Old/New Testament
Jeremiah Chooses to Remain in Judah
40 This is[a] the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had released him from Ramah, when he was bound in chains, along with all the exiles from Jerusalem and Judah who were being taken into exile in Babylon.
2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and told him, “The Lord your God has predicted this disaster on this place. 3 And now the Lord has brought it about and has done just as he said. Because you people sinned against the Lord and didn’t obey him, this has happened to you. 4 Now, look, I’ve freed you today from the chains that were on your hands. If you want[b] to come with me to Babylon, come, and I’ll look after you. But if you don’t want[c] to come with me to Babylon, don’t.[d] Look, the whole land lies before you, so go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.”
5 When he still did not respond, Nebuzaradan said,[e] “Return to Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and remain with him among the people—or go wherever it seems right for you to go.” Then the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a gift and sent him off. 6 Jeremiah came to Ahikam’s son Gedaliah at Mizpah, and he remained with him among the people who were left in the land.
Gedaliah and the Community in Judah
7 All the leaders of the forces who were in the field along with their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah over the men, women, children, and the poor of the land who had not been taken into exile in Babylon. 8 Those who came to Gedaliah at Mizpah included Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, Jonathan, Kareah’s son Jonathan, Tanhumeth’s son Seraiah, Ephai’s sons from Netophah; and Jezaniah, the son of a man from Maacah. They came along with[f] their men.
9 Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men: “Don’t be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Remain in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and things will go well for you. 10 As for me, I’ll remain at Mizpah to represent you before[g] the Chaldeans who come to us. As for you, gather wine, summer fruit, and oil. Put it in your containers and live in your cities that you have taken over.”
11 All the Judeans who were in Moab, those with the people in Ammon, those in Edom, and those in all the other[h] countries also heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah and that he had appointed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, over them. 12 So all the Judeans returned from all the countries where they had been scattered. They came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and they gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance.
A Plot against Gedaliah
13 Kareah’s son Jonathan and all leaders of the forces who were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. 14 They told him, “Are you aware that Baalis, the king of the people of Ammon, has sent Nethaniah’s son Ishmael to take your life?” But Ahikam’s son Gedaliah did not believe them.
15 Then Kareah’s son Jonathan spoke privately to Gedaliah at Mizpah: “Let me go kill Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, and no one will know. Why should he take your life? Otherwise[i] all the Judeans who have gathered around you will be scattered, and the remnant of Judah will perish.”
16 Ahikam’s son Gedaliah replied to Kareah’s son Jonathan, “Don’t do this! You’re lying about Ishmael!”
Gedaliah is Assassinated
41 In the seventh month, Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, the grandson of Elishama, a member of the royal family and one of the chief officers of the king, came to Ahikam’s son Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with ten men. While they were dining together there at Mizpah, 2 Nethaniah’s son Ishmael and the ten men with him got up and killed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, with swords and killed the man whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Judeans who were with him (that is, with Gedaliah) at Mizpah, along with the Chaldean soldiers who were found there.
4 Now on the day after Gedaliah was killed, when as yet no one knew about it,[j] 5 eighty men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria came with their beards shaved, their clothes torn, and their bodies slashed. They had grain offerings and incense with them to present at the Lord’s Temple.
6 Nethaniah’s son Ishmael went out from Mizpah to meet them, crying as he went. As he met them he told them, “Come meet with Ahikam’s son Gedaliah.” 7 When they reached the middle of the city, Nethaniah’s son Ishmael and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.[k]
8 Ten men who were among[l] them told Ishmael, “Don’t kill us, because we have stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in the field.” So Ishmael stopped and did not kill them or their companions. 9 Ishmael threw the bodies of the men he killed on account of Gedaliah into the cistern that King Asa had made for protection against[m] King Baasha of Israel. That is the same one Nethaniah’s son Ishmael filled with those he killed. 10 Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, including the king’s daughters and all the rest of the people in Mizpah over whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had appointed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah. Nethaniah’s son Ishmael took them captive and then set out to cross over to the Ammonites.
