Restoration of Israel

30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write(A) in a book all the words I have spoken to you. The days(B) are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring(C) my people Israel and Judah back from captivity[a] and restore(D) them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”

These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: “This is what the Lord says:

“‘Cries of fear(E) are heard—
    terror, not peace.
Ask and see:
    Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
    with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,(F)
    every face turned deathly pale?(G)
How awful that day(H) will be!
    No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble(I) for Jacob,
    but he will be saved(J) out of it.

“‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
    ‘I will break the yoke(K) off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;(L)
    no longer will foreigners enslave them.(M)
Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
    and David(N) their king,(O)
    whom I will raise up for them.

10 “‘So do not be afraid,(P) Jacob my servant;(Q)
    do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will surely save(R) you out of a distant place,
    your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,(S)
    and no one will make him afraid.(T)
11 I am with you(U) and will save you,’
    declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
    among which I scatter you,
    I will not completely destroy(V) you.
I will discipline(W) you but only in due measure;
    I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’(X)

12 “This is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wound(Y) is incurable,
    your injury beyond healing.(Z)
13 There is no one to plead your cause,(AA)
    no remedy for your sore,
    no healing(AB) for you.
14 All your allies(AC) have forgotten you;
    they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy(AD) would
    and punished you as would the cruel,(AE)
because your guilt is so great
    and your sins(AF) so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound,
    your pain that has no cure?(AG)
Because of your great guilt and many sins
    I have done these things to you.(AH)

16 “‘But all who devour(AI) you will be devoured;
    all your enemies will go into exile.(AJ)
Those who plunder(AK) you will be plundered;
    all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health
    and heal(AL) your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,(AM)
    Zion for whom no one cares.’(AN)

18 “This is what the Lord says:

“‘I will restore the fortunes(AO) of Jacob’s tents(AP)
    and have compassion(AQ) on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt(AR) on her ruins,
    and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs(AS) of thanksgiving(AT)
    and the sound of rejoicing.(AU)
I will add to their numbers,(AV)
    and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,(AW)
    and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children(AX) will be as in days of old,
    and their community will be established(AY) before me;
    I will punish(AZ) all who oppress them.
21 Their leader(BA) will be one of their own;
    their ruler will arise from among them.(BB)
I will bring him near(BC) and he will come close to me—
    for who is he who will devote himself
    to be close to me?’
declares the Lord.
22 “‘So you will be my people,(BD)
    and I will be your God.(BE)’”

23 See, the storm(BF) of the Lord
    will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
    on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger(BG) of the Lord will not turn back(BH)
    until he fully accomplishes
    the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
    you will understand(BI) this.

31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God(BJ) of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”

This is what the Lord says:

“The people who survive the sword
    will find favor(BK) in the wilderness;
    I will come to give rest(BL) to Israel.”

The Lord appeared to us in the past,[b] saying:

“I have loved(BM) you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn(BN) you with unfailing kindness.
I will build you up again,
    and you, Virgin(BO) Israel, will be rebuilt.(BP)
Again you will take up your timbrels(BQ)
    and go out to dance(BR) with the joyful.(BS)
Again you will plant(BT) vineyards
    on the hills of Samaria;(BU)
the farmers will plant them
    and enjoy their fruit.(BV)
There will be a day when watchmen(BW) cry out
    on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
    to the Lord our God.’”(BX)

This is what the Lord says:

“Sing(BY) with joy for Jacob;
    shout for the foremost(BZ) of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
    Lord, save(CA) your people,
    the remnant(CB) of Israel.’
See, I will bring them from the land of the north(CC)
    and gather(CD) them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind(CE) and the lame,(CF)
    expectant mothers and women in labor;
    a great throng will return.
They will come with weeping;(CG)
    they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead(CH) them beside streams of water(CI)
    on a level(CJ) path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel’s father,(CK)
    and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

10 “Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;
    proclaim it in distant coastlands:(CL)
‘He who scattered(CM) Israel will gather(CN) them
    and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’(CO)
11 For the Lord will deliver Jacob
    and redeem(CP) them from the hand of those stronger(CQ) than they.
12 They will come and shout for joy(CR) on the heights(CS) of Zion;
    they will rejoice in the bounty(CT) of the Lord
the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,(CU)
    the young of the flocks(CV) and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,(CW)
    and they will sorrow(CX) no more.
13 Then young women will dance and be glad,
    young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning(CY) into gladness;
    I will give them comfort(CZ) and joy(DA) instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy(DB) the priests(DC) with abundance,
    and my people will be filled with my bounty,(DD)
declares the Lord.

