Bible in 90 Days
Warnings to the False Prophets
9 “⌞Say this⌟ about the prophets:
I am deeply disturbed.
All my bones tremble.
I am like a drunk,
like a person who has had too much wine,
because of the Lord and his holy words.
10 The land is filled with adulterers.
The land mourns because of the curse.
Pastures in the wilderness have dried up.
The people are evil,
and they use their strength to do the wrong things.
11 The prophets and priests are godless.
Even in my temple I’ve found them doing evil,” declares the Lord.
12 “That is why their own way will become
like slippery paths in the dark.
They will be chased away, and they will fall down in the dark.
I will bring disaster on them.
It is time for them to be punished,” declares the Lord.
13 “⌞Say this⌟ about the prophets of Samaria:
I saw something disgusting.
The prophets of Samaria prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel astray.
14 “⌞Say this⌟ about the prophets of Jerusalem:
I see something horrible.
The prophets of Jerusalem commit adultery and live a lie.
They support those who do evil
so that no one turns back from his wickedness.
They are all like Sodom to me,
and those who live in Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
15 This is what the Lord of Armies says about the prophets:
I will give them wormwood to eat and poison to drink.
The prophets of Jerusalem have spread godlessness
throughout the land.
16 This is what the Lord of Armies says:
Don’t listen to what the prophets are saying to you.
They fill you with false hope.
They speak about visions that they dreamed up.
These visions are not from the Lord.
17 They keep saying to those who despise me,
“The Lord says, ‘Everything will go well for you.’ ”
They tell all who live by their own stubborn ways,
“Nothing bad will happen to you.”
18 Who is in the Lord’s inner circle
and sees and hears his word?
Who pays attention and listens to his word?
19 The storm of the Lord will come with his anger.
Like a windstorm, it will swirl down on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has done everything he intends to do.
In the last days you will understand this clearly.
21 I didn’t send these prophets,
yet they ran ⌞with their message⌟.
I didn’t speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
22 If they had been in my inner circle,
they would have announced my words to my people.
They would have turned back from their evil ways
and the evil they have done.
23 “I am a God who is near.
I am also a God who is far away,” declares the Lord.
24 “No one can hide so that I can’t see him,” declares the Lord.
“I fill heaven and earth!” declares the Lord.
25 “I’ve heard the prophets who speak lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ 26 How long will these prophets continue to lie and deceive? 27 They tell each other the dreams they had, because they want to make my people forget my name, as their ancestors forgot my name because of Baal. 28 The prophet who has a dream should tell his dream. However, the person who has my word should honestly speak my word. What does grain have to do with straw?” asks the Lord. 29 “Isn’t my word like fire or like a hammer that shatters a rock?” asks the Lord. 30 “I’m against the prophets who steal my words from each other,” declares the Lord. 31 “I’m against the prophets who speak their own thoughts and say that they speak for me. 32 I’m against those who prophesy dreams they made up,” declares the Lord. “They tell the dreams they made up and lead my people astray with their lies and their wild talk. I didn’t send them or command them to go. They don’t help these people at all,” declares the Lord.
33 “When these people, the prophets, or the priests ask you, ‘What revelation has the Lord burdened you with now?’ say to them, ‘You are the burden! I will abandon you, declares the Lord.’ 34 Suppose the prophets, the priests, or these people say, ‘This is the Lord’s revelation!’ I will punish them and their families. 35 They should ask their neighbors and their relatives, ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’ and ‘What did the Lord say?’ 36 They should never again say, ‘This is the Lord’s revelation,’ because each person’s word becomes the revelation. They will twist the words of the living God, the Lord of Armies, our God.
37 “Jeremiah, say this to the prophets, ‘What was the Lord’s answer to you?’ and ‘What did the Lord say?’ 38 Suppose they say, ‘This is the Lord’s revelation!’ Then say, ‘This is what the Lord says: Because you have said, “This is the Lord’s revelation!” even though I commanded you not to repeat this saying, 39 I will certainly forget you. I will throw you out of my presence and out of the city that I gave you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring eternal disgrace and shame on you. It will never be forgotten.’ ”
The Two Fig Baskets
24 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took Jehoiakin [a] (son of King Jehoiakim of Judah), the princes of Judah, the skilled workers, and the builders from Jerusalem into captivity and brought them to Babylon. After this, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs set in front of the Lord’s temple. 2 One basket had very good figs, like figs that ripen first. The other basket had very bad figs. These figs were so bad that they couldn’t be eaten.
