Category: Jeremiah

Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lordwhen King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying,

2 “Please inquire of the Lordon our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the Lordwill deal with us according to all His wonderful acts, so thatthe enemywill withdraw from us.”

3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows:

4 ‘Thus says the LordGod of Israel, “Behold, I am about to turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will gather them into the center of this city.

5 I Myself will war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in anger and wrath and great indignation.

6 I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence.

7 Then afterwards,” declares the Lord, “I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.” ’

8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

9 He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty.

10 For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.” ’

11 “Thensayto the household of the king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord,

12 O house of David, thus says the Lord:

“Administer justice every morning;

And deliver thepersonwho has been robbed from the power ofhisoppressor,

That My wrath may not go forth like fire

And burn with none to extinguishit,

Because of the evil of their deeds.

13 “Behold, I am against you, O valley dweller,

O rocky plain,” declares the Lord,

“You men who say, ‘Who will come down against us?

Or who will enter into our habitations?’

14 But I will punish you according to the results of your deeds,” declares the Lord,

“And I will kindle a fire in its forest

That it may devour all its environs.” ’ ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JER/21-e946b427d22fce2499e0936584ec2dc8.mp3?version_id=100—

Warning of Jerusalem’s Fall

1 Thus says the Lord, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word

2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates.

3 Thus says the Lord, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power ofhisoppressor. Also do not mistreatordo violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

4 For if you men will indeed perform this thing, then kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses,even the kinghimself and his servants and his people.

5 But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a desolation.” ’ ”

6 For thus says the Lordconcerning the house of the king of Judah:

“You arelikeGilead to Me,

Likethe summit of Lebanon;

Yet most assuredly I will make you like a wilderness,

Likecities which are not inhabited.

7 For I will set apart destroyers against you,

Each with his weapons;

And they will cut down your choicest cedars

And throwthemon the fire.

8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ‘Why has the Lorddone thus to this great city?’

9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the covenant of the Lordtheir God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’ ”

10 Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,

Butweep continually for the one who goes away;

For he will never return

Or see his native land.

11 For thus says the Lordin regard to Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, “He will never return there;

12 but in the place where they led him captive, there he will die and not see this land again.

Messages about the Kings

13 “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness

And his upper rooms without justice,

Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay

And does not give him his wages,

14 Who says, ‘I will build myself a roomy house

With spacious upper rooms,

And cut out its windows,

Panelingitwith cedar and paintingitbright red.’

15 Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?

Did not your father eat and drink

And do justice and righteousness?

Then it was well with him.

16 He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy;

Then it was well.

Is not that what it means to know Me?”

Declares the Lord.

17 “But your eyes and your heart

Areintentonly upon your own dishonest gain,

And on shedding innocent blood

And on practicing oppression and extortion.”

18 Therefore thus says the Lordin regard to Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah,

“They will not lament for him:

‘Alas, my brother!’ or, ‘Alas, sister!’

They will not lament for him:

‘Alas for the master!’ or, ‘Alas for his splendor!’

19 He will be buried with a donkey’s burial,

Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,

And lift up your voice in Bashan;

Cry out also from Abarim,

For all your lovers have been crushed.

21 I spoke to you in your prosperity;

But you said, ‘I will not listen!’

This has been your practice from your youth,

That you have not obeyed My voice.

22 The wind will sweep away all your shepherds,

And your lovers will go into captivity;

Then you will surely be ashamed and humiliated

Because of all your wickedness.

23 You who dwell in Lebanon,

Nested in the cedars,

How you will groan when pangs come upon you,

Pain like a woman in childbirth!

24 “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even thoughConiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signetringon My right hand, yet I would pull you off;

25 and I will give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26 I will hurl you and your mother who bore you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die.

27 But as for the land to which they desire to return, they will not return to it.

28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?

Or is he an undesirable vessel?

Why have he and his descendants been hurled out

And cast into a land that they had not known?

29 O land, land, land,

Hear the word of the Lord!

