nkjv Jeremiah:3:6-4 SEEK
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The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king : "
Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done ?
She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree ,
and there played the harlot .
*
And I said ,
after she had done all these things , "
Return to Me .'
But she did not return .
And her treacherous sister Judah saw it .
*
Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery ,
I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce ;
yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear ,
but went and played the harlot also .
*
So it came to pass ,
through her casual harlotry ,
that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees .
*
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart ,
but in pretense ,"
says the LORD .
*
Then the LORD said to me , "
Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah .
*
Go and proclaim these words toward the north ,
and say : "
Return ,
backsliding Israel ,'
says the LORD ; "
I will not cause My anger to fall on you .
For I am merciful ,'
says the LORD ; "
I will not remain angry forever .
*
Only acknowledge your iniquity ,
That you have transgressed against the LORD your God ,
And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree ,
And you have not obeyed My voice ,'
says the LORD .
* "
Return ,
O backsliding children ,"
says the LORD ; "
for I am married to you .
I will take you ,
one from a city and two from a family ,
and I will bring you to Zion .
*
And I will give you shepherds according to My heart ,
who will feed you with knowledge and understanding .
* "
Then it shall come to pass ,
when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days ,"
says the LORD , "
that they will say no more , "
The ark of the covenant of the LORD .'
It shall not come to mind ,
nor shall they remember it ,
nor shall they visit it ,
nor shall it be made anymore .
* "
At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD ,
and all the nations shall be gathered to it ,
to the name of the LORD ,
to Jerusalem .
No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts .
* "
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel ,
and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers .
* "
But I said : "
How can I put you among the children And give you a pleasant land ,
A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations ?' "
And I said : "
You shall call Me , "
My Father ,"
And not turn away from Me .'
*
Surely ,
as a wife treacherously departs from her husband ,
So have you dealt treacherously with Me ,
O house of Israel ,"
says the LORD .
*
A voice was heard on the desolate heights ,
Weeping and supplications of the children of Israel .
For they have perverted their way ;
They have forgotten the LORD their God .
* "
Return ,
you backsliding children ,
And I will heal your backslidings ." "
Indeed we do come to You ,
For You are the LORD our God .
*
Truly ,
in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills ,
And from the multitude of mountains ;
Truly ,
in the LORD our God Is the salvation of Israel .
*
For shame has devoured The labor of our fathers from our youth --
Their flocks and their herds ,
Their sons and their daughters .
*
We lie down in our shame ,
And our reproach covers us .
For we have sinned against the LORD our God ,
We and our fathers ,
From our youth even to this day ,
And have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God ."
*
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD ,
saying ,
* "
Thus speaks the LORD God of Israel ,
saying : "
Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you .
*
For behold ,
the days are coming ,'
says the LORD , "
that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah ,'
says the LORD . "
And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers ,
and they shall possess it ."'
*
Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah .
* "
For thus says the LORD : "
We have heard a voice of trembling ,
Of fear ,
and not of peace .
*
Ask now ,
and see ,
Whether a man is ever in labor with child ?
So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor ,
And all faces turned pale ?
*
Alas !
For that day is great ,
So that none is like it ;
And it is the time of Jacob '
s trouble ,
But he shall be saved out of it .
* "
For it shall come to pass in that day ,'
Says the LORD of hosts , "
That I will break his yoke from your neck ,
And will burst your bonds ;
Foreigners shall no more enslave them .
*
But they shall serve the LORD their God ,
And David their king ,
Whom I will raise up for them .
* "
Therefore do not fear ,
O My servant Jacob ,'
says the LORD , "
Nor be dismayed ,
O Israel ;
For behold ,
I will save you from afar ,
And your seed from the land of their captivity .
Jacob shall return ,
have rest and be quiet ,
And no one shall make him afraid .
*
For I am with you ,'
says the LORD , "
to save you ;
Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you ,
Yet I will not make a complete end of you .
But I will correct you in justice ,
And will not let you go altogether unpunished .'
* "
For thus says the LORD : "
Your affliction is incurable ,
Your wound is severe .
*
There is no one to plead your cause ,
That you may be bound up ;
You have no healing medicines .
*
All your lovers have forgotten you ;
They do not seek you ;
For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy ,
With the chastisement of a cruel one ,
For the multitude of your iniquities ,
Because your sins have increased .
*
Why do you cry about your affliction ?
Your sorrow is incurable .
Because of the multitude of your iniquities ,
Because your sins have increased ,
I have done these things to you .