3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
I answered, “Figs. Figs that are very good. I also see figs that are very bad, so bad that they can’t be eaten.”
4 The Lord spoke his word to me, 5 “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: The captives of Judah, whom I sent away from here to Babylon, are like these good figs. I will look kindly on them. 6 I will watch over them for their own good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them the desire to know that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, because they will wholeheartedly come back to me.
8 “But this is what the Lord says about the bad figs that are so bad that they can’t be eaten. The Lord says, ‘Like these bad figs, I will abandon King Zedekiah of Judah, his princes, the remaining few in Jerusalem who stayed behind in this land, and those who are living in Egypt. 9 I will make them a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms of the earth. They will be a disgrace and an example. They will become something ridiculed and cursed wherever I scatter them. 10 I will send wars, famines, and plagues until they disappear from the land that I gave to them and their ancestors.’ ”
Judgment on Judah and the Nations
25 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah about all the people of Judah when Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, was in his fourth year as king. (This was the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.) 2 The prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and to everyone who lived in Jerusalem. He said, 3 “For 23 years, from the time that Josiah, son of Amon, was in his thirteenth year as king of Judah until today, the Lord continued to speak his word to me. So I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.
4 “Even though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you, you haven’t listened or paid attention to them. 5 The prophets said, ‘Turn from your evil ways and the evil you have done, and live in the land that the Lord permanently gave to you and your ancestors. 6 Don’t follow other gods to serve and worship them. Don’t make me furious about the idols your hands have shaped. Then I won’t harm you. 7 But you haven’t listened to me, declares the Lord. You have made me furious about the idols your hands have shaped and ⌞have brought⌟ harm upon yourselves.’
8 “This is what the Lord of Armies says: You did not listen to my words, 9 so I’m going to send for all the families from the north. I will also send for my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, declares the Lord. I will bring the families from the north to attack this land, its people, and all these surrounding nations. I’m going to destroy them and turn them into something terrible, something ridiculed, and something permanently ruined. 10 I will take from them the sounds of joy and happiness, the sounds of brides and grooms, the sound of mills, and the light of lamps. 11 This whole land will be ruined and become a wasteland. These nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.
12 “When the 70 years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation for their crimes, declares the Lord. I will turn Babylon into a permanent wasteland. 13 I will bring on that land all the disasters I threatened to do to it, everything that Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations, everything written in this book. 14 Many nations and great kings will make slaves of the people of Babylon, and I will pay them back for what they have done.”
15 This is what the Lord God of Israel said to me: Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my fury, and make all the nations to whom I’m sending you drink from it. 16 When they drink from it, they will stagger and go insane because of the wars that I’m going to send them.
17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink from it: 18 Jerusalem and the cities of Judah as well as its kings and officials. When they drank from it, they became wastelands and ruins, something ridiculed and cursed, until today.
19 ⌞I also made these people drink from it:⌟ Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, officials, all his people, 20 and all the foreign people living among them; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of Philistia, those from the cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron, and the people left in Ashdod; 21 Edom, Moab, and the people of Ammon; 22 all the kings of Tyre and Sidon, and the kings on the seacoast; 23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who shave the hair on their foreheads; 24 all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the foreign people living in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media; 26 all the kings of the north, near and far, one after another—all the kingdoms of the earth. Last of all, the king of Sheshach will drink from the cup.
27 ⌞The Lord said,⌟ “Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk, vomit, fall down, and don’t get up because of the wars that I’m going to send you.’ 28 But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink from it, say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: You must drink from it! 29 I am going to bring disaster on the city that is named after me. Do you think you’ll go unpunished? You will not go unpunished! I’m declaring war on all those who live on earth, declares the Lord of Armies.’
30 “That is why you will prophesy all these things to them and say,
‘The Lord roars from above.
He thunders from his holy dwelling place.
He roars against his land.
He shouts like those who stomp grapes.
He shouts against all those who live on earth.
31 The sound is echoing to the ends of the earth
because the Lord has brought charges against the nations.
He will judge all humans.
He will kill the wicked, declares the Lord.’
32 “This is what the Lord of Armies says:
Disaster is spreading from nation to nation.
