Jeremiah 26:1-34:21

New International Version

Jeremiah Threatened With Death

26 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim^(A) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: ²“This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard^(B) of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord.^(C) Tell^(D) them everything I command you; do not omit^(E) a word. ³Perhaps they will listen and each will turn^(F) from their evil ways. Then I will relent^(G) and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. ⁴Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen^(H) to me and follow my law,^(I) which I have set before you, ⁵and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened^(J)), ⁶then I will make this house like Shiloh^(K) and this city a curse^[a]^(L) among all the nations of the earth.’”

⁷The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. ⁸But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded^(M) him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized^(N) him and said, “You must die!^(O) ⁹Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?”^(P) And all the people crowded^(Q) around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

¹⁰When the officials^(R) of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate^(S) of the Lord’s house. ¹¹Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death^(T) because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”^(U)

¹²Then Jeremiah said to all the officials^(V) and all the people: “The Lord sent me to prophesy^(W) against this house and this city all the things you have heard.^(X) ¹³Now reform^(Y) your ways and your actions and obey^(Z) the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent^(AA) and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴As for me, I am in your hands;^(AB) do with me whatever you think is good and right. ¹⁵Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood^(AC) on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words^(AD) in your hearing.”

¹⁶Then the officials^(AE) and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death!^(AF) He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

¹⁷Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, ¹⁸“Micah^(AG) of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“‘Zion^(AH) will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,^(AI)
the temple hill^(AJ) a mound overgrown with thickets.’^[b]^(AK)

¹⁹“Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah^(AL) fear the Lord and seek^(AM) his favor? And did not the Lord relent,^(AN) so that he did not bring the disaster^(AO) he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster^(AP) on ourselves!”

²⁰(Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim^(AQ) was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. ²¹When King Jehoiakim^(AR) and all his officers and officials^(AS) heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death.^(AT) But Uriah heard of it and fled^(AU) in fear to Egypt. ²²King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan^(AV) son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. ²³They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword^(AW) and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)^(AX)

²⁴Furthermore, Ahikam^(AY) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar

27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah^[c]^(AZ) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke^(BA) out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. ³Then send^(BB) word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon,^(BC) Tyre and Sidon^(BD) through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. ⁴Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: ⁵With my great power and outstretched arm^(BE) I made^(BF) the earth and its people and the animals^(BG) that are on it, and I give^(BH) it to anyone I please. ⁶Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant^(BI) Nebuchadnezzar^(BJ) king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.^(BK) ⁷All nations will serve^(BL) him and his son and his grandson until the time^(BM) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate^(BN) him.

⁸“‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish^(BO) that nation with the sword,^(BP) famine^(BQ) and plague,^(BR) declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. ⁹So do not listen to your prophets,^(BS) your diviners,^(BT) your interpreters of dreams,^(BU) your mediums^(BV) or your sorcerers^(BW) who tell you, ‘You will not serve^(BX) the king of Babylon.’ ¹⁰They prophesy lies^(BY) to you that will only serve to remove^(BZ) you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. ¹¹But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke^(CA) of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live^(CB) there, declares the Lord.”’”

¹²I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke^(CC) of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.^(CD) ¹³Why will you and your people die^(CE) by the sword, famine and plague^(CF) with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? ¹⁴Do not listen^(CG) to the words of the prophets^(CH) who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies^(CI) to you. ¹⁵‘I have not sent^(CJ) them,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name.^(CK) Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish,^(CL) both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’”

¹⁶Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles^(CM) from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you. ¹⁷Do not listen^(CN) to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live.^(CO) Why should this city become a ruin? ¹⁸If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead^(CP) with the Lord Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. ¹⁹For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea,^(CQ) the movable stands and the other articles^(CR) that are left in this city, ²⁰which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried^(CS) Jehoiachin^[d]^(CT) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— ²¹yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: ²²‘They will be taken^(CU) to Babylon and there they will remain until the day^(CV) I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring^(CW) them back and restore them to this place.’”

