Bible in 90 Days
Against False Prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart is broken inside me.
All my bones tremble.
I am like a drunken man,
like a man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord,
and because of his holy words.
10 Look, the land is full of adulterers.
Because of the curse, the land mourns.
The pastures in the wilderness are dried up.
Their way of life is evil,
and their use of power is unjust.
11 Both prophet and priest are godless.
I have found their wickedness even in my House,
declares the Lord.
12 Therefore, they will discover that their path
is like slippery places in the darkness.
They will be driven away,
and they will fall there,
because I will bring disaster on them,
the year of their punishment, declares the Lord.
13 Among the prophets of Samaria[a]
I saw something offensive.
They prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel astray.
14 Now among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrifying.
They commit adultery and walk in lies.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that no one turns away from his wickedness.
They have all become like Sodom to me.
The people who live there are like Gomorrah.
15 So this is what the Lord of Armies says concerning the prophets.
Watch, I will feed them wormwood
and give them bitter water to drink,
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness has gone out into all 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 giving you false hope.
They proclaim visions that come from their own hearts
and not from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They keep saying to those who despise me,
“The Lord has said that you will have peace.”
And to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,
they say, “No harm will come to you.”
18 But have any of them stood in the council of the Lord,
to see and hear his word?
Who has listened to his word and heard it?
19 Look, a storm from the Lord!
His wrath has gone out,
like a whirlwind twisting down,
whirling over the heads of the wicked.
20 The Lord’s anger will not turn back until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart. In later days you will understand it fully.
21 I did not send these prophets, yet they ran.
I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,
they would have made my people hear my words,
and they would have turned them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.
23 Am I a God who is only nearby, declares the Lord,
and not a God far away?
24 Can anyone hide in secret places
so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord.
Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.
25 I have heard what the prophets who prophesy lies in my name have said. They say, “I have had a dream! I have had a dream!” 26 How long will this be in the hearts of these lying prophets? These prophets proclaim the fantasies of their own hearts. 27 They think they can make my people forget my name with the dreams each one tells his neighbor, the way their fathers forgot my name because of Baal. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream. But let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully.
What has chaff to do with grain? declares the Lord. 29 Is not my word like a fire? declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? 30 Therefore listen to this, declares the Lord. I am against the prophets who steal my words from each other. 31 Indeed, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their own tongues to say, “This is what the Lord declares!” 32 Yes, I am against those who prophesy about lying dreams, declares the Lord. I am against those who tell lying dreams to lead my people astray with their extravagant lies. But I did not send them or command them. They provide no benefit for this people, declares the Lord.
33 When these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, “What is the message[b] from the Lord?” say to them, “What is the message? This is the Lord’s message: I will abandon you.”
34 As for the prophet, the priest, or anyone who says “the message from the Lord,” I will punish that man and his household. 35 Each man will ask his neighbor, “What has the Lord answered?” or “What has the Lord said?” 36 But do not refer to “the message of the Lord” anymore, because each man’s word has become his own message, because you have perverted the words of the Living God, the Lord of Armies, our God.
37 You say this to the prophet: “What has the Lord answered you?” or “What has the Lord said?” 38 But if you say that you have the message[c] of the Lord, this is what the Lord says to you: Since you say “the message of the Lord,” although I have sent a message telling you not to say “the message of the Lord,” 39 watch out, because I will completely forget you and throw you out of my presence. I will abandon you and this city, which I gave to your fathers. 40 I will bring everlasting scorn and everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.
Two Baskets of Figs
24 The Lord showed me two baskets of figs sitting in front of the Lord’s temple. This took place after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had exiled Jeconiah[d] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem, along with the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the smiths, and had brought them to Babylon.
2 One basket had very good figs, like early figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten. 3 Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
“Figs,” I said. “The good figs are very good, and the bad ones are very bad, so bad they cannot be eaten.”
4 The word of the Lord came to me.
5 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. I will treat the exiles from Judah like these good figs, those exiles that I sent out from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 I will keep my eye on them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God. They will return to me with their whole heart.
8 But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten—this is what the Lord says—this is how I will deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and with those who live in the land of Egypt. 9 I will make them an object of horror and disaster among all the nations of the earth. They will be a disgrace, a proverb, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I banish them. 10 I will send the sword, famine, and plague against them until they have perished from the soil that I have given to them and to their fathers.
