[How Firm a Foundation] Creation

Doing Time With Jesus!

Finding Courage in the Storm

Touching Heaven, Changing Earth

Glory: Training Time

Reading With the People of God #9 - Faithfulness

New Day, New Year, and New Beginnings - 31 Days of Fresh Starts

Ecclesiastes Book Study - TheStory

The Gentile Pentecost (Acts 8-15)

Overcoming

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
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 <div class="label">22</div><div class="s1">Judgment Against Wicked Kings</div><div class="p"> 1This is what the Lord says: &#8220;Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2&#8216;Hear the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David&#8217;s throne&#8212;you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. 3This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David&#8217;s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5But if you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Though you are like Gilead to me,</div><div class="q2">like the summit of Lebanon,</div><div class="q1">I will surely make you like a wasteland,</div><div class="q2">like towns not inhabited.</div><div class="q1"> 7I will send destroyers against you,</div><div class="q2">each man with his weapons,</div><div class="q1">and they will cut up your fine cedar beams</div><div class="q2">and throw them into the fire.</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, &#8216;Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?&#8217; 9And the answer will be: &#8216;Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="q1"> 10Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss;</div><div class="q2">rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,</div><div class="q1">because he will never return</div><div class="q2">nor see his native land again.</div><div class="m"> 11For this is what the Lord says about Shallum#22:11 Also called Jehoahaz son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: &#8220;He will never return. 12He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.&#8221;</div><div class="q1"> 13&#8220;Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,</div><div class="q2">his upper rooms by injustice,</div><div class="q1">making his own people work for nothing,</div><div class="q2">not paying them for their labor.</div><div class="q1"> 14He says, &#8216;I will build myself a great palace</div><div class="q2">with spacious upper rooms.&#8217;</div><div class="q1">So he makes large windows in it,</div><div class="q2">panels it with cedar</div><div class="q2">and decorates it in red.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 15&#8220;Does it make you a king</div><div class="q2">to have more and more cedar?</div><div class="q1">Did not your father have food and drink?</div><div class="q2">He did what was right and just,</div><div class="q2">so all went well with him.</div><div class="q1"> 16He defended the cause of the poor and needy,</div><div class="q2">and so all went well.</div><div class="q1">Is that not what it means to know me?&#8221;</div><div class="q2">declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1"> 17&#8220;But your eyes and your heart</div><div class="q2">are set only on dishonest gain,</div><div class="q1">on shedding innocent blood</div><div class="q2">and on oppression and extortion.&#8221;</div><div class="m"> 18Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;They will not mourn for him:</div><div class="q2">&#8216;Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!&#8217;</div><div class="q1">They will not mourn for him:</div><div class="q2">&#8216;Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!&#8217;</div><div class="q1"> 19He will have the burial of a donkey&#8212;</div><div class="q2">dragged away and thrown</div><div class="q2">outside the gates of Jerusalem.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 20&#8220;Go up to Lebanon and cry out,</div><div class="q2">let your voice be heard in Bashan,</div><div class="q1">cry out from Abarim,</div><div class="q2">for all your allies are crushed.</div><div class="q1"> 21I warned you when you felt secure,</div><div class="q2">but you said, &#8216;I will not listen!&#8217;</div><div class="q1">This has been your way from your youth;</div><div class="q2">you have not obeyed me.</div><div class="q1"> 22The wind will drive all your shepherds away,</div><div class="q2">and your allies will go into exile.</div><div class="q1">Then you will be ashamed and disgraced</div><div class="q2">because of all your wickedness.</div><div class="q1"> 23You who live in &#8216;Lebanon,#22:23 That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2)&#8217;</div><div class="q2">who are nestled in cedar buildings,</div><div class="q1">how you will groan when pangs come upon you,</div><div class="q2">pain like that of a woman in labor!</div><div class="p"> 24&#8220;As surely as I live,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;even if you, Jehoiachin#22:24 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 28 son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear&#8212;Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.#22:25 Or Chaldeans 26I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27You will never come back to the land you long to return to.&#8221;</div><div class="q1"> 28Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot,</div><div class="q2">an object no one wants?</div><div class="q1">Why will he and his children be hurled out,</div><div class="q2">cast into a land they do not know?</div><div class="q1"> 29O land, land, land,</div><div class="q2">hear the word of the Lord!</div><div class="q1"> 30This is what the Lord says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Record this man as if childless,</div><div class="q2">a man who will not prosper in his lifetime,</div><div class="q1">for none of his offspring will prosper,</div><div class="q2">none will sit on the throne of David</div><div class="q2">or rule anymore in Judah.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
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 <div class="label">24</div><div class="s1">Two Baskets of Figs</div><div class="p"> 1After Jehoiachin#24:1 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten.</div><div class="p"> 3Then the Lord asked me, &#8220;What do you see, Jeremiah?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Figs,&#8221; I answered. &#8220;The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5&#8220;This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: &#8216;Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.#24:5 Or Chaldeans 6My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,&#8217; says the Lord, &#8216;so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. 9I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a curse#24:9 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that they are cursed. and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish them. 10I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch25" data-usfm="JER.25">
