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Jeremiah Forbidden to Marry

1 TheLordgave me another message. He said,

2 “Do not get married or have children in this place.

3 For this is what theLordsays about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers:

4 They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.”

Judah’s Coming Punishment

5 This is what theLordsays: “Do not go to funerals to mourn and show sympathy for these people, for I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy.

6 Both the great and the lowly will die in this land. No one will bury them or mourn for them. Their friends will not cut themselves in sorrow or shave their heads in sadness.

7 No one will offer a meal to comfort those who mourn for the dead—not even at the death of a mother or father. No one will send a cup of wine to console them.

8 “And do not go to their feasts and parties. Do not eat and drink with them at all.

9 For this is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: In your own lifetime, before your very eyes, I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in this land. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard.

10 “When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, ‘Why has theLorddecreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against theLordour God?’

11 “Then you will give them theLord’s reply: ‘It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word.

12 And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me.

13 So I will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been. There you can worship idols day and night—and I will grant you no favors!’

Hope despite the Disaster

14 “But the time is coming,” says theLord, “when people who are taking an oath will no longer say, ‘As surely as theLordlives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’

15 Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as theLordlives, 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.’ For I will bring them back to this land that I gave their ancestors.

16 “But now I am sending for many fishermen who will catch them,” says theLord. “I am sending for hunters who will hunt them down in the mountains, hills, and caves.

17 I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me.

18 I will double their punishment for all their sins, because they have defiled my land with lifeless images of their detestable gods and have filled my territory with their evil deeds.”

Jeremiah’s Prayer of Confidence

19 Lord, you are my strength and fortress,

my refuge in the day of trouble!

Nations from around the world

will come to you and say,

“Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage,

for they worshiped worthless idols.

20 Can people make their own gods?

These are not real gods at all!”

21 TheLordsays,

“Now I will show them my power;

now I will show them my might.

At last they will know and understand

that I am theLord.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/16-004257db21ef1702a8ceaf3475abcb17.mp3?version_id=116—

Judah’s Sin and Punishment

1 “The sin of Judah

is inscribed with an iron chisel—

engraved with a diamond point on their stony hearts

and on the corners of their altars.

2 Even their children go to worship

at their pagan altars and Asherah poles,

beneath every green tree

and on every high hill.

3 So I will hand over my holy mountain—

along with all your wealth and treasures

and your pagan shrines—

as plunder to your enemies,

for sin runs rampant in your land.

4 The wonderful possession I have reserved for you

will slip from your hands.

I will tell your enemies to take you

as captives to a foreign land.

For my anger blazes like a fire

that will burn forever.”

Wisdom from the Lord

5 This is what theLordsays:

“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,

who rely on human strength

and turn their hearts away from theLord.

6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,

with no hope for the future.

They will live in the barren wilderness,

in an uninhabited salty land.

7 “But blessed are those who trust in theLord

and have made theLordtheir hope and confidence.

8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

and they never stop producing fruit.

9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,

and desperately wicked.

Who really knows how bad it is?

10 But I, theLord, search all hearts

and examine secret motives.

I give all people their due rewards,

according to what their actions deserve.”

Jeremiah’s Trust in the Lord

11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs she has not laid,

so are those who get their wealth by unjust means.

At midlife they will lose their riches;

in the end, they will become poor old fools.

12 But we worship at your throne—

eternal, high, and glorious!

13 OLord, the hope of Israel,

all who turn away from you will be disgraced.

They will be buried in the dust of the earth,

for they have abandoned theLord, the fountain of living water.

14 OLord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed;

if you save me, I will be truly saved.

My praises are for you alone!

15 People scoff at me and say,

“What is this ‘message from theLord’ you talk about?

Why don’t your predictions come true?”

16 Lord, I have not abandoned my job

as a shepherd for your people.

I have not urged you to send disaster.

You have heard everything I’ve said.

17 Lord, don’t terrorize me!

You alone are my hope in the day of disaster.

