29:1 The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem 1 to Babylon. It was addressed to the elders who were left among the exiles, to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the other people who were exiled in Babylon. 2 29:2 He sent it after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the palace officials, 3 the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had been exiled from Jerusalem. 4 29:3 He sent it with Elasah son of Shaphan 5 and Gemariah son of Hilkiah. 6 King Zedekiah of Judah had sent these men to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. 7 The letter said:
29:4 “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 8 says to all those he sent 9 into exile to Babylon from Jerusalem, 10 29:5 ‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. 29:6 Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and allow your daughters get married so that they too can have sons and daughters. Grow in number; do not dwindle away. 29:7 Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the Lord for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.’
29:8 “For the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 11 says, ‘Do not let the prophets or those among you who claim to be able to predict the future by divination 12 deceive you. And do not pay any attention to the dreams that you are encouraging them to dream. 29:9 They are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. 13 But I did not send them. I, the Lord, affirm it!’ 14
29:10 “For the Lord says, ‘Only when the seventy years of Babylonian rule 15 are over will I again take up consideration for you. 16 Then I will fulfill my gracious promise to you and restore 17 you to your homeland. 18 29:11 For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. 19 ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you 20 a future filled with hope. 21 29:12 When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, 22 I will hear your prayers. 23 29:13 When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, 24 29:14 I will make myself available to you,’ 25 says the Lord. 26 ‘Then I will reverse your plight 27 and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the Lord. 28 ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’
29:15 “You say, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets of good news 29 for us here in Babylon.’ 29:16 But just listen to what the Lord has to say about 30 the king who occupies David’s throne and all your fellow countrymen who are still living in this city of Jerusalem 31 and were not carried off into exile with you. 29:17 The Lord who rules over all 32 says, ‘I will bring war, 33 starvation, and disease on them. I will treat them like figs that are so rotten 34 they cannot be eaten. 29:18 I will chase after them with war, 35 starvation, and disease. I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to them. I will make them examples of those who are cursed, objects of horror, hissing scorn, and ridicule among all the nations where I exile them. 29:19 For they have not paid attention to what I said to them through my servants the prophets whom I sent to them over and over again,’ 36 says the Lord. 37 ‘And you exiles 38 have not paid any attention to them either,’ says the Lord. 39 29:20 ‘So pay attention to what I, the Lord, have said, 40 all you exiles whom I have sent to Babylon from Jerusalem.’
29:21 “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 41 also has something to say about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. 42 ‘I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and he will execute them before your very eyes. 29:22 And all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will use them as examples when they put a curse on anyone. They will say, “May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab whom the king of Babylon roasted to death in the fire!” 43 29:23 This will happen to them because they have done what is shameful 44 in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken lies while claiming my authority. 45 They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. I know what they have done. I have been a witness to it,’ says the Lord.” 46
29:24 The Lord told Jeremiah, “Tell 47 Shemaiah the Nehelamite 48 29:25 that the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 49 has a message for him. 50 Tell him, 51 ‘On your own initiative 52 you sent a letter 53 to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah 54 and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem. 55 In your letter you said to Zephaniah, 56 29:26 “The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. 57 He has put you in charge in the Lord’s temple of controlling 58 any lunatic 59 who pretends to be a prophet. 60 And it is your duty to put any such person in the stocks 61 with an iron collar around his neck. 62 29:27 You should have reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth who is pretending to be a prophet among you! 63 29:28 For he has even sent a message to us here in Babylon. He wrote and told us, 64 “You will be there a long time. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.”’” 65
29:29 Zephaniah the priest read that letter to the prophet Jeremiah. 66 29:30 Then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. 29:31 “Send a message to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, ‘The Lord has spoken about Shemaiah the Nehelamite. “Shemaiah has spoken to you as a prophet even though I did not send him. He is making you trust in a lie. 67 29:32 Because he has done this,” 68 the Lord says, “I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his whole family. There will not be any of them left to experience the good things that I will do for my people. I, the Lord, affirm it! For he counseled rebellion against the Lord.”’” 69
30:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah. 70 30:2 “The Lord God of Israel says, 71 ‘Write everything that I am about to tell you in a scroll. 72 30:3 For I, the Lord, affirm 73 that the time will come when I will reverse the plight 74 of my people, Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘I will bring them back to the land I gave their ancestors 75 and they will take possession of it once again.’” 76
30:4 So here is what the Lord has to say about Israel and Judah. 77
30:5 Yes, 78 here is what he says:
“You hear cries of panic and of terror;
there is no peace in sight. 79
30:6 Ask yourselves this and consider it carefully: 80
Have you ever seen a man give birth to a baby?
Why then do I see all these strong men
grabbing their stomachs in pain like 81 a woman giving birth?
And why do their faces
turn so deathly pale?
30:7 Alas, what a terrible time of trouble it is! 82
There has never been any like it.
It is a time of trouble for the descendants of Jacob,
but some of them will be rescued out of it. 83
30:8 When the time for them to be rescued comes,” 84
says the Lord who rules over all, 85
“I will rescue you from foreign subjugation. 86
I will deliver you from captivity. 87
Foreigners will then no longer subjugate them.
30:9 But they will be subject 88 to the Lord their God
and to the Davidic ruler whom I will raise up as king over them. 89
30:10 So I, the Lord, tell you not to be afraid,
you descendants of Jacob, my servants. 90
Do not be terrified, people of Israel.
For I will rescue you and your descendants
from a faraway land where you are captives. 91
The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace.
They will be secure and no one will terrify them. 92
30:11 For I, the Lord, affirm 93 that
I will be with you and will rescue you.
I will completely destroy all the nations where I scattered you.
But I will not completely destroy you.
I will indeed discipline you, but only in due measure.
I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.” 94
30:12 Moreover, 95 the Lord says to the people of Zion, 96
“Your injuries are incurable;
your wounds are severe. 97
30:13 There is no one to plead your cause.
There are no remedies for your wounds. 98
There is no healing for you.
30:14 All your allies have abandoned you. 99
They no longer have any concern for you.
For I have attacked you like an enemy would.
I have chastened you cruelly.
For your wickedness is so great
and your sin is so much. 100
30:15 Why do you complain about your injuries,
that your pain is incurable?
