Old/New Testament
Jeremiah in Prison
37 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had ·appointed [made king] Zedekiah son of Josiah to be king of Judah [C in 597 bc; he ruled until 586 bc]. Zedekiah took the place of ·Jehoiachin [L Coniah] son of Jehoiakim. 2 But Zedekiah, his servants, and the people of Judah did not listen to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 Now King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah [21:1; 29:25, 29; 52:24] with a message to Jeremiah the prophet. This was the message: “Jeremiah, please pray to the Lord our God for us.”
4 At that time Jeremiah had not yet been put into ·prison [L the house of confinement]. So he ·was free to go anywhere he wanted [L came and went among the people]. 5 The army of the ·king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] had marched from Egypt [C toward Judah]. Now the ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans] had ·surrounded [besieged] the city of Jerusalem. When they heard about the Egyptian army marching toward them, the Babylonian army left Jerusalem.
6 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah the prophet: 7 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Jehucal and Zephaniah, I know Zedekiah king of Judah sent you to seek me [C to get his help]. Tell this to King Zedekiah: ‘The army of the king of Egypt came here to help you, but they will ·go back [return] to Egypt. 8 After that, the ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans] will return and ·attack [fight] this city [C Jerusalem] and capture it and burn it ·down [L with fire].’
9 “This is what the Lord says: People of Jerusalem, do not ·fool [deceive] yourselves. Don’t say, ‘The ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans] will surely ·leave us alone [L go away from us].’ They will not! 10 Even if you ·defeated [L struck] all of the ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans] that is ·attacking [fighting] you and there were only a few injured men left in their tents, they would ·come from their tents [L rise up] and burn ·down Jerusalem [L this city with fire]!”
11 So the ·Babylonian [L Chaldean] army left Jerusalem to fight the army of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh]. 12 Now Jeremiah tried to travel from Jerusalem to the land of Benjamin to get his share of the property ·that belonged to his family [L among the people; 32:1–15]. 13 When Jeremiah got to the Benjamin Gate [38:7; Ezek. 48:32; Zech 14:10] of Jerusalem, the captain in charge of the guards arrested him. The captain’s name was Irijah son of Shelemiah son of Hananiah. Irijah said, “You are ·leaving us to join the Babylonians [deserting/defecting/L falling to the Chaldeans]!”
14 But Jeremiah said to Irijah, “·That’s not true [False; Lies]! I am not ·leaving to join the Babylonians [deserting/defecting/L falling to the Chaldeans].” Irijah refused to listen to Jeremiah, so he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officers of Jerusalem. 15 Those ·rulers [L officers] were very angry with Jeremiah and ·beat [L struck] him. Then they put him in ·jail [L house of confinement] in the house of Jonathan the ·royal secretary [scribe], which had been made into a prison [L house of confinement]. 16 So those people put Jeremiah into a cell in a ·dungeon [L house of the pit/cistern], and Jeremiah was there for ·a long time [L many days].
17 Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and had him brought to the palace. Zedekiah asked him in ·private [secret], “Is there any message from the Lord?”
Jeremiah answered, “Yes, there is. Zedekiah, you will be handed over to the king of Babylon.” 18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What ·crime [sin] have I done against you or your officers or the people of Jerusalem? Why have you ·thrown [placed] me into ·prison [L the house of confinement]? 19 Where are your prophets that prophesied this message to you: ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’ [C Judah]? 20 But now, my master, king [C of Judah], please listen to me, and please ·do what I ask of [L let my pleas for help/supplications fall before] you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the ·royal secretary [scribe], or I will die there!”
21 So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be put under guard in the courtyard of the guard and to be given bread each day from the street of the bakers until there was no more bread in the city. So he stayed under guard in the courtyard of the guard.
Jeremiah Is Thrown into a Well
38 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, ·Jehucal [L Jucal; 37:3] son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah [21:1] heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people. He said: 2 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Everyone who stays in this city [C Jerusalem] will die ·from war [L by sword], or ·hunger [famine], or ·terrible diseases [plague; pestilence]. But everyone who ·surrenders [L goes out] to the ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans] will live; ·they will escape with their lives and [L their lives will be plunder and they will] live.’ 3 And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city will surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. He will capture this city!’”
4 Then the officers said to the king, “This man [C Jeremiah] must be put to death! He is ·discouraging [demoralizing; L weakening the hands of] the soldiers who are still in the city, and all the people, by what he is saying to them. He ·does not want good to happen to us [L is not seeking our welfare/peace]; ·he wants to ruin us [L …only harm/trouble/evil].”
5 King Zedekiah said to them, “·Jeremiah is in your control [L He is in your hands]. ·I cannot do anything [L The king is powerless] to stop you.”