 <div class="label">25</div><div class="s1">Seventy Years of Captivity</div><div class="p"> 1The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 2So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah and to all those living in Jerusalem: 3For twenty-three years&#8212;from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day&#8212;the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.</div><div class="p"> 4And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention. 5They said, &#8220;Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. 6Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7&#8220;But you did not listen to me,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: &#8220;Because you have not listened to my words, 9I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy#25:9 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them. them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,#25:12 Or Chaldeans for their guilt,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;and will make it desolate forever. 13I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Cup of God&#8217;s Wrath</div><div class="p"> 15This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: &#8220;Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17So I took the cup from the Lord&#8217;s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it: 18Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn, a curse#25:18 That is, their names to be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, to be seen by others as cursed&#8212;as they are today; 19Pharaoh king of Egypt, his attendants, his officials and all his people, 20and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines (those of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); 21Edom, Moab and Ammon; 22all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea; 23Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who are in distant places#25:23 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads; 24all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the foreign people who live in the wilderness; 25all the kings of Zimri, Elam and Media; 26and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other&#8212;all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak#25:26 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon. will drink it too.</div><div class="p"> 27&#8220;Then tell them, &#8216;This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.&#8217; 28But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, &#8216;This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! 29See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 30&#8220;Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;The Lord will roar from on high;</div><div class="q2">he will thunder from his holy dwelling</div><div class="q2">and roar mightily against his land.</div><div class="q1">He will shout like those who tread the grapes,</div><div class="q2">shout against all who live on the earth.</div><div class="q1"> 31The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth,</div><div class="q2">for the Lord will bring charges against the nations;</div><div class="q1">he will bring judgment on all mankind</div><div class="q2">and put the wicked to the sword,&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 32This is what the Lord Almighty says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Look! Disaster is spreading</div><div class="q2">from nation to nation;</div><div class="q1">a mighty storm is rising</div><div class="q2">from the ends of the earth.&#8221;</div><div class="m"> 33At that time those slain by the Lord will be everywhere&#8212;from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.</div><div class="q1"> 34Weep and wail, you shepherds;</div><div class="q2">roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.</div><div class="q1">For your time to be slaughtered has come;</div><div class="q2">you will fall like the best of the rams.#25:34 Septuagint; Hebrew fall and be shattered like fine pottery</div><div class="q1"> 35The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,</div><div class="q2">the leaders of the flock no place to escape.</div><div class="q1"> 36Hear the cry of the shepherds,</div><div class="q2">the wailing of the leaders of the flock,</div><div class="q2">for the Lord is destroying their pasture.</div><div class="q1"> 37The peaceful meadows will be laid waste</div><div class="q2">because of the fierce anger of the Lord.</div><div class="q1"> 38Like a lion he will leave his lair,</div><div class="q2">and their land will become desolate</div><div class="q1">because of the sword#25:38 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 46:16 and 50:16); most Hebrew manuscripts anger of the oppressor</div><div class="q2">and because of the Lord&#8217;s fierce anger.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="label">26</div><div class="s1">Jeremiah Threatened With Death</div><div class="p"> 1Early in the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2&#8220;This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord&#8217;s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word. 3Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. 4Say to them, &#8216;This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, 5and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), 6then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse#26:6 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed. among all the nations of the earth.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. 8But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, &#8220;You must die! 9Why do you prophesy in the Lord&#8217;s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?&#8221; And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 10When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord&#8217;s house. 11Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, &#8220;This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: &#8220;The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard. 13Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, &#8220;This man should not be sentenced to death! He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, 18&#8220;Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, &#8216;This is what the Lord Almighty says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Zion will be plowed like a field,</div><div class="q2">Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,</div><div class="q2">the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.&#8217;#26:18 Micah 3:12</div><div class="m"> 19&#8220;Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah fear the Lord and seek his favor? And did not the Lord relent, so that he did not bring the disaster he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20(Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. 21When King Jehoiakim and all his officers and officials heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death. But Uriah heard of it and fled in fear to Egypt. 22King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. 23They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)</div><div class="p"> 24Furthermore, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="label">27</div><div class="s1">Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar</div><div class="p"> 1Early in the reign of Zedekiah#27:1 A few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also 27:3,12 and 28:1); most Hebrew manuscripts Jehoiakim (Most Septuagint manuscripts do not have this verse.) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2This is what the Lord said to me: &#8220;Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. 3Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4Give them a message for their masters and say, &#8216;This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: &#8220;Tell this to your masters: 5With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. 6Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. 7All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;&#8198;&#8220;If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. 9So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, &#8216;You will not serve the king of Babylon.&#8217; 10They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. 11But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares the Lord.&#8221;&#8198;&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, &#8220;Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live. 13Why will you and your people die by the sword, famine and plague with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, &#8216;You will not serve the king of Babylon,&#8217; for they are prophesying lies to you. 15&#8216;I have not sent them,&#8217; declares the Lord. &#8216;They are prophesying lies in my name. Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Then I said to the priests and all these people, &#8220;This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, &#8216;Very soon now the articles from the Lord&#8217;s house will be brought back from Babylon.&#8217; They are prophesying lies to you. 17Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this city become a ruin? 18If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead with the Lord Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. 19For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea, the movable stands and the other articles that are left in this city, 20which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiachin#27:20 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem&#8212; 21yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22&#8216;They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,&#8217; declares the Lord. &#8216;Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="label">28</div><div class="s1">The False Prophet Hananiah</div><div class="p"> 1In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: 2&#8220;This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: &#8216;I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the Lord&#8217;s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. 4I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin#28:4 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,&#8217; declares the Lord, &#8216;for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. 6He said, &#8220;Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord&#8217;s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. 7Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: 8From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. 9But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, 11and he said before all the people, &#8220;This is what the Lord says: &#8216;In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.</div><div class="p"> 12After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13&#8220;Go and tell Hananiah, &#8216;This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. 14This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, &#8220;Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. 16Therefore this is what the Lord says: &#8216;I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
 <div class="chapter ch29" data-usfm="JER.29">
 <div class="label">29</div><div class="s1">A Letter to the Exiles</div><div class="p"> 1This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2(This was after King Jehoiachin#29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:</div><div class="pm"> 4This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5&#8220;Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.&#8221; 8Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: &#8220;Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,&#8221; declares the Lord.</div><div class="pm"> 10This is what the Lord says: &#8220;When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans I have for you,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;and will bring you back from captivity.#29:14 Or will restore your fortunes I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.&#8221;</div><div class="pm"> 15You may say, &#8220;The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,&#8221; 16but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David&#8217;s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile&#8212; 17yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: &#8220;I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse#29:18 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see verse 22); or, others will see that they are cursed. and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19For they have not listened to my words,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,&#8221; declares the Lord.</div><div class="pm"> 20Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: &#8220;I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. 22Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: &#8216;May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.&#8217; 23For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbors&#8217; wives, and in my name they have uttered lies&#8212;which I did not authorize. I know it and am a witness to it,&#8221; declares the Lord.</div><div class="s1">Message to Shemaiah</div><div class="p"> 24Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, 25&#8220;This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, 26&#8216;The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac who acts like a prophet into the stocks and neck-irons. 27So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? 28He has sent this message to us in Babylon: It will be a long time. Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29Zephaniah the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. 30Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31&#8220;Send this message to all the exiles: &#8216;This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, 32this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion against me.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
 <div class="chapter ch30" data-usfm="JER.30">
