# verses

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They will rebuild the old ruins. They will build up the places destroyed long ago. They will repair the ruined cities that were destroyed for so long.


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My people, foreigners will come to tend your sheep. People from other countries will tend your vineyards.


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You will be called priests of the Lord. You will be named the servants of our God. You will have riches from all the nations on earth. And you will take pride in them.


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Instead of being ashamed, you will receive twice as much wealth. Instead of being disgraced, you will be happy because of what you receive. You will receive a double share of the land. So your happiness will continue forever.


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The Lord says, “I love justice. I hate stealing and everything that is wrong. I will be fair and give my people what they should have. I will make an agreement with them that will continue forever.


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Everyone in all nations will know the children of my people. And their children will be known among the nations. Anyone who sees them will know that the Lord blesses them.”


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The Lord makes me very happy. All that I am rejoices in my God. The Lord has covered me with clothes of salvation. He has covered me with a coat of goodness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding. I am like a bride dressed in jewels.


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The earth causes plants to grow. And a garden causes the seeds planted there to grow. In the same way the Lord God will make grow what is right. He will make praise come from all the nations.


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New Jerusalem Because I love Jerusalem, I will continue to speak for her. For Jerusalem’s sake I will not stop speaking. I will speak until her goodness shines like a bright light. I will speak until her salvation burns bright like a flame.


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Jerusalem, the nations will see your goodness. All kings will see your honor. Then you will have a new name. The Lord himself will give you that new name.


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You will be like a beautiful crown in the Lord’s hand. You will be like a king’s crown in your God’s hand.


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You will never again be called the People that God Left. Your land will never again be called the Land that God Destroyed. You will be called the People God Loves. Your land will be called the Bride of God. This is because the Lord loves you. And your land will belong to him as a bride belongs to her husband.


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As a young man marries a woman, so your children will marry your land. As a man is very happy about his new wife, so your God will be happy with you.


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Jerusalem, I have put guards on the walls to watch. They must not be silent day or night. You people who remind the Lord should never be quiet.


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You should not stop praying to the Lord until he builds up Jerusalem. Don’t stop until he makes Jerusalem a city all people will praise.


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The Lord has made a promise. And by his power he will keep his promise. He said, “I will never again give your grain as food to your enemies. I will not let your enemies drink the wine that you have worked to make.


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The person who gathers food will eat it. And he will praise the Lord. The person who gathers the grapes will drink the wine in the courts of my Temple.”


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Go through, go through the gates! Make the way ready for the people. Build up, build up the road! Move all the stones off the road. Raise the banner as a sign for the people.


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The Lord is speaking to all the faraway lands: “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your Savior is coming. He is bringing your reward to you. He is bringing his payment with him.’”


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His people will be called the Holy People. They will be called the Saved People of the Lord. And Jerusalem will be called the City God Wants. It will be named the City God Has Not Rejected.


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The Lord Judges His People Who is this coming from Edom? He comes from the city of Bozrah dressed in red. Who is this dressed in fine clothes? He marches forward with his great power. He says, “I, the Lord, speak what is right. I have the power to save you.”


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The Lord answers, “I have walked in the winepress alone. No one among the nations helped me. I was angry and walked on the nations. I crushed them because of my anger. Blood splashed on my clothes. I stained all my clothing.


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I looked around, but I saw no one to help me. I was surprised that no one supported me. So I used my own power to save my people. My own anger supported me.


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While I was angry, I walked on the nations. In my anger I punished them and poured their blood on the ground.”


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The Lord’s Kindness to His People I will tell about the Lord’s kindness. And I will praise him for what he has done. He has given many good things to us. He has been very good to the people of Israel. The Lord has shown mercy to us. And he has been kind to us.


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When they suffered, he suffered also. He sent his own angel to save them. Because of his love and kindness, the Lord saved them. Since long ago he has picked them up and carried them.


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But they turned against the Lord. They made his Holy Spirit very sad. So the Lord became their enemy. And he fought against them.


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But then his people remembered what happened long ago. They remembered Moses. Where is the Lord who brought the people through the sea? Where is the one who brought them with the leaders of his people? Where is the one who put his Holy Spirit among them?


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The Lord led Moses by the right hand. The Lord led him by his wonderful power. The Lord divided the water before them so the people could walk through the sea. And by this the Lord made his name famous forever.


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The Lord led the people through the deep waters. Like a horse walking through a desert, the people did not stumble.


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Like cattle that go down to the valley, the Spirit of the Lord led the people to a place of rest. Lord, that is the way you led your people. And by this you made your name wonderful.


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A Prayer for Help Lord, look down from the heavens and see. Look at us from your wonderful holy home in heaven. Where is your strong love and power? Why are you keeping your love and mercy from us?


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You are our father. Abraham doesn’t know we are his children. Israel doesn’t know who we are. Lord, you are our father. You are called “the one who has always saved us.”


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Lord, why are you making us wander from your ways? Why do you make us stubborn so that we don’t honor you? For our sake come back to us. We are your servants, and we belong to you.


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Your people had your Temple for a while. But now our enemies have walked on your holy place and crushed it.


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You have never ruled over some people. They have never worn your name. And we have become like those people.


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Be like a fire that burns twigs. Be like a fire that makes water boil. Do this so that your enemies will know who you are. Then all nations will shake with fear when they see you.


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You have done amazing things that we did not expect. You came down, and the mountains trembled before you.


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From long ago no one has ever heard of a God like you. No one has ever seen a God besides you. You help the people who trust you.


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You help those who enjoy doing good. You help those who remember how you want them to live. But you were angry because we sinned. For a long time we disobeyed. How will we be saved?


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All of us are dirty with sin. All the right things we have done are like filthy pieces of cloth. All of us are like dead leaves. Like the wind our sins have carried us away.


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No one worships you. No one even asks you to help us. So you have turned away from us. And we are destroyed because of our sins.


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Lord, don’t continue to be angry with us. Don’t remember our sins forever. Please, look at us because we are your people.


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Our ancestors worshiped you in our holy and wonderful Temple. But now it has been burned with fire. All our precious things have been destroyed.


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When you see these things, will you hold yourself back from helping us, Lord? Will you be silent and punish us beyond what we can stand?


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All People Will Learn About God The Lord says, “I made myself known to people who were not looking for me. I was found by those who were not asking me for help. I spoke to a nation that was not praying to me. I said, ‘Here I am. Here I am.’


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All day long I stood ready to accept people who turned against me. But the way they continue to live is not good. They do anything they want to do.


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Right in front of me they continue to do things that make me angry. They offer sacrifices to their false gods in their gardens. They burn incense on altars of brick.


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They sit among the graves. They spend their nights waiting to get messages from the dead. They eat the meat of pigs. Their pots are full of soup made from meat that is wrong to eat.


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But they tell others, ‘Stay away. Don’t come near me. I am too holy for you.’ These people are like smoke in my nose. Like a fire that burns all the time, they continue to make me angry.


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“Look, it is written here before me. I will not be quiet. Instead, I will repay you in full. I will punish you for what you have done.


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I will punish you for your sins and your ancestors’ sins,” says the Lord. “They burned incense to false gods on the mountains. They shamed me on those hills. So I will punish them as they should be punished for what they did.”


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This is what the Lord says: “When there is juice left in the grapes, people do not destroy them. They know there is good left in them. I will do the same thing to my servants. I will not completely destroy them.


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I will leave some of the children of Jacob. Some of the people of Judah will receive my mountain. I will choose the people who will live there. My servants will live there.


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Then the Plain of Sharon will be a field for sheep. The Valley of Achor will be a place for cattle to rest. They will be for the people who want to follow me.


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“But you who left the Lord will be punished. You forgot about my holy mountain. You worship the false god Luck. You hold religious feasts for the false god Fate.


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But I decide your fate, and I will punish you with my sword. You will all be killed. This is because I called you, but you refused to answer. I spoke to you, but you wouldn’t listen. You did the things I said were evil. You chose to do things that displease me.”


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So the Lord God said these things: “My servants will eat. But you evil people will be hungry. My servants will drink. But you evil people will be thirsty. My servants will be happy. But you evil people will be shamed.


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My servants will shout for joy because of the goodness of their hearts. But you evil people will cry, because you will be sad. You will cry loudly because your spirits will be broken.


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Your names will be like curses to my servants. And the Lord God will put you to death. But he will call his servants by another name.


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People in the land who ask for blessings will ask for them from the faithful God. People in the land who make a promise will promise in the name of the faithful God. This is because the troubles of the past will be forgotten. I will make those troubles go away.


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A New Time Is Coming “Look, I will make new heavens and a new earth. And people will not remember the past. They will not think about those things.


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My people will be happy forever because of the things I will make. I will make a Jerusalem that is full of joy. And I will make her people a delight.


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Then I will rejoice over Jerusalem. I will be delighted with my people. There will never again be crying and sadness in that city.


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There will never be a baby from that city who lives only a few days. And there will never be an older person who doesn’t have a long life. A person who lives 100 years will be called young. And the person who dies before he is 100 will be thought of as a sinner.


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In that city the person who builds a house will live there. The person who plants vineyards will get to eat grapes.


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No more will one person build a house and someone else live there. One person will not plant a garden and someone else eat its fruit. My people will live a long time as trees live long. My chosen people will live there and enjoy the things they make.


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People will never again work for nothing. They will never again give birth to children who die young. All my people will be blessed by the Lord. My people and their children will be blessed.


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I will provide for their needs before they ask. I will help them while they are still asking for help.


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Wolves and lambs will eat together in peace. Lions will eat hay like oxen. A snake on the ground will not hurt anyone. They will not hurt or destroy each other on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.


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God Will Judge All Nations This is what the Lord says: “The skies are my throne. The earth is my footstool. So do you think you can build a house for me? There is no place where I need to rest.


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My hand made all things. All things are here because I made them,” says the Lord. “These are the people I am pleased with. They are those who are not proud or stubborn. They fear me and obey me.


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But those people who kill bulls as a sacrifice to me are like those who kill men. Those who kill sheep as a sacrifice to me are like those who break the necks of dogs. Those who give me grain offerings are like those who offer me the blood of pigs. Those who burn incense are like those who worship idols. These people choose their own ways—not mine. They love the terrible things they do.


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So I will punish them. I will punish them using what they fear most. I called to them, but they did not listen. I spoke to them, but they did not hear me. They did things I said were evil. They chose to do things I did not like.”


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You people who obey the words of the Lord, listen to what he says: “Your brothers hated you. They turned against you because you followed me. Your brothers said, ‘When the Lord is honored, we will come back and rejoice with you.’ But they will be punished.


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Listen to the loud noise coming from the city. Hear the noise from the Temple. It is the Lord punishing his enemies. He is giving them the punishment they should have.


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“A woman does not give birth before she feels the pain. She does not give birth to a son before she feels the pain of birth.


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No one has ever heard of that happening. No one has ever seen that happen. In the same way no one ever saw a country begin in one day. No one has ever heard of a new nation beginning in one day. But Jerusalem will give birth to her children just as soon as she feels the birth pains.


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In the same way I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born,” says the Lord. “If I cause you the pain, I will not stop you from giving birth to your new nation,” says your God.


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“Jerusalem, rejoice. All you people who love Jerusalem, be happy. Those of you who felt sad for Jerusalem should now feel happy with her.


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You will enjoy her good things and be satisfied as a child is nursed by its mother. You will receive her good things and enjoy her wealth.”


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This is what the Lord says: “I will give her peace that will flow to her like a river. The wealth of the nations will come flowing to her. Like babies you will be nursed and held in my arms. You will be bounced on my knees.


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When you see these things, you will be happy. You will grow like the grass. The Lord’s servants will see his power. But the Lord’s enemies will see his anger.


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Look, the Lord is coming with fire. The Lord’s armies are coming with clouds of dust. He will punish those people with his anger. He will punish them with flames of fire.


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The Lord will judge the people with fire. He will destroy many people with his sword. He will kill many people.


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“These people make themselves holy and pure to go to worship their false gods in their gardens. They follow each other into their special gardens. They eat the meat of pigs and rats and other hated things. But they will all be destroyed together,” says the Lord.


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“I know they have evil thoughts and do evil things. So I am coming to punish them. I will gather all nations and all people. All people will come together and see my glory.


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“I will put a mark on some of the people. And I will send some of these saved people to the nations. I will send them to Tarshish, Libya, Lud (the land of archers), Tubal, Greece and all the faraway lands. These people have never heard about what I have done. They have never seen my glory. So the saved people will tell the nations about my glory.


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And they will bring all your fellow Israelites from all nations. They will bring them to my holy mountain in Jerusalem. Your fellow Israelites will come on horses, donkeys, camels and in chariots and wagons. They will be like the grain offerings that the people bring in clean containers to the Temple,” says the Lord.


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“I will make new heavens and the new earth. And they will last forever,” says the Lord. “In the same way, your names and your children will always be with me.


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All people will come to worship me. They will come to worship me every Sabbath and every New Moon,” says the Lord.


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“They will go out and see the dead bodies of the people who sinned against me. The worms that eat them will never die. The fires that burn them will never stop. And everyone will hate to see those bodies.”


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A Warning About Captivity These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah. He belonged to the family of priests who lived in the town of Anathoth. That town is in the land that belongs to the tribe of Benjamin.


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The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. This happened during the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah.


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The Lord also spoke to Jeremiah while Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. And the Lord spoke to Jeremiah during the 11 years and 5 months Zedekiah son of Josiah was king of Judah. After that, the people who lived in Jerusalem were taken away as captives out of their country.


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“Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”


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But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere that I send you. You must say everything I tell you to say.


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Then the Lord reached out with his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, “See, I am putting my words in your mouth.


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Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms. You will pull up and tear down, destroy and overthrow. You will build up and plant.”


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Two Visions The Lord spoke this word to me: “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I answered the Lord and said, “I see a stick of almond wood.”


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The Lord spoke his word to me again: “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I answered the Lord and said, “I see a pot of boiling water. It is tipping over from the north!”


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The Lord said to me, “Disaster will come from the north. It will happen to all the people who live in this country.


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In a short time I will call all of the people in the northern kingdoms,” said the Lord. “Those kings will come and set up their thrones near the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack the city walls around Jerusalem. They will attack all the cities in Judah.


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And I will announce my judgments against my people. I will do this because of their evil in turning away from me. They offered sacrifices to other gods. And they worshiped idols they had made with their own hands.


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“Jeremiah, get ready. Stand up and speak to the people. Tell them everything I tell you to say. Don’t be afraid of the people. If you are afraid of them, I will give you good reason to be afraid of them.


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Today I am going to make you a strong city, an iron pillar, a bronze wall. You will be able to stand against everyone in the land: Judah’s kings, officers, priests and the people of the land.


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They will fight against you. But they will not defeat you. This is because I am with you, and I will save you!” says the Lord.


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“Go and speak to the people of Jerusalem. Say to them: This is what the Lord says: ‘When you were a young nation, you were faithful to me. You loved me like a young bride. You followed me through the desert. It was a land that had never been planted.


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The people of Israel were holy to the Lord. They were like the first fruits from his harvest. Those who tried to hurt Israel were judged guilty. Disasters happened to them,’” says the Lord.


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This is what the Lord says: “I was fair to your ancestors. Why did they turn away from me? Your ancestors worshiped useless idols. And they became useless themselves.


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Your ancestors didn’t say, ‘The Lord brought us out of Egypt. He led us through the desert. He led us through a dry and rocky land. He led us through a dark and dangerous land. He led us where no one travels or lives. But where is he now?’


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I brought you into a fertile land. I did this so you could eat its fruit and produce. But you came and made my land unclean. You made it a hated place.


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The priests didn’t ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ The people who know the teachings didn’t know me. The leaders turned against me. The prophets prophesied in the name of Baal. They worshiped useless idols.


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“So now I will again tell what I have against you,” says the Lord. “And I will tell what I have against your grandchildren.


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Go across the sea to the island of Cyprus and see. Send someone to the land of Kedar to look closely. See if there has ever been anything like this!


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Has a nation ever exchanged their old gods for new ones? (Of course, their gods are not really gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for idols worth nothing!


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“My people have done two sins. They have turned away from me. And I am the spring of living water. And they have dug their own wells. But they are broken wells that cannot hold water.


