Jeremiah 18-29
Christian Standard Bible
Parable of the Potter
18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down at once to the potter’s house;(A) there I will reveal my words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working away at the wheel.[a] 4 But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter’s hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do.(B)
5 The word of the Lord came to me: 6 “House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.(C) 7 At one moment I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will uproot, tear down, and destroy it.(D) 8 However, if that nation about which I have made the announcement turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to do to it.(E) 9 At another time I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it.(F) 10 However, if it does what is evil in my sight by not listening to me, I will relent concerning the good I had said I would do to it.(G) 11 So now, say to the men of Judah and to the residents of Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am about to bring harm to you and make plans against you. Turn now, each from your evil way, and correct your ways and your deeds.’(H) 12 But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless.(I) We will continue to follow our plans, and each of us will continue to act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”
Deluded Israel
13 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
Ask among the nations,
who has heard things like these?
Virgin Israel has done a most horrible thing.(J)
14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave the highland crags?
Or does cold water flowing from a distance ever fail?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me.(K)
They burn incense to worthless idols
that make them stumble in their ways(L)
on the ancient roads,(M)
and make them walk on new paths, not the highway.
16 They have made their land a horror,(N)
a perpetual object of scorn;[b](O)
all who pass by it will be appalled(P)
and shake their heads.(Q)
17 I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind.(R)
I will show them[c] my back and not my face(S)
on the day of their calamity.
Plot against Jeremiah
18 Then certain ones said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah,(T) for instruction will never be lost from the priest,(U) or counsel from the wise, or a word from the prophet.(V) Come, let’s denounce him[d] and pay no attention to all his words.”
19 Pay attention to me, Lord.
Hear what my opponents are saying!(W)
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me.(X)
Remember how I stood before you
to speak good on their behalf,
to turn your anger from them.
21 Therefore, hand their children over to famine,(Y)
and give them over to the power of the sword.
Let their wives become childless and widowed,
their husbands slain by deadly disease,[e]
their young men struck down by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring raiders against them,
for they have dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden snares for my feet.(Z)
23 But you, Lord, know
all their deadly plots against me.
Do not wipe out their iniquity;(AA)
do not blot out their sin before you.
Let them be forced to stumble before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger.
The Clay Jar
19 This is what the Lord says: “Go, buy a potter’s clay(AB) jar. Take[f] some of the elders of the people and some of the leading priests(AC) 2 and go out to Ben Hinnom Valley(AD) near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Proclaim there the words I speak to you. 3 Say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah and residents of Jerusalem.(AE) This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such a disaster on this place that everyone who hears about it will shudder[g](AF) 4 because they have abandoned me(AG) and made this a foreign place. They have burned incense in it to other gods that they, their ancestors, and the kings of Judah have never known. They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.(AH) 5 They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, something I have never commanded or mentioned; I never entertained the thought.[h](AI)
6 “‘Therefore, look, the days are coming(AJ)—this is the Lord’s declaration—when this place will no longer be called Topheth and Ben Hinnom Valley, but Slaughter Valley.(AK) 7 I will spoil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hand of those who intend to take their life. I will provide their corpses as food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.(AL) 8 I will make this city desolate, an object of scorn. Everyone who passes by it will be appalled and scoff because of all its wounds.(AM) 9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and they will eat each other’s flesh in the distressing siege inflicted on them by their enemies who intend to take their life.’(AN)
10 “Then you are to shatter the jar in the presence of the people going with you, 11 and you are to proclaim to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I will shatter these people and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can never again be mended. They will bury the dead in Topheth because there is no other place for burials.(AO) 12 That is what I will do to this place—this is the declaration of the Lord—and to its residents, making this city like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will become impure like that place Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops they have burned incense to all the stars in the sky(AP) and poured out drink offerings to other gods.’”