30 Thus says the Lord,

‘Write this man down childless,

A man who will not prosper in his days;

For no man of his descendants will prosper

Sitting on the throne of David

Or ruling again in Judah.’ ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JER/22-2a62d64df8e84401590e212a6b19cebc.mp3?version_id=100—

The Coming Messiah: the Righteous Branch

1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the Lord.

2 Therefore thus says the LordGod of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord.

3 “Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply.

4 I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

5 “Behold,thedays are coming,” declares the Lord,

“When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;

And He will reign as king and act wisely

And do justice and righteousness in the land.

6 In His days Judah will be saved,

And Israel will dwell securely;

And this is His name by which He will be called,

‘The Lordour righteousness.’

7 “Therefore behold,thedays are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lordlives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’

8 but, ‘As the Lordlives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel fromthenorth land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”

False Prophets Denounced

9 As for the prophets:

My heart is broken within me,

All my bones tremble;

I have become like a drunken man,

Even like a man overcome with wine,

Because of the Lord

And because of His holy words.

10 For the land is full of adulterers;

For the land mourns because of the curse.

The pastures of the wilderness have dried up.

Their course also is evil

And their might is not right.

11 “For both prophet and priest are polluted;

Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord.

12 “Therefore their way will be like slippery paths to them,

They will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it;

For I will bring calamity upon them,

The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.

13 “Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing:

They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.

14 Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing:

The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood;

And they strengthen the hands of evildoers,

So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.

All of them have become to Me like Sodom,

And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

15 Therefore thus says the Lordof hosts concerning the prophets,

‘Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood

And make them drink poisonous water,

For from the prophets of Jerusalem

Pollution has gone forth into all the land.’ ”

16 Thus says the Lordof hosts,

“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.

They are leading you into futility;

They speak a vision of their own imagination,

Not from the mouth of the Lord.

17 They keep saying to those who despise Me,

‘The Lordhas said, “You will have peace” ’;

And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,

They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’

18 But who has stood in the council of the Lord,

That he should see and hear His word?

Who has given heed to His word and listened?

19 Behold, the storm of the Lordhas gone forth in wrath,

Even a whirling tempest;

It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.

20 The anger of the Lordwill not turn back

Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;

In the last days you will clearly understand it.

21 I did not sendtheseprophets,

But they ran.

I did not speak to them,

But they prophesied.

22 But if they had stood in My council,

Then they would have announced My words to My people,

And would have turned them back from their evil way

And from the evil of their deeds.

23 “Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord,

“And not a God far off?

24 Can a man hide himself in hiding places

So I do not see him?” declares the Lord.

“Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.

25 “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a dream, I had a dream!’

26 How long? Is thereanythingin the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, eventheseprophets of the deception of their own heart,

27 who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?

28 The prophet who has a dream may relatehisdream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw havein commonwith grain?” declares the Lord.

29 “Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?

30 Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal My words from each other.

31 Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lorddeclares.’

32 Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the Lord.

33 “Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, ‘What is theoracle of the Lord?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What oracle?’ The Lorddeclares, ‘I will abandon you.’

34 Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The oracle of the Lord,’ I will bring punishment upon that man and his household.

35 Thus will each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, ‘What has the Lordanswered?’ or, ‘What has the Lordspoken?’

36 For you will no longer remember the oracle of the Lord, because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the living God, the Lordof hosts, our God.

37 Thus you will say tothatprophet, ‘What has the Lordanswered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lordspoken?’

38 For if you say, ‘The oracle of the Lord!’ surely thus says the Lord, ‘Because you said this word, “The oracle of the Lord!” I have also sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The oracle of the Lord!’ ” ’

39 Therefore behold, I will surely forget you and cast you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers.

40 I will put an everlasting reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JER/23-5f34cfcd83084f33b5b7e5caddd032e8.mp3?version_id=100—

Baskets of Figs and the Returnees

1 After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lordshowed me: behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord!

2 One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness.

3 Then the Lordsaid to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs, the good figs, very good; and the badfigs,very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.”

