Jeremiah 21-30

English Standard Version Anglicised

Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar

21 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him ^(A)Pashhur the son of Malchiah and ^(B)Zephaniah the priest, the son of ^(C)Maaseiah, saying, ²^(D)“Enquire of the Lord for us, ^(E)for Nebuchadnezzar^[a] king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to ^(F)all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”

³Then Jeremiah said to them: ⁴“Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ^(G)Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. ^(H)And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. ⁵I myself will fight against you ^(I)with outstretched hand and strong arm, ^(J)in anger and in fury and in great wrath. ⁶And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. ⁷Afterwards, declares the Lord, ^(K)I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. ^(L)He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’

⁸“And to this people you shall say: ^(M)‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, ^(N)I set before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹He who stays in this city shall die ^(O)by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and ^(P)surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live ^(Q)and shall have his life as a prize of war. ¹⁰For ^(R)I have set my face against this city for harm and ^(S)not for good, declares the Lord: ^(T)it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’

Message to the House of David

¹¹“And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, ¹²O house of David! Thus says the Lord:

^(U)“‘Execute justice ^(V)in the morning,
    and deliver from the hand of the oppressor
    him who has been robbed,
^(W)lest my wrath go forth like fire,
    and burn with none to quench it,
    because of your evil deeds.’”
¹³^(X)“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,
    O rock of the plain,
declares the Lord;
you who say, ^(Y)‘Who shall come down against us,
    or who shall enter our habitations?’
¹⁴^(Z)I will punish you according to ^(AA)the fruit of your deeds,
declares the Lord;
    ^(AB)I will kindle a fire in her forest,
    ^(AC)and it shall devour all that is round her.”

22 Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word, ²and say, ^(AD)‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. ³Thus says the Lord: ^(AE)Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And ^(AF)do no wrong or violence ^(AG)to the resident alien, ^(AH)the fatherless, and the widow, nor ^(AI)shed innocent blood in this place. ⁴For if you will indeed obey this word, ^(AJ)then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. ⁵But if you will not obey these words, I ^(AK)swear by myself, declares the Lord, that ^(AL)this house shall become a desolation. ⁶For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:

“‘You are like Gilead to me,
    like the summit of ^(AM)Lebanon,
yet surely I will make you a desert,
    ^(AN)an uninhabited city.^[b]
⁷^(AO)I will prepare destroyers against you,
    each with his weapons,
^(AP)and they shall cut down your choicest cedars
    and cast them into the fire.

⁸“‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbour, ^(AQ)“Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?” ⁹^(AR)And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshipped other gods and served them.”’”

¹⁰^(AS)Weep not for him who is dead,
    nor grieve for him,
^(AT)but weep bitterly for him who goes away,
    for he shall return no more
    to see his native land.

Message to the Sons of Josiah

¹¹For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and ^(AU)who went away from this place: “He shall return here no more, ¹²but ^(AV)in the place where they have carried him captive, there shall he die, and he shall never see this land again.”

¹³^(AW)“Woe to him who builds his house by ^(AX)unrighteousness,
    and his upper rooms by injustice,
^(AY)who makes his neighbour serve him for nothing
    and does not give him his wages,
¹⁴who says, ‘I will build myself a great house
    with spacious upper rooms’,
who cuts out windows for it,
    panelling it with cedar
    and ^(AZ)painting it with vermilion.
¹⁵Do you think you are a king
    because you compete in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
    and ^(BA)do justice and righteousness?
    ^(BB)Then it was well with him.
¹⁶^(BC)He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
    ^(BD)then it was well.
Is not this ^(BE)to know me?
    declares the Lord.
¹⁷But you have eyes and heart
    only for your dishonest gain,
^(BF)for shedding innocent blood,
    and for practising oppression and violence.”

¹⁸Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

^(BG)“They shall not lament for him, saying,
    ^(BH)‘Ah, my brother!’ or ‘Ah, sister!’
They shall not lament for him, saying,
    ^(BI)‘Ah, lord!’ or ‘Ah, his majesty!’
¹⁹With the burial of a donkey ^(BJ)he shall be buried,
    dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”
²⁰“Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,
    and lift up your voice in Bashan;
cry out from ^(BK)Abarim,
    for all ^(BL)your lovers are destroyed.
²¹I spoke to you in your prosperity,
    but you said, ‘I will not listen.’
^(BM)This has been your way from ^(BN)your youth,
    that you have not obeyed my voice.
²²^(BO)The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds,
    and ^(BP)your lovers shall go into captivity;
^(BQ)then you will be ashamed and confounded
    because of all your evil.
²³O inhabitant of ^(BR)Lebanon,
    nested among the cedars,
how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you,
    ^(BS)pain as of a woman in labour!”

²⁴^(BT)“As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were ^(BU)the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off ²⁵and ^(BV)give you ^(BW)into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. ²⁶^(BX)I will hurl you and ^(BY)the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. ²⁷But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return.”

²⁸Is this man ^(BZ)Coniah a despised, broken pot,
    a ^(CA)vessel no one cares for?
Why are he and his children hurled and cast
    into a ^(CB)land that they do not know?
²⁹^(CC)O land, land, land,
    hear the word of the Lord!
³⁰Thus says the Lord:
“Write this man down as ^(CD)childless,
    a man who shall not succeed in his days,
^(CE)for none of his offspring shall succeed
    ^(CF)in sitting on the throne of David
    and ruling again in Judah.”

The Righteous Branch

23 ^(CG)“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. ²Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning ^(CH)the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. ^(CI)Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. ³^(CJ)Then I will gather the remnant of my flock ^(CK)out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, ^(CL)and they shall be fruitful and multiply. ⁴^(CM)I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.

⁵^(CN)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous ^(CO)Branch, and ^(CP)he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶In his days Judah will be saved, and ^(CQ)Israel will ^(CR)dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ^(CS)‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

⁷^(CT)“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt’, ⁸but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he^[c] had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”

Lying Prophets

⁹Concerning the prophets:

^(CU)My heart is broken within me;
    ^(CV)all my bones shake;
I am like a drunken man,
    like a man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
    and because of his holy words.
¹⁰^(CW)For the land is full of adulterers;
    ^(CX)because of the curse ^(CY)the land mourns,
    and ^(CZ)the pastures of the wilderness are dried up.
^(DA)Their course is evil,
    and their might is not right.
¹¹^(DB)“Both prophet and priest are ungodly;
    even ^(DC)in my house I have found their evil,
declares the Lord.
¹²^(DD)Therefore their way shall be to them
    like slippery paths ^(DE)in the darkness,
    into which they shall be driven and fall,
for I will bring disaster upon them
    ^(DF)in the year of their punishment,
declares the Lord.
¹³In the prophets of ^(DG)Samaria
    ^(DH)I saw an unsavoury thing:
^(DI)they prophesied by Baal
    ^(DJ)and led my people Israel astray.
¹⁴But in the prophets of Jerusalem
    I have seen a horrible thing:
^(DK)they commit adultery and walk in lies;
    ^(DL)they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
    so that no one turns from his evil;
^(DM)all of them have become like Sodom to me,
    ^(DN)and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
¹⁵Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:
^(DO)“Behold, I will feed them with bitter food
    ^(DP)and give them ^(DQ)poisoned water to drink,
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
    ungodliness has gone out into all the land.”

