Warning to Pay Attention

2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.^{(A) 2} For since the message spoken^(B) through angels^(C) was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,^{(D) 3} how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?^(E) This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord,^(F) was confirmed to us by those who heard him.^{(G) 4} God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles,^(H) and by gifts of the Holy Spirit^(I) distributed according to his will.^(J)

Jesus Made Fully Human

⁵ It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. ⁶ But there is a place where someone^(K) has testified:

In putting everything under them,^[d] God left nothing that is not subject to them.^[e] Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.^{[f] 9} But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor^(N) because he suffered death,^(O) so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.^(P)

¹⁰ In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists,^(Q) should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.^{(R) 11} Both the one who makes people holy^(S) and those who are made holy^(T) are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.^{[g](U) 12} He says,

¹³ And again,

And again he says,

¹⁴ Since the children have flesh and blood,^(Y) he too shared in their humanity^(Z) so that by his death he might break the power^(AA) of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil^(AB)— ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear^(AC) of death. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.^{(AD) 17} For this reason he had to be made like them,^[k](AE) fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful^(AF) and faithful high priest^(AG) in service to God,^(AH) and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.^{(AI) 18} Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.^(AJ)

Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(A) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Take a scroll^(B) and write on it all the words^(C) 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^(D) till now. ³ Perhaps^(E) when the people of Judah hear^(F) about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn^(G) from their wicked ways; then I will forgive^(H) their wickedness and their sin.”

⁴ So Jeremiah called Baruch^(I) son of Neriah,^(J) and while Jeremiah dictated^(K) all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.^{(L) 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^(M) and read to the people from the scroll the words of the Lord that you wrote as I dictated.^(N) Read them to all the people of Judah^(O) who come in from their towns. ⁷ Perhaps they will bring their petition^(P) before the Lord and will each turn^(Q) from their wicked ways, for the anger^(R) 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^(S) of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting^(T) 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^(U) son of Shaphan^(V) the secretary,^(W) which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate^(X) 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^(Y) room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan^(Z) son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.^{(AA) 13} After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll, ¹⁴ all the officials sent Jehudi^(AB) son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll^(AC) 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^(AD) 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^(AE) all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”

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

¹⁹ Then the officials^(AG) said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide.^(AH) 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^(AI) to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king^(AJ) and all the officials standing beside him. ²² It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment,^(AK) with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. ²³ Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,^(AL) 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.^{(AM) 24} The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear,^(AN) nor did they tear their clothes.^{(AO) 25} Even though Elnathan, Delaiah^(AP) and Gemariah^(AQ) 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^(AR) Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden^(AS) them.

²⁷ After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,^(AT) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁸ “Take another scroll^(AU) 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^(AV) both man and beast?”^{(AW) 30} Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim^(AX) king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out^(AY) and exposed^(AZ) to the heat by day and the frost by night.^{(BA) 31} I will punish him and his children^(BB) and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster^(BC) I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.^(BD)’”

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

Jeremiah in Prison

37 Zedekiah^(BH) son of Josiah was made king^(BI) of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin^[a](BJ) son of Jehoiakim. ² Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention^(BK) to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

³ King Zedekiah, however, sent^(BL) Jehukal^(BM) son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah^(BN) son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: “Please pray^(BO) 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.^{(BP) 5} Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt,^(BQ) and when the Babylonians^[b] who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew^(BR) from Jerusalem.^(BS)

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^(BT) of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marched^(BU) out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt.^{(BV) 8} Then the Babylonians will return and attack this city; they will capture^(BW) it and burn^(BX) it down.’

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

¹¹ After the Babylonian army had withdrawn^(CA) 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^(CB) among the people there. ¹³ But when he reached the Benjamin Gate,^(CC) 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!”^(CD)

¹⁴ “That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested^(CE) Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. ¹⁵ They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten^(CF) and imprisoned^(CG) in the house^(CH) 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^(CI) for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked^(CJ) him privately,^(CK) “Is there any word from the Lord?”

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

¹⁸ Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crime^(CM) have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison? ¹⁹ Where are your prophets^(CN) 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.”^(CO)

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^(CP) in the city was gone.^(CQ) So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.^(CR)