Bible in 90 Days
23 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,[a] 24 “Have you not seen how these people speak, saying,[b] ‘The two clans[c] whom Yahweh chose, he has also rejected them’? Thus they spurn my people from being a nation before them[d] any longer. 25 Thus says Yahweh: ‘If my covenant with day and with night, the regulations of heaven and earth, I had not established, 26 then the offspring of Jacob and David my servant I would reject, from choosing rulers from his offspring over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will restore their fortunes[e] and I will have compassion on them.’”
A Message for Zedekiah
34 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and all his army, with all the kingdoms of the earth under the dominion of his hand, and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and against all its cities, saying,[f] 2 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘Go and say to Zedekiah the king of Judah, now you must say to him, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Look, I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire. 3 And you will not escape from his hand, but surely you will be captured, and into his hand you will be given, and you will see the king of Babylon eye to eye,[g] and you will speak face to face with him,[h] and to Babylon you will go.’ 4 However, hear the word of Yahweh, O Zedekiah, the king of Judah. Thus says Yahweh concerning you: ‘You will not die by the sword. 5 In peace you will die, and as there was burning for your ancestors,[i] the former kings who were before you,[j] so they will burn for you, and they will lament for you, “Alas, lord!” For the word I have spoken,’ declares[k] Yahweh.”’” 6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Zedekiah the king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem 7 when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left over—Lachish and Azekah, for these remained among the cities of Judah, the cities of fortification.
Zedekiah’s Covenant Concerning Slaves
8 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after king Zedekiah made[l] a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim release to them, 9 to let go each one his male slave and each one his female slave, the Hebrew and the free Hebrew, so that no one among the Judeans[m] should enslave his fellow countryman. 10 And all the officials and all the people obeyed, who had entered into the covenant to let go each one his male slave and each one his female slave, not enslaving them again, and they obeyed and they let them[n] go. 11 But afterward[o] they turned back and they brought back the male slaves and the female slaves whom they had let go free, and they subdued them as male slaves and female slaves.
12 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,[p] 13 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘I made[q] a covenant with your ancestors[r] on the day of my bringing them out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves, saying,[s] 14 “At the end of seven years you must let go each one his fellow countryman, the Hebrew who has been sold to you and who has served you six years, and you must let him go free from you.” But your ancestors[t] did not listen to me, and they did not incline their ears.[u] 15 And you turned back recently[v] and you did right in my eyes, to proclaim release each one to his neighbor, and you made[w] a covenant before me[x] in the house that is called by[y] my name. 16 But you turned back and you profaned my name when you brought back each one his male slave and each one his female slave, whom you had let go free according to their desire, and you subdued them to be to you as male slaves and as female slaves.’
17 “Therefore[z] thus says Yahweh, ‘You have not listened to me to proclaim release each one to his fellow countryman and each one to his neighbor. Look, I am going to proclaim to you a release,’ declares[aa] Yahweh, ‘to the sword, to the plague, and to the famine, and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And I will make the men who transgressed my covenant, who have not kept the words of the covenant that they made[ab] before me,[ac] like the calf which they cut in two and they passed between its parts— 19 the officials of Judah, and the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— 20 and I will give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of the seekers of their lives, and their dead bodies[ad] will become as food for the birds[ae] of the heavens[af] and for the animals[ag] of the earth. 21 And Zedekiah the king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of the seekers of their lives, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, who retreated from you. 22 Look, I am going to command,’ declares[ah] Yahweh, ‘and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it, and they will capture it, and they will burn it with fire, and the towns of Judah I will make a desolation without[ai] an inhabitant.’”
The Faithfulness of the Rechabites
35 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying,[aj] 2 “Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak with them, and bring them to the house of Yahweh into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.” 3 So I took Jaazaniah, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole of the house of the Rechabites, 4 and I brought them to the house of Yahweh, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was beside the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah, the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold.
5 Then I set[ak] before[al] the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine and cups, and I said to them, “Drink wine.” 6 But they answered, “We will not drink wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor,[am] commanded us, saying,[an] ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your children, forever.[ao] 7 And you shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed, and you shall not plant a vineyard, and it shall not be for you, but in tents you shall live all your days, so that you may live many days on the surface of the land where you are dwelling as aliens.’ 8 And we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor,[ap] in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, 9 and not to build houses for our living, and there is not vineyard, or field, or seed for us. 10 But we have lived in tents, and we have obeyed, and we have done all that Jehonadab, our ancestor,[aq] commanded us. 11 But then[ar] at the coming up against the land of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, then we said, ‘Come and let us go to Jerusalem before[as] the army of the Chaldeans, and before[at] the army of the Arameans.’[au] That is why we are living in Jerusalem.”