18 Bring shame and dismay on all who persecute me,

but don’t let me experience shame and dismay.

Bring a day of terror on them.

Yes, bring double destruction upon them!

Observing the Sabbath

19 This is what theLordsaid to me: “Go and stand in the gates of Jerusalem, first in the gate where the king goes in and out, and then in each of the other gates.

20 Say to all the people, ‘Listen to this message from theLord, you kings of Judah and all you people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem.

21 This is what theLordsays: Listen to my warning! Stop carrying on your trade at Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day.

22 Do not do your work on the Sabbath, but make it a holy day. I gave this command to your ancestors,

23 but they did not listen or obey. They stubbornly refused to pay attention or accept my discipline.

24 “‘But if you obey me, says theLord, and do not carry on your trade at the gates or work on the Sabbath day, and if you keep it holy,

25 then kings and their officials will go in and out of these gates forever. There will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem. Kings and their officials will always ride in and out among the people of Judah in chariots and on horses, and this city will remain forever.

26 And from all around Jerusalem, from the towns of Judah and Benjamin, from the western foothillsand the hill country and the Negev, the people will come with their burnt offerings and sacrifices. They will bring their grain offerings, frankincense, and thanksgiving offerings to theLord’s Temple.

27 “‘But if you do not listen to me and refuse to keep the Sabbath holy, and if on the Sabbath day you bring loads of merchandise through the gates of Jerusalem just as on other days, then I will set fire to these gates. The fire will spread to the palaces, and no one will be able to put out the roaring flames.’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/17-506bca5d1c076d9af7a8ff0d45abd11a.mp3?version_id=116—

The Potter and the Clay

1 TheLordgave another message to Jeremiah. He said,

2 “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.”

3 So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.

4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.

5 Then theLordgave me this message:

6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.

7 If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed,

8 but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned.

9 And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom,

10 but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.

11 “Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘This is what theLordsays: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’”

12 But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.”

13 So this is what theLordsays:

“Has anyone ever heard of such a thing,

even among the pagan nations?

My virgin daughter Israel

has done something terrible!

14 Does the snow ever disappear from the mountaintops of Lebanon?

Do the cold streams flowing from those distant mountains ever run dry?

15 But my people are not so reliable, for they have deserted me;

they burn incense to worthless idols.

They have stumbled off the ancient highways

and walk in muddy paths.

16 Therefore, their land will become desolate,

a monument to their stupidity.

All who pass by will be astonished

and will shake their heads in amazement.

17 I will scatter my people before their enemies

as the east wind scatters dust.

And in all their trouble I will turn my back on them

and refuse to notice their distress.”

A Plot against Jeremiah

18 Then the people said, “Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.”

19 Lord, hear me and help me!

Listen to what my enemies are saying.

20 Should they repay evil for good?

They have dug a pit to kill me,

though I pleaded for them

and tried to protect them from your anger.

21 So let their children starve!

Let them die by the sword!

Let their wives become childless widows.

Let their old men die in a plague,

and let their young men be killed in battle!

22 Let screaming be heard from their homes

as warriors come suddenly upon them.

For they have dug a pit for me

and have hidden traps along my path.

23 Lord, you know all about their murderous plots against me.

Don’t forgive their crimes and blot out their sins.

Let them die before you.

Deal with them in your anger.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/18-da60148ecede1ca46d2f7a6ed1556fee.mp3?version_id=116—

Jeremiah’s Shattered Jar

1 This is what theLordsaid to me: “Go and buy a clay jar. Then ask some of the leaders of the people and of the priests to follow you.

2 Go out through the Gate of Broken Pots to the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and give them this message.

3 Say to them, ‘Listen to this message from theLord, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will bring a terrible disaster on this place, and the ears of those who hear about it will ring!

4 “‘For Israel has forsaken me and turned this valley into a place of wickedness. The people burn incense to foreign gods—idols never before acknowledged by this generation, by their ancestors, or by the kings of Judah. And they have filled this place with the blood of innocent children.

