Jeremiah
Outline of Contents
Chapter 1
	Jeremiah appointed as prophet (1-10)
	Vision of the almond tree (11, 12)
	Vision of the cooking pot (13-16)
	Jeremiah fortified for his commission (17-19)
Chapter 2
	Israel abandons Jehovah for other gods (1-37)
		Israel like a foreign vine (21)
		Her skirts stained with blood (34)
Chapter 3
	Depth of Israel’s apostasy (1-5)
	Israel and Judah guilty of adultery (6-11)
	A call to repentance (12-25)
Chapter 4
	Repentance brings blessings (1-4)
	Disaster to come from the north (5-18)
	Jeremiah’s pain over the coming disaster (19-31)
Chapter 5
	The people refuse Jehovah’s discipline (1-13)
	Destruction but not complete extermination (14-19)
	Jehovah calls the people to account (20-31)
Chapter 6
	Siege of Jerusalem near (1-9)
	Jehovah’s rage on Jerusalem (10-21)
		Saying “Peace!” when there is no peace (14)
	Cruel invasion from the north (22-26)
	Jeremiah to serve as a metal tester (27-30)
Chapter 7
	False trust in Jehovah’s temple (1-11)
	The temple to become like Shiloh (12-15)
	False worship condemned (16-34)
		“Queen of Heaven” worshipped (18)
		Child sacrifice in Hinnom (31)
Chapter 8
	The people choose the popular course (1-7)
	What wisdom without Jehovah’s word? (8-17)
	Jeremiah laments Judah’s breakdown (18-22)
		“Is there no balsam in Gilead?” (22)
Chapter 9
	Jeremiah’s deep sadness (1-3a)
	Jehovah calls Judah to account (3b-16)
	Lamentation over Judah (17-22)
	Boast about knowing Jehovah (23-26)
Chapter 10
	The gods of the nations versus the living God (1-16)
	Impending destruction and exile (17, 18)
	Jeremiah grieves (19-22)
	The prophet’s prayer (23-25)
		Man cannot direct his own step (23)
Chapter 11
	Judah breaks covenant with God (1-17)
		As many gods as cities (13)
	Jeremiah likened to a lamb to be slaughtered (18-20)
	Opposition from the men of Jeremiah’s hometown (21-23)
Chapter 12
	Jeremiah’s complaint (1-4)
	Jehovah’s answer (5-17)
Chapter 13
	The ruined linen belt (1-11)
	Wine jars to be smashed (12-14)
	Irreformable Judah to be exiled (15-27)
		“Can a Cushite change his skin?” (23)
Chapter 14
	Drought, famine, and sword (1-12)
	False prophets condemned (13-18)
	Jeremiah acknowledges the people’s sins (19-22)
Chapter 15
	Jehovah will not change his judgment (1-9)
	Jeremiah’s complaint (10)
	Jehovah’s answer (11-14)
	Jeremiah’s prayer (15-18)
		Delight in eating God’s words (16)
	Jeremiah fortified by Jehovah (19-21)
Chapter 16
	Jeremiah not to marry, mourn, or feast (1-9)
	Punishment, then restoration (10-21)
Chapter 17
	Judah’s sin ingrained (1-4)
	Blessings of trusting in Jehovah (5-8)
	The treacherous heart (9-11)
	Jehovah, the hope of Israel (12, 13)
	Jeremiah’s prayer (14-18)
	Keeping the Sabbath sacred (19-27)
Chapter 18
	The clay in the potter’s hands (1-12)
	Jehovah turns his back on Israel (13-17)
	Plot against Jeremiah; his plea (18-23)
Chapter 19
	Jeremiah told to break a clay flask (1-15)
		Child sacrifice to Baal (5)
Chapter 20
	Pashhur strikes Jeremiah (1-6)
	Jeremiah cannot stop preaching (7-13)
		God’s message like a burning fire (9)
		Jehovah like a fearsome warrior (11)
	Jeremiah’s complaint (14-18)
Chapter 21
	Jehovah denies Zedekiah’s request (1-7)
	People to choose life or death (8-14)
Chapter 22
	Judgment messages against bad kings (1-30)
		Concerning Shallum (10-12)
		Concerning Jehoiakim (13-23)
		Concerning Coniah (24-30)
Chapter 23
	Good shepherds and bad (1-4)
	Security under the “righteous sprout” (5-8)
	False prophets condemned (9-32)
	“The burden” of Jehovah (33-40)
Chapter 24
	Good figs and bad figs (1-10)
Chapter 25
	Jehovah’s controversy with the nations (1-38)
		Nations to serve Babylon for 70 years (11)
		The cup of wine of God’s wrath (15)
		Calamity from nation to nation (32)
		Those slain by Jehovah (33)
Chapter 26
	Jeremiah threatened with death (1-15)
	Jeremiah spared (16-19)
		Micah’s prophecy quoted (18)
	The prophet Urijah (20-24)
Chapter 27
	The yoke of Babylon (1-11)
	Zedekiah told to submit to Babylon (12-22)
Chapter 28
	Jeremiah versus the false prophet Hananiah (1-17)
Chapter 29
	Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in Babylon (1-23)
		Israel to return after 70 years (10)
	A message to Shemaiah (24-32)
Chapter 30
	Promises of restoration and healing (1-24)
Chapter 31
	Israel’s remnant to resettle the land (1-30)
		Rachel weeps over her children (15)
	A new covenant (31-40)
Chapter 32
	Jeremiah’s purchase of a field (1-15)
	Jeremiah’s prayer (16-25)
	Jehovah’s answer (26-44)
Chapter 33
	Restoration promised (1-13)
	Security under the “righteous sprout” (14-16)
	Covenant with David and priests (17-26)
		Covenant regarding day and night (20)
Chapter 34
	Judgment message to Zedekiah (1-7)
	Covenant granting slaves liberty broken (8-22)
Chapter 35
	Rechabites show exemplary obedience (1-19)
Chapter 36
	Jeremiah dictates a scroll (1-7)
	Baruch reads aloud from the scroll (8-19)
	Jehoiakim burns the scroll (20-26)
	Message rewritten on a new scroll (27-32)
Chapter 37
	Chaldeans’ withdrawal only temporary (1-10)
	Jeremiah imprisoned (11-16)
	Zedekiah meets with Jeremiah (17-21)
		Jeremiah provided with bread (21)
Chapter 38
	Jeremiah thrown into a cistern (1-6)
	Ebed-melech rescues Jeremiah (7-13)
	Jeremiah urges Zedekiah to surrender (14-28)
Chapter 39
	The fall of Jerusalem (1-10)
		Zedekiah flees and is captured (4-7)
	Jeremiah to be safeguarded (11-14)
	Ebed-melech’s life to be spared (15-18)
Chapter 40
	Nebuzaradan frees Jeremiah (1-6)
	Gedaliah appointed over the land (7-12)
	Plot against Gedaliah (13-16)
Chapter 41
	Gedaliah assassinated by Ishmael (1-10)
	Ishmael put to flight by Johanan (11-18)
Chapter 42
	People ask Jeremiah to pray for direction (1-6)
	Jehovah replies: “Do not go to Egypt” (7-22)
Chapter 43
	People disobey and go to Egypt (1-7)
	Jehovah’s word to Jeremiah in Egypt (8-13)
Chapter 44
	Calamity on Jews in Egypt foretold (1-14)
	People reject God’s warning (15-30)
		“Queen of Heaven” worshipped (17-19)
Chapter 45
	Jehovah’s message to Baruch (1-5)
Chapter 46
	Prophecy against Egypt (1-26)
		Egypt to be conquered by Nebuchadnezzar (13, 26)
	Promises to Israel (27, 28)
Chapter 47
	Prophecy against the Philistines (1-7)
Chapter 48
	Prophecy against Moab (1-47)
Chapter 49
	Prophecy against Ammon (1-6)
	Prophecy against Edom (7-22)
		Edom no longer to exist as a nation (17, 18)
	Prophecy against Damascus (23-27)
	Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor (28-33)
	Prophecy against Elam (34-39)
Chapter 50
	Prophecy against Babylon (1-46)
		Flee out of Babylon (8)
		Israel to be brought back (17-19)
		Babylon’s water to be dried up (38)
		Babylon to be uninhabited (39, 40)
Chapter 51
	Prophecy against Babylon (1-64)
		Babylon to fall suddenly to the Medes (8-12)
		Book thrown into the Euphrates (59-64)
Chapter 52
	Zedekiah rebels against Babylon (1-3)
	Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem (4-11)
	Destruction of the city and the temple (12-23)
	People taken into exile to Babylon (24-30)
	Jehoiachin released from prison (31-34)
Chapter 1
1 These are the words of Jeremiah [Possibly meaning “Jehovah Exalts.”] the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. 2 The word of Jehovah came to him in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, the king of Judah, in the 13th year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, until the completion of the 11th year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, until Jerusalem went into exile in the fifth month.
4 The word of Jehovah came to me, saying:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew [Or “chose.”] you,
And before you were born [Literally, “before you came out of the womb.”] I sanctified you. [Or “set you apart.”]
I made you a prophet to the nations.”
6 But I said: “Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah!
I do not know how to speak, for I am just a boy.” [Or “young person.”]
7 Jehovah then said to me:
“Do not say, ‘I am just a boy.’
For you must go to all those to whom I send you,
And you should say everything that I command you.
8 Do not be afraid because of their appearance,
For ‘I am with you to save you,’ declares Jehovah.”
9 Then Jehovah stretched out his hand and touched my mouth. And Jehovah said to me: “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, I have commissioned you this day to be over the nations and over the kingdoms, to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to tear down, to build and to plant.”
11 The word of Jehovah again came to me, saying: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” So I said: “I see the branch of an almond tree.” [Literally, “an awakening one.”]
12 Jehovah said to me: “You have seen correctly, for I am wide awake concerning my word to carry it out.”
13 The word of Jehovah came to me a second time, saying: “What do you see?” So I said: “I see a boiling [Literally, “blown upon,” indicating a fanned fire underneath.] pot, [Or “wide-mouthed cooking pot.”] and its mouth is tilted away from the north.” 14 Then Jehovah said to me:
“Out of the north the calamity will break loose
Against all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For ‘I am summoning all the families of the kingdoms of the north,’ declares Jehovah,
‘And they will come; each one will set up his throne
At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,
Against her walls all around
And against all the cities of Judah.
16 And I will declare my judgments against them over all their wickedness,
Because they have abandoned me,
And they are making sacrificial smoke to other gods
And bowing down to the works of their own hands.’
17 But you should prepare for action, [Literally, “gird up your hips.”]
And you must stand up and tell them everything that I command you.
Do not be terrified of them,
So that I do not terrify you before them.
18 For today I have made you a fortified city,
An iron pillar, and copper walls against all the land,
Toward the kings of Judah and her princes,
Toward her priests and the people of the land.
19 And they will certainly fight against you,
But they will not prevail against you, [Or “defeat you.”]
For ‘I am with you,’ declares Jehovah, ‘to save you.’”
Chapter 2
1 The word of Jehovah came to me, saying: 2 “Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, ‘This is what Jehovah says:
“I well remember the devotion [Or “loyal love.”] of your youth,
The love you showed when you were engaged to marry,
How you followed me in the wilderness,
In a land not sown with seed.
3 Israel was holy to Jehovah, the firstfruits of his harvest.”’
‘Anyone devouring him would become guilty.
Disaster would come upon them,’ declares Jehovah.”
4 Hear the word of Jehovah, O house of Jacob,
And all you families of the house of Israel.
5 This is what Jehovah says:
“What fault did your forefathers find in me,
So that they strayed so far from me,
And they walked after worthless idols and became worthless themselves?
6 They did not ask, ‘Where is Jehovah,
The One who brought us out of the land of Egypt,
Who led us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and pits,
Through a land of drought and of deep shadow,
Through a land where no man travels
And where no humans dwell?’
7 I then brought you to a land of orchards,
To eat its fruitage and its good things.
But you came in and defiled my land;
You made my inheritance something detestable.
8 The priests did not ask, ‘Where is Jehovah?’
Those handling the Law did not know me,
The shepherds rebelled against me,
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
And they followed those who could bring no benefit.
9 ‘So I will contend further with you,’ declares Jehovah,
‘And I will contend with the sons of your sons.’
10 ‘But cross over to the coastlands [Or “islands.”] of the Kittim and see.
Yes, send to Kedar and consider carefully;
See whether anything like this has happened.
11 Has a nation ever changed its gods for those that are not gods?
But my own people have exchanged my glory for what is useless.
12 Stare in amazement at this, you heavens;
Shudder in absolute horror,’ declares Jehovah,
13 ‘Because my people have done two bad things:
They have abandoned me, the source of living water,
And dug [Or “hewed out,” likely from rock.] for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns, that cannot hold water.’
14 ‘Is Israel a servant or a slave born in the household?
Then why has he been given over to plunder?
15 Against him young lions [Or “maned young lions.”] roar;
They have raised their voice.
They made his land an object of horror.
His cities have been set on fire, so that there is no inhabitant.
16 The people of Noph [Or “Memphis.”] and Tahpanes feed on the crown of your head.
17 Have you not brought this on yourself
By abandoning Jehovah your God
While he was leading you in the way?
18 Now why do you wish for the way to Egypt
To drink the waters of Shihor? [That is, a branch of the Nile River.]
Why do you wish for the way to Assyria
To drink the waters of the River? [That is, the Euphrates.]
19 Your wickedness should correct you,
And your own unfaithfulness should reprove you.
Know and realize how bad and bitter it is
To abandon Jehovah your God;
You have shown no fear of me,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah of armies.
20 ‘For long ago I smashed your yoke
And tore off your shackles.
But you said: “I am not going to serve,”
For on every high hill and under every luxuriant tree
You were lying sprawled out, prostituting yourself.
21 I planted you as a choice red vine, all of it pure seed;
So how have you turned into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine before me?’
22 ‘Though you should wash with soda [Or “alkali.”] and use much lye, [Or “soap.”]
Your guilt would still be a stain before me,’ declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.
23 How can you say, ‘I have not defiled myself.
I have not followed the Baals’?
Look at your way in the valley.
Consider what you have done.
You are like a swift, young she-camel,
Aimlessly running back and forth in her ways,
24 A wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
Sniffing the wind in her lust. [Or “at the craving of her soul.”]
Who can restrain her when she is in heat?
None of those looking for her will need to weary themselves.
In her season [Literally, “her month.”] they will find her.
25 Keep your feet from going bare
And your throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless!
No! I have fallen in love with strangers, [Or “foreign gods.”]
And I will follow them.’
26 Like the shame of a thief when he is caught,
So the house of Israel has been put to shame,
They, their kings and their princes,
Their priests and their prophets.
27 They say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’
But to me they turn their back and not their face.
And in the time of their calamity they will say,
‘Rise up and save us!’
28 Now where are your gods that you made for yourself?
Let them rise up if they can save you in your time of calamity,
For your gods have become as numerous as your cities, O Judah.
29 ‘Why do you keep contending against me?
Why have all of you rebelled against me?’ declares Jehovah.
30 I have struck your sons in vain.
They would accept no discipline;
Your own sword devoured your prophets,
Like a marauding lion.
31 O generation, consider for yourselves the word of Jehovah.
Have I become like a wilderness to Israel
Or a land of oppressive darkness?
Why have these, my people, said, ‘We roam freely.
We will come to you no more’?
32 Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
A bride her breastbands? [Or “her wedding sash?”]
And yet my own people have forgotten me for countless days.
33 How skillfully, O woman, you set your course to seek love!
You have trained yourself in the ways of wickedness.
34 Even your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor ones, [Or “souls.”]
Though I did not find them in the act of breaking in;
It is on all your skirts.
35 But you say, ‘I am innocent.
Surely his anger has turned back from me.’
Now I am bringing judgment against you
Because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 Why do you treat so lightly your unstable course?
You will become ashamed of Egypt too,
Just as you became ashamed of Assyria.
37 For this reason also you will go out with your hands on your head,
For Jehovah has rejected those in whom you put confidence;
They will not bring you success.”
Chapter 3
1 People ask: “If a man sends his wife away and she leaves him and becomes another man’s, should he return to her anymore?”
Has that land not been utterly polluted?
“You have committed prostitution with many companions,
And should you now return to me?” declares Jehovah.
2 “Raise your eyes to the bare hills and see.
Where have you not been raped?
You sat along the roadways for them,
Like a nomad [Literally, “an Arabian.”] in the wilderness.
You keep polluting the land
With your prostitution and your wickedness.
3 So showers of rain are withheld,
And there is no rain in the spring.
You have the brazen look [Literally, “the forehead.”] of a wife who commits prostitution;
You refuse to feel shame.
4 But now you call out to me,
‘My Father, you are the companion of my youth!
5 Should one stay resentful forever,
Or always hold a grudge?’
This is what you say,
But you keep doing all the evil you are capable of doing.”
6 In the days of King Josiah, Jehovah said to me: “‘Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and underneath every luxuriant tree to commit prostitution. 7 Even after she did all these things, I kept telling her to return to me, but she did not return; and Judah kept watching her treacherous sister. 8 When I saw that, I sent unfaithful Israel away with a full certificate of divorce because of her adultery. But her treacherous sister Judah did not become afraid; she too went out and committed prostitution. 9 She took her prostitution lightly, and she kept polluting the land and committing adultery with stones and with trees. 10 Despite all this, her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, only in pretense,’ declares Jehovah.”
11 Jehovah then said to me: “Unfaithful Israel has shown herself [Or “her soul.”] to be more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words to the north:
“‘“Return, O renegade Israel,” declares Jehovah.’ ‘“I will not look down angrily [Literally, “make my face fall.”] on you, for I am loyal,” declares Jehovah.’ ‘“I will not stay resentful forever. 13 Only acknowledge your guilt, for you have rebelled against Jehovah your God. You continued scattering your favors [Literally, “ways.”] to strangers [Or “foreign gods.”] under every luxuriant tree, but you would not obey my voice,” declares Jehovah.’”
14 “Return, you renegade sons,” declares Jehovah. “For I have become your true master; [Or possibly, “your husband.”] and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and insight. 16 You will become many and will bear fruit in the land in those days,” declares Jehovah. “No more will they say, ‘The ark of the covenant of Jehovah!’ It will not come up into the heart, nor will they remember it or miss it, and it will not be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah; and all the nations will be brought together to the name of Jehovah at Jerusalem, and they will no longer stubbornly follow their own wicked heart.”
18 “In those days they will walk together, the house of Judah alongside the house of Israel, and together they will come from the land of the north into the land that I gave to your forefathers as an inheritance. 19 And I thought, ‘How I placed you among the sons and gave you the desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance among the nations!’ [Literally, “of the armies of the nations.”] I also thought that you would call me, ‘My Father!’ and that you would not turn away from following me. 20 ‘Truly as a wife treacherously leaves her husband, [Literally, “companion.”] so also you, O house of Israel, have dealt treacherously with me,’ declares Jehovah.”
21 On the bare hills a sound is heard,
The weeping and the pleading of the people of Israel,
For they have distorted their way;
They have forgotten Jehovah their God.
22 “Return, you renegade sons.
I will heal your renegade condition.”
“Here we are! We have come to you,
For you, O Jehovah, are our God.
23 Truly the hills and the turmoil on the mountains are a delusion.
Truly in Jehovah our God is the salvation of Israel.
24 But the shameful thing [Or “the shameful god.”] has consumed the toil of our forefathers since our youth,
Their flocks and their herds,
Their sons and their daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,
And let our disgrace cover us,
For we have sinned against Jehovah our God,
We and our fathers since our youth until this day,
And we have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God.”
Chapter 4
1 “If you will return, O Israel,” declares Jehovah,
“If you will return to me
And if you will remove your disgusting idols from before me,
Then you will not be a fugitive.
2 And if you swear,
‘As surely as Jehovah is alive!’ in truth, justice, and righteousness,
Then the nations will obtain a blessing for themselves by him,
And in him they will boast.”
3 For this is what Jehovah says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“Plow for yourselves arable land,
And do not keep sowing among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah,
And remove the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
So that my wrath may not blaze up like a fire
And burn with no one to extinguish it,
Because of your evil deeds.”
5 Declare it in Judah, and proclaim it in Jerusalem.
Shout and blow a horn throughout the land.
Call out loudly and say: “Gather together,
And let us flee into the fortified cities.
6 Raise a signal [Or “signal pole.”] toward Zion.
Seek shelter, and do not stand still,”
For I am bringing in calamity from the north, a great crash.
7 He has emerged like a lion from his thicket;
The destroyer of nations has set out.
He has gone out from his place to make your land an object of horror.
Your cities will be reduced to ruins, without an inhabitant.
8 Therefore, put on sackcloth,
Mourn [Or “Beat your chests.”] and wail,
Because the burning anger of Jehovah has not turned away from us.
9 “In that day,” declares Jehovah, “the heart [Or “courage.”] of the king will fail him,
Also the heart [Or “courage.”] of the princes;
The priests will be horrified, and the prophets will be amazed.”
10 Then I said: “Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Truly you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our throats.” [Or “when the sword has reached our soul.”]
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem:
“A scorching wind from the barren hills of the desert
Will sweep down on the daughter of [A poetic personification, perhaps expressing pity or sympathy.] my people;
It is not coming to winnow or to cleanse.
12 The full wind comes from these places at my bidding.
Now I will pronounce judgments against them.
13 Look! He will come like rain clouds,
And his chariots are like a storm wind.
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are ruined!
14 Wash your heart clean of wickedness, O Jerusalem, in order to be saved.
How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 For a voice tells the news from Dan,
And it proclaims disaster from the mountains of Ephraim.
16 Report it, yes, to the nations;
Proclaim it against Jerusalem.”
“Sentinels [Literally, “Watchers,” that is, those watching the city to determine when to attack.] are coming from a distant land,
And they will raise their voices against the cities of Judah.
17 They come against her on all sides like guards of the open field,
Because she has rebelled against me,” declares Jehovah.
18 “Your own ways and your actions will be brought upon you.
How bitter is your disaster,
For it reaches clear to your heart!”
19 O my anguish, [Literally, “my intestines.”] my anguish!
I feel great pain in my very heart. [Literally, “in the walls of my heart.”]
My heart pounds within me.
I cannot keep silent,
For I have [Or “my soul has.”] heard the sound of the horn,
The alarm signal of war. [Or possibly, “the sound of the battle cry.”]
20 Disaster after disaster has been reported,
For the whole land has been destroyed.
Suddenly my own tents are destroyed,
In a moment my tent cloths.
21 How long will I keep seeing the signal, [Or “signal pole.”]
Keep hearing the sound of the horn?
22 “For my people are foolish;
They take no note of me.
They are stupid sons, with no understanding.
They are clever [Or “wise.”] enough when it comes to doing bad,
But they do not know how to do good.”
23 I saw the land, and look! it was empty and desolate.
I looked at the heavens, and their light was no more.
24 I saw the mountains, and look! they were quaking,
And the hills were shaking.
25 I saw, and look! there was no man,
And the birds of the heavens had all fled.