¹⁶Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, ^(DR)filling you with vain hopes. ^(DS)They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. ¹⁷They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ^(DT)‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who ^(DU)stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ^(DV)‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”

¹⁸For ^(DW)who among them has stood in the council of the Lord
    to see and to hear his word,
    or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
¹⁹^(DX)Behold, the storm of the Lord!
    Wrath has gone forth,
^(DY)a whirling tempest;
    it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
²⁰^(DZ)The anger of the Lord will not turn back
    until he has executed and ^(EA)accomplished
    the intents of his heart.
^(EB)In the latter days you will understand it clearly.
²¹^(EC)“I did not send the prophets,
    yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
    yet they prophesied.
²²^(ED)But if they had stood in my council,
    then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
^(EE)and they would have turned them from their evil way,
    and ^(EF)from the evil of their deeds.

²³^(EG)“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? ²⁴^(EH)Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. ^(EI)Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. ²⁵I have heard what the prophets have said ^(EJ)who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ^(EK)‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ ²⁶How long shall there be lies in the heart of ^(EL)the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, ²⁷who think to make my people forget my name ^(EM)by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their ^(EN)fathers forgot my name for Baal? ²⁸^(EO)Let the prophet who has a dream ^(EP)tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. ^(EQ)What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. ²⁹^(ER)Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and ^(ES)like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? ³⁰^(ET)Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. ³¹Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’ ³²Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and ^(EU)lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when ^(EV)I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord.

³³^(EW)“When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden,^[d] and ^(EX)I will cast you off, declares the Lord.’ ³⁴And as for the prophet, priest, or one of the people who says, ‘The burden of the Lord’, ^(EY)I will punish that man and his household. ³⁵Thus shall you say, every one to his neighbour and every one to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ ³⁶But ‘the burden of the Lord’ you shall mention no more, for the burden is every man's own word, and ^(EZ)you pervert the words of ^(FA)the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. ³⁷Thus you shall say to the prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ ³⁸But if you say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have said these words, “The burden of the Lord”, when I sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The burden of the Lord’,” ³⁹therefore, behold, I will surely lift you up and ^(FB)cast you away from my presence, you and the city that I gave to you and your fathers. ⁴⁰^(FC)And I will bring upon you everlasting reproach and ^(FD)perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’”

The Good Figs and the Bad Figs

24 ^(FE)After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem ^(FF)Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, together with ^(FG)the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers, and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me this vision: behold, ^(FH)two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. ²One basket had very good figs, ^(FI)like first-ripe figs, but the other basket had ^(FJ)very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten. ³And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”

⁴Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁵“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, ^(FK)whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. ⁶^(FL)I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. ^(FM)I will build them up, and not tear them down; ^(FN)I will plant them, and not uproot them. ⁷^(FO)I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, ^(FP)and they shall be my people ^(FQ)and I will be their God, ^(FR)for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

⁸“But thus says the Lord: Like ^(FS)the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat ^(FT)Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who ^(FU)dwell in the land of Egypt. ⁹I will make them ^(FV)a horror^[e] to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be ^(FW)a reproach, ^(FX)a byword, ^(FY)a taunt, and ^(FZ)a curse in all the places where I shall drive them. ¹⁰And I will send ^(GA)sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, until they shall be utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.”

Seventy Years of Captivity

25 ^(GB)The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), ²which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ³“For twenty-three years, ^(GC)from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken ^(GD)persistently to you, ^(GE)but you have not listened. ⁴^(GF)You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord ^(GG)persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, ⁵saying, ^(GH)‘Turn now, every one of you, ^(GI)from his evil way and evil deeds, and ^(GJ)dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and for ever. ⁶^(GK)Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, ^(GL)or provoke me to anger ^(GM)with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’ ⁷^(GN)Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, ^(GO)that you might provoke me to anger ^(GP)with the work of your hands to your own harm.

⁸“Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, ⁹^(GQ)behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, ^(GR)my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, ^(GS)and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. ¹⁰Moreover, ^(GT)I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, ^(GU)the grinding of the millstones and ^(GV)the light of the lamp. ¹¹^(GW)This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and ^(GX)these nations shall serve the king of Babylon ^(GY)seventy years. ¹²Then after ^(GZ)seventy years are completed, ^(HA)I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, ^(HB)the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, ^(HC)making the land an everlasting waste. ¹³I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written ^(HD)in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. ¹⁴^(HE)For many nations ^(HF)and great kings shall make slaves even of them, ^(HG)and I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

The Cup of the Lord's Wrath

¹⁵Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: ^(HH)“Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. ¹⁶They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of ^(HI)the sword that I am sending among them.”

¹⁷So I took the cup from the Lord's hand, ^(HJ)and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: ¹⁸^(HK)Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials, ^(HL)to make them a desolation and a waste, a hissing and a curse, as at this day; ¹⁹^(HM)Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, all his people, ²⁰and ^(HN)all the mixed tribes among them; all the kings of ^(HO)the land of Uz and all the kings of ^(HP)the land of the Philistines (^(HQ)Ashkelon, ^(HR)Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of ^(HS)Ashdod); ²¹^(HT)Edom, ^(HU)Moab, and the sons of ^(HV)Ammon; ²²all the kings of ^(HW)Tyre, all the kings of ^(HX)Sidon, and the kings of the coastland across ^(HY)the sea; ²³^(HZ)Dedan, ^(IA)Tema, ^(IB)Buz, and all who cut ^(IC)the corners of their hair; ²⁴all the ^(ID)kings of Arabia and all the kings of ^(IE)the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert; ²⁵all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of ^(IF)Elam, and all the kings of ^(IG)Media; ²⁶all the kings of ^(IH)the north, far and near, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of ^(II)Babylon^[f] shall drink.

²⁷“Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(IJ)Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of ^(IK)the sword that I am sending among you.’

²⁸“And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(IL)You must drink! ²⁹For behold, ^(IM)I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, ^(IN)for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the Lord of hosts.’

³⁰“You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them:

^(IO)“‘The Lord will roar from on high,
    and from his holy habitation utter his voice;
he will roar mightily against his fold,
    ^(IP)and shout, like those who tread grapes,
    against all the inhabitants of the earth.
³¹The clamour will resound to the ends of the earth,
    for ^(IQ)the Lord has an indictment against the nations;
^(IR)he is entering into judgement with all flesh,
    and the wicked he will put to the sword,
declares the Lord.’
³²“Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Behold, disaster is going forth
    from nation to nation,
^(IS)and a great tempest is stirring
    ^(IT)from the farthest parts of the earth!

