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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,[a] 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[b] before[c] 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,[d] commanded us, saying,[e] ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your children, forever.[f] 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,[g] 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,[h] commanded us. 11 But then[i] at the coming up against the land of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, then we said, ‘Come and let us go to Jerusalem before[j] the army of the Chaldeans, and before[k] the army of the Arameans.’[l] That is why we are living in Jerusalem.”
12 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,[m] 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[n] Yahweh. 14 “The words of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, that he commanded his descendants[o] to not drink, have been carried out, and they have not drunk until this day, for they have obeyed the command of their ancestor.[p] But I have spoken to you over and over again,[q] 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,[r] saying,[s] ‘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[t] on the land that I gave to you and to your ancestors.’[u] But you did not incline your ear and you did not listen to me. 16 For the descendants[v] of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, have carried out the command of their ancestor[w] that he commanded them, but this people did not listen to me.”
17 Therefore[x] 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,[y] and you have kept all his commands, and you have done all that he commanded you,’ 19 therefore[z] 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[aa] always.’”[ab]
Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll of Jeremiah’s Prophecies
36 And then[ac] in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,[ad] 2 “Take for yourself a scroll[ae] 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[af] 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.[ag] 5 And Jeremiah instructed Baruch, saying,[ah] “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[ai] 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[aj] 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[ak] 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,[al] “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,[am] the moment of their hearing all the words, they turned to one another in alarm[an] and they said to Baruch, “We must certainly report all these words to the king!” 17 Then they asked Baruch, saying,[ao] “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[ap] 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[aq] him. 23 And then,[ar] 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[as] 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,[at] 28 “Take again[au] 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,[av] ‘Why have you written in it, saying,[aw] “The king of Babylon will certainly come and he will destroy this land, and he will cause to disappear from it humankind and animals”?’”[ax] 30 Therefore[ay] 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.
Instructions About Widows
5 Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity. 3 Honor widows who are truly widows. 4 But if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must learn to show profound respect for their own household first, and to pay back recompense to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. 5 But the widow who is one truly, and is left alone, has put her hope in God and continues in her petitions and prayers night and day. 6 But the one who lives for sensual pleasure is dead even though she[a] lives. 7 And command these things, in order that they may be irreproachable. 8 But if someone does not provide for his own relatives, and especially the members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9 Let a widow be put on the list if she[b] is not less than sixty years old, the wife of one husband, 10 being well-attested by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has helped those who are oppressed, if she has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse younger widows, for whenever their physical desires lead them away from Christ, they want to marry, 12 thus incurring condemnation because they have broken their former pledge. 13 And at the same time also, going around from house to house, they learn to be idle, and not only idle, but also gossipy and busybodies, saying the things that are not necessary. 14 Therefore I want younger widows to marry, to bear children, to manage a household, to give the adversary no opportunity for reproach. 15 For already some have turned away and followed after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has widows, she must help them, and the church must not be burdened, in order that it may help those who are truly widows.
Honoring Worthy Elders and Dealing With Sinners
17 The elders who lead well must be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor by speaking and teaching. 18 For the scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox while it[c] is threshing,”[d] and “The worker is worthy of his wages.”[e] 19 Do not accept an accusation against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 Reprove those who sin in the presence of all, in order that the rest also may experience fear. 21 I testify solemnly before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing according to partiality. 22 Lay hands on no one hastily, and do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach and your frequent illnesses.) 24 The sins of some people are evident, preceding them to judgment, but for some also they follow after them. 25 Likewise also good works are evident, and those considered otherwise are not able to be hidden.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Loyal love and faithfulness[a] come before your face.[b]
15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful shout;
O Yahweh, they walk about in the light of your countenance.
16 In your name they rejoice all the day,
and in your righteousness they rise up.
17 For you are the glory of their strength,
and by your favor our horn rises up,[c]
18 because our shield belongs to Yahweh,[d]
and our king to the Holy One of Israel.[e]
19 Formerly you spoke in a vision
to your faithful ones, and said,
“I have bestowed help on a mighty man;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him,
21 with whom my hand will be steadfast.
Surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not deceive him,
and no evil man[f] will afflict him.
23 But I will crush his adversaries before him,
and I will strike those who hate him.
24 And so my faithfulness
and my loyal love will be with him,
and in my name his horn will rise up.
25 And I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 I will also make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 Forever I will keep my loyal love for him,
and my covenant will be reliable for him.
29 I will also establish his offspring forever,
and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his sons forsake my law
and do not walk in my judgments,
31 if they defile[g] my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with a rod,
and their guilt with wounds.
33 But I will not break off my loyal love from him,
and I will not be false against my faithfulness.
34 I will not defile[h] my covenant,
or alter what proceeded from my lips.
35 Once[i] I have sworn by my holiness,
‘I will surely not lie to David,
36 His offspring will endure[j] forever,
and his throne as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it will be steadfast forever,
and like an enduring witness in the sky.’” Selah
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