A TRANSLATION OF

CALVIN'S VERSION OF

JEREMIAH

CHAPTERS 20--29

CHAPTER 20

1 And Pashur the son of Immer the priest, (and he was a governor in the Temple of Jehovah,) heard Jeremiah prophesying these words:

2 And Pashur smote Jeremiah the Prophet, and put him in the prison which was in the higher gate of Benjamin, opposite the house of Jehovah.

3 And it happened the day after, that Pashur brought out Jeremiah from prison; and Jeremiah said to him, -- Not Pashur has Jehovah called thy name, But terror on every side:

4 For thus saith Jehovah, -- Behold, I will make thee a terror To thyself and to all thy friends; And fall shall they by the sword of thine enemies, While thine eyes are looking on; And all Judah will I deliver Into the hand of the king of Babylon; And he shall carry them into Babylon, And shall smite them with the sword:

5 And I will give up all the strength of this city, And all its labor and its every precious thing; And all the treasures of the kings of Judah Will I give up into the hands of their enemies; And they shall spoil them and take them away, And they shall lead them into Babylon.

6 And thou, Pashur, and all the inhabitants of thy house, Go shall ye into captivity; Thou shalt come to Babylon, and there die, And there shalt thou be buried and thy friends, To whom thou hast falsely prophesied.

7 Thou hast deceived me, Jehovah, and I was deceived; Thou hast constrained me and didst prevail; I am become a scorn all the day, All make a mock of me;

8 For from the time I have spoken, I cried aloud against violence, And devastation have I proclaimed: Because the word of Jehovah became to me A reproach and derision all the day,

9 Therefore I said, I will not mention him, Nor speak any more in his name: But it became in my heart as a burning fire, Closed up in my bones; And I was wearied with forbearing, And I did not prevail.

10 For I heard the slander of many, Terror on every side, "Report ye, and we will report to him:" All my friends watch for my haltings -- "He may go astray, then we shall prevail against him, And take our revenge on him."

11 But Jehovah is with me as a terrible giant; Therefore my persecutors shall fall and not prevail; They shall be greatly ashamed, for they shall not succeed; It will be a perpetual reproach Which shall not be forgotten.

12 But thou, Jehovah of hosts, Art he who provest the righteous, Who seest the reins and the heart; I shall see thy vengeance on them, For to thee have I opened my cause.

13 Sing ye to Jehovah, praise ye Jehovah, For he has rescued the soul of the distressed From the hand of the wicked.

14 Cursed be the day on which I was born; The day on which my mother bare me, Let it not be blessed:

15 Cursed be the man who told my father, Saying, "Born to thee is a male child," Who with joy made him joyful;

16 And let that man be as the cities, Which Jehovah destroyed and repented not; And let him hear a cry in the morning, And a tumult at noontide.

17 Why hast thou not slain me from the womb? That my mother might be my grave, Or her womb a perpetual conception?

18 Why from the womb did I come forth, That I might see trouble and sorrow; That my days might be consumed in reproach!

CHAPTER 21

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,

2 Inquire now for us of Jehovah, for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon makes war with us, if Jehovah will deal with us according to his wondrous works, that he may ascend from us.

3 And Jeremiah said to them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah, --

4 Thus saith Jehovah, God of Israel, -- Behold, I prohibit all the warlike instruments Which are in your hands, with which ye fight Against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans, Who besiege you without the walls; And I will gather them into the midst of this city:

5 And fight will I myself against you With an extended hand and with a strong arm, Yea, in wrath and fury and great indignation;

6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, Both man and beast; By a great pestilence shall they die.

7 And afterwards Jehovah said, -- I will deliver Zedekiah the king of Judah. His servants also and the people, Even those who shall remain in the city, From the pestilence, and the sword, and the famine, Into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, And into the hand of their enemies, And into the hand of those who seek their life; And he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; And he will not spare them, Nor forgive, nor shew mercy.

