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Good News Translation (GNT)
Version
Jeremiah 39-41

The Fall of Jerusalem

39 In the tenth month of the ninth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia came with his whole army and attacked Jerusalem. On the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year as king, the city walls were broken through.

(When Jerusalem was captured,[a] all the high officials of the king of Babylonia came and took their places at the Middle Gate, including Nergal Sharezer, Samgar Nebo, Sarsechim, and another Nergal Sharezer.[b])

When King Zedekiah and all his soldiers saw what was happening, they tried to escape from the city during the night. They left by way of the royal garden, went through the gateway connecting the two walls, and escaped in the direction of the Jordan Valley. But the Babylonian army pursued them and captured Zedekiah in the plains near Jericho. Then they took him to King Nebuchadnezzar, who was in the city of Riblah in the territory of Hamath, and there Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him. At Riblah he put Zedekiah's sons to death while Zedekiah was looking on, and he also had the officials of Judah executed. After that, he had Zedekiah's eyes put out and had him placed in chains to be taken to Babylonia. Meanwhile, the Babylonians burned down the royal palace and the houses of the people and tore down the walls of Jerusalem. Finally Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, took away as prisoners to Babylonia the people who were left in the city, together with those who had deserted to him. 10 He left in the land of Judah some of the poorest people, who owned no property, and he gave them vineyards and fields.

Jeremiah's Release

11 But King Nebuchadnezzar commanded Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, to give the following order: 12 “Go and find Jeremiah and take good care of him. Do not harm him, but do for him whatever he wants.” 13 So Nebuzaradan, together with the high officials Nebushazban and Nergal Sharezer and all the other officers of the king of Babylonia, 14 had me brought from the palace courtyard. They put me under the care of Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, who was to see that I got home safely. And so I stayed there among the people.

Hope for Ebedmelech

15 While I was still imprisoned in the palace courtyard, the Lord told me 16 to tell Ebedmelech the Ethiopian[c] that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, “Just as I said I would, I am going to bring upon this city destruction and not prosperity. And when this happens, you will be there to see it. 17 But I, the Lord, will protect you, and you will not be handed over to the people you are afraid of. 18 I will keep you safe, and you will not be put to death. You will escape with your life because you have put your trust in me. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

Jeremiah Stays with Gedaliah

40 The Lord spoke to me after Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, had set me free at Ramah. I had been taken there in chains, along with all the other people from Jerusalem and Judah who were being taken away as prisoners to Babylonia.

The commanding officer took me aside and said, “The Lord your God threatened this land with destruction, and now he has done what he said he would. All this happened because your people sinned against the Lord and disobeyed him. Now, I am taking the chains off your wrists and setting you free. If you want to go to Babylonia with me, you may do so, and I will take care of you. But if you don't want to go, you don't have to. You have the whole country to choose from, and you may go wherever you wish.”

When I did not answer,[d] Nebuzaradan said, “Go back to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylonia has made governor of the towns of Judah. You may stay with him and live among the people, or you may go anywhere you think you should.” Then he gave me a present and some food to take with me, and let me go on my way. I went to stay with Gedaliah in Mizpah and lived among the people who were left in the land.

Gedaliah, Governor of Judah(A)

(B)Some of the Judean officers and soldiers had not surrendered. They heard that the king of Babylonia had made Gedaliah governor of the land and had placed him in charge of all those who had not been taken away to Babylonia—the poorest people in the land. So Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai from Netophah, and Jezaniah from Maacah went with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah. Gedaliah said to them, “I give you my word that there is no need for you to be afraid to surrender to the Babylonians. Settle in this land, serve the king of Babylonia, and all will go well with you. 10 I myself will stay in Mizpah and be your representative when the Babylonians come here. But you can gather and store up wine, fruit, and olive oil, and live in the villages you occupy.” 11 Meanwhile, all the Israelites who were in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other countries, heard that the king of Babylonia had allowed some Israelites to stay on in Judah and that he had made Gedaliah their governor. 12 So they left the places where they had been scattered, and returned to Judah. They came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and there they gathered in large amounts of wine and fruit.

Gedaliah Is Murdered(C)

13 After this, Johanan and the leaders of the soldiers who had not surrendered came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, “Don't you know that King Baalis of Ammon has sent Ishmael to murder you?” But Gedaliah did not believe it. 15 Then Johanan said privately to him, “Let me go and kill Ishmael, and no one will know who did it. Why should he be allowed to murder you? That would cause all the Jews who have gathered around you to be scattered, and it would bring disaster on all the people who are left in Judah.”

16 But Gedaliah answered, “Don't do it! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true!”

41 (D)In the seventh month of that year, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, a member of the royal family and one of the king's chief officers, went to Mizpah with ten men to see Governor Gedaliah. While they were all eating a meal together, Ishmael and the ten men with him pulled out their swords and killed Gedaliah. Ishmael also killed all the Israelites who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah and the Babylonian soldiers who happened to be there.

The next day, before anyone knew about Gedaliah's murder, eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and gashed themselves. They were taking grain and incense to offer in the Temple. So Ishmael went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he came to them, he said, “Please come in to see Gedaliah.” As soon as they were inside the city, Ishmael and his men killed them and threw their bodies in a well.

