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Jeremiah 25-34
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah 25-34
New American Standard Bible
Prophecy of the Captivity
25 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the (A)fourth year of (B)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the (C)first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 the word which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the (D)people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 3 “From the (E)thirteenth year of (F)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, [a]these (G)twenty-three years the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you (H)again and again, but you have not listened. 4 And the Lord has sent to you all His (I)servants the prophets again and again, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear, 5 saying, ‘(J)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 (K)forever and ever; 6 and (L)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.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to Me,” declares the Lord, “in order to (M)provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.
8 “Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, 9 behold, I will (N)send and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, (O)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 (P)make them an object of horror and [e]hissing, and an everlasting place of ruins. 10 Moreover, I will (Q)eliminate from them the voice of jubilation and the voice of joy, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the (R)sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 (S)This entire land will be a place of ruins and an object of horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for (T)seventy years.
Babylon Will Be Judged
12 ‘Then it will be (U)when seventy years are completed I will (V)punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their wrongdoing, and the land of the Chaldeans; and (W)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 (X)this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against (Y)all the nations. 14 ([f]For (Z)many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, even them; and I will (AA)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 (AB)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 (AC)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 Lord’s hand and (AD)gave it to all the nations to whom the Lord sent me, to drink from it: 18 To (AE)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 (AF)Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, and all his people; 20 and to all the (AG)foreign [h]people, all the kings of the (AH)land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the (AI)Philistines (that is, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of (AJ)Ashdod); 21 To (AK)Edom, (AL)Moab, and the sons of (AM)Ammon; 22 and to all the kings of (AN)Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of (AO)the coastlands which are beyond the sea; 23 and to (AP)Dedan, Tema, (AQ)Buz, and all who (AR)trim the corners of their hair; 24 and to all the kings of (AS)Arabia and all the kings of the (AT)foreign [i]people who live in the desert; 25 and to all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of (AU)Elam, and all the kings of (AV)Media; 26 and to all the kings of the north, near and far, one with another; and (AW)all the kingdoms of the earth which are on the face of the ground; and the king of [j](AX)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: “(AY)Drink, be drunk, vomit, fall down, and do not get up, because of the (AZ)sword which I am sending among you.”’ 28 And if they (BA)refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “(BB)You shall certainly drink! 29 For behold, I am (BC)beginning to inflict disaster on this city which is (BD)called by My name, so should you be completely free from punishment? You will not be free from punishment, for (BE)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 (BF)Lord will (BG)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 (BH)a controversy with the nations.
He is entering into (BI)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 (BJ)nation to nation,
And a great (BK)storm is being stirred up
From the remotest parts of the earth.
33 “Those (BL)put to death by the Lord on that day will be from one end of the earth to the [m]other. They will (BM)not be mourned, gathered, or buried; they will be like (BN)dung on the face of the ground.
34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out;
(BO)Wallow in the dust, you masters of the flock;
For the days of your (BP)slaughter and your dispersions [n]have come,
And you will fall like a precious vessel.
35 [o]There will be (BQ)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 (BR)grazing places are devastated
Because of the (BS)fierce anger of the Lord.
38 He has left His hiding place (BT)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 (BU)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, 2 “This is what the Lord says: ‘(BV)Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have (BW)come to worship in the Lord’s house (BX)all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. (BY)Do not omit a word! 3 (BZ)Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, and (CA)I will relent of the disaster which I am planning to inflict on them because of the evil of their deeds.’ 4 And you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “(CB)If you do not listen to Me, to (CC)walk in My Law which I have set before you, 5 to listen to the words of (CD)My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened; 6 then I will make this house like (CE)Shiloh, and I will make this city a (CF)curse to all the nations of the earth.”’”
A Plot to Murder Jeremiah
7 The (CG)priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 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, “(CH)You must die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be (CI)in ruins, without inhabitant’?” And (CJ)all the people gathered to Jeremiah at the house of the Lord.
10 When the (CK)officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat at the (CL)entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s house. 11 Then the priests and the prophets (CM)spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, “A (CN)death sentence for this man! For he has prophesied (CO)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, “(CP)The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. 13 Now then, (CQ)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, (CR)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 (CS)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 (CT)said to the priests and the prophets, “No (CU)death sentence for this man! For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” 17 Then (CV)some of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying, 18 “[r](CW)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:
“(CX)Zion will be plowed like a field,
And Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins,
And the (CY)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 (CZ)fear the Lord and plead for the favor of the Lord, and (DA)the Lord relented of the disaster which He had pronounced against them? But we are (DB)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 (DC)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 (DD)king sought to put him to death; but Uriah heard about it, and he was afraid, so he (DE)fled and went to Egypt. 22 Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: (DF)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 (DG)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 (DH)Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was (DI)not handed over to the people to put him to death.
The Nations to Submit to Nebuchadnezzar
27 In the beginning of the reign of [v](DJ)Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying— 2 this is what the Lord has said to me: “Make for yourself (DK)restraints and (DL)yokes and put them on your neck, 3 and send [w]word to the king of (DM)Edom, the king of (DN)Moab, the king of the sons of (DO)Ammon, the king of (DP)Tyre, and to the king of (DQ)Sidon [x]by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Order them to go to their masters, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “This is what you shall say to your masters: 5 ‘(DR)I have made the earth, mankind, and the animals which are on the face of the earth (DS)by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will (DT)give it to the one who is [y]pleasing in My sight. 6 And now I (DU)have handed all these lands over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, (DV)My servant, and I have also given him the (DW)animals of the field to serve him. 7 (DX)All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson (DY)until the time of his own land comes; then (DZ)many nations and great kings will [z]make him their servant.
8 ‘And it will be that the nation or the kingdom which (EA)will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the (EB)sword, with famine, and with plague,’ declares the Lord, ‘until I have eliminated [aa]it by his hand. 9 And as for you, (EC)do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your [ab]dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers who talk to you, saying, “You will not serve the king of Babylon.” 10 For they are prophesying a (ED)lie to you in order to (EE)remove you far from your land; and I will drive you away and you will perish. 11 But the nation that will (EF)bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will (EG)let remain on its land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and they will cultivate it and live in it.’”’”
12 I spoke words like all these to (EH)Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why should you (EI)die, you and your people, by the sword, famine, and plague, as the Lord has spoken to the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 So (EJ)do not listen to the words of the prophets who talk to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying a (EK)lie to you; 15 for (EL)I have not sent them,” declares the Lord, “but they are (EM)prophesying falsely in My name, so that I will (EN)drive you away and that you will perish, (EO)you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”
16 Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, “Behold, the (EP)vessels of the Lord’s house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon”; for they are prophesying a (EQ)lie to you. 17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city (ER)become a place of ruins? 18 But (ES)if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, have them now (ET)plead with the Lord of armies that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord and the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem do not go to Babylon. 19 For this is what the Lord of armies says concerning the (EU)pillars, concerning the [ac]sea, concerning the kettle stands, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he (EV)led into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 Yes, this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22 “They will be (EW)brought to Babylon and will be there until the (EX)day I visit them,” declares the Lord. “Then I will (EY)bring them [ad]back and restore them to this place.”’”
