Jeremiah 38-52
New King James Version
Jeremiah in the Dungeon
38 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, (A)Jucal[a] the son of Shelemiah, and (B)Pashhur the son of Malchiah (C)heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord: (D)‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’ 3 Thus says the Lord: (E)‘This city shall surely be (F)given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.’ ”
4 Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please, (G)let this man be put to death, for thus he [b]weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the [c]welfare of this people, but their harm.”
5 Then Zedekiah the king said, “Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do nothing against you.” 6 (H)So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah [d]the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.
7 (I)Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the [e]eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, 8 Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: 9 “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 likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is (J)no more bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.” And Jeremiah did so. 13 So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained (K)in the court of the prison.
Zedekiah’s Fears and Jeremiah’s Advice
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance of the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I will (L)ask you something. Hide nothing from me.”
15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”
16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the Lord lives, (M)who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you surely (N)surrender[f] (O)to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not [g]surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans; they shall burn it with fire, and (P)you shall not escape from their hand.’ ”
19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have (Q)defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they (R)abuse me.”
20 But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver you. Please, obey the voice of the Lord which I speak to you. So it shall be (S)well with you, and your soul shall live. 21 But if you refuse to [h]surrender, this is the word that the Lord has shown me: 22 ‘Now behold, all the (T)women who are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say:
“Your close friends have [i]set upon you
And prevailed against you;
Your feet have sunk in the mire,
And they have [j]turned away again.”
23 ‘So they shall surrender all your wives and (U)children to the Chaldeans. (V)You shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.’ ”
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die. 25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say to you, ‘Declare to us now what you have said to the king, and also what the king said to you; do not hide it from us, and we will not put you to death,’ 26 then you shall say to them, (W)‘I presented my request before the king, that he would not make me return (X)to Jonathan’s house to die there.’ ”
27 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 conversation had not been heard. 28 Now (Y)Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And he was there when Jerusalem was taken.
The Fall of Jerusalem(Z)
39 In the (AA)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. 2 In the (AB)eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the [k]city was penetrated.
3 (AC)Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, [l]Rabsaris, Nergal-Sarezer, [m]Rabmag, with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.
4 (AD)So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the [n]plain. 5 But the Chaldean army pursued them and (AE)overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had captured him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to (AF)Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him. 6 Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his (AG)eyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all the (AH)nobles of Judah. 7 Moreover (AI)he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with bronze [o]fetters to carry him off to Babylon. 8 (AJ)And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with (AK)fire, and broke down the (AL)walls of Jerusalem. 9 (AM)Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those who (AN)defected to him, with the rest of the people who remained. 10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah the (AO)poor people, who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields [p]at the same time.
Jeremiah Goes Free
11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, 12 “Take him and look after him, and do him no (AP)harm; but do to him just as he says to you.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers; 14 then they sent someone (AQ)to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him (AR)to Gedaliah the son of (AS)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people.
15 Meanwhile the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 16 “Go and speak to (AT)Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, (AU)I will bring My words upon this city for adversity and not for good, and they shall be performed in that day before you. 17 But I will deliver you in that day,” says the Lord, “and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but (AV)your life shall be as a prize to you, (AW)because you have put your trust in Me,” says the Lord.’ ”
Jeremiah with Gedaliah the Governor(AX)
40 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord (AY)after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all who were carried away captive from Jerusalem and Judah, who were carried away captive to Babylon.
2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah and (AZ)said to him: “The Lord your God has pronounced this doom on this place. 3 Now the Lord has brought it, and has done just as He said. (BA)Because you people have sinned against the Lord, and not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you. 4 And now look, I free you this day from the chains that [q]were on your hand. (BB)If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you. But if it seems wrong for you to come with me to Babylon, remain here. See, (BC)all the land is before you; wherever it seems good and convenient for you to go, go there.”
5 Now while Jeremiah had not yet gone back, Nebuzaradan said, “Go back to (BD)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, (BE)whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever it seems convenient for you to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him rations and a gift and let him go. 6 (BF)Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, to (BG)Mizpah, and dwelt with him among the people who were left in the land.
7 (BH)And when all the captains of the armies who were in the fields, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, women, children, and (BI)the poorest of the land who had not been carried away captive to Babylon, 8 then they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—(BJ)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, (BK)Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and (BL)Jezaniah[r] the son of a (BM)Maachathite, they and their men. 9 And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath before them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be (BN)well with you. 10 As for me, I will indeed dwell at Mizpah and serve the Chaldeans who come to us. But you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.” 11 Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, 12 then all the Jews (BO)returned out of all places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in abundance.
13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, 14 and said to him, [s]“Do you certainly know that (BP)Baalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to murder you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go, please, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he murder you, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered, and the (BQ)remnant in Judah perish?”
16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely concerning Ishmael.”
Insurrection Against Gedaliah
41 Now it came to pass in the seventh month (BR)that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal [t]family and of the officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at (BS)Mizpah. And there they ate bread together in Mizpah. 2 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, arose and (BT)struck Gedaliah the son of (BU)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had made (BV)governor over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.
4 And it happened, on the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, when as yet no one knew it, 5 that certain men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men (BW)with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to (BX)the house of the Lord. 6 Now Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went along; and it happened as he met them that he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!” 7 So it was, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah (BY)killed them and cast them into the midst of a [u]pit, he and the men who were with him. 8 But ten men were found among them who said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have treasures of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in the field.” So he desisted and did not kill them among their brethren. 9 Now the [v]pit into which Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain, because of Gedaliah, was (BZ)the same one Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain. 10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the (CA)rest of the people who were in Mizpah, (CB)the king’s daughters and all the people who remained in Mizpah, (CC)whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive and departed to go over to (CD)the Ammonites.
11 But when (CE)Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12 they took all the men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah; and they found him by (CF)the great pool that is in Gibeon. 13 So it was, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, that they were glad. 14 Then all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites.