The False Prophet Hananiah

28 In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah^(CX) king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon,^(CY) said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: ²“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke^(CZ) of the king of Babylon. ³Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles^(DA) of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. ⁴I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin^[e]^(DB) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”^(DC)

⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. ⁶He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.^(DD) ⁷Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: ⁸From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague^(DE) against many countries and great kingdoms. ⁹But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.^(DF)”

¹⁰Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke^(DG) off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, ¹¹and he said^(DH) before all the people, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.

¹²After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³“Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. ¹⁴This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke^(DI) on the necks of all these nations to make them serve^(DJ) Nebuchadnezzar^(DK) king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.^(DL)’”

¹⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent^(DM) you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.^(DN) ¹⁶Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth.^(DO) This very year you are going to die,^(DP) because you have preached rebellion^(DQ) against the Lord.’”

¹⁷In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.^(DR)

A Letter to the Exiles

29 This is the text of the letter^(DS) that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.^(DT) ²(This was after King Jehoiachin^[f]^(DU) and the queen mother,^(DV) the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) ³He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

⁴This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried^(DW) into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵“Build^(DX) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.^(DY) ⁷Also, seek^(DZ) the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray^(EA) to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” ⁸Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets^(EB) and diviners among you deceive^(EC) you. Do not listen to the dreams^(ED) you encourage them to have.^(EE) ⁹They are prophesying lies^(EF) to you in my name. I have not sent^(EG) them,” declares the Lord.

¹⁰This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years^(EH) are completed for Babylon, I will come to you^(EI) and fulfill my good promise^(EJ) to bring you back^(EK) to this place. ¹¹For I know the plans^(EL) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper^(EM) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.^(EN) ¹²Then you will call^(EO) on me and come and pray^(EP) to me, and I will listen^(EQ) to you. ¹³You will seek^(ER) me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.^(ES) ¹⁴I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back^(ET) from captivity.^[g] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”^(EU)

¹⁵You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” ¹⁶but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— ¹⁷yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague^(EV) against them and I will make them like figs^(EW) that are so bad they cannot be eaten. ¹⁸I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent^(EX) to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse^[h]^(EY) and an object of horror,^(EZ) of scorn^(FA) and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. ¹⁹For they have not listened to my words,”^(FB) declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again^(FC) by my servants the prophets.^(FD) And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.

²⁰Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent^(FE) away from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²¹This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies^(FF) to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. ²²Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned^(FG) in the fire.’ ²³For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery^(FH) with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know^(FI) it and am a witness^(FJ) to it,” declares the Lord.

Message to Shemaiah

²⁴Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, ²⁵“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah^(FK) son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, ²⁶‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac^(FL) who acts like a prophet into the stocks^(FM) and neck-irons. ²⁷So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? ²⁸He has sent this message^(FN) to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.^(FO) Therefore build^(FP) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”

²⁹Zephaniah^(FQ) the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ³¹“Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah^(FR) the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send^(FS) him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, ³²this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.^(FT) He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good^(FU) things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion^(FV) against me.’”

Restoration of Israel

30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write^(FW) in a book all the words I have spoken to you. ³The days^(FX) are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring^(FY) my people Israel and Judah back from captivity^[i] and restore^(FZ) them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”

⁴These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: ⁵“This is what the Lord says:

“‘Cries of fear^(GA) are heard—
    terror, not peace.
⁶Ask 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,^(GB)
    every face turned deathly pale?^(GC)
⁷How awful that day^(GD) will be!
    No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble^(GE) for Jacob,
    but he will be saved^(GF) out of it.

⁸“‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
    ‘I will break the yoke^(GG) off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;^(GH)
    no longer will foreigners enslave them.^(GI)
⁹Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
    and David^(GJ) their king,^(GK)
    whom I will raise up for them.