26 I saw, and look! the orchard had become a wilderness,
And its cities had all been torn down.
It was because of Jehovah,
Because of his burning anger.
27 For this is what Jehovah says: “The whole land will become desolate,
But I will not carry out a complete extermination.
28 For this reason the land will mourn,
And the heavens above will become dark.
It is because I have spoken, I have decided,
And I will not change my mind, [Or “feel regret.”] nor will I turn back from it.
29 At the sound of the horsemen and the archers,
The entire city flees.
They enter into the thickets,
And they climb the rocks.
Every city is abandoned,
And no man dwells in them.”
30 Now that you are devastated, what will you do?
You used to clothe yourself with scarlet,
To deck yourself with gold ornaments,
And to enlarge your eyes with black paint. [Or “eye shadow.”]
But it is in vain that you beautified yourself,
For those lusting after you have rejected you;
They are now seeking to take your life. [Or “seeking your soul.”]
31 For I have heard the sound like that of a sick woman,
The distress like that of a woman giving birth to her first child,
The voice of the daughter of Zion who keeps gasping for breath.
She says as she spreads out her palms:
“Woe to me, for I am [Or “my soul is.”] exhausted because of the killers!”
Chapter 5
1 Roam the streets of Jerusalem.
Look around and take note.
Search her public squares to see
Whether you can find a man who acts with justice,
One who seeks to be faithful,
And I will forgive her.
2 Even if they say: “As surely as Jehovah is alive!”
They would still swear to what is false.
3 O Jehovah, do your eyes not look for faithfulness?
You struck them, but it made no impact on them. [Literally, “they did not become weak.”]
You exterminated them, but they refused to accept discipline.
They made their faces harder than a rock,
And they refused to turn around.
4 But I said to myself: “Surely these must be the lowly.
They act foolishly, for they do not know the way of Jehovah,
The judgment of their God.
5 I will go to the prominent men and speak with them,
For they must have taken note of the way of Jehovah,
The judgment of their God.
But they had all broken the yoke
And torn apart the restraints.” [Literally, “bands.”]
6 That is why a lion of the forest attacks them,
A wolf of the desert plains keeps ravaging them,
A leopard lies awake at their cities.
Everyone going out from them is torn to pieces.
For their transgressions are many;
Their acts of unfaithfulness are numerous.
7 How can I forgive you for this?
Your sons have abandoned me,
And they swear by what is no God.
I satisfied their needs,
But they kept committing adultery,
And they flocked to the house of a prostitute.
8 They are like eager, lustful horses,
Each neighing after another man’s wife.
9 “Should I not call them to account for these things?” declares Jehovah.
“Should I [Or “my soul.”] not avenge myself on such a nation?”
10 “Come up against her vineyard terraces and bring ruin,
But do not make a complete extermination.
Take away her spreading shoots,
For they do not belong to Jehovah.
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have been utterly treacherous with me,” declares Jehovah.
12 “They have denied Jehovah, and they keep saying,
‘He will do nothing. [Or possibly, “He does not exist.”]
No calamity will come upon us;
We will not see sword or famine.’
13 The prophets are full of wind,
And the word [That is, God’s word.] is not in them.
Let this happen to them!”
14 Therefore this is what Jehovah, the God of armies, says:
“Because these men are saying this,
Here I am making my words a fire in your mouth,
And this people is the wood,
And it will consume them.”
15 “Here I am bringing in on you a nation from far away, O house of Israel,” declares Jehovah.
“It is an enduring nation.
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose language you do not know,
And whose speech you cannot understand.
16 Their quiver is like an open grave;
All of them are warriors.
17 They will devour your harvest and your bread.
They will devour your sons and your daughters.
They will devour your flocks and your herds.
They will devour your vines and your fig trees.
They will destroy with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.”
18 “But even in those days,” declares Jehovah, “I will not carry out a complete extermination of you. 19 And when they ask, ‘Why has Jehovah our God done all these things to us?’ you should answer them, ‘Just as you abandoned me to serve a foreign god in your land, so you will serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’”
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob,
And proclaim it in Judah, saying:
21 “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people: [Literally, “you foolish people without heart.”]
They have eyes but cannot see;
They have ears but cannot hear.
22 ‘Do you not fear me?’ declares Jehovah,
‘Should you not tremble before me?
It is I who placed the sand as the boundary for the sea,
A permanent regulation that it cannot pass over.
Although its waves toss, they cannot prevail;
Although they roar, they still cannot pass beyond it.
23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and gone their own way.
24 And they do not say in their heart:
“Let us now fear Jehovah our God,
The One who gives the rain in its season,
Both the autumn rain and the spring rain,
The One who guards for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 Your own errors have prevented these things from coming;
Your own sins have deprived you of what is good.
26 For among my people there are wicked men.
They keep peering, as when birdcatchers crouch down.
They set a deadly trap.
It is men whom they catch.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of deception.
That is why they have become powerful and rich.
28 They have grown fat and smooth;
They overflow with evil.
They do not plead the legal case of the fatherless,
That they may gain success;
And they deny justice to the poor.’”
29 “Should I not call them to account for these things?” declares Jehovah.
“Should I [Or “my soul.”] not avenge myself on such a nation?
30 Something appalling and horrible has occurred in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,
And the priests dominate by their own authority.
And my own people love it that way.
But what will you do when the end comes?”
Chapter 6
1 Take shelter, O sons of Benjamin, away from Jerusalem.
Blow the horn in Tekoa;
Light a fire signal over Beth-haccherem!
For a calamity looms from the north, a great disaster.
2 The daughter of Zion resembles a beautiful and delicate woman.
3 The shepherds and their droves will come.
They will pitch their tents all around her,
Each grazing the flock in his care.
4 “Prepare for [Literally, “Sanctify.”] war against her!
Rise up, and let us attack her at midday!”
“Woe to us, for the day is declining,
For the shadows of evening are getting longer!”
5 “Rise up, and let us attack during the night
And destroy her fortified towers.”
6 For this is what Jehovah of armies says:
“Cut down wood and raise up a siege rampart against Jerusalem.
She is the city that must be held to account;
There is nothing but oppression within her.
7 As a cistern keeps its water cool, [Or “fresh.”]
So she keeps her wickedness cool. [Or “fresh.”]
Violence and destruction are heard in her;
Sickness and plague are constantly before me.
8 Be warned, O Jerusalem, or I [Or “my soul.”] will turn away from you in disgust;
I will make you desolate, a land without inhabitants.”
9 This is what Jehovah of armies says:
“They will thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as the last grapes on a vine.
Pass your hand again like one gathering grapes from the vines.”
10 “To whom should I speak and give warning?
Who will listen?
Look! Their ears are closed, [Literally, “Their ear is uncircumcised.”] so that they are unable to pay attention.
Look! The word of Jehovah has become something they scorn;
They find no pleasure in it.
11 So I am filled with the wrath of Jehovah,
And I am tired of holding it in.”
“Pour it out on the child in the street,
On the groups of young men gathered together.
They will all be captured, a man along with his wife,
The old men along with the very old. [Literally, “those full of days.”]
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,
Together with their fields and their wives.
For I will stretch my hand out against the inhabitants of the land,” declares Jehovah.
13 “For from the least to the greatest, each one is making dishonest gain;
From the prophet to the priest, each one is practicing fraud.
14 And they try to heal the breakdown [Or “fracture.”] of my people lightly, [Or “superficially.”] saying,
‘There is peace! There is peace!’
When there is no peace.
15 Do they feel ashamed of the detestable things they have done?
They feel no shame at all!
They do not even know how to feel humiliated!
So they will fall among the fallen.
When I bring punishment on them they will stumble,” says Jehovah.
16 This is what Jehovah says:
“Stand at the crossroads and see.
Ask about the ancient roadways,
Ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
And find rest for yourselves.” [Or “your souls.”]
But they say: “We will not walk in it.”
17 “And I appointed watchmen who said,
‘Pay attention to the sound of the horn!’”
But they said: “We will not pay attention.”
18 “Therefore hear, O nations!
And know, O assembly,
What will happen to them.
19 Listen, O earth!
I am bringing calamity on this people
As the fruitage of their own schemes,
For they paid no attention to my words
And they rejected my law.” [Or “instruction.”]
20 “What do I care that you bring frankincense from Sheba
And sweet cane [An aromatic reed.] from a distant land?
Your whole burnt offerings are not acceptable,
And your sacrifices do not please me.”
21 Therefore this is what Jehovah says:
“Here I am setting for this people stumbling blocks,
And they will stumble over them,
Fathers and sons together,
A neighbor and his companion,
And they will all perish.”
22 This is what Jehovah says:
“Look! A people is coming from the land of the north,
And a great nation will be awakened from the remotest parts of the earth.
23 They will grab hold of the bow and the javelin.
They are cruel and will have no mercy.
Their voice will roar like the sea,
And they ride on horses.
They draw up in battle order like a man of war against you, O daughter of Zion.”
24 We have heard the report about it.
Our hands fall limp;
Distress has seized us,
Anguish [Literally, “Birth pangs.”] like that of a woman giving birth.
25 Do not go out into the field,
And do not walk on the road,
For the enemy has a sword;
There is terror all around.
26 O daughter of my people,
Put on sackcloth and roll in the ashes.
Mourn as for an only son, with bitter wailing,
For suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.
27 “I have made you [That is, Jeremiah.] a metal tester among my people,
One making a thorough search;
You must take note and examine their way.
28 All of them are the most stubborn men,
Walking about as slanderers.
They are like copper and iron;
All of them are corrupt.
29 The bellows have been scorched.
Out from their fire there is lead.
One keeps refining intensely simply for nothing,
And those who are bad have not been separated.
30 Rejected silver is what people will certainly call them,
For Jehovah has rejected them.”
Chapter 7
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying: 2 “Stand in the gate of the house of Jehovah and proclaim there this message, ‘Hear the word of Jehovah, all you people of Judah who enter these gates to bow down to Jehovah. 3 This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “Reform your ways and your actions, and I will allow you to keep residing in this place. 4 Do not put your trust in deceptive words and say, ‘This is [Literally, “They are,” referring to all the buildings of the temple complex.] the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah!’ 5 For if you truly reform your ways and actions; if you truly uphold justice between a man and his neighbor; 6 if you do not oppress foreign residents, orphans, [Or “fatherless children.”] and widows; if you do not shed innocent blood in this place; and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm; 7 then I will allow you to keep residing in this place, in the land I gave to your forefathers for all time.”’” [Or “from eternity to eternity.”]
8 “But you are putting your trust in deceptive words—it will bring absolutely no benefit. 9 Can you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make sacrifices [Or “sacrificial smoke.”] to Baal, and follow after gods you had not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house that bears my name and say, ‘We will be saved,’ despite your doing all these detestable things? 11 Has this house that bears my name become a cave of robbers in your eyes? Here I have seen it for myself,” declares Jehovah.
12 “‘However, go now to my place in Shiloh, where I first caused my name to reside, and see what I did to it because of the badness of my people Israel. 13 But you kept doing all these things,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and even though I spoke to you again and again, [Literally, “rising up early and speaking.”] you did not listen. I kept calling you, but you would not answer. 14 So I will do to the house that bears my name, in which you are trusting, and to this place that I gave to you and your forefathers, just as I did to Shiloh. 15 I will throw you out of my sight, just as I threw out all your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.’
16 “As for you, do not pray in behalf of this people. Do not cry out or offer a prayer or plead with me in their behalf, for I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The sons are gathering wood, the fathers are lighting the fire, and the wives are kneading dough in order to make sacrificial cakes to the Queen of Heaven, [The title of a goddess worshipped by apostate Israelites; possibly a fertility goddess.] and they are pouring out drink offerings to other gods to offend me. 19 ‘But am I the one they are hurting?’ [Or “offending; provoking.”] declares Jehovah. ‘Is it not they themselves, to their own shame?’ 20 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says, ‘Look! My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and the fruitage of the ground; it will burn and will not be extinguished.’
21 “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Go ahead, add your whole burnt offerings to your other sacrifices, and eat the flesh yourselves. 22 For on the day I brought your forefathers out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak with them or command them concerning whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But I did give them this command: “Obey my voice, and I will become your God, and you will become my people. You must walk in all the way that I command, so that it may go well with you.”’ 24 But they did not listen or incline their ear; instead, they walked in their own schemes, [Or “advice.”] stubbornly following their wicked heart, and they went backward, not forward, 25 from the day your forefathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day. So I kept sending all my servants the prophets to you, sending them each day, again and again. [Literally, “daily rising up early and sending.”] 26 But they refused to listen to me, and they did not incline their ear. Instead, they were stubborn, [Literally, “they hardened their neck.”] and they acted worse than their forefathers!
27 “You will speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; you will call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 And you will say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of Jehovah their God and refused to accept discipline. Faithfulness has perished and is not even mentioned among them.’ [Literally, “is cut off from their mouth.”]
29 “Shear off your uncut [Or “dedicated.”] hair and throw it away, and on the bare hills raise a dirge, [Or “song of mourning.”] for Jehovah has rejected and will abandon this generation that has infuriated him. 30 ‘For the people of Judah have done what is bad in my eyes,’ declares Jehovah. ‘They have set up their disgusting idols in the house that bears my name, in order to defile it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, [See Glossary, “Gehenna.”] in order to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, something that I had not commanded and that had never even come into my heart.’ [Or “had never entered my thoughts.”]
32 “‘Therefore look! the days are coming,’ declares Jehovah, ‘when it will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom [See Glossary, “Gehenna.”] but the Valley of the Slaughter. They will bury in Topheth until there is no place left. 33 And the dead bodies of this people will become food for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth, with no one to frighten them away. 34 I will put an end to the sound of exultation and the sound of rejoicing, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will be reduced to ruins.’”
Chapter 8
1 “At that time,” declares Jehovah, “the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its princes, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be taken from their graves. 2 They will be spread out to the sun and to the moon and to all the army of the heavens that they loved and served and followed and sought after and bowed down to. They will not be gathered, nor will they be buried. They will become like manure on the surface of the ground.”
3 “And the remnant of this evil family who survive will choose death over life in all the places where I disperse them,” declares Jehovah of armies.
4 “And you must say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah says:
“Will they fall and not get up again?
If one would turn back, will the other not also turn back?
5 Why is this people, Jerusalem, unfaithful with an enduring unfaithfulness?
They hold fast to deception;
They refuse to turn back.
6 I paid attention and kept listening, but the way they spoke was not right.
Not a man repented over his wickedness or asked, ‘What have I done?’
Each one keeps returning to the popular course, like a horse dashing into the battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky knows its seasons; [Or “appointed times.”]
The turtledove and the swift and the thrush [Or possibly, “crane.”] keep to the time of their return. [Or “migration.”]
But my own people do not understand the judgment of Jehovah.”’
8 ‘How can you say: “We are wise, and we have the law [Or “instruction.”] of Jehovah”?
For in fact, the lying [Or “false.”] stylus [Or “pen.”] of the scribes [Or “secretaries.”] has been used only for falsehood.
9 The wise have been put to shame.
They have become terrified and will be caught.
Look! They have rejected the word of Jehovah,
And what wisdom do they have?
10 So I will give their wives to other men,
Their fields to other owners;
For from the least to the greatest, each one is making dishonest gain;
From the prophet to the priest, each one is practicing fraud.
11 And they try to heal the breakdown [Or “fracture.”] of the daughter of my people lightly, [Or “superficially.”] saying,
“There is peace! There is peace!”
When there is no peace.
12 Do they feel ashamed of the detestable things they have done?
They feel no shame at all!
They do not even know how to feel humiliated!
So they will fall among the fallen.
When I bring punishment on them they will stumble,’ says Jehovah.
13 ‘When I gather them, I will bring them to their end,’ declares Jehovah.
‘There will be no grapes left on the vine, no figs on the fig tree, and the leaves will wither.
And what I gave to them will be lost to them.’”
14 “Why are we sitting here?
Let us gather together and enter the fortified cities and perish there.
For Jehovah our God will do away with us,
And he gives us poisoned water to drink,
Because we have sinned against Jehovah.
15 There was a hope for peace, but nothing good came,
For a time of healing, but there is terror!
16 From Dan is heard the snorting of his horses.
At the sound of the neighing of his stallions,
The whole land quakes.
They come in and devour the land and everything in it,
The city and its inhabitants.”
17 “For here I am sending in serpents among you,
Poisonous snakes that cannot be charmed,
And they will certainly bite you,” declares Jehovah.
18 My grief is incurable;
My heart is sick.
19 From a distant land there is a cry for help
From the daughter of my people:
“Is Jehovah not in Zion?
Or is her king not in her?”
“Why have they offended me with their graven images,
With their worthless foreign gods?”
20 “The harvest has passed, the summer has ended,
But we have not been saved!”
21 I am shattered over the breakdown of the daughter of my people;
I am dejected.
Horror has seized me.
22 Is there no balsam [Or “soothing balm.”] in Gilead?
Or is there no healer [Or “physician.”] there?
Why has the daughter of my people not been restored to health?
Chapter 9
1 O that my head were waters,
My eyes a fountain of tears!
Then I would weep day and night
For the slain ones of my people.
2 O that I had a traveler’s lodging place in the wilderness!
Then I would leave my people and go away from them,
For they are all adulterers,
A band of treacherous people.
3 They bend their tongue like a bow;
Falsehood, not faithfulness, prevails in the land.
“They advance from evil to evil,
And they pay no attention to me,” declares Jehovah.
4 “Everyone, be on guard against your neighbor,
And do not trust even your brother.
For every brother is a betrayer,
And every neighbor is a slanderer.
5 Each one cheats his neighbor,
And no one speaks truth.
They have taught their tongue to speak falsehood.
They wear themselves out doing what is wrong.
6 You are living in the midst of deception.
In their deception they refused to know me,” declares Jehovah.
7 Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies says:
“I will smelt them and test them,
For what else can I do with the daughter of my people?
8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow that speaks deception.
With his mouth a person speaks of peace to his neighbor,
But inside he lays an ambush.”
9 “Should I not call them to account for these things?” declares Jehovah.
“Should I [Or “my soul.”] not avenge myself on such a nation?
10 I will weep and lament over the mountains
And take up a dirge [Or “song of mourning.”] over the pastures of the wilderness,
For they have been burned up so that no man passes through,
And the sound of livestock is not heard.
The birds of heaven and the beasts have fled; they are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem piles of stones, the lair of jackals,
And I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
12 Who is wise enough to understand this?
To whom has the mouth of Jehovah spoken, that he may declare it?
Why has the land perished?
Why is it scorched like the wilderness,
So that no one is passing through?”
13 Jehovah replied: “Because of their rejecting my law [Or “instruction.”] that I set before them, and because they have not followed it and obeyed my voice. 14 Instead, they stubbornly followed their own hearts, and they followed the Baal images, as their fathers had taught them to do. 15 Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Here I am making this people eat wormwood, and I will make them drink poisoned water. 16 I will scatter them among the nations that they and their fathers have not known, and I will send a sword after them until I will have exterminated them.’
17 This is what Jehovah of armies says,
‘Behave with understanding.
Summon the women who sing dirges, [Or “songs of mourning.”]
And send for the skilled women to come,
18 So that they may hurry and raise a lamentation for us,
So that our eyes may stream with tears
And our eyelids trickle with water.
19 For the sound of lamentation has been heard from Zion:
“How we have been devastated!
How great our shame is!
For we have left the land, and they have thrown down our homes.”
20 You women, hear the word of Jehovah.
May your ear receive the word of his mouth.
Teach your daughters this lamentation,
And teach one another this dirge. [Or “song of mourning.”]
21 For death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our fortified towers
To take away the children from the streets
And the young men from the public squares.’
22 Say, ‘This is what Jehovah declares:
“The dead bodies of people will fall like manure on the surface of the field,
Like a row of newly cut grain after the reaper,
With no one to gather them up.”’”
23 This is what Jehovah says:
“Let not the wise man boast about his wisdom;
Let not the mighty man boast about his mightiness;
And let not the rich man boast about his riches.”
24 “But let the one boasting boast about this:
That he has insight and knowledge of me,
That I am Jehovah, the One showing loyal love, justice, and righteousness in the earth,
For in these things I take delight,” declares Jehovah.
25 “Look! Days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “and I will hold an accounting with everyone circumcised and yet uncircumcised, 26 with Egypt and Judah and Edom and the Ammonites and Moab and with all of those with hair clipped at the temples who are dwelling in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.”
Chapter 10
1 Hear the word that Jehovah has spoken against you, O house of Israel. 2 This is what Jehovah says:
“Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens
Because the nations are terrified by them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are a delusion. [Or “futility.”]
It is just a tree of the forest that is cut down,
Worked by the hands of the craftsman with his tool. [Or “billhook.”]
4 They adorn it with silver and gold
And fasten it with hammer and nails so that it will not fall over.
5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, they cannot speak;
They have to be carried, for they cannot walk.
Do not fear them, for they can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 No one is like you, O Jehovah.
You are great, and your name is great and mighty.
7 Who should not fear you, O King of the nations, for it is fitting;
Because among all the wise ones of the nations and among all their kingdoms,
There is no one at all like you.
8 They are all unreasoning and stupid.
Instruction from a tree is an utter delusion. [Or “futility.”]
9 Silver plates are imported from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman, of the hands of a metalworker.
Their clothing is blue thread and purple wool.
They are all made by skilled workers.
10 But Jehovah is truly God.
He is the living God and the eternal King.
Because of his indignation the earth will quake,
And no nations will endure his denunciation.
11 [Verse 11 was originally written in Aramaic.] This is what you should say to them:
“The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth
Will perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”
12 He is the Maker of the earth by his power,
The One who established the productive land by his wisdom
And who stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
13 When he makes his voice heard,
The waters in the heavens are in turmoil,
And he causes clouds [Or “vapors.”] to ascend from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for [Or possibly, “makes sluices for.”] the rain,
And he brings the wind out of his storehouses.
14 Every man acts unreasonably and without knowledge.
Every metalworker will be put to shame because of the carved image;
For his metal image [Or “molten statue.”] is a falsehood,
And there is no spirit [Or “breath.”] in them.
15 They are a delusion, [Or “futility.”] a work of mockery.
When their day of reckoning comes, they will perish.
16 The Share of Jacob is not like these things,
For he is the One who formed everything,
And Israel is the staff of his inheritance.
Jehovah of armies is his name.
17 Gather up your bundle from the ground,
O woman dwelling under siege.
18 For this is what Jehovah says:
“Here I am hurling [Or “slinging.”] the inhabitants out of the land at this time,
And I will cause them to experience distress.”
19 Woe to me because of my breakdown! [Or “fracture!”]
My wound is incurable.
And I said: “Surely this is my sickness, and I must bear it.
20 My tent has been devastated, and my tent cords have all been torn apart.
My sons have left me and are no more.
There is no one left to stretch out my tent or raise up my tent cloths.
21 For the shepherds have behaved senselessly,
And they have not inquired of Jehovah.
That is why they have not acted with insight,
And all their flocks have been scattered.”
