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Jeremiah 38-45
New International Version
Jeremiah 38-45
New International Version
Jeremiah Thrown Into a Cistern
38 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur(A), Jehukal[a](B) son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, 2 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague,(C) but whoever goes over to the Babylonians[b] will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’(D) 3 And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’”(E)
4 Then the officials(F) said to the king, “This man should be put to death.(G) He is discouraging(H) the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”
5 “He is in your hands,”(I) King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing(J) to oppose you.”
6 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard.(K) They lowered Jeremiah by ropes(L) into the cistern; it had no water in it,(M) only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.(N)
7 But Ebed-Melek,(O) a Cushite,[c] an official[d](P) in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,(Q) 8 Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, 9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern,(R) where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread(S) in the city.”
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
11 So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes(T) to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13 and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.(U)
Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Again
14 Then King Zedekiah sent(V) for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the Lord. “I am going to ask you something,” the king said to Jeremiah. “Do not hide(W) anything from me.”
15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.”
16 But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly(X) to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has given us breath,(Y) I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.”(Z)
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender(AA) to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.(AB) 18 But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands(AC) of the Babylonians and they will burn(AD) it down; you yourself will not escape(AE) from them.’”
19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid(AF) of the Jews who have gone over(AG) to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”
20 “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey(AH) the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well(AI) with you, and your life(AJ) will be spared. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me: 22 All the women(AK) left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you:
“‘They misled you and overcame you—
those trusted friends(AL) of yours.
Your feet are sunk in the mud;(AM)
your friends have deserted you.’
23 “All your wives and children(AN) will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape(AO) from their hands but will be captured(AP) by the king of Babylon; and this city will[e] be burned down.”(AQ)
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know(AR) about this conversation, or you may die. 25 If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’ 26 then tell(AS) them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house(AT) to die there.’”
27 All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king.
28 And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard(AU) until the day Jerusalem was captured.
The Fall of Jerusalem(AV)
This is how Jerusalem(AW) was taken: 39 1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah(AX) king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar(AY) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege(AZ) to it. 2 And on the ninth day of the fourth(BA) month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall(BB) was broken through.(BC) 3 Then all the officials(BD) of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls,(BE) and headed toward the Arabah.[f](BF)
5 But the Babylonian[g] army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah(BG) in the plains of Jericho. They captured(BH) him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah(BI) in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. 6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles(BJ) of Judah. 7 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes(BK) and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.(BL)
8 The Babylonians[h] set fire(BM) to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls(BN) of Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him,(BO) and the rest of the people.(BP) 10 But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.
11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: 12 “Take him and look after him; don’t harm(BQ) him but do for him whatever he asks.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers(BR) of the king of Babylon 14 sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard.(BS) They turned him over to Gedaliah(BT) son of Ahikam,(BU) the son of Shaphan,(BV) to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.(BW)
15 While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: 16 “Go and tell Ebed-Melek(BX) the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words(BY) against this city—words concerning disaster,(BZ) not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. 17 But I will rescue(CA) you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. 18 I will save(CB) you; you will not fall by the sword(CC) but will escape with your life,(CD) because you trust(CE) in me, declares the Lord.’”
Jeremiah Freed
40 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah.(CF) He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives(CG) from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. 2 When the commander(CH) of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The Lord your God decreed(CI) this disaster(CJ) for this place.(CK) 3 And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned(CL) against the Lord and did not obey(CM) him. 4 But today I am freeing(CN) you from the chains(CO) on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.”(CP) 5 However, before Jeremiah turned to go,[i] Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah(CQ) son of Ahikam,(CR) the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed(CS) over the towns(CT) of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”(CU)
Then the commander gave him provisions and a present(CV) and let him go. 6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah(CW) and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.
