Old/New Testament
A Message to Zedekiah
34 This is[a] the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord while king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, all his army, all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his authority, along with all the people were fighting against Jerusalem and all its towns: 2 “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Go and speak to king Zedekiah of Judah. Say to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Look, I’m giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will set it on fire. 3 You won’t escape from him. You will certainly be captured and given into his control.[b] You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye, he will speak to you face to face, and you will go to Babylon.’”’ 4 Yet, hear this message from the Lord, king Zedekiah of Judah. This is what the Lord says to you, ‘You won’t die by the sword. 5 You will die peacefully, and as they burned fires[c] for your ancestors,[d] the former kings who were before you, so they’ll burn fires[e] for you, wailing, “Oh how terrible, your majesty!”’ For I’ve spoken the message,” declares the Lord.
6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all of this in Jerusalem to king Zedekiah of Judah, 7 while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah that were left, namely Lachish and Azekah. (They were the only fortified cities that remained among the cities of Judah.)
A Broken Agreement with Hebrew Servants
8 This is[f] this message from the Lord that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem proclaiming release for them. 9 Each person was to set free his male and female slaves who were Hebrews, so that no Jewish person would enslave his brother.[g] 10 All the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant agreed[h] that each would set his male and female slaves free so that they[i] would not enslave them any longer. They obeyed and they released them. 11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves that they had set free, and they forced them to become male and female slaves.
12 Then this message from the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 13 “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I made a covenant with your ancestors on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. I told them: 14 “At the end of seven years, each of you is to set free your fellow Hebrew who has sold himself to you and has served you for six years. You are to send him out from you with no further obligation.” But your ancestors didn’t obey me or pay attention.[j] 15 You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming release for one another, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name. 16 But then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves whom you had set free according to their desire, and you forced them to become male and female slaves.”’
17 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You haven’t obeyed me by each of you proclaiming a release for your brothers and neighbors. Now I’m going to proclaim a release for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘a release[k] to the sword, to plague, and to famine, and I’ll make you a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 I’ll give over the men who transgressed my covenant, who haven’t fulfilled the terms of the covenant that they made before me when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts— 19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs,[l] the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. 20 I’ll give them to their enemies who are seeking to kill them, and their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the land. 21 I’ll give Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his officials into the domination of their enemies, to those[m] who are seeking to kill them, and to[n] the army of the king of Babylon that is coming against them. 22 Look, I’m in command of them,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I’ll bring them back to this city. They’ll capture it and burn it with fire, and I’ll turn the towns of Judah into desolate places without inhabitants.’”
The Example of the Rechabites
35 This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign[o] of Josiah’s son Jehoiakim, king of Judah: 2 “Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them. Bring them into the Lord’s Temple, to one of the offices, and offer them wine to drink.” 3 So I took Jeremiah’s son Jaazaniah (a descendant of Habazziniah), his brothers, all his sons, and the whole family of the Rechabites. 4 I brought them to the Lord’s Temple to the office of the descendants of Igdaliah’s son Hanan, the man of God, which was next to the office of the officials, and which was above the office of Shallum’s son Maaseiah, the keeper of the threshold.
5 I put containers full of wine and cups in front of the members of the Rechabite clan[p] and told them, “Drink the wine!”
6 But they said, “We won’t drink wine, because our ancestor, Rechab’s son Jonadab commanded us: ‘You and your descendants are never to drink wine! 7 You aren’t to build houses, you aren’t to sow seeds, and you aren’t to plant vineyards, or own them. Instead, you are to live in tents all your lives,[q] so you will enjoy a long life in the land where you reside.’[r] 8 We have obeyed everything that our ancestor, Rechab’s son Jonadab, commanded us. So we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters have drunk no wine all our lives,[s] 9 and have built no houses to live in. We don’t have vineyards, fields, or seed. 10 We have lived in tents. We have obeyed and have done everything that our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. 11 Now when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come on! Let’s go to Jerusalem because of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of Aram. And now we’re living in Jerusalem.’”
12 This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not accept correction by listening to what I say?” declares the Lord. 14 “But what Rechab’s son Jonadab commanded his sons about not drinking wine is observed, and they haven’t drunk wine until this day. Indeed, they obey the commands of their ancestor. But I’ve spoken to you again and again,[t] and you haven’t obeyed me. 15 I’ve sent you all my servants, the prophets, sending them again and again.[u] I’ve said, ‘Each of you turn from his evil behavior[v] and make your deeds right. Don’t follow other gods to serve them. Then you will remain in the land that I gave to you and to your ancestors.’ But you haven’t paid attention[w] and you haven’t obeyed me. 16 Indeed the descendants of Rechab’s son Jonadab have carried out the command of their ancestor that he gave them, but this people has not obeyed me.” 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel says: “Look, I’m bringing on Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem all the disaster that I pronounced against them, because I spoke to them, but they didn’t listen, and I called out to them, but they didn’t answer.”’”
18 Then Jeremiah told the house of the Rechabites, “This is what the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you obeyed the commandment of your ancestor Jonadab, have observed all his commandments, and have done everything that he commanded you,’ 19 therefore, this is what the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Rechab’s son Jonadab won’t lack a descendant[x] who serves me[y] always.’”
Jeremiah’s Scroll Read in the Temple
36 In the fourth year of the reign of[z] Josiah’s son King Jehoiakim of Judah, this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I’ve spoken to you about Israel, about Judah, and about all the nations, since I first spoke to you[aa] in the time of Josiah until the present time. 3 Perhaps the house of Judah will hear about all the calamity that I’m planning to bring on them, and so each of them will turn from his wicked way and I’ll forgive their iniquities and sins.”