 <div class="label">30</div><div class="s1">Restoration of Israel</div><div class="p"> 1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2&#8220;This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: &#8216;Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3The days are coming,&#8217; declares the Lord, &#8216;when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity#30:3 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,&#8217; says the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5&#8220;This is what the Lord says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Cries of fear are heard&#8212;</div><div class="q2">terror, not peace.</div><div class="q1"> 6Ask and see:</div><div class="q2">Can a man bear children?</div><div class="q1">Then why do I see every strong man</div><div class="q2">with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,</div><div class="q2">every face turned deathly pale?</div><div class="q1"> 7How awful that day will be!</div><div class="q2">No other will be like it.</div><div class="q1">It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,</div><div class="q2">but he will be saved out of it.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;In that day,&#8217; declares the Lord Almighty,</div><div class="q2">&#8216;I will break the yoke off their necks</div><div class="q1">and will tear off their bonds;</div><div class="q2">no longer will foreigners enslave them.</div><div class="q1"> 9Instead, they will serve the Lord their God</div><div class="q2">and David their king,</div><div class="q2">whom I will raise up for them.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant;</div><div class="q2">do not be dismayed, Israel,&#8217;</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1">&#8216;I will surely save you out of a distant place,</div><div class="q2">your descendants from the land of their exile.</div><div class="q1">Jacob will again have peace and security,</div><div class="q2">and no one will make him afraid.</div><div class="q1"> 11I am with you and will save you,&#8217;</div><div class="q2">declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1">&#8216;Though I completely destroy all the nations</div><div class="q2">among which I scatter you,</div><div class="q2">I will not completely destroy you.</div><div class="q1">I will discipline you but only in due measure;</div><div class="q2">I will not let you go entirely unpunished.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;This is what the Lord says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Your wound is incurable,</div><div class="q2">your injury beyond healing.</div><div class="q1"> 13There is no one to plead your cause,</div><div class="q2">no remedy for your sore,</div><div class="q2">no healing for you.</div><div class="q1"> 14All your allies have forgotten you;</div><div class="q2">they care nothing for you.</div><div class="q1">I have struck you as an enemy would</div><div class="q2">and punished you as would the cruel,</div><div class="q1">because your guilt is so great</div><div class="q2">and your sins so many.</div><div class="q1"> 15Why do you cry out over your wound,</div><div class="q2">your pain that has no cure?</div><div class="q1">Because of your great guilt and many sins</div><div class="q2">I have done these things to you.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 16&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;But all who devour you will be devoured;</div><div class="q2">all your enemies will go into exile.</div><div class="q1">Those who plunder you will be plundered;</div><div class="q2">all who make spoil of you I will despoil.</div><div class="q1"> 17But I will restore you to health</div><div class="q2">and heal your wounds,&#8217;</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord,</div><div class="q1">&#8216;because you are called an outcast,</div><div class="q2">Zion for whom no one cares.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 18&#8220;This is what the Lord says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;I will restore the fortunes of Jacob&#8217;s tents</div><div class="q2">and have compassion on his dwellings;</div><div class="q1">the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,</div><div class="q2">and the palace will stand in its proper place.</div><div class="q1"> 19From them will come songs of thanksgiving</div><div class="q2">and the sound of rejoicing.</div><div class="q1">I will add to their numbers,</div><div class="q2">and they will not be decreased;</div><div class="q1">I will bring them honor,</div><div class="q2">and they will not be disdained.</div><div class="q1"> 20Their children will be as in days of old,</div><div class="q2">and their community will be established before me;</div><div class="q2">I will punish all who oppress them.</div><div class="q1"> 21Their leader will be one of their own;</div><div class="q2">their ruler will arise from among them.</div><div class="q1">I will bring him near and he will come close to me&#8212;</div><div class="q2">for who is he who will devote himself</div><div class="q2">to be close to me?&#8217;</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1"> 22&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;So you will be my people,</div><div class="q2">and I will be your God.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 23See, the storm of the Lord</div><div class="q2">will burst out in wrath,</div><div class="q1">a driving wind swirling down</div><div class="q2">on the heads of the wicked.</div><div class="q1"> 24The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back</div><div class="q2">until he fully accomplishes</div><div class="q2">the purposes of his heart.</div><div class="q1">In days to come</div><div class="q2">you will understand this.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
 <div class="chapter ch32" data-usfm="JER.32">
 <div class="label">32</div><div class="s1">Jeremiah Buys a Field</div><div class="p"> 1This is 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. 2The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah.</div><div class="p"> 3Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, &#8220;Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, &#8216;This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians#32:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 5, 24, 25, 28, 29 and 43 but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. 5He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Jeremiah said, &#8220;The word of the Lord came to me: 7Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, &#8216;Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, &#8216;Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.&#8217;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I knew that this was the word of the Lord; 9so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels#32:9 That is, about 7 ounces or about 200 grams of silver. 10I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11I took the deed of purchase&#8212;the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy&#8212; 12and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.</div><div class="p"> 13&#8220;In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14&#8216;This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 16&#8220;After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:</div><div class="pmo"> 17&#8220;Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. 18You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents&#8217; sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, 19great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. 20You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. 21You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. 22You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them.