³³^(IU)“And those pierced by the Lord on that day shall extend from one end of the earth to the other. ^(IV)They shall not be lamented, ^(IW)or gathered, or buried; ^(IX)they shall be dung on the surface of the ground.

³⁴^(IY)“Wail, ^(IZ)you shepherds, and cry out,
    ^(JA)and roll in ashes, you lords of the flock,
for the days of your slaughter and dispersion have come,
    and you shall fall like a choice vessel.
³⁵No refuge will remain ^(JB)for the shepherds,
    nor escape for the lords of the flock.
³⁶A voice—the cry ^(JC)of the shepherds,
    ^(JD)and the wail of the lords of the flock!
For the Lord is laying waste their pasture,
³⁷    ^(JE)and the peaceful folds are devastated
    ^(JF)because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
³⁸Like a lion ^(JG)he has left his lair,
    for their land has become a waste
because of ^(JH)the sword of the oppressor,
    ^(JI)and because of his fierce anger.”

Jeremiah Threatened with Death

26 ^(JJ)In the beginning of the reign of ^(JK)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: ²“Thus says the Lord: ^(JL)Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord ^(JM)all the words that I command you to speak to them; ^(JN)do not hold back a word. ³^(JO)It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, ^(JP)that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them ^(JQ)because of their evil deeds. ⁴You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(JR)If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, ⁵^(JS)and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you ^(JT)urgently, ^(JU)though you have not listened, ⁶then I will make this house ^(JV)like Shiloh, and I will make this city ^(JW)a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”

⁷^(JX)The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. ⁸And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then ^(JY)the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! ⁹Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be ^(JZ)like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, ^(KA)without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

¹⁰When ^(KB)the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of the Lord and took their seat in the ^(KC)entry of the New Gate of the house of the Lord. ¹¹Then ^(KD)the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, ^(KE)“This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”

¹²Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. ¹³Now therefore ^(KF)mend your ways and your deeds, ^(KG)and obey the voice of the Lord your God, ^(KH)and the Lord will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴^(KI)But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. ¹⁵Only know for certain that if you put me to death, ^(KJ)you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”

Jeremiah Spared from Death

¹⁶^(KK)Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, ^(KL)“This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” ¹⁷^(KM)And certain of ^(KN)the elders of the land arose and spoke to all the assembled people, saying, ¹⁸“Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and said to all the people of Judah: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts,

^(KO)“‘Zion shall be ploughed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
and the mountain of the house a wooded height.’

¹⁹Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? ^(KP)Did he not fear the Lord and entreat the favour of the Lord, ^(KQ)and did not the Lord relent of the disaster that he had pronounced against them? ^(KR)But we are about to bring great disaster upon ourselves.”

²⁰There was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from ^(KS)Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like those of Jeremiah. ²¹And when ^(KT)King Jehoiakim, with all his warriors and all the officials, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah heard of it, he was afraid and fled and escaped to Egypt. ²²Then ^(KU)King Jehoiakim sent to Egypt certain men, ^(KV)Elnathan the son of ^(KW)Achbor and others with him, ²³and they took Uriah from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, ^(KX)who struck him down with the sword and dumped his dead body into the burial place of the common people.

²⁴But the hand of ^(KY)Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.

The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar

27 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah^[g] the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. ²Thus the Lord said to me: ^(KZ)“Make yourself straps and ^(LA)yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. ³Send word^[h] to the king of ^(LB)Edom, the king of ^(LC)Moab, the king of the sons of ^(LD)Ammon, the king of ^(LE)Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. ⁴Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: ⁵“It is I who ^(LF)by my great power and my outstretched arm ^(LG)have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, ^(LH)and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. ⁶^(LI)Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, ^(LJ)my servant, ^(LK)and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. ⁷^(LL)All the nations shall serve him and ^(LM)his son and ^(LN)his grandson, ^(LO)until the time of his own land comes. ^(LP)Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.

⁸“‘“But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, ^(LQ)and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation ^(LR)with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the Lord, until I have consumed it by his hand. ⁹So ^(LS)do not listen to your ^(LT)prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your ^(LU)fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’ ¹⁰^(LV)For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish. ¹¹^(LW)But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, to work it and dwell there, declares the Lord.”’”

¹²To ^(LX)Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: ^(LY)“Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and ^(LZ)serve him and his people and live. ¹³^(MA)Why will you and your people die ^(MB)by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, ^(MC)as the Lord has spoken concerning any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? ¹⁴^(MD)Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon’, ^(ME)for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you. ¹⁵I have not sent them, declares the Lord, but ^(MF)they are prophesying falsely in my name, with the result that I will drive you out and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.”

¹⁶Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ^(MG)Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, ^(MH)‘Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon’, ^(MI)for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you. ¹⁷^(MJ)Do not listen to them; ^(MK)serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city ^(ML)become a desolation? ¹⁸If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, then ^(MM)let them intercede with the Lord of hosts, ^(MN)that the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon. ¹⁹^(MO)For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, the sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, ²⁰which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away, ^(MP)when he took into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— ²¹thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ^(MQ)concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: ²²^(MR)They shall be carried to Babylon ^(MS)and remain there ^(MT)until the day when I visit them, declares the Lord. ^(MU)Then I will bring them back ^(MV)and restore them to this place.”

Hananiah the False Prophet

28 In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of ^(MW)Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of ^(MX)Azzur, the prophet from ^(MY)Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, ²“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(MZ)I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. ³^(NA)Within ^(NB)two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. ⁴I will also bring back to this place ^(NC)Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, ^(ND)for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”

⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, ⁶and the prophet Jeremiah said, ^(NE)“Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. ⁷Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. ⁸^(NF)The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. ⁹^(NG)As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”

¹⁰Then the prophet Hananiah took the ^(NH)yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. ¹¹And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, ^(NI)“Thus says the Lord: ^(NJ)Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of ^(NK)all the nations within two years.” But Jeremiah the prophet went his way.

¹²Sometime after the prophet ^(NL)Hananiah had broken the yoke-bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³“Go, tell Hananiah, ‘Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron. ¹⁴For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations ^(NM)an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, ^(NN)and they shall serve him, ^(NO)for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.’” ¹⁵And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, ^(NP)the Lord has not sent you, ^(NQ)and you have made this people trust in a lie. ¹⁶Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, ^(NR)because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.’”