4 Then the word of the Lordcame to me, saying,

5 “Thus says the LordGod of Israel, ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this placeintothe land of the Chaldeans.

6 For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up.

7 I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.

8 ‘But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness—indeed, thus says the Lord—so I will abandon Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt.

9 I will make them a terrorand anevil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all places where I will scatter them.

10 I will send the sword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’ ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JER/24-545e604da25eb256582d7d27aa41e411.mp3?version_id=100—

Prophecy of the Captivity

1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon),

2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

3 “From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years the word of the Lordhas come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

4 And the Lordhas sent to you all His servants the prophets again and again, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear,

5 saying, ‘Turn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the land which the Lordhas given to you and your forefathers forever and ever;

6 and do not go after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.’

7 Yet you have not listened to Me,” declares the Lord, “in order that you might provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

8 “Therefore thus says the Lordof hosts, ‘Because you have not obeyed My words,

9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘andI will sendto Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation.

10 Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

11 This whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Babylon Will Be Judged

12 ‘Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation.

13 I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.

14 (For many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, even them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.)’ ”

15 For thus the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it.

16 They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.”

17 Then I took the cup from the Lord’shand and made all the nations to whom the Lordsent me drink it:

18 Jerusalem and the cities of Judah and its kingsandits princes, to make them a ruin, a horror, a hissing and a curse, as it is this day;

19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes and all his people;

20 and all the foreign people, all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines (even Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and the remnant of Ashdod);

21 Edom, Moab and the sons of Ammon;

22 and all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon and the kings of the coastlands which are beyond the sea;

23 and Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who cut the cornersof their hair;

24 and all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the foreign people who dwell in the desert;

25 and all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam and all the kings of Media;

26 and all the kings of the north, near and far, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the earth which are upon the face of the ground, and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

27 “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “Drink, be drunk, vomit, fall and rise no more because of the sword which I will send among you.” ’

28 And it will be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lordof hosts: “You shall surely drink!

29 For behold, I am beginning to work calamity inthiscity which is called by My name, and shall you be completely free from punishment? You will not be free from punishment; for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth,” declares the Lordof hosts.’

30 “Therefore you shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them,

‘The Lordwill roar from on high

And utter His voice from His holy habitation;

He will roar mightily against His fold.

He will shout like those who treadthe grapes,

Against all the inhabitants of the earth.

31 A clamor has come to the end of the earth,

Because the Lordhas a controversy with the nations.

He is entering into judgment with all flesh;

As for the wicked, He has given them to the sword,’ declares the Lord.”

32 Thus says the Lordof hosts,

“Behold, evil is going forth

From nation to nation,

And a great storm is being stirred up

From the remotest parts of the earth.

33 “Those slain by the Lordon that day will be from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be lamented, gathered or buried; they will be like dung on the face of the ground.

34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry;

And wallowin ashes,you masters of the flock;

For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions have come,

And you will fall like a choice vessel.

35 Flight will perish from the shepherds,

And escape from the masters of the flock.

36 Hearthe sound of the cry of the shepherds,

And the wailing of the masters of the flock!

For the Lordis destroying their pasture,

37 And the peaceful folds are made silent

Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.

38 He has left His hiding place like the lion;

For their land has become a horror

Because of the fierceness of the oppressingsword

And because of His fierce anger.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JER/25-daab59c5551370a7fb77a1b618fd9cda.mp3?version_id=100—

Cities of Judah Warned

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying,

2 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand in the court of the Lord’shouse, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worshipinthe Lord’shouse all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word!

3 Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.’

4 And you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you,

5 to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened;

6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse to all the nations of the earth.” ’ ”

A Plot to Murder Jeremiah

7 The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.

8 When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the Lordhad commandedhimto speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You must die!

9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lordsaying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

10 When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lordand sat in the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’shouse.

11 Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, “A death sentence for this man! For he has prophesied against this city as you have heard in your hearing.”

