Judah's Rejection of Jeremiah and the Destruction of Jerusalem

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Jeremiah 27:1 - Jeremiah 39:18

Jeremiah 27

Judah Will Submit to Nebuchadnezzar

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from The LORD, saying,

The LORD says to me: "Make bonds and bars, and put them on your neck.

Then send them to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the children of Ammon, to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

Give them a command to their masters, saying, 'The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says, "You shall tell your masters:

'I have made the earth, the men, and the animals that are on the surface of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm. I give it to whom it seems right to me.

Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant. I have also given the animals of the field to him to serve him.

All the nations will serve him, his son, and his son's son, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings will make him their bondservant.

"'"'It will happen that I will punish the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon,' says The LORD, 'with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

But as for you, don't listen to your prophets, to your diviners, to your dreams, to your soothsayers, or to your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, "You shall not serve the king of Babylon;"

for they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land, so that I would drive you out, and you would perish.

But the nation that brings their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, that nation I will let remain in their own land,' says The LORD; 'and they will till it and dwell in it.'"'"

I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.

Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD has spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

Don't listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon;' for they prophesy a lie to you.

For I have not sent them," says The LORD, "but they prophesy falsely in my name; that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you, and the prophets who prophesy to you."

Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, the LORD says, "Don't listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, 'Behold, the vessels of The LORD's house will now shortly be brought again from Babylon;' for they prophesy a lie to you.

Don't listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city become a desolation?

But if they are prophets, and if The LORD's word is with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of Hosts, that the vessels which are left in The LORD's house, in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, don't go to Babylon.

For the LORD of Hosts says concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the bases, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city,

which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon didn't take when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;

yes, the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says concerning the vessels that are left in The LORD's house, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem:

'They will be carried to Babylon, and there they will be, until the day that I visit them,' says The LORD; 'then I will bring them up, and restore them to this place.'"

Jeremiah 28

Hananiah Falsely Prophesies the Return of the Vessels

That same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke to me in The LORD's house, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

"The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, 'I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of The LORD's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried to Babylon.

I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, who went to Babylon,' says The LORD; 'for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.'"

Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people who stood in The LORD's house,

even the prophet Jeremiah said, "Amen! May the LORD do so. May the LORD perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring again the vessels of The LORD's house, and all those who are captives, from Babylon to this place.

Nevertheless listen now to this word that I speak in your ears, and in the ears of all the people:

The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, of evil, and of pestilence.

The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet happens, then the prophet will be known, that the LORD has truly sent him."

Then Hananiah the prophet took the bar from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and broke it.

Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, "The LORD says: 'Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from off the neck of all the nations within two full years.'" Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

Then The LORD's word came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

"Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, 'The LORD says, "You have broken the bars of wood, but you have made in their place bars of iron."

For the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel says, "I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. I have also given him the animals of the field."'"

Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, "Listen, Hananiah! the LORD has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie.

Therefore the LORD says, 'Behold, I will send you away from off the surface of the earth. This year you will die, because you have spoken rebellion against The LORD.'"

So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles; Message to Shemaiah

Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,

(after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths, had departed from Jerusalem),

by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon). It said:

The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon:

"Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.

Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and don't be diminished.

Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace."

For the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel says: "Don't let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you. Don't listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.

For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them," says The LORD.

For the LORD says, "After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you," says The LORD, "thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.

I will be found by you," says The LORD, "and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says The LORD. I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive."

Because you have said, "The LORD has raised us up prophets in Babylon;"

The LORD says concerning the king who sits on David's throne, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who haven't gone with you into captivity;

The LORD of Armies says: "Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that can't be eaten, they are so bad.

I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of horror, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them,

because they have not listened to my words," says The LORD, "with which I sent to them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but you would not hear," says The LORD.

Hear therefore The LORD's word, all you captives, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my name: "Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he will kill them before your eyes.

A curse will be taken up about them by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, 'The LORD make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;'

because they have done foolish things in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I didn't command them. I am he who knows, and am witness," says The LORD.

Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying,

"The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, 'Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

"The LORD has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in The LORD's house, for every man who is crazy, and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles.

Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you,

because he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, The captivity is long. Build houses, and dwell in them. Plant gardens, and eat their fruit?"'"

Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

Then The LORD's word came to Jeremiah, saying,

"Send to all of the captives, saying, 'The LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: "Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I didn't send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie;"

therefore the LORD says, "Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. He will not have a man to dwell among this people. He won't see the good that I will do to my people," says The LORD, "because he has spoken rebellion against The LORD."'"

Jeremiah 30

God Promises Deliverance from Captivity

The word that came to Jeremiah from The LORD, saying,

"The LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'Write all the words that I have spoken to you in a book.

For, behold, the days come,' says The LORD, 'that I will reverse the captivity of my people Israel and Judah,' says The LORD. 'I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it.'"

These are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah.

For the LORD says:"We have heard a voice of trembling;a voice of fear, and not of peace.

Ask now, and see whether a man travails with child.Why do I see every man with his hands on his waist, as a woman in travail,and all faces are turned pale?

Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it.It is even the time of Jacob's trouble;but he will be saved out of it.

It will come to pass in that day, says the LORD of Hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck,and will burst your bonds.Strangers will no more make them their bondservants;

but they will serve the LORD their God,and David their king,whom I will raise up to them.

Therefore don't be afraid, O Jacob my servant, says The LORD.Don't be dismayed, Israel.For, behold, I will save you from afar,and save your offspring from the land of their captivity.Jacob will return,and will be quiet and at ease.No one will make him afraid.

For I am with you, says The LORD, to save you;for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have scattered you,but I will not make a full end of you;but I will correct you in measure,and will in no way leave you unpunished."

For the LORD says,"Your hurt is incurable.Your wound is grievous.

There is no one to plead your cause,that you may be bound up.You have no healing medicines.

All your lovers have forgotten you.They don't seek you.For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,with the chastisement of a cruel one,for the greatness of your iniquity,because your sins were increased.

Why do you cry over your injury?Your pain is incurable.For the greatness of your iniquity,because your sins have increased,I have done these things to you.

Therefore all those who devour you will be devoured.All your adversaries, everyone of them, will go into captivity.Those who plunder you will be plunder.I will make all who prey on you become prey.

For I will restore health to you,and I will heal you of your wounds," says The LORD;"because they have called you an outcast,saying, 'It is Zion, whom no man seeks after.'"

The LORD says:"Behold, I will reverse the captivity of Jacob's tents,and have compassion on his dwelling places.The city will be built on its own hill,and the palace will be inhabited in its own place.

Thanksgiving will proceed out of themwith the voice of those who make merry.I will multiply them,and they will not be few;I will also glorify them,and they will not be small.

Their children also will be as before,and their congregation will be established before me.I will punish all who oppress them.

Their prince will be one of them,and their ruler will proceed from among them.I will cause him to draw near,and he will approach to me;for who is he who has had boldness to approach to me?" says The LORD.

"You shall be my people,and I will be your God.

Behold, The LORD's storm, his wrath, has gone out,a sweeping storm:it will burst on the head of the wicked.

The fierce anger of the LORD will not return until he has accomplished,and until he has performed the intentions of his heart.In the latter days you will understand it."

Jeremiah 31

The Restoration of Israel; New Covenant

"At that time," says The LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people."

The LORD says, "The people who survive the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest."

The LORD appeared of old to me, saying,"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love.Therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness.

I will build you again,and you will be built, O virgin of Israel.You will again be adorned with your tambourines,and will go out in the dances of those who make merry.

Again you will plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria.The planters will plant,and will enjoy its fruit.

For there will be a day that the watchmen on the hills of Ephraim cry,'Arise, and let us go up to Zion to the LORD our God.'"

For the LORD says,"Sing with gladness for Jacob,and shout for the chief of the nations.Publish, praise, and say,'The LORD, save your people,the remnant of Israel!'

Behold, I will bring them from the north country,and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth,along with the blind and the lame,the woman with child and her who travails with child together.They will return as a great company.

They will come with weeping.I will lead them with petitions.I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters,in a straight way in which they won't stumble;for I am a father to Israel.Ephraim is my firstborn.

"Hear The LORD's word, you nations,and declare it in the distant islands. Say,'He who scattered Israel will gather him,and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.'

For the LORD has ransomed Jacob,and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.

They will come and sing in the height of Zion,and will flow to the goodness of The LORD,to the grain, to the new wine, to the oil,and to the young of the flock and of the herd.Their soul will be as a watered garden.They will not sorrow any more at all.

Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance;the young men and the old together;for I will turn their mourning into joy,and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness,and my people will be satisfied with my goodness," says The LORD.

