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Jeremiah 21-24
New Living Translation
Jeremiah 21-24
New Living Translation
No Deliverance from Babylon
21 The Lord spoke through Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to speak with him. They begged Jeremiah, 2 “Please speak to the Lord for us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzar[a] of Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps the Lord will be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies.”
3 Jeremiah replied, “Go back to King Zedekiah and tell him, 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will make your weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians[b] who are outside your walls attacking you. In fact, I will bring your enemies right into the heart of this city. 5 I myself will fight against you with a strong hand and a powerful arm, for I am very angry. You have made me furious! 6 I will send a terrible plague upon this city, and both people and animals will die. 7 And after all that, says the Lord, I will hand over King Zedekiah, his staff, and everyone else in the city who survives the disease, war, and famine. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their other enemies. He will slaughter them and show them no mercy, pity, or compassion.’
8 “Tell all the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: Take your choice of life or death! 9 Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life! 10 For I have decided to bring disaster and not good upon this city, says the Lord. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will reduce it to ashes.’
Judgment on Judah’s Kings
11 “Say to the royal family of Judah, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord! 12 This is what the Lord says to the dynasty of David:
“‘Give justice each morning to the people you judge!
Help those who have been robbed;
rescue them from their oppressors.
Otherwise, my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire
because of all your sins.
13 I will personally fight against the people in Jerusalem,
that mighty fortress—
the people who boast, “No one can touch us here.
No one can break in here.”
14 And I myself will punish you for your sinfulness,
says the Lord.
I will light a fire in your forests
that will burn up everything around you.’”
A Message for Judah’s Kings
22 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go over and speak directly to the king of Judah. Say to him, 2 ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you king of Judah, sitting on David’s throne. Let your attendants and your people listen, too. 3 This is what the Lord says: Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent! 4 If you obey me, there will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem. The king will ride through the palace gates in chariots and on horses, with his parade of attendants and subjects. 5 But if you refuse to pay attention to this warning, I swear by my own name, says the Lord, that this palace will become a pile of rubble.’”
A Message about the Palace
6 Now this is what the Lord says concerning Judah’s royal palace:
“I love you as much as fruitful Gilead
and the green forests of Lebanon.
But I will turn you into a desert,
with no one living within your walls.
7 I will call for wreckers,
who will bring out their tools to dismantle you.
They will tear out all your fine cedar beams
and throw them on the fire.
8 “People from many nations will pass by the ruins of this city and say to one another, ‘Why did the Lord destroy such a great city?’ 9 And the answer will be, ‘Because they violated their covenant with the Lord their God by worshiping other gods.’”
A Message about Jehoahaz
10 Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss.
Instead, weep for the captive king being led away!
For he will never return to see his native land again.
11 For this is what the Lord says about Jehoahaz,[c] who succeeded his father, King Josiah, and was taken away as a captive: “He will never return. 12 He will die in a distant land and will never again see his own country.”
A Message about Jehoiakim
13 And the Lord says, “What sorrow awaits Jehoiakim,[d]
who builds his palace with forced labor.[e]
He builds injustice into its walls,
for he makes his neighbors work for nothing.
He does not pay them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build a magnificent palace
with huge rooms and many windows.
I will panel it throughout with fragrant cedar
and paint it a lovely red.’
15 But a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king!
Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink.
But he was just and right in all his dealings.
That is why God blessed him.
16 He gave justice and help to the poor and needy,
and everything went well for him.
Isn’t that what it means to know me?”
says the Lord.
17 “But you! You have eyes only for greed and dishonesty!
You murder the innocent,
oppress the poor, and reign ruthlessly.”
18 Therefore, this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah:
“The people will not mourn for him, crying to one another,
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
His subjects will not mourn for him, crying,
‘Alas, our master is dead! Alas, his splendor is gone!’
19 He will be buried like a dead donkey—
dragged out of Jerusalem and dumped outside the gates!
20 Weep for your allies in Lebanon.
Shout for them in Bashan.
Search for them in the regions east of the river.[f]
See, they are all destroyed.
Not one is left to help you.
21 I warned you when you were prosperous,
but you replied, ‘Don’t bother me.’
You have been that way since childhood—
you simply will not obey me!
22 And now the wind will blow away your allies.
All your friends will be taken away as captives.
Surely then you will see your wickedness and be ashamed.
23 It may be nice to live in a beautiful palace
paneled with wood from the cedars of Lebanon,
but soon you will groan with pangs of anguish—
anguish like that of a woman in labor.
A Message for Jehoiachin
24 “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “I will abandon you, Jehoiachin[g] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. Even if you were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off. 25 I will hand you over to those who seek to kill you, those you so desperately fear—to King Nebuchadnezzar[h] of Babylon and the mighty Babylonian[i] army. 26 I will expel you and your mother from this land, and you will die in a foreign country, not in your native land. 27 You will never again return to the land you yearn for.