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

Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles

29 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to ^(NS)the surviving elders of the exiles, and to ^(NT)the priests, ^(NU)the prophets, and ^(NV)all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²This was after ^(NW)King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. ³The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of ^(NX)Shaphan and Gemariah the son of ^(NY)Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: ⁴“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵^(NZ)Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. ⁶Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. ⁷But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and ^(OA)pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. ⁸For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(OB)Do not let your prophets and ^(OC)your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,^[i] ⁹for ^(OD)it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; ^(OE)I did not send them, declares the Lord.

¹⁰“For thus says the Lord: ^(OF)When seventy years are completed for Babylon, ^(OG)I will visit you, ^(OH)and I will fulfil to you my promise ^(OI)and bring you back to this place. ¹¹^(OJ)For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare^[j] and not for evil, ^(OK)to give you a future and a hope. ¹²^(OL)Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, ^(OM)and I will hear you. ¹³^(ON)You will seek me and find me, when you seek me ^(OO)with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you, declares the Lord, ^(OP)and I will restore your fortunes and ^(OQ)gather you from all the nations and all the places ^(OR)where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

¹⁵“Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon’, ¹⁶thus says the Lord concerning ^(OS)the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile: ¹⁷‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them ^(OT)sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like ^(OU)vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. ¹⁸I will pursue them with ^(OV)sword, famine, and pestilence, ^(OW)and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, ^(OX)to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations ^(OY)where I have driven them, ¹⁹because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the Lord, ^(OZ)that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the Lord.’ ²⁰Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles ^(PA)whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon: ²¹‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, ^(PB)who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them down before your eyes. ²²^(PC)Because of them ^(PD)this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, ^(PE)whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire”, ²³because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, ^(PF)they have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives, and ^(PG)they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. ^(PH)I am the one who knows, ^(PI)and I am witness, declares the Lord.’”

Shemaiah's False Prophecy

²⁴To ^(PJ)Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say: ²⁵“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to ^(PK)Zephaniah the son of ^(PL)Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, ²⁶‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have ^(PM)charge in the house of the Lord ^(PN)over every madman who prophesies, to put him in ^(PO)the stocks and neck irons. ²⁷Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah ^(PP)of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? ²⁸For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; ^(PQ)build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’”

²⁹^(PR)Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰^(PS)Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ³¹“Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning ^(PT)Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because ^(PU)Shemaiah had prophesied to you ^(PV)when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, ³²therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish ^(PW)Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, ^(PX)and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, ^(PY)for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.’”

Restoration for Israel and Judah

30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ^(PZ)Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. ³^(QA)For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, ^(QB)when I will restore ^(QC)the fortunes of my people, ^(QD)Israel and Judah, says the Lord, ^(QE)and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”

⁴These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning ^(QF)Israel and Judah:

⁵“Thus says the Lord:
We have heard a cry of panic,
    of terror, and no peace.
⁶Ask now, and see,
    can a man bear a child?
^(QG)Why then do I see every man
    with his hands on his stomach ^(QH)like a woman in labour?
    ^(QI)Why has every face turned pale?
⁷Alas! ^(QJ)That day is so great
    ^(QK)there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
    yet he shall be saved out of it.

⁸“And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will ^(QL)break his ^(QM)yoke from off your neck, and I will ^(QN)burst your bonds, ^(QO)and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.^[k] ⁹But they shall serve the Lord their God and ^(QP)David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

¹⁰^(QQ)“Then fear not, ^(QR)O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord,
    nor be dismayed, O Israel;
for behold, ^(QS)I will save you from far away,
    ^(QT)and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
^(QU)Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
    and none shall make him afraid.
¹¹^(QV)For I am with you to save you,
declares the Lord;
^(QW)I will make a full end of all the nations
    among whom I scattered you,
    but of you I will not make a full end.
^(QX)I will ^(QY)discipline you in just measure,
    and I will by no means leave you unpunished.
¹²“For thus says the Lord:
^(QZ)Your hurt is incurable,
    ^(RA)and your wound is grievous.
¹³There is none to uphold your cause,
    no medicine for your wound,
    ^(RB)no healing for you.
¹⁴^(RC)All your lovers have forgotten you;
    they care nothing for you;
for I have dealt you the blow of ^(RD)an enemy,
    the punishment ^(RE)of a merciless foe,
because your guilt is great,
    ^(RF)because your sins are flagrant.
¹⁵^(RG)Why do you cry out over your hurt?
    ^(RH)Your pain is incurable.
Because your guilt is great,
    ^(RI)because your sins are flagrant,
    I have done these things to you.
¹⁶^(RJ)Therefore all who devour you shall be devoured,
    and ^(RK)all your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
^(RL)those who plunder you shall be plundered,
    ^(RM)and all who prey on you I will make a prey.
¹⁷^(RN)For I will restore ^(RO)health to you,
    and ^(RP)your wounds I will heal,
declares the Lord,
because ^(RQ)they have called you an outcast:
    ^(RR)‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’
¹⁸“Thus says the Lord:
Behold, ^(RS)I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
    and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city shall be rebuilt on ^(RT)its mound,
    and the palace shall stand where it used to be.
¹⁹^(RU)Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving,
    and the voices of those who celebrate.
^(RV)I will multiply them, and they shall not be few;
    I will make them honoured, and they shall not be small.
²⁰^(RW)Their children shall be as they were of old,
    and their congregation shall be established before me,
    and I will punish all who oppress them.
²¹^(RX)Their prince shall be one of themselves;
    ^(RY)their ruler shall come out from their midst;
^(RZ)I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me,
    ^(SA)for who would dare of himself to approach me?
declares the Lord.
²²^(SB)And you shall be my people,
    and I will be your God.”
²³^(SC)Behold ^(SD)the storm of the Lord!
    Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
    it will burst upon the head of the wicked.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, another spelling for Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21–52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency
Jeremiah 22:6 Hebrew cities
Jeremiah 23:8 Septuagint; Hebrew I
Jeremiah 23:33 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew What burden?
Jeremiah 24:9 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew horror for evil
Jeremiah 25:26 Hebrew Sheshach, a code name for Babylon
Jeremiah 27:1 Or Jehoiakim
Jeremiah 27:3 Hebrew Send them
Jeremiah 29:8 Hebrew your dreams, which you cause to dream
Jeremiah 29:11 Or peace
Jeremiah 30:8 Or serve him

Jeremiah 21-30

New International Version

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request

21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah^(A) sent to him Pashhur^(B) son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah^(C) son of Maaseiah. They said: ²“Inquire^(D) now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar^[a]^(E) king of Babylon^(F) is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders^(G) for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”

³But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, ⁴‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn^(H) against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians^[b] who are outside the wall besieging^(I) you. And I will gather them inside this city. ⁵I myself will fight^(J) against you with an outstretched hand^(K) and a mighty arm^(L) in furious anger and in great wrath. ⁶I will strike^(M) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.^(N) ⁷After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah^(O) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,^(P) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(Q) and to their enemies^(R) who want to kill them.^(S) He will put them to the sword;^(T) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’^(U)