I have done all this to you
because your wickedness is so great
and your sin is so much.
30:16 But 101 all who destroyed you will be destroyed.
All your enemies will go into exile.
Those who plundered you will be plundered.
I will cause those who pillaged you to be pillaged. 102
30:17 Yes, 103 I will restore you to health.
I will heal your wounds.
I, the Lord, affirm it! 104
For you have been called an outcast,
Zion, whom no one cares for.”
30:18 The Lord says,
“I will restore the ruined houses of the descendants of Jacob.
I will show compassion on their ruined homes. 105
Every city will be rebuilt on its former ruins. 106
Every fortified dwelling will occupy its traditional site. 107
30:19 Out of those places you will hear songs of thanksgiving 108
and the sounds of laughter and merriment.
I will increase their number and they will not dwindle away. 109
I will bring them honor and they will no longer be despised.
30:20 The descendants of Jacob will enjoy their former privileges.
Their community will be reestablished in my favor 110
and I will punish all who try to oppress them.
30:21 One of their own people will be their leader.
Their ruler will come from their own number. 111
I will invite him to approach me, and he will do so. 112
For no one would dare approach me on his own. 113
I, the Lord, affirm it! 114
30:22 Then you will again be my people
and I will be your God. 115
30:23 Just watch! The wrath of the Lord
will come like a storm.
Like a raging storm it will rage down
on the heads of those who are wicked.
30:24 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has fully carried out his intended purposes.
In days to come you will come to understand this. 116
31:1 At that time I will be the God of all the clans of Israel 117
and they will be my people.
I, the Lord, affirm it!” 118
31:2 The Lord says,
“The people of Israel who survived
death at the hands of the enemy 119
will find favor in the wilderness
as they journey to find rest for themselves.
31:3 In a far-off land the Lord will manifest himself to them.
He will say to them, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love.
That is why I have continued to be faithful to you. 120
31:4 I will rebuild you, my dear children Israel, 121
so that you will once again be built up.
Once again you will take up the tambourine
and join in the happy throng of dancers. 122
31:5 Once again you will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria. 123
Those who plant them
will once again enjoy their fruit. 124
31:6 Yes, a time is coming
when watchmen 125 will call out on the mountains of Ephraim,
“Come! Let us go to Zion
to worship the Lord our God!”’” 126
31:7 Moreover, 127 the Lord says,
“Sing for joy for the descendants of Jacob.
Utter glad shouts for that foremost of the nations. 128
Make your praises heard. 129
Then say, ‘Lord, rescue your people.
Deliver those of Israel who remain alive.’ 130
31:8 Then I will reply, 131 ‘I will bring them back from the land of the north.
I will gather them in from the distant parts of the earth.
Blind and lame people will come with them,
so will pregnant women and women about to give birth.
A vast throng of people will come back here.
31:9 They will come back shedding tears of contrition.
I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance. 132
I will lead them besides streams of water,
along smooth paths where they will never stumble. 133
I will do this because I am Israel’s father;
Ephraim 134 is my firstborn son.’”
31:10 Hear what the Lord has to say, O nations.
Proclaim it in the faraway lands along the sea.
Say, “The one who scattered Israel will regather them.
He will watch over his people like a shepherd watches over his flock.”
31:11 For the Lord will rescue the descendants of Jacob.
He will secure their release 135 from those who had overpowered them. 136
31:12 They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion.
They will be radiant with joy 137 over the good things the Lord provides,
the grain, the fresh wine, the olive oil,
the young sheep and calves he has given to them.
They will be like a well-watered garden
and will not grow faint or weary any more.
31:13 The Lord says, 138 “At that time young women will dance and be glad.
Young men and old men will rejoice. 139
I will turn their grief into gladness.
I will give them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow.
31:14 I will provide the priests with abundant provisions. 140
My people will be filled to the full with the good things I provide.”
31:15 The Lord says,
“A sound is heard in Ramah, 141
a sound of crying in bitter grief.
It is the sound of Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted, because her children are gone.” 142
31:16 The Lord says to her, 143
“Stop crying! Do not shed any more tears! 144
For your heartfelt repentance 145 will be rewarded.
Your children will return from the land of the enemy.
I, the Lord, affirm it! 146
31:17 Indeed, there is hope for your posterity. 147
Your children will return to their own territory.
I, the Lord, affirm it! 148
31:18 I have indeed 149 heard the people of Israel 150 say mournfully,
‘We were like a calf untrained to the yoke. 151
You disciplined us and we learned from it. 152
Let us come back to you and we will do so, 153
for you are the Lord our God.
31:19 For after we turned away from you we repented.
After we came to our senses 154 we beat our breasts in sorrow. 155
We are ashamed and humiliated
because of the disgraceful things we did previously.’ 156
31:20 Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children.
They are the children I take delight in. 157
For even though I must often rebuke them,
I still remember them with fondness.
So I am deeply moved with pity for them 158
and will surely have compassion on them.
I, the Lord, affirm it! 159
31:21 I will say, 160 ‘My dear children of Israel, 161 keep in mind
the road you took when you were carried off. 162
Mark off in your minds the landmarks.
Make a mental note of telltale signs marking the way back.
Return, my dear children of Israel.
Return to these cities of yours.
31:22 How long will you vacillate, 163
you who were once like an unfaithful daughter? 164
For I, the Lord, promise 165 to bring about something new 166 on the earth,
something as unique as a woman protecting a man!’” 167
31:23 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 168 says,
“I will restore the people of Judah to their land and to their towns.
