New King James Version (NKJV)

Jeremiah in the Dungeon

1 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur,Jucal the son of Shelemiah, andPashhur the son of Malchiahheard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying,

2 “Thus says theLord:‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’

3 Thus says theLord:‘This city shall surely begiven into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.’ ”

4 Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please,let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm.”

5 Then Zedekiah the king said, “Look, heisin your hand. For the king candonothing against you.”

6 So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, whichwasin the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeontherewasno water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.

7 Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,

8 Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying:

9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. Forthereisno more bread in the city.”

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.”

11 So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

12 Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.” And Jeremiah did so.

13 So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remainedin the court of the prison.

Zedekiah’s Fears and Jeremiah’s Advice

14 Then Zedekiah the king sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance of the house of theLord. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I willask you something. Hide nothing from me.”

15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declareitto you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”

16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “AstheLordlives,who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says theLord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you surelysurrenderto the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.

18 But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans; they shall burn it with fire, andyou shall not escape from their hand.’ ”

19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who havedefected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and theyabuse me.”

20 But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliveryou.Please, obey the voice of theLordwhich I speak to you. So it shall bewell with you, and your soul shall live.

21 But if you refuse to surrender, thisisthe word that theLordhas shown me:

22 ‘Now behold, all thewomen who are left in the king of Judah’s houseshallbesurrendered to the king of Babylon’s princes, and thosewomenshall say:

“Your close friends have set upon you

And prevailed against you;

Your feet have sunk in the mire,

Andthey have turned away again.”

23 ‘So they shall surrender all your wives andchildren to the Chaldeans.You shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.’ ”

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die.

25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say to you, ‘Declare to us now what you have said to the king, and also what the king said to you; do not hideitfrom us, and we will not put you to death,’

26 then you shall say to them,‘I presented my request before the king, that he would not make me returnto Jonathan’s house to die there.’ ”

27 Then all the princes came to Jeremiah and asked him. And he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been heard.

28 NowJeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And he wastherewhen Jerusalem was taken.

The Fall of Jerusalem

1 In theninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem, and besieged it.

2 In theeleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninthdayof the month, the city was penetrated.

3 Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sarezer, Rabmag, with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.

4 So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the plain.

5 But the Chaldean army pursued them andovertook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had captured him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, toRiblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him.

6 Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before hiseyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all thenobles of Judah.

7 Moreoverhe put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon.

8 And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people withfire, and broke down thewalls of Jerusalem.

9 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those whodefected to him, with the rest of the people who remained.

10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah thepoor people, who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

Jeremiah Goes Free

11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,

12 “Take him and look after him, and do him noharm; but do to him just as he says to you.”

13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers;

14 then they sentsomeoneto take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed himto Gedaliah the son ofAhikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people.

15 Meanwhile the word of theLordhad come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

16 “Go and speak toEbed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold,I will bring My words upon this city for adversity and not for good, and they shall beperformedin that day before you.

17 But I will deliver you in that day,” says theLord, “and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom youareafraid.

18 For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; butyour life shall be as a prize to you,because you have put your trust in Me,” says theLord.’ ”

Jeremiah with Gedaliah the Governor

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from theLordafter Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all who were carried away captive from Jerusalem and Judah, who were carried away captive to Babylon.

2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah andsaid to him: “TheLordyour God has pronounced this doom on this place.

3 Now theLordhas broughtit,and has done just as He said.Because youpeoplehave sinned against theLord, and not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you.

4 And now look, I free you this day from the chains thatwereon your hand.If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you. But if it seems wrong for you to come with me to Babylon, remain here. See,all the landisbefore you; wherever it seems good and convenient for you to go, go there.”

5 Now while Jeremiah had not yet gone back,Nebuzaradansaid,“Go back toGedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan,whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever it seems convenient for you to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him rations and a gift and let him go.

6 Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, toMizpah, and dwelt with him among the people who were left in the land.

7 And when all the captains of the armies whowerein the fields, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, women, children, andthe poorest of the land who had not been carried away captive to Babylon,

8 then they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah,Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, andJezaniah the son of aMaachathite, they and their men.