8 To this people also shalt thou say, -- Thus saith Jehovah, -- Behold, I set before you The way of life and the way of death:

9 He who abides in this city shall die By the sword, or by famine, or by pestilence; But he who goeth out and dwells With the Chaldeans who besiege you, Shall live, and his life shall be for a prey:

10 For I have set my face against this city, For evil and not for good, saith Jehovah; Into the hand of the king of Babylon shall it be given, And he shall burn it with fire.

11 And as to the house of the king of Judah, Hear ye the word of Jehovah;

12 O house of David, thus saith Jehovah, -- In the morning execute ye judgment, And free the spoiled from the hand of the oppressor, Lest go forth as fire my indignation, And burn, and there be none to extinguish it, -- Because of the wickedness of their doings.

13 Behold, I am against thee, inhabitant of the valley -- The rock in the plain, saith Jehovah, Who say, "Who shall descend to us? And who shall enter our habitations?"

14 I will even visit upon you The fruit of your doings, saith Jehovah; And I will kindle a fire in its forest, And it shall consume all around it.

CHAPTER 22

1 Thus saith Jehovah, Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,

2 And say, -- Hear the word of Jehovah, king of Judah, Who sittest on the throne of David, Thou, and thy servants, and thy people, Who enter in through these gates:

3 Thus saith Jehovah, Do judgment and justice, And rescue the spoiled from the hand of the oppressor; The stranger, the orphan, and the widow, Defraud not; exercise no violence, Nor shed innocent blood in this place.

4 For if obeying ye obey this word, Then shall enter through the gates of this house Kings, sitting for David on his throne, Riding in chariots and on horses, -- He himself, and his servants, and his people:

5 But if ye will not obey these words, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, That a waste shall this house become.

6 For thus saith Jehovah of the house of the king of Judah, Gilead to me art thou, the head of Lebanon; Surely I will make thee a desert, As cities which are not inhabited:

7 And I will prepare against thee destroyers, Every man and his instruments, And they shall cut down thy choice cedars, And cast them into the fire.

8 And pass shall many nations through this city, And say shall each to his friend, "Why hath Jehovah done thus to this great city?"

9 And they shall say, "Because they have forsaken The covenant of Jehovah their God, And bowed down before alien gods, and served them."

10 Weep ye not for the dead, nor bewail him; Weeping, weep for him who migrates, For return shall he no more, That he may see the land of his nativity:

11 For thus saith Jehovah concerning Shallum The son of Josiah the king of Judah, Who reigns instead of Josiah his father, -- When he shall have gone forth from this place He shall not return here any more:

12 For in the land where they shall lead him away There shall he die, And this land shall he see no more.

13 Woe to him who builds not with justice his house, And not with judgment his chambers; Who makes his neighbor to serve him for nothing, And pays him not for his work;

14 Who says, "I will build for myself A large house and wide chambers;" And he perforates for himself windows, And covered it is with cedar, And painted with vermilion.

15 Shalt thou reign because thou inclosest thyself in cedar? Thy father, did he not eat and drink? When he did judgment and justice, It was then well with him:

16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy, It was then well with him; Was not this to know me? saith Jehovah:

17 For thy eye and thy heart are not Except on thy covetousness, And on shedding innocent blood, And on rapacity and oppression, to do them.

18 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah the king of Judea, They shall not bewail him, -- "Ah, my brother! Ah, sister!" They shall not bewail him, -- "Ah, Lord! Ah, his glory!"

19 With the burial of an ass shall he be buried, Drawn out and cast forth Beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

20 Ascend into Lebanon and cry, And on Bashan lift up thy voice, And cry all around, For destroyed are all thy lovers.

21 I spake to thee in thy tranquillity, Thou saidst, "I will not hear:" It has been thy manner from thy youth That thou didst not hear my voice.

22 Thy pastors shall the wind consume, And thy lovers, into exile shall they go: Surely ashamed shalt thou then be, And blush for all thy wickedness.

