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Jeremiah 34-45
New King James Version

Zedekiah Warned by God

34 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, (A)when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army, (B)all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem and all its cities, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Go and (C)speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, (D)I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 3 And (E)you shall not escape from his hand, but shall surely be taken and delivered into his hand; your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, he shall speak with you (F)face[a] to face, and you shall go to Babylon.’ ” ’ 4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you: ‘You shall not die by the sword. 5 You shall die in peace; as in (G)the ceremonies of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, (H)so they shall burn incense for you and (I)lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!” For I have pronounced the word, says the Lord.’ ”

6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem, 7 when the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and Azekah; for only (J)these fortified cities remained of the cities of Judah.

Treacherous Treatment of Slaves

8 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem to proclaim (K)liberty to them: 9 (L)that every man should set free his male and female slave—a Hebrew man or woman—(M)that no one should keep a Jewish brother in bondage. 10 Now when all the princes and all the people, who had entered into the covenant, heard that everyone should set free his male and female slaves, that no one should keep them in bondage anymore, they obeyed and let them go. 11 But afterward they changed their minds and made the male and female slaves return, whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as male and female slaves.

12 Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 13 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I made a (N)covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying, 14 “At the end of (O)seven years let every man set free his Hebrew brother, who [b]has been sold to him; and when he has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you.” But your fathers did not obey Me nor incline their ear. 15 Then you [c]recently turned and did what was right in My sight—every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor; and you (P)made a covenant before Me (Q)in the house which is called by My name. 16 Then you turned around and (R)profaned My name, and every one of you brought back his male and female slaves, whom you had set at liberty, at their pleasure, and brought them back into subjection, to be your male and female slaves.’

17 “Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and every one to his neighbor. (S)Behold, I proclaim liberty to you,’ says the Lord—(T)‘to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine! And I will deliver you to (U)trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when (V)they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it— 19 the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the [d]eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— 20 I will (W)give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. Their (X)dead bodies shall be for meat for the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the earth. 21 And I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army (Y)which has gone back from you. 22 (Z)Behold, I will command,’ says the Lord, ‘and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it (AA)and take it and burn it with fire; and (AB)I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.’ ”

The Obedient Rechabites

35 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, 2 “Go to the house of the (AC)Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of (AD)the chambers, and give them wine to drink.”

3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, his brothers and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites, 4 and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, (AE)the keeper of the [e]door. 5 Then I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, “Drink wine.”

6 But they said, “We will drink no wine, for (AF)Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall drink (AG)no wine, you nor your sons, forever. 7 You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, nor have any of these; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, (AH)that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners.’ 8 Thus we have (AI)obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, 9 nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; nor do we have vineyard, field, or seed. 10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11 But it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, ‘Come, let us (AJ)go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and for fear of the army of the Syrians.’ So we dwell at Jerusalem.”

12 Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not (AK)receive instruction to [f]obey My words?” says the Lord. 14 “The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, which he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; for to this day they drink none, and obey their father’s commandment. (AL)But although I have spoken to you, (AM)rising early and speaking, you did not [g]obey Me. 15 I have also sent to you all My (AN)servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, (AO)‘Turn now everyone from his evil way, amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them; then you will (AP)dwell in the land which I have given you and your fathers.’ But you have not inclined your ear, nor obeyed Me. 16 Surely the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their (AQ)father, which he commanded them, but this people has not obeyed Me.” ’

17 “Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the doom that I have pronounced against them; (AR)because I have spoken to them but they have not heard, and I have called to them but they have not answered.’ ”

18 And Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you, 19 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to (AS)stand before Me forever.” ’ ”

The Scroll Read in the Temple

36 Now it came to pass in the (AT)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 2 “Take a (AU)scroll of a book and (AV)write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against (AW)all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of (AX)Josiah even to this day. 3 It (AY)may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may (AZ)turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

4 Then Jeremiah (BA)called Baruch the son of Neriah; and (BB)Baruch wrote on a scroll of a book, [h]at the instruction of Jeremiah, all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him. 5 And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am confined, I cannot go into the house of the Lord. 6 You go, therefore, and read from the scroll which you have written [i]at my instruction, the words of the Lord, in the hearing of the people in the Lord’s house on (BC)the day of fasting. And you shall also read them in the hearing of all Judah who come from their cities. 7 It may be that they will present their supplication before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way. For great is the anger and the fury that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.

9 Now 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 who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem. 10 Then Baruch read from 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 upper court at the (BD)entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house, in the [j]hearing of all the people.

The Scroll Read in the Palace

11 When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the book, 12 he then went down to the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber; and there all the princes were sitting—(BE)Elishama the scribe, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, (BF)Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. 13 Then Michaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read the book in the hearing of the people. 14 Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll from which you have read in the hearing of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them. 15 And they said to him, “Sit down now, and read it in our hearing.” So Baruch read it in their hearing.

16 Now it happened, when they had heard all the words, that they looked in fear from one to another, and said to Baruch, “We will surely tell the king of all these words.” 17 And they asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us now, how did you write all these words—[k]at his instruction?”