12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people, saying, “The Lordsent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard.

13 Now therefore amend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lordyour God; and the Lordwill change His mind about the misfortune which He has pronounced against you.

14 But as for me, behold, I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight.

15 Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city and on its inhabitants; for truly the Lordhas sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

Jeremiah Is Spared

16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, “No death sentence for this man! For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lordour God.”

17 Then some of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying,

18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus the Lordof hosts has said,

“Zion will be plowedasa field,

And Jerusalem will become ruins,

And the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.” ’

19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the Lordand entreat the favor of the Lord, and the Lordchanged His mind about the misfortune which He had pronounced against them? But we are committing a great evil against ourselves.”

20 Indeed, there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land words similar to all those of Jeremiah.

21 When King Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and all the officials heard his words, then the king sought to put him to death; but Uriah heardit,and he was afraid and fled and went to Egypt.

22 Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor andcertainmen with himwentinto Egypt.

23 And they brought Uriah from Egypt and led him to King Jehoiakim, who slew him with a sword and cast his dead body into the burial place of the common people.

24 But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not given into the hands of the people to put him to death.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JER/26-1ee78495fa2d1b068f13170b586a6bef.mp3?version_id=100—

The Nations to Submit to Nebuchadnezzar

1 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying—

2 thus says the Lordto me—“Make for yourself bonds and yokes and put them on your neck,

3 and send word to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the king of Tyre and to the king of Sidon by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

4 Command themto goto their masters, saying, ‘Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, thus you shall say to your masters,

5 “I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight.

6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him.

7 All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant.

8 “It will be,thatthe nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence,” declares the Lord, “until I have destroyed it by his hand.

9 But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’

10 For they prophesy a lie to you in order to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out and you will perish.

11 But the nation which will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let remain on its land,” declares the Lord, “and they will till it and dwell in it.” ’ ”

12 I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live!

13 Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, famine and pestilence, as the Lordhas spoken to that nation which will not serve the king of Babylon?

14 So do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you;

15 for I have not sent them,” declares the Lord, “but they prophesy falsely in My name, in order that I may drive you out and that you may perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”

16 ThenI spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Behold, the vessels of the Lord’shouse will now shortly be brought again from Babylon’; for they are prophesying a lie to you.

17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

18 But if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lordis with them, let them now entreat the Lordof hosts that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.

19 For thus says the Lordof hosts concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the stands and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city,

20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem.

21 Yes, thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the Lordand in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem,

22 ‘They will be carried to Babylon and they will be there until the day I visit them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’ ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JER/27-b7132629996850164f6a7d5bb54579ba.mp3?version_id=100—

Hananiah’s False Prophecy

1 Now in the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lordin the presence of the priests and all the people, saying,

2 “Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

3 Within two years I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’shouse, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon.

4 I am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”

5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord,

6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lorddo so; may the Lordconfirm your words which you have prophesied to bring back the vessels of the Lord’shouse and all the exiles, from Babylon to this place.

7 Yet hear now this word which I am about to speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people!

8 The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times prophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms, of war and of calamity and of pestilence.

9 The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be knownasone whom the Lordhas truly sent.”

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it.

11 Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Even so will I break within two full years the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’ ” Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

12 The word of the Lordcame to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

13 “Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made instead of them yokes of iron.”

14 For thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. And I have also given him the beasts of the field.” ’ ”

15 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah, the Lordhas not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie.

16 Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to die, because you have counseled rebellion against the Lord.’ ”

17 So Hananiah the prophet died in the same year in the seventh month.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JER/28-d26f7befcb534d537153744337e60ffb.mp3?version_id=100—

Message to the Exiles

1 Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

2 (This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.)

3 The letter was sentby the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,

4 “Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,

5 ‘Build houses and livein them;and plant gardens and eat their produce.

6 Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.

7 Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lordon its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’

8 For thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream.

9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.

10 “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.

