Jeremiah 24–26

Judah Is Like Two Baskets of Figs

24King Jehoiachin was forced to leave Jerusalem. He was the son of Jehoiakim. Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia. The officials and all of the skilled workers were forced to leave with him.

After they left, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs. They were in front of his temple. ²One basket had very good figs in it. They were like figs that ripen early. The other basket had figs that weren’t good at all. In fact, they were so bad they couldn’t even be eaten.

³Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good. But the others are so bad they can’t be eaten.”

⁴Then a message came to me from the Lord. He said, ⁵“I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I say, ‘I consider the people who were forced to leave Judah to be like those good figs. I sent them away from this place. I forced them to go to Babylonia. ⁶My eyes will watch over them. I will be good to them. And I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up. I will not tear them down. I will plant them. I will not pull them up by the roots.

⁷“ ‘I will change their hearts. Then they will know that I am the Lord. They will be my people. And I will be their God. They will return to me with all their heart.

⁸“ ‘But there are also figs that are not very good. In fact, they are so bad they can’t be eaten,’ says the Lord. ‘Zedekiah, the king of Judah, is like those bad figs. So are his officials and the people of Jerusalem who are still left alive. I will punish them whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.

⁹“ ‘I will make all of the kingdoms on earth displeased with them. In fact, they will hate them a great deal. They will laugh and joke about them. They will call down curses on them. All of that will happen no matter where I force them to go. ¹⁰I will send war, hunger and plague against them. They will be destroyed from the land I gave them and their people of long ago.’ ”

Seventy Years in Babylonia

25A message about all of the people of Judah came to me from the Lord. It came in the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah. It was the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylonia. Jehoiakim was the son of Josiah.

²I, the Lord’s prophet, spoke to all of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. I said, ³“For 23 years the Lord’s messages have been coming to me. They began to come in the 13th year that Josiah was king of Judah. He was the son of Amon. The Lord’s messages still come to me today. I’ve spoken to you people again and again. But you haven’t listened to me.

⁴“The Lord has sent all of his servants the prophets to you. They’ve come to you again and again. But you haven’t listened. You haven’t paid any attention to them.

⁵“They said, ‘Each of you must turn from your evil ways and practices. Then you can stay in the land forever. It’s the land the Lord gave you and your people long ago. ⁶Don’t follow other gods. Don’t serve them or worship them. Don’t make the Lord angry with the gods your own hands have made. Then he won’t harm you.’

⁷“ ‘But you did not listen to me,’ announces the Lord. ‘You have made me very angry with the gods your hands have made. And you have brought harm on yourselves.’

⁸“The Lord who rules over all says, ‘You have not listened to my words. ⁹So I will send for all of the nations in the north. And I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia,’ announces the Lord.

“ ‘I will bring all of them against this land and against you who live here. They will march out against all of the nations that are around this land. I will set them apart in a special way to be destroyed. People will be shocked because of them. And they will make fun of them. Those nations will be destroyed forever.

¹⁰“ ‘I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness. I will put an end to the voices of brides and grooms. The sound of grinding millstones will not be heard anymore. And lamps will not be lit anymore. ¹¹This whole country will become dry and empty. And those nations will serve the king of Babylonia for 70 years.

¹²“ ‘But I will punish that king and his nation because they are guilty. I will do it when the 70 years are over,’ announces the Lord. ‘I will make that land a desert forever.

¹³“ ‘I have spoken against that land. And I will make all of those things happen to it. Everything will happen that is written in this scroll. And I will make everything Jeremiah prophesied against all of the nations come true. ¹⁴The people of Babylonia will become slaves of many other nations and great kings. I will pay them back for what their hands have done.’ ”

The Lord Judges the Nations

¹⁵The Lord is the God of Israel. He said to me, “Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my burning anger. Make all of the nations to which I send you drink it. ¹⁶When they drink it, they will not even be able to walk straight. It will drive them out of their minds. I am going to send war against them.”

¹⁷So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I made all of the nations to which he sent me drink from it. ¹⁸He sent me to Judah’s kings and officials. He told me to go to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. He wanted me to tell them they would be destroyed. Then people would be shocked because of them. They would make fun of them. They would call down curses on them. And that’s how things still are today.