¹⁰“‘So do not be afraid,^(GL) Jacob my servant;^(GM)
    do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will surely save^(GN) you out of a distant place,
    your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,^(GO)
    and no one will make him afraid.^(GP)
¹¹I am with you^(GQ) and will save you,’
    declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
    among which I scatter you,
    I will not completely destroy^(GR) you.
I will discipline^(GS) you but only in due measure;
    I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’^(GT)

¹²“This is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wound^(GU) is incurable,
    your injury beyond healing.^(GV)
¹³There is no one to plead your cause,^(GW)
    no remedy for your sore,
    no healing^(GX) for you.
¹⁴All your allies^(GY) have forgotten you;
    they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy^(GZ) would
    and punished you as would the cruel,^(HA)
because your guilt is so great
    and your sins^(HB) so many.
¹⁵Why do you cry out over your wound,
    your pain that has no cure?^(HC)
Because of your great guilt and many sins
    I have done these things to you.^(HD)

¹⁶“‘But all who devour^(HE) you will be devoured;
    all your enemies will go into exile.^(HF)
Those who plunder^(HG) you will be plundered;
    all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
¹⁷But I will restore you to health
    and heal^(HH) your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,^(HI)
    Zion for whom no one cares.’^(HJ)

¹⁸“This is what the Lord says:

“‘I will restore the fortunes^(HK) of Jacob’s tents^(HL)
    and have compassion^(HM) on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt^(HN) on her ruins,
    and the palace will stand in its proper place.
¹⁹From them will come songs^(HO) of thanksgiving^(HP)
    and the sound of rejoicing.^(HQ)
I will add to their numbers,^(HR)
    and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,^(HS)
    and they will not be disdained.
²⁰Their children^(HT) will be as in days of old,
    and their community will be established^(HU) before me;
    I will punish^(HV) all who oppress them.
²¹Their leader^(HW) will be one of their own;
    their ruler will arise from among them.^(HX)
I will bring him near^(HY) 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,^(HZ)
    and I will be your God.^(IA)’”

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

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

²This is what the Lord says:

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

³The Lord appeared to us in the past,^[j] saying:

“I have loved^(II) you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn^(IJ) you with unfailing kindness.
⁴I will build you up again,
    and you, Virgin^(IK) Israel, will be rebuilt.^(IL)
Again you will take up your timbrels^(IM)
    and go out to dance^(IN) with the joyful.^(IO)
⁵Again you will plant^(IP) vineyards
    on the hills of Samaria;^(IQ)
the farmers will plant them
    and enjoy their fruit.^(IR)
⁶There will be a day when watchmen^(IS) cry out
    on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
    to the Lord our God.’”^(IT)

⁷This is what the Lord says:

“Sing^(IU) with joy for Jacob;
    shout for the foremost^(IV) of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
    ‘Lord, save^(IW) your people,
    the remnant^(IX) of Israel.’
⁸See, I will bring them from the land of the north^(IY)
    and gather^(IZ) them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind^(JA) and the lame,^(JB)
    expectant mothers and women in labor;
    a great throng will return.
⁹They will come with weeping;^(JC)
    they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead^(JD) them beside streams of water^(JE)
    on a level^(JF) path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel’s father,^(JG)
    and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

¹⁰“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;
    proclaim it in distant coastlands:^(JH)
‘He who scattered^(JI) Israel will gather^(JJ) them
    and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’^(JK)
¹¹For the Lord will deliver Jacob
    and redeem^(JL) them from the hand of those stronger^(JM) than they.
¹²They will come and shout for joy^(JN) on the heights^(JO) of Zion;
    they will rejoice in the bounty^(JP) of the Lord—
the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,^(JQ)
    the young of the flocks^(JR) and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,^(JS)
    and they will sorrow^(JT) no more.
¹³Then young women will dance and be glad,
    young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning^(JU) into gladness;
    I will give them comfort^(JV) and joy^(JW) instead of sorrow.
¹⁴I will satisfy^(JX) the priests^(JY) with abundance,
    and my people will be filled with my bounty,^(JZ)”
declares the Lord.

¹⁵This is what the Lord says:

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

¹⁶This is what the Lord says:

“Restrain your voice from weeping
    and your eyes from tears,^(KD)
for your work will be rewarded,^(KE)”
declares the Lord.
    “They will return^(KF) from the land of the enemy.
¹⁷So there is hope^(KG) for your descendants,”
declares the Lord.
    “Your children^(KH) will return to their own land.

¹⁸“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
    ‘You disciplined^(KI) me like an unruly calf,^(KJ)
    and I have been disciplined.
Restore^(KK) me, and I will return,
    because you are the Lord my God.
¹⁹After I strayed,^(KL)
    I repented;
after I came to understand,
    I beat^(KM) my breast.
I was ashamed^(KN) and humiliated
    because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’^(KO)
²⁰Is not Ephraim my dear son,
    the child^(KP) in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
    I still remember^(KQ) him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
    I have great compassion^(KR) for him,”
declares the Lord.

