New International Version (NIV)

Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar

1 Early in the reign of Zedekiahson of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from theLord:

2 This is what theLordsaid to me: “Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck.

3 Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon 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 theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters:

5 With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.

6 Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.

7 All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate 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 that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares theLord, until I destroy it by his hand.

9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’

10 They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove 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 of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares theLord.” ’ ”

12 I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.

13 Why will you and your people die by the sword, famine and plague with which theLordhas threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies to you.

15 ‘I have not sent them,’ declares theLord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name. Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’ ”

16 Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what theLordsays: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles from theLord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you.

17 Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this city become a ruin?

18 If they are prophets and have the word of theLord, let them plead with theLordAlmighty that the articles remaining in the house of theLordand in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon.

19 For this is what theLordAlmighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea, the movable stands and the other articles that are left in this city,

20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiachinson 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 theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of theLordand in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem:

22 ‘They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,’ declares theLord. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’ ”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JER/27-e5ff220d8c0582d5c5848106bd7b602a.mp3?version_id=111—

The False Prophet Hananiah

1 In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of theLordin the presence of the priests and all the people:

2 “This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of theLord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon.

4 I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachinson of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares theLord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”

5 Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of theLord.

6 He said, “Amen! May theLorddo so! May theLordfulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of theLord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.

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 against many countries and great kingdoms.

9 But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by theLordonly if his prediction comes true.”

10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it,

11 and he said before all the people, “This is what theLordsays: ‘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 theLordcame to Jeremiah:

13 “Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what theLordsays: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron.

14 This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.’ ”

15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! TheLordhas not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.

16 Therefore this is what theLordsays: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against theLord.’ ”

17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JER/28-1775bc9a60611d83ce31db718d7fa816.mp3?version_id=111—

A Letter to the Exiles

1 This is the text of the letter 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.

2 (This was after King Jehoiachinand the queen mother, 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 theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:

5 “Build 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.

7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to theLordfor it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

8 Yes, this is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.

9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares theLord.

10 This is what theLordsays: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares theLord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

14 I will be found by you,” declares theLord, “and will bring you back from captivity.I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares theLord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

15 You may say, “TheLordhas raised up prophets for us in Babylon,”

16 but this is what theLordsays 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 theLordAlmighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.

18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curseand an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them.

19 For they have not listened to my words,” declares theLord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,” declares theLord.

20 Therefore, hear the word of theLord, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies 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 theLordtreat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.’

23 For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know it and am a witness to it,” declares theLord.

Message to Shemaiah

24 Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite,

25 “This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah,

26 ‘TheLordhas appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of theLord; you should put any maniac who acts like a prophet into the stocks 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 to us in Babylon: It will be a long time. Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’ ”

29 Zephaniah the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet.

30 Then the word of theLordcame to Jeremiah:

31 “Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what theLordsays about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies,

32 this is what theLordsays: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares theLord, because he has preached rebellion against me.’ ”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JER/29-7ba6a0f9c6dca4f308a278b36b4a3940.mp3?version_id=111—

Restoration of Israel

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from theLord:

2 “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.

3 The days are coming,’ declares theLord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivityand restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says theLord.”

4 These are the words theLordspoke concerning Israel and Judah:

5 “This is what theLordsays:

“ ‘Cries of fear 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,

every face turned deathly pale?

7 How awful that day will be!

No other will be like it.

It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,

but he will be saved out of it.

8 “ ‘In that day,’ declares theLordAlmighty,

‘I will break the yoke off their necks

and will tear off their bonds;

no longer will foreigners enslave them.

9 Instead, they will serve theLordtheir God

and David their king,

whom I will raise up for them.

10 “ ‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant;

do not be dismayed, Israel,’

declares theLord.

‘I will surely save you out of a distant place,

your descendants from the land of their exile.

Jacob will again have peace and security,

and no one will make him afraid.

11 I am with you and will save you,’

declares theLord.

‘Though I completely destroy all the nations

among which I scatter you,

I will not completely destroy you.

I will discipline you but only in due measure;

I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’

12 “This is what theLordsays:

“ ‘Your wound is incurable,

your injury beyond healing.

13 There is no one to plead your cause,

no remedy for your sore,

no healing for you.

14 All your allies have forgotten you;

they care nothing for you.

I have struck you as an enemy would

and punished you as would the cruel,

because your guilt is so great

and your sins so many.

15 Why do you cry out over your wound,

your pain that has no cure?

Because of your great guilt and many sins

I have done these things to you.

16 “ ‘But all who devour you will be devoured;

all your enemies will go into exile.

Those who plunder you will be plundered;

all who make spoil of you I will despoil.

17 But I will restore you to health

and heal your wounds,’

declares theLord,

‘because you are called an outcast,

Zion for whom no one cares.’

18 “This is what theLordsays:

“ ‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents

and have compassion on his dwellings;

the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,

and the palace will stand in its proper place.

19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving

and the sound of rejoicing.

I will add to their numbers,

and they will not be decreased;

I will bring them honor,

and they will not be disdained.

