Jeremiah 21:1–45:5

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request

21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiaho sent to him Pashhurp son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniahq son of Maaseiah. They said: 2 “Inquirer now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzara s king of Babylont is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wondersu for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”

3 But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turnv against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babyloniansb who are outside the wall besiegingw you. And I will gather them inside this city. 5 I myself will fightx against you with an outstretched handy and a mighty armz in furious anger and in great wrath. 6 I will strikea down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.b 7 After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiahc king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,d sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylone and to their enemiesf who want to kill them.g He will put them to the sword;h he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’i

8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of lifej and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.k But whoever goes out and surrendersl to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.m 10 I have determined to do this city harmn and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the handso of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’p

11 “Moreover, say to the royal houseq of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. 12 This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:

“ ‘Administer justicer every morning;

rescue from the hand of the oppressors

the one who has been robbed,

or my wrath will break out and burn like firet

because of the evilu you have done—

burn with no one to quenchv it.

13 I am againstw you, Jerusalem,

you who live above this valleyx

on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord—

you who say, “Who can come against us?

Who can enter our refuge?”y

14 I will punish you as your deedsz deserve,

declares the Lord.

I will kindle a firea in your forestsb

that will consume everything around you.’ ”

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the kingc of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2 ‘Heard the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s thronee—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.f 3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is justg and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressorh the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,i and do not shed innocent bloodj in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kingsk who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you do not obeyl these commands, declares the Lord, I swearm by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’ ”

6 For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:

“Though you are like Gileadn to me,

like the summit of Lebanon,o

I will surely make you like a wasteland,p

like towns not inhabited.

7 I will send destroyersq against you,

each man with his weapons,

and they will cutr up your fine cedar beams

and throw them into the fire.s

8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’t 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.u’ ”

10 Do not weep for the deadv king or mournw his loss;

rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,

because he will never returnx

nor see his native land again.

11 For this is what the Lord says about Shalluma y son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. 12 He will diez in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”

13 “Woea to him who buildsb his palace by unrighteousness,

his upper rooms by injustice,

making his own people work for nothing,

not payingc them for their labor.

14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palaced

with spacious upper rooms.’

So he makes large windows in it,

panels it with cedare

and decorates it in red.f

15 “Does it make you a king

to have more and more cedar?

Did not your father have food and drink?

He did what was right and just,g

so all went wellh with him.

16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,i

and so all went well.

Is that not what it means to knowj me?”

declares the Lord.

17 “But your eyes and your heart

are set only on dishonest gain,k

on shedding innocent bloodl

and on oppression and extortion.”m

18 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“They will not mournn for him:

‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’

They will not mourn for him:

‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’

19 He will have the burialo of a donkey—

dragged away and thrownp

outside the gates of Jerusalem.”

20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,q

let your voice be heard in Bashan,r

cry out from Abarim,s

for all your alliest are crushed.

21 I warned you when you felt secure,u

but you said, ‘I will not listen!’

This has been your way from your youth;v

you have not obeyedw me.

22 The windx will drive all your shepherdsy away,

and your alliesz will go into exile.

Then you will be ashamed and disgraceda

because of all your wickedness.

23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,b b’

who are nestled in cedar buildings,

how you will groan when pangs come upon you,

painc like that of a woman in labor!

24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachinc d son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ringe on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliverf you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.d 26 I will hurlg you and the motherh who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never come back to the land you long to returni to.”

28 Is this man Jehoiachinj a despised, broken pot,k

an object no one wants?

Why will he and his children be hurledl out,

cast into a landm they do not know?

29 O land,n land, land,

hear the word of the Lord!

30 This is what the Lord says:

“Record this man as if childless,o

a man who will not prosperp in his lifetime,

for none of his offspringq will prosper,

none will sit on the throner of David

or rule anymore in Judah.”

The Righteous Branch

23 “Woe to the shepherdss who are destroying and scatteringt the sheep of my pasture!”u declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherdsv who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flockw and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evilx you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnanty of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,z where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherdsa over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraidb or terrified, nor will any be missing,c” declares the Lord.

5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,

“when I will raise up for Davida a righteous Branch,d

a Kinge who will reignf wisely

and do what is just and rightg in the land.

6 In his days Judah will be saved

and Israel will live in safety.h

This is the namei by which he will be called:

The Lord Our Righteous Savior.j

7 “So then, the days are coming,”k declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’l 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”m

Lying Prophets

9 Concerning the prophets:

My heartn is broken within me;

all my bones tremble.o

I am like a drunken man,

like a strong man overcome by wine,

because of the Lord

and his holy words.p

10 The land is full of adulterers;q

because of the curseb r the land lies parched

and the pasturess in the wilderness are withered.t

The prophets follow an evil course

and use their power unjustly.

11 “Both prophet and priest are godless;u

even in my templev I find their wickedness,”

declares the Lord.

12 “Therefore their path will become slippery;w

they will be banished to darkness

and there they will fall.

I will bring disaster on them

in the year they are punished,x”

declares the Lord.

13 “Among the prophets of Samaria

I saw this repulsive thing:

They prophesied by Baaly

and led my people Israel astray.z

14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem

I have seen something horrible:a

They commit adultery and live a lie.b

They strengthen the hands of evildoers,c

so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.d

They are all like Sodome to me;

the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”f

15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:

“I will make them eat bitter food

and drink poisoned water,g

because from the prophets of Jerusalem

ungodlinessh has spread throughout the land.”

16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Do not listeni to what the prophets are prophesying to you;

they fill you with false hopes.

They speak visionsj from their own minds,

not from the mouthk of the Lord.

17 They keep sayingl to those who despise me,

‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’m

And to all who follow the stubbornnessn …