Jeremiah 37; Jeremiah 38; Jeremiah 39; Hebrews 3

1 Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia, appointed Zedekiah to be king of Judah. He was the son of Josiah. Zedekiah ruled in place of Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiakim.

2 Zedekiah and his attendants didn't pay any attention to what the LORD had said through me. And the people of the land didn't pay any attention either.

3 But King Zedekiah sent Jehucal to me. He sent the priest Zephaniah along with him. Jehucal was the son of Shelemiah. Zephaniah was the son of Maaseiah. Jehucal and Zephaniah brought the king's message to me. It said, "Please pray to the LORD our God for us."

4 At that time I was free to come and go among the people. I had not yet been put in prison.

5 The armies of Babylonia were attacking Jerusalem. They received a report that Pharaoh's army had marched out of Egypt to help Zedekiah. So they pulled back from Jerusalem.

6 A message came to me from the Lord.

7 The LORD is the God of Israel. He says, "The king of Judah has sent you to ask me for advice. Tell him, 'Pharaoh's army has marched out to help you. But it will go back to its own land. It will return to Egypt.

8 Then the armies of Babylonia will come back here. They will attack this city. They will capture it. Then they will burn it down.'

9 "The LORD says, 'Do not fool yourselves. You think, "The Babylonians will leave us alone." But they will not!

10 Suppose you destroy all of the armies of Babylonia that are attacking you. Suppose only wounded men are left in their tents. Even then they will come out and burn this city down.' "

11 The armies of Babylonia had pulled back from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh's army.

12 So I started to leave the city. I was planning to go to the territory of Benjamin. I wanted to get my share of the property among the people there.

13 I got as far as the Benjamin Gate. But the captain of the guard arrested me. He said, "You are going over to the side of the Babylonians!" The captain's name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah. Shelemiah was the son of Hananiah.

14 I said to Irijah, "That isn't true! I'm not going to the side of the Babylonians." But Irijah wouldn't listen to me. Instead, he arrested me. He brought me to the officials.

15 They were angry with me. So they had me beaten. Then they took me to the house of the secretary Jonathan. It had been made into a prison. That's where they put me.

16 I was put into a prison cell that was below ground level. I remained there a long time.

17 Then King Zedekiah sent for me. He had me brought to the palace. There he spoke to me in private. He asked, "Do you have a message from the LORD for me?" "Yes," I replied. "You will be handed over to the king of Babylonia."

18 Then I continued, "Why have you put me in prison? What crime have I committed against you? What have I done to your officials or these people?

19 Where are your prophets who prophesied to you? They said, 'The king of Babylonia won't attack you. He won't march into this land.'

20 "But now please listen, my king and master. Let me make my appeal to you. Please don't send me back to the house of the secretary Jonathan. If you do, I'll die there."

21 Then King Zedekiah gave the order. His men put me in the courtyard of the guard. They gave me bread from the street of the bakers. They did it every day until all of the bread in the city was gone. So I remained in the courtyard of the guard.

1 Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jehucal and Pashhur heard what I was telling all of the people. Shephatiah was the son of Mattan. Gedaliah was the son of Pashhur. Jehucal was the son of Shelemiah. And Pashhur was the son of Malkijah. Those four men heard me say,

2 "The LORD says, 'Those who stay in this city will die of war, hunger or plague. But those who go over to the side of the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives. They will remain alive.'

3 The LORD also says, 'This city will certainly be handed over to the armies of the king of Babylonia. They will capture it.' "

4 Then those officials said to the king, "That man should be put to death. What he says is making the soldiers who are left in this city lose hope. It's making all of the people lose hope too. He isn't interested in what is best for the people. In fact, he's trying to destroy them."

5 "He's in your hands," King Zedekiah answered. "I can't do anything to oppose you."