6 So they [C the officers] took Jeremiah and put him into the ·well [cistern; pit] of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guards. The officers used ropes to lower Jeremiah into the ·well [cistern; pit], which did not have any water in it, only mud. And Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
7 But Ebed-Melech, a Cushite [C an Ethiopian] and a ·servant [or eunuch] in the ·palace [L house of the king], heard that the officers had put Jeremiah into the ·well [cistern; pit]. As King Zedekiah was sitting at the Benjamin Gate, 8 Ebed-Melech left the ·palace [L house of the king] and went to the king. Ebed-Melech said to him, 9 “My master and king, these rulers have acted in an evil way. They have treated Jeremiah the prophet badly. They have thrown him into a ·well [cistern; pit] and left him there to die! ·When there [or There] is no more bread in the city, he will starve to death.”
10 Then King Zedekiah commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men from the palace and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the ·well [cistern; pit] before he dies.”
11 So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room under the storeroom in the palace. He took some ·old rags [tattered] and worn-out clothes from that room. Then he let those rags down with some ropes to Jeremiah in the ·well [cistern; well]. 12 Ebed-Melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these ·old rags [tattered] and worn-out clothes under your arms to be pads for the ropes.” So Jeremiah did as Ebed-Melech said. 13 The men pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the ·well [cistern; pit; Ps. 30:1–3]. And Jeremiah stayed under guard in the courtyard of the guard [39:15–18].
Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah
14 Then King Zedekiah sent someone to get Jeremiah the prophet and bring him to the third entrance to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something. Do not hide anything from me, but tell me everything honestly [37:16–21].”
15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, ·you will surely [L won’t you…?] kill me. And even if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”
16 But King Zedekiah ·made a secret promise [L swore in secret] to Jeremiah, “As surely as the Lord lives who has given us breath and life, I will not kill you. And I promise not to hand you over to these men [C the officers] who ·want to kill you [L seek your life].”
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: ‘If you ·surrender [L go out] to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be saved. This city [C Jerusalem] will not be burned ·down [L with fire], and you and your ·family [L house] will live. 18 But if you refuse to ·surrender [L go out] to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans], and they will burn it ·down [L with fire]. And you yourself will not escape from ·them [L their hand].’”
19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I’m afraid of some ·Jews [L Judeans] who have already ·gone over to the side of [L deserted/defected/L fallen to] the ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans]. If they [C the Babylonians] hand me over to them, they will ·treat me badly [abuse me].”
20 But Jeremiah answered, “·The Babylonians will not hand you over to the Jews [L You will not be given up]. ·Obey [L Listen to the voice of] the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then things will go well for you, and your life will be saved. 21 But if you refuse to ·surrender [L go out] to the Babylonians, the Lord has shown me what will happen. 22 All the women left in the ·palace [L house] of the king of Judah will be brought out and taken to the important officers of the king of Babylon. Your women will ·make fun of you with this song [L say]:
‘Your good friends ·misled [deceived; seduced; enticed] you
and ·were stronger than [overpowered] you.
While your feet ·were stuck [sank down] in the mud,
they ·left [turned their back on] you.’
23 “All your wives and children will be brought out and given to the Babylonian army. You yourself will not even escape from them. You will be ·taken prisoner [captured] by the king of Babylon, and this city [C Jerusalem] will be burned ·down [L with fire].”
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not tell anyone that I have been talking to you, or you will die. 25 If the officers find out I talked to you, they will come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to King Zedekiah and what he said to you. Don’t ·keep any secrets from us [conceal anything from us]. If you don’t tell us everything, we will kill you.’ 26 If they ask you, tell them, ‘I was ·begging [L making my pleas for help/supplications/falling before] the king not to ·send [return] me back to Jonathan’s house to die.’”
27 All the officers did come to question Jeremiah. So he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. Then the officers said no more to Jeremiah, because no one had heard what Jeremiah and the king had discussed.
28 So Jeremiah stayed under guard in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
The Fall of Jerusalem
39 This is how Jerusalem was captured: Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and ·surrounded the city to attack it [L besieged it]. This was during the tenth month of the ninth year Zedekiah was king of Judah [C January 588 bc; 52:4]. 2 This lasted until the ninth day of the fourth month in Zedekiah’s eleventh year [C July 18, 586 bc]. Then the city wall was ·broken through [breached]. 3 And all these officers of the king of Babylon came [C into Jerusalem] and sat down at the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer ·of the district of Samgar [or Samgar-nebo]; Nebo-Sarsekim, a chief ·officer [or eunuch]; Nergal-Sharezer, ·an important leader [or the Rabmag]; and all the other important officers.
4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they ·ran away [fled]. They ·left [went out of] Jerusalem at night and went out ·from [L by way of] the king’s garden. They went through the gate that was between the two walls and then headed toward the ·Jordan Valley [L Arabah]. 5 But the ·Babylonian [L Chaldean] army ·chased [pursued] them and ·caught up with [overtook] Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was at the town of Riblah in the land of Hamath [C north of Israel, in Syria]. There Nebuchadnezzar passed ·his sentence [judgment] on Zedekiah. 6 At Riblah the king of Babylon ·killed [slaughtered] Zedekiah’s sons and all the ·important officers [nobles] of Judah ·as Zedekiah watched [L before his eyes]. 7 Then he ·put out [blinded] Zedekiah’s eyes. He put bronze chains on Zedekiah and took him to Babylon.
