Holman Christian Standard Bible (234 page)

as they bring thank offerings to the temple of the
Lord
. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as in former times, says the
Lord
.

12
 “This is what the
Lord
of Hosts says: In this desolate place — without man or beast — and in all its cities there will once more be a grazing land where shepherds may rest flocks. 
13
 The flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them in the cities of the hill country, the cities of the Judean foothills, the cities of the
•Negev
, the land of Benjamin — the cities surrounding Jerusalem and Judah's cities, says the
Lord
.

God's Covenant with David

17
 For this is what the
Lord
says: David will never fail to have a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel. 
18
 The Levitical priests will never fail to have a man always before Me to offer
•burnt
offerings, to burn
•grain
offerings, and to make sacrifices.” 

19
 The 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 cease to come at their regular time, 
21
 then also My covenant with My servant David may be broken so that he will not have a son reigning on his throne, and the Levitical priests will not be My ministers. 
22
 The hosts of heaven cannot be counted; the sand of the sea cannot be measured. So, too, I will make the descendants of My servant David and the Levites who minister to Me innumerable.”

23
 The word of the
Lord
came to Jeremiah:
24
 “Have you not noticed what these people have said? They say, ‘The
Lord
has rejected the two families He had chosen.' My people are treated with contempt and no longer regarded as a nation among them.
25
 This is what the
Lord
says: If I do not keep My covenant with the day and with the night and fail to establish the fixed order of heaven and earth, 
26
 then I might also reject the
•seed
of Jacob and of My servant David — not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.” 

Jeremiah

Jeremiah's Word to King Zedekiah

34
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the
Lord
when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, all his army, all the earthly kingdoms under his control, and all other nations were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding cities:
2
 “This is what the
Lord
, the God of Israel, says: Go, speak to Zedekiah, king of Judah, and tell him: This is what the
Lord
says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.
3
 As for you, you will not escape from his hand but are certain to be captured and handed over to him. You will meet the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak face to face;you will go to Babylon.

4
 “Yet hear the
Lord
's word, Zedekiah, king of Judah. This is what the
Lord
says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;
5
 you will die peacefully. There will be a burning ceremony for you just like the burning ceremonies for your fathers, the former kings who preceded you. ‘Our king is dead! ' will be the lament for you, for I have spoken this word.” This is the
Lord
's declaration.

6
 So Jeremiah the prophet related all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem
7
 while the king of Babylon's army was attacking Jerusalem and all of Judah's remaining cities — against Lachish and Azekah, for they were the only ones left of Judah's fortified cities.

The People and Their Slaves

8
 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the
Lord
after King Zedekiah made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom to them,
9
 so each man would free his male and female Hebrew slaves and no one would enslave his Judean brother. 
10
 All the officials and people who entered into covenant to free their male and female slaves — in order not to enslave them any longer — obeyed and freed them.
11
 Afterward, however, they changed their minds and took back their male and female slaves they had freed and forced them to become slaves again.

12
 Then the word of the
Lord
came to Jeremiah from the
Lord
:
13
 “This is what the
Lord
, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, saying:
14
 At the end of seven years, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who sold himself to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must send him out free from you. But your ancestors did not obey Me or pay any attention.
15
 Today you repented and did what pleased Me, each of you proclaiming freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before Me at the temple called by My name. 
16
 But you have changed your minds and profaned My name. Each has taken back his male and female slaves who had been freed to go wherever they wanted, and you have again subjugated them to be your slaves.

17
 “Therefore, this is what the
Lord
says: You have not obeyed Me by proclaiming freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. I hereby proclaim freedom for you”  — this is the
Lord
's declaration — “to the sword, to plague, and to famine! I will make you a horror to all the earth's kingdoms.
18
 As for those who disobeyed My covenant, not keeping the terms of the covenant they made before Me, I will treat them like the calf they cut in two in order to pass between its pieces. 
19
 The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf
20
 will be handed over to their enemies, to those who want to take their life. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land. 
21
 I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials over to their enemies, to those who want to take their lives, to the king of Babylon's army that is withdrawing.
22
 I am about to give the command” — this is the
Lord
's declaration — “and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. I will make Judah's cities a desolation, without inhabitant.”