4 Jeremiah summoned Neriah’s son Baruch and at Jeremiah’s dictation, Baruch wrote on the scroll all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him.
5 Jeremiah instructed Baruch, “I’m confined and can’t go to the Lord’s Temple. 6 You go and read the words of the Lord that you wrote at my dictation from the scroll. Read them[ab] to[ac] the people at the Lord’s Temple on the fast day. Also read them to all the people of Judah who are coming from their towns. 7 Perhaps their pleas for help will come to the Lord’s attention, and each of them will turn from his evil lifestyle in light of the great anger and wrath that the Lord has declared against this people.” 8 So Neriah’s son Baruch did just as Jeremiah the prophet instructed him, reading the words of the Lord from the scroll at the Lord’s Temple.
9 In the ninth month of the fifth year of the reign of[ad] Josiah’s son Jehoiakim, king of Judah, a fast was proclaimed in the Lord’s presence in Jerusalem for all the people of Jerusalem, as well as all the people who were coming from the towns of Judah. 10 Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll to[ae] all the people at the Lord’s Temple. He did this[af] from the office of Shaphan’s son Gemariah the scribe, in the upper court at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s Temple.
Jeremiah’s Scroll Read in the Palace
11 When Gemariah’s son Micaiah, the grandson of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, 12 he went down to the palace, to the scribe’s office, where all the officials were sitting. Elishama the scribe, Shemaiah’s son Delaiah, Achbor’s son Elnathan, Shaphan’s son Gemariah, Hananiah’s son Zedekiah, and all the other officials were there. 13 Micaiah told them all the things that he had heard when Baruch read from the scroll to the people. 14 Then all the officials sent Nethaniah’s son Jehudi, (who was also the grandson of Shelemiah and Cushi’s great-grandson), to Baruch, who said, “Take the scroll that you read to[ag] the people and come.” Neriah’s son Baruch took the scroll with him and went to them.
15 They told him, “Please sit down and read it to us.”[ah] So Baruch read it to them. 16 When they heard all the words, they turned to one another in fear, saying to Baruch, “We must report all these things to the king.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, “Please tell us how you wrote all the words. Did Jeremiah dictate them all?”[ai]
18 Baruch answered them, “Yes, Jeremiah dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in the scroll with ink.”
19 Then the officials told Baruch, “Go, hide yourself, both you and Jeremiah, and don’t let anyone know where you are.”
The King Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll
20 The officials[aj] went to the king in the courtyard, but they deposited the scroll in the office of Elishama the scribe. Then they reported everything written on the scroll[ak] to the king. 21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the office of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi read it to the king[al] and to all the officials who were standing beside the king. 22 The king was sitting in the winter palace in the ninth month and a stove[am] was burning in front of him.[an] 23 As Jehudi would read three or four columns, the king[ao] would cut it with a scribe’s knife and throw it into the fire which was in the stove, until all the scroll was burned[ap] in the fire in the stove. 24 The king and all his officials[aq] who were listening to these words were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments. 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 The king ordered his[ar] son Jerahmeel, Azriel’s son Seraiah, and Abdeel’s son Shelemiah to get Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord had hidden them.
Jeremiah Rewrites the Scroll
27 This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation: 28 “Go back, take another scroll and write on it all the original[as] words which were on the scroll that Jehoiakim, king of Judah, burned. 29 Concerning Jehoiakim, king of Judah, you are to say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You burned this scroll, all the while saying, ‘Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon will definitely come, destroy this land, and eliminate both people and animals from it?’” 30 Therefore, this is what the Lord says concerning Jehoiakim, king of Judah, “He will have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his corpse will be thrown out to rot during the heat of the day and the frost of the night. 31 I’ll punish him, his descendants, and his officials[at] for their iniquity. I’ll bring on them, on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah all the calamity about which I’ve warned them, but they would not listen.”’”
32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Neriah’s son Baruch the scribe. He wrote on it, at Jeremiah’s dictation, all the words of the book that Jehoiakim king of Judah burned in the fire. He also added to them many similar words.
We Must Not Neglect Our Salvation
2 For this reason we must pay closer attention to the things we have heard, or we may drift away, 2 because if the message spoken by angels was reliable, and every violation and act of disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how will we escape if we neglect a salvation as great as this? It was first proclaimed by the Lord himself, and then it was confirmed to us by those who heard him, 4 while God added his testimony through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Jesus is the Source of Our Salvation
5 For he did not put the coming world we are talking about under the control of angels. 6 Instead, someone has declared somewhere,
“What is man that you should remember him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
7 You made him a little lower than the angels,
yet you crowned him with glory and honor
8 and put everything under his feet.”[a]
Now when God[b] put everything under him, he left nothing outside his control. However, at the present time we do not yet see everything put under him. 9 But we do see someone who was made a little lower than the angels. He is Jesus, who is crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of[c] God he might experience[d] death for everyone.
10 It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering as part of his plan to glorify many children, 11 because both the one who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified all have the same Father.[e] That is why Jesus[f] is not ashamed to call them brothers 12 when he says, “I will announce your name to my brothers. I will praise you within the congregation.”[g] 13 And again, “I will trust him.”[h] And again, “I am here with the children God has given me.”[i]
14 Therefore, since the children have flesh and blood, he himself also shared the same things, so that by his death he might destroy the one who has the power of death (that is, the Devil) 15 and might free those who were slaves all their lives because they were terrified by death. 16 For it is clear that he did not come to help angels. No, he came to help Abraham’s descendants, 17 thereby becoming like his brothers in every way, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and could atone for the people’s sins. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
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