The Daily Audio Bible

26 At the beginning of the reign of Y’hoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah, this word came from Adonai: ² “Adonai says: ‘Stand in the courtyard of Adonai’s house and speak to the people from all the cities in Y’hudah who come to worship at Adonai’s house; say everything I order you to say to them, and don’t leave out a word. ³ Maybe they will listen, and each of them turn from his evil way; then I will be able to relent from the disaster I intend to bring on them because of how evil their deeds are. ⁴ So tell them that this is what Adonai says: “If you will not pay attention to me and live according to my Torah, which I have given you, ⁵ and listen to what my servants the prophets, whom I send to you, say — I have sent them frequently, but you haven’t listened — ⁶ then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city an object of cursing for all the nations of the earth.”’”

⁷ The cohanim, the prophets and all the people heard Yirmeyahu speaking these words in the house of Adonai. ⁸ When Yirmeyahu had finished saying everything Adonai had ordered him to say to all the people, the cohanim, prophets and all the people seized him, shouting, “You will die for this! ⁹ Why have you prophesied in the name of Adonai, ‘This house will become like Shiloh,’ and, ‘This city will become uninhabited ruins’?” The people all crowded in on Yirmeyahu in Adonai’s house.

¹⁰ When the officials of Y’hudah heard about it, they came up from the king’s palace to Adonai’s house and sat at the entrance to the New Gate of Adonai’s house. ¹¹ The cohanim and prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man deserves a death sentence, because he has prophesied against this city; you have heard it with your own ears.” ¹² Then Yirmeyahu said to the officials and all the people, “Adonai sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words you have heard. ¹³ Therefore now, improve your ways and your doings; and listen to the voice of Adonai your God; then Adonai will relent from the disaster he has decreed against you. ¹⁴ But as for me, here, I am in your hands; do with me whatever seems good and right to you. ¹⁵ Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and on its inhabitants; because the fact is that Adonai sent me to you to speak all these words, so that you could hear them.”

¹⁶ The officials and all the people then said to the cohanim and prophets, “This man does not deserve a death sentence, because he has spoken to us in the name of Adonai our God.” ¹⁷ At this point some of the leaders of the land stood up and addressed all the people assembled: ¹⁸ “Back in the time of Hizkiyahu king of Y’hudah, Mikhah from Moreshet was a prophet. He told all the people of Y’hudah, ‘Adonai-Tzva’ot says,

¹⁹ “Did Hizkiyahu king of Y’hudah and all Y’hudah put him to death? Not at all. Rather, he feared Adonai, and prayed for Adonai’s favor; and Adonai relented from the disaster he had pronounced against them. So [if we put Yirmeyahu to death,] we might bring great disaster on ourselves.”

²⁰ On the other hand, there was also a man who prophesied in the name of Adonai, Uriyahu the son of Sh’ma‘yahu from Kiryat-Ye‘arim, who prophesied against this city and against this land exactly what Yirmeyahu is saying. ²¹ When Y’hoyakim the king, with all his military men and other officials, heard what he was saying, the king wanted to have him killed. On hearing of this, Uriyahu became frightened, fled and went to Egypt. ²² Y’hoyakim the king sent men to Egypt — Elnatan the son of ‘Akhbor and some others. ²³ They brought Uriyahu back from Egypt and took him to Y’hoyakim the king, who put him to the sword and threw his corpse into the burial-ground of the common people.

²⁴ But in this situation concerning Yirmeyahu, Achikam the son of Shafan used his influence to help him, so that he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

27 At the beginning of the reign of Y’hoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah, this word came to Yirmeyahu from Adonai: ² “Adonai says this to me: ‘Make yourself a yoke of straps and crossbars, and put it on your neck. ³ Send [similar yokes] to the kings of Edom, of Mo’av, of the people of ‘Amon, of Tzor, and of Tzidon by means of the envoys they send to Yerushalayim, and to Tzidkiyahu king of Y’hudah. ⁴ Give them this message for their masters by telling their envoys that Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says for them to tell their masters:

⁵ “‘“I made the earth, humankind, and the animals on the earth by my great power and my outstretched arm; and I give it to whom it seems right to me. ⁶ For now, I have given over all these lands to my servant N’vukhadnetzar the king of Bavel; I have also given him the wild animals to serve him. ⁷ All the nations will serve him, his son and his grandson, until his own country gets its turn — at which time many nations and great kings will make him their slave. ⁸ The nation and kingdom that refuses to serve this N’vukhadnetzar king of Bavel, that will not put their necks under the yoke of the king of Bavel, I will punish,” says Adonai “with sword, famine and plague, until I have put an end to them through him.