* "
Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured ;
And all your adversaries ,
every one of them ,
shall go into captivity ;
Those who plunder you shall become plunder ,
And all who prey upon you I will make a prey .
*
For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds ,'
says the LORD , "
Because they called you an outcast saying : "
This is Zion ;
No one seeks her ."'
* "
Thus says the LORD : "
Behold ,
I will bring back the captivity of Jacob '
s tents ,
And have mercy on his dwelling places ;
The city shall be built upon its own mound ,
And the palace shall remain according to its own plan .
*
Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who make merry ;
I will multiply them ,
and they shall not diminish ;
I will also glorify them ,
and they shall not be small .
*
Their children also shall be as before ,
And their congregation shall be established before Me ;
And I will punish all who oppress them .
*
Their nobles shall be from among them ,
And their governor shall come from their midst ;
Then I will cause him to draw near ,
And he shall approach Me ;
For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me ?'
says the LORD .
* "
You shall be My people ,
And I will be your God ."'
*
Behold ,
the whirlwind of the LORD Goes forth with fury ,
A continuing whirlwind ;
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked .
*
The fierce anger of the LORD will not return until He has done it ,
And until He has performed the intents of His heart .
In the latter days you will consider it .
* "
At the same time ,"
says the LORD , "
I will be the God of all the families of Israel ,
and they shall be My people ."
*
Thus says the LORD : "
The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness --
Israel ,
when I went to give him rest ."
*
The LORD has appeared of old to me ,
saying : "
Yes ,
I have loved you with an everlasting love ;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you .
*
Again I will build you ,
and you shall be rebuilt ,
O virgin of Israel !
You shall again be adorned with your tambourines ,
And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice .
*
You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria ;
The planters shall plant and eat them as ordinary food .
*
For there shall be a day When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim , "
Arise ,
and let us go up to Zion ,
To the LORD our God ."'
*
For thus says the LORD : "
Sing with gladness for Jacob ,
And shout among the chief of the nations ;
Proclaim ,
give praise ,
and say , "
O LORD ,
save Your people ,
The remnant of Israel !'
*
Behold ,
I will bring them from the north country ,
And gather them from the ends of the earth ,
Among them the blind and the lame ,
The woman with child And the one who labors with child ,
together ;
A great throng shall return there .
*
They shall come with weeping ,
And with supplications I will lead them .
I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters ,
In a straight way in which they shall not stumble ;
For I am a Father to Israel ,
And Ephraim is My firstborn .
* "
Hear the word of the LORD ,
O nations ,
And declare it in the isles afar off ,
and say , "
He who scattered Israel will gather him ,
And keep him as a shepherd does his flock .'
*
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob ,
And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he .
*
Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion ,
Streaming to the goodness of the LORD --
For wheat and new wine and oil ,
For the young of the flock and the herd ;
Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden ,
And they shall sorrow no more at all .
* "
Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance ,
And the young men and the old ,
together ;
For I will turn their mourning to joy ,
Will comfort them ,
And make them rejoice rather than sorrow .
*
I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance ,
And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness ,
says the LORD ."
*
Thus says the LORD : "
A voice was heard in Ramah ,
Lamentation and bitter weeping ,
Rachel weeping for her children ,
Refusing to be comforted for her children ,
Because they are no more ."
*
Thus says the LORD : "
Refrain your voice from weeping ,
And your eyes from tears ;
For your work shall be rewarded ,
says the LORD ,
And they shall come back from the land of the enemy .
*
There is hope in your future ,
says the LORD ,
That your children shall come back to their own border .
* "
I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself : "
You have chastised me ,
and I was chastised ,
Like an untrained bull ;
Restore me ,
and I will return ,
For You are the LORD my God .
*
Surely ,
after my turning ,
I repented ;
And after I was instructed ,
I struck myself on the thigh ;
I was ashamed ,
yes ,
even humiliated ,
Because I bore the reproach of my youth .'
*
Is Ephraim My dear son ?
Is he a pleasant child ?
For though I spoke against him ,
I earnestly remember him still ;
Therefore My heart yearns for him ;
I will surely have mercy on him ,
says the LORD .
* "
Set up signposts ,
Make landmarks ;
Set your heart toward the highway ,
The way in which you went .
Turn back ,
O virgin of Israel ,
Turn back to these your cities .
*
How long will you gad about ,
O you backsliding daughter ?
For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth --
A woman shall encompass a man ."
*
Thus says the LORD of hosts ,
the God of Israel : "
They shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities ,
when I bring back their captivity : "
The LORD bless you ,
O home of justice ,
and mountain of holiness !'