Hananiah’s False Prophecy
28 Now in the same year, (EZ)in the beginning of the reign of (FA)Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, (FB)Hananiah the prophet the son of Azzur, who was from (FC)Gibeon, spoke to me at the house of the Lord in the sight of the priests and all the people, saying, 2 “(FD)This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I am going to bring back to this place (FE)all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took from this place and brought to Babylon. 4 I am (FF)also going to bring back to this place (FG)Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the (FH)exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the (FI)yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
5 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the sight of the priests and in the sight of all the people who were standing at the (FJ)house of the Lord, 6 and Jeremiah the prophet said, “(FK)Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all the exiles, from Babylon to this place. 7 Yet (FL)hear now this word which I am going to speak [ae]so that you and all the people can hear it! 8 The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times also (FM)prophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms regarding war, disaster, and plague. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, (FN)when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”
10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the (FO)yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11 Hananiah spoke in the sight of all the people, saying, “(FP)This is what the Lord says: ‘Even so within two full years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” Then Jeremiah the prophet went his way.
12 Then the (FQ)word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 13 “Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You have broken the yokes of wood, but in their place you have made (FR)yokes of iron.” 14 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “I have put a (FS)yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall (FT)serve him. And (FU)I have also given him the animals of the field.”’” 15 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah: the Lord has not sent you, and (FV)you have made this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘(FW)Behold, I am going to [af]remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to (FX)die, because you (FY)spoke falsely against the Lord.’”
17 So Hananiah the prophet died in the same year, in the seventh month.
Message to the Exiles
29 Now these are the words of the (FZ)letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King (GA)Jeconiah and the (GB)queen mother, the high officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalworkers had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of (GC)Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles whom I have (GD)sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ‘(GE)Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their [ag]produce. 6 Take (GF)wives and father sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may give birth to sons and daughters; and grow in numbers there and do not decrease. 7 (GG)Seek the [ah]prosperity of the city where I have sent you into exile, and (GH)pray to the Lord in its behalf; for [ai]in its [aj]prosperity will be your [ak]prosperity.’ 8 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Do not let your (GI)prophets who are in your midst or your diviners (GJ)deceive you, and do not listen to their interpretations of (GK)your dreams which you dream. 9 For they (GL)prophesy falsely to you in My name; (GM)I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.
10 “For this is what the Lord says: ‘When (GN)seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My (GO)good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the (GP)plans that I [al]have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for [am](GQ)prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a (GR)hope. 12 Then you will (GS)call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will (GT)listen to you. 13 And you will (GU)seek Me and find Me when you (GV)search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will let Myself be (GW)found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will (GX)restore your fortunes and (GY)gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will (GZ)bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’
15 “Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up (HA)prophets for us in Babylon’— 16 for this is what the Lord says concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who live in this city, your brothers who did (HB)not go with you into exile— 17 this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the (HC)sword, famine, and plague; and I will make them like (HD)rotten figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with plague; and I will (HE)make them an object of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a (HF)curse and an object of horror and [an](HG)hissing, and a disgrace among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have (HH)not listened to My words,’ declares the Lord, ‘which I sent to them again and again by (HI)My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the Lord. 20 ‘You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have (HJ)sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are (HK)prophesying to you falsely in My name: “Behold, I am going to hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your eyes. 22 Because of them a (HL)curse will be [ao]used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon (HM)roasted in the fire,’ 23 because they (HN)acted [ap]foolishly in Israel, and (HO)committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and falsely (HP)spoke words in My name which I did not command them. I am He who (HQ)knows, and a witness,” declares the Lord.’”
24 Now you shall speak to (HR)Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have sent (HS)letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to (HT)the priest Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the [aq](HU)overseer of the house of the Lord for every (HV)insane person who (HW)prophesies, to (HX)put him in the stocks and in the iron collar. 27 So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of (HY)Anathoth who prophesies to you, 28 seeing that he has (HZ)sent word to us in Babylon, saying, ‘[ar]The exile will be (IA)long; (IB)build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their [as]produce’?”’”
29 Now (IC)Zephaniah the priest read this letter [at]to Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 31 “Send word to (ID)all the exiles, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning (IE)Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has (IF)prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has (IG)made you trust in a lie,” 32 therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to (IH)punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his [au]descendants; he will (II)not have anyone living among this people, (IJ)and he will not see the good that I am going to do for My people,” declares the Lord, “because he has (IK)spoken falsely against the Lord.”’”
Liberation from Captivity Promised
30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘(IL)Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book. 3 For behold, (IM)days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will (IN)restore the fortunes of My people (IO)Israel and Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘I will also (IP)bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they shall take possession of it.’”
4 Now these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:
5 “For this is what the Lord says:
‘[av]I have heard a sound of (IQ)terror,
Of fear, and there is no peace.
6 Ask now, and see
If a male can give birth.
Why do I see every man
With his hands on his waist, (IR)as a woman in childbirth?
And why have all faces turned pale?
7 Woe, for that (IS)day is great,
There is (IT)none like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s (IU)distress,
Yet he will be (IV)saved from it.
8 ‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘that I will (IW)break his yoke from [aw]their necks and will tear to pieces [ax]their (IX)restraints; and strangers will no longer (IY)make [ay]them their slaves. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and (IZ)David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
10 And (JA)do not fear, Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,
‘And do not be dismayed, Israel;
For behold, I am going to save you (JB)from far away,
And your [az]descendants from the land of their captivity.
And Jacob will return and be (JC)at peace, without anxiety,
And (JD)no one will make him afraid.
11 For (JE)I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you;
For I will completely (JF)destroy all the nations where I have scattered you,
Only I will (JG)not destroy you completely.
But I will (JH)discipline you fairly
And will by no means leave you unpunished.’
12 “For this is what the Lord says:
‘Your broken limb is irreparable,
And your (JI)wound is incurable.
13 There is no one to plead your cause;
No healing for your sore,
(JJ)No recovery for you.
14 All your (JK)lovers have forgotten you,
They do not seek you;
For I have (JL)wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
With the (JM)punishment of a (JN)cruel one,
Because your (JO)wrongdoing is great,
And your (JP)sins are numerous.
15 Why do you cry out over your injury?
Your pain is incurable.
Because your wrongdoing is great
And your sins are numerous,
I have done these things to you.
16 Therefore all who (JQ)devour you will be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, (JR)will go into captivity;
And those who plunder you will become plunder,
And all who plunder you I will turn into plunder.
17 For I will [ba]restore you to [bb](JS)health
And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord,
‘Because they have called you an (JT)outcast, saying:
“It is Zion; no one [bc]cares for her.”’
Restoration of Jacob
18 “This is what the Lord says:
‘Behold, I will (JU)restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
And (JV)have compassion on his dwellings;
And the (JW)city will be rebuilt on its ruins,
And the (JX)palace will stand on its rightful place.
19 From them will come a (JY)song of thanksgiving
And the voices of those who [bd](JZ)celebrate;
And I will (KA)multiply them and they will not decrease;
I will (KB)honor them and they will not be insignificant.
20 [be]Their children also will be as before,
And [bf]their congregation will be (KC)established before Me;
And I will punish all [bg]their oppressors.
21 [bh]Their (KD)leader shall be one of them,
And [bi]their ruler will come out from [bj]their midst;
And I will (KE)bring him near and he shall approach Me;
For [bk]who would dare to risk his life to (KF)approach Me?’ declares the Lord.