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Have the people of Israel become slaves? Have they become like someone who was born a slave? Why was their wealth stolen?


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Enemies roar like lions at Israel. They growl at Israel. They have destroyed the land of Israel. The cities of Israel have been burned, and all the people have left.


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The men from the Egyptian cities of Memphis and Tahpanhes have disgraced you by shaving the top of your head.


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You have brought this on yourselves. You turned away from me, the Lord your God, when I led you in the way.


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It did not help to go to Egypt and drink from the Shihor River. It did not help to go to Assyria and drink from the Euphrates River.


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Your evil will bring punishment to you. The wrong you have done will teach you a lesson. Think about it and understand. It is a terrible evil to turn away from the Lord your God. It is wrong not to fear me,” says the Lord, the Lord of heaven’s armies.


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“A long time ago you refused to obey me as an ox breaks its yoke. You broke the ropes I used to hold you to me. You said to me, ‘I will not serve you!’ In fact, on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a prostitute.


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I planted you as a special vine. You were like very good seed. How then did you turn into a wild vine that grows bad fruit?


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You might wash yourself with cleanser. And you might use much soap. But I can still see the stain of your guilt,” says the Lord God.


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“How can you say to me, ‘I am not guilty. I have not worshiped the Baal idols’? Think about the things you did in the valley. Think about what you have done. You are like a she-camel in mating season that runs from place to place.


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You are like a wild donkey that lives in the desert. At mating time she sniffs the wind. At that time no one can hold her back. Any male who chases her will easily catch her. At mating time, it is easy to find her.


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Don’t run until your feet are bare or until your throat is dry. But you say, ‘It’s no use! I love those other gods. I must worship them!’


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“A thief is ashamed when someone catches him stealing. In the same way the family of Israel is ashamed. The kings and the officers, the priests and the prophets are ashamed.


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They say to things of wood, ‘You are my father.’ They say to idols of stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’ Those people won’t look at me. They have turned their backs to me. But when they get into trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’


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Where are the idols you have made for yourselves? Let them come and save you when you are in trouble! People of Judah, you have as many idols as you have towns!


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“I punished your people, but it did not help. They didn’t come back when they were punished. You killed with your swords the prophets who came to you. You were like a dangerous lion.


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“People of Judah, pay attention to the word of the Lord: Have I been like a desert to the people of Israel? Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to them? Why do my people say, ‘We are free to wander. We won’t come to you anymore’?


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A young woman does not forget her jewelry. A bride does not forget the decorations for her dress. But my people have forgotten me for more days than can be counted!


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You have blood on your clothes. It is the blood of the poor and innocent people. You killed them, but they weren’t thieves you had caught breaking in. You do all these things,


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but you say, ‘I am innocent. God is not angry with me.’ But I will judge you guilty of lying. It is because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’


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You will eventually leave that place. And, like captives, your hands will be on your head. You trusted those countries. But you will not be helped by them. This is because the Lord has rejected them.


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Judah Is Unfaithful “Now a man might divorce his wife. And she might leave him and marry another man. Should her first husband come back to her again? If he went back to her, the land would become completely unclean. But you have acted like a prostitute with many lovers. And now you want to come back to me?” says the Lord.


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“Look up to the bare hilltops, Judah. Is there any place where you have not been a prostitute? You have sat by the road waiting for lovers. You sat there like an Arab in the desert. You made the land unclean. This was because you did evil and were like a prostitute.


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So the rain has not come. There have not been any spring rains. But your face still looks like the face of a prostitute. You refuse even to be ashamed of what you did.


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Will you always be angry at me? Will your anger last forever?’ Judah, you say this, but you do as much evil as you can!”


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Judah and Israel Are like Sisters When King Josiah was ruling Judah, the Lord spoke to me. He said: “Jeremiah, you saw what unfaithful Israel did. She was guilty of adultery. She had idols on every hill and under every green tree.


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I said to myself, ‘Israel will come back to me after she does this evil.’ But she didn’t come back to me. And Israel’s wicked sister Judah saw what Israel did.


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Unfaithful Israel knew that I divorced her because of her adultery. But that didn’t make her wicked sister Judah afraid. She also went out and acted like a prostitute!


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And she didn’t care that she was acting like a prostitute. So she made her country unclean. She was guilty of adultery. This was because she worshiped idols made of stone and wood.


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Israel’s wicked sister didn’t come back to me with her whole heart. She only pretended to come back to me,” says the Lord.


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Go and speak this message toward the north: ‘Come back, unfaithful people of Israel,’ says the Lord. ‘I will stop frowning at you. I am full of mercy,’ says the Lord. ‘I will not be angry with you forever.


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All you have to do is admit your sin. You turned against the Lord your God. You worshiped the false gods of other nations. You worshiped them under every green tree. You didn’t obey me,’” says the Lord.


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“Come back to me, you unfaithful people,” says the Lord. “I am your husband. I will take one person from every city. And I will take two people from every family group. And I will bring you to Jerusalem.


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Then I will give you new rulers. They will be faithful to me. They will lead you with knowledge and understanding.


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In those days there will be many of you in the land,” says the Lord. “At that time people will no longer say, ‘I remember the Ark of the Covenant.’ They won’t even think about the Ark of the Covenant anymore. They won’t even remember or miss it or make another one.


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At that time Jerusalem will be called The Throne of the Lord. All nations will come together in Jerusalem to show respect to the Lord. They will not follow their stubborn, evil hearts anymore.


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In those days the family of Judah will join the family of Israel. They will come together from a land in the north. They will come to the land I gave to their ancestors.


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“I, the Lord, said, ‘How happy I would be to treat you as sons! I would be glad to give you a pleasant land. It’s a land more beautiful than that of any other nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from me.


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But like a woman who is unfaithful to her husband, family of Israel, you have been unfaithful to me,” says the Lord.


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You can hear crying on the bare hilltops. The people of Israel are crying and praying for mercy. They have become very evil. They have forgotten the Lord their God.


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“Come back to me, you unfaithful people of Israel. Come back, and I will forgive you for being unfaithful.” “Yes, we will come to you. You are the Lord our God.


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It was foolish to worship idols on the hills. All the loud noises on the mountains were a lie. Surely the salvation of Israel comes from the Lord our God.


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Since we were young, shameful gods have eaten up in sacrifice everything our fathers worked for. The shameful gods have taken our fathers’ sheep and cattle. They have taken our fathers’ sons and daughters.


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Let us lie down in our shame. And let our shame cover us like a blanket. We have sinned against the Lord our God. Both we and our fathers have sinned. Since we were children and until now, we have not obeyed the Lord our God.”


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“If you will come back, Israel, then come back to me,” says the Lord. “Throw away your idols that I hate. Don’t wander away from me.


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Then you may say when you make a promise, ‘As surely as the Lord lives.’ And you can say it in a truthful, honest and right way. Then the nations will be blessed by the Lord. And they will praise the Lord for what he has done.”


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This is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Plow your unplowed fields. Don’t plant seeds among the thorns.


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Give yourselves to the service of the Lord. Decide to obey him. Do this, men of Judah and people of Jerusalem. If you don’t, my anger will spread among you like a fire. No one will be able to put it out because of the evil you have done.


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Trouble from the North “Announce this message to Judah and say it in Jerusalem: ‘Blow the trumpet throughout the country!’ Shout out loud and say, ‘Come together! Let’s all escape to the strong, walled cities!’


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Raise the signal flag toward Jerusalem! Run for your lives! And don’t wait! Do this because I am bringing disaster from the north. It will be terrible destruction.”


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A lion has come out of his den. A destroyer of nations has begun to march. He has left his home to destroy your land. Your towns will be destroyed. There will be no people left to live in them.


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So put on rough cloth, show how sad you are and cry loudly. The terrible anger of the Lord has not turned away from us.


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“When this happens,” says the Lord, “the king and officers will lose their courage. The priests will be terribly afraid. And the prophets will be shocked!”


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Then I, Jeremiah, said, “Lord God, you have tricked the people of Judah and Jerusalem. You said, ‘You will have peace.’ But now the sword is pointing at our throats!”


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At that time this message will be given to Judah and Jerusalem: “A hot wind blows from the bare hilltops. It comes out of the desert toward the Lord’s people. It is not like the gentle wind farmers use to separate grain from chaff.


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It’s a stronger wind than that. And it comes from the Lord. Now he will announce his judgment against the people of Judah.”


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Look! The enemy rises up like a cloud. His chariots come like a windstorm. His horses are faster than eagles. How terrible it will be for us! We are ruined!


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People of Jerusalem, clean the evil from your hearts and be saved. Don’t continue making evil plans.


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“Report this to the nations. Spread this news in Jerusalem: ‘Enemies are coming from a faraway country. They are shouting words of war against the cities of Judah.


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The enemy has surrounded Jerusalem as men guard a field. This is because Judah turned against me,’” says the Lord.


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“The way you have lived and acted has brought this trouble to you. This is your punishment. How terrible it is! The pain stabs your heart!”


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Jeremiah’s Cry Oh, how I hurt! How I hurt! I am bent over in pain. Oh, the torture in my heart! My heart is pounding inside me. I cannot keep quiet. This is because I have heard the sound of the trumpet. I have heard the words of war.


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Disaster follows disaster. The whole country has been destroyed. My tents are destroyed in only a moment. My curtains are torn down quickly.


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The Lord says, “My people are foolish. They do not know me. They are stupid children. They don’t understand. They are skillful at doing evil. They don’t know how to do good.”


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Disaster Is Coming I looked at the earth. It was empty and had no shape! I looked at the sky. And its light was gone.


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I looked, and the good, rich land had become a desert! All its towns had been destroyed. The Lord and his great anger has caused this.


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So the people in the land will cry loudly. And the sky will grow dark. This is because I have spoken and will not change my mind. I have made a decision, and I will not change it.”


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The towns will hear the sound of the horsemen and soldiers with bows. All the people will run away. Some of them will hide in the thick bushes. Some will climb up into the rocks. All of the cities of Judah are empty. No one lives in them.


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Judah, you destroyed nation, what are you doing? Why do you put on your finest dress? Why do you put on your gold jewelry? Why do you put on your eye shadow? You make yourself beautiful, but it is all useless. Your lovers hate you. They want to kill you.


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I hear a cry like a woman having a baby. It is a cry like a woman having her first child. It is the voice of Jerusalem gasping for breath. She lifts her hands in prayer and says, “Oh! I am about to faint. They are about to murder me!”


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No One Is Right The Lord says, “Walk up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look around and think about these things. Search the public squares of the city. See if you can find one person who does honest things. Find just one who searches for the truth. If you can, I will forgive this city.


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Lord, don’t you look for truth in people? You hit the people of Judah. But they didn’t feel any pain. You crushed them, but they refused to learn what is right. They became more stubborn than a rock. They refused to turn back to God.


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But I thought, “These are only the poor, foolish people. They have not learned the way of the Lord. They do not know what their God wants them to do.


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So I will go to the leaders of Judah. I will talk to them. Surely they understand the way of the Lord. They know what God wants them to do.” But the leaders had all joined together to break away from the Lord. They broke their ties with him.


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So a lion from the forest will attack them. A wolf from the desert will kill them. A leopard is hiding and waiting for them near their towns. It will tear to pieces anyone who comes out of the city. This will happen because the people of Judah have sinned greatly. They have wandered away from the Lord many times.


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The Lord said, “Tell me why I should forgive you. Your children have left me. They have made promises to idols that are not gods at all. I gave your children everything they needed. But they still were like an unfaithful wife to me. They spent much time in houses of prostitutes.


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Shouldn’t I punish the people of Judah for doing these things?” says the Lord. “I should give a nation such as this the punishment it deserves.


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“Go along and cut down Judah’s vineyards. But do not completely destroy them. Cut off all her people as if they were branches. Do it because they do not belong to the Lord.


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Those people have lied about the Lord. They have said, “The Lord will not do anything to us! Nothing bad will happen to us. We will never see war or hunger.


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The prophets are like an empty wind. The word of God is not in them. Let these bad things they say happen to them.”


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So this is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “The people said I would not punish them. So, Jeremiah, the words I give you will be like fire. And these people will be like wood the fire burns up.


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Listen, family of Israel,” says the Lord. “I will soon bring a nation from far away to attack you. It is an old nation that has lasted a long time. The people there speak a language you do not know. You cannot understand what they say.


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They will eat your crops and your food. They will eat your sons and daughters. They will eat your flocks and herds. They will eat your grapes and figs. They will destroy with their swords the strong, walled cities you trust in!


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The people of Judah will ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done this terrible thing to us?’ Give them this answer: ‘You have left the Lord. You have served foreign idols in your own land. So now you will serve foreigners in a land that does not belong to you!’


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Hear this message, you foolish people who have no sense. You have eyes, but you don’t really see. You have ears, but you don’t really listen.


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Surely you are afraid of me,” says the Lord. “You should shake with fear in my presence. I am the one who made the beaches to be a border for the sea. They keep the water in its place forever. The waves may pound the beach, but they can’t win over it. The waves may roar, but they cannot go beyond it.


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But the people of Judah are stubborn and have turned against me. They have turned aside and gone away from me.


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They do not say to themselves, ‘We should fear the Lord our God. He gives us autumn and spring rains in their seasons. He makes sure we have the harvest at the right time.’


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But your evil has kept away both rain and harvest. Your sins have kept you from enjoying good things.


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There are wicked men among my people. They are like men who make nets for catching birds. But they set their traps to catch men instead of birds.


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They have grown big and fat. There is no end to the evil things they do. They won’t plead the case of the orphan. They won’t help the poor be judged fairly.


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The prophets tell lies. The priests take power into their own hands. And my people love it this way. But what will you do when the end comes?


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Jerusalem Is Surrounded “Run for your lives, people of Benjamin! Run away from Jerusalem! Blow the war trumpet in the town of Tekoa! Raise the warning flag over the town of Beth Hakkerem! Disaster is coming from the north. Terrible destruction is coming to you.


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Shepherds with their flocks will come against Jerusalem. They will set up their tents all around her. Each shepherd will take care of his own section.”


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They say, “Get ready to fight against Jerusalem! Get up! We will attack at noon! But it is already getting late. The evening shadows are growing long.


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “Cut down the trees around Jerusalem. Build an attack ramp to the top of Jerusalem’s walls. This city must be punished! Inside this city is nothing but slavery.


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Jerusalem pours out her evil as a well pours out its water. The sounds of violence and destruction are heard within her. I can see the sickness and hurts of Jerusalem.


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Listen to this warning, Jerusalem. If you don’t listen, I will turn my back on you. I will make your land an empty desert. No one will be able to live there!”


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “Gather the few people of Israel who are left alive. Gather them as you would the last grapes on a grapevine. Check each vine again, like someone who gathers grapes.”


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To whom can I speak? Whom can I warn? Who will listen to me? The people of Israel have closed ears! So they cannot hear my warnings. They don’t like the word of the Lord. They don’t want to listen to it!


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But I am full of the anger of the Lord. I am tired of holding it in. “Pour out the Lord’s anger on the children who play in the street. Pour it out on the young men gathered together. A husband and his wife will both be caught in his anger. The very old people will be caught in it.


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Their houses will be turned over to others. Their fields and wives will be given away. I will raise my hand and punish the people of Judah,” says the Lord.


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“Everyone, from the least important to the greatest, is greedy for money. Even the prophets and priests all tell lies.


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They try to heal my people’s serious injuries as if they were small wounds. They say, ‘It’s all right, it’s all right!’ But really, it is not all right.


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They should be ashamed of the terrible way they act. But they are not ashamed at all. They don’t even know how to blush about their sins. So they will fall, along with everyone else. They will be thrown to the ground when I punish them,” says the Lord.


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This is what the Lord says: “Stand where the roads cross and look. Ask where the old way is. Ask where the good way is, and walk on it. If you do, you will find rest for yourselves. But you have said, ‘We will not walk on the good way!’


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I chose watchmen to watch over you. I told you, ‘Listen for the sound of the war trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’


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So listen, all you nations. Pay attention, you witnesses. Watch what I will do to the people of Judah.


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Hear this, people of the earth: I am going to bring disaster to the people of Judah! It will happen because of the evil they plan. They have not listened to my messages. They have rejected my teachings.


