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.
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.’1q 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 Jehonadab1g 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.” Photo
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 Jehoiachin1c 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, Jehukal1b 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
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 official4p 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.1i 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. Photo
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,3a” 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 curse2q 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
1When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God—everything the LORD had sent him to tell thema— 2Azariah son of Hoshaiahb and Johananc son of Kareah and all the arrogantd men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!e The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’f 3But Baruchg son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,1 so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”h
4So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the peoplei disobeyed the LORD’s commandj to stay in the land of Judah.k 5Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.l 6They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women,m the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruchn son of Neriah along with them. 7So they entered Egypto in disobedience to the LORD and went as far as Tahpanhes.p
8In Tahpanhesq the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 9“While the Jews are watching, take some large stonesr with you and bury them in clay in the bricks pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palacet in Tahpanhes. 10Then say to them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servantu Nebuchadnezzarv king of Babylon, and I will set his thronew over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopyx above them. 11He will come and attack Egypt,y bringing deathz to those destineda for death, captivity to those destined for captivity,b and the sword to those destined for the sword.c 12He will set fired to the templese of the godsf of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.g As a shepherd picksh his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. 13There in the temple of the sun2i in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillarsj and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’ ”
Disaster Because of Idolatry
1This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypta—in Migdol,b Tahpanhesc and Memphisd—and in Upper Egypt:e 2“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disasterf I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.g Today they lie deserted and in ruinsh 3because of the evili they have done. They aroused my angerj by burning incensek to and worshiping other godsl that neither they nor you nor your ancestorsm ever knew. 4Again and againn I sent my servants the prophets,o who said, ‘Do not do this detestablep thing that I hate!’ 5But they did not listen or pay attention;q they did not turn from their wickednessr or stop burning incenses to other gods.t 6Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out;u it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruinsv they are today.
7“Now this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disasterw on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women,x the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?y 8Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made,z burning incensea to other gods in Egypt,b where you have come to live?c You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse1 and an object of reproachd among all the nations on earth. 9Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestorse and by the kingsf and queensg of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wivesh in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?i 10To this day they have not humbledj themselves or shown reverence,k nor have they followed my lawl and the decreesm I set before you and your ancestors.n
11“Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty,o the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disasterp on you and to destroy all Judah. 12I will take away the remnantq of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest,r they will die by sword or famine.s They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.t 13I will punishu those who live in Egypt with the sword,v famine and plague,w as I punished Jerusalem. 14None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”x
15Then all the men who knew that their wivesy were burning incensez to other gods, along with all the womena who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt,b said to Jeremiah, 16“We will not listenc to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD!d 17We will certainly do everything we said we would:e We will burn incensef to the Queen of Heaveng and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officialsh did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.i At that time we had plenty of foodj and were well off and suffered no harm.k 18But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offeringsl to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.m”
19The women added, “When we burned incensen to the Queen of Heaveno and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbandsp know that we were making cakesq impressed with her imager and pouring out drink offerings to her?”
20Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, 21“Did not the LORD remembers and call to mind the incenset burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalemu by you and your ancestors,v your kings and your officials and the people of the land?w 22When the LORD could no longer endurex your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a cursey and a desolate wastez without inhabitants, as it is today.a 23Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the LORD and have not obeyed him or followedb his law or his decreesc or his stipulations, this disasterd has come upon you, as you now see.”e
24Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,f “Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah in Egypt.g 25This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wivesh have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’i
“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!j 26But hear the word of the LORD, all you Jews living in Egypt:k ‘I swearl by my great name,’ says the LORD, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereignm LORD lives.”n 27For I am watchingo over them for harm,p not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perishq by sword and faminer until they are all destroyed.s 28Those who escape the swordt and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.u Then the whole remnantv of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will standw—mine or theirs.x
29“ ‘This will be the signy to you that I will punishz you in this place,’ declares the LORD, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’a 30This is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaohb Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiahc king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’ ”d
A Message to Baruch
1When Barucha son of Neriahb wrote on a scrollc the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakimd son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: 2“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: 3You said, ‘Woee to me! The LORD has added sorrowf to my pain;g I am worn out with groaningh and find no rest.’i 4But the LORD has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the LORD says: I will overthrow what I have built and uprootj what I have planted,k throughout the earth.l 5Should you then seek greatm things for yourself? Do not seek them.n For I will bring disastero on all people,p declares the LORD, but wherever you go I will let you escapeq with your life.’ ”r
A Message About Egypt
1This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:a
This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Nechoc king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemishd on the Euphratese River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakimf son of Josiah king of Judah:
3“Prepare your shields,g both large and small,
and march out for battle!