16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, took from Mizpah all the (CG)rest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah after he had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam—the mighty men of war and the women and the children and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. 17 And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of (CH)Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, as they went on their way to (CI)Egypt, 18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, (CJ)whom the king of Babylon had made governor in the land.
The Flight to Egypt Forbidden
42 Now all the captains of the forces, (CK)Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, (CL)“Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and (CM)pray for us to the Lord your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but (CN)a few of many, as you can see), 3 that the Lord your God may show us (CO)the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.”
4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and it shall be, that (CP)whatever the Lord answers you, I will declare it to you. I will (CQ)keep nothing back from you.”
5 So they said to Jeremiah, (CR)“Let the Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the Lord your God sends us by you. 6 Whether it is [w]pleasing or [x]displeasing, we will (CS)obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send you, (CT)that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”
7 And it happened after ten days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: 10 ‘If you will still remain in this land, then (CU)I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I (CV)relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says the Lord, (CW)‘for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12 And (CX)I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’
13 “But if (CY)you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God, 14 saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of (CZ)Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell’— 15 Then hear now the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you (DA)wholly[y] set (DB)your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there, 16 then it shall be that the (DC)sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die. 17 So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And (DD)none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.’
18 “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘As My anger and My fury have been (DE)poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will My fury be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And (DF)you shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.’
19 “The Lord has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, (DG)‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have [z]admonished you this day. 20 For you [aa]were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ 21 And I have this day declared it to you, but you have (DH)not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, or anything which He has sent you by me. 22 Now therefore, know certainly that you (DI)shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.”
Jeremiah Taken to Egypt
43 Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the (DJ)words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, all these words, 2 (DK)that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, “You speak falsely! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to dwell there.’ 3 But (DL)Baruch the son of Neriah has [ab]set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon.” 4 So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people would (DM)not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces took (DN)all the remnant of Judah who had returned to dwell in the land of Judah, from all nations where they had been driven— 6 men, women, children, (DO)the king’s daughters, (DP)and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. 7 (DQ)So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they went as far as (DR)Tahpanhes.
8 Then the (DS)word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 “Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the [ac]clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes; 10 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (DT)My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. 11 (DU)When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death (DV)those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword. 12 [ad]I will kindle a fire in the houses of (DW)the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace. 13 He shall also break the sacred pillars of [ae]Beth Shemesh that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire.” ’ ”
Israelites Will Be Punished in Egypt
44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at (DX)Migdol, at (DY)Tahpanhes, at (DZ)Noph,[af] and in the country of (EA)Pathros, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are (EB)a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went (EC)to burn incense and to (ED)serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers. 4 However (EE)I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!” 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods. 6 So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they [ag]are wasted and desolate, as it is this day.’
7 “Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Why do you commit this great evil (EF)against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain, 8 in that you (EG)provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be (EH)a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not been (EI)humbled,[ah] to this day, nor have they (EJ)feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.’
11 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, (EK)I will set My face against you for catastrophe and for [ai]cutting off all Judah. 12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to dwell there, and (EL)they shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine. They shall die, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; and (EM)they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse and a reproach! 13 (EN)For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to the land of Judah, to which they (EO)desire[aj] to return and dwell. For (EP)none shall return except those who escape.’ ”
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, (EQ)we will not listen to you! 17 But we will certainly do (ER)whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the (ES)queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of [ak]food, were well-off, and saw no trouble. 18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”
19 The women also said, (ET)“And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?”
20 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people—the men, the women, and all the people who had given him that answer—saying: 21 “The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and did it not come into His mind? 22 So the Lord could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, (EU)as it is this day. 23 Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies, (EV)therefore this calamity has happened to you, as at this day.”
24 Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt! 25 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, “We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows!’ 26 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: ‘Behold, (EW)I have sworn by My (EX)great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that (EY)My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “The Lord God lives.” 27 Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt (EZ)shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them. 28 Yet (FA)a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs. 29 And this shall be a sign to you,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely (FB)stand against you for adversity.’
30 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, (FC)I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave (FD)Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.’ ”
Assurance to Baruch
45 The (FE)word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to (FF)Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book [al]at the instruction of Jeremiah, in the (FG)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: 3 ‘You said, “Woe is me now! For the Lord has added grief to my sorrow. I (FH)fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.” ’
4 “Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, (FI)what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. 5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, (FJ)I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the Lord. “But I will give your (FK)life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.” ’ ”
Judgment on Egypt
46 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against (FL)the nations. 2 Against (FM)Egypt.
(FN)Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (FO)defeated in the (FP)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
3 “Order[am] the [an]buckler and shield,
And draw near to battle!
4 Harness the horses,
And mount up, you horsemen!
Stand forth with your helmets,
Polish the spears,
(FQ)Put on the armor!
5 Why have I seen them dismayed and turned back?
Their mighty ones are beaten down;
They have speedily fled,
And did not look back,
For (FR)fear was all around,” says the Lord.
6 “Do not let the swift flee away,
Nor the mighty man escape;
They will (FS)stumble and fall
Toward the north, by the River Euphrates.
7 “Who is this coming up (FT)like a flood,
Whose waters move like the rivers?
8 Egypt rises up like a flood,
And its waters move like the rivers;
And he says, ‘I will go up and cover the earth,
I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.’
9 Come up, O horses, and rage, O chariots!
And let the mighty men come forth:
[ao]The Ethiopians and [ap]the Libyans who handle the shield,
And the Lydians (FU)who handle and bend the bow.
10 For this is (FV)the day of the Lord God of hosts,
A day of vengeance,
That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries.
(FW)The sword shall devour;
It shall be [aq]satiated and made drunk with their blood;
For the Lord God of hosts (FX)has a sacrifice
In the north country by the River Euphrates.
11 “Go(FY) up to Gilead and take balm,
(FZ)O virgin, the daughter of Egypt;
In vain you will use many medicines;
(GA)You shall not be cured.
12 The nations have heard of your (GB)shame,
And your cry has filled the land;
For the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty;
They both have fallen together.”