When I do, they will again say 169 of Jerusalem, 170
‘May the Lord bless you, you holy mountain,
the place where righteousness dwells.’ 171
31:24 The land of Judah will be inhabited by people who live in its towns
as well as by farmers and shepherds with their flocks. 172
31:25 I will fully satisfy the needs of those who are weary
and fully refresh the souls of those who are faint. 173
31:26 Then they will say, ‘Under these conditions I can enjoy sweet sleep
when I wake up and look around.’” 174
31:27 “Indeed, a time is coming,” 175 says the Lord, 176 “when I will cause people and animals to sprout up in the lands of Israel and Judah. 177 31:28 In the past I saw to it that they were uprooted and torn down, that they were destroyed and demolished. But now I will see to it that they are built up and firmly planted. 178 I, the Lord, affirm it!” 179
31:29 “When that time comes, people will no longer say, ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but the children’s teeth have grown numb.’ 180 31:30 Rather, each person will die for his own sins. The teeth of the person who eats the sour grapes will themselves grow numb. 181
31:31 “Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, 182 “when I will make a new covenant 183 with the people of Israel and Judah. 184 31:32 It will not be like the old 185 covenant that I made with their ancestors 186 when I delivered them 187 from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” 188 says the Lord. 189 31:33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel 190 after I plant them back in the land,” 191 says the Lord. 192 “I will 193 put my law within them 194 and write it on their hearts and minds. 195 I will be their God and they will be my people. 196
31:34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. 197 For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” 198 says the Lord. “For 199 I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”
31:35 The Lord has made a promise to Israel.
He promises it as the one who fixed the sun to give light by day
and the moon and stars to give light by night.
He promises it as the one who stirs up the sea so that its waves roll.
He promises it as the one who is known as the Lord who rules over all. 200
31:36 The Lord affirms, 201 “The descendants of Israel will not
cease forever to be a nation in my sight.
That could only happen if the fixed ordering of the heavenly lights
were to cease to operate before me.” 202
31:37 The Lord says, “I will not reject all the descendants of Israel
because of all that they have done. 203
That could only happen if the heavens above could be measured
or the foundations of the earth below could all be explored,” 204
says the Lord. 205
31:38 “Indeed a time is coming,” 206 says the Lord, 207 “when the city of Jerusalem 208 will be rebuilt as my special city. 209 It will be built from the Tower of Hananel westward to the Corner Gate. 210 31:39 The boundary line will extend beyond that, straight west from there to the Hill of Gareb and then turn southward to Goah. 211 31:40 The whole valley where dead bodies and sacrificial ashes are thrown 212 and all the terraced fields 213 out to the Kidron Valley 214 on the east as far north 215 as the Horse Gate 216 will be included within this city that is sacred to the Lord. 217 The city will never again be torn down or destroyed.”
32:1 In the tenth year that Zedekiah was ruling over Judah the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. 218 That was the same as the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.
32:2 Now at that time, 219 the armies of the king of Babylon were besieging Jerusalem. 220 The prophet Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse 221 attached to the royal palace of Judah. 32:3 For King Zedekiah 222 had confined Jeremiah there after he had reproved him for prophesying as he did. He had asked Jeremiah, “Why do you keep prophesying these things? Why do you keep saying that the Lord says, ‘I will hand this city over to the king of Babylon? I will let him capture it. 223 32:4 King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Babylonians. 224 He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon. He must answer personally to the king of Babylon and confront him face to face. 225 32:5 Zedekiah will be carried off to Babylon and will remain there until I have fully dealt with him. 226 I, the Lord, affirm it! 227 Even if you 228 continue to fight against the Babylonians, 229 you cannot win.’”
32:6 So now, Jeremiah said, “The Lord told me, 230 32:7 ‘Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you soon. He will say to you, “Buy my field at Anathoth because you are entitled 231 as my closest relative to buy it.”’ 232 32:8 Now it happened just as the Lord had said! My cousin Hanamel 233 came to me in the courtyard of the guardhouse. He said to me, ‘Buy my field which is at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. Buy it for yourself since you are entitled as my closest relative to take possession of it for yourself.’ When this happened, I recognized that the Lord had indeed spoken to me. 32:9 So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven ounces of silver and gave it to him to pay for it. 234 32:10 I signed the deed of purchase, 235 sealed it, and had some men serve as witnesses to the purchase. 236 I weighed out the silver for him on a scale. 32:11 There were two copies of the deed of purchase. One was sealed and contained the order of transfer and the conditions of purchase. 237 The other was left unsealed. 32:12 I took both copies of the deed of purchase 238 and gave them to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah. I gave them to him in the presence 239 of my cousin 240 Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase, and all the Judeans who were housed in the courtyard of the guardhouse. 32:13 In the presence of all these people I instructed Baruch, 32:14 ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 241 says, “Take these documents, both the sealed copy of the deed of purchase and the unsealed copy. Put them in a clay jar so that they may be preserved for a long time to come.”’ 242 32:15 For the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 243 says, “Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”’ 244
32:16 “After I had given the copies of the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, 32:17 ‘Oh, Lord God, 245 you did indeed 246 make heaven and earth by your mighty power and great strength. 247 Nothing is too hard for you! 32:18 You show unfailing love to thousands. 248 But you also punish children for the sins of their parents. 249 You are the great and powerful God who is known as the Lord who rules over all. 250 32:19 You plan great things and you do mighty deeds. 251 You see everything people do. 252 You reward each of them for the way they live and for the things they do. 253 32:20 You did miracles and amazing deeds in the land of Egypt which have had lasting effect. By this means you gained both in Israel and among humankind a renown that lasts to this day. 254 32:21 You used your mighty power and your great strength to perform miracles and amazing deeds and to bring great terror on the Egyptians. By this means you brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt. 255 32:22 You kept the promise that you swore on oath to their ancestors. 256 You gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. 257 32:23 But when they came in and took possession of it, they did not obey you or live as you had instructed them. They did not do anything that you commanded them to do. 258 So you brought all this disaster on them. 32:24 Even now siege ramps have been built up around the city 259 in order to capture it. War, 260 starvation, and disease are sure to make the city fall into the hands of the Babylonians 261 who are attacking it. 262 Lord, 263 you threatened that this would happen. Now you can see that it is already taking place. 264 32:25 The city is sure to fall into the hands of the Babylonians. 265 Yet, in spite of this, 266 you, Lord God, 267 have said to me, “Buy that field with silver and have the transaction legally witnessed.”’” 268
32:26 The Lord answered Jeremiah. 269 32:27 “I am the Lord, the God of all humankind. There is, indeed, nothing too difficult for me. 270 32:28 Therefore I, the Lord, say: 271 ‘I will indeed hand 272 this city over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonian army. 273 They will capture it. 32:29 The Babylonian soldiers 274 that are attacking this city will break into it and set it on fire. They will burn it down along with the houses where people have made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods on their rooftops. 275 32:30 This will happen because the people of Israel and Judah have repeatedly done what displeases me 276 from their earliest history until now 277 and because they 278 have repeatedly made me angry by the things they have done. 279 I, the Lord, affirm it! 280 32:31 This will happen because 281 the people of this city have aroused my anger and my wrath since the time they built it until now. 282 They have made me so angry that I am determined to remove 283 it from my sight. 32:32 I am determined to do so because the people of Israel and Judah have made me angry with all their wickedness – they, their kings, their officials, their priests, their prophets, and especially the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem 284 have done this wickedness. 285 32:33 They have turned away from me instead of turning to me. 286 I tried over and over again 287 to instruct them, but they did not listen and respond to correction. 288 32:34 They set up their disgusting idols in the temple which I have claimed for my own 289 and defiled it. 32:35 They built places of worship for the god Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they could sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. 290 Such a disgusting practice was not something I commanded them to do! It never even entered my mind to command them to do such a thing! So Judah is certainly liable for punishment.’ 291
32:36 “You and your people 292 are right in saying, ‘War, 293 starvation, and disease are sure to make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylon.’ 294 But now I, the Lord God of Israel, have something further to say about this city: 295 32:37 ‘I will certainly regather my people from all the countries where I will have exiled 296 them in my anger, fury, and great wrath. I will bring them back to this place and allow them to live here in safety. 32:38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 297 32:39 I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows respect for me. They will want to do that for 298 their own good and the good of the children who descend from them. 32:40 I will make a lasting covenant 299 with them that I will never stop doing good to them. 300 I will fill their hearts and minds with respect for me so that 301 they will never again turn 302 away from me. 32:41 I will take delight in doing good to them. I will faithfully and wholeheartedly plant them 303 firmly in the land.’