The LORD says:"A voice is heard in Ramah,lamentation and bitter weeping,Rachel weeping for her children.She refuses to be comforted for her children,because they are no more."

The LORD says:"Refrain your voice from weeping,and your eyes from tears;for your work will be rewarded," says The LORD."They will come again from the land of the enemy.

There is hope for your latter end," says The LORD."Your children will come again to their own territory.

"I have surely heard Ephraim grieving thus,'You have chastised me,and I was chastised, as an untrained calf.Turn me, and I will be turned;for you are the LORD my God.

Surely after that I was turned.I repented.After that I was instructed.I struck my thigh.I was ashamed, yes, even confounded,because I bore the reproach of my youth.'

Is Ephraim my dear son?Is he a darling child?For as often as I speak against him,I still earnestly remember him.therefore my heart yearns for him.I will surely have mercy on him," says The LORD.

"Set up road signs.Make guideposts.Set your heart toward the highway,even the way by which you went.Turn again, virgin of Israel.Turn again to these your cities.

How long will you go here and there,you backsliding daughter?For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth:a woman will encompass a man."

The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: "Yet again they will use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I reverse their captivity: 'The LORD bless you, habitation of righteousness, mountain of holiness.'

Judah and all its cities will dwell therein together, the farmers, and those who go about with flocks.

For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul."

On this I awakened, and saw; and my sleep was sweet to me.

"Behold, the days come," says The LORD, "that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of animal.

It will happen that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant," says The LORD.

"In those days they will say no more,"'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,and the children's teeth are set on edge.'

But everyone will die for his own iniquity. Every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.

"Behold, the days come," says The LORD,"that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,and with the house of Judah:

not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;which covenant of mine they broke,although I was a husband to them," says The LORD.

"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,"says The LORD:I will put my law in their inward parts,and I will write it in their heart.I will be their God,and they shall be my people.

They will no longer each teach his neighbor,and every man teach his brother, saying, 'Know The LORD;'for they will all know me,from their least to their greatest," says The LORD:"for I will forgive their iniquity,and I will remember their sin no more."

The LORD, who gives the sun for a light by day,and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night,who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar;The LORD of Armies is his name, says:

"If these ordinances depart from before me," says The LORD,"then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before me forever."

The LORD says: "If heaven above can be measured,and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath,then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done," says The LORD.

"Behold, the days come," says The LORD, "that the city will be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananel to the gate of the corner.

The measuring line will go out further straight onward to the hill Gareb, and will turn toward Goah.

The whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields to the brook Kidron, to the corner of the horse gate toward the east, will be holy to The LORD. It will not be plucked up or thrown down any more forever."

Jeremiah 32

Jeremiah Imprisoned by Zedekiah, Buys Hanamel's Field, Prays

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

Now at that time the king of Babylon's army was besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah's house.

For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, "Why do you prophesy, and say, 'The LORD says, "Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it;

and Zedekiah king of Judah won't escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes will see his eyes;

and he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him," says The LORD: "though you fight with the Chaldeans, you will not prosper?"'"

Jeremiah said, "The LORD's word came to me, saying,

'Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, "Buy my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is yours to buy it."'"

"So Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the guard according to The LORD's word, and said to me, 'Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption is yours. Buy it for yourself.'"Then I knew that this was The LORD's word.

I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel my uncle's son, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.

I signed the deed, sealed it, called witnesses, and weighed the money in the balances to him.

So I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, containing the terms and conditions, and that which was open;

and I delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses who subscribed the deed of the purchase, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the guard.

"I commanded Baruch before them, saying,

The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says: 'Take these deeds, this deed of the purchase which is sealed, and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days.'

For the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel says: 'Houses and fields and vineyards will yet again be bought in this land.'

Now after I had delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to The LORD, saying,

"Ah Lord God! Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for you,

who show loving kindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the great, the mighty God, the LORD of Hosts is his name;

great in counsel, and mighty in work; whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings;

who performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even to this day, both in Israel and among other men; and made yourself a name, as it is today;

and brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, with wonders, with a strong hand, with an outstretched arm, and with great terror;

and gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;

and they came in, and possessed it, but they didn't obey your voice and didn't walk in your law. They have done nothing of all that you commanded them to do. Therefore you have caused all this evil to come upon them.