12 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,[av] 13 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Go and say to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Can you not learn a lesson to listen to my words?” declares[aw] Yahweh. 14 “The words of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, that he commanded his descendants[ax] to not drink, have been carried out, and they have not drunk until this day, for they have obeyed the command of their ancestor.[ay] But I have spoken to you over and over again,[az] and you have not listened to me. 15 And I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, I have sent them over and over again,[ba] saying,[bb] ‘Turn back please each one from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and you must not go after other gods to serve them, so that you may live[bc] on the land that I gave to you and to your ancestors.’[bd] But you did not incline your ear and you did not listen to me. 16 For the descendants[be] of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, have carried out the command of their ancestor[bf] that he commanded them, but this people did not listen to me.”
17 Therefore[bg] thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, “Look, I am going to bring to Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem every disaster that I have spoken against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, and I have called to them and they have not answered.”’” 18 But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have listened to the command of Jonadab your ancestor,[bh] and you have kept all his commands, and you have done all that he commanded you,’ 19 therefore[bi] thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘A man will not be cut off for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, to stand before me[bj] always.’”[bk]
Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll of Jeremiah’s Prophecies
36 And then[bl] in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,[bm] 2 “Take for yourself a scroll[bn] and you must write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day that I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, and until this day. 3 Perhaps when the house of Judah hears all the disasters[bo] that I am planning to do to them, then they may turn back each one from his evil way, and I will forgive their guilt and their sin.”
4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Yahweh that he had spoken to him on a scroll.[bp] 5 And Jeremiah instructed Baruch, saying,[bq] “I am held back, I am not able to enter the temple of Yahweh. 6 So you must go and you shall read aloud from the scroll that you have written from my mouth the words of Yahweh in the hearing of the people in the temple of Yahweh on a day of fast, and also you shall read aloud in the hearing of all those of Judah who came from their towns. 7 Perhaps their plea will fall before[br] Yahweh and each one will turn away from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that Yahweh pronounced against this people.” 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet instructed him, to read aloud from the scroll the words of Yahweh in the temple of Yahweh.
9 And then[bs] in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the towns of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before[bt] Yahweh. 10 Then Baruch read aloud from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the temple of Yahweh, in the chamber of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, the secretary, in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate of the temple of Yahweh in the hearing of all the people.
11 When Micaiah, the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of Yahweh from the scroll, 12 he went down to the house of the king, to the chamber of the secretary, and look, all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, and Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah, the son of Hananiah, and all the other officials. 13 And Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard at the reading aloud of Baruch from the scroll in the hearing of the people.
14 Then all the officials sent Jehudi, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying,[bu] “The scroll that you read aloud from in the hearing of the people, take it in your hand and come.” And Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and he came to them. 15 And they said to him, “Sit please and read it aloud in our hearing.” So Baruch read aloud in their hearing. 16 And then,[bv] the moment of their hearing all the words, they turned to one another in alarm[bw] and they said to Baruch, “We must certainly report all these words to the king!” 17 Then they asked Baruch, saying,[bx] “Tell us please, how did you write all these words, from his mouth?” 18 And Baruch said to them, “From his mouth. He dictated to me all these words and I was writing on the scroll with the ink.” 19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go, hide yourself, you and Jeremiah, and let not a man know where you are.”
20 And they went to the king, to the courtyard, and they put[by] the scroll for safe-keeping in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words in the hearing of the king. 21 Then the king sent Jehudi to take the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and Jehudi read it aloud in the hearing of the king, and in the hearing of all the officials who stood next to the king. 22 Now the king was sitting in the quarters of the winter in the ninth month, and a fire-pot was burning before[bz] him. 23 And then,[ca] as Jehudi read three or four columns, he would cut it up in pieces with the knife of the scribe, and he would throw it[cb] into the fire that was in the fire-pot until the whole of the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire-pot. 24 And the king and any of his servants who heard all these words were not startled, and they did not tear their garments. 25 And even when Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel, the son of the king, and Seraiah, the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, the son of Abdeel, to arrest Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but Yahweh hid them.