A great storm is brewing from the distant corners of the earth.”
33 On that day those killed by the Lord will stretch from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, taken away, or buried. They will become like manure on the ground.
34 Mourn, you shepherds, and cry.
Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
The time has come for you to be slaughtered.
The time has come for you to be scattered,
and you will break like fine pottery.
35 There will be no place for the shepherds to flee,
no escape for the leaders of the flock.
36 The shepherds are crying
and the leaders of the flock are mourning
because the Lord is stripping their pasture.
37 The peaceful pastures are destroyed by the Lord’s burning anger.
38 He has left his lair like a lion.
Their land has been ruined
because of the heat of the oppressor,
because of the fury of his anger.
Jeremiah Is Arrested
26 The Lord spoke his word when Judah’s King Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, began to rule. He said, 2 “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple, and speak to all the people who come from the cities of Judah to worship in the Lord’s temple. Tell them everything that I command you to tell them. Don’t leave out a single word. 3 Maybe they’ll listen, and they’ll turn from their evil ways. Then I’ll change my plan about the disaster I intend to bring on them because of the evil they have done.”
4 The Lord added, “Also say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: Suppose you don’t listen to me and don’t follow my teachings that I set in front of you. 5 Suppose you don’t listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent to you again and again, even though you didn’t listen. 6 Then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. I will turn this city into something that will be cursed by all the nations on earth.’ ”
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these things in the Lord’s temple. 8 But as soon as Jeremiah finished saying everything that the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets, and all the people grabbed him and said, “You must die! 9 Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this temple will be like Shiloh and this city will become a pile of rubble with no one living here?” Then all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the Lord’s temple.
10 When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went from the king’s palace to the Lord’s temple. They sat at the entrance of New Gate to the Lord’s ⌞temple⌟. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man is condemned to die because he prophesied against this city as you yourselves have heard.”
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people, “The Lord sent me to prophesy everything that you have heard me say against this temple and against this city. 13 Now, change your ways and what you are doing, and listen to the Lord your God. Then the Lord will change his plan about the disaster that he intends to bring on you.
14 “My life is in your hands. Do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15 But know for certain that if you put me to death, you, this city, and the people living in it will be guilty of killing an innocent person. The Lord has certainly sent me to speak all these things to you.”
16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and prophets, “This man should not be condemned to die. He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”
17 Then some of the leaders in the land got up and said to the entire crowd, 18 “Micah from Moresheth prophesied at the time of Judah’s King Hezekiah and said to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says:
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble,
and the temple mountain will become a worship site
covered with trees.’
19 Did Judah’s King Hezekiah and all the people of Judah put Micah to death? No! Hezekiah feared the Lord and sought the Lord’s favor. So the Lord changed his plan about the disaster he intended to bring on them. But we are about to bring a bigger disaster on ourselves.”
20 There was another man prophesying in the name of the Lord. His name was Uriah, son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath Jearim. He prophesied against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim and all his personal troops and officials heard what Uriah said, the king wanted to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it and fled in fear to Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim sent soldiers to Egypt: Elnathan (son of Achbor) and other soldiers along with him. 23 They brought Uriah from Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim. The king executed Uriah and threw his body into the burial ground for the common people. 24 Ahikam, son of Shaphan, supported Jeremiah. So Jeremiah was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
The Yoke of Babylon Will Be on Judah
27 When Zedekiah, son of King Josiah of Judah, began to rule, the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah.
2 This is what the Lord said to me: Make ⌞leather⌟ straps and a wooden yoke,[b] and strap the yoke on your neck. 3 Then send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon, with messengers who have come to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem. 4 Give them an order for their masters: “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Say this to your masters, 5 ‘I used my great strength and my powerful arm to make the earth along with the people and the animals on it. I give it to anyone I please. 6 Now I have handed all these countries over to my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made wild animals serve him. 7 All nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until Babylon is defeated. Then many nations and great kings will make him their slave.
8 “ ‘Suppose nations or kingdoms won’t serve or surrender to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will punish those nations by wars, famines, and plagues, until I have put an end to them by Nebuchadnezzar’s power, declares the Lord. 9 Don’t listen to prophets, mediums, interpreters of dreams, fortunetellers, or sorcerers who tell you that you’ll never serve the king of Babylon. 10 They are prophesying lies to you. They will cause you to be taken far from your lands. I’ll scatter you, and you will die. 11 But suppose a nation surrenders to the king of Babylon and serves him. I will let it stay in its own land. People will farm the land and live on it,’ ” declares the Lord.