15 This is what the Lord says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,(DE)
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,(DF)
    because they are no more.”(DG)

16 This is what the Lord says:

“Restrain your voice from weeping
    and your eyes from tears,(DH)
for your work will be rewarded,(DI)
declares the Lord.
    “They will return(DJ) from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope(DK) for your descendants,”
declares the Lord.
    “Your children(DL) will return to their own land.

18 “I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
    ‘You disciplined(DM) me like an unruly calf,(DN)
    and I have been disciplined.
Restore(DO) me, and I will return,
    because you are the Lord my God.
19 After I strayed,(DP)
    I repented;
after I came to understand,
    I beat(DQ) my breast.
I was ashamed(DR) and humiliated
    because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’(DS)
20 Is not Ephraim my dear son,
    the child(DT) in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
    I still remember(DU) him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
    I have great compassion(DV) for him,”
declares the Lord.

21 “Set up road signs;
    put up guideposts.(DW)
Take note of the highway,(DX)
    the road that you take.
Return,(DY) Virgin(DZ) Israel,
    return to your towns.
22 How long will you wander,(EA)
    unfaithful(EB) Daughter Israel?
The Lord will create a new thing(EC) on earth—
    the woman will return to[c](ED) the man.”

23 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,[d](EE) the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless(EF) you, you prosperous city,(EG) you sacred mountain.’(EH) 24 People will live(EI) together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.(EJ) 25 I will refresh the weary(EK) and satisfy the faint.”(EL)

26 At this I awoke(EM) and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

27 “The days are coming,”(EN) declares the Lord, “when I will plant(EO) the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28 Just as I watched(EP) over them to uproot(EQ) and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,(ER) so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”(ES) declares the Lord. 29 “In those days people will no longer say,

‘The parents(ET) have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’(EU)

30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;(EV) whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant(EW)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant(EX)
    I made with their ancestors(EY)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,(EZ)
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband(FA) to[e] them,[f]
declares the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds(FB)
    and write it on their hearts.(FC)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.(FD)
34 No longer will they teach(FE) their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know(FF) me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive(FG) their wickedness
    and will remember their sins(FH) no more.”

35 This is what the Lord says,

he who appoints(FI) the sun
    to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
    to shine by night,(FJ)
who stirs up the sea(FK)
    so that its waves roar(FL)
    the Lord Almighty is his name:(FM)
36 “Only if these decrees(FN) vanish from my sight,”
    declares the Lord,
“will Israel(FO) ever cease
    being a nation before me.”

37 This is what the Lord says:

“Only if the heavens above can be measured(FP)
    and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject(FQ) all the descendants of Israel
    because of all they have done,”
declares the Lord.

38 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt(FR) for me from the Tower of Hananel(FS) to the Corner Gate.(FT) 39 The measuring line(FU) will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley(FV) where dead bodies(FW) and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley(FX) on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate,(FY) will be holy(FZ) to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

Jeremiah Buys a Field

32 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth(GA) year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth(GB) year of Nebuchadnezzar. The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging(GC) Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined(GD) in the courtyard of the guard(GE) in the royal palace of Judah.

Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy(GF) as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture(GG) it. Zedekiah(GH) king of Judah will not escape(GI) the Babylonians[g](GJ) but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. He will take(GK) Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him,(GL) declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”(GM)

Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth,(GN) because as nearest relative it is your right and duty(GO) to buy it.’

“Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field(GP) at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’

“I knew that this was the word of the Lord; so I bought the field(GQ) at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels[h] of silver.(GR) 10 I signed and sealed the deed,(GS) had it witnessed,(GT) and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— 12 and I gave this deed to Baruch(GU) son of Neriah,(GV) the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

13 “In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14 ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed(GW) and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’(GX)

16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch(GY) son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:

17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord,(GZ) you have made the heavens and the earth(HA) by your great power and outstretched arm.(HB) Nothing is too hard(HC) for you. 18 You show love(HD) to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps(HE) of their children(HF) after them. Great and mighty God,(HG) whose name is the Lord Almighty,(HH) 19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds.(HI) Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind;(HJ) you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.(HK) 20 You performed signs and wonders(HL) in Egypt(HM) and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown(HN) that is still yours. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand(HO) and an outstretched arm(HP) and with great terror.(HQ) 22 You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.(HR) 23 They came in and took possession(HS) of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law;(HT) they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster(HU) on them.

24 “See how the siege ramps(HV) are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague,(HW) the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said(HX) has happened,(HY) as you now see. 25 And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field(HZ) with silver and have the transaction witnessed.(IA)’”

26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.(IB) Is anything too hard for me?(IC) 28 Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar(ID) king of Babylon, who will capture it.(IE) 29 The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down,(IF) along with the houses(IG) where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings(IH) to other gods.(II)

30 “The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth;(IJ) indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger(IK) with what their hands have made,(IL) declares the Lord. 31 From the day it was built until now, this city(IM) has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove(IN) it from my sight. 32 The people of Israel and Judah have provoked(IO) me by all the evil(IP) they have done—they, their kings and officials,(IQ) their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 33 They turned their backs(IR) to me and not their faces; though I taught(IS) them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.(IT) 34 They set up their vile images(IU) in the house that bears my Name(IV) and defiled(IW) it. 35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom(IX) to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek,(IY) though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind(IZ)—that they should do such a detestable(JA) thing and so make Judah sin.(JB)

36 “You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague(JC) it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37 I will surely gather(JD) them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger(JE) and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.(JF) 38 They will be my people,(JG) and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness(JH) of heart and action, so that they will always fear(JI) me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant(JJ) with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire(JK) them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.(JL) 41 I will rejoice(JM) in doing them good(JN) and will assuredly plant(JO) them in this land with all my heart and soul.(JP)

42 “This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity(JQ) on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised(JR) them. 43 Once more fields will be bought(JS) in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate(JT) waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ 44 Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds(JU) will be signed, sealed and witnessed(JV) in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,(JW) because I will restore(JX) their fortunes,[i] declares the Lord.”

Promise of Restoration

33 While Jeremiah was still confined(JY) in the courtyard(JZ) of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time:(KA) “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth,(KB) the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name:(KC) ‘Call(KD) to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable(KE) things you do not know.’ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege(KF) ramps(KG) and the sword in the fight with the Babylonians[j]: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath.(KH) I will hide my face(KI) from this city because of all its wickedness.

“‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal(KJ) my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace(KK) and security. I will bring Judah(KL) and Israel back from captivity[k](KM) and will rebuild(KN) them as they were before.(KO) I will cleanse(KP) them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive(KQ) all their sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown,(KR) joy, praise(KS) and honor(KT) before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble(KU) at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

10 “This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.”(KV) Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted,(KW) inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more 11 the sounds of joy and gladness,(KX) the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings(KY) to the house of the Lord, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
    for the Lord is good;(KZ)
    his love endures forever.”(LA)

For I will restore the fortunes(LB) of the land as they were before,(LC)’ says the Lord.

12 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate(LD) and without people or animals(LE)—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.(LF) 13 In the towns of the hill(LG) country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,(LH) in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand(LI) of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise(LJ) I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

15 “‘In those days and at that time
    I will make a righteous(LK) Branch(LL) sprout from David’s line;(LM)
    he will do what is just and right in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved(LN)
    and Jerusalem will live in safety.(LO)
This is the name by which it[l] will be called:(LP)
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’(LQ)

17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail(LR) to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, 18 nor will the Levitical(LS) priests(LT) ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.(LU)’”

19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day(LV) and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,(LW) 21 then my covenant(LX) with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites(LY) who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.(LZ) 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless(MA) as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”

23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms[m](MB) he chose’? So they despise(MC) my people and no longer regard them as a nation.(MD) 25 This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night(ME) and established the laws(MF) of heaven and earth,(MG) 26 then I will reject(MH) the descendants of Jacob(MI) and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes[n](MJ) and have compassion(MK) on them.’”