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Why do you bring me offerings of incense from the land of Sheba? Why do you bring me sweet-smelling cane from a faraway land? Your burnt offerings will not be accepted. Your sacrifices do not please me.”


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So this is what the Lord says: “I will put problems in front of Judah. Fathers and sons will stumble over them. Neighbors and friends will die.”


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This is what the Lord says: “Look, an army is coming from the land of the north. A great nation is coming from the far sides of the earth.


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The soldiers carry bows and spears. They are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring ocean when they ride their horses. That army is coming lined up for battle. It is coming to attack you, Jerusalem.”


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We have heard the news about that army. We are helpless from fear. We feel trapped by our troubles. We are in pain like a woman having a baby.


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Don’t go out into the fields. Don’t walk down the roads! This is because the enemy has swords. There is terror on every side.


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My people, put on rough cloth and roll in the ashes to show how sad you are. Cry loudly for those who are dead. Cry as if your only son had died. Do it because the destroyer will soon come against us.


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“Jeremiah, I have made you like a worker who tests metal. And my people are like the ore for the metal. You must observe their ways. And you must test them.


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My people have turned against me and are stubborn. They go around telling lies about people. They are like bronze and iron, that became covered with rust.


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The fire is fanned to make it hotter. But the lead does not melt. The pure silver does not come out. And the evil is not removed from my people.


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My people will be called rejected silver. They will be given that name because the Lord has rejected them.”


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“Stand at the gate of the Temple. Preach this message there: “‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of the nation of Judah! All you who come through these gates to worship the Lord, listen to this message!


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: Change your lives and do what is right! If you do, I will let you live in this place.


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Don’t trust the lies that some people say! They say, “This is the Temple of the Lord. This is the Temple of the Lord. This is the Temple of the Lord!”


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You must not be hard on the strangers, the orphans and widows. Don’t kill innocent people in this place! Don’t follow other gods, or they will ruin your lives.


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If you do these things, I will let you live in this land. This is the land I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.


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Will you steal and murder? Will you be guilty of adultery? Will you falsely accuse other people? Will you worship the false god Baal? And will you follow other gods you have not known?


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If you do that, do you think you can come before me? Can you stand in this place where I have chosen to be worshiped? Do you think you can say, “We are safe!” Are you safe to do all these hated things?


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This is the place where I have chosen to be worshiped. Is it nothing more to you than a hideout for robbers? I have been watching you, says the Lord!


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“‘You people of Judah, go now to the town of Shiloh. It was there that I first made a place to be worshiped. Go there and see what I did because of the evil things they had done.


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You people of Israel were doing all these evil things, says the Lord. I spoke to you again and again. But you did not listen to me. I called you, but you did not answer.


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So I will destroy the place where I have chosen to be worshiped in Jerusalem. You trust in that place. I gave it to you and your ancestors. But I will destroy it just as I destroyed Shiloh.


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I will push you away from me. I will do it just as I pushed away your brothers, the people of Israel!’


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“As for you, Jeremiah, don’t pray for these people. Don’t cry out for them or ask anything for them. Don’t beg me to help them. I will not listen to you.


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Don’t you see what they are doing in the towns of Judah? Don’t you see what they are doing in the streets of Jerusalem?


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This is what the people of Judah are doing: The children gather wood. The fathers use the wood to make a fire. The women make the dough for cakes of bread. And they offer them to the Queen Goddess. They pour out drink offerings to worship other gods. They do this to make me angry.


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But I am not the one the people of Judah are really hurting, says the Lord. They are only hurting themselves. They are bringing shame upon themselves.


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“‘So this is what the Lord says: I will pour out my anger on this place. I will pour it out on man and animal. I will pour out my anger on the trees in the field. And I will pour it out on the crops in the ground. My anger will be like a hot fire. And no one will be able to put it out.


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Obedience Is More than Sacrifice “‘This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: Go and offer as many burnt offerings and sacrifices as you want! Eat the meat of those sacrifices yourselves!


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I brought your ancestors out of Egypt. I spoke to them. But I did not give them commands only about burnt offerings and sacrifices.


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I also gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Do all that I command, and good things will happen to you.


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But your ancestors did not listen or pay attention to me. They were stubborn and did whatever their evil hearts wanted. They went backward, not forward.


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Since the day your ancestors left Egypt, I have sent you my servants, the prophets. I sent them to you again and again.


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But your ancestors did not listen or pay attention to me. They were very stubborn. And they did more evil than their ancestors.’


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“Jeremiah, you will tell these things to the people of Judah. But they will not listen to you! You will call to them, but they will not answer you.


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So say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God. These people do nothing when I correct them. They do not tell the truth. It has disappeared from their lips.


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The Valley of Killing “‘Cut off your hair and throw it away. Go up to the bare hilltop and cry. Do it because I, the Lord, have rejected these people. I have turned my back on them. And in my anger I will punish them!


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The people of Judah have done what I said was evil, says the Lord. They have set up their hated idols in the place where I have chosen to be worshiped. They have made it unclean!


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The people of Judah have built places of worship at Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. There the people offered their own sons and daughters as sacrifices. This is something I never commanded. It never even entered my mind!


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So, I warn you. The days are coming, says the Lord, when people will not call this place Topheth. They will not call it the Valley of Ben Hinnom anymore. They will call it the Valley of Killing. They will bury dead people in Topheth until there is no room to bury anyone else!


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Then the bodies of the dead will lie on top of the ground. They will become food for the birds of the sky. Wild animals will eat the bodies. There will be no one left alive to chase the birds or animals away.


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I will end the happy sounds of the bride and bridegroom. There will be no happy sounds in Judah or in the streets of Jerusalem. The land will become an empty desert!


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“‘The Lord says: At that time the bones will be removed from the tombs. The bones of Judah’s kings and officers, priests and prophets and the people of Jerusalem will be removed.


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The bones will be spread on the ground under the sun, moon and stars the people loved and served. They went after these gods, searched them out and worshiped them. No one will gather up the bones and bury them. So they will be like dung thrown on the ground.


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I will force the people of Judah to leave their homes and their land. Those of this evil family who are not dead will wish they were dead, says the Lord.’


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Sin and Punishment “Say to the people of Judah: ‘This is what the Lord says: When a man falls down, doesn’t he get up again? And when a man goes the wrong way, doesn’t he come back again?


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Why, then, have the people of Judah gone the wrong way? And why do the people of Jerusalem not turn back? They believe their own lies. They refuse to turn around and come back.


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I have listened to them very carefully. But they do not say what is right. They do not feel sorry about their wicked ways. The people don’t think about the bad things they have done. Each person goes his own way. He is like a horse charging into a battle.


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Even the birds in the sky know the right times to do things. The storks, doves, swifts and thrushes know when it is time to migrate. But my people don’t know what the Lord wants them to do!


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“‘You keep saying, “We are wise. This is because we have the teachings of the Lord.” But actually, those who copy the Scriptures have written lies with their pens.


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These wise men refused to listen to the word of the Lord. So they are not really wise at all. They will be ashamed. They will be shocked and trapped.


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So I will give their wives to other men. I will give their fields to new owners. Everyone, from the least important to the greatest, is greedy for money. Even the prophets and priests all tell lies.


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They try to heal my people’s serious injuries as if they were small wounds. They say, “It’s all right, it’s all right!” But really, it is not all right.


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They should be ashamed of the terrible way they act. But they are not ashamed at all. They don’t even know how to blush about their sins. So they will fall, along with everyone else. They will be thrown to the ground when I punish them, says the Lord.


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“‘I will take away their crops, says the Lord. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the fig tree. Even the leaves will dry up and die. I will take away what I gave them!’”


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“Why are we just sitting here? Let’s get together! We have sinned against the Lord. So he has given us poisoned water to drink. Come, let’s run to the strong, walled cities. The Lord our God has decided that we must die. So let’s die there.


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We hoped to have peace. But nothing good has come. We hoped for a time when he would heal us. But only disaster has come!


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From the land of the tribe of Dan, the snorting of the enemy’s horses is heard. The ground shakes from the neighing of their large horses. They have come to destroy the land and everything in it. They have come to destroy the city and all the people who live there.”


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“Look! I am sending poisonous snakes to attack you. These snakes cannot be charmed. They will bite you,” says the Lord.


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Listen to my people! They are crying for help from a faraway land. They say, “Is the Lord still in Jerusalem? Is Jerusalem’s king still there?” But God says, “Why did the people make me angry by worshiping idols? They worshiped their useless foreign idols.”


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Surely there is a balm in the land of Gilead. Surely there is a doctor there. So why aren’t the hurts of my people healed?


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I wish my head were like a spring of water. And I wish my eyes were a fountain of tears! Then I could cry day and night for my people who have been killed.


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I wish I had a place in the desert— a house where travelers spend the night. Then I could leave my people. I could go away from them. This is because they are all unfaithful to God. They are all turning against him.


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Judah’s Failures “They use their tongues like a bow. They shoot lies from their mouths like arrows. Lies, not truth, have grown strong in the land. They go from one evil thing to another. They do not know who I am,” says the Lord.


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“Watch your friends. Don’t trust your own brothers. This is because every brother is a cheater. And every friend tells lies about you.


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Everyone lies to his friend. No one speaks the truth. The people of Judah have taught their tongues to lie. They become tired from sinning.


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Jeremiah, you live in the middle of evil. And lies follow lies. The people have refused to know me,” says the Lord.


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So this is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “I will test the people of Judah as a person tests metal in a fire. I have no other choice. My people have sinned.


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Their tongues are like sharp arrows. Their mouths speak lies. Everyone speaks nicely to his neighbor. But he is secretly planning to attack him.


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Shouldn’t I punish the people for doing this?” says the Lord. “Shouldn’t I give them the punishment they deserve?”


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I, Jeremiah, will cry loudly for the mountains. I will sing a funeral song for the empty fields. They are empty, and no one passes through. The mooing of cattle cannot be heard. The birds have flown away, and the animals are gone.


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“I, the Lord, will make the city of Jerusalem a heap of ruins. It will become a home for wild dogs. I will destroy the cities in the land of Judah so no one can live there.”


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What man is wise enough to understand these things? Is there someone who has been taught by the Lord who can explain them? Why was the land ruined? Why has it been made like an empty desert where no one goes?


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The Lord answered, “It is because Judah quit following my teachings that I gave them. They have not obeyed me. They have not done what I told them to do.


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Instead, the people of Judah were stubborn. They followed the false god Baal. Their fathers taught them to do this!”


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So this is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, God of Israel, says: “I will soon make the people of Judah eat bitter food. I will make them drink poisoned water.


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I will scatter them through other nations. They will live in strange nations that they and their ancestors never knew about. I will chase the people of Judah with the sword until they are all killed.”


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “Now, think about these things! Call for the women who cry at funerals. Send for those women who are good at that job.


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Let them come quickly and cry loudly for us. Then our eyes will fill with tears. And streams of water will come out of our eyes.


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The sound of loud crying is heard from Jerusalem: ‘We are truly ruined! We are truly ashamed! We must leave our land, because our houses are in ruins.’”


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Now, women of Judah, listen to the word of the Lord. Open your ears to hear the words of his mouth. Teach your daughters how to cry loudly. Teach one another a funeral song!


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Death has climbed in through our windows. It has entered our strong cities. Death has taken away our children who play in the streets. It has taken the young men who meet in the city squares.


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Say, “This is what the Lord says: ‘The dead bodies of men will lie in the open field like dung. They will lie on the ground like grain a farmer has cut. But there will be no one to gather them.’”


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This is what the Lord says: “Wise men must not brag about their wisdom. Strong men must not brag about their strength. Rich men must not brag about their money.


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But if someone wants to brag, let him brag about this: Let him brag that he understands and knows me. Let him brag that I am the Lord. Let him brag that I am kind and fair. Let him brag that I do things that are right on earth. This kind of bragging pleases me,” says the Lord.


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The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will punish all those who are circumcised only in the flesh.


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That is the people of Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon and Moab. I will also punish the desert people who cut their hair short. The men in all those countries have not given themselves to serving me. And the men of Israel do not give themselves to serving me.”


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This is what he says: “Don’t live like the people from other nations. Don’t be afraid of special signs in the sky, even though the other nations are afraid of them.


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The customs of other people are worth nothing. Their idols are nothing but wood from the forest. They are made by a worker with his chisel.


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They decorate their idols with silver and gold. With hammers and nails they fasten them down. That keeps them from falling over.


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Their idols are like scarecrows in melon fields. They cannot talk. They cannot walk. They must be carried. Do not be afraid of those idols. They can’t hurt you. And they can’t help you either!”


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Everyone should respect you, King of all nations. You deserve their respect. There are many wise men among the nations. And there are wise men in all the kingdoms. But none of them are as wise as you.


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They use silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. Their idols are made by craftsmen and goldsmiths. They put blue and purple clothes on the idols. All these things are made by skilled workers.


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But the Lord is the only true God. He is the only living God, King forever. The earth shakes when he is angry. The nations cannot stand up to his anger.


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“Tell them this message: ‘These false gods did not make heaven and earth. But they will be destroyed and disappear from heaven and earth.’”


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God made the earth by his power. He used his wisdom to build the world. He used his understanding to stretch out the skies.


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When he thunders, the waters in the skies roar. He makes clouds rise in the sky all over the earth. He sends lightning with the rain. He brings out the wind from his storehouses.


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People are so stupid and know so little. Goldsmiths are made ashamed by their idols. Those statues are only false gods. They have no breath in them.


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But God, who is Jacob’s Portion, is not like the idols. God made everything. And he made Israel to be his special people. The Lord of heaven’s armies is his name.


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Destruction Is Coming Get everything you own and prepare to leave. You people of Judah are trapped in the city by your enemies.


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This is what the Lord says: “At this time I will throw out the people of Judah who live in this land. I will bring pain and trouble to them. And they will really feel it.”


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How terrible it will be for me because of my injury. I am injured and cannot be healed. Yet I told myself, “This is my sickness; I must suffer through it.”


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My tent is ruined. All its ropes are broken. My children have gone away and left me. No one is left to put up my tent. No one is left to set up a shelter for me.


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The shepherds are stupid. They don’t ask the Lord. So they do not have success. Their flocks are scattered and lost.


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Listen! The news is coming. The loud noise is coming from the north. It will make the towns of Judah an empty desert. They will become a home for wild dogs!


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Jeremiah’s Prayer Lord, I know that a person’s life doesn’t really belong to him. No one can control his own life.


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Pour out your anger on other nations. They do not know you. They do not pray to you. Those nations have destroyed Jacob’s family. They have eaten him up. They destroyed his homeland.


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“Listen to the words of this agreement. Tell the people of Judah about it. Tell it to those living in Jerusalem.


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Tell them this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Trouble will come to anyone who does not obey this agreement.


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I am talking about the agreement I made with your ancestors. I made it with them when I brought them out of Egypt. Egypt was like a furnace for melting iron!’ I told them, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you. If you do this, you will be my people. And I will be your God.


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Then I will keep the promise I made to your ancestors. I promised to give them a land where much food grows.’ And you are living in that country today!” I, Jeremiah, answered, “Amen, Lord.”


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The Lord said this to me: “Prophesy this message in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the words of this agreement. Then obey them!


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I warned your ancestors to obey me when I brought them out of Egypt. I have warned them again and again to this very day!


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But your ancestors did not listen to me. They were stubborn and did what their own evil hearts wanted. The agreement says curses will come upon them if they don’t obey it. So I made all those curses come upon them! I commanded them to obey the agreement, but they did not.’”


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Then the Lord said to me, “I know the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem have made secret plans.


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They are doing the same sins their ancestors did! Their ancestors refused to listen to my message. They followed and worshiped other gods. The families of Israel and Judah have broken the agreement I made with their ancestors.


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So this is what the Lord says: ‘I will soon bring a disaster on the people of Judah. They will not be able to escape! And they will cry to me for help. But I will not listen to them!


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The people living in the towns of Judah and the city of Jerusalem will pray to their idols for help. They will burn incense to their idols. But those idols will not be able to help when that terrible time comes!


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The people of Judah have as many idols as there are towns in Judah. They have built many altars for worshiping that shameful god Baal. There are as many altars as there are streets in Jerusalem!’


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“As for you, Jeremiah, don’t pray for these people. Don’t cry out for them or ask anything for them. I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble.