23 Thou hast set thy seat on Lebanon, Thou hast made thy nest among the cedars: How gracious wilt thou be When come on thee shall sorrows, The pain as of one in travail!

24 Live do I, saith Jehovah; Were Coniah the son of Jehoiakim the king of Judah A sealing ring on my right hand, I would thence pluck thee off:

25 And I will deliver thee Into the hand of those who seek thy life, And into the hand of those whose face thou dreadest, Even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar The king of Babylon, And into the hand of the Chaldeans:

26 And I will cast thee and thy mother who bare thee Into a foreign land where ye were not born, And there shall ye die;

27 And into the land they set their mind to return, Thither they shall not return.

28 Is this man Coniah a despised and broken statue? Is he a vessel in which there is no delight? Why are they east forth, he and his seed, And thrown to a land which they have not known?

29 Land! land! land! hear the word of Jehovah, --

30 Thus saith Jehovah, Write ye this man childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; Nay, none of his seed shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling any more in Judah.

CHAPTER 23

1 Woe to the pastors who destroy and scatter The flock of my pastures! saith Jehovah;

2 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Concerning the pastors who feed my people, -- Ye have scattered my flock and driven them away, And ye have not visited them; Behold, I will visit upon you The wickedness of your doings, saith Jehovah:

3 But I will gather the remnant of my sheep From all the lands to which I shall drive them, And cause them to return to their own folds, And they shall become fruitful and multiply;

4 And I will raise up over them pastors Who shall feed them; And they shall no more fear nor dread, Nor shall they fail, saith Jehovah.

5 Behold, the days are coming, saith Jehovah, That I will raise up to David a righteous branch, And reign shall a king, And prudently shall he act; He will do judgment and justice in the land.

6 In his days saved shall be Judah, And Israel shall dwell in confidence: And this is the name by which they shall call him, Jehovah Our Righteousness.

7 Therefore, behold, the days will come, saith Jehovah, In which it shall no more be said, "Live does Jehovah," Who brought the children of Israel from the land of Egypt;

8 But rather, "Live does Jehovah," who has brought up And led the seed of the house of Israel From the land of the north, and all the lands To which I had driven them; And they shall dwell in their own land.

9 On account of the prophets, Broken is my heart within me, Disjointed are all my bones; I am become like a drunken man Who has been overcome by wine, On account of Jehovah, And on account of the words of his holiness;

10 For with adulterers the land is filled: For on account of perjury mourned has the land, Dried up have the pastures of the desert; And their course has been evil, And their strength not right.

11 For both prophet and priest have acted wickedly; Even in my house have I found Their wickedness, saith Jehovah.

12 Therefore their way shall be to them slippery; In darkness shall they stumble and fall therein; For I shall bring on them evil, The year of their visitation, saith Jehovah.

13 In the prophets of Samaria have I seen fatuity, They prophesied by Baal, And made my people Israel to go astray:

14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem Have I seen depravity; By adultery and walking in falsehood They even strengthen the hands of the wicked, That they may not turn, each from his wickedness: They shall be all to me as Sodom, And its inhabitants as Gomorrah.

15 Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts Concerning these prophets, -- I will feed them with a deadly poison, And give them waters of gall to drink; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Has gone forth impiety through all the laud.

16 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, -- Hear ye not the words of the prophets Who prophesy to you; They make you to be vain; A vision of their own heart do they speak, And not from the mouth of Jehovah;

17 Who say to those who despise me, Spoken has Jehovah, "Peace shall be to you;" And to all who walk in the wickedness of their own hearts They say, "Come upon you shall not evil;

18 For who hath been in the counsel of Jehovah, And seen and heard his word? Who hath listened to his word and heard it?"

19 Behold the whirlwind of Jehovah! With fury it goeth forth; Even the impending whirlwind; On the head of the ungodly shall it fall:

20 Turn back shall not the anger of Jehovah Till he has done and confirmed The thoughts of his own heart: In the extremity of days Ye shall fully understand this.

