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Jeremiah 20:11-27:5
English Standard Version
Jeremiah 20:11-27:5
English Standard Version
11 But (A)the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble;
(B)they will not overcome me.
(C)They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their (D)eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.
12 O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous,
(E)who sees the heart and the mind,[a]
let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you have I committed my cause.
13 (F)Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hand of evildoers.
14 (G)Cursed be the day
on which I was born!
The day when my mother bore me,
let it not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father,
“A son is born to you,”
(H)making him very glad.
16 Let that man be like (I)the cities
that the Lord overthrew without pity;
(J)let him hear a cry in the morning
and an alarm at noon,
17 (K)because he did not kill me in the womb;
so my mother would have been my grave,
and her womb forever great.
18 (L)Why did I come out from the womb
(M)to see toil and sorrow,
and spend my days in shame?
Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar
21 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him (N)Pashhur the son of Malchiah and (O)Zephaniah the priest, the son of (P)Maaseiah, saying, 2 (Q)“Inquire of the Lord for us, (R)for Nebuchadnezzar[b] king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to (S)all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: (T)Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. (U)And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. 5 I myself will fight against you (V)with outstretched hand and strong arm, (W)in anger and in fury and in great wrath. 6 And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. 7 Afterward, declares the Lord, (X)I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. (Y)He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’
8 “And to this people you shall say: (Z)‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, (AA)I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who stays in this city shall die (AB)by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and (AC)surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live (AD)and shall have his life as a prize of war. 10 For (AE)I have set my face against this city for harm and (AF)not for good, declares the Lord: (AG)it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’
Message to the House of David
11 “And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord:
(AH)“‘Execute justice (AI)in the morning,
and deliver from the hand of the oppressor
him who has been robbed,
(AJ)lest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
because of your evil deeds.’”
13 (AK)“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,
O rock of the plain,
declares the Lord;
you who say, (AL)‘Who shall come down against us,
or who shall enter our habitations?’
14 (AM)I will punish you according to (AN)the fruit of your deeds,
declares the Lord;
(AO)I will kindle a fire in her forest,
(AP)and it shall devour all that is around her.”
22 Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word, 2 and say, (AQ)‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. 3 Thus says the Lord: (AR)Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And (AS)do no wrong or violence (AT)to the resident alien, (AU)the fatherless, and the widow, nor (AV)shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed obey this word, (AW)then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. 5 But if you will not obey these words, I (AX)swear by myself, declares the Lord, that (AY)this house shall become a desolation. 6 For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“‘You are like Gilead to me,
like the summit of (AZ)Lebanon,
yet surely I will make you a desert,
(BA)an uninhabited city.[c]
7 (BB)I will prepare destroyers against you,
each with his weapons,
(BC)and they shall cut down your choicest cedars
and cast them into the fire.
8 “‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, (BD)“Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?” 9 (BE)And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.”’”
10 (BF)Weep not for him who is dead,
nor grieve for him,
(BG)but weep bitterly for him who goes away,
for he shall return no more
to see his native land.
Message to the Sons of Josiah
11 For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and (BH)who went away from this place: “He shall return here no more, 12 but (BI)in the place where they have carried him captive, there shall he die, and he shall never see this land again.”
13 (BJ)“Woe to him who builds his house by (BK)unrighteousness,
and his upper rooms by injustice,
(BL)who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing
and does not give him his wages,
14 who says, ‘I will build myself a great house
with spacious upper rooms,’
who cuts out windows for it,
paneling it with cedar
and (BM)painting it with vermilion.
15 Do you think you are a king
because you compete in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
and (BN)do justice and righteousness?
(BO)Then it was well with him.
16 (BP)He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
(BQ)then it was well.
Is not this (BR)to know me?
declares the Lord.
17 But you have eyes and heart
only for your dishonest gain,
(BS)for shedding innocent blood,
and for practicing oppression and violence.”
18 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
(BT)“They shall not lament for him, saying,
(BU)‘Ah, my brother!’ or ‘Ah, sister!’
They shall not lament for him, saying,
(BV)‘Ah, lord!’ or ‘Ah, his majesty!’
19 With the burial of a donkey (BW)he shall be buried,
dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”
20 “Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,
and lift up your voice in Bashan;
cry out from (BX)Abarim,
for all (BY)your lovers are destroyed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
but you said, ‘I will not listen.’