27 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah after the king burned the scroll and the words that Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,[cc] 28 “Take again[cd] for yourself another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, has burned. 29 And concerning Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, you shall say, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “You have burned this scroll, saying,[ce] ‘Why have you written in it, saying,[cf] “The king of Babylon will certainly come and he will destroy this land, and he will cause to disappear from it humankind and animals”?’”[cg] 30 Therefore[ch] thus says Yahweh concerning Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, “There will not be for him one who sits on the throne of David. And his dead body will be thrown out to the heat in the day and to the frost in the night. 31 And I will punish him, and his offspring, and his servants for their guilt, and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah all the disaster with which I have threatened them, but they would not listen.”’” 32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the secretary, and he wrote on it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, had burned in the fire, and furthermore was added to them many words like these.
The Babylonians Withdraw to Meet a Threat from Egypt
37 And king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had made king, reigned as king in the land of Judah in place of Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim. 2 But he and his servants and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Yahweh that he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet. 3 And king Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,[ci] “Please pray for us to Yahweh our God.” 4 Now Jeremiah was coming and going out in the midst of the people and they had not put him in the house of imprisonment. 5 And the army of Pharaoh had come out from Egypt, and the Chaldeans, who were laying siege to Jerusalem, heard their report and they withdrew from Jerusalem.
6 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,[cj] 7 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘This is what you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me, “Look, the army of Pharaoh, which set out to help you, is going to return to his land Egypt. 8 And the Chaldeans will return, and they will fight against this city, and they will capture it, and they will burn it with fire.”’ 9 Thus says Yahweh: ‘You must not deceive yourselves, saying,[ck] “Surely the Chaldeans will go from us,” for they will not go. 10 For even if you struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and only men pierced through remained among them, each one in his tent, they would rise up and they would burn this city with fire.’”
Jeremiah is Arrested and Put in Prison
11 And then,[cl] at the withdrawing of the army of the Chaldeans from Jerusalem before[cm] the army of Pharaoh, 12 Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive a portion from there in the midst of the people. 13 And when[cn] he was at the Gate of Benjamin, there was a sentry on duty[co] whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying,[cp] “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!” 14 And Jeremiah said, “That is a lie! I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But he would not listen to him. So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 And the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they struck him. And they put him in prison,[cq] in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for they had converted it to the prison[cr]. 16 So Jeremiah came to the dungeon[cs], even to the vaulted cells, and Jeremiah stayed there many days.
17 Then King Zedekiah sent and fetched him. And the king questioned him in secrecy in his house, and he said, “Is there a word from Yahweh?” And Jeremiah said, “There is.” And he said, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon.”
18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What did I do wrong to you, or to your servants, or to this people, that you have put me in prison?[ct] 19 And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying,[cu] ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’? 20 Now then, my lord the king, please let my plea fall before you.[cv] You must not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, so that I will not die there.” 21 So King Zedekiah commanded, and they handed Jeremiah over in the courtyard of the guard, and they gave to him a round loaf of bread from the street of the bakers every day[cw] until the finishing of all the bread from the city. And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.
Jeremiah is Thrown into the Pit of Malchiah
38 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people, saying,[cx] 2 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘The one who stays in this city will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the plague. But the one who goes out to the Chaldeans will live. And his life will be for him as booty, and he will live.’ 3 Thus says Yahweh, ‘Surely this city will be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.’”
4 Then the officials said to the king, “Please, this man must be killed, because[cy] he is making slack the hands of the soldiers[cz] who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking to them words like these, for this man is not seeking for welfare[da] to this people, but only[db] for harm.” 5 And Zedekiah the king said, “Look, he is in your hand, for the king is not able to do a thing against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the pit[dc] of Malchiah, the son of the king, which was in the courtyard of the guard. And they let Jeremiah down by ropes. Now in the pit[dd] there was no water,[de] but only[df] mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.
7 When Ebed-melech the Cushite, a eunuch[dg] who was in the house of the king, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the pit[dh]—now the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin— 8 Ebed-melech went out from the house of the king and spoke to the king, saying,[di] 9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, in that they have thrown him into the pit,[dj] and he will die there[dk] because of[dl] starvation, for there is no longer any bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, saying,[dm] “Take with you[dn] these thirty men and pull Jeremiah the prophet up from the pit[do] before[dp] he dies.”
11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him[dq] and went to the palace of the king, to a place beneath the storehouse, and he took from there rags[dr] and worn-out clothes.[ds] And he let them down into the pit[dt] by ropes to Jeremiah. 12 Then Ebed-melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Please put the rags[du] and worn-out clothes[dv] under the joints of your arms under the ropes,” and Jeremiah did so. 13 And they pulled Jeremiah by the ropes and brought him up from the pit.[dw] And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.