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“What is my lover, Judah, doing in my Temple? She makes many evil plans. Does she think animal sacrifices will stop her punishment? When you do your evil, then you are happy.”


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The Lord called you “a leafy olive tree, with beautiful fruit to look at.” But with a strong storm the Lord will set that tree on fire. And its branches will be burned up.


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The Lord of heaven’s armies planted you. And he has announced that disaster will come to you. This is because the families of Israel and Judah have done evil things. They have made him angry by offering sacrifices to Baal.


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Evil Plans Against Jeremiah The Lord showed me that men were making plans against me. The Lord showed me what they were doing. So I knew they were against me.


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Before this, I was like a gentle lamb waiting to be butchered. I did not know they had made plans against me. They said: “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit! Let’s kill him! Then people will forget him!”


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But, Lord of heaven’s armies, you are a fair judge. You know how to test peoples’ hearts and minds. I will tell you what I have against them. And I will let you give them the punishment they should have!


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So the Lord speaks about the men from Anathoth who were planning to kill Jeremiah. Those men say, “Don’t prophesy in the name of the Lord. If you do, we will kill you!”


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So this is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “I will soon punish the men from Anathoth. Their young men will die in war. Their sons and daughters will die from hunger.


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No one from the city of Anathoth will be left alive. I will cause a disaster to happen to them that year.”


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Jeremiah’s First Complaint Lord, if I complain to you, you are always right. But I want to ask you about the justice you give. Why are evil people successful? Why do dishonest people have such easy lives?


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You have put the evil people here. They are like plants with strong roots. They grow and produce fruit. With their mouths they speak well of you. But their hearts are really far away from you.


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But you know my heart, Lord. You see me and test my mind. Drag the evil people away like sheep to be butchered. Set them aside for the day of killing.


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How much longer will the land stay dried up? How long will the grass in every field be dead? The animals and birds in the land have died. And it is because the people are evil. Yet, they are saying, “God does not see what happens to us!”


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God’s Answer to Jeremiah “If you get tired racing against men, how can you race against horses? You stumble in a country that is safe. What will you do in the thick thornbushes along the Jordan River?


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These men are your own brothers. Members of your own family are making plans against you. People from your own family are crying out against you. Don’t trust them, even when they speak to you like friends!


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My people have become to me like a speckled bird attacked by hawks. Go, gather the wild animals! Bring them to get something to eat.


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Many shepherds will ruin my vineyards. They will walk on the plants in my field. They will turn my beautiful field into an empty desert.


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They will turn my field into a desert. It will be wilted and dead. The whole country is an empty desert. This is because no one who lives there cares.


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Many soldiers will march over those barren hills. The Lord will use the armies to punish that land. People from one end of the land to the other will be punished. No one will be safe.


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The people will plant wheat. But they will harvest only thorns. They will work hard until they are very tired. But they will get nothing for all their work. You will be ashamed of your poor harvest. The Lord’s terrible anger has caused this.”


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This is what the Lord said to me: “Here is what I will do to those wicked people who take the land I gave my people, the Israelites. I will pull them up and throw them out of their land. And I will pull up the people of Judah from among them.


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But after I pull them up, I will feel sorry for them. I will bring each person back to his own property. And I will bring him back to his own land.


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I want them to learn their lessons well. In the past they taught my people to use Baal’s name to make promises. Now I want them to learn to use my name! I want them to say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives . . .’ If they do, I will allow them to be successful. And I will let them live among my people.


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But a nation might not listen to my message. If it doesn’t, I will pull it up completely and destroy it,” says the Lord.


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Jeremiah’s Linen Belt This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt. Then put it around your waist. Don’t let the belt get wet.”


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“Take the belt you bought and are wearing. Go to Perath. Hide the belt there in a crack in the rocks.”


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Many days later the Lord said to me, “Now go to Perath. Get the belt that I told you to hide there.”


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So I went to Perath and dug up the belt. I took it from where I had hidden it. But now it was ruined. It was good for nothing.


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This is what the Lord said: “In the same way I will ruin the pride of the people of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.


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These evil people refuse to listen to my warnings. They stubbornly do only what they want to do. They follow other gods to serve and worship them. So they will become like this linen belt. They will be good for nothing.


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A belt is wrapped tightly around a man’s waist. In the same way I wrapped the families of Israel and Judah around me,” says the Lord. “I did that so they would be my people. Then they would bring fame, praise and honor to me. But my people would not listen to me.


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Warnings About Leather Wine Bags “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: All leather bags for holding wine should be filled with wine.’ People will say to you: ‘Of course, we know all wine bags should be filled with wine.’


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Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will make everyone in this land like a drunken man. I am talking about the kings who sit on David’s throne. I am also talking about the priests and the prophets. I am talking about all the people who live in Jerusalem.


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I will make the people of Judah stumble and fall into one another. Fathers and sons will fall into one another, says the Lord. I will not feel sorry or have pity for them. My mercy will not stop me from destroying them!’”


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Honor the Lord your God. Give him glory before he brings darkness. Praise him before you fall on the dark hills. You hope for light. But the Lord will turn it into thick darkness. He will change it into deep gloom.


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If you don’t listen to the Lord, I will cry secretly. Your pride will cause me to cry. I will cry painfully. My eyes will overflow with tears. This is because the Lord’s people will be captured.


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Tell this to the king and queen mother: “Come down from your thrones. Your beautiful crowns have fallen from your heads.”


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The cities in the desert of southern Judah are shut up. No one can open them. All Judah will be taken as captives to a foreign land. They will be carried away completely.


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Jerusalem, look up and see. Someone comes from the north. Where is the flock God gave to you to care for? It is the flock you bragged about.


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What will you say when they appoint as your heads those you had thought were your friends? Won’t you have much pain and trouble? Your pain will be like that of a woman having a baby.


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You might ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?” It happened because of your many sins. Because of your sins, your skirt was torn off and your body has been treated badly.


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A black man from Cush cannot change the color of his skin. A leopard cannot change his spots. In the same way, Jerusalem, you cannot change and do good. You always do evil.


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This is what will happen to you. This is your part in my plans,” says the Lord. “This will happen because you forgot me. You have trusted in false gods.


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Jerusalem, I will pull your skirts up over your face. Everyone will see you, and you will be ashamed.


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I have seen the terrible things you have done. I know your acts of adultery and your snorting. I have seen you acting like a prostitute. I have seen your hated acts on the hills and in the fields. How terrible it will be for you, Jerusalem. How long will you continue being unclean?”


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A Time Without Rain These are the words that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah about the time when there was no rain:


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“The nation of Judah cries. Her cities are dying. They cry out for the land. A cry goes up to God from Jerusalem.


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The important men send their servants to get water. The servants go to the wells, but they find no water. So they return with empty jars. They are ashamed and embarrassed. They cover their heads in shame.


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The ground is dry and cracked open because no rain falls on the land. The farmers are upset and sad. So they cover their heads in shame.


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Wild donkeys stand on the bare hills. They sniff the wind like wild dogs. But their eyes are dull because there is no food.”


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We know that we suffer because of our sins. Lord, do something to help us for the good of your name. We have left you many times. We have sinned against you.


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God, you are the Hope of Israel. You have saved Israel in times of trouble. But now you are like a stranger in the land. You are like a traveler who only stays one night.


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You seem like a man who has been attacked by surprise. You seem like a warrior who is not able to save anyone. But you are among us, Lord. And we are called by your name. So don’t leave us without help!


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This is what the Lord says about the people of Judah: “They really love to wander from me. They don’t stop themselves from leaving me. So now I, the Lord, will not accept them. I will now remember the evil they do. I will punish them for their sins.”


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Even if they give up eating, I will not listen to their prayers. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. I will destroy the people of Judah with war, hunger and terrible diseases.”


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But I said, “Oh! Lord God, the false prophets keep telling the people something different! They are saying, ‘You will not suffer from an enemy’s sword. You will never suffer from hunger. The Lord will give you peace in this land.’”


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Then the Lord said to me, “Those prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them. I did not appoint them or speak to them. They have been prophesying false visions, idolatries and worthless magic. And they have been prophesying their own wishful thinking.


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So this is what I say about the prophets who are prophesying in my name. I did not send them. They said, ‘No enemy with swords will ever attack this country. There will never be hunger in this land.’ Those prophets will die from hunger. And an enemy’s sword will kill them.


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And the people the prophets spoke to will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem. They will die from hunger and from an enemy’s sword. No one will be there to bury them. And no one will bury their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will punish them.


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“Speak this message to the people of Judah: ‘Let my eyes be filled with tears. I will cry night and day, without stopping. I will cry for my people. They have received a terrible blow. They have been hurt very badly.


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If I go into the country, I see people killed by swords. If I go into the city, I see much sickness because the people have no food. Both the priests and the prophets have been taken to a foreign land.’”


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Lord, have you completely rejected the nation of Judah? Do you hate Jerusalem? Why have you hurt us so badly that we cannot be made well again? We hoped for peace, but nothing good has come. We looked for a time of healing, but only terror came.


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Lord, we admit that we are very wicked. We admit that our ancestors did evil things. We have sinned against you.


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For your sake, do not hate us. Do not take away the honor from your glorious throne. Remember your agreement with us. Do not break it.


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Do foreign idols have the power to bring rain? Does the sky itself have the power to send down showers of rain? No, it is you, Lord our God. You are our only hope. You are the one who made all these things.


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The Lord said to me: “I would not feel sorry for the people of Judah even if Moses and Samuel prayed for them. Send the people away from me! Tell them to go!


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They might ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ You tell them this: ‘This is what the Lord says: Some people are meant to die. And they will die. Some are meant to die in war. And they will die in war. Some are meant to die from hunger. And they will die from hunger. Some are meant to be taken as slaves to a foreign country. And they will become slaves in that foreign country.’


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“I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the Lord. “I will send war to kill. I will send dogs to drag the bodies away. I will send birds of the air and wild animals. They will eat and destroy the bodies.


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I will make the people of Judah hated by everyone on earth. I will do this because of what Manasseh did in Jerusalem. (Manasseh son of Hezekiah was king of the nation of Judah.)


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“Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem? Who will be sad and cry for you? Who will go out of his way to ask how you are?


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Jerusalem, you have left me,” says the Lord. “You keep going farther and farther away. So I will take hold of you and destroy you. I am tired of holding back my anger.


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I will separate the people of Judah with my pitchfork. I will scatter them at the city gates of the land. My people haven’t changed their ways. So I will destroy them. I will take away their children.


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Many women will lose their husbands. There will be more widows than the sand of the sea. I will bring a destroyer at noontime against the mothers of the young men of Judah. I will suddenly bring pain and fear on the people of Judah.


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The enemy will attack. I will still hand over to the killers those who are left alive from Judah. A woman might have seven sons, but they will all die. She will cry until she becomes weak and unable to breathe. She will be upset and confused. Her bright day will become dark from sadness!” says the Lord.


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Jeremiah’s Second Complaint Mother, I am sorry that you gave birth to me. I am the one who must accuse and criticize the whole land. I have not loaned or borrowed anything. But everyone curses me.


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The Lord said, “I will save you for a good reason. I will make your enemies beg you in times of disaster and trouble.


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No one can smash a piece of iron or bronze. I mean the kind of iron and bronze that comes from the north.


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The people of Judah have wealth and treasures. But I will freely give those riches to others. This is because the people of Judah have sinned throughout the country.


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I will make you slaves to your enemies. You will be slaves in a land that you have never known. My anger is like a hot fire. And it will burn against you.”


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Lord, you understand. Remember me and take care of me. Punish for me the people who are hurting me. Don’t destroy me while you remain patient with them. Think about the pain I suffer for you, Lord.


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Your words came to me, and I listened carefully to them. Your words made me very happy. I was happy because I am called by your name. Your name is the Lord God of heaven’s armies.


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I never sat with the crowd as they laughed and had fun. I sat by myself because you were there. You filled me with anger at the evil around me.


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I don’t understand why my pain has no end. I don’t understand why my injury is not cured or healed! Lord, will you be like a brook that goes dry? Will you be like a spring whose water stops flowing?


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So this is what the Lord says: “If you change your heart and come back to me, I will take you back. Then you may serve me. You must speak things that have worth. You must not speak useless words. Then you may speak for me. Let the people of Judah turn to you. But you must not change and be like them.


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I will make you as strong as a wall to this people. You will be as strong as a wall of bronze. They will fight against you. But they will not defeat you. This is because I am with you. I will rescue you and save you,” says the Lord.


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The Lord says this about the sons and daughters born in this land. And he says this about the mothers and fathers of those children:


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“They will die of terrible diseases. No one will cry for them. No one will bury them. Their bodies will lie on the ground like dung. They will die in war, or they will starve to death. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky. And they will be food for the wild animals.”


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So this is what the Lord says: “Jeremiah, do not go into a house where there is a funeral meal. Do not go there to cry for the dead or to show your sorrow. Do not do this because I have taken back my blessing, my love and my pity from these people,” says the Lord.


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“Important people and common people will die in the land of Judah. No one will bury them or cry for them. No one will cut himself for them. And no one will shave his head to show sorrow for them.


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No one will bring food to the people who are crying for the dead. No one will comfort one whose mother or father has died. No one will offer a drink to comfort them.


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“Do not go into a house where the people are having a feast. Do not go there and sit down to eat and drink.


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: I will soon stop the sounds of joy and gladness in this place! I will stop the happy sounds of brides and bridegrooms! This will happen during your lifetime.


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“You will tell the people of Judah these things. And they will ask you, ‘Why has the Lord said these terrible things to us? What have we done wrong? What sin have we done against the Lord our God?’


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“Then say to them: ‘This is because your ancestors quit following me,’ says the Lord. ‘And they began to follow other gods. They served and worshiped other gods. Your ancestors left me. And they quit obeying my teaching.


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But you have done even more evil than your ancestors. You are very stubborn. You do only what you want to do. You have not obeyed me.


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So I will throw you out of this country. You will go to a land that you and your ancestors never knew. There you can serve false gods day and night. I will not help you or show you any favors.’


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“People say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel out of Egypt . . .’ But the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when people will not say this anymore.


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They will say instead, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites from the northern land and from all the countries where he had sent them . . .’ And I will bring them back to the land I gave to their ancestors.


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“I will soon send for many fishermen to come to this land,” says the Lord. “The fishermen will catch the people of Judah. After that, I will send for many hunters to come to this land. Those hunters will hunt the people of Judah on every mountain and hill. And they will hunt Judah in the cracks of the rocks.


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I see everything they do. They cannot hide the things they do from me. Their sin is not hidden from my eyes!


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I will pay back the people of Judah for the evil they have done. I will punish them two times for every one of their sins. I will do this because they have made my land unclean. They have done it with their hated idols. They have filled my country with them!”


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Lord, you are my strength and my protection. You are a safe place for me to run to in times of trouble. The nations will come to you from all over the world. They will say, “Our fathers had only false gods. They worshiped useless idols that didn’t help them.


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The Lord says, “So I will teach those who make idols. Right now I will teach them about my power and my strength. Then they will know that my name is the Lord.


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Judah’s Guilty Heart “The sin of the people of Judah is written with an iron tool. Their sins were cut into stone with a hard point. That stone is their hearts. Their sins were cut into the corners of their altars.


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Even their children remember their altars to idols and their Asherah idols. They remember the altars under the green trees and on the high hills.


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They remember the altars on my mountain and in the open country. I will give your wealth and treasures to other people. And they will destroy the places of worship in your country. You sinned by worshiping at those places.


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You will lose the land I gave you. And it is your own fault. I will let your enemies take you as their slaves. You will be slaves in a land you have never known. This is because you have made my anger burn like a hot fire. And it will burn forever.”


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Trusting in Man or God This is what the Lord says: “A curse will be placed on those who trust other people. It will happen to those who depend on people for strength. Those are the ones who have stopped trusting the Lord.


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They are like a bush in a desert. It grows in a land where no one lives. It is in a hot and dry land with bad soil. They don’t know about the good things that God can give.


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“But the person who trusts in the Lord will be blessed. The Lord will show him that he can be trusted.


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He will be strong, like a tree planted near water. That tree has large roots that find the water. It is not afraid when the days are hot. Its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year when no rain comes. That tree always produces fruit.”