14 Jeremiah returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple,(AQ) and proclaimed to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to bring on this city—and on all its cities—every disaster that I spoke against it, for they have become obstinate, not obeying my words.’”(AR)
Jeremiah Beaten by Pashhur
20 Pashhur the priest,(AS) the son of Immer(AT) and chief official in the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 So Pashhur had the prophet Jeremiah beaten and put him in the stocks(AU) at the Upper Benjamin Gate(AV) in the Lord’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call you Pashhur, but Terror Is on Every Side,[i] 4 for this is what the Lord says, ‘I am about to make you a terror to both yourself and those you love.(AW) They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes.(AX) I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will deport them to Babylon and put them to the sword. 5 I will give away all the wealth(AY) of this city, all its products(AZ) and valuables. Indeed, I will hand all the treasures of the kings of Judah over to their enemies. They will plunder them, seize them, and carry them off to Babylon.(BA) 6 As for you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, you will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon.(BB) There you will die, and there you will be buried, you and all your friends to whom you prophesied lies.’”(BC)
Jeremiah Compelled to Preach
7 You deceived(BD) me, Lord, and I was deceived.
You seized me and prevailed.
I am a laughingstock all the time;(BE)
everyone ridicules me.
8 For whenever I speak, I cry out,
I proclaim, “Violence and destruction!” (BF)
so the word of the Lord has become my
constant disgrace and derision.
9 I say, “I won’t mention him
or speak any longer in his name.”(BG)
But his message becomes a fire burning in my heart,(BH)
shut up in my bones.
I become tired of holding it in,(BI)
and I cannot prevail.
10 For I have heard the gossip of many people,
“Terror is on every side!(BJ)
Report him; let’s report him!”
Everyone I trusted[j] watches for my fall.(BK)
“Perhaps he will be deceived
so that we might prevail against him
and take our vengeance on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me like a violent warrior.(BL)
Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly shamed,
an everlasting humiliation that will never be forgotten.(BM)
12 Lord of Armies, testing the righteous
and seeing the heart[k] and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for I have presented my case to you.(BN)
13 Sing to the Lord!
Praise the Lord,
for he rescues the life of the needy
from evil people.
Jeremiah’s Lament
14 May the day I was born
be cursed.(BO)
May the day my mother bore me
never be blessed.
15 May the man be cursed
who brought the news to my father, saying,
“A male child is born to you,”
bringing him great joy.
16 Let that man be like the cities
the Lord demolished without compassion.(BP)
Let him hear an outcry in the morning(BQ)
and a war cry at noontime
17 because he didn’t kill me in the womb(BR)
so that my mother might have been my grave,
her womb eternally pregnant.
18 Why did I come out of the womb
to see only struggle and sorrow,(BS)
to end my life in shame?
Zedekiah’s Request Denied
21 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur(BT) son of Malchijah and the priest Zephaniah(BU) son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah, asking, 2 “Inquire of the Lord on our behalf, since King Nebuchadnezzar[l](BV) of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will perform for us something like all his past wondrous works so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”
3 But Jeremiah answered, “This is what you are to say to Zedekiah: 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to repel the weapons of war in your hands,(BW) those you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans[m] who are besieging you outside the wall, and I will bring them into the center of this city.(BX) 5 I myself will fight against you(BY) with an outstretched hand and a strong arm,(BZ) with anger, fury, and intense wrath. 6 I will strike the residents of this city, both people and animals. They will die in a severe plague. 7 Afterward—this is the Lord’s declaration—King Zedekiah of Judah, his officers, and the people—those in this city who survive the plague, the sword, and the famine—I will hand over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,(CA) to their enemies, yes, to those who intend to take their lives. He will put them to the sword; he won’t spare them or show pity or compassion.’(CB)
A Warning for the People
8 “But tell this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.(CC) 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live and will retain his life like the spoils of war.(CD) 10 For I have set my face against this city to bring disaster and not good(CE)—this is the Lord’s declaration. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, who will burn it.’(CF)
11 “And to the house of the king of Judah say this: ‘Hear the word of the Lord! 12 House of David, this is what the Lord says:
Administer justice every morning,
and rescue the victim of robbery
from his oppressor,(CG)
or my anger will flare up like fire
and burn unquenchably
because of your evil deeds.
13 Beware! I am against you,(CH)
you who sit above the valley,
you atop the rocky plateau—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
you who say, “Who can come down against us?(CI)
Who can enter our hiding places?”
