12“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolatef and without people or animalsg—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.h 13In the towns of the hilli country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,j in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the handk of the one who counts them,’ says the LORD.
14“ ‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good promisel I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
15“ ‘In those days and at that time
I will make a righteousm Branchn sprout from David’s line;o
he will do what is just and right in the land.
16In those days Judah will be savedp
and Jerusalem will live in safety.q
This is the name by which it3 will be called:r
The LORD Our Righteous Savior.’s
17For this is what the LORD says: ‘David will never failt to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, 18nor will the Leviticalu priestsv ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.w’ ”
19The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 20“This is what the LORD says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the dayx and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,y 21then my covenantz with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levitesa who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.b 22I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countlessc as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’ ”
23The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 24“Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two kingdoms4,d he chose’? So they despisee my people and no longer regard them as a nation.f 25This is what the LORD says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and nightg and established the lawsh of heaven and earth,i 26then I will rejectj the descendants of Jacobk and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes5,l and have compassionm on them.’ ”
Warning to Zedekiah
1While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoplesa in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalemb and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiahc king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.d 3You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.e You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.
4“ ‘Yet hear the LORD’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the LORD says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;f 5you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fireg in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas,h master!” I myself make this promise, declares the LORD.’ ”
6Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, 7while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out—Lachishi and Azekah.j These were the only fortified cities left in Judah. Photo
Freedom for Slaves
8The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the peoplek in Jerusalem to proclaim freedoml for the slaves. 9Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.m 10So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 11But afterward they changed their mindsn and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.
12Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 13“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestorso when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.p I said, 14‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’1,q Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attentionr to me. 15Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.s You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.t 16But now you have turned aroundu and profanedv my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.
17“Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you,w declares the LORD—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plaguex and famine.y I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.z 18Those who have violated my covenanta and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.b 19The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials,c the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, 20I will deliverd into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them.e Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.f
21“I will deliver Zedekiahg king of Judah and his officialsh into the hands of their enemiesi who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon,j which has withdrawnk from you. 22I am going to give the order, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, takel it and burnm it down. And I will lay wasten the towns of Judah so no one can live there.”
The Rekabites
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD during the reign of Jehoiakima son of Josiah king of Judah: 2“Go to the Rekabiteb family and invite them to come to one of the side roomsc of the house of the LORD and give them wine to drink.”
3So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites. 4I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God.d It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallume the doorkeeper.f 5Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”
6But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab1,g son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.h 7Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents.i Then you will live a long time in the landj where you are nomads.’ 8We have obeyed everything our forefatherk Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine 9or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops.l 10We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us. 11But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invadedm this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalemn to escape the Babylonian2 and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”
12Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying: 13“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tello the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lessonp and obey my words?’ declares the LORD. 14‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command.q But I have spoken to you again and again,r yet you have not obeyeds me. 15Again and again I sent all my servants the prophetst to you. They said, “Each of you must turnu from your wicked ways and reformv your actions; do not follow other godsw to serve them. Then you will live in the landx I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listenedy to me. 16The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefatherz gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’
17“Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disastera I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen;b I called to them, but they did not answer.’ ”c
18Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefatherd Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ 19Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never faile to have a descendant to servef me.’ ”
Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll
1In the fourth year of Jehoiakima son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“Take a scrollb and write on it all the wordsc I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiahd till now. 3Perhapse when the people of Judah hearf about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turng from their wicked ways; then I will forgiveh their wickedness and their sin.”
4So Jeremiah called Baruchi son of Neriah,j and while Jeremiah dictatedk all the words the LORD had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.l 5Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I am not allowed to go to the LORD’s temple. 6So you go to the house of the LORD on a day of fastingm and read to the people from the scroll the words of the LORD that you wrote as I dictated.n Read them to all the people of Judaho who come in from their towns. 7Perhaps they will bring their petitionp before the LORD and will each turnq from their wicked ways, for the angerr and wrath pronounced against this people by the LORD are great.”
8Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at the LORD’s temple he read the words of the LORD from the scroll. 9In the ninth months of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fastingt before the LORD was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah. 10From the room of Gemariahu son of Shaphanv the secretary,w which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gatex of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the LORD’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.
11When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll, 12he went down to the secretary’sy room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathanz son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.a 13After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll, 14all the officials sent Jehudib son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scrollc from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand. 15They said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.”