9 And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath before them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall bewell with you.

10 As for me, I will indeed dwell at Mizpah and serve the Chaldeans who come to us. But you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, putthemin your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.”

11 Likewise, when all the Jews whowerein Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and whowerein all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan,

12 then all the Jewsreturned out of all places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in abundance.

13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces thatwerein the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah,

14 and said to him, “Do you certainly know thatBaalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to murder you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.

15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go, please, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will knowit.Why should he murder you, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered, and theremnant in Judah perish?”

16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely concerning Ishmael.”

Insurrection Against Gedaliah

1 Now it came to pass in the seventh monththatIshmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family and of the officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, atMizpah. And there they ate bread together in Mizpah.

2 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, arose andstruck Gedaliah the son ofAhikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had madegovernor over the land.

3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him,thatis,with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.

4 And it happened, on the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, when as yet no one knewit,

5 that certain men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty menwith their beards shaved and their clothes torn, having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bringthemtothe house of theLord.

6 Now Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went along; and it happened as he met them that he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!”

7 So it was, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniahkilled themandcasttheminto the midst of a pit, he and the men who were with him.

8 But ten men were found among them who said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have treasures of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in the field.” So he desisted and did not kill them among their brethren.

9 Now the pit into which Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain, because of Gedaliah,wasthe same one Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it withtheslain.

10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all therest of the people whowerein Mizpah,the king’s daughters and all the people who remained in Mizpah,whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive and departed to go over tothe Ammonites.

11 But whenJohanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces thatwerewith him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,

12 they took all the men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah; and they found him bythe great pool thatisin Gibeon.

13 So it was, when all the people whowerewith Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces whowerewith him, that they were glad.

14 Then all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah.

15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites.

16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, took from Mizpah all therest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah after he had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam—the mighty men of war and the women and the children and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon.

17 And they departed and dwelt in the habitation ofChimham, which is near Bethlehem, as they went on their way toEgypt,

18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam,whom the king of Babylon had made governor in the land.

The Flight to Egypt Forbidden

1 Now all the captains of the forces,Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, came near

2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet,“Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, andpray for us to theLordyour God, for all this remnant (since we are leftbuta few of many, as you can see),

3 that theLordyour God may show usthe way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.”

4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to theLordyour God according to your words, and it shall be,thatwhatever theLordanswers you, I will declareitto you. I willkeep nothing back from you.”

5 So they said to Jeremiah,“Let theLordbe a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which theLordyour God sends us by you.

6 Whetheritispleasing or displeasing, we willobey the voice of theLordour God to whom we send you,that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of theLordour God.”

7 And it happened after ten days that the word of theLordcame to Jeremiah.

8 Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces whichwerewith him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,

9 and said to them, “Thus says theLord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him:

10 ‘If you will still remain in this land, thenI will build you and not pullyoudown, and I will plant you and not pluckyouup. For Irelent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you.

11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says theLord,‘for Iamwith you, to save you and deliver you from his hand.

12 AndI will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’

13 “But ifyou say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of theLordyour God,

14 saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land ofEgypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell’—

15 Then hear now the word of theLord, O remnant of Judah! Thus says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If youwholly setyour faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there,

16 then it shall bethatthesword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you thereinEgypt; and there you shall die.

17 So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. Andnone of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.’

18 “For thus says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel: ‘As My anger and My fury have beenpoured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will My fury be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. Andyou shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.’

19 “TheLordhas said concerning you, O remnant of Judah,‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have admonished you this day.

20 For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to theLordyour God, saying, ‘Pray for us to theLordour God, and according to all that theLordyour God says, so declare to us and we will doit.’

21 And I have this day declareditto you, but you havenot obeyed the voice of theLordyour God, or anything which He has sent you by me.

22 Now therefore, know certainly that youshall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.”

Jeremiah Taken to Egypt

1 Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all thewords of theLordtheir God, for which theLordtheir God had sent him to them, all these words,

2 that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, “You speak falsely! TheLordour God has not sent you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to dwell there.’

