I had been thinking about doing another Read and The Book of Jeremiah has been Coming to mind just Like we did the Book of ACTS a Read & Not A Study

[PloughBoy]

July 21, 2023

Jeremiah 29 NIV84

◄ Jeremiah 29 ►

New International Version Par ▾ A Letter to the Exiles 1This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2(This was after King Jehoiachin a and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said: 4This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. 10This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. b I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” 15You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” 16but this is what the Lordsays about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— 17yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse c and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord. 20Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. 22Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lordtreat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.’ 23For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know it and am a witness to it,” declares the Lord. Message to Shemaiah 24Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, 25“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, 26‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac who acts like a prophet into the stocks and neck-irons. 27So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? 28He has sent this message to us in Babylon: It will be a long time. Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’ ” 29Zephaniah the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. 30Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31“Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, 32this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion against me.’ ”

 

[PloughBoy]

July 21, 2023

Jeremiah 30 NIV

◄ Jeremiah 30 ►

New International Version Par ▾ Restoration of Israel 1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity a and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.” 4These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5“This is what the Lord says: “ ‘Cries of fear are heard— terror, not peace. 6Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale? 7How awful that day will be! No other will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it. 8“ ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. 9Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. 10“ ‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. 11I am with you and will save you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’ 12“This is what the Lord says: “ ‘Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing. 13There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you. 14All your allies have forgotten you; they care nothing for you. I have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel, because your guilt is so great and your sins so many. 15Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you. 16“ ‘But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. 17But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’ 18“This is what the Lord says: “ ‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place. 19From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained. 20Their children will be as in days of old, and their community will be established before me; I will punish all who oppress them. 21Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near and he will come close to me— for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the Lord. 22“‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’ ” 23See, the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath, a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. 24The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand this.

 

[PloughBoy]

July 21, 2023
Jeremiah 31 NIV84

◄ Jeremiah 31 ►

New International Version Par ▾ 1“At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.” 2This is what the Lord says: “The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel.” 3The Lord appeared to us in the past, a saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. 4I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful. 5Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit. 6There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, ‘Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’ ” 7This is what the Lord says: “Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, ‘Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’ 8See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. 9They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son. 10“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’ 11For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. 12They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. 13Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. 14I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord. 15This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” 16This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the enemy. 17So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land. 18“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: ‘You disciplined me like an unruly calf, and I have been disciplined. Restore me, and I will return, because you are the Lord my God. 19After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’ 20Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the Lord. 21“Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return, Virgin Israel, return to your towns. 22How long will you wander, unfaithful Daughter Israel? The Lord will create a new thing on earth— the woman will return to b the man.” 23This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, cthe people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’ 24People will live together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks. 25I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” 26At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me. 27“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. 29“In those days people will no longer say, ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ 30Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge. 31“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to d them, e ” declares the Lord. 33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 35This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name: 36“Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.” declares the Lord. 37This is what the Lord says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the LORD. 38“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

 

[PloughBoy]

July 21,2023
Jeremiah 32 NIV84

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◄ Jeremiah 32 ►

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New International Version Par ▾ Jeremiah Buys a Field 1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah. 3Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians a but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. 5He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’ ” 6Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’ 8“Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’ “I knew that this was the word of the Lord; 9so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels b of silver. 10I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— 12and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard. 13“In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’ 16“After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord: 17“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. 18You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, 19great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. 20You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. 21You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. 22You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them. 24“See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see. 25And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.’ ” 26Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? 28Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. 29The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods. 30“The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the Lord. 31From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove it from my sight. 32The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done—they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 33They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline. 34They set up their vile images in the house that bears my Name and defiled it. 35They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin. 36“You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. 41I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. 42“This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them. 43Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ 44Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes, c declares the Lord.”

 

[PloughBoy]

July 21,2023
Jeremiah 33 NIV84

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◄ Jeremiah 33 ►

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New International Version Par ▾ Promise of Restoration 1While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: 2“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: 3‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ 4For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword 5in the fight with the Babylonians a : ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness. 6“ ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. 7I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity b and will rebuild them as they were before. 8I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. 9Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’ 10“This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more 11the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord. 12“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. 13In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord. 14“ ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. 15“ ‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. 16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it c will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’ 17For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, 18nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’ ” 19The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20“This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’ ” 23The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24“Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms d he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation. 25This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, 26then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes e and have compassion on them.’ ”

 

[PloughBoy]

July 21, 2023
Jeremiah 34 NIV84

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◄ Jeremiah 34 ►

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New International Version Par ▾ Warning to Zedekiah 1While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down. 3You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon. 4“ ‘Yet hear the Lord’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword; 5you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas, master!” I myself make this promise, declares the Lord.’ ” 6Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, 7while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out—Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah. Freedom for Slaves 8The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. 9Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage. 10So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 11But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again. 12Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I said, 14‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’ a Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention to me. 15Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people. You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name. 16But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again. 17“Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18Those who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces. 19The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, 20I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals. 21“I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon, which has withdrawn from you. 22I am going to give the order, declares the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take it and burn it down. And I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there.”