⁸“Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life^(V) and the way of death. ⁹Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.^(W) But whoever goes out and surrenders^(X) to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.^(Y) ¹⁰I have determined to do this city harm^(Z) and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands^(AA) of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’^(AB)

¹¹“Moreover, say to the royal house^(AC) of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. ¹²This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:

“‘Administer justice^(AD) every morning;
    rescue from the hand of the oppressor^(AE)
    the one who has been robbed,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire^(AF)
    because of the evil^(AG) you have done—
    burn with no one to quench^(AH) it.
¹³I am against^(AI) you, Jerusalem,
    you who live above this valley^(AJ)
    on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord—
you who say, “Who can come against us?
    Who can enter our refuge?”^(AK)
¹⁴I will punish you as your deeds^(AL) deserve,
    declares the Lord.
I will kindle a fire^(AM) in your forests^(AN)
    that will consume everything around you.’”

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king^(AO) of Judah and proclaim this message there: ²‘Hear^(AP) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne^(AQ)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.^(AR) ³This is what the Lord says: Do what is just^(AS) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor^(AT) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,^(AU) and do not shed innocent blood^(AV) in this place. ⁴For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings^(AW) who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. ⁵But if you do not obey^(AX) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear^(AY) by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’”

⁶For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:

“Though you are like Gilead^(AZ) to me,
    like the summit of Lebanon,^(BA)
I will surely make you like a wasteland,^(BB)
    like towns not inhabited.
⁷I will send destroyers^(BC) against you,
    each man with his weapons,
and they will cut^(BD) up your fine cedar beams
    and throw them into the fire.^(BE)

⁸“People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’^(BF) ⁹And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.^(BG)’”

¹⁰Do not weep for the dead^(BH) king or mourn^(BI) his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return^(BJ)
nor see his native land again.

¹¹For this is what the Lord says about Shallum^[c]^(BK) son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. ¹²He will die^(BL) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”

¹³“Woe^(BM) to him who builds^(BN) his palace by unrighteousness,
    his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
    not paying^(BO) them for their labor.
¹⁴He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace^(BP)
    with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
    panels it with cedar^(BQ)
    and decorates it in red.^(BR)

¹⁵“Does it make you a king
    to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
    He did what was right and just,^(BS)
    so all went well^(BT) with him.
¹⁶He defended the cause of the poor and needy,^(BU)
    and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know^(BV) me?”
    declares the Lord.
¹⁷“But your eyes and your heart
    are set only on dishonest gain,^(BW)
on shedding innocent blood^(BX)
    and on oppression and extortion.”^(BY)

¹⁸Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“They will not mourn^(BZ) for him:
    ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
    ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
¹⁹He will have the burial^(CA) of a donkey—
    dragged away and thrown^(CB)
    outside the gates of Jerusalem.”

²⁰“Go up to Lebanon and cry out,^(CC)
    let your voice be heard in Bashan,^(CD)
cry out from Abarim,^(CE)
    for all your allies^(CF) are crushed.
²¹I warned you when you felt secure,^(CG)
    but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;^(CH)
    you have not obeyed^(CI) me.
²²The wind^(CJ) will drive all your shepherds^(CK) away,
    and your allies^(CL) will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced^(CM)
    because of all your wickedness.
²³You who live in ‘Lebanon,^[d]^(CN)’
    who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
    pain^(CO) like that of a woman in labor!

²⁴“As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin^[e]^(CP) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring^(CQ) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. ²⁵I will deliver^(CR) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.^[f] ²⁶I will hurl^(CS) you and the mother^(CT) who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. ²⁷You will never come back to the land you long to return^(CU) to.”

²⁸Is this man Jehoiachin^(CV) a despised, broken pot,^(CW)
    an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled^(CX) out,
    cast into a land^(CY) they do not know?
²⁹O land,^(CZ) land, land,
    hear the word of the Lord!
³⁰This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,^(DA)
    a man who will not prosper^(DB) in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring^(DC) will prosper,
    none will sit on the throne^(DD) of David
    or rule anymore in Judah.”

The Righteous Branch

23 “Woe to the shepherds^(DE) who are destroying and scattering^(DF) the sheep of my pasture!”^(DG) declares the Lord. ²Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds^(DH) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock^(DI) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil^(DJ) you have done,” declares the Lord. ³“I myself will gather the remnant^(DK) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,^(DL) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. ⁴I will place shepherds^(DM) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid^(DN) or terrified, nor will any be missing,^(DO)” declares the Lord.

⁵“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will raise up for David^[g] a righteous Branch,^(DP)
a King^(DQ) who will reign^(DR) wisely
    and do what is just and right^(DS) in the land.
⁶In his days Judah will be saved
    and Israel will live in safety.^(DT)
This is the name^(DU) by which he will be called:
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.^(DV)

⁷“So then, the days are coming,”^(DW) declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’^(DX) ⁸but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”^(DY)

Lying Prophets

⁹Concerning the prophets:

My heart^(DZ) is broken within me;
    all my bones tremble.^(EA)
I am like a drunken man,
    like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
    and his holy words.^(EB)
¹⁰The land is full of adulterers;^(EC)
    because of the curse^[h]^(ED) the land lies parched
    and the pastures^(EE) in the wilderness are withered.^(EF)
The prophets follow an evil course
    and use their power unjustly.

¹¹“Both prophet and priest are godless;^(EG)
    even in my temple^(EH) I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.
¹²“Therefore their path will become slippery;^(EI)
    they will be banished to darkness
    and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
    in the year they are punished,^(EJ)”
declares the Lord.

¹³“Among the prophets of Samaria
    I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal^(EK)
    and led my people Israel astray.^(EL)
¹⁴And among the prophets of Jerusalem
    I have seen something horrible:^(EM)
    They commit adultery and live a lie.^(EN)
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,^(EO)
    so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.^(EP)
They are all like Sodom^(EQ) to me;
    the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”^(ER)

¹⁵Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:

“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,^(ES)
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness^(ET) has spread throughout the land.”

¹⁶This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Do not listen^(EU) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
    they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions^(EV) from their own minds,
    not from the mouth^(EW) of the Lord.
¹⁷They keep saying^(EX) to those who despise me,
    ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’^(EY)
And to all who follow the stubbornness^(EZ) of their hearts
    they say, ‘No harm^(FA) will come to you.’
¹⁸But which of them has stood in the council^(FB) of the Lord
    to see or to hear his word?
    Who has listened and heard his word?
¹⁹See, the storm^(FC) of the Lord
    will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind^(FD) swirling down
    on the heads of the wicked.
²⁰The anger^(FE) of the Lord will not turn back^(FF)
    until he fully accomplishes
    the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
    you will understand it clearly.
²¹I did not send^(FG) these prophets,
    yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
    yet they have prophesied.
²²But if they had stood in my council,^(FH)
    they would have proclaimed^(FI) my words to my people
and would have turned^(FJ) them from their evil ways
    and from their evil deeds.^(FK)

²³“Am I only a God nearby,^(FL)”
declares the Lord,
    “and not a God far away?
²⁴Who can hide^(FM) in secret places
    so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
    “Do not I fill heaven and earth?”^(FN)
declares the Lord.