21 I sent not the prophets, yet they have run; I spoke not to them, yet they have prophesied.

22 But if they had stood in my counsel, Surely they would have made my people hear my words, And turned them from their evil way, And from the wickedness of their doings?

23 Am I a God at hand, saith Jehovah, And not a God afar off?

24 Can a man hide himself in coverts That I could not see him? saith Jehovah; Do not I fill the heavens and the earth? saith Jehovah.

25 I have heard what the prophets say Who prophesy falsely in my name, Saying, "I have dreamed, I have dreamed."

26 How long will it be in the heart of the prophets To prophesy falsehood, Yea, of the prophets of the deceit of their own heart!

27 Who think to make my people forget My name by their own dreams, Which they relate, each to his friend, As forgotten my name have their fathers through Baal.

28 The prophet who hath a dream, He will relate a dream; And he with whom is my word, He will speak my word of truth: What is the chaff to the wheat? saith Jehovah.

29 Is not my word like fire? saith Jehovah, And like the hammer that breaks the stone?

30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith Jehovah, Who steal my words, each from his friend:

31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith Jehovah, Who elevate their own tongue, And say, "It is the word:"

32 Behold, I am against those Who prophesy false dreams, saith Jehovah; And who relate them, and deceive my people By their lies and their levity, Though I sent them not, nor commanded them: And they will not profit this people, saith Jehovah.

33 But if ask thee will this people, Or a prophet, or a priest, saying, "What is the burden of Jehovah?" Then shalt thou say to them, "What burden? -- I will forsake you, saith Jehovah."

34 And the prophet, and the priest, and the people, Who shall say, "The burden of Jehovah," I will even punish that man and his house.

35 Thus shall ye say, every one to his friend, And every one to his brother, "What has Jehovah answered?" Or "What has Jehovah spoken?"

36 But the burden of Jehovah mention no more; For the burden of each shall be his word: For ye have corrupted the words of the living God, Of Jehovah of hosts, our God.

37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, -- "What has Jehovah answered thee?" Or "What has Jehovah spoken?"

38 But if ye will say, "The burden of Jehovah;" Therefore Jehovah saith thus, -- Because ye say, "The burden of Jehovah," Though I sent to you, saying, Ye shall not say, "The burden of Jehovah."

39 Therefore, behold, I will wholly take you away, And will cast you off, and this city Which I gave to you and to your fathers, From my presence; And I will bring upon you a perpetual reproach, And a perpetual disgrace, Which shall not be forgotten.

CHAPTER 24

1 Jehovah shewed me a vision, and, behold, two baskets of figs set before the Temple of Jehovah, after Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim the king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, and the artificer, and the engraver, from Jerusalem, and led them away to Babylon:

2 One basket of figs very good, like early figs, and another basket of figs very bad, which could not be eaten, being so bad.

3 And Jehovah said to me, "What seest thou, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs, good figs, very good; and bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, being so bad."

4 And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,

5 Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, As these good figs, so will I acknowledge the captivity of Judah, which I sent from this place to the land of the Chaldeans, for good:

6 And I will set my eye upon them for good, and will restore them to this land; and I will build them up and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up;

7 And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah; and they shall be to me a people, and I will be to them a God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

8 But as to the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, being so bad, surely thus saith Jehovah, so will I render Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue at Jerusalem, those who remain in this land and those who dwell in the land of Egypt;

9 And I will set them for a commotion, for an evil to all kingdoms of the earth, for a reproach, and a terror, and a taunt, and a curse in all places where I shall drive them;

10 And I will send among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until they be consumed from the face of the land which I gave to them and to their fathers.