Seventy Years of Exile
25 This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah. This was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 2 Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to everyone who lived in Jerusalem.
3 For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, to this very day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again. But you have not listened. 4 The Lord sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or paid attention.
5 The Lord said: Turn, each of you, from your evil way of life and from the evil things you do. Live on the land the Lord gave to you and to your forefathers long ago to be yours forever. 6 Do not follow after other gods or serve them or worship them, and do not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.
7 But you would not obey me, declares the Lord. So you kept provoking me to anger with the work of your hands, and you have hurt yourselves.
8 Therefore this is what the Lord of Armies says. Because you have not obeyed my words, 9 watch out! I will send for all the clans of the north, declares the Lord, and I will send for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and derision. The land will be ruins forever. 10 I will take the sound of joy away from them and the sound of gladness. I will take away the voice of the bride and groom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole land will become a desolation and a ruin, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 When the seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the Lord. I will make it desolate forever. 13 I will bring on that land all my words which I have spoken against it, everything that is written in this book, in which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 14 For many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, but I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.
The Cup of God’s Wrath
15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath, and make all the nations, to whom I send you, drink it. 16 They will drink, stagger, and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.”
17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he had sent me drink from it— 18 to destroy them and to make them an object of horror and derision, and to make them a curse, as they are today. They are:
Jerusalem, all the cities of Judah, its kings and officials,
19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, and all his people,
20 also all the various foreigners there,
also all the kings of the land of Uz,
all the kings 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 islands across the sea,
23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who live on the edge of the desert,[e]
24 all the kings of Arabia,
all the kings of the various peoples who live in the wilderness,
25 all the kings of Zimri,
all the kings of Elam, all the kings of the Medes,
26 all the kings of the north, far and near, one after another,
and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth.
Then after them, the king of Sheshak[f] will drink.
27 You are to tell them that this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Drink and get drunk. Vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword I will send among you.” 28 But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, then tell them, “This is what the Lord of Armies says. You must drink it. 29 See, I am beginning to bring disaster to the city called by my name. Will you somehow go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I will call for a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord of Armies.”
30 Prophesy all these words against them. Say to them:
The Lord will roar from on high,
and he will thunder from his holy dwelling.
He will roar mightily against his flock.
He will shout against all who live on the earth,
like those who tread grapes.
31 The roaring will reach the ends of the earth,
for the Lord will bring charges against the nations.
He will judge all flesh
and put the wicked to the sword, declares the Lord.
32 This is what the Lord of Armies says.
Look! Disaster is moving from nation to nation,
and a great storm is rising from the ends of the earth.
33 On that day those slain by the Lord will lie scattered
from one end of the earth to the other.
They will not be mourned.
They will not be gathered up.
They will not be buried.
They lie on the ground like manure.
34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry.
Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock,
for the day for you to be slaughtered has come.
You will be shattered,
and you will fall like fine pottery.[g]
35 The shepherds will have nowhere to flee.
The leaders of the flock will have no escape.
36 Hear the cry of the shepherds
and the wailing of the leaders of the flock,
for the Lord is destroying their pasture.
37 The peaceful meadows are silenced,
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
38 He has left his lair like a lion,
and their land will become desolate,
because of the fierceness of the oppressor,
and because of his fierce anger.
Jeremiah Is Threatened
26 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, the following word came from the Lord.
2 This is what the Lord says. Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house, and speak to people from the cities and towns of Judah who have come to worship at the House of the Lord. Tell them everything I have commanded you to tell them. Do not hold back a single word. 3 Maybe they will listen, and everyone will turn from his evil way. Then I will relent and not bring about the disaster that I was planning because of the evil things they have done.
4 You are also to say this to him.
This is what the Lord says. If you will not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, 5 and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (but you have not listened), 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make the name of this city a curse word for all the nations of the earth.
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people listened as Jeremiah spoke these words at the House of the Lord. 8 When Jeremiah had finished saying everything the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people, then the priests, the prophets, and all the people seized him and said, “You must die! 9 Why do you prophesy in the name of the Lord that this house will be like Shiloh and that this city will be desolate with no one living here?” All the people crowded around Jeremiah in the House of the Lord.