Warning to Zedekiah

34 While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples(ML) in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem(MM) and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah(MN) 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.(MO) You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.(MP) 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.

“‘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;(MQ) you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire(MR) in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas,(MS) master!” I myself make this promise, declares the Lord.’”

Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out—Lachish(MT) and Azekah.(MU) These were the only fortified cities left in Judah.

Freedom for Slaves

The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people(MV) in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom(MW) for the slaves. Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.(MX) 10 So 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. 11 But afterward they changed their minds(MY) and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

12 Then 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 ancestors(MZ) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.(NA) 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.’[o](NB) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention(NC) to me. 15 Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.(ND) You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.(NE) 16 But now you have turned around(NF) and profaned(NG) 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,(NH) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague(NI) and famine.(NJ) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.(NK) 18 Those who have violated my covenant(NL) 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.(NM) 19 The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials,(NN) the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, 20 I will deliver(NO) into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them.(NP) Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.(NQ)

21 “I will deliver Zedekiah(NR) king of Judah and his officials(NS) into the hands of their enemies(NT) who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon,(NU) which has withdrawn(NV) from you. 22 I am going to give the order, declares the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take(NW) it and burn(NX) it down. And I will lay waste(NY) the towns of Judah so no one can live there.”

The Rekabites

35 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim(NZ) son of Josiah king of Judah: “Go to the Rekabite(OA) family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms(OB) of the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink.”

So 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. I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God.(OC) It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum(OD) the doorkeeper.(OE) Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”

But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab[p](OF) son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.(OG) Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents.(OH) Then you will live a long time in the land(OI) where you are nomads.’ We have obeyed everything our forefather(OJ) Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops.(OK) 10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us. 11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded(OL) this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem(OM) to escape the Babylonian[q] and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”

12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 13 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell(ON) the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson(OO) 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.(OP) But I have spoken to you again and again,(OQ) yet you have not obeyed(OR) me. 15 Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets(OS) to you. They said, “Each of you must turn(OT) from your wicked ways and reform(OU) your actions; do not follow other gods(OV) to serve them. Then you will live in the land(OW) I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened(OX) to me. 16 The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather(OY) 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 disaster(OZ) I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen;(PA) I called to them, but they did not answer.’”(PB)

18 Then 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 forefather(PC) Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ 19 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail(PD) to have a descendant to serve(PE) me.’”

Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim(PF) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Take a scroll(PG) and write on it all the words(PH) 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 Josiah(PI) till now. Perhaps(PJ) when the people of Judah hear(PK) about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn(PL) from their wicked ways; then I will forgive(PM) their wickedness and their sin.”

So Jeremiah called Baruch(PN) son of Neriah,(PO) and while Jeremiah dictated(PP) all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.(PQ) Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I am not allowed to go to the Lord’s temple. So you go to the house of the Lord on a day of fasting(PR) and read to the people from the scroll the words of the Lord that you wrote as I dictated.(PS) Read them to all the people of Judah(PT) who come in from their towns. Perhaps they will bring their petition(PU) before the Lord and will each turn(PV) from their wicked ways, for the anger(PW) and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great.”

Baruch 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. In the ninth month(PX) of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting(PY) before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah. 10 From the room of Gemariah(PZ) son of Shaphan(QA) the secretary,(QB) which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate(QC) of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the Lord’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.

11 When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, 12 he went down to the secretary’s(QD) room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan(QE) son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.(QF) 13 After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll, 14 all the officials sent Jehudi(QG) son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll(QH) from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand. 15 They said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.”

So Baruch read it to them. 16 When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear(QI) and said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write(QJ) all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”

18 “Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictated(QK) all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”

19 Then the officials(QL) said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide.(QM) Don’t let anyone know where you are.”

20 After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. 21 The king sent Jehudi(QN) to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king(QO) and all the officials standing beside him. 22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment,(QP) with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. 23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,(QQ) 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.(QR) 24 The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear,(QS) nor did they tear their clothes.(QT) 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah(QU) and Gemariah(QV) urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest(QW) Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden(QX) them.

