The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the CEV. Switch to the CEV to read along with the audio.
Judah’s Unfaithfulness Contrasted with the Rechabites’ Faithfulness
35 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah when Jehoiakim[a] son of Josiah was ruling over Judah:[b] 2 “Go to the Rechabite community.[c] Invite them to come into one of the side rooms[d] of the Lord’s temple and offer them some wine to drink.” 3 So I went and got Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah the grandson of Habazziniah, his brothers, all his sons, and all the rest of the Rechabite community. 4 I took them to the Lord’s temple. I took them into the room where the disciples of the prophet Hanan son of Igdaliah stayed.[e] That room was next to the one where the temple officers stayed and above the room where Maaseiah son of Shallum, one of the doorkeepers[f] of the temple, stayed. 5 Then I set cups and pitchers full of wine in front of the members of the Rechabite community and said to them, “Have some wine.”[g] 6 But they answered, “We do not drink wine because our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us not to. He told us, ‘You and your children must never drink wine. 7 Do not build houses. Do not plant crops. Do not plant a vineyard or own one.[h] Live in tents all your lives. If you do these things you will[i] live a long time in the land that you wander about on.’[j] 8 We and our wives and our sons and daughters have obeyed everything our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us. We have never drunk wine.[k] 9 We have not built any houses to live in. We do not own any vineyards, fields, or crops. 10 We have lived in tents. We have obeyed our ancestor Jonadab and done exactly as he commanded us.[l] 11 But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded the land we said, ‘Let’s get up and go to Jerusalem to get away from the Babylonian[m] and Aramean armies.’ That is why we are staying here in Jerusalem.”
12 Then the Lord’s message came to Jeremiah. 13 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[n] told him, “Go and speak to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them,[o] ‘I, the Lord, say:[p] “You must learn a lesson from this[q] about obeying what I say.[r] 14 Jonadab son of Rechab ordered his descendants not to drink wine. His orders have been carried out.[s] To this day his descendants have drunk no wine because they have obeyed what their ancestor commanded them. But I[t] have spoken to you over and over again,[u] but you have not obeyed me. 15 I sent all my servants the prophets to warn you over and over again. They said, ‘Every one of you, stop doing the evil things you have been doing and do what is right.[v] Do not pay allegiance to other gods[w] and worship them. Then you can continue to live in this land that I gave to you and your ancestors.’ But you did not pay any attention or listen to me. 16 Yes,[x] the descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab have carried out the orders that their ancestor gave them. But you people[y] have not obeyed me! 17 So I, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, say:[z] ‘I will soon bring on Judah and all the citizens of Jerusalem all the disaster that I threatened to bring on them. I will do this because I spoke to them but they did not listen. I called out to them but they did not answer.’”’”
18 Then Jeremiah spoke to the Rechabite community, “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel[aa] says, ‘You have obeyed the orders of your ancestor Jonadab. You have followed all his instructions. You have done exactly as he commanded you.’ 19 So the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Jonadab son of Rechab will never lack a male descendant to serve me.’”[ab]
Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll Containing the Lord’s Messages
36 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah in the fourth year[ac] that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah:[ad] 2 “Get a scroll.[ae] Write on it everything I have told you to say[af] about Israel, Judah, and all the other nations since I began to speak to you in the reign of Josiah until now.[ag] 3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the disaster I intend to bring on them, they will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing.[ah] If they do, I will forgive their sins and the wicked things they have done.”[ai]
4 So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then, Baruch wrote down in a scroll all the Lord’s words that he had told to Jeremiah[aj] as they came from his[ak] mouth. 5 Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am no longer allowed to go[al] into the Lord’s temple. 6 So you go there the next time all the people of Judah come in from their towns to fast[am] in the Lord’s temple. Read out loud where all of them can hear you what I told you the Lord said, which you wrote in the scroll.[an] 7 Perhaps then they will ask the Lord for mercy and will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing.[ao] For the Lord has threatened to bring great anger and wrath against these people.”[ap]
8 So Baruch son of Neriah did exactly what the prophet Jeremiah told him to do. He read what the Lord had said from the scroll in the temple of the Lord.[aq] 9 All the people living in Jerusalem and all the people who came into Jerusalem from the towns of Judah observed a fast before the Lord. The fast took place in the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah.[ar] 10 At that time Baruch went into the temple of the Lord. He stood in the entrance of the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan who had been the royal secretary.[as] That room was in the upper court[at] near the entrance of the New Gate.[au] There, where all the people could hear him, he read from the scroll what Jeremiah had said.[av]
11 Micaiah, who was the son of Gemariah and the grandson of Shaphan, heard Baruch read from the scroll everything the Lord had said.[aw] 12 He went down to the chamber of the royal secretary in the king’s palace and found all the court officials in session there. Elishama[ax] the royal secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor,[ay] Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials were seated there. 13 Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people.[az] 14 All the officials sent Jehudi, who was the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch. They ordered him to tell Baruch, “Come here and bring with you[ba] the scroll you read in the hearing of the people.”[bb] So Baruch son of Neriah went to them, carrying the scroll in his hand.[bc] 15 They said to him, “Please sit down and read it to us.” So Baruch sat down and read it to them.[bd] 16 When they had heard it all,[be] they expressed their alarm to one another.[bf] Then they said to Baruch, “We must certainly give the king a report about everything you have read!”[bg] 17 Then they asked Baruch, “How did you come to write all these words? Do they actually come from Jeremiah’s mouth?”[bh] 18 Baruch answered, “Yes, they came from his own mouth. He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them down in ink on this scroll.”[bi] 19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must go and hide. You must not let anyone know where you are.”[bj]
20 The officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama, the royal secretary, for safekeeping.[bk] Then they went to the court and reported everything[bl] to the king.[bm] 21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He went and got it from the room of Elishama, the royal secretary. Then he himself[bn] read it to the king and all the officials who were standing around him. 22 Since it was the ninth month of the year, the king was sitting in his winter quarters.[bo] A fire was burning in the firepot in front of him.[bp] 23 As soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns[bq] of the scroll, the king[br] would cut them off with a penknife[bs] and throw them on the fire in the firepot. He kept doing so until the whole scroll was burned up in the fire.[bt] 24 Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow.[bu] 25 The king did not even listen to Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah, who had urged him not to burn the scroll.[bv] 26 He also ordered Jerahmeel, who was one of the royal princes,[bw] Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. However, the Lord hid them.