(BZ)This has been your way from (CA)your youth,
that you have not obeyed my voice.
22 (CB)The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds,
and (CC)your lovers shall go into captivity;
(CD)then you will be ashamed and confounded
because of all your evil.
23 O inhabitant of (CE)Lebanon,
nested among the cedars,
how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you,
(CF)pain as of a woman in labor!”
24 (CG)“As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were (CH)the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off 25 and (CI)give you (CJ)into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 (CK)I will hurl you and (CL)the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. 27 But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return.”
28 Is this man (CM)Coniah a despised, broken pot,
a (CN)vessel no one cares for?
Why are he and his children hurled and cast
into a (CO)land that they do not know?
29 (CP)O land, land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 Thus says the Lord:
“Write this man down as (CQ)childless,
a man who shall not succeed in his days,
(CR)for none of his offspring shall succeed
(CS)in sitting on the throne of David
and ruling again in Judah.”
The Righteous Branch
23 (CT)“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning (CU)the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. (CV)Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. 3 (CW)Then I will gather the remnant of my flock (CX)out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, (CY)and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 (CZ)I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.
5 (DA)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous (DB)Branch, and (DC)he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and (DD)Israel will (DE)dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: (DF)‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
7 (DG)“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 8 but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he[d] had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”
Lying Prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
(DH)My heart is broken within me;
(DI)all my bones shake;
I am like a drunken man,
like a man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and because of his holy words.
10 (DJ)For the land is full of adulterers;
(DK)because of the curse (DL)the land mourns,
and (DM)the pastures of the wilderness are dried up.
(DN)Their course is evil,
and their might is not right.
11 (DO)“Both prophet and priest are ungodly;
even (DP)in my house I have found their evil,
declares the Lord.
12 (DQ)Therefore their way shall be to them
like slippery paths (DR)in the darkness,
into which they shall be driven and fall,
for I will bring disaster upon them
(DS)in the year of their punishment,
declares the Lord.
13 In the prophets of (DT)Samaria
(DU)I saw an unsavory thing:
(DV)they prophesied by Baal
(DW)and led my people Israel astray.
14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen a horrible thing:
(DX)they commit adultery and walk in lies;
(DY)they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that no one turns from his evil;
(DZ)all of them have become like Sodom to me,
(EA)and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:
(EB)“Behold, I will feed them with bitter food
(EC)and give them (ED)poisoned water to drink,
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness has gone out into all the land.”
16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, (EE)filling you with vain hopes. (EF)They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, (EG)‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who (EH)stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, (EI)‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”
18 For (EJ)who among them has stood in the council of the Lord
to see and to hear his word,
or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
19 (EK)Behold, the storm of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
(EL)a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
20 (EM)The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and (EN)accomplished
the intents of his heart.
(EO)In the latter days you will understand it clearly.
21 (EP)“I did not send the prophets,
yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
22 (EQ)But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
(ER)and they would have turned them from their evil way,
and (ES)from the evil of their deeds.
23 (ET)“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 (EU)Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. (EV)Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. 25 I have heard what the prophets have said (EW)who prophesy lies in my name, saying, (EX)‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ 26 How long shall there be lies in the heart of (EY)the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, 27 who think to make my people forget my name (EZ)by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their (FA)fathers forgot my name for Baal? 28 (FB)Let the prophet who has a dream (FC)tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. (FD)What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. 29 (FE)Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and (FF)like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? 30 (FG)Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’ 32 Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and (FH)lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when (FI)I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord.
33 (FJ)“When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden,[e] and (FK)I will cast you off, declares the Lord.’ 34 And as for the prophet, priest, or one of the people who says, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ (FL)I will punish that man and his household. 35 Thus shall you say, every one to his neighbor and every one to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But ‘the burden of the Lord’ you shall mention no more, for the burden is every man's own word, and (FM)you pervert the words of (FN)the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. 37 Thus you shall say to the prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 But if you say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have said these words, “The burden of the Lord,” when I sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’” 39 therefore, behold, I will surely lift you up[f] and (FO)cast you away from my presence, you and the city that I gave to you and your fathers. 40 (FP)And I will bring upon you everlasting reproach and (FQ)perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’”
The Good Figs and the Bad Figs
24 (FR)After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem (FS)Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, together with (FT)the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers, and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me this vision: behold, (FU)two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, (FV)like first-ripe figs, but the other basket had (FW)very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten. 3 And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, (FX)whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 (FY)I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. (FZ)I will build them up, and not tear them down; (GA)I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7 (GB)I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, (GC)and they shall be my people (GD)and I will be their God, (GE)for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
8 “But thus says the Lord: Like (GF)the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat (GG)Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who (GH)dwell in the land of Egypt. 9 I will make them (GI)a horror[g] to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be (GJ)a reproach, (GK)a byword, (GL)a taunt, and (GM)a curse in all the places where I shall drive them. 10 And I will send (GN)sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, until they shall be utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.”
