And will tell thee great things, and hidden, which thou knowest not. 4For 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 broken down for mounds, and for ramparts; thereon they come to fight with the Chaldeans, even 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: 6Behold, I will bring it healing and cure, and I will cure them; and I will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. 7And I will cause the cap- tivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. 8And 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 against Me, and whereby they have trans- gressed against Me. 9And this city shall b>e to Me for a name of joy, for a praise and for a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them, and shall fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I pro- cure unto it.
10Thus saith the LORD: Yet again there shall be. heard in this place, whereof ye say: It is waste, 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 with- out beast, uthe voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that say: 'Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for His mercy endureth for ever', even of them that bring offerings of thanksgiving into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captivity of the land to return as at the first, saith the LORD.
12Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Yet again shall there be in this place, which is waste, without man and with- out beast, and in all the cities thereof, a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. 13In the cities of the hill-country, in the cities of the Lowland, 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 th6 flocks again pass under the hands of him that counteth them, saith the Lord.
14Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken con- cerning the house of Israel and con- cerning the house of Judah. 15In those days, and at that time, Will I cause a shoot of righteous- ness to grow up unto David; And he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. I6In those days shall Judah be saved, And Jerusalem shall dwell safely; JEREMIAH And this is the name whereby she shall be called, The LOKD is our righteousness. 17For thus saith the LORD: There shall not be cut off unto David a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; 18neither shall there be cut off unto the priests the Levites a man be- fore Me to offer burnt-offerings, and to burn meal-offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.
19And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying. 20Thus saith the LORD: If ye can break My covenant with the day, And My covenant with the night, So that there should not be day and night in their season; 2lThen 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 meas- ured; So will I multiply the seed of David My servant, And the Levites that minister unto Me.
^And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying: 24' Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying* The two families which the LORD did choose, He hath cast them off? and they contemn My people, that they should be no more a nation before them. 25Thus saith the LORD: If My covenant be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; 26then will I also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David My servant, so that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will caube their captivity to return, and will have compassion on them.'
O A The word which came unto Jere- ^ •t miah from the LORD, when Nebu- chadrezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the land of his dominion, and all the peoples, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying; 2Thus saith the LORD, the God of Is- rael: 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 Baby- lon, and he shall burn it with fire; 3and thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his ha-nd; 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. 4Yet hear the -frord of the LORD, 0 Zedekiah king of Judah: Thus saith the LORD concerning thee. Thou shalt not die by the sword; 5thou shalt die in pea"ce; and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings that were before thee, so shall they make a burning for thee; and they shall lament thee: 'Ah lord'' for I have spoken the word, saith the LORD.
6Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem, 7when the king of Babylon's army Bought against Jeru- salem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these alone remained of the cities of Judah as fortified cities.
8The word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with JEREMIAH all the people that were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; 9that every man should let his man-servant, and every man his maid-servant, being a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, go free; that none should make bondmen of them, even of a Jew his brother, 10and all the princes and all the people hearkened, that had entered into the covenant to let every one his man- servant, and every one his maid- servant, go free, and not to make bondmen of them any more; they hearkened, and let them go; nbut afterwards 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; there- fore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 13Thus 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 bondage, saying: 14<At the end of seven years ye shall let go every man his brother that is a Hebrew, that hath been sold unto thee, and hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee7; but your fathers hearkened not unto Me, neither inclined their ear. 15And ye were now turned, and had done that which is right in Mine eyes, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a cov- enant before Me in the house whereon My name is called; 16but ye turned and profaned My name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and ye brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for hand- maids. "Therefore thus saith the LORD: Ye have not hearkened unto Me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to "Ms neighbour; behold, I proclaim for you a liberty, saith the LORD, unto the sword, unto the pestilence, and unto the famine; and I will make you a horror unto all the kingdoms of the earth. 18And I will give the men that have transgressed My covenant, that have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in twain and passed ^ between the parts thereof; 19the princes of Judah, and the princes of f Jerusalem, the officers, and the priests, and all the people of the land, thaj passed between the parts of the calf; 20I 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 food unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth. 21And Zede- kiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their en- emies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, that 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 inhabitant.
O£J The word which came unto , Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying: 2<Go unto the house of the Eechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.' 3Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaz- ziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the JEREMIAH Rechabites; 4and I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the cham- ber of the sons of Hanan the son oJ Igdaliah, the 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; 5and I set before the sons oi the house of the Rechabites goblets full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them: 'Drink ye wine.7 6But 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; 7neither 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- in ye sojourn. 8And we have heark- ened to the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; 9nor to build houses for us to dwell in, neither to have vine- yard, or field, or seed; 10but we have dwelt iA tents, and have hearkened, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. nBut it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up against 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 Arameans; so we dwell at Jerusalem.7 12Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying: 13'Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Go, and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem- Will ye not receive instruction to heark- en to My words? saith the LORD uThe words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed, and unto this day they drink none, for they hearken to their father's com- mandment; but I have spoken unto you, speaking betimes and often, and ye have not hearkened unto Me. 16I have sent also unto you all My serv- ants the prophets, sending them be- times and often, 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. 16Because 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, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the in- habitants 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.7 18 And unto the house of the Re- chabites Jeremiah said- Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Because ye have hearkened to the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he commanded you; "therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: There shall not be cut off unto Jonadab ;he son of Rechab a man to stand be- ?ore Me for ever.7 Q£ 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 JEREMIAH the LORD, saying: 2'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 spoke unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. 3It 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, and I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.'