*
And there shall dwell in Judah itself ,
and in all its cities together ,
farmers and those going out with flocks .
*
For I have satiated the weary soul ,
and I have replenished every sorrowful soul ."
*
After this I awoke and looked around ,
and my sleep was sweet to me .
* "
Behold ,
the days are coming ,
says the LORD ,
that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast .
*
And it shall come to pass ,
that as I have watched over them to pluck up ,
to break down ,
to throw down ,
to destroy ,
and to afflict ,
so I will watch over them to build and to plant ,
says the LORD .
*
In those days they shall say no more : "
The fathers have eaten sour grapes ,
And the children '
s teeth are set on edge .'
*
But every one shall die for his own iniquity ;
every man who eats the sour grapes ,
his teeth shall be set on edge .
* "
Behold ,
the days are coming ,
says the LORD ,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah --
*
not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt ,
My covenant which they broke ,
though I was a husband to them ,
says the LORD .
*
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days ,
says the LORD :
I will put My law in their minds ,
and write it on their hearts ;
and I will be their God ,
and they shall be My people .
*
No more shall every man teach his neighbor ,
and every man his brother ,
saying , "
Know the LORD ,'
for they all shall know Me ,
from the least of them to the greatest of them ,
says the LORD .
For I will forgive their iniquity ,
and their sin I will remember no more ."
*
Thus says the LORD ,
Who gives the sun for a light by day ,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night ,
Who disturbs the sea ,
And its waves roar (
The LORD of hosts is His name ):
* "
If those ordinances depart From before Me ,
says the LORD ,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever ."
*
Thus says the LORD : "
If heaven above can be measured ,
And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath ,
I will also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done ,
says the LORD .
* "
Behold ,
the days are coming ,
says the LORD ,
that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate .
*
The surveyor '
s line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb ;
then it shall turn toward Goath .
*
And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes ,
and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron ,
to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east ,
shall be holy to the LORD .
It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever ."
*
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah ,
which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar .
*
For then the king of Babylon '
s army besieged Jerusalem ,
and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison ,
which was in the king of Judah '
s house .
*
For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up ,
saying , "
Why do you prophesy and say , "
Thus says the LORD : "
Behold ,
I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon ,
and he shall take it ;
*
and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans ,
but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon ,
and shall speak with him face to face ,
and see him eye to eye ;
*
then he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon ,
and there he shall be until I visit him ,"
says the LORD ; "
though you fight with the Chaldeans ,
you shall not succeed "'?"
*
And Jeremiah said , "
The word of the LORD came to me ,
saying ,
* "
Behold ,
Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you ,
saying , "
Buy my field which is in Anathoth ,
for the right of redemption is yours to buy it ."'
*
Then Hanamel my uncle '
s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD ,
and said to me , "
Please buy my field that is in Anathoth ,
which is in the country of Benjamin ;
for the right of inheritance is yours ,
and the redemption yours ;
buy it for yourself .'
Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD .
*
So I bought the field from Hanamel ,
the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth ,
and weighed out to him the money--seventeen shekels of silver .
*
And I signed the deed and sealed it ,
took witnesses ,
and weighed the money on the scales .
*
So I took the purchase deed ,
both that which was sealed according to the law and custom ,
and that which was open ;
*
and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah ,
son of Mahseiah ,
in the presence of Hanamel my uncle '
s son ,
and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed ,
before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison .
* "
Then I charged Baruch before them ,
saying ,
* "
Thus says the LORD of hosts ,
the God of Israel : "
Take these deeds ,
both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open ,
and put them in an earthen vessel ,
that they may last many days ."
*
For thus says the LORD of hosts ,
the God of Israel : "
Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land ."'
* "
Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah ,
I prayed to the LORD ,
saying :
* "
Ah ,
Lord GOD !
Behold ,
You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm .
There is nothing too hard for You .
*
You show lovingkindness to thousands ,
and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them--the Great ,
the Mighty God ,
whose name is the LORD of hosts .
*
You are great in counsel and mighty in work ,
for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men ,
to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings .
*
You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt ,
to this day ,
and in Israel and among other men ;
and You have made Yourself a name ,
as it is this day .
*
You have brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders ,
with a strong hand and an outstretched arm ,
and with great terror ;
*
You have given them this land ,
of which You swore to their fathers to give them --"
a land flowing with milk and honey ."
*
And they came in and took possession of it ,
but they have not obeyed Your voice or walked in Your law .