12 I spoke the same message to King Zedekiah of Judah, “Surrender to the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and you will stay alive. 13 Why should you and your people die in wars, famines, and plagues? The Lord has threatened the nations that don’t serve the king of Babylon. 14 Don’t listen to the prophets who tell you that you’ll never serve the king of Babylon. They are prophesying lies to you. 15 I didn’t send them, declares the Lord. They prophesy lies in my name. So I will scatter you, and you and the prophets will die.”
16 I also spoke this message to the priests and all the people. “This is what the Lord said to me: Don’t listen to the prophets who tell you that the utensils of the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon soon. They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Don’t listen to them. Instead, serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city be turned into rubble? 18 If they are prophets and the Lord is speaking to them, they should beg the Lord of Armies not to allow the utensils that are left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem to be taken away to Babylon.
19-20 “Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiakin,[c] son of King Jehoiakim of Judah, into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. But he didn’t take the pillars, the bronze pool, the stands, and the rest of the utensils that are left in this city. 21 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says about the utensils that are left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem: 22 They will be taken to Babylon and stay there until I come for them, declares the Lord. I will take them from there and bring them back to this place.”
Hananiah’s False Prophecy
28 In that same year, early in the rule of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the fifth month of his fourth year as king, the prophet Hananiah, son of Azzur, from Gibeon, spoke to me in the Lord’s temple. He said to me in front of the priests and all the people, 2 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will break the yoke [d] of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back all the utensils of the Lord’s temple that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from this place and carried off to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place Jehoiakin, son of King Jehoiakim of Judah, and all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord. So I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”
5 The prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people standing in the Lord’s temple. 6 He said, “Amen! May the Lord do this! May the Lord make your prophecy come true and bring back the utensils of the Lord’s temple and all the captives from Babylon to this place. 7 But now listen to this message that I am speaking to you and to all the people: 8 Long ago, the prophets who preceded you and me prophesied wars, disasters, and plagues against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 But the prophet who prophesied peace was recognized as a prophet that the Lord sent only if the message of the prophet came true.”
10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it. 11 Hananiah said in front of all the people, “This is what the Lord says: In the same way, I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.” Then the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.
12 After the prophet Hananiah broke the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said, 13 “Tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You have broken the wooden yoke, but I [e] will replace it with an iron yoke. 14 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations so that they will serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. They will serve him! I will even make wild animals serve him.’ ”
15 Then Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah, “Now listen, Hananiah, the Lord hasn’t sent you. You have made these people believe a lie. 16 This is what the Lord says: I’m going to remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have encouraged rebellion against the Lord.”
17 So the prophet Hananiah died in the seventh month of that year.
Jeremiah Writes to the Captives in Babylon
29 The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to the rest of the leaders among the captives. He also sent it to the priests, the prophets, and all the people that Nebuchadnezzar took away as captives from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King Jehoiakin [f] and his mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and metal workers left Jerusalem.) 3 He sent the letter with Shaphan’s son Elasah and Hilkiah’s son Gemariah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah had sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. The letter said:
4 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all those who were taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses, and live in them. Plant gardens, and eat what they produce. 6 Get married, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons, and let your daughters get married so that they can have sons and daughters. Grow in number there; don’t decrease. 7 Work for the good of the city where I’ve taken you as captives, and pray to the Lord for that city. When it prospers, you will also prosper.
8 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Don’t let the prophets or the mediums who are among you trick you. Don’t even listen to your own dreams. 9 These people are prophesying lies to you in my name. I didn’t send them, declares the Lord.
10 This is what the Lord says: When Babylon’s 70 years are over, I will come to you. I will keep my promise to you and bring you back to this place. 11 I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. 12 Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me, 14 I will let you find me, declares the Lord. I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I’ve scattered you, declares the Lord. I will bring you back from the place where you are being held captive.
