Hananiah’s Falsehood and Doom

28 And (A)it happened in the same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the (B)fourth year and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of (C)Azur the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken (D)the yoke of the king of Babylon. (E)Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (F)took away from this place and carried to Babylon. And I will bring back to this place [a]Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”

Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord, and the prophet Jeremiah said, (G)“Amen! The Lord do so; the Lord perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all who were carried away captive, from Babylon to this place. Nevertheless hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms—of war and disaster and pestilence. As for (H)the prophet who prophesies of (I)peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the (J)yoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it. 11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (K)from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years.’ ” And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

12 Now the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Go and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made in their place yokes of iron.” 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (L)“I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. (M)I have given him the beasts of the field also.” ’ ”

15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, but (N)you make this people trust in a (O)lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall (P)die, because you have taught (Q)rebellion against the Lord.’ ”

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

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Captives

29 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were (R)carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. (This happened after (S)Jeconiah[b] the king, the (T)queen mother, the [c]eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of (U)Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, (V)and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst (W)deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy (X)falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.

10 For thus says the Lord: After (Y)seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to (Z)return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will (AA)call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will (AB)listen to you. 13 And (AC)you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me (AD)with all your heart. 14 (AE)I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; (AF)I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

15 Because you have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon”— 16 (AG)therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, concerning all the people who dwell in this city, and concerning your brethren who have not gone out with you into captivity— 17 thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like (AH)rotten figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 18 And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I (AI)will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth—to be (AJ)a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have not heeded My words, says the Lord, which (AK)I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; neither would you heed, says the Lord. 20 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a (AL)lie to you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes. 22 (AM)And because of them a curse shall be taken up by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, (AN)whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire”; 23 because (AO)they have done disgraceful things in Israel, have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in My name, which I have not commanded them. Indeed I (AP)know, and am a witness, says the Lord.

24 You shall also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25 Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, (AQ)to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there should be (AR)officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is (AS)demented and considers himself a prophet, that you should (AT)put him in prison and in the stocks. 27 Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who makes himself a prophet to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘This captivity is long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ”

29 Now Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 31 Send to all those in captivity, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, (AU)and I have not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a (AV)lie— 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his [d]family: he shall not have anyone to dwell among this people, nor shall he see the good that I will do for My people, says the Lord, (AW)because he has taught rebellion against the Lord.

Restoration of Israel and Judah

30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that (AX)I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. (AY)‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ”

Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.

“For thus says the Lord:

‘We have heard a voice of trembling,
Of [e]fear, and not of peace.
Ask now, and see,
Whether a [f]man is ever in [g]labor with child?
So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins
(AZ)Like a woman in labor,
And all faces turned pale?
(BA)Alas! For that day is great,
(BB)So that none is like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble,
But he shall be saved out of it.

‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
That I will break his yoke from your neck,
And will burst your bonds;
Foreigners shall no more enslave them.
But they shall serve the Lord their God,
And (BC)David their king,
Whom I will (BD)raise up for them.

10 ‘Therefore (BE)do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord,
‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you from afar,
And your seed (BF)from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet,
And no one shall make him afraid.
11 For I am with (BG)you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you;
(BH)Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you,
(BI)Yet I will not make a complete end of you.
But I will correct you (BJ)in justice,
And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’

12 “For thus says the Lord:

(BK)‘Your affliction is incurable,
Your wound is severe.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
That you may be bound up;
(BL)You have no healing medicines.
14 (BM)All your lovers have forgotten you;
They do not seek you;
For I have wounded you with the wound (BN)of an enemy,
With the chastisement (BO)of a cruel one,
For the multitude of your iniquities,
(BP)Because your sins have increased.
15 Why (BQ)do you cry about your affliction?
Your sorrow is incurable.
Because of the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased,
I have done these things to you.

16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you (BR)shall be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into (BS)captivity;
Those who plunder you shall become (BT)plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will make a (BU)prey.
17 (BV)For I will restore health to you
And heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord,
‘Because they called you an outcast saying:
“This is Zion;
No one seeks her.” ’

18 “Thus says the Lord:

‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents,
And (BW)have mercy on his dwelling places;
The city shall be built upon its own [h]mound,
And the palace shall remain according to its own plan.
19 Then (BX)out of them shall proceed thanksgiving
And the voice of those who make merry;
(BY)I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish;
I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
20 Their children also shall be (BZ)as before,
And their congregation shall be established before Me;
And I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their nobles shall be from among them,
(CA)And their governor shall come from their midst;
Then I will (CB)cause him to draw near,
And he shall approach Me;
For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ says the Lord.
22 ‘You shall be (CC)My people,
And I will be your God.’ ”

23 Behold, the (CD)whirlwind of the Lord
Goes forth with fury,
A [i]continuing whirlwind;
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not return until He has done it,
And until He has performed the intents of His heart.

(CE)In the latter days you will consider it.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 28:4 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:12
  2. Jeremiah 29:2 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:12; 2 Chr. 36:10
  3. Jeremiah 29:2 Or officers
  4. Jeremiah 29:32 descendants, lit. seed
  5. Jeremiah 30:5 dread
  6. Jeremiah 30:6 Lit. male can give birth
  7. Jeremiah 30:6 childbirth
  8. Jeremiah 30:18 ruins
  9. Jeremiah 30:23 Or sweeping

The Command to Love

Behold (A)what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that (B)we should be called children of [a]God! Therefore the world does not know [b]us, (C)because it did not know Him. Beloved, (D)now we are children of God; and (E)it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, (F)we shall be like Him, for (G)we shall see Him as He is. (H)And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Sin and the Child of God

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and (I)sin is lawlessness. And you know (J)that He was manifested (K)to take away our sins, and (L)in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. (M)He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, (N)that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been (O)born of God does not sin, for (P)His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

The Imperative of Love(Q)

10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, (R)that we should love one another, 12 not as (S)Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if (T)the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love [c]his brother abides in death. 15 (U)Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that (V)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

The Outworking of Love

16 (W)By this we know love, (X)because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But (Y)whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

18 My little children, (Z)let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we [d]know (AA)that we are of the truth, and shall [e]assure our hearts before Him. 20 (AB)For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, (AC)we have confidence toward God. 22 And (AD)whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments (AE)and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ (AF)and love one another, as He gave [f]us commandment.

The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

24 Now (AG)he who keeps His commandments (AH)abides in Him, and He in him. And (AI)by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 3:1 NU adds And we are.
  2. 1 John 3:1 M you
  3. 1 John 3:14 NU omits his brother
  4. 1 John 3:19 NU shall know
  5. 1 John 3:19 persuade, set at rest
  6. 1 John 3:23 M omits us

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