They have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do ;
therefore You have caused all this calamity to come upon them .
* "
Look ,
the siege mounds !
They have come to the city to take it ;
and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it ,
because of the sword and famine and pestilence .
What You have spoken has happened ;
there You see it !
*
And You have said to me ,
O Lord GOD , "
Buy the field for money ,
and take witnesses "!--
yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans ."'
*
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah ,
saying ,
* "
Behold ,
I am the LORD ,
the God of all flesh .
Is there anything too hard for Me ?
*
Therefore thus says the LORD : "
Behold ,
I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans ,
into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ,
and he shall take it .
*
And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire to this city and burn it ,
with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods ,
to provoke Me to anger ;
*
because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth .
For the children of Israel have provoked Me only to anger with the work of their hands ,'
says the LORD .
* "
For this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My fury from the day that they built it ,
even to this day ;
so I will remove it from before My face
*
because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah ,
which they have done to provoke Me to anger--they ,
their kings ,
their princes ,
their priests ,
their prophets ,
the men of Judah ,
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem .
*
And they have turned to Me the back ,
and not the face ;
though I taught them ,
rising up early and teaching them ,
yet they have not listened to receive instruction .
*
But they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name ,
to defile it .
*
And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom ,
to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech ,
which I did not command them ,
nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination ,
to cause Judah to sin .'
* "
Now therefore ,
thus says the LORD ,
the God of Israel ,
concerning this city of which you say , "
It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword ,
by the famine ,
and by the pestilence :
*
Behold ,
I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger ,
in My fury ,
and in great wrath ;
I will bring them back to this place ,
and I will cause them to dwell safely .
*
They shall be My people ,
and I will be their God ;
*
then I will give them one heart and one way ,
that they may fear Me forever ,
for the good of them and their children after them .
*
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them ,
that I will not turn away from doing them good ;
but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me .
*
Yes ,
I will rejoice over them to do them good ,
and I will assuredly plant them in this land ,
with all My heart and with all My soul .'
* "
For thus says the LORD : "
Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people ,
so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them .
*
And fields will be bought in this land of which you say , "
It is desolate ,
without man or beast ;
it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans ."
*
Men will buy fields for money ,
sign deeds and seal them ,
and take witnesses ,
in the land of Benjamin ,
in the places around Jerusalem ,
in the cities of Judah ,
in the cities of the mountains ,
in the cities of the lowland ,
and in the cities of the South ;
for I will cause their captives to return ,'
says the LORD ."
*
Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time ,
while he was still shut up in the court of the prison ,
saying ,
* "
Thus says the LORD who made it ,
the LORD who formed it to establish it (
the LORD is His name ):
* "
Call to Me ,
and I will answer you ,
and show you great and mighty things ,
which you do not know .'
* "
For thus says the LORD ,
the God of Israel ,
concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah ,
which have been pulled down to fortify against the siege mounds and the sword :
* "
They come to fight with the Chaldeans ,
but only to fill their places with the dead bodies of men whom I will slay in My anger and My fury ,
all for whose wickedness I have hidden My face from this city .
*
Behold ,
I will bring it health and healing ;
I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth .
*
And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return ,
and will rebuild those places as at the first .
*
I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me ,
and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me .
*
Then it shall be to Me a name of joy ,
a praise ,
and an honor before all nations of the earth ,
who shall hear all the good that I do to them ;
they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it .'
* "
Thus says the LORD : "
Again there shall be heard in this place--of which you say , "
It is desolate ,
without man and without beast "--
in the cities of Judah ,
in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate ,
without man and without inhabitant and without beast ,
*
the voice of joy and the voice of gladness ,
the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride ,
the voice of those who will say : "
Praise the LORD of hosts ,
For the LORD is good ,
For His mercy endures forever "--
and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD .
For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first ,'
says the LORD .
* "
Thus says the LORD of hosts : "
In this place which is desolate ,
without man and without beast ,
and in all its cities ,
there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down .
*
In the cities of the mountains ,
in the cities of the lowland ,
in the cities of the South ,
in the land of Benjamin ,
in the places around Jerusalem ,
and in the cities of Judah ,
the flocks shall again pass under the hands of him who counts them ,'
says the LORD .
* "
Behold ,
the days are coming ,'
says the LORD , "
that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah :
* "
In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness ;
He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth .
*
In those days Judah will be saved ,
And Jerusalem will dwell safely .
And this is the name by which she will be called :
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS .'