10 When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they came up from the king’s house to the House of the Lord and sat in the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.
11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, “This man deserves the sentence of death because he has been prophesying against this city, as you heard with your own ears.”
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and to all the people, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the things that you have heard. 13 Now reform your ways and your actions, and obey the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent and not bring about the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14 But as for me, look, I am in your hands. Do with me whatever seems good and right in your eyes. 15 But you can be certain of this. If you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live here, for it is true that the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”
16 Then the officials and the people said to the priests and to the prophets, “This man does not deserve to die. He has spoken in the name of the Lord our God.”
17 Some of the elders of the land got up and spoke to all the assembled people.
18 Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He proclaimed this to all the people of Judah.
This is what the Lord of Armies says.
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a ruin,
and the temple mount will be a high place overgrown with trees.[h]
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone at all in Judah put him to death? Didn’t he fear the Lord and seek his favor? And didn’t the Lord relent from the disaster he had pronounced against them? We would be committing a great evil against our own souls[i] that way!
20 (There had also been another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim. He prophesied against this city and against the land the same things that Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim, all his strong warriors, and all his officials heard his words, the king wanted to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it and fled in fear to Egypt. 22 Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Akbor and some other men to Egypt. 23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to death with a sword and had his body thrown into the grave of the common people.)
24 But Ahikam son of Shaphan used his authority to protect Jeremiah, who was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
The Yoke of Babylon
27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah[j] son of Josiah, king of Judah, this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord.
2 This is what the Lord said to me.
Make a yoke and straps and put them on your neck. 3 Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, Tyre, and Sidon, through the messengers who came to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them a message for their masters. Tell them the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says, “Tell your masters: 5 By my great power I made the earth, the people, and the animals that are on it. I give it to anyone I please. 6 Now I will give all these lands to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I will even make the wild animals serve him. 7 All the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson, until the time for his own land comes. Then he will serve many nations and great kings.”
8 The Lord also said:
I will punish any nation or kingdom that will not submit to this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, that will not put their necks under the yoke of Babylon’s king. I will punish that nation with sword, famine, and plague, until I have consumed them by his hand. 9 So do not listen to your prophets, to your omen readers, to your dream interpreters, to your mediums, or to those who cast spells for you. Do not listen to those who tell you, “You will not serve the king of Babylon,” 10 because they are prophesying lies to you in order to remove you from your land. I will drive you out, and you will perish. 11 But if a nation bows its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will let that nation remain on its own land. They will plow the soil and live on it, declares the Lord.
12 I also said all these things to Zedekiah king of Judah.
Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon. Serve him and his people, and you will live. 13 Why do you and your people want to die by sword, famine, and plague, as the Lord said would come upon any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are telling you not to serve the king of Babylon. They are prophesying a lie to you, 15 for I have not sent them, declares the Lord. They are prophesying falsely in my name, so I will drive you out, and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.
16 I also spoke to the priests and to all of the people.
The Lord says this. Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you that the vessels of the Lord’s house will soon be brought back again from Babylon, because 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? 18 If they really are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, then let them intercede with the Lord of Armies, so that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, will not go to Babylon. 19 For this is what the Lord of Armies says about the pillars, the Sea, the carts for water, and the rest of the vessels that are left in the city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had not taken away when he exiled Jeconiah[k] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 yes, this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says concerning the vessels that are still in the house of the Lord and in the house of the king of Judah in Jerusalem: 22 They will be taken to Babylon, and there they will remain until the day I come for them, declares the Lord. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.
The False Prophet Hananiah
28 That same year, in the fifth month of the fourth year (early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah), the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the House of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people. He said, 2 “The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says this. I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 When two full years have passed, I will bring back all the vessels of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried off to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back Jeconiah[l] son of Jehoiakim king of Judah along with all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the House of the Lord. 6 He said, “Amen! May the Lord do that! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied and bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house, and may he bring all the exiles back from Babylon to this place. 7 Nevertheless, listen now to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets from ancient times, who came before you and me, prophesied war, famine,[m] and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, only when the word of the prophet actually comes true will that prophet become known as someone whom the Lord has truly sent.”
10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11 In the presence of all the people, Hananiah said, “This is what the Lord says. This is how I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from off the neck of all the nations within two full years.” So the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.