4Harness the horses,
mount the steeds!
Take your positions
with helmets on!
Polishh your spears,
put on your armor!i
5What do I see?
They are terrified,
they are retreating,
their warriors are defeated.
They fleej in haste
without looking back,
and there is terrork on every side,”
declares the LORD.
nor the strong escape.
In the north by the River Euphratesm
they stumble and fall.n
7“Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like rivers of surging waters?o
8Egypt rises like the Nile,p
like rivers of surging waters.
She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;
I will destroy cities and their people.’q
9Charge, you horses!
Drive furiously, you charioteers!r
March on, you warriors—men of Cush1s and Put who carry shields,
men of Lydiat who draw the bow. Photo
10But that dayu belongs to the Lord, the LORD Almighty—
a day of vengeancev, for vengeance on his foes.
The sword will devourw till it is satisfied,
till it has quenched its thirst with blood.x
For the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will offer sacrificey
in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.z
11“Go up to Gilead and get balm,a
Virginb Daughter Egypt.
But you try many medicines in vain;
there is no healingc for you.
12The nations will hear of your shame;
your cries will fill the earth.
One warrior will stumble over another;
both will falld down together.”
13This is the message the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylone to attack Egypt:f
14“Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;
proclaim it also in Memphisg and Tahpanhes:h
‘Take your positions and get ready,
for the sword devoursi those around you.’
15Why will your warriors be laid low?
They cannot stand, for the LORD will push them down.j
16They will stumblek repeatedly;
they will falll over each other.
They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back
to our own peoplem and our native lands,
away from the sword of the oppressor.’n
17There they will exclaim,
‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;o
he has missed his opportunity.p’
18“As surely as I live,” declares the King,q
whose name is the LORD Almighty,
“one will come who is like Taborr among the mountains,
like Carmels by the sea.
19Pack your belongings for exile,t
you who live in Egypt,
for Memphisu will be laid wastev
and lie in ruins without inhabitant.
20“Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
but a gadfly is coming
against her from the north.w
21The mercenariesx in her ranks
are like fattened calves.y
They too will turn and fleez together,
they will not stand their ground,
for the daya of disaster is coming upon them,
the timeb for them to be punished.
22Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent
as the enemy advances in force;
they will come against her with axes,
like men who cut down trees.c
23They will chop down her forest,”
declares the LORD,
“dense though it be.
They are more numerous than locusts,d
they cannot be counted.
24Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,
given into the hands of the people of the north.e”
25The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,f on Pharaoh,g on Egypt and her godsh and her kings, and on those who relyi on Pharaoh. 26I will give them into the handsj of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar kingk of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabitedl as in times past,” declares the LORD.
27“Do not be afraid,m Jacobn my servant;o
do not be dismayed, Israel.
I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.p
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
28Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant,
for I am with you,”q declares the LORD.
“Though I completely destroyr all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”
A Message About the Philistines
1This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistinesa before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:b
2This is what the LORD says:
“See how the waters are rising in the north;c
they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
all who dwell in the land will waild
3at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,
at the noise of enemy chariotse
and the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not turn to help their children;
their hands will hang limp.f
4For the day has come
to destroy all the Philistines
and to remove all survivors
who could help Tyreg and Sidon.h
The LORD is about to destroy the Philistines,i
the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.1j
5Gaza will shavek her head in mourning;
Ashkelonl will be silenced.
You remnant on the plain,
how long will you cutm yourselves?
how long till you rest?
Return to your sheath;
cease and be still.’o
7But how can it rest
when the LORD has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”p
A Message About Moab
48:29-36pp — Isa 16:6–12
This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Woe to Nebo,b for it will be ruined.
Kiriathaimc will be disgraced and captured;
the stronghold1 will be disgraced and shattered.
2Moab will be praisedd no more;
in Heshbon2e people will plot her downfall:
‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’f
You, the people of Madmen,3 will also be silenced;
the sword will pursue you.
3Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,g
cries of great havoc and destruction.
