Jeremiah 26–52

¹In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, hath this word been from Jehovah, saying: ²‘Thus said Jehovah, Stand thou in the court of the house of Jehovah, and thou hast spoken unto all those of the cities of Judah who are coming in to bow themselves in the house of Jehovah, all the words that I have commanded thee to speak unto them, thou dost not diminish a word. ³If so be they hearken, and turn back each from his evil way, then I have repented concerning the evil that I am thinking of doing to them, because of the evil of their doings.

⁴‘And thou hast said unto them: Thus said Jehovah, If ye do not hearken unto Me, to walk in My law, that I set before you, ⁵To hearken to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I am sending unto you, yea, rising early and sending, and ye have not hearkened, ⁶Then I have given up this house as Shiloh, and this city I give up for a reviling to all nations of the earth.’

⁷And the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, hear Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah, ⁸And it cometh to pass, at the completion of Jeremiah’s speaking all that Jehovah hath commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests, and the prophets, and all the people catch him, saying, Thou dost surely die, ⁹Wherefore hast thou prophesied in the name of Jehovah, saying, ‘As Shiloh this house shall be, and this city is wasted, without inhabitant?’ and all the people are assembled unto Jeremiah in the house of Jehovah. ¹⁰And the heads of Judah hear these things, and they go up from the house of the king to the house of Jehovah, and sit in the opening of the new gate of Jehovah. ¹¹And the priests and the prophets speak unto the heads, and unto all the people, saying, ‘Judgment of death is for this man, for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.’ ¹²And Jeremiah speaketh unto all the heads, and unto all the people, saying, ‘Jehovah sent me to prophesy concerning this house, and concerning this city, all the words that ye have heard; ¹³And now, amend your ways, and your doings, and hearken to the voice of Jehovah your God, and Jehovah doth repent concerning the evil that He hath spoken against you.

¹⁴‘And I, lo, I am in your hand, do to me as is good and as is right in your eyes; ¹⁵Only, know ye certainly, that if ye are putting me to death, surely innocent blood ye are putting on yourselves, and on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly hath Jehovah sent me unto you to speak in your ears all these words.’

¹⁶And the heads and all the people say unto the priests and unto the prophets, ‘There is not for this man a judgment of death, for in the name of Jehovah our God he hath spoken unto us.’ ¹⁷And certain of the elders of the land rise up, and speak unto all the assembly of the people, saying, ¹⁸‘Micah the Morashtite hath been prophesying in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and he saith unto all the people of Judah, saying: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Zion is a plowed field, and Jerusalem is heaps, And the mountain of the house is for high places of a forest.

¹⁹‘Put him at all to death did Hezekiah king of Judah, and all Judah? Did he not fear Jehovah? yea, he appeaseth the face of Jehovah, and Jehovah repenteth concerning the evil that He spake against them; and we are doing great evil against our souls.

²⁰‘And also there hath been a man prophesying in the name of Jehovah, Urijah son of Shemaiah, of Kirjath-Jearim, and he prophesieth against this city, and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah, ²¹And the king Jehoiakim, and all his mighty ones, and all the heads, hear his words, and the king seeketh to put him to death, and Urijah heareth, and feareth, and fleeth, and goeth in to Egypt. ²²And the king Jehoiakim sendeth men to Egypt—Elnathan son of Achbor, and men with him unto Egypt— ²³And they bring out Urijah from Egypt, and bring him in unto the king Jehoiakim, and he smiteth him with a sword, and casteth his corpse unto the graves of the sons of the people.’ ²⁴Only, the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan hath been with Jeremiah so as not to give him up into the hand of the people to put him to death.

Chapter 27

¹In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, hath this word been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, ²‘Thus said Jehovah unto me, Make to thee bands and yokes, ³And thou hast put them on thy neck, and hast sent them unto the king of Edom, and unto the king of Moab, and unto the king of the sons of Ammon, and unto the king of Tyre, and unto the king of Zidon, by the hand of messengers who are coming in to Jerusalem, unto Zedekiah king of Judah; ⁴And thou hast commanded them for their lords, saying, Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, ⁵Thus do ye say unto your lords, I—I have made the earth with man, and the cattle that are on the face of the earth, by My great power, and by My stretched-out arm, and I have given it to whom it hath been right in Mine eyes.