 

[PloughBoy]

July 21, 2023
Jeremiah 35 NIV84

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◄ Jeremiah 35 ►

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New International Version Par ▾ The Rekabites 1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: 2“Go to the Rekabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink.” 3So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites. 4I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper. 5Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.” 6But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab a son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine. 7Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’ 8We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine 9or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. 10We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us. 11But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian b and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.” 12Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 13“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?’ declares the Lord. 14‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me. 15Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened to me. 16The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’ 17“Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.’ ” 18Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ 19Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.’ ”

 

[PloughBoy]

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[complete]

21st July 2023

Jeremiah 36: (NIV 84)

(1) In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah,
this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
(2) "Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you
concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations
from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now.
(3) Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them,
each of them will turn from his wicked way;
then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin."
(4) So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah,
and while Jeremiah dictated all the words the LORD had spoken to him,
Baruch wrote them on the scroll.
(5) Then Jeremiah told Baruch, "I am restricted; I cannot go to the LORD's temple.
(6) So you go to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting
and read to the people from the scroll the words of the LORD that you wrote as I dictated.
Read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns.
(7) Perhaps they will bring their petition before the LORD,
and each will turn from his wicked ways,
for the anger and wrath pronounced against this people by the LORD are great."
(8) Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do;
at the LORD's temple he read the words of the LORD from the scroll.
(9) In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah,
a time of fasting before the LORD was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem
and those who had come from the towns of Judah.
(10) From the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan the secretary,
which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate of the temple,
Baruch read to all the people at the LORD's temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.
(11) When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll,
(12) he went down to the secretary's room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting:
Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Acbor,
Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.
(13) After Micaiah told them everything he had heard
Baruch read to the people from the scroll,
(14) all the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch,
"Bring the scroll from which you have read to the people and come."
So Baruch son of Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand.
(15) They said to him, "Sit down, please, and read it to us." So Baruch read it to them.
(16) When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear and said to Baruch, "We must report all these words to the king."
(17) Then they asked Baruch, "Tell us, how did you come to write all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?"
(18) "Yes," Baruch replied, "he dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll."
(19) Then the officials said to Baruch, "You and Jeremiah, go and hide. Don't let anyone know where you are."
(20) After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him.
(21) The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him.
(22) It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him.
(23) Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,
the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.
(24) The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.
(25) Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.
(26) Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel
to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet.
But the LORD had hidden them.
(27) After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation,
the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
(28) "Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up.
(29) Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, 'This is what the LORD says:
You burned that scroll and said,
"Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and cut off both men and animals from it?"
(30) Therefore, this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah:
He will have no one to sit on the throne of David;
his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night.
(31) I will punish him and his children and his attendants for their wickedness;
I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster I pronounced against them,
because they have not listened.'"
(32) So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah,
and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire.
And many similar words were added to them.'

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[complete]

27th July 2023

Jeremiah 37 - (NIV 84)

(1) Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah
by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon;
he reigned in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim.
(2) Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention
to the words the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
(3) King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah
with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah
to Jeremiah the prophet with this message:
"Please pray to the LORD our God for us."
(4) Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people,
for he had not yet been put in prison.
(5) Pharaoh's army had marched out of Egypt,
and when the Babylonians who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them,
they withdrew from Jerusalem.
(6) Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet:
(7) "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Me,
'Pharaoh's army, which has marched out to support you,
will go back to its own land, to Egypt.
(8) Then the Babylonians will return and attack this city;
they will capture it and burn it down.'
(9) "This is what the LORD says:
Do not deceive yourselves, thinking, 'The Babylonians will surely leave us.' They will not!
(10) Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian army that is attacking you
and only wounded men were left in their tents,
they would come out and burn this city down."
(11) After the Babylonian army had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh's army,
(12) Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin
to get his share of the property among the people there.
(13) But when he reached the Benjamin Gate,
the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah,
arrested him and said, "You are deserting to the Babylonians!"
(14) "That's not true!" Jeremiah said. "I am not deserting to the Babylonians."
But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.
(15) They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary,
which they had made into a prison.
(16) Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time.
(17) Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace,
where he asked him privately, "Is there any word from the LORD?"
"Yes," Jeremiah replied, "you will be handed over to the king of Babylon."
(18) Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah,
"What crime have I committed against you or your officials or this people, that you have put me in prison?
(19) Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, 'The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land'?
(20) But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you:
Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there."
(21) King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard
and given bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread in the city was gone.
So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.'