22 ‘You shall be (KG)My people,
And I will be your God.’”
23 Behold, the (KH)tempest of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
A [bl]sweeping tempest;
It will whirl upon the head of the wicked.
24 The (KI)fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has performed and accomplished
The intent of His heart.
In the (KJ)latter days you will understand this.
Israel’s Mourning Turned to Joy
31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the (KK)God of all the (KL)families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:
“The people who survived the sword
(KM)Found grace in the wilderness—
Israel, when it went to (KN)find its rest.”
3 The Lord appeared to [bm]him [bn]long ago, saying,
“I have (KO)loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you out with (KP)kindness.
4 (KQ)I will build you again and you will be rebuilt,
Virgin of Israel!
You will [bo]take up your (KR)tambourines again,
And go out to the dances of the (KS)revelers.
5 Again you will (KT)plant vineyards
On the [bp]hills of Samaria;
The planters will plant
And will [bq]enjoy the fruit.
6 For there will be a day when watchmen
On the hills of Ephraim call out,
‘Arise, and (KU)let’s go up to Zion,
To the Lord our God.’”
7 For this is what the Lord says:
“(KV)Sing aloud with joy for Jacob,
And be joyful with the [br](KW)chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise, and say,
‘Lord, (KX)save Your people,
The (KY)remnant of Israel!’
8 Behold, I am (KZ)bringing them from the north country,
And I will (LA)gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them those who are (LB)blind and those who (LC)limp,
The pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together;
They will return here as a great assembly.
9 (LD)They will come with weeping,
And by pleading I will bring them;
I will lead them by (LE)streams of waters,
On a straight path on which they will (LF)not stumble;
For I am a (LG)father to Israel,
And Ephraim is (LH)My firstborn.”
10 Hear the word of the Lord, you nations,
And declare it in the (LI)coastlands far away,
And say, “He who scattered Israel will (LJ)gather him,
And He will keep him as a (LK)shepherd keeps his flock.”
11 For the Lord has (LL)ransomed Jacob
And redeemed him from the hand of him who was (LM)stronger than he.
12 “They will (LN)come and shout for joy on the (LO)height of Zion,
And they will be (LP)radiant over the [bs]bounty of the Lord—
Over the (LQ)grain, the new wine, the oil,
And over the young of the (LR)flock and the herd.
And their life will be like a (LS)watered garden,
And they will (LT)never languish again.
13 Then the virgin will rejoice in the (LU)dance,
And the young men and the old together;
For I will (LV)turn their mourning into joy
And comfort them, and give them (LW)joy for their sorrow.
14 I will refresh the soul of the priests with [bt]abundance,
And My people will be (LX)satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.
15 This is what the Lord says:
“(LY)A voice is heard in (LZ)Ramah,
Lamenting and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
She (MA)refuses to be comforted for her children,
Because (MB)they are no more.”
16 This is what the Lord says:
“(MC)Restrain your voice from weeping
And your eyes from tears;
For your (MD)work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,
“And they will (ME)return from the land of the enemy.
17 There is (MF)hope for your future,” declares the Lord,
“And your children will return to their own territory.
18 I have certainly heard Ephraim (MG)grieving,
‘You have (MH)disciplined me, and I was corrected,
Like an untrained (MI)calf;
(MJ)Bring me back that I may be restored,
For You are the Lord my God.
19 For after I turned back, I (MK)repented;
And after I was instructed, I [bu](ML)slapped my thigh;
I was (MM)ashamed and also humiliated
Because I bore the shame of my youth.’
20 Is (MN)Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a delightful child?
Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,
I certainly still remember him;
Therefore My [bv](MO)heart yearns for him;
I will certainly (MP)have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.
21 “Set up roadmarks for yourself,
Place guideposts for yourself;
(MQ)Direct your [bw]mind to the highway,
The way by which you went.
(MR)Return, O virgin of Israel,
Return to these your cities.
22 How long will you waver,
You (MS)rebellious daughter?
For the Lord has created a new thing on the earth:
A woman will shelter a man.”
23 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I (MT)restore their fortunes,
24 Judah and all its cities will (MW)live together in it, the farmers and those who travel with flocks. 25 (MX)For I give plenty of water to the weary ones, and [bx]refresh everyone who languishes.” 26 At this I (MY)awoke and looked, and my (MZ)sleep had been pleasant to me.
A New Covenant
27 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will (NA)sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of mankind and the seed of animals. 28 And just as I have (NB)watched over them to (NC)uproot them, tear them down, ruin, destroy, and bring disaster on them, so I will watch over them to (ND)build and to plant them,” declares the Lord.
29 “In those days they will no longer say,
‘(NE)The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
[by]But it is the children’s teeth that have become blunt.’
30 But (NF)everyone will die for his own wrongdoing; each person who eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will become blunt.
31 “(NG)Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a (NH)new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the (NI)covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I (NJ)took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My (NK)covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “For (NL)this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “(NM)I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and (NN)I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will (NO)not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all (NP)know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will (NQ)forgive their wrongdoing, and their (NR)sin I will no longer remember.”
35 This is what the Lord says,
He who (NS)gives the sun for light by day
And the [bz]fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who (NT)stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
(NU)The Lord of armies is His name:
36 “(NV)If [ca]this fixed order departs
From Me,” declares the Lord,
“Then the descendants of Israel also will (NW)cease
To be a nation before Me [cb]forever.”
37 This is what the Lord says:
“(NX)If the heavens above can be measured
And the foundations of the earth searched out below,
Then I will also (NY)reject all the descendants of Israel
For everything that they have done,” declares the Lord.
38 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the (NZ)city will be rebuilt for the Lord from the (OA)Tower of Hananel to the (OB)Corner Gate. 39 The (OC)measuring line will go out farther straight ahead, to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. 40 And (OD)the entire valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook (OE)Kidron to the corner of the (OF)Horse Gate toward the east, shall be (OG)holy to the Lord; it will not be uprooted or overthrown ever again.”
Jeremiah Imprisoned
32 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the (OH)tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the (OI)courtyard of the guard, which was at the house of the king of Judah, 3 because Zedekiah king of Judah had (OJ)imprisoned him, saying, “Why do you (OK)prophesy, saying, ‘(OL)This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to (OM)hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will take it; 4 and Zedekiah king of Judah will (ON)not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but he will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will (OO)speak with him [cc]face to face and see him eye to eye. 5 Then he will (OP)take Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” declares the Lord. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will (OQ)not succeed”’?”
6 And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 7 ‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, “Buy for yourself my field which is at (OR)Anathoth, for you have the (OS)right of redemption to buy it.”’ 8 Then my uncle’s son Hanamel came to me in the (OT)courtyard of the guard in accordance with the word of the Lord and said to me, ‘Buy my field, please, that is at (OU)Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the right of possession and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the (OV)word of the Lord.
9 “So I bought the field which was in Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle’s son, and I (OW)weighed out the silver for him, seventeen (OX)shekels of silver. 10 And I [cd](OY)signed and (OZ)sealed the deed, and (PA)called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed copy containing the (PB)terms and conditions and the open copy; 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to (PC)Baruch the son of (PD)Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle’s son and in the sight of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, in the sight of all the Jews who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard. 13 And I commanded Baruch in their sight, saying, 14 ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Take these deeds, this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, so that they may [ce]last a long time.” 15 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “(PE)Houses and fields and vineyards will again be purchased in this land.”’
