Old/New Testament
A Warning About Captivity
1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah. He belonged to the family of priests who lived in the town of Anathoth. That town is in the land that belongs to the tribe of Benjamin. 2 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. This happened during the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. 3 The Lord also spoke to Jeremiah while Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. And the Lord spoke to Jeremiah during the 11 years and 5 months Zedekiah son of Josiah was king of Judah. After that, the people who lived in Jerusalem were taken away as captives out of their country.
God Calls Jeremiah
4 The Lord spoke these words to me:
5 “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you.
Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a boy.”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere that I send you. You must say everything I tell you to say. 8 Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you. I will protect you,” says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out with his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, “See, I am putting my words in your mouth. 10 Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms. You will pull up and tear down, destroy and overthrow. You will build up and plant.”
Two Visions
11 The Lord spoke this word to me: “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
I answered the Lord and said, “I see a stick of almond wood.”
12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly! And I am watching to make sure my words come true.”
13 The Lord spoke his word to me again: “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
I answered the Lord and said, “I see a pot of boiling water. It is tipping over from the north!”
14 The Lord said to me, “Disaster will come from the north. It will happen to all the people who live in this country. 15 In a short time I will call all of the people in the northern kingdoms,” said the Lord.
“Those kings will come and set up their thrones
near the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem.
They will attack the city walls around Jerusalem.
They will attack all the cities in Judah.
16 And I will announce my judgments against my people.
I will do this because of their evil in turning away from me.
They offered sacrifices to other gods.
And they worshiped idols they had made with their own hands.
17 “Jeremiah, get ready. Stand up and speak to the people. Tell them everything I tell you to say. Don’t be afraid of the people. If you are afraid of them, I will give you good reason to be afraid of them. 18 Today I am going to make you a strong city, an iron pillar, a bronze wall. You will be able to stand against everyone in the land: Judah’s kings, officers, priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you. But they will not defeat you. This is because I am with you, and I will save you!” says the Lord.
Israel Turns from God
2 The Lord spoke this word to me: 2 “Go and speak to the people of Jerusalem. Say to them: This is what the Lord says:
‘When you were a young nation, you were faithful to me.
You loved me like a young bride.
You followed me through the desert.
It was a land that had never been planted.
3 The people of Israel were holy to the Lord.
They were like the first fruits from his harvest.
Those who tried to hurt Israel were judged guilty.
Disasters happened to them,’” says the Lord.
4 Hear the word of the Lord, family of Jacob.
Hear the message, all you family groups of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“I was fair to your ancestors.
Why did they turn away from me?
Your ancestors worshiped useless idols.
And they became useless themselves.
6 Your ancestors didn’t say,
‘The Lord brought us out of Egypt.
He led us through the desert.
He led us through a dry and rocky land.
He led us through a dark and dangerous land.
He led us where no one travels or lives.
But where is he now?’
7 I brought you into a fertile land.
I did this so you could eat its fruit and produce.
But you came and made my land unclean.
You made it a hated place.
8 The priests didn’t ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
The people who know the teachings didn’t know me.
The leaders turned against me.
The prophets prophesied in the name of Baal.
They worshiped useless idols.
9 “So now I will again tell what I have against you,” says the Lord.
“And I will tell what I have against your grandchildren.
10 Go across the sea to the island of Cyprus and see.
Send someone to the land of Kedar to look closely.
See if there has ever been anything like this!
11 Has a nation ever exchanged their old gods for new ones?
(Of course, their gods are not really gods at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious God
for idols worth nothing!
12 Skies, be shocked at the things that have happened.
Shake with great fear!” says the Lord.
13 “My people have done two sins.
They have turned away from me.
And I am the spring of living water.
And they have dug their own wells.
But they are broken wells that cannot hold water.
14 Have the people of Israel become slaves?
Have they become like someone who was born a slave?
Why was their wealth stolen?
15 Enemies roar like lions at Israel.
They growl at Israel.
They have destroyed the land of Israel.
The cities of Israel have been burned,
and all the people have left.
16 The men from the Egyptian cities of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have disgraced you by shaving the top of your head.
17 You have brought this on yourselves.
You turned away from me, the Lord your God,
when I led you in the way.
18 It did not help to go to Egypt
and drink from the Shihor River.
It did not help to go to Assyria
and drink from the Euphrates River.
19 Your evil will bring punishment to you.
The wrong you have done will teach you a lesson.
Think about it and understand.
It is a terrible evil to turn away from the Lord your God.
It is wrong not to fear me,”
says the Lord, the Lord of heaven’s armies.