18 So Baruch answered them, “He proclaimed with his mouth all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink in the book.”

19 Then the princes said to Baruch, “Go and hide, you and Jeremiah; and let no one know where you are.”

The King Destroys Jeremiah’s Scroll

20 And they went to the king, into the court; but they stored the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the hearing of the king. 21 So the king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll, and he took it from Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king. 22 Now the king was sitting in (BG)the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him. 23 And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it with the scribe’s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. 24 Yet they were (BH)not afraid, nor did they (BI)tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. 25 Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them. 26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel [l]the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.

Jeremiah Rewrites the Scroll

27 Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words which Baruch had written [m]at the instruction of Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 28 “Take yet another scroll, and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. 29 And you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You have burned this scroll, saying, (BJ)‘Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and cause man and beast to (BK)cease from here?’ ” 30 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: (BL)“He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be (BM)cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. 31 I will punish him, his [n]family, and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah all the doom that I have pronounced against them; but they did not heed.” ’ ”

32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it [o]at the instruction of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And besides, there were added to them many similar words.

Zedekiah’s Vain Hope(BN)

37 Now King (BO)Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 2 (BP)But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land gave heed to the words of the Lord which He spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.

3 And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and (BQ)Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, (BR)“Pray now to the Lord our God for us.” 4 Now Jeremiah was coming and going among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison. 5 Then (BS)Pharaoh’s army came up from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

6 Then the word of the Lord came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 7 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Thus you shall say to the king of Judah, (BT)who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army which has come up to help you will return to Egypt, to their own land. 8 (BU)And the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city, and take it and burn it with fire.” ’ 9 Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely depart from us,” for they will not depart. 10 (BV)For though you had defeated the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained only wounded men among them, they would rise up, every man in his tent, and burn the city with fire.’ ”

Jeremiah Imprisoned

11 And it happened, when the army of the Chaldeans left the siege of Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army, 12 that Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin to claim his property there among the people. 13 And when he was in the Gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there whose name was Irijah the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are defecting to the Chaldeans!”

14 Then Jeremiah said, [p]“False! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans.” But he did not listen to him.

So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the princes. 15 Therefore the princes were angry with Jeremiah, and they struck him (BW)and put him in prison in the (BX)house of Jonathan the scribe. For they had made that the prison.

16 When Jeremiah entered (BY)the dungeon and the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days, 17 then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out. The king asked him secretly in his house, and said, “Is there any word from the Lord?”

And Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall be (BZ)delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon!”

18 Moreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What offense have I committed against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’? 20 Therefore please hear now, O my lord the king. Please, let my petition be accepted before you, and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.”

21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah (CA)to the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread from the bakers’ street, (CB)until all the bread in the city was gone. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

Jeremiah in the Dungeon

38 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, (CC)Jucal[q] the son of Shelemiah, and (CD)Pashhur the son of Malchiah (CE)heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord: (CF)‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’ 3 Thus says the Lord: (CG)‘This city shall surely be (CH)given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.’ ”

4 Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please, (CI)let this man be put to death, for thus he [r]weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the [s]welfare of this people, but their harm.”

5 Then Zedekiah the king said, “Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do nothing against you.” 6 (CJ)So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah [t]the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.

7 (CK)Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the [u]eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, 8 Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: 9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is (CL)no more bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.” And Jeremiah did so. 13 So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained (CM)in the court of the prison.

Zedekiah’s Fears and Jeremiah’s Advice

14 Then Zedekiah the king sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance of the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I will (CN)ask you something. Hide nothing from me.”

15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”

16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the Lord lives, (CO)who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you surely (CP)surrender[v] (CQ)to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not [w]surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans; they shall burn it with fire, and (CR)you shall not escape from their hand.’ ”

19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have (CS)defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they (CT)abuse me.”

20 But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver you. Please, obey the voice of the Lord which I speak to you. So it shall be (CU)well with you, and your soul shall live. 21 But if you refuse to [x]surrender, this is the word that the Lord has shown me: 22 ‘Now behold, all the (CV)women who are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say:

“Your close friends have [y]set upon you
And prevailed against you;
Your feet have sunk in the mire,
And they have [z]turned away again.”

23 ‘So they shall surrender all your wives and (CW)children to the Chaldeans. (CX)You shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.’ ”

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die. 25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say to you, ‘Declare to us now what you have said to the king, and also what the king said to you; do not hide it from us, and we will not put you to death,’ 26 then you shall say to them, (CY)‘I presented my request before the king, that he would not make me return (CZ)to Jonathan’s house to die there.’ ”

27 Then all the princes came to Jeremiah and asked him. And he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been heard. 28 Now (DA)Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And he was there when Jerusalem was taken.

The Fall of Jerusalem(DB)

39 In the (DC)ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2 In the (DD)eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the [aa]city was penetrated.

3 (DE)Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, [ab]Rabsaris, Nergal-Sarezer, [ac]Rabmag, with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.

