Jeremiah 19–22

19The Lord said to me, “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people. Also tell some of the priests to go with you. ²Go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom. Stand near the entrance of the gate where broken pieces of pottery are thrown away.

“There announce the message I give you. ³Tell the people, ‘Listen to the Lord’s message, you kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Listen! I am going to bring trouble on Jerusalem. It will be so horrible that it will make the ears of everyone who hears about it ring.

⁴“ ‘ “My people have deserted me. They have made this city a place where other gods are worshiped. They have burned sacrifices to them here. They and their people and the kings of Judah had never had anything to do with those gods before. My people have also filled this place with the blood of those who are not guilty of anything. ⁵They have built the high places where they worship Baal. There they sacrifice their children in the fire as offerings to Baal. That is something I did not command or talk about. It did not even enter my mind.

⁶“ ‘ “So watch out!” announces the Lord. “The days are coming when people will not call this place Topheth anymore. And they will not call it the Valley of Ben Hinnom either. Instead, they will call it the Valley of Death.

⁷“ ‘ “In this place I will make the plans of Judah and Jerusalem as useless as a broken jar. I will use their enemies to kill my people with swords. They will die at the hands of those who want to take their lives. I will give their dead bodies as food to the birds of the air and the wild animals.

⁸“ ‘ “I will destroy this city completely. People will make fun of it. All those who pass by it will be shocked. They will laugh at its people because of all of their wounds. ⁹I will make the people of this city eat the dead bodies of their sons and daughters. And they will eat one another. They will do it because things will be so bad during the attack. The enemies who want to take their lives will bring all of that trouble on them.” ’

¹⁰“Jeremiah, break the jar while those who go with you are watching. ¹¹Tell them, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “This potter’s jar is smashed and can’t be repaired. And I will smash this nation and this city. People will bury their dead in Topheth. But they will run out of room. ¹²Here is what I will do to Jerusalem and those who live here,” announces the Lord. “I will make this city like Topheth. ¹³The houses in Jerusalem will be made ‘unclean’ like Topheth. So will the houses of the kings of Judah. All of those people burned incense on their roofs to all of the stars. They poured out drink offerings to other gods.” ’ ”

¹⁴Then I returned from Topheth. That’s where the Lord had sent me to prophesy. I stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. I spoke to all of the people. I said, ¹⁵“The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, ‘Listen! I am going to punish this city and the villages that are around it. I am going to bring against them all of the trouble I have announced. That is because my people were stubborn. They would not listen to what I said.’ ”

Jeremiah and Pashhur

20The priest Pashhur was chief officer in the Lord’s temple. He was the son of Immer. Pashhur heard me prophesying that Jerusalem would be destroyed. ²So he had me beaten. Then he put me in prison at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord’s temple.

³The next day Pashhur set me free. I said to him, “The Lord’s name for you isn’t Pashhur. It’s Magor-Missabib. That name means Terror on Every Side.

⁴“The Lord says to you, ‘I will make you a terror to yourself. You will also be a terror to all of your friends. With your own eyes you will see them die. Their enemies will kill them with swords. I will hand all of the people of Judah over to the king of Babylonia. He will carry them away to Babylonia or kill them with swords.

⁵“ ‘I will hand all of the wealth of this city over to Judah’s enemies. I will give them all of its products and everything of value. I will turn over to them all of the treasures that belonged to the kings of Judah. They will take those things and carry them off to Babylon.

⁶“ ‘Pashhur, you and everyone who lives in your house will also be forced to go there. You have prophesied lies to all of your friends. So all of you will die in Babylonia. And that’s where your bodies will be buried.’ ”

Jeremiah Argues With the Lord

⁷Lord, you tricked me, and I was tricked.

You overpowered me and won.

People make fun of me all day long.

Everyone laughs at me.

⁸Every time I speak, I cry out.

All you ever tell me to talk about

is fighting and trouble.

Your message has brought me nothing but dishonor.

It has made me suffer shame all day long.

⁹Sometimes I think, “I won’t talk about him anymore.

I’ll never speak in his name again.”

But then your message burns in my heart.

It’s like a fire inside my very bones.

I’m tired of holding it in.

In fact, I can’t.

¹⁰I hear many people whispering,

“There is terror on every side!

Report Jeremiah! Let’s report him to the authorities!”

All of my friends

are waiting for me to slip.