15 You’ve said that the Lord has given you prophets in Babylon. 16 But this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and about all the people who live in this city, the people who are your relatives and who weren’t taken away as captives: 17 The Lord of Armies says: I’m going to send them wars, famines, and plagues. These people are like rotten figs to me, figs that are so bad that they can’t be eaten. 18 I will chase them with wars, famines, and plagues. I will make them a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms on the earth. They will become something cursed, ridiculed, and hissed at, and they will be a disgrace among all the nations where I scatter them. 19 They didn’t listen to me, declares the Lord. I sent them my servants the prophets again and again, but they refused to listen, declares the Lord.
20 So listen to the Lord’s word, all you captives who were sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says about Kolaiah’s son Ahab and about Maaseiah’s son Zedekiah, who prophesy lies to you in my name: I’m going to hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will kill them as you watch. 22 Because of them, all the captives from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: May the Lord curse you as he cursed Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned to death. 23 They have done shameful things in Israel. They committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and spoke lies in my name. I didn’t command them to do this. I know what they have done. I’m a witness, declares the Lord.
24 ⌞The Lord says,⌟ “Say to Shemaiah from Nehelam, 25 ‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests. These letters said: 26 The Lord made you priest instead of Jehoiada so that there would be officials for the Lord’s temple. You should put any lunatic who acts like a prophet in prison and in shackles. 27 Now, why haven’t you arrested Jeremiah from Anathoth? After all, he acts like a prophet among you. 28 That’s why Jeremiah sent this message to us in Babylon: You will be captives a long time. Build houses, and live in them. Plant gardens, and eat what they produce.’ ”
29 The priest Zephaniah read this letter to the prophet Jeremiah.
30 Then the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said, 31 “Send this message to all the captives: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah from Nehelam: Shemaiah prophesied to you, but I didn’t send him. He has made you believe a lie. 32 The Lord says: I will punish Shemaiah from Nehelam. I will also punish his descendants. No one from his family will be left alive. He will not see the blessings that I’m going to send my people, declares the Lord, because he has encouraged rebellion against the Lord.’ ”
Israel’s Glorious Future
30 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Write in a book everything that I tell you. 3 The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity. I will bring them back to the land that I gave their ancestors, and they will take possession of it.”
4 This is the message that the Lord spoke about Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the Lord says:
“We hear cries of fear, cries of panic, not cries of peace.
6 Ask now, and see: Can a man give birth to a child?
Why, then, do I see every strong man holding his stomach in pain
like a woman giving birth to a child?
Why has every face turned pale?
7 How terrible that day will be!
There will be no other day like it.
It will be a time of calamity for the descendants of Jacob,
but they will be rescued from it.
8 “On that day,” declares the Lord of Armies, “I will break the yokes [g] off your necks and tear off your ropes. Foreigners will no longer make you serve them. 9 You will serve the Lord your God and David your king. I will establish him for you.
10 “Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,” declares the Lord.
“Don’t be terrified, Israel.
I’m going to rescue you from a faraway place.
I’m going to rescue your descendants from where they are captives.
The descendants of Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will frighten them.
11 I am with you, and I will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
“I will completely destroy all the nations where I scattered you,
but I will not completely destroy you.
I will correct you with justice.
I won’t let you go entirely unpunished.
12 “This is what the Lord says:
Your wound is incurable.
Your injury is beyond healing.
13 No one argues that you should be healed.
No medicine will heal you.
14 All your lovers have forgotten you,
and they don’t want you anymore.
I’ve punished you as an enemy would.
I’ve corrected you as a cruel person would.
You are very wicked, and you have many sins.
15 Why do you cry about your wound, your injury that can’t be cured?
I’ve done this to you.
You are very wicked, and you have many sins.
16 That is why everyone who devours you will be devoured,
and all your enemies will be taken away as captives.
Those who looted you will be looted.
Those who stole from you in war will have things stolen from them.
17 I’ll restore your health and heal your wounds,” declares the Lord.
“People call you an outcast:
Zion, no one cares for you.
18 “This is what the Lord says:
I’m going to bring the captives back to Jacob’s tents
and show compassion on their homes.
Cities will be built on the ruins,
and fortified palaces will be built in their rightful place.
19 The people who live there will sing songs of praise,
and the sound of laughter will be heard from there.
I’ll make them numerous, and their number won’t decrease.
I’ll bring them honor, and they won’t be considered unimportant.
20 Their children will be like they were long ago.
Their community will be established in my presence,
and I will punish everyone who oppresses them.
21 Their leader will be someone from their own people.
Their ruler will come from among them.
I’ll bring him near, and he will come close to me.