6 So they took me and put me into an empty well. It belonged to Malkijah. He was a member of the royal court. His well was in the courtyard of the guard. Zedekiah's men lowered me by ropes into the well. It didn't have any water in it. All it had was mud. And I sank down into the mud.

7 Ebed-Melech was an official in the royal palace. He was from the land of Cush. He heard that I had been put into the well. The king was sitting by the Benjamin Gate at that time.

8 Ebed-Melech went out of the palace. He said to the king,

9 "My king and master, everything those men have done to the prophet Jeremiah is evil. They have thrown him into an empty well. Soon there won't be any more bread in the city. Then he'll starve to death."

10 So the king gave an order to Ebed-Melech from Cush. He said, "Take 30 men from here with you. Lift the prophet Jeremiah out of the well before he dies."

11 Then Ebed-Melech took the men with him. He went to a room under the place in the palace where the treasures were stored. He got some old rags and worn-out clothes from there. Then he let them down with ropes to me in the well.

12 Ebed-Melech from Cush told me what to do. He said, "Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms. They'll pad the ropes." So I did.

13 Then the men pulled me up with the ropes. They lifted me out of the well. And I remained in the courtyard of the guard.

14 Then King Zedekiah sent for me. He had me brought to the third entrance to the LORD's temple. "I want to ask you something," the king said to me. "Don't hide anything from me."

15 I said to Zedekiah, "Suppose I give you an answer. You will kill me, won't you? Suppose I give you good advice. You won't listen to me, will you?"

16 But King Zedekiah took an oath. He promised me secretly, "I won't kill you. And I won't hand you over to those who want to take your life. That's just as sure as the LORD is alive. He's the one who has given us breath."

17 So I said to Zedekiah, "The LORD God who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, 'Give yourself up to the officers of the king of Babylonia. Then your life will be spared. And this city will not be burned down. You and your family will remain alive.

18 " 'But what if you do not give yourself up to them? Then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down. And you yourself will not escape from their powerful hands.' "

19 King Zedekiah said to me, "I'm afraid of some of the Jews. They are the ones who have gone over to the side of the Babylonians. The Babylonians might hand me over to them. And those Jews will treat me badly."

20 "They won't hand you over to them," I replied. "Obey the Lord. Do what I tell you to do. Then things will go well with you. Your life will be spared.

21 "Don't refuse to give yourself up. The LORD has shown me what will happen if you do.

22 All of the women who are left in your palace will be brought out. They'll be given to the officials of the king of Babylonia. Those women will say to you, " 'Your trusted friends have tricked you. They have gotten the best of you. Your feet are sunk down in the mud. Your friends have deserted you.'

23 "All of your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself won't escape from their powerful hands. You will be captured by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned down."

24 Then Zedekiah said to me, "Don't let anyone know about the talk we've had. If you do, you might die.

25 Suppose the officials find out that I've talked with you. And suppose they come to you and say, 'Tell us what you said to the king. Tell us what the king said to you. Don't hide it from us. If you do, we'll kill you.'

26 Then tell them, 'I was begging the king not to send me back to Jonathan's house. I don't want to die there.' "

27 All of the officials came to me. And they questioned me. I told them everything the king had ordered me to say. None of them had heard what I told the king. So they didn't say anything else to me.

28 I remained in the courtyard of the guard. I stayed there until the day Jerusalem was captured.

1 Here is how Jerusalem was captured. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia, marched out against it. He came with all of his armies and attacked it. It was in the ninth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah. It was in the tenth month.

2 The city wall was broken through. It happened on the ninth day of the fourth month. It was in the 11th year of Zedekiah's rule.

3 All of the officials of the king of Babylonia came. They took seats near the Middle Gate. Nergal-Sharezer from Samgar was there. Nebo-Sarsekim, a chief officer, was also there. So was Nergal-Sharezer, a high official. And all of the other officials of the king of Babylonia were there too.

4 King Zedekiah and all of the soldiers saw them. Then they ran away. They left the city at night. They went by way of the king's garden. They went out through the gate between the two walls. And they headed toward the Arabah Valley.