22 Listen! A report! It is coming!
A great pounding from the land of the north,
To make the cities of Judah desolate, a lair of jackals.
23 I well know, O Jehovah, that man’s way does not belong to him.
It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.
24 Correct me, O Jehovah, with judgment,
But not in your anger, that you may not reduce me to nothing.
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations who ignore you
And on the families who do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob,
Yes, they have devoured him to the point of extermination,
And they have desolated his homeland.
Chapter 11
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying: 2 “Hear the words of this covenant, you people!
“Speak [Apparently addressed to Jeremiah.] them to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem 3 and say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: “Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant, 4 which I commanded your forefathers on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace, saying, ‘Obey my voice, and do all the things that I command you; and you will become my people and I will be your God, 5 so that I may fulfill the oath that I swore to your forefathers, to give them the land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.’”’”
And I answered: “Amen, [Or “So be it.”] O Jehovah.”
6 Jehovah then said to me: “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Hear the words of this covenant, and carry them out. 7 For I solemnly admonished your forefathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt and to this day, admonishing them again and again: [Literally, “rising up early and admonishing.”] “Obey my voice.” 8 But they did not listen or incline their ear; instead, each kept stubbornly following his own wicked heart. So I brought on them all the words of this covenant that I commanded them to do and that they refused to carry out.’”
9 Jehovah then said to me: “There is a conspiracy among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the errors of their forefathers of old, who refused to obey my words. They too have followed other gods and have served them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their forefathers. 11 Therefore this is what Jehovah says, ‘Here I am bringing on them a calamity that they will not be able to escape. When they call to me for help, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go to the gods to which they are making sacrifices [Or “sacrificial smoke.”] and call for help, but these will by no means save them in the time of their calamity. 13 For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and you have set up as many altars to the shameful thing [Or “the shameful god.”] as there are streets in Jerusalem, altars to make sacrifices to Baal.’
14 “As for you, [That is, Jeremiah.] do not pray in behalf of this people. Do not cry out in their behalf or offer a prayer for them, for I will not be listening when they call out to me because of their calamity.
15 What right does my beloved one have to be in my house
When so many have carried out evil schemes?
With holy flesh [That is, sacrifices made in the temple.] will they avert the calamity when it comes upon you?
Will you exult at that time?
16 Jehovah once called you a thriving olive tree,
Beautiful with fine fruit.
With a great roaring sound, he has set her on fire,
And they have broken its branches.
17 “Jehovah of armies, your Planter, has declared that a calamity will come upon you because of the evil committed by the house of Israel and the house of Judah, who have offended me by making sacrifices to Baal.”
18 Jehovah informed me so that I would know;
At that time you caused me to see what they were doing.
19 I was like a docile lamb being brought to the slaughter.
I did not know that they were scheming against me:
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
And let us cut him off from the land of the living,
So that his name may be remembered no more.”
20 But Jehovah of armies judges with righteousness;
He examines the innermost thoughts [Or “deepest emotions.” Literally, “kidneys.”] and the heart.
Let me see your vengeance on them,
For to you I have committed my legal case.
21 Therefore this is what Jehovah says against the men of Anathoth who are seeking to take your life [Or “seeking your soul.”] and who say: “You must not prophesy in the name of Jehovah, or you will die by our hand”; 22 therefore this is what Jehovah of armies says: “Here I am going to call them to account. The young men will die by the sword, and their sons and their daughters will die by famine. 23 Not even a remnant will be left of them, because I will bring calamity on the men of Anathoth in the year of their being called to account.”
Chapter 12
1 You are righteous, O Jehovah, when I make my complaint to you,
When I speak about matters of justice with you.
But why is the way of wicked ones successful,
And why are the treacherous unworried?
2 You planted them, and they have taken root.
They have grown and produced fruit.
You are on their lips, but far away from their innermost thoughts. [Or “deepest emotions.” Literally, “kidneys.”]
3 But you know me well, O Jehovah, you see me;
You have examined my heart and found it in union with you.
Single them out like sheep for slaughtering,
And set them apart for the day of killing.
4 How much longer should the land wither away
And the vegetation of every field dry up?
Because of the evil of those dwelling in it,
The beasts and the birds have been swept away.
For they have said: “He does not see what will happen to us.”
5 If you get tired running with footmen,
How can you run a race against horses?
Even if you are confident in the land of peace,
How will you fare among the dense thickets along the Jordan?
6 For even your own brothers, the household of your own father,
Have dealt treacherously with you.
They have raised a loud cry against you.
Do not put faith in them,
Even if they speak good things to you.
7 “I have abandoned my house; I have deserted my inheritance.
I have given my dearly beloved one [Or “the beloved one of my soul.”] into the hand of her enemies.
8 My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest.
She has roared against me.
So I have come to hate her.
9 My inheritance is like a multicolored [Or “speckled.”] bird of prey to me;
The other birds of prey surround it and attack it.
Come, gather together, all you beasts of the field,
Come to eat.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
They have trampled my portion of land.
They have turned my desirable portion of land into a desolate wilderness.
11 It has become a wasteland.
It has withered; [Or possibly, “It mourns.”]
It is desolate before me.
The whole land has been made desolate,
But no man takes it to heart.
12 On all the worn paths through the wilderness the destroyers have come,
For the sword of Jehovah is devouring from one end of the land to the other end.
There is no peace for anyone. [Literally, “any flesh.”]
13 They have sown wheat, but they have reaped thorns.
They have worn themselves out, but to no benefit.
They will be ashamed of their produce
Because of the burning anger of Jehovah.”
14 This is what Jehovah says against all my wicked neighbors, who are touching the inheritance that I caused my people Israel to possess: “Here I am uprooting them from their land, and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have mercy on them and bring each of them back to his inheritance and to his land.”
16 “And if they make sure to learn the ways of my people and to swear by my name, ‘As surely as Jehovah is alive!’ just as they taught my people to swear by Baal, they will then be built up among my people. 17 But if they refuse to obey, I will also uproot that nation, uprooting and destroying it,” declares Jehovah.
Chapter 13
1 This is what Jehovah told me: “Go and buy a linen belt for yourself and put it around your waist, but do not dip it in water.” 2 So I bought the belt according to the word of Jehovah and put it around my waist. 3 And the word of Jehovah came to me a second time: 4 “Take the belt that you bought and are wearing and get up, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the crag.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, just as Jehovah had commanded me.
6 But many days later Jehovah said to me: “Get up, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the belt that I commanded you to hide there.” 7 So I went to the Euphrates and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, and I saw that the belt had been ruined; it was completely useless.
8 Then the word of Jehovah came to me: 9 “This is what Jehovah says, ‘In the same way I will destroy the pride of Judah and the immense pride of Jerusalem. 10 These evil people who refuse to obey my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart, and who are following other gods, serving and bowing down to them, will become just like this belt that is completely useless.’ 11 ‘For just as a belt clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me,’ declares Jehovah, ‘to become to me a people, a name, a praise, and something beautiful. But they did not obey.’
12 “And you must also give this message to them, ‘This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: “Every large jar should be filled with wine.”’ And they will reply to you, ‘Do we not already know that every large jar should be filled with wine?’ 13 Then say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah says: “Here I am filling with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land, the kings sitting on the throne of David, the priests and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 14 And I will smash them against each other, fathers and sons alike,” declares Jehovah. “I will not show compassion or feel any sorrow or have any mercy on them; nothing will stop me from bringing them to ruin.”’
15 Hear and pay attention.
Do not be haughty, for Jehovah has spoken.
16 Give glory to Jehovah your God
Before he brings darkness
And before your feet stumble on the mountains at dusk.
You will hope for the light,
But he will bring deep shadow;
He will turn it into thick gloom.
17 And if you refuse to listen,
I [Or “My soul.”] will weep in secret because of your pride.
I will shed many tears, and my eyes will stream with tears,
Because the flock of Jehovah has been carried away captive.
18 Tell the king and the queen mother, [Or “the lady.”] ‘Sit in a lower place,
For your beautiful crown will fall from your head.’
19 The cities of the south are shut, [Or “besieged.”] with no one to open them.
All of Judah has been taken into exile, taken completely into exile.
20 Raise your eyes and see those coming from the north.
Where is the flock you were given, your beautiful sheep?
21 What will you say when your punishment comes
From your close friends whom you cultivated from the start?
Will not birth pains seize you, like those of a woman giving birth?
22 And when you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things befallen me?’
It is because of your great error that your skirts have been stripped off
And your heels have been treated violently.
23 Can a Cushite [Or “an Ethiopian.”] change his skin, or a leopard its spots?
If so, then you can do good,
You who are trained to do bad.
24 So I will scatter them like straw blown by the desert wind.
25 This is your lot, the portion that I have measured out to you,” declares Jehovah,
“Because you have forgotten me and you trust in lies.
26 Therefore, I will lift up your skirts over your face,
And your shame will be seen,
27 Your acts of adultery and your lustful neighing,
Your obscene [Or “shameful.”] prostitution.
On the hills, in the field,
I have seen your disgusting behavior.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
How much longer will you remain unclean?”
Chapter 14
1 This is the word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts:
2 Judah mourns, and its gates have faded away.
They sink to the ground dejected,
And a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
3 And their masters send their servants [Or “their small ones.”] for water.
They go to the water holes [Or “the ditches; the cisterns.”] and find no water.
They return with their vessels empty.
They are ashamed and disappointed,
And they cover their heads.
4 Because the ground is cracked,
For there is no rain on the land,
The farmers are dismayed and cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn
Because there is no grass.
6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare hills.
They pant for air like jackals;
Their eyes fail because there is no vegetation.
7 Although our own errors testify against us,
O Jehovah, act for the sake of your name.
For our acts of unfaithfulness are many,
And it is against you that we have sinned.
8 O hope of Israel, his Savior in times of distress,
Why are you like a stranger in the land,
Like a traveler who stops only to spend the night?
9 Why are you like a man who is stunned,
Like a mighty man who cannot save?
For you are among us, O Jehovah,
And your name has been called on us.
Do not abandon us.
10 This is what Jehovah says concerning this people: “They love to wander about; they have not restrained their feet. So Jehovah finds no pleasure in them. Now he will remember their error and call them to account for their sins.”
11 Then Jehovah said to me: “Do not pray for good to come to this people. 12 When they fast, I do not listen to their entreaties, and when they offer whole burnt offerings and grain offerings, I take no pleasure in them, for by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, [Or “disease.”] I will do away with them.”
13 At this I said: “Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Here the prophets are saying to them, ‘You will not see the sword, and famine will not come upon you, but I will give you true peace in this place.’”
14 Jehovah then said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or commanded them or spoken to them. A lying vision and a worthless divination and the deceit of their own heart is what they are prophesying to you. 15 Therefore this is what Jehovah says concerning the prophets who are prophesying in my name, though I did not send them, and who say that no sword or famine will occur in this land: ‘By sword and by famine those prophets will perish. 16 And the people to whom they are prophesying will be cast out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword, with no one to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters—for I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.’
17 “You must speak this word to them,
‘Let my eyes stream with tears night and day, let them not cease,
For the virgin daughter of my people has been completely crushed and broken,
With an extremely severe wound.
18 If I go out into the field and look,
I see those slain by the sword!
And if I come into the city,
I see the diseases from the famine!
For both the prophet and the priest have gone around in a land that they do not know.’”
19 Have you completely rejected Judah, or have you [Or “has your soul.”] abhorred Zion?
Why have you struck us, so that there is no healing for us?
There was a hope for peace, but nothing good came,
For a time of healing, but there is terror!
20 We acknowledge our wickedness, O Jehovah,
And the error of our forefathers,
For we have sinned against you.
21 For the sake of your name, do not reject us;
Do not despise your glorious throne.
Remember, and do not break your covenant with us.
22 Can any of the worthless idols of the nations give rain,
Or can even the heavens send showers of rain on their own?
Are you not the only One, O Jehovah our God?
And we hope in you,
For you alone have done all these things.
Chapter 15
1 Then Jehovah said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel were standing before me, I would show no favor toward [Or “my soul would not be toward.”] this people. Drive them out from before me. Let them go. 2 And if they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ you must say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah says:
“Whoever is for deadly plague, to deadly plague!
Whoever is for the sword, to the sword!
Whoever is for the famine, to the famine!
And whoever is for the captivity, to the captivity!”’
3 “‘And I will appoint over them four calamities,’ [Or possibly, “four kinds of judgment.” Literally, “four families.”] declares Jehovah, ‘the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and to destroy. 4 And I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 Who will show compassion to you, O Jerusalem,
Who will sympathize with you,
And who will stop to ask about your welfare?’
6 ‘You have deserted me,’ declares Jehovah.
‘You keep turning your back on me. [Or possibly, “keep walking backward.”]
So I will stretch out my hand against you and destroy you.
I am tired of feeling pity for you. [Or “feeling regret.”]
7 And I will winnow them with a fork in the gates of the land.
I will bereave them of children.
I will destroy my people,
Since they refuse to turn back from their ways.
8 Their widows will become more numerous before me than the sand of the seas.
I will bring a destroyer against them at midday, against mothers and young men.
I will bring agitation and terror upon them suddenly.
9 The woman who bore seven children has grown faint;
She [Or “Her soul.”] struggles for breath.
Her sun has set while it is yet day,
Causing shame and humiliation.’ [Or possibly, “It has become ashamed and felt abashed.”]
‘And those few remaining ones of them
I will give to the sword before their enemies,’ declares Jehovah.”
10 Woe to me, O my mother, because you gave birth to me,
A man subject to quarrel and strife with all the land.
I have neither loaned nor borrowed;
But all of them curse me.
11 Jehovah said: “I will surely minister to you for good;
I will surely intercede for you in the time of calamity,
In the time of distress against the enemy.
12 Can anyone break iron in pieces,
Iron from the north, and copper?
13 Your resources and your treasures I will give as plunder,
Not for a price, but because of all your sins throughout all your territories.
14 I will give them to your enemies
To take to a land you do not know.
For a fire has been ignited by my anger,
And it is burning against you.”
15 You know, O Jehovah,
Remember me and turn your attention to me.
Take vengeance on my persecutors for me.
Do not let me perish [Literally, “Do not take me away.”] because of your slowness to anger.
Know that for your sake I bear this reproach.
16 Your words were found, and I ate them;
And your word became to me the exultation and the rejoicing of my heart,
For your name has been called on me, O Jehovah God of armies.
17 I do not sit in the company of merrymakers and rejoice.
Because your hand is upon me, I sit alone,
For you have filled me with indignation. [Or “a message of denunciation.”]
18 Why is my pain chronic and my wound incurable?
It refuses to be healed.
Will you become to me like a deceptive water supply
That cannot be relied on?
19 Therefore this is what Jehovah says:
“If you return, then I will restore you,
And you will stand before me.
If you separate what is precious from what is worthless,
You will become like my own mouth. [Or “become my spokesman.”]
They will have to turn to you,
But you will not turn to them.”
20 “I am making you a fortified copper wall to this people.
They will certainly fight against you,
But they will not prevail against you, [Or “defeat you.”]
For I am with you, to save you and to rescue you,” declares Jehovah.
21 “And I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked
And redeem you from the palm of the ruthless.”
Chapter 16
1 The word of Jehovah again came to me, saying: 2 “You must not take a wife for yourself, and you must not have sons and daughters in this place. 3 For this is what Jehovah says concerning the sons and daughters who are born here and concerning their mothers who give birth to them and concerning their fathers who cause their birth in this land: 4 ‘They will die of deadly diseases, but no one will mourn them or bury them; they will become like manure on the surface of the ground. They will perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth.’
5 For this is what Jehovah says,
‘Do not enter a house where a mourners’ feast is held,
And do not go to wail or offer sympathy.’
‘For I have taken away my peace from this people,’ declares Jehovah,
‘As well as my loyal love and mercy.
6 Both the great and the small will die in this land.
They will not be buried,
No one will mourn them,
Nor will anyone cut himself or make himself bald for them. [Pagan mourning customs apparently practiced in apostate Israel.]
7 And no one will provide food for those in mourning,
To comfort them over their dead;
Nor will anyone give them the cup of consolation
To drink over the loss of their father or mother.
8 And do not enter a house of feasting
To sit down with them to eat and drink.’
9 “For this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Here in this place, in your days and before your very eyes, I will put an end to the sounds of exultation and rejoicing, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.’
10 “When you tell this people all these words, they will ask you, ‘Why has Jehovah spoken of all this great calamity against us? What error and what sin have we committed against Jehovah our God?’ 11 You must reply to them, ‘“Because your forefathers abandoned me,” declares Jehovah, “and they kept following other gods and serving them and bowing down to them. But me they abandoned, and my law they did not keep. 12 And you have behaved far worse than your forefathers, and each one of you follows the stubbornness of his wicked heart instead of obeying me. 13 So I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your forefathers have known, and there you will have to serve other gods day and night, because I will show you no favor.”’
14 “‘However, the days are coming,’ declares Jehovah, ‘when they will no longer say: “As surely as Jehovah is alive, who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt!” 15 but rather: “As surely as Jehovah is alive, who brought the people of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands to which he had dispersed them!” and I will bring them back to their land, which I gave to their forefathers.’
16 ‘Here I am sending for many fishermen,’ declares Jehovah,
‘And they will fish for them.
After that I will send for many hunters,
And they will hunt them down on every mountain and every hill
And out of the clefts of the crags.
17 For my eyes are on everything they do. [Literally, “on all their ways.”]
They have not been hidden from before me,
Nor has their error been hidden from my eyes.
18 First, I will repay the full amount due for their error and their sin,
For they have profaned my land with the lifeless figures [Literally, “the corpses.”] of their disgusting idols
And have filled my inheritance with their detestable things.’”
19 O Jehovah, my strength and my stronghold,
My place to flee in the day of distress,
To you the nations will come from the ends of the earth,
And they will say: “Our forefathers inherited utter falsehood,
Futility and useless things of no benefit.”
20 Can a man make gods for himself
When they are not really gods?
21 “So I will make them know,
At this time I will make them know my power and my might,
And they will have to know that my name is Jehovah.”
Chapter 17
1 “The sin of Judah is written down with an iron stylus.
With a diamond point it is engraved on the tablet of their heart
And on the horns of their altars,
2 While their sons remember their altars and their sacred poles [See Glossary.]
Beside a luxuriant tree, on the high hills,
3 On the mountains in the open countryside.
Your resources, all your treasures, I will give as plunder
—Yes, your high places because of sin throughout your territories.
4 You will forfeit, of your own accord, your inheritance that I gave you.
And I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know,
For you have kindled my anger like a fire. [Or possibly, “For as a fire you have been ignited in my anger.”]
It will burn for all time.”
5 This is what Jehovah says:
“Cursed is the man [Or “strong man.”] who puts his trust in mere humans,
Who relies on human power, [Literally, “makes flesh his arm.”]
And whose heart turns away from Jehovah.
6 He will become like a solitary tree in the desert.
He will not see when good comes,
But he will reside in parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land where no one can live.
7 Blessed is the man [Or “strong man.”] who puts his trust in Jehovah,
Whose confidence is in Jehovah.
8 He will become like a tree planted by the waters,
That sends out its roots to the stream.
He will not notice when heat comes,
But his leaves will always flourish.
And in the year of drought he will not be anxious,
Nor will he quit producing fruit.
9 The heart is more treacherous [Or “deceitful.”] than anything else and is desperate. [Or possibly, “incurable.”]
Who can know it?
10 I, Jehovah, am searching the heart,
Examining the innermost thoughts, [Or “deepest emotions.” Literally, “kidneys.”]
To give to each one according to his ways,
According to the fruitage of his works.
11 Like a partridge that gathers what it has not laid,
So is the one who acquires riches dishonestly. [Or “but not with justice.”]
They will leave him in midlife,
And in the end he will prove senseless.”
12 A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning,
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Jehovah, the hope of Israel,
All those who abandon you will be put to shame.
Those apostatizing from you [Literally, “from me,” apparently referring to Jehovah.] will be written in the dust,
Because they have abandoned Jehovah, the source of living water.
14 Heal me, O Jehovah, and I will be healed.
Save me, and I will be saved,
For you are the object of my praise.
15 Look! There are those saying to me:
“Where is the word of Jehovah?
Let it come, please!”
16 But as for me, I did not run away from following you as a shepherd,
Nor did I long for the day of disaster.
You well know everything my lips have spoken;
It all took place before your face!
17 Do not be a cause of terror to me.
You are my refuge in the day of calamity.
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,
But do not let me be put to shame.
Let them be struck with terror,
But do not let me be struck with terror.
Bring the day of calamity on them,
And crush them and destroy them completely. [Or “destroy them twice over.”]
19 This is what Jehovah told me: “Go and stand in the gate of the sons of the people by which the kings of Judah go in and out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem. 20 You must say to them, ‘Hear the word of Jehovah, you kings of Judah, all people of Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 This is what Jehovah says: “Watch yourselves, [Or “your souls.”] and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring it in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 You must not bring any load out of your homes on the Sabbath day; and you must do no work at all. Keep the Sabbath day sacred, just as I commanded your forefathers. 23 But they did not listen or incline their ear, and they stubbornly refused [Literally, “they hardened their neck.”] to obey or to accept discipline.”’
24 “‘“However, if you strictly obey me,” declares Jehovah, “and you bring in no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and you keep the Sabbath day sacred by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings and princes who sit on the throne of David will also enter in through the gates of this city, riding in the chariot and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will be inhabited for all time. 26 And people will come from the cities of Judah, from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the mountainous region, and from the Negeb, [Or “the south.”] bringing whole burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, frankincense, and thanksgiving sacrifices into the house of Jehovah.
27 “‘“But if you do not obey me by keeping the Sabbath day sacred and by not carrying loads and bringing them through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, I will set her gates on fire, and it will certainly consume the fortified towers of Jerusalem and will not be extinguished.”’”
Chapter 18
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah: 2 “Rise up and go down to the house of the potter, and there I will cause you to hear my words.”
3 So I went down to the house of the potter, and he was working on the potter’s wheels. 4 But the vessel that the potter was making with the clay was spoiled in his hand. So the potter reworked it into another vessel, just as he saw fit. [Literally, “as it was right in the eyes of the potter to make.”]
5 Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying: 6 “‘Can I not do to you just as this potter did, O house of Israel?’ declares Jehovah. ‘Look! As the clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 Whenever I may speak about uprooting and pulling down and destroying a nation or a kingdom, 8 and that nation abandons its wickedness that I spoke against, I will also change my mind concerning [Or “feel regret over.”] the calamity that I intended to bring against it. 9 But whenever I speak about building up and planting a nation or a kingdom, 10 and it does what is bad in my eyes and does not obey my voice, I will change my mind concerning [Or “feel regret over.”] the good that I intended to do for it.’
11 “Now say, please, to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, ‘This is what Jehovah says: “Here I am preparing [Literally, “forming.”] a calamity and devising a scheme against you. Turn back, please, from your bad ways, and reform your ways and your practices.”’”