Seventy Years of Captivity
25 (GO)The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 3 “For twenty-three years, (GP)from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken (GQ)persistently to you, (GR)but you have not listened. 4 (GS)You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord (GT)persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, 5 saying, (GU)‘Turn now, every one of you, (GV)from his evil way and evil deeds, and (GW)dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. 6 (GX)Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, (GY)or provoke me to anger (GZ)with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’ 7 (HA)Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, (HB)that you might provoke me to anger (HC)with the work of your hands to your own harm.
8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, 9 (HD)behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (HE)my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, (HF)and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10 Moreover, (HG)I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, (HH)the grinding of the millstones and (HI)the light of the lamp. 11 (HJ)This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and (HK)these nations shall serve the king of Babylon (HL)seventy years. 12 Then after (HM)seventy years are completed, (HN)I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, (HO)the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, (HP)making the land an everlasting waste. 13 I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written (HQ)in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14 (HR)For many nations (HS)and great kings shall make slaves even of them, (HT)and I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”
The Cup of the Lord's Wrath
15 Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: (HU)“Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of (HV)the sword that I am sending among them.”
17 So I took the cup from the Lord's hand, (HW)and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: 18 (HX)Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials, (HY)to make them a desolation and a waste, a hissing and a curse, as at this day; 19 (HZ)Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, all his people, 20 and (IA)all the mixed tribes among them; all the kings of (IB)the land of Uz and all the kings of (IC)the land of the Philistines ((ID)Ashkelon, (IE)Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of (IF)Ashdod); 21 (IG)Edom, (IH)Moab, and the sons of (II)Ammon; 22 all the kings of (IJ)Tyre, all the kings of (IK)Sidon, and the kings of the coastland across (IL)the sea; 23 (IM)Dedan, (IN)Tema, (IO)Buz, and all who cut (IP)the corners of their hair; 24 all the (IQ)kings of Arabia and all the kings of (IR)the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of (IS)Elam, and all the kings of (IT)Media; 26 all the kings of (IU)the north, far and near, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of (IV)Babylon[h] shall drink.
27 “Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (IW)Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of (IX)the sword that I am sending among you.’
28 “And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: (IY)You must drink! 29 For behold, (IZ)I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, (JA)for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the Lord of hosts.’
30 “You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them:
(JB)“‘The Lord will roar from on high,
and from his holy habitation utter his voice;
he will roar mightily against his fold,
(JC)and shout, like those who tread grapes,
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth,
for (JD)the Lord has an indictment against the nations;
(JE)he is entering into judgment with all flesh,
and the wicked he will put to the sword,
declares the Lord.’
32 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Behold, disaster is going forth
from nation to nation,
(JF)and a great tempest is stirring
(JG)from the farthest parts of the earth!
33 (JH)“And those pierced by the Lord on that day shall extend from one end of the earth to the other. (JI)They shall not be lamented, (JJ)or gathered, or buried; (JK)they shall be dung on the surface of the ground.
34 (JL)“Wail, (JM)you shepherds, and cry out,
(JN)and roll in ashes, you lords of the flock,
for the days of your slaughter and dispersion have come,
and you shall fall like a choice vessel.
35 No refuge will remain (JO)for the shepherds,
nor escape for the lords of the flock.
36 A voice—the cry (JP)of the shepherds,
(JQ)and the wail of the lords of the flock!
For the Lord is laying waste their pasture,
37 (JR)and the peaceful folds are devastated
(JS)because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
38 Like a lion (JT)he has left his lair,
for their land has become a waste
because of (JU)the sword of the oppressor,
(JV)and because of his fierce anger.”
