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Jeremiah 35-37
Contemporary English Version

Learn a Lesson from the Rechabites

35 (A) When Jehoiakim[a] was king of Judah, the Lord told me, 2 “Go to the Rechabite clan and invite them to meet you in one of the side rooms[b] of the temple. When they arrive, offer them a drink of wine.”

3 So I went to Jaazaniah,[c] the leader of the clan, and I invited him and all the men of his clan. 4 I brought them into the temple courtyard and took them upstairs to a room belonging to the prophets who were followers of Hanan son of Igdaliah. It was next to a room belonging to some of the officials, and that room was over the one belonging to Maaseiah, a priest who was one of the high officials in the temple.[d]

5 I set out some large bowls full of wine together with some cups, and then I said to the Rechabites, “Have some wine!”

6 But they answered:

No! The ancestor of our clan, Jonadab son of Rechab,[e] made a rule that we must obey. He said, “Don't ever drink wine 7 or build houses or plant crops and vineyards. Instead, you must always live in tents and move from place to place. If you obey this command, you will live a long time.”

8-10 Our clan has always obeyed Jonadab's command. To this very day, we and our wives and sons and daughters don't drink wine or build houses or plant vineyards or crops. And we have lived in tents, 11 except now we have to live inside Jerusalem because Nebuchadnezzar[f] has taken over the countryside with his army from Babylonia and Syria.

12-13 Then the Lord told me to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:

I, the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, want you to learn a lesson 14 from the Rechabite clan. Their ancestor Jonadab told his descendants never to drink wine, and to this very day they have obeyed him. But I have spoken to you over and over, and you haven't obeyed me! 15 You refused to listen to my prophets, who kept telling you, “Stop doing evil and worshiping other gods! Start obeying the Lord, and he will let you live in this land he gave your ancestors.”

16 The Rechabites have obeyed the command of their ancestor Jonadab, but you have not obeyed me, 17 your God. I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I warned you about the terrible things that would happen to you if you did not listen to me. But you have ignored me, so now disaster will strike you. I, the Lord, have spoken.

The Lord Makes a Promise to the Rechabites

18 Then the Lord told me to say to the Rechabite clan:

“I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel. You have obeyed your ancestor Jonadab, 19 so I promise that your clan will be my servants and will never die out.”

King Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah's First Scroll

36 (B) During the fourth year that Jehoiakim[g] son of Josiah[h] was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, 2 since the time Josiah was king, I have been speaking to you about Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Now, get a scroll[i] and write down everything I have told you, 3 then read it to the people of Judah. Maybe they will stop sinning when they hear what terrible things I plan for them. And if they turn back to me, I will forgive them.”

4 I sent for Baruch son of Neriah and asked him to help me. I repeated everything the Lord had told me, and Baruch wrote it all down on a scroll. 5 Then I said,

Baruch, the officials refuse to let me go into the Lord's temple, 6 so you must go instead. Wait for the next holy day when the people of Judah come to the temple to pray and to go without eating.[j] Then take this scroll to the temple and read it aloud. 7 The Lord is furious, and if the people hear how he is going to punish them, maybe they will ask to be forgiven.

8-10 In the ninth month[k] of the fifth year that Jehoiakim was king, the leaders set a day when everyone who lived in Jerusalem or who was visiting there had to pray and go without eating. So Baruch took the scroll to the upper courtyard of the temple. He went over to the side of the courtyard and stood in a covered area near New Gate, where he read the scroll aloud.

This covered area belonged to Gemariah,[l] one of the king's highest officials. 11 Gemariah's son Micaiah was there and heard Baruch read what the Lord had said. 12 When Baruch finished reading, Micaiah went down to the palace. His father Gemariah was in the officials' room, meeting with the rest of the king's officials, including Elishama, Delaiah, Elnathan, and Zedekiah.[m] 13 Micaiah told them what he had heard Baruch read to the people. 14 Then the officials sent Jehudi and Shelemiah[n] to tell Baruch, “Bring us that scroll.”