CHAPTER 25

1 The word which came by Jeremiah to all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah the king of Judah, (this was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon,)

2 Which Jeremiah the prophet spake to all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, --

3 From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon the king of Judah, to this day, (this is the twenty-third year,) hath Jehovah spoken to me, and I have spoken to you, rising up early, but ye have not hearkened:

4 And Jehovah sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending, (but ye hearkened not, nor inclined your ear to hear,)

5 Saying, -- Return ye, I pray, each from his evil way, And from the wickedness of your doings, And dwell in the land which Jehovah gave To you and to your fathers from age to age:

6 And walk ye not after alien gods, To serve them and to bow down before them; And provoke me not by the work of your hands, And I will not do you evil.

7 But ye hearkened not to me, saith Jehovah; For ye provoked me by the work of your hands, To do evil to you.

8 Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, -- Because ye have not hearkened to my words,

9 Behold, I will send for and take All the families of the north, saith Jehovah, And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; And I will bring them to this land And to its inhabitants, And to all these nations around; And I will destroy them, And make them an astonishment, And a hissing, and perpetual desolations;

10 And I will cause to cease among them The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, The voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, The sound of millstones, and the light of the candle.

11 And this whole land shall be a waste and a wonder; And serve shall these nations The king of Babylon seventy years.

12 And it shall be, when fulfilled shall be seventy years, That I shall visit on the king of Babylon, And on his people, saith Jehovah, Their iniquity, -- and upon the land of Chaldea, And I will make it perpetual desolations:

13 And I will bring on that land all my words, Which I have spoken concerning it, All that is written in this book, Which Jeremiah has prophesied of the nations:

14 For they shall rule over strong nations, And over mighty kings; And I will render to these according to their doing, And according to the work of their hands.

15 For thus said Jehovah, the God of Israel, to me, Take the cup of the wine of this wrath from my hand, and give it to drink to all the nations to whom I shall send thee,

16 That they may drink and be incensed, and become distracted on account of the sword which I shall send among them.

17 And I took the cup from the hand of Jehovah, and gave it to drink to all the nations to whom Jehovah had sent me, --

18 To Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, even to its kings and to its princes, to make them a waste, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a curse, as at this day, --

19 To Pharaoh the king of Egypt, to his servants, and to his princes, and to all his people,

20 And to the promiscuous multitude, and to all the kings of the land of Uz, and to all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and to Askelon, and to Gaza, and to Ekron, and to the remnant of Ashdod, --

21 To Edom, and to Moab, and to the children of Ammon,

22 And to all the kings of Tyre, and to all the kings of Sidon, and to all the kings of the island beyond the sea,

23 And to Dedan, and to Tema, and to Buz, and to all the extreme ones in a corner,

24 And to all the kings of Arabia, and to all the kings of the mingled race who dwell in the desert,

25 And to all the kings of Zimri, and to all the kings of Elam, and to all the kings of the Medes,

26 And to all the kings of the north, those who are near, as well as those who are afar off, every one shall be against his brother, -- and to all kingdoms of the earth, which are upon the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

27 And thou shalt say to them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Drink ye and be drunken, and vomit and fall, and rise not on account of the sword which I send among you.

28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say to them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Drinking ye shall drink;

29 For behold, upon the city on which my name is called, I begin to bring evil, and shall ye be treated as innocent? ye shall not be treated as innocent; for I am calling for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth, saith Jehovah.

30 Thou shalt also prophesy to them all these words, and say to them, -- Jehovah from on high shall roar, And from his holy habitation utter his voice; Roaring he shall roar on his dwelling, A shout like that of vintagers shall he respond Against all the inhabitants of the earth:

31 Reach shall the sound to the extremity of the earth, For a contention has Jehovah with the nations, A dispute has he with all flesh; The wicked will he give to the sword, saith Jehovah.

32 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, -- Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, And a great tempest shall be raised From the extremities of the earth;

33 And the slain of Jehovah in that day shall be From one end to the other end of the earth: They shall not be lamented, nor gathered, nor buried; As dung on the face of the earth shall they be.