Who would dare to come near me?” asks the Lord.
22 You will be my people, and I will be your God.
23 The storm of the Lord will come with his anger.
Like a driving wind, it will swirl down on the heads of the wicked.
24 The Lord’s burning anger will not turn back
until he has done everything he intends to do.
In the last days you will understand this clearly.
Both Israel and Judah Will Be Rescued
31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:
The people who survived the wars have found favor in the desert.
Israel went to find its rest.
3 The Lord appeared to me in a faraway place and said,
“I love you with an everlasting love.
So I will continue to show you my kindness.
4 Once again I will build you up,
and you will be rebuilt, my dear people Israel.
Once again you will take your tambourines,
and you will go dancing with happy people.
5 Once again you will plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria.
Those who plant them will enjoy the fruit.
6 There will be a day when watchmen on the mountains of Ephraim
will call out this message:
‘Arise! Let’s go to Zion, to the Lord our God.’ ”
7 This is what the Lord says:
Sing a happy song about Jacob.
Sing joyfully for the leader of the nations.
Shout, sing praise, and say,
“O Lord, rescue your people, the remaining few from Israel.”
8 “I will bring them from the land of the north.
I will gather them from the farthest parts of the earth.
Blind people and lame people will return
together with pregnant women and those in labor.
A large crowd will return here.
9 They will cry as they return.
They will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams
on a level path where they will not stumble.
I will be a Father to Israel,
and Ephraim will be my firstborn.
10 “You nations, listen to the Lord’s word.
Tell it to the distant islands.
Say, ‘The one who scattered the people of Israel will gather them
and watch over them as a shepherd watches over his flock.’
11 The Lord will free the descendants of Jacob
and reclaim them from those who are stronger than they are.
12 They will come and shout for joy on top of Mount Zion.
They will stream to it to enjoy the Lord’s blessings:
fresh grain, new wine, and olive oil, lambs and calves.
Their lives will be like well-watered gardens,
and they will never suffer again.
13 Then young women will rejoice and dance
along with young men and old men.
I will turn their mourning into joy.
I will comfort them.
I will give them joy in place of their sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests with rich food.
My people will be filled with my blessings,” declares the Lord.
15 This is what the Lord says:
A sound is heard in Ramah,
the sound of crying in bitter grief.
Rachel is crying for her children.
She refuses to be comforted,
because they are dead.
16 This is what the Lord says:
Stop your crying, and wipe away your tears.
You will be rewarded for your work, declares the Lord.
You will return from the land of the enemy.
17 Your future is filled with hope, declares the Lord.
Your children will return to their own territory.
18 “I have certainly heard Ephraim mourn and say,
‘You disciplined me, and I was disciplined.
I was like a young, untrained calf.
Turn me, and I will be turned,
because you are the Lord my God.
19 After I was turned around, I changed the way I thought and acted.
After I was taught a lesson, I hung my head in shame.
I was so ashamed and humiliated,
because of all the stupid things I have done
ever since I was young.’
20 Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child?
Even though I have often spoken against him, I still think fondly of him.
That is why my heart longs for him,
and I will certainly have compassion on him,” declares the Lord.
21 Set up landmarks!
Put up road signs!
Remember the highway, the road on which you traveled.
Come back, my dear people Israel, come back to your cities.
22 How long will you wander around, you unfaithful people?
The Lord will create something new on earth:
A woman will protect a man.
23 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: When I have brought them back from captivity, they will once again use this saying in Judah and in its cities:
“The Lord bless you, home of righteousness, holy mountain.
24 Judah and all its cities will live there together.
Farmers and shepherds will also live there.
25 I will give those who are weary all they need.
I will refresh everyone who is filled with sorrow.”
26 At this, I woke up and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant.
27 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the nations of Israel and Judah with people and animals. 28 Once I watched over them to uproot them, to tear them down, and to wreck, ruin, and hurt them. Now I will watch over them to build them up and to plant them,” declares the Lord. 29 “When those days come, people will no longer say, ‘Fathers have eaten sour grapes, and their children’s teeth are set on edge.’ 30 But each person will die for his own sin. Whoever eats sour grapes will have his own teeth set on edge.