28 “Why is this man Jehoiachin like a discarded, broken jar?
Why are he and his children to be exiled to a foreign land?
29 O earth, earth, earth!
Listen to this message from the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
‘Let the record show that this man Jehoiachin was childless.
He is a failure,
for none of his children will succeed him on the throne of David
to rule over Judah.’
The Righteous Descendant
23 “What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord.
2 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them. 3 But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the Lord, have spoken!
5 “For the time is coming,”
says the Lord,
“when I will raise up a righteous descendant[j]
from King David’s line.
He will be a King who rules with wisdom.
He will do what is just and right throughout the land.
6 And this will be his name:
‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’[k]
In that day Judah will be saved,
and Israel will live in safety.
7 “In that day,” says the Lord, “when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ 8 Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”
Judgment on False Prophets
9 My heart is broken because of the false prophets,
and my bones tremble.
I stagger like a drunkard,
like someone overcome by wine,
because of the holy words
the Lord has spoken against them.
10 For the land is full of adultery,
and it lies under a curse.
The land itself is in mourning—
its wilderness pastures are dried up.
For they all do evil
and abuse what power they have.
11 “Even the priests and prophets
are ungodly, wicked men.
I have seen their despicable acts
right here in my own Temple,”
says the Lord.
12 “Therefore, the paths they take
will become slippery.
They will be chased through the dark,
and there they will fall.
For I will bring disaster upon them
at the time fixed for their punishment.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
13 “I saw that the prophets of Samaria were terribly evil,
for they prophesied in the name of Baal
and led my people of Israel into sin.
14 But now I see that the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse!
They commit adultery and love dishonesty.
They encourage those who are doing evil
so that no one turns away from their sins.
These prophets are as wicked
as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah once were.”
15 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says concerning the prophets:
“I will feed them with bitterness
and give them poison to drink.
For it is because of Jerusalem’s prophets
that wickedness has filled this land.”
16 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to his people:
“Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you,
filling you with futile hopes.
They are making up everything they say.
They do not speak for the Lord!
17 They keep saying to those who despise my word,
‘Don’t worry! The Lord says you will have peace!’
And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires,
they say, ‘No harm will come your way!’
18 “Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence
to hear what he is really saying?
Has even one of them cared enough to listen?
19 Look! The Lord’s anger bursts out like a storm,
a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord will not diminish
until it has finished all he has planned.
In the days to come
you will understand all this very clearly.
21 “I have not sent these prophets,
yet they run around claiming to speak for me.
I have given them no message,
yet they go on prophesying.
22 If they had stood before me and listened to me,
they would have spoken my words,
and they would have turned my people
from their evil ways and deeds.
23 Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord.
“No, I am far away at the same time.
24 Can anyone hide from me in a secret place?
Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?”
says the Lord.
25 “I have heard these prophets say, ‘Listen to the dream I had from God last night.’ And then they proceed to tell lies in my name. 26 How long will this go on? If they are prophets, they are prophets of deceit, inventing everything they say. 27 By telling these false dreams, they are trying to get my people to forget me, just as their ancestors did by worshiping the idols of Baal.
28 “Let these false prophets tell their dreams,
but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word.
There is a difference between straw and grain!
29 Does not my word burn like fire?”
says the Lord.
“Is it not like a mighty hammer
that smashes a rock to pieces?
30 “Therefore,” says the Lord, “I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me. 31 I am against these smooth-tongued prophets who say, ‘This prophecy is from the Lord!’ 32 I am against these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams are flagrant lies that lead my people into sin. I did not send or appoint them, and they have no message at all for my people. I, the Lord, have spoken!
False Prophecies and False Prophets
33 “Suppose one of the people or one of the prophets or priests asks you, ‘What prophecy has the Lord burdened you with now?’ You must reply, ‘You are the burden![l] The Lord says he will abandon you!’
34 “If any prophet, priest, or anyone else says, ‘I have a prophecy from the Lord,’ I will punish that person along with his entire family. 35 You should keep asking each other, ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’ or ‘What is the Lord saying?’ 36 But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the Lord.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
37 “This is what you should say to the prophets: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’ or ‘What is the Lord saying?’ 38 But suppose they respond, ‘This is a prophecy from the Lord!’ Then you should say, ‘This is what the Lord says: Because you have used this phrase, “prophecy from the Lord,” even though I warned you not to use it, 39 I will forget you completely.[m] I will expel you from my presence, along with this city that I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 And I will make you an object of ridicule, and your name will be infamous throughout the ages.’”