* "
For thus says the LORD : "
David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel ;
*
nor shall the priests ,
the Levites ,
lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me ,
to kindle grain offerings ,
and to sacrifice continually ."'
*
And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah ,
saying ,
* "
Thus says the LORD : "
If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night ,
so that there will not be day and night in their season ,
*
then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant ,
so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne ,
and with the Levites ,
the priests ,
My ministers .
*
As the host of heaven cannot be numbered ,
nor the sand of the sea measured ,
so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me ."'
*
Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah ,
saying ,
* "
Have you not considered what these people have spoken ,
saying , "
The two families which the LORD has chosen ,
He has also cast them off
* "
Thus says the LORD : "
If My covenant is not with day and night ,
and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth ,
*
then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant ,
so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham ,
Isaac ,
and Jacob .
For I will cause their captives to return ,
and will have mercy on them ."'
*
The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD ,
when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army ,
all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion ,
and all the people ,
fought against Jerusalem and all its cities ,
saying ,
* "
Thus says the LORD ,
the God of Israel : "
Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him , "
Thus says the LORD : "
Behold ,
I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon ,
and he shall burn it with fire .
*
And you shall not escape from his hand ,
but shall surely be taken and delivered into his hand ;
your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon ,
he shall speak with you face to face ,
and you shall go to Babylon .""
*
Yet hear the word of the LORD ,
O Zedekiah king of Judah !
Thus says the LORD concerning you : "
You shall not die by the sword .
*
You shall die in peace ;
as in the ceremonies of your fathers ,
the former kings who were before you ,
so they shall burn incense for you and lament for you ,
saying , "
Alas ,
lord !"
For I have pronounced the word ,
says the LORD ."'
*
Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem ,
*
when the king of Babylon '
s army fought against Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah that were left ,
against Lachish and Azekah ;
for only these fortified cities remained of the cities of Judah .
*
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD ,
after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them :
*
that every man should set free his male and female slave--a Hebrew man or woman--that no one should keep a Jewish brother in bondage .
*
Now when all the princes and all the people ,
who had entered into the covenant ,
heard that everyone should set free his male and female slaves ,
that no one should keep them in bondage anymore ,
they obeyed and let them go .
*
But afterward they changed their minds and made the male and female slaves return ,
whom they had set free ,
and brought them into subjection as male and female slaves .
*
Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD ,
saying ,
* "
Thus says the LORD ,
the God of Israel : "
I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt ,
out of the house of bondage ,
saying ,
* "
At the end of seven years let every man set free his Hebrew brother ,
who has been sold to him ;
and when he has served you six years ,
you shall let him go free from you ."
But your fathers did not obey Me nor incline their ear .
*
Then you recently turned and did what was right in My sight--every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor ;
and you made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name .
*
Then you turned around and profaned My name ,
and every one of you brought back his male and female slaves ,
whom he had set at liberty ,
at their pleasure ,
and brought them back into subjection ,
to be your male and female slaves .'
* "
Therefore thus says the LORD : "
You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming liberty ,
every one to his brother and every one to his neighbor .
Behold ,
I proclaim liberty to you ,'
says the LORD --"
to the sword ,
to pestilence ,
and to famine !
And I will deliver you to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth .
*
And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant ,
who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me ,
when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it --
*
the princes of Judah ,
the princes of Jerusalem ,
the eunuchs ,
the priests ,
and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf --
*
I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life .
Their dead bodies shall be for meat for the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the earth .
*
And I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes into the hand of their enemies ,
into the hand of those who seek their life ,
and into the hand of the king of Babylon '
s army which has gone back from you .
*
Behold ,
I will command ,'
says the LORD , "
and cause them to return to this city .
They will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire ;
and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant ."'
*
The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah ,
king of Judah ,
saying ,
* "
Go to the house of the Rechabites ,
speak to them ,
and bring them into the house of the LORD ,
into one of the chambers ,
and give them wine to drink ."
*
Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah ,
the son of Habazziniah ,
his brothers and all his sons ,
and the whole house of the Rechabites ,
*
and I brought them into the house of the LORD ,
into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah ,
a man of God ,
which was by the chamber of the princes ,
above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum ,
the keeper of the door .
*
Then I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine ,
and cups ;
and I said to them , "
Drink wine ."
*
But they said , "
We will drink no wine ,
for Jonadab the son of Rechab ,
our father ,
commanded us ,
saying , "
You shall drink no wine ,
you nor your sons ,
forever .
*
You shall not build a house ,
sow seed ,
plant a vineyard ,
nor have any of these ;
but all your days you shall dwell in tents ,
that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners .'