²¹“Set up road signs;
    put up guideposts.^(KS)
Take note of the highway,^(KT)
    the road that you take.
Return,^(KU) Virgin^(KV) Israel,
    return to your towns.
²²How long will you wander,^(KW)
    unfaithful^(KX) Daughter Israel?
The Lord will create a new thing^(KY) on earth—
    the woman will return to^[k]^(KZ) the man.”

²³This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,^[l]^(LA) the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless^(LB) you, you prosperous city,^(LC) you sacred mountain.’^(LD) ²⁴People will live^(LE) together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.^(LF) ²⁵I will refresh the weary^(LG) and satisfy the faint.”^(LH)

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

²⁷“The days are coming,”^(LJ) declares the Lord, “when I will plant^(LK) the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. ²⁸Just as I watched^(LL) over them to uproot^(LM) and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,^(LN) so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”^(LO) declares the Lord. ²⁹“In those days people will no longer say,

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

³⁰Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;^(LR) 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^(LS)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
³²It will not be like the covenant^(LT)
    I made with their ancestors^(LU)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,^(LV)
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband^(LW) to^[m] them,^[n]”
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^(LX)
    and write it on their hearts.^(LY)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.^(LZ)
³⁴No longer will they teach^(MA) their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know^(MB) me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive^(MC) their wickedness
    and will remember their sins^(MD) no more.”

³⁵This is what the Lord says,

he who appoints^(ME) the sun
    to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
    to shine by night,^(MF)
who stirs up the sea^(MG)
    so that its waves roar^(MH)—
    the Lord Almighty is his name:^(MI)
³⁶“Only if these decrees^(MJ) vanish from my sight,”
    declares the Lord,
“will Israel^(MK) ever cease
    being a nation before me.”

³⁷This is what the Lord says:

“Only if the heavens above can be measured^(ML)
and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject^(MM) 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^(MN) for me from the Tower of Hananel^(MO) to the Corner Gate.^(MP) ³⁹The measuring line^(MQ) will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. ⁴⁰The whole valley^(MR) where dead bodies^(MS) and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley^(MT) on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate,^(MU) will be holy^(MV) 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^(MW) year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth^(MX) year of Nebuchadnezzar. ²The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging^(MY) Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined^(MZ) in the courtyard of the guard^(NA) in the royal palace of Judah.

³Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy^(NB) 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^(NC) it. ⁴Zedekiah^(ND) king of Judah will not escape^(NE) the Babylonians^[o]^(NF) 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. ⁵He will take^(NG) Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him,^(NH) declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”^(NI)

⁶Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: ⁷Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth,^(NJ) because as nearest relative it is your right and duty^(NK) to buy it.’

⁸“Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field^(NL) 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; ⁹so I bought the field^(NM) at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels^[p] of silver.^(NN) ¹⁰I signed and sealed the deed,^(NO) had it witnessed,^(NP) and weighed out the silver on the scales. ¹¹I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— ¹²and I gave this deed to Baruch^(NQ) son of Neriah,^(NR) 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^(NS) and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. ¹⁵For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’^(NT)

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

¹⁷“Ah, Sovereign Lord,^(NV) you have made the heavens and the earth^(NW) by your great power and outstretched arm.^(NX) Nothing is too hard^(NY) for you. ¹⁸You show love^(NZ) to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps^(OA) of their children^(OB) after them. Great and mighty God,^(OC) whose name is the Lord Almighty,^(OD) ¹⁹great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds.^(OE) Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind;^(OF) you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.^(OG) ²⁰You performed signs and wonders^(OH) in Egypt^(OI) and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown^(OJ) that is still yours. ²¹You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand^(OK) and an outstretched arm^(OL) and with great terror.^(OM) ²²You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.^(ON) ²³They came in and took possession^(OO) of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law;^(OP) they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster^(OQ) on them.