12 After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go and tell Hananiah that this is what the Lord says. You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will receive an iron yoke. 14 For the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says, I will put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations so that they will serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Yes, they will certainly serve him. I have even given him the wild animals.”
15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you are making this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore this is what the Lord says. Watch, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you will die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.”
17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.
A Letter to the Exiles
29 This is the text of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remnant of the elders in exile, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after Jeconiah,[n] the queen mother, the secretaries, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalworkers had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was delivered by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemaraiah son of Hilkiah when Zedekiah king of Judah sent them to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The letter said:
4 The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says this to all the exiles whom I have deported from Jerusalem to Babylon.
5 Build houses and settle in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Get married and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there, and do not decrease in number. 7 Seek the peace of the city where I have exiled you. Pray to the Lord for that city, because when it has peace and prosperity, you will have peace and prosperity.
8 The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says this. Do not let the prophets and fortune tellers who are among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams they dream for you. 9 For they prophesy falsely in my name, but I did not send them, declares the Lord.
10 This is what the Lord says. After seventy years have passed in Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious word to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you peace, not disaster, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come to pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 When you seek me, you will find me, when you will seek me with all your heart. 14 I will let you find me, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back from your exile. I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have sent you as exiles, declares the Lord. I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
15 Because you say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” 16 this is what the Lord says concerning the king who sits on David’s throne and concerning all the people who remain in this city, your brothers who were not carried away into exile with you. 17 Yes, this is what the Lord says. Watch, I am going to send sword, famine, and plague against them, and I will make them like rotten figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague, and I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse, a terror, a thing to be hissed at, and a disgrace among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have not obeyed my words, declares the Lord, words I sent them again and again through my servants the prophets. And you have not listened, either, declares the Lord.
Two Men Roasted in the Fire
20 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21 The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says this about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Ma’aseiah, who are prophesying a lie in my name: Watch, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your eyes. 22 All the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse because of them:
May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and like Ahab,
whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire.
23 This is because they have done sinful things in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbor’s wives, and they have spoken lies in my name, things I did not tell them to do. I am the one who knows. I am the witness, declares the Lord.
The Lord’s Response to Shemaiah’s Letter
24 Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite 25 that this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says.
You have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Ma’aseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, and you told them the following:
26 The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there will be officers[o] in the Lord’s house who can deal with every crazy man who calls himself a prophet. You should put him in the stocks and in shackles. 27 So why have you not rebuked Jeremiah from Anathoth, who makes himself out to be a prophet among you?
28 Jeremiah sent this message to us in Babylon: It will be a long time. Build houses and settle in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.
29 Zephaniah the priest read this letter so that Jeremiah the prophet could hear the reading.
30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.
31 Send the following message to all the exiles.
This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, but I did not send him, and he has led you to trust in a lie, 32 the Lord says this. Watch, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left to live among this people. He will never see the good things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion against the Lord.
The Lord Will Restore Israel
30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord. 2 The Lord, the God of Israel, says,
Write all the words that I have spoken to you in a book. 3 Look, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity. I will restore them to the land I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it, says the Lord.
4 These are words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. 5 This is what the Lord says.
“We have heard cries of fear,
of terror, and not of peace.”
6 Ask and see.
Can a man give birth to a child?
Why then do I see every strong man
with his hands on his belly like a woman in labor?
Why has every face turned pale?
7 That day is so terrible that there is none like it!
It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,
but he will be saved out of it.
8 In that day, declares the Lord of Armies,
I will break the yoke off your neck.
I will tear away your bonds.
Strangers will no longer enslave Israel,
9 but they will serve the Lord their God
and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
10 Therefore do not be afraid, my servant Jacob, declares the Lord.
Do not be terrified, Israel,
because I will certainly save you from a faraway place.
I will save your descendants from the land where they are captive.
Jacob will return.
He will enjoy quiet and be at ease,
and no one will make him afraid.
11 I am with you to save you, declares the Lord.
I will completely destroy all the nations
among which I have scattered you,
but I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you with justice,[p]
yet I will not regard you as entirely innocent.
12 So this is what the Lord says.
Your wound is incurable.
Your injury is severe.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
no one to bind your wounds.
There are no healing medicines.
14 All who loved you have forgotten you.
They do not ask about you.
I have wounded you as an enemy would.
