Jeremiah 21

God Rejects King Zedekiah’s Request

1 This is the word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. It came when Zedekiah king of Judah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah.

2 They said, “Ask the Lord for us what will happen, because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Maybe the Lord will do miracles for us as he did in the past so Nebuchadnezzar will stop attacking us and leave.”
3 But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell King Zedekiah this:4 ‘Here is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: You have weapons of war in your hands to defend yourselves against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians, who are all around the city wall. But I will make those weapons useless. Soon I will bring them into the center of this city.5 In my anger, my very great anger, I myself will fight against you with my great power and strength.6 I will kill everything living in Jerusalem—both people and animals. They will die from terrible diseases.

7 Then, says the Lord, I’ll hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in Jerusalem who do not die from the terrible diseases or battle or hunger, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I will let those win who want to kill the people of Judah, so the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be killed in war. Nebuchadnezzar will not show any mercy or pity or feel sorry for them!’
8 “Also tell this to the people of Jerusalem: ‘This is what the Lord says: I will let you choose to live or die.9 Anyone who stays in Jerusalem will die in war or from hunger or from a terrible disease. But anyone who goes out of Jerusalem and surrenders to the Babylonians who are attacking you will live. Anyone who leaves the city will save his life as if it were a prize won in war.

10 I have decided to make trouble for this city and not to help it, says the Lord. I will give it to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.’
11 “Say to Judah’s royal family: ‘Hear the word of the Lord.

12 Family of David, this is what the Lord says:
You must judge people fairly every morning. Save the person who has been robbed from the power of his attacker.
If you don’t, I will become very angry. My anger will be like a fire that no one can put out, because you have done evil things.

13 “ ‘Jerusalem, I am against you, you who live on top of the mountain over this valley, says the Lord.
You say, “No one can attack us or come into our strong city.”
14 But I will give you the punishment you deserve, says the Lord. I will start a fire in your forests that will burn up everything around you!’ ”

Jeremiah 22

Judgment Against Evil Kings

1 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and prophesy this message there:2 ‘Hear the word of the Lord, king of Judah, who rules from David’s throne. You and your officers, and your people who come through these gates, listen!3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is fair and right. Save the one who has been robbed from the power of his attacker. Don’t mistreat or hurt the foreigners, orphans, or widows. Don’t kill innocent people here.4 If you carefully obey these commands, kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace with their officers and people, riding in chariots and on horses.

5 But if you don’t obey these commands, says the Lord, I swear by my own name that this king’s palace will become a ruin.’ ”

6 This is what the Lord says about the palace where the king of Judah lives:
“You are tall like the forests of Gilead, like the mountaintops of Lebanon.
But I will truly make you into a desert, into towns where no one lives.

7 I will send men to destroy the palace, each with his weapons.
They will cut up your strong, beautiful cedar beams and throw them into the fire.
8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and ask each other, ‘Why has the Lord done such a terrible thing to Jerusalem, this great city?’

9 And the answer will be: ‘Because the people of Judah quit following the agreement with the Lord their God. They worshiped and served other gods.’ ”

Judgment Against Jehoahaz

10 Don’t cry for the dead king or be sad about him. But cry painfully for the king who is being taken away,
because he will never return or see his homeland again.
11 This is what the Lord says about Jehoahaz son of Josiah who became king of Judah after his father died and who has left this place: “He will never return.

12 He will die where he has been taken captive, and he will not see this land again.”

Judgment Against Jehoiakim

13 “How terrible it will be for one who builds his palace by doing evil, who cheats people so he can build its upper rooms.
He makes his own people work for nothing and does not pay them.

14 He says, ‘I will build a great palace for myself with large upper rooms.’
So he builds it with large windows and uses cedar wood for the walls, which he paints red.

15 “Does having a lot of cedar in your house make you a great king?
Your father was satisfied to have food and drink. He did what was right and fair, so everything went well for him.

16 He helped those who were poor and needy, so everything went well for him.
That is what it means to know God,” says the Lord.

17 “But you only look for and think about what you can get dishonestly.
You are even willing to kill innocent people to get it. You feel free to hurt people and to steal from them.”

18 So this is what the Lord says to Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“The people of Judah will not cry when Jehoiakim dies, saying: ‘Oh, my brother,’ or ‘Oh, my sister.’
They will not cry for him, saying: ‘Oh, master,’ or ‘Oh, my king.’

19 They will bury him like a donkey, dragging his body away and throwing it outside the gates of Jerusalem.

20 “Judah, go up to Lebanon and cry out. Let your voice be heard in Bashan.
Cry out from Abarim, because all your friends are destroyed!

21 Judah, when you were successful, I warned you, but you said, ‘I won’t listen.’
You have acted like this since you were young; you have not obeyed me.

22 Like a storm, my punishment will blow all your shepherds away and send your friends into captivity.
Then you will really be ashamed and disgraced because of all the wicked things you did.

23 King, you live in your palace, cozy in your rooms of cedar.
But when your punishment comes, how you will groan like a woman giving birth to a baby!

Judgment upon Jehoiachin

24 “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, even if you were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.25 I will hand you over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Babylonians—those people you fear because they want to kill you.26 I will throw you and your mother into another country. Neither of you was born there, but both of you will die there.

27 They will want to come back, but they will never be able to return.”

28 Jehoiachin is like a broken pot someone threw away; he is like something no one wants.
Why will Jehoiachin and his children be thrown out and sent into a foreign land?

