Month: January 2024

“Ten days later the Lord gave His reply to Jeremiah. So he called for Johanan son of Kareah and the other guerrilla leaders, and for all the people, from the least to the greatest. He said to them,’You sent me to the Lord, the God of Israel, with your request, and this His reply: ‘Stay here in this land. If you do, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you. For I am sorry about all the punishment I have had to brig upon you. Do not fear the king of Babylon anymore,’ says the Lord. ‘For I am with you and will save you and rescue you from his power. I will be merciful to you by making him kind, so he will let you stay here in your land.’

‘But if you refuse to obey the Lord your God, and if any of you say, ‘We will go to Egypt where we will be free, the call to arms, and hunger,’ then hear the Lord’s message to the remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and live there, the very war and famine you fear will catch up to you, and you will die there. That is the fate awaiting every one of you who insists on going to live in Egypt. None of you will escape the disaster I will bring upon you there.'” (vv 7-17, NLT)

“Listen, you remnant of Judah. The Lord has told you: ‘Don not go to Egypt! Don’t forget this warning I have given you today. For you were not being honest when you sent me to pray to the Lord our God for you. You said, ‘Just tell us what the Lord our God says, and we will do it!’ And today I have told you exactly what He said, but you will not obey the Lord your God any better now than you have in the past. So you can be sure that you will die from war, famine, and disease in Egypt where you insist on going.” (vv 19-22, NLT)

“Then all the guerrilla leaders, including Johanan, son of Kareah and Jezaniah, son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, approached Jeremiah, the prophet. They said, ‘Please pray to the Lord your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what were were before. Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to do and where to go.’

‘All right,’ Jeremiah replied. ‘I will pray to the Lord your God, as you have asked, and I will tell you everything he says. I will hide nothing from you.’

Then they said to Jeremiah,’May the Lord your God be a faithful witness agains us if we refuse to obey whatever He tells us to do! Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending you our plea. For if we obey Him, everything will turn out well for us.'” (vv 1-6, NLT)

“The Lord gave a message to Jeremiah after Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among the other captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being sent to exile in Babylon.

The captain of the guard called for Jeremiah and said, ‘The Lord your God has brought this disaster on this land, just as He said He would. For these people have sinned against the Lord and disobeyed Him. That is why it happened. But I am going to take off your chains and let you go. If you want to come with me to Babylon, you are welcome. I will see that you are well cared for. But if you don’t want to come, you may stay here. The whole land is before you-go wherever you like. If you decide to stay, then return to Gedaliah son on Ahimakm and grandson of Shaphan. He has been appointed governor of Judah by the king of Babylon. Stay here with the people he rules. But it’s up to you; go wherever you like.’

Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, gave Jeremiah some food and money and let him go. So Jeremiah returned to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and he lived in Judah with the few who where still left in the land.” (vv 1-6, NLT)

“King Nebuchadezzar had told Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, to find Jeremiah. ‘See that he isn’t hurt,’ he said. ‘Look after him well, and give him anything he wants.’ So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard; Nebushazban a chief officer; Negeral-sharezer, the king’s advisor; and other officers of Babylon’s king sent messengers to bring Jeremiah out of prison. They put him under the care of Gedaliah, son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, who took him back to his home. So Jeremiah stayed in Judah among his own people.

The Lord had given the following message to Jeremiah while he was still in prison: ‘Say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says: I will do to this city everything I have threatened. I will send disaster, not prosperity. You will see its destruction, but I will rescue from those you fear so much. Because you trusted Me, I will give you life as a reward. I will rescue you and keep you safe. I , the Lord have spoken!'” (vv. 11-18, NLT)

“One day King Zedikiah sent for Jeremiah and had him brought to the third entrance of the Lord’s Temple. ‘I want to ask you something’, the King said, ‘And don’t try to hide the truth.’

Jeremiah said,’If I tell you the truth, you will kill me. And if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me anyway.’

“So King Zedikiah secretly promised him. ‘As surely as the Lord our Creator lives, I will not kill you or and you over to the men who want you dead.’

Then Jeremiah said to Zedikiah ‘This is what the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,’ If you surrender to the Babylonian officers, you and your family will live, and the city will not be burned down. But if you refuse to surrender, you will not escape! This city will be handed over to the Babylonians, and they will burn it to the ground.’

‘But I am afraid to surrender,’ the king said, ‘for Babylon may hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them. And who knows what they will do to me!’

Jeremiah replied, ‘You won’t be handed over to them if you choose to obey the Lord. Your life will be spared all will go well for you. But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me: All the women left in your place will be brought our and given to the officers of the Babylonian army.'” (vv 14-22A, NLT)

“Then Zedikiah said to Jeremiah,’Don’t tell anyone you told me this, or you will die! My officials may hear that I spoke to you, and they may say, ‘Tell us what you and the king were taking about. If you don’t tell us, we will kill you. If this happens just tell them you begged me not to send you back to Jonathan’s dungeon for fear you would die there.’

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the kings ‘s officials came to Jeremiah and asked him why the king had called for him. But Jeremiah followed the king’s instructions, and they left with out finding out the truth. No one had overheard the conversation between Jeremiah and the king. And Jeremiah remained a prisoner in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem fell.” (vv 24-28, NLT)

“‘Later, King Zedekiah secretly requested that Jeremiah come to the palace, where the king asked him,’Do you have any messages from the Lord?’

Yes, I do! said Jeremiah. You will be defeated by the king of Babylon.

Then Jeremiah asked the king,’ What crime have I committed? What have I done against you, your attendants, or the people that I should be imprisoned like this? Where are your prophets now who told you the ing of Babylon would not attack you or this land? Listen, my lord, the king, I beg you. Don’t send me back to the dungeon in teh house of Johnathan the secretary, for I will die there.

So king Zedikiah commanded that Jeremiah not be returned to the dungeon. Instead, he was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace. The king also commanded that Jeremiah be give a loaf of fresh bread every day a long as there was any left in the city. So Jeremiah was put in the palace prison.” (vv 17-21, NLT)

“Therefore, listen to the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says:’Because you refuse to listen or answer when I call, I will send upon Judah and Jerusalem all the disasters that I have threatened.’

Then Jeremiah turned to the Recabites and said, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies the God of Israel says: ‘You have obeyed your ancestor Jehonadab in every aspect, following all his instructions.’ Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says: “Jehonadab son of Recab will always have descendants who serve me.'” (vv 17-19, NLT)

“The Lord gave me another message to Jeremiah. He said, ‘Have you noticed what people are saying? – The Lord chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them! They are sneering and saying that Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation. But this is what the Lord says: I would no more reject my people than I would change My laws that govern night and day, earth and sky. I will never abandon the descendants of Jacob or David, My servant, or change the plan that David’s descendants will rule the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.Instead, I will restore them to their land and have mercy on them.” (vv. 23-26, NLT)

“The day will come, says the Lord, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them.

In those days and at that time, I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this will be its name: ‘The Lord is Our Righteousness.’ For this is what the Lord says. David will have a descendant on the throne of Israel forever. And there will always be Levitical priests to offer burn offerings and grain offerings and sacrifices to Me.” (vv. 14-18, NLT)

“Now I want to say something more about this city. You have been saying, ‘It will fall to the king of Babylon through war, famine , and disease. But this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘I will certainly bring My people back again from all the countries where I will scatter them in My fury. I will bring them back to this very city and let them live in peace and safety. They will be My people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship Me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship Me, and they will never leave Me. I will find joy in doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land.'” (vv. 36-41, NLT)