12 But they said: “It is hopeless! For we will walk after our own thoughts, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his wicked heart.”
13 Therefore this is what Jehovah says:
“Ask for yourselves, please, among the nations.
Who has heard anything like this?
The virgin of Israel has done a most horrible thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon disappear from the rocks on its slopes?
Or will cool waters flowing from afar dry up?
15 But my people have forgotten me.
For they make sacrifices [Or “sacrificial smoke.”] to something worthless,
And they make men stumble in their ways, the ancient paths,
To walk on back roads that are not smooth and level, [Or “not built up.”]
16 In order to make their land an object of horror
And something to whistle at forever.
Every last one passing by it will stare in horror and shake his head.
17 Like the east wind, I will scatter them before the enemy.
I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their disaster.”
18 And they said: “Come, let us devise a plot against Jeremiah, for the law [Or “instruction.”] will not perish from our priests or counsel from the wise men or the word from the prophets. Come and let us speak against him [Literally, “strike him with the tongue.”] and pay no attention to what he says.”
19 Do pay attention to me, O Jehovah,
And listen to what my opponents are saying.
20 Should good be repaid with bad?
For they have dug a pit for my life. [Or “soul.”]
Remember how I stood before you to speak good about them,
To turn your wrath away from them.
21 So give their sons over to the famine,
And hand them over to the power of the sword.
May their wives become bereaved of children and widowed.
May their men be killed with deadly plague,
Their young men struck down with the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses
When you bring marauders on them suddenly.
For they have dug a pit to capture me
And have laid traps for my feet.
23 But you, O Jehovah,
Well know all their schemes against me to kill me.
Do not cover their error,
And do not wipe out their sin from before you.
Let them stumble before you
When you take action against them in your anger.
Chapter 19
1 This is what Jehovah said: “Go and buy an earthenware flask from a potter. Take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests, 2 and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, at the entrance of the Gate of the Potsherds. And there proclaim the words that I speak to you. 3 You will say, ‘Hear the word of Jehovah, you kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says:
“‘“I am about to bring a calamity on this place, and the ears of anyone who hears about it will tingle. 4 It is because they abandoned me and made this place unrecognizable. In it they are sacrificing to other gods, whom they and their forefathers and the kings of Judah had not known, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent ones. 5 They built the high places of Baal in order to burn their sons in the fire as whole burnt offerings to Baal, something that I had not commanded or spoken of and that had never even come into my heart.”’ [Or “had never entered my thoughts.”]
6 “‘“Therefore look! the days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom but the Valley of the Slaughter. 7 I will thwart the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those seeking to take their life. [Or “seeking their soul.”] And I will give their dead bodies as food to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the earth. 8 And I will make this city an object of horror and something to whistle at. Every last one passing by it will stare in horror and whistle over all its plagues. 9 And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will each eat the flesh of his fellow man, because of the siege and their desperation when they are hemmed in by their enemies and those seeking to take their life.”’ [Or “seeking their soul.”]
10 “Then break the flask before the eyes of the men who go with you, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies says: “This is how I will break this people and this city, like someone who breaks a potter’s vessel so that it can never be repaired; and they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them.”’
12 “‘That is what I will do to this place,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and to its inhabitants, to make this city like Topheth. 13 And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will become unclean like this place, Topheth, yes, all the houses on whose roofs they offered sacrifices to all the army of the heavens and where they poured out drink offerings to other gods.’”
14 When Jeremiah returned from Topheth where Jehovah sent him to prophesy, he stood in the courtyard of the house of Jehovah and said to all the people: 15 “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Here I am bringing on this city and on all its towns all the calamity that I have spoken against it, because they stubbornly refused [Literally, “hardened their neck so as not.”] to obey my words.’”
Chapter 20
1 Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest, who was also the leading commissioner in the house of Jehovah, was listening when Jeremiah prophesied these things. 2 Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of Jehovah. 3 But on the following day when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him:
“Jehovah has named you, not Pashhur, but Terror All Around. 4 For this is what Jehovah says, ‘I will make you an object of terror to yourself and to all your friends, and they will fall by the sword of their enemies while your eyes are looking on; and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take them into exile in Babylon and put them to death by the sword. 5 And I will give all the wealth of this city, all its resources, all its precious things, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies. And they will plunder them and seize them and take them to Babylon. 6 And as for you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, you will go into captivity. You will go off to Babylon and die there, and you will be buried there with all your friends, because you have prophesied lies to them.’”
7 You have fooled me, O Jehovah, and I was fooled.
You used your strength against me, and you prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
Everyone ridicules me.
8 For whenever I speak, I must cry out and proclaim,
“Violence and destruction!”
For me the word of Jehovah has been the cause of insults and jeering all day long.
9 So I said: “I am not going to make mention of him,
And I will speak no more in his name.”
But in my heart it became like a burning fire shut up in my bones,
And I was tired of holding it in;
I could no longer endure it.
10 For I heard many evil rumors;
Terror surrounded me.
“Denounce him; let us denounce him!”
Every man wishing me peace was watching for my downfall:
“Perhaps he will make a foolish mistake,
And we can prevail and take our revenge against him.”
11 But Jehovah was with me like a fearsome warrior.
That is why those persecuting me will stumble and will not prevail.
They will be put to great shame, for they will not succeed.
Their everlasting humiliation will not be forgotten.
12 But you, O Jehovah of armies, are examining the righteous one;
You see the innermost thoughts [Or “deepest emotions.” Literally, “kidneys.”] and the heart.
Let me see your vengeance on them,
For to you I have committed my legal case.
13 Sing to Jehovah! Praise Jehovah!
For he has rescued the poor one [Or “the soul of the poor one.”] from the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the day I was born!
May the day my mother gave birth to me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought good news to my father, saying:
“A son has been born to you, a boy!”
Making him rejoice greatly.
16 May that man become like cities that Jehovah overthrew without regret.
May he hear an outcry in the morning and the sound of alarm at midday.
17 Why did he not put me to death in the womb,
So that my mother would become my burial place
And her womb would always remain pregnant?
18 Why did I have to come out of the womb
To see trouble and grief,
To end my days in shame?
Chapter 21
1 Jeremiah received the word from Jehovah when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malchijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, requesting: 2 “Please inquire of Jehovah in our behalf, because King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon is waging war against us. Perhaps Jehovah will perform one of his wonderful works in our behalf, so that he will withdraw from us.”
3 Jeremiah said to them: “This is what you should say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: “Here I am turning around against you [Or “turning in reverse.”] the weapons of war that are in your own hands, with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them into the middle of this city. 5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, with anger and wrath and great indignation. 6 I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. By a great pestilence [Or “disease.”] they will die.”’
7 “‘“And after that,” declares Jehovah, “I will give King Zedekiah of Judah and his servants and the people of this city—those who survive the pestilence, the sword, and the famine—into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who are seeking to take their life. [Or “seeking their soul.”] He will strike them down with the sword. He will not feel sorry for them, nor will he show compassion or have any mercy.”’
8 “And to this people you should say, ‘This is what Jehovah says: “Here I am putting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Those who remain in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will keep living, and he will have his life [Or “soul.”] as a spoil.”’ [Or “will escape with his life.”]
10 “‘“For I have set my face against this city for calamity and not for good,” declares Jehovah. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.”
11 “‘To the household of the king of Judah: Hear the word of Jehovah. 12 O house of David, this is what Jehovah says:
“Uphold justice every morning,
And rescue the one being robbed from the hand of the defrauder,
So that my wrath does not blaze like a fire
And burn with no one to extinguish it
Because of your evil deeds.”’
13 ‘Here I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, [Or “low plain.”]
O rock of the level land,’ declares Jehovah.
‘As for you who say: “Who will come down against us?
And who will invade our dwellings?”
14 I will hold an accounting against you
As your deeds deserve,’ declares Jehovah.
‘And I will set her forest ablaze,
And it will consume all the things around her.’”
Chapter 22
1 This is what Jehovah says: “Go down to the house [Or “palace.”] of the king of Judah, and deliver this message. 2 You must say, ‘Hear the word of Jehovah, O king of Judah who sits on the throne of David, you with your servants and your people, those who enter through these gates. 3 This is what Jehovah says: “Uphold justice and righteousness. Rescue the one being robbed from the hand of the defrauder. Do not mistreat any foreign resident, and do not harm any fatherless child [Or “any orphan.”] or widow. And do not shed any innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out this word, then the kings who sit on the throne of David will enter through the gates of this house, riding in chariots and on horses, they with their servants and their people.”’
5 “‘But if you will not obey these words, by myself I do swear,’ declares Jehovah, ‘that this house will become a devastated place.’
6 “For this is what Jehovah says concerning the house of the king of Judah,
‘You are as Gilead to me,
Like the summit of Lebanon.
But I will make you a wilderness;
Not one of your cities will be inhabited.
7 And I will appoint [Literally, “sanctify.”] destroyers against you,
Each with his weapons.
They will cut down your choicest cedars
And make them fall into the fire.
8 “‘And many nations will pass by this city and say to one another: “Why did Jehovah do this to this great city?” 9 And they will reply: “Because they abandoned the covenant of Jehovah their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.”’
10 Do not weep for the dead one,
And do not sympathize with him.
Instead, weep profusely for the one going away,
For he will return no more to see the land of his birth.
11 “For this is what Jehovah says concerning Shallum [Also called Jehoahaz.] son of Josiah, the king of Judah who is reigning instead of his father Josiah and who has gone out of this place: ‘He will return there no more. 12 For he will die in the place where they have taken him into exile, and he will see this land no more.’
13 Woe to the one who builds his house without righteousness
And his upper rooms without justice,
Who makes his fellow man serve him for nothing,
Whose wages he refuses to pay;
14 The one saying, ‘I will build for myself a roomy house
With spacious upper rooms.
I will fit it with windows
And panel it with cedar and paint it with vermilion.’ [Or “red.”]
15 Will you continue reigning because you outdo others in your use of cedar?
Your father also ate and drank,
But he upheld justice and righteousness,
And it went well with him.
16 He defended the legal claim of the afflicted one and the poor one,
So that it went well.
‘Is that not what it means to know me?’ declares Jehovah.
17 ‘But your eyes and heart are set only on your dishonest gain,
On shedding innocent blood,
And on committing fraud and extortion.’
18 “Therefore this is what Jehovah says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah,
‘They will not mourn him:
“Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!”
They will not mourn him:
“Alas, O master! Alas, his majesty!”
19 With the burial of a donkey he will be buried,
Dragged about and thrown away,
Outside the gates of Jerusalem.’
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
Raise your voice in Bashan,
And cry out from Abarim,
For all your passionate lovers have been crushed.
21 I spoke to you when you felt secure.
But you said, ‘I will not obey.’
This has been your course since youth,
For you have not obeyed my voice.
22 A wind will shepherd all your shepherds,
And your passionate lovers will go into captivity.
Then you will be put to shame and humiliated because of all your calamity.
23 O you who dwell in Lebanon,
Nestled among the cedars,
How you will groan when pangs come on you,
Anguish [Literally, “Birth pangs.”] like that of a woman giving birth!”
24 “‘As surely as I am alive,’ declares Jehovah, ‘even if Coniah [Also called Jehoiachin and Jeconiah.] son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, were the seal ring on my right hand, I would pull you off from there! 25 I will give you into the hand of those seeking to take your life, [Or “seeking your soul.”] into the hand of those whom you fear, into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 And I will hurl you and your mother who gave birth to you into another land where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 And they will never return to the land they yearn for. [Or “the land to which they lift up their soul.”]
28 Is this man Coniah just a despised, broken pot,
A vessel that nobody wants?
Why are he and his descendants hurled down
And thrown into a land they do not know?’
29 O earth, [Or “land.”] earth, earth, hear the word of Jehovah.
30 This is what Jehovah says:
‘Write down this man as childless,
As a man who will not have any success during his lifetime, [Literally, “days.”]
For none of his descendants will succeed
In sitting on David’s throne and ruling again in Judah.’”
Chapter 23
1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares Jehovah.
2 Therefore this is what Jehovah the God of Israel says against the shepherds who are shepherding my people: “You have scattered my sheep; you kept dispersing them, and you have not turned your attention to them.”
“So I will turn my attention to you because of your evil deeds,” declares Jehovah.
3 “Then I will gather together the remnant of my sheep from all the lands to which I have dispersed them, and I will bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and become many. 4 And I will raise up over them shepherds who will really shepherd them. They will no longer be afraid or be terrified, and none will be missing,” declares Jehovah.
5 “Look! The days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when I will raise up to David a righteous sprout. [Or “heir.”] And a king will reign and show insight and uphold justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will reside in security. And this is the name by which he will be called: Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.”
7 “However, the days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as Jehovah is alive, who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt!’ 8 but rather, ‘As surely as Jehovah is alive, who brought out and brought back the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands to which I had dispersed them,’ and they will dwell in their own land.”
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart is broken within me.
All my bones are shaking.
I am like a man who is drunk
And like a man overcome by wine,
Because of Jehovah and because of his holy words.
10 For the land is full of adulterers;
Because of the curse the land has gone into mourning
And the pastures of the wilderness have dried up.
Their course is evil, and they abuse their power.
11 “Both the prophet and the priest are polluted. [Or “apostate.”]
Even in my own house I have found their wickedness,” declares Jehovah.
12 “So their path will become slippery and dark;
They will be pushed and will fall.
For I will bring calamity on them
In the year of reckoning,” declares Jehovah.
13 “And in the prophets of Samaria I have seen what is repulsive.
Their prophecies are incited by Baal,
And they lead my people Israel astray.
14 And in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen horrible things.
They commit adultery and walk in falsehood;
They encourage [Literally, “strengthen the hands of.”] evildoers,
And they do not turn away from their wickedness.
To me they are all like Sodom,
And her inhabitants are like Gomorrah.”
15 Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies says against the prophets:
“Here I am making them eat wormwood
And giving them poisoned water to drink.
For from the prophets of Jerusalem apostasy has spread throughout the land.”
16 This is what Jehovah of armies says:
“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are deluding you. [Or “They are filling you with empty hopes.”]
The vision they speak is from their own heart,
Not from the mouth of Jehovah.
17 They are saying again and again to those who disrespect me,
‘Jehovah has said: “You will enjoy peace.”’
And to everyone who follows his own stubborn heart they say,
‘No calamity will come upon you.’
18 For who has stood in the inner circle of Jehovah
To see and hear his word?
Who has paid attention to his word in order to hear it?
19 Look! The windstorm of Jehovah will burst out in fury;
Like a whirling tempest it will whirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of Jehovah will not turn back
Until he has carried out and accomplished the intentions of his heart.
In the final part of the days you will clearly understand this.
21 I did not send the prophets, yet they ran.
I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my inner circle,
They would have made my people hear my words
And would have caused them to turn back from their bad way and their evil deeds.”
23 “Am I only a God nearby,” declares Jehovah, “and not a God also from far away?”
24 “Can any man hide in a concealed place where I cannot see him?” declares Jehovah.
“Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares Jehovah.
25 “I have heard the prophets who are prophesying lies in my name say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the heart of the prophets, to prophesy lies? They are prophets of the deceit of their own heart. 27 They intend to make my people forget my name by the dreams they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot my name because of Baal. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream relate the dream, but the one who has my word should speak my word truthfully.”
“What does the straw have in common with the grain?” declares Jehovah.
29 “Is not my word just like a fire,” declares Jehovah, “and like a forge hammer that smashes the crag?”
30 “So here I am against the prophets,” declares Jehovah, “who steal my words from one another.”
31 “Here I am against the prophets,” declares Jehovah, “those who use their tongue to say, ‘He declares!’”
32 “Here I am against the prophets of lying dreams,” declares Jehovah, “who relate them and lead my people astray because of their lies and their boasting.”
“But I did not send them or command them. So they will not benefit this people at all,” declares Jehovah.
33 “And when this people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden [Or “burdensome message.” The Hebrew word has a double meaning: “a weighty divine pronouncement” or “something burdensome.”] of Jehovah?’ you should reply to them, ‘“You people are the burden! And I will cast you off,” declares Jehovah.’ 34 As for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘This is the burden [Or “burdensome message.”] of Jehovah!’ I will turn my attention on that man and on his household. 35 This is what each of you is saying to his fellow and to his brother, ‘What has Jehovah answered? And what has Jehovah spoken?’ 36 But the burden [Or “burdensome message.”] of Jehovah you should mention no more, for the burden [Or “burdensome message.”] is each one’s own word, and you have changed the words of the living God, Jehovah of armies, our God.
37 “This is what you will say to the prophet, ‘What answer has Jehovah given you? And what has Jehovah spoken? 38 And if you keep saying, “The burden [Or “burdensome message.”] of Jehovah!” this is what Jehovah says: “Because of your saying, ‘This word is the burden [Or “burdensome message.”] of Jehovah,’ after I told you, ‘You must not say: “The burden [Or “burdensome message.”] of Jehovah!”’ 39 look! I will lift you up and throw you away from my presence, both you and the city that I gave to you and your forefathers. 40 And I will bring on you everlasting disgrace and everlasting humiliation, which will not be forgotten.”’”
Chapter 24
1 Then Jehovah showed me two baskets of figs set before the temple of Jehovah, after King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon had carried into exile Jeconiah [Also called Jehoiachin and Coniah.] son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, along with the princes of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metalworkers; [Or possibly, “builders of bulwarks.”] he took them from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 One basket had very good figs, like early figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten.
3 Jehovah then asked me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” So I said: “Figs; the good figs are very good, but the bad ones are very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”
4 Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying: 5 “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard in a good way the exiles of Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 I will keep my eye on them for their good, and I will cause them to return to this land. I will build them up, and I will not tear down; I will plant them, and I will not uproot. 7 And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah. They will become my people, and I will become their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.
8 “‘But concerning the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, this is what Jehovah says: “So I will regard King Zedekiah of Judah, his princes, the remnant of Jerusalem who are left in this land, and those who are dwelling in the land of Egypt. 9 I will make them an object of horror and calamity to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach, a proverbial saying, a cause for ridicule, and a curse in all the places to which I disperse them. 10 And I will send against them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, [Or “disease.”] until they have perished from the land that I gave to them and to their forefathers.”’”
Chapter 25
1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, which was the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon. 2 This is what Jeremiah the prophet spoke concerning [Or “to.”] all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
3 “From the 13th year of Josiah son of Amon, the king of Judah, to this day, these 23 years, the word of Jehovah has come to me, and I kept speaking to you again and again, [Literally, “rising up early and speaking.”] but you would not listen. 4 And Jehovah sent all his servants the prophets to you, sending them again and again, [Literally, “rising up early and sending.”] but you would not listen or incline your ear to hear. 5 They would say, ‘Turn back, please, each of you from your evil ways and your evil deeds; then you will continue dwelling for a long time to come in the land that Jehovah long ago gave to you and to your forefathers. 6 Do not follow other gods and serve them and bow down to them, offending me with the work of your hands; otherwise I will bring calamity on you.’
7 “‘But you would not listen to me,’ declares Jehovah. ‘Instead you offended me with the work of your hands, to your own calamity.’
8 “Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies says, ‘“Because you would not obey my words, 9 I am sending for all the families of the north,” declares Jehovah, “sending for King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and something to whistle at and a perpetual ruin. 10 I will put an end to the sound of exultation and the sound of rejoicing from them, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the hand mill and the light of the lamp. 11 And all this land will be reduced to ruins and will become an object of horror, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.”’
12 “‘But when 70 years have been fulfilled, I will call to account [Or “punish.”] the king of Babylon and that nation for their error,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and I will make the land of the Chaldeans a desolate wasteland for all time. 13 I will bring on that land all my words that I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 14 For many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their own hands.’”
15 For this is what Jehovah the God of Israel said to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath out of my hand, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 And they will drink and stagger and act like madmen because of the sword that I am sending among them.”
17 So I took the cup out of the hand of Jehovah and made all the nations to whom Jehovah sent me drink: 18 starting with Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, her kings and her princes, to make them a ruin, an object of horror, something to whistle at and a curse, as it is today; 19 then Pharaoh king of Egypt and his servants, his princes, and all his people, 20 and all their mixed populations; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the land of the Philistines, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and those remaining of Ashdod; 21 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites; 22 all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the island in the sea; 23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all those with hair clipped at the temples; 24 all the kings of the Arabians and all the kings of the mixed populations who reside in the wilderness; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; 26 and all the kings of the north near and far, one after the other, and all the other kingdoms of the earth that are on the surface of the ground; and the king of Sheshach [This appears to be a cryptographic name for Babel (Babylon).] will drink after them.
27 “And you must say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “Drink and get drunk and vomit and fall so that you cannot get up because of the sword that I am sending among you.”’ 28 And if they refuse to take the cup out of your hand to drink, say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies says: “You must drink it! 29 For look! if I am bringing calamity first on the city that bears my name, should you go unpunished?”’
“‘You will not go unpunished, for I am calling for a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth,’ declares Jehovah of armies.
30 “And you are to prophesy all these words to them and say to them,
‘From on high Jehovah will roar,
And from his holy dwelling he will make his voice heard.
He will roar loudly against his abiding place.
Shouting like those treading the winepress,
He will sing triumphantly against all the inhabitants of the earth.’
31 ‘A noise will resound to the ends of the earth,
For Jehovah has a controversy with the nations.
He will personally pass judgment on all humans. [Literally, “all flesh.”]
And he will put the wicked to the sword,’ declares Jehovah.
32 This is what Jehovah of armies says:
‘Look! A calamity is spreading from nation to nation,
And a great tempest will be unleashed from the remotest parts of the earth.
33 “‘And those slain by Jehovah in that day will be from one end of the earth clear to the other end of the earth. They will not be mourned, nor will they be gathered up or buried. They will become like manure on the surface of the ground.’
34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out!
Wallow about, you majestic ones of the flock,
Because the time of your slaughter and your dispersion has come,
And you will fall like a precious vessel!
35 The shepherds have no place to flee,
And there is no escape for the majestic ones of the flock.
36 Listen! The outcry of the shepherds
And the wailing of the majestic ones of the flock,
For Jehovah is devastating their pasture.
37 And the peaceful dwelling places have been made lifeless
Because of the burning anger of Jehovah.
38 He has left his lair just like a young lion, [Or “a maned young lion.”]
For their land has become an object of horror
Because of the cruel sword
And because of his burning anger.”
Chapter 26
1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came from Jehovah: 2 “This is what Jehovah says, ‘Stand in the courtyard of the house of Jehovah and speak concerning [Or “to.”] all the people of the cities of Judah who are coming in to worship [Or “bow down.”] at the house of Jehovah. Tell them everything that I command you; do not take away a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and each one will turn back from his evil way, and I will change my mind concerning [Or “feel regret over.”] the calamity that I intend to bring on them because of their evil deeds. 4 Say to them: “This is what Jehovah says, ‘If you will not listen to me by following my law [Or “instruction.”] that I have placed before you, 5 by listening to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I am sending to you again and again, [Literally, “rising up early and sending.”] whom you have not listened to, 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city an object of cursing to all the nations of the earth.’”’”