Jeremiah Threatened with Death
26 (JW)In the beginning of the reign of (JX)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “Thus says the Lord: (JY)Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord (JZ)all the words that I command you to speak to them; (KA)do not hold back a word. 3 (KB)It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, (KC)that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them (KD)because of their evil deeds. 4 You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: (KE)If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, 5 (KF)and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you (KG)urgently, (KH)though you have not listened, 6 then I will make this house (KI)like Shiloh, and I will make this city (KJ)a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”
7 (KK)The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then (KL)the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be (KM)like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, (KN)without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When (KO)the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of the Lord and took their seat in the (KP)entry of the New Gate of the house of the Lord. 11 Then (KQ)the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, (KR)“This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”
12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. 13 Now therefore (KS)mend your ways and your deeds, (KT)and obey the voice of the Lord your God, (KU)and the Lord will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you. 14 (KV)But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. 15 Only know for certain that if you put me to death, (KW)you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
Jeremiah Spared from Death
16 (KX)Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, (KY)“This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” 17 (KZ)And certain of (LA)the elders of the land arose and spoke to all the assembled people, saying, 18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and said to all the people of Judah: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts,
(LB)“‘Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
and the mountain of the house a wooded height.’
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? (LC)Did he not fear the Lord and entreat the favor of the Lord, (LD)and did not the Lord relent of the disaster that he had pronounced against them? (LE)But we are about to bring great disaster upon ourselves.”
20 There was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from (LF)Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like those of Jeremiah. 21 And when (LG)King Jehoiakim, with all his warriors and all the officials, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah heard of it, he was afraid and fled and escaped to Egypt. 22 Then (LH)King Jehoiakim sent to Egypt certain men, (LI)Elnathan the son of (LJ)Achbor and others with him, 23 and they took Uriah from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, (LK)who struck him down with the sword and dumped his dead body into the burial place of the common people.
24 But the hand of (LL)Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.
The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar
27 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah[i] the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. 2 Thus the Lord said to me: (LM)“Make yourself straps and (LN)yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Send word[j] to the king of (LO)Edom, the king of (LP)Moab, the king of the sons of (LQ)Ammon, the king of (LR)Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: 5 “It is I who (LS)by my great power and my outstretched arm (LT)have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, (LU)and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 20:12 Hebrew kidneys
- Jeremiah 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, an alternate spelling of Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21–52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency
- Jeremiah 22:6 Hebrew cities
- Jeremiah 23:8 Septuagint; Hebrew I
- Jeremiah 23:33 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew What burden?
- Jeremiah 23:39 Or surely forget you
- Jeremiah 24:9 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew horror for evil
- Jeremiah 25:26 Hebrew Sheshach, a code name for Babylon
- Jeremiah 27:1 Or Jehoiakim
- Jeremiah 27:3 Hebrew Send them
Jeremiah 20:11-27:5
New International Version
Jeremiah 20:11-27:5
New International Version
11 But the Lord(A) is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors(B) will stumble and not prevail.(C)
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;(D)
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,(E)
let me see your vengeance(F) on them,
for to you I have committed(G) my cause.
13 Sing(H) to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues(I) the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.(J)
14 Cursed be the day I was born!(K)
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns(L)
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing(M) in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,(N)
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb(O)
to see trouble(P) and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?(Q)
God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request
21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah(R) sent to him Pashhur(S) son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah(T) son of Maaseiah. They said: 2 “Inquire(U) now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar[a](V) king of Babylon(W) is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders(X) for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”
3 But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn(Y) against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians[b] who are outside the wall besieging(Z) you. And I will gather them inside this city. 5 I myself will fight(AA) against you with an outstretched hand(AB) and a mighty arm(AC) in furious anger and in great wrath. 6 I will strike(AD) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.(AE) 7 After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah(AF) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,(AG) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(AH) and to their enemies(AI) who want to kill them.(AJ) He will put them to the sword;(AK) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’(AL)
8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life(AM) and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.(AN) But whoever goes out and surrenders(AO) to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.(AP) 10 I have determined to do this city harm(AQ) and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands(AR) of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’(AS)
11 “Moreover, say to the royal house(AT) of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. 12 This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:
“‘Administer justice(AU) every morning;
rescue from the hand of the oppressor(AV)
the one who has been robbed,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire(AW)
because of the evil(AX) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(AY) it.
13 I am against(AZ) you, Jerusalem,
you who live above this valley(BA)
on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord—
you who say, “Who can come against us?
Who can enter our refuge?”(BB)
14 I will punish you as your deeds(BC) deserve,
declares the Lord.
