Study Desk

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"

"Now therefore the LORD God of Israel says the following concerning this city of which you say, 'It has been handed over to the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by plague':

"They shall be My people, and I will be their God;

"For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which have been torn down to make a defense against the assault ramps and the sword:

"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: 'Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Behold, I am handing this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.

"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: 'I made a covenant with your forefathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying,

and I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was next to the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the doorkeeper.

"This is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: 'Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Will you not accept instruction by listening to My words?" declares the LORD.

"Therefore this is what the LORD says, the God of armies, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them; because I spoke to them but they did not listen, and I have called them but they did not answer.'"

Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, "This is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: 'Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father, kept all his commands, and done according to all that he commanded you,

therefore this is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: "Jonadab the son of Rechab will not lack a man to stand before Me always."'"

Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and the priest Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "Please pray to the LORD our God in our behalf."

"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: 'This is what you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: "Behold, Pharaoh's army, which has come out to help you, is going to return to its own land of Egypt.

So Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "This is what the LORD God of armies, the God of Israel says: 'If you will indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will survive.

"Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, 'This is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: "Behold, I am going to bring My words on this city for disaster and not for prosperity; and they will take place before you on that day.

Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, "The LORD your God promised this disaster against this place;

and said to Jeremiah the prophet, "Please let our pleading come before you, and pray for us to the LORD your God for all this remnant—since we have been left only a few out of many, just as your own eyes now see us—

that the LORD your God will tell us the way in which we should walk, and the thing that we should do."

Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the LORD your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which the LORD gives you as an answer. I will not withhold a word from you."

Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the LORD your God will send you to us.