4 (DF)So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the [ad]plain. 5 But the Chaldean army pursued them and (DG)overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had captured him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to (DH)Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him. 6 Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his (DI)eyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all the (DJ)nobles of Judah. 7 Moreover (DK)he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with bronze [ae]fetters to carry him off to Babylon. 8 (DL)And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with (DM)fire, and broke down the (DN)walls of Jerusalem. 9 (DO)Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those who (DP)defected to him, with the rest of the people who remained. 10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah the (DQ)poor people, who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields [af]at the same time.

Jeremiah Goes Free

11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, 12 “Take him and look after him, and do him no (DR)harm; but do to him just as he says to you.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers; 14 then they sent someone (DS)to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him (DT)to Gedaliah the son of (DU)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people.

15 Meanwhile the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 16 “Go and speak to (DV)Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, (DW)I will bring My words upon this city for adversity and not for good, and they shall be performed in that day before you. 17 But I will deliver you in that day,” says the Lord, “and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but (DX)your life shall be as a prize to you, (DY)because you have put your trust in Me,” says the Lord.’ ”

Jeremiah with Gedaliah the Governor(DZ)

40 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord (EA)after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all who were carried away captive from Jerusalem and Judah, who were carried away captive to Babylon.

2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah and (EB)said to him: “The Lord your God has pronounced this doom on this place. 3 Now the Lord has brought it, and has done just as He said. (EC)Because you people have sinned against the Lord, and not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you. 4 And now look, I free you this day from the chains that [ag]were on your hand. (ED)If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you. But if it seems wrong for you to come with me to Babylon, remain here. See, (EE)all the land is before you; wherever it seems good and convenient for you to go, go there.”

5 Now while Jeremiah had not yet gone back, Nebuzaradan said, “Go back to (EF)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, (EG)whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever it seems convenient for you to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him rations and a gift and let him go. 6 (EH)Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, to (EI)Mizpah, and dwelt with him among the people who were left in the land.

7 (EJ)And when all the captains of the armies who were in the fields, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, women, children, and (EK)the poorest of the land who had not been carried away captive to Babylon, 8 then they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—(EL)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, (EM)Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and (EN)Jezaniah[ah] the son of a (EO)Maachathite, they and their men. 9 And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath before them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be (EP)well with you. 10 As for me, I will indeed dwell at Mizpah and serve the Chaldeans who come to us. But you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.” 11 Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, 12 then all the Jews (EQ)returned out of all places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in abundance.

13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, 14 and said to him, [ai]“Do you certainly know that (ER)Baalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to murder you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.

15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go, please, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he murder you, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered, and the (ES)remnant in Judah perish?”

16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely concerning Ishmael.”

Insurrection Against Gedaliah

41 Now it came to pass in the seventh month (ET)that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal [aj]family and of the officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at (EU)Mizpah. And there they ate bread together in Mizpah. 2 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, arose and (EV)struck Gedaliah the son of (EW)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had made (EX)governor over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.

4 And it happened, on the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, when as yet no one knew it, 5 that certain men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men (EY)with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to (EZ)the house of the Lord. 6 Now Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went along; and it happened as he met them that he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!” 7 So it was, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah (FA)killed them and cast them into the midst of a [ak]pit, he and the men who were with him. 8 But ten men were found among them who said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have treasures of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in the field.” So he desisted and did not kill them among their brethren. 9 Now the [al]pit into which Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain, because of Gedaliah, was (FB)the same one Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain. 10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the (FC)rest of the people who were in Mizpah, (FD)the king’s daughters and all the people who remained in Mizpah, (FE)whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive and departed to go over to (FF)the Ammonites.

11 But when (FG)Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12 they took all the men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah; and they found him by (FH)the great pool that is in Gibeon. 13 So it was, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, that they were glad. 14 Then all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites.

16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, took from Mizpah all the (FI)rest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah after he had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam—the mighty men of war and the women and the children and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. 17 And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of (FJ)Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, as they went on their way to (FK)Egypt, 18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, (FL)whom the king of Babylon had made governor in the land.

The Flight to Egypt Forbidden

42 Now all the captains of the forces, (FM)Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, (FN)“Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and (FO)pray for us to the Lord your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but (FP)a few of many, as you can see), 3 that the Lord your God may show us (FQ)the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.”

4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and it shall be, that (FR)whatever the Lord answers you, I will declare it to you. I will (FS)keep nothing back from you.”

5 So they said to Jeremiah, (FT)“Let the Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the Lord your God sends us by you. 6 Whether it is [am]pleasing or [an]displeasing, we will (FU)obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send you, (FV)that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”

7 And it happened after ten days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: 10 ‘If you will still remain in this land, then (FW)I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I (FX)relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says the Lord, (FY)‘for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12 And (FZ)I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’

13 “But if (GA)you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God, 14 saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of (GB)Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell’— 15 Then hear now the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you (GC)wholly[ao] set (GD)your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there, 16 then it shall be that the (GE)sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die. 17 So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And (GF)none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.’