I will kindle a fire(BD) in your forests(BE)
that will consume everything around you.’”
Judgment Against Wicked Kings
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king(BF) of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2 ‘Hear(BG) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne(BH)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.(BI) 3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is just(BJ) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor(BK) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,(BL) and do not shed innocent blood(BM) in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings(BN) who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you do not obey(BO) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear(BP) by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’”
6 For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:
“Though you are like Gilead(BQ) to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,(BR)
I will surely make you like a wasteland,(BS)
like towns not inhabited.
7 I will send destroyers(BT) against you,
each man with his weapons,
and they will cut(BU) up your fine cedar beams
and throw them into the fire.(BV)
8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’(BW) 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.(BX)’”
10 Do not weep for the dead(BY) king or mourn(BZ) his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return(CA)
nor see his native land again.
11 For this is what the Lord says about Shallum[c](CB) son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. 12 He will die(CC) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
13 “Woe(CD) to him who builds(CE) his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying(CF) them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace(CG)
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar(CH)
and decorates it in red.(CI)
15 “Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,(CJ)
so all went well(CK) with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,(CL)
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know(CM) me?”
declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,(CN)
on shedding innocent blood(CO)
and on oppression and extortion.”(CP)
18 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“They will not mourn(CQ) for him:
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
19 He will have the burial(CR) of a donkey—
dragged away and thrown(CS)
outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,(CT)
let your voice be heard in Bashan,(CU)
cry out from Abarim,(CV)
for all your allies(CW) are crushed.
21 I warned you when you felt secure,(CX)
but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;(CY)
you have not obeyed(CZ) me.
22 The wind(DA) will drive all your shepherds(DB) away,
and your allies(DC) will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced(DD)
because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,[d](DE)’
who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
pain(DF) like that of a woman in labor!
24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin[e](DG) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring(DH) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliver(DI) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.[f] 26 I will hurl(DJ) you and the mother(DK) who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never come back to the land you long to return(DL) to.”
28 Is this man Jehoiachin(DM) a despised, broken pot,(DN)
an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled(DO) out,
cast into a land(DP) they do not know?
29 O land,(DQ) land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,(DR)
a man who will not prosper(DS) in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring(DT) will prosper,
none will sit on the throne(DU) of David
or rule anymore in Judah.”
The Righteous Branch
23 “Woe to the shepherds(DV) who are destroying and scattering(DW) the sheep of my pasture!”(DX) declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds(DY) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock(DZ) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil(EA) you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant(EB) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,(EC) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds(ED) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid(EE) or terrified, nor will any be missing,(EF)” declares the Lord.
5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up for David[g] a righteous Branch,(EG)
a King(EH) who will reign(EI) wisely
and do what is just and right(EJ) in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.(EK)
This is the name(EL) by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.(EM)
7 “So then, the days are coming,”(EN) declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(EO) 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”(EP)
Lying Prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart(EQ) is broken within me;
all my bones tremble.(ER)
I am like a drunken man,
like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and his holy words.(ES)
10 The land is full of adulterers;(ET)
because of the curse[h](EU) the land lies parched
and the pastures(EV) in the wilderness are withered.(EW)
The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.
11 “Both prophet and priest are godless;(EX)
even in my temple(EY) I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their path will become slippery;(EZ)
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished,(FA)”
declares the Lord.
13 “Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal(FB)
and led my people Israel astray.(FC)
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible:(FD)
They commit adultery and live a lie.(FE)
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,(FF)
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.(FG)
They are all like Sodom(FH) to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”(FI)
15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:
“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,(FJ)
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness(FK) has spread throughout the land.”
16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen(FL) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions(FM) from their own minds,
not from the mouth(FN) of the Lord.
17 They keep saying(FO) to those who despise me,
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’(FP)
And to all who follow the stubbornness(FQ) of their hearts
they say, ‘No harm(FR) will come to you.’
18 But which of them has stood in the council(FS) of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm(FT) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind(FU) swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger(FV) of the Lord will not turn back(FW)
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
21 I did not send(FX) these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,(FY)
they would have proclaimed(FZ) my words to my people
and would have turned(GA) them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.(GB)
23 “Am I only a God nearby,(GC)”
declares the Lord,
“and not a God far away?
24 Who can hide(GD) in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”(GE)
declares the Lord.
