Jeremiah 34; Jeremiah 35; Jeremiah 36; Hebrews 2

Jeremiah 34

1 The LORD spoke his word to Jeremiah when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, his entire army, and all the kingdoms and people that he ruled were attacking Jerusalem and all its cities. He said,

2 "This is what the LORD God of Israel says: Go to King Zedekiah of Judah, and tell him, 'The LORD says: I'm going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.

3 You will not escape from him. You will certainly be captured and handed over to him. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will talk to you face to face. Then you will go to Babylon.

4 "'Listen to the word of the LORD, King Zedekiah of Judah. This is what the LORD says about you: You will not die in war.

5 You will die peacefully. People will burn [funeral] fires for you as they did for your ancestors, the kings who lived before you. They will say, "Oh, master," as they mourn for you. I have spoken my word, declares the LORD.'"

6 The prophet Jeremiah told all these things to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem.

7 He did this when the army of the king of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and the cities of Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities of Judah that were left.

8 The LORD spoke his word to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah and all the people in Jerusalem promised to free their slaves.

9 Everyone was supposed to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female. No one was supposed to keep another Jew as a slave.

10 All the officials and all the people agreed and promised to free their male and female slaves and not to keep them as slaves anymore. So they set them free.

11 But afterwards, they changed their minds and took back the men and women they had freed and made them their slaves again.

12 The LORD spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said,

13 "This is what the LORD God of Israel says: I put a condition on the promise I made to your ancestors when I brought them from Egypt, where they were slaves. I said,

14 'Every seven years each of you must free any Hebrews who sold themselves to you. When they have served you for six years, you must set them free.' But your ancestors refused to obey me or listen to me.

15 Recently, you changed and did what I consider right. You agreed to free your neighbors, and you made a promise in my presence, in the temple that is called by my name.

16 Now you have changed again and dishonored me. You brought back the male and female slaves that you had set free to live their own lives. You have forced them to be your male and female slaves again.

17 "This is what the LORD says: You didn't obey me. You haven't freed your relatives and neighbors. Now I am going to free you," declares the LORD. "I will free you to die in wars, plagues, and famines. I will make all the kingdoms of the world horrified at the thought of you.

18 I will hand over the people who have rejected my promise. They have not kept the terms of the promise which they made in my presence when they cut a calf in two and passed between its pieces.

19 I will hand over the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the palace officials, the priests, and all the common people who passed between the pieces of the calf.

20 I will hand them over to their enemies who want to kill them, and their corpses will be food for birds and wild animals.

21 I will hand King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials over to their enemies who want to kill them and to the army of the king of Babylon, the army that has withdrawn from you.

22 I am going to give a command," declares the LORD. "I will bring that army back to this city to attack it, capture it, and burn it down. I will destroy the cities of Judah so that no one will live there."

Jeremiah 35

1 The LORD spoke his word to Jeremiah during the reign of Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah of Judah. He said,

2 "Go to the family of Rechab and talk to them. Take them into one of the side rooms in the LORD's temple, and offer them a drink of wine."

3 I took Jaazaniah, who was the son of Jeremiah and the grandson of Habazziniah, and I took Jaazaniah's brothers and all his sons--the whole family of Rechab.

4 I brought them into the LORD's temple, into the side room of the sons of Hanan. (He was Igdaliah's son, the man of God.) It was next to the room of the officials and above the side room of Maaseiah, Shallum's son, the doorkeeper.

5 Then I set cups and pitchers filled with wine in front of the family of Rechab. I said to them, "Drink some wine."

6 They answered, "We don't drink wine, because our ancestor Jonadab, Rechab's son, gave us this order: 'You and your descendants must never drink wine.

7 Never build any houses or plant any fields or vineyards. You must never have any of these things. You must always live in tents so that you may live for a long time in the land where you are staying.'

8 We, along with our wives, sons, and daughters, have obeyed our ancestor Jonadab, Rechab's son, in everything he ordered us to do. We have never drunk wine,

9 built houses to live in, or owned vineyards, pastures, or grainfields.

10 We live in tents, and we have obeyed everything our ancestor Jonadab ordered us to do.

11 But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded this land, we said, 'Let's go to Jerusalem [to escape] the Babylonian and Aramean armies.' That's why we are living in Jerusalem."

12 Then the LORD spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said,

13 "This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Tell the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem, 'Won't you ever learn your lesson and obey my words? declares the LORD.

14 Jonadab, Rechab's son, ordered his descendants not to drink wine. This order has been carried out. His descendants have not drunk any wine to this day, because they have obeyed their ancestor's order. I have spoken to you again and again, but you have refused to listen to me.

15 I have sent all my servants the prophets to you again and again. They said, "Turn from your evil ways, do what is right, and don't follow other gods in order to serve them. Then you will live in the land that I gave you and your ancestors." However, you refused to listen to me or obey me.

16 The descendants of Jonadab, Rechab's son, have carried out the orders of their ancestor, but you refuse to listen to me.

17 "'This is what the LORD God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring on Judah and on all those who live in Jerusalem all the disasters that I threatened. I have spoken to them, but they didn't listen. I called to them, but they didn't answer.'"

18 Then Jeremiah said to the family of Rechab, "This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: You obeyed the order of your ancestor Jonadab, followed all his instructions, and did exactly what he told you to do.

19 So this is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: A descendant of Jonadab, Rechab's son, will always serve me."

Jeremiah 36

1 In the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah of Judah, the LORD spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said,

2 "Take a scroll, and write on it everything that I have dictated to you about Israel, Judah, and all the other nations from the time I spoke to you during the reign of Josiah until today.

3 Maybe the nation of Judah will hear about all the disasters that I plan to bring on them, and they will turn from their wicked ways. Then I will forgive their wickedness and their sins."