I have punished you as the cruel would,
because your guilt is so great,
because your sins are so many.
15 Why are you crying over your injury,
over your incurable wound?
It is because of your great guilt,
because of your many sins,
that I have done these things to you.
16 Yet all who devour you will be devoured.
All your enemies, every one of them, will go into captivity.
Those who plunder you will be plundered.
All who prey on you will become prey.
17 For I will restore your health,
and I will heal your wounds, declares the Lord,
because they have called you an outcast,
saying, “It is Zion—for whom no one cares.”
18 This is what the Lord says.
Look, I will end the captivity[q] of Jacob’s tents
and have compassion on his dwellings.
The city will be rebuilt on the mound of its ruins,
and the citadel will stand in its rightful place.
19 Thanksgiving will come out of them,
along with the sound of rejoicing.
I will multiply them,
and they will not decrease in number.
I will glorify them,
and they will not be insignificant.
20 Their children will be as they were long ago,
and their community will be established in my presence.
I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their strong leader will be one of their own,
and their ruler will arise from among them.
I will summon him to come near,
and he will approach me,
for who would be bold enough to approach me?
says the Lord.
22 You shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
23 Look, a storm is coming from the Lord!
His wrath has gone out,
like a whirlwind twisting down,
whirling over the heads of the wicked.
24 The Lord’s anger will not turn back
until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart.
In later days you will understand it.
The Lord’s Love for Israel
31 At that time, declares the Lord,
I will be the God of all the families of Israel,
and they will be my people.
2 This is what the Lord says.
The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.
Israel had continual rest.
3 The Lord appeared to me[r] from a distance, saying:
I have loved you with an everlasting love.
I have drawn you with mercy.
4 I will build you up again,
and you will be built up, O Virgin Israel.
You will pick up your drums again,
and you will go out to dance with those who are joyful.
5 Again you will plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria.
The planters will plant and will enjoy its fruit.
6 For there will be a day
when the watchmen on the hills of Ephraim cry out,
“Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.”
7 This is what the Lord says.
Sing with joy for Jacob,
and shout for the greatest of the nations.
Make your praises heard and say,
“Lord, save your people,
the remnant of Israel!”
8 Watch, I will bring them from a land in the north
and gather them from the ends of the earth.
The blind and the lame will be there,
the pregnant woman together with the woman in labor.
They will return as a huge community.
9 They will come weeping.
They will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water,
on a level path where they will not stumble.
For I am a father to Israel.
Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, you nations.
Declare it in the distant islands.
Say that he who scattered Israel will gather him
and watch over him like a shepherd watching his flock.
11 For the Lord will ransom Jacob
and redeem him from the hand of the one who is stronger than him.
12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion,
and they will rejoice in the goodness of the Lord,
for the grain, the new wine, the oil,
and the young of the flocks and herds.
Their lives will thrive like a well-watered garden.
They will not grow weak anymore.
13 Then the virgin will rejoice and dance.
The young men and the old will be glad together,
for I will turn their mourning into joy.
I will comfort them
and give them joy instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
and my people will be filled with my goodness,
declares the Lord.
15 This is what the Lord says.
A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel is weeping for her children.
She refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.
16 This is what the Lord says.
Stop your crying.
Do not shed tears,
because your work will be rewarded, declares the Lord.
They will return from the land of the enemy.
17 There is hope for your future, declares the Lord.
Your children will return to their own borders.
Interjection by Israel
18 I have certainly heard Ephraim grieving:
“You have disciplined me.
I was disciplined like an untrained calf.
Cause me to turn, and I will turn,
because you are the Lord my God.
19 After I turned away, I was sorry.
After I was instructed, I slapped my thigh in grief.
I was ashamed and humiliated,
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.”
The Lord Speaks Again
20 Isn’t Ephraim my dear son?
Isn’t he my darling child?
I often speak against him,
but I still remember him.
My heart longs for him.
I will certainly be compassionate to him, declares the Lord.
21 Set up road signs.
Make guideposts.
Direct your attention toward the highway,
toward the way by which you came.
Turn back, Virgin Israel.
Turn back to your cities.
22 How long will you turn away,
you unfaithful daughter?
The Lord has created a new thing on the earth:
A female will surround a man.[s]
God’s People Will Prosper Once Again
23 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says.