29 Land, land, land of Judah, hear the word of the Lord!

30 This is what the Lord says:
“Write this down in the record about Jehoiachin: He is a man without children, a man who will not be successful in his lifetime.
And none of his descendants will be successful; none will sit on the throne of David or rule in Judah.”

Jeremiah 23

The Evil Leaders of Judah

1 “How terrible it will be for the leaders of Judah, who are scattering and destroying my people,” says the Lord.
2 They are responsible for the people, so the Lord, the God of Israel, says to them: “You have scattered my people and forced them away and not taken care of them. So I will punish you for the evil things you have done,” says the Lord.3 “I sent my people to other countries, but I will gather those who are left alive and bring them back to their own country. Then they will have many children and grow in number.

4 I will place new leaders over my people, who will take care of them. And my people will not be afraid or terrified again, and none of them will be lost,” says the Lord.

The Good Branch Will Come

5 “The days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a good branch in David’s family.
He will be a king who will rule in a wise way; he will do what is fair and right in the land.

6 In his time Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.
This will be his name: The Lord Does What Is Right.
7 “So the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when people will not say again: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought Israel out of Egypt . . . ’

8 But people will say something new: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where he had sent them away . . . ’ Then the people of Israel will live in their own land.”

False Prophets Will Be Punished

9 A message to the prophets:
My heart is broken. All my bones shake.
I’m like someone who is drunk, like someone who has been overcome with wine.
This is because of the Lord and his holy words.

10 The land of Judah is full of people who are guilty of adultery. Because of this, the Lord cursed the land. It has become a very sad place, and the pastures have dried up.
The people are evil and use their power in the wrong way.

11 “Both the prophets and the priests live as if there were no God. I have found them doing evil things even in my own Temple,” says the Lord.

12 “So they will be in danger. They will be forced into darkness where they will be defeated.
I will bring disaster on them in the year I punish them,” says the Lord.

13 “I saw the prophets of Samaria do something wrong.
Those prophets prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel away.

14 And I have seen the prophets of Jerusalem do terrible things.
They are guilty of adultery and live by lies.
They encourage evil people to keep on doing evil, so the people don’t stop sinning.
All of those people are like the city of Sodom. The people of Jerusalem are like the city of Gomorrah to me!”

15 So this is what the Lord All-Powerful says about the prophets:
“I will make those prophets eat bitter food and drink poisoned water,
because the prophets of Jerusalem spread wickedness through the whole country.”

16 This is what the Lord All-Powerful says:
“Don’t pay attention to what those prophets are saying to you. They are trying to fool you.
They talk about visions their own minds made up, not about visions from me.

17 They say to those who hate me: ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’
They say to all those who are stubborn and do as they please: ‘Nothing bad will happen to you.’

18 But none of these prophets has stood in the meeting of angels to see or hear the message of the Lord. None of them has paid close attention to his message.

19 Look, the punishment from the Lord will come like a storm.
His anger will be like a hurricane. It will come swirling down on the heads of those wicked people.

20 The Lord’s anger will not stop until he finishes what he plans to do.
When that day is over, you will understand this clearly.

21 I did not send those prophets, but they ran to tell their message.
I did not speak to them, but they prophesied anyway.

22 But if they had stood in the meeting of angels, they would have told my message to my people.
They would have turned the people from their evil ways and from doing evil.

23 “I am a God who is near,” says the Lord. “I am also a God who is far away.”

24 “No one can hide where I cannot see him,” says the Lord. “I fill all of heaven and earth,” says the Lord.
25 “I have heard the prophets who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’26 How long will this continue in the minds of these lying prophets? They prophesy from their own wishful thinking.27 They are trying to make the people of Judah forget me by telling each other these dreams. In the same way, their ancestors forgot me and worshiped Baal.28 Is straw the same thing as wheat?” says the Lord. “If a prophet wants to tell about his dreams, let him! But let the person who hears my message speak it truthfully!

29 Isn’t my message like a fire?” says the Lord. “Isn’t it like a hammer that smashes a rock?
30 “So I am against the false prophets,” says the Lord. “They keep stealing words from each other and say they are from me.31 I am against the false prophets,” says the Lord. “They use their own words and pretend it is a message from me.

32 I am against the prophets who prophesy false dreams,” says the Lord. “They mislead my people with their lies and false teachings! I did not send them or command them to do anything for me. They can’t help the people of Judah at all,” says the Lord.

The Sad Message from the Lord

33 “Suppose the people of Judah, a prophet, or a priest asks you: ‘Jeremiah, what is the message from the Lord?’ You will answer them and say, ‘You are a heavy load to the Lord, and I will throw you down, says the Lord.’34 A prophet or a priest or one of the people might say, ‘This is a message from the Lord.’ That person has lied, so I will punish him and his whole family.35 This is what you will say to each other: ‘What did the Lord answer?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’36 But you will never again say, ‘The message of the Lord,’ because the only message you speak is your own words. You have changed the words of our God, the living God, the Lord All-Powerful.37 This is how you should speak to the prophets: ‘What answer did the Lord give you?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’38 But don’t say, ‘The message from the Lord.’ If you use these words, this is what the Lord says: Because you called it a ‘message from the Lord,’ though I told you not to use those words,39 I will pick you up and throw you away from me, along with Jerusalem, which I gave to your ancestors and to you.40 And I will make a disgrace of you forever; your shame will never be forgotten.”