20 Their children will be as in days of old,

and their community will be established before me;

I will punish all who oppress them.

21 Their leader will be one of their own;

their ruler will arise from among them.

I will bring him near and he will come close to me—

for who is he who will devote himself

to be close to me?’

declares theLord.

22 “ ‘So you will be my people,

and I will be your God.’ ”

23 See, the storm of theLord

will burst out in wrath,

a driving wind swirling down

on the heads of the wicked.

24 The fierce anger of theLordwill not turn back

until he fully accomplishes

the purposes of his heart.

In days to come

you will understand this.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JER/30-431ac61442bbe5befb10211b817eb6f8.mp3?version_id=111—

1 “At that time,” declares theLord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”

2 This is what theLordsays:

“The people who survive the sword

will find favor in the wilderness;

I will come to give rest to Israel.”

3 TheLordappeared to us in the past,saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

4 I will build you up again,

and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.

Again you will take up your timbrels

and go out to dance with the joyful.

5 Again you will plant vineyards

on the hills of Samaria;

the farmers will plant them

and enjoy their fruit.

6 There will be a day when watchmen cry out

on the hills of Ephraim,

‘Come, let us go up to Zion,

to theLordour God.’ ”

7 This is what theLordsays:

“Sing with joy for Jacob;

shout for the foremost of the nations.

Make your praises heard, and say,

‘Lord, save your people,

the remnant of Israel.’

8 See, I will bring them from the land of the north

and gather them from the ends of the earth.

Among them will be the blind and the lame,

expectant mothers and women in labor;

a great throng will return.

9 They will come with weeping;

they will pray as I bring them back.

I will lead them beside streams of water

on a level path where they will not stumble,

because I am Israel’s father,

and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

10 “Hear the word of theLord, you nations;

proclaim it in distant coastlands:

‘He who scattered Israel will gather them

and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’

11 For theLordwill deliver Jacob

and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.

12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;

they will rejoice in the bounty of theLord—

the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,

the young of the flocks and herds.

They will be like a well-watered garden,

and they will sorrow no more.

13 Then young women will dance and be glad,

young men and old as well.

I will turn their mourning into gladness;

I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance,

and my people will be filled with my bounty,”

declares theLord.

15 This is what theLordsays:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,

mourning and great weeping,

Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted,

because they are no more.”

16 This is what theLordsays:

“Restrain your voice from weeping

and your eyes from tears,

for your work will be rewarded,”

declares theLord.

“They will return from the land of the enemy.

17 So there is hope for your descendants,”

declares theLord.

“Your children will return to their own land.

18 “I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:

‘You disciplined me like an unruly calf,

and I have been disciplined.

Restore me, and I will return,

because you are theLordmy God.

19 After I strayed,

I repented;

after I came to understand,

I beat my breast.

I was ashamed and humiliated

because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’

20 Is not Ephraim my dear son,

the child in whom I delight?

Though I often speak against him,

I still remember him.

Therefore my heart yearns for him;

I have great compassion for him,”

declares theLord.

21 “Set up road signs;

put up guideposts.

Take note of the highway,

the road that you take.

Return, Virgin Israel,

return to your towns.

22 How long will you wander,

unfaithful Daughter Israel?

TheLordwill create a new thing on earth—

# the woman will return tothe man.”

23 This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘TheLordbless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’

24 People will live together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.

25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

26 At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

27 “The days are coming,” declares theLord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals.

28 Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares theLord.

29 “In those days people will no longer say,

‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,

and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

31 “The days are coming,” declares theLord,

“when I will make a new covenant

with the people of Israel

and with the people of Judah.

32 It will not be like the covenant

I made with their ancestors

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,

because they broke my covenant,

# though I was a husband tothem,”

declares theLord.

33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel

after that time,” declares theLord.

“I will put my law in their minds

and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

34 No longer will they teach their neighbor,

or say to one another, ‘Know theLord,’

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest,”

declares theLord.

“For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more.”

35 This is what theLordsays,

he who appoints the sun

to shine by day,

who decrees the moon and stars

to shine by night,

who stirs up the sea

so that its waves roar—

theLordAlmighty is his name:

36 “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,”

declares theLord,

“will Israel ever cease

being a nation before me.”

37 This is what theLordsays:

“Only if the heavens above can be measured

and the foundations of the earth below be searched out

will I reject all the descendants of Israel

because of all they have done,”

declares theLord.

38 “The days are coming,” declares theLord, “when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

39 The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah.

40 The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to theLord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JER/31-503a187efd2ad20a037dd39df896f55f.mp3?version_id=111—

Jeremiah Buys a Field

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from theLordin the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah.

3 Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what theLordsays: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.

4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babyloniansbut 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 Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares theLord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’ ”

6 Jeremiah said, “The word of theLordcame to me:

7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’

8 “Then, just as theLordhad said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field 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 theLord;

9 so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekelsof silver.

10 I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, 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 son of Neriah, 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 theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed 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 theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’

16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to theLord:

17 “Ah, SovereignLord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

18 You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is theLordAlmighty,

19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.