²⁵“I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies^(FO) in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!^(FP) I had a dream!’ ²⁶How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions^(FQ) of their own minds?^(FR) ²⁷They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget^(FS) my name, just as their ancestors forgot^(FT) my name through Baal worship.^(FU) ²⁸Let the prophet who has a dream^(FV) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word^(FW) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. ²⁹“Is not my word like fire,”^(FX) declares the Lord, “and like a hammer^(FY) that breaks a rock in pieces?

³⁰“Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against^(FZ) the prophets^(GA) who steal from one another words supposedly from me. ³¹Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’^(GB) ³²Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,^(GC)” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray^(GD) with their reckless lies,^(GE) yet I did not send^(GF) or appoint them. They do not benefit^(GG) these people in the least,” declares the Lord.

False Prophecy

³³“When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message^(GH) from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake^(GI) you, declares the Lord.’ ³⁴If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message^(GJ) from the Lord,’ I will punish^(GK) them and their household. ³⁵This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’^(GL) or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ ³⁶But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort^(GM) the words of the living God,^(GN) the Lord Almighty, our God. ³⁷This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the Lord’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ ³⁸Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ this is what the Lord says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord.’ ³⁹Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast^(GO) you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. ⁴⁰I will bring on you everlasting disgrace^(GP)—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”

Two Baskets of Figs

24 After Jehoiachin^[i]^(GQ) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs^(GR) placed in front of the temple of the Lord. ²One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early;^(GS) the other basket had very bad^(GT) figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

³Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see,^(GU) Jeremiah?”

“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”

⁴Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁵“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent^(GV) away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.^[j] ⁶My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back^(GW) to this land. I will build^(GX) them up and not tear them down; I will plant^(GY) them and not uproot them. ⁷I will give them a heart to know^(GZ) me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people,^(HA) and I will be their God, for they will return^(HB) to me with all their heart.^(HC)

⁸“‘But like the bad^(HD) figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah^(HE) king of Judah, his officials^(HF) and the survivors^(HG) from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.^(HH) ⁹I will make them abhorrent^(HI) and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword,^(HJ) a curse^[k]^(HK) and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish^(HL) them. ¹⁰I will send the sword,^(HM) famine^(HN) and plague^(HO) against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.^(HP)’”

Seventy Years of Captivity

25 The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(HQ) son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar^(HR) king of Babylon. ²So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah^(HS) and to all those living in Jerusalem: ³For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah^(HT) son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again,^(HU) but you have not listened.^(HV)

⁴And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets^(HW) to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.^(HX) ⁵They said, “Turn^(HY) now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land^(HZ) the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. ⁶Do not follow other gods^(IA) to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”

⁷“But you did not listen to me,” declares the Lord, “and you have aroused^(IB) my anger with what your hands have made,^(IC) and you have brought harm^(ID) to yourselves.”

⁸Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, ⁹I will summon^(IE) all the peoples of the north^(IF) and my servant^(IG) Nebuchadnezzar^(IH) king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy^[l]^(II) them and make them an object of horror and scorn,^(IJ) and an everlasting ruin.^(IK) ¹⁰I will banish from them the sounds^(IL) of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom,^(IM) the sound of millstones^(IN) and the light of the lamp.^(IO) ¹¹This whole country will become a desolate wasteland,^(IP) and these nations will serve^(IQ) the king of Babylon seventy years.^(IR)

¹²“But when the seventy years^(IS) are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon^(IT) and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,^[m] for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate^(IU) forever. ¹³I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written^(IV) in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. ¹⁴They themselves will be enslaved^(IW) by many nations^(IX) and great kings; I will repay^(IY) them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

The Cup of God’s Wrath

¹⁵This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup^(IZ) filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send^(JA) you drink it. ¹⁶When they drink^(JB) it, they will stagger^(JC) and go mad^(JD) because of the sword^(JE) I will send among them.”

¹⁷So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent^(JF) me drink it: ¹⁸Jerusalem^(JG) and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin^(JH) and an object of horror and scorn,^(JI) a curse^[n]^(JJ)—as they are today;^(JK) ¹⁹Pharaoh king^(JL) of Egypt,^(JM) his attendants, his officials and all his people, ²⁰and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz;^(JN) all the kings of the Philistines^(JO) (those of Ashkelon,^(JP) Gaza,^(JQ) Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); ²¹Edom,^(JR) Moab^(JS) and Ammon;^(JT) ²²all the kings of Tyre^(JU) and Sidon;^(JV) the kings of the coastlands^(JW) across the sea; ²³Dedan,^(JX) Tema,^(JY) Buz^(JZ) and all who are in distant places^[o];^(KA) ²⁴all the kings of Arabia^(KB) and all the kings of the foreign people^(KC) who live in the wilderness; ²⁵all the kings of Zimri,^(KD) Elam^(KE) and Media;^(KF) ²⁶and all the kings of the north,^(KG) near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms^(KH) on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak^[p]^(KI) will drink it too.

²⁷“Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk^(KJ) and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword^(KK) I will send among you.’ ²⁸But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink^(KL), tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! ²⁹See, I am beginning to bring disaster^(KM) on the city that bears my Name,^(KN) and will you indeed go unpunished?^(KO) You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword^(KP) on all^(KQ) who live on the earth,^(KR) declares the Lord Almighty.’

³⁰“Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:

“‘The Lord will roar^(KS) from on high;
    he will thunder^(KT) from his holy dwelling^(KU)
    and roar mightily against his land.
He will shout like those who tread^(KV) the grapes,
    shout against all who live on the earth.
³¹The tumult^(KW) will resound to the ends of the earth,
    for the Lord will bring charges^(KX) against the nations;
he will bring judgment^(KY) on all^(KZ) mankind
    and put the wicked to the sword,^(LA)’”
declares the Lord.

³²This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Look! Disaster^(LB) is spreading
from nation to nation;^(LC)
a mighty storm^(LD) is rising
from the ends of the earth.”^(LE)

³³At that time those slain^(LF) by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered^(LG) up or buried,^(LH) but will be like dung lying on the ground.