18 “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘As My anger and My fury have been (GG)poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will My fury be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And (GH)you shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.’

19 “The Lord has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, (GI)‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have [ap]admonished you this day. 20 For you [aq]were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ 21 And I have this day declared it to you, but you have (GJ)not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, or anything which He has sent you by me. 22 Now therefore, know certainly that you (GK)shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.”

Jeremiah Taken to Egypt

43 Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the (GL)words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, all these words, 2 (GM)that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, “You speak falsely! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to dwell there.’ 3 But (GN)Baruch the son of Neriah has [ar]set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon.” 4 So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people would (GO)not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces took (GP)all the remnant of Judah who had returned to dwell in the land of Judah, from all nations where they had been driven— 6 men, women, children, (GQ)the king’s daughters, (GR)and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. 7 (GS)So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they went as far as (GT)Tahpanhes.

8 Then the (GU)word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 “Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the [as]clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes; 10 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (GV)My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. 11 (GW)When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death (GX)those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword. 12 [at]I will kindle a fire in the houses of (GY)the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace. 13 He shall also break the sacred pillars of [au]Beth Shemesh that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire.” ’ ”

Israelites Will Be Punished in Egypt

44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at (GZ)Migdol, at (HA)Tahpanhes, at (HB)Noph,[av] and in the country of (HC)Pathros, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are (HD)a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went (HE)to burn incense and to (HF)serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers. 4 However (HG)I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!” 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods. 6 So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they [aw]are wasted and desolate, as it is this day.’

7 “Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Why do you commit this great evil (HH)against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain, 8 in that you (HI)provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be (HJ)a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not been (HK)humbled,[ax] to this day, nor have they (HL)feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.’

11 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, (HM)I will set My face against you for catastrophe and for [ay]cutting off all Judah. 12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to dwell there, and (HN)they shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine. They shall die, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; and (HO)they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse and a reproach! 13 (HP)For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to the land of Judah, to which they (HQ)desire[az] to return and dwell. For (HR)none shall return except those who escape.’ ”

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, (HS)we will not listen to you! 17 But we will certainly do (HT)whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the (HU)queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of [ba]food, were well-off, and saw no trouble. 18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”

19 The women also said, (HV)“And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?”

20 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people—the men, the women, and all the people who had given him that answer—saying: 21 “The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and did it not come into His mind? 22 So the Lord could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, (HW)as it is this day. 23 Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies, (HX)therefore this calamity has happened to you, as at this day.”

24 Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt! 25 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, “We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows!’ 26 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: ‘Behold, (HY)I have sworn by My (HZ)great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that (IA)My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “The Lord God lives.” 27 Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt (IB)shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them. 28 Yet (IC)a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs. 29 And this shall be a sign to you,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely (ID)stand against you for adversity.’

30 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, (IE)I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave (IF)Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.’ ”

Assurance to Baruch

45 The (IG)word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to (IH)Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book [bb]at the instruction of Jeremiah, in the (II)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: 3 ‘You said, “Woe is me now! For the Lord has added grief to my sorrow. I (IJ)fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.” ’

4 “Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, (IK)what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. 5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, (IL)I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the Lord. “But I will give your (IM)life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.” ’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 34:3 Lit. mouth to mouth
  2. Jeremiah 34:14 Or sold himself
  3. Jeremiah 34:15 Lit. today
  4. Jeremiah 34:19 Or officers
  5. Jeremiah 35:4 Lit. threshold
  6. Jeremiah 35:13 listen to
  7. Jeremiah 35:14 listen to
  8. Jeremiah 36:4 Lit. from Jeremiah’s mouth
  9. Jeremiah 36:6 Lit. from my mouth
  10. Jeremiah 36:10 Lit. ears
  11. Jeremiah 36:17 Lit. with his mouth
  12. Jeremiah 36:26 Or son of Hammelech
  13. Jeremiah 36:27 Lit. from Jeremiah’s mouth
  14. Jeremiah 36:31 Lit. seed
  15. Jeremiah 36:32 Lit. from Jeremiah’s mouth
  16. Jeremiah 37:14 a lie
  17. Jeremiah 38:1 Jehucal, Jer. 37:3
  18. Jeremiah 38:4 Is discouraging
  19. Jeremiah 38:4 Well-being; lit. peace
  20. Jeremiah 38:6 Or son of Hammelech
  21. Jeremiah 38:7 Or officers
  22. Jeremiah 38:17 Lit. go out
  23. Jeremiah 38:18 Lit. go out
  24. Jeremiah 38:21 Lit. go out
  25. Jeremiah 38:22 Or misled
  26. Jeremiah 38:22 Deserted you
  27. Jeremiah 39:2 city wall was breached
  28. Jeremiah 39:3 A title, probably Chief Officer; also v. 13
  29. Jeremiah 39:3 A title, probably Troop Commander; also v. 13
  30. Jeremiah 39:4 Or Arabah; the Jordan Valley
  31. Jeremiah 39:7 chains
  32. Jeremiah 39:10 Lit. on that day
  33. Jeremiah 40:4 Or are
  34. Jeremiah 40:8 Jaazaniah, 2 Kin. 25:23
  35. Jeremiah 40:14 Or Certainly you know that
  36. Jeremiah 41:1 Lit. seed
  37. Jeremiah 41:7 Or cistern
  38. Jeremiah 41:9 Or cistern
  39. Jeremiah 42:6 Lit. good
  40. Jeremiah 42:6 Lit. evil
  41. Jeremiah 42:15 Or surely
  42. Jeremiah 42:19 warned
  43. Jeremiah 42:20 Lit. used deceit against your souls
  44. Jeremiah 43:3 Or incited
  45. Jeremiah 43:9 Or mortar
  46. Jeremiah 43:12 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. He
  47. Jeremiah 43:13 Lit. House of the Sun, ancient On, later called Heliopolis
  48. Jeremiah 44:1 Ancient Memphis
  49. Jeremiah 44:6 Or became a ruin
  50. Jeremiah 44:10 Lit. crushed
  51. Jeremiah 44:11 destroying
  52. Jeremiah 44:14 Lit. lift up their soul
  53. Jeremiah 44:17 Lit. bread
  54. Jeremiah 45:1 Lit. from Jeremiah’s mouth
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Jeremiah 34-45
New International Version