But there were ten men in the group who said to Ishmael, “Please don't kill us! We have wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey hidden in the fields.” So he spared them. The well into which Ishmael threw the bodies of the men he had killed was the large one[e] that King Asa had dug when he was being attacked by King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael filled the well with the bodies. 10 Then he made prisoners of the king's daughters and all the rest of the people in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the commanding officer had placed under the care of Gedaliah. Ishmael took them prisoner and started off in the direction of the territory of Ammon.

11 Johanan and all the army leaders with him heard of the crime that Ishmael had committed. 12 So they went after him with their men and overtook him near the large pool at Gibeon. 13 When Ishmael's prisoners saw Johanan and the leaders of the forces with him, they were glad, 14 and turned and ran to them. 15 But Ishmael and eight of his men got away from Johanan and escaped to the land of Ammon.

16 Then Johanan and the leaders of the forces with him took charge of the people whom Ishmael had taken away as prisoners from Mizpah after murdering Gedaliah—soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs. 17-18 They were afraid of the Babylonians because Ishmael had murdered Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylonia had made governor of the land. So they set out for Egypt, in order to get away from the Babylonians. On the way they stopped at Chimham near Bethlehem.

2 Timothy 1

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, sent to proclaim the promised life which we have in union with Christ Jesus—

(A)To Timothy, my dear son:

May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

Thanksgiving and Encouragement

I give thanks to God, whom I serve with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did. I thank him as I remember you always in my prayers night and day. I remember your tears, and I want to see you very much, so that I may be filled with joy. (B)I remember the sincere faith you have, the kind of faith that your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice also had. I am sure that you have it also. For this reason I remind you to keep alive the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.

Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord; neither be ashamed of me, a prisoner for Christ's sake. Instead, take your part in suffering for the Good News, as God gives you the strength for it. He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace by means of Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but now it has been revealed to us through the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus. He has ended the power of death and through the gospel has revealed immortal life.

11 (C)God has appointed me as an apostle and teacher to proclaim the Good News, 12 and it is for this reason that I suffer these things. But I am still full of confidence, because I know whom I have trusted, and I am sure that he is able to keep safe until that Day what he has entrusted to me.[a] 13 Hold firmly to the true words that I taught you, as the example for you to follow, and remain in the faith and love that are ours in union with Christ Jesus. 14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, keep the good things that have been entrusted to you.

15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia, including Phygelus and Hermogenes, has deserted me. 16 May the Lord show mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, because he cheered me up many times. He was not ashamed that I am in prison, 17 but as soon as he arrived in Rome, he started looking for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord grant him his mercy on that Day! And you know very well how much he did for me in Ephesus.

Psalm 90-91

BOOK FOUR(A)

Of God and Human Beings[a]

90 O Lord, you have always been our home.
Before you created the hills
    or brought the world into being,
    you were eternally God,
    and will be God forever.

You tell us to return to what we were;
    you change us back to dust.
(B)A thousand years to you are like one day;
    they are like yesterday, already gone,
    like a short hour in the night.
You carry us away like a flood;
    we last no longer than a dream.
We are like weeds that sprout in the morning,
    that grow and burst into bloom,
    then dry up and die in the evening.

We are destroyed by your anger;
    we are terrified by your fury.
You place our sins before you,
    our secret sins where you can see them.

Our life is cut short by your anger;
    it fades away like a whisper.
10 (C)Seventy years is all we have—
    eighty years, if we are strong;
yet all they bring us is trouble and sorrow;
    life is soon over, and we are gone.

11 Who has felt the full power of your anger?
    Who knows what fear your fury can bring?
12 Teach us how short our life is,
    so that we may become wise.

13 How much longer will your anger last?
    Have pity, O Lord, on your servants!
14 Fill us each morning with your constant love,
    so that we may sing and be glad all our life.
15 Give us now as much happiness as the sadness you gave us
    during all our years of misery.
16 Let us, your servants, see your mighty deeds;
    let our descendants see your glorious might.
17 Lord our God, may your blessings be with us.
    Give us success in all we do!

God Our Protector

91 Whoever goes to the Lord for safety,
    whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty,
can say to him,
    “You are my defender and protector.
    You are my God; in you I trust.”
He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers
    and from all deadly diseases.
He will cover you with his wings;
    you will be safe in his care;
    his faithfulness will protect and defend you.
You need not fear any dangers at night
    or sudden attacks during the day
    or the plagues that strike in the dark
    or the evils that kill in daylight.

A thousand may fall dead beside you,
    ten thousand all around you,
    but you will not be harmed.
You will look and see
    how the wicked are punished.

You have made the Lord your[b] defender,
    the Most High your protector,
10 and so no disaster will strike you,
    no violence will come near your home.
11 (D)God will put his angels in charge of you
    to protect you wherever you go.
12 (E)They will hold you up with their hands
    to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones.
13 (F)You will trample down lions and snakes,
    fierce lions and poisonous snakes.

14 God says, “I will save those who love me
    and will protect those who acknowledge me as Lord.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
    when they are in trouble, I will be with them.
    I will rescue them and honor them.
16 I will reward them with long life;
    I will save them.”

Proverbs 26:1-2

26 Praise for a fool is out of place, like snow in summer or rain at harvest time.

Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never light.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.