11 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

13 You will seek Me and findMewhen you search for Me with all your heart.

14 I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

15 “Because you have said, ‘The Lordhas raised up prophets for us in Babylon’—

16 for thus says the Lordconcerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile—

17 thus says the Lordof hosts, ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the sword, famine and pestilence, and I will make them like split-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness.

18 I will pursue them with the sword, with famine and with pestilence; and I will make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and a horror and a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them,

19 because they have not listened to My words,’ declares the Lord, ‘which I sent to them again and again by My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the Lord.

20 You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 “Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you falsely in My name, ‘Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will slay them before your eyes.

22 Because of them a curse will be used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “May the Lordmake you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,

23 because they have acted foolishly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken words in My name falsely, which I did not command them; and I am He who knows and am a witness,” declares the Lord.’ ”

24 To Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying,

25 “Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

26 “The Lordhas made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the overseer in the house of the Lordover every madman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and in the iron collar,

27 now then, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who prophesies to you?

28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘The exilewill be long; build houses and livein themand plant gardens and eat their produce.’ ” ’ ”

29 Zephaniah the priest read this letter to Jeremiah the prophet.

30 Then came the word of the Lordto Jeremiah, saying,

31 “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lordconcerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has made you trust in a lie,”

32 therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants; he will not have anyone living among this people, and he will not see the good that I am about to do to My people,” declares the Lord, “because he has preached rebellion against the Lord.” ’ ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JER/29-d1cbb33fad730cbac537f037f9e25b53.mp3?version_id=100—

Deliverance from Captivity Promised

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.

3 For behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The Lordsays, ‘I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.’ ”

4 Now these are the words which the Lordspoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah:

5 “For thus says the Lord,

‘I have heard a sound of terror,

Of dread, and there is no peace.

6 Ask now, and see

If a male can give birth.

Why do I see every man

Withhis hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth?

Andwhyhave all faces turned pale?

7 Alas! for that day is great,

There is none like it;

And it is the time of Jacob’s distress,

But he will be saved from it.

8 ‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lordof hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves.

9 But they shall serve the Lordtheir God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

10 Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,

‘And do not be dismayed, O Israel;

For behold, I will save you from afar

And your offspring from the land of their captivity.

And Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease,

And no one will make him afraid.

11 For I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you;

For I will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you,

Only I will not destroy you completely.

But I will chasten you justly

And will by no means leave you unpunished.’

12 “For thus says the Lord,

‘Your wound is incurable

And your injury is serious.

13 There is no one to plead your cause;

Nohealing foryoursore,

No recovery for you.

14 All your lovers have forgotten you,

They do not seek you;

For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,

With the punishment of a cruel one,

Because your iniquity is great

Andyour sins are numerous.

15 Why do you cry out over your injury?

Your pain is incurable.

Because your iniquity is great

Andyour sins are numerous,

I have done these things to you.

16 Therefore all who devour you will be devoured;

And all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity;

And those who plunder you will be for plunder,

And all who prey upon you I will give for prey.

17 For I will restore you to health

And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord,

‘Because they have called you an outcast, saying:

“It is Zion; no one cares for her.” ’

Restoration of Jacob

18 “Thus says the Lord,

‘Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob

And have compassion on his dwelling places;

And the city will be rebuilt on its ruin,

And the palace will stand on its rightful place.

19 From them will proceed thanksgiving

And the voice of those who celebrate;

And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished;

I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.

20 Their children also will be as formerly,

And their congregation shall be established before Me;

And I will punish all their oppressors.

21 Their leader shall be one of them,

And their ruler shall come forth from their midst;

And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me;

For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?’ declares the Lord.

22 ‘You shall be My people,

And I will be your God.’ ”

23 Behold, the tempest of the Lord!

Wrath has gone forth,

A sweeping tempest;

It will burst on the head of the wicked.

24 The fierce anger of the Lordwill not turn back

Until He has performed and until He has accomplished

The intent of His heart;

In the latter days you will understand this.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JER/30-5892cd29815057d4ffe0624b392c1d50.mp3?version_id=100—