4Moab will be broken;
her little ones will cry out.4
5They go up the hill to Luhith,h
weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaimi
anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
become like a bush5 in the desert.k
7Since you trust in your deeds and riches,l
you too will be taken captive,
and Chemoshm will go into exile,n
together with his priests and officials.o
8The destroyerp will come against every town,
and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
and the plateauq destroyed,
because the LORD has spoken.
her towns will become desolate,
with no one to live in them.
10“A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps their swordt from bloodshed!u
11“Moab has been at restv from youth,
like wine left on its dregs,w
not poured from one jar to another—
she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged.
12But days are coming,”
declares the LORD,
“when I will send men who pour from pitchers,
and they will pour her out;
they will empty her pitchers
and smash her jars.
13Then Moab will be ashamedx of Chemosh,y
as Israel was ashamed
when they trusted in Bethel.z
14“How can you say, ‘We are warriors,a
men valiant in battle’?
15Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
her finest young menb will go down in the slaughter,c”
declares the King,d whose name is the LORD Almighty.e
16“The fall of Moab is at hand;f
her calamity will come quickly.
17Mourn for her, all who live around her,
all who know her fame;g
say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter,h
how broken the glorious staff!’
18“Come down from your glory
and sit on the parched ground,i
you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,j
for the one who destroys Moab
will come up against you
and ruin your fortified cities.k
19Stand by the road and watch,
you who live in Aroer.l
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
ask them, ‘What has happened?’
20Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
Wailm and cry out!
Announce by the Arnonn
that Moab is destroyed.
21Judgment has come to the plateauo—
to Holon,p Jahzahq and Mephaath,r
22to Dibon,s Nebot and Beth Diblathaim,
23to Kiriathaim,u Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,v
to all the townsy of Moab, far and near.
her arma is broken,”
declares the LORD.
26“Make her drunk,b
for she has defiedc the LORD.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;d
let her be an object of ridicule.e
27Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?f
Was she caught among thieves,g
that you shake your headh in scorni
whenever you speak of her?
28Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,
you who live in Moab.
Be like a dovej that makes its nest
at the mouth of a cave.k
29“We have heard of Moab’s pridel—
how great is her arrogance!—
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
and the haughtinessm of her heart.
30I know her insolence but it is futile,”
declares the LORD,
“and her boastsn accomplish nothing.
31Therefore I wailo over Moab,
for all Moab I cry out,
I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.p
32I weep for you, as Jazerq weeps,
you vines of Sibmah.r
Your branches spread as far as the sea8;
they reached as far as9 Jazer.
The destroyer has fallen
on your ripened fruit and grapes.
33Joy and gladness are gone
from the orchards and fields of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wines from the presses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy.t
Although there are shouts,
they are not shouts of joy.
34“The sound of their cry rises
from Heshbonu to Elealehv and Jahaz,w
from Zoarx as far as Horonaimy and Eglath Shelishiyah,
for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.z
35In Moab I will put an end
to those who make offerings on the high placesa
and burn incenseb to their gods,”
declares the LORD.
36“So my heart lamentsc for Moab like the music of a pipe;
it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.d
The wealth they acquirede is gone.
and every beardg cut off;
every hand is slashed
and every waist is covered with sackcloth.h
38On all the roofs in Moab
and in the public squaresi
there is nothing but mourning,
for I have broken Moab
like a jarj that no one wants,”
declares the LORD.
39“How shatteredk she is! How they wail!
How Moab turns her back in shame!
Moab has become an object of ridicule,l
an object of horror to all those around her.”
40This is what the LORD says:
“Look! An eagle is swoopingm down,
spreading its wingsn over Moab.
and the strongholds taken.
In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriorsp
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.q
42Moab will be destroyedr as a nations
because she defiedt the LORD.
43Terroru and pit and snarev await you,
you people of Moab,”
declares the LORD.
44“Whoever fleesw from the terror
will fall into a pit,
whoever climbs out of the pit
will be caught in a snare;
for I will bring on Moab
the yearx of her punishment,”
declares the LORD.
45“In the shadow of Heshbon
the fugitives stand helpless,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the midst of Sihon;y
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
the skullsz of the noisy boasters.
46Woe to you, Moab!a
The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
and your daughters into captivity.
47“Yet I will restoreb the fortunes of Moab
in days to come,”
declares the LORD.