Babylonia Will Strike Egypt
13 The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and (GC)strike the land of Egypt.
14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in (GD)Migdol;
Proclaim in [ar]Noph and in (GE)Tahpanhes;
Say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves,
For the sword devours all around you.’
15 Why are your valiant men swept away?
They did not stand
Because the Lord drove them away.
16 He made many fall;
Yes, (GF)one fell upon another.
And they said, ‘Arise!
(GG)Let us go back to our own people
And to the land of our nativity
From the oppressing sword.’
17 They cried there,
‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise.
He has passed by the appointed time!’
18 “As I live,” says the King,
(GH)Whose name is the Lord of hosts,
“Surely as Tabor is among the mountains
And as Carmel by the sea, so he shall come.
19 O (GI)you daughter dwelling in Egypt,
Prepare yourself (GJ)to go into captivity!
For [as]Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant.
20 “Egypt is a very pretty (GK)heifer,
But destruction comes, it comes (GL)from the north.
21 Also her mercenaries are in her midst like [at]fat bulls,
For they also are turned back,
They have fled away together.
They did not stand,
For (GM)the day of their calamity had come upon them,
The time of their punishment.
22 (GN)Her noise shall go like a serpent,
For they shall march with an army
And come against her with axes,
Like those who chop wood.
23 “They shall (GO)cut down her forest,” says the Lord,
“Though it cannot be searched,
Because they are innumerable,
And more numerous than (GP)grasshoppers.
24 The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed;
She shall be delivered into the hand
Of (GQ)the people of the north.”
25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will bring punishment on [au]Amon of (GR)No,[av] and Pharaoh and Egypt, (GS)with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those who (GT)trust in him. 26 (GU)And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants. (GV)Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old,” says the Lord.
God Will Preserve Israel(GW)
27 “But(GX) do not fear, O My servant Jacob,
And do not be dismayed, O Israel!
For behold, I will (GY)save you from afar,
And your offspring from the land of their captivity;
Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease;
No one shall make him afraid.
28 Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the Lord,
“For I am with you;
For I will make a complete end of all the nations
To which I have driven you,
But I will not make (GZ)a complete end of you.
I will rightly (HA)correct you,
For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”
Judgment on Philistia
47 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet (HB)against the Philistines, (HC)before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.
2 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, (HD)waters rise (HE)out of the north,
And shall be an overflowing flood;
They shall overflow the land and all that is in it,
The city and those who dwell within;
Then the men shall cry,
And all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.
3 At the (HF)noise of the stamping hooves of his strong horses,
At the rushing of his chariots,
At the rumbling of his wheels,
The fathers will not look back for their children,
[aw]Lacking courage,
4 Because of the day that comes to plunder all the (HG)Philistines,
To cut off from (HH)Tyre and Sidon every helper who remains;
For the Lord shall plunder the Philistines,
(HI)The remnant of the country of (HJ)Caphtor.[ax]
5 (HK)Baldness has come upon Gaza,
(HL)Ashkelon is cut off
With the remnant of their valley.
How long will you cut yourself?
6 “O you (HM)sword of the Lord,
How long until you are quiet?
Put yourself up into your scabbard,
Rest and be still!
7 How can [ay]it be quiet,
Seeing the Lord has (HN)given it a charge
Against Ashkelon and against the seashore?
There He has (HO)appointed it.”
Judgment on Moab
48 Against (HP)Moab.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Woe to (HQ)Nebo!
For it is plundered,
(HR)Kirjathaim is shamed and taken;
[az]The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—
2 (HS)No more praise of Moab.
In (HT)Heshbon they have devised evil against her:
‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’
You also shall be cut down, O (HU)Madmen![ba]
The sword shall pursue you;
3 A voice of crying shall be from (HV)Horonaim:
‘Plundering and great destruction!’
4 “Moab is destroyed;
[bb]Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;
5 (HW)For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;
For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
6 “Flee, save your lives!
And be like [bc]the (HX)juniper in the wilderness.
7 For because you have trusted in your works and your (HY)treasures,
You also shall be taken.
And (HZ)Chemosh shall go forth into captivity,
His (IA)priests and his princes together.
8 And (IB)the plunderer shall come against every city;
No one shall escape.
The valley also shall perish,
And the plain shall be destroyed,
As the Lord has spoken.
9 “Give(IC) wings to Moab,
That she may flee and get away;
For her cities shall be desolate,
Without any to dwell in them.
10 (ID)Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully,
And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
11 “Moab has been at ease from [bd]his youth;
He (IE)has settled on his dregs,
And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him,
And his scent has not changed.
12 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I shall send him [be]wine-workers
Who will tip him over
And empty his vessels
And break the bottles.
13 Moab shall be ashamed of (IF)Chemosh,
As the house of Israel (IG)was ashamed of (IH)Bethel, their confidence.
14 “How can you say, (II)‘We are mighty
And strong men for the war’?
15 Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;
Her chosen young men have (IJ)gone down to the slaughter,” says (IK)the King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16 “The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
And his affliction comes quickly.
17 Bemoan him, all you who are around him;
And all you who know his name,
Say, (IL)‘How the strong staff is broken,
The beautiful rod!’
18 “O (IM)daughter inhabiting (IN)Dibon,
Come down from your glory,
And sit in thirst;
For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,
He has destroyed your strongholds.
19 O inhabitant of (IO)Aroer,
(IP)Stand by the way and watch;
Ask him who flees
And her who escapes;
Say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.
(IQ)Wail and cry!
Tell it in (IR)Arnon, that Moab is plundered.
21 “And judgment has come on the plain country:
On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,
22 On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23 On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24 On (IS)Kerioth and Bozrah,
On all the cities of the land of Moab,
Far or near.
25 (IT)The [bf]horn of Moab is cut off,
And his (IU)arm is broken,” says the Lord.
26 “Make(IV) him drunk,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
Moab shall wallow in his vomit,
And he shall also be in derision.
27 For (IW)was not Israel a derision to you?
(IX)Was he found among thieves?
