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Jeremiah 21-24
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah 21-24
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah
21 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when (A)King Zedekiah sent to him (B)Pashhur the son of Malchijah and (C)Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Please (D)inquire of the Lord in our behalf, because (E)Nebuchadnezzar king of (F)Babylon is making war against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us (G)in accordance with all His [a]wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”
3 But Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to (H)turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you are making war against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will (I)gather them into the middle of this city. 5 And I (J)Myself will make war against you with an (K)outstretched hand and a mighty arm, and in (L)anger, wrath, and great indignation. 6 I will also strike the inhabitants of this city, both the people and the animals; they will die of a great (M)plague. 7 Then afterward,” declares the Lord, “(N)I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, that is, those who survive in this city from the plague, the sword, and the famine, over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to their enemies, and to those who seek their lives; and he will strike and kill them with the edge of the sword. He (O)will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’
8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am (P)setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Anyone who (Q)stays in this city will die by the (R)sword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who leaves and goes over to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as plunder. 10 For I have (S)set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be (T)handed over to the king of Babylon and he will (U)burn it with fire.”’
11 “Then say to the household of the (V)king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 (W)house of David, this is what the Lord says:
“(X)Administer justice [b]every (Y)morning;
And save the person who has been robbed from the [c]power of his oppressor,
(Z)So that My wrath will not spread like fire
And (AA)burn, with no one to extinguish it,
Because of the evil of their deeds.
13 “Behold, (AB)I am against you, you inhabitant of the (AC)valley,
You [d]rocky plain,” declares the Lord,
“You who say, ‘(AD)Who will come down against us?
Or who will enter our dwellings?’
14 But I will punish you (AE)according to the [e]results of your deeds,” declares the Lord,
“And I will (AF)kindle a fire in its forest
So that it may devour all its surroundings.”’”
Warning of Jerusalem’s Fall
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there speak this word, 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who (AG)sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3 This is what the Lord says: “(AH)Do justice and righteousness, and save one who has been robbed from the power of his (AI)oppressor. And (AJ)do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not (AK)shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed perform this [f]instruction, then (AL)kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting [g]in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, the king himself, his servants, and his people. 5 (AM)But if you will not obey these words, I (AN)swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a place of ruins.”’” 6 For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“You are like (AO)Gilead to Me,
Like the summit of Lebanon;
Yet most assuredly I will make you a (AP)wilderness,
Cities that are not inhabited.
7 For I will set apart (AQ)destroyers against you,
Each with his weapons;
And they will (AR)cut down your choicest cedars
And (AS)throw them on the fire.
8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will (AT)say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this great city?’ 9 Then they will [h]answer, ‘Because they (AU)abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”
10 (AV)Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,
But weep deeply for the one who goes away;
For (AW)he will never return
Or see his native land.
11 For this is what the Lord says regarding [i](AX)Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of his father Josiah, who went out from this place: “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they took him into exile, there he will (AY)die and he will not see this land again.
Messages about the Kings
13 “Woe to him who builds his house (AZ)without righteousness,
And his upstairs rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And (BA)does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will (BB)build myself a large house
With spacious upstairs rooms,
And cut out its windows,
[j]Paneling it with (BC)cedar and painting it [k]bright red.’
15 Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Did your father not eat and drink
And (BD)do justice and righteousness?
Then it was (BE)well for him.
16 He pled the cause of the (BF)afflicted and the poor,
Then it was well.
(BG)Is that not what it means to know Me?”
Declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own (BH)dishonest gain,
And on (BI)shedding innocent blood,
And on practicing oppression and extortion.”
18 Therefore this is what the Lord says regarding (BJ)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
“They will not (BK)mourn for him:
‘(BL)Oh, my brother!’ or, ‘Oh, sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Oh, for the master!’ or, ‘Oh, for his splendor!’
19 He will be (BM)buried with a donkey’s burial,
Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
And raise your voice in Bashan;
Cry out also from (BN)Abarim,
For all your (BO)lovers have been crushed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity;
But (BP)you said, ‘I will not listen!’
(BQ)This has been your way (BR)from your youth,
That you have not obeyed My voice.
22 The wind will sweep away all your (BS)shepherds,
And your (BT)lovers will go into captivity;
Then you will certainly be (BU)ashamed and humiliated
Because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in Lebanon,
Nested in the cedars,
How you will groan when sharp pains come on you,
(BV)Pain like a woman in childbirth!
24 “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even if [l](BW)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a (BX)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull [m]you [n]off; 25 and I will (BY)hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26 I will (BZ)hurl you and your (CA)mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.