5 They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!

6 So beware, for the time is coming, says theLord, when this garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.

7 “‘For I will upset the careful plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will allow the people to be slaughtered by invading armies, and I will leave their dead bodies as food for the vultures and wild animals.

8 I will reduce Jerusalem to ruins, making it a monument to their stupidity. All who pass by will be astonished and will gasp at the destruction they see there.

9 I will see to it that your enemies lay siege to the city until all the food is gone. Then those trapped inside will eat their own sons and daughters and friends. They will be driven to utter despair.’

10 “As these men watch you, Jeremiah, smash the jar you brought.

11 Then say to them, ‘This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies says: As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Judah and Jerusalem beyond all hope of repair. They will bury the bodies here in Topheth, the garbage dump, until there is no more room for them.

12 This is what I will do to this place and its people, says theLord. I will cause this city to become defiled like Topheth.

13 Yes, all the houses in Jerusalem, including the palace of Judah’s kings, will become like Topheth—all the houses where you burned incense on the rooftops to your star gods, and where liquid offerings were poured out to your idols.’”

14 Then Jeremiah returned from Topheth, the garbage dump where he had delivered this message, and he stopped in front of the Temple of theLord. He said to the people there,

15 “This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will bring disaster upon this city and its surrounding towns as I promised, because you have stubbornly refused to listen to me.’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/19-0da597e3092ea6a6dfc64bb64c918331.mp3?version_id=116—

Jeremiah and Pashhur

1 Now Pashhur son of Immer, the priest in charge of the Temple of theLord, heard what Jeremiah was prophesying.

2 So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of theLord’s Temple.

3 The next day, when Pashhur finally released him, Jeremiah said, “Pashhur, theLordhas changed your name. From now on you are to be called ‘The Man Who Lives in Terror.’

4 For this is what theLordsays: ‘I will send terror upon you and all your friends, and you will watch as they are slaughtered by the swords of the enemy. I will hand the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will take them captive to Babylon or run them through with the sword.

5 And I will let your enemies plunder Jerusalem. All the famed treasures of the city—the precious jewels and gold and silver of your kings—will be carried off to Babylon.

6 As for you, Pashhur, you and all your household will go as captives to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you prophesied that everything would be all right.’”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

7 OLord, you misled me,

and I allowed myself to be misled.

You are stronger than I am,

and you overpowered me.

Now I am mocked every day;

everyone laughs at me.

8 When I speak, the words burst out.

“Violence and destruction!” I shout.

So these messages from theLord

have made me a household joke.

9 But if I say I’ll never mention theLord

or speak in his name,

his word burns in my heart like a fire.

It’s like a fire in my bones!

I am worn out trying to hold it in!

I can’t do it!

10 I have heard the many rumors about me.

They call me “The Man Who Lives in Terror.”

They threaten, “If you say anything, we will report it.”

Even my old friends are watching me,

waiting for a fatal slip.

“He will trap himself,” they say,

“and then we will get our revenge on him.”

11 But theLordstands beside me like a great warrior.

Before him my persecutors will stumble.

They cannot defeat me.

They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated.

Their dishonor will never be forgotten.

12 OLordof Heaven’s Armies,

you test those who are righteous,

and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.

Let me see your vengeance against them,

for I have committed my cause to you.

13 Sing to theLord!

Praise theLord!

For though I was poor and needy,

he rescued me from my oppressors.

14 Yet I curse the day I was born!

May no one celebrate the day of my birth.

15 I curse the messenger who told my father,

“Good news—you have a son!”

16 Let him be destroyed like the cities of old

that theLordoverthrew without mercy.

Terrify him all day long with battle shouts,

17 because he did not kill me at birth.

Oh, that I had died in my mother’s womb,

that her body had been my grave!

18 Why was I ever born?

My entire life has been filled

with trouble, sorrow, and shame.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/20-1bbf7c53bfc8ef12c262189602ee1a30.mp3?version_id=116—

No Deliverance from Babylon

1 TheLordspoke 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 theLordfor us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps theLordwill 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 theLord, the God of Israel, says: I will make your weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Babylonianswho 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 theLord, 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 theLordsays: 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 theLord. 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 theLord!