Gedaliah Assassinated(CX)
7 When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor(CY) over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest(CZ) in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon, 8 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah(DA)—Ishmael(DB) son of Nethaniah, Johanan(DC) and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite,(DD) and Jaazaniah[j] the son of the Maakathite,(DE) and their men. 9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to serve(DF) the Babylonians,[k](DG)” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.(DH) 10 I myself will stay at Mizpah(DI) to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine,(DJ) summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars,(DK) and live in the towns you have taken over.”(DL)
11 When all the Jews in Moab,(DM) Ammon, Edom(DN) and all the other countries(DO) heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered.(DP) And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.
13 Johanan(DQ) son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah(DR) 14 and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites(DS) has sent Ishmael(DT) son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15 Then Johanan(DU) son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill(DV) Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered(DW) and the remnant(DX) of Judah to perish?”
16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan(DY) son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”
41 In the seventh month Ishmael(DZ) son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, 2 Ishmael(EA) son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword,(EB) killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed(EC) as governor over the land.(ED) 3 Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian[l] soldiers who were there.
4 The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, 5 eighty men who had shaved off their beards,(EE) torn their clothes(EF) and cut(EG) themselves came from Shechem,(EH) Shiloh(EI) and Samaria,(EJ) bringing grain offerings and incense(EK) with them to the house of the Lord.(EL) 6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping(EM) as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”(EN) 7 When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.(EO) 8 But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.”(EP) So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. 9 Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa(EQ) had made as part of his defense(ER) against Baasha(ES) king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.
10 Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people(ET) who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters(EU) along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.(EV)
11 When Johanan(EW) son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, 12 they took all their men and went to fight(EX) Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool(EY) in Gibeon. 13 When all the people(EZ) Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. 14 All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah(FA) turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped(FB) from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.
Flight to Egypt
16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers(FC) who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived,(FD) whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon. 17 And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham(FE) near Bethlehem(FF) on their way to Egypt(FG) 18 to escape the Babylonians.[m] They were afraid(FH) of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah(FI) son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.
42 Then all the army officers, including Johanan(FJ) son of Kareah and Jezaniah[n] son of Hoshaiah,(FK) and all the people from the least to the greatest(FL) approached 2 Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray(FM) to the Lord your God for this entire remnant.(FN) For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few(FO) are left. 3 Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”(FP)
4 “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray(FQ) to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell(FR) you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”(FS)
5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true(FT) and faithful(FU) witness(FV) against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. 6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well(FW) with us, for we will obey(FX) the Lord our God.”
7 Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers(FY) who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.(FZ) 9 He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition,(GA) says:(GB) 10 ‘If you stay in this land,(GC) I will build(GD) you up and not tear you down; I will plant(GE) you and not uproot you,(GF) for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.(GG) 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon,(GH) whom you now fear.(GI) Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save(GJ) you and deliver you from his hands.(GK) 12 I will show you compassion(GL) so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’(GM)
13 “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey(GN) the Lord your God, 14 and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt,(GO) where we will not see war or hear the trumpet(GP) or be hungry for bread,’(GQ) 15 then hear the word of the Lord,(GR) you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, 16 then the sword(GS) you fear(GT) will overtake you there, and the famine(GU) you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.(GV) 17 Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague;(GW) not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ 18 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath(GX) have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,(GY) so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse[o](GZ) and an object of horror,(HA) a curse[p] and an object of reproach;(HB) you will never see this place again.’(HC)