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But I am the Lord, and I can look into a person’s heart. I can test a person’s mind. So I can decide what each one deserves. I can give each one the right payment for what he does.”


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Sometimes a bird will hatch an egg that it did not lay. That bird is like the man who gets rich by cheating. When that man’s life is half finished, he will lose his riches. At the end of his life, it will be clear he was a fool.


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Lord, you are the hope of Israel. Those who leave you will be shamed. A person who quits following the Lord will be like a name written in the dust. That is because he has left the Lord. The Lord is the spring of living water.


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Jeremiah’s Third Complaint Lord, heal me, and I will truly be healed. Save me, and I will truly be saved. Lord, you are the one I praise.


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The people of Judah keep asking me, “Where is the word from the Lord? Let’s see that message come true!”


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Lord, I didn’t run away from being the shepherd you wanted. I didn’t want the terrible day to come. You know everything I have said. You see all that is happening.


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Make those who are hurting me be ashamed. But don’t bring shame to me. Let them be terrified, but keep me from terror. Bring the day of disaster on my enemies. Destroy them, and destroy them again.


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Keeping the Sabbath Holy This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the People’s Gate of Jerusalem. This is where the kings of Judah go in and out. And then go to all the other gates of Jerusalem.


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Say to them there: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. Listen, kings of Judah. Listen, all you people of Judah and all who come through these gates into Jerusalem!


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This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day. And don’t bring it through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath.


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Don’t take a load out of your houses on the Sabbath. Don’t do any work on that day. Keep the Sabbath as a holy day. I gave this same command to your ancestors.


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But your ancestors did not listen. They did not pay attention to me. They were very stubborn. I punished them, but it didn’t do any good. They did not listen to me.


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But you must be careful to obey me, says the Lord. You must not bring a load through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath. You must keep the Sabbath as a holy day. You must not do any work on that day.


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“‘If you obey this command, this is what will happen: Kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of Jerusalem with their officers. They will come riding in chariots and on horses. The people of Judah and Jerusalem will be with them. And the city of Jerusalem will have people living in it forever!


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People will come to Jerusalem from the villages around it and from the towns of Judah. They will come from the land of Benjamin. They will come from the western mountain slopes and from the mountains. And they will come from southern Judah. They will all bring burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, incense and offerings to show thanks to God. They will bring these to the Temple of the Lord.


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But you must obey me and keep the Sabbath day as a holy day. You must not carry any loads into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. If you do, I will start a fire that cannot be put out. It will start at the gates of Jerusalem. And it will burn until it burns even the strong towers!’”


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He was making a pot from clay. But something went wrong with it. So the potter used that clay to make another pot. He used his hands to shape the pot the way that he wanted it to be.


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“Family of Israel, can’t I do the same thing with you?” says the Lord. “You are like the clay in the potter’s hands.


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There may come a time when I will speak about a nation or a kingdom. I might say I will pull that nation up by its roots. Or I might say I will pull that nation down and destroy it.


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But if the people of that nation are sorry for the evil they have done, I would change my mind. I would not carry out my plans to bring disaster to them.


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There may come another time when I will speak about a nation. I might say that I will build up and plant that nation.


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But if I see it doing evil by not obeying me, I would change my mind. I would not carry out my plans to do good for them.


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“So, say this to the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am preparing disaster for you right now. I am making plans against you. So stop doing the evil you are doing. Change your ways and do what is right.’


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But the people of Judah will answer, ‘It won’t do any good to try! We will continue to do what we want. Each of us will do what his stubborn, evil heart wants!’”


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So this is what the Lord says: “Ask the people in other nations this question: ‘Have you ever heard anything like this?’ The people of Israel have done a horrible thing.


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The snow on the mountains of Lebanon never melts from the rocks. Its cool, flowing streams do not dry up.


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But my people have forgotten me. They make offerings to worthless idols. This makes them stumble in what they do. They stumble about in the old ways of their ancestors. They walk along back roads and on poor highways.


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So Judah’s country will become an empty desert. People will not stop making fun of it. They will shake their heads as they pass by. They will be shocked at how the country was destroyed.


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I will scatter them before their enemies as a strong east wind blows things away. At that awful time they will not see me coming to help them. They will see me leaving.”


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Jeremiah’s Fourth Complaint Then the people said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah. Surely the teaching of the law by the priest will not be lost. And the advice from the wise men will still be with us. We will still have the words of the prophets. So let’s ruin him by telling lies about him! We won’t pay attention to anything he says.”


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Good should not be paid back with evil. But they have dug a pit in order to kill me. Lord, remember that I stood before you and asked you to do good things for these people. I asked you to turn your anger away from them.


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So now, let their children starve. Let their enemies defeat them with swords. Let their wives lose their children and husbands. Let the men from Judah be put to death. Let the young men be killed in battle.


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Let them cry out in their houses. Bring an enemy against them suddenly. Let all this happen because my enemies have dug a pit to trap me. And they have hidden traps for me to step in.


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Lord, you know about their plans to kill me. Don’t forgive their crimes. Don’t erase their sins. Make them fall from their places. Punish them while you are angry.


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Go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom. Go near the front of the Potsherd Gate. Take some of the elders of the people and priests with you. There speak the words I tell you.


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Say, ‘King of Judah and people of Jerusalem, listen to this message from the Lord. This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: I will soon bring a disaster on this place! Everyone who hears about it will be amazed and full of fear.


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I will do this because the people of Judah have quit following me. They have made this a place for foreign gods. They have burned sacrifices to other gods. They did not worship these gods long ago! Their ancestors didn’t worship these gods. The kings of Judah filled this place with the blood of the innocent people.


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The kings of Judah have built places to worship Baal. There they burn their sons in the fire to Baal. I did not speak about it or tell them to do that. I never even thought of such a thing.


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Now people call this place the Valley of Ben Hinnom or Topheth. But watch out! The days are coming, says the Lord, when people will call this place the Valley of Killing.


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“‘At this place I will ruin the plans of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The enemy will chase them. And I will let the people of Judah be killed with swords. I will make their dead bodies food for the birds and wild animals.


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I will completely destroy this city. People will make fun of it and hiss at it. And they will shake their heads when they pass by Jerusalem. They will be shocked when they see how the city was destroyed.


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An enemy army will surround the city. They will not let anyone go out to get food. The people will become so hungry they will eat the bodies of their own sons and daughters. And then they will begin to eat each other.’”


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Then say this: ‘The Lord of heaven’s armies says: I will break this nation and this city just as someone breaks a clay jar. It cannot be put back together again. The dead people will be buried here in Topheth. We will bury bodies until there is no more room.


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This is what I will do to these people and to this place, says the Lord. I will make this city like Topheth.


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The houses in Jerusalem and the king’s palaces will become as unclean as this place, Topheth. This is because the people worshiped false gods on the roofs of their houses. They worshiped the stars and burned incense to honor them. They gave drink offerings to false gods.’”


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Then Jeremiah left Topheth where the Lord had told him to prophesy. He went to the Lord’s Temple, stood in the courtyard and said to all the people:


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“This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I said I would bring disaster to Jerusalem and the villages around it. I will make it happen soon! This is because the people are very stubborn. They do not listen at all to what I say.’”


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Jeremiah and Pashhur Pashhur son of Immer was a priest. He was the highest officer in the Temple of the Lord. He heard Jeremiah prophesying in the Temple courtyard.


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So he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten. And he had Jeremiah’s hands and feet locked between large blocks of wood. This was at the Upper Gate of Benjamin of the Lord’s Temple.


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The next day Pashhur took Jeremiah out from between the blocks of wood. Then Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not Pashhur. Now the Lord’s name for you is Terror on Every Side.


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That is your name because this is what the Lord says: ‘I will soon make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. You will watch enemies killing your friends with swords. And I will give all the people of Judah to the king of Babylon. He will take them away as captives to Babylon. Then his army will kill them with swords.


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I will give all the wealth of this city to its enemies. I will give them its goods and its valuables. I will give the treasures of the kings of Judah to their enemies. The enemies will carry Judah and all its valuables off to Babylon.


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And Pashhur, you and everyone in your house will be taken away. You will be forced to go as a captive to Babylon. You will die and be buried there. Your friends you have prophesied lies to will also die and be buried in Babylon!’”


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Jeremiah’s Fifth Complaint Lord, you tricked me, and I was fooled. You are stronger than I am. So you won. I have become a joke. Everyone makes fun of me all day long.


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Every time I speak, I shout. I am always shouting about violence and destruction. I tell the people about the message I received from the Lord. But this only brings me insults. The people make fun of me all day long.


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Sometimes I say to myself, “I will forget about the Lord. I will not speak anymore in his name.” But then the Lord’s message becomes like a burning fire inside me. It feels like it burns deep within my bones. I get tired of trying to hold the Lord’s message inside of me. And finally, I cannot hold it in.


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I hear many people whispering about me: “Terror on every side! Let’s tell the rulers about him.” My friends are all just waiting for me to make some mistake. They are saying, “Maybe we can trick Jeremiah. Then we can defeat him. Then we can pay him back.”


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But the Lord is with me like a strong warrior. So those who are chasing me will trip and fall. They will not defeat me. They will be very disappointed and ashamed. Their shame will never be forgotten.


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Lord of heaven’s armies, you test good people. You look deeply into the heart and mind of a person. I have told you my arguments against these people. So let me see you give them the punishment they deserve.


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Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! He saves the life of the poor. He saves them from the power of wicked people.


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Jeremiah’s Sixth Complaint Let there be a curse on the day I was born. Let there be no blessing on the day when my mother gave birth to me.


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Let there be a curse on the man who brought my father the news: “You have a son!” This made my father glad.


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Let that man be like the towns the Lord destroyed without pity. Let that man hear loud crying in the morning. And let him hear battle cries at noon.


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This is because he did not kill me before I was born. Then my mother would have been my grave. I would never have been born.


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Why did I have to come out of my mother’s body? All I have known is trouble and sorrow. And my life will end in shame.


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God Rejects King Zedekiah’s Request This is the word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. It came when Zedekiah king of Judah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah to Jeremiah. He also sent the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah.


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They said, “Ask the Lord for us what will happen. We want to know because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Maybe the Lord will do miracles for us as he did in the past. Maybe he will make Nebuchadnezzar stop attacking us and leave.”


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‘Here is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: You have weapons of war in your hands. You are using them to defend yourselves against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians. But I will make those weapons useless. The army from Babylon is all around the outside of the city wall. Soon I will bring that army into the center of the city.


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I myself will fight against you with my great power and strength. I am very angry with you. So I will fight against you with my own powerful arm. I will fight very hard against you in my very great anger.


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I will kill everything living in Jerusalem—both people and animals. They will die from terrible diseases.


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Then, says the Lord, I’ll give Zedekiah king of Judah to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I will also give Zedekiah’s officers to Nebuchadnezzar. Some of the people in Jerusalem will not die from the terrible diseases. Some will not die in battle or from hunger. I will give them also to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I will let those win who want to kill the people of Judah. So the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be killed in war. Nebuchadnezzar will not show any mercy or pity or feel sorry for them!’


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“Also tell this to the people of Jerusalem: ‘This is what the Lord says: I will let you choose to live or die.


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Anyone who stays in Jerusalem will die. He will die in war or from hunger or from a terrible disease. But anyone who goes out of Jerusalem and surrenders to the Babylonians who are around the city will live. Anyone who leaves the city will save his life.


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I have decided to make trouble for this city and not to help it, says the Lord. I will give it to the king of Babylon. He will burn it with fire.’


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Family of David, the Lord says these things: You must judge people fairly every day. Protect from criminals the person who has been robbed. If you don’t do that, I will become very angry. My anger will be like a fire that no one can put out. This will happen because you have done evil things.


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“‘Jerusalem, I am against you. You sit on top of the mountain. You sit over this valley, says the Lord. You say, “No one can attack us. No one can come into our strong city.”


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But I will give you the punishment you deserve, says the Lord. I will start a fire in your forests. It will burn up everything around you!’”


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Judgment Against Evil Kings This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah. Prophesy this message there:


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‘Hear the word of the Lord, king of Judah. You rule from David’s throne. You and your officers, listen well! All of your people who come through these gates, listen!


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This is what the Lord says: Do what is fair and right. Protect those who have been robbed from those who robbed them. Don’t do any wrong to the orphans or widows. Don’t hurt them. Don’t kill innocent people here.


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If you carefully obey these commands, this is what will happen: Kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace. They will come with their officers and people. They will all come riding in chariots and on horses.


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But if you don’t obey these commands, this is what the Lord says: I promise in my own name that this king’s palace will become a ruin.’”


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This is what the Lord says about the palace where the king of Judah lives: “This palace is tall like the forests of Gilead. It is high like the mountains of Lebanon. But I will truly make it like a desert. It will be empty like towns where no one lives.


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I will send men to destroy the palace. Each man will have his weapons with him. They will cut up your strong, beautiful cedar beams. And they will throw them into the fire.


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“People from many nations will pass by this city. They will ask each other, ‘Why has the Lord done such a terrible thing to Jerusalem? This was such a great city.’


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And the answer will be: ‘It was because the people of Judah quit following the agreement with the Lord their God. They worshiped and served other gods.’”


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Judgment Against Jehoahaz Don’t cry for the king who has died. Don’t cry loudly for him. But cry painfully for the king who is being taken away from here. Cry for him because he will never come back again. He will never see his homeland again.


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This is what the Lord says about Jehoahaz son of Josiah. Jehoahaz became king of Judah after his father died. He has left this place. The Lord says, “He will never come back again.


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Judgment Against Jehoiakim “How terrible it will be for him who builds his palace by doing evil. He cheats people so he can build its upper rooms. He is making his own people work for nothing. He is not paying them for their work.


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He says, ‘I will build a great palace for myself. I will have large upper rooms.’ So he builds the palace with large windows. He uses cedar wood for the walls. And he paints it red.


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“Does having a lot of cedar in your house make you a great king? Your father was satisfied to have food and drink. He did what was right and fair. So everything went well for him.


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He helped those who were poor and needy. So everything went well for him. That’s what it means to know God,” says the Lord.


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“But your eyes only look for what you can get dishonestly. You are always thinking about getting more for yourself. You are even willing to kill innocent people to get it. You are making it hard for people. You even steal things from them.”


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So this is what the Lord says to Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “The people of Judah will not cry loudly when Jehoiakim dies. They will not say, ‘Oh, my brother, I am so sad! Oh, my sister, I am so sad!’ The people of Judah will not cry for him, saying: ‘Oh, master, oh, my king.’


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The people of Jerusalem will bury him like a donkey. They will just drag his body away. Then they will throw it outside the gates of Jerusalem.


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“Judah, go up to Lebanon and cry out. Let your voice be heard in Bashan. Cry out from Abarim. All your friends are destroyed!


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Judah, when you were successful, I warned you. But you refused to listen. You have acted like this since you were young. You have not obeyed me.


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My punishment will come like a storm. And it will blow all your shepherds away. Your friends will be taken away as captives. Then you will really be ashamed. You will be disgraced because of all the wicked things you did.


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King, you live in your palace. You are cozy in your rooms of cedar. But you will groan when your punishment comes. You will hurt like a woman giving birth to a baby!


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Judgment upon Jehoiachin “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “I will do this to you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah: Even if you were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.


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Jehoiachin, I will give you to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And I will hand you over to the Babylonians. Those are the people you are afraid of because they want to kill you.


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I will throw you and your mother into another country. Neither of you was born there. But both of you will die there.


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Jehoiachin is like a broken pot someone threw away. He is like something no one wants. Why will Jehoiachin and his children be thrown out? Why will they be thrown into a foreign land?


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This is what the Lord says: “Write this down about Jehoiachin: He is a man who is to have no children. He will not be successful in his lifetime. And none of his children will be successful. None of his children will sit on the throne of David. They will not rule in Judah.”


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The Evil Leaders “How terrible it will be for the leaders of Judah. They are destroying my people. They are making them run in all directions,” says the Lord.


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They are responsible for the people. And the Lord, the God of Israel, says to them: “You have made my people run away in all directions. You have forced them away. And you have not taken care of them. So I will punish you for the evil things you have done,” says the Lord.


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“I sent my people to other countries. But I will gather my people who are left alive. And I will bring them back to their own country. When they are back in their own land, they will have many children. And they will grow in number.