Good and Bad Figs
24 After King Nebuchadnezzar[n] of Babylon exiled Jehoiachin[o] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, to Babylon along with the officials of Judah and all the craftsmen and artisans, the Lord gave me this vision. I saw two baskets of figs placed in front of the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem. 2 One basket was filled with fresh, ripe figs, while the other was filled with bad figs that were too rotten to eat.
3 Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
I replied, “Figs, some very good and some very bad, too rotten to eat.”
4 Then the Lord gave me this message: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The good figs represent the exiles I sent from Judah to the land of the Babylonians.[p] 6 I will watch over and care for them, and I will bring them back here again. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.
8 “But the bad figs,” the Lord said, “represent King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, all the people left in Jerusalem, and those who live in Egypt. I will treat them like bad figs, too rotten to eat. 9 I will make them an object of horror and a symbol of evil to every nation on earth. They will be disgraced and mocked, taunted and cursed, wherever I scatter them. 10 And I will send war, famine, and disease until they have vanished from the land of Israel, which I gave to them and their ancestors.”
Footnotes
- 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar; also in 21:7.
- 21:4 Or Chaldeans; also in 21:9.
- 22:11 Hebrew Shallum, another name for Jehoahaz.
- 22:13a The brother and successor of the exiled Jehoahaz. See 22:18.
- 22:13b Hebrew by unrighteousness.
- 22:20 Or in Abarim.
- 22:24 Hebrew Coniah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin; also in 22:28.
- 22:25a Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar.
- 22:25b Or Chaldean.
- 23:5 Hebrew a righteous branch.
- 23:6 Hebrew Yahweh Tsidqenu.
- 23:33 As in Greek version and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew reads What burden?
- 23:39 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek version read I will surely lift you up.
- 24:1a Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar.
- 24:1b Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin.
- 24:5 Or Chaldeans.
Jeremiah 21-24
New International Version
Jeremiah 21-24
New International Version
God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request
21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah(A) sent to him Pashhur(B) son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah(C) son of Maaseiah. They said: 2 “Inquire(D) now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar[a](E) king of Babylon(F) is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders(G) for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”
3 But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn(H) against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians[b] who are outside the wall besieging(I) you. And I will gather them inside this city. 5 I myself will fight(J) against you with an outstretched hand(K) and a mighty arm(L) in furious anger and in great wrath. 6 I will strike(M) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.(N) 7 After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah(O) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,(P) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(Q) and to their enemies(R) who want to kill them.(S) He will put them to the sword;(T) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’(U)
8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life(V) and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.(W) But whoever goes out and surrenders(X) to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.(Y) 10 I have determined to do this city harm(Z) and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands(AA) of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’(AB)
11 “Moreover, say to the royal house(AC) of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. 12 This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:
“‘Administer justice(AD) every morning;
rescue from the hand of the oppressor(AE)
the one who has been robbed,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire(AF)
because of the evil(AG) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(AH) it.
13 I am against(AI) you, Jerusalem,
you who live above this valley(AJ)
on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord—
you who say, “Who can come against us?
Who can enter our refuge?”(AK)
14 I will punish you as your deeds(AL) deserve,
declares the Lord.
I will kindle a fire(AM) in your forests(AN)
that will consume everything around you.’”
Judgment Against Wicked Kings
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king(AO) of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2 ‘Hear(AP) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne(AQ)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.(AR) 3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is just(AS) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor(AT) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,(AU) and do not shed innocent blood(AV) in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings(AW) who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you do not obey(AX) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear(AY) by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’”
6 For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:
“Though you are like Gilead(AZ) to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,(BA)
I will surely make you like a wasteland,(BB)
like towns not inhabited.
7 I will send destroyers(BC) against you,
each man with his weapons,
and they will cut(BD) up your fine cedar beams
and throw them into the fire.(BE)
8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’(BF) 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.(BG)’”
10 Do not weep for the dead(BH) king or mourn(BI) his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return(BJ)
nor see his native land again.
11 For this is what the Lord says about Shallum[c](BK) son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. 12 He will die(BL) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
13 “Woe(BM) to him who builds(BN) his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying(BO) them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace(BP)
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar(BQ)
and decorates it in red.(BR)
15 “Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,(BS)
so all went well(BT) with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,(BU)
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know(BV) me?”
declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,(BW)
on shedding innocent blood(BX)
and on oppression and extortion.”(BY)
18 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“They will not mourn(BZ) for him:
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
19 He will have the burial(CA) of a donkey—
dragged away and thrown(CB)
outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,(CC)
let your voice be heard in Bashan,(CD)
cry out from Abarim,(CE)
for all your allies(CF) are crushed.
21 I warned you when you felt secure,(CG)
but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;(CH)
you have not obeyed(CI) me.
22 The wind(CJ) will drive all your shepherds(CK) away,
and your allies(CL) will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced(CM)
because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,[d](CN)’
who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
pain(CO) like that of a woman in labor!