⁹ “‘“You, therefore, don’t listen to your prophets, diviners, dreamers, magicians or sorcerers, when they tell you that you won’t be subject to the king of Bavel; ¹⁰ for they are prophesying lies to you that will result in your being removed far from your land, with my driving you out, so that you perish. ¹¹ But the nation that puts its neck under the yoke of the king of Bavel and serves him, that nation I will allow to remain on their own soil,” says Adonai. “They will farm it and live there.”’”

¹² Then I spoke to Tzidkiyahu king of Y’hudah in just the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Bavel, serve him and his people, and you will live. ¹³ Why would you want to die, you and your people, by sword, famine and plague — which is what Adonai has decreed for the nation that will not serve the king of Bavel? ¹⁴ Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Bavel’; because they are prophesying lies to you. ¹⁵ ‘For I have not sent them,’ says Adonai, ‘and they are prophesying falsely in my name, with the result that I will drive you out, and you will perish — you and the prophets prophesying to you.’”

¹⁶ I also spoke to the cohanim and to all this people; I said, “This is what Adonai says: ‘Don’t listen to the words of the prophets prophesying to you that the articles from Adonai’s house will soon be returned from Bavel; because they are prophesying lies to you. ¹⁷ Don’t listen to them. Serve the king of Bavel, and stay alive; why should this city become a ruin?’ ¹⁸ But if they are in fact prophets, and if the word of Adonai is with them, then let them now intercede with Adonai-Tzva’ot that the articles still remaining in the house of Adonai and in the palace of the king of Y’hudah will not go off to Bavel. ¹⁹ For this is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says concerning the columns, the Sea, the bases and the rest of the articles still here in this city, ²⁰ that N’vukhadnetzar, king of Bavel did not seize when he carried off captive Y’khanyahu the son of Y’hoyakim, king of Y’hudah, from Yerushalayim to Bavel, along with all the leading men of Y’hudah and Yerushalayim — ²¹ yes, this is what Adonai Shaddai, the God of Isra’el, says about the things remaining in the house of Adonai, in the palace of the king of Y’hudah and in Yerushalayim: ²² ‘They will be carried to Bavel; and there they will stay until the day I remember them, bring them back and restore them to this place,’ says Adonai.”

3 Finally, brothers, pray for us that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and receive honor, just as it did with you; ² and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has trust. ³ But the Lord is worthy of trust; he will make you firm and guard you from the Evil One. ⁴ Yes, united with the Lord we are confident about you, that you are doing the things we are telling you to do, and that you will keep on doing them. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and the perseverance which the Messiah gives.

⁶ Now, in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah we command you, brothers, to stay away from any brother who is leading a life of idleness, a life not in keeping with the tradition you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you must imitate us, that we were not idle when we were among you. ⁸ We did not accept anyone’s food without paying; on the contrary, we labored and toiled, day and night, working so as not to be a burden to any of you. ⁹ It was not that we hadn’t the right to be supported, but so that we could make ourselves an example to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: if someone won’t work, he shouldn’t eat! ¹¹ We hear that some of you are leading a life of idleness — not busy working, just busybodies! ¹² We command such people — and in union with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah we urge them — to settle down, get to work, and earn their own living. ¹³ And you brothers who are doing what is good, don’t slack off! ¹⁴ Furthermore, if anyone does not obey what we are saying in this letter, take note of him and have nothing to do with him, so that he will be ashamed. ¹⁵ But don’t consider him an enemy; on the contrary, confront him as a brother and try to help him change.

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of shalom himself give you shalom always in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.

¹⁷ The greeting in my own handwriting: From Sha’ul. This is the mark of genuineness in every letter, this is what my handwriting looks like.

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you all.