"Behold, siege ramps have come to the city to take it. The city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, of the famine, and of the pestilence. What you have spoken has happened. Behold, you see it.

You have said to me, Lord God, 'Buy the field for money, and call witnesses;' whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans."

Then The LORD's word came to Jeremiah, saying,

"Behold, I am The LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?

Therefore the LORD says: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it.

The Chaldeans, who fight against this city, will come and set this city on fire, and burn it with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal, and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.

"For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only that which was evil in my sight from their youth; for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, says The LORD.

For this city has been to me a provocation of my anger and of my wrath from the day that they built it even to this day, so that I should remove it from before my face,

because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger: they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

They have turned their backs to me, and not their faces. Although I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction.

But they set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it.

They built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through fire to Molech; which I didn't command them. It didn't even come into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin."

Now therefore The LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning this city, about which you say, "It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:"

"Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries where I have driven them in my anger, and in my wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them again to this place. I will cause them to dwell safely.

Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.

I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their good, and the good of their children after them.

I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from following them, to do them good. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me.

Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul."

For the LORD says: "Just as I have brought all this great evil on this people, so will I bring on them all the good that I have promised them.

Fields will be bought in this land, about which you say, 'It is desolate, without man or animal. It is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.'

Men will buy fields for money, sign the deeds, seal them, and call witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, and in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captivity to be reversed," says The LORD.

Jeremiah 33

God Promises to the Captive a Gracious Return and David's Branch

Moreover The LORD's word came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still locked up in the court of the guard, saying,

"The LORD who does it, the LORD who forms it to establish it-The LORD is his name, says:

'Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and difficult things, which you don't know.'

For The LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken down to make a defense against the mounds and against the sword;

while men come to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have killed in my anger and in my wrath, and for all whose wickedness I have hidden my face from this city:

'Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them; and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and truth.

I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.

I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against me. I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against me and by which they have transgressed against me.

This city will be to me for a name of joy, for praise, and for glory, before all the nations of the earth, which will hear all the good that I do to them, and will fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I provide to it.'"

The LORD says: "Yet again there will be heard in this place, about which you say, 'It is waste, without man and without animal, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without animal,'

the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, 'Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good, for his loving kindness endures forever;' who bring thanksgiving into The LORD's house. For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed as at the first," says The LORD.

The LORD of Armies says: "Yet again there will be in this place, which is waste, without man and without animal, and in all its cities, a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.

In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of him who counts them," says The LORD.

"Behold, the days come," says The LORD, "that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah.

"In those days and at that time,I will cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up to David.He will execute justice and righteousness in the land.

In those days Judah will be saved,and Jerusalem will dwell safely.This is the name by which she will be called:The LORD our righteousness."

For the LORD says: "David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel.

The priests the Levites won't lack a man before me to offer burnt offerings, to burn meal offerings, and to do sacrifice continually."

The LORD's word came to Jeremiah, saying,

"The LORD says: 'If you can break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night, so that there will not be day and night in their time;

then may my covenant also be broken with David my servant, that he won't have a son to reign on his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

As the army of the sky can't be counted, and the sand of the sea can't be measured; so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant and the Levites who minister to me.'"

The LORD's word came to Jeremiah, saying,

"Don't consider what this people has spoken, saying, 'Has the LORD cast off the two families which he chose?' Thus they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them."

The LORD says: "If my covenant of day and night fails, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;

then I will also cast away the offspring of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his offspring to be rulers over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to be reversed and will have mercy on them."

Jeremiah 34

Jeremiah Prophesies the Captivity of Zedekiah; Freedom for Slaves

The word which came to Jeremiah from The LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with all his army, all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion, and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem and against all its cities, saying:

"The LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, the LORD says, "Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.

You won't escape out of his hand, but will surely be taken and delivered into his hand. Your eyes will see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with you mouth to mouth. You will go to Babylon."'

"Yet hear The LORD's word, O Zedekiah king of Judah: the LORD says concerning you, 'You won't die by the sword.

You will die in peace; and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will make a burning for you. They will lament you, saying, "Ah Lord!" for I have spoken the word,' says The LORD."

Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

when the king of Babylon's army was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these alone remained of the cities of Judah as fortified cities.

The word came to Jeremiah from The LORD, after king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them;

that every man should let his male servant, and every man his female servant, who is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that no one should make bondservants of them, of a Jew his brother.

