¹⁶ For God so loved^(A) the world that he gave^(B) his one and only Son,^(C) that whoever believes^(D) in him shall not perish but have eternal life.^{(E) 17} For God did not send his Son into the world^(F) to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.^{(G) 18} Whoever believes in him is not condemned,^(H) but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.^{(I) 19} This is the verdict: Light^(J) has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.^{(K) 20} Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.^{(L) 21} But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

¹¹ Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.^(A) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister^[a] or judges them^(B) speaks against the law^(C) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,^(D) but sitting in judgment on it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,^(E) the one who is able to save and destroy.^(F) But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?^(G)

Boasting About Tomorrow

¹³ Now listen,^(H) you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”^{(I) 14} Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.^{(J) 15} Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,^(K) we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.^{(L) 17} If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.^(M)

Wisdom

¹³ Consider what God has done:^(Q)

19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter.^(A) Take along some of the elders^(B) of the people and of the priests ² and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom,^(C) near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you, ³ and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings^(D) of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster^(E) on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.^{(F) 4} For they have forsaken^(G) me and made this a place of foreign gods^(H); they have burned incense^(I) in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.^{(J) 5} They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children^(K) in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.^{(L) 6} So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth^(M) or the Valley of Ben Hinnom,^(N) but the Valley of Slaughter.^(O)

⁷ “‘In this place I will ruin^[a] the plans^(P) of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies,^(Q) at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses^(R) as food^(S) to the birds and the wild animals. ⁸ I will devastate this city and make it an object of horror and scorn;^(T) all who pass by will be appalled^(U) and will scoff because of all its wounds.^{(V) 9} I will make them eat^(W) the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh because their enemies^(X) will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them.’

¹⁰ “Then break the jar^(Y) while those who go with you are watching, ¹¹ and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash^(Z) this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury^(AA) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. ¹² This is what I will do to this place and to those who live here, declares the Lord. I will make this city like Topheth. ¹³ The houses^(AB) in Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled^(AC) like this place, Topheth—all the houses where they burned incense on the roofs^(AD) to all the starry hosts^(AE) and poured out drink offerings^(AF) to other gods.’”

¹⁴ Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court^(AG) of the Lord’s temple and said to all the people, ¹⁵ “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and all the villages around it every disaster^(AH) I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked^(AI) and would not listen^(AJ) to my words.’”

Jeremiah and Pashhur

20 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer,^(AK) the official^(AL) in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, ² he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten^(AM) and put in the stocks^(AN) at the Upper Gate of Benjamin^(AO) at the Lord’s temple. ³ The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name^(AP) for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.^{(AQ) 4} For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes^(AR) you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give^(AS) all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry^(AT) them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. ⁵ I will deliver all the wealth^(AU) of this city into the hands of their enemies—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away^(AV) as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. ⁶ And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied^(AW) lies.’”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request

21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah^(CD) sent to him Pashhur^(CE) son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah^(CF) son of Maaseiah. They said: ² “Inquire^(CG) now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar^[d](CH) king of Babylon^(CI) is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders^(CJ) for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”

³ But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn^(CK) against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians^[e] who are outside the wall besieging^(CL) you. And I will gather them inside this city. ⁵ I myself will fight^(CM) against you with an outstretched hand^(CN) and a mighty arm^(CO) in furious anger and in great wrath. ⁶ I will strike^(CP) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.^{(CQ) 7} After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah^(CR) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,^(CS) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(CT) and to their enemies^(CU) who want to kill them.^(CV) He will put them to the sword;^(CW) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’^(CX)

⁸ “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life^(CY) and the way of death. ⁹ Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.^(CZ) But whoever goes out and surrenders^(DA) to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.^{(DB) 10} I have determined to do this city harm^(DC) and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands^(DD) of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’^(DE)

¹¹ “Moreover, say to the royal house^(DF) of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. ¹² This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king^(DR) of Judah and proclaim this message there: ² ‘Hear^(DS) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne^(DT)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.^{(DU) 3} This is what the Lord says: Do what is just^(DV) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor^(DW) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,^(DX) and do not shed innocent blood^(DY) in this place. ⁴ For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings^(DZ) who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. ⁵ But if you do not obey^(EA) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear^(EB) by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’”

⁶ For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:

⁸ “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’^{(EI) 9} And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.^(EJ)’”

¹¹ For this is what the Lord says about Shallum^[f](EN) son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. ¹² He will die^(EO) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”

¹⁸ Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

²⁴ “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin^[h](FS) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring^(FT) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. ²⁵ I will deliver^(FU) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.^{[i] 26} I will hurl^(FV) you and the mother^(FW) who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. ²⁷ You will never come back to the land you long to return^(FX) to.”