28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
Or is he an (CB)undesirable vessel?
Why have he and his descendants been (CC)hurled out
And cast into a (CD)land that they had not known?
29 (CE)O land, land, land,
Hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
‘Write this man down as (CF)childless,
A man who will (CG)not prosper in his days;
For no man among his (CH)descendants will prosper
Sitting on the throne of David
Or ruling again in Judah.’”
The Coming Messiah: the Righteous Branch
23 “(CI)Woe to the shepherds who are causing the (CJ)sheep of My pasture to (CK)perish and are scattering them!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says concerning the shepherds who are [o]tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not been concerned about them; behold, I am going to (CL)call you to account for the (CM)evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord. 3 “Then I Myself will (CN)gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will also raise up (CO)shepherds over them and they will [p]tend them; and they will (CP)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, (CQ)nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
5 “Behold, the (CR)days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous [q](CS)Branch;
And He will (CT)reign as king and [r]act wisely
And (CU)do justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In His days Judah will be saved,
And (CV)Israel will live securely;
And this is His (CW)name by which He will be called,
‘The (CX)Lord Our Righteousness.’
7 “(CY)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of Egypt,’ 8 (CZ)but, ‘As the Lord lives, who (DA)brought up and led the descendants of the household of Israel back from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”
False Prophets Denounced
9 As for the prophets:
My (DB)heart is broken within me,
All my bones tremble;
I have become like a drunken man,
And like a man overcome by wine,
Because of the Lord
And because of His holy words.
10 For the land is full of (DC)adulterers;
For the land (DD)mourns because of the curse.
The (DE)pastures of the wilderness have dried up.
Their course is evil
And their might is not right.
11 “For (DF)both prophet and priest are defiled;
Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their way will be like (DG)slippery paths to them,
They will be driven away into the (DH)gloom and fall down in it;
For I will bring (DI)disaster upon them,
The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.
13 “Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an (DJ)offensive thing:
They (DK)prophesied by Baal and (DL)led My people Israel astray.
14 Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a (DM)horrible thing:
The committing of (DN)adultery and walking in deceit;
And they strengthen the hands of (DO)evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.
All of them have become to Me like (DP)Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says concerning the prophets:
‘Behold, I am going to (DQ)feed them wormwood
And make them drink poisonous water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Ungodliness has spread into all the land.’”
16 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“(DR)Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are (DS)leading you into futility;
They tell a (DT)vision of their own [s]imagination,
Not (DU)from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They keep saying to those who (DV)despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, “(DW)You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the (DX)stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘(DY)Disaster will not come on you.’
18 But (DZ)who has stood in the council of the Lord,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has paid (EA)attention to [t]His word and listened?
19 Behold, the (EB)storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling tempest;
It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 The (EC)anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has (ED)performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
(EE)In the last days you will clearly understand it.
21 (EF)I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.
22 But if they had (EG)stood in My council,
Then they would have (EH)announced My words to My people,
And would have turned them back from their evil way
And from the evil of their deeds.
23 “Am I a God who is (EI)near,” declares the Lord,
“And not a God far off?
24 Can a person (EJ)hide himself in hiding places
So that I do not see him?” declares the Lord.
“(EK)Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.
25 “I have (EL)heard what the prophets have said who (EM)prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a (EN)dream, I had a dream!’ 26 How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the (EO)deceitfulness of their own heart, 27 who intend to (EP)make My people forget My name by their dreams which they report to one another, just as their fathers (EQ)forgot My name because of Baal? 28 The prophet who has a dream may report his dream, but let him who has (ER)My word speak My word truthfully. (ES)What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is My word not like (ET)fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a (EU)hammer which shatters a rock? 30 Therefore behold, (EV)I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal My words from each other. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who [u]use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares!’ 32 Behold, I am against those who have prophesied (EW)false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and reported them and led My people astray by their lies and (EX)reckless boasting; yet (EY)I did not send them nor command them, nor do they (EZ)provide this people the slightest benefit,” declares the Lord.