14 And Zedekiah the king sent and made someone bring Jeremiah the prophet to him, to the third entrance that was at the temple[dx] of Yahweh. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I am asking you something,[dy] you must not hide anything[dz] from me.” 15 And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely kill me? Besides,[ea] if I advise you, you will not listen to me. 16 So Zedekiah the king swore to Jeremiah in secret, saying,[eb] “As Yahweh lives,[ec] who has made for us this life, I will not kill you and I will not give you into the hand of these men who are seeking your life.”
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘If only you will go surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then you[ed] will live, and this city will not be burned with fire, and you will live, you and your house. 18 But if you do not go surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape from their hand.’”
19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand and they abuse me.” 20 And Jeremiah said, “They will not give you over. Please obey the voice of Yahweh with regard to what I am saying to you, and it will go well with you, and you[ee] will live. 21 But if you are refusing to surrender, this is the thing that Yahweh has shown me. 22 Now look, all the women who remain in the house of the king of Judah are being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon. And look, they are saying,
‘Your trusted friends[ef] have misled you,
and they have prevailed against you.
Your feet are stuck in the mud,
so they turned backward.’
23 And all your wives and your children will be led out to the Chaldeans, and you will not escape from their hand, but by the hand of the king of Babylon you will be seized, and this city will burn with fire.”
24 And Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “No man must know about these words so that you will not die. 25 And if the officials hear that I have spoken with you, and they come to you and say to you, ‘Please tell us what you said to the king. You must not conceal it from us so that we will not kill you. And what did the king say to you?’ 26 Then you shall say to them, ‘I was presenting my plea before[eg] the king, to not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” 27 And all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, and he informed them like all these words that the king commanded. So they fell silent, for the conversation[eh] was not heard. 28 And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was captured. And it happened that Jerusalem was captured.[ei]
The Fall of Jerusalem
39 In the ninth year of Zedekiah, the king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. 2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was taken by assault. 3 And all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the chief officer, Nergal-sharezer the high official, with all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. 4 And then[ej] when[ek] Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the soldiers[el] with him, they fled and went out at night from the city by the way of the garden of the king through the gate between the walls. And they went out toward the Jordan Valley. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And they took him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath. And he pronounced sentence[em] on him. 6 And the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes. The king of Babylon also slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. 7 Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah and tied him up with bronze fetters to bring him to Babylon. 8 And the Chaldeans burned the palace[en] of the king and the houses[eo] of the people with fire and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.
9 Then the rest of the people who were left in the city, and those deserting who had deserted to him, and the rest of the people who remained, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard,[ep] deported to Babylon. 10 And some of the poor people, who had nothing,[eq] Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard,[er] left in the land of Judah. And he gave them vineyards and fields on that day.
11 And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon commanded concerning Jeremiah through[es] Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard,[et] saying,[eu] 12 “Take him and set your eyes on him. And you must not do something bad to him, but only[ev] that which he speaks to you, so do with him.” 13 So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard,[ew] sent word, along with[ex] Nebushazban the chief officer, and Nergal-sharezer the high official, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon. 14 And they sent and took Jeremiah from the courtyard of the guard and gave him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him to the house, so he stayed in the midst of the people.
Ebed-melech is Rewarded for His Faith
15 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah at his confinement in the courtyard of the guard, saying,[ey] 16 “Go and say to Ebed-melech the Cushite, saying,[ez] ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “Look, I am about to bring my words to pass against this city for evil and not for good. And they will be before you[fa] on that day. 17 But I will rescue you on that day,” declares[fb] Yahweh, “and you will not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are frightened.[fc] 18 For surely I will save you, and you will not fall by the sword. But your life will be for you as booty because you have trusted in me,” declares[fd] Yahweh.’”
Jeremiah Decides to Remain in the Land
40 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard,[fe] had let him go from Ramah, where he had been taken[ff] bound in chains in the midst of all the exiles[fg] of Jerusalem and Judah who were being deported to Babylon. 2 And the captain of the guard[fh] took Jeremiah and said to him, “Yahweh your God threatened this disaster to this place, 3 and now he has brought it about,[fi] and Yahweh has done just as[fj] he threatened. Because you sinned against Yahweh and did not listen to his voice, so this thing has happened to you. 4 And so then look, I have released you today[fk] from the chains that were on your hands.[fl] If it is good in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, then come, and I will take care of you.[fm] But if it is bad in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, then refrain. Look, the whole land is before you.[fn] To wherever it is good and right in your eyes to go, then go there.” 5 While he still had not turned back, Nebuzaradan added, “Return to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed in an official position over the towns of Judah, and stay with him in the midst of the people. Or to wherever it is right in your eyes to go, then go there.”[fo] Then the captain of the guard[fp] gave him an allowance of provisions and a present, and let him go. 6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah and stayed with him in the midst of the people who were left in the land.