32:42 “For I, the Lord, say: 304 ‘I will surely bring on these people all the good fortune that I am hereby promising them. I will be just as sure to do that as I have been in bringing all this great disaster on them. 305 32:43 You and your people 306 are saying that this land will become desolate, uninhabited by either people or animals. You are saying that it will be handed over to the Babylonians. 307 But fields 308 will again be bought in this land. 309 32:44 Fields will again be bought with silver, and deeds of purchase signed, sealed, and witnessed. This will happen in the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, the towns in Judah, the southern hill country, the western foothills, and southern Judah. 310 For I will restore them to their land. 311 I, the Lord, affirm it!’” 312
33:1 The Lord spoke 313 to Jeremiah a second time while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse. 314 33:2 “I, the Lord, do these things. I, the Lord, form the plan to bring them about. 315 I am known as the Lord. I say to you, 33:3 ‘Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious 316 things which you still do not know about.’ 33:4 For I, the Lord God of Israel, have something more to say about the houses in this city and the royal buildings which have been torn down for defenses against the siege ramps and military incursions of the Babylonians: 317 33:5 ‘The defenders of the city will go out and fight with the Babylonians. 318 But they will only fill those houses and buildings with the dead bodies of the people that I will kill in my anger and my wrath. 319 That will happen because I have decided to turn my back on 320 this city on account of the wicked things they have done. 321 33:6 But I will most surely 322 heal the wounds of this city and restore it and its people to health. 323 I will show them abundant 324 peace and security. 33:7 I will restore Judah and Israel 325 and will rebuild them as they were in days of old. 326 33:8 I will purify them from all the sin that they committed against me. I will forgive all their sins which they committed in rebelling against me. 327 33:9 All the nations will hear about all the good things which I will do to them. This city will bring me fame, honor, and praise before them for the joy that I bring it. The nations will tremble in awe at all the peace and prosperity that I will provide for it.’ 328
33:10 “I, the Lord, say: 329 ‘You and your people are saying 330 about this place, “It lies in ruins. There are no people or animals in it.” That is true. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem 331 will soon be desolate, uninhabited either by people or by animals. But happy sounds will again be heard in these places. 33:11 Once again there will be sounds 332 of joy and gladness and the glad celebrations of brides and grooms. 333 Once again people will bring their thank offerings to the temple of the Lord and will say, “Give thanks to the Lord who rules over all. For the Lord is good and his unfailing love lasts forever.” 334 For I, the Lord, affirm 335 that I will restore the land to what it was 336 in days of old.’ 337
33:12 “I, the Lord who rules over all, say: 338 ‘This place will indeed lie in ruins. There will be no people or animals in it. But there will again be in it and in its towns sheepfolds where shepherds can rest their sheep. 33:13 I, the Lord, say that shepherds will once again count their sheep as they pass into the fold. 339 They will do this in all the towns in the southern hill country, the western foothills, the southern hill country, the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, and the towns of Judah.’ 340
33:14 “I, the Lord, affirm: 341 ‘The time will certainly come when I will fulfill my gracious promise concerning the nations of Israel and Judah. 342 33:15 In those days and at that time I will raise up for them a righteous descendant 343 of David.
“‘He will do what is just and right in the land. 33:16 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety 344 and Jerusalem 345 will live in security. At that time Jerusalem will be called “The Lord has provided us with justice.” 346 33:17 For I, the Lord, promise: “David will never lack a successor to occupy 347 the throne over the nation of Israel. 348 33:18 Nor will the Levitical priests ever lack someone to stand before me and continually offer up burnt offerings, sacrifice cereal offerings, and offer the other sacrifices.”’” 349
33:19 The Lord spoke further to Jeremiah. 350 33:20 “I, Lord, make the following promise: 351 ‘I have made a covenant with the day 352 and with the night that they will always come at their proper times. Only if you people 353 could break that covenant 33:21 could my covenant with my servant David and my covenant with the Levites ever be broken. So David will by all means always have a descendant to occupy his throne as king and the Levites will by all means always have priests who will minister before me. 354 33:22 I will make the children who follow one another in the line of my servant David very numerous. I will also make the Levites who minister before me very numerous. I will make them all as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sands which are on the seashore.’” 355
33:23 The Lord spoke still further to Jeremiah. 356 33:24 “You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven’t you? They are saying, 357 ‘The Lord has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah 358 that he chose.’ So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation. 359 33:25 But I, the Lord, make the following promise: 360 I have made a covenant governing the coming of day and night. I have established the fixed laws governing heaven and earth. 33:26 Just as surely as I have done this, so surely will I never reject the descendants of Jacob. Nor will I ever refuse to choose one of my servant David’s descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, 361 I will restore them 362 and show mercy to them.”
34:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah while King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem 363 and the towns around it with a large army. This army consisted of troops from his own army and from the kingdoms and peoples of the lands under his dominion. 364 34:2 The Lord God of Israel told Jeremiah 365 to go and give King Zedekiah of Judah a message. He told Jeremiah 366 to tell him, “The Lord says, ‘I am going to 367 hand this city over to the king of Babylon and he will burn it down. 34:3 You yourself will not escape his clutches, but will certainly be captured and handed over to him. You must confront the king of Babylon face to face and answer to him personally. 368 Then you must go to Babylon. 34:4 However, listen to what I, the Lord, promise you, King Zedekiah of Judah. I, the Lord, promise that 369 you will not die in battle or be executed. 370 34:5 You will die a peaceful death. They will burn incense at your burial just as they did at the burial of your ancestors, the former kings who preceded you. 371 They will mourn for you, saying, “Poor, poor master!” 372 Indeed, you have my own word on this. 373 I, the Lord, affirm it!’” 374
34:6 The prophet Jeremiah told all this to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem. 34:7 He did this while the army of the king of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and the cities of Lachish and Azekah. He was attacking these cities because they were the only fortified cities of Judah which were still holding out. 375
34:8 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a covenant 376 with all the people in Jerusalem 377 to grant their slaves their freedom. 34:9 Everyone was supposed to free their male and female Hebrew slaves. No one was supposed to keep a fellow Judean enslaved. 378 34:10 All the people and their leaders had agreed to this. They had agreed to free their male and female slaves and not keep them enslaved any longer. They originally complied with the covenant and freed them. 379 34:11 But later 380 they had changed their minds. They had taken back their male and female slaves that they had freed and forced them to be slaves again. 381 34:12 That was when the Lord spoke to Jeremiah, 382 34:13 “The Lord God of Israel has a message for you. 383 ‘I made a covenant with your ancestors 384 when I brought them out of Egypt where they had been slaves. 385 It stipulated, 386 34:14 “Every seven years each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you for six years, you shall set them free.” 387 But your ancestors did not obey me or pay any attention to me. 34:15 Recently, however, you yourselves 388 showed a change of heart and did what is pleasing to me. You granted your fellow countrymen their freedom and you made a covenant to that effect in my presence in the house that I have claimed for my own. 389 34:16 But then you turned right around 390 and showed that you did not honor me. 391 Each of you took back your male and female slaves whom you had freed as they desired, and you forced them to be your slaves again. 392 34:17 So I, the Lord, say: “You have not really obeyed me and granted freedom to your neighbor and fellow countryman. 393 Therefore, I will grant you freedom, the freedom 394 to die in war, or by starvation or disease. I, the Lord, affirm it! 395 I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to you. 396 34:18 I will punish those people who have violated their covenant with me. I will make them like the calf they cut in two and passed between its pieces. 397 I will do so because they did not keep the terms of the covenant they made in my presence. 398 34:19 I will punish the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, 399 the priests, and all the other people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf. 400 34:20 I will hand them over to their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals. 401 34:21 I will also hand King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials over to their enemies who want to kill them. I will hand them over to the army of the king of Babylon, even though they have temporarily withdrawn from attacking you. 402 34:22 For I, the Lord, affirm that 403 I will soon give the order and bring them back to this city. They will fight against it and capture it and burn it down. I will also make the towns of Judah desolate so that there will be no one living in them.”’”
35:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah when Jehoiakim 404 son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. 405 35:2 “Go to the Rechabite community. 406 Invite them to come into one of the side rooms 407 of the Lord’s temple and offer them some wine to drink.” 35:3 So I went and got Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah the grandson of Habazziniah, his brothers, all his sons, and all the rest of the Rechabite community. 35:4 I took them to the Lord’s temple. I took them into the room where the disciples of the prophet Hanan son of Igdaliah stayed. 408 That room was next to the one where the temple officers stayed and above the room where Maaseiah son of Shallum, one of the doorkeepers 409 of the temple, stayed. 35:5 Then I set cups and pitchers full of wine in front of the members of the Rechabite community and said to them, “Have some wine.” 410 35:6 But they answered, “We do not drink wine because our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us not to. He told us, ‘You and your children must never drink wine. 35:7 Do not build houses. Do not plant crops. Do not plant a vineyard or own one. 411 Live in tents all your lives. If you do these things you will 412 live a long time in the land that you wander about on.’ 413 35:8 We and our wives and our sons and daughters have obeyed everything our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. We have never drunk wine. 414 35:9 We have not built any houses to live in. We do not own any vineyards, fields, or crops. 35:10 We have lived in tents. We have obeyed our ancestor Jonadab and done exactly as he commanded us. 415 35:11 But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded the land we said, ‘Let’s get up and go to Jerusalem 416 to get away from the Babylonian 417 and Aramean armies.’ That is why we are staying here in Jerusalem.”
35:12 Then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. 35:13 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 418 told him, “Go and speak to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them, 419 ‘I, the Lord, say: 420 “You must learn a lesson from this 421 about obeying what I say! 422 35:14 Jonadab son of Rechab ordered his descendants not to drink wine. His orders have been carried out. 423 To this day his descendants have drunk no wine because they have obeyed what their ancestor commanded them. But I 424 have spoken to you over and over again, 425 but you have not obeyed me! 35:15 I sent all my servants the prophets to warn you over and over again. They said, “Every one of you, stop doing the evil things you have been doing and do what is right. 426 Do not pay allegiance to other gods 427 and worship them. Then you can continue to live in this land that I gave to you and your ancestors.” But you did not pay any attention or listen to me. 35:16 Yes, 428 the descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab have carried out the orders that their ancestor gave them. But you people 429 have not obeyed me! 35:17 So I, the Lord, the God who rules over all, the God of Israel, say: 430 “I will soon bring on Judah and all the citizens of Jerusalem all the disaster that I threatened to bring on them. I will do this because I spoke to them but they did not listen. I called out to them but they did not answer.”’”