34 Howl, ye pastors, and cry, And roll [in the dust,] ye choice of the flock; For fulfilled are your days For the slaughter and your breakings; And ye shall fall like a precious vessel:

35 And perish shall flight from the pastors, And escape from the choice of the flock.

36 The voice of the cry of the pastors! And the howling of the choice of the flock! For destroyed has Jehovah their pastures;

37 Perished also are the peaceful tents, Through the indignation of the wrath of Jehovah.

38 He has left, as a lion, his tabernacle; For reduced is their land to a waste Through the wrath of the Oppressor, And through the indignation of his wrath.

CHAPTER 26

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came from Jehovah, saying,

2 Thus saith Jehovah, Stand in the court of the house of Jehovah, and speak to all the cities of Judah, who come to worship in the Temple of Jehovah, all the words which I have commanded thee to speak to them; diminish not a word:

3 If peradventure they will hear, and turn, each from his evil way, then will I repent of the evil which I think of doing to them on account of the wickedness of their doings.

4 Thou shalt then say to them, Thus saith Jehovah, If ye will not hear me to walk in my law, which I have set before you,

5 To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send to you, rising up

6 Early and sending, (but ye have not hearkened,) then will I make this house like Shiloh, and this city will I make a curse to all the nations of the earth.

7 And the priests, and the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah.

8 And it was when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that Jehovah had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests, and the prophets, and all the people apprehended him, saying, "Dying thou shalt die;

9 Why hast thou prophesied in the name of Jehovah, saying, 'Like Shiloh shall this house be, and this city shall be desolate without, an inhabitant?'" (And all the people were assembled against Jeremiah in the Temple of Jehovah.)

10 And the princes of Judah heard of these things, and went down from the king's house to the house of Jehovah, and sat at the entrance of the new gate of the Temple of Jehovah.

11 Then said the priests 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 ye have heard with your ears."

12 And Jeremiah said to all the princes, and to all the people, saying, -- Jehovah hath sent me to prophesy against this house, and against this city all the words which ye have heard:

13 And now make good your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of Jehovah your God, and Jehovah will repent of the evil which he hath pronounced against you.

14 And as for me, behold I am in your hand; do to me as may seem good and right in your eyes:

15 But know assuredly, that if ye slay me, ye will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city, and on its inhabitants; for in truth Jehovah hath sent me to you, to speak all these words in your ears.

16 And the princes, and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, "This man is not worthy of death; for in the name of Jehovah our God hath he spoken to us."

17 Then rose up men from the elders of the land, and said to the whole assembly of the people, saying, --

18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah the king of Judah, saying, -- "Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, -- Sion as a field shall be plowed, And Jerusalem shall become heaps, And the mount of the house like the heights of the forest."

19 Killing, did Hezekiah the king of Judah, and all Judah, kill him? did he not fear Jehovah? and did he not supplicate the face of Jehovah? and Jehovah repented of the evil which he had spoken against them: but we are doing a great evil against our own souls.

20 But there was also a man who prophesied in the name of Jehovah, Uriah the son of Shemaiah, from Kirjath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city, and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:

21 When the King Jehoiakim and all the chief men and the princes heard his words, then the king sought to slay him; but Uriah heard and feared, and he fled and went into Egypt.

22 And the King Jehoiakim sent men into Egypt, even Elnathan the son of Achbor, and men with him into Egypt:

23 And they brought Uriah up from Egypt, and brought him to the King Jehoiakim, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.

24 Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not delivered into the hand of the people to be slain.

CHAPTER 27

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, --

2 Thus said Jehovah to me, Make for thee bands and yokes, and put them on thy neck;

3 Then send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the children of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the ambassadors, who shall come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah the king of Judah:

4 And thou shalt give them a message to their masters, saying, -- Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say to your masters, --

5 I made the earth, man also and beast, Which are on the face of the earth, By my great power and my extended arm; And given it have I to whom it seemed good to me:

6 And now given have I all these lands Into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar The king of Babylon, my servant; And also the beast of the field Have I given to him to serve him:

7 And serve him and his son, And his son's son, shall all nations, Until the time of his land shall come, And also of himself; yea, serve him Shall many nations and great kings.