³⁴Weep and wail, you shepherds;^(LI)
    roll^(LJ) in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
For your time to be slaughtered^(LK) has come;
    you will fall like the best of the rams.^[q]^(LL)
³⁵The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,
    the leaders of the flock no place to escape.^(LM)
³⁶Hear the cry^(LN) of the shepherds,^(LO)
    the wailing of the leaders of the flock,
    for the Lord is destroying their pasture.
³⁷The peaceful meadows will be laid waste
    because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
³⁸Like a lion^(LP) he will leave his lair,
    and their land will become desolate^(LQ)
because of the sword^[r] of the oppressor^(LR)
    and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.^(LS)

Jeremiah Threatened With Death

26 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim^(LT) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: ²“This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard^(LU) of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord.^(LV) Tell^(LW) them everything I command you; do not omit^(LX) a word. ³Perhaps they will listen and each will turn^(LY) from their evil ways. Then I will relent^(LZ) and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. ⁴Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen^(MA) to me and follow my law,^(MB) which I have set before you, ⁵and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened^(MC)), ⁶then I will make this house like Shiloh^(MD) and this city a curse^[s]^(ME) among all the nations of the earth.’”

⁷The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. ⁸But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded^(MF) him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized^(MG) him and said, “You must die!^(MH) ⁹Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?”^(MI) And all the people crowded^(MJ) around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

¹⁰When the officials^(MK) of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate^(ML) of the Lord’s house. ¹¹Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death^(MM) because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”^(MN)

¹²Then Jeremiah said to all the officials^(MO) and all the people: “The Lord sent me to prophesy^(MP) against this house and this city all the things you have heard.^(MQ) ¹³Now reform^(MR) your ways and your actions and obey^(MS) the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent^(MT) and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴As for me, I am in your hands;^(MU) do with me whatever you think is good and right. ¹⁵Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood^(MV) on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words^(MW) in your hearing.”

¹⁶Then the officials^(MX) and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death!^(MY) He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

¹⁷Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, ¹⁸“Micah^(MZ) of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“‘Zion^(NA) will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,^(NB)
the temple hill^(NC) a mound overgrown with thickets.’^[t]^(ND)

¹⁹“Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah^(NE) fear the Lord and seek^(NF) his favor? And did not the Lord relent,^(NG) so that he did not bring the disaster^(NH) he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster^(NI) on ourselves!”

²⁰(Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim^(NJ) was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. ²¹When King Jehoiakim^(NK) and all his officers and officials^(NL) heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death.^(NM) But Uriah heard of it and fled^(NN) in fear to Egypt. ²²King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan^(NO) son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. ²³They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword^(NP) and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)^(NQ)

²⁴Furthermore, Ahikam^(NR) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar

27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah^[u]^(NS) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke^(NT) out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. ³Then send^(NU) word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon,^(NV) Tyre and Sidon^(NW) through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. ⁴Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: ⁵With my great power and outstretched arm^(NX) I made^(NY) the earth and its people and the animals^(NZ) that are on it, and I give^(OA) it to anyone I please. ⁶Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant^(OB) Nebuchadnezzar^(OC) king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.^(OD) ⁷All nations will serve^(OE) him and his son and his grandson until the time^(OF) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate^(OG) 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^(OH) that nation with the sword,^(OI) famine^(OJ) and plague,^(OK) declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. ⁹So do not listen to your prophets,^(OL) your diviners,^(OM) your interpreters of dreams,^(ON) your mediums^(OO) or your sorcerers^(OP) who tell you, ‘You will not serve^(OQ) the king of Babylon.’ ¹⁰They prophesy lies^(OR) to you that will only serve to remove^(OS) you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. ¹¹But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke^(OT) of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live^(OU) there, declares the Lord.”’”

¹²I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke^(OV) of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.^(OW) ¹³Why will you and your people die^(OX) by the sword, famine and plague^(OY) with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? ¹⁴Do not listen^(OZ) to the words of the prophets^(PA) who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies^(PB) to you. ¹⁵‘I have not sent^(PC) them,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name.^(PD) Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish,^(PE) both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’”

¹⁶Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles^(PF) from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you. ¹⁷Do not listen^(PG) to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live.^(PH) Why should this city become a ruin? ¹⁸If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead^(PI) with the Lord Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. ¹⁹For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea,^(PJ) the movable stands and the other articles^(PK) that are left in this city, ²⁰which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried^(PL) Jehoiachin^[v]^(PM) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— ²¹yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: ²²‘They will be taken^(PN) to Babylon and there they will remain until the day^(PO) I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring^(PP) them back and restore them to this place.’”

The False Prophet Hananiah

28 In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah^(PQ) king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon,^(PR) said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: ²“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke^(PS) of the king of Babylon. ³Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles^(PT) of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. ⁴I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin^[w]^(PU) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”^(PV)

⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. ⁶He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.^(PW) ⁷Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: ⁸From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague^(PX) against many countries and great kingdoms. ⁹But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.^(PY)”

¹⁰Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke^(PZ) off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, ¹¹and he said^(QA) before all the people, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.

¹²After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³“Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. ¹⁴This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke^(QB) on the necks of all these nations to make them serve^(QC) Nebuchadnezzar^(QD) king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.^(QE)’”

¹⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent^(QF) you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.^(QG) ¹⁶Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth.^(QH) This very year you are going to die,^(QI) because you have preached rebellion^(QJ) against the Lord.’”

¹⁷In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.^(QK)

A Letter to the Exiles

29 This is the text of the letter^(QL) 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.^(QM) ²(This was after King Jehoiachin^[x]^(QN) and the queen mother,^(QO) the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) ³He 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:

⁴This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried^(QP) into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵“Build^(QQ) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶Marry 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.^(QR) ⁷Also, seek^(QS) the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray^(QT) to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” ⁸Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets^(QU) and diviners among you deceive^(QV) you. Do not listen to the dreams^(QW) you encourage them to have.^(QX) ⁹They are prophesying lies^(QY) to you in my name. I have not sent^(QZ) them,” declares the Lord.

¹⁰This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years^(RA) are completed for Babylon, I will come to you^(RB) and fulfill my good promise^(RC) to bring you back^(RD) to this place. ¹¹For I know the plans^(RE) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper^(RF) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.^(RG) ¹²Then you will call^(RH) on me and come and pray^(RI) to me, and I will listen^(RJ) to you. ¹³You will seek^(RK) me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.^(RL) ¹⁴I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back^(RM) from captivity.^[y] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”^(RN)

¹⁵You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” ¹⁶but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— ¹⁷yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague^(RO) against them and I will make them like figs^(RP) that are so bad they cannot be eaten. ¹⁸I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent^(RQ) to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse^[z]^(RR) and an object of horror,^(RS) of scorn^(RT) and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. ¹⁹For they have not listened to my words,”^(RU) declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again^(RV) by my servants the prophets.^(RW) And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.

