Study Desk

The king told his son Jerahmeel to take Seraiah and Shelemiah and to go arrest Baruch and me. But the Lord kept them from finding us.

But Zedekiah, his officials, and everyone else in Judah ignored everything the Lord had told me.

Then the Lord told me to send them back to Zedekiah with this message: Zedekiah, you wanted Jeremiah to ask me, the Lord )God of Israel, what is going to happen. So I will tell you. The king of Egypt and his army came to your rescue, but soon they will go back to Egypt.

King Zedekiah secretly had me brought to his palace, where he asked, "Is there any message for us from the Lord ?" "Yes, there is, Your Majesty," I replied. "The Lord is going to let the king of Babylonia capture you."

King Zedekiah had me brought to his private entrance to the temple, and he said, "I'm going to ask you something, and I want to know the truth."

When King Zedekiah and his troops saw that Jerusalem had been captured, they tried to escape from the city that same night. They went to the king's garden, where they slipped through the gate between the two city walls and headed toward the Jordan River valley.

His eyes were poked out, and he was put in chains, so he could be dragged off to Babylonia.

But in the seventh month, Ishmael came to Mizpah with ten of his soldiers. He had been one of the king's officials and was a member of the royal family. Ishmael and his men were invited to eat with Gedaliah.

During the meal, Ishmael and his soldiers killed Gedaliah, the man chosen as ruler of Judah by the king of Babylonia.

But after they were inside the town, Ishmael had his soldiers kill them and throw their bodies into a well.

But Ishmael and eight of his men escaped and went to Ammon.

Then tell them that I, the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, have sent for my servant, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. I will bring him here and have him set up his throne and his royal tent over these stones that I told you to bury.

I will have him set Egypt's temples on fire, and he will either burn or carry off their idols. He will destroy the sacred monuments at the temple of the sun-god. Then Nebuchadnezzar will pick the land clean, just like a shepherd picking the lice off his clothes. And he will return safely home.

This disaster happened because you worshiped other gods and rebelled against the Lord by refusing to obey him or follow his laws and teachings.

But the Lord All-Powerful will win this battle and take revenge on his enemies. His sword will eat them and drink their blood until it is full. They will be killed in the north near the Euphrates River, as a sacrifice to the Lord .

When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia was on his way to attack Egypt, the Lord sent me with a warning for every Egyptian town, but especially for Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes. He said to tell them: Prepare to defend yourselves! Everywhere in your nation, people are dying in war. <

I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar and his army. But I also promise that Egypt will someday have people living here again, just as it had before. I, the Lord , have spoken.

You thought you could be saved by your power and wealth, but you will be captured along with your god Chemosh, his priests, and officials.

His fearsome army will surround you, taking your tents and possessions, your sheep and camels.

Your king and his officials will die, and I will rule in their place. I, the Lord , have spoken.