When Baruch arrived with the scroll, 15 the officials said, “Please sit down and read it to us,” which he did. 16 After they heard what was written on the scroll, they were worried and said to each other, “The king needs to hear this!” Turning to Baruch, they asked, 17 “Did someone tell you what to write on this scroll?”

18 “Yes, Jeremiah did,” Baruch replied. “I wrote down just what he told me.”

19 The officials said, “You and Jeremiah must go into hiding, and don't tell anyone where you are going.”

20-22 The officials put the scroll in Elishama's room and went to see the king, who was in one of the rooms where he lived and worked during the winter. It was the ninth month[o] of the year, so there was a fire burning in the fireplace,[p] and the king was sitting nearby. After the officials told the king about the scroll, he sent Jehudi to get it. Then Jehudi started reading the scroll to the king and his officials. 23-25 But every time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king would tell him to cut them off with his penknife and throw them in the fire. Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll, but he ignored them, and soon there was nothing left of it.

The king and his servants listened to what was written on the scroll, but they were not the least bit afraid, and they did not tear their clothes in sorrow.[q]

26 The king told his son Jerahmeel to take Seraiah and Shelemiah[r] and to go arrest Baruch and me.[s] But the Lord kept them from finding us.

Jeremiah's Second Scroll

27 I had told Baruch what to write on that first scroll,[t] but King Jehoiakim[u] had burned it. So the Lord told me 28 to get another scroll and write down everything that had been on the first one. 29 Then he told me to say to King Jehoiakim:

Not only did you burn Jeremiah's scroll, you had the nerve to ask why he had written that the king of Babylonia would attack and ruin the land, killing all the people and even the animals. 30 So I, the Lord, promise that you will be killed and your body thrown out on the ground. The sun will beat down on it during the day, and the frost will settle on it at night. And none of your descendants will ever be king of Judah. 31 You, your children, and your servants are evil, and I will punish everyone of you. I warned you and the people of Judah and Jerusalem that I would bring disaster, but none of you have listened. So now you are doomed!

32 After the Lord finished speaking to me, I got another scroll and gave it to Baruch. Then I told him what to write, so this second scroll would contain even more than was on the scroll Jehoiakim had burned.

King Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah To Pray

37 (C) King Nebuchadnezzar[v] of Babylonia had removed Jehoiachin[w] son of Jehoiakim[x] from being the king of Judah and had made Josiah's[y] son Zedekiah[z] king instead.[aa] 2 But Zedekiah, his officials, and everyone else in Judah ignored everything the Lord had told me.

3-5 Later, the Babylonian army attacked Jerusalem, but they left after learning that the Egyptian army[ab] was headed in this direction.

One day, Zedekiah sent Jehucal and the priest Zephaniah[ac] to talk with me. At that time, I was free to go wherever I wanted, because I had not yet been put in prison. Jehucal and Zephaniah said, “Jeremiah, please pray to the Lord our God for us.”

6-7 Then the Lord told me to send them back to Zedekiah with this message:

Zedekiah, you wanted Jeremiah to ask me, the Lord God of Israel, what is going to happen. So I will tell you. The king of Egypt and his army came to your rescue, but soon they will go back to Egypt. 8 Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem, and this time they will capture the city and set it on fire. 9 Don't fool yourselves into thinking that the Babylonians will leave as they did before. 10 Even if you could defeat their entire army, their wounded survivors would still be able to leave their tents and set Jerusalem on fire.

Jeremiah Is Put in Prison

11 The Babylonian army had left because the Egyptian army was on its way to help us. 12 So I decided to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of the Benjamin tribe to claim my share of my family's land. 13 I was leaving Jerusalem through Benjamin Gate, when I was stopped by Irijah,[ad] the officer in charge of the soldiers at the gate. He said, “Jeremiah, you're under arrest for trying to join the Babylonians.”

14 “I'm not trying to join them!” I answered. But Irijah wouldn't listen, and he took me to the king's officials. 15-16 They were angry and ordered the soldiers to beat me. Then I was taken to the house that belonged to Jonathan, one of the king's officials. It had been turned into a prison, and I was kept in a basement room.