8 The ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans] ·set fire to [L burned with fire] the ·palace [L house of the king] and to the houses of the people, and they ·broke [tore] down the walls around Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan, commander of the king’s special guards, took the people left in Jerusalem, those captives who had ·surrendered [deserted; defected; L fell] to him earlier, and the rest of the people of Jerusalem, and he ·took them all away [exiled them all] to Babylon. 10 But Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, left some of the poorest people of Judah behind. They owned nothing, but that day he gave them vineyards and fields.
11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had ·given these orders [commanded] about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard: 12 “Find Jeremiah and take care of him. Do not ·hurt [do evil to] him, but do for him whatever he asks you.” 13 So Nebuchadnezzar sent these men for Jeremiah: Nebuzaradan, commander of the guards; Nebushazban, a chief ·officer [or eunuch]; Nergal-Sharezer, ·an important leader [or the Rabmag]; and all the other officers of the king of Babylon. 14 They had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. Then they turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan [C the new governor of the Babylonian province of Judah; 40:5], who had orders to take Jeremiah back home. So they took him home, and he stayed among the people left in Judah.
15 While Jeremiah was guarded in the courtyard, the Lord spoke his word to him: 16 “Jeremiah, go and tell Ebed-Melech the Cushite [C Ethiopian; 38:7–13] this message: ‘This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: Very soon I will make my words about this city [C Jerusalem] come true ·through [for] ·disaster [evil; trouble], not ·through [for] ·good times [good]. You will see everything come true with your own eyes. 17 But I will ·save [rescue; deliver ] you on that day, Ebed-Melech, says the Lord. You will not be handed over to the people you fear. 18 I will surely ·save [rescue] you [C Ebed-Melech]. You will not ·die from [L fall by] a sword, but ·you will escape and live [L your life will be plunder]. This will happen because you have ·trusted [confidence] in me, says the Lord.’”
Jesus Is Greater than Moses
3 ·So all of you [L Therefore] holy brothers and sisters, who ·were called by God [are partners/partakers in a heavenly calling], ·think about [consider; focus on] Jesus, who ·was sent to us [or is our apostle; C a commissioned messenger] and is the high priest ·of our faith [or whom we acknowledge/confess; L of our confession]. 2 Jesus was faithful to God who appointed him just as Moses was faithful in God’s ·family [household; house]. 3 Jesus ·has [deserves; is worthy of] more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 [L For] Every house is built by someone, but the builder of everything is God himself. 5 Moses was faithful in ·God’s family [L all of God’s house; Num. 12:7] as a servant, and he ·told [testified to] what God would say in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. And we are God’s house if we ·confidently maintain our hope [or maintain our courage and confident hope].
We Must Continue to Follow God
7 So it is as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today ·listen to what he says [L if you hear his voice…].
8 Do not ·be stubborn [L harden your hearts] as in the past
·when you turned against God [L as in the rebellion; Ex. 17:1–7],
when you tested God in the desert.
9 There your ancestors tried me and tested me
and saw the things I did for forty years.
10 I was angry with ·them [L that generation].
I said, ‘·They are not loyal to me [L Their hearts are always wandering]
and have not ·understood my ways [or discerned/obeyed my will].’
11 I was angry and ·made a promise [L swore an oath],
‘They will never enter my rest [Ps. 95:7–11; C referring to the generation of Israel that disobeyed God and so were not allowed to enter the Promised Land (Num. 14:23)].’”
12 So brothers and sisters, ·be careful [see to it] that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that will ·turn you away from [desert; forsake] the living God. 13 But encourage each other every day while it is “today” [C meaning the time of opportunity to be saved; v. 7]. ·Help [Encourage] each other so none of you will become hardened ·because sin has tricked you [by sin’s deception]. 14 [L For] We all ·share in [or have become partners with] Christ if [indeed; in fact] we ·keep [hold firm] till the end the sure ·faith [conviction; confidence] we had in the beginning. 15 This is what the Scripture says:
“Today ·listen to what he says [L if you hear his voice…].
Do not ·be stubborn [L harden your hearts] as in the past
·when you turned against God [L as in the rebellion; Ps. 95:7–8; C referring to Ex. 17:1–7].”
16 Who heard God’s voice and ·was against [rebelled against; provoked] him? ·It was [L Was it not…?] all those people Moses led out of Egypt. 17 And with whom was God angry for forty years? ·He was angry [L Was it not…?] with those who sinned, ·who died [L whose corpses/bodies fell] in the desert [Num. 14:29, 32]. 18 And to whom ·was God talking when he promised [L did he swear] that they would never enter his rest [v. 11]? He was talking to those who did not ·obey [or believe] him. 19 So we see they were not allowed to enter [C the Promised Land and God’s promised rest] because ·they did not believe [of unbelief/faithlessness].
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