19 “Remnant(HD) of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’(HE) Be sure of this: I warn you today 20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’(HF) 21 I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you.(HG) 22 So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine(HH) and plague(HI) in the place where you want to go to settle.”(HJ)
43 When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them(HK)— 2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah(HL) and Johanan(HM) son of Kareah and all the arrogant(HN) men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!(HO) The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’(HP) 3 But Baruch(HQ) son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,[q] so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”(HR)
4 So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people(HS) disobeyed the Lord’s command(HT) to stay in the land of Judah.(HU) 5 Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.(HV) 6 They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women,(HW) the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch(HX) son of Neriah along with them. 7 So they entered Egypt(HY) in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.(HZ)
8 In Tahpanhes(IA) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 9 “While the Jews are watching, take some large stones(IB) with you and bury them in clay in the brick(IC) pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace(ID) in Tahpanhes. 10 Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant(IE) Nebuchadnezzar(IF) king of Babylon, and I will set his throne(IG) over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy(IH) above them. 11 He will come and attack Egypt,(II) bringing death(IJ) to those destined(IK) for death, captivity to those destined for captivity,(IL) and the sword to those destined for the sword.(IM) 12 He will set fire(IN) to the temples(IO) of the gods(IP) of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.(IQ) As a shepherd picks(IR) his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. 13 There in the temple of the sun[r](IS) in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars(IT) and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”
Disaster Because of Idolatry
44 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt(IU)—in Migdol,(IV) Tahpanhes(IW) and Memphis(IX)—and in Upper Egypt:(IY) 2 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster(IZ) I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.(JA) Today they lie deserted and in ruins(JB) 3 because of the evil(JC) they have done. They aroused my anger(JD) by burning incense(JE) to and worshiping other gods(JF) that neither they nor you nor your ancestors(JG) ever knew. 4 Again and again(JH) I sent my servants the prophets,(JI) who said, ‘Do not do this detestable(JJ) thing that I hate!’ 5 But they did not listen or pay attention;(JK) they did not turn from their wickedness(JL) or stop burning incense(JM) to other gods.(JN) 6 Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out;(JO) it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins(JP) they are today.
7 “Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster(JQ) on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women,(JR) the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?(JS) 8 Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made,(JT) burning incense(JU) to other gods in Egypt,(JV) where you have come to live?(JW) You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse[s] and an object of reproach(JX) among all the nations on earth. 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors(JY) and by the kings(JZ) and queens(KA) of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives(KB) in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?(KC) 10 To this day they have not humbled(KD) themselves or shown reverence,(KE) nor have they followed my law(KF) and the decrees(KG) I set before you and your ancestors.(KH)
11 “Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty,(KI) the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster(KJ) on you and to destroy all Judah. 12 I will take away the remnant(KK) of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest,(KL) they will die by sword or famine.(KM) They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.(KN) 13 I will punish(KO) those who live in Egypt with the sword,(KP) famine and plague,(KQ) as I punished Jerusalem. 14 None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”(KR)
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives(KS) were burning incense(KT) to other gods, along with all the women(KU) who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt,(KV) said to Jeremiah, 16 “We will not listen(KW) to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord!(KX) 17 We will certainly do everything we said we would:(KY) We will burn incense(KZ) to the Queen of Heaven(LA) and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials(LB) did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.(LC) At that time we had plenty of food(LD) and were well off and suffered no harm.(LE) 18 But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings(LF) to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.(LG)”
19 The women added, “When we burned incense(LH) to the Queen of Heaven(LI) and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands(LJ) know that we were making cakes(LK) impressed with her image(LL) and pouring out drink offerings to her?”