14 I will punish you according to what you have done(CJ)—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
I will kindle a fire in your forest(CK)
that will consume everything around it.’”(CL)
Judgment against Sinful Kings
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and announce this word there. 2 You are to say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David(CM)—you, your officers, and your people who enter these gates. 3 This is what the Lord says: Administer justice and righteousness.(CN) Rescue the victim of robbery from his oppressor.(CO) Don’t exploit or brutalize the resident alien, the fatherless, or the widow.(CP) Don’t shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you conscientiously carry out this word, then kings sitting on David’s throne will enter through the gates of this palace(CQ) riding on chariots and horses—they, their officers, and their people. 5 But if you do not obey these words, then I swear by myself(CR)—this is the Lord’s declaration—that this house will become a ruin.’”(CS)
6 For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“You are like Gilead(CT) to me,
or the summit of Lebanon,
but I will certainly turn you into a wilderness,
uninhabited cities.
7 I will set apart destroyers(CU) against you,
each with his weapons.
They will cut down the choicest of your cedars
and throw them into the fire.
8 “Many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, ‘Why did the Lord do such a thing to this great city?’ 9 They will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant(CV) of the Lord their God and bowed in worship to other gods and served them.’”(CW)
A Message concerning Shallum
10 Do not weep for the dead;
do not mourn for him.
Weep bitterly for the one who has gone away,
for he will never return again
and see his native land.(CX)
11 For this is what the Lord says concerning Shallum(CY) son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in place of his father Josiah, and who has left this place: “He will never return here again, 12 but he will die in the place where they deported him, never seeing this land again.”
A Message concerning Jehoiakim
13 Woe for the one who builds his palace
through unrighteousness,(CZ)
his upstairs rooms through injustice,
who makes his neighbor serve without pay
and will not give him his wages,(DA)
14 who says, “I will build myself a massive palace,
with spacious upstairs rooms.”
He will cut windows[n] in it,
and it will be paneled with cedar(DB)
and painted bright red.
15 Are you a king because you excel in cedar?
Didn’t your father eat and drink
and administer justice and righteousness?(DC)
Then it went well with him.
16 He took up the case of the poor and needy;(DD)
then it went well.
Is this not what it means to know me?
This is the Lord’s declaration.
17 But you have eyes and a heart for nothing
except your own dishonest profit,
shedding innocent blood
and committing extortion and oppression.(DE)
18 Therefore, this is what the Lord says concerning Jehoiakim(DF) son of Josiah, king of Judah:
They will not mourn for him, saying,
“Woe, my brother!” or “Woe, my sister!”
They will not mourn for him, saying,
“Woe, lord! Woe, his majesty!”
19 He will be buried like a donkey,(DG)
dragged off and thrown
outside Jerusalem’s gates.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out;
raise your voice in Bashan;
cry out from Abarim,(DH)
for all your lovers[o] have been crushed.(DI)
21 I spoke to you when you were secure.
You said, “I will not listen.”
This has been your way since youth;(DJ)
indeed, you have never listened to me.
22 The wind will take charge of[p] all your shepherds,
and your lovers will go into captivity.
Then you will be ashamed and humiliated(DK)
because of all your evil.
23 You residents of Lebanon,
nestled among the cedars,
how you will groan[q] when pains come on you,
agony like a woman in labor.(DL)
A Message concerning Coniah
24 “As I live”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“though you, Coniah[r](DM) son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, were a signet ring(DN) on my right hand, I would tear you from it. 25 In fact, I will hand you over to those you dread,(DO) who intend to take your life, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave birth(DP) to you into another land,(DQ) where neither of you were born, and there you will both die. 27 They will never return to the land they long to return to.”
28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered pot,(DR)
a jar no one wants?
Why are he and his descendants hurled out
and cast into a land they have not known?
29 Earth, earth, earth,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
Record this man as childless,(DS)
a man who will not be successful in his lifetime.
None of his descendants will succeed
in sitting on the throne of David(DT)
or ruling again in Judah.