24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin[e](CP) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring(CQ) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliver(CR) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.[f] 26 I will hurl(CS) you and the mother(CT) who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never come back to the land you long to return(CU) to.”
28 Is this man Jehoiachin(CV) a despised, broken pot,(CW)
an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled(CX) out,
cast into a land(CY) they do not know?
29 O land,(CZ) land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,(DA)
a man who will not prosper(DB) in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring(DC) will prosper,
none will sit on the throne(DD) of David
or rule anymore in Judah.”
The Righteous Branch
23 “Woe to the shepherds(DE) who are destroying and scattering(DF) the sheep of my pasture!”(DG) declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds(DH) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock(DI) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil(DJ) you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant(DK) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,(DL) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds(DM) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid(DN) or terrified, nor will any be missing,(DO)” declares the Lord.
5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up for David[g] a righteous Branch,(DP)
a King(DQ) who will reign(DR) wisely
and do what is just and right(DS) in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.(DT)
This is the name(DU) by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.(DV)
7 “So then, the days are coming,”(DW) declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(DX) 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”(DY)
Lying Prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart(DZ) is broken within me;
all my bones tremble.(EA)
I am like a drunken man,
like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and his holy words.(EB)
10 The land is full of adulterers;(EC)
because of the curse[h](ED) the land lies parched
and the pastures(EE) in the wilderness are withered.(EF)
The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.
11 “Both prophet and priest are godless;(EG)
even in my temple(EH) I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their path will become slippery;(EI)
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished,(EJ)”
declares the Lord.
13 “Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal(EK)
and led my people Israel astray.(EL)
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible:(EM)
They commit adultery and live a lie.(EN)
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,(EO)
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.(EP)
They are all like Sodom(EQ) to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”(ER)
15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:
“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,(ES)
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness(ET) has spread throughout the land.”
16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen(EU) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions(EV) from their own minds,
not from the mouth(EW) of the Lord.
17 They keep saying(EX) to those who despise me,
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’(EY)
And to all who follow the stubbornness(EZ) of their hearts
they say, ‘No harm(FA) will come to you.’
18 But which of them has stood in the council(FB) of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm(FC) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind(FD) swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger(FE) of the Lord will not turn back(FF)
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
21 I did not send(FG) these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,(FH)
they would have proclaimed(FI) my words to my people
and would have turned(FJ) them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.(FK)
23 “Am I only a God nearby,(FL)”
declares the Lord,
“and not a God far away?
24 Who can hide(FM) in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”(FN)
declares the Lord.
25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies(FO) in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!(FP) I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions(FQ) of their own minds?(FR) 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget(FS) my name, just as their ancestors forgot(FT) my name through Baal worship.(FU) 28 Let the prophet who has a dream(FV) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word(FW) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not my word like fire,”(FX) declares the Lord, “and like a hammer(FY) that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against(FZ) the prophets(GA) who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31 Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’(GB) 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,(GC)” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray(GD) with their reckless lies,(GE) yet I did not send(GF) or appoint them. They do not benefit(GG) these people in the least,” declares the Lord.
False Prophecy
33 “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message(GH) from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake(GI) you, declares the Lord.’ 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message(GJ) from the Lord,’ I will punish(GK) them and their household. 35 This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’(GL) or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort(GM) the words of the living God,(GN) the Lord Almighty, our God. 37 This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the Lord’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ this is what the Lord says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord.’ 39 Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast(GO) you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring on you everlasting disgrace(GP)—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”
Two Baskets of Figs
24 After Jehoiachin[i](GQ) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs(GR) placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early;(GS) the other basket had very bad(GT) figs, so bad they could not be eaten.
3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see,(GU) Jeremiah?”
“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent(GV) away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.[j] 6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back(GW) to this land. I will build(GX) them up and not tear them down; I will plant(GY) them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know(GZ) me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people,(HA) and I will be their God, for they will return(HB) to me with all their heart.(HC)
8 “‘But like the bad(HD) figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah(HE) king of Judah, his officials(HF) and the survivors(HG) from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.(HH) 9 I will make them abhorrent(HI) and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword,(HJ) a curse[k](HK) and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish(HL) them. 10 I will send the sword,(HM) famine(HN) and plague(HO) against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.(HP)’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Jeremiah and Ezekiel
- Jeremiah 21:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 9
- Jeremiah 22:11 Also called Jehoahaz
- Jeremiah 22:23 That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2)
- Jeremiah 22:24 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 28
- Jeremiah 22:25 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or up from David’s line
- Jeremiah 23:10 Or because of these things
- Jeremiah 24:1 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 24:5 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 24:9 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that they are cursed.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.