3 ButBaruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon.”

4 So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people wouldnot obey the voice of theLord, to remain in the land of Judah.

5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces tookall the remnant of Judah who had returned to dwell in the land of Judah, from all nations where they had been driven—

6 men, women, children,the king’s daughters,and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah.

7 So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of theLord. And they went as far asTahpanhes.

8 Then theword of theLordcame to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,

9 “Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard whichisat the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes;

10 and say to them, ‘Thus says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon,My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them.

11 When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egyptanddeliverto deaththoseappointedfor death, and to captivitythoseappointedfor captivity, and to the swordthoseappointedfor the sword.

12 I will kindle a fire in the houses ofthe gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace.

13 He shall also break thesacredpillars of Beth Shemesh thatarein the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire.” ’ ”

Israelites Will Be Punished in Egypt

1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell atMigdol, atTahpanhes, atNoph, and in the country ofPathros, saying,

2 “Thus says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day theyarea desolation, and no one dwells in them,

3 because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they wentto burn incenseandtoserve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers.

4 HoweverI have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sendingthem,saying, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!”

5 But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods.

6 So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wastedanddesolate, as it is this day.’

7 “Now therefore, thus says theLord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Why do you committhisgreat evilagainst yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain,

8 in that youprovoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and bea curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

9 Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

10 They have not beenhumbled, to this day, nor have theyfeared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.’

11 “Therefore thus says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold,I will set My face against you for catastrophe and for cutting off all Judah.

12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to dwell there, andthey shall all be consumedandfall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the swordandby famine. They shall die, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; andthey shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse and a reproach!

13 For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence,

14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to the land of Judah, to which theydesire to return and dwell. Fornone shall return except those who escape.’ ”

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying:

16 “Asforthe word that you have spoken to us in the name of theLord,we will not listen to you!

17 But we will certainly dowhatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to thequeen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Forthenwe had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble.

18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”

19 Thewomenalsosaid,“And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’permission?”

20 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people—the men, the women, and all the people who had given himthatanswer—saying:

21 “The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not theLordremember them, and did itnotcome into His mind?

22 So theLordcould no longer bearit,because of the evil of your doingsandbecause of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant,asitisthis day.

23 Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against theLord, and have not obeyed the voice of theLordor walked in His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies,therefore this calamity has happened to you, asatthis day.”

24 Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of theLord, all Judah whoarein the land of Egypt!

25 Thus says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, “We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows!’

26 Therefore hear the word of theLord, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: ‘Behold,I have sworn by Mygreat name,’ says theLord, ‘thatMy name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “The LordGodlives.”

27 Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah whoarein the land of Egyptshall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them.

28 Yeta small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs.

29 And thisshallbea sign to you,’ says theLord, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surelystand against you for adversity.’

30 “Thus says theLord: ‘Behold,I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gaveZedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.’ ”

Assurance to Baruch

1 Theword that Jeremiah the prophet spoke toBaruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the instruction of Jeremiah, in thefourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,

2 “Thus says theLord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch:

3 ‘You said, “Woe is me now! For theLordhas added grief to my sorrow. Ifainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.” ’

4 “Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says theLord: “Behold,what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land.

5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seekthem;for behold,I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says theLord. “But I will give yourlife to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.” ’ ”

Judgment on Egypt

1 The word of theLordwhich came to Jeremiah the prophet againstthe nations.

2 AgainstEgypt.

# Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylondefeated in thefourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

3 “Order the buckler and shield,

And draw near to battle!

4 Harness the horses,

And mount up, you horsemen!

Stand forth withyourhelmets,

Polish the spears,

# Put on the armor!

5 Why have I seen them dismayedandturned back?

Their mighty ones are beaten down;

They have speedily fled,

And did not look back,

# Forfearwasall around,” says theLord.

6 “Do not let the swift flee away,

Nor the mighty man escape;

# They willstumble and fall

Toward the north, by the River Euphrates.