20 “A long time ago you refused to obey me as an ox breaks its yoke.
You broke the ropes I used to hold you to me.
You said to me, ‘I will not serve you!’
In fact, on every high hill
and under every green tree
you lay down as a prostitute.
21 I planted you as a special vine.
You were like very good seed.
How then did you turn
into a wild vine that grows bad fruit?
22 You might wash yourself with cleanser.
And you might use much soap.
But I can still see the stain of your guilt,” says the Lord God.
23 “How can you say to me, ‘I am not guilty.
I have not worshiped the Baal idols’?
Think about the things you did in the valley.
Think about what you have done.
You are like a she-camel in mating season
that runs from place to place.
24 You are like a wild donkey that lives in the desert.
At mating time she sniffs the wind.
At that time no one can hold her back.
Any male who chases her will easily catch her.
At mating time, it is easy to find her.
25 Don’t run until your feet are bare
or until your throat is dry.
But you say, ‘It’s no use!
I love those other gods.
I must worship them!’
26 “A thief is ashamed when someone catches him stealing.
In the same way the family of Israel is ashamed.
The kings and the officers,
the priests and the prophets are ashamed.
27 They say to things of wood, ‘You are my father.’
They say to idols of stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’
Those people won’t look at me.
They have turned their backs to me.
But when they get into trouble, they say,
‘Come and save us!’
28 Where are the idols you have made for yourselves?
Let them come and save you
when you are in trouble!
People of Judah, you have as many idols
as you have towns!
29 “Why do you accuse me?
All of you have turned against me,” says the Lord.
30 “I punished your people, but it did not help.
They didn’t come back when they were punished.
You killed with your swords the prophets who came to you.
You were like a dangerous lion.
31 “People of Judah, pay attention to the word of the Lord:
Have I been like a desert to the people of Israel?
Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to them?
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to wander.
We won’t come to you anymore’?
32 A young woman does not forget her jewelry.
A bride does not forget the decorations for her dress.
But my people have forgotten me
for more days than can be counted!
33 You really know how to chase after love.
Even the worst women can learn evil ways from you.
34 You have blood on your clothes.
It is the blood of the poor and innocent people.
You killed them,
but they weren’t thieves you had caught breaking in.
You do all these things,
35 but you say, ‘I am innocent.
God is not angry with me.’
But I will judge you guilty of lying.
It is because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 It is so easy for you to change your mind.
Assyria let you down.
And Egypt will let you down, too.
37 You will eventually leave that place.
And, like captives, your hands will be on your head.
You trusted those countries.
But you will not be helped by them.
This is because the Lord has rejected them.
Leaders in the Church
3 What I say is true: If anyone wants to become an overseer, he is wanting a good work. 2 An overseer must be so good that people cannot rightly criticize him. He must have only one wife. He must have self-control and be wise. He must be respected by other people and must be ready to help people by accepting them into his home. He must be a good teacher. 3 He must not drink too much wine, and he must not be a man who likes to fight. He must be gentle and peaceful. He must not love money. 4 He must be a good leader of his own family so that his children obey him with full respect. 5 (If a man does not know how to be a leader over his own family, he will not be able to take care of God’s church.) 6 But an elder must not be a new believer. A new believer might be too proud of himself. Then he would be judged guilty for his pride just as the devil was. 7 An elder must also have the respect of people who are not in the church. Then he will not be criticized by others and caught in the devil’s trap.
Helpers in the Church
8 In the same way, deacons must be men that people can respect. They must not say things they do not mean. They must not use their time drinking too much wine, and they must not be men who are always trying to get rich by cheating others. 9 They must follow the faith that God made known to us and always do what they know is right. 10 You should test those men first. If you find nothing wrong in them, then they can serve as deacons. 11 In the same way, the women[a] must have the respect of other people. They must not be women who repeat evil gossip about other people. They must have self-control and be women who can be trusted in everything. 12 Deacons must have only one wife. They must be good leaders of their children and their own families. 13 Those who serve well as deacons are making an honorable place for themselves. And they will feel very sure of their faith in Christ Jesus.
The Secret of Our Life
14 I hope I can come to you soon. But I am writing these things to you now. 15 Then, even if I cannot come soon, you will know about the things that people must do in the family of God. That family is the church of the living God, the support and foundation of the truth. 16 Without doubt, the secret of our life of worship is great:
He[b] was shown to us in a human body,
proved right by the Spirit,
and seen by angels.
He was preached to the nations,
believed in by the world,
and taken to heaven in glory.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.