The Lord and His Sheep
23 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” (DU) This is the Lord’s declaration. 2 “Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend my people: You have scattered my flock,(DV) banished them, and have not attended to them.(DW) I am about to attend to you because of your evil acts”—this is the Lord’s declaration. 3 “I will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands where I have banished them,(DX) and I will return them to their grazing land. They will become fruitful and numerous.(DY) 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them.(DZ) They will no longer be afraid or discouraged, nor will any be missing.”(EA) This is the Lord’s declaration.
The Righteous Branch of David
5 “Look, the days are coming”(EB)—this is the Lord’s declaration—
“when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David.(EC)
He will reign wisely as king
and administer justice and righteousness in the land.(ED)
6 In his days Judah will be saved,
and Israel will dwell securely.(EE)
This is the name he will be called:
The Lord Is Our Righteousness.[s](EF)
7 “Look, the days are coming”(EG)—the Lord’s declaration—“when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives(EH) who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’ 8 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other countries where I[t] had banished them.’ They will dwell once more in their own land.”(EI)
False Prophets Condemned
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart is broken within me,(EJ)
and all my bones tremble.
I have become like a drunkard,
like a man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord,
because of his holy words.
10 For the land is full of adulterers;(EK)
the land mourns(EL) because of the curse,(EM)
and the grazing lands in the wilderness have dried up.
Their way of life[u] has become evil,
and their power is not rightly used
11 because both prophet and priest are ungodly,(EN)
even in my house(EO) I have found their evil.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
12 Therefore, their way will seem
like slippery paths in the gloom.(EP)
They will be driven away and fall down there,
for I will bring disaster on them,
the year of their punishment.(EQ)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
13 Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw something disgusting:
They prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel astray.(ER)
14 Among the prophets of Jerusalem also
I saw a horrible thing:(ES)
They commit adultery and walk in lies.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
and none turns his back on evil.
They are all like Sodom(ET) to me;
Jerusalem’s residents are like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies says concerning the prophets:
I am about to feed them wormwood(EU)
and give them poisoned water to drink,(EV)
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness[v] has spread throughout the land.
16 This is what the Lord of Armies says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are deluding you. They speak visions from their own minds,(EW) not from the Lord’s mouth.(EX) 17 They keep on saying to those who despise me,(EY) ‘The Lord has spoken: You will have peace.’(EZ) They have said to everyone who follows the stubbornness of his heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”
18 For who has stood in the council(FA) of the Lord
to see and hear his word?
Who has paid attention to his word and obeyed?
19 Look, a storm from the Lord!(FB)
Wrath has gone out,
a whirling storm.
It will whirl about the heads of the wicked.
20 The Lord’s anger will not turn away(FC)
until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart.
In time to come you will understand it clearly.(FD)
21 I did not send out these prophets,(FE)
yet they ran.(FF)
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
22 If they had really stood in my council,
they would have enabled my people to hear my words
and would have turned them from their evil ways
and their evil deeds.(FG)
23 “Am I a God who is only near”(FH)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and not a God who is far away? 24 Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” (FI)—the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” (FJ)—the Lord’s declaration.
25 “I have heard what the prophets who prophesy a lie in my name have said: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ (FK) 26 How long will this continue in the minds of the prophets prophesying lies, prophets of the deceit of their own minds? 27 Through their dreams that they tell one another, they plan to cause my people to forget my name as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship.(FL) 28 The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has my word should speak my word truthfully, for what is straw compared to grain?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. 29 “Is not my word like fire”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and like a hammer that pulverizes rock? 30 Therefore, take note! I am against the prophets”(FM)—the Lord’s declaration—“who steal my words from each other. 31 I am against the prophets”—the Lord’s declaration—“who use their own tongues to make a declaration. 32 I am against those who prophesy false dreams”(FN)—the Lord’s declaration—“telling them and leading my people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all(FO) to these people”—this is the Lord’s declaration.
The Burden of the Lord
33 “Now when these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden[w] of the Lord?’ you will respond to them, ‘What is the burden? I will throw you away! This is the Lord’s declaration.’ 34 As for the prophet, priest, or people who say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ I will punish that man and his household. 35 This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his brother: ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But no longer refer to[x] the burden of the Lord, for each man’s word becomes his burden and you pervert the words of the living God, the Lord of Armies, our God. 37 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,’ then this is what the Lord says: Because you have said, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ and I specifically told you not to say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ 39 I will surely forget you.[y] I will throw you away from my presence—both you and the city that I gave you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring on you everlasting disgrace and humiliation(FP) that will never be forgotten.”