For whenever you speak of him,
You shake your head in (IY)scorn.
28 You who dwell in Moab,
Leave the cities and (IZ)dwell in the rock,
And be like (JA)the dove which makes her nest
In the sides of the cave’s mouth.
29 “We have heard the (JB)pride of Moab
(He is exceedingly proud),
Of his loftiness and arrogance and (JC)pride,
And of the haughtiness of his heart.”
30 “I know his wrath,” says the Lord,
“But it is not right;
(JD)His [bg]lies have made nothing right.
31 Therefore (JE)I will wail for Moab,
And I will cry out for all Moab;
[bh]I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
32 (JF)O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of (JG)Jazer.
Your plants have gone over the sea,
They reach to the sea of Jazer.
The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.
33 (JH)Joy and gladness are taken
From the plentiful field
And from the land of Moab;
I have caused wine to [bi]fail from the winepresses;
No one will tread with joyous shouting—
Not joyous shouting!
34 “From(JI) the cry of Heshbon to (JJ)Elealeh and to Jahaz
They have uttered their voice,
(JK)From Zoar to Horonaim,
Like [bj]a three-year-old heifer;
For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.
35 “Moreover,” says the Lord,
“I will cause to cease in Moab
(JL)The one who offers sacrifices in the [bk]high places
And burns incense to his gods.
36 Therefore (JM)My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab,
And like flutes My heart shall wail
For the men of Kir Heres.
Therefore (JN)the riches they have acquired have perished.
37 “For (JO)every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;
On all the hands shall be cuts, and (JP)on the loins sackcloth—
38 A general lamentation
On all the (JQ)housetops of Moab,
And in its streets;
For I have (JR)broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.
39 “They shall wail:
‘How she is broken down!
How Moab has turned her back with shame!’
So Moab shall be a derision
And a dismay to all those about her.”
40 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, (JS)one shall fly like an eagle,
And (JT)spread his wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth is taken,
And the strongholds are surprised;
(JU)The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed (JV)as a people,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
43 (JW)Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.
44 “He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit,
And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the (JX)snare.
For upon Moab, upon it (JY)I will bring
The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.
45 “Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon
Because of exhaustion.
But (JZ)a fire shall come out of Heshbon,
A flame from the midst of (KA)Sihon,
And (KB)shall devour the brow of Moab,
The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.
46 (KC)Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh perish;
For your sons have been taken captive,
And your daughters captive.
47 “Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab
(KD)In the latter days,” says the Lord.
Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
Judgment on Ammon
49 Against the (KE)Ammonites.
Thus says the Lord:
“Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then does [bl]Milcom inherit (KF)Gad,
And his people dwell in its cities?
2 (KG)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will cause to be heard an alarm of war
In (KH)Rabbah of the Ammonites;
It shall be a desolate mound,
And her [bm]villages shall be burned with fire.
Then Israel shall take possession of his inheritance,” says the Lord.
3 “Wail, O (KI)Heshbon, for Ai is plundered!
Cry, you daughters of Rabbah,
(KJ)Gird yourselves with sackcloth!
Lament and run to and fro by the walls;
For [bn]Milcom shall go into captivity
With his (KK)priests and his princes together.
4 Why (KL)do you boast in the valleys,
[bo]Your flowing valley, O (KM)backsliding daughter?
Who trusted in her (KN)treasures, (KO)saying,
‘Who will come against me?’
5 Behold, I will bring fear upon you,”
Says the Lord God of hosts,
“From all those who are around you;
You shall be driven out, everyone headlong,
And no one will gather those who wander off.
6 But (KP)afterward I will bring back
The captives of the people of Ammon,” says the Lord.
Judgment on Edom
7 (KQ)Against Edom.
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
(KR)“Is wisdom no more in Teman?
(KS)Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom (KT)vanished?
8 Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of (KU)Dedan!
For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,
The time that I will punish him.
9 (KV)If grape-gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
If thieves by night,
Would they not destroy until they have enough?
10 (KW)But I have made Esau bare;
I have uncovered his secret places,
And he shall not be able to hide himself.
His descendants are plundered,
His brethren and his neighbors,
And (KX)he is no more.
11 Leave your fatherless children,
I will preserve them alive;
And let your widows trust in Me.”
12 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, (KY)those whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And are you the one who will altogether go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink of it. 13 For (KZ)I have sworn by Myself,” says the Lord, “that (LA)Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a [bp]waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual [bq]wastes.”
14 (LB)I have heard a message from the Lord,
And an ambassador has been sent to the nations:
“Gather together, come against her,
And rise up to battle!
15 “For indeed, I will make you small among nations,
Despised among men.
16 Your fierceness has deceived you,
The (LC)pride of your heart,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Who hold the height of the hill!
(LD)Though you make your (LE)nest as high as the eagle,
(LF)I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.
17 “Edom also shall be an astonishment;
(LG)Everyone who goes by it will be astonished
And will hiss at all its plagues.
18 (LH)As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
And their neighbors,” says the Lord,
“No one shall remain there,
Nor shall a son of man dwell in it.
19 “Behold,(LI) he shall come up like a lion from (LJ)the [br]floodplain of the Jordan
Against the dwelling place of the strong;
But I will suddenly make him run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For (LK)who is like Me?
Who will arraign Me?
And (LL)who is that shepherd
Who will withstand Me?”
20 (LM)Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord that He has taken against Edom,
And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman:
Surely the least of the flock shall [bs]draw them out;
Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them.
21 (LN)The earth shakes at the noise of their fall;
At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea.
22 Behold, (LO)He shall come up and fly like the eagle,
And spread His wings over Bozrah;
The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
Judgment on Damascus
23 (LP)Against Damascus.
(LQ)“Hamath and Arpad are shamed,
For they have heard bad news.
They are fainthearted;
(LR)There is [bt]trouble on the sea;
It cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus has grown feeble;
She turns to flee,
And fear has seized her.
(LS)Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in [bu]labor.