Jeremiah Prays and God Explains
16 “After giving the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I (PF)prayed to the Lord, saying, 17 ‘(PG)Oh, Lord [cf]God! Behold, You Yourself have (PH)made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! (PI)Nothing is too difficult for You, 18 who (PJ)shows mercy to thousands, but (PK)repays the wrongdoing of fathers into the laps of their children after them, (PL)great and (PM)mighty God. The (PN)Lord of armies is His name; 19 (PO)great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose (PP)eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of mankind, (PQ)giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds; 20 who has (PR)accomplished signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day both in Israel and among mankind; and You have (PS)made a name for Yourself, as at this day. 21 You (PT)brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror; 22 and You gave them this land, which You (PU)swore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 They (PV)came in and took possession of it, but they (PW)did not obey Your voice or (PX)walk in Your Law; they did not do [cg]anything that You commanded them to do; therefore You have made (PY)all this disaster happen to them. 24 Behold, the (PZ)assault ramps have reached the city to take it; and the city has been (QA)handed over to the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the (QB)sword, the famine, and the plague; and what You have spoken has (QC)come to pass; and behold, You see it. 25 Yet You have said to me, Lord [ch]God, “Buy for yourself the field with money and call in witnesses”—although the city has been handed over to the Chaldeans.’”
26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the (QD)God of all flesh; is anything (QE)too difficult for Me?” 28 Therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to (QF)hand this city over to the Chaldeans and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it. 29 And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will enter and (QG)set this city on fire and burn it, with the (QH)houses where people have offered incense to Baal on their roofs and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger. 30 For the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been doing only (QI)evil in My sight since their youth; for the sons of Israel have been only (QJ)provoking Me to anger by the work of their hands,” declares the Lord. 31 “Indeed this city has been to Me a (QK)provocation of My anger and My wrath since the day that they built it, even to this day, so that it should be (QL)removed from My sight, 32 because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their (QM)kings, their leaders, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, (QN)teaching again and again, they would not listen to accept discipline. 34 But they (QO)put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. 35 They built the (QP)high places of Baal that are in the Valley of Ben-hinnom to make their sons and their daughters pass through the fire to (QQ)Molech, which I had not commanded them, nor had it [ci]entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to mislead Judah to sin.
36 “Now therefore the Lord God of Israel says the following concerning this city of which you say, ‘It has been (QR)handed over to the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by plague’: 37 Behold, I am going to (QS)gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and (QT)have them live in safety. 38 They shall be (QU)My people, and I will be their God; 39 and I will (QV)give them one heart and one way, so that they will fear Me always, for their own (QW)good and for the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an (QX)everlasting covenant with them that I will (QY)not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will (QZ)put the fear of Me in their hearts, so that they will not turn away from Me. 41 I will (RA)rejoice over them to do them good and will [cj]faithfully (RB)plant them in this land with (RC)all My heart and all My soul. 42 For this is what the Lord says: ‘(RD)Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to (RE)bring on them all the good that I am promising them. 43 And (RF)fields will be purchased in this land of which you say, “(RG)It is a desolation, without man or animal; it has been handed over to the Chaldeans.” 44 People will buy fields for money, [ck](RH)sign and seal [cl]deeds, and call in witnesses in the (RI)land of Benjamin, in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the [cm]Negev; for I will (RJ)restore their fortunes,’ declares the Lord.”
Restoration Promised
33 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still (RK)confined in the courtyard of the guard, saying, 2 “This is what (RL)the Lord says, He who made [cn]the earth, the Lord who formed it to create it, He whose name is the (RM)Lord: 3 ‘(RN)Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you (RO)great and [co]mighty things, (RP)which you do not know.’ 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says concerning the (RQ)houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which have been torn down to make a defense against the (RR)assault ramps and the sword: 5 ‘While they are coming to (RS)fight the Chaldeans and to fill [cp]their houses with the bodies of people whom I have struck down in My anger and My wrath, and I have (RT)hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness: 6 Behold, I am going to bring to it (RU)healing and a remedy, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an (RV)abundance of peace and truth. 7 And I will (RW)restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and will (RX)rebuild them as they were at first. 8 And I will (RY)cleanse them from all their wrongdoing by which they have sinned against Me, and I will forgive all their wrongdoings by which they have sinned against Me and revolted against Me. 9 [cq]It will be to Me a (RZ)name of joy, praise, and glory before (SA)all the nations of the earth, which will hear of all the (SB)good that I do for them, and they will be (SC)frightened and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’
10 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, “It is a (SD)waste, without man and without animal,” that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are (SE)deserted, without man and without inhabitant and without animal, 11 the voice of (SF)joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say,
“(SG)Give thanks to the Lord of armies,
For the Lord is good,
For His mercy is everlasting,”
as they bring a (SH)thanksgiving offering into the house of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says the Lord.
12 “This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘There will again be in this place which is waste, (SI)without man or animal, and in all its cities, a pasture for shepherds who rest their (SJ)flocks. 13 In the (SK)cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again (SL)pass under the hands of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.
The Davidic Kingdom
14 ‘Behold, (SM)days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will (SN)fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will make a (SO)righteous Branch of David sprout; and He shall execute (SP)justice and righteousness on the earth. 16 In those days (SQ)Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety; and this is the name by which it will be called: the (SR)Lord is our righteousness.’ 17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘[cr]David shall (SS)not lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 [cs]and the (ST)Levitical priests shall not lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to (SU)prepare sacrifices [ct]continually.’”
19 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can (SV)break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night do not occur at their proper time, 21 then (SW)My covenant with David My servant may also be broken, so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers. 22 As the (SX)heavenly [cu]lights cannot be counted, and the (SY)sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will (SZ)multiply the [cv]descendants of My servant David and the (TA)Levites who serve Me.’”
23 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 “Have you not observed what these people have asserted, saying, ‘The (TB)two families which the Lord chose, He has (TC)rejected them’? So they (TD)despise My people as no longer being a nation [cw]in their sight. 25 This is what the Lord says: ‘If My (TE)covenant for day and night does not continue, and I have (TF)not established the [cx]fixed patterns of heaven and earth, 26 then I would (TG)reject the [cy]descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so as not to take from his [cz]descendants (TH)rulers over the [da]descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will (TI)restore their fortunes and have (TJ)mercy on them.’”
A Prophecy against Zedekiah
34 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when (TK)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army, with (TL)all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his [db]control and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem and all its cities, saying, 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘(TM)Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, (TN)I am handing this city over to the king of Babylon, and (TO)he will burn it with fire. 3 And as for you, (TP)you will not escape from his hand, for you will assuredly be caught and handed over to him; and you will (TQ)see the king of Babylon eye to eye, and he will speak with you [dc]face to face, and you will go to Babylon.’”’ 4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, Zedekiah king of Judah! This is what the Lord says concerning you: ‘You will not die by the sword. 5 You will die in peace; and as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will (TR)burn spices for you; and (TS)they will mourn for you, crying, “Oh, my lord!”’ For I have spoken the word,” declares the Lord.