The New Promise
31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new promise [h] to Israel and Judah. 32 It will not be like the promise that I made to their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They rejected that promise, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But this is the promise that I will make to Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put my teachings inside them, and I will write those teachings on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will each person teach his neighbors or his relatives by saying, ‘Know the Lord.’ All of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” declares the Lord, “because I will forgive their wickedness and I will no longer hold their sins against them.”
35 The Lord provides the sun to be a light during the day.
He orders the moon and stars to be lights during the night.
He stirs up the sea so that its waves roar.
His name is the Lord of Armies.
This is what the Lord says:
36 Only if these laws stop working, declares the Lord,
will Israel’s descendants stop being a nation in my presence.
37 This is what the Lord says:
Only if the heavens could be measured
or the foundations of the earth could be searched,
would I ever reject all of Israel’s descendants
because of everything that they have done, declares the Lord.
38 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to Corner Gate. 39 A measuring line will stretch from there straight to the Hill of Gareb, and then it will turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley, filled with its dead bodies and ashes, and the whole area to the Kidron Valley, as far as the corner of Horse Gate in the east, will be holy to the Lord. It will never be uprooted or torn down again.”
Jeremiah Buys a Field
32 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah during Zedekiah’s tenth year as king of Judah. (This was Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year as king.) 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was blockading Jerusalem.
The prophet Jeremiah was locked up in the courtyard of the prison. This prison was in the palace of the king of Judah. 3 When King Zedekiah of Judah locked up Jeremiah, Zedekiah asked him, “Why are you prophesying? You are saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4 King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Babylonians. He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon. He will talk to Nebuchadnezzar in person and look him in the eye. 5 Nebuchadnezzar will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and Zedekiah will stay there until I deal with him, declares the Lord. When you fight the Babylonians, you won’t win.’ ”
6 Jeremiah said, “The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, 7 ‘Jeremiah, your cousin Hanamel, son of Shallum, is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field that is in Anathoth, because as the closest relative it is your responsibility to buy it.” ’
8 “Then, as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the prison. He said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. It is your responsibility to purchase it, because the rights of the closest relative belong to you. Buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that the Lord had spoken to me.
9 “So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and gave him the money. The field cost seven ounces of silver. 10 I signed the deed, sealed it, had people witness the signing of the deed, and paid out the silver. 11 Then I took the sealed copy of the deed, containing the terms and conditions, as well as an unsealed copy. 12 I gave the copies of the deeds to Baruch, son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. I did this in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and the witnesses who had signed the deed and in the presence of all the Jews who were sitting in the courtyard of the prison. 13 Then I gave Baruch these orders: 14 ‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Take both of these documents, both the sealed and the unsealed copies of the deed. Put them in a clay jar so that they will last a long time. 15 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: My people will again buy houses, fields, and vineyards in this land.’
16 “After I had given the copies to Baruch, son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord. I prayed, 17 ‘Almighty Lord, you made heaven and earth by your great strength and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you. 18 You show mercy to thousands of generations. However, you punish children for the wickedness of their parents. You, God, are great and mighty. Your name is the Lord of Armies. 19 You make wise plans and do mighty things. You see everything the descendants of Adam do. You reward them for the way they live and for what they do. 20 You performed miraculous signs and amazing things in Egypt. To this day you are still doing them in Israel. You made a name for yourself that continues to this day. 21 You brought your people from Egypt with miraculous signs and amazing things, with a mighty hand and a powerful arm, and with great terror. 22 You gave them the land that you swore with an oath to give their ancestors, the land flowing with milk and honey. 23 They entered and took possession of it. However, they refused to obey you or to follow your teachings. They didn’t do anything you commanded them to do, so you brought all this disaster on them.
24 “ ‘See how the dirt ramps have been built up around the city to capture it! Because of wars, famines, and plagues, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you have threatened to do has happened, as you can see. 25 Yet you, Almighty Lord, told me to buy a field with money and get witnesses to confirm it, although the city was handed over to the Babylonians.’ ”
26 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said, 27 “I am the Lord God of all humanity. Nothing is too hard for me. 28 This is what the Lord says: I’m going to hand this city over to the Babylonians and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. They will capture it.
29 “The Babylonians who are attacking this city will break in, set this city on fire, and burn it down. They will burn down the houses of people who made me furious by going up to the roofs to burn incense to Baal and to pour out wine offerings to other gods. 30 Ever since they were young, the people of Israel and Judah have done what I consider evil. The people of Israel have made me furious by what they’ve done,” declares the Lord. 31 “The people in this city have made me so angry and furious from the day they built it to this day. So now I must remove this city from my presence.
