Jeremiah 35; Jeremiah 36; Jeremiah 37

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."

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.

1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Zedekiah, son of Josiah, to be king of Judah. Zedekiah succeeded Jehoiakin, son of Jehoiakim.

2 But Zedekiah, his administrators, and the common people didn't listen to what the LORD had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah.

3 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal (son of Shelemiah) and the priest Zephaniah (son of Maaseiah) to the prophet Jeremiah. They asked him, "Please pray to the LORD our God for us."

4 Jeremiah was still free to come and go among the people. The people of Jerusalem hadn't put him in prison yet.

5 Pharaoh's army had come from Egypt, and when the Babylonians who were blockading Jerusalem heard this news, they retreated from Jerusalem.

6 The LORD spoke his word to the prophet Jeremiah. He said,

7 "This is what the LORD God of Israel says: Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to get advice from me: 'Pharaoh's army has come out to help you. But it will go back to Egypt, its own land.

8 Then the Babylonians will return. They will attack the city, capture it, and burn it down.

9 "'This is what the LORD says: Don't deceive yourselves by thinking that the Babylonians will leave you. They will not leave you.

10 Even if you would defeat the entire Babylonian army so that they had only a few badly wounded men left in their tents, they would get up and burn down this city.'"

11 The Babylonian army had retreated from Jerusalem because Pharaoh's army was coming.

12 So Jeremiah wanted to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of Benjamin to take possession of his property there among the people.

13 But when he came to Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard there, whose name was Irijah, son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah, arrested the prophet Jeremiah. He said, "You're deserting to the Babylonians!"

14 Jeremiah answered, "That's a lie! I'm not deserting to the Babylonians." But Irijah wouldn't listen to him. Irijah arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials.

15 The officials were so angry with Jeremiah that they beat him and put him in prison in the scribe Jonathan's house, which had been turned into a prison.

16 Jeremiah went into a prison cell, and he stayed there a long time.

17 Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah, and the king asked him privately in the palace, "Is there any message from the LORD?" Jeremiah answered, "Yes! There is a message from the LORD. You will be handed over to the king of Babylon."

18 Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, "What crime have I committed against you, your administrators, or these people? Why have you put me in prison?

19 Where are the prophets who told you that the king of Babylon wouldn't attack you and this land?

20 But now, Your Majesty, please listen, and accept my plea for mercy. Don't return me to the scribe Jonathan's house, or I will die there."

21 King Zedekiah gave the command to have Jeremiah put in the courtyard of the prison. He gave him a loaf of bread every day from the bakers' street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the prison.