35:18 Then Jeremiah spoke to the Rechabite community, “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 431 says, ‘You have obeyed the orders of your ancestor Jonadab. You have followed all his instructions. You have done exactly as he commanded you.’ 35:19 So the Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, ‘Jonadab son of Rechab will never lack a male descendant to serve me.’” 432
36:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah in the fourth year 433 that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. 434 36:2 “Get a scroll. 435 Write on it everything I have told you to say 436 about Israel, Judah, and all the other nations since I began to speak to you in the reign of Josiah until now. 437 36:3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the disaster I intend to bring on them, they will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. 438 If they do, I will forgive their sins and the wicked things they have done.” 439
36:4 So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then Jeremiah dictated to Baruch everything the Lord had told him to say and Baruch wrote it all down in a scroll. 440 36:5 Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am no longer allowed to go 441 into the Lord’s temple. 36:6 So you go there the next time all the people of Judah come in from their towns to fast 442 in the Lord’s temple. Read out loud where all of them can hear you what I told you the Lord said, which you wrote in the scroll. 443 36:7 Perhaps then they will ask the Lord for mercy and will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. 444 For the Lord has threatened to bring great anger and wrath against these people.” 445
36:8 So Baruch son of Neriah did exactly what the prophet Jeremiah had told him to do. He read what the Lord had said from the scroll in the temple of the Lord. 446 36:9 All the people living in Jerusalem 447 and all the people who came into Jerusalem from the towns of Judah came to observe a fast before the Lord. The fast took place in the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. 448 36:10 At that time Baruch went into the temple of the Lord. He stood in the entrance of the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan who had been the royal secretary. 449 That room was in the upper court 450 near the entrance of the New Gate. 451 There, where all the people could hear him, he read from the scroll what Jeremiah had said. 452
36:11 Micaiah, who was the son of Gemariah and the grandson of Shaphan, heard Baruch read from the scroll everything the Lord had said. 453 36:12 He went down to the chamber of the royal secretary in the king’s palace and found all the court officials in session there. Elishama 454 the royal secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, 455 Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials were seated there. 36:13 Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people. 456 36:14 All the officials sent Jehudi, who was the son of Nethaniah and the grandson of Cushi, to Baruch. They ordered him to tell Baruch, “Come here and bring with you 457 the scroll you read in the hearing of the people.” 458 So Baruch son of Neriah went to them, carrying the scroll in his hand. 459 36:15 They said to him, “Please sit down and read it to us.” So Baruch sat down and read it to them. 460 36:16 When they had heard it all, 461 they expressed their alarm to one another. 462 Then they said to Baruch, “We must certainly give the king a report about everything you have read!” 463 36:17 Then they asked Baruch, “How did you come to write all these words? Do they actually come from Jeremiah’s mouth?” 464 36:18 Baruch answered, “Yes, they came from his own mouth. He dictated all these words to me and I wrote them down in ink on this scroll.” 465 36:19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must go and hide. You must not let anyone know where you are.” 466
36:20 The officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama, the royal secretary, for safekeeping. 467 Then they went to the court and reported everything 468 to the king. 469 36:21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He went and got it from the room of Elishama, the royal secretary. Then he himself 470 read it to the king and all the officials who were standing around him. 36:22 Since it was the ninth month of the year, the king was sitting in his winter quarters. 471 A fire was burning in the firepot in front of him. 472 36:23 As soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns 473 of the scroll, the king 474 would cut them off with a penknife 475 and throw them on the fire in the firepot. He kept doing so until the whole scroll was burned up in the fire. 476 36:24 Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow. 477 36:25 The king did not even listen to Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah, who had urged him not to burn the scroll. 478 36:26 He also ordered Jerahmeel, who was one of the royal princes, 479 Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. However, the Lord hid them.
36:27 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah after Jehoiakim had burned the scroll containing what Jeremiah had spoken and Baruch had written down. 480 36:28 “Get another 481 scroll and write on it everything 482 that was written on the original scroll 483 that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned. 36:29 Tell King Jehoiakim of Judah, ‘The Lord says, “You burned the scroll. You asked 484 Jeremiah, ‘How dare you write in this scroll that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and wipe out all the people and animals on it?’” 485 36:30 So the Lord says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, “None of his line will occupy the throne of David. 486 His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night. 487 36:31 I will punish him and his descendants and the officials who serve him for the wicked things they have done. 488 I will bring on them, the citizens of Jerusalem, 489 and the people of Judah all the disaster that I threatened to do to them. I will punish them because I threatened them but they still paid no heed.”’” 490 36:32 Then Jeremiah got another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on this scroll everything that had been on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned in the fire. They also added on this scroll several other messages of the same kind. 491
37:1 Zedekiah son of Josiah succeeded Jeconiah 492 son of Jehoiakim as king. He was elevated to the throne of the land of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. 493 37:2 Neither he nor the officials who served him nor the people of Judah paid any attention to what the Lord said through the prophet Jeremiah. 494
37:3 King Zedekiah sent 495 Jehucal 496 son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah 497 son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah. He told them to say, “Please pray to the Lord our God on our behalf.” 37:4 (Now Jeremiah had not yet been put in prison. 498 So he was still free to come and go among the people as he pleased. 499 37:5 At that time the Babylonian forces 500 had temporarily given up their siege against Jerusalem. 501 They had had it under siege, but withdrew when they heard that the army of Pharaoh had set out from Egypt. 502 ) 37:6 The Lord gave the prophet Jeremiah a message for them. He told him to tell them, 503 37:7 “The Lord God of Israel says, ‘Give a message to the king of Judah who sent you to ask me to help him. 504 Tell him, “The army of Pharaoh that was on its way to help you will go back home to Egypt. 505 37:8 Then the Babylonian forces 506 will return. They will attack the city and will capture it and burn it down. 37:9 Moreover, I, the Lord, warn you not to deceive yourselves into thinking that the Babylonian forces 507 will go away and leave you alone. For they will not go away. 508 37:10 For even if you were to defeat all the Babylonian forces 509 fighting against you so badly that only wounded men were left lying in their tents, they would get up and burn this city down.”’” 510
37:11 The following events also occurred 511 while the Babylonian forces 512 had temporarily withdrawn from Jerusalem 513 because the army of Pharaoh was coming. 37:12 Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the territory of Benjamin. He wanted to make sure he got his share of the property that was being divided up among his family there. 514 37:13 But he only got as far as the Benjamin Gate. 515 There an officer in charge of the guards named Irijah, 516 who was the son of Shelemiah and the grandson of Hananiah, stopped him. He seized Jeremiah and said, 517 “You are deserting to the Babylonians!” 518 37:14 Jeremiah answered, “That’s a lie! I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” 519 But Irijah would not listen to him. Irijah put Jeremiah under arrest and took him to the officials. 37:15 The officials were very angry 520 at Jeremiah. They had him flogged and put in prison in the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary, which they had converted into a place for confining prisoners. 521
37:16 So 522 Jeremiah was put in prison in a cell in the dungeon in Jonathan’s house. 523 He 524 was kept there for a long time. 37:17 Then King Zedekiah had him brought to the palace. There he questioned him privately and asked him, 525 “Is there any message from the Lord?” Jeremiah answered, “Yes, there is.” Then he announced, 526 “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.” 527 37:18 Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “What crime have I committed against you, or the officials who serve you, or the people of Judah? What have I done to make you people throw me into prison? 528 37:19 Where now are the prophets who prophesied to you that 529 the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land? 37:20 But now please listen, your royal Majesty, 530 and grant my plea for mercy. 531 Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary. If you do, I will die there.” 532 37:21 Then King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be committed to the courtyard of the guardhouse. He also ordered that a loaf of bread 533 be given to him every day from the baker’s street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah was kept 534 in the courtyard of the guardhouse.