*
Thus we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab ,
our father ,
in all that he charged us ,
to drink no wine all our days ,
we ,
our wives ,
our sons ,
or our daughters ,
*
nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in ;
nor do we have vineyard ,
field ,
or seed .
*
But we have dwelt in tents ,
and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us .
*
But it came to pass ,
when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land ,
that we said , "
Come ,
let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and for fear of the army of the Syrians .'
So we dwell at Jerusalem ."
*
Then came the word of the LORD to Jeremiah ,
saying ,
* "
Thus says the LORD of hosts ,
the God of Israel : "
Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem , "
Will you not receive instruction to obey My words ?"
says the LORD .
* "
The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab ,
which he commanded his sons ,
not to drink wine ,
are performed ;
for to this day they drink none ,
and obey their father '
s commandment .
But although I have spoken to you ,
rising early and speaking ,
you did not obey Me .
*
I have also sent to you all My servants the prophets ,
rising up early and sending them ,
saying , "
Turn now everyone from his evil way ,
amend your doings ,
and do not go after other gods to serve them ;
then you will dwell in the land which I have given you and your fathers .'
But you have not inclined your ear ,
nor obeyed Me .
*
Surely the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father ,
which he commanded them ,
but this people has not obeyed Me ."'
* "
Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts ,
the God of Israel : "
Behold ,
I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the doom that I have pronounced against them ;
because I have spoken to them but they have not heard ,
and I have called to them but they have not answered ."'
*
And Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites , "
Thus says the LORD of hosts ,
the God of Israel : "
Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father ,
and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you ,
*
therefore thus says the LORD of hosts ,
the God of Israel : "
Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever .""'
*
Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah ,
king of Judah ,
that this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD ,
saying :
* "
Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel ,
against Judah ,
and against all the nations ,
from the day I spoke to you ,
from the days of Josiah even to this day .
*
It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them ,
that everyone may turn from his evil way ,
that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin ."
*
Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah ;
and Baruch wrote on a scroll of a book ,
at the instruction of Jeremiah ,
all the words of the LORD which He had spoken to him .
*
And Jeremiah commanded Baruch ,
saying , "
I am confined ,
I cannot go into the house of the LORD .
*
You go ,
therefore ,
and read from the scroll which you have written at my instruction ,
the words of the LORD ,
in the hearing of the people in the LORD '
s house on the day of fasting .
And you shall also read them in the hearing of all Judah who come from their cities .
*
It may be that they will present their supplication before the LORD ,
and everyone will turn from his evil way .
For great is the anger and the fury that the LORD has pronounced against this people ."
*
And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him ,
reading from the book the words of the LORD in the LORD '
s house .
*
Now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah ,
king of Judah ,
in the ninth month ,
that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem ,
and to all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem .
*
Then Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD ,
in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe ,
in the upper court at the entry of the New Gate of the LORD '
s house ,
in the hearing of all the people .
*
When Michaiah the son of Gemariah ,
the son of Shaphan ,
heard all the words of the LORD from the book ,
*
he then went down to the king '
s house ,
into the scribe '
s chamber ;
and there all the princes were sitting--Elishama the scribe ,
Delaiah the son of Shemaiah ,
Elnathan the son of Achbor ,
Gemariah the son of Shaphan ,
Zedekiah the son of Hananiah ,
and all the princes .
*
Then Michaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read the book in the hearing of the people .
*
Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah ,
the son of Shelemiah ,
the son of Cushi ,
to Baruch ,
saying , "
Take in your hand the scroll from which you have read in the hearing of the people ,
and come ."
So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them .
*
And they said to him , "
Sit down now ,
and read it in our hearing ."
So Baruch read it in their hearing .
*
Now it happened ,
when they had heard all the words ,
that they looked in fear from one to another ,
and said to Baruch , "
We will surely tell the king of all these words ."
*
And they asked Baruch ,
saying , "
Tell us now ,
how did you write all these words--at his instruction ?"
*
So Baruch answered them , "
He proclaimed with his mouth all these words to me ,
and I wrote them with ink in the book ."
*
Then the princes said to Baruch , "
Go and hide ,
you and Jeremiah ;
and let no one know where you are ."
*
And they went to the king ,
into the court ;
but they stored the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe ,
and told all the words in the hearing of the king .
*
So the king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll ,
and he took it from Elishama the scribe '
s chamber .
And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king .
*
Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month ,
with a fire burning on the hearth before him .