The Good and the Bad Figs
24 After King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had deported Jeconiah[z] son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, the officials of Judah, and the craftsmen and metalsmiths(FQ) from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs(FR) placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket contained very good figs, like early figs,(FS) but the other basket contained very bad figs, so bad they were inedible. 3 The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
I said, “Figs! The good figs are very good, but the bad figs are extremely bad, so bad they are inedible.”
4 The word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Like these good figs, so I regard as good the exiles from Judah I sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 I will keep my eyes on them for their good(FT) and will return them to this land. I will build them up and not demolish them; I will plant them and not uproot them.(FU) 7 I will give them a heart to know me,(FV) that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God because they will return to me with all their heart.(FW)
8 “But as for the bad figs, so bad they are inedible,(FX) this is what the Lord says: In this way I will deal with King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land or living in the land of Egypt.(FY) 9 I will make them an object of horror(FZ) and a disaster to all the kingdoms of the earth, an example for disgrace, scorn, ridicule,(GA) and cursing, wherever I have banished them.(GB) 10 I will send the sword, famine, and plague(GC) against them until they have perished from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.”
The Seventy-Year Exile
25 This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(GD) son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon). 2 The prophet Jeremiah spoke concerning all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as follows: 3 “From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon,(GE) king of Judah, until this very day—twenty-three years—the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you time and time again,[aa](GF) but you have not obeyed. 4 The Lord sent all his servants the prophets to you time and time again,[ab] but you have not obeyed or even paid attention.[ac](GG) 5 He announced, ‘Turn, each of you, from your evil way of life and from your evil deeds.(GH) Live in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors long ago and forever.(GI) 6 Do not follow other gods to serve them and to bow in worship to them,(GJ) and do not anger me by the work of your hands.(GK) Then I will do you no harm.
7 “‘But you have not obeyed me’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘with the result that you have angered me by the work of your hands and brought disaster on yourselves.’
8 “Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies says: ‘Because you have not obeyed my words, 9 I am going to send for all the families of the north’(GL)—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘and send for my servant(GM) Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will bring them against this land, against its residents, and against all these surrounding nations, and I will completely destroy them and make them an example of horror(GN) and scorn, and ruins forever.(GO) 10 I will eliminate the sound of joy and gladness from them—the voice of the groom and the bride,(GP) the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole land will become a desolate ruin, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.(GQ) 12 When the seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, and I will make it a ruin forever.(GR) 13 I will bring on that land all my words I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book that Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14 For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.’”(GS)
The Cup of God’s Wrath
15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and make all the nations to whom I am sending you drink from it.(GT) 16 They will drink, stagger,[ad] and go out of their minds because of the sword I am sending among them.”(GU)
17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink from it.
18 Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah, its kings and its officials, to make them a desolate ruin, an example for scorn and cursing—as it is today;
19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officers, his leaders, all his people,
20 and all the mixed peoples;
all the kings of the land of Uz;
all the kings of the land of the Philistines—Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
21 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;
22 all the kings of Tyre,
all the kings of Sidon,
and the kings of the coasts and islands;
23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all those who clip the hair on their temples;[ae](GV)
24 all the kings of Arabia,
and all the kings of the mixed peoples who have settled in the desert;
25 all the kings of Zimri,
all the kings of Elam,
and all the kings of Media;
26 all the kings of the north, both near and far from one another;
that is, all the kingdoms of the world throughout the earth.
27 “Then you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink,(GX) get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, as a result of the sword I am sending among you.’ 28 If[ag] they refuse to accept the cup from your hand and drink, you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: You must drink! 29 For I am already bringing disaster(GY) on the city that bears my name,(GZ) so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth. This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.’(HA)
Judgment on the Whole World
30 “As for you, you are to prophesy all these things to them, and say to them:
The Lord roars from on high;
he makes his voice heard from his holy dwelling.(HB)
He roars loudly over his grazing land;
he calls out with a shout, like those who tread grapes,
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 The tumult reaches to the ends of the earth
because the Lord brings a case against(HC) the nations.