Warning to Zedekiah

34 While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples(A) in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem(B) 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(C) 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.(D) 3 You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.(E) 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;(F) 5 you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire(G) in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas,(H) master!” I myself make this promise, declares the Lord.’”

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

Freedom for Slaves

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

12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors(O) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.(P) 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.’[a](Q) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention(R) to me. 15 Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.(S) You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.(T) 16 But now you have turned around(U) and profaned(V) 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,(W) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague(X) and famine.(Y) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.(Z) 18 Those who have violated my covenant(AA) 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.(AB) 19 The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials,(AC) the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, 20 I will deliver(AD) into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them.(AE) Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.(AF)

21 “I will deliver Zedekiah(AG) king of Judah and his officials(AH) into the hands of their enemies(AI) who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon,(AJ) which has withdrawn(AK) from you. 22 I am going to give the order, declares the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take(AL) it and burn(AM) it down. And I will lay waste(AN) the towns of Judah so no one can live there.”

The Rekabites

35 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim(AO) son of Josiah king of Judah: 2 “Go to the Rekabite(AP) family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms(AQ) of the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink.”

3 So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites. 4 I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God.(AR) It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum(AS) the doorkeeper.(AT) 5 Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”

6 But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab[b](AU) son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.(AV) 7 Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents.(AW) Then you will live a long time in the land(AX) where you are nomads.’ 8 We have obeyed everything our forefather(AY) Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine 9 or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops.(AZ) 10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us. 11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded(BA) this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem(BB) to escape the Babylonian[c] and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”

12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 13 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell(BC) the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson(BD) and obey my words?’ declares the Lord. 14 ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command.(BE) But I have spoken to you again and again,(BF) yet you have not obeyed(BG) me. 15 Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets(BH) to you. They said, “Each of you must turn(BI) from your wicked ways and reform(BJ) your actions; do not follow other gods(BK) to serve them. Then you will live in the land(BL) I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened(BM) to me. 16 The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather(BN) gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’

17 “Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster(BO) I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen;(BP) I called to them, but they did not answer.’”(BQ)

18 Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather(BR) Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ 19 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail(BS) to have a descendant to serve(BT) me.’”

Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim(BU) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll(BV) and write on it all the words(BW) I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah(BX) till now. 3 Perhaps(BY) when the people of Judah hear(BZ) about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn(CA) from their wicked ways; then I will forgive(CB) their wickedness and their sin.”

4 So Jeremiah called Baruch(CC) son of Neriah,(CD) and while Jeremiah dictated(CE) all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.(CF) 5 Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I am not allowed to go to the Lord’s temple. 6 So you go to the house of the Lord on a day of fasting(CG) and read to the people from the scroll the words of the Lord that you wrote as I dictated.(CH) Read them to all the people of Judah(CI) who come in from their towns. 7 Perhaps they will bring their petition(CJ) before the Lord and will each turn(CK) from their wicked ways, for the anger(CL) and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great.”

8 Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at the Lord’s temple he read the words of the Lord from the scroll. 9 In the ninth month(CM) of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting(CN) before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah. 10 From the room of Gemariah(CO) son of Shaphan(CP) the secretary,(CQ) which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate(CR) of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the Lord’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.

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

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

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

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

20 After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. 21 The king sent Jehudi(DC) to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king(DD) and all the officials standing beside him. 22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment,(DE) with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. 23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,(DF) the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.(DG) 24 The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear,(DH) nor did they tear their clothes.(DI) 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah(DJ) and Gemariah(DK) urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest(DL) Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden(DM) them.