25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies(GF) in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!(GG) I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions(GH) of their own minds?(GI) 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget(GJ) my name, just as their ancestors forgot(GK) my name through Baal worship.(GL) 28 Let the prophet who has a dream(GM) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word(GN) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not my word like fire,”(GO) declares the Lord, “and like a hammer(GP) that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against(GQ) the prophets(GR) who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31 Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’(GS) 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,(GT)” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray(GU) with their reckless lies,(GV) yet I did not send(GW) or appoint them. They do not benefit(GX) these people in the least,” declares the Lord.
False Prophecy
33 “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message(GY) from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake(GZ) you, declares the Lord.’ 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message(HA) from the Lord,’ I will punish(HB) them and their household. 35 This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’(HC) or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort(HD) the words of the living God,(HE) the Lord Almighty, our God. 37 This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the Lord’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ this is what the Lord says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord.’ 39 Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast(HF) you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring on you everlasting disgrace(HG)—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”
Two Baskets of Figs
24 After Jehoiachin[i](HH) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs(HI) placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early;(HJ) the other basket had very bad(HK) figs, so bad they could not be eaten.
3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see,(HL) Jeremiah?”
“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent(HM) away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.[j] 6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back(HN) to this land. I will build(HO) them up and not tear them down; I will plant(HP) them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know(HQ) me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people,(HR) and I will be their God, for they will return(HS) to me with all their heart.(HT)
8 “‘But like the bad(HU) figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah(HV) king of Judah, his officials(HW) and the survivors(HX) from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.(HY) 9 I will make them abhorrent(HZ) and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword,(IA) a curse[k](IB) and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish(IC) them. 10 I will send the sword,(ID) famine(IE) and plague(IF) against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.(IG)’”
Seventy Years of Captivity
25 The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(IH) son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar(II) king of Babylon. 2 So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah(IJ) and to all those living in Jerusalem: 3 For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah(IK) son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again,(IL) but you have not listened.(IM)
4 And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets(IN) to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.(IO) 5 They said, “Turn(IP) now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land(IQ) the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. 6 Do not follow other gods(IR) to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”
7 “But you did not listen to me,” declares the Lord, “and you have aroused(IS) my anger with what your hands have made,(IT) and you have brought harm(IU) to yourselves.”
8 Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon(IV) all the peoples of the north(IW) and my servant(IX) Nebuchadnezzar(IY) king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy[l](IZ) them and make them an object of horror and scorn,(JA) and an everlasting ruin.(JB) 10 I will banish from them the sounds(JC) of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom,(JD) the sound of millstones(JE) and the light of the lamp.(JF) 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland,(JG) and these nations will serve(JH) the king of Babylon seventy years.(JI)
12 “But when the seventy years(JJ) are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon(JK) and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,[m] for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate(JL) forever. 13 I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written(JM) in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14 They themselves will be enslaved(JN) by many nations(JO) and great kings; I will repay(JP) them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”
The Cup of God’s Wrath
15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup(JQ) filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send(JR) you drink it. 16 When they drink(JS) it, they will stagger(JT) and go mad(JU) because of the sword(JV) I will send among them.”
17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent(JW) me drink it: 18 Jerusalem(JX) and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin(JY) and an object of horror and scorn,(JZ) a curse[n](KA)—as they are today;(KB) 19 Pharaoh king(KC) of Egypt,(KD) his attendants, his officials and all his people, 20 and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz;(KE) all the kings of the Philistines(KF) (those of Ashkelon,(KG) Gaza,(KH) Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); 21 Edom,(KI) Moab(KJ) and Ammon;(KK) 22 all the kings of Tyre(KL) and Sidon;(KM) the kings of the coastlands(KN) across the sea; 23 Dedan,(KO) Tema,(KP) Buz(KQ) and all who are in distant places[o];(KR) 24 all the kings of Arabia(KS) and all the kings of the foreign people(KT) who live in the wilderness; 25 all the kings of Zimri,(KU) Elam(KV) and Media;(KW) 26 and all the kings of the north,(KX) near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms(KY) on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak[p](KZ) will drink it too.
27 “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk(LA) and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword(LB) I will send among you.’ 28 But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink(LC), tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! 29 See, I am beginning to bring disaster(LD) on the city that bears my Name,(LE) and will you indeed go unpunished?(LF) You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword(LG) on all(LH) who live on the earth,(LI) declares the Lord Almighty.’
