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Jeremiah
| At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God
of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. |
| Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of
the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to
cause him to rest. |
| The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee. |
| Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O
virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and
shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. |
| Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of
Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. |
| For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the
mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the
LORD our God. |
| For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for
Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye,
and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. |
| Behold, I will bring them from the north country,
and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind
and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child
together: a great company shall return thither. |
| They shall come with weeping, and with supplications
will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a
straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to
Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. |
| Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare
it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather
him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. |
| For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him
from the hand of him that was stronger than he. |
| Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of
Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat,
and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the
herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not
sorrow any more at all. |
| Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both
young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and
will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. |
| And I will satiate the soul of the priests with
fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the
LORD. |
| Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah,
lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused
to be comforted for her children, because they were not. |
| Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping,
and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the
LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. |
| And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that
thy children shall come again to their own border. |
| I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus;
Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed
to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD
my God. |
| Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and
after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea,
even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. |
| Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for
since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore
my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith
the LORD. |
| Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set
thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn
again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities. |
| How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding
daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman
shall compass a man. |
| Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As
yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities
thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee,
O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness. |
| And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all
the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with
flocks. |
| For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have
replenished every sorrowful soul. |
| Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was
sweet unto me. |
| Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will
sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and
with the seed of beast. |
| And it shall come to pass, that like as I have
watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down,
and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and
to plant, saith the LORD. |
| In those days they shall say no more, The fathers
have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. |
| But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every
man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. |
| Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of
Judah: |
| Not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband
unto them, saith the LORD: |
| But this shall be the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law
in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their
God, and they shall be my people. |
| And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour,
and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all
know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the
LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin
no more. |
| Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a
light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a
light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The
LORD of hosts is his name: |
| If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the
LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation
before me for ever. |
| Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be
measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will
also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith
the LORD. |
| Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city
shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of
the corner. |
| And the measuring line shall yet go forth over
against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. |
| And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the
ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of
the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall
not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever. |
| The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the
tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of
Nebuchadrezzar. |
| For then the king of Babylon's army besieged
Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the
prison, which was in the king of Judah's house. |
| For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying,
Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I
will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall
take it; |
| And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of
the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand
of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his
eyes shall behold his eyes; |
| And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there
shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the
Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper. |
| And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto
me, saying, |
| Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle
shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for
the right of redemption is thine to buy it. |
| So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court
of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy
my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of
Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is
thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the
LORD. |
| And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son,
that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels
of silver. |
| And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and
took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. |
| So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that
which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was
open: |
| And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch
the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine
uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the
book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the
prison. |
| And I charged Baruch before them, saying, |
| Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel;
Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is
sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen
vessel, that they may continue many days. |
| For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel;
Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land. |
| Now when I had delivered the evidence of the
purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying, |
| Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and
the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing
too hard for thee: |
| Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and
recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their
children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is
his name, |
| Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes
are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one
according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings: |
| Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of
Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast
made thee a name, as at this day; |
| And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the
land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and
with a stretched out arm, and with great terror; |
| And hast given them this land, which thou didst
swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; |
| And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed
not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all
that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this
evil to come upon them: |
| Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to
take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that
fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the
pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou
seest it. |
| And thou hast said unto me, O Lord GOD, Buy thee the
field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand
of the Chaldeans. |
| Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah,
saying, |
| Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is
there any thing too hard for me? |
| Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give
this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it: |
| And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city,
shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon
whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink
offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger. |
| For the children of Israel and the children of Judah
have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of
Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands,
saith the LORD. |
| For this city hath been to me as a provocation of
mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this
day; that I should remove it from before my face, |
| Because of all the evil of the children of Israel
and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to
anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their
prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. |
| And they have turned unto me the back, and not the
face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they
have not hearkened to receive instruction. |
| But they set their abominations in the house, which
is called by my name, to defile it. |
| And they built the high places of Baal, which are in
the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters
to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not,
neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to
cause Judah to sin. |
| And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of
Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into
the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by
the pestilence; |
| Behold, I will gather them out of all countries,
whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great
wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause
them to dwell safely: |
| And they shall be my people, and I will be their
God: |
| And I will give them one heart, and one way, that
they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children
after them: |
| And I will make an everlasting covenant with them,
that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my
fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. |
| Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I
will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my
whole soul. |
| For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all
this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good
that I have promised them. |
| And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye
say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of
the Chaldeans. |
| Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe
evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin,
and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in
the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the
cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith
the LORD. |
| Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the
second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison,
saying, |
| Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that
formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; |
| Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee
great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. |
| For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel,
concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the
kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword; |
| They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to
fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger
and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from
this city. |
| Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will
cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. |
| And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the
captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. |
| And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity,
whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their
iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed
against me. |
| And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an
honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the
good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the
goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it. |
| Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in
this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without
beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem,
that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without
beast, |
| The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the
voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them
that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his
mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of
praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the
captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD. |
| Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Again in this place,
which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities
thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie
down. |
| In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the
vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and
in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the
flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the
LORD. |
| Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will
perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel
and to the house of Judah. |
| In those days, and at that time, will I cause the
Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute
judgment and righteousness in the land. |
| In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem
shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called,
The LORD our righteousness. |
| For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a
man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; |
| Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man
before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to
do sacrifice continually. |
| And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying, |
| Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of
the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day
and night in their season; |
| Then may also my covenant be broken with David my
servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and
with the Levites the priests, my ministers. |
| As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither
the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my
servant, and the Levites that minister unto me. |
| Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah,
saying, |
| Considerest thou not what this people have spoken,
saying, The two families which the LORD hath chosen, he hath even cast
them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more
a nation before them. |
| Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant be not with day
and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and