7 And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah. 8 So when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that Jehovah had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him and said: “You will surely die. 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of Jehovah, saying, ‘This house will become like Shiloh, and this city will be devastated and left without an inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of Jehovah.
10 When the princes of Judah heard these words, they came up from the house [Or “palace.”] of the king to the house of Jehovah and sat down at the entrance of the new gate of Jehovah. 11 The priests and the prophets said to the princes and to all the people: “This man deserves the death penalty, because he has prophesied against this city just as you have heard with your own ears.”
12 Jeremiah then said to all the princes and to all the people: “It was Jehovah who sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. 13 So now, reform your ways and your actions and obey the voice of Jehovah your God, and Jehovah will change his mind concerning [Or “feel regret over.”] the calamity that he has spoken against you. 14 But as for me, I am in your hand. Do to me whatever seems good and right in your eyes. 15 Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and upon her inhabitants, for in truth Jehovah sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”
16 Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets: “This man does not deserve the death penalty, for he spoke to us in the name of Jehovah our God.”
17 Furthermore, some of the elders of the land rose up and began saying to the entire congregation of the people: 18 “Micah of Moresheth was prophesying in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, and he said to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies says:
“Zion will be plowed up as a field,
Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins,
And the mountain of the House [Or “the temple mount.”] will become like high places in a forest.”’ [Or “like a wooded ridge.”]
19 “Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all Judah then put him to death? Did he not fear Jehovah and beg for Jehovah’s favor, [Or “try to soften the face of Jehovah.”] so that Jehovah changed his mind concerning [Or “felt regret over.”] the calamity that he had spoken against them? So we are about to bring a great calamity on ourselves. [Or “our souls.”]
20 “And there was another man prophesying in the name of Jehovah, Urijah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land with words like those of Jeremiah. 21 King Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and all the princes heard his words, and the king sought to put him to death. When Urijah heard of it, he at once became afraid and fled to Egypt. 22 Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan the son of Achbor and other men with him to Egypt. 23 They brought Urijah from Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who then struck him down with the sword and cast his dead body into the graveyard of the common people.”
24 But Ahikam the son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so that he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
Chapter 27
1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Jehovah: 2 “This is what Jehovah has told me, ‘Make for yourself straps and yoke bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Then send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the messengers who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah. 4 Give them this command for their masters:
“‘“This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says; this is what you should say to your masters, 5 ‘It is I who made the earth, mankind, and the beasts that are on the surface of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I have given it to whomever I please. [Literally, “to whom it is right in my eyes.”] 6 And now I have given all these lands into the hand of my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; even the wild beasts of the field I have given him to serve him. 7 All the nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his own land comes, when many nations and great kings will make him their slave.’
8 “‘“‘If any nation or kingdom refuses to serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and refuses to put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence,’ [Or “disease.”] declares Jehovah, ‘until I have finished them off by his hand.’
9 “‘“‘Therefore, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your magicians, and your sorcerers, who are saying to you: “You will not serve the king of Babylon.” 10 For they are prophesying lies to you, so that you will be taken far away from your land and I will disperse you and you will perish.
11 “‘“‘But the nation that brings its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will allow to remain [Literally, “rest.”] on its land,’ declares Jehovah, ‘to cultivate it and dwell in it.’”’”
12 Also to King Zedekiah of Judah I spoke in the same way, saying: “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and you will keep living. 13 Why should you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, as Jehovah has said about the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are saying to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ because they are prophesying lies to you.
15 “‘For I have not sent them,’ declares Jehovah, ‘but they are prophesying lies in my name, with the result that I will disperse you and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.’”
16 And to the priests and to all this people I said: “This is what Jehovah says, ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you: “Look! The utensils of the house of Jehovah will be brought back from Babylon very soon!” for they are prophesying lies to you. 17 Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and you will keep living. Why should this city become a ruin? 18 But if they are prophets and if the word of Jehovah is with them, please let them beg Jehovah of armies that the remaining utensils in the house of Jehovah, in the house [Or “palace.”] of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not be taken away to Babylon.’
19 “For this is what Jehovah of armies says concerning the pillars, the Sea, [That is, the copper Sea of the temple.] the carriages, and the remaining utensils that are left in this city, 20 which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take when he took into exile Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, together with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem; 21 yes, this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says concerning the utensils that are left at the house of Jehovah, in the house [Or “palace.”] of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘“To Babylon they will be brought, and there they will remain until the day I turn my attention to them,” declares Jehovah. “Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.”’”
Chapter 28
1 In that same year, in the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, the prophet Hananiah the son of Azzur from Gibeon said to me in the house of Jehovah in the presence of the priests and all the people: 2 “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years [Literally, “years of days.”] I am bringing back to this place all the utensils of the house of Jehovah that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from this place and brought to Babylon.’” 4 “‘And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who have gone to Babylon,’ declares Jehovah, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
5 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of Jehovah. 6 Jeremiah the prophet said: “Amen! [Or “So be it!”] May Jehovah do this! May Jehovah fulfill your words that you prophesied by bringing back from Babylon to this place the utensils of the house of Jehovah and all the exiled people! 7 However, hear, please, this message that I am speaking in your ears and in the ears of all the people. 8 Long ago the prophets who were prior to me and prior to you used to prophesy concerning many lands and great kingdoms, about war, calamity, and pestilence. [Or “disease.”] 9 If a prophet prophesies about peace and the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that Jehovah truly sent that prophet.”
10 At that Hananiah the prophet took the yoke bar off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it. 11 Hananiah then said in the presence of all the people: “This is what Jehovah says, ‘Just like this I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from off the neck of all the nations within two years.’” And Jeremiah the prophet went on his way.
12 After Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke bar from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, this message of Jehovah came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go and say to Hananiah, ‘This is what Jehovah says: “You have broken yoke bars of wood, but instead of them you will make yoke bars of iron.” 14 For this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “I will put an iron yoke bar on the neck of all these nations, to serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and they must serve him. Even the wild beasts of the field I will give him.”’”
15 Jeremiah the prophet then said to Hananiah the prophet: “Listen, please, O Hananiah! Jehovah has not sent you, but you have caused this people to trust in a lie. 16 Therefore this is what Jehovah says, ‘Look! I am removing you from the face of the ground. This year you will die, for you have urged rebellion against Jehovah.’”
17 So Hananiah the prophet died in that year, in the seventh month.
Chapter 29
1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders among the exiled people, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2 after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, [Or “the lady.”] the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and the metalworkers [Or possibly, “builders of bulwarks.”] had gone out of Jerusalem. 3 He sent the letter by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said:
4 “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiled people, whom I have caused to go into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ‘Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Become many there, and do not decrease. 7 And seek the peace of the city to which I have exiled you, and pray in its behalf to Jehovah, for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they are dreaming. 9 For ‘they are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,’ declares Jehovah.”’”
10 “For this is what Jehovah says, ‘When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, I will turn my attention to you, and I will make good my promise by bringing you back to this place.’
11 “‘For I well know the thoughts that I am thinking toward you,’ declares Jehovah, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of calamity, to give you a future and a hope. 12 And you will call me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.’
13 “‘You will seek me and find me, for you will search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will let you find me,’ declares Jehovah. ‘And I will gather your captives and collect you together out of all the nations and places to which I have dispersed you,’ declares Jehovah. ‘And I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to go into exile.’
15 “But you have said, ‘Jehovah has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.’
16 “For this is what Jehovah says to the king sitting on the throne of David and to all the people dwelling in this city, your brothers who have not gone with you into exile, 17 ‘This is what Jehovah of armies says: “Here I am sending against them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, [Or “disease.”] and I will make them like rotten [Or possibly, “burst.”] figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.”’
18 “‘And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, and a curse, and an object of astonishment, something to whistle at, and a reproach among all the nations to which I disperse them, 19 because they have not listened to my words that I sent to them with my servants the prophets,’ declares Jehovah, ‘sending them again and again.’ [Literally, “rising up early and sending.”]
“‘But you have not listened,’ declares Jehovah.
20 “Therefore, hear the word of Jehovah, all you exiled people, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21 This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name, ‘Here I am giving them into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes. 22 And what happens to them will become a curse spoken by all the exiles of Judah in Babylon: “May Jehovah make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!” 23 for they have acted disgracefully in Israel, committing adultery with the wives of their neighbors and speaking false words in my name that I did not command them.
“‘“I am the One who knows, and I am a witness,” declares Jehovah.’”
24 “And to Shemaiah of Nehelam you will say, 25 ‘This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “Because you sent in your name letters to all the people who are in Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘Jehovah has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest to become the overseer of the house of Jehovah, to be in charge of any madman who acts like a prophet and to put him into the stocks and into the pillory; [Or “neck irons.”] 27 why, then, have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who is acting as a prophet for you? 28 For he even sent to us at Babylon, saying: “It will be a long time! Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit,—”’”’”
29 When Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet, 30 the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, saying: 31 “Send to all the exiled people, saying, ‘This is what Jehovah says concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: “Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and he tried to make you trust in lies, 32 therefore this is what Jehovah says, ‘Here I am turning my attention to Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. Not one man of his will survive among this people, and he will not see the good that I will do for my people,’ declares Jehovah, ‘for he has urged rebellion against Jehovah.’”’”
Chapter 30
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying: 2 “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘Write in a book all the words that I speak to you. 3 For “look! the days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when I will gather the captives of my people, Israel and Judah,” says Jehovah, “and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they will possess it once again.”’”
4 These are the words that Jehovah spoke to Israel and Judah.
5 This is what Jehovah says:
“We have heard the sounds of trembling;
There is terror, and no peace.
6 Ask, please, whether a man can give birth.
Why, then, do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach [Or “loins.”]
Like a woman giving birth?
Why has every face turned pale?
7 Alas! For that day is a terrible [Literally, “great.”] one.
There is none like it,
A time of distress for Jacob.
But he will be saved out of it.”
8 “And in that day,” declares Jehovah of armies, “I will break the yoke from off your neck, and your straps [Literally, “bands.”] I will tear in two; and no more will strangers [Or “foreigners.”] make him [Or “them.”] their slave. 9 They will serve Jehovah their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.”
10 “And you, my servant Jacob, do not be afraid,” declares Jehovah,
“And do not be terrified, O Israel.
For I will save you from far away
And your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob will return and be calm and undisturbed,
With no one to make them afraid.”
11 “For I am with you,” declares Jehovah, “to save you.
But I will make an extermination among all the nations to which I scattered you;
However, you I will not exterminate.
I will discipline [Or “correct.”] you to the proper degree,
And I will by no means leave you unpunished.”
12 For this is what Jehovah says:
“There is no cure for your breakdown.
Your wound is incurable.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
No means of healing your ulcer.
There is no cure for you.
14 All your passionate lovers have forgotten you.
They no longer seek you out.
For with the stroke of an enemy I have struck you,
With the punishment of someone cruel,
Because of your great guilt and your many sins.
15 Why do you cry out because of your breakdown?
Your pain is incurable!
Because of your great guilt and your many sins
I have done this to you.
16 Therefore all those devouring you will be devoured,
And all your enemies will also go into captivity.
Those pillaging you will be pillaged,
And I will hand all those plundering you over to plundering.”
17 “But I will restore your health and heal your wounds,” declares Jehovah,
“Though they called you an outcast:
‘Zion, for whom no one searches.’”
18 This is what Jehovah says:
“Here I am gathering the captives of the tents of Jacob,
And I will have pity for his tabernacles.
The city will be rebuilt on her mound,
And the fortified tower will stand on its rightful site.
19 And from them will come thanksgiving and the sounds of laughter.
I will multiply them, and they will not be few;
I will make them numerous, [Or possibly, “honored.”]
And they will not be insignificant.
20 His sons will become as in the past,
And before me his assembly will be firmly established.
I will deal with all his oppressors.
21 His majestic one will be one of his own,
And from his midst his ruler will emerge.
I will cause him to come near, and he will approach me.”
“For otherwise, who would dare [Literally, “give his heart in pledge.”] to approach me?” declares Jehovah.
22 “And you will become my people, and I will be your God.”
23 Look! A windstorm of Jehovah will burst out in fury,
A sweeping tempest that whirls down on the head of the wicked.
24 The burning anger of Jehovah will not turn back
Until he has carried out and accomplished the intentions of his heart.
In the final part of the days you will understand this.
Chapter 31
1 “At that time,” declares Jehovah, “I will become God to all the families of Israel, and they will become my people.”
2 This is what Jehovah says:
“The people who survived the sword found favor in the wilderness
When Israel was walking to his resting-place.”
3 From far away Jehovah appeared to me and said:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love.
That is why I have drawn you to me with loyal love. [Or “have continued to show loyal love to you.”]
4 Yet again I will rebuild you and you will be rebuilt.
O virgin of Israel, you will again take up your tambourines
And go forth dancing joyfully. [Or “go forth in the dance of those who are laughing.”]
5 You will again plant vineyards in the mountains of Samaria;
The planters will plant and enjoy their fruit.
6 For the day will come when the watchmen in the mountains of Ephraim will call out:
‘Rise up, let us go up to Zion, to Jehovah our God.’”
7 For this is what Jehovah says:
“Cry out to Jacob with rejoicing.
Shout for joy because you are over the nations.
Proclaim it; offer praise and say,
‘O Jehovah, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’
8 I am bringing them back from the land of the north.
I will gather them together from the remotest parts of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame,
The pregnant woman and the one giving birth, all together.
As a great congregation they will return here.
9 They will come weeping.
I will lead them as they beg for favor.
I will guide them to streams [Or “wadis.”] of water,
On a level path that will not make them stumble.
For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.”
10 Hear the word of Jehovah, you nations,
And proclaim it among the islands far away:
“The One who scattered Israel will gather him together.
He will watch over him as a shepherd does his flock.
11 For Jehovah will redeem Jacob
And rescue [Or “reclaim.”] him out of the hand of the one stronger than he is.
12 They will come and shout joyfully on the height of Zion
And become radiant over the goodness of [Or “the good things from.”] Jehovah,
Over the grain and the new wine and the oil,
And over the young of the flock and the herd.
They [Or “Their soul.”] will become like a well-watered garden,
And they will never languish again.”
13 “At that time the virgin will dance joyfully,
Also the young men and the old men together.
I will change their mourning into exultation.
I will comfort them and give them joy instead of their grief.
14 I will satisfy the priests [Or “the soul of the priests.”] with plenty, [Literally, “fatness.”]
And my people will be satisfied with my goodness,” declares Jehovah.
15 “This is what Jehovah says:
‘A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping:
Rachel is weeping over her sons. [Or “children.”]
She has refused to be comforted over her sons,
Because they are no more.’”
16 This is what Jehovah says:
“‘Hold back your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears,
For there is a reward for your activity,’ declares Jehovah.
‘They will return from the land of the enemy.’
17 ‘And there is a hope for your future,’ declares Jehovah.
‘Your sons will return to their own territory.’”
18 “I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning,
‘You have corrected me, and I have been corrected,
Like a calf that has not been trained.
Bring me back, and I will readily turn back,
For you are Jehovah my God.
19 For after my turning back I felt remorse;
After I was made to understand I struck my thigh in grief.
I was ashamed and humiliated,
For I bore the reproach of my youth.’”
20 “Is Ephraim not a precious son to me, a beloved child?
For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still.
That is why my emotions [Literally, “intestines.”] are stirred for him.
And I will surely have pity on him,” declares Jehovah.
21 “Set up road markers for yourself,
And put up signposts.
Pay attention to the highway, the way that you have to go.
Return, O virgin of Israel, return to these cities of yours.
22 How long will you waver, O unfaithful daughter?
For Jehovah has created something new in the earth:
A woman will eagerly pursue a man.”
23 This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “They will again say these words in the land of Judah and in its cities when I gather back their captives: ‘May Jehovah bless you, O righteous dwelling place, O holy mountain.’ 24 And in it Judah and all its cities will dwell all together, farmers and those who lead the flocks. 25 For I will satisfy the weary one [Or “soul.”] and fill each one [Or “soul.”] who is languishing.”
26 At this I awoke and opened my eyes, and my sleep had been pleasurable to me.
27 “Look! The days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed [Or “offspring.”] of man and with the seed of livestock.”
28 “And just as I watched over them to uproot, to pull down, to tear down, to destroy, and to do harm, so I will watch over them to build up and to plant,” declares Jehovah. 29 “In those days they will no longer say, ‘The fathers ate sour grapes, but the teeth of the sons were set on edge.’ [Literally, “got blunted.”] 30 But then each one will die for his own error. Any man eating sour grapes will have his own teeth set on edge.”
31 “Look! The days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers on the day I took hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, ‘my covenant that they broke, although I was their true master,’ [Or possibly, “their husband.”] declares Jehovah.”
33 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Jehovah. “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I will write it. And I will become their God, and they will become my people.”
34 “And they will no longer teach each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Jehovah!’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them,” declares Jehovah. “For I will forgive their error, and I will no longer remember their sin.”
35 This is what Jehovah says,
Who gives the sun for light by day,
The laws [Or “statutes.”] of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea and makes its waves boisterous,
Whose name is Jehovah of armies:
36 “‘If these regulations should ever fail,’ declares Jehovah,
‘Only then would the offspring of Israel cease as a nation before me always.’”
37 This is what Jehovah says: “‘If the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the earth below could be explored, only then could I reject all the offspring of Israel for all they have done,’ declares Jehovah.”
38 “Look! The days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when the city will be built to Jehovah from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 And the measuring line will go out straight ahead to the hill of Gareb, and it will turn toward Goah. 40 And all the valley [Or “low plain.”] of the carcasses and of ashes [Or “fatty ashes,” that is, ashes soaked with the fat of the sacrifices.] and all the terraces as far as the Kidron Valley, clear to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, will be something holy to Jehovah. It will never again be uprooted or torn down.”
Chapter 32
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah in the 10th year of King Zedekiah of Judah, that is, the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar. [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] 2 At that time the armies of the king of Babylon were besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the Courtyard of the Guard in the house [Or “palace.”] of the king of Judah. 3 For King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him, saying, “Why do you prophesy like this? You say, ‘This is what Jehovah says: “I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it, 4 and King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Chaldeans, for he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak to him face-to-face and see him eye to eye.”’ 5 ‘He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he will remain until I turn my attention to him,’ declares Jehovah. ‘Although you keep fighting against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’”
6 Jeremiah said: “The word of Jehovah has come to me, saying, 7 ‘Here Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle [That is, paternal uncle.] will come to you and say: “Buy for yourself my field in Anathoth, because you have the first right to repurchase it.”’”
8 Hanamel the son of my uncle came to me, just as Jehovah had said, into the Courtyard of the Guard, and he said to me: “Please buy my field in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin, for you have the right to take possession of it and to repurchase it. Buy it for yourself.” At that I knew that this was by the word of Jehovah.
9 So I bought the field in Anathoth from Hanamel the son of my uncle. I weighed out the money to him, seven shekels [A shekel equaled 11.4 grams (0.367 troy ounces). See Appendix B14.] and ten silver pieces. 10 Then I recorded it in a deed, affixed the seal, called in witnesses, and weighed the money in the scales. 11 I took the deed of purchase, the one that was sealed according to the commandment and legal requirements, as well as the one that was left unsealed, 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah in the presence of Hanamel the son of my uncle, the witnesses who wrote in the deed of purchase, and all the Jews who were sitting in the Courtyard of the Guard.
13 I now commanded Baruch in their presence, saying: 14 “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Take these deeds, this deed of purchase, the sealed one and the other deed left unsealed, and put them into an earthenware vessel, so that they may be kept for a long time.’ 15 For this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’”
16 Then I prayed to Jehovah after giving the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, saying: 17 “Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Look! You made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. Nothing is too wonderful for you, 18 the One showing loyal love to thousands, but repaying the error of the fathers to [Literally, “into the bosom of.”] their sons after them, the true God, the great and mighty One, whose name is Jehovah of armies. 19 You are great in counsel [Or “great as regards your purposes.”] and mighty in deed, you whose eyes observe all the ways of men, to give to each one according to his ways and according to what he does. 20 You have performed signs and miracles in the land of Egypt, which are known down to this day, and thus you have made a name for yourself in Israel and among mankind, as it is today. 21 And you brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt, with signs, with miracles, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with terrifying deeds.
22 “In time you gave them this land that you swore to give to their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 And they came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey your voice or walk in your law. They did not do anything you commanded them to do, so that you caused all this calamity to befall them. 24 Look! Men have come with siege ramparts to capture the city, and because of the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, [Or “disease.”] the city will certainly fall into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it; what you said has all happened, as you now see. 25 But you have told me, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘Buy for yourself the field with money and call in witnesses,’ although the city will certainly be given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”
26 At that the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, saying: 27 “Here I am, Jehovah, the God of all mankind. [Literally, “all flesh.”] Is there anything too wonderful for me? 28 So this is what Jehovah says, ‘Here I am handing this city over to the Chaldeans and into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29 And the Chaldeans fighting against this city will come in and set this city on fire and burn it down along with the houses on whose roofs the people offered sacrifices to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods to offend me.’
30 “‘For the people of Israel and of Judah have done only what was bad in my eyes, from their youth on; the people of Israel keep offending me by the work of their hands,’ declares Jehovah. 31 ‘For this city, from the day that they built it down to this day, has been nothing but a cause of anger and wrath to me, so that it must be removed from before my face, 32 because of all the evil that the people of Israel and of Judah have done to offend me—they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, and the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 They kept turning their backs to me, not their faces; although I tried to teach them again and again, [Literally, “rising up early and teaching.”] none of them would listen to receive discipline. 34 And they put their disgusting idols in the house that bears my name, in order to defile it. 35 Furthermore, they built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, [See Glossary, “Gehenna.”] in order to make their sons and their daughters pass through the fire to Molech, something that I had not commanded them and that had never come into my heart [Or “had never entered my thoughts.”] to do such a detestable thing, causing Judah to sin.’
36 “Therefore this is what Jehovah the God of Israel says concerning this city that you are saying will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, 37 ‘Here I will gather them together from all the lands where I dispersed them in my anger and in my wrath and in great indignation, and I will bring them back to this place and let them dwell in security. 38 And they will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 And I will give them one heart and one way so that they may always fear me, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 And I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they will not turn away from me. 41 I will exult over them to do good to them, and I will firmly plant them in this land, with all my heart and with all my soul.’” [See Glossary.]
42 “For this is what Jehovah says, ‘Just as I have brought on this people all this great calamity, so I will bring on them all the goodness [Or “the good things.”] that I am promising them. 43 And fields will again be bought in this land, though you are saying: “It is a wasteland without man and beast, and it has been handed over to the Chaldeans.”’
44 “‘Fields will be bought with money, deeds of purchase will be recorded and sealed, and witnesses will be called in the land of Benjamin, in the areas around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountainous region, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the south, because I will bring back their captives,’ declares Jehovah.”
Chapter 33
1 The word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the Courtyard of the Guard, saying: 2 “This is what Jehovah the Maker of earth says, Jehovah who formed it and firmly established it; Jehovah is his name, 3 ‘Call to me, and I will answer you and readily tell you great and incomprehensible things that you have not known.’”