After I had spent a long time there, 17 King Zedekiah secretly had me brought to his palace, where he asked, “Is there any message for us from the Lord?”

“Yes, there is, Your Majesty,” I replied. “The Lord is going to let the king of Babylonia capture you.”

18 Then I continued, “Your Majesty, why have you put me in prison? Have I committed a crime against you or your officials or the nation? 19 Have you locked up the prophets who lied to you and said that the king of Babylonia would never attack Jerusalem? 20 Please, don't send me back to that prison at Jonathan's house. If you do, I will die there.”

21 King Zedekiah had me taken to the prison cells in the courtyard of the palace guards. He told the soldiers to give me a loaf of bread[ae] from one of the bakeries every day until the city ran out of grain.

Footnotes

  1. 35.1 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
  2. 35.2 side rooms: Probably a room with walls on three sides, and open to the courtyard on the fourth side.
  3. 35.3 Jaazaniah: The Hebrew text has “Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah”; this is a different Jeremiah than the author of the book.
  4. 35.4 Maaseiah … temple: Hebrew “Maaseiah son of Shallum, the keeper of the temple door.”
  5. 35.6 Jonadab son of Rechab: See 2 Kings 10.15-23. In the Hebrew of this chapter, “Jonadab” is sometimes spelled “Jehonadab.”
  6. 35.11 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
  7. 36.1 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
  8. 36.1 Josiah: See the note at 3.6.
  9. 36.2 scroll: See the note at 30.1,2.
  10. 36.6 to go without eating: As a way of asking for God's help.
  11. 36.8-10 ninth month: Chislev, the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-November to mid-December.
  12. 36.8-10 Gemariah: Hebrew “Gemariah son of Shaphan”; Gemariah's brother Ahikam had earlier protected Jeremiah (see 26.20-24).
  13. 36.12 Delaiah, Elnathan, and Zedekiah: Hebrew “Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, and Zedekiah son of Hananiah.”
  14. 36.14 Jehudi and Shelemiah: Hebrew “Jehudi son of Nethaniah and Shelemiah son of Cushi.”
  15. 36.20-22 ninth month: See the note at 36.8-10.
  16. 36.20-22 fireplace: Probably a large metal or clay pot on a movable stand, with the fire burning inside.
  17. 36.23-25 they did not tear their clothes in sorrow: Such actions would have shown that they were sorry for disobeying the Lord and were turning back to him.
  18. 36.26 Seraiah and Shelemiah: Hebrew “Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel.”
  19. 36.26 me: Jeremiah.
  20. 36.27 scroll: See the note at 30.1,2.
  21. 36.27 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
  22. 37.1 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
  23. 37.1 Jehoiachin: Hebrew “Coniah” (see the note at 22.24).
  24. 37.1 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
  25. 37.1 Josiah's: Josiah was the father of both Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. Josiah ruled 640–609 b.c.
  26. 37.1 Zedekiah: See the note at 1.3.
  27. 37.1 King Nebuchadnezzar … instead: See 2 Kings 24.10-17.
  28. 37.3-5 Egyptian army: Led by King Apries, also known as Hophra.
  29. 37.3-5 Jehucal and the priest Zephaniah: Hebrew “Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah.”
  30. 37.13 Irijah: Hebrew “Irijah son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah.”
  31. 37.21 a loaf of bread: Bread was the main food of the Israelites. During this time of emergency in Jerusalem, everyone probably received the same amount each day.
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Jeremiah 35-37
New International Version

The Rekabites

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jeremiah in Prison

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 35:6 Hebrew Jonadab, a variant of Jehonadab; here and often in this chapter
  2. Jeremiah 35:11 Or Chaldean
  3. Jeremiah 37:1 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin
  4. Jeremiah 37:5 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 9, 13 and 14
  5. Jeremiah 37:10 Or Chaldean; also in verse 11
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