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[complete]

27th July 2023

Jeremiah 38 (NIV 84)

(1) Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah
heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said,
(2) "This is what the LORD says: 'Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague,
but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live. He will escape with his life; he will live.'
(3) And this is what the LORD says: 'This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.'"
(4) Then the officials said to the king, "This man should be put to death.
He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city,
as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them.
This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin."
(5) "He is in your hands," King Zedekiah answered. "The king can do nothing to oppose you."
(6) So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard.
They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
(7) But Ebed-Melech, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern.
While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,
(8) Ebed-Melech went out of the palace and said to him,
(9) "My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet.
They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city."
(10) Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite,
"Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies."
(11) So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace.
He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.
(12) Ebed-Melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, "Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes." Jeremiah did so,
(13) and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern.
And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
(14) Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet
and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the LORD.
"I am going to ask you something," the king said to Jeremiah. "Do not hide anything from me."
(15) Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I give you an answer, will you not kill me?
Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me."
(16) But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly to Jeremiah:
"As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us breath,
I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who are seeking your life."
(17) Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,
"This is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
'If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon,
your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down;
you and your family will live.
(18) But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon,
this city will be handed over to the Babylonians and they will burn it down;
you yourself will not escape from their hands.'"
(19) King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah,
"I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians,
for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me."
(20) "They will not hand you over," Jeremiah replied.
"Obey the LORD by doing what I tell you.
Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared.
(21) But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD has revealed to me:
(22) All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon.
Those women will say to you: "'They misled you and overcame you— those trusted friends of yours.
Your feet are sunk in the mud; your friends have deserted you.'
(23) "All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians.
You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon;
and this city will be burned down."
(24) Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you may die.
(25) If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say,
'Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,'
(26) then tell them, 'I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan's house to die there.'"
(27) All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say.
So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king.
(28) And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
This is how Jerusalem was taken:'

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[complete]

27th July 2023

Jeremiah 39 (NIV 84)

(1) In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it.
(2) And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year, the city wall was broken through.
(3) Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate:
Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar,
Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer,
Nergal-Sharezer a high official
and all the other officials of the king of Babylon.
(4) When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled;
they left the city at night by way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls,
and headed toward the Arabah.
(5) But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho.
They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him.
(6) There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah.
(7) Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
(8) The Babylonians set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.
(9) Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city,
along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest of the people.
(10) But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing;
and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.
(11) Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard:
(12) "Take him and look after him; don't harm him but do for him whatever he asks."
(13) So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard,
Nebushazban a chief officer,
Nergal-Sharezer a high official
and all the other officers of the king of Babylon
(14) sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard.
They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan,
to take him back to his home.
So he remained among his own people.
(15) While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard,
the word of the LORD came to him:
(16) "Go and tell Ebed-Melech the Cushite,
'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
I am about to fulfill My words against this city
through disaster, not prosperity.
At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes.
(17) But I will rescue you on that day, declares the LORD;
you will not be handed over to those you fear.
(18) I will save you;
you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life,
because you trust in me,
declares the LORD.'"

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[complete]

1st August 2023

Jeremiah 40 (NIV 84)

(1) The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD
after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah.
He had found Jeremiah bound in chains
among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah
who were being carried into exile to Babylon.
(2) When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him,
"The LORD your God decreed this disaster for this place.
(3) And now the LORD has brought it about; He has done just as He said He would.
All this happened because you people sinned against the LORD and did not obey Him.
(4) But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists.
Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you;
but if you do not want to, then don't come.
Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please."
(5) However, before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan added,
"Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan,
whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah,
and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please."
Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go.
(6) So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him
among the people who were left behind in the land.
(7) When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country
heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor over the land
and had put him in charge of the men, women and children
who were the poorest in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon,
(8) they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah,
Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, and their men.
(9) Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men.
"Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians," he said.
"Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.
(10) I myself will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us,
but you are to harvest the wine, summer fruit and oil, and put them in your storage jars,
and live in the towns you have taken over."
(11) When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom and all the other countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah
and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them,
(12) they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered.
And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.
(13) Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah
(14) and said to him, "Don't you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?"
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.
(15) Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah,
"Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it.
Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you
to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?"
(16) But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah,
"Don't do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true."