He enters into judgment with all humanity.(HD)
As for the wicked, he hands them over to the sword—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
32 “This is what the Lord of Armies says:
Pay attention! Disaster spreads
from nation to nation.
A huge storm is stirred up
from the ends of the earth.”(HE)
33 Those slain by the Lord(HF) on that day will be scattered from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned,(HG) gathered, or buried. They will be like manure on the soil’s surface.
34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out.
Roll in the dust,(HH) you leaders of the flock.
Because the days of your slaughter have come,(HI)
you will fall and become shattered like a precious vase.
35 Flight will be impossible for the shepherds,
and escape, for the leaders of the flock.
36 Hear the sound of the shepherds’ cry,
the wail of the leaders of the flock,
for the Lord is destroying their pasture.
37 Peaceful grazing land will become lifeless
because of the Lord’s burning anger.(HJ)
38 He has left his den like a lion,
for their land has become a desolation
because of the sword[ah] of the oppressor,(HK)
because of his burning anger.
Jeremiah’s Speech in the Temple
26 At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim(HL) son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple and speak all the words I have commanded you to speak to all Judah’s cities that are coming to worship there. Do not hold back a word.(HM) 3 Perhaps they will listen and turn—each from his evil way of life—so that I might relent(HN) concerning the disaster that I plan to do to them because of the evil of their deeds. 4 You are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to me by living according to my instruction that I set before you(HO) 5 and by listening to the words of my servants the prophets(HP)—whom I have been sending to you time and time again,[ai](HQ) though you did not listen— 6 I will make this temple like Shiloh.(HR) I will make this city an example for cursing for all the nations of the earth.’”
Jeremiah Seized
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the temple of the Lord. 8 When he finished the address the Lord had commanded him to deliver to all the people, immediately the priests, the prophets, and all the people took hold of him, yelling, “You must surely die! 9 How dare you prophesy in the name of the Lord, ‘This temple will become like Shiloh and this city will become an uninhabited ruin’!” Then all the people crowded around Jeremiah at the Lord’s temple.
10 When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went from the king’s palace to the Lord’s temple and sat at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s temple.[aj](HS) 11 Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man deserves the death sentence because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”(HT)
Jeremiah’s Defense
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people, “The Lord sent me to prophesy all the words that you have heard against this temple and city. 13 So now, correct your ways and deeds,(HU) and obey the Lord your God so that he might relent concerning the disaster he had pronounced against you. 14 As for me, here I am in your hands; do to me what you think is good and right. 15 But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood(HV) on yourselves, on this city, and on its residents, for it is certain the Lord has sent me to speak all these things directly to you.”
Jeremiah Released
16 Then the officials and all the people told the priests and prophets, “This man doesn’t deserve the death sentence, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God!”
17 Some of the elders of the land stood up(HW) and said to all the assembled people, 18 “Micah the Moreshite(HX) prophesied in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah(HY) and said to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says:
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,
and the temple’s mountain will be a high thicket.’(HZ)
19 Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah put him to death? Did not the king fear the Lord and plead for the Lord’s favor,[ak](IA) and did not the Lord relent concerning the disaster he had pronounced against them?(IB) We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!”
The Prophet Uriah
20 Another man was also prophesying in the name of the Lord—Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim.(IC) He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like all those of Jeremiah. 21 King Jehoiakim, all his warriors, and all the officials heard his words, and the king tried to put him to death. When Uriah heard, he fled in fear and went to Egypt. 22 But King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor(ID) and certain other men with him went to Egypt. 23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who executed him with the sword and threw his corpse into the burial place of the common people.[al]
24 But Ahikam(IE) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
The Yoke of Babylon
27 At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah[am] son of Josiah, king of Judah,(IF) this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:[an] 2 This is what the Lord said to me: “Make chains and yoke bars(IG) for yourself and put them on your neck.(IH) 3 Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon(II) through messengers who are coming to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem. 4 Command them to go to their masters, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Tell this to your masters: 5 “By my great strength and outstretched arm,(IJ) I made the earth,(IK) and the people, and animals on the face of the earth. I give it to anyone I please.[ao](IL) 6 So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of my servant(IM) Nebuchadnezzar,(IN) king of Babylon. I have even given him the wild animals to serve him. 7 All nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until the time for his own land comes, and then many nations and great kings will enslave him.(IO)
8 “‘“As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague—this is the Lord’s declaration—until through him I have destroyed it. 9 So you should not listen to your prophets, diviners,(IP) dreamers, fortune-tellers,(IQ) or sorcerers(IR) who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’ 10 They are prophesying a lie(IS) to you so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish. 11 But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will cultivate[ap] it and reside in it. This is the Lord’s declaration.”’”