6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke (TT)all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem 7 when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the remaining cities of Judah, that is, (TU)Lachish and (TV)Azekah, for they alone remained as (TW)fortified cities among the cities of Judah.
8 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had (TX)made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem, to (TY)proclaim [dd]release to them: 9 that each person was to set his male servant free and each his female servant, a (TZ)Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, so that (UA)no one would keep them, his Jewish brother or sister, in bondage. 10 And all the (UB)officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each person was to set his male servant free and each his female servant, so that no one would keep them in bondage any longer; they obeyed, and set them free. 11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as male servants and as female servants.
12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 13 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘I (UC)made a covenant with your forefathers on the day that I (UD)brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying, 14 “(UE)At the end of seven years each of you shall set free his Hebrew brother who [de]has been sold to you and has served you for six years, and you shall send him out free from you.” But your forefathers (UF)did not obey Me nor incline their ear to Me. 15 Although recently you had turned and (UG)done what is right in My sight, each one proclaiming [df]release to his neighbor, and you had (UH)made a covenant before Me (UI)in the house which is called by My name. 16 Yet you (UJ)turned and (UK)profaned My name, and each person [dg]took back his male servant and each his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male and female servants.’
17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming [dh]release, each one to his brother and each to his neighbor. Behold, I am (UL)proclaiming a [di]release to you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to the (UM)sword, to the plague, and to the famine; and I will make you a (UN)terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 I will give the people who have (UO)violated My covenant, who have not fulfilled the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they (UP)cut the calf in two and passed between its parts— 19 the (UQ)officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the high officials and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— 20 I will hand them over to their enemies and to those who (UR)seek their lives. And their (US)dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. 21 (UT)Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will also hand over to their enemies and to those who seek their lives, and to the army of the king of Babylon which has (UU)withdrawn from you. 22 Behold, I am going to give a command,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it and (UV)take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a (UW)desolation (UX)without inhabitant.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 25:3 Lit this
- Jeremiah 25:6 Or worship
- Jeremiah 25:6 Or bow down to
- Jeremiah 25:9 Or put them under the ban
- Jeremiah 25:9 Or whistling
- Jeremiah 25:14 Or For they have served many nations and great kings
- Jeremiah 25:18 Or whistling
- Jeremiah 25:20 Or mercenaries
- Jeremiah 25:24 Or mercenaries
- Jeremiah 25:26 Cryptic name for Babylon
- Jeremiah 25:30 Or pasture; i.e., a ref to His people
- Jeremiah 25:31 Lit all flesh
- Jeremiah 25:33 Lit other end of the earth
- Jeremiah 25:34 Lit are full
- Jeremiah 25:35 Lit Sanctuary will perish from
- Jeremiah 25:38 Or oppressor
- Jeremiah 26:15 Lit in your ears and the ears of all
- Jeremiah 26:18 Lit Micaiah the Morasthite
- Jeremiah 26:18 Or wooded heights
- Jeremiah 26:23 Lit graves
- Jeremiah 26:23 Lit sons of the people
- Jeremiah 27:1 Many mss Jehoiakim
- Jeremiah 27:3 Lit them
- Jeremiah 27:3 Lit by the hand of
- Jeremiah 27:5 Or upright
- Jeremiah 27:7 Or enslave him
- Jeremiah 27:8 Lit them
- Jeremiah 27:9 Lit dreams
- Jeremiah 27:19 I.e., the bronze basin or laver from the temple
- Jeremiah 27:22 Lit up
- Jeremiah 28:7 Lit in your ears and the ears of...people
- Jeremiah 28:16 Lit send
- Jeremiah 29:5 Lit fruit
- Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
- Jeremiah 29:7 Or your prosperity will depend on its
- Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
- Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
- Jeremiah 29:11 Lit am planning
- Jeremiah 29:11 Or salvation
- Jeremiah 29:18 Or whistling
- Jeremiah 29:22 Lit taken
- Jeremiah 29:23 Or sacrilegiously
- Jeremiah 29:26 Lit overseers
- Jeremiah 29:28 Lit It
- Jeremiah 29:28 Lit fruit
- Jeremiah 29:29 Lit in the ears of
- Jeremiah 29:32 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 30:5 Lit We
- Jeremiah 30:8 As in LXX; MT your neck
- Jeremiah 30:8 As in LXX; MT your
- Jeremiah 30:8 Lit him their slave
- Jeremiah 30:10 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 30:17 Lit cause to go up
- Jeremiah 30:17 Or healing
- Jeremiah 30:17 Lit is seeking
- Jeremiah 30:19 Or dance
- Jeremiah 30:20 Lit His
- Jeremiah 30:20 Lit his
- Jeremiah 30:20 Lit his
- Jeremiah 30:21 Lit his
- Jeremiah 30:21 Lit his
- Jeremiah 30:21 Lit his
- Jeremiah 30:21 Lit who is he that gives his heart in pledge
- Jeremiah 30:23 Or raging
- Jeremiah 31:3 Lit me
- Jeremiah 31:3 Or from far away
- Jeremiah 31:4 Lit adorn yourself with
- Jeremiah 31:5 Or mountains
- Jeremiah 31:5 Lit defile
- Jeremiah 31:7 Lit head
- Jeremiah 31:12 Lit goodness
- Jeremiah 31:14 Lit fatness
- Jeremiah 31:19 I.e., in regret
- Jeremiah 31:20 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 31:21 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 31:25 Lit fill
- Jeremiah 31:29 I.e., the children suffer for the fathers’ sins
- Jeremiah 31:35 Lit statutes
- Jeremiah 31:36 Lit these statutes
- Jeremiah 31:36 Lit all the days
- Jeremiah 32:4 Lit mouth with mouth
- Jeremiah 32:10 Lit wrote...on and
- Jeremiah 32:14 Lit stand many days
- Jeremiah 32:17 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 32:23 Or all that
- Jeremiah 32:25 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 32:35 Lit come up on My heart
- Jeremiah 32:41 Or truly
- Jeremiah 32:44 Lit write on...and
- Jeremiah 32:44 Lit the document
- Jeremiah 32:44 I.e., South country
- Jeremiah 33:2 Lit it
- Jeremiah 33:3 Or incomprehensible
- Jeremiah 33:5 Lit them
- Jeremiah 33:9 I.e., This city
- Jeremiah 33:17 Lit There shall not be cut off for David
- Jeremiah 33:18 Lit there shall not be cut off for the Levitical priests
- Jeremiah 33:18 Lit all the days
- Jeremiah 33:22 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
- Jeremiah 33:22 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 33:24 Lit to their faces
- Jeremiah 33:25 Lit statutes
- Jeremiah 33:26 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 33:26 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 33:26 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 34:1 Lit dominion
- Jeremiah 34:3 Lit his mouth with your mouth
- Jeremiah 34:8 Or liberty
- Jeremiah 34:14 Or has sold himself
- Jeremiah 34:15 Or liberty
- Jeremiah 34:16 Lit made his male servant return and
- Jeremiah 34:17 Or liberty
- Jeremiah 34:17 Or liberty
Jeremiah 25-33
New International Version
Jeremiah 25-33
New International Version
Seventy Years of Captivity
25 The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(A) son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar(B) king of Babylon. 2 So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah(C) and to all those living in Jerusalem: 3 For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah(D) son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again,(E) but you have not listened.(F)
4 And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets(G) to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.(H) 5 They said, “Turn(I) now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land(J) the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. 6 Do not follow other gods(K) to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”
7 “But you did not listen to me,” declares the Lord, “and you have aroused(L) my anger with what your hands have made,(M) and you have brought harm(N) to yourselves.”