25 Why is (LT)the city of praise not deserted, the city of My joy?
26 (LU)Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets,
And all the men of war shall be cut off in that day,” says the Lord of hosts.
27 “I(LV) will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,
And it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.”
Judgment on Kedar and Hazor
28 (LW)Against Kedar and against the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall strike.
Thus says the Lord:
“Arise, go up to Kedar,
And devastate (LX)the men of the East!
29 Their (LY)tents and their flocks they shall take away.
They shall take for themselves their curtains,
All their vessels and their camels;
And they shall cry out to them,
(LZ)‘Fear is on every side!’
30 “Flee, get far away! Dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor!” says the Lord.
“For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you,
And has conceived a plan against you.
31 “Arise, go up to (MA)the wealthy nation that dwells securely,” says the Lord,
“Which has neither gates nor bars,
(MB)Dwelling alone.
32 Their camels shall be for booty,
And the multitude of their cattle for plunder.
I will (MC)scatter to all winds those [bv]in the farthest corners,
And I will bring their calamity from all its sides,” says the Lord.
33 “Hazor (MD)shall be a dwelling for jackals, a desolation forever;
No one shall reside there,
Nor son of man dwell in it.”
Judgment on Elam
34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against (ME)Elam, in the (MF)beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, 35 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Behold, I will break (MG)the [bw]bow of Elam,
The foremost of their might.
36 Against Elam I will bring the four winds
From the four quarters of heaven,
And scatter them toward all those winds;
There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go.
37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies
And before those who seek their life.
(MH)I will bring disaster upon them,
My fierce anger,’ says the Lord;
‘And I will send the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
38 I will (MI)set My throne in Elam,
And will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the Lord.
39 ‘But it shall come to pass (MJ)in the latter days:
I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the Lord.”
Judgment on Babylon and Babylonia
50 The word that the Lord spoke (MK)against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
2 “Declare among the nations,
Proclaim, and [bx]set up a standard;
Proclaim—do not conceal it—
Say, ‘Babylon is (ML)taken, (MM)Bel is shamed.
[by]Merodach is broken in pieces;
(MN)Her idols are humiliated,
Her images are broken in pieces.’
3 (MO)For out of the north (MP)a nation comes up against her,
Which shall make her land desolate,
And no one shall dwell therein.
They shall [bz]move, they shall depart,
Both man and beast.
4 “In those days and in that time,” says the Lord,
“The children of Israel shall come,
(MQ)They and the children of Judah together;
(MR)With continual weeping they shall come,
(MS)And seek the Lord their God.
5 They shall ask the way to Zion,
With their faces toward it, saying,
‘Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord
In (MT)a perpetual covenant
That will not be forgotten.’
6 “My people have been (MU)lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them (MV)astray;
They have turned them away on (MW)the mountains.
They have gone from mountain to hill;
They have forgotten their resting place.
7 All who found them have (MX)devoured them;
And (MY)their adversaries said, (MZ)‘We have not offended,
Because they have sinned against the Lord, (NA)the habitation of justice,
The Lord, (NB)the hope of their fathers.’
8 “Move(NC) from the midst of Babylon,
Go out of the land of the Chaldeans;
And be like the [ca]rams before the flocks.
9 (ND)For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon
An assembly of great nations from the north country,
And they shall array themselves against her;
From there she shall be captured.
Their arrows shall be like those of [cb]an expert warrior;
(NE)None shall return in vain.
10 And Chaldea shall become plunder;
(NF)All who plunder her shall be satisfied,” says the Lord.
11 “Because(NG) you were glad, because you rejoiced,
You destroyers of My heritage,
Because you have grown fat (NH)like a heifer threshing grain,
And you [cc]bellow like bulls,
12 Your mother shall be deeply ashamed;
She who bore you shall be ashamed.
Behold, the least of the nations shall be a (NI)wilderness,
A dry land and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of the Lord
She shall not be inhabited,
(NJ)But she shall be wholly desolate.
(NK)Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified
And hiss at all her plagues.
14 “Put(NL) yourselves in array against Babylon all around,
All you who bend the bow;
Shoot at her, spare no arrows,
For she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout against her all around;
She has (NM)given her hand,
Her foundations have fallen,
(NN)Her walls are thrown down;
For (NO)it is the vengeance of the Lord.
Take vengeance on her.
As she has done, so do to her.
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon,
And him who handles the sickle at harvest time.
For fear of the oppressing sword
(NP)Everyone shall turn to his own people,
And everyone shall flee to his own land.
17 “Israel is like (NQ)scattered sheep;
(NR)The lions have driven him away.
First (NS)the king of Assyria devoured him;
Now at last this (NT)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.”
18 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land,
As I have punished the king of (NU)Assyria.
19 (NV)But I will bring back Israel to his home,
And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan;
His soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days and in that time,” says the Lord,
(NW)“The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;
And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found;
For I will pardon those (NX)whom I preserve.
21 “Go up against the land of Merathaim, against it,
And against the inhabitants of (NY)Pekod.
[cd]Waste and utterly destroy them,” says the Lord,
“And do (NZ)according to all that I have commanded you.
22 (OA)A sound of battle is in the land,
And of great destruction.
23 How (OB)the hammer of the whole earth has been cut apart and broken!
How Babylon has become a desolation among the nations!
24 I have laid a snare for you;
You have indeed been (OC)trapped, O Babylon,
And you were not aware;
You have been found and also caught,
Because you have (OD)contended against the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened His armory,
And has brought out (OE)the weapons of His indignation;
For this is the work of the Lord God of hosts
In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from the farthest border;
Open her storehouses;
Cast her up as heaps of ruins,
And destroy her utterly;
Let nothing of her be left.
27 Slay all her (OF)bulls,
Let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them!
For their day has come, the time of (OG)their punishment.
28 The voice of those who flee and escape from the land of Babylon
(OH)Declares in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God,
The vengeance of His temple.
29 “Call together the archers against Babylon.
All you who bend the bow, encamp against it all around;
Let none of them [ce]escape.