The Assassination of Gedaliah
7 When all the commanders of the armies who were in the open country and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam in an official position in the land, and that he had put him in charge of[fq] men, and women, and little children, and of the poor of the land, of all those who had not been deported to Babylon, 8 then they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan, and Jehonathan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 9 And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying,[fr] “You must not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you. 10 As for me,[fs] look, I am staying at Mizpah to represent you before[ft] the Chaldeans who come to us. But you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, and put them in your vessels, and live in your towns that you have seized.” 11 And also all the Judeans who were in Moab, and among the Ammonites,[fu] and in Edom, and who were in all the lands, when they heard that the king of Babylon had given a remnant to Judah and that he had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, in an official position over them, 12 then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they were scattered. And they came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and they gathered wine and summer fruit that yielded in great abundance.[fv]
13 And Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies who were in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, “Are you at all aware[fw] that Baalis, the king of the Ammonites,[fx] has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, to kill you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam would not believe them. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah said to Gedaliah in secrecy at Mizpah, saying,[fy] “Please let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and nobody[fz] will know. Why should he kill you, so that all of Judah who are gathered to you will be scattered, and the remnant of Judah will perish?” 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You must not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”
41 And then[ga] in the seventh month Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, from the offspring of the kingship, and one of the chief officers of the king, came to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam at Mizpah, along with[gb] ten men. And they ate bread together there at Mizpah. 2 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah got up, along with[gc] the ten men who were with him, and they struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and killed him whom the king of Babylon had appointed in an official position over the land. 3 Then Ishmael killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with[gd] the Chaldeans who were found there, the soldiers.[ge]
The Massacre of the Mourners
4 And then[gf] on the second day of the killing of Gedaliah—and no one[gg] knew— 5 then men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men with shaven beards[gh] and torn garments, who had cut themselves with blades, having[gi] grain offerings[gj] and frankincense in their hands[gk] to bring to the temple[gl] of Yahweh. 6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah came out to meet them from Mizpah, weeping as he came.[gm] And then[gn] as he was meeting them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam.” 7 And then,[go] the moment of their coming to the middle of the city, then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, along with[gp] the men who were with him, slaughtered[gq] them and threw them to the middle of the pit.[gr] 8 But ten men were found among them, and they said to Ishmael, “You must not kill us, for we have[gs] hidden treasures in the field, wheat, and barley, and oil, and honey. So he refrained and he did not kill them in the midst of their fellow countrymen. 9 Now the pit[gt] into which Ishmael threw all the corpses of the men whom he had killed along with[gu] Gedaliah was the same one that King Asa had made because of Baasha the king of Israel, who was against him. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain ones.
10 Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, the daughters of the king and all the people who were left at Mizpah, over whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard,[gv] had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And Ishmael took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.[gw]
11 When Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies who were with him, heard[gx] all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12 then they took all the men and went to fight against Ishmael the son of Nethaniah. And they met him at the great pool that is in Gibeon. 13 And then,[gy] the moment that all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies who were with him, they were glad. 14 So all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and returned and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped with eight men from[gz] Johanan, and they went to the Ammonites.[ha]
16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies who were with him took from Mizpah all the rest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, strong men, soldiers,[hb] and women, and little children, and eunuchs whom he brought back from Gibeon. 17 And they set out and stayed at the lodging place of Chimham that is near Bethlehem, intending[hc] to go to Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans. For they were afraid of them,[hd] because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed in an official position over the land.
The Remnant Asks Jeremiah to Pray to Yahweh for Direction
42 Then all the commanders of the armies, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the smallest to the greatest, approached 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “May our plea please fall before you,[he] and pray for us to Yahweh your God, for all this remnant, for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes are seeing us. 3 And let Yahweh your God inform us the way in which we should go and the thing that we should do.” 4 And Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Look, I am going to pray to Yahweh your God according to your words, and then[hf] all the words[hg] that Yahweh answers you I will tell you; I will not withhold from you a word.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May Yahweh be against us as a true and faithful witness[hh] if we do not do according to all the words[hi] that Yahweh sends you for us. 6 Whether good or bad, we will listen to the voice of Yahweh our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of Yahweh our God.”