8 Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon(O) all the peoples of the north(P) and my servant(Q) Nebuchadnezzar(R) king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy[a](S) them and make them an object of horror and scorn,(T) and an everlasting ruin.(U) 10 I will banish from them the sounds(V) of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom,(W) the sound of millstones(X) and the light of the lamp.(Y) 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland,(Z) and these nations will serve(AA) the king of Babylon seventy years.(AB)
12 “But when the seventy years(AC) are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon(AD) and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,[b] for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate(AE) forever. 13 I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written(AF) in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14 They themselves will be enslaved(AG) by many nations(AH) and great kings; I will repay(AI) them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”
The Cup of God’s Wrath
15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup(AJ) filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send(AK) you drink it. 16 When they drink(AL) it, they will stagger(AM) and go mad(AN) because of the sword(AO) I will send among them.”
17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent(AP) me drink it: 18 Jerusalem(AQ) and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin(AR) and an object of horror and scorn,(AS) a curse[c](AT)—as they are today;(AU) 19 Pharaoh king(AV) of Egypt,(AW) his attendants, his officials and all his people, 20 and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz;(AX) all the kings of the Philistines(AY) (those of Ashkelon,(AZ) Gaza,(BA) Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); 21 Edom,(BB) Moab(BC) and Ammon;(BD) 22 all the kings of Tyre(BE) and Sidon;(BF) the kings of the coastlands(BG) across the sea; 23 Dedan,(BH) Tema,(BI) Buz(BJ) and all who are in distant places[d];(BK) 24 all the kings of Arabia(BL) and all the kings of the foreign people(BM) who live in the wilderness; 25 all the kings of Zimri,(BN) Elam(BO) and Media;(BP) 26 and all the kings of the north,(BQ) near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms(BR) on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak[e](BS) will drink it too.
27 “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk(BT) and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword(BU) I will send among you.’ 28 But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink(BV), tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! 29 See, I am beginning to bring disaster(BW) on the city that bears my Name,(BX) and will you indeed go unpunished?(BY) You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword(BZ) on all(CA) who live on the earth,(CB) declares the Lord Almighty.’
30 “Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:
“‘The Lord will roar(CC) from on high;
he will thunder(CD) from his holy dwelling(CE)
and roar mightily against his land.
He will shout like those who tread(CF) the grapes,
shout against all who live on the earth.
31 The tumult(CG) will resound to the ends of the earth,
for the Lord will bring charges(CH) against the nations;
he will bring judgment(CI) on all(CJ) mankind
and put the wicked to the sword,(CK)’”
declares the Lord.
32 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Look! Disaster(CL) is spreading
from nation to nation;(CM)
a mighty storm(CN) is rising
from the ends of the earth.”(CO)
33 At that time those slain(CP) by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered(CQ) up or buried,(CR) but will be like dung lying on the ground.
34 Weep and wail, you shepherds;(CS)
roll(CT) in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
For your time to be slaughtered(CU) has come;
you will fall like the best of the rams.[f](CV)
35 The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,
the leaders of the flock no place to escape.(CW)
36 Hear the cry(CX) of the shepherds,(CY)
the wailing of the leaders of the flock,
for the Lord is destroying their pasture.
37 The peaceful meadows will be laid waste
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
38 Like a lion(CZ) he will leave his lair,
and their land will become desolate(DA)
because of the sword[g] of the oppressor(DB)
and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.(DC)
Jeremiah Threatened With Death
26 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim(DD) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard(DE) of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord.(DF) Tell(DG) them everything I command you; do not omit(DH) a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and each will turn(DI) from their evil ways. Then I will relent(DJ) and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. 4 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen(DK) to me and follow my law,(DL) which I have set before you, 5 and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened(DM)), 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh(DN) and this city a curse[h](DO) among all the nations of the earth.’”
7 The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. 8 But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded(DP) him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized(DQ) him and said, “You must die!(DR) 9 Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?”(DS) And all the people crowded(DT) around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When the officials(DU) of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate(DV) of the Lord’s house. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death(DW) because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”(DX)
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials(DY) and all the people: “The Lord sent me to prophesy(DZ) against this house and this city all the things you have heard.(EA) 13 Now reform(EB) your ways and your actions and obey(EC) the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent(ED) and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, I am in your hands;(EE) do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15 Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood(EF) on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words(EG) in your hearing.”
16 Then the officials(EH) and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death!(EI) He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”
17 Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, 18 “Micah(EJ) of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“‘Zion(EK) will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(EL)
the temple hill(EM) a mound overgrown with thickets.’[i](EN)
19 “Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah(EO) fear the Lord and seek(EP) his favor? And did not the Lord relent,(EQ) so that he did not bring the disaster(ER) he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster(ES) on ourselves!”
20 (Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim(ET) was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim(EU) and all his officers and officials(EV) heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death.(EW) But Uriah heard of it and fled(EX) in fear to Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan(EY) son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. 23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword(EZ) and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)(FA)
24 Furthermore, Ahikam(FB) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar
27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah[j](FC) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke(FD) out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. 3 Then send(FE) word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon,(FF) Tyre and Sidon(FG) through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: 5 With my great power and outstretched arm(FH) I made(FI) the earth and its people and the animals(FJ) that are on it, and I give(FK) it to anyone I please. 6 Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant(FL) Nebuchadnezzar(FM) king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.(FN) 7 All nations will serve(FO) him and his son and his grandson until the time(FP) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate(FQ) him.
8 “‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish(FR) that nation with the sword,(FS) famine(FT) and plague,(FU) declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. 9 So do not listen to your prophets,(FV) your diviners,(FW) your interpreters of dreams,(FX) your mediums(FY) or your sorcerers(FZ) who tell you, ‘You will not serve(GA) the king of Babylon.’ 10 They prophesy lies(GB) to you that will only serve to remove(GC) you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. 11 But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke(GD) of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live(GE) there, declares the Lord.”’”
12 I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke(GF) of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.(GG) 13 Why will you and your people die(GH) by the sword, famine and plague(GI) with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen(GJ) to the words of the prophets(GK) who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies(GL) to you. 15 ‘I have not sent(GM) them,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name.(GN) Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish,(GO) both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’”
16 Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles(GP) from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Do not listen(GQ) to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live.(GR) Why should this city become a ruin? 18 If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead(GS) with the Lord Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. 19 For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea,(GT) the movable stands and the other articles(GU) that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried(GV) Jehoiachin[k](GW) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘They will be taken(GX) to Babylon and there they will remain until the day(GY) I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring(GZ) them back and restore them to this place.’”