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[complete]

1st August 2023

Jeremiah 41 (NIV 84)

(1) In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama,
who was of royal blood and had been one of the king's officers,
came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there,
(2) Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam,
the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.
(3) Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there.
(4) The day after Gedaliah's assassination, before anyone knew about it,
(5) eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves
came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the LORD.
(6) Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went.
When he met them, he said, "Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam."
(7) When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him
slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.
(8) But ten of them said to Ishmael, "Don't kill us! We have wheat and barley, oil and honey, hidden in a field."
So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others.
(9) Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah
was the one King Asa had made as part of his defense against Baasha king of Israel.
Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.
(10) Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah - the king's daughters along with all the others who were left there,
over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam.
Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.
(11) When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him
heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed,
(12) they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool in Gibeon.
(13) When all the people Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad.
(14) All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah.
(15) But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.
(16) Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him
led away all the survivors from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah
after he had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam: t
he soldiers, women, children and court officials he had brought from Gibeon.
(17) And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt (18) to escape the Babylonians.
They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam,
whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.'

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[complete]

1st August 2023

Jeremiah 42 (NIV 84)

(1) Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah,
and all the people from the least to the greatest approached (2) Jeremiah the prophet and said to him,
"Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant.
For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left.
(3) Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do."
(4) "I have heard you," replied Jeremiah the prophet. "I will certainly pray to the LORD your God as you have requested;
I will tell you everything the LORD says and will keep nothing back from you."
(5) Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us
if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us.
(6) Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you,
so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God."
(7) Ten days later the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.
(8) So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him
and all the people from the least to the greatest.
(9) He said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says:
(10) "If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down;
I will plant you and not uproot you,
for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you.
(11) Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear.
Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands.
(12) I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.'
(13) "However, if you say, 'We will not stay in this land,' and so disobey the LORD your God,
(14) and if you say, 'No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,'
(15) then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
'If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there,
(16) then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.
(17) Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague;
not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.'
(18) This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,
so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt.
You will be an object of cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach; you will never see this place again.'
(19) "O remnant of Judah, the LORD has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be sure of this: I warn you today
(20) that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said,
'Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.'
(21) I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the LORD your God in all he sent me to tell you.
(22) So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle."

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[complete]

1st August 2023

Jeremiah 43 (NIV 84)

(1) When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God
—everything the LORD had sent him to tell them—
(2) Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah,
"You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'You must not go to Egypt to settle there.'
(3) But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon."
(4) So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the LORD's command to stay in the land of Judah.
(5) Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah
who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.
(6) They also led away all the men, women and children and the king's daughters
whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan,
and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah.
(7) So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the LORD and went as far as Tahpanhes.
(8) In Tahpanhes the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
(9) "While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay
in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes.
(10) Then say to them, 'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
and I will set his throne over these stones I have buried here;
he will spread his royal canopy above them.
(11) He will come and attack Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death,
captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword.
(12) He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt;
he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.
As a shepherd wraps his garment around him, so will he wrap Egypt around himself and depart from there unscathed.
(13) There in the temple of the sun in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.'"

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[complete]

1st August 2023

Jeremiah 44 (NIV 84)

(1) This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt
—in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt:
(2) "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.
Today they lie deserted and in ruins
(3) because of the evil they have done.
They provoked me to anger by burning incense and by worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your fathers ever knew.
(4) Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, 'Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!'
(5) But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods.
(6) Therefore, My fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.
(7) "Now this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants,
and so leave yourselves without a remnant?
(8) Why provoke me to anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live?
You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves an object of cursing and reproach among all the nations on earth.
(9) Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your fathers and by the kings and queens of Judah
and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?
(10) To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your fathers.
(11) "Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah.
(12) I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there.
They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine.
They will become an object of cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach.
(13) I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem.
(14) None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah,
to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives."
(15) Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods,
along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah,
(16) "We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD!
(17) We will certainly do everything we said we would:
We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her
just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.
At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.
(18) But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her,
we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine."
(19) The women added, "When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her,
did not our husbands know that we were making cakes like her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?"
(20) Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him,
(21) "Did not the LORD remember and think about the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem
by you and your fathers, your kings and your officials and the people of the land?
(22) When the LORD could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did,
your land became an object of cursing and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today.
(23) Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the LORD a
nd have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see."
(24) Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, "Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah in Egypt.
(25) This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
You and your wives have shown by your actions what you promised when you said,
'We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.'
"Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!
(26) But hear the word of the LORD, all Jews living in Egypt:
'I swear by my great name,' says the LORD, 'that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear,
"As surely as the Sovereign LORD lives."
(27) For I am watching over them for harm, not for good;
the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed.
(28) Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.
Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.
(29) "'This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,' declares the LORD, '
so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.'
(30) This is what the LORD says: 'I am going to hand Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to his enemies who seek his life,
just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.'"