4 “For this is what Jehovah the God of Israel says concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that are pulled down because of the siege ramparts and the sword, 5 and concerning those who are coming to fight the Chaldeans, filling these places with the carcasses of those whom I struck down in my anger and in my wrath, those whose evil has caused me to hide my face from this city: 6 ‘Here I am bringing recuperation and health to her, and I will heal them and reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth. 7 And I will bring back the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel, and I will build them up as I did at the start. 8 And I will purify them from all the guilt of their sins against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sins and their transgressions against me. 9 And she will become to me a name of exultation, a praise, and a beauty before all the nations of the earth who will hear of all the goodness that I bestow on them. And they will be in dread and will tremble because of all the goodness and peace that I will bestow on her.’”
10 “This is what Jehovah says: ‘In this place that you will say is a wasteland, without man or livestock, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or livestock, there will again be heard 11 the sound of exultation and the sound of rejoicing, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those saying: “Give thanks to Jehovah of armies, for Jehovah is good; his loyal love endures forever!”’
“‘They will bring thanksgiving offerings into the house of Jehovah, for I will bring back the captives of the land, as at the start,’ says Jehovah.”
12 “This is what Jehovah of armies says: ‘In this wasteland, without man or livestock, and in all its cities, there will again be pastures for the shepherds to rest their flocks.’
13 “‘In the cities of the mountainous region, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the south, in the land of Benjamin, in the areas around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hands of the one counting them,’ says Jehovah.”
14 “‘Look! The days are coming,’ declares Jehovah, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise that I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous sprout, [Or “heir.”] and he will execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will reside in security. And this is what she will be called: Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.’”
17 “For this is what Jehovah says: ‘There will never fail to be a man from David’s line to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man stand before me to offer whole burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to offer sacrifices.’”
19 And the word of Jehovah again came to Jeremiah, saying: 20 “This is what Jehovah says, ‘If you could break my covenant regarding the day and my covenant regarding the night, to prevent day and night from coming at their proper time, 21 only then could my covenant with my servant David be broken, so that he should not have a son ruling as king on his throne, and so also my covenant with the Levitical priests, my ministers. 22 Just as the army of the heavens cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring [Literally, “seed.”] of my servant David and the Levites who are ministering to me.’”
23 And the word of Jehovah again came to Jeremiah, saying: 24 “Have you not taken note of what this people is saying, ‘Jehovah will reject the two families that he chose’? And they are treating my own people with disrespect, and they no longer regard them as a nation.
25 “This is what Jehovah says: ‘Just as surely as I have established my covenant regarding the day and the night, the laws [Or “statutes.”] of heaven and earth, 26 so I will never reject the offspring [Literally, “seed.”] of Jacob and of my servant David, so as not to take from his offspring [Literally, “seed.”] rulers over the descendants [Literally, “seed.”] of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will gather back their captives and have pity on them.’”
Chapter 34
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, when King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all her cities:
2 “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘Go and speak to King Zedekiah of Judah and tell him: “This is what Jehovah says, ‘Here I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire. 3 And you will not escape out of his hand, for you will without fail be caught and handed over to him. And you will see the king of Babylon eye to eye, and he will speak to you face-to-face, and you will go to Babylon.’ 4 However, hear the word of Jehovah, O King Zedekiah of Judah, ‘This is what Jehovah says concerning you: “You will not die by the sword. 5 In peace you will die, and they will make a burning ceremony for you as they did for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, and they will mourn you, ‘Alas, O master!’ for ‘I have spoken the word,’ declares Jehovah.”’”’”
6 Jeremiah the prophet then spoke all these words to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem, 7 when the armies of the king of Babylon were fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for they were the only fortified cities that remained of the cities of Judah.
8 The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them, 9 that everyone should free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one would keep a fellow Jew as his slave. 10 So all the princes and all the people obeyed. They had entered into the covenant that everyone should free his male and female slaves and not keep them as slaves any longer. They obeyed and let them go. 11 However, they later brought back the male and female slaves whom they had freed, and they again forced them back into slavery. 12 So the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying:
13 “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘I made a covenant with your forefathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying: 14 “At the end of seven years, each of you should free his Hebrew brother who was sold to you and who has served you six years; you must set him free.” But your forefathers did not listen or incline their ears to me. 15 And recently [Literally, “today.”] you yourselves turned around and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty to your fellow men, and you made a covenant before me in the house that bears my name. 16 But then you turned around and profaned my name by bringing back your male and female slaves whom you had freed according to their desire, [Or “soul.”] and you forced them back into slavery.’
17 “Therefore this is what Jehovah says: ‘You have not obeyed me in proclaiming liberty, each one to his brother and to his fellow man. So I will now proclaim liberty to you,’ declares Jehovah, ‘to the sword, to pestilence, [Or “disease.”] and to famine, and I will make you an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And this is what will happen to the men who violated my covenant by not carrying out the words of the covenant that they made before me when they cut the calf in two and passed between the halves, 19 namely, the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the halves of the calf: 20 I will hand them over to their enemies and to those seeking to take their lives, [Or “seeking their souls.”] and their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth. 21 And I will give King Zedekiah of Judah and his princes into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those seeking to take their lives [Or “seeking their souls.”] and into the hand of the armies of the king of Babylon, who are withdrawing from against you.’
22 “‘Here I will give the order,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it and capture it and burn it with fire; and the cities of Judah I will make a wasteland, without an inhabitant.’”
Chapter 35
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying: 2 “Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak with them and bring them into the house of Jehovah, into one of the dining rooms; [Or “the chambers.”] then offer them wine to drink.”
3 So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah the son of Habazziniah, his brothers, all his sons, and the entire house of the Rechabites 4 into the house of Jehovah. I brought them to the dining room of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, a man of the true God, which was next to the dining room of the princes that was above the dining room of Maaseiah the son of Shallum the doorkeeper. 5 Then I put cups and goblets full of wine before the men of the house of the Rechabites and said to them: “Drink wine.”
6 But they said: “We will not drink wine, because Jehonadab [Literally, “Jonadab,” the shortened form of Jehonadab.] the son of Rechab, our forefather, gave us this command, ‘Neither you nor your sons must ever drink wine. 7 And you must not build a house, sow seed, or plant or obtain a vineyard. Instead, you must always dwell in tents, so that you may live for a long time in the land where you are residing as foreigners.’ 8 So we continue to obey the voice of Jehonadab the son of our forefather Rechab in all that he commanded us, by never drinking any wine—we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters. 9 And we do not build houses to dwell in, nor do we have vineyards or fields or seed. 10 We keep living in tents and obeying all that Jehonadab [Literally, “Jonadab,” the shortened form of Jehonadab.] our forefather commanded us. 11 But when King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, let us go into Jerusalem to escape the army of the Chaldeans and of the Syrians,’ and now we are living in Jerusalem.”
12 And the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, saying: 13 “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Go and say to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “Were you not continually urged to obey my words?” declares Jehovah. 14 “Jehonadab the son of Rechab commanded his descendants not to drink wine, and they have carried out his words by not drinking it to this day, thus obeying the order of their forefather. However, I have spoken to you again and again, [Literally, “rising up early and speaking.”] but you have not obeyed me. 15 And I kept sending all my servants the prophets to you, sending them again and again, [Literally, “rising up early and sending.”] saying, ‘Turn back, please, each of you from your evil ways, and do what is right! Do not walk after other gods and serve them. Then you will keep dwelling in the land that I gave to you and your forefathers.’ But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. 16 The descendants of Jehonadab the son of Rechab have carried out the order that their forefather gave them, but these people have not listened to me.”’”
17 “Therefore this is what Jehovah, the God of armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Here I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the calamity that I have warned them about, for I have spoken to them, but they would not listen, and I kept calling to them, but they would not answer.’”
18 And Jeremiah said to the household of the Rechabites: “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Because you have obeyed the order of your forefather Jehonadab and you continue to observe all his orders, doing exactly what he ordered you, 19 this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “There will never fail to be a descendant of Jehonadab [Literally, “Jonadab,” the shortened form of Jehonadab.] the son of Rechab to serve in my presence.”’”
Chapter 36
1 Now in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying: 2 “Take a scroll [Literally, “a scroll of a book.”] and write in it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the first day I spoke to you in the days of Josiah to this day. 3 Perhaps when those of the house of Judah hear of all the calamity that I intend to bring on them, they may turn back from their evil ways, so that I may forgive their error and their sin.”
4 Jeremiah then called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Jeremiah dictated all the words that Jehovah had spoken to him, and Baruch wrote them in the scroll. [Literally, “the scroll of the book.”] 5 Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch: “I am confined and unable to enter the house of Jehovah. 6 So you are the one who must go in and read aloud the words of Jehovah from the scroll that you wrote at my dictation. Read them in the hearing of the people at the house of Jehovah on the day of a fast; thus you will read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their cities. 7 Perhaps their request for favor will reach Jehovah, and they will turn back, each one from his evil ways, for great is the anger and the wrath that Jehovah has declared against this people.”
8 So Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him; he read aloud from the scroll [Or “book.”] the words of Jehovah at the house of Jehovah.
9 Now in the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came into Jerusalem from the cities of Judah proclaimed a fast before Jehovah. 10 Baruch then read aloud from the scroll [Or “book.”] the words of Jeremiah at the house of Jehovah, in the chamber [Or “dining room.”] of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the copyist, [Or “scribe.”] in the upper courtyard, at the entrance of the new gate of the house of Jehovah, in the hearing of all the people.
11 When Micaiah the son of Gemariah the son of Shaphan heard all the words of Jehovah from the scroll, [Or “book.”] 12 he went down to the house [Or “palace.”] of the king, to the secretary’s chamber. All the princes [Or “court officials.”] were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the other princes. 13 Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read from the scroll [Or “book.”] in the hearing of the people.
14 Then all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah the son of Shelemiah the son of Cushi to Baruch, saying: “Come and bring with you the scroll from which you read in the hearing of the people.” Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and went in to them. 15 They said to him: “Sit down, please, and read it aloud to us.” So Baruch read it to them.
16 Now as soon as they heard all the words, they looked at one another in dread, and they said to Baruch: “We must certainly tell the king all these words.” 17 And they asked Baruch: “Tell us, please, how you wrote all these words. Was it at his dictation?” 18 Baruch replied to them: “He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them down with ink in this scroll.” [Or “book.”] 19 The princes said to Baruch: “Go and hide yourselves, you and Jeremiah, and do not let anyone know where you are.”
20 Then they went in to the king, to the courtyard, and deposited the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they told the king everything they had heard.
21 So the king sent Jehudi out to get the scroll, and he brought it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. Jehudi began to read it in the hearing of the king and of all the princes standing by the king. 22 The king was sitting in the winter house, in the ninth month, [The last half of November and the first half of December. See Appendix B15.] with a fire burning in the brazier before him. 23 After Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king would cut off that portion with the secretary’s knife and pitch it into the fire that was burning in the brazier, until the entire scroll ended up in the fire that was in the brazier. 24 And they felt no dread; neither the king nor all his servants who heard all these words ripped their garments apart. 25 Although Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, he did not listen to them. 26 Further, the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of the king, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but Jehovah kept them concealed.
27 And the word of Jehovah again came to Jeremiah after the king had burned up the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation, saying: 28 “Take another scroll and write on it all the same words that were on the first scroll, which King Jehoiakim of Judah burned up. 29 And you should say against King Jehoiakim of Judah, ‘This is what Jehovah says: “You have burned up this scroll and said, ‘Why have you written on it: “The king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and empty it of man and beast”?’ 30 Therefore this is what Jehovah says against King Jehoiakim of Judah, ‘He will have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body will be left exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 I will call him and his descendants [Literally, “seed.”] and his servants to account for their error, and I will bring on them and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem and on the men of Judah all the calamity that I have spoken against them, but they did not listen.’”’”
32 Jeremiah then took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the secretary, and at Jeremiah’s dictation he wrote on it all the words of the scroll [Or “book.”] that King Jehoiakim of Judah had burned in the fire. And many more words like those were added.
Chapter 37
1 And King Zedekiah the son of Josiah began to reign in place of Coniah [Also called Jehoiachin and Jeconiah.] the son of Jehoiakim, for King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon made him king in the land of Judah. 2 But he and his servants and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Jehovah spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to Jeremiah the prophet, saying: “Please pray in our behalf to Jehovah our God.” 4 Jeremiah was moving about freely among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison. 5 Now Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt, and the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them. So they withdrew from against Jerusalem. 6 Then the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying: 7 “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘This is what you should say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: “Look! The army of Pharaoh that is coming to assist you will have to go back to its land, Egypt. 8 And the Chaldeans will come back and fight against this city and capture it and burn it with fire.” 9 This is what Jehovah says, “Do not deceive yourselves [Or “your souls.”] by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will surely go away from against us,’ because they will not go away. 10 Even if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you and only their wounded men were left, they would still rise up from their tents and burn this city with fire.”’”
11 When the Chaldean army had withdrawn from against Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 12 Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there among his people. 13 But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the officer in charge of the guard, whose name was Irijah the son of Shelemiah the son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet and said: “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!” 14 But Jeremiah said: “It is not true! I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But he did not listen to him. So Irijah arrested Jeremiah and brought him in to the princes. 15 The princes were furious with Jeremiah, and they beat him and imprisoned him [Literally, “put him into the house of the fetters.”] in the house of Jehonathan the secretary, which had been made into a prison. 16 Jeremiah was put into the dungeon, [Literally, “the house of the cistern.”] into the vaulted rooms, and he remained there many days.
17 Then King Zedekiah sent for him, and the king secretly questioned him in his house. [Or “palace.”] He asked, “Is there any word from Jehovah?” Jeremiah said, “There is!” and he continued, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon!”
18 Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah: “How have I sinned against you and against your servants and against this people, so that you have put me into the prison? 19 Where, now, are your prophets who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’? 20 Now listen, please, O my lord the king. May you grant, please, my request for favor. Do not send me back to the house of Jehonathan the secretary, or I will die there.” 21 So King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be put in custody in the Courtyard of the Guard, and he was given a round loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers until all the bread in the city was gone. And Jeremiah remained in the Courtyard of the Guard.
Chapter 38
1 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying: 2 “This is what Jehovah says, ‘The one who remains in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. [Or “disease.”] But the one who surrenders [Literally, “goes out.”] to the Chaldeans will keep living and will have his life [Or “soul.”] as a spoil [Or “will escape with his life.”] and live.’ 3 This is what Jehovah says, ‘This city will surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.’”
4 The princes said to the king: “Please have this man put to death, for this is how he is weakening the morale [Literally, “hands.”] of the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as that of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man seeks, not the peace of this people, but their calamity.” 5 King Zedekiah replied: “Look! He is in your hands, for the king cannot do anything to stop you.”
6 So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchijah the son of the king, which was in the Courtyard of the Guard. They let Jeremiah down by ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah began to sink down into the mud.
7 Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch [Or “court official.”] in the king’s house, [Or “palace.”] heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. Now the king was sitting in the Gate of Benjamin, 8 so Ebed-melech went out of the king’s house [Or “palace.”] and spoke to the king, saying: 9 “O my lord the king, what these men have done to Jeremiah the prophet is evil! They have thrown him into the cistern, and he will die there because of the famine, for there is no bread left in the city.”
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian: “Take 30 men with you from here, and pull Jeremiah the prophet up out of the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went into the king’s house [Or “palace.”] to a place beneath the treasury, and they took from there some worn-out rags and worn-out pieces of cloth and let them down by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah: “Please put the rags and the pieces of cloth between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13 and they drew Jeremiah out with the ropes and pulled him up out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the Courtyard of the Guard.
14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet to come to him at the third entrance, which is in the house of Jehovah, and the king said to Jeremiah: “I have something to ask of you. Do not hide anything from me.” 15 Jeremiah then said to Zedekiah: “If I tell you, you will certainly put me to death. And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16 So King Zedekiah secretly swore to Jeremiah, saying: “As surely as Jehovah is alive, who has given us this life, [Or “made for us this soul.”] I will not put you to death, and I will not hand you over to these men who are seeking to take your life.” [Or “seeking your soul.”]
17 Jeremiah then said to Zedekiah: “This is what Jehovah, the God of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘If you surrender [Literally, “go out.”] to the princes of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared, [Or “your soul will keep living.”] and this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will be spared. 18 But if you will not surrender [Literally, “go out.”] to the princes of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape out of their hand.’”
19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah: “I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for if I am handed over to them, they may deal cruelly with me.” 20 But Jeremiah said: “You will not be handed over to them. Obey, please, the voice of Jehovah in what I am telling you, and it will go well with you, and you [Or “your soul.”] will continue to live. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, [Literally, “go out.”] this is what Jehovah has revealed to me: 22 Look! All the women remaining in the house [Or “palace.”] of the king of Judah are being brought out to the princes of the king of Babylon, and they are saying,
‘The men whom you trusted [Literally, “The men of your peace.”] have deceived you and overcome you.
They have caused your foot to sink into the mud.
Now they have turned away in retreat.’
23 And all your wives and your sons they are bringing out to the Chaldeans, and you will not escape out of their hand, but you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and because of you this city will be burned with fire.”
24 Zedekiah then said to Jeremiah: “Do not let anyone know about these things, so that you do not die. 25 And if the princes hear that I have spoken with you and they come and say to you, ‘Tell us, please, what you said to the king. Do not hide anything from us, and we will not put you to death. What did the king say to you?’ 26 you must answer them, ‘I was making a request of the king, that he not send me back to the house of Jehonathan to die there.’”
27 In time all the princes came in to Jeremiah and questioned him. He told them everything that the king had commanded him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard the conversation. 28 Until the day that Jerusalem was captured, Jeremiah remained in the Courtyard of the Guard; he was still there when Jerusalem was captured.
Chapter 39
1 In the ninth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem, and they besieged it.
2 In the 11th year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, they broke through the city wall. 3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon went in and sat down in the Middle Gate, namely, Nergal-sharezer the Samgar, Nebo-sarsechim the Rabsaris, [Or according to a different word division of the Hebrew text, “Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris.”] Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, [Or “the chief magician (astrologer).”] and all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.
4 When King Zedekiah of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city by night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the double wall, and they continued by the way of the Arabah. 5 But the Chaldean army chased after them, and they overtook Zedekiah in the desert plains of Jericho. They captured him and brought him up to King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he passed sentence on him. 6 The king of Babylon had the sons of Zedekiah slaughtered before his eyes there at Riblah, and the king of Babylon had all the nobles of Judah slaughtered. 7 Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah, after which he bound him with copper fetters to bring him to Babylon.
8 The Chaldeans then burned down the king’s house [Or “palace.”] and the houses of the people, and they tore down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard took into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had defected to him, and anyone who remained.
10 But Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard left in the land of Judah some of the poorest people, those who had nothing at all. On that day he also gave them vineyards and fields to work. [Or possibly, “compulsory services.”]
11 Now King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon gave Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard these orders concerning Jeremiah: 12 “Take him and look after him; do him no harm, and grant whatever he asks of you.”
13 So Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard, Nebushazban the Rabsaris, [Or “the chief court official.”] Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, [Or “the chief magician (astrologer).”] and all the principal men of the king of Babylon sent 14 and had Jeremiah taken out of the Courtyard of the Guard and handed him over to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan to be brought to his house. So he lived among the people.
15 While Jeremiah was confined in the Courtyard of the Guard, the word of Jehovah came to him, saying: 16 “Go and tell Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “Here I am fulfilling my words on this city for calamity and not for good, and in that day you will see it happen.”’
17 “‘But I will rescue you in that day,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and you will not be handed over to the men you fear.’
18 “‘For I will surely provide you with escape, and you will not fall by the sword. You will have your life [Or “soul.”] as a spoil, [Or “will escape with your life.”] because you trusted in me,’ declares Jehovah.”
Chapter 40
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah after Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard let him go free from Ramah. He had taken him there bound with handcuffs, and he was among all the exiles of Jerusalem and of Judah who were being deported to Babylon. 2 Then the chief of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him: “Jehovah your God foretold this calamity against this place, 3 and Jehovah has brought it about just as he said, because you people sinned against Jehovah and did not obey his voice. That is why this has happened to you. 4 Now I am releasing you today from the handcuffs that were on your hands. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you. But if you do not want to come with me to Babylon, do not come. See! The entire land is before you. Go wherever you choose.”
5 While Jeremiah still had not turned back, Nebuzaradan said: “Return to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or go wherever you choose.”
The chief of the guard then gave him a food allowance and a gift and let him go. 6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.
7 In time all the army chiefs who were in the field with their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land and that he had appointed him over the men, women, and children from the poor people of the land who had not been deported to Babylon. 8 So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They were Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, together with their men. 9 Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore an oath to them and to their men, saying: “Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you. 10 As for me, I will stay in Mizpah to represent you to [Literally, “to stand before.”] the Chaldeans who come to us. But you should gather wine, summer fruits, and oil and put them in your storage containers and settle in the cities that you have taken over.”
11 And all the Jews who were in Moab, Ammon, and Edom, as well as those who were in all the other lands, also heard that the king of Babylon had let a remnant stay in Judah and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan. 12 So all the Jews began returning from all the places to which they had been dispersed, and they came into the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered wine and summer fruits in very great quantity.
13 Johanan the son of Kareah and all the army chiefs who were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. 14 They said to him: “Do you not know that Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to kill you?” [Or “to strike your soul?”] But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah secretly told Gedaliah in Mizpah: “I want to go and strike down Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know. Why should he kill you, [Or “strike your soul.”] and why should all the people of Judah who have gathered to you be scattered and the remnant of Judah perish?” 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah: “Do not do this, for what you are saying concerning Ishmael is a lie.”
Chapter 41
1 In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, who was of the royal line [Literally, “the seed of the kingdom.”] and one of the principal men of the king, came with ten other men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam at Mizpah. As they were eating a meal together in Mizpah, 2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him rose up and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword. So he put to death the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with Gedaliah in Mizpah, as well as the Chaldean soldiers who were there.
4 On the second day after Gedaliah had been put to death, before anyone knew about it, 5 there came 80 men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria. Their beards were shaved off, their garments were ripped apart, they had cut themselves, and they had grain offerings and frankincense in their hand to bring to the house of Jehovah. 6 So Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he walked along. When he encountered them, he said to them: “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.” 7 But when they came into the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and his men slaughtered them and threw them into the cistern.
8 But there were ten men among them who said to Ishmael: “Do not put us to death, for we have hidden stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in the field.” So he refrained from putting them to death along with their brothers. 9 Now Ishmael threw all the carcasses of the men he had killed into a great cistern, the one that King Asa had made because of King Baasha of Israel. This was the cistern that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled with the slain men.
10 Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people in Mizpah, including the daughters of the king and all the people left in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard had put in the custody of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and went off to cross over to the Ammonites.