7 “Whoisthis coming uplike a flood,

Whose waters move like the rivers?

8 Egypt rises up like a flood,

Anditswaters move like the rivers;

And he says, ‘I will go upandcover the earth,

I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.’

9 Come up, O horses, and rage, O chariots!

And let the mighty men come forth:

The Ethiopians and the Libyans who handle the shield,

# And the Lydianswho handleandbend the bow.

10 For thisisthe day of the LordGodof hosts,

A day of vengeance,

That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries.

# The sword shall devour;

It shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood;

# For the LordGodof hostshas a sacrifice

In the north country by the River Euphrates.

11 “Goup to Gilead and take balm,

# O virgin, the daughter of Egypt;

In vain you will use many medicines;

# You shall not be cured.

12 The nations have heard of yourshame,

And your cry has filled the land;

For the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty;

They both have fallen together.”

Babylonia Will Strike Egypt

13 The word that theLordspoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would comeandstrike the land of Egypt.

14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim inMigdol;

# Proclaim in Noph and inTahpanhes;

Say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves,

For the sword devours all around you.’

15 Why are your valiantmenswept away?

They did not stand

Because theLorddrove them away.

16 He made many fall;

# Yes,one fell upon another.

And they said, ‘Arise!

# Let us go back to our own people

And to the land of our nativity

From the oppressing sword.’

17 They cried there,

‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt,isbuta noise.

He has passed by the appointed time!’

18 “AsI live,” says the King,

# Whose nameistheLordof hosts,

“Surely as Taborisamong the mountains

And as Carmel by the sea,sohe shall come.

19 Oyou daughter dwelling in Egypt,

# Prepare yourselfto go into captivity!

For Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant.

20 “Egyptisa very prettyheifer,

# Butdestruction comes, it comesfrom the north.

21 Also her mercenaries are in her midst like fat bulls,

For they also are turned back,

They have fled away together.

They did not stand,

# Forthe day of their calamity had come upon them,

The time of their punishment.

22 Her noise shall go like a serpent,

For they shall march with an army

And come against her with axes,

Like those who chop wood.

23 “They shallcut down her forest,” says theLord,

“Though it cannot be searched,

Because theyareinnumerable,

# And more numerous thangrasshoppers.

24 The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed;

She shall be delivered into the hand

# Ofthe people of the north.”

25 TheLordof hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will bring punishment on Amon ofNo, and Pharaoh and Egypt,with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those whotrust in him.

26 And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants.Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old,” says theLord.

God Will Preserve Israel

27 “Butdo not fear, O My servant Jacob,

And do not be dismayed, O Israel!

# For behold, I willsave you from afar,

And your offspring from the land of their captivity;

Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease;

No one shall makehimafraid.

28 Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says theLord,

“For Iamwith you;

For I will make a complete end of all the nations

To which I have driven you,

# But I will not makea complete end of you.

# I will rightlycorrect you,

For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”

Judgment on Philistia

1 The word of theLordthat came to Jeremiah the prophetagainst the Philistines,before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.

2 Thus says theLord:

# “Behold,waters riseout of the north,

And shall be an overflowing flood;

They shall overflow the land and all that is in it,

The city and those who dwell within;

Then the men shall cry,

And all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.

3 At thenoise of the stamping hooves of his strong horses,

At the rushing of his chariots,

Atthe rumbling of his wheels,

The fathers will not look back fortheirchildren,

Lacking courage,

4 Because of the day that comes to plunder all thePhilistines,

# To cut off fromTyre and Sidon every helper who remains;

For theLordshall plunder the Philistines,

# The remnant of the country ofCaphtor.

5 Baldness has come upon Gaza,

# Ashkelon is cut off

Withthe remnant of their valley.

How long will you cut yourself?

6 “O yousword of theLord,

How long until you are quiet?

Put yourself up into your scabbard,

Rest and be still!

7 How can it be quiet,

# Seeing theLordhasgiven it a charge

Against Ashkelon and against the seashore?

# There He hasappointed it.”