27 After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,(QY) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll(QZ) and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up. 29 Also 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 it(RA) both man and beast?”(RB) 30 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim(RC) king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out(RD) and exposed(RE) to the heat by day and the frost by night.(RF) 31 I will punish him and his children(RG) and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster(RH) I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.(RI)’”

32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated,(RJ) Baruch wrote(RK) on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned(RL) in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

Jeremiah in Prison

37 Zedekiah(RM) son of Josiah was made king(RN) of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin[r](RO) son of Jehoiakim. Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention(RP) to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

King Zedekiah, however, sent(RQ) Jehukal(RR) son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah(RS) son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: “Please pray(RT) to the Lord our God for us.”

Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison.(RU) Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt,(RV) and when the Babylonians[s] who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew(RW) from Jerusalem.(RX)

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire(RY) of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marched(RZ) out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt.(SA) Then the Babylonians will return and attack this city; they will capture(SB) it and burn(SC) it down.’

“This is what the Lord says: Do not deceive(SD) yourselves, thinking, ‘The Babylonians will surely leave us.’ They will not! 10 Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian[t] army that is attacking you and only wounded men were left in their tents, they would come out and burn(SE) this city down.”

11 After the Babylonian army had withdrawn(SF) from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 12 Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property(SG) among the people there. 13 But when he reached the Benjamin Gate,(SH) 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!”(SI)

14 “That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested(SJ) Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten(SK) and imprisoned(SL) in the house(SM) of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.

16 Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time. 17 Then King Zedekiah sent(SN) for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked(SO) him privately,(SP) “Is there any word from the Lord?”

“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be delivered(SQ) into the hands of the king of Babylon.”

18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crime(SR) have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Where are your prophets(SS) who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’? 20 But 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.”(ST)

21 King 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 bread(SU) in the city was gone.(SV) So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.(SW)

Jeremiah Thrown Into a Cistern

38 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur(SX), Jehukal[u](SY) son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague,(SZ) but whoever goes over to the Babylonians[v] will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’(TA) And 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.’”(TB)

Then the officials(TC) said to the king, “This man should be put to death.(TD) He is discouraging(TE) 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.”

“He is in your hands,”(TF) King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing(TG) to oppose you.”

So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard.(TH) They lowered Jeremiah by ropes(TI) into the cistern; it had no water in it,(TJ) only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.(TK)

But Ebed-Melek,(TL) a Cushite,[w] an official[x](TM) in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,(TN) Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, “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,(TO) where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread(TP) in the city.”

10 Then 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.”

11 So 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 ropes(TQ) to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13 and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.(TR)

Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Again

14 Then King Zedekiah sent(TS) 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 hide(TT) anything from me.”

15 Jeremiah 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.”

16 But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly(TU) to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has given us breath,(TV) I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.”(TW)

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender(TX) 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.(TY) 18 But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands(TZ) of the Babylonians and they will burn(UA) it down; you yourself will not escape(UB) from them.’”

19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid(UC) of the Jews who have gone over(UD) 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. “Obey(UE) the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well(UF) with you, and your life(UG) will be spared. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me: 22 All the women(UH) 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 friends(UI) of yours.
Your feet are sunk in the mud;(UJ)
    your friends have deserted you.’

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 30:3 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah
  2. Jeremiah 31:3 Or Lord has appeared to us from afar
  3. Jeremiah 31:22 Or will protect
  4. Jeremiah 31:23 Or I restore their fortunes
  5. Jeremiah 31:32 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac / and I turned away from
  6. Jeremiah 31:32 Or was their master
  7. Jeremiah 32:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 5, 24, 25, 28, 29 and 43
  8. Jeremiah 32:9 That is, about 7 ounces or about 200 grams
  9. Jeremiah 32:44 Or will bring them back from captivity
  10. Jeremiah 33:5 Or Chaldeans
  11. Jeremiah 33:7 Or will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel
  12. Jeremiah 33:16 Or he
  13. Jeremiah 33:24 Or families
  14. Jeremiah 33:26 Or will bring them back from captivity
  15. Jeremiah 34:14 Deut. 15:12
  16. Jeremiah 35:6 Hebrew Jonadab, a variant of Jehonadab; here and often in this chapter
  17. Jeremiah 35:11 Or Chaldean
  18. Jeremiah 37:1 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin
  19. Jeremiah 37:5 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 9, 13 and 14
  20. Jeremiah 37:10 Or Chaldean; also in verse 11
  21. Jeremiah 38:1 Hebrew Jukal, a variant of Jehukal
  22. Jeremiah 38:2 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 18, 19 and 23
  23. Jeremiah 38:7 Probably from the upper Nile region
  24. Jeremiah 38:7 Or a eunuch

30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.