12 This is what theLordsays 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 theLord.

I will light a fire in your forests

that will burn up everything around you.’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/21-9ce21fbe8153db08588702d83c910b5f.mp3?version_id=116—

A Message for Judah’s Kings

1 This is what theLordsaid to me: “Go over and speak directly to the king of Judah. Say to him,

2 ‘Listen to this message from theLord, you king of Judah, sitting on David’s throne. Let your attendants and your people listen, too.

3 This is what theLordsays: 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 theLord, that this palace will become a pile of rubble.’”

A Message about the Palace

6 Now this is what theLordsays 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 theLorddestroy such a great city?’

9 And the answer will be, ‘Because they violated their covenant with theLordtheir 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 theLordsays about Jehoahaz,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 theLordsays, “What sorrow awaits Jehoiakim,

who builds his palace with forced labor.

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 theLord.

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 theLordsays 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.

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 theLord, “I will abandon you, Jehoiachinson 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 Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon and the mighty Babylonianarmy.

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 theLord!

30 This is what theLordsays:

‘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.’

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/22-f310ce077672bc60171401de252f66af.mp3?version_id=116—

The Righteous Descendant

1 “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 theLord.

2 Therefore, this is what theLord, 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, theLord, have spoken!

5 “For the time is coming,”

says theLord,

“when I will raise up a righteous descendant

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:

‘TheLordIs Our Righteousness.’

In that day Judah will be saved,

and Israel will live in safety.

7 “In that day,” says theLord, “when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say, ‘As surely as theLordlives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’

8 Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as theLordlives, 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

theLordhas 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 theLord.

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, theLord, 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 theLordof 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 theLordof 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 theLord!

17 They keep saying to those who despise my word,

‘Don’t worry! TheLordsays 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 theLord’s presence

to hear what he is really saying?

Has even one of them cared enough to listen?

19 Look! TheLord’s anger bursts out like a storm,

a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked.

20 The anger of theLordwill 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 theLord.

“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 theLord.

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 theLord.

“Is it not like a mighty hammer

that smashes a rock to pieces?

30 “Therefore,” says theLord, “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 theLord!’

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, theLord, 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 theLordburdened you with now?’ You must reply, ‘You are the burden!TheLordsays he will abandon you!’

34 “If any prophet, priest, or anyone else says, ‘I have a prophecy from theLord,’ I will punish that person along with his entire family.

35 You should keep asking each other, ‘What is theLord’s answer?’ or ‘What is theLordsaying?’

36 But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from theLord.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, theLordof Heaven’s Armies.

37 “This is what you should say to the prophets: ‘What is theLord’s answer?’ or ‘What is theLordsaying?’

38 But suppose they respond, ‘This is a prophecy from theLord!’ Then you should say, ‘This is what theLordsays: Because you have used this phrase, “prophecy from theLord,” even though I warned you not to use it,

39 I will forget you completely.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.’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/23-2d473aafe1d6126e46c64b6baa7366ff.mp3?version_id=116—

Good and Bad Figs

1 After King Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon exiled Jehoiachinson of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, to Babylon along with the officials of Judah and all the craftsmen and artisans, theLordgave me this vision. I saw two baskets of figs placed in front of theLord’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 theLordsaid to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

I replied, “Figs, some very good and some very bad, too rotten to eat.”

4 Then theLordgave me this message:

5 “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says: The good figs represent the exiles I sent from Judah to the land of the Babylonians.

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 theLord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.

8 “But the bad figs,” theLordsaid, “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.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/24-2f1444ecba6a1adaf91f032b71c3c631.mp3?version_id=116—

Seventy Years of Captivity

1 This message for all the people of Judah came to Jeremiah from theLordduring the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah.This was the year when King Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon began his reign.