The Remnant Rejects the Word of Yahweh
7 And then[hj] at the end of ten days the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah. 8 And he summoned Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the commanders of the armies who were with him, and all the people from the smallest to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to cause your plea to fall before him:[hk] 10 ‘If only you will stay in this land, then I will build you and I will not tear you down, and I will plant you and I will not pluck you up, for I relent of the disaster that I have brought to you. 11 You must not be afraid of[hl] the king of Babylon whom you are afraid of.[hm] You must not be afraid of him,’ declares[hn] Yahweh, ‘for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand. 12 And I will show you compassion, and he will have compassion on you and will restore you to your soil.
13 But if you are saying, “We will not stay in this land,” so as to not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, 14 saying, “No, for we will go to the land of Egypt where we will not see war, and we will not hear the sound of a horn, and we will not be hungry for bread, and there we will stay,” 15 then therefore[ho] hear the word of Yahweh, O remnant of Judah. Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “If you are determined[hp] to go to Egypt, and you go to dwell as aliens there, 16 then it will be that the sword that you are in fear of will overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine that you are anxious of will pursue after you there into Egypt, and there you will die. 17 So all the people who are determined[hq] to go to Egypt to dwell as aliens there will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the plague, and there will not be for them an escapee or a survivor from the disaster that I am bringing upon them.” 18 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “As my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will pour out on you at your going to Egypt, and you will become a curse, and a horror, and a curse formula, and a disgrace, and you will no longer see this place.”’
19 Yahweh has spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, ‘You must not go to Egypt.’ You must certainly know that I have warned you today[hr] 20 that you have made a fatal mistake,[hs] for you sent me to Yahweh your God, saying,[ht] ‘Pray for us to Yahweh our God, and all that Yahweh our God says, so tell us and we will do it.’[hu] 21 So I have told you today,[hv] and you have not listened to the voice of Yahweh your God, or of anything[hw] that he sent me for you. 22 Now then, certainly you must know that by the sword, by the famine, and by the plague you will die in the place where you desire to go, to dwell as aliens there.”
43 And then,[hx] when Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of Yahweh their God, for which Yahweh their God had sent him to them with all these words, 2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the insolent men spoke,[hy] saying to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! Yahweh our God did not send you, saying,[hz] ‘You must not go to Egypt to dwell as aliens there.’ 3 But Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us in order to give us into the hand of the Chaldeans, to kill us and to deport us to Babylon.”
4 So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies, and all the people did not listen[ia] to the voice of Yahweh to stay in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies took[ib] all the remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations to which they had been scattered to dwell as aliens in the land of Judah— 6 the men, and the women, and the little children, and the daughters of the king, and everyone[ic] whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard[id] had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah— 7 and they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not listen to the voice of Yahweh. And they came up to Tahpanhes.
The Throne of Nebuchadnezzar Will be Set Up at Tahpanhes
8 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 “Take in your hands[ie] large stones and bury them in the mortar in the clay floor that is at the entrance of the palace[if] of Pharaoh in Tahpanhes before the eyes of the people[ig] of the Judeans, 10 and say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “Look, I am going to send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread out his canopy over them. 11 And he will come and ravage the land of Egypt, and deliver those who are appointed for the plague, to the plague, and those who are appointed for the captivity, to the captivity, and those who are appointed for the sword, to the sword. 12 Then he will kindle a fire in the temples[ih] of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them captive. And he will wrap up the land of Egypt just as the shepherd wraps up his cloak. And he will go forth from there in peace. 13 And he will break the stone pillars of Heliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt. And he will burn the temples[ii] of the gods of Egypt with fire.”’”
A Message of Rebuke for the Rebellious Remnant
44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who were living in the land of Egypt, who were living at Migdol, and Tahpanhes, and Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, saying,[ij] 2 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen all the disaster that I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the towns of Judah. And look, they are a site of ruins this day, and there is not in them an inhabitant, 3 because of[ik] their wickedness that they committed to provoke me to anger by going to make smoke offerings, serving other gods whom they had not known, neither they, you, or your ancestors.[il] 4 And I sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending over and over again,[im] saying,[in] “Please, you must not do this detestable thing that I hate.” 5 But they did not listen and they did not incline their ears[io] to turn back from their wickedness, to not make smoke offerings to other gods. 6 So my wrath and my anger were poured out[ip] and burned[iq] in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became as a site of ruins, as a desolation, as they are this day.’