When I bring them back from captivity,
they will once again say in the land of Judah and in its cities:
“The Lord bless you, you righteous dwelling place,
you holy mountain.”
24 Judah and all its cities will live there together,
the farmers and those who follow their flocks.
25 I will satisfy the thirsty,
and I will give rest to everyone who is weary.
26 Just after this I woke up and looked around.
My sleep had been pleasant for me.
27 Look, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of animal. 28 Just as I have watched over them to uproot and to tear down, to overthrow, destroy, and afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the Lord.
29 In those days they will no longer say,
“The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
30 But everyone will die for his own guilt.
Everyone who eats sour grapes—
his own teeth will be set on edge.
The New Covenant
31 Yes, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers,
when I took them by the hand
and led them out of the land of Egypt.
They broke that covenant of mine,
although I was a husband to them, declares the Lord.
33 But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after those days,
declares the Lord.
I will put my law[t] in their minds,
and I will write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 No longer will each one teach his neighbor,
or each one teach his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord,
for I will forgive their guilt,
and I will remember their sins no more.
35 This is what the Lord says,
the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day,
who regulates the moon and stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar,
whose name is the Lord of Armies:
36 Only if these ordinances could vanish from my sight,
only then could the seed of Israel cease to be a nation before me,
declares the Lord.
37 This is what the Lord says:
Only if someone could measure what is above the sky,
only if someone could explore what is below the foundations
of the earth,
only then would I reject all the seed of Israel
for all that they have done, declares the Lord.
38 Look, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the city will be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line will stretch from there straight out to the Hill of Gareb and turn toward Goah. 40 The whole valley with the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields out to the Kidron Valley, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, will be holy to the Lord. It will not be uprooted or torn down ever again.
Jeremiah Is Imprisoned
32 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.
2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the palace of the king of Judah. 3 Zedekiah king of Judah had confined him there.
Zedekiah had said, “Why do you prophesy and say that the Lord says that he will certainly give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and that he will capture it? 4 Why do you say that Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and that he will speak with him face-to-face and see him eye-to-eye? 5 Why do you say that he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, to remain there until the Lord deals with him? declares the Lord. And that even though I fight with the Chaldeans, I will not succeed?”
Jeremiah Redeems a Field
6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me. 7 Watch for this. Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you and tell you to buy his field in Anathoth, because the right of redemption is yours. So buy it.”
8 Then Hanamel my cousin came to me in the courtyard of the guard, just as the Lord had said, and he told me to buy his field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, because the right to redeem it and take possession of it was mine. He told me to buy it for myself.
Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 9 I purchased the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out for him seventeen shekels[u] of silver. 10 I signed the deed, sealed it, called witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 Then I took the deed of the purchase containing the terms and conditions, both the sealed copy and an unsealed copy, 12 and I gave them to Baruch son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, and in the presence of the witnesses who had signed the deed, and in the presence of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
13 I gave Baruch instructions in their presence. I told him 14 that this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, said: “Take these deeds, the sealed deed of purchase and the unsealed copy, and put them in a clay jar so that they will be preserved for a long time. 15 For the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says this: Houses and fields and vineyards will again be purchased in this land.”
16 After I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:
17 Ah, Lord God! You are the one who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. There is nothing that is too difficult for you. 18 You show mercy to thousands, but you repay the guilt of the fathers into the laps of their children after them. Great and powerful God, the Lord of Armies is your name! 19 You give sound guidance, and your deeds are mighty. Your eyes are open to all the ways of mankind. You reward everyone according to what he has done, according to what his deeds deserve. 20 Up to this day you have performed signs and wonders—in the land of Egypt, in Israel, and even among all mankind—and you made a name for yourself as it is today.
21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror. 22 You gave them this land that you swore to give to their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law. They have not done everything that you commanded them to do. Therefore you have brought all this disaster upon them.
24 You see that the siege ramps have come up to the city to capture it. The city will be handed over to the Chaldeans, who fight against it by means of sword, famine, and plague. What you said has taken place, as you see. 25 Lord God, you said to me, “Buy the field with silver and call witnesses,” even though the city was being handed over to the Chaldeans.
26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.