27 After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,(DN) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll(DO) and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up. 29 Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from it(DP) both man and beast?”(DQ) 30 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim(DR) king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out(DS) and exposed(DT) to the heat by day and the frost by night.(DU) 31 I will punish him and his children(DV) and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster(DW) I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.(DX)’”

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

Jeremiah in Prison

37 Zedekiah(EB) son of Josiah was made king(EC) of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin[d](ED) son of Jehoiakim. 2 Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention(EE) to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

3 King Zedekiah, however, sent(EF) Jehukal(EG) son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah(EH) son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: “Please pray(EI) to the Lord our God for us.”

4 Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison.(EJ) 5 Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt,(EK) and when the Babylonians[e] who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew(EL) from Jerusalem.(EM)

6 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet: 7 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire(EN) of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marched(EO) out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt.(EP) 8 Then the Babylonians will return and attack this city; they will capture(EQ) it and burn(ER) it down.’

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

11 After the Babylonian army had withdrawn(EU) from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 12 Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property(EV) among the people there. 13 But when he reached the Benjamin Gate,(EW) the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”(EX)

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

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

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

18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crime(FG) have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Where are your prophets(FH) who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’? 20 But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there.”(FI)

21 King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread(FJ) in the city was gone.(FK) So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.(FL)

Jeremiah Thrown Into a Cistern

38 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur(FM), Jehukal[g](FN) son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, 2 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague,(FO) but whoever goes over to the Babylonians[h] will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’(FP) 3 And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’”(FQ)

4 Then the officials(FR) said to the king, “This man should be put to death.(FS) He is discouraging(FT) the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”

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

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

7 But Ebed-Melek,(GA) a Cushite,[i] an official[j](GB) in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,(GC) 8 Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, 9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern,(GD) where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread(GE) in the city.”

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

11 So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes(GF) to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13 and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.(GG)

Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Again

14 Then King Zedekiah sent(GH) for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the Lord. “I am going to ask you something,” the king said to Jeremiah. “Do not hide(GI) anything from me.”

15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.”

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

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender(GM) to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.(GN) 18 But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands(GO) of the Babylonians and they will burn(GP) it down; you yourself will not escape(GQ) from them.’”

19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid(GR) of the Jews who have gone over(GS) to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”

20 “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey(GT) the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well(GU) with you, and your life(GV) will be spared. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me: 22 All the women(GW) left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you:

“‘They misled you and overcame you—
    those trusted friends(GX) of yours.
Your feet are sunk in the mud;(GY)
    your friends have deserted you.’

23 “All your wives and children(GZ) will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape(HA) from their hands but will be captured(HB) by the king of Babylon; and this city will[k] be burned down.”(HC)

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know(HD) about this conversation, or you may die. 25 If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’ 26 then tell(HE) them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house(HF) to die there.’”

27 All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king.

28 And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard(HG) until the day Jerusalem was captured.

The Fall of Jerusalem(HH)

This is how Jerusalem(HI) was taken: 39 1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah(HJ) king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar(HK) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege(HL) to it. 2 And on the ninth day of the fourth(HM) month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall(HN) was broken through.(HO) 3 Then all the officials(HP) of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls,(HQ) and headed toward the Arabah.[l](HR)

5 But the Babylonian[m] army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah(HS) in the plains of Jericho. They captured(HT) him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah(HU) in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. 6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles(HV) of Judah. 7 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes(HW) and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.(HX)

8 The Babylonians[n] set fire(HY) to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls(HZ) of Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him,(IA) and the rest of the people.(IB) 10 But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.

11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: 12 “Take him and look after him; don’t harm(IC) him but do for him whatever he asks.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers(ID) of the king of Babylon 14 sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard.(IE) They turned him over to Gedaliah(IF) son of Ahikam,(IG) the son of Shaphan,(IH) to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.(II)

15 While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: 16 “Go and tell Ebed-Melek(IJ) the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words(IK) against this city—words concerning disaster,(IL) not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. 17 But I will rescue(IM) you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. 18 I will save(IN) you; you will not fall by the sword(IO) but will escape with your life,(IP) because you trust(IQ) in me, declares the Lord.’”

Jeremiah Freed

40 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah.(IR) He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives(IS) from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. 2 When the commander(IT) of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The Lord your God decreed(IU) this disaster(IV) for this place.(IW) 3 And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned(IX) against the Lord and did not obey(IY) him. 4 But today I am freeing(IZ) you from the chains(JA) on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.”(JB) 5 However, before Jeremiah turned to go,[o] Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah(JC) son of Ahikam,(JD) the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed(JE) over the towns(JF) of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”(JG)

Then the commander gave him provisions and a present(JH) and let him go. 6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah(JI) and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.

Gedaliah Assassinated(JJ)

7 When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor(JK) over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest(JL) in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon, 8 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah(JM)—Ishmael(JN) son of Nethaniah, Johanan(JO) and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite,(JP) and Jaazaniah[p] the son of the Maakathite,(JQ) and their men. 9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to serve(JR) the Babylonians,[q](JS)” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.(JT) 10 I myself will stay at Mizpah(JU) to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine,(JV) summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars,(JW) and live in the towns you have taken over.”(JX)

11 When all the Jews in Moab,(JY) Ammon, Edom(JZ) and all the other countries(KA) heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered.(KB) And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.

