Hebrew Names Version HNV
The Message Bible MSG
1 In the beginning of the reign of Yehoiakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Yehudah, came this word from the LORD, saying,
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At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this Message came from God to Jeremiah:
2 Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the LORD's house, and speak to all the cities of Yehudah, which come to worship in the LORD's house, all the words that I command you to speak to them; don't diminish a word.
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"God's Message: Stand in the court of God's Temple and preach to the people who come from all over Judah to worship in God's Temple. Say everything I tell you to say to them. Don't hold anything back.
3 It may be they will listen, and turn every man from his evil way; that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do to them because of the evil of their doings.
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Just maybe they'll listen and turn back from their bad lives. Then I'll reconsider the disaster that I'm planning to bring on them because of their evil behavior.
4 You shall tell them, Thus says the LORD: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
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"Say to them, 'This is God's Message: If you refuse to listen to me and live by my teaching that I've revealed so plainly to you,
5 to listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send to you, even rising up early and sending them, but you have not listened;
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and if you continue to refuse to listen to my servants the prophets that I tirelessly keep on sending to you - but you've never listened! Why would you start now?
6 then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the eretz.
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- then I'll make this Temple a pile of ruins like Shiloh, and I'll make this city nothing but a bad joke worldwide.'"
7 The Kohanim and the prophets and all the people heard Yirmeyahu speaking these words in the house of the LORD.
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Everybody there - priests, prophets, and people - heard Jeremiah preaching this Message in the Temple of God.
8 It happened, when Yirmeyahu had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the Kohanim and the prophets and all the people laid hold on him, saying, You shall surely die.
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When Jeremiah had finished his sermon, saying everything God had commanded him to say, the priests and prophets and people all grabbed him, yelling, "Death! You're going to die for this!
9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant? All the people were gathered to Yirmeyahu in the house of the LORD.
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How dare you preach - and using God's name! - saying that this Temple will become a heap of rubble like Shiloh and this city be wiped out without a soul left in it!" All the people mobbed Jeremiah right in the Temple itself.
10 When the princes of Yehudah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of the LORD; and they sat in the entry of the new gate of the LORD's [house].
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Officials from the royal court of Judah were told of this. They left the palace immediately and came to God's Temple to investigate. They held court on the spot, at the New Gate entrance to God's Temple.
11 Then spoke the Kohanim and the prophets to the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy of death; for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.
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The prophets and priests spoke first, addressing the officials, but also the people: "Death to this man! He deserves nothing less than death! He has preached against this city - you've heard the evidence with your own ears."
12 Then spoke Yirmeyahu to all the princes and to all the people, saying, the LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard.
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Jeremiah spoke next, publicly addressing the officials before the crowd: "God sent me to preach against both this Temple and city everything that's been reported to you.
13 Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he has pronounced against you.
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So do something about it! Change the way you're living, change your behavior. Listen obediently to the Message of your God. Maybe God will reconsider the disaster he has threatened.
14 But as for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as is good and right in your eyes.
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"As for me, I'm at your mercy - do whatever you think is best.
15 Only know for certain that, if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city, and on the inhabitants of it; for of a truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.
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But take warning: If you kill me, you're killing an innocent man, and you and the city and the people in it will be liable. I didn't say any of this on my own. God sent me and told me what to say. You've been listening to God speak, not Jeremiah."
16 Then said the princes and all the people to the Kohanim and to the prophets: This man is not worthy of death; for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.
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The court officials, backed by the people, then handed down their ruling to the priests and prophets: "Acquittal. No death sentence for this man. He has spoken to us with the authority of our God."
17 Then rose up certain of the Zakenim of the land, and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying,
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Then some of the respected leaders stood up and addressed the crowd:
18 Mikhah the Morashti prophesied in the days of Hizkiyahu king of Yehudah; and he spoke to all the people of Yehudah, saying, Thus says the LORD of Hosts: Tziyon shall be plowed as a field, and Yerushalayim shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
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"In the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah, Micah of Moresheth preached to the people of Judah this sermon: This is God-of-the-Angel-Armies' Message for you: "'Because of people like you, Zion will be turned back into farmland, Jerusalem end up as a pile of rubble, and instead of the Temple on the mountain, a few scraggly scrub pines.'
19 Did Hizkiyahu king of Yehudah and all Yehudah put him to death? Didn't he fear the LORD, and entreat the favor of the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus should we commit great evil against our own souls.
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"Did King Hezekiah or anyone else in Judah kill Micah of Moresheth because of that sermon? Didn't Hezekiah honor him and pray for mercy from God? And then didn't God call off the disaster he had threatened? "Friends, we're at the brink of bringing a terrible calamity upon ourselves."
20 There was also a man who prophesied in the name of the LORD, Uriyah the son of Shemayah of Kiryat-Ye`arim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Yirmeyahu:
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(At another time there had been a man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim, who had preached similarly in the name of God. He preached against this same city and country just as Jeremiah did.
21 and when Yehoiakim the king, with all his mighty-men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Uriyah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Mitzrayim:
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When King Jehoiakim and his royal court heard his sermon, they determined to kill him. Uriah, afraid for his life, went into hiding in Egypt.
22 and Yehoiakim the king sent men into Mitzrayim, [namely], Elnatan the son of `Akhbor, and certain men with him, into Mitzrayim;
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King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Achbor with a posse of men after him.
23 and they fetched forth Uriyah out of Mitzrayim, and brought him to Yehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
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They brought him back from Egypt and presented him to the king. And the king had him killed. They dumped his body unceremoniously outside the city.
24 But the hand of Achikam the son of Shafan was with Yirmeyahu, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
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But in Jeremiah's case, Ahikam son of Shaphan stepped forward and took his side, preventing the mob from lynching him.)
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.