8 And it shall be as to the nation and kingdom, Who will not serve him, even Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, And who will not put their neck Under the yoke of the king of Babylon, With the sword, and famine, and pestilence, Will I visit that nation, saith Jehovah, Until I consume them by his hand.

9 And you, hearken not to your prophets, And to your diviners, and to your dreamers, And to your augurs, and to your sorcerers, Who speak to you, saying, -- "Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon;"

10 For they prophesy falsely to you, That they might move you far from your own land, And that I might cast you away and ye perish:

11 But the nation which shall bring its neck Under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, saith Jehovah; And it shall cultivate it and dwell in it.

12 To Zedekiah also, the king of Judah, I spoke according to all these words, saying, -- Bring your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, And serve him and his people, and ye shall live.

13 Why should ye perish, thou and thy people, By the sword, and famine, and pestilence, As Jehovah has spoken of the nation, Which will not serve the king of Babylon:

14 And hearken not to the words of the prophets, Who speak to you, saying, -- "Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon;" For falsely do they prophesy to you;

15 For I have not sent them, saith Jehovah, But they prophesy in my name falsely, That I might drive you out, And that ye might perish, ye, And the prophets who prophesy to you.

16 To the priests also and to all the people spake I, saying, -- Thus saith Jehovah, -- Hearken not to the words of your prophets, Who prophesy to you, saying, -- "Behold, the vessels of the house of Jehovah Shall now soon be restored from Babylon;" For falsehood do these prophesy to you:

17 Hearken ye not to them; Serve the king of Babylon and ye shall live; Why should this city become a desolation?

18 But if they be prophets, And if the word of Jehovah be with them, Let them now intercede with Jehovah of hosts, That the vessels which remain in the house of Jehovah, And in the house of the king of Judah, And in Jerusalem, may not go to Babylon.

19 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts of the pillars, and of the sea, and of the bases, and of the residue of the vessels which are left in this city,

20 Which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon did not take away, when he led captive Jeconiah the king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;

21 yea, thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, of the vessels which remain in the house of Jehovah, and in the house of the king, and in Jerusalem;

22 To Babylon shall they be carried, and there shall they be until the day in which I shall visit them, saith Jehovah, and bring them up and restore them to this place.

CHAPTER 28

1 And it was in that year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke to me in the Temple of Jehovah, in the presence of the priests, and of all the people, saying,

2 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

3 Further, when two years shall pass, I will restore to this place all the vessels of the house of Jehovah which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has taken away from this place and carried to Babylon:

4 And Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim the king of Judah, and all the captives of Judah, who have gone to Babylon, will I restore to this place, saith Jehovah; for I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

5 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people, who were standing in the house of Jehovah;

6 Yea, Jeremiah the prophet said, Amen, may Jehovah do so, may Jehovah confirm thy words which thou hast prophesied as to the restoration of the vessels of the temple, and of all the captives from Babylon to this place.

7 Nevertheless, hear thou now this word which I declare in thy hearing, and in the hearing of all the people;

8 The prophets who have been before me and before thee from the beginning, and prophesied against many nations and great kingdoms, have prophesied of war, and of evil, and of pestilence:

9 The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word shall come to pass, that prophet shall be known that Jehovah has sent him in truth.

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the band from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it;

11 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, -- Thus saith Jehovah, In this manner will I break off the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

12 And the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet broke off the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, saying, --

13 Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Thou hast broken the bands of wood; but make for thee instead of them bands of iron:

14 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, A yoke of iron have I laid on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and they shall serve him; and I have also given to him the beasts of the field.

15 Jeremiah the prophet said also to Hananiah the prophet, Hear, I pray, Hananiah; Jehovah hath not sent thee, and thou hast made this people to trust in falsehood:

16 Therefore, thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will cast thee away from the face of the earth; die shalt thou this year, because thou hast spoken revolt against Jehovah.