(OI)Repay her according to her work;
According to all she has done, do to her;
(OJ)For she has been proud against the Lord,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 (OK)Therefore her young men shall fall in the streets,
And all her men of war shall be cut off in that day,” says the Lord.
31 “Behold, I am against you,
O most haughty one!” says the Lord God of hosts;
“For your day has come,
[cf]The time that I will punish you.
32 The most (OL)proud shall stumble and fall,
And no one will raise him up;
(OM)I will kindle a fire in his cities,
And it will devour all around him.”
33 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“The children of Israel were oppressed,
Along with the children of Judah;
All who took them captive have held them fast;
They have refused to let them go.
34 (ON)Their Redeemer is strong;
(OO)The Lord of hosts is His name.
He will thoroughly plead their (OP)case,
That He may give rest to the land,
And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 “A sword is against the Chaldeans,” says the Lord,
“Against the inhabitants of Babylon,
And (OQ)against her princes and (OR)her wise men.
36 A sword is (OS)against the soothsayers, and they will be fools.
A sword is against her mighty men, and they will be dismayed.
37 A sword is against their horses,
Against their chariots,
And against all (OT)the mixed peoples who are in her midst;
And (OU)they will become like women.
A sword is against her treasures, and they will be robbed.
38 (OV)A [cg]drought is against her waters, and they will be dried up.
For it is the land of carved images,
And they are insane with their idols.
39 “Therefore(OW) the wild desert beasts shall dwell there with the jackals,
And the ostriches shall dwell in it.
(OX)It shall be inhabited no more forever,
Nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 (OY)As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah
And their neighbors,” says the Lord,
“So no one shall reside there,
Nor son of man (OZ)dwell in it.
41 “Behold,(PA) a people shall come from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
42 (PB)They shall hold the bow and the lance;
(PC)They are cruel and shall not show mercy.
(PD)Their voice shall roar like the sea;
They shall ride on horses,
Set in array, like a man for the battle,
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.
43 “The king of Babylon has (PE)heard the report about them,
And his hands grow feeble;
Anguish has taken hold of him,
Pangs as of a woman in (PF)childbirth.
44 “Behold,(PG) he shall come up like a lion from the [ch]floodplain of the Jordan
Against the dwelling place of the strong;
But I will make them suddenly run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For who is like Me?
Who will arraign Me?
And (PH)who is that shepherd
Who will withstand Me?”
45 Therefore hear (PI)the counsel of the Lord that He has taken against Babylon,
And His (PJ)purposes that He has proposed against the land of the Chaldeans:
(PK)Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;
Surely He will make their dwelling place desolate with them.
46 (PL)At the noise of the taking of Babylon
The earth trembles,
And the cry is heard among the nations.
The Utter Destruction of Babylon
51 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will raise up against (PM)Babylon,
Against those who dwell in [ci]Leb Kamai,
(PN)A destroying wind.
2 And I will send (PO)winnowers to Babylon,
Who shall winnow her and empty her land.
(PP)For in the day of doom
They shall be against her all around.
3 Against her (PQ)let the archer bend his bow,
And lift himself up against her in his armor.
Do not spare her young men;
(PR)Utterly destroy all her army.
4 Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans,
(PS)And those thrust through in her streets.
5 For Israel is (PT)not forsaken, nor Judah,
By his God, the Lord of hosts,
Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.”
6 (PU)Flee from the midst of Babylon,
And every one save his life!
Do not be cut off in her iniquity,
For (PV)this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance;
(PW)He shall recompense her.
7 (PX)Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand,
That made all the earth drunk.
(PY)The nations drank her wine;
Therefore the nations (PZ)are deranged.
8 Babylon has suddenly (QA)fallen and been destroyed.
(QB)Wail for her!
(QC)Take balm for her pain;
Perhaps she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon,
But she is not healed.
Forsake her, and (QD)let us go everyone to his own country;
(QE)For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.
10 The Lord has (QF)revealed our righteousness.
Come and let us (QG)declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.
11 (QH)Make[cj] the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
(QI)The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
(QJ)For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it is (QK)the vengeance of the Lord,
The vengeance for His temple.
12 (QL)Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon;
Make the guard strong,
Set up the watchmen,
Prepare the ambushes.
For the Lord has both devised and done
What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 (QM)O you who dwell by many waters,
Abundant in treasures,
Your end has come,
The measure of your covetousness.
14 (QN)The Lord of hosts has sworn by Himself:
“Surely I will fill you with men, (QO)as with locusts,
And they shall lift (QP)up a shout against you.”
15 (QQ)He has made the earth by His power;
He has established the world by His wisdom,
And (QR)stretched out the heaven by His understanding.
16 When He utters His voice—
There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:
(QS)“He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
He makes lightnings for the rain;
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
17 (QT)Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge;
Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image;
(QU)For his molded image is falsehood,
And there is no breath in them.
18 They are futile, a work of errors;
In the time of their punishment they shall perish.
19 The Portion of Jacob is not like them,
For He is the Maker of all things;
And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance.
The Lord of hosts is His name.
20 “You(QV) are My battle-ax and weapons of war:
For with you I will break the nation in pieces;
With you I will destroy kingdoms;
21 With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider;
With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider;
22 With you also I will break in pieces man and woman;
With you I will break in pieces (QW)old and young;
With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden;
23 With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen;
And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers.
24 “And(QX) I will repay Babylon
And all the inhabitants of Chaldea
For all the evil they have done
In Zion in your sight,” says the Lord.
25 “Behold, I am against you, (QY)O destroying mountain,
Who destroys all the earth,” says the Lord.
“And I will stretch out My hand against you,
Roll you down from the rocks,
(QZ)And make you a burnt mountain.
26 They shall not take from you a stone for a corner
Nor a stone for a foundation,
(RA)But you shall be desolate forever,” says the Lord.
27 (RB)Set up a banner in the land,
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
(RC)Prepare the nations against her,
Call (RD)the kingdoms together against her:
Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.