27 Listen to me. I am the Lord, the God who rules over all flesh. Is there anything that is too difficult for me? 28 Therefore, this is what the Lord says. Watch, I am going to hand over this city to the Chaldeans and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29 The Chaldeans who attack this city will come and set fire to it. They will burn it, along with the houses. People offered incense to Baal on those rooftops, and they poured out drink offerings to other gods there, and they provoked me to anger.
30 For the people of Israel and the people of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight ever since their youth. The people of Israel have committed only evil with what their hands have made, declares the Lord. 31 Because this city has aroused my anger and wrath from the day it was built until now, I will remove it from my sight. 32 The people of Israel and the people of Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done—they, their kings, their officials, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem. 33 They have turned their backs to me and not their faces. Though I taught them again and again, they did not listen to me or accept correction. 34 They set up their disgusting things in the house that bears my name, and they defiled it. 35 They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, to make their sons and daughters pass through the fire to Molek, something I did not command them to do. It did not enter my mind that they would do such a disgusting thing and cause Judah to sin.
36 About this city, you have been saying, “It will be handed over to the king of Babylon by sword, famine, and plague.” But now this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37 Watch, I will gather them from all the lands where I have driven them in my furious anger and great wrath. Then I will bring them back again to this place. I will let them live in safety. 38 Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them one heart and direct them in one way, so that they always fear me. This will be for their good and for the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will never stop doing good for them. I will put this fear in their hearts so that they will not turn away from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing good for them. I will plant them in this land with all my heart and all my soul.
42 This is what the Lord says. Just as surely as I brought this great catastrophe on this people, so I will be the one to bring them all the good that I have promised them. 43 Once again fields will be purchased in this land, which you say is desolate, without man or animal, and which you say is handed over to the Chaldeans. 44 Men will buy fields for silver, sign the deeds, seal them, and call witnesses in the land of Benjamin and in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negev. I will restore them from their captivity, declares the Lord.
33 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time. This was while he was still locked up in the courtyard of the guard.
2 This is what the Lord, who made the earth,[v] says, the Lord who formed it and who established it—the Lord is his name. 3 Call on me and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things you did not know. 4 For the Lord, the God of Israel, says this concerning the houses of this city and the palaces of the kings of Judah (which were being torn down to build up defenses against the siege ramps and the sword 5 during the fight against the Chaldeans): I will fill them with the corpses of men whom I have killed in my anger and my wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.
6 But watch! I will bring it health and healing. I will heal them and reveal an abundance of peace and truth to them. 7 I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and I will build them up as they were in the beginning. 8 I will cleanse them from all the guilt they incurred by sinning against me. I will pardon all the guilt they incurred by sinning against me and by their rebellion against me. 9 This will provide a name of joy, praise, and glory for me, in the presence of all the nations of the earth. They will hear about all the good that I do for this city, and they will tremble in awe because of the good and because of the peace I provide for it.
10 This is what the Lord says. You say that this place is a wasteland, without man or animal, and that there is no man living in the cities of Judah or in the desolate streets of Jerusalem, not even an animal. 11 But the sound of joy, the sound of gladness, and the voice of the bride and groom will be heard there once again. A voice will again be heard that says, “Give thanks to the Lord of Armies, for the Lord is good, and his mercy endures forever,” as they bring thank offerings into the House of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the lands as they were in the beginning, says the Lord.
12 This is what the Lord of Armies says. In this place, which is desolate, without man and without animal, in all its cities there will once again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. 13 In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks will once again pass under the hand of the one who counts them, says the Lord.
14 Listen, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the good promises that I have spoken to the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah.
15 In those days and at that time,
I will cause a righteous Branch to grow up from David’s line.
He will establish justice and righteousness on earth.
16 In those days Judah will be saved,
and Jerusalem will dwell securely.
This is what she[w] will be called:
The Lord Our Righteousness.
17 This is what the Lord says.
David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel. 18 Neither will the priests, who are Levites, fail to have a man to stand before me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to offer sacrifices continually.
19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.
20 This is what the Lord says. If you could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that there would no longer be day or night at their appointed times, 21 only then could my covenant with my servant David be broken, so that he would not have a son to reign on his throne. Only then could my covenant with the priests who are Levites, my ministers, be broken. 22 Just as the stars of the sky cannot be counted and the sand of the seashore cannot be measured, in the same way I will multiply the offspring[x] of my servant David and the Levites who minister before me.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.