The Captives Rescued; Ishmael Escapes
11 Kareah’s son Jonathan and all the military leaders who were with him heard about all the terrible things that Nethaniah’s son Ishmael had done. 12 So they took all the men and went to fight Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, and they found him at the large pool that is at Gibeon. 13 When all the people who were with Ishmael saw Kareah’s son Jonathan and all the military leaders who were with him, they were glad. 14 All the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and went back to Kareah’s son Jonathan. 15 But Nethaniah’s son Ishmael and eight other[n] men escaped from Jonathan and went to the Ammonites. 16 Kareah’s son Jonathan and all the military leaders who were with him took all the rest of the people from Mizpah whom he had rescued[o] from Nethaniah’s son Ishmael after he had killed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, including the young men, the soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs[p] whom he had rescued from Gibeon. 17 They traveled and then stopped at Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans. They were afraid of the Chaldeans[q] because Nethaniah’s son Ishmael had killed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.
Jeremiah Asked to Pray for the People
42 Then all the military leaders, Kareah’s son Jonathan, Hoshaiah’s son Jezaniah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah.[r] 2 They told Jeremiah the prophet, “Please listen to what we have to ask of you. Pray to the Lord your God for us and for all these survivors. Indeed, only a few of us remain out of many, as you can see.[s] 3 Pray that the Lord your God may inform us as to how we should live[t] and what we should do.”
4 Jeremiah the prophet told them, “I’ve heard, and I’m going to pray to the Lord your God just as you have requested. Whatever the Lord answers, I’ll tell you. I won’t withhold anything from you.”
5 Then they told Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we don’t do everything that the Lord your God tells us through you.[u] 6 Whether it seems good or bad, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we send you, so it may go well for us. Indeed, we will obey the Lord our God.”
The Lord’s Answer through Jeremiah
7 At the end of ten days a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 So he called Kareah’s son Jonathan, all the military leaders who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest. 9 He told them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says, to whom you sent me to take your request:
10 ‘If you will just remain in this land, I’ll build you up and not pull you down. I’ll plant you and not uproot you, for I’m sorry about the disaster I’ve brought on you. 11 Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon as you have been.[v] Don’t fear him,’ declares the Lord, ‘because I am with you to save you and deliver you from his control. 12 I’ll show you compassion, so he will have compassion on you and return you to your land. 13 But if you disobey the Lord your God by saying, “We won’t stay in this land,” 14 and you also say, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt where we won’t see war or hear the sound of the trumpet or hunger for bread, and there we will stay,” 15 then hear this message from the Lord, remnant of Judah: ‘This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “If you are really determined[w] to go into Egypt, and you go there to settle, 16 the sword that you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt. The famine that you dread will pursue you into Egypt, and there you will die. 17 All the people who are determined to go into Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, by famine, and by the plague. No one will survive the disaster that I’ll bring on them.” 18 For this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will be a curse and an object of horror, ridicule, and scorn, and you will never again see this place.’ 19 The Lord has told you, remnant of Judah, ‘Don’t go to Egypt!’ So be fully aware that I’ve warned you, today, 20 that you have deceived yourselves. Indeed, you yourselves sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray to the Lord your God for us, and whatever the Lord our God tells us we will do.’ 21 I’ve told you today, but you haven’t obeyed the Lord your God in all that he sent me to tell[x] you. 22 Now, be fully aware that you will die by the sword, by famine, and by plague in the place where you want to settle.”[y]
We Must Enter the Rest
4 Therefore, as long as the promise of entering his rest remains valid, let us be afraid! Otherwise, some of you will fail[a] to reach it, 2 because we have had the good news told to us as well as to them. But the message they heard did not help them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened to it. 3 We who have believed are entering that rest, just as he has said,
“So in my anger I swore a solemn oath
that they would never enter my rest,”[b]
even though his actions had been finished since the creation[c] of the world. 4 Somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day as follows: “On the seventh day God rested from all his actions,”[d] 5 and again in this passage,[e] “They will never enter my rest.”[f] 6 Therefore, since it is still true that some will enter it, and since those who once heard the good news failed to enter it because of their disobedience, 7 he again fixes a definite day—“Today”—saying long afterward through David, as already quoted,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”[g]
8 For if Joshua[h] had given them rest, he would not have spoken later about another day.
9 There remains, therefore, a Sabbath rest for the people of God to keep, 10 because the one who enters God’s[i] rest has himself rested from his own actions, just as God did[j] from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fail by following their example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, as it judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart. 13 No creature can hide from him, but everyone is exposed and helpless before the eyes of the one to whom we must give a word of explanation.
Our Compassionate High Priest
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us live our lives consistent with[k] our confession of faith.[l] 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. Instead, we have one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet he never sinned. 16 So let us keep on coming boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
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