4Then 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. 5And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying: 'I am detained, 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 a fast-day; and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. 7It 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.' 8And Baruch the son of Nenah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD'S house.
9Now 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, all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. 10Then did Baruch read in the book the word? of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gema- riah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD'S house, in the ears of all the people. "And when Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD, 12he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber; and, lo, all the princes sat there, even EHshama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of She- maiah, andElnathanthe son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. 13Then Micaiah 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 thy 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. 16And they said unto him: 'Sit down now, and read rb in our ears.' So Baruch read it in their ears. 16N"ow it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said unto Ba- ruch: 'We will surely tell the king of all these words/ 17And they asked Baruch, saying: 'Tell us now: How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?' 18Then 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 are.' 20And they went, in to the king into the court; but they had deposited the roll in the chamber of EKshama JEREMIAH the scribe; and they 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 the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of al the princes that stood beside the king, ^Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month; and the brazier was burning before him ^And it came to pass, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. ^Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their gar- ments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. 25Morepver Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had entreated the king not to burn the roll; but he would not hear them. 26And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, 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.
27Then 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 Jere- miah, saying: 28'Take4thee again an- other roll, and write in it all the former worols that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. 29And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah thou shalt say: Thus saith the LOBD: 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? 30Therefore thus saith the LORD con- cerning 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, 31 And I will visit upon him^and his seed and his servants their iniquity, and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, a?ll the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they hearkened not.7 32Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were added besides unto them many like words.
O rr And Zedekiah the son of Josiah ' reigned as king, instead of Co- mah the son of Jehoiakbn, whom Nebu- chadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 2But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which He spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.
3 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.' LNow Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison. 6And Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans that be- sieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they broke up from Jerusalem. 6Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying- 7'Thus saith the LORD, the God of [srael: Thus shall ye say to the dng of Judah, that sent you unto Me to inquire ^of Me: Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help JEREMIAH JEREMIAH you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. 8And the Chaldeans shall return, and fight against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with fire, ^hus saith the LORD: Deceive not yourselves, saying: The Chal- deans shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart. 10For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.' • 11 And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pha- raoh's army, ^then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people. 13And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irrjah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hanamah; and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying: "Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.' 14Then said Jeremiah: 'It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans'; but he hearkened not to him; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. 16And 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.
16When Jeremiah was come into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; 17then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him; and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said: 'Is there any word from the LORD?' And Jeremiah said: 'There is.' He said also: 'Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.' 18Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah: 'Wherein have I sinned against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? 19Where now are your prophets that proph- esied unto you, saying: The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? 20And now hear, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be presented before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.' 21Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard, and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. OQ And Shephatiah the son of ^ ° Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shele- miah, and Pashhur the son of Mal- chiah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke unto all the people, saying: 2'Thus saith the LORD: He that re- maineth 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, and his life shall be unto him for a prey, and he shall live. 3Thus saith the LORD: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.' 4Then the princes said unto the king: 'Let this man, we pray thee, be put to death; forasmuch as 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.' ^hen Zedekiah the king said: 'Be- hold, he is in your hand; for the king JEREMIAH is not he that can do any thing against you.' ^hen took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard; and they let down. Jeremiah with cords- And in the pit there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
'Now when Ebed-melech the Ethi- opian, an officer, who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the pit; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; 8Ebed-melech went forth out of ^the king's house, and spoke to the king, saying: 9'My lo^d the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit; and he is Hke to die in the place where he is because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.' 10Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying: 'Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the pit, before he die.' xlSo Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence worn clouts and worn rags, and let them down by cords into the pit to Jeremiah. 12And Ebed- melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah: ' Put now these worn clouts and rags under thine armholes under the cords.' And Jeremiah olid so. 13So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the pit; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
14Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto hi™ into the third entry that was in the house of the LORD; and the king said unto Jeremiah: 'I will ask 'thee a thing; hide nothing from me/ 16Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah:, 'If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not hearken unto me.' 16So Zedekiah the king swore 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.'
17Then said Jeremiah unto Zede- kiah: 'Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If thou wilt go forth unto the king of Baby- lon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, thou, and thy house; 18but 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.' 19And Zedekiah the king said unto Jere- miah: fl am afraid of the Jews that are fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.' 20But Jeremiah said: 'They shall not deliver thee. Hearken, I beseech thee, to the voice of the LORD, in that which I speak unto thee; so it shall be well with thee, and thy soul shall live. 21But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shown me: ^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 familiar friends have set thee on, And have prevailed over thee; Thy feet are sunk in the mire, And they are turned away back. MAnd they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chat JEREMIAH deans; and thou shalt not escap s 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.'
24Then said Zedekiah unto Jere- miah: '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; 26then 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.7 27Then 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 reported. 28So Jere- miah abode in the court of the guard until the taken.
day that Jerusalem was And it came to pass, when Jerusa- 39 lem was taken — 1in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchad- rezzar king of Babylon and all Ms army against Jerusalem, and be- sieged it; 2in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city — 'that all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sarezer, Sa aRab-saris, Ne with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. 4And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled,, and went forth