Here ends the judgment on Moab.
A Message About Ammon
This is what the LORD says:
“Has Israel no sons?
Has Israel no heir?
Why then has Molek1b taken possession of Gad?c
Why do his people live in its towns?
2But the days are coming,”
declares the LORD,
“when I will sound the battle cryd
against Rabbahe of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,f
and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
those who drove her out,g”
says the LORD.
3“Wail, Heshbon,h for Aii is destroyed!
Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!
Put on sackclothj and mourn;
rush here and there inside the walls,
for Molekk will go into exile,l
together with his priests and officials.
4Why do you boast of your valleys,
boast of your valleys so fruitful?
Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,m
you trust in your richesn and say,
‘Who will attack me?’o
5I will bring terror on you
from all those around you,”
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
“Every one of you will be driven away,
and no one will gather the fugitives.p
6“Yet afterward, I will restoreq the fortunes of the Ammonites,”
declares the LORD.
A Message About Edom
49:9-10pp — Ob 5–6
49:14-16pp — Ob 1–4
This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?s
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,t
you who live in Dedan,u
for I will bring disaster on Esau
at the time when I punish him.
9If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?
If thieves came during the night,
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
10But I will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his hiding places,v
so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
also his allies and neighbors,
so there is no onew to say,
11‘Leave your fatherless children;x I will keep them alive.
Your widowsy too can depend on me.’ ”
12This is what the LORD says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cupz must drink it, why should you go unpunished?a You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13I swearb by myself,” declares the LORD, “that Bozrahc will become a ruin and a curse,2 an object of horrord and reproach;e and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”f
14I have heard a message from the LORD;
an envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Assemble yourselves to attack it!
Rise up for battle!”
15“Now I will make you small among the nations,
despised by mankind.
16The terror you inspire
and the prideg of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,h
who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nesti as high as the eagle’s,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares the LORD.
17“Edom will become an object of horror;j
all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
because of all its wounds.k
18As Sodoml and Gomorrahm were overthrown,
along with their neighboring towns,”
says the LORD,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwelln in it.
19“Like a liono coming up from Jordan’s thicketsp
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Edom from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is likeq me and who can challenge me?r
And what shepherds can stand against me?”
20Therefore, hear what the LORD has planned against Edom,t
what he has purposedu against those who live in Teman:v
The young of the flockw will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.x
21At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;y
their cryz will resound to the Red Sea.3
22Look! An eagle will soar and swoopa down,
spreading its wings over Bozrah.b
In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriorsc
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.d
A Message About Damascus
“Hamathf and Arpadg are dismayed,
for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
troubled like4 the restless sea.h
24Damascus has become feeble,
she has turned to flee
and panic has gripped her;
anguish and pain have seized her,
pain like that of a woman in labor.i
25Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
the town in which I delight?
26Surely, her young menj will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silencedk in that day,”
declares the LORD Almighty.
A Message About Kedar and Hazor
28Concerning Kedarp and the kingdoms of Hazor,q which Nebuchadnezzarr king of Babylon attacked:
This is what the LORD says:
“Arise, and attack Kedar
and destroy the people of the East.s
29Their tents and their flockst will be taken;
their shelters will be carried off
with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
‘Terroru on every side!’
30“Flee quickly away!
Stay in deep caves,v you who live in Hazor,w”
declares the LORD.
“Nebuchadnezzarx king of Babylon has plotted against you;
he has devised a plan against you.
31“Arise and attack a nation at ease,
which lives in confidence,”
declares the LORD,
“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;y
its people live far from danger.
32Their camelsz will become plunder,
and their large herdsa will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the windsb those who are in distant places5c
and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the LORD.
33“Hazord will become a haunt of jackals,e
a desolatef place forever.
No one will live there;
no people will dwellg in it.”
A Message About Elam
34This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,h early in the reign of Zedekiahi king of Judah:
35This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“See, I will break the bowj of Elam,
the mainstay of their might.
36I will bring against Elam the four windsk
from the four quarters of heaven;l
I will scatter them to the four winds,
and there will not be a nation
where Elam’s exiles do not go.
37I will shatter Elam before their foes,
before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
even my fierce anger,”m
declares the LORD.
“I will pursue them with the swordn
until I have made an end of them.
38I will set my throne in Elam
and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the LORD.