⁶‘And now, I—I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and also the beast of the field I have given to him to serve him; ⁷And served him have all the nations, and his son, and his son’s son, till the coming in of the time of his land, also it; and done service for him have many nations and great kings. ⁸And it hath come to pass, the nation and the kingdom that do not serve him—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon—and that which putteth not its neck into the yoke of the king of Babylon, with sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, I lay a charge on that nation—an affirmation of Jehovah—till I consume them by his hand.

⁹‘And ye, ye do not hearken unto your prophets, and unto your diviners, and unto your dreamers, and unto your observers of clouds, and unto your sorcerers who are speaking unto you, saying, Ye do not serve the king of Babylon,— ¹⁰For falsehood they are prophesying to you, so as to remove you far from off your ground, and I have driven you out, and ye have perished. ¹¹And the nation that causeth its neck to enter into the yoke of the king of Babylon, and hath served him—I have left it on its ground—an affirmation of Jehovah—and it hath tilled it, and dwelt in it.’

¹²And unto Zedekiah king of Judah I have spoken according to all these words, saying, ‘Cause your necks to enter into the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. ¹³Why do ye die, thou and thy people, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, as Jehovah hath spoken concerning the nation that doth not serve the king of Babylon?

¹⁴‘And ye do not hearken unto the words of the prophets who are speaking unto you, saying, Ye do not serve the king of Babylon,—for falsehood they are prophesying to you. ¹⁵For I have not sent them—an affirmation of Jehovah—and they are prophesying in My name falsely, so as to drive you out, and ye have perished, ye, and the prophets who are prophesying to you.’ ¹⁶And unto the priests, and unto all this people, I have spoken, saying, ‘Thus said Jehovah, Ye do not hearken unto the words of your prophets, who are prophesying to you, saying, Lo, the vessels of the house of Jehovah are brought back from Babylon now in haste, for falsehood they are prophesying to you. ¹⁷Ye do not hearken unto them, serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why is this city a waste?

¹⁸‘And, if they be prophets, and if a word of Jehovah be with them, let them intercede, I pray you, with Jehovah of Hosts, so that the vessels that are left in the house of Jehovah, and in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, have not gone into Babylon. ¹⁹For thus said Jehovah of Hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, ²⁰That Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath not taken, in his removing Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon with all the freemen of Judah and Jerusalem, ²¹Surely thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left of the house of Jehovah, and of the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: ²²To Babylon they are brought, and there they are till the day of My inspecting them—an affirmation of Jehovah; then I have brought them up, and have brought them back unto this place.’

Chapter 28

¹And it cometh to pass, in that year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, spoken unto me hath Hananiah son of Azur the prophet, who is of Gibeon, in the house of Jehovah, before the eyes of the priests, and all the people, saying, ²‘Thus spake Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon; ³Within two years of days I am bringing back unto this place all the vessels of the house of Jehovah that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath taken from this place, and doth carry to Babylon, ⁴And Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the removed of Judah, who are entering Babylon, I am bringing back unto this place—an affirmation of Jehovah; for I do break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ⁵And Jeremiah the prophet saith unto Hananiah the prophet, before the eyes of the priests, and before the eyes of all the people who are standing in the house of Jehovah, ⁶Yea, Jeremiah the prophet saith, ‘Amen! so may Jehovah do; Jehovah establish thy words that thou hast prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the house of Jehovah and all the removal from Babylon, unto this place.

⁷‘Only, hear, I pray thee, this word that I am speaking in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people. ⁸The prophets who have been before me, and before thee, from of old, even they prophesy concerning many lands, and concerning great kingdoms, of battle, and of evil, and of pestilence. ⁹The prophet who doth prophesy of peace—by the coming in of the word of the prophet, known is the prophet that Jehovah hath truly sent him.’

¹⁰And Hananiah the prophet taketh the…