Baskets of Figs and the Returnees

24 After (A)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and metalworkers from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two (B)baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. One basket had very good figs, like (C)first-ripe figs, and the other basket had (D)very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness. Then the Lord said to me, “(E)What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs: the good figs are very good, and the bad ones, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.”

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard (F)as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will (G)bring them back to this land; and I will (H)build them up and not overthrow them, and I will (I)plant them and not uproot them. I will also give them a (J)heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be (K)My people, and I will be their God, for they will (L)return to Me wholeheartedly.

‘But like the (M)bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness,’ indeed, this is what the Lord says, ‘so will I give up (N)Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the (O)remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and the ones who live in the land of (P)Egypt. I will (Q)make them an object of terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a (R)disgrace and a proverb, a taunt and a (S)curse in all the places where I will scatter them. 10 And I will send the (T)sword, the famine, and the plague upon them until they are eliminated from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’”

Prophecy of the Captivity

25 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the (U)fourth year of (V)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the (W)first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), the word which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the (X)people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, “From the (Y)thirteenth year of (Z)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, [a]these (AA)twenty-three years the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you (AB)again and again, but you have not listened. And the Lord has sent to you all His (AC)servants the prophets again and again, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear, saying, ‘(AD)Turn now, everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and live on the land which the Lord has given to you and your forefathers (AE)forever and ever; and (AF)do not follow other gods to [b]serve them and to [c]worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, then I will do you no harm.’ Yet you have not listened to Me,” declares the Lord, “in order to (AG)provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

“Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will (AH)send and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, (AI)My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these surrounding nations; and I will [d]completely destroy them and (AJ)make them an object of horror and [e]hissing, and an everlasting place of ruins. 10 Moreover, I will (AK)eliminate from them the voice of jubilation and the voice of joy, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the (AL)sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 (AM)This entire land will be a place of ruins and an object of horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for (AN)seventy years.

Babylon Will Be Judged

12 ‘Then it will be (AO)when seventy years are completed I will (AP)punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their wrongdoing, and the land of the Chaldeans; and (AQ)I will make it an everlasting desolation. 13 I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in (AR)this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against (AS)all the nations. 14 ([f]For (AT)many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, even them; and I will (AU)repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.)’”

15 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me: “Take this (AV)cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and give it to all the nations to whom I send you, to drink from it. 16 Then they will (AW)drink and loudly vomit and act insanely because of the sword that I am going to send among them.”

17 So I took the cup from the Lords hand and (AX)gave it to all the nations to whom the Lord sent me, to drink from it: 18 To (AY)Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, and its kings and its officials, to make them places of ruins, objects of horror, [g]hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; 19 To (AZ)Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, and all his people; 20 and to all the (BA)foreign [h]people, all the kings of the (BB)land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the (BC)Philistines (that is, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of (BD)Ashdod); 21 To (BE)Edom, (BF)Moab, and the sons of (BG)Ammon; 22 and to all the kings of (BH)Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of (BI)the coastlands which are beyond the sea; 23 and to (BJ)Dedan, Tema, (BK)Buz, and all who (BL)trim the corners of their hair; 24 and to all the kings of (BM)Arabia and all the kings of the (BN)foreign [i]people who live in the desert; 25 and to all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of (BO)Elam, and all the kings of (BP)Media; 26 and to all the kings of the north, near and far, one with another; and (BQ)all the kingdoms of the earth which are on the face of the ground; and the king of [j](BR)Sheshach shall drink it after them.

27 “And you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “(BS)Drink, be drunk, vomit, fall down, and do not get up, because of the (BT)sword which I am sending among you.”’ 28 And if they (BU)refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “(BV)You shall certainly drink! 29 For behold, I am (BW)beginning to inflict disaster on this city which is (BX)called by My name, so should you be completely free from punishment? You will not be free from punishment, for (BY)I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth,” declares the Lord of armies.’

30 “Therefore you shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them,

‘The (BZ)Lord will (CA)roar from on high
And raise His voice from His holy dwelling;
He will roar forcefully against His [k]fold.
He will shout like those who tread the grapes,
Against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 A clamor has come to the end of the earth,
Because the Lord has (CB)a controversy with the nations.
He is entering into (CC)judgment with [l]humanity;
As for the wicked, He has turned them over to the sword,’ declares the Lord.”

32 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“Behold, evil is going out
From (CD)nation to nation,
And a great (CE)storm is being stirred up
From the remotest parts of the earth.