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I will place new leaders over my people. They will take care of my people. And my people will not be afraid or terrified. None of them will be lost,” says the Lord.


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The Good Descendant “The days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a good descendant in David’s family. This descendant will be a king who will rule in a wise way. And he will do what is fair and right in the land.


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In his time Judah will be saved. Israel will live in safety. This will be his name: The Lord Does What Is Right.


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“So the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when people will not say: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought Israel out of Egypt . . .’


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But people will say something new: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where he had sent them away . . .’ Then the people of Israel will live in their own land.”


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False Prophets A message to the prophets: My heart is broken. All my bones shake. I’m like a man who is drunk. I’m like a man who has been overcome with wine. This is because of the Lord and his holy words.


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The land of Judah is full of people who are guilty of adultery. Because of this, the Lord cursed the land. And it has become very dry. The pastures have dried up. The people are evil. They use their power in the wrong way.


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“Both the prophets and the priests are evil. I have seen them doing evil things even in my own Temple,” says the Lord.


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“So they will be in danger. They will be forced into darkness. There they will be defeated. I will bring disaster on them. At that time I will punish those prophets and priests,” says the Lord.


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“I saw the prophets of Samaria do something wrong. I saw those prophets prophesy by the false god Baal. And they led my people, the Israelites, away.


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And I have seen the prophets of Jerusalem do some terrible things. These prophets are guilty of adultery and live by lies. They encourage evil people to keep on doing evil. So the people don’t stop sinning. All of those people are like the city of Sodom. The people of Jerusalem are like the city of Gomorrah to me!”


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So this is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says about the prophets: “I will make those prophets eat bitter food. I will make them drink poisoned water. This is because the prophets of Jerusalem spread wickedness through the whole country.”


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “Don’t pay attention to the things those prophets are saying to you. They are trying to fool you. Those prophets talk of visions from their own minds. But they did not get their visions from me.


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They say to those who hate me: ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ They say to those who are stubborn and do as they please: ‘Nothing bad will happen to you!’


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But none of these prophets has stood in the meeting of angels. None of them has seen or heard the message of the Lord. None of them has paid close attention to the Lord’s message.


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Look, the punishment from the Lord will come like a storm. His anger will be like a hurricane. It will come crashing down on the heads of those wicked people.


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The Lord’s anger will not stop until he finishes what he plans to do. When that day is over, you will understand this clearly.


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I did not send those prophets. But they ran to tell their message. I did not speak to them. But they prophesied anyway.


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But if they had stood in the meeting of angels, they would have told my message to my people. They would have turned the people from their evil ways. They would have turned them from doing evil.


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“No one can hide where I cannot see him,” says the Lord. “I fill all of heaven and earth,” says the Lord.


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“I have heard the prophets who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’


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How long will this continue in the minds of these lying prophets? They prophesy from their own wishful thinking.


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They are trying to make the people of Judah forget me. They are doing this by telling each other these dreams. They are trying to make my people forget me in the same way that their ancestors forgot me. Their ancestors forgot me and worshiped Baal.


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Straw is not the same thing as wheat!” says the Lord. “If a prophet wants to tell about his dreams, let him! But let the person who hears my message speak it truthfully!


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“So I am against the false prophets,” says the Lord. “These prophets keep stealing words from each other. They say these words are from me.


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I am against the false prophets,” says the Lord. “They use their own words and pretend it is a message from me.


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I am against the prophets who prophesy false dreams,” says the Lord. “They mislead my people with their lies and false teachings! I did not send those prophets to teach the people. I never commanded them to do anything for me. They can’t help the people of Judah at all,” says the Lord.


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The Sad Message from the Lord “The people of Judah, a prophet or a priest may ask you: ‘Jeremiah, what is the message from the Lord?’ You will answer them and say, ‘You are a heavy load to the Lord. And I will throw down this heavy load, says the Lord!’


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A prophet or a priest or one of the people might say, ‘This is a message from the Lord!’ That person has lied. So I will punish him and his whole family.


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But you will never again say, ‘The message of the Lord.’ This is because the only message you speak is your own words. You used to change the words of our God. He is the living God, the Lord of heaven’s armies.


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This is how you speak to the prophets: ‘What answer did the Lord give you?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’


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But don’t say, ‘What was the message from the Lord?’ If you use these words, the Lord will say this to you: You should not have called it a message from the Lord. I told you not to use those words.


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I will pick you up like a heavy load. And I’ll throw you away from me. I gave the city of Jerusalem to your ancestors and to you. But I will throw you and that city away from me.


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The Good and Bad Figs I saw a vision after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim as a prisoner. Jehoiachin king of Judah and his officers were taken away from Jerusalem. They were taken to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also took away all the craftsmen and metalworkers of Judah. It was then that the Lord showed me these things: I saw two baskets of figs. They were arranged in front of the Temple of the Lord.


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One of the baskets had very good figs in it. They were like figs that ripen early in the season. But the other basket had rotten figs. They were too rotten to eat.


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The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see figs. The good figs are very good. But the rotten figs are too rotten to eat.”


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This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said: “I sent the people of Judah out of their country into Babylon. Those people will be like these good figs. I think of them as good.


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I will look after them. I will bring them back to the land of Judah. I will not tear them down. I will build them up. I will not pull them up. I will plant them so they can grow.


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I will make them want to know me. They will know that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God. This is because they will return to me with their whole hearts.


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“But the bad figs are too rotten to eat,” says the Lord. “Zedekiah king of Judah and his officers will be like those rotten figs. All the people from Jerusalem who are left alive will be like that. This will be true even if those people now live in Egypt.


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I will make those people hated as an evil people by all the kingdoms of the earth. People will make fun of the people from Judah and tell jokes about them. People will point fingers at them. They will curse them everywhere I scatter them.


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I will send war, hunger and disease against them. I will attack them until they have all been killed. Then they will no longer be in the land I gave to them and their ancestors.”


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A Summary of Jeremiah’s Preaching This is the message that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah. It came in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. This was the first year Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.


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The Lord has spoken his word to me again and again for these past 23 years. I have been a prophet since the thirteenth year of Josiah. Josiah was the son of Amon king of Judah. I have spoken messages from the Lord to you from that time until today. But you have not listened.


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The Lord has sent his servants the prophets to you over and over again. But you have not listened to them. You have not paid any attention to them.


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They have said, “Stop your evil ways. Stop doing what is wrong. Do this so you can stay in the land. This is the land that the Lord gave to you and your ancestors long ago. He gave it to you to live in forever.


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Don’t follow other gods to serve them or to worship them. You must not worship idols that are the work of someone’s hands. That makes the Lord angry, and he will punish you.”


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“But you did not listen to me,” says the Lord. “You worshiped idols that were the work of someone’s hands. That made me angry. So I punished you.”


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So I will soon send for all the peoples of the north,” says the Lord. “I will soon send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I will bring them all against Judah and all the nations around you, too. I will completely destroy all those countries. I will leave them in ruins forever. People will be shocked when they see how badly they will be destroyed.


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I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and happiness. There will be no more happy sounds of brides and bridegrooms. I will take away the sound of people grinding meal. And I will take away the light of the lamp.


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That whole area will be an empty desert. And these nations will be slaves of the king of Babylon for 70 years.


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“But when the 70 years have passed, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation,” says the Lord. “I will punish the Babylonians for their evil. I will make that land a desert forever.


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I have said many terrible things will happen to Babylonia. All of them will happen. Jeremiah prophesied about those foreign nations. And the warnings are written in this book.


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The Babylonians will have to serve many nations and many great kings. I will give them the punishment they deserve. They will be punished for all the things they do.”


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Judgment on the Nations The Lord, the God of Israel, said this to me: “My anger is like the wine in a cup. Take it from my hand. I am sending you to all the nations. Make them drink all of my anger from this cup.


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They will drink my anger like wine. Then they will not be able to walk straight. They will act like madmen. They will do this because of the war that I am going to send among them.”


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So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I went to those nations. And I made them drink from the cup.


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I poured this wine for the people of Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. I made the kings and officers of Judah drink from the cup. I did it so that they would become a ruin. People would be shocked when they saw how badly they were destroyed. People would insult them and speak evil of them. And it happened. Judah is like that now.


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I also made these people drink from that cup of my anger: the king of Egypt, his servants, his officers and all his people;


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all the Arabs, and all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines (the kings of the cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and the people left at Ashdod);


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and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other. I made all the kingdoms on earth drink from the cup of the Lord’s anger. But the king of Babylon will drink from this cup after all the others.


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“Then say this to them: ‘This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink this cup of my anger. Get drunk from it and vomit. Fall down and don’t get up. Don’t get up because I am sending a war to kill you!’


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“They will refuse to take the cup from your hand. They will refuse to drink it. Then say this to them: ‘The Lord of heaven’s armies says this: You must drink from this cup.


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I am already bringing disaster on Jerusalem. And it is the city that is called by my name. And do you think you will not be punished? You will be punished! I am sending war on all the people of the earth, says the Lord of heaven’s armies.’


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“You will prophesy against them with these words. Say to them: ‘The Lord roars from heaven. He shouts from his Holy Temple. He roars against his land. He will shout like people who walk on grapes to make wine. He will shout against all who live on the earth.


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The noise will spread all over the earth. This is because the Lord is punishing all the nations. He judges and tells what is wrong with all people. And he is killing the evil people with a sword,’” says the Lord.


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “Disasters will soon spread from nation to nation. They will come like a powerful storm to all the faraway places on earth.”


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At that time the dead bodies will reach from one end of the earth to the other. No one will cry for them. No one will gather up their bodies and bury them. They will be left lying on the ground like dung.


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Cry, you leaders! Cry out loud! Roll around in the dust, leaders of the people! It is now time for you to be killed. You will fall and be scattered everywhere, like pieces of a broken jar.


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I hear the leaders shouting. I hear the leaders of the people crying loudly. This is because the Lord is destroying their land.


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The Lord, like a lion, has left his den. Their land has been destroyed. It is because of his destroying anger. It is because of his fierce anger.


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Jeremiah’s Lesson at the Temple This message came from the Lord. It was during the first year Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah.


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This is what the Lord said: “Jeremiah, stand in the courtyard of the Temple of the Lord. Give this message to all the people of the towns of Judah. They are coming to worship at the Temple of the Lord. Tell them everything I tell you to say. Don’t leave out any part of my message.


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Maybe they will listen and stop their evil ways. I have plans to bring disaster on them because of the evil they have done. But if they change, I will change my mind about bringing disaster on them.


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Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord says: I gave my teachings to you. You must obey me and follow my teachings.


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You must listen to what my servants the prophets say to you. I have sent prophets to you again and again. But you did not listen to them.


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If you don’t obey me, I will destroy my Temple in Jerusalem. I will destroy it as I destroyed my Holy Tent at Shiloh. People all over the world will curse Jerusalem.’”


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The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah. He said all of these words in the Temple of the Lord.


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Jeremiah finished speaking everything the Lord had commanded him to say. Then the priests, prophets and all the people grabbed Jeremiah. They said, “You must die!


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How dare you prophesy such a thing in the name of the Lord! How dare you say that this Temple will be destroyed like the one at Shiloh! How dare you say that Jerusalem will become a desert without anyone to live in it!” All the people crowded around Jeremiah in the Temple of the Lord.


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Now the officers of Judah heard about what was happening. So they came out of the king’s palace and went up to the Temple of the Lord. There they took their places at the entrance of the New Gate.


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Then the priests and prophets spoke to the officers and all the other people. They said, “Jeremiah should be killed. He said bad things about Jerusalem! You heard him say it.”


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Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officers of Judah and all the other people. He said, “The Lord sent me to say these things about this Temple and this city. Everything that you have heard is from the Lord.


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Now change your lives! You must start doing good things. You must obey the Lord your God. If you do that, the Lord will change his mind. He will not bring on you the disaster he has told you about.


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But if you kill me, be sure of one thing. You will be guilty of killing an innocent person. You will make this city and everyone who lives in it guilty, too! The Lord sent me to you. The message you heard is from the Lord!”


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Then the officers and all the people spoke. They said to the priests and the prophets, “Jeremiah must not be killed. What he told us comes from the Lord our God.”


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They said, “Micah the prophet was from the city of Moresheth. He was a prophet during the time Hezekiah was king of Judah. Micah said these things to all the people of Judah: ‘This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: Jerusalem will be plowed like a field. Jerusalem will become a pile of rocks. The hill where the Temple stands will be covered with bushes.’


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“Hezekiah was the king of Judah. And he did not kill Micah. No one else in Judah killed him. You know that Hezekiah feared the Lord. He wanted to please the Lord. So the Lord changed his mind. He did not bring on Judah the disaster he had promised. If we hurt Jeremiah, we will bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!”


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(Now there was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord. His name was Uriah the son of Shemaiah. Uriah was from the city of Kiriath Jearim. He preached the same things against this city and land that Jeremiah did.


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King Jehoiakim, all his army officers and all the leaders of Judah heard Uriah preach. King Jehoiakim wanted to kill Uriah. But Uriah heard about it and was afraid. So he escaped to Egypt.


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They brought Uriah back from Egypt. Then they took him to King Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim ordered Uriah to be killed with a sword. His body was thrown into the burial place where poor people are buried.)


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There was an important man named Ahikam son of Shaphan. Ahikam supported Jeremiah. So Ahikam kept Jeremiah from being killed by the people.


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Nebuchadnezzar Is Made Ruler The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. This happened when Zedekiah son of Josiah was king of Judah.


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This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke out of straps and poles. Put it on the back of your neck.


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Then send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon. Send the messages through the messengers of these kings. Those messengers have come to Jerusalem to see Zedekiah king of Judah.


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Tell them to give this message to their masters. Tell them, ‘The Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: “Tell your masters:


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I made the earth and everyone on it. I made all the animals on the earth. I did this with my great power and my strong arm. I can give the earth to anyone I want.


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Now I have given all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He is my servant. I will make even the wild animals obey him.


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All nations will serve Nebuchadnezzar and his son and grandson. Then the time will come for Babylon to be defeated. Many nations and great kings will make Babylon their servant.


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“‘“But now some nations or kingdoms might refuse to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They might refuse to be under his control. If that happens, I will punish that nation with war, hunger and terrible sickness, says the Lord. I will do it until I destroy that nation. I will use Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the nation that fights against him.


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So don’t listen to your false prophets. Don’t listen to people who use magic to tell what will happen in the future. Don’t listen to those who say they can tell what dreams mean. Don’t listen to mediums or magicians. They all tell you, ‘You will not be slaves to the king of Babylon.’


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They are telling you lies! They will only cause you to be taken far from your homeland. I will force you to leave your homes. And you will die in another land.


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But some nations will put themselves under the control of the king of Babylon. They will serve him. I will let those nations stay in their own country, says the Lord. The people from those nations will live in their own land and farm it.”’”


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I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “You must put yourself under the control of the king of Babylon and serve him. If you serve him and his people, you will live.


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Why should you and your people die like those who do not serve the king of Babylon? Why should you die because of war, hunger and sickness? The Lord said this will happen.


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But the false prophets are saying this: ‘You will never be slaves to the king of Babylon.’ Don’t listen to them because they are prophesying lies to you!


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‘I did not send them,’ says the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies. And they are saying the message is from me. So I will send Judah away. You will die! And those prophets who prophesy to you will die also.’”


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Then I, Jeremiah, said to the priests and all the people, “This is what the Lord says: Those false prophets are saying that what the Babylonians took from the Temple of the Lord will be brought back soon. Don’t listen to them! They are prophesying lies to you.


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Don’t listen to those prophets. But serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. There is no reason for you to cause Jerusalem to become a ruin.


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They might be prophets and have the message from the Lord. If so, let them pray to the Lord of heaven’s armies. Let them pray about the things that are still in the Temple of the Lord. Let them pray about the things that are still in the king’s palace and in Jerusalem. Let them pray that all this will not be taken away to Babylon.


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“This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says about those things left in Jerusalem. In the Temple there are the pillars, the large bronze bowl, which is called the Sea, the stands that can be moved and other things. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left them in Jerusalem.


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Nebuchadnezzar did not take these away when he took Jehoiachin king of Judah captive. Jehoiachin was the son of King Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar also took other important people away from Judah and Jerusalem.