All the princes and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant, that everyone should let his male servant, and everyone his female servant go free, that no one should make bondservants of them any more. They obeyed and let them go;

but afterwards they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.

Therefore The LORD's word came to Jeremiah from The LORD, saying,

"The LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,

At the end of seven years, every man of you shall release his brother who is a Hebrew, who has been sold to you, and has served you six years. You shall let him go free from you; but your fathers didn't listen to me, and didn't incline their ear.

You had now turned, and had done that which is right in my eyes, in every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor. You had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name;

but you turned and profaned my name, and every man caused his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom you had let go free at their pleasure, to return. You brought them into subjection, to be to you for servants and for handmaids.'"

Therefore the LORD says: "You have not listened to me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbor. Behold, I proclaim to you a liberty," says The LORD, "to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine. I will make you be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth.

I will give the men who have transgressed my covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts:

the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts of the calf;

I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.

"I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes into the hands of their enemies, into the hands of those who seek their life and into the hands of the king of Babylon's army, who has gone away from you.

Behold, I will command," says The LORD, "and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it, take it, and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant."

Jeremiah 35

By the Obedience of the Recabites, Jeremiah Rebukes Judah

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,

"Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into The LORD's house, into one of the rooms, and give them wine to drink."

Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, with his brothers, all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;

and I brought them into The LORD's house, into the room of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the room of the princes, which was above the room of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold.

I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, "Drink wine!"

But they said, "We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, 'You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons, forever.

You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, or have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land in which you live as nomads.'

We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters;

and not to build houses for ourselves to dwell in. We have no vineyard, field, or seed;

but we have lived in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, we said, 'Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians; so we will dwell at Jerusalem.'"

Then The LORD's word came to Jeremiah, saying,

"The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Will you not receive instruction to listen to my words?" says The LORD.

"The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and to this day they drink none, for they obey their father's commandment; but I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking, and you have not listened to me.

I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, 'Every one of you must return now from his evil way, amend your doings, and don't go after other gods to serve them, then you will dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers:' but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to me.

The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to me."'

"Therefore The LORD, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.'"

Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, "The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you;'

therefore the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: 'Jonadab the son of Rechab will not lack a man to stand before me forever.'"

Jeremiah 36

Jeremiah's Scroll Read in the Temple, Burned, and Replaced

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from The LORD, saying,

"Take a scroll of a book, and write in it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day.

It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I intend to do to them; that they may each return from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin."

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all The LORD's words, which he had spoken to him, on a scroll of a book.

Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, "I am restricted. I can't go into The LORD's house.

Therefore you go, and read from the scroll which you have written from my mouth, The LORD's words, in the ears of the people in The LORD's house on the fast day. Also you shall read them in the ears of all Judah who come out of their cities.

It may be they will present their supplication before The LORD, and will each return from his evil way; for the LORD has pronounced great anger and wrath against this people."

Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book The LORD's words in The LORD's house.

Now in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before The LORD.

Then Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the book in The LORD's house, in the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of The LORD's house, in the ears of all the people.

When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all The LORD's words,

he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's room: and behold, all the princes were sitting there, Elishama the scribe, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.

Then Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.

Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, "Take in your hand the scroll in which you have read in the ears of the people, and come."So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand, and came to them.

They said to him, "Sit down now, and read it in our hearing."So Baruch read it in their hearing.

Now when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said to Baruch, "We will surely tell the king of all these words."

They asked Baruch, saying, "Tell us now, how did you write all these words at his mouth?"

Then Baruch answered them, "He dictated all these words to me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book."

Then the princes said to Baruch, "You and Jeremiah go hide. Don't let anyone know where you are."

They went in to the king into the court; but they had laid up the scroll in the room of Elishama the scribe. Then they told all the words in the hearing of the king.

So the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll; and he took it out of the room of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king, and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king.

Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month; and there was a fire in the brazier burning before him.

When Jehudi had read three or four leaves, the king cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.

The king and his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, and didn't tear their garments.

Moreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them.

The king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but the LORD hid them.

Then The LORD's word came to Jeremiah, after the king had burned the scroll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

"Take again another scroll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned.

Concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, 'The LORD says: "You have burned this scroll, saying, "Why have you written therein, saying, 'The king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cause to cease from there man and animal?'"'

Therefore the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: "He will have no one to sit on David's throne. His dead body will be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

I will punish him, his offspring, and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring on them, on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they didn't listen."'"