13 Johanan(KC) son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah(KD) 14 and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites(KE) has sent Ishmael(KF) son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.

15 Then Johanan(KG) son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill(KH) Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered(KI) and the remnant(KJ) of Judah to perish?”

16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan(KK) son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”

41 In the seventh month Ishmael(KL) son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, 2 Ishmael(KM) son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword,(KN) killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed(KO) as governor over the land.(KP) 3 Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian[r] soldiers who were there.

4 The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, 5 eighty men who had shaved off their beards,(KQ) torn their clothes(KR) and cut(KS) themselves came from Shechem,(KT) Shiloh(KU) and Samaria,(KV) bringing grain offerings and incense(KW) with them to the house of the Lord.(KX) 6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping(KY) as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”(KZ) 7 When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.(LA) 8 But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.”(LB) So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. 9 Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa(LC) had made as part of his defense(LD) against Baasha(LE) king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.

10 Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people(LF) who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters(LG) along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.(LH)

11 When Johanan(LI) son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, 12 they took all their men and went to fight(LJ) Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool(LK) in Gibeon. 13 When all the people(LL) Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. 14 All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah(LM) turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped(LN) from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.

Flight to Egypt

16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers(LO) who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived,(LP) whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon. 17 And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham(LQ) near Bethlehem(LR) on their way to Egypt(LS) 18 to escape the Babylonians.[s] They were afraid(LT) of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah(LU) son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

42 Then all the army officers, including Johanan(LV) son of Kareah and Jezaniah[t] son of Hoshaiah,(LW) and all the people from the least to the greatest(LX) approached 2 Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray(LY) to the Lord your God for this entire remnant.(LZ) For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few(MA) are left. 3 Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”(MB)

4 “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray(MC) to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell(MD) you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”(ME)

5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true(MF) and faithful(MG) witness(MH) against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. 6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well(MI) with us, for we will obey(MJ) the Lord our God.”

7 Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers(MK) who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.(ML) 9 He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition,(MM) says:(MN) 10 ‘If you stay in this land,(MO) I will build(MP) you up and not tear you down; I will plant(MQ) you and not uproot you,(MR) for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.(MS) 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon,(MT) whom you now fear.(MU) Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save(MV) you and deliver you from his hands.(MW) 12 I will show you compassion(MX) so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’(MY)

13 “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey(MZ) the Lord your God, 14 and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt,(NA) where we will not see war or hear the trumpet(NB) or be hungry for bread,’(NC) 15 then hear the word of the Lord,(ND) you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, 16 then the sword(NE) you fear(NF) will overtake you there, and the famine(NG) you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.(NH) 17 Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague;(NI) not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ 18 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath(NJ) have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,(NK) so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse[u](NL) and an object of horror,(NM) a curse[v] and an object of reproach;(NN) you will never see this place again.’(NO)

19 “Remnant(NP) of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’(NQ) Be sure of this: I warn you today 20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’(NR) 21 I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you.(NS) 22 So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine(NT) and plague(NU) in the place where you want to go to settle.”(NV)

43 When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them(NW)— 2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah(NX) and Johanan(NY) son of Kareah and all the arrogant(NZ) men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!(OA) The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’(OB) 3 But Baruch(OC) son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,[w] so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”(OD)

4 So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people(OE) disobeyed the Lord’s command(OF) to stay in the land of Judah.(OG) 5 Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.(OH) 6 They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women,(OI) the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch(OJ) son of Neriah along with them. 7 So they entered Egypt(OK) in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.(OL)

8 In Tahpanhes(OM) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 9 “While the Jews are watching, take some large stones(ON) with you and bury them in clay in the brick(OO) pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace(OP) in Tahpanhes. 10 Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant(OQ) Nebuchadnezzar(OR) king of Babylon, and I will set his throne(OS) over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy(OT) above them. 11 He will come and attack Egypt,(OU) bringing death(OV) to those destined(OW) for death, captivity to those destined for captivity,(OX) and the sword to those destined for the sword.(OY) 12 He will set fire(OZ) to the temples(PA) of the gods(PB) of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.(PC) As a shepherd picks(PD) his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. 13 There in the temple of the sun[x](PE) in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars(PF) and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”

Disaster Because of Idolatry

44 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt(PG)—in Migdol,(PH) Tahpanhes(PI) and Memphis(PJ)—and in Upper Egypt:(PK) 2 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster(PL) I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.(PM) Today they lie deserted and in ruins(PN) 3 because of the evil(PO) they have done. They aroused my anger(PP) by burning incense(PQ) to and worshiping other gods(PR) that neither they nor you nor your ancestors(PS) ever knew. 4 Again and again(PT) I sent my servants the prophets,(PU) who said, ‘Do not do this detestable(PV) thing that I hate!’ 5 But they did not listen or pay attention;(PW) they did not turn from their wickedness(PX) or stop burning incense(PY) to other gods.(PZ) 6 Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out;(QA) it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins(QB) they are today.