11 When Johanan the son of Kareah and all the army chiefs who were with him heard about all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12 they took all the men and went off to fight against Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and they found him by the great waters [Or possibly, “great pool.”] in Gibeon.
13 All the people who were with Ishmael rejoiced when they saw Johanan the son of Kareah and all the army chiefs with him. 14 Then all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and went back with Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and went to the Ammonites.
16 Johanan the son of Kareah and all the army chiefs who were with him took with them the rest of the people from Mizpah, those whom they had rescued from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah after he had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. They brought the men, the soldiers, the women, the children, and the court officials back from Gibeon. 17 So they went and stayed in the lodging place of Chimham next to Bethlehem, intending to go on into Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans. For they had become afraid of them, since Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.
Chapter 42
1 Then all the army chiefs, and Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, approached 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet: “Hear, please, our request for favor, and pray in our behalf to Jehovah your God, in behalf of all this remnant, for just a few of many are left, as you can see. 3 May Jehovah your God tell us the way we should walk and what we should do.”
4 Jeremiah the prophet replied to them: “I have heard you, and I am praying to Jehovah your God according to your request; and every word that Jehovah answers you, I will tell you. I will not hold back a word from you.”
5 They replied to Jeremiah: “May Jehovah be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not do exactly as Jehovah your God instructs us through you. 6 Whether good or bad, we will obey the voice of Jehovah our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us because we obey the voice of Jehovah our God.”
7 Now ten days later the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah. 8 So he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and for all the army chiefs who were with him and for all the people, from the least to the greatest. 9 He said to them: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, to whom you sent me to present your request for favor before him: 10 ‘If you will indeed remain in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you, for I will feel regret [Or “feel grieved.”] over the calamity I have caused you. 11 Do not be afraid because of the king of Babylon, whom you fear.’
“‘Do not be afraid because of him,’ declares Jehovah, ‘for I am with you, to save you and to rescue you out of his hand. 12 And I will show you mercy, and he will have mercy on you and return you to your own land.
13 “‘But if you say, “No, we will not remain in this land!” and you disobey the voice of Jehovah your God 14 by saying, “No, we will go instead to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of the horn or hunger for bread; there is where we will live,” 15 then hear the word of Jehovah, O remnant of Judah. This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “If you are absolutely determined to go to Egypt and you go there to reside, [Or “to reside for a while.”] 16 then the very sword you are afraid of will catch up with you there in the land of Egypt, and the very famine you fear will follow after you to Egypt, and there you will die. 17 And all the men who are determined to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. [Or “disease.”] None of them will survive or escape the calamity that I will bring on them.”’
18 “For this is what Jehovah of 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 if you go to Egypt, and you will become a curse, an object of horror, a malediction, and a reproach, and you will never again see this place.’
19 “Jehovah has spoken against you, O remnant of Judah. Do not go to Egypt. You should know for a certainty that I have warned you today 20 that your error will cost you your lives. [Or “souls.”] For you sent me to Jehovah your God, saying, ‘Pray in our behalf to Jehovah our God, and tell us everything that Jehovah our God says, and we will do it.’ 21 And I told you today, but you will not obey the voice of Jehovah your God or do anything he sent me to tell you. 22 Therefore, know for a certainty that by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence you will die in the place where you desire to go and reside.”
Chapter 43
1 When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all these words from Jehovah their God, every single word that Jehovah their God had sent him to tell them, 2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the presumptuous men said to Jeremiah: “What you are saying is a lie! Jehovah our God has not sent you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to reside there.’ 3 But Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Chaldeans, to put us to death or to take us into exile in Babylon.”
4 So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the army chiefs and all the people disobeyed the voice of Jehovah to remain in the land of Judah. 5 Instead, Johanan the son of Kareah and all the army chiefs took with them all the remnant of Judah who had returned to reside in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been dispersed. 6 They took the men, the women, the children, the daughters of the king, and everyone [Or “every soul.”] whom Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, as well as Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. 7 And they went into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of Jehovah, and they went as far as Tahpanhes.
8 Then the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying: 9 “Take in your hand large stones, and hide them in the mortar in the brick terrace at the entrance of the house of Pharaoh in Tahpanhes, with the Jewish men looking on. 10 Then say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “Here I am sending for Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will place his throne right above these stones that I have hidden, and he will extend his royal tent over them. 11 And he will come in and strike the land of Egypt. Whoever is meant for deadly plague will be for deadly plague, and whoever is meant for captivity will be for captivity, and whoever is meant for the sword will be for the sword. 12 And I will set the houses [Or “temples.”] of the gods of Egypt on fire, and he will burn them and lead them captive. He will wrap the land of Egypt around himself just as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he will depart from there in peace. [Or “unharmed.”] 13 And he will break to pieces the pillars [Or “obelisks.”] of Beth-shemesh [Or “House (Temple) of the Sun,” that is, Heliopolis.] in the land of Egypt, and he will burn the houses [Or “temples.”] of the gods of Egypt with fire.”’”
Chapter 44
1 The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt, those living in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, [Or “Memphis.”] and the land of Pathros, saying: 2 “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘You have seen all the calamity that I brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah, and today they are in ruins, without an inhabitant. 3 It is because of the evil things that they did to offend me by going and making sacrifices and serving other gods whom they had not known, neither you nor your forefathers. 4 I kept sending all my servants the prophets to you, sending them again and again, [Literally, “rising up early and sending.”] saying: “Please do not do this detestable thing that I hate.” 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn back from their evil by not making sacrifices to other gods. 6 So my wrath and my anger were poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became a ruin and a wasteland, as they are today.’
7 “And now this is what Jehovah, the God of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Why are you causing a great calamity to yourselves, [Or “your souls.”] so that every man and woman, child and infant, will perish from Judah, leaving you without a remnant? 8 Why should you offend me with the works of your hands by sacrificing to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to reside? You will perish and become an object of cursing and a reproach among all the nations of the earth. 9 Have you forgotten the wicked deeds of your forefathers and the wicked deeds of the kings of Judah and the wicked deeds of their wives, as well as your own wicked deeds and the wicked deeds of your wives, that were done in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 Down to this day they have not humbled themselves, [Or “felt crushed.”] they have shown no fear, nor have they walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and your forefathers.’
11 “Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Here I am determined to bring calamity on you, to destroy all Judah. 12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to the land of Egypt to reside there, and they will all perish in the land of Egypt. They will fall by the sword and perish by the famine; from the least to the greatest, they will die by the sword and by famine. And they will become a curse, an object of horror, a malediction, and a reproach. 13 I will punish those dwelling in the land of Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence. [Or “disease.”] 14 And the remnant of Judah who have gone to reside in the land of Egypt will not escape or survive to return to the land of Judah. They will long [Or “lift up their soul.”] to return and dwell there, but they will not return, except for a few escapees.’”
15 All the men who knew that their wives had been making sacrifices to other gods and all the wives who were standing there, who formed a large group, and all the people who were living in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah: 16 “We will not listen to the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Jehovah. 17 Instead, we will surely carry out every word that our mouths have spoken, to make sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven [The title of a goddess worshipped by apostate Israelites; possibly a fertility goddess.] and to pour out drink offerings to her, just as we, our forefathers, our kings, and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem when we were satisfied with bread and were well-off, when we saw no calamity at all. 18 From the time we quit making sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven [The title of a goddess worshipped by apostate Israelites; possibly a fertility goddess.] and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have perished by the sword and by the famine.”
19 The women added: “And when we were making sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven [The title of a goddess worshipped by apostate Israelites; possibly a fertility goddess.] and pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without the consent of our husbands that we made sacrificial cakes shaped in her image and we poured out drink offerings to her?”
20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and their wives and to all the people who were speaking to him: 21 “The sacrifices that you, your forefathers, your kings, your princes, and the people of the land made in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem—Jehovah remembered them and they came up into his heart! 22 Finally Jehovah could no longer put up with your evil practices and the detestable things you had done, and your land became a devastated place, an object of horror and cursing, without an inhabitant, as it is today. 23 It is because you have made these sacrifices and because you have sinned against Jehovah by not obeying the voice of Jehovah and following his law, his statutes, and his reminders that this calamity has come upon you, as is the case today.”
24 Jeremiah continued to say to all the people and to all the women: “Hear the word of Jehovah, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘What you and your wives have spoken with your mouths, you have fulfilled with your hands, for you said: “We will surely carry out our vows to make sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven [The title of a goddess worshipped by apostate Israelites; possibly a fertility goddess.] and to pour out drink offerings to her.” You women will surely carry out your vows and perform your vows.’
26 “Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, all you of Judah who are living in the land of Egypt: ‘“Here I swear by my own great name,” says Jehovah, “that my name will no longer be called on in an oath by any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt who says, ‘As surely as the Sovereign Lord Jehovah is alive!’ 27 Now I am watching over them to bring calamity and not something good; all the men of Judah in the land of Egypt will perish by the sword and by the famine, until they cease to exist. 28 Only a few will escape the sword and return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah. Then all the remnant of Judah who came to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word has come true, mine or theirs!”’”
29 “‘And this is the sign for you,’ declares Jehovah, ‘that I will punish you in this place, so that you will know that my words promising calamity against you will surely come true. 30 This is what Jehovah says: “Here I am giving Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies and of those seeking to take his life, [Or “seeking his soul.”] just as I gave King Zedekiah of Judah into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon, who was his enemy and who sought to take his life.”’” [Or “was seeking his soul.”]
Chapter 45
1 This is the word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah when he wrote in a book these words dictated by Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah:
2 “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says concerning you, Baruch, 3 ‘You have said: “Woe to me, for Jehovah has added grief to my pain! I am weary from my groaning, and I have found no resting-place.”’
4 “You should say to him, ‘This is what Jehovah says: “Look! What I have built up I am tearing down, and what I have planted I am uprooting—the entire land. 5 But you are seeking [Or “expecting.”] great things for yourself. Stop seeking such things.”’
“‘For I am about to bring a calamity on all flesh,’ [Or “people.”] declares Jehovah, ‘and wherever you may go, I will grant you your life [Or “soul.”] as a spoil.’” [Or “will let you escape with your life.”]
Chapter 46
1 This is the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations: 2 For Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho the king of Egypt, who was along the Euphrates River and was defeated at Carchemish by King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah:
3 “Prepare your bucklers [A small shield, often carried by archers.] and large shields,
And advance to the battle.
4 Harness the horses and mount, you horsemen.
Take your positions and put on your helmets.
Polish the lances and put on your coats of mail.
5 ‘Why do I see them terror-stricken?
They are retreating, their warriors are crushed.
They have fled in panic, their warriors have not turned around.
There is terror all around,’ declares Jehovah.
6 ‘The swift cannot flee, and the warriors cannot escape.
In the north, by the bank of the Euphrates River,
They have stumbled and fallen.’
7 Who is this coming up like the Nile River,
Like the rivers of surging waters?
8 Egypt comes up just like the Nile River,
Like rivers of surging waters,
And it says, ‘I will go up and cover the earth.
I will destroy the city and those inhabiting it.’
9 Go up, you horses!
Drive madly, you chariots!
Let the warriors advance,
Cush and Put, who handle the shield,
And the Ludim, who handle and bend [Literally, “tread.”] the bow.
10 “That day belongs to the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah of armies, the day of vengeance for taking revenge on his adversaries. And the sword will devour and satisfy itself and take its fill of their blood, for the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah of armies, has a sacrifice [Or “slaughter.”] in the land of the north by the Euphrates River.
11 Go up to Gilead to get balsam,
O virgin daughter of Egypt.
In vain you have multiplied your remedies,
For there is no cure for you.
12 The nations have heard your dishonor,
And your outcry has filled the land.
For warrior stumbles against warrior,
And they both fall down together.”
13 This is the word that Jehovah spoke to Jeremiah the prophet regarding the coming of King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon to strike down the land of Egypt:
14 “Declare it in Egypt, proclaim it in Migdol.
Proclaim it in Noph [Or “Memphis.”] and in Tahpanhes.
Say, ‘Take your positions and prepare yourselves,
For a sword will devour all around you.
15 Why have your powerful men been swept away?
They did not stand their ground,
For Jehovah has pushed them down.
16 In great numbers they are stumbling and falling.
They are saying to one another:
“Get up! Let us return to our people and our homeland
Because of the cruel sword.”’
17 There they have proclaimed,
‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is just a meaningless noise
Who has let the opportunity [Literally, “appointed time.”] pass by.’
18 ‘As surely as I am alive,’ declares the King, whose name is Jehovah of armies,
‘He [That is, Egypt’s conqueror.] will come in like Tabor among the mountains
And like Carmel by the sea.
19 Prepare your baggage for exile,
O daughter inhabiting Egypt.
For Noph [Or “Memphis.”] will become an object of horror;
It will be set afire [Or possibly, “will become a wasteland.”] and left without an inhabitant.
20 Egypt is like a good-looking heifer,
But stinging flies will come against her from the north.
21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst are like fattened calves,
But they have also turned back and fled together.
They could not stand their ground,
For the day of their disaster has come upon them,
Their time of reckoning.’
22 ‘Her sound is like that of a slithering serpent,
For they come after her in force, with axes,
Like men cutting down trees. [Or “gathering wood.”]
23 They will cut down her forest,’ declares Jehovah, ‘though it seemed impenetrable.
For they are more numerous than locusts, without number.
24 The daughter of Egypt will be put to shame.
She will be handed over to the people of the north.’
25 “Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Now I am turning my attention to Amon from No, [That is, Thebes.] to Pharaoh, to Egypt, to her gods, and to her kings—yes, to Pharaoh and all those trusting in him.’
26 “‘And I will hand them over to those seeking to take their life, [Or “seeking their soul.”] to King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon and his servants. But afterward she will be inhabited as in times past,’ declares Jehovah.
27 ‘As for you, do not be afraid, my servant Jacob,
And do not be terrified, O Israel.
For I will save you from far away
And your offspring [Literally, “seed.”] from the land of their captivity.
Jacob will return and be calm and undisturbed,
With no one to make them afraid.
28 So do not be afraid, my servant Jacob,’ declares Jehovah, ‘for I am with you.
I will make an extermination among all the nations where I dispersed you,
But you I will not exterminate.
I will discipline [Or “correct.”] you to the proper degree,
But I will by no means leave you unpunished.’”
Chapter 47
1 This is the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. 2 This is what Jehovah says:
“Look! Waters are coming from the north.
They will become a flooding torrent.
And they will flood the land and everything in it,
The city and those inhabiting it.
The men will cry out,
And everyone dwelling in the land will wail.
3 At the sound of the pounding hooves of his stallions,
At the rattling of his war chariots
And the rumbling of his wheels,
Fathers will not even turn around for their sons,
For their hands fall limp,
4 Because the day that is coming will destroy all the Philistines;
It will cut off from Tyre and Sidon every remaining ally.
For Jehovah will destroy the Philistines,
Who are the remaining ones from the island of Caphtor. [That is, Crete.]
5 Baldness [That is, they will shave their heads in mourning and shame.] will come to Gaza.
Ashkelon has been silenced.
O remnant of their valley plain, [Or “low plain.”]
How long will you keep making cuts on yourself?
6 Ah! The sword of Jehovah!
How long will you not be quiet?
Go back into your sheath.
Take your rest and be silent.
7 How can it be quiet
When Jehovah has given it a command?
Against Ashkelon and the seacoast,
There is where he has assigned it.”
Chapter 48
1 For Moab, this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says:
“Woe to Nebo, for she has been destroyed!
Kiriathaim has been put to shame and captured.
The secure refuge [Or “secure height.”] has been put to shame and shattered.
2 They no longer praise Moab.
In Heshbon they have plotted her downfall:
‘Come, let us put an end to her as a nation.’
You too, O Madmen, should keep silent,
For the sword is following you.
3 There is the sound of an outcry from Horonaim,
Of destruction and great collapse.
4 Moab has been broken down.
Her little ones cry out.
5 On the ascent of Luhith they weep continually as they climb.
And on the way down from Horonaim they hear cries of distress over the catastrophe.
6 Flee, escape for your lives! [Or “souls.”]
You must become like a juniper tree in the wilderness.
7 Because you trust in your works and in your treasures,
You will also be captured.
And Chemosh will go into exile,
Together with his priests and his princes.
8 The destroyer will come in on every city,
And no city will escape.
The valley [Or “low plain.”] will perish,
And the level land [Or “the tableland; the plateau.”] will be annihilated, just as Jehovah has said.
9 Set up a marker for Moab,
For as she falls into ruins she will flee,
And her cities will become an object of horror,
Without an inhabitant.
10 Cursed is the one who carries out the mission of Jehovah neglectfully!
Cursed is the one who holds back his sword from bloodshed!
11 The Moabites have been undisturbed since their youth,
Like wine that has settled on the dregs.
They have not been poured from one vessel into another,
And they have never gone into exile.
That is why their taste has remained the same,
And their aroma has not changed.
12 “‘Therefore look! the days are coming,’ declares Jehovah, ‘when I will send men to overturn them. They will turn them over and empty out their vessels, and they will smash their large jars to pieces. 13 And the Moabites will be ashamed of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel is ashamed of Bethel, which was their confidence.
14 How dare you say: “We are mighty warriors, ready for battle”?’
15 ‘Moab has been destroyed,
Her cities have been invaded,
And their choicest young men have been slaughtered,’
Declares the King, whose name is Jehovah of armies.
16 The disaster on the Moabites is coming soon,
And their downfall is approaching quickly.
17 All those around them will have to sympathize with them,
All those knowing their name.
Tell them: ‘O how the mighty rod has been broken, the staff of beauty!’
18 Come down from your glory,
And sit down in thirst, [Or possibly, “on the dry ground.”] O daughter inhabiting Dibon,
For the destroyer of Moab has come against you,
And he will bring your fortified places to ruin.
19 Stand by the road and watch, inhabitant of Aroer.
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab has been put to shame and struck with terror.
Wail and cry out.
Proclaim in Arnon that Moab has been destroyed.
21 “Judgment has come to the level land, [Or “the tableland; the plateau.”] against Holon, Jahaz, and Mephaath; 22 against Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim; 23 against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon; 24 against Kerioth and Bozrah; and against all the cities of the land of Moab, those far and near.
25 ‘The strength [Literally, “horn.”] of Moab has been cut down;
His arm has been broken,’ declares Jehovah.
26 ‘Make him drunk, for he has exalted himself against Jehovah.
Moab wallows in his vomit,
And he is an object of ridicule.
27 Was Israel not an object of ridicule to you?
Was he found among thieves,
So that you should shake your head and speak against him?
28 Leave the cities and live on the crag, inhabitants of Moab,
And become like a dove that nests along the sides of the gorge.’”
29 “We have heard about the pride of Moab—he is very haughty—
About his arrogance, his pride, his haughtiness, and the loftiness of his heart.”
30 “‘I know his fury,’ declares Jehovah,
‘But his empty talk will come to nothing.
They will do nothing.
31 That is why I will wail over Moab,
For all Moab I will cry out
And moan for the men of Kir-heres.
32 With more than the weeping for Jazer,
I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah.
Your flourishing shoots have crossed the sea.
To the sea, to Jazer, they have reached.
Upon your summer fruit and your grape harvest
The destroyer has descended.
33 Rejoicing and joyfulness have been removed from the orchard
And from the land of Moab.
I have caused the wine to stop flowing from the winepress.
No one will be treading with shouts of joy.
The shouting will be different shouting.’”
34 “‘There is an outcry from Heshbon clear to Elealeh.
They raise their voice clear to Jahaz,
From Zoar to Horonaim to Eglath-shelishiyah.
Even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate.
35 I will cause to cease from Moab,’ declares Jehovah,
‘The one bringing an offering on the high place
And the one making sacrifices to his god.
36 That is why my heart will moan [Or “be boisterous.”] for Moab like a flute, [That is, a flute played in lamentation at a funeral.]
And my heart will moan [Or “be boisterous.”] for the men of Kir-heres like a flute. [That is, a flute played in lamentation at a funeral.]
For the wealth he has produced will perish.
37 For every head is bald,
And every beard is clipped.
There are cuts on every hand,
And there is sackcloth on their hips!’”
38 “‘On all the roofs of Moab
And in all her public squares,
There is nothing but wailing.
For I have broken Moab
Like a discarded jar,’ declares Jehovah.
39 ‘How she is terrified! Wail!
How Moab has turned his back in shame!
Moab has become an object of ridicule,
Something terrifying to all those around him.’”
40 “For this is what Jehovah says:
‘Look! Just like an eagle that swoops down,
He will spread his wings over Moab.
41 The towns will be captured,
And her strongholds will be seized.
In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors
Will be like the heart of a woman in childbirth.’”
42 “‘And Moab will be annihilated from being a people,
For it is against Jehovah that he has exalted himself.
43 Terror and the pit and the trap are before you,
O inhabitant of Moab,’ declares Jehovah.
44 ‘Anyone fleeing the terror will fall into the pit,
And anyone coming up from the pit will be caught in the trap.’
‘For I will bring on Moab the year of their punishment,’ declares Jehovah.
45 ‘In the shadow of Heshbon, those fleeing stand powerless.
For a fire will come out of Heshbon
And a flame from within Sihon.
It will consume the forehead of Moab
And the skull of the sons of tumult.’
46 ‘Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh have perished.
For your sons have been taken captive,
And your daughters have gone into exile.
47 But I will gather the captives of Moab in the final part of the days,’ declares Jehovah.
‘Down to this point is the judgment on Moab.’”
Chapter 49
1 For the Ammonites, this is what Jehovah says:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Does he have no heir?
Why has Malcam taken possession of Gad?
And why are his people living in Israel’s cities?”
2 “‘Therefore look! the days are coming,’ declares Jehovah,
‘When I will cause the alarm signal of war [Or possibly, “the sound of the battle cry.”] to be heard against Rabbah of the Ammonites.
She will become a desolate mound,
And her dependent [Or “surrounding.”] towns will be set on fire.’
‘And Israel will take possession of those who dispossessed him,’ says Jehovah.
3 ‘Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai has been destroyed!
Cry out, O dependent towns of Rabbah.
Put on sackcloth.
Wail and rove about among the stone pens, [Or “sheep pens.”]
For Malcam will go into exile,
Together with his priests and his princes.
4 Why do you brag about the valleys, [Or “low plains.”]
About your flowing plain, O unfaithful daughter,
Who trusts in her treasures
And who says: “Who will come against me?”’”
5 “‘Here I am bringing something dreadful on you,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah of armies,
‘From all those around you.
You will be dispersed in every direction,
And no one will gather those who flee.’”
6 “‘But afterward I will gather the captives of the Ammonites,’ declares Jehovah.”
7 For Edom, this is what Jehovah of armies says:
“Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman?
Has good advice perished from those with understanding?
Has their wisdom rotted?
8 Flee, turn back!
Go and dwell down in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan!
For I will bring disaster on Esau
When the time comes to turn my attention to him.
9 If grape gatherers came in to you,
Would they not leave some behind for gleaning?
If thieves came in by night,
They would cause only as much ruin as they wanted.
10 But I will strip Esau bare.
I will uncover his places of concealment,
So that he cannot hide.