Appoint a general against her;
Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts.
28 Prepare against her the nations,
With the kings of the Medes,
Its governors and all its rulers,
All the land of his dominion.
29 And the land will tremble and sorrow;
For every (RE)purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon,
(RF)To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant.
30 The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting,
They have remained in their strongholds;
Their might has failed,
(RG)They became like women;
They have burned her dwelling places,
(RH)The bars of her gate are broken.
31 (RI)One runner will run to meet another,
And one messenger to meet another,
To show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides;
32 (RJ)The passages are blocked,
The reeds they have burned with fire,
And the men of war are terrified.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“The daughter of Babylon is (RK)like a threshing floor
When (RL)it is time to thresh her;
Yet a little while
(RM)And the time of her harvest will come.”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon
Has (RN)devoured me, he has crushed me;
He has made me an (RO)empty vessel,
He has swallowed me up like a monster;
He has filled his stomach with my delicacies,
He has spit me out.
35 Let the violence done to me and my flesh be upon Babylon,”
The inhabitant of Zion will say;
“And my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea!”
Jerusalem will say.
36 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“Behold, (RP)I will plead your case and take vengeance for you.
(RQ)I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry.
37 (RR)Babylon shall become a heap,
A dwelling place for jackals,
(RS)An astonishment and a hissing,
Without an inhabitant.
38 They shall roar together like lions,
They shall growl like lions’ whelps.
39 In their excitement I will prepare their feasts;
(RT)I will make them drunk,
That they may rejoice,
And sleep a perpetual sleep
And not awake,” says the Lord.
40 “I will bring them down
Like lambs to the slaughter,
Like rams with male goats.
41 “Oh, how (RU)Sheshach[ck] is taken!
Oh, how (RV)the praise of the whole earth is seized!
How Babylon has become desolate among the nations!
42 (RW)The sea has come up over Babylon;
She is covered with the multitude of its waves.
43 (RX)Her cities are a desolation,
A dry land and a wilderness,
A land where (RY)no one dwells,
Through which no son of man passes.
44 I will punish (RZ)Bel[cl] in Babylon,
And I will bring out of his mouth what he has swallowed;
And the nations shall not stream to him anymore.
Yes, (SA)the wall of Babylon shall fall.
45 “My(SB) people, go out of the midst of her!
And let everyone deliver [cm]himself from the fierce anger of the Lord.
46 And lest your heart faint,
And you fear (SC)for the rumor that will be heard in the land
(A rumor will come one year,
And after that, in another year
A rumor will come,
And violence in the land,
Ruler against ruler),
47 Therefore behold, the days are coming
That I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon;
Her whole land shall be ashamed,
And all her slain shall fall in her midst.
48 Then (SD)the heavens and the earth and all that is in them
Shall sing joyously over Babylon;
(SE)For the plunderers shall come to her from the north,” says the Lord.
49 As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall,
So at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall.
50 (SF)You who have escaped the sword,
Get away! Do not stand still!
(SG)Remember the Lord afar off,
And let Jerusalem come to your mind.
51 (SH)We are ashamed because we have heard reproach.
Shame has covered our faces,
For strangers (SI)have come into the [cn]sanctuaries of the Lord’s house.
52 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will bring judgment on her carved images,
And throughout all her land the wounded shall groan.
53 (SJ)Though Babylon were to [co]mount up to heaven,
And though she were to fortify the height of her strength,
Yet from Me plunderers would come to her,” says the Lord.
54 (SK)The sound of a cry comes from Babylon,
And great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans,
55 Because the Lord is plundering Babylon
And silencing her loud voice,
Though her waves roar like great waters,
And the noise of their voice is uttered,
56 Because the plunderer comes against her, against Babylon,
And her mighty men are taken.
Every one of their bows is broken;
(SL)For the Lord is the God of recompense,
He will surely repay.
57 “And I will make drunk
Her princes and (SM)wise men,
Her governors, her deputies, and her mighty men.
And they shall sleep a perpetual sleep
And not awake,” says (SN)the King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts.
58 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly (SO)broken,[cp]
And her high gates shall be burned with fire;
(SP)The people will labor in vain,
And the nations, because of the fire;
And they shall be weary.”
Jeremiah’s Command to Seraiah
59 The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of (SQ)Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 So Jeremiah (SR)wrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon, all these words that are written against Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words, 62 then you shall say, ‘O Lord, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that (SS)none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever.’ 63 Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, (ST)that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates. 64 Then you shall say, ‘Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.’ ”
Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
The Fall of Jerusalem Reviewed(SU)
52 Zedekiah was (SV)twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of (SW)Libnah. 2 He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, till He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah (SX)rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4 Now it came to pass in the (SY)ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. 5 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 By the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled and went out of the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were near the city all around. And they went by way of the [cq]plain.
8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. 9 (SZ)So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he pronounced judgment on him. 10 (TA)Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. And he killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah. 11 He also (TB)put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in [cr]bronze fetters, took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
The Temple and City Plundered and Burned
12 (TC)Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month ((TD)which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), (TE)Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 14 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. 15 (TF)Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poor people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.
17 (TG)The (TH)bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away (TI)the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the [cs]bowls, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. 19 The basins, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the cups, whatever was solid gold and whatever was solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. 20 The two pillars, one Sea, the twelve bronze bulls which were under it, and the carts, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—(TJ)the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 21 Now concerning the (TK)pillars: the height of one pillar was eighteen [ct]cubits, a measuring line of twelve cubits could measure its circumference, and its thickness was [cu]four fingers; it was hollow. 22 A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of one capital was five cubits, with a network and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze. The second pillar, with pomegranates was the same. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; (TL)all the pomegranates, all around on the network, were one hundred.
The People Taken Captive to Babylonia
24 (TM)The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, (TN)Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. 25 He also took out of the city an [cv]officer who had charge of the men of war, seven men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the principal scribe of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. 26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.