20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, 21 “Did not the Lord remember(LM) and call to mind the incense(LN) burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem(LO) by you and your ancestors,(LP) your kings and your officials and the people of the land?(LQ) 22 When the Lord could no longer endure(LR) your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse(LS) and a desolate waste(LT) without inhabitants, as it is today.(LU) 23 Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him or followed(LV) his law or his decrees(LW) or his stipulations, this disaster(LX) has come upon you, as you now see.”(LY)
24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,(LZ) “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.(MA) 25 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives(MB) have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’(MC)
“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!(MD) 26 But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt:(ME) ‘I swear(MF) by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign(MG) Lord lives.”(MH) 27 For I am watching(MI) over them for harm,(MJ) not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish(MK) by sword and famine(ML) until they are all destroyed.(MM) 28 Those who escape the sword(MN) and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.(MO) Then the whole remnant(MP) of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand(MQ)—mine or theirs.(MR)
29 “‘This will be the sign(MS) to you that I will punish(MT) you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’(MU) 30 This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh(MV) Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah(MW) king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’”(MX)
A Message to Baruch
45 When Baruch(MY) son of Neriah(MZ) wrote on a scroll(NA) the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(NB) son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: 3 You said, ‘Woe(NC) to me! The Lord has added sorrow(ND) to my pain;(NE) I am worn out with groaning(NF) and find no rest.’(NG) 4 But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot(NH) what I have planted,(NI) throughout the earth.(NJ) 5 Should you then seek great(NK) things for yourself? Do not seek them.(NL) For I will bring disaster(NM) on all people,(NN) declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape(NO) with your life.’”(NP)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 38:1 Hebrew Jukal, a variant of Jehukal
- Jeremiah 38:2 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 18, 19 and 23
- Jeremiah 38:7 Probably from the upper Nile region
- Jeremiah 38:7 Or a eunuch
- Jeremiah 38:23 Or and you will cause this city to
- Jeremiah 39:4 Or the Jordan Valley
- Jeremiah 39:5 Or Chaldean
- Jeremiah 39:8 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 40:5 Or Jeremiah answered
- Jeremiah 40:8 Hebrew Jezaniah, a variant of Jaazaniah
- Jeremiah 40:9 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 10
- Jeremiah 41:3 Or Chaldean
- Jeremiah 41:18 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 42:1 Hebrew; Septuagint (see also 43:2) Azariah
- Jeremiah 42:18 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed.
- Jeremiah 42:18 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed.
- Jeremiah 43:3 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 43:13 Or in Heliopolis
- Jeremiah 44:8 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed; also in verse 12; similarly in verse 22.
Jeremiah 38-45
King James Version
Jeremiah 38-45
King James Version
38 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
3 Thus saith the Lord, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it.
4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.
6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
7 Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;
8 Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king saying,
9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.
10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.
11 So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12 And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the Lord: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.
15 Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?
16 So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the Lord liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.
17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:
18 But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.
20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the Lord hath shewed me:
22 And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.
23 So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.
24 Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:
26 Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there.
27 Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.
28 So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.
39 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it.
2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up.
3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.
4 And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain.
5 But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him.
6 Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.
7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.
8 And the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem.
9 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the people that remained.
10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
11 Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,
12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.
13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon's princes;
14 Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.
15 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,
16 Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.
17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.
18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.
40 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon.
2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.
3 Now the Lord hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.
4 And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.
5 Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.
6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.
7 Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;
8 Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.
9 And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
10 As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.
11 Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan;
12 Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits very much.
13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
14 And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.
15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?
16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.
41 Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.
2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
3 Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war.
4 And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it,
5 That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the Lord.
6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.
8 But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.
9 Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of Gedaliah, was it which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain.
10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.
11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
12 Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.
13 Now it came to pass, that when all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad.
14 So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah.
15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites.
16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon:
17 And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt,
18 Because of the Chaldeans: for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land.
42 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
2 And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)
3 That the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.
5 Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us.
6 Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.
7 And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah.
8 Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
9 And said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;
10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.
11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
12 And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the Lord your God,
14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:
15 And now therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;
16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
18 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.
19 The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.
20 For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.
21 And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.
22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.
43 And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, even all these words,
2 Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
3 But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.
4 So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the Lord, to dwell in the land of Judah.
5 But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah;
6 Even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.
7 So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.
8 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,
9 Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;
10 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.
11 And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.
12 And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.
13 He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.
44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein,
3 Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.
4 Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
5 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods.
6 Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.
7 Therefore now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;
8 In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
9 Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10 They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.
11 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.
12 And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.
13 For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:
14 So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.
15 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee.
17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?
20 Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,
21 The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and came it not into his mind?
22 So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
23 Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.
24 Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:
25 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.
26 Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord God liveth.
27 Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
28 Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or their's.
29 And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:
30 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.
45 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch:
3 Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.
4 Thus shalt thou say unto him, The Lord saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land.
5 And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.
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