The False Prophet Hananiah
28 In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah(HA) king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon,(HB) said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: 2 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke(HC) of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles(HD) of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin[l](HE) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”(HF)
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. 6 He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.(HG) 7 Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: 8 From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague(HH) against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.(HI)”
10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke(HJ) off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, 11 and he said(HK) before all the people, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.
12 After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. 14 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke(HL) on the necks of all these nations to make them serve(HM) Nebuchadnezzar(HN) king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.(HO)’”
15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent(HP) you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.(HQ) 16 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth.(HR) This very year you are going to die,(HS) because you have preached rebellion(HT) against the Lord.’”
17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.(HU)
A Letter to the Exiles
29 This is the text of the letter(HV) that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.(HW) 2 (This was after King Jehoiachin[m](HX) and the queen mother,(HY) the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried(HZ) into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build(IA) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.(IB) 7 Also, seek(IC) the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray(ID) to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets(IE) and diviners among you deceive(IF) you. Do not listen to the dreams(IG) you encourage them to have.(IH) 9 They are prophesying lies(II) to you in my name. I have not sent(IJ) them,” declares the Lord.
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years(IK) are completed for Babylon, I will come to you(IL) and fulfill my good promise(IM) to bring you back(IN) to this place. 11 For I know the plans(IO) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper(IP) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(IQ) 12 Then you will call(IR) on me and come and pray(IS) to me, and I will listen(IT) to you. 13 You will seek(IU) me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.(IV) 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back(IW) from captivity.[n] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”(IX)
15 You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” 16 but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— 17 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague(IY) against them and I will make them like figs(IZ) that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent(JA) to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse[o](JB) and an object of horror,(JC) of scorn(JD) and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19 For they have not listened to my words,”(JE) declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again(JF) by my servants the prophets.(JG) And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.
20 Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent(JH) away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies(JI) to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. 22 Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned(JJ) in the fire.’ 23 For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery(JK) with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know(JL) it and am a witness(JM) to it,” declares the Lord.
Message to Shemaiah
24 Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, 25 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah(JN) son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, 26 ‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac(JO) who acts like a prophet into the stocks(JP) and neck-irons. 27 So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? 28 He has sent this message(JQ) to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.(JR) Therefore build(JS) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”
29 Zephaniah(JT) the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah(JU) the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send(JV) him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, 32 this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.(JW) He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good(JX) things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion(JY) against me.’”
Restoration of Israel
30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write(JZ) in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The days(KA) are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring(KB) my people Israel and Judah back from captivity[p] and restore(KC) them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”
4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Cries of fear(KD) are heard—
terror, not peace.
6 Ask and see:
Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,(KE)
every face turned deathly pale?(KF)
7 How awful that day(KG) will be!
No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble(KH) for Jacob,
but he will be saved(KI) out of it.
8 “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
‘I will break the yoke(KJ) off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;(KK)
no longer will foreigners enslave them.(KL)
9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
and David(KM) their king,(KN)
whom I will raise up for them.
10 “‘So do not be afraid,(KO) Jacob my servant;(KP)
do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will surely save(KQ) you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,(KR)
and no one will make him afraid.(KS)
11 I am with you(KT) and will save you,’
declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy(KU) you.
I will discipline(KV) you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’(KW)
12 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wound(KX) is incurable,
your injury beyond healing.(KY)
13 There is no one to plead your cause,(KZ)
no remedy for your sore,
no healing(LA) for you.
14 All your allies(LB) have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy(LC) would
and punished you as would the cruel,(LD)
because your guilt is so great
and your sins(LE) so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound,
your pain that has no cure?(LF)
Because of your great guilt and many sins
I have done these things to you.(LG)
16 “‘But all who devour(LH) you will be devoured;
all your enemies will go into exile.(LI)
Those who plunder(LJ) you will be plundered;
all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health
and heal(LK) your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,(LL)
Zion for whom no one cares.’(LM)
18 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘I will restore the fortunes(LN) of Jacob’s tents(LO)
and have compassion(LP) on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt(LQ) on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs(LR) of thanksgiving(LS)
and the sound of rejoicing.(LT)
I will add to their numbers,(LU)
and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,(LV)
and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children(LW) will be as in days of old,
and their community will be established(LX) before me;
I will punish(LY) all who oppress them.
21 Their leader(LZ) will be one of their own;
their ruler will arise from among them.(MA)
I will bring him near(MB) and he will come close to me—
for who is he who will devote himself
to be close to me?’
declares the Lord.
22 “‘So you will be my people,(MC)
and I will be your God.(MD)’”
23 See, the storm(ME) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger(MF) of the Lord will not turn back(MG)
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand(MH) this.
31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God(MI) of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:
“The people who survive the sword
will find favor(MJ) in the wilderness;
I will come to give rest(MK) to Israel.”
3 The Lord appeared to us in the past,[q] saying:
“I have loved(ML) you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn(MM) you with unfailing kindness.
4 I will build you up again,
and you, Virgin(MN) Israel, will be rebuilt.(MO)
Again you will take up your timbrels(MP)
and go out to dance(MQ) with the joyful.(MR)
5 Again you will plant(MS) vineyards
on the hills of Samaria;(MT)
the farmers will plant them
and enjoy their fruit.(MU)
6 There will be a day when watchmen(MV) cry out
on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.’”(MW)
7 This is what the Lord says:
“Sing(MX) with joy for Jacob;
shout for the foremost(MY) of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
‘Lord, save(MZ) your people,
the remnant(NA) of Israel.’
8 See, I will bring them from the land of the north(NB)
and gather(NC) them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind(ND) and the lame,(NE)
expectant mothers and women in labor;
a great throng will return.
9 They will come with weeping;(NF)
they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead(NG) them beside streams of water(NH)
on a level(NI) path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel’s father,(NJ)
and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
10 “Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;
proclaim it in distant coastlands:(NK)
‘He who scattered(NL) Israel will gather(NM) them
and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’(NN)
11 For the Lord will deliver Jacob
and redeem(NO) them from the hand of those stronger(NP) than they.
12 They will come and shout for joy(NQ) on the heights(NR) of Zion;
they will rejoice in the bounty(NS) of the Lord—
the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,(NT)
the young of the flocks(NU) and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,(NV)
and they will sorrow(NW) no more.
13 Then young women will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning(NX) into gladness;
I will give them comfort(NY) and joy(NZ) instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy(OA) the priests(OB) with abundance,
and my people will be filled with my bounty,(OC)”
declares the Lord.
15 This is what the Lord says:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,(OD)
mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,(OE)
because they are no more.”(OF)
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,(OG)
for your work will be rewarded,(OH)”
declares the Lord.
“They will return(OI) from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope(OJ) for your descendants,”
declares the Lord.
“Your children(OK) will return to their own land.
18 “I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
‘You disciplined(OL) me like an unruly calf,(OM)
and I have been disciplined.
Restore(ON) me, and I will return,
because you are the Lord my God.
19 After I strayed,(OO)
I repented;
after I came to understand,
I beat(OP) my breast.
I was ashamed(OQ) and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’(OR)
20 Is not Ephraim my dear son,
the child(OS) in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
I still remember(OT) him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I have great compassion(OU) for him,”
declares the Lord.
21 “Set up road signs;
put up guideposts.(OV)
Take note of the highway,(OW)
the road that you take.