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

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

³⁰“The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth;^(PF) indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger^(PG) with what their hands have made,^(PH) declares the Lord. ³¹From the day it was built until now, this city^(PI) has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove^(PJ) it from my sight. ³²The people of Israel and Judah have provoked^(PK) me by all the evil^(PL) they have done—they, their kings and officials,^(PM) their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. ³³They turned their backs^(PN) to me and not their faces; though I taught^(PO) them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.^(PP) ³⁴They set up their vile images^(PQ) in the house that bears my Name^(PR) and defiled^(PS) it. ³⁵They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom^(PT) to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek,^(PU) though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind^(PV)—that they should do such a detestable^(PW) thing and so make Judah sin.^(PX)

³⁶“You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague^(PY) it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ³⁷I will surely gather^(PZ) them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger^(QA) and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.^(QB) ³⁸They will be my people,^(QC) and I will be their God. ³⁹I will give them singleness^(QD) of heart and action, so that they will always fear^(QE) me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. ⁴⁰I will make an everlasting covenant^(QF) with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire^(QG) them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.^(QH) ⁴¹I will rejoice^(QI) in doing them good^(QJ) and will assuredly plant^(QK) them in this land with all my heart and soul.^(QL)

⁴²“This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity^(QM) on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised^(QN) them. ⁴³Once more fields will be bought^(QO) in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate^(QP) waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ ⁴⁴Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds^(QQ) will be signed, sealed and witnessed^(QR) 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,^(QS) because I will restore^(QT) their fortunes,^[q] declares the Lord.”

Promise of Restoration

33 While Jeremiah was still confined^(QU) in the courtyard^(QV) of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time:^(QW) ²“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth,^(QX) the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name:^(QY) ³‘Call^(QZ) to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable^(RA) things you do not know.’ ⁴For 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^(RB) ramps^(RC) and the sword ⁵in the fight with the Babylonians^[r]: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath.^(RD) I will hide my face^(RE) from this city because of all its wickedness.

⁶“‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal^(RF) my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace^(RG) and security. ⁷I will bring Judah^(RH) and Israel back from captivity^[s]^(RI) and will rebuild^(RJ) them as they were before.^(RK) ⁸I will cleanse^(RL) them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive^(RM) all their sins of rebellion against me. ⁹Then this city will bring me renown,^(RN) joy, praise^(RO) and honor^(RP) 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^(RQ) 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.”^(RR) Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted,^(RS) inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more ¹¹the sounds of joy and gladness,^(RT) the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings^(RU) to the house of the Lord, saying,

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

For I will restore the fortunes^(RX) of the land as they were before,^(RY)’ says the Lord.

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

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

¹⁵“‘In those days and at that time
    I will make a righteous^(SG) Branch^(SH) sprout from David’s line;^(SI)
    he will do what is just and right in the land.
¹⁶In those days Judah will be saved^(SJ)
    and Jerusalem will live in safety.^(SK)
This is the name by which it^[t] will be called:^(SL)
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’^(SM)

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

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

²³The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁴“Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms^[u]^(SX) he chose’? So they despise^(SY) my people and no longer regard them as a nation.^(SZ) ²⁵This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night^(TA) and established the laws^(TB) of heaven and earth,^(TC) ²⁶then I will reject^(TD) the descendants of Jacob^(TE) 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^[v]^(TF) and have compassion^(TG) on them.’”

Warning to Zedekiah

34 While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples^(TH) in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem^(TI) and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah^(TJ) 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.^(TK) ³You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.^(TL) You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.

⁴“‘Yet hear the Lord’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;^(TM) ⁵you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire^(TN) in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas,^(TO) master!” I myself make this promise, declares the Lord.’”

⁶Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, ⁷while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out—Lachish^(TP) and Azekah.^(TQ) These were the only fortified cities left in Judah.