For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.

For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.

Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

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

For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:

But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

10 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.

11 For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

12 For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.

13 There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.

14 All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.

15 Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.

16 Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.

17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

18 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.

19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.

21 And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord.

22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

23 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.

24 The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he hath done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.

31 At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.

The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.

For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.

For thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.

Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.

They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

10 Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

11 For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

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

14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.

15 Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

16 Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.

18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God.

19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.

21 Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.

22 How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.

23 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The Lord bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness.

24 And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks.

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

26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.

27 Behold, the days come, saith 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 beast.

28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord.

29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.

30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.

31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

32 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 my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

35 Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name:

36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

37 Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.

38 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.

39 And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.

40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the Lord; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.

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

For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.

For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;

And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;

And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the Lord: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.

And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.

So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.

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

10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.

11 So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open:

12 And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.

13 And I charged Baruch before them, saying,

14 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.

15 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.

16 Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord, saying,

17 Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

18 Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest 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,

19 Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:

20 Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day;

21 And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror;

22 And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;

23 And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them:

24 Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.

25 And thou hast said unto me, O Lord God, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,

27 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

28 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it:

29 And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger.

30 For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the Lord.

31 For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face,

32 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, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

33 And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.

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

35 And 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 the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

36 And now therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;

37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:

38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:

39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

41 Yea, 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.

42 For thus saith the Lord; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.

43 And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

44 Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the Lord.

33 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name;

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword;

They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city.

Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.

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

And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.

And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.

10 Thus saith the Lord; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast,

11 The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord.

12 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.

13 In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the Lord.

14 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.

17 For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;

18 Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

19 And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying,

20 Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

21 Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.

23 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

24 Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the Lord hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

25 Thus saith the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;

26 Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.

34 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,

Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:

And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.

Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:

But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the Lord.

Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

When the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.

This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;

That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.

10 Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.

11 But afterward 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.

12 Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

13 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,

14 At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.

15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

17 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

18 And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,

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

20 I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.

21 And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which are gone up from you.

22 Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

35 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.

Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;

And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door:

And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.

But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:

Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.

Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11 But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that 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 dwell at Jerusalem.

12 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,

13 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the Lord.

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

15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.

16 Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me:

17 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

18 And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:

19 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.

36 And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.

It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man 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 words of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the Lord:

Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the Lord in the ears of the people in the Lord's house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.

It may be they will present their supplication before the Lord, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the Lord hath pronounced against this people.

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

And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

10 Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house, in the ears of all the people.

11 When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the Lord,

12 Then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.

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

14 Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.

15 And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.

16 Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.

17 And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

18 Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.

19 Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.

20 And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.

21 So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.

22 Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.

23 And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.

24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

25 Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.

26 But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the Lord hid them.

27 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

28 Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

29 And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?

30 Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.

32 Then took Jeremiah another roll, 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 there were added besides unto them many like words.

37 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.

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

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

Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

Then came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah saying,

Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.

And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.

Thus saith the Lord; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.

10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

11 And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,

12 Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people.

13 And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.

14 Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

15 Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the Lord? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

18 Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?

19 Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

20 Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

38 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,

Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.

Thus saith the Lord, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it.

Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.

Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;

Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spake 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; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.

10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.

11 So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

12 And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.

13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the Lord: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.

15 Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?

16 So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the Lord liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.

17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:

18 But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.

19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.

20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.

21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the Lord hath shewed me:

22 And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.

23 So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.

24 Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:

26 Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there.

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

28 So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.

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

And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up.

And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.

And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain.

But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him.

Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.

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

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

Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the people that remained.

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

11 Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,

12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.

13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon's princes;

14 Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.

15 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

16 Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.

17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.

18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.