30 “Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:
“‘The Lord will roar(LJ) from on high;
he will thunder(LK) from his holy dwelling(LL)
and roar mightily against his land.
He will shout like those who tread(LM) the grapes,
shout against all who live on the earth.
31 The tumult(LN) will resound to the ends of the earth,
for the Lord will bring charges(LO) against the nations;
he will bring judgment(LP) on all(LQ) mankind
and put the wicked to the sword,(LR)’”
declares the Lord.
32 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Look! Disaster(LS) is spreading
from nation to nation;(LT)
a mighty storm(LU) is rising
from the ends of the earth.”(LV)
33 At that time those slain(LW) by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered(LX) up or buried,(LY) but will be like dung lying on the ground.
34 Weep and wail, you shepherds;(LZ)
roll(MA) in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
For your time to be slaughtered(MB) has come;
you will fall like the best of the rams.[q](MC)
35 The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,
the leaders of the flock no place to escape.(MD)
36 Hear the cry(ME) of the shepherds,(MF)
the wailing of the leaders of the flock,
for the Lord is destroying their pasture.
37 The peaceful meadows will be laid waste
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
38 Like a lion(MG) he will leave his lair,
and their land will become desolate(MH)
because of the sword[r] of the oppressor(MI)
and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.(MJ)
Jeremiah Threatened With Death
26 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim(MK) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard(ML) of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord.(MM) Tell(MN) them everything I command you; do not omit(MO) a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and each will turn(MP) from their evil ways. Then I will relent(MQ) and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. 4 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen(MR) to me and follow my law,(MS) which I have set before you, 5 and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened(MT)), 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh(MU) and this city a curse[s](MV) among all the nations of the earth.’”
7 The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. 8 But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded(MW) him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized(MX) him and said, “You must die!(MY) 9 Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?”(MZ) And all the people crowded(NA) around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When the officials(NB) of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate(NC) of the Lord’s house. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death(ND) because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”(NE)
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials(NF) and all the people: “The Lord sent me to prophesy(NG) against this house and this city all the things you have heard.(NH) 13 Now reform(NI) your ways and your actions and obey(NJ) the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent(NK) and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, I am in your hands;(NL) do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15 Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood(NM) on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words(NN) in your hearing.”
16 Then the officials(NO) and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death!(NP) He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”
17 Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, 18 “Micah(NQ) of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“‘Zion(NR) will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(NS)
the temple hill(NT) a mound overgrown with thickets.’[t](NU)
19 “Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah(NV) fear the Lord and seek(NW) his favor? And did not the Lord relent,(NX) so that he did not bring the disaster(NY) he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster(NZ) on ourselves!”
20 (Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim(OA) was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim(OB) and all his officers and officials(OC) heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death.(OD) But Uriah heard of it and fled(OE) in fear to Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan(OF) son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. 23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword(OG) and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)(OH)
24 Furthermore, Ahikam(OI) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar
27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah[u](OJ) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke(OK) out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. 3 Then send(OL) word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon,(OM) Tyre and Sidon(ON) through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: 5 With my great power and outstretched arm(OO) I made(OP) the earth and its people and the animals(OQ) that are on it, and I give(OR) it to anyone I please.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Jeremiah and Ezekiel
- Jeremiah 21:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 9
- Jeremiah 22:11 Also called Jehoahaz
- Jeremiah 22:23 That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2)
- Jeremiah 22:24 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 28
- Jeremiah 22:25 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or up from David’s line
- Jeremiah 23:10 Or because of these things
- Jeremiah 24:1 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 24:5 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 24:9 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that they are cursed.
- Jeremiah 25:9 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
- Jeremiah 25:12 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 25:18 That is, their names to be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, to be seen by others as cursed
- Jeremiah 25:23 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
- Jeremiah 25:26 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon.
- Jeremiah 25:34 Septuagint; Hebrew fall and be shattered like fine pottery
- Jeremiah 25:38 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 46:16 and 50:16); most Hebrew manuscripts anger
- Jeremiah 26:6 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
- Jeremiah 26:18 Micah 3:12
- Jeremiah 27:1 A few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also 27:3,12 and 28:1); most Hebrew manuscripts Jehoiakim (Most Septuagint manuscripts do not have this verse.)
English Standard Version (ESV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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