7 “Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster(QC) on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women,(QD) the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?(QE) 8 Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made,(QF) burning incense(QG) to other gods in Egypt,(QH) where you have come to live?(QI) You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse[y] and an object of reproach(QJ) among all the nations on earth. 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors(QK) and by the kings(QL) and queens(QM) of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives(QN) in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?(QO) 10 To this day they have not humbled(QP) themselves or shown reverence,(QQ) nor have they followed my law(QR) and the decrees(QS) I set before you and your ancestors.(QT)

11 “Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty,(QU) the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster(QV) on you and to destroy all Judah. 12 I will take away the remnant(QW) of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest,(QX) they will die by sword or famine.(QY) They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.(QZ) 13 I will punish(RA) those who live in Egypt with the sword,(RB) famine and plague,(RC) as I punished Jerusalem. 14 None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”(RD)

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives(RE) were burning incense(RF) to other gods, along with all the women(RG) who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt,(RH) said to Jeremiah, 16 “We will not listen(RI) to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord!(RJ) 17 We will certainly do everything we said we would:(RK) We will burn incense(RL) to the Queen of Heaven(RM) and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials(RN) did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.(RO) At that time we had plenty of food(RP) and were well off and suffered no harm.(RQ) 18 But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings(RR) to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.(RS)”

19 The women added, “When we burned incense(RT) to the Queen of Heaven(RU) and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands(RV) know that we were making cakes(RW) impressed with her image(RX) and pouring out drink offerings to her?”

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, 21 “Did not the Lord remember(RY) and call to mind the incense(RZ) burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem(SA) by you and your ancestors,(SB) your kings and your officials and the people of the land?(SC) 22 When the Lord could no longer endure(SD) your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse(SE) and a desolate waste(SF) without inhabitants, as it is today.(SG) 23 Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him or followed(SH) his law or his decrees(SI) or his stipulations, this disaster(SJ) has come upon you, as you now see.”(SK)

24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,(SL) “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.(SM) 25 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives(SN) have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’(SO)

“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!(SP) 26 But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt:(SQ) ‘I swear(SR) by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign(SS) Lord lives.”(ST) 27 For I am watching(SU) over them for harm,(SV) not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish(SW) by sword and famine(SX) until they are all destroyed.(SY) 28 Those who escape the sword(SZ) and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.(TA) Then the whole remnant(TB) of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand(TC)—mine or theirs.(TD)

29 “‘This will be the sign(TE) to you that I will punish(TF) you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’(TG) 30 This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh(TH) Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah(TI) king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’”(TJ)

A Message to Baruch

45 When Baruch(TK) son of Neriah(TL) wrote on a scroll(TM) the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(TN) son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: 3 You said, ‘Woe(TO) to me! The Lord has added sorrow(TP) to my pain;(TQ) I am worn out with groaning(TR) and find no rest.’(TS) 4 But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot(TT) what I have planted,(TU) throughout the earth.(TV) 5 Should you then seek great(TW) things for yourself? Do not seek them.(TX) For I will bring disaster(TY) on all people,(TZ) declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape(UA) with your life.’”(UB)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 34:14 Deut. 15:12
  2. Jeremiah 35:6 Hebrew Jonadab, a variant of Jehonadab; here and often in this chapter
  3. Jeremiah 35:11 Or Chaldean
  4. Jeremiah 37:1 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin
  5. Jeremiah 37:5 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 9, 13 and 14
  6. Jeremiah 37:10 Or Chaldean; also in verse 11
  7. Jeremiah 38:1 Hebrew Jukal, a variant of Jehukal
  8. Jeremiah 38:2 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 18, 19 and 23
  9. Jeremiah 38:7 Probably from the upper Nile region
  10. Jeremiah 38:7 Or a eunuch
  11. Jeremiah 38:23 Or and you will cause this city to
  12. Jeremiah 39:4 Or the Jordan Valley
  13. Jeremiah 39:5 Or Chaldean
  14. Jeremiah 39:8 Or Chaldeans
  15. Jeremiah 40:5 Or Jeremiah answered
  16. Jeremiah 40:8 Hebrew Jezaniah, a variant of Jaazaniah
  17. Jeremiah 40:9 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 10
  18. Jeremiah 41:3 Or Chaldean
  19. Jeremiah 41:18 Or Chaldeans
  20. Jeremiah 42:1 Hebrew; Septuagint (see also 43:2) Azariah
  21. Jeremiah 42:18 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed.
  22. Jeremiah 42:18 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed.
  23. Jeremiah 43:3 Or Chaldeans
  24. Jeremiah 43:13 Or in Heliopolis
  25. Jeremiah 44:8 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed; also in verse 12; similarly in verse 22.
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Jeremiah 33
Jeremiah 46
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