Baruch and Jeremiah Write Another Scroll
27 The Lord’s message came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll with the words Baruch had written down at Jeremiah’s dictation.[bx] 28 “Get another[by] scroll and write on it everything[bz] that was written on the original scroll[ca] that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned. 29 Tell King Jehoiakim of Judah, ‘The Lord says, “You burned the scroll. You asked[cb] Jeremiah, ‘How dare you write in this scroll that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and wipe out all the people and animals on it?’”[cc] 30 So the Lord says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, “None of his line will occupy the throne of David.[cd] His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night.[ce] 31 I will punish him and his descendants and the officials who serve him for the wicked things they have done.[cf] I will bring on them, the citizens of Jerusalem and the people of Judah, all the disaster that I told them about and that they ignored.”’”[cg] 32 Then Jeremiah got another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on this scroll everything that had been on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned in the fire. They also added on this scroll several other messages of the same kind.[ch]
Instructions about Specific Groups
5 Do not address an older man harshly[a] but appeal to him as a father. Speak to younger men as brothers,[b] 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters—with complete purity.
3 Honor[c] widows who are truly in need.[d] 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty[e] toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them.[f] For this is what pleases God.[g] 5 But the widow who is truly in need, and completely on her own,[h] has set her hope on God and continues in her pleas and prayers night and day. 6 But the one who lives for pleasure is dead even[i] while she lives. 7 Reinforce[j] these commands,[k] so that they will be beyond reproach. 8 But if someone does not provide for his own,[l] especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9 No widow should be put on the list[m] unless[n] she is at least sixty years old, was the wife of one husband,[o] 10 and has a reputation for good works: as one who has raised children,[p] practiced hospitality, washed the feet of the saints, helped those in distress—as one who has exhibited all kinds of good works.[q] 11 But do not accept younger widows on the list,[r] because their passions may lead them away from Christ[s] and they will desire to marry, 12 and so incur judgment for breaking their former pledge.[t] 13 And besides that, going around[u] from house to house they learn to be lazy,[v] and they are not only lazy, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things they should not.[w] 14 So I want younger women to marry, raise children, and manage a household, in order to give the adversary no opportunity to vilify us.[x] 15 For some have already wandered away to follow Satan.[y] 16 If a believing woman[z] has widows in her family,[aa] let her help them. The church should not be burdened, so that it may help the widows who are truly in need.[ab]
17 Elders who provide effective leadership[ac] must be counted worthy[ad] of double honor,[ae] especially those who work hard in speaking[af] and teaching. 18 For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,”[ag] and, “The worker deserves his pay.”[ah] 19 Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it can be confirmed by two or three witnesses.[ai] 20 Those guilty of sin[aj] must be rebuked[ak] before all,[al] as a warning to the rest.[am] 21 Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind.[an] 22 Do not lay hands on anyone[ao] hastily and so identify with the sins of others.[ap] Keep yourself pure. 23 (Stop drinking just water, but use a little wine for your digestion[aq] and your frequent illnesses.)[ar] 24 The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment, but for others, they show up later.[as] 25 Similarly good works are also obvious, and the ones that are not cannot remain hidden.
14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne.[a]
Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule.[b]
15 How blessed are the people who worship you![c]
O Lord, they experience your favor.[d]
16 They rejoice in your name all day long,
and are vindicated[e] by your justice.
17 For you give them splendor and strength.[f]
By your favor we are victorious.[g]
18 For our shield[h] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.[i]
19 Then you[j] spoke through a vision to your faithful followers[k] and said:
“I have placed a young hero[l] over a warrior;
I have raised up a young man[m] from the people.
20 I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.[n]
21 My hand will support him,[o]
and my arm will strengthen him.
22 No enemy will be able to exact tribute[p] from him;[q]
a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.[r]
23 I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,[s]
and by my name he will win victories.[t]
25 I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.[u]
26 He will call out to me,
‘You are my father,[v] my God, and the protector who delivers me.’[w]
27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son,[x]
the most exalted of the earth’s kings.
28 I will always extend my loyal love to him,
and my covenant with him is secure.[y]
29 I will give him an eternal dynasty,[z]
and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.[aa]
30 If his sons reject my law
and disobey my regulations,
31 if they break[ab] my rules
and do not keep my commandments,
32 I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club,[ac]
their sin by inflicting them with bruises.[ad]
33 But I will not remove[ae] my loyal love from him,
nor be unfaithful to my promise.[af]
34 I will not break[ag] my covenant
or go back on what I promised.[ah]
35 Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,
I will never deceive[ai] David.
36 His dynasty will last forever.[aj]
His throne will endure before me, like the sun;[ak]
37 it will remain stable, like the moon.[al]
His throne will endure like the skies.”[am] (Selah)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.