5 But the armies of Babylonia chased them. They caught up with Zedekiah in the flatlands near Jericho. They captured him there. And they took him to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia. He was at Riblah in the land of Hamath. That's where Nebuchadnezzar decided how he would be punished.

6 The king of Babylonia killed the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah. He forced Zedekiah to watch it with his own eyes. He also killed all of the nobles of Judah.

7 Then he poked out Zedekiah's eyes. He put him in bronze chains. And he took him to Babylon.

8 The Babylonians set the royal palace on fire. They also set fire to the houses of the people. And they broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

9 Nebuzaradan was commander of the royal guard. Some people still remained in the city. But he took them away to Babylon as prisoners. He also took along those who had gone over to his side. And he took the rest of the people.

10 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, left some of the poor people of Judah behind. They didn't own anything. So at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.

11 Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia, had given orders about me. He had given them to Nebuzaradan, the commander of the royal guard. Nebuchadnezzar had said,

12 "Take him. Look after him. Don't harm him. Do for him anything he asks."

13 So that's what Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, did. Nebushazban and Nergal-Sharezer were with him. So were all of the other officers of the king of Babylonia. Nebushazban was a chief officer. Nergal-Sharezer was a high official. All of those men

14 sent for me. They had me taken out of the courtyard of the guard. They turned me over to Gedaliah. They told him to take me back to my home. So I remained among my own people. Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.

15 A message came to me from the Lord. It came while I was being kept in the courtyard of the guard. He said,

16 "Go. Speak to Ebed-Melech from Cush. Tell him, 'The LORD who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, "I am about to make the words I spoke against this city come true. I will not give success to it. Instead, I will bring horrible trouble on it. At that time my words will come true. You will see it with your own eyes.

17 " ' "But I will save you on that day," announces the Lord. "You will not be handed over to those you are afraid of.

18 I will save you. You will not be killed with a sword. Instead, you will escape with your life. That is because you trust in me," announces the Lord.' "

1 Holy brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his people. So keep thinking about Jesus. He is our apostle. He is our high priest. We believe in him.

2 Moses was faithful in everything he did in the house of God. In the same way, Jesus was faithful to the One who appointed him.

3 The person who builds a house has greater honor than the house itself. In the same way, Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses.

4 Every house is built by someone. But God is the builder of everything.

5 Moses was faithful as one who serves in the house of God. He gave witness to what God would say in days to come.

6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. We are his house if we continue to come boldly to God. We must also hold on to the hope we take pride in.

7 The Holy Spirit says, "Listen to his voice today.

8 If you hear it, don't be stubborn. You were stubborn when you opposed me. You did that when you were put to the test in the desert.

9 There your people of long ago put me to the test. For 40 years they saw what I did.

10 That is why I was angry with them. I said, 'Their hearts are always going down the wrong path. They have not known my ways.'

11 So in my anger I took an oath. I said, 'They will never enjoy the rest I planned for them.' " (Psalm 95:7-11)

12 Brothers and sisters, make sure that none of you has a sinful heart. Do not let an unbelieving heart turn you away from the living God.

13 But build one another up every day. Do it as long as there is still time. Then none of you will become stubborn. You won't be fooled by sin's tricks.

14 We belong to Christ if we hold firmly to the faith we had at first. But we must hold to it until the end.

15 It has just been said, "Listen to his voice today. If you hear it, don't be stubborn. You were stubborn when you opposed me." (Psalm 95:7,8)

16 Who were those who heard and refused to obey? Weren't they all the people Moses led out of Egypt?

17 Who was God angry with for 40 years? Wasn't it with those who sinned? They died in the desert.

18 What people did God promise with an oath that they would never enjoy the rest he planned for them? Wasn't it those who didn't obey?

19 So we see that they weren't able to enter. That's because they didn't believe.