Jeremiah

The Rechabites' Example

35
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the
Lord
in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:
2
 “Go to the house of the Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them to one of the chambers of the temple of the
Lord
to offer them a drink of wine.”

3
 So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons — the entire house of the Rechabites —
4
 and I brought them into the temple of the
Lord
to a chamber occupied by the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God, who had a chamber near the officials' chamber, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.
5
 I set jars filled with wine and some cups before the sons of the house of the Rechabites and said to them, “Drink wine! ”

6
 But they replied, “We do not drink wine, for Jonadab, son of our ancestor Rechab, commanded: ‘You and your sons must never drink wine.
7
 You must not build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard. Those things are not for you. Rather, you must live in tents your whole life, so you may live a long time on the soil where you stay as a temporary resident.' 
8
 We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab, son of our ancestor Rechab, in all he commanded us. So we haven't drunk wine our whole life — we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters.
9
 We also have not built houses to live in and do not have vineyard, field, or seed.
10
 But we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done as our ancestor Jonadab commanded us.
11
 However, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched into the land, we said: Come, let's go into Jerusalem to get away from the Chaldean and Aramean armies. So we have been living in Jerusalem.”

12
 Then the word of the
Lord
came to Jeremiah:
13
 “This is what the
Lord
of
•Hosts
, the God of Israel, says: Go, say to the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem: Will you not accept discipline by listening to My words? ” — this is the
Lord
's declaration.
14
 “The words of Jonadab, son of Rechab, have been carried out. He commanded his sons not to drink wine, and they have not drunk to this very day because they have obeyed their ancestor's command. But I have spoken to you time and time again, and you have not obeyed Me!
15
 Time and time again I have sent you all My servants the prophets, proclaiming: Turn, each one from his evil way of life, and correct your actions. Stop following other gods to serve them. Live in the land that I gave you and your ancestors. But you would not pay attention or obey Me. 
16
 Yes, the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab carried out their ancestor's command he gave them, but these people have not obeyed Me.
17
 Therefore, this is what the
Lord
, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I will certainly bring to Judah and to all the residents of Jerusalem all the disaster I have pronounced against them because I have spoken to them, but they have not obeyed, and I have called to them, but they would not answer.”

18
 Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites: “This is what the
Lord
of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you have obeyed the command of your ancestor Jonadab and have kept all his commands and have done all that he commanded you,
19
 this is what the
Lord
of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Jonadab son of Rechab will never fail to have a man to always stand before Me.' ” 

Jeremiah

Jeremiah Dictates a Scroll

36
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 nations from the time I first spoke to you during Josiah's reign until today.
3
 Perhaps when the house of Judah hears about all the disaster I am planning to bring on them, each one of them will turn from his evil way. Then I will forgive their wrongdoing and their sin.”

4
 So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. At Jeremiah's dictation, Baruch wrote on a scroll all the words the
Lord
had spoken to Jeremiah.
5
 Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, “I am restricted; I cannot enter the temple of the
Lord
,
6
 so you must go and read from the scroll — which you wrote at my dictation  — the words of the
Lord
in the hearing of the people at the temple of the
Lord
on a day of fasting. You must also read them in the hearing of all the Judeans who are coming from their cities.
7
 Perhaps their petition will come before the
Lord
, and each one will turn from his evil way, for the anger and fury that the
Lord
has pronounced against this people are great.”
8
 So Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him. At the
Lord
's temple he read the
Lord
's words from the scroll.

Baruch Reads the Scroll

9
 In the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people of Jerusalem and all those coming in from Judah's cities into Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the
Lord
. 
10
 Then at the
Lord
's temple, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper courtyard at the opening of the New Gate of the
Lord
's temple, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read Jeremiah's words from the scroll.