Warning to Zedekiah
12 I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah(IT) in the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why should you and your people die(IU) by the sword, famine, and plague as the Lord has threatened against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are telling you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying a lie to you.(IV) 15 ‘I have not sent them’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘and they are prophesying falsely in my name; therefore, I will banish you, and you will perish—you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.’”
16 Then I spoke to the priests and all these people, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets. They are prophesying to you, claiming, “Look, very soon now the articles of the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon.”(IW) They are prophesying a lie to you. 17 Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?(IX) 18 If they are indeed prophets and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them intercede with the Lord of Armies not to let the articles that remain in the Lord’s temple, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem go to Babylon.’ 19 For this is what the Lord of Armies says about the pillars, the basin,[aq] the water carts,(IY) and the rest of the articles that still remain in this city, 20 those King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take when he deported Jeconiah[ar] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon along with all the nobles of Judah(IZ) and Jerusalem. 21 Yes, this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in the temple of the Lord, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘They will be taken to Babylon and will remain there until I attend to them again.’(JA) This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.’”(JB)
Hananiah’s False Prophecy
28 In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah,(JC) in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur from Gibeon(JD) said to me in the temple of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people, 2 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.(JE) 3 Within two years I will restore to this place all the articles of the Lord’s temple(JF) that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from here and transported to Babylon. 4 And I will restore to this place Jeconiah[as] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah(JG) who went to Babylon’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
Jeremiah’s Response to Hananiah
5 The prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the temple of the Lord. 6 The prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen!(JH) May the Lord do that. May the Lord make the words you have prophesied come true and may he restore the articles of the Lord’s temple and all the exiles from Babylon to this place! 7 Only listen to this message I am speaking in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, disaster,[at] and plague against many lands and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace—only when the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet be recognized as one the Lord has truly sent.”(JI)
Hananiah Breaks Jeremiah’s Yoke
10 The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke bar from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it.(JJ) 11 In the presence of all the people Hananiah proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In this way, within two years I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” The prophet Jeremiah then went on his way.
The Lord’s Word against Hananiah
12 After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke bar from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go say to Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You broke a wooden yoke bar, but in its place you will make an iron yoke bar. 14 For this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I have put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations that they might serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,(JK) and they will serve him.(JL) I have even put the wild animals under him.’”(JM)
15 The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you, but you have led these people to trust in a lie.(JN) 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to send you off the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’”(JO) 17 And the prophet Hananiah died that year in the seventh month.
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles
29 This is the text of the letter(JP) that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining exiled elders, the priests, the prophets, and all the people Nebuchadnezzar(JQ) had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah,[au](JR) the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had left Jerusalem. 3 He sent the letter with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah,(JS) whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The letter stated:
4 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and live in them.(JT) Plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Find wives for yourselves, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.(JU) 7 Pursue the well-being[av] of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf,(JV) for when it thrives, you will thrive.”
8 For this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you(JW) and your diviners deceive you,(JX) and don’t listen to the dreams you elicit from them, 9 for they are prophesying falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them.”(JY) This is the Lord’s declaration.