</div><div class="pm"> 24&#8220;See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see. 25And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, &#8216;Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27&#8220;I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? 28Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. 29The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.</div><div class="p"> 30&#8220;The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the Lord. 31From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove it from my sight. 32The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done&#8212;they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 33They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline. 34They set up their vile images in the house that bears my Name and defiled it. 35They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded&#8212;nor did it enter my mind&#8212;that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.</div><div class="p"> 36&#8220;You are saying about this city, &#8216;By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon&#8217;; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. 41I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.</div><div class="p"> 42&#8220;This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them. 43Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, &#8216;It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.&#8217; 44Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes,#32:44 Or will bring them back from captivity declares the Lord.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
 <div class="chapter ch33" data-usfm="JER.33">
 <div class="label">33</div><div class="s1">Promise of Restoration</div><div class="p"> 1While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: 2&#8220;This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it&#8212;the Lord is his name: 3&#8216;Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.&#8217; 4For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword 5in the fight with the Babylonians#33:5 Or Chaldeans: &#8216;They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.</div><div class="p"> 6&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. 7I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity#33:7 Or will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and will rebuild them as they were before. 8I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. 9Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 10&#8220;This is what the Lord says: &#8216;You say about this place, &#8220;It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.&#8221; Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more 11the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,</div><div class="q2">for the Lord is good;</div><div class="q2">his love endures forever.&#8221;</div><div class="m">For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,&#8217; says the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;This is what the Lord Almighty says: &#8216;In this place, desolate and without people or animals&#8212;in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. 13In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,&#8217; says the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;The days are coming,&#8217; declares the Lord, &#8216;when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.</div><div class="q1"> 15&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;In those days and at that time</div><div class="q2">I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David&#8217;s line;</div><div class="q2">he will do what is just and right in the land.</div><div class="q1"> 16In those days Judah will be saved</div><div class="q2">and Jerusalem will live in safety.</div><div class="q1">This is the name by which it#33:16 Or he will be called:</div><div class="q2">The Lord Our Righteous Savior.&#8217;</div><div class="m"> 17For this is what the Lord says: &#8216;David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, 18nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20&#8220;This is what the Lord says: &#8216;If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21then my covenant with David my servant&#8212;and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me&#8212;can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24&#8220;Have you not noticed that these people are saying, &#8216;The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms#33:24 Or families he chose&#8217;? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation. 25This is what the Lord says: &#8216;If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, 26then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes#33:26 Or will bring them back from captivity and have compassion on them.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
 <div class="chapter ch34" data-usfm="JER.34">
 <div class="label">34</div><div class="s1">Warning to Zedekiah</div><div class="p"> 1While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2&#8220;This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him, &#8216;This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down. 3You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.</div><div class="p"> 4&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Yet hear the Lord&#8217;s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword; 5you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, &#8220;Alas, master!&#8221; I myself make this promise, declares the Lord.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, 7while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out&#8212;Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah.</div><div class="s1">Freedom for Slaves</div><div class="p"> 8The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. 9Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage. 10So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 11But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.</div><div class="p"> 12Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13&#8220;This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I said, 14&#8216;Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.&#8217;#34:14 Deut. 15:12 Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention to me. 15Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people. You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name. 16But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.</div><div class="p"> 17&#8220;Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim &#8216;freedom&#8217; for you, declares the Lord&#8212;&#8216;freedom&#8217; to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18Those who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces. 19The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, 20I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.</div><div class="p"> 21&#8220;I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon, which has withdrawn from you. 22I am going to give the order, declares the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take it and burn it down. And I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there.&#8221;</div>
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