7 So then, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Why are you doing great harm to yourselves,[ir] to cut off for yourselves man and woman, child and suckling, from the midst of Judah, to not leave over for yourselves a remnant, 8 provoking me to anger with the works of your hands, to make smoke offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to dwell as aliens, so as to cut off yourselves, and so that you are becoming as a curse, and as a disgrace among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the wicked things of your ancestors,[is] and the wicked things of the kings of Judah, and the wicked things of their wives, and your wicked things, and the wicked things of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not shown contrition up to this day, and they have not shown reverence, and they have not walked in my law and in my statutes that I set before you[it] and before[iu] your ancestors.’[iv]
11 Therefore[iw] thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Look, I am determined to bring disaster on you,[ix] even to exterminate all Judah. 12 And I will take away the remnant of Judah who are determined[iy] to come to the land of Egypt to dwell as aliens there, and everyone will perish. They will fall in the land of Egypt by the sword; they will perish by the famine, from the smallest to the greatest. By the sword and by the famine they will die and become as a curse, as a horror, and as a curse, and as a disgrace. 13 So I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt just as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with the famine, and with the plague. 14 And there will not be a survivor or an escapee of the remnant of Judah, those who have come to dwell as an alien there in the land of Egypt, to return to the land of Judah where they are longing[iz] to return to dwell there, for they will not turn back, but only[ja] some survivors.’”
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives were making smoke offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, and all the people who lived in the land of Egypt in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,[jb] 16 “Concerning the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Yahweh, we are not going to listen to you! 17 But certainly we will do everything[jc] that went out from our mouths,[jd] to make smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out to her libations just as we did, we, and our ancestors,[je] our kings, and our officials, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, for then we had enough to eat,[jf] and we were well-off, and we did not see disaster. 18 But since[jg] we stopped making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, we have lacked everything, and by the sword and by the famine we have perished. 19 And indeed, when we were making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out[jh] to her libations, was it not with the consent of[ji] our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes marked with her image,[jj] and we poured out to her libations?”
20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and to the women, and to all the people who answered him a word, saying,[jk] 21 “The offering that you made, smoke offerings in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you, and your ancestors,[jl] your kings, and your officials, and the people of the land, did not Yahweh remember them, and did it not come to his mind?[jm] 22 And Yahweh was no longer able to bear[jn] it, because of[jo] the evil of your deeds, because of[jp] the detestable things that you committed. Thus your land became as a site of ruins, and as a horror, and as a curse, without[jq] inhabitants, as it is this day. 23 Because of[jr] the fact that you made smoke offerings, and that you sinned against Yahweh, and you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh, and you have not walked in his law, and in his statute, and in his legal provisions, therefore[js] this disaster has happened to you, as it is this day.”
24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, saying,[jt] ‘You and your wives have promised with your mouths[ju] and with your hands[jv] you have fulfilled, saying,[jw] “We certainly will carry out our vows that we vowed, to make smoke offerings to the queen of the heavens,[jx] and to pour out to her libations.” You must certainly keep your vows and you must certainly carry out your vows.’ 26 Therefore[jy] hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah, those who live in the land of Egypt: ‘Look, I hereby swear by my great name,’ says Yahweh, ‘surely my name will no longer be called in the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, “as the Lord Yahweh lives,”[jz] in all the land of Egypt. 27 Look, I am going to watch over them for harm and not for good, and all people[ka] of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will perish by the sword and by the famine until their perishing. 28 And the survivors of the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number.[kb] And all the remnant of Judah who have come to the land of Egypt to dwell as aliens there will know whose word will endure, from me or from them. 29 And this will be to you the sign,’ declares[kc] Yahweh, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that surely my words will endure against you for evil.’ 30 Thus says Yahweh: ‘Look, I am going to give Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave Zedekiah the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, his enemy and the one who sought his life.’”
A Message for Baruch
45 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch, the son of Neriah, at his writing these words on a scroll from the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying,[kd] 2 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: 3 ‘You said, “Woe please to me, for Yahweh has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary in my groaning and I do not find rest.”’ 4 Thus you will say to him: ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Look, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to pluck up, it is all the land. 5 And you, do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek great things,[ke] for look, I am about to bring disaster upon all flesh,” declares[kf] Yahweh, “but to you I will give your life as booty in all the places where you may go.”’”
Messages Concerning Egypt
46 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2 Concerning Egypt: Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, the king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah.
3 “Prepare small shield and shield,
and approach for the battle!
4 Harness the horses and mount the steeds!
And take your stand with helmets!
Polish the spears!
Put on the body armor!
5 Why do I see them terrified?
They are turning back
and their warriors are beaten down.