*
And it happened ,
when Jehudi had read three or four columns ,
that the king cut it with the scribe '
s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth ,
until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth .
*
Yet they were not afraid ,
nor did they tear their garments ,
the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words .
*
Nevertheless Elnathan ,
Delaiah ,
and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll ;
but he would not listen to them .
*
And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king '
s son ,
Seraiah the son of Azriel ,
and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel ,
to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet ,
but the LORD hid them .
*
Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words which Baruch had written at the instruction of Jeremiah ,
the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah ,
saying :
* "
Take yet another scroll ,
and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned .
*
And you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah , "
Thus says the LORD : "
You have burned this scroll ,
saying , "
Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land ,
and cause man and beast to cease from here ?"'
*
Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah : "
He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David ,
and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night .
*
I will punish him ,
his family ,
and his servants for their iniquity ;
and I will bring on them ,
on the inhabitants of Jerusalem ,
and on the men of Judah all the doom that I have pronounced against them ;
but they did not heed .""'
*
Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe ,
the son of Neriah ,
who wrote on it at the instruction of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire .
And besides ,
there were added to them many similar words .
*
Now King Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim ,
whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah .
*
But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land gave heed to the words of the LORD which He spoke by the prophet Jeremiah .
*
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah ,
and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah ,
the priest ,
to the prophet Jeremiah ,
saying , "
Pray now to the LORD our God for us ."
*
Now Jeremiah was coming and going among the people ,
for they had not yet put him in prison .
*
Then Pharaoh '
s army came up from Egypt ;
and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them ,
they departed from Jerusalem .
*
Then the word of the LORD came to the prophet Jeremiah ,
saying ,
* "
Thus says the LORD ,
the God of Israel , "
Thus you shall say to the king of Judah ,
who sent you to Me to inquire of Me : "
Behold ,
Pharaoh '
s army which has come up to help you will return to Egypt ,
to their own land .
*
And the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city ,
and take it and burn it with fire ."'
*
Thus says the LORD : "
Do not deceive yourselves ,
saying , "
The Chaldeans will surely depart from us ,"
for they will not depart .
*
For though you had defeated the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you ,
and there remained only wounded men among them ,
they would rise up ,
every man in his tent ,
and burn the city with fire ."'
*
And it happened ,
when the army of the Chaldeans left the siege of Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh '
s army ,
*
that Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin to claim his property there among the people .
*
And when he was in the Gate of Benjamin ,
a captain of the guard was there whose name was Irijah the son of Shelemiah ,
the son of Hananiah ;
and he seized Jeremiah the prophet ,
saying , "
You are defecting to the Chaldeans !"
*
Then Jeremiah said , "
False !
I am not defecting to the Chaldeans ."
But he did not listen to him .
So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the princes .
*
Therefore the princes were angry with Jeremiah ,
and they struck him and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe .
For they had made that the prison .
*
When Jeremiah entered the dungeon and the cells ,
and Jeremiah had remained there many days ,
*
then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out .
The king asked him secretly in his house ,
and said , "
Is there any word from the LORD ?"
And Jeremiah said , "
There is ."
Then he said , "
You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon !"
*
Moreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah , "
What offense have I committed against you ,
against your servants ,
or against this people ,
that you have put me in prison ?
*
Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you ,
saying , "
The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land '?
*
Therefore please hear now ,
O my lord the king .
Please ,
let my petition be accepted before you ,
and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe ,
lest I die there ."
*
Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah to the court of the prison ,
and that they should give him daily a piece of bread from the bakers '
street ,
until all the bread in the city was gone .
Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison .
*
Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan ,
Gedaliah the son of Pashhur ,
Jucal the son of Shelemiah ,
and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people ,
saying ,
* "
Thus says the LORD : "
He who remains in this city shall die by the sword ,
by famine ,
and by pestilence ;
but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live ;
his life shall be as a prize to him ,
and he shall live .'
*
Thus says the LORD : "
This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon '
s army ,
which shall take it ."'
*
Therefore the princes said to the king , "
Please ,
let this man be put to death ,
for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city ,
and the hands of all the people ,
by speaking such words to them .
For this man does not seek the welfare of this people ,
but their harm ."
*
Then Zedekiah the king said , "
Look ,
he is in your hand .
For the king can do nothing against you ."
*
So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king '
s son ,
which was in the court of the prison ,
and they let Jeremiah down with ropes .
And in the dungeon there was no water ,
but mire .
So Jeremiah sank in the mire .
*
Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian ,
one of the eunuchs ,
who was in the king '
s house ,
heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon .
When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin ,
*
Ebed-Melech went out of the king '
s house and spoke to the king ,
saying :
* "
My lord the king ,
these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet ,
whom they have cast into the dungeon ,
and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is .
For there is no more bread in the city ."
*
Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian ,
saying , "
Take from here thirty men with you ,
and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies ."
*
So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury ,
and took from there old clothes and old rags ,
and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah .
*
Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah , "
Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits ,
under the ropes ."
And Jeremiah did so .
*
So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon .
And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison .
*
Then Zedekiah the king sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance of the house of the LORD .
And the king said to Jeremiah , "
I will ask you something .
Hide nothing from me ."
*
Jeremiah said to Zedekiah , "
If I declare it to you ,
will you not surely put me to death ?
And if I give you advice ,
you will not listen to me ."
*
So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah ,
saying , "
As the LORD lives ,
who made our very souls ,
I will not put you to death ,
nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life ."
*
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah , "
Thus says the LORD ,
the God of hosts ,
the God of Israel : "
If you surely surrender to the king of Babylon '
s princes ,
then your soul shall live ;
this city shall not be burned with fire ,
and you and your house shall live .
*
But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylon '
s princes ,
then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans ;
they shall burn it with fire ,
and you shall not escape from their hand ."'
*
And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah , "
I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans ,
lest they deliver me into their hand ,
and they abuse me ."
*
But Jeremiah said , "
They shall not deliver you .
Please ,
obey the voice of the LORD which I speak to you .
So it shall be well with you ,
and your soul shall live .
*
But if you refuse to surrender ,
this is the word that the LORD has shown me :
* "
Now behold ,
all the women who are left in the king of Judah '
s house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon '
s princes ,
and those women shall say : "
Your close friends have set upon you And prevailed against you ;
Your feet have sunk in the mire ,
And they have turned away again ."
* "
So they shall surrender all your wives and children to the Chaldeans .
You shall not escape from their hand ,
but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon .
And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire ."'
*
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah , "
Let no one know of these words ,
and you shall not die .
*
But if the princes hear that I have talked with you ,
and they come to you and say to you , "
Declare to us now what you have said to the king ,
and also what the king said to you ;
do not hide it from us ,
and we will not put you to death ,'
*
then you shall say to them , "
I presented my request before the king ,
that he would not make me return to Jonathan '
s house to die there ."'
*
Then all the princes came to Jeremiah and asked him .
And he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded .
So they stopped speaking with him ,
for the conversation had not been heard .
*
Now Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken .
And he was there when Jerusalem was taken .
*
In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah ,
in the tenth month ,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem ,
and besieged it .
*
In the eleventh year of Zedekiah ,
in the fourth month ,
on the ninth day of the month ,
the city was penetrated .
*
Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate :
Nergal-Sharezer ,
Samgar-Nebo ,
Sarsechim ,
Rabsaris ,
Nergal-Sarezer ,
Rabmag ,
with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon .
*
So it was ,
when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them ,
that they fled and went out of the city by night ,
by way of the king '
s garden ,
by the gate between the two walls .
And he went out by way of the plain .
*
But the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho .
And when they had captured him ,
they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ,
to Riblah in the land of Hamath ,
where he pronounced judgment on him .
*
Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah ;
the king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah .
*
Moreover he put out Zedekiah '
s eyes ,
and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon .
*
And the Chaldeans burned the king '
s house and the houses of the people with fire ,
and broke down the walls of Jerusalem .
*
Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those who defected to him ,
with the rest of the people who remained .
*
But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah the poor people ,
who had nothing ,
and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time .
*
Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard ,
saying ,
* "
Take him and look after him ,
and do him no harm ;
but do to him just as he says to you ."
*
So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban ,
Rabsaris ,
Nergal-Sharezer ,
Rabmag ,
and all the king of Babylon '
s chief officers ;
*
then they sent someone to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison ,
and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam ,
the son of Shaphan ,
that he should take him home .
So he dwelt among the people .
*
Meanwhile the word of the LORD had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison ,
saying ,
* "
Go and speak to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian ,
saying , "
Thus says the LORD of hosts ,
the God of Israel : "
Behold ,
I will bring My words upon this city for adversity and not for good ,
and they shall be performed in that day before you .
*
But I will deliver you in that day ,"
says the LORD , "
and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid .
*
For I will surely deliver you ,
and you shall not fall by the sword ;
but your life shall be as a prize to you ,
because you have put your trust in Me ,"
says the LORD ."'
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