33 “Those (CF)put to death by the Lord on that day will be from one end of the earth to the [m]other. They will (CG)not be mourned, gathered, or buried; they will be like (CH)dung on the face of the ground.

34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out;
(CI)Wallow in the dust, you masters of the flock;
For the days of your (CJ)slaughter and your dispersions [n]have come,
And you will fall like a precious vessel.
35 [o]There will be (CK)no sanctuary for the shepherds,
Nor escape for the masters of the flock.
36 Hear the sound of the cry of the shepherds,
And the wailing of the masters of the flock!
For the Lord is destroying their pasture,
37 And the peaceful (CL)grazing places are devastated
Because of the (CM)fierce anger of the Lord.
38 He has left His hiding place (CN)like the lion;
For their land has become a horror
Because of the fierceness of the [p]oppressing sword
And because of His fierce anger.”

Cities of Judah Warned

26 In the beginning of the reign of (CO)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘(CP)Stand in the courtyard of the Lords house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have (CQ)come to worship in the Lords house (CR)all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. (CS)Do not omit a word! (CT)Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, and (CU)I will relent of the disaster which I am planning to inflict on them because of the evil of their deeds.’ And you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “(CV)If you do not listen to Me, to (CW)walk in My Law which I have set before you, to listen to the words of (CX)My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened; then I will make this house like (CY)Shiloh, and I will make this city a (CZ)curse to all the nations of the earth.”’”

A Plot to Murder Jeremiah

The (DA)priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. Yet when Jeremiah finished speaking everything that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “(DB)You must die! Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be (DC)in ruins, without inhabitant’?” And (DD)all the people gathered to Jeremiah at the house of the Lord.

10 When the (DE)officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat at the (DF)entrance of the New Gate of the Lords house. 11 Then the priests and the prophets (DG)spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, “A (DH)death sentence for this man! For he has prophesied (DI)against this city, just as you have heard with your own ears!”

12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people, saying, “(DJ)The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. 13 Now then, (DK)reform your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will relent of the disaster which He has pronounced against you. 14 But as for me, behold, (DL)I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight. 15 Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring (DM)innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city and its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words [q]so that you hear them.”

Jeremiah Is Spared

16 Then the officials and all the people (DN)said to the priests and the prophets, “No (DO)death sentence for this man! For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” 17 Then (DP)some of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying, 18 [r](DQ)Micah of Moresheth used to prophesy in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies has said:

(DR)Zion will be plowed like a field,
And Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins,
And the (DS)mountain of the house like the [s]high places of a forest.”’

19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah actually put him to death? Did he not (DT)fear the Lord and plead for the favor of the Lord, and (DU)the Lord relented of the disaster which He had pronounced against them? But we are (DV)committing a great evil against our own lives!”

20 Indeed, there was also a man who used to prophesy in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from (DW)Kiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land words similar to all those of Jeremiah. 21 When King Jehoiakim and all his warriors and all the officials heard his words, then the (DX)king sought to put him to death; but Uriah heard about it, and he was afraid, so he (DY)fled and went to Egypt. 22 Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: (DZ)Elnathan the son of Achbor and certain men with him, to Egypt. 23 And they brought Uriah from Egypt and led him to King Jehoiakim, who (EA)killed him with a sword and threw his dead body into the [t]burial place of the [u]common people.

24 But the hand of (EB)Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was (EC)not handed over to the people to put him to death.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 25:3 Lit this
  2. Jeremiah 25:6 Or worship
  3. Jeremiah 25:6 Or bow down to
  4. Jeremiah 25:9 Or put them under the ban
  5. Jeremiah 25:9 Or whistling
  6. Jeremiah 25:14 Or For they have served many nations and great kings
  7. Jeremiah 25:18 Or whistling
  8. Jeremiah 25:20 Or mercenaries
  9. Jeremiah 25:24 Or mercenaries
  10. Jeremiah 25:26 Cryptic name for Babylon
  11. Jeremiah 25:30 Or pasture; i.e., a ref to His people
  12. Jeremiah 25:31 Lit all flesh
  13. Jeremiah 25:33 Lit other end of the earth
  14. Jeremiah 25:34 Lit are full
  15. Jeremiah 25:35 Lit Sanctuary will perish from
  16. Jeremiah 25:38 Or oppressor
  17. Jeremiah 26:15 Lit in your ears and the ears of all
  18. Jeremiah 26:18 Lit Micaiah the Morasthite
  19. Jeremiah 26:18 Or wooded heights
  20. Jeremiah 26:23 Lit graves
  21. Jeremiah 26:23 Lit sons of the people

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