10 For this is what the Lord says: “When seventy years for Babylon are complete,(JZ) I will attend to you and will confirm my promise concerning you to restore you to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you”(KA)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.(KB) 13 You will seek me(KC) and find me when you search for me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes[aw](KD) and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place from which I deported you.”(KE)
15 You have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon!” 16 But this is what the Lord says concerning the king sitting on David’s throne(KF) and concerning all the people living in this city—that is, concerning your brothers who did not go with you into exile. 17 This is what the Lord of Armies says: “I am about to send sword, famine, and plague against them,(KG) and I will make them like rotten figs that are inedible because they are so bad. 18 I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse and a desolation, an object of scorn and a disgrace among all the nations(KH) where I have banished them.(KI) 19 I will do this because they have not listened to my words”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the words that I sent to them with my servants the prophets time and time again.[ax](KJ) And you too have not listened.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
20 Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.(KK) 21 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, the ones prophesying a lie to you in my name:(KL) “I am about to hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes. 22 Based on what happens to them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will create a curse(KM) that says, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!’ (KN) 23 because they have committed an outrage(KO) in Israel by committing adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken in my name a lie, which I did not command them. I am he who knows, and I am a witness.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
24 To Shemaiah the Nehelamite you are to say, 25 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: You[ay] in your own name have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah(KP) son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of the priest Jehoiada to be the chief officer(KQ) in the temple of the Lord, responsible for every madman(KR) who acts like a prophet. You must confine him in the stocks(KS) and an iron collar. 27 So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who has been acting like a prophet among you?(KT) 28 For he has sent word to us in Babylon, claiming, “The exile will be long. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.”’” (KU)
29 The priest Zephaniah read this letter in the hearing of the prophet Jeremiah.
A Message about Shemaiah
30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send a message to all the exiles, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and made you trust a lie,(KV) 32 this is what the Lord says: I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. There will not be even one of his descendants living among these people,(KW) nor will any ever see the good that I will bring to my people—this is the Lord’s declaration—for he has preached rebellion against the Lord.’”(KX)
Footnotes
- 18:3 Lit pair of stones
- 18:16 Lit hissing
- 18:17 LXX, Lat, Syr, Tg; MT reads will look at them
- 18:18 Lit let’s strike him with the tongue
- 18:21 Lit by death
- 19:1 Syr, Tg; MT omits Take
- 19:3 Lit about it, his ears will tingle; Hb obscure
- 19:5 Lit mentioned, and it did not arise on my heart
- 20:3 = Magor-missabib
- 20:10 Lit Every man of my peace
- 20:12 Lit kidneys
- 21:2 Lit Nebuchadrezzar
- 21:4 = Babylonians
- 22:14 Lit my windows
- 22:20 Or friends, or allies, also in v. 22
- 22:22 Lit will shepherd
- 22:23 LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads will be pitied
- 22:24 = Jehoiachin
- 23:6 = Yahweh-zidkenu
- 23:8 LXX reads he
- 23:10 Lit Their manner of running
- 23:15 Or pollution
- 23:33 The Hb word for burden (Ex 23:5; 2Sm 15:33) can also mean “oracle” (Is 13:1; Nah 1:10).
- 23:36 Or longer remember
- 23:39 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg read surely lift you up
- 24:1 = Jehoiachin
- 25:3 Lit you; rising early and speaking
- 25:4 Lit to you, rising early and sending
- 25:4 Lit even inclined your ear to hear
- 25:16 Or vomit
- 25:23 Or who live in distant places
- 25:26 = Babylon
- 25:28 Or When
- 25:38 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg; other Hb mss read burning
- 26:5 Lit you, rising early and sending
- 26:10 Many Hb mss, Syr, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read the New Gate of the Lord
- 26:19 Or and appease the Lord
- 26:23 Lit the sons of the people
- 27:1 Some Hb mss, Syr, Arabic; other Hb mss, DSS read Jehoiakim
- 27:1 LXX omits this v.
- 27:5 Lit to whomever is upright in my eyes
- 27:11 Lit work
- 27:19 Lit sea
- 27:20 = Jehoiachin
- 28:4 = Jehoiachin
- 28:8 Some Hb mss, Vg read famine
- 29:2 = Jehoiachin
- 29:7 Or peace
- 29:14 Or will end your captivity
- 29:19 Lit prophets, rising up early and sending
- 29:25 Lit Because you
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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