4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch, son of Neriah. Jeremiah dictated everything that the LORD had told him, and Baruch wrote it all down on a scroll.

5 Jeremiah told Baruch, "I'm no longer allowed to go to the LORD's temple.

6 On a day of fasting, you must read from the scroll the LORD's message that you wrote as I dictated. You must read it to the people in the LORD's temple. You must also read it to all the people of Judah when they come from their cities.

7 Maybe their prayers will come into the LORD's presence, and they will turn from their evil ways. The LORD has threatened these people with his terrifying anger and fury."

8 Baruch, son of Neriah, did as the prophet Jeremiah commanded him. In the LORD's temple he read from the scroll everything that the LORD had said.

9 In the ninth month of the fifth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah of Judah, a time for fasting was called. It was a time for all the people in Jerusalem and for everyone who was coming from any city in Judah to Jerusalem to fast in the LORD's presence.

10 Then Baruch read the scroll containing the words of Jeremiah. Baruch read it to all the people in the LORD's temple in the room of the scribe Gemariah, son of Shaphan, in the upper courtyard at the entrance of New Gate of the LORD's temple.

11 Micaiah, who was the son of Gemariah and the grandson of Shaphan, heard Baruch read from the scroll everything the LORD had said.

12 Then he went down to the scribe's room in the king's palace where all the scribes were sitting. The scribe Elishama, Delaiah (son of Shemaiah), Elnathan (son of Achbor), Gemariah (son of Shaphan), Zedekiah (son of Hananiah), and all the other officials were there.

13 Micaiah told them everything he heard Baruch read from the scroll publicly.

14 Then all the officials sent Jehudi, who was the son of Nethaniah, the grandson of Shelemiah, and the great-grandson of Cushi, to Baruch. Jehudi said to Baruch, "Bring the scroll that you read publicly, and come with me." Baruch, son of Neriah, took the scroll and went with him to see the officers.

15 They said to Baruch, "Please sit down, and read it to us." So Baruch read it to them.

16 When they heard everything, they turned to each other in terror. They said to Baruch, "We must tell the king everything."

17 Then they asked Baruch, "Please tell us how you wrote all this. Did Jeremiah dictate it to you?"

18 Baruch answered, "He dictated everything to me, and I wrote it on the scroll in ink."

19 The officials said to Baruch, "You and Jeremiah must hide. Don't let anyone know where you are."

20 After they put the scroll in the side room of the scribe Elishama, they went to the king in the courtyard and told him everything.

21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He took the scroll from the side room of the scribe Elishama. Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials standing by the king.

22 It was the ninth month, and the king was in his winter house sitting in front of the fire in the fireplace.

23 As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a scribe's knife and throw them into the fire in the fireplace. He did this until the whole scroll was burned up.

24 The king and all his attendants didn't show any fear or tear their clothes in fear when they heard everything being read.

25 Even when Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he refused to listen to them.

26 The king commanded Jerahmeel (the king's son), Seraiah (son of Azriel), and Shelemiah (son of Abdeel) to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. But the LORD had hidden Baruch and Jeremiah.

27 After the king burned up the scroll that Baruch had written and that Jeremiah had dictated, the LORD spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said,

28 "Take another scroll, and write on it everything that was written on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned.

29 Say about King Jehoiakim of Judah, 'This is what the LORD says: You burned this scroll, and you asked Jeremiah, "Why did you write that the king of Babylon will certainly come to destroy this land and take away people and animals?"

30 This is what the LORD says about King Jehoiakim of Judah: He will have no one to sit on David's throne, and his own corpse will be thrown out and exposed to the heat of day and the cold of night.

31 I will punish him, his descendants, and his attendants for their wickedness. They refused to listen. So I will bring on them, on those who live in Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah all the disasters that I have threatened.'"

32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch, son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it everything that was on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah had burned. They added many similar messages.

Hebrews 2

1 For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard. Then we won't drift away [from the truth].

2 After all, the message that the angels brought was reliable, and every violation and act of disobedience was properly punished.

3 So how will we escape punishment if we reject the important message, the message that God saved us? First, the Lord told this saving message. Then those who heard him confirmed that message.

4 God verified what they said through miraculous signs, amazing things, other powerful acts, and with other gifts from the Holy Spirit as he wanted.

5 He didn't put the world that will come (about which we are talking) under the angels' control.

6 Instead, someone has declared this somewhere in Scripture: "What is a mortal that you should remember him, or the Son of Man that you take care of him?

7 You made him a little lower than the angels. You crowned him with glory and honor.

8 You put everything under his control." When God put everything under his Son's control, nothing was left out. However, at the present time we still don't see everything under his Son's control.

9 Jesus was made a little lower than the angels, but we see him crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death. Through God's kindness he died on behalf of everyone.

10 God is the one for whom and through whom everything exists. Therefore, while God was bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was the right time to bring Jesus, the source of their salvation, to the end of his work through suffering.

11 Jesus, who makes people holy, and all those who are made holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus isn't ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

12 He says, "I will tell my people about your name. I will praise you within the congregation."

13 In addition, Jesus says, "I will trust him." And Jesus says, "I am here with the sons and daughters God has given me."

14 Since all of these sons and daughters have flesh and blood, Jesus took on flesh and blood to be like them. He did this so that by dying he would destroy the one who had power over death (that is, the devil).

15 In this way he would free those who were slaves all their lives because they were afraid of dying.

16 So Jesus helps Abraham's descendants rather than helping angels.

17 Therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters so that he could be merciful. He became like them so that he could serve as a faithful chief priest in God's presence and make peace with God for their sins.

18 Because Jesus experienced temptation when he suffered, he is able to help others when they are tempted.