33 “Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the [v](FA)pronouncement of the Lord?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What [w]pronouncement?’ The Lord declares, ‘I will (FB)abandon you.’ 34 Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The (FC)pronouncement of the Lord,’ I will bring punishment upon that person and his household. 35 This is what each one of you will say to his neighbor and to his brother: ‘(FD)What has the Lord answered?’ or, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 For you will no longer remember the pronouncement of the Lord, because every person’s own word will become the pronouncement, and you have (FE)perverted the words of the (FF)living God, the Lord of armies, our God. 37 This is what you will say to that prophet: ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 And if you say, ‘The pronouncement of the Lord!’ for that reason the Lord says this: ‘Because you said this word, “The pronouncement of the Lord!” I have also sent word to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The pronouncement of the Lord!’”’ 39 Therefore behold, (FG)I will certainly forget you and thrust you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers. 40 I will put an everlasting (FH)disgrace on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”
Baskets of Figs and the Returnees
24 After (FI)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and metalworkers from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two (FJ)baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like (FK)first-ripe figs, and the other basket had (FL)very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness. 3 Then the Lord said to me, “(FM)What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs: the good figs are very good, and the bad ones, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard (FN)as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. 6 For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will (FO)bring them back to this land; and I will (FP)build them up and not overthrow them, and I will (FQ)plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will also give them a (FR)heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be (FS)My people, and I will be their God, for they will (FT)return to Me wholeheartedly.
8 ‘But like the (FU)bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness,’ indeed, this is what the Lord says, ‘so will I give up (FV)Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the (FW)remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and the ones who live in the land of (FX)Egypt. 9 I will (FY)make them an object of terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a (FZ)disgrace and a proverb, a taunt and a (GA)curse in all the places where I will scatter them. 10 And I will send the (GB)sword, the famine, and the plague upon them until they are eliminated from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 21:2 Or miracles
- Jeremiah 21:12 Or in the
- Jeremiah 21:12 Lit hand
- Jeremiah 21:13 Lit rock of the level place
- Jeremiah 21:14 Lit fruit
- Jeremiah 22:4 Lit word
- Jeremiah 22:4 Lit for David
- Jeremiah 22:9 Lit say
- Jeremiah 22:11 I.e., Jehoahaz
- Jeremiah 22:14 Or Paneled
- Jeremiah 22:14 Or vermilion
- Jeremiah 22:24 I.e., Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 22:24 I.e., Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 22:24 Lit off from there
- Jeremiah 23:2 Lit shepherding
- Jeremiah 23:4 Or shepherd
- Jeremiah 23:5 Lit Sprout
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or succeed
- Jeremiah 23:16 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 23:18 Another reading is My
- Jeremiah 23:31 Lit take
- Jeremiah 23:33 Or burden, and so throughout the ch
- Jeremiah 23:33 Or burden, and so throughout the ch
Jeremiah 21-24
New International Version
Jeremiah 21-24
New International Version
God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request
21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah(A) sent to him Pashhur(B) son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah(C) son of Maaseiah. They said: 2 “Inquire(D) now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar[a](E) king of Babylon(F) is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders(G) 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(H) 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(I) you. And I will gather them inside this city. 5 I myself will fight(J) against you with an outstretched hand(K) and a mighty arm(L) in furious anger and in great wrath. 6 I will strike(M) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.(N) 7 After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah(O) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,(P) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(Q) and to their enemies(R) who want to kill them.(S) He will put them to the sword;(T) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’(U)
8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life(V) and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.(W) But whoever goes out and surrenders(X) to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.(Y) 10 I have determined to do this city harm(Z) and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands(AA) of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’(AB)
11 “Moreover, say to the royal house(AC) of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. 12 This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:
“‘Administer justice(AD) every morning;
rescue from the hand of the oppressor(AE)
the one who has been robbed,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire(AF)
because of the evil(AG) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(AH) it.
13 I am against(AI) you, Jerusalem,
you who live above this valley(AJ)
on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord—
you who say, “Who can come against us?
Who can enter our refuge?”(AK)
14 I will punish you as your deeds(AL) deserve,
declares the Lord.
I will kindle a fire(AM) in your forests(AN)
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(AO) of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2 ‘Hear(AP) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne(AQ)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.(AR) 3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is just(AS) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor(AT) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,(AU) and do not shed innocent blood(AV) in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings(AW) 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(AX) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear(AY) 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(AZ) to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,(BA)
I will surely make you like a wasteland,(BB)
like towns not inhabited.
7 I will send destroyers(BC) against you,
each man with his weapons,
and they will cut(BD) up your fine cedar beams
and throw them into the fire.(BE)
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?’(BF) 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.(BG)’”
10 Do not weep for the dead(BH) king or mourn(BI) his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return(BJ)
nor see his native land again.
11 For this is what the Lord says about Shallum[c](BK) 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(BL) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
13 “Woe(BM) to him who builds(BN) his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying(BO) them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace(BP)
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar(BQ)
and decorates it in red.(BR)
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,(BS)
so all went well(BT) with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,(BU)
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know(BV) me?”
declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,(BW)
on shedding innocent blood(BX)
and on oppression and extortion.”(BY)
18 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“They will not mourn(BZ) 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(CA) of a donkey—
dragged away and thrown(CB)
outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,(CC)
let your voice be heard in Bashan,(CD)
cry out from Abarim,(CE)
for all your allies(CF) are crushed.