Then took Jeremiah another scroll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them.

Jeremiah 37

Jeremiah Warns against Trust in Pharaoh

Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, listened to The LORD's words, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.

Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "Pray now to the LORD our God for us."

Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison.

Pharaoh's army had come out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they broke up from Jerusalem.

Then The LORD's word came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

"The LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'You shall tell the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: "Behold, Pharaoh's army, which has come out to help you, will return to Egypt into their own land.

The Chaldeans will come again, and fight against this city. They will take it and burn it with fire."'

"The LORD says, 'Don't deceive yourselves, saying, "The Chaldeans will surely depart from us;" for they will not depart.

For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yes they would each rise up in his tent and burn this city with fire.'"

When the army of the Chaldeans had broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,

then Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the middle of the people.

When he was in Benjamin's gate, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he siezed Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "You are defecting to the Chaldeans!"

Then Jeremiah said, "That is false! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans."But he didn't listen to him; so Irijah siezed Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

The princes were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.

When Jeremiah had come into the dungeon house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days,

then Zedekiah the king sent, and had him brought out. The king asked him secretly in his house, "Is there any word from The LORD?"Jeremiah said, "There is." He also said, "You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon."

Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, "How have I sinned against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?

Now where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, 'The king of Babylon will not come against you, nor against this land?'

Now please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there."

Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard. They gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was gone. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah Thrown into the Dungeon of Malkijah

Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,

"The LORD says, 'He who remains in this city will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live, and he will escape with his life, and he will live.'

The LORD says, 'This city will surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will take it.'"

Then the princes said to the king, "Please let this man be put to death; because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them: for this man doesn't seek the welfare of this people, but harm."

Zedekiah the king said, "Behold, he is in your hand; for the king can't do anything to oppose you."

Then took they Jeremiah and threw him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard. They let down Jeremiah with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king was then sitting in Benjamin's gate),

Ebedmelech went out of the king's house, and spoke to the king, saying,

"My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon. He is likely to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city."

Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, "Take from here thirty men with you, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he dies."

So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, "Now put these rags and worn-out garments under your armpits under the cords."Jeremiah did so.

So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Then Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah the prophet to himself into the third entry that is in The LORD's house. Then the king said to Jeremiah, "I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me."

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? If I give you counsel, you will not listen to me."

So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, "As the LORD lives, who made us this soul, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life."

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "The LORD, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'If you will go out to the king of Babylon's princes, then your soul will live, and this city will not be burned with fire. You will live, along with your house.

But if you will not go out to the king of Babylon's princes, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you won't escape out of their hand.'"

Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me."

But Jeremiah said, "They won't deliver you. Obey, I beg you, The LORD's voice, in that which I speak to you; so it will be well with you, and your soul will live.

But if you refuse to go out, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:

'Behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah's house will be brought out to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women will say,"Your familiar friends have turned on you,and have prevailed over you.Your feet are sunk in the mire,they have turned away from you."

They will bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans. You won't escape out of their hand, but will be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. You will cause this city to be burned with fire.'"

Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no man know of these words, and you won't die.

But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and tell you, 'Declare to us now what you have said to the king; don't hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; also tell us what the king said to you;'

then you shall tell them, 'I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there.'"

Then all the princes came to Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.

So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.

Jeremiah 39

Jerusalem Is Taken; Zedekiah and the People Captivated

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem, and besieged it.

In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city.

All the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, Nergal Sharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal Sharezer, Rabmag, with all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.

When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward the Arabah.

But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. When they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he pronounced judgment on him.

Then the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah's sons in Riblah before his eyes. The king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah.

Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.

The Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the residue of the people who remained in the city, the deserters also who fell away to him, and the residue of the people who remained.

But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, who had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon commanded Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard concerning Jeremiah, saying,

"Take him, and take care of him. Do him no harm; but do to him even as he tells you."

So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, with Nebushazban, Rabsaris, and Nergal Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon;

they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guard, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home. So he lived among the people.

Now The LORD's word came to Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the guard, saying,

"Go, and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, 'The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: "Behold, I will bring my words on this city for evil, and not for good; and they will be accomplished before you in that day.

But I will deliver you in that day," says The LORD; "and you will not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid.

For I will surely save you, and you won't fall by the sword, but you will escape with your life; because you have put your trust in me," says The LORD.'"