earth; |
| Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David
my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over
the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity
to return, and have mercy on them. |
| The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD,
when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the
kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought
against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying, |
| Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak
to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I
will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall
burn it with fire: |
| And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt
surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall
behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee
mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon. |
| Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of
Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword: |
| But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings
of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they
burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I
have pronounced the word, saith the LORD. |
| Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto
Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem, |
| When the king of Babylon's army fought against
Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against
Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the
cities of Judah. |
| This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the
LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the
people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; |
| That every man should let his manservant, and every
man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none
should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. |
| Now when all the princes, and all the people, which
had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his
manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should
serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go. |
| But afterward they turned, and caused the servants
and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought
them into subjection for servants and for handmaids. |
| Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from
the LORD, saying, |
| Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; I made a
covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of
the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, |
| At the end of seven years let ye go every man his
brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath
served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your
fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear. |
| And ye were now turned, and had done right in my
sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had
made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name: |
| But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every
man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty
at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be
unto you for servants and for handmaids. |
| Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened
unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man
to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD,
to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you
to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. |
| And I will give the men that have transgressed my
covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they
had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between
the parts thereof. |
| The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem,
the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which
passed between the parts of the calf; |
| I will even give them into the hand of their
enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead
bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts
of the earth. |
| And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I
give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek
their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which are
gone up from you. |
| Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause
them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take
it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a
desolation without an inhabitant. |
| The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in
the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, |
| Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto
them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the
chambers, and give them wine to drink. |
| Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son
of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house
of the Rechabites; |
| And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into
the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God,
which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of
Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door: |
| And I set before the sons of the house of the
Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye
wine. |
| But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab
the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no
wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever: |
| Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor
plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents;
that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers. |
| Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of
Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all
our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; |
| Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have
we vineyard, nor field, nor seed: |
| But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and
done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. |
| But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to
Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the
army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem. |
| Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah,
saying, |
| Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go
and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not
receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD. |
| The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he
commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day
they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I
have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not
unto me. |
| I have sent also unto you all my servants the
prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every
man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other
gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to
you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor
hearkened unto me. |
| Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have
performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but
this people hath not hearkened unto me: |
| Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God
of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants
of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I
have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto
them, but they have not answered. |
| And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites,
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed
the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and
done according unto all that he hath commanded you: |
| Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before
me for ever. |
| And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim
the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from
the LORD, saying, |
| Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all
the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against
Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from
the days of Josiah, even unto this day. |
| It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the
evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man
from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. |
| Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and
Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which
he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. |
| And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up;
I cannot go into the house of the LORD: |
| Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou
hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the
people in the LORD'S house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt
read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. |
| It may be they will present their supplication
before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great
is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this
people. |
| And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all
that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words
of the LORD in the LORD'S house. |
| And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim
the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they
proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to
all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. |
| Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah
in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan
the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the
LORD'S house, in the ears of all the people. |
| When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of
Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD, |
| Then he went down into the king's house, into the
scribe's chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the
scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor,
and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and
all the princes. |
| Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that
he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. |
| Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of
Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying,
Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the
people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand,
and came unto them. |
| And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in
our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears. |
| Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the
words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We
will surely tell the king of all these words. |
| And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How
didst thou write all these words at his mouth? |
| Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these
words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. |
| Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee,
thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be. |
| And they went in to the king into the court, but
they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told
all the words in the ears of the king. |
| So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he
took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the
ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside
the king. |
| Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth
month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. |
| And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three
or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire
that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that
was on the hearth. |
| Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments,
neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. |
| Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had
made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he
would not hear them. |
| But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of
Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of
Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD
hid them. |
| Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after
that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at
the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, |
| Take thee again another roll, and write in it all
the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king
of Judah hath burned. |
| And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus
saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou
written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and
destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? |
| Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of
Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead
body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the
frost. |
| And I will punish him and his seed and his servants
for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have
pronounced against them; but they hearkened not. |
| And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead
of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made
king in the land of Judah. |
| But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of
the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the
prophet Jeremiah. |
| And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of
Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet
Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us. |
| Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people:
for they had not put him into prison. |
| Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and
when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they
departed from Jerusalem. |
| Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet
Jeremiah, saying, |
| Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall
ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me;
Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to
Egypt into their own land. |
| And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight
against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. |
| Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying,
The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. |
| For though ye had smitten the whole army of the
Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men
among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this
city with fire. |
| And it came to pass, that when the army of the
Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, |
| Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into
the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the
people. |
| And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain
of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the
son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest
away to the Chaldeans. |
| Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to
the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and
brought him to the princes. |
| Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and
smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe:
for they had made that the prison. |
| When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into
the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; |
| Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and
the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word
from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be
delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. |
| Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have
I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this
people, that ye have put me in prison? |
| Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto
you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against
this land? |
| Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king:
let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou
cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die
there. |
| Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should
commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give
him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the
bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the
prison. |
| 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, |
| 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. |
| Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given
into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it. |
| 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. |
| Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your
hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you. |
| 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. |
| 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; |
| Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and
spake to the king, saying, |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up
out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison. |
| 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. |
| 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? |
| 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. |
| 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: |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word
that the LORD hath showed me: |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of
these words, and thou shalt not die. |
| 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: |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until
the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was
taken. |
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