Study Desk

This is because they have not listened to my message," says the Lord . "I sent my message to them again and again through my servants, the prophets, but they did not listen," says the Lord .

Because of them, all the captives from Judah in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.'

So the Lord says, I will soon punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his family. He will not see the good things I will do for my people, says the Lord . None of his family will be left alive among the people, because he has taught the people to turn against me.'"

All those nations who were your friends have forgotten you. They don't care about you. I have hurt you as an enemy would. I punished you very hard, because your guilt was so great and your sins were so many.

Why are you crying out about your injury? There is no cure for your pain. I did these things to you because of your great guilt, because of your many sins.

I will bring back your health and heal your injuries," says the Lord , "because other people forced you away. They said about you, ‘No one cares about Jerusalem!'"

This is what the Lord says: "A voice was heard in Ramah of painful crying and deep sadness: Rachel crying for her children. She refused to be comforted, because her children are dead!"

Lord , after I wandered away from you, I changed my heart and life. After I understood, I beat my breast with sorrow. I was ashamed and disgraced, because I suffered for the foolish things I did when I was young.'

People will no longer have to teach their neighbors and relatives to know the Lord , because all people will know me, from the least to the most important," says the Lord . "I will forgive them for the wicked things they did, and I will not remember their sins anymore."

This is what the Lord says: "Only if people can measure the sky above and learn the secrets of the earth below, will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of what they have done," says the Lord .

"Look! The enemy has surrounded the city and has built roads to the top of the walls to capture it. Because of war, hunger, and terrible diseases, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians who are attacking it. You said this would happen, and now you see it is happening.

I will destroy it, because of all the evil the people of Israel and Judah have done. The people, their kings and officers, their priests and prophets, all the people of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem have made me angry.

"You are saying, ‘Because of war, hunger, and terrible diseases, the city will be handed over to the king of Babylon.' But the Lord , the God of Israel, says about Jerusalem:

I forced the people of Israel and Judah to leave their land, because I was furious and very angry with them. But soon I will gather them from all the lands where I forced them to go, and I will bring them back to this place, where they may live in safety.

‘Some people will come to fight against the Babylonians. They will fill these houses with the bodies of people I killed in my hot anger. I have turned away from this city because of all the evil its people have done.

There will be sounds of joy and gladness and the happy sounds of brides and bridegrooms. There will be the sounds of people bringing to the Temple of the Lord their offerings of thanks to the Lord . They will say, ‘Praise the Lord All-Powerful, because the Lord is good! His love continues forever!' They will say this because I will again do good things for Judah, as I did in the beginning," says the Lord .

Perhaps they will ask the Lord to help them. Perhaps each one will stop doing wicked things, because the Lord has announced that he is very angry with them."

I will punish Jehoiakim and his children and his servants, because they have done evil things. I will bring disasters upon them and upon all the people in Jerusalem and Judah—everything I promised but which they refused to hear.'"

All the officers did come to question Jeremiah. So he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. Then the officers said no more to Jeremiah, because no one had heard what Jeremiah and the king had discussed.

I will surely save you, Ebed-Melech. You will not die from a sword, but you will escape and live. This will happen because you have trusted in me, says the Lord .'"