2 Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people in Judah and Jerusalem,

3 “For the past twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon,king of Judah, until now—theLordhas been giving me his messages. I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened.

4 “Again and again theLordhas sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention.

5 Each time the message was this: ‘Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only then will I let you live in this land that theLordgave to you and your ancestors forever.

6 Do not provoke my anger by worshiping idols you made with your own hands. Then I will not harm you.’

7 “But you would not listen to me,” says theLord. “You made me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer.

8 And now theLordof Heaven’s Armies says: Because you have not listened to me,

9 I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy. I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. I will completely destroyyou and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever.

10 I will take away your happy singing and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard. Your millstones will fall silent, and the lights in your homes will go out.

11 This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

12 “Then, after the seventy years of captivity are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his people for their sins,” says theLord. “I will make the country of the Babyloniansa wasteland forever.

13 I will bring upon them all the terrors I have promised in this book—all the penalties announced by Jeremiah against the nations.

14 Many nations and great kings will enslave the Babylonians, just as they enslaved my people. I will punish them in proportion to the suffering they cause my people.”

The Cup of the Lord’s Anger

15 This is what theLord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it.

16 When they drink from it, they will stagger, crazed by the warfare I will send against them.”

17 So I took the cup of anger from theLordand made all the nations drink from it—every nation to which theLordsent me.

18 I went to Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah, and their kings and officials drank from the cup. From that day until this, they have been a desolate ruin, an object of horror, contempt, and cursing.

19 I gave the cup to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, his attendants, his officials, and all his people,

20 along with all the foreigners living in that land. I also gave it to all the kings of the land of Uz and the kings of the Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what remains of Ashdod.

21 Then I gave the cup to the nations of Edom, Moab, and Ammon,

22 and the kings of Tyre and Sidon, and the kings of the regions across the sea.

23 I gave it to Dedan, Tema, and Buz, and to the people who live in distant places.

24 I gave it to the kings of Arabia, the kings of the nomadic tribes of the desert,

25 and to the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media.

26 And I gave it to the kings of the northern countries, far and near, one after the other—all the kingdoms of the world. And finally, the king of Babylonhimself drank from the cup of theLord’s anger.

27 Then theLordsaid to me, “Now tell them, ‘This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink from this cup of my anger. Get drunk and vomit; fall to rise no more, for I am sending terrible wars against you.’

28 And if they refuse to accept the cup, tell them, ‘TheLordof Heaven’s Armies says: You have no choice but to drink from it.

29 I have begun to punish Jerusalem, the city that bears my name. Now should I let you go unpunished? No, you will not escape disaster. I will call for war against all the nations of the earth. I, theLordof Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!’

30 “Now prophesy all these things, and say to them,

“‘TheLordwill roar against his own land

from his holy dwelling in heaven.

He will shout like those who tread grapes;

he will shout against everyone on earth.

31 His cry of judgment will reach the ends of the earth,

for theLordwill bring his case against all the nations.

He will judge all the people of the earth,

slaughtering the wicked with the sword.

I, theLord, have spoken!’”

32 This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies says:

“Look! Disaster will fall upon nation after nation!

A great whirlwind of fury is rising

from the most distant corners of the earth!”

33 In that day those theLordhas slaughtered will fill the earth from one end to the other. No one will mourn for them or gather up their bodies to bury them. They will be scattered on the ground like manure.

34 Weep and moan, you evil shepherds!

Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock!

The time of your slaughter has arrived;

you will fall and shatter like a fragile vase.

35 You will find no place to hide;

there will be no way to escape.

36 Listen to the frantic cries of the shepherds.

The leaders of the flock are wailing in despair,

for theLordis ruining their pastures.

37 Peaceful meadows will be turned into a wasteland

by theLord’s fierce anger.

38 He has left his den like a strong lion seeking its prey,

and their land will be made desolate

by the swordof the enemy

and theLord’s fierce anger.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/25-0c36e10c57f06c4ef12a847f11eac28c.mp3?version_id=116—