They are saying, “Perhaps he will be tricked

into making a mistake.

Then we’ll win out over him.

We’ll get even with him.”

¹¹But you are with me like a mighty warrior.

So those who are trying to harm me will trip and fall.

They won’t win out over me.

They will fail. They’ll be totally put to shame.

Their dishonor will never be forgotten.

¹²Lord, you rule over all.

You test those who do what is right.

You see what is in people’s hearts and minds.

So pay them back for what they’ve done.

I’ve committed my cause to you.

¹³Sing to the Lord, you people!

Give praise to him!

He saves the lives of those who are in need.

He saves them from the powerful hands of sinful people.

¹⁴May the day I was born be under a curse!

May the day I was born to my mother not be blessed!

¹⁵May the man who brought my father the news be under a curse!

He’s the one who made my father very glad.

He said, “You have had a baby! It’s a boy!”

¹⁶May that man be like the towns

the Lord destroyed without pity.

May that man hear loud sobs in the morning.

May he hear a battle cry at noon.

¹⁷He should have killed me in my mother’s body.

He should have made my mother my grave.

He should have let her body stay large forever.

¹⁸Why did I ever come out of my mother’s body?

I’ve seen nothing but trouble and sorrow.

My days will end in shame.

The Lord Refuses Zedekiah’s Appeal

21A message came to me from the Lord. It came when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur to me. Pashhur was the son of Malkijah. Zedekiah sent the priest Zephaniah along with him. Zephaniah was the son of Maaseiah. They said to me, ²“Ask the Lord to help us. Nebuchadnezzar is attacking us. He is king of Babylonia. In the past the Lord did wonderful things for us. Maybe he’ll do them again. Then Nebuchadnezzar will pull his armies back from us.”

³But I answered them, “Tell Zedekiah and his people, ⁴‘The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, “The king of Babylonia and his armies are all around this city. They are getting ready to attack you. You have weapons of war in your hands to fight against them. But I am about to turn your weapons against you. And I will bring your enemies inside this city.

⁵“ ‘ “I myself will fight against you. I will reach out my powerful hand and mighty arm. I will come against you with all of my burning anger. ⁶I will strike down those who live in this city. I will kill people and animals alike. They will die of a terrible plague.

⁷“ ‘ “After that, I will hand you over to your enemies who want to kill you,” announces the Lord. “I will hand over Zedekiah, the king of Judah. I will hand over his officials and the people in this city who live through the plague, war and hunger. All of them will be turned over to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia. He will kill them with swords. He will not show them any kindness. He will not feel sorry for them. In fact, he will not have any concern for them at all.” ’

⁸“Tell the people, ‘The Lord says, “I am offering you a choice. You can choose the way that leads to life. Or you can choose the way that leads to death. ⁹Those who stay in this city will die of war, hunger or plague. But those who go out and give themselves up to the Babylonians who are attacking you will live. They will escape with their lives.

¹⁰“ ‘ “I have decided to do this city harm and not good,” announces the Lord. “It will be handed over to the king of Babylonia. And he will destroy it with fire.” ’

¹¹“Also speak to Judah’s royal family. Tell them, ‘Listen to the Lord’s message. ¹²The Lord says to you who belong to David’s royal house,

“ ‘ “Every morning do what is right and fair.

Save those who have been robbed.

Set them free from the people who have treated them badly.

If you do not, my anger will blaze out against you.

It will burn like fire because of the evil things you have done.

No one will be able to put it out.

¹³Jerusalem, I am against you,”

announces the Lord.

“You live above this valley.

You are on a high, rocky flatland.

And you say, ‘Who can come against us?

Who can enter our place of safety?’

¹⁴But I will punish you in keeping with what you have done,”

announces the Lord.

“I will start a fire in your forests.

It will burn up everything around you.” ’ ”

The Lord Judges Evil Kings

22The Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, go down to the palace of the king of Judah. Announce my message there. Tell him, ²‘King of Judah, listen to the Lord’s message. You are sitting on David’s throne. You and your officials and your people come through these gates. ³The Lord says, “Do what is fair and right. Save those who have been robbed. Set them free from the people who have treated them badly. Do not do anything wrong to outsiders or widows in this place. Do not harm children whose fathers have died. Do not kill those who are not guilty of doing anything wrong.

⁴“ ‘ “Be careful to obey those commands. Then…