¹⁹Here is a list of the other kings and nations he sent me to.

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt

his attendants, his officials, all of his people

²⁰all of the people from other lands who lived there

all of the kings of Uz

the Philistine kings of Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron

the Philistines who were still living in Ashdod

²¹Edom, Moab, Ammon

²²all of the kings of Tyre and Sidon

the kings of the islands and other lands along the Mediterranean Sea

²³Dedan, Teman, Buz

all of the other places far away in the east

²⁴all of the kings of Arabia

all of the other kings of people who live in the desert

²⁵all of the kings of Zimri, Elam and Media

²⁶all of the kings in the north, near and far

So he sent me to all of the kingdoms on the face of the earth, one after the other. After all of them drink from the cup of the Lord’s anger, the king of Babylonia will drink from it too.

²⁷The Lord says, “Tell them, ‘The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Drink from this cup. Get drunk and throw up. Fall down and do not get up again. I am going to send war against you.” ’

²⁸“But they might refuse to take the cup from your hand. They might not want to drink from it. Then tell them, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “You have to drink from it! ²⁹I am beginning to bring trouble on the city where I have put my Name. You might think you will not be punished. But you will certainly be punished. I am sending war against everyone who lives on earth,” announces the Lord who rules over all.’

³⁰“Jeremiah, prophesy against them. Tell them,

“ ‘The Lord will roar from heaven like a lion.

His voice will sound like thunder

from his holy temple there.

He will roar loudly against his land.

He will shout like those who stomp on grapes in winepresses.

He will shout against everyone who lives on earth.

³¹The noise of battle will be heard

from one end of the earth to the other.

That’s because the Lord will bring charges against the nations.

He will judge every human being.

He will kill sinful people with his sword,’ ”

announces the Lord.

³²The Lord who rules over all says,

“Look! Horrible trouble is spreading

from one nation to another.

A mighty storm is rising.

It is coming from a place

that is very far away.”

³³At that time those the Lord kills will be lying around everywhere. They will be found from one end of the earth to the other. No one will sob over them. Their dead bodies will not be gathered up or buried. Instead, they will be like trash lying there on the ground.

³⁴Sob and cry, you shepherds.

Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.

Your time to be killed has come.

You will fall and be broken to pieces like fine clay pots.

³⁵The shepherds won’t have any place to run to.

The leaders of the flock won’t be able to escape.

³⁶Listen to the cries of the shepherds.

Hear the sobs of the leaders of the flock.

The Lord is destroying their grasslands.

³⁷Their peaceful meadows will be completely destroyed

because of the Lord’s burning anger.

³⁸Like a lion he will leave his den.

The land of those leaders will become a desert.

That’s because the sword of the Lord brings great harm.

His anger will burn against them.

Jeremiah’s Enemies Try to Have Him Killed

26A message came to me from the Lord. It was shortly after Jehoiakim became king of Judah. He was the son of Josiah. ²The Lord said, “Stand in the courtyard of my house. Speak to the people of the towns in Judah. Speak to all those who come to worship in my house. Tell them everything I command you. Do not leave out a single word. ³Perhaps they will listen. Maybe they will turn from their evil ways. Then I will not do what I said I would. I will not bring trouble on them. I had planned to punish them because of the evil things they had done.

⁴“Tell them, ‘The Lord says, “Listen to me. Obey my law that I gave you. ⁵And listen to the words my servants the prophets are speaking. I have sent them to you again and again. But you have not listened to them. ⁶So I will make this house like Shiloh. All of the nations on earth will call down curses on this city.” ’ ”

⁷I spoke those words in the Lord’s house. The priests, the prophets and all of the people heard me. ⁸I finished telling all of the people everything the Lord had commanded me to say.

But as soon as I did, the priests, the prophets and all of the people grabbed hold of me. They said, “You must die! ⁹Why do you prophesy those things in the Lord’s name? Why do you say that this house will become like Shiloh? Why do you say that this city will be empty and deserted?” And all of the people crowded around me in the Lord’s house.

¹⁰The officials of Judah…