20 You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours.

21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror.

22 You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.

23 They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them.

24 “See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see.

25 And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, SovereignLord, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.’ ”

26 Then the word of theLordcame to Jeremiah:

27 “I am theLord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

28 Therefore this is what theLordsays: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it.

29 The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.

30 “The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares theLord.

31 From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove it from my sight.

32 The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done—they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem.

33 They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.

34 They set up their vile images in the house that bears my Name and defiled it.

35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.

36 “You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what theLord, the God of Israel, says:

37 I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.

38 They will be my people, and I will be their God.

39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.

40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.

41 I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.

42 “This is what theLordsays: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.

43 Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate 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 will be signed, sealed and witnessed 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, because I will restore their fortunes,declares theLord.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JER/32-9a3c1efd6131512d8178deca8d4eca38.mp3?version_id=111—

Promise of Restoration

1 While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of theLordcame to him a second time:

2 “This is what theLordsays, he who made the earth, theLordwho formed it and established it—theLordis his name:

3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

4 For this is what theLord, 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 ramps and the sword

5 in the fight with the Babylonians: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.

6 “ ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.

7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivityand will rebuild them as they were before.

8 I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.

9 Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor 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 at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

10 “This is what theLordsays: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more

11 the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of theLord, saying,

“Give thanks to theLordAlmighty,

for theLordis good;

his love endures forever.”

For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says theLord.

12 “This is what theLordAlmighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.

13 In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says theLord.

14 “ ‘The days are coming,’ declares theLord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

15 “ ‘In those days and at that time

I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;

he will do what is just and right in the land.

16 In those days Judah will be saved

and Jerusalem will live in safety.

# This is the name by which itwill be called:

TheLordOur Righteous Savior.’

17 For this is what theLordsays: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel,

18 nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’ ”

19 The word of theLordcame to Jeremiah:

20 “This is what theLordsays: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,

21 then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.

22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’ ”

23 The word of theLordcame to Jeremiah:

24 “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘TheLordhas rejected the two kingdomshe chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation.

25 This is what theLordsays: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth,

26 then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunesand have compassion on them.’ ”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JER/33-1369ef9e1bbb8727378400dc3415b24a.mp3?version_id=111—

Warning to Zedekiah

1 While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from theLord:

2 “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what theLordsays: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.

3 You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.

4 “ ‘Yet hear theLord’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what theLordsays concerning you: You will not die by the sword;

5 you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas, master!” I myself make this promise, declares theLord.’ ”

6 Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem,

7 while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out—Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah.

Freedom for Slaves

8 The word came to Jeremiah from theLordafter King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves.

9 Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.

10 So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free.

11 But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

12 Then the word of theLordcame to Jeremiah:

13 “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I said,

14 ‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention to me.

15 Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people. You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.

16 But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.

17 “Therefore this is what theLordsays: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares theLord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.

18 Those who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.

19 The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf,

20 I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.

21 “I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon, which has withdrawn from you.

22 I am going to give the order, declares theLord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take it and burn it down. And I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JER/34-b9d61d53fb7efa415e3f22b4a32cd93e.mp3?version_id=111—

The Rekabites

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from theLordduring the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

2 “Go to the Rekabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of theLordand give them wine to drink.”

3 So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites.

4 I brought them into the house of theLord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.

5 Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”

6 But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadabson of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.

7 Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’

8 We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine

9 or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops.

10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us.

11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonianand Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”

12 Then the word of theLordcame to Jeremiah, saying:

13 “This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?’ declares theLord.

14 ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me.

15 Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened to me.

16 The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’

17 “Therefore this is what theLordGod Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.’ ”

18 Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’

19 Therefore this is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.’ ”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JER/35-a9c7ccd9a93946db9af50e2237d25bf1.mp3?version_id=111—

Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from theLord:

2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now.

3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.”

4 So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated all the words theLordhad spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.

5 Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I am not allowed to go to theLord’s temple.

6 So you go to the house of theLordon a day of fasting and read to the people from the scroll the words of theLordthat you wrote as I dictated. Read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns.

7 Perhaps they will bring their petition before theLordand will each turn from their wicked ways, for the anger and wrath pronounced against this people by theLordare great.”

8 Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at theLord’s temple he read the words of theLordfrom the scroll.

9 In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting before theLordwas proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah.

10 From the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at theLord’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.

11 When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of theLordfrom the scroll,

12 he went down to the secretary’s room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.

13 After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll,

14 all the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand.

15 They said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.”

So Baruch read it to them.

16 When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear and said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.”

17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”

18 “Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”

19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide. Don’t let anyone know where you are.”

20 After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him.

21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him.

22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him.

23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.

24 The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.

25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

26 Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But theLordhad hidden them.

27 After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of theLordcame to Jeremiah:

28 “Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up.

29 Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what theLordsays: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from it both man and beast?”

30 Therefore this is what theLordsays about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night.

31 I will punish him and his children and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.’ ”

32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JER/36-9bc467114337ed3434915768c404aa43.mp3?version_id=111—