38:1 Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal 535 son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur 536 son of Malkijah had heard 537 the things that Jeremiah had been telling the people. They had heard him say, 38:2 “The Lord says, ‘Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. 538 Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians 539 will live. They will escape with their lives.’” 540 38:3 They had also heard him say, 541 “The Lord says, ‘This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. They will capture it.’” 542 38:4 So these officials said to the king, “This man must be put to death. For he is demoralizing 543 the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other people there by these things he is saying. 544 This 545 man is not seeking to help these people but is trying to harm them.” 546 38:5 King Zedekiah said to them, “Very well, you can do what you want with him. 547 For I cannot do anything to stop you.” 548 38:6 So the officials 549 took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern 550 of Malkijah, one of the royal princes, 551 that was in the courtyard of the guardhouse. There was no water in the cistern, only mud. So when they lowered Jeremiah into the cistern with ropes he sank in the mud. 552
38:7 An Ethiopian, Ebed Melech, 553 a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put 554 in the cistern. While the king was holding court 555 at the Benjamin Gate, 38:8 Ebed Melech departed the palace and went to speak to the king. He said to him, 38:9 “Your royal Majesty, those men have been very wicked in all that they have done to the prophet Jeremiah. They have thrown him into a cistern and he is sure to die of starvation there because there is no food left in the city. 556 38:10 Then the king gave Ebed Melech the Ethiopian the following order: “Take thirty 557 men with you from here and go pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.” 38:11 So Ebed Melech took the men with him and went to a room under the treasure room in the palace. 558 He got some worn-out clothes and old rags 559 from there and let them down by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. 38:12 Ebed Melech 560 called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags and worn-out clothes under your armpits to pad the ropes. 561 Jeremiah did as Ebed Melech instructed. 562 38:13 So they pulled Jeremiah up from the cistern with ropes. Jeremiah, however, still remained confined 563 to the courtyard of the guardhouse.
38:14 Some time later 564 Zedekiah sent and had Jeremiah brought to him at the third entrance 565 of the Lord’s temple. The king said to Jeremiah, “I would like to ask you a question. Do not hide anything from me when you answer.” 566 38:15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I answer you, you will certainly kill me. 567 If I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 38:16 So King Zedekiah made a secret promise to Jeremiah and sealed it with an oath. He promised, 568 “As surely as the Lord lives who has given us life and breath, 569 I promise you this: I will not kill you or hand you over to those men who want to kill you.” 570
38:17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “The Lord, the God who rules over all, the God of Israel, 571 says, ‘You must surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon. If you do, your life will be spared 572 and this city will not be burned down. Indeed, you and your whole family will be spared. 38:18 But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Babylonians 573 and they will burn it down. You yourself will not escape from them.’” 574 38:19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Babylonians. 575 The Babylonians might hand me over to them and they will torture me.” 576 38:20 Then Jeremiah answered, “You will not be handed over to them. Please obey the Lord by doing what I have been telling you. 577 Then all will go well with you and your life will be spared. 578 38:21 But if you refuse to surrender, the Lord has shown me a vision of what will happen. Here is what I saw: 38:22 All the women who are left in the royal palace of Judah will be led out to the officers of the king of Babylon. They will taunt you saying, 579
‘Your trusted friends misled you;
they have gotten the best of you.
Now that your feet are stuck in the mud,
they have turned their backs on you.’ 580
38:23 “All your wives and your children will be turned over to the Babylonians. 581 You yourself will not escape from them but will be captured by the 582 king of Babylon. This city will be burned down.” 583
38:24 Then Zedekiah told Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about the conversation we have had. 584 If you do, you will die. 585 38:25 The officials may hear that I have talked with you. They may come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you. 586 Do not hide anything from us. If you do, we will kill you.’ 587 38:26 If they do this, tell 588 them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to die in the dungeon of Jonathan’s house.’” 589 38:27 All the officials did indeed come and question Jeremiah. 590 He told them exactly what the king had instructed him to say. 591 They stopped questioning him any further because no one had actually heard their conversation. 592 38:28 So Jeremiah remained confined 593 in the courtyard of the guardhouse until the day Jerusalem 594 was captured.
The following events occurred when Jerusalem 595 was captured. 596
39:1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. The siege began in the tenth month of the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah. 597 39:2 It lasted until the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year. 598 On that day they broke through the city walls. 39:3 Then Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim, who was a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer, who was a high official, 599 and all the other officers of the king of Babylon came and set up quarters 600 in the Middle Gate. 601 39:4 When King Zedekiah of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they tried to escape. They departed from the city during the night. They took a path through the king’s garden and passed out through the gate between the two walls. 602 Then they headed for the Jordan Valley. 603 39:5 But the Babylonian 604 army chased after them. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho 605 and captured him. 606 They took him to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon at Riblah 607 in the territory of Hamath and Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him there. 39:6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. The king of Babylon also had all the nobles of Judah put to death. 39:7 Then he had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains 608 to be led off to Babylon. 39:8 The Babylonians 609 burned down the royal palace, the temple of the Lord, and the people’s homes, 610 and they tore down the wall of Jerusalem. 611 39:9 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, 612 took captive the rest of the people who were left in the city. He carried them off to Babylon along with the people who had deserted to him. 613 39:10 But he 614 left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing. He gave them fields and vineyards at that time.