And they have fled to a place of refuge
and they do not turn back.
Terror is from all around,” declares[kg] Yahweh.
6 The swift cannot flee,
and the warrior cannot escape.
They have stumbled and they have fallen,
by the bank of the Euphrates River.
7 Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like the rivers whose waters surge?
8 Egypt rises like the Nile,
even like the rivers whose waters surge.
And he says, “Let me rise,
let me cover the earth,
let me destroy cities,
and the inhabitants in them.”
9 Go up, O horses,
and drive madly, O chariots,[kh]
and let the warriors go forth;
Cush and Put, who wield the small shield,
and Lud, who wield and bend the bow.
10 For that day is to the Lord Yahweh of hosts
a day of retribution,
to take revenge on his foes.
And the sword will devour and be satisfied,
and it will drink its fill of their blood,
for a sacrifice is for the Lord Yahweh of hosts
in the land of the north by the Euphrates River.
11 Go up to Gilead and take balm,
O virgin of the daughter of Egypt.
In vain[ki] you make use of many medicines;
there is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard your shame,
and your cry of lament fills the earth.
For warrior has stumbled against warrior,
together they have fallen, the two of them.
13 The word that Yahweh spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon to attack the land of Egypt:
14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol,
and proclaim in Memphis and in Tahpanhes,
say, ‘Take your stand and be prepared,
for the sword will devour those all around you.’
15 Why are your bulls defeated?
He did not stand because Yahweh thrust him down.
16 He multiplied the ones[kj] stumbling.
Furthermore, each one fell to his neighbor,
and said, ‘Stand up, and let us return to our people
and to the land of our birth,
because of[kk] the presence[kl] of the sword of the oppressor.’
17 They will call there,
‘Pharaoh, the king of Egypt is but a roar,
he missed the opportunity.’[km]
18 As I live,”[kn] declares[ko] the king,
Yahweh of hosts is his name,
“one will come like Tabor among the mountains
and like Carmel by the sea.
19 Pack your baggage for exile,
O inhabitants[kp] of the daughter of Egypt,
for Memphis will become as a horror,
and it will be destroyed, without[kq] inhabitant.
20 Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
but a gadfly from the north will come against her.
21 Even her mercenaries in her midst are like calves of fattening,
for they also have turned away,
they have fled together.
They stand not,
for the day of their calamity has come,
the time of their punishment.
22 Her sound is like a snake that glides away,
for they march in force.
And with axes they come to her
like those who chop trees.
23 They will cut down her forest,” declares[kr] Yahweh,
“for it is impenetrable.[ks]
Yes, they are more numerous than locusts,[kt]
and they are without number.[ku]
24 The daughter of Egypt will be ashamed,
she will be given into the hand of the people of the north.”
25 Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, said, “Look, I am going to punish Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, and her gods, and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 And I will give them into the hand of the seekers of their lives,[kv] and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and into the hand of his troops. But afterward[kw] it will be inhabited, as in days of old,” declares[kx] Yahweh.
27 “But as for you, my servant Jacob, you must not be afraid,
and Israel, you must not be dismayed,
for look, I am going to save you from far,
and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
And Jacob will return,
and he will be quiet,
and he will be at ease,
and without one who makes him afraid.
28 You must not be afraid, my servant Jacob,” declares[ky] Yahweh,
“for I am with you.
For I will make a complete destruction in all the nations where I scattered you,
but you I will not make a complete destruction,
though I will chastise you to the measure,
and I will certainly not leave you unpunished.”
A Message Concerning the Philistines
47 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before[kz] Pharaoh attacked Gaza. 2 Thus says Yahweh:
“Look, waters are rising from the north,
and they will become as a raging torrent,
and they will overflow the land,
and that which fills it,
the city and those who live in it.
And the people will cry out,
and every inhabitant of the land will wail,
3 from the sound of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions,
from the clattering of his chariots,[la]
the noise of their wheels.
Fathers do not turn to their children
because of the slackness of their hands.
4 Because of the day that is coming
to destroy all the Philistines,
to cut off from Tyre and from Sidon
every survivor who could help,
for Yahweh is destroying the Philistines,
the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.
5 Baldness has come upon Gaza,
Ashkelon is destroyed.
O remnant of their valley,
how long[lb] will you cut yourself with a blade?
6 Ah, sword of Yahweh,
how long[lc] will you not be quiet?
Gather to your sheath,
keep quiet and stand still.
7 How can you be quiet
when Yahweh has given an order to it?
Against Ashkelon and against the shore of the sea,
there he has appointed it.”
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