21 I warned you when you felt secure,(CG)
but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;(CH)
you have not obeyed(CI) me.
22 The wind(CJ) will drive all your shepherds(CK) away,
and your allies(CL) will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced(CM)
because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,[d](CN)’
who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
pain(CO) like that of a woman in labor!
24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin[e](CP) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring(CQ) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliver(CR) 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(CS) you and the mother(CT) 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(CU) to.”
28 Is this man Jehoiachin(CV) a despised, broken pot,(CW)
an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled(CX) out,
cast into a land(CY) they do not know?
29 O land,(CZ) land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,(DA)
a man who will not prosper(DB) in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring(DC) will prosper,
none will sit on the throne(DD) of David
or rule anymore in Judah.”
The Righteous Branch
23 “Woe to the shepherds(DE) who are destroying and scattering(DF) the sheep of my pasture!”(DG) declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds(DH) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock(DI) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil(DJ) you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant(DK) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,(DL) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds(DM) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid(DN) or terrified, nor will any be missing,(DO)” declares the Lord.
5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up for David[g] a righteous Branch,(DP)
a King(DQ) who will reign(DR) wisely
and do what is just and right(DS) in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.(DT)
This is the name(DU) by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.(DV)
7 “So then, the days are coming,”(DW) declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(DX) 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.”(DY)
Lying Prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart(DZ) is broken within me;
all my bones tremble.(EA)
I am like a drunken man,
like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and his holy words.(EB)
10 The land is full of adulterers;(EC)
because of the curse[h](ED) the land lies parched
and the pastures(EE) in the wilderness are withered.(EF)
The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.
11 “Both prophet and priest are godless;(EG)
even in my temple(EH) I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their path will become slippery;(EI)
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished,(EJ)”
declares the Lord.
13 “Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal(EK)
and led my people Israel astray.(EL)
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible:(EM)
They commit adultery and live a lie.(EN)
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,(EO)
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.(EP)
They are all like Sodom(EQ) to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”(ER)
15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:
“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,(ES)
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness(ET) has spread throughout the land.”
16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen(EU) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions(EV) from their own minds,
not from the mouth(EW) of the Lord.
17 They keep saying(EX) to those who despise me,
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’(EY)
And to all who follow the stubbornness(EZ) of their hearts
they say, ‘No harm(FA) will come to you.’
18 But which of them has stood in the council(FB) of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm(FC) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind(FD) swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger(FE) of the Lord will not turn back(FF)
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
21 I did not send(FG) 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,(FH)
they would have proclaimed(FI) my words to my people
and would have turned(FJ) them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.(FK)
23 “Am I only a God nearby,(FL)”
declares the Lord,
“and not a God far away?
24 Who can hide(FM) in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”(FN)
declares the Lord.
25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies(FO) in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!(FP) I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions(FQ) of their own minds?(FR) 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget(FS) my name, just as their ancestors forgot(FT) my name through Baal worship.(FU) 28 Let the prophet who has a dream(FV) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word(FW) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not my word like fire,”(FX) declares the Lord, “and like a hammer(FY) that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against(FZ) the prophets(GA) 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.’(GB) 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,(GC)” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray(GD) with their reckless lies,(GE) yet I did not send(GF) or appoint them. They do not benefit(GG) 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(GH) from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake(GI) you, declares the Lord.’ 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message(GJ) from the Lord,’ I will punish(GK) 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?’(GL) 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(GM) the words of the living God,(GN) 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(GO) you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring on you everlasting disgrace(GP)—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”
Two Baskets of Figs
24 After Jehoiachin[i](GQ) 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(GR) placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early;(GS) the other basket had very bad(GT) figs, so bad they could not be eaten.
3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see,(GU) 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(GV) 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(GW) to this land. I will build(GX) them up and not tear them down; I will plant(GY) them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know(GZ) me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people,(HA) and I will be their God, for they will return(HB) to me with all their heart.(HC)
8 “‘But like the bad(HD) figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah(HE) king of Judah, his officials(HF) and the survivors(HG) from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.(HH) 9 I will make them abhorrent(HI) and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword,(HJ) a curse[k](HK) and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish(HL) them. 10 I will send the sword,(HM) famine(HN) and plague(HO) against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.(HP)’”
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.
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