His children and his brothers and his neighbors will all be destroyed,
And he will be no more.
11 Leave your fatherless children,
And I will preserve them alive,
And your widows will trust in me.”
12 For this is what Jehovah says: “Look! If those not sentenced to drink the cup must drink it, should you be left completely unpunished? You will not be left unpunished, for you must drink it.”
13 “For by myself I have sworn,” declares Jehovah, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror, a reproach, a devastation, and a curse; and all her cities will become perpetual ruins.”
14 I have heard a report from Jehovah,
An envoy has been sent among the nations, saying:
“Gather yourselves together and come against her;
Prepare for battle.”
15 “For look! I have made you insignificant among the nations,
Despised among men.
16 The shuddering you caused has deceived you,
The presumptuousness of your heart,
O you who reside in the retreats of the crag,
Occupying the highest hill.
Although you build your nest high up like an eagle,
I will bring you down from there,” declares Jehovah.
17 “And Edom must become an object of horror. Everyone passing along by her will stare in horror and whistle on account of all her plagues. 18 Just as in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and of their neighboring towns,” Jehovah says, “no one will dwell there, and no man will settle there.
19 “Look! Someone will come up against the secure pastures like a lion from the dense thickets along the Jordan, but in a moment I will make him run away from her. And I will appoint over her the chosen one. For who is like me, and who will challenge me? What shepherd can stand before me? 20 Therefore hear, O men, the decision [Or “counsel.”] that Jehovah has made against Edom and what he has thought out against the inhabitants of Teman:
Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away.
He will make their dwelling place desolate because of them.
21 At the sound of their falling, the earth has quaked.
There is an outcry!
The sound has been heard as far as the Red Sea.
22 Look! Just like an eagle he will ascend and swoop down,
And he will spread out his wings over Bozrah.
In that day the heart of the warriors of Edom
Will become like the heart of a woman in childbirth.”
23 For Damascus:
“Hamath and Arpad have been put to shame,
For they have heard a bad report.
They melt in fear.
There is anxiety in the sea that cannot be calmed.
24 Damascus has lost courage.
She has turned to flee, but panic has seized her.
Distress and pain have taken hold of her,
Like a woman who is giving birth.
25 How is it that the city of praise has not been abandoned,
The town of exultation?
26 For her young men will fall in her public squares,
And all the soldiers will perish in that day,” declares Jehovah of armies.
27 “I will set the wall of Damascus on fire,
And it will consume the fortified towers of Ben-hadad.”
28 For Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon struck down, this is what Jehovah says:
“Rise up, go up to Kedar,
And destroy the sons of the East.
29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken,
Their tent cloths and all their goods.
Their camels will be carried off,
And they will cry out to them, ‘Terror is all around!’”
30 “Flee, go far away!
Go and dwell down in the depths, O inhabitants of Hazor,” declares Jehovah.
“For King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon has devised a strategy against you,
And he has thought out a plan against you.”
31 “Rise up, go up against the nation that is at peace,
Dwelling in security!” declares Jehovah.
“It has no doors or bars; they live in isolation.
32 Their camels will become plunder,
And their abundant livestock a spoil.
I will scatter them to every wind, [Or “in every direction.”]
Those who clip their hair at the temples,
And I will bring their disaster from every direction,” declares Jehovah.
33 “And Hazor will become a lair of jackals,
A perpetual desolation.
No one will dwell there,
And no man will settle in her.”
34 This is the word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam in the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah: 35 “This is what Jehovah of armies says, ‘Here I am breaking the bow of Elam, the source [Literally, “beginning.”] of their mightiness. 36 I will bring in on Elam the four winds from the four extremities of the heavens, and I will scatter them to all these winds. There will not be a nation to which the dispersed ones of Elam will not go.’”
37 “I will shatter the Elamites before their enemies and before those seeking to take their life; [Or “seeking their soul.”] and I will bring calamity on them, my burning anger,” declares Jehovah. “And I will send the sword after them until I have exterminated them.”
38 “And I will set my throne in Elam, and I will destroy from there the king and the princes,” declares Jehovah.
39 “But in the final part of the days, I will gather the captives of Elam,” declares Jehovah.
Chapter 50
1 The word that Jehovah spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:
2 “Declare it among the nations and proclaim it.
Raise a signal [Or “signal pole.”] and proclaim it.
Do not hide anything!
Say, ‘Babylon has been captured.
Bel has been put to shame.
Merodach has become terrified.
Her images have been put to shame.
Her disgusting idols [The Hebrew term may be related to a word for “dung” and is used as an expression of contempt.] have become terrified.’
3 For a nation has come against her from the north.
It makes her land an object of horror;
No one is dwelling in her.
Both man and beast have taken flight;
They have gone away.”
4 “In those days and at that time,” declares Jehovah, “the people of Israel and the people of Judah will come together. They will weep as they walk, and together they will seek Jehovah their God. 5 They will ask the way to Zion, with their faces turned in that direction, saying, ‘Come and let us join ourselves to Jehovah in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.’ 6 My people have become a flock of lost sheep. Their own shepherds caused them to stray. They led them away onto the mountains, roaming from mountain to hill. They have forgotten their resting-place. 7 All those finding them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, because they sinned against Jehovah, against the dwelling place of righteousness and the hope of their forefathers, Jehovah.’”
8 “Flee out of the midst of Babylon,
Go out of the land of the Chaldeans,
And be like the leading animals before the flock.
9 For here I am raising up and bringing against Babylon
An assembly of great nations from the land of the north.
They will come against her in battle formation;
From there she will be captured.
Their arrows are like those of a warrior
Causing bereavement of children;
They do not come back without results.
10 Chaldea will become a spoil.
All those taking spoil from her will be fully satisfied,” declares Jehovah.
11 “For you kept rejoicing, you kept exulting
When pillaging my own inheritance.
For you kept pawing like a heifer in the grass,
And you kept neighing like stallions.
12 Your mother has been put to shame.
She who gave birth to you has been disappointed.
Look! She is the least of the nations,
A waterless wilderness and a desert.
13 Because of the indignation of Jehovah she will not be inhabited;
She will become utterly desolate.
Anyone passing by Babylon will stare in horror
And whistle because of all her plagues.
14 Come against Babylon in battle formation on every side,
All you who are bending [Literally, “treading.”] the bow.
Shoot at her, spare no arrow,
For it is against Jehovah that she has sinned.
15 Shout a war cry against her on every side.
She has surrendered. [Literally, “given her hand.”]
Her pillars have fallen, her walls are torn down,
For it is the vengeance of Jehovah.
Take your vengeance on her.
Do to her just as she has done.
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon
And the one handling the sickle in harvesttime.
Because of the cruel sword, each will return to his own people,
Each one will flee to his own land.
17 “The people of Israel are scattered sheep. Lions have dispersed them. First the king of Assyria devoured them; then King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon gnawed on their bones. 18 Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Here I will deal with the king of Babylon and with his land in the same way that I dealt with the king of Assyria. 19 And I will bring Israel back to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and on Bashan, and on the mountains of Ephraim and of Gilead he [Or “his soul.”] will be satisfied.’”
20 “In those days and at that time,” declares Jehovah,
“Israel’s guilt will be searched for,
But there will be none,
And the sins of Judah will not be found,
For I will forgive those whom I let remain.”
21 “Go up against the land of Merathaim and against the inhabitants of Pekod.
Let them be massacred and completely destroyed,” [Or “and devote them to destruction.”] declares Jehovah.
“Do all that I have commanded you.
22 There is the sound of war in the land,
A great catastrophe.
23 How the forge hammer of all the earth has been cut down and broken!
How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!
24 I have laid a snare for you, and you have been caught, O Babylon,
And you did not know it.
You were found and captured,
For it was Jehovah whom you opposed.
25 Jehovah has opened his storehouse,
And he brings out the weapons of his indignation.
For the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah of armies, has a work
In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from distant places.
Open up her granaries.
Pile her up like heaps of grain.
Destroy her completely. [Or “Devote her to destruction.”]
May she have no one left.
27 Massacre all her young bulls;
Let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come,
Their time of reckoning!
28 There is the sound of those fleeing,
Those escaping from the land of Babylon,
To declare in Zion the vengeance of Jehovah our God,
The vengeance for his temple.
29 Summon archers against Babylon,
All who are bending [Literally, “treading.”] the bow.
Camp all around her; let no one escape.
Repay her according to her activity.
Do to her just as she has done.
For she has acted arrogantly against Jehovah,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 So her young men will fall in her public squares,
And all her soldiers will perish [Literally, “be silenced.”] in that day,” declares Jehovah.
31 “Look! I am against you, O defiant one,” declares the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah of armies,
“For your day must come, the time that I will call you to account.
32 You, O defiant one, will stumble and fall,
With no one to raise you up.
And I will set your cities on fire,
And it will consume everything around you.”
33 This is what Jehovah of armies says:
“The people of Israel and Judah are oppressed,
And all those taking them captive have held onto them.
They have refused to let them go.
34 But their Repurchaser is strong.
Jehovah of armies is his name.
He will surely plead their legal case,
In order to give rest to the land
And to bring agitation to the inhabitants of Babylon.”
35 “There is a sword against the Chaldeans,” declares Jehovah,
“Against the inhabitants of Babylon and against her princes and against her wise ones.
36 There is a sword against the empty talkers, [Or “the false prophets.”] and they will act foolishly.
There is a sword against her warriors, and they will become terrified.
37 There is a sword against their horses and their war chariots,
And against all the mixed populations in her midst,
And they will become like women.
There is a sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered.
38 There is a devastation on her waters, and they will be dried up.
For it is a land of graven images,
And because of their frightful visions they keep acting with madness.
39 Therefore, the desert creatures will dwell with the howling animals,
And in her the ostriches will dwell.
She will never again be inhabited,
Nor will she be a place of residence throughout all generations.”
40 “Just as with God’s overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and of their neighboring towns,” declares Jehovah, “no one will dwell there, and no man will settle there.
41 Look! A people is coming in from the north;
A great nation and grand kings will be raised up
From the remotest parts of the earth.
42 Bow and javelin they wield.
They are cruel and will show no mercy.
Their sound is like the roaring sea,
As they ride on their horses.
Like one man, they line up in battle formation against you, O daughter of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands drop down.
Anguish seizes him,
Pain like that of a woman giving birth.
44 “Look! Someone will come up against the secure pastures like a lion from the dense thickets along the Jordan, but in a moment I will make them run away from her. And I will appoint over her the chosen one. For who is like me, and who will challenge me? What shepherd can stand before me? 45 Therefore hear, O men, the decision [Or “counsel.”] that Jehovah has made against Babylon and what he has thought out against the land of the Chaldeans.
Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away.
He will make their dwelling place desolate because of them.
46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture, the earth will quake,
And an outcry will be heard among the nations.”
Chapter 51
1 This is what Jehovah says:
“Here I am raising up a destructive wind
Against Babylon and the inhabitants of Leb-kamai. [This appears to be a cryptographic name for Chaldea.]
2 I will send winnowers to Babylon,
And they will winnow her and make her land empty;
They will come against her on all sides in the day of calamity.
3 Let the archer not bend [Literally, “tread.”] his bow.
And let no one stand up in his coat of mail.
Show no compassion for her young men.
Devote all her army to destruction.
4 And they will fall slain in the land of the Chaldeans,
Pierced through in her streets.
5 For Israel and Judah are not widowed from their God, from Jehovah of armies.
But their land [That is, the land of the Chaldeans.] is full of guilt from the standpoint of the Holy One of Israel.
6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon,
And escape for your life. [Or “soul.”]
Do not perish because of her error.
For it is the time for Jehovah’s vengeance.
He is paying her back for what she has done.
7 Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of Jehovah;
She made all the earth drunk.
From her wine the nations have drunk;
That is why the nations have gone mad.
8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and is broken.
Wail over her!
Get balsam for her pain; perhaps she may be healed.”
9 “We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed.
Leave her and let us go, each to his own land.
For her judgment has reached to the heavens;
It is as high as the clouds.
10 Jehovah has brought about justice for us.
Come, let us recount in Zion the work of Jehovah our God.”
11 “Polish the arrows; take up the circular shields. [Or possibly, “fill the quivers.”]
Jehovah has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes,
Because he intends to bring Babylon to ruin.
For this is the vengeance of Jehovah, the vengeance for his temple.
12 Lift up a signal [Or “signal pole.”] against the walls of Babylon.
Strengthen the guard, post the watchmen.
Prepare those in ambush.
For Jehovah has devised the strategy,
And he will carry out what he has promised against the inhabitants of Babylon.”
13 “O woman who resides on many waters,
With abundant treasures,
Your end has come, the limit [Literally, “measure.”] of your profit-making.
14 Jehovah of armies has sworn by himself, [Or “his soul.”]
‘I will fill you with men, as numerous as locusts,
And they will shout in triumph over you.’
15 He is the Maker of the earth by his power,
The One who established the productive land by his wisdom
And who stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
16 When he makes his voice heard,
The waters in the heavens are in turmoil,
And he causes clouds [Or “vapors.”] to ascend from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for [Or possibly, “makes sluices for.”] the rain,
And he brings the wind out of his storehouses.
17 Every man acts unreasonably and without knowledge.
Every metalworker will be put to shame because of the carved image;
For his metal image [Or “molten statue.”] is a falsehood,
And there is no spirit [Or “breath.”] in them.
18 They are a delusion, [Or “futility.”] a work of mockery.
When their day of reckoning comes, they will perish.
19 The Share of Jacob is not like these things,
For he is the One who formed everything,
Even the staff of his inheritance.
Jehovah of armies is his name.”
20 “You are a war club for me, a weapon for battle,
For with you I will smash nations.
With you I will bring kingdoms to ruin.
21 With you I will smash the horse and its rider.
With you I will smash the war chariot and its rider.
22 With you I will smash man and woman.
With you I will smash old man and boy.
With you I will smash young man and woman.
23 With you I will smash shepherd and his flock.
With you I will smash farmer and his team of animals.
With you I will smash governors and deputy rulers.
24 And I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea
For all the evil that they have committed in Zion before your eyes,” declares Jehovah.
25 “Here I am against you, O destructive mountain,” declares Jehovah,
“You destroyer of the whole earth.
I will stretch out my hand against you and roll you down from the crags
And make you a burned-out mountain.”
26 “People will not take from you a cornerstone or a foundation stone,
Because you will become desolate forever,” declares Jehovah.
27 “Lift up a signal [Or “signal pole.”] in the land.
Blow a horn among the nations.
Appoint [Literally, “Sanctify.”] the nations against her.
Summon against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.
Commission against her a recruiting officer.
Make the horses come up like bristling locusts.
28 Appoint [Literally, “Sanctify.”] against her the nations,
The kings of Media, its governors and all its deputy rulers
And all the lands they rule over.
29 And the earth will quake and tremble,
For the thoughts of Jehovah against Babylon will be carried out
To make the land of Babylon an object of horror, without an inhabitant.
30 The warriors of Babylon have quit fighting.
They sit in their strongholds.
Their strength has failed.
They have become like women.
Her homes have been set on fire.
Her bars have been broken.
31 One courier runs to meet another courier,
And one messenger to meet another messenger,
To report to the king of Babylon that his city has been captured on every side,
32 That the fords have been seized,
That the papyrus boats have been burned with fire,
And that the soldiers are terrified.”
33 For this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says:
“The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor.
It is the time to tread her down solid.
Very soon the time of the harvest will come for her.”
34 “King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon has devoured me;
He has thrown me into confusion.
He has set me down as an empty vessel.
He has swallowed me down like a big snake;
He has filled his stomach with my fine things.
He has rinsed me away.
35 ‘May the violence done to me and to my person come upon Babylon!’ says the inhabitant of Zion.
‘And let my blood come upon the inhabitants of Chaldea!’ says Jerusalem.”
36 Therefore this is what Jehovah says:
“Here I am pleading your legal case,
And I will execute vengeance for you.
I will dry up her sea and make her wells dry.
37 And Babylon will become piles of stones,
A lair of jackals,
An object of horror and something to whistle at,
Without an inhabitant.
38 All together they will roar just like young lions. [Or “maned young lions.”]
They will growl like lion cubs.”
39 “When they are inflamed, I will set out their banquet and make them drunk,
In order that they may exult;
Then they will sleep a lasting sleep,
From which they will not wake up,” declares Jehovah.
40 “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter,
Like rams along with the goats.”
41 “O how Sheshach [This appears to be a cryptographic name for Babel (Babylon).] has been captured,
How the Praise of the whole earth has been seized!
How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!
42 The sea has come up over Babylon.
By the multitude of its waves she has been covered.
43 Her cities have become an object of horror, a waterless land and a desert.
A land where no one will live and where no man will pass through.
44 I will turn my attention to Bel in Babylon,
And I will take out of his mouth what he has swallowed.
To him nations will stream no more,
And the wall of Babylon will fall.
45 Get out of her midst, my people!
Escape for your lives [Or “souls.”] from the burning anger of Jehovah!
46 Do not be fainthearted or afraid about the report to be heard in the land.
In one year the report will come,
And the next year another report,
Of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.
47 Therefore look! the days are coming
When I will turn my attention to the graven images of Babylon.
All her land will be put to shame,
And all her slain will fall in her midst.
48 The heavens and the earth and everything in them
Will shout joyfully over Babylon,
For the destroyers will come to her out of the north,” declares Jehovah.
49 “Not only did Babylon cause the slain of Israel to fall
But also at Babylon the slain ones of all the earth have fallen.
50 You who escape the sword, keep going, do not stand still!
Remember Jehovah from far away,
And may Jerusalem come up into your heart.”
51 “We have been put to shame, for we have heard taunts.
Humiliation has covered our faces,
For foreigners [Or “strangers.”] have come against the holy places of the house of Jehovah.”
52 “Therefore look! the days are coming,” declares Jehovah,
“When I will turn my attention to her graven images,
And throughout all her land the wounded will groan.”
53 “Even if Babylon should ascend to the heavens,
Even if she should fortify her towering strongholds,
From me her destroyers will come,” declares Jehovah.
54 “Listen! There is an outcry from Babylon,
The sound of great disaster from the land of the Chaldeans,
55 For Jehovah is destroying Babylon,
He will silence her great voice,
And their waves will roar like many waters.
The sound of their voice will be heard.
56 For the destroyer will come upon Babylon;
Her warriors will be captured,
Their bows will be shattered,
For Jehovah is a God of retribution.
He will surely repay.
57 I will make her princes and her wise men drunk,
Her governors and her deputy rulers and her warriors,
And they will sleep a lasting sleep,
From which they will not wake up,” declares the King, whose name is Jehovah of armies.
58 This is what Jehovah of armies says:
“The wall of Babylon, though broad, will be completely demolished,
And her gates, though high, will be set on fire.
The peoples will toil for nothing;
The nations will weary themselves just to feed the fire.”
59 This is the word that Jeremiah the prophet gave as a command to Seraiah son of Neriah son of Mahseiah when he went with King Zedekiah of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign; Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 Jeremiah wrote in one book all the calamity that would come upon Babylon, all these words written against Babylon. 61 Furthermore, Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to Babylon and see her, you must read aloud all these words. 62 Then say, ‘O Jehovah, you have said against this place that it will be destroyed and left without an inhabitant, man or beast, and that she will become desolate forever.’ 63 And when you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates. 64 Then say, ‘This is how Babylon will sink down and never rise again because of the calamity that I am bringing on her; and they will grow weary.’”
Down to this point are the words of Jeremiah.
Chapter 52
1 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 He continued to do what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 It was because of Jehovah’s anger that these things took place in Jerusalem and in Judah, until he cast them out of his sight. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem. They camped against it and built a siege wall all around it. 5 And the city was under siege until the 11th year of King Zedekiah.
6 In the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine was severe in the city, and there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Finally the city wall was broken through, and all the soldiers fled from the city by night through the gate between the double wall near the king’s garden, while the Chaldeans were surrounding the city; and they continued by the way of the Arabah. 8 But the Chaldean army pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the desert plains of Jericho, and all his troops were scattered from his side. 9 Then they seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 10 And the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the princes of Judah there at Riblah. 11 Then the king of Babylon blinded Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with copper fetters, brought him to Babylon, and kept him imprisoned until the day of his death.
12 In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that is, in the 19th year of King Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard, who was an attendant of the king of Babylon, came into Jerusalem. 13 He burned down the house of Jehovah, the king’s house, [Or “palace.”] and all the houses of Jerusalem; he also burned down every large house. 14 And the walls surrounding Jerusalem were pulled down by the entire Chaldean army that was with the chief of the guard.
15 Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard took into exile some of the lowly people and the rest of the people who were left in the city. He also took the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon as well as the rest of the master craftsmen. 16 But Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard left some of the poorest people of the land to serve as vinedressers and as compulsory laborers.
17 And the Chaldeans broke into pieces the copper pillars of the house of Jehovah and the carriages and the copper Sea that were in the house of Jehovah, and they carried all the copper away to Babylon. 18 They also took the cans, the shovels, the extinguishers, the bowls, the cups, and all the copper utensils used in the temple service. 19 The chief of the guard took the basins, the fire holders, the bowls, the cans, the lampstands, the cups, and the bowls that were of genuine gold and silver. 20 As for the two pillars, the Sea, the 12 copper bulls under the Sea, and the carriages that King Solomon had made for the house of Jehovah, the copper of all these articles was beyond weighing.
21 As for the pillars, each pillar was 18 cubits [A cubit equaled 44.5 centimeters (17.5 inches). See Appendix B14.] high, a measuring cord of 12 cubits could encircle it; its thickness was four fingerbreadths, [A fingerbreadth equaled 1.85 centimeters (0.73 inches). See Appendix B14.] and it was hollow. 22 And the capital on it was of copper; and the height of the one capital was five cubits; and the network and pomegranates all around on the capital were all made of copper. The second pillar was just like it, also the pomegranates. 23 There were 96 pomegranates on the sides; in all, there were 100 pomegranates around the network.
24 The chief of the guard also took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. 25 And he took from the city one court official who was the commissioner over the soldiers, seven close associates of the king who were found in the city, as well as the secretary of the chief of the army, the one mustering the people of the land, and 60 men of the common people of the land who were yet found in the city. 26 Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 The king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah went into exile from its land.
28 These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] took into exile: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews.
29 In the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar, [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] 832 people [Or “souls.”] were taken from Jerusalem.
30 In the 23rd year of Nebuchadnezzar, [Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar,” a variant spelling.] Nebuzaradan the chief of the guard took Jews into exile, 745 people. [Or “souls.”]
In all, 4,600 people [Or “souls.”] were taken into exile.
31 Then in the 37th year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, in the 12th month, on the 25th day of the month, King Evil-merodach of Babylon, in the year he became king, released [Literally, “raised up the head of.”] King Jehoiachin of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 He spoke kindly with him and put his throne higher than the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin took off his prison garments, and he regularly ate before him all the days of his life. 34 A regular allowance of food was given him from the king of Babylon, day after day, until the day of his death, all the days of his life.