28 (TO)These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: (TP)in the seventh year, (TQ)three thousand and twenty-three Jews; 29 (TR)in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred and thirty-two persons; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred and forty-five persons. All the persons were four thousand six hundred.
Jehoiachin Released from Prison(TS)
31 (TT)Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that [cw]Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, (TU)lifted[cx] up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So [cy]Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, (TV)and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. 34 And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 38:1 Jehucal, Jer. 37:3
- Jeremiah 38:4 Is discouraging
- Jeremiah 38:4 Well-being; lit. peace
- Jeremiah 38:6 Or son of Hammelech
- Jeremiah 38:7 Or officers
- Jeremiah 38:17 Lit. go out
- Jeremiah 38:18 Lit. go out
- Jeremiah 38:21 Lit. go out
- Jeremiah 38:22 Or misled
- Jeremiah 38:22 Deserted you
- Jeremiah 39:2 city wall was breached
- Jeremiah 39:3 A title, probably Chief Officer; also v. 13
- Jeremiah 39:3 A title, probably Troop Commander; also v. 13
- Jeremiah 39:4 Or Arabah; the Jordan Valley
- Jeremiah 39:7 chains
- Jeremiah 39:10 Lit. on that day
- Jeremiah 40:4 Or are
- Jeremiah 40:8 Jaazaniah, 2 Kin. 25:23
- Jeremiah 40:14 Or Certainly you know that
- Jeremiah 41:1 Lit. seed
- Jeremiah 41:7 Or cistern
- Jeremiah 41:9 Or cistern
- Jeremiah 42:6 Lit. good
- Jeremiah 42:6 Lit. evil
- Jeremiah 42:15 Or surely
- Jeremiah 42:19 warned
- Jeremiah 42:20 Lit. used deceit against your souls
- Jeremiah 43:3 Or incited
- Jeremiah 43:9 Or mortar
- Jeremiah 43:12 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. He
- Jeremiah 43:13 Lit. House of the Sun, ancient On, later called Heliopolis
- Jeremiah 44:1 Ancient Memphis
- Jeremiah 44:6 Or became a ruin
- Jeremiah 44:10 Lit. crushed
- Jeremiah 44:11 destroying
- Jeremiah 44:14 Lit. lift up their soul
- Jeremiah 44:17 Lit. bread
- Jeremiah 45:1 Lit. from Jeremiah’s mouth
- Jeremiah 46:3 Set in order
- Jeremiah 46:3 A small shield
- Jeremiah 46:9 Heb. Cush
- Jeremiah 46:9 Heb. Put
- Jeremiah 46:10 Filled to the full
- Jeremiah 46:14 Ancient Memphis
- Jeremiah 46:19 Ancient Memphis
- Jeremiah 46:21 Lit. calves of the stall
- Jeremiah 46:25 A sun god
- Jeremiah 46:25 Ancient Thebes
- Jeremiah 47:3 Lit. From sinking hands
- Jeremiah 47:4 Crete
- Jeremiah 47:7 Lit. you
- Jeremiah 48:1 Heb. Misgab
- Jeremiah 48:2 A city of Moab
- Jeremiah 48:4 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX Proclaim it in Zoar
- Jeremiah 48:6 Or Aroer, a city of Moab
- Jeremiah 48:11 Heb. uses masc. and fem. pronouns interchangeably in this chapter.
- Jeremiah 48:12 Lit. tippers of wine bottles
- Jeremiah 48:25 Strength
- Jeremiah 48:30 idle talk
- Jeremiah 48:31 So with DSS, LXX, Vg.; MT He
- Jeremiah 48:33 cease
- Jeremiah 48:34 Or The Third Eglath, an unknown city, Is. 15:5
- Jeremiah 48:35 Places for pagan worship
- Jeremiah 49:1 Heb. Malcam, lit. their king; an Ammonite god, 1 Kin. 11:5; Molech, Lev. 18:21
- Jeremiah 49:2 Lit. daughters
- Jeremiah 49:3 See v. 1
- Jeremiah 49:4 Lit. Your valley is flowing
- Jeremiah 49:13 ruin
- Jeremiah 49:13 ruins
- Jeremiah 49:19 Or thicket
- Jeremiah 49:20 Or drag them away
- Jeremiah 49:23 anxiety
- Jeremiah 49:24 childbirth
- Jeremiah 49:32 Lit. cut off at the corner, Jer. 9:26; 25:23
- Jeremiah 49:35 Power
- Jeremiah 50:2 lift
- Jeremiah 50:2 Or Marduk; a Babylonian god
- Jeremiah 50:3 Or wander
- Jeremiah 50:8 male goats
- Jeremiah 50:9 So with some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr.; MT, Tg., Vg. a warrior who makes childless
- Jeremiah 50:11 Or neigh like steeds
- Jeremiah 50:21 Or Attack with the sword
- Jeremiah 50:29 Qr., some Heb. mss., LXX, Tg. add to her
- Jeremiah 50:31 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. The time of your punishment
- Jeremiah 50:38 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; Syr. sword; LXX omits A drought is
- Jeremiah 50:44 Or thicket
- Jeremiah 51:1 Lit. The Midst of Those Who Rise Up Against Me; a code word for Chaldea, Babylonia
- Jeremiah 51:11 Polish the arrows!
- Jeremiah 51:41 A code word for Babylon, Jer. 25:26
- Jeremiah 51:44 A Babylonian god
- Jeremiah 51:45 Lit. his soul
- Jeremiah 51:51 holy places
- Jeremiah 51:53 ascend
- Jeremiah 51:58 Lit. laid utterly bare
- Jeremiah 52:7 Or Arabah; the Jordan Valley
- Jeremiah 52:11 shackles
- Jeremiah 52:18 basins
- Jeremiah 52:21 18 inches each
- Jeremiah 52:21 3 inches
- Jeremiah 52:25 Lit. eunuch
- Jeremiah 52:31 Or Awil-Marduk; lit. The Man of Marduk
- Jeremiah 52:31 Showed favor to
- Jeremiah 52:33 Lit. he
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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