So Baruch read it to them. 16When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in feard and said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.” 17Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to writee all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”
18“Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictatedf all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”
19Then the officialsg said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide.h Don’t let anyone know where you are.”
20After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. 21The king sent Jehudii to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the kingj and all the officials standing beside him. 22It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment,k with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. 23Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,l the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.m 24The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear,n nor did they tear their clothes.o 25Even though Elnathan, Delaiahp and Gemariahq urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrestr Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hiddens them.
27After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,t the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 28“Take another scrollu and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up. 29Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what the LORD says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from itv both man and beast?”w 30Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakimx king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown outy and exposedz to the heat by day and the frost by night.a 31I will punish him and his childrenb and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disasterc I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.d’ ”
32So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated,e Baruch wrotef on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burnedg in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.
Jeremiah in Prison
1Zedekiaha son of Josiah was made kingb of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin1,c son of Jehoiakim. 2Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attentiond to the words the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
3King Zedekiah, however, sente Jehukalf son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniahg son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: “Please prayh to the LORD our God for us.”
4Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison.i 5Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt,j and when the Babylonians2 who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrewk from Jerusalem.l
6Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet: 7“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquirem of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marchedn out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt.o 8Then the Babylonians will return and attack this city; they will capturep it and burnq it down.’
9“This is what the LORD says: Do not deceiver yourselves, thinking, ‘The Babylonians will surely leave us.’ They will not! 10Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian3 army that is attacking you and only wounded men were left in their tents, they would come out and burns this city down.”
11After the Babylonian army had withdrawnt from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 12Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the propertyu among the people there. 13But when he reached the Benjamin Gate,v the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”w
14“That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrestedx Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beateny and imprisonedz in the housea of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.
16Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time. 17Then King Zedekiah sentb for him and had him brought to the palace, where he askedc him privately,d “Is there any word from the LORD?”
“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be deliverede into the hands of the king of Babylon.”
18Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crimef have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison? 19Where are your prophetsg who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’? 20But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there.”h
21King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the breadi in the city was gone.j So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.k
Jeremiah Thrown Into a Cistern
1Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhura, Jehukal1,b son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, 2“This is what the LORD says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague,c but whoever goes over to the Babylonians2 will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’d 3And this is what the LORD says: ‘This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’ ”e Photo
4Then the officialsf said to the king, “This man should be put to death.g He is discouragingh the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”
5“He is in your hands,”i King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothingj to oppose you.”
6So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard.k They lowered Jeremiah by ropesl into the cistern; it had no water in it,m only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.n
7But Ebed-Melek,o a Cushite,3 an official4,p in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,q 8Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, 9“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern,r where he will starve to death when there is no longer any breads in the city.”
10Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
11So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropest to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.u
Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Again
14Then King Zedekiah sentv for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the LORD. “I am going to ask you something,” the king said to Jeremiah. “Do not hidew anything from me.”
15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.”
16But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretlyx to Jeremiah: “As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us breath,y I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.”z
17Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrendera to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.b 18But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the handsc of the Babylonians and they will burnd it down; you yourself will not escapee from them.’ ”
19King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraidf of the Jews who have gone overg to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”
20“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obeyh the LORD by doing what I tell you. Then it will go welli with you, and your lifej will be spared. 21But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD has revealed to me: 22All the womenk left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you:
“ ‘They misled you and overcame you—
those trusted friendsl of yours.
Your feet are sunk in the mud;m
your friends have deserted you.’
23“All your wives and childrenn will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escapeo from their hands but will be capturedp by the king of Babylon; and this city will5 be burned down.”q
24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone knowr about this conversation, or you may die. 25If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’ 26then tells them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s houset to die there.’ ”
27All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king.
28And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guardu until the day Jerusalem was captured.
The Fall of Jerusalem
39:1-10pp — 2Ki 25:1-12; Jer 52:4-16
This is how Jerusalemv was taken:
1In the ninth year of Zedekiaha king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzarb king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siegec to it. 2And on the ninth day of the fourthd month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city walle was broken through.f 3Then all the officialsg of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. 4When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls,h and headed toward the Arabah.1,i Photo
5But the Babylonian2 army pursued them and overtook Zedekiahj in the plains of Jericho. They capturedk him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblahl in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. 6There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the noblesm of Judah. 7Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyesn and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.o
8The Babylonians3 set firep to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the wallsq of Jerusalem. 9Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him,r and the rest of the people.s 10But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.
11Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: 12“Take him and look after him; don’t harmt him but do for him whatever he asks.” 13So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officersu of the king of Babylon 14sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard.v They turned him over to Gedaliahw son of Ahikam,x the son of Shaphan,y to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.z
15While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him: 16“Go and tell Ebed-Meleka the Cushite, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my wordsb against this city—words concerning disaster,c not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. 17But I will rescued you on that day, declares the LORD; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. 18I will savee you; you will not fall by the swordf but will escape with your life,g because you trusth in me, declares the LORD.’ ”
Jeremiah Freed
1The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah.a He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captivesb from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. 2When the commanderc of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The LORD your God decreedd this disastere for this place.f 3And now the LORD has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinnedg against the LORD and did not obeyh him. 4But today I am freeingi you from the chainsj on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.”k 5However, before Jeremiah turned to go,1 Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliahl son of Ahikam,m the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointedn over the townso of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”p
Then the commander gave him provisions and a presentq and let him go. 6So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpahr and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.
Gedaliah Assassinated
40:7-9; 41:1-3pp — 2Ki 25:22-26
7When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governors over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorestt in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon, 8they came to Gedaliah at Mizpahu—Ishmaelv son of Nethaniah, Johananw and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite,x and Jaazaniah2 the son of the Maakathite,y and their men. 9Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to servez the Babylonians,3,a” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.b 10I myself will stay at Mizpahc to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine,d summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars,e and live in the towns you have taken over.”f
11When all the Jews in Moab,g Ammon, Edomh and all the other countriesi heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered.j And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.
13Johanank son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpahl 14and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonitesm has sent Ishmaeln son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15Then Johanano son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and killp Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scatteredq and the remnantr of Judah to perish?”
16But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanans son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”
1In the seventh month Ishmaela son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, 2Ishmaelb son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword,c killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointedd as governor over the land.e 3Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian1 soldiers who were there.
4The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, 5eighty men who had shaved off their beards,f torn their clothesg and cuth themselves came from Shechem,i Shilohj and Samaria,k bringing grain offerings and incensel with them to the house of the LORD.m 6Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weepingn as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”o 7When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.p 8But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.”q So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. 9Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asar had made as part of his defenses against Baashat king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.
10Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the peopleu who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughtersv along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.w
11When Johananx son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, 12they took all their men and went to fighty Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great poolz in Gibeon. 13When all the peoplea Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. 14All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpahb turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. 15But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escapedc from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.
Flight to Egypt
16Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officersd who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived,e whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon. 17And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimhamf near Bethlehemg on their way to Egypth 18to escape the Babylonians.2 They were afraidi of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliahj son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.
1Then all the army officers, including Johanana son of Kareah and Jezaniah1 son of Hoshaiah,b and all the people from the least to the greatestc approached 2Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and prayd to the LORD your God for this entire remnant.e For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a fewf are left. 3Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”g
4“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly prayh to the LORD your God as you have requested; I will telli you everything the LORD says and will keep nothing back from you.”j
5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a truek and faithfull witnessm against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. 6Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go welln with us, for we will obeyo the LORD our God.”
7Ten days later the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah. 8So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officersp who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.q 9He said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition,r says:s 10‘If you stay in this land,t I will buildu you up and not tear you down; I will plantv you and not uproot you,w for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.x 11Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon,y whom you now fear.z Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you and will savea you and deliver you from his hands.b 12I will show you compassionc so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’d
13“However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobeye the LORD your God, 14and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt,f where we will not see war or hear the trumpetg or be hungry for bread,’h 15then hear the word of the LORD,i you remnant of Judah. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, 16then the swordj you feark will overtake you there, and the faminel you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.m 17Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague;n not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ 18This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wratho have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,p so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse2,q and an object of horror,r a curse3 and an object of reproach;s you will never see this place again.’t
19“Remnantu of Judah, the LORD has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’v Be sure of this: I warn you today 20that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, ‘Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’w 21I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the LORD your God in all he sent me to tell you.x 22So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, faminey and plaguez in the place where you want to go to settle.”a