²⁰Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent^(RX) away from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²¹This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies^(RY) 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. ²²Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned^(RZ) in the fire.’ ²³For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery^(SA) with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know^(SB) it and am a witness^(SC) to it,” declares the Lord.

Message to Shemaiah

²⁴Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, ²⁵“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah^(SD) son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, ²⁶‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac^(SE) who acts like a prophet into the stocks^(SF) and neck-irons. ²⁷So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? ²⁸He has sent this message^(SG) to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.^(SH) Therefore build^(SI) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”

²⁹Zephaniah^(SJ) the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ³¹“Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah^(SK) the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send^(SL) him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, ³²this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.^(SM) He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good^(SN) things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion^(SO) against me.’”

Restoration of Israel

30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write^(SP) in a book all the words I have spoken to you. ³The days^(SQ) are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring^(SR) my people Israel and Judah back from captivity^[aa] and restore^(SS) them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”

⁴These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: ⁵“This is what the Lord says:

“‘Cries of fear^(ST) are heard—
    terror, not peace.
⁶Ask 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,^(SU)
    every face turned deathly pale?^(SV)
⁷How awful that day^(SW) will be!
    No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble^(SX) for Jacob,
    but he will be saved^(SY) out of it.

⁸“‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
    ‘I will break the yoke^(SZ) off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;^(TA)
    no longer will foreigners enslave them.^(TB)
⁹Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
    and David^(TC) their king,^(TD)
    whom I will raise up for them.

¹⁰“‘So do not be afraid,^(TE) Jacob my servant;^(TF)
    do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will surely save^(TG) you out of a distant place,
    your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,^(TH)
    and no one will make him afraid.^(TI)
¹¹I am with you^(TJ) and will save you,’
    declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
    among which I scatter you,
    I will not completely destroy^(TK) you.
I will discipline^(TL) you but only in due measure;
    I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’^(TM)

¹²“This is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wound^(TN) is incurable,
    your injury beyond healing.^(TO)
¹³There is no one to plead your cause,^(TP)
    no remedy for your sore,
    no healing^(TQ) for you.
¹⁴All your allies^(TR) have forgotten you;
    they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy^(TS) would
    and punished you as would the cruel,^(TT)
because your guilt is so great
    and your sins^(TU) so many.
¹⁵Why do you cry out over your wound,
    your pain that has no cure?^(TV)
Because of your great guilt and many sins
    I have done these things to you.^(TW)

¹⁶“‘But all who devour^(TX) you will be devoured;
    all your enemies will go into exile.^(TY)
Those who plunder^(TZ) you will be plundered;
    all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
¹⁷But I will restore you to health
    and heal^(UA) your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,^(UB)
    Zion for whom no one cares.’^(UC)

¹⁸“This is what the Lord says:

“‘I will restore the fortunes^(UD) of Jacob’s tents^(UE)
    and have compassion^(UF) on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt^(UG) on her ruins,
    and the palace will stand in its proper place.
¹⁹From them will come songs^(UH) of thanksgiving^(UI)
    and the sound of rejoicing.^(UJ)
I will add to their numbers,^(UK)
    and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,^(UL)
    and they will not be disdained.
²⁰Their children^(UM) will be as in days of old,
    and their community will be established^(UN) before me;
    I will punish^(UO) all who oppress them.
²¹Their leader^(UP) will be one of their own;
    their ruler will arise from among them.^(UQ)
I will bring him near^(UR) and he will come close to me—
    for who is he who will devote himself
    to be close to me?’
declares the Lord.
²²“‘So you will be my people,^(US)
    and I will be your God.^(UT)’”

²³See, the storm^(UU) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Jeremiah and Ezekiel
Jeremiah 21:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 9
Jeremiah 22:11 Also called Jehoahaz
Jeremiah 22:23 That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2)
Jeremiah 22:24 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 28
Jeremiah 22:25 Or Chaldeans
Jeremiah 23:5 Or up from David’s line
Jeremiah 23:10 Or because of these things
Jeremiah 24:1 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 24:5 Or Chaldeans
Jeremiah 24:9 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that they are cursed.
Jeremiah 25:9 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
Jeremiah 25:12 Or Chaldeans
Jeremiah 25:18 That is, their names to be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, to be seen by others as cursed
Jeremiah 25:23 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
Jeremiah 25:26 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon.
Jeremiah 25:34 Septuagint; Hebrew fall and be shattered like fine pottery
Jeremiah 25:38 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 46:16 and 50:16); most Hebrew manuscripts anger
Jeremiah 26:6 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
Jeremiah 26:18 Micah 3:12
Jeremiah 27:1 A few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also 27:3,12 and 28:1); most Hebrew manuscripts Jehoiakim (Most Septuagint manuscripts do not have this verse.)
Jeremiah 27:20 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 28:4 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 29:14 Or will restore your fortunes
Jeremiah 29:18 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see verse 22); or, others will see that they are cursed.
Jeremiah 30:3 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

New International Version (NIV)

Jeremiah 21-30

English Standard Version Anglicised

Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar

Message to the House of David

Message to the Sons of Josiah

The Righteous Branch

Lying Prophets

The Good Figs and the Bad Figs

Seventy Years of Captivity

The Cup of the Lord's Wrath

Jeremiah Threatened with Death

Jeremiah Spared from Death

The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar

Hananiah the False Prophet

Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles

Shemaiah's False Prophecy

Restoration for Israel and Judah

Footnotes

Cross references

Jeremiah 21-30

New International Version

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

The Righteous Branch

Lying Prophets

False Prophecy

Two Baskets of Figs

Seventy Years of Captivity

The Cup of God’s Wrath

Jeremiah Threatened With Death

Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar

The False Prophet Hananiah

A Letter to the Exiles

Message to Shemaiah

Restoration of Israel

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Jeremiah 21-30 English Standard Version Anglicised

Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar

Message to the House of David

Message to the Sons of Josiah

The Righteous Branch

Lying Prophets

The Good Figs and the Bad Figs

Seventy Years of Captivity

The Cup of the Lord's Wrath

Jeremiah Threatened with Death

Jeremiah Spared from Death

The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar

Hananiah the False Prophet

Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles

Shemaiah's False Prophecy

Restoration for Israel and Judah

Footnotes

Cross references

Jeremiah 21-30 New International Version

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

The Righteous Branch

Lying Prophets

False Prophecy

Two Baskets of Figs

Seventy Years of Captivity

The Cup of God’s Wrath

Jeremiah Threatened With Death

Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar

The False Prophet Hananiah

A Letter to the Exiles

Message to Shemaiah

Restoration of Israel

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Jeremiah 21-30

English Standard Version Anglicised

Jeremiah 21-30

New International Version