Freedom for Slaves

⁸The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people^(TR) in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom^(TS) for the slaves. ⁹Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.^(TT) ¹⁰So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. ¹¹But afterward they changed their minds^(TU) and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

¹²Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors^(TV) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^(TW) 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.’^[w]^(TX) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention^(TY) to me. ¹⁵Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.^(TZ) You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.^(UA) ¹⁶But now you have turned around^(UB) and profaned^(UC) 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,^(UD) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague^(UE) and famine.^(UF) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.^(UG) ¹⁸Those who have violated my covenant^(UH) 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.^(UI) ¹⁹The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials,^(UJ) the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, ²⁰I will deliver^(UK) into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them.^(UL) Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.^(UM)

²¹“I will deliver Zedekiah^(UN) king of Judah and his officials^(UO) into the hands of their enemies^(UP) who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon,^(UQ) which has withdrawn^(UR) from you.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 26:6 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
Jeremiah 26:18 Micah 3:12
Jeremiah 27:1 A few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also 27:3,12 and 28:1); most Hebrew manuscripts Jehoiakim (Most Septuagint manuscripts do not have this verse.)
Jeremiah 27:20 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 28:4 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 29:14 Or will restore your fortunes
Jeremiah 29:18 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see verse 22); or, others will see that they are cursed.
Jeremiah 30:3 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah
Jeremiah 31:3 Or Lord has appeared to us from afar
Jeremiah 31:22 Or will protect
Jeremiah 31:23 Or I restore their fortunes
Jeremiah 31:32 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac / and I turned away from
Jeremiah 31:32 Or was their master
Jeremiah 32:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 5, 24, 25, 28, 29 and 43
Jeremiah 32:9 That is, about 7 ounces or about 200 grams
Jeremiah 32:44 Or will bring them back from captivity
Jeremiah 33:5 Or Chaldeans
Jeremiah 33:7 Or will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel
Jeremiah 33:16 Or he
Jeremiah 33:24 Or families
Jeremiah 33:26 Or will bring them back from captivity
Jeremiah 34:14 Deut. 15:12

Jeremiah 26-36

King James Version

26 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the Lord, saying,

²Thus saith the Lord; Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:

³If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.

⁴And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,

⁵To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;

⁶Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.

⁷So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.

⁸Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.

⁹Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

¹⁰When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the Lord, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house.

¹¹Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.

¹²Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.

¹³Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.

¹⁴As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.

¹⁵But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.

¹⁶Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.

¹⁷Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,

¹⁸Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.

¹⁹Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the Lord, and besought the Lord, and the Lord repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.

²⁰And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah.

²¹And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;

²²And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.

²³And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.

²⁴Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.

27 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

²Thus saith the Lord to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

³And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;

⁴And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;

⁵I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.

⁶And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

⁷And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

⁸And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

⁹Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

¹⁰For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

¹¹But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

¹²I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.

¹³Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

¹⁴Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.

¹⁵For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.

¹⁶Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.

¹⁷Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?

¹⁸But if they be prophets, and if the word of the Lord be with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.

¹⁹For thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city.

²⁰Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;

²¹Yea, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem;

²²They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the Lord; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.

28 And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

²Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

³Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon:

⁴And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the Lord: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the Lord,

⁶Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the Lord do so: the Lord perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the Lord's house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.

⁷Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people;

⁸The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.

⁹The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him.

¹⁰Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it.

¹¹And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

¹²Then the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

¹³Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.

¹⁴For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.

¹⁵Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.

¹⁶Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord.

¹⁷So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

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

²(After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)

³By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,

⁴Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;

⁵Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

⁶Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

⁷And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

⁸For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

⁹For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.

¹⁰For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

¹²Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

¹³And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

¹⁴And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

¹⁵Because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;

¹⁶Know that thus saith the Lord of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;

¹⁷Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

¹⁸And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:

¹⁹Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord.

²⁰Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:

²¹Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;

²²And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;

²³Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.

²⁴Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,

²⁵Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

²⁶The Lord hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the Lord, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

²⁷Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?

²⁸For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

²⁹And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

³⁰Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,

³¹Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

³²Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the Lord; because he hath taught rebellion against the Lord.

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

²Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.

³For, 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.

⁴And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.

⁵For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.

⁶Ask 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?

⁷Alas! 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.

⁸For 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:

⁹But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

¹⁰Therefore 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.

¹¹For 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.

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

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

¹⁴All 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.

¹⁵Why 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.

¹⁶Therefore 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.

¹⁷For 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.

¹⁸Thus 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.

¹⁹And 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.

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

²¹And 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.

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

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

²⁴The 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.

²Thus 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.

³The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

⁴Again 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.

⁵Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.

⁶For 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.

⁷For 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.

⁸Behold, 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.

⁹They 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.