39“Yet I will restoreo the fortunes of Elam
in days to come,”
declares the LORD.
A Message About Babylon
51:15-19pp — Jer 10:12–16
1This is the word the LORD spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylona and the land of the Babylonians1:
2“Announce and proclaimb among the nations,
lift up a bannerc and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;d
Mardukg filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idolsh filled with terror.’
3A nation from the northi will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will livej in it;
both people and animalsk will flee away.
4“In those days, at that time,”
declares the LORD,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah togetherl
will go in tearsm to seekn the LORD their God.
5They will ask the wayo to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will comep and bind themselves to the LORD
in an everlasting covenantq
that will not be forgotten.
6“My people have been lost sheep;r
their shepherdss have led them astrayt
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hillu
and forgot their own resting place.v
7Whoever found them devouredw them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,x
for they sinned against the LORD, their verdant pasture,
the LORD, the hopey of their ancestors.’
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.
9For I will stirb up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nationsc from the land of the north.d
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.e
Their arrowsf will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
10So Babylonia2 will be plundered;g
all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the LORD.
11“Because you rejoice and are glad,
you who pillage my inheritance,h
because you frolic like a heiferi threshing grain
and neigh like stallions,
12your mother will be greatly ashamed;
she who gave you birth will be disgraced.j
She will be the least of the nations—
a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.k
13Because of the LORD’s anger she will not be inhabited
but will be completely desolate.l
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;m
they will scoffn because of all her wounds.o
14“Take up your positions around Babylon,
all you who draw the bow.p
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,q
for she has sinned against the LORD.
15Shoutr against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
her wallss are torn down.
Since this is the vengeancet of the LORD,
take vengeance on her;
do to heru as she has done to others.v
16Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the swordw of the oppressor
let everyone return to their own people,x
let everyone flee to their own land.y
17“Israel is a scattered flockz
that lionsa have chased away.
The first to devourb them
was the kingc of Assyria;
the last to crush their bonesd
18Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the kingg of Assyria.h
19But I will bringi Israel back to their own pasture,
and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfiedj
on the hillsk of Ephraim and Gilead.l
20In those days, at that time,”
declares the LORD,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,m
and for the sinsn of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgiveo the remnantp I spare.
21“Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.q
Pursue, kill and completely destroy3 them,”
declares the LORD.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
22The noiser of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
23How broken and shattered
is the hammers of the whole earth!t
How desolateu is Babylon
among the nations!
24I set a trapv for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and capturedw
because you opposedx the LORD.
25The LORD has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weaponsy of his wrath,
for the Sovereign LORD Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.z
26Come against her from afar.a
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.b
Completely destroyc her
and leave her no remnant.
27Kill all her young bulls;d
let them go down to the slaughter!e
Woe to them! For their dayf has come,
the timeg for them to be punished.
28Listen to the fugitivesh and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zioni
how the LORD our God has taken vengeance,j
vengeance for his temple.k
29“Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.l
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.m
do to her as she has done.
For she has defiedp the LORD,
the Holy Oneq of Israel.
30Therefore, her young menr will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the LORD.
31“See, I am againsts you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty,
“for your dayt has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32The arrogantu one will stumble and fallv
and no one will help her up;w
I will kindle a firex in her towns
that will consume all who are around her.”
33This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“The people of Israel are oppressed,y
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.z
34Yet their Redeemera is strong;
the LORD Almightyb is his name.
He will vigorously defend their causec
so that he may bring restd to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.
35“A sworde against the Babylonians!”f
declares the LORD—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wiseg men!
36A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!h
They will be filled with terror.i
37A sword against her horses and chariotsj
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.k
A sword against her treasures!l
They will be plundered.
They will dryn up.
For it is a land of idols,o
idols that will go mad with terror.
39“So desert creaturesp and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.q
40As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrahr
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the LORD,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.s
41“Look! An army is coming from the north;t
a great nation and many kings
are being stirredu up from the ends of the earth.v
42They are armed with bowsw and spears;
they are cruelx and without mercy.y
They sound like the roaring seaz
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.a
43The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.b
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.c
44Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thicketsd
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosene one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?f
And what shepherd can stand against me?”
45Therefore, hear what the LORD has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposedg against the land of the Babylonians:h
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
46At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;i
its cryj will resound among the nations.