17 And Hananiah the prophet died in that year, in the seventh month.

CHAPTER 29

1 These are the words of the epistle which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to the whole people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had led away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,

2 After Jeconiah the king, and the queen had gone forth, and the chief men, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the artificers also, and the engravers, from Jerusalem, --

3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and of Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah the king of Judah had sent to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, to Babylon,) saying, --

4 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, to the whole captivity whom I have led captive from Jerusalem to Babylon, --

5 "Build ye houses, and inhabit them; plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

6 Take wives, and beget sons and daughters; Take also wives for your sons, And give your daughters in marriage to husbands, And let them bear sons and daughters; And increase there and be not diminished:

7 And seek the peace of the city, To which I have removed you; And pray for it to Jehovah, For in its peace shall be your peace."

8 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, -- Let not your prophets who are in the midst of you, Nor your diviners, deceive you; And attend not to your dreams which ye dream:

9 For they falsely prophesy to you in my name; I have not sent them, saith Jehovah.

10 For thus saith Jehovah, -- For when completed in Babylon Shall be seventy years, I will visit you, And will rouse up for you my good word, That I may bring you back to this place:

11 For I know my thoughts, Which I think of you, saith Jehovah, -- Thoughts of peace and not of evil, To give you the end and the expectation.

12 And ye shall call on me and go forward; And pray to me, and I will hear you:

13 And ye shall seek me, and shall find me; Because ye will seek me with the whole heart.

14 And I will be found by your saith Jehovah, And will restore your captivity, And will gather you from all nations, And from all places, where I have driven you, Saith Jehovah, and I will bring you back To the place whence I have expelled you.

15 As ye have said, "Raise for us will Jehovah prophets in Babylon;"

16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah to the king who sits on the throne of David, and to the whole people who dwell in this city, to your brethren who have not gone forth with you into exile, -- thus saith Jehovah of hosts, --

17 Behold, I will send upon them the sword, The famine, and the pestilence, And will make them like worthless figs, Which, being so bad, cannot be eaten:

18 Yea, I will pursue them with the sword, The famine, and the pestilence, And will set them for a commotion To all the kingdoms of the earth, For a curse and for an astonishment, And for a hissing and for a reproach, Among all the nations to whom I shall drive them;

19 Because they hearkened not to my words, saith Jehovah, Which I sent to them by my servants the prophets, Rising up early and sending; And ye hearkened not, saith Jehovah.

20 Hear ye also the word of Jehovah, the whole captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon;

21 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy to you in my name a lie, -- Behold, I will deliver them into the hand Of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, And he shall kill them before your eyes:

22 And taken from them shall be a curse By all the captivity of Judah in Babylon, saying, -- "Let Jehovah make thee like Zedekiah and Ahab, Whom the king of Babylon burnt in the fire:"

23 Because they have done villainy in Israel, And prostituted the wives of their friends, And spoke a word in my name falsely, Which I had not commanded them; But I know, and am witness, saith Jehovah.

24 And as to Shemaiah, the Nehelamite, thou shalt thus say, --

25 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, -- Because thou hast sent in my name letters to the whole people, who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, --

26 Jehovah hath made thee a priest in the room of Jehoiada the priest, that ye might be the rulers of the house of Jehovah over every one that is insane and prophesies, that thou mightest put him in prison and in manacles:

27 And thou -- wherefore hast thou not reproved Jeremiah, the Anathothite, who prophesies to you?

28 Even because he hath sent to us in Babylon, saying, -- "Long is the time, build ye houses and inhabit them;

29 Plant gardens and eat the fruit of them." (Now Zephaniah had read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet:)

30 Therefore the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, saying, --

31 Send to the whole captivity, saying, -- Thus saith Jehovah of Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, When I had not sent him, And has made you to trust in falsehood;

32 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, -- Lo I will visit Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his seed; There shall not be to him a man To dwell in the midst of this people; And he shall not see the good, Which I shall do to my people, saith Jehovah; Because he has spoken rebellion against Jehovah.