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[complete]

21st August 2023

Jeremiah 45 (NIV 84)

(1) 'This is what Jeremiah the prophet told Baruch son of Neriah
in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah,
after Baruch had written on a scroll the words Jeremiah was then dictating:
(2) "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:
(3) You said, 'Woe to me! The LORD has added sorrow to my pain;
I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.'"
(4) The LORD said, "Say this to him:
'This is what the LORD says: I will overthrow what I have built
and uproot what I have planted, throughout the land.
(5) Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not.
For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the LORD,
but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.'

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[complete]

21st August 2023


Jeremiah 46 (NIV 84)

(1) This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:
(2) Concerning Egypt: This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt,
which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
(3) "Prepare your shields, both large and small, and march out for battle!
(4) Harness the horses, mount the steeds! Take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears, put on your armor!
(5) What do I see? They are terrified, they are retreating, their warriors are defeated.
They flee in haste without looking back, and there is terror on every side," declares the LORD.
(6) "The swift cannot flee nor the strong escape.
In the north by the River Euphrates they stumble and fall.
(7) "Who is this that rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters?
(8) Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters.
She says, 'I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy cities and their people.'
(9) Charge, O horses! Drive furiously, O charioteers! March on,
O warriors— men of Cush and Put who carry shields, men of Lydia who draw the bow.
(10) But that day belongs to the Lord, the LORD Almighty— a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes.
The sword will devour till it is satisfied, till it has quenched its thirst with blood.
For the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will offer sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.
(11) "Go up to Gilead and get balm, O Virgin Daughter of Egypt.
But you multiply remedies in vain; there is no healing for you.
(12) The nations will hear of your shame; your cries will fill the earth.
One warrior will stumble over another; both will fall down together."
(13) This is the message the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet
about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to attack Egypt:
(14) "Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol; proclaim it also in Memphis and Tahpanhes:
"Take your positions and get ready, for the sword devours those around you.'
(15) Why will your warriors be laid low? They cannot stand, for the LORD will push them down.
(16) They will stumble repeatedly; they will fall over each other.
They will say, 'Get up, let us go back to our own people and our native lands, away from the sword of the oppressor.'
(17) There they will exclaim, "Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; he has missed his opportunity.'
(18) "As surely as I live," declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty,
"one will come who is like Tabor among the mountains, like Carmel by the sea.
(19) Pack your belongings for exile, you who live in Egypt, for Memphis will be laid waste and lie in ruins without inhabitant.
(20) "Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly is coming against her from the north.
(21) The mercenaries in her ranks are like fattened calves. They too will turn and flee together, they will not stand their ground,
for the day of disaster is coming upon them, the time for them to be punished.
(22) Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent as the enemy advances in force;
they will come against her with axes, like men who cut down trees.
(23) They will chop down her forest," declares the LORD, "dense though it be.
They are more numerous than locusts, they cannot be counted.
(24) The Daughter of Egypt will be put to shame, handed over to the people of the north."
(25) The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,
on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh.
(26) I will hand them over to those who seek their lives, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers.
Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past," declares the LORD.
(27) "Do not fear, O Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, O Israel.
I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.
(28) Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, for I am with you," declares the LORD.
"Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished."

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[complete]

1st August 2023

Jeremiah 47 (NIV 84)

(1) This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet
concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:
(2) This is what the LORD says: "See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail
(3) at the sound of the hoofs of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels.
Fathers will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.
(4) For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines and to cut off all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon.
The LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.
(5) Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced.
O remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves
(6) "'Ah, sword of the LORD,' you cry, "how long till you rest?
Return to your scabbard; cease and be still.'
(7) But how can it rest when the LORD has commanded it,
when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?"

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