39:11 Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had issued orders concerning Jeremiah. He had passed them on through Nebuzaradan, the captain of his royal guard, 615 39:12 “Find Jeremiah 616 and look out for him. 617 Do not do anything to harm him, 618 but do with him whatever he tells you.” 39:13 So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, Nebushazban, who was a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer, who was a high official, 619 and all the other officers of the king of Babylon 39:14 sent and had Jeremiah brought from the courtyard of the guardhouse. They turned him over to Gedaliah, 620 the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan, to take him home with him. 621 But Jeremiah stayed among the people. 622
39:15 623 Now the Lord had spoken to Jeremiah while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse, 624 39:16 “Go 625 and tell Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, “I will carry out against this city what I promised. It will mean disaster and not good fortune for it. 626 When that disaster happens, you will be there to see it. 627 39:17 But I will rescue you when it happens. 628 I, the Lord, affirm it! 629 You will not be handed over to those whom you fear. 630 39:18 I will certainly save you. You will not fall victim to violence. 631 You will escape with your life 632 because you trust in me. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’” 633
40:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah 634 after Nebuzaradan the captain of the royal guard had set him free at Ramah. 635 He had taken him there in chains 636 along with all the people from Jerusalem 637 and Judah who were being carried off to exile to Babylon. 40:2 The captain of the royal guard took Jeremiah aside and said to him, “The Lord your God threatened this place with this disaster. 40:3 Now he has brought it about. The Lord has done just as he threatened to do. This disaster has happened because you people sinned against the Lord and did not obey him. 638 40:4 But now, Jeremiah, today I will set you free 639 from the chains on your wrists. If you would like to come to Babylon with me, come along and I will take care of you. 640 But if you prefer not to come to Babylon with me, you are not required to do so. 641 You are free to go anywhere in the land you want to go. 642 Go wherever you choose.” 643 40:5 Before Jeremiah could turn to leave, the captain of the guard added, “Go back 644 to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed to govern 645 the towns of Judah. Go back and live with him 646 among the people. Or go wherever else you choose.” Then the captain of the guard gave Jeremiah some food and a present and let him go. 40:6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah 647 and lived there with him. He stayed there to live among the people who had been left in the land of Judah. 648
40:7 Now some of the officers of the Judean army and their troops had been hiding in the countryside. They heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam to govern 649 the country. They also heard that he had been put in charge over the men, women, and children from the poorer classes of the land who had not been carried off into exile in Babylon. 650 40:8 So 651 all these officers and their troops came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The officers who came were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite. 652 40:9 Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety. 653 “Do not be afraid to submit to the Babylonians. 654 Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you. 40:10 I for my part will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians 655 whenever they come to us. You for your part go ahead and harvest the wine, the dates, the figs, 656 and the olive oil, and store them in jars. Go ahead and settle down in the towns that you have taken over.” 657 40:11 Moreover, all the Judeans who were in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and all the other countries heard what had happened. They heard that the king of Babylon had allowed some people to stay in Judah and that he had appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, to govern them. 40:12 So all these Judeans returned to the land of Judah from the places where they had been scattered. They came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. Thus they harvested a large amount of wine and dates and figs. 658
40:13 Johanan and all the officers of the troops that had been hiding in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. 40:14 They said to him, “Are you at all aware 659 that King Baalis of Ammon has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to kill you?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not believe them. 40:15 Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke privately to Gedaliah there at Mizpah, “Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah before anyone knows about it. Otherwise he will kill you 660 and all the Judeans who have rallied around you will be scattered. Then what remains of Judah will disappear.” 40:16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Do not do that 661 because what you are saying about Ishmael is not true.” 662
41:1 But in the seventh month 663 Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama who was a member of the royal family and had been one of Zedekiah’s chief officers, came with ten of his men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating a meal together with him there at Mizpah, 41:2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him stood up, pulled out their swords, and killed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. Thus Ishmael killed the man that the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the country. 41:3 Ishmael also killed all the Judeans 664 who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah and the Babylonian 665 soldiers who happened to be there. 666
41:4 On the day after Gedaliah had been murdered, before anyone even knew about it, 41:5 eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. 667 They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves to show they were mourning. 668 They were carrying grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. 669 41:6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them. He was pretending to cry 670 as he walked along. When he met them, he said to them, “Come with me to meet Gedaliah son of Ahikam.” 671 41:7 But as soon as they were inside the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw their bodies 672 in a cistern. 41:8 But there were ten men among them who said 673 to Ishmael, “Do not kill us. For we will give you the stores of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey we have hidden in a field. 674 So he spared their lives and did not kill 675 them along with the rest. 676 41:9 Now the cistern where Ishmael threw all the dead bodies of those he had killed was a large one 677 that King Asa had constructed as part of his defenses against King Baasha of Israel. 678 Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with dead bodies. 679 41:10 Then Ishmael took captive all the people who were still left alive in Mizpah. This included the royal princesses 680 and all the rest of the people in Mizpah that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had put under the authority of Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took all these people captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.
41:11 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the atrocities 681 that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed. 41:12 So they took all their troops and went to fight against Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the large pool 682 at Gibeon. 41:13 When all the people that Ishmael had taken captive saw 683 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him, they were glad. 41:14 All those people that Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. 41:15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah managed to escape from Johanan along with eight of his men, and he went on over to Ammon.
41:16 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led off all the people who had been left alive at Mizpah. They had rescued them from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after he killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. They led off the men, women, children, soldiers, and court officials whom they had brought away from Gibeon. 41:17 They set out to go to Egypt to get away from the Babylonians, 684 but stopped at Geruth Kimham 685 near Bethlehem. 686 41:18 They were afraid of what the Babylonians might do 687 because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the country.