32 “The people of Israel and Judah have made me furious because they are evil. The people, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, and the Judeans and those who live in Jerusalem 33 have turned their backs, not their faces to me. I taught them again and again, but they refused to listen and learn. 34 They set up their detestable idols in the temple that is called by my name, and they dishonored it. 35 In the valley of Ben Hinnom they built worship sites for Baal to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I didn’t ask them to do this. It never entered my mind. I didn’t make Judah sin.
36 “You have said this about the city, ‘Because of wars, famines, and plagues it will be handed over to the king of Babylon.’ Now this is what the Lord God of Israel says: 37 I am going to gather the people from all the lands where I scattered them in my anger, fury, and terrifying wrath. I will bring them back to this place and make them live here securely. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them the same attitude and the same purpose so that they will fear me as long as they live. This will be for their own good and for the good of their children. 40 I will make an eternal promise [i] to them that I will never stop blessing them. I will make them fear me so that they will never turn away from me. 41 I will enjoy blessing them. With all my heart and soul I will faithfully plant them in this land.
42 “This is what the Lord says: As I brought all these disasters on these people, so I will bring on them all these blessings that I have promised them. 43 You have said that this land is a wasteland, without people or animals living in it. You have also said that it has been handed over to the Babylonians. But people will once again buy fields in this land. 44 They will buy fields for money, sign deeds, seal them, and have people witness the signing of the deeds. This will happen in the territory of Benjamin, in the region of Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities on the mountains, in the hill country, and in the Negev because I will bring them back from their captivity,” declares the Lord.
The Lord Will Restore and Heal Judah
33 While Jeremiah was still being held in the courtyard of the prison, the Lord spoke his word to him a second time. The Lord said, 2 “I made ⌞the earth⌟, formed it, and set it in place. My name is the Lord. This is what the Lord says: 3 Call to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know. 4 The houses in this city and the palaces of the kings of Judah have been torn down to be used against the dirt ramps and weapons of the Babylonians. This is what the Lord God of Israel says about this: 5 The people of Israel fought the Babylonians. Now their houses are filled with the bodies of their own people I killed in my anger and my fury. I will hide my face from this city because of its wickedness.
6 “But I will heal this city and restore it to health. I will heal its people, and I will give them peace and security. 7 I will restore Judah and Israel and rebuild them as they were before. 8 I will cleanse them from all the sins that they have committed against me. I will forgive them for all the sins that they have committed against me and for rebelling against me. 9 Then Jerusalem will be my source of joy, praise, and honor. All the nations on earth will hear about all the blessings that I will give to Jerusalem. They will be afraid and tremble because of all the prosperity that I will provide for it.
10 “This is what the Lord says: You have said that this place is ruined and that no people or animals live in it. It’s true! The cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are deserted. No people or animals live there. But once again you will hear 11 the sounds of joy and happiness and the sounds of brides and grooms. You will hear those who bring thank offerings to the Lord’s temple say,
‘Give thanks to the Lord of Armies because the Lord is good,
because his mercy endures forever.’
I will restore the fortunes of the land to what they were before,” says the Lord.
12 “This is what the Lord of Armies says: In this deserted place, where no people or animals live, and in all its cities, there will once again be pastures where shepherds can rest their flocks. 13 In the cities on the mountains, in the foothills, in the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the area around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shepherds will once again count their sheep,” says the Lord.
14 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will keep the promise that I made to Israel and Judah. 15 In those days and at that time, I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David. He will do what is fair and right in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live securely. Jerusalem will be called The Lord Our Righteousness.
17 “This what the Lord says: David will never fail to have a descendant sitting on the throne of Israel. 18 The Levitical priests will never fail to have a descendant in my presence to sacrifice burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to prepare daily sacrifices.”
19 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said, 20 “This is what the Lord says: Suppose you could break my arrangement [j] with day and night so that they wouldn’t come at their proper time. 21 Then my arrangement with my servant David could be broken, and he would not have a descendant to rule on his throne. The arrangement with my servants the Levitical priests could also be broken. 22 I will multiply the descendants of my servant David and the Levites who serve me like the stars of heaven that cannot be counted and the sand on the seashore that cannot be measured.”
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