Return,(OX) Virgin(OY) Israel,
return to your towns.
22 How long will you wander,(OZ)
unfaithful(PA) Daughter Israel?
The Lord will create a new thing(PB) on earth—
the woman will return to[r](PC) the man.”
23 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,[s](PD) the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless(PE) you, you prosperous city,(PF) you sacred mountain.’(PG) 24 People will live(PH) together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.(PI) 25 I will refresh the weary(PJ) and satisfy the faint.”(PK)
26 At this I awoke(PL) and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.
27 “The days are coming,”(PM) declares the Lord, “when I will plant(PN) the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28 Just as I watched(PO) over them to uproot(PP) and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,(PQ) so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”(PR) declares the Lord. 29 “In those days people will no longer say,
30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;(PU) whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.
31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant(PV)
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant(PW)
I made with their ancestors(PX)
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,(PY)
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband(PZ) to[t] them,[u]”
declares the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds(QA)
and write it on their hearts.(QB)
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.(QC)
34 No longer will they teach(QD) their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know(QE) me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive(QF) their wickedness
and will remember their sins(QG) no more.”
35 This is what the Lord says,
he who appoints(QH) the sun
to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
to shine by night,(QI)
who stirs up the sea(QJ)
so that its waves roar(QK)—
the Lord Almighty is his name:(QL)
36 “Only if these decrees(QM) vanish from my sight,”
declares the Lord,
“will Israel(QN) ever cease
being a nation before me.”
37 This is what the Lord says:
“Only if the heavens above can be measured(QO)
and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject(QP) all the descendants of Israel
because of all they have done,”
declares the Lord.
38 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt(QQ) for me from the Tower of Hananel(QR) to the Corner Gate.(QS) 39 The measuring line(QT) will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley(QU) where dead bodies(QV) and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley(QW) on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate,(QX) will be holy(QY) to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”
Jeremiah Buys a Field
32 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth(QZ) year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth(RA) year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging(RB) Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined(RC) in the courtyard of the guard(RD) in the royal palace of Judah.
3 Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy(RE) as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture(RF) it. 4 Zedekiah(RG) king of Judah will not escape(RH) the Babylonians[v](RI) but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. 5 He will take(RJ) Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him,(RK) declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”(RL)
6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth,(RM) because as nearest relative it is your right and duty(RN) to buy it.’
8 “Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field(RO) at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’
“I knew that this was the word of the Lord; 9 so I bought the field(RP) at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels[w] of silver.(RQ) 10 I signed and sealed the deed,(RR) had it witnessed,(RS) and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— 12 and I gave this deed to Baruch(RT) son of Neriah,(RU) the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
13 “In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14 ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed(RV) and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’(RW)
16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch(RX) son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:
17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord,(RY) you have made the heavens and the earth(RZ) by your great power and outstretched arm.(SA) Nothing is too hard(SB) for you. 18 You show love(SC) to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps(SD) of their children(SE) after them. Great and mighty God,(SF) whose name is the Lord Almighty,(SG) 19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds.(SH) Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind;(SI) you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.(SJ) 20 You performed signs and wonders(SK) in Egypt(SL) and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown(SM) that is still yours. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand(SN) and an outstretched arm(SO) and with great terror.(SP) 22 You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.(SQ) 23 They came in and took possession(SR) of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law;(SS) they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster(ST) on them.
24 “See how the siege ramps(SU) are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague,(SV) the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said(SW) has happened,(SX) as you now see. 25 And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field(SY) with silver and have the transaction witnessed.(SZ)’”
26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.(TA) Is anything too hard for me?(TB) 28 Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar(TC) king of Babylon, who will capture it.(TD) 29 The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down,(TE) along with the houses(TF) where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings(TG) to other gods.(TH)
30 “The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth;(TI) indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger(TJ) with what their hands have made,(TK) declares the Lord. 31 From the day it was built until now, this city(TL) has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove(TM) it from my sight. 32 The people of Israel and Judah have provoked(TN) me by all the evil(TO) they have done—they, their kings and officials,(TP) their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 33 They turned their backs(TQ) to me and not their faces; though I taught(TR) them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.(TS) 34 They set up their vile images(TT) in the house that bears my Name(TU) and defiled(TV) it. 35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom(TW) to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek,(TX) though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind(TY)—that they should do such a detestable(TZ) thing and so make Judah sin.(UA)
36 “You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague(UB) it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37 I will surely gather(UC) them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger(UD) and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.(UE) 38 They will be my people,(UF) and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness(UG) of heart and action, so that they will always fear(UH) me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant(UI) with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire(UJ) them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.(UK) 41 I will rejoice(UL) in doing them good(UM) and will assuredly plant(UN) them in this land with all my heart and soul.(UO)
42 “This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity(UP) on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised(UQ) them. 43 Once more fields will be bought(UR) in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate(US) waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ 44 Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds(UT) will be signed, sealed and witnessed(UU) in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,(UV) because I will restore(UW) their fortunes,[x] declares the Lord.”
Promise of Restoration
33 While Jeremiah was still confined(UX) in the courtyard(UY) of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time:(UZ) 2 “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth,(VA) the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name:(VB) 3 ‘Call(VC) to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable(VD) things you do not know.’ 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege(VE) ramps(VF) and the sword 5 in the fight with the Babylonians[y]: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath.(VG) I will hide my face(VH) from this city because of all its wickedness.
6 “‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal(VI) my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace(VJ) and security. 7 I will bring Judah(VK) and Israel back from captivity[z](VL) and will rebuild(VM) them as they were before.(VN) 8 I will cleanse(VO) them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive(VP) all their sins of rebellion against me. 9 Then this city will bring me renown,(VQ) joy, praise(VR) and honor(VS) before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble(VT) at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 25:9 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
- Jeremiah 25:12 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 25:18 That is, their names to be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, to be seen by others as cursed
- Jeremiah 25:23 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
- Jeremiah 25:26 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon.
- Jeremiah 25:34 Septuagint; Hebrew fall and be shattered like fine pottery
- Jeremiah 25:38 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 46:16 and 50:16); most Hebrew manuscripts anger
- Jeremiah 26:6 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
- Jeremiah 26:18 Micah 3:12
- Jeremiah 27:1 A few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also 27:3,12 and 28:1); most Hebrew manuscripts Jehoiakim (Most Septuagint manuscripts do not have this verse.)
- Jeremiah 27:20 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 28:4 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 29:14 Or will restore your fortunes
- Jeremiah 29:18 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see verse 22); or, others will see that they are cursed.
- Jeremiah 30:3 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah
- Jeremiah 31:3 Or Lord has appeared to us from afar
- Jeremiah 31:22 Or will protect
- Jeremiah 31:23 Or I restore their fortunes
- Jeremiah 31:32 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac / and I turned away from
- Jeremiah 31:32 Or was their master
- Jeremiah 32:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 5, 24, 25, 28, 29 and 43
- Jeremiah 32:9 That is, about 7 ounces or about 200 grams
- Jeremiah 32:44 Or will bring them back from captivity
- Jeremiah 33:5 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 33:7 Or will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel
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