¹⁰Hear 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.

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

¹²Therefore 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.

¹³Then 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.

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

¹⁵Thus 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.

¹⁶Thus 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.

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

¹⁸I 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.

¹⁹Surely 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.

²⁰Is 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.

²¹Set 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.

²²How 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.

²³Thus 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.

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

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

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

²⁷Behold, 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.

²⁸And 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.

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

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

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

³²Not 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:

³³But 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.

³⁴And 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.

³⁵Thus 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:

³⁶If 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.

³⁷Thus 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.

³⁸Behold, 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.

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

⁴⁰And 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.

²For 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.

³For 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;

⁴And 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;

⁵And 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.

⁶And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

⁷Behold, 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.

⁸So 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.

⁹And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.

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

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

¹²And 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.

¹³And I charged Baruch before them, saying,

¹⁴Thus 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.

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

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

¹⁷Ah 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:

¹⁸Thou 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,

¹⁹Great 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:

²⁰Which 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;

²¹And 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;

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

²³And 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:

²⁴Behold 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.

²⁵And 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.

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

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

²⁸Therefore 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:

²⁹And 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.

³⁰For 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.

³¹For 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,

³²Because 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.

³³And 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.

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

³⁵And 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.

³⁶And 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;

³⁷Behold, 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:

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

³⁹And 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:

⁴⁰And 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.

⁴¹Yea, 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.

⁴²For 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.

⁴³And 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.

⁴⁴Men 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,

²Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name;

³Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

⁴For 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;

⁵They 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.

⁶Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.

⁷And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.

⁸And 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.

⁹And 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.

¹⁰Thus 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,

¹¹The 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.

¹²Thus 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.

¹³In 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.

¹⁴Behold, 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.

¹⁵In 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.

¹⁶In 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.

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

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

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

²⁰Thus 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;

²¹Then 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.

²²As 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.

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

²⁴Considerest 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.

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

²⁶Then 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,

²Thus 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:

³And 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.

⁴Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:

⁵But 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.

⁶Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

⁷When 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.

⁸This 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;

⁹That 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.

¹⁰Now 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.

¹¹But 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.

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

¹³Thus 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,

¹⁴At 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.

¹⁵And 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:

¹⁶But 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.

¹⁷Therefore 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.

¹⁸And 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,

¹⁹The 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;

²⁰I 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.

²¹And 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.

²²Behold, 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,

²Go 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.

³Then 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;

⁴And 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:

⁵And 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.

⁶But 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:

⁷Neither 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.

⁸Thus 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;

⁹Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

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

¹¹But 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.

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

¹³Thus 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.

¹⁴The 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.

¹⁵I 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.

¹⁶Because 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:

¹⁷Therefore 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.

¹⁸And 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:

¹⁹Therefore 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,

²Take 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.

³It 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.

⁴Then 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.

⁵And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the Lord:

⁶Therefore 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.

⁷It 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.

⁸And 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.

⁹And 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.

¹⁰Then 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.

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

¹²Then 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.

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

¹⁴Therefore 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.

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

¹⁶Now 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.

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

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

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

²⁰And 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.

²¹So 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.

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

²³And 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.

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

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

²⁶But 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.

²⁷Then 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,

²⁸Take 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.

²⁹And 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?

³⁰Therefore 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.

³¹And 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.

³²Then 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.

New International Version (NIV)

Jeremiah 26:1-34:21

New International Version

Jeremiah Threatened With Death

Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar

The False Prophet Hananiah

A Letter to the Exiles

Message to Shemaiah

Restoration of Israel

Jeremiah Buys a Field

Promise of Restoration

Warning to Zedekiah

Freedom for Slaves

Footnotes

Cross references

Jeremiah 26-36

King James Version

More on the NIV

Jeremiah 26:1-34:21 New International Version

Jeremiah Threatened With Death

Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar

The False Prophet Hananiah

A Letter to the Exiles

Message to Shemaiah

Restoration of Israel

Jeremiah Buys a Field

Promise of Restoration

Warning to Zedekiah

Freedom for Slaves

Footnotes

Cross references

Jeremiah 26-36 King James Version

More on the NIV

Jeremiah 26:1-34:21

New International Version

Jeremiah 26-36

King James Version