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says about the things left in the Temple of the Lord and in the king’s palace and in Jerusalem: ‘All of this will also be taken to Babylon.


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And they will stay there until the day I go to get them,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and return them to this place.’”


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The False Prophet Hananiah It was the fifth month of King Zedekiah’s fourth year as king of Judah. This was at the beginning of the king’s rule. At that time Hananiah the prophet spoke to me. He was the son of Azzur. And he was from the town of Gibeon. He was in the Temple of the Lord when he spoke to me. In front of the priests and all the people, Hananiah said:


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“The Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke the king of Babylon has put on Judah.


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Before two years are over, I will bring back everything that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took from the Lord’s Temple.


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I will also bring Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah back here. And I will bring back all the other people of Judah as captives to Babylon,’ says the Lord. ‘So I will break the yoke the king of Babylon put on Judah.’”


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Then the prophet Jeremiah answered the prophet Hananiah. They were standing in the Temple of the Lord. The priests and all the people there could hear Jeremiah’s answer.


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He said, “Amen! Let the Lord really do that! May the Lord make the message you prophesy come true. May the Lord bring everything from the Lord’s Temple back from Babylon. And may he bring back to their homes all the people who were taken as captives.


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There were prophets long before we became prophets, Hananiah. They prophesied that war, hunger and terrible sicknesses would come. They would come to many countries and great kingdoms.


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But a prophet might prophesy that we will have peace. The message of that prophet might come true. If it does, only then can he be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord!”


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Hananiah said in front of all the people, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He put that yoke on all the nations of the world. But I will break it before two years are over.’” After Hananiah had said that, Jeremiah left the Temple.


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Then the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. This was not long after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off of the prophet Jeremiah’s neck.


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The Lord said, “Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke. But I will make a yoke of iron in the place of the wooden one!


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The Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: I will put a yoke of iron on the necks of all these nations. I will do that to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And they will be slaves to him. I will even give Nebuchadnezzar control over the wild animals.’”


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Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you. And you have made the people of Judah trust in lies.


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So this is what the Lord says: ‘Soon I will remove you from the earth. You will die this year. This is because you taught the people to turn against the Lord.’”


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A Letter to the Jews in Babylon Jeremiah the prophet sent a letter to the people taken as captives to Babylon. He sent it to the elders who were among the captives, the priests and the prophets. And he sent it to all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem to Babylon.


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(This letter was sent after all these people were taken away: Jehoiachin and the queen mother; the officers and leaders of Judah and Jerusalem; and the craftsmen and metalworkers.)


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Zedekiah king of Judah had sent Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah to King Nebuchadnezzar. So Jeremiah gave the letter to them to take to Babylon. This is what the letter said:


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says to all those people he sent away from Jerusalem as captives to Babylon:


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Get married and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons. Let your daughters be married so they may also have sons and daughters. Have many children and grow in number in Babylon. Don’t become fewer in number.


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Also do good things for the city where I sent you as captives. Pray to the Lord for the city where you are living. If there is peace in that city, you will have peace also.”


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The Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: “Don’t let your prophets and the people who do magic fool you. Don’t listen to their dreams.


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They are prophesying lies. And they are saying that their message is from me. But I did not send them,” says the Lord.


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This is what the Lord says: “Babylon will be powerful for 70 years. After that time I will come to you who are living in Babylon. I will keep my promise to bring you back to Jerusalem.


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I say this because I know what I have planned for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future.


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I will let you find me,” says the Lord. “And I will bring you back from your captivity. I forced you to leave this place. But I will gather you from all the nations. I will gather you from the places I have sent you as captives,” says the Lord. “And I will bring you back to this place.”


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But the Lord says this about the king who is sitting on David’s throne now. And I’m also talking about all the other people still in Jerusalem. These are your relatives who did not go to Babylon with you.


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The Lord of heaven’s armies says: “I will soon send war, hunger and terrible diseases against those still in Jerusalem. I will make them like bad figs that are too rotten to eat.


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I will chase them with war, hunger and terrible diseases. I will make them a hated people by all the kingdoms of the earth. People will speak evil of them. They will be shocked when they hear what has happened. And people will use them as a shameful example wherever I make them go.


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This is because those in Jerusalem have not listened to my message,” says the Lord. “I sent my message to them again and again. I used my servants, the prophets, to give my messages to them. But they did not listen,” says the Lord.


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You captives, I forced you to leave Jerusalem and go to Babylon. So listen to the message from the Lord.


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The Lord of heaven’s armies says this about Ahab son of Kolaiah. And he says it about Zedekiah son of Maaseiah: “These two men have been prophesying lies to you. They have said that their message is from me. But I will hand over those two prophets to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar will kill them in front of you who are captives in Babylon.


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


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They have done evil things among the people of Israel. They are guilty of adultery with their neighbors’ wives. They have also spoken lies. And they said those lies were a message from me, the Lord. I did not tell them to do that. I know what they have done. I am a witness!” says the Lord.


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The Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: “Shemaiah, you sent letters to all the people in Jerusalem. And you sent letters to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. You also sent letters to all the priests. You sent those letters in your own name.


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You said to Zephaniah, ‘The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. You are to be in charge of the Temple of the Lord. You should arrest any madman who acts like a prophet. You should lock the hands and feet of that person between wooden blocks. And put iron rings around his neck.


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Jeremiah has sent this message to us in Babylon: You will be there for a long time. So build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what you grow.’”


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“Send this message to all the captives in Babylon: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Shemaiah has prophesied to you, but I did not send him. He has made you believe a lie.


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Because Shemaiah has done that, this is what the Lord says: I will soon punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite. 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. This is because he has taught the people to turn against me.’”


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The days will come when I will make everything as good as it was before,” says the Lord. “I will bring Israel and Judah back from captivity,” says the Lord. “I will return them to the land I gave their ancestors. Then my people will own that land again!”


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Ask this question, and consider it: A man cannot have a baby. So why do I see every strong man holding his stomach in pain like a woman having a baby? Why is everyone’s face turning white like a dead man’s face?


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This will be a terrible day! There will never be another time like this. This is a time of great trouble for the people of Jacob. But they will be saved from it.”


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The Lord of heaven’s armies says, “At that time I will break the yoke from their necks. And I will break the ropes holding them. Foreign people will never again make my people slaves!


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They will serve the Lord their God. And they will serve David their king. I will send that king to them.


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“So people of Jacob, my servants, don’t be afraid! Israel, don’t be frightened,” says the Lord. “I will save you from that faraway place where you are captives. I will save your family from that land. The people of Jacob will be safe and have peace again. There will be no enemy to frighten them.


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I am with you and will save you,” says the Lord. “I scattered you among those nations. Even if I completely destroy all those nations, I will not destroy you. You will be punished fairly. But I will punish you.”


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This is what the Lord said: “You people have a wound that cannot be cured. Your injury will not heal.


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


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


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But those nations that destroyed you will now be destroyed. Your enemies will become captives. Those who stole from you will have their own things stolen. Those who took things from you in war will have their own things taken.


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I will bring back your health. And I will heal your injuries,” says the Lord. “This is because other people forced you out from among them. Those people said about you, ‘No one cares about Jerusalem!’”


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This is what the Lord said: “I will make the tents of Jacob’s people as they used to be. And I will have pity on Israel’s houses. The city will be rebuilt on its hill of ruins. And the king’s palace will stand in its proper place.


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People in those places will sing songs of praise. There will also be the sound of laughter. I will give them many children. They will not be small. I will bring honor to them. No one will look down on them.


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Their descendants will be like they were in the old days. I will make their people strong before me. And I will punish the nations who have hurt them.


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One of their own people will lead them. Their ruler will come from among them. He will come near to me when I invite him. Who would dare to come uninvited?” says the Lord.


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The Lord was very angry. He punished the people. And the punishment came like a storm. It came like a hurricane against the evil people.


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The Lord will stay angry until he finishes punishing the people. He will stay angry until he finishes the punishment he planned. When that day comes, you will understand this.


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The New Israel The Lord says, “At that time I will be God of all Israel’s family groups. And they will be my people.”


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This is what the Lord says: “Some of the people were not killed by the enemy’s sword. Those people will find help in the desert. I have come to give rest to Israel.”


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And from far away the Lord appeared to his people. He said, “I love you people with a love that will last forever. I became your friend because of my love and kindness.


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People of Israel, I will build you up again, and you will be rebuilt. You will pick up your tambourines again. You will dance with those who are joyful.


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You will plant vineyards again on the hills around Samaria. The farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit.


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There will be a time when watchmen in the mountains of Ephraim shout this message: ‘Come, let’s go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord our God!’”


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This is what the Lord says: “Be happy and sing for the people of Jacob. Shout for Israel, the greatest of the nations. Sing your praises and shout this: ‘Lord, save your people! Save those who are left alive from the nation of Israel!’


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Look, I will bring Israel from the country in the north. I will gather them from the faraway places on earth. Some of the people are blind and crippled. Some of the women will be pregnant and ready to give birth. A great many people will come back.


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Those people will be crying as they come back. But they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead those people by streams of water. I will lead them on an even road where they will not stumble. This is because I am Israel’s father. And Israel is my firstborn son.


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“Nations, listen to the message from the Lord. Tell this message in the faraway lands by the sea: ‘The one who scattered the people of Israel will bring them back together. And he will watch over his people like a shepherd.’


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The Lord will bring the people of Jacob back. The Lord will buy them back from people stronger than they were.


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The people of Israel will come to the high points of Jerusalem. There they will shout for joy. Their faces will shine with happiness about all the good things from the Lord: the grain, new wine, oil, young sheep and cows. They will be like a garden that has plenty of water. And the people of Israel will not be troubled anymore.


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Then young women of Israel will be happy and dance. The young men and old men will also dance. I will change their sadness into happiness. I will give them comfort and joy instead of sadness.


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The priests will have more than enough sacrifices. And my people will be filled with the good things I give them!” says the Lord.


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This is what the Lord says: “A sound was heard in Ramah. It was painful crying and much sadness. Rachel cries for her children. And she cannot be comforted, because her children are dead!”


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But this is what the Lord says: “Stop crying. Don’t let your eyes fill with tears. You will be rewarded for your work!” says the Lord. “The people will come back from their enemy’s land.


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“I have heard Israel moaning: ‘Lord, you punished me, and I have learned my lesson. I was like a calf that had never been trained. Take me back, and I will come back. You truly are the Lord my God.


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Lord, I wandered away from you. But I changed my heart and life. Once I understood, I beat my breast with sorrow. I am ashamed and disgraced because of the foolish things I did when I was young.’


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“You know that Israel is my dear son. I love that child. Yes, I often speak against Israel, but I still remember him. I love him very much. And I want to comfort him,” says the Lord.


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“People of Israel, fix the road signs. Put up the signs that show you the way home. Watch the road. Pay attention to the road on which you travel. People of Israel, come home. Come back to your towns.


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You are an unfaithful daughter. How long will you wander before you come home? The Lord will make something new happen in the land: A woman will go seeking a man.”


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The Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: “I will again do good things for the people of Judah. At that time the people in the land of Judah and its towns will again say: ‘May the Lord bless you. You are a righteous dwelling. You are a holy mountain.’


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People in all the towns of Judah will live together in peace. Farmers and those who move around with their flocks will live together in peace.


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The Lord says, “The days are coming when I will help the families of Israel and Judah to grow. I will help their children and animals to grow, too. It will be like planting and caring for a plant.


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In the past I watched over Israel and Judah, but I watched for the time to pull them up. I tore them down. I destroyed them. I brought disaster to them. But now I will watch over them to build them up and make them strong,” says the Lord.


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“At that time people will no longer say: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes. And that caused the children to grind their teeth from the sour taste.’


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The New Agreement “Look, the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new agreement. It will be with the people of Israel and the people of Judah.


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It will not be like the agreement I made with their ancestors. That was when I took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt. I was a husband to them, but they broke that agreement,” says the Lord.


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“I will make this agreement with the people of Israel,” says the Lord. “I will put my teachings in their minds. And I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.


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People will no longer have to teach their neighbors and relatives to know the Lord. This is 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. I will not remember their sins anymore.”


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The Lord Will Never Leave Israel This is what the Lord says: “The Lord makes the sun shine in the day. And he makes the moon and stars shine at night. He stirs up the sea so that its waves crash on the shore. The Lord of heaven’s armies is his name.


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“Only if these laws should ever fail,” says the Lord, “will Israel’s descendants stop being a nation before me.”


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This is what the Lord says: “There’s only one way I will reject all the descendants of Israel. That is if people can measure the sky above. It is if they can learn the secrets of the earth below. Then I will reject them because of what they have done,” says the Lord.


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The New Jerusalem The Lord says, “The days are coming when Jerusalem will be rebuilt for me. Everything from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate will be rebuilt.


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The measuring line will stretch from the Corner Gate straight to the hill of Gareb. Then it will turn to the place named Goah.


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There is the whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown. It will be holy to the Lord. And all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley will be included. They are on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate. All that area will be holy to the Lord. The city of Jerusalem will never again be torn down or destroyed.”


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Jeremiah Buys a Field This is the word the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. It was in the tenth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah. The tenth year of Zedekiah was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.


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At that time the army of Babylon was surrounding Jerusalem. Jeremiah was under arrest in the courtyard of the guard. This courtyard was at the palace of the king of Judah.


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Zedekiah king of Judah had put Jeremiah in prison there. Zedekiah had asked, “Why have you prophesied the things you have?” (Jeremiah had said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I will soon give the city of Jerusalem to the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar will capture this city.


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Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the army of the Babylonians. But he will surely be given to the king of Babylon. And Zedekiah will speak to the king of Babylon face to face. Zedekiah will see him with his own eyes.


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The king of Babylon will take Zedekiah to Babylon. Zedekiah will stay there until I have punished him,’ says the Lord. ‘If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”)


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Jeremiah, your cousin Hanamel will come to you soon. He is the son of your uncle Shallum. Hanamel will say to you, ‘Jeremiah, you are my nearest relative. So buy my field near the town of Anathoth. It is your right and your responsibility to buy that field.’


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“Then it happened just as the Lord had said. My cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard. He said to me, ‘Buy my field near Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. Buy that land for yourself. It is your right to buy it and own it.’ So I knew this was a message from the Lord.


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“I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven ounces of silver for him.


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I signed the record that showed I now owned the field. And I had a copy of the record sealed up. Some men witnessed it and signed it also. And I weighed out the silver on the scales.


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And I gave them to Baruch son of Neriah. Neriah was the son of Mahseiah. The sealed copy of the record of ownership had all the demands and limits of my purchase. I gave this paper of ownership to Baruch. It was while my cousin Hanamel and the other witnesses were there. Those witnesses also signed the record of ownership. There were also many Jews sitting in the courtyard. And they saw me give the record of ownership to Baruch.


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‘This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: Take both copies of the record of ownership. Take both the sealed copy and the copy that was not sealed. And put them in a clay jar. Do this so that they will last a long time.


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: In the future my people will once again buy houses. They will also buy fields for grain and vineyards in the land of Israel.’


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Oh, Lord God, you made the skies and the earth. You made them with your very great power. There is nothing too wonderful for you to do.


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Lord, you show love and kindness to thousands of people. But you also bring punishment to children for their fathers’ sins. Great and powerful God, your name is the Lord of heaven’s armies.


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You plan and do great things, Lord. You see everything that people do. You reward people for the way they live and for what they do.


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Lord, you did miracles and wonderful things in the land of Egypt. You have kept on doing them even until today. You did miracles in Israel and among the other nations. You have become well known.


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Lord, you used signs and miracles and brought your people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. You used your great power and strength to do those things. You brought great terror on everyone.


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Lord, you gave this land to the people of Israel. This is the land you promised to their ancestors long ago. It’s a land where much food grows.


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The people of Israel came into this land and took it for their own. But those people did not obey you. They did not follow your teachings. They did not do the things you commanded. So you made all these terrible things happen to them.


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“And now, the enemy has surrounded the city. They are building roads to the top of the walls. There will be war, hunger and terrible diseases. These will cause the city to be handed over to the Babylonians. They are attacking the city now. Lord, you said this would happen. And now you see it is happening.


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But now, Lord God, you are telling me, ‘Buy the field with silver. Choose some men to watch while I purchase it.’ You are telling me this while the Babylonian army is ready to capture the city.”


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“I am the Lord. I am the God of every person on the earth. You know that nothing is impossible for me.


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So this is what I say: I will soon give the city of Jerusalem to the Babylonian army. And I will give it to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. That army will capture the city.


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The Babylonian army is already attacking the city of Jerusalem. They will soon enter the city and start a fire to burn down the city. They will also burn down the houses. The people of Jerusalem made me angry. They offered sacrifices to Baal on the roofs of their houses. And the people poured out drink offerings to other idols.


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The people of Israel and Judah have done only the things I said were wrong. They have done this since they were young. They have made me angry by worshiping idols made with their own hands,” says the Lord.


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“From the day Jerusalem was built until now, they have made me very angry. Jerusalem has made me so angry I must remove it from my sight.


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


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They turned their backs to me. I tried to teach them again and again. But they wouldn’t listen to me. I tried to correct them, but they wouldn’t listen.


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They put their hated idols in the place where I have chosen to be worshiped. In this way they made it unclean.


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In the Valley of Ben Hinnom those people built places to worship Baal. They built them so they could burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to Molech. But I never commanded them to do such a hated thing. I never even thought of it! This would make Judah sin.


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“You are saying, ‘There will be war, hunger and terrible diseases. So the city will be handed over to the king of Babylon.’ But the Lord, the God of Israel, says:


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I have forced the people of Israel and Judah to leave their land. I was very furious and angry with them. But I will gather them from the land where I forced them to go. I will bring them back to this place. I will let them live in peace and safety.


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I will make them want to be truly one people. They will have one goal. They will truly want to worship me all their lives. They will do this for their own good and for their children after them.


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“I will make an agreement with them. This agreement will last forever. And I will never turn away from them. I will always be good to them. I will make them want to respect me. Then they will never turn away from me.


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I will enjoy doing good to them. And I will surely plant them in this land and make them grow. I will do this with my whole being.”


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This is what the Lord says: “I have brought this great disaster to the people of Israel and Judah. In the same way I will bring good things to them. I promise to do good things for them.


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You are saying, ‘This land is an empty desert. There are no people or animals here. The Babylonian army defeated this country.’ But in the future, people will once again buy fields in this land.


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They will use their money and buy fields. They will sign and seal their agreements. People will witness their signing records of ownership. They will again buy fields in the land of Benjamin and in the area around Jerusalem. They will buy fields in the towns of Judah and in the mountains. They will buy them in the western mountain slopes and in southern Judah. This is because I will make everything as good as it once was,” says the Lord.


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The Promise of God Now Jeremiah was still locked up in the courtyard of the guards. And the Lord spoke his word to him a second time:


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“The Lord made the earth. He made it, and he keeps it safe. The Lord is his name. This is what the Lord says:


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‘Judah, pray to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you important secrets. You have never heard these things before.’


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The Lord is the God of Israel. He says these things about the houses in Jerusalem and the royal palaces of Judah. They have been torn down to be used against the attack by the Babylonian army.


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


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They sinned against me. But I will wash away that sin. They did evil and turned away from me, but I will forgive them.


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Then Jerusalem will be a wonderful place! People who live there will be happy. And people from all nations will praise it. This will happen because they will hear about the good things I am doing there. They will be surprised and shocked at the good things and peace I will bring to Jerusalem.’


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“You are saying, ‘Our country is an empty desert. There are no people or animals living there.’ It is now quiet in the streets of Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah. There are no people or animals there either. But it will be noisy there soon!


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There will be sounds of joy and gladness. There will be the happy sounds of brides and bridegrooms. There will be the sounds of people bringing their offerings to the Temple of the Lord. Their offerings will be to show thanks to the Lord. They will say, ‘Praise the Lord of heaven’s armies! The Lord is good! His love continues forever!’ They will say this because I will again do good things for Judah. It will be as in the beginning,” says the Lord.


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “This place is empty now. There are no people or animals living here. But there will be shepherds in all the towns of Judah. And there will be pastures where they let their flocks of sheep rest.


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Shepherds will again count their sheep as the sheep walk in front of them. People will be counting their sheep all around the country. They will count them in the mountains and in the western mountain slopes. They will count them in southern Judah and the land of Benjamin. They will count them around Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah!”


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The Good Branch The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will do the things I promised. I made a special promise to the people of Israel and Judah.


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In those days and at that time, I will make a righteous branch sprout from David’s family. He will do what is fair and right in the land.


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At this time Judah will be saved. The people of Jerusalem will live in safety. The branch will be named: The Lord Does What Is Right.”


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This is what the Lord says: “Someone from David’s family will always sit on the throne. And he will rule the family of Israel.


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And there will always be priests from the family of Levi. Those priests will always stand before me. And they will offer burnt offerings and grain offerings. And they will offer sacrifices to me.”


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“This is what the Lord says: I have an agreement with day and night. I agreed that they will continue forever. Day and night will always come at the right times. If you could change that agreement,


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you could also change my agreement with David and Levi. Only then would descendants from my servant David not be the kings on their thrones. And only then would the family of Levi not be priests serving me in the Temple.


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But I will give many descendants to my servant David. And I will give them to the family group of Levi who serve me in the Temple. They will be as many as the stars in the sky that no one can count. And they will be as many as the grains of sand on the seashore that no one can count.”


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“Jeremiah, have you heard what the people are saying? They are saying: ‘The Lord turned away from the two families of Israel and Judah. He chose those people. But now he doesn’t think of them as a nation anymore!’”


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This is what the Lord says: “If I had not made my agreement with day and night, and if I had not made the laws for the sky and earth,


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only then might I turn away from Jacob’s descendants. And only then I might not let the descendants of David my servant rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And I will be kind to those people. I will cause good things to happen to them again.”


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A Warning to Zedekiah The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. It came when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the towns around it. Nebuchadnezzar had with him all his army. And he had the armies of all the kingdoms and peoples he ruled.


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This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said: “Jeremiah, go to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord says: I will hand the city of Jerusalem over to the king of Babylon very soon. And he will burn it down!


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You will not escape from the king of Babylon. You will surely be caught and given to him. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes. He will talk to you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.


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But, Zedekiah king of Judah, listen to the promise of the Lord. This is what the Lord says about you: You will not be killed with a sword.


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You will die in a peaceful way. People made funeral fires to honor your ancestors, who ruled before you. In the same way, people will make a funeral fire to honor you. They will cry for you. They will sadly say, “Ah, master!” I myself make this promise to you, says the Lord.’”


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This was while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem. It was also fighting against the cities of Judah that had not been taken prisoners—Lachish and Azekah. These were the only strong, walled cities left in the land of Judah.


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Slaves Are Free King Zedekiah had made an agreement with all the people in Jerusalem. He agreed to give freedom to all the Hebrew slaves. After Zedekiah made that agreement, the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah.


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Everyone was supposed to free his Hebrew slaves. This included all male and female Hebrew slaves. No one was to keep a fellow Jew as a slave.


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So the officers and all the people accepted this agreement. Everyone would free their male and female slaves. They would no longer keep them as slaves. So all the slaves were set free.


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But after that, the people who had slaves changed their minds. So they took back the people they had set free. And they made them slaves again.


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“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought your ancestors out of Egypt where they were slaves. When I did that, I made an agreement with them.


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I said to your ancestors: ‘At the end of every seven years, each one of you must set his Hebrew slaves free. You might have a fellow Hebrew who has sold himself to you. You must let him go free after he has served you for six years.’ But your ancestors did not listen or pay attention to me.


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A short time ago you changed your hearts and did what is right. Each of you gave freedom to his fellow Hebrews who were slaves. And you even made an agreement before me. You made it in the place where I have chosen to be worshiped.


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But now you have changed your minds. You have shown you do not honor me. Each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free. You have forced them to become slaves again.


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“So this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me. You have not given freedom to your fellow Hebrews. Because you have not kept the agreement, I will give freedom, says the Lord. I will give freedom to war. And I will give freedom to terrible diseases and to hunger to kill you. I will make you hated by all the kingdoms of the earth.


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I will hand over the men who broke my agreement. They have not kept the promises they made before me. These men cut a calf into two pieces before me. And they walked between the two pieces.


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These people made the agreement before me: the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem; the officers of the court; the priests and all the people of the land.


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So I will hand those people over to their enemies. I will hand them over to everyone who wants to kill them. Their bodies will become food for the birds of the air. And they will become food for the wild animals of the earth.


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I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah and his officers over to their enemies. I will hand them over to everyone who wants to kill them. I will hand Zedekiah and his people over to the army of the king of Babylon. I will do this even though that army has left Jerusalem.


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I will give the order, says the Lord, to bring the Babylonian army back to Jerusalem. That army will fight against Jerusalem. They will capture it, set it on fire and burn it down. I will destroy the towns in the land of Judah. And they will become empty ruins. No one will live there!”


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The Recabite Family When Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. This was his message:


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“Jeremiah, go to the family of Recab. Invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the Temple of the Lord. Offer them wine to drink.”


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So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was the son of Habazziniah. And I gathered all of Jaazaniah’s brothers and sons. I gathered the whole family of the Recabites together.


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Then I brought them into the Temple of the Lord. We went into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah. Hanan was a man of God. The room was next to the one where the officers stay. It was over the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum. Maaseiah was the doorkeeper in the Temple.


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Then I put some bowls full of wine and some cups before the Recabite family. And I said to them, “Drink some wine.”


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But the Recabite people answered, “We never drink wine. It is because of our ancestor Jonadab son of Recab. He gave us this command: ‘You and your descendants must never drink wine.


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Also you must never build houses, plant seeds or plant vineyards. You must never do any of those things. You must live only in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are a wanderer.’


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So we Recabites have obeyed everything Jonadab our ancestor commanded us. We never drink wine. And our wives, sons and daughters never drink wine.


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We never build houses in which to live. And we never own fields or vineyards. And we never plant crops.


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But Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked the country of Judah. We said to each other, ‘Come, we must enter Jerusalem. This is so we can escape the Babylonian army and the Aramean army.’ So we have stayed in Jerusalem.”


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“This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: Jeremiah, go and tell the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem: ‘You should learn a lesson and obey my message,’ says the Lord.


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‘Jonadab son of Recab ordered his sons not to drink wine. And that command has been obeyed. Until today the descendants of Jonadab obeyed their ancestor’s command. They do not drink wine. But I am the Lord. I have given you messages again and again. But you did not obey me.


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I sent my servants the prophets to you again and again. They said to you, “Each of you must stop doing evil. You must change and be good. Do not follow other gods to serve them. If you obey me, you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not listened or paid attention to my message.


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The descendants of Jonadab obeyed the commands that their ancestor gave them. But the people of Judah have not obeyed me.’


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“So the Lord God of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I said many disasters would come to Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem. I will soon bring every one of those disasters on them. I spoke to those people, but they refused to listen. I called out to them, but they did not answer me.’”


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Then Jeremiah said to the Recabites, “This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the commands of your ancestor Jonadab. You have followed all of Jonadab’s teachings. You have done everything he commanded.’


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So this is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘There will always be a descendant of Jonadab son of Recab to serve me.’”


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Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. This was during the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. This was his message:


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“Jeremiah, get a scroll. Write on it all the words I have spoken to you about Israel and Judah and all the nations. Write everything I have spoken to you since Josiah was king until now.


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Maybe the family of Judah will hear what disasters I am planning to bring on them. And maybe they will stop doing wicked things. Then I would forgive them for the sins and the evil things they have done.”


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So Jeremiah called for Baruch son of Neriah. Jeremiah spoke the messages the Lord had given him. And Baruch wrote those messages on the scroll.


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So I want you to go to the Temple of the Lord. Go there on a day when the people are giving up eating. Read to all the people of Judah from the scroll. These people come into Jerusalem from the towns where they live. Read the messages from the Lord. Read the words that you wrote on the scroll as I spoke them to you.


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


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So Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do. He read aloud the scroll that had the Lord’s messages written on it. He read it in the Lord’s Temple.


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It was the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king. A special time to give up eating was announced. All the people of Jerusalem were supposed to give up eating to honor the Lord. And everyone who had come into Jerusalem from the towns of Judah was supposed to give up eating.


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At that time Baruch read the scroll that contained Jeremiah’s words. Baruch read the scroll in the Temple of the Lord to all the people there. He was in the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan. Gemariah was a royal assistant. That room was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate of the Temple.


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A man named Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the messages from the Lord. Baruch read them from the scroll.


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Micaiah went down to the royal assistant’s room in the king’s palace. All of the officers were sitting there: Elishama the royal assistant; Delaiah son of Shemaiah; Elnathan son of Acbor; Gemariah son of Shaphan; Zedekiah son of Hananiah; and all the other officers.


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Then the officers sent a man named Jehudi son of Nethaniah to Baruch. (Nethaniah was the son of Shelemiah, who was the son of Cushi.) Jehudi said to Baruch, “Bring the scroll that you read to the people and come with me.” So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went with Jehudi to the officers.


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Then the officers said to Baruch, “Sit down and read the scroll to us.” So Baruch read the scroll to them.


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When the officers heard all the words, they became afraid. And they looked at one another. They said to Baruch, “We must certainly tell the king about these words.”


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Then the officers asked Baruch, “Tell us, Baruch, where did you get these words you wrote on the scroll? Did you write down what Jeremiah said to you?”


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Then the officers said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must go and hide. Don’t tell anyone where you are hiding.”


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Then the officers put the scroll in the room of Elishama the royal assistant. Then they went to the king in the courtyard and told him all about the scroll.


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So King Jehoiakim sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi brought the scroll from the room of Elishama the royal assistant. Then Jehudi read the scroll to the king. And he read it to all the officers who stood around the king.


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This happened in the ninth month of the year. So King Jehoiakim was sitting in the winter apartment. There was a fire burning in a small firepot in front of him.


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Jehudi began to read from the scroll. But after he had read three or four columns, the king cut those columns off of the scroll with a pen knife. And he threw them into the firepot. Finally, the whole scroll was burned in the fire.


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King Jehoiakim and his servants heard the message from the scroll. But they were not frightened! They did not tear their clothes to show their sorrow.


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Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah tried to talk King Jehoiakim into not burning the scroll. But the king would not listen to them.


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Instead, the king ordered some men to arrest Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet. Those men were Jerahmeel son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel. But the Lord had hidden Baruch and Jeremiah.


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The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. This happened after King Jehoiakim had burned the scroll. This was the scroll where Baruch had written all the words Jeremiah had spoken to him. The Lord said:


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“Jeremiah, get another scroll. Write all the words on it that were on the first scroll. That was the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up.


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Also say this to Jehoiakim king of Judah: ‘This is what the Lord says: You burned up that scroll. You said, “Why did Jeremiah write that the king of Babylon will come and destroy this land? Why did he say the king of Babylon will destroy both men and animals in it?”


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So the Lord says this about Jehoiakim king of Judah: Jehoiakim’s descendants will not sit on David’s throne. When Jehoiakim dies, his body will be thrown out on the ground. It will be left out in the heat of the day. And it will also be left in the cold frost of the night.


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I, the Lord, will punish Jehoiakim and his children. And I will punish his servants. I will do this because they have done evil things. I have promised to bring disasters upon them. And I will bring them upon all the people in Jerusalem and Judah, just as I promised. This is because they have not listened to me.’”


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So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch. Baruch son of Neriah was his secretary. As Jeremiah spoke, Baruch wrote on the scroll. He wrote the same words that were on the scroll Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many other words like those words were added to the second scroll.


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Jeremiah in Prison Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon. He appointed Zedekiah son of Josiah as king of Judah. Zedekiah took the place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim.


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But Zedekiah, his servants and the people of Judah did not listen to the words of the Lord. The Lord had spoken his words through Jeremiah the prophet.


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Now King Zedekiah sent Jehucal and Zephaniah with a message to Jeremiah the prophet. Jehucal was the son of Shelemiah. And Zephaniah the priest was the son of Maaseiah. This was the message: “Jeremiah, pray to the Lord our God for us.”


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The army of the king of Egypt had marched from Egypt toward Judah. Now the Babylonian army had surrounded the city of Jerusalem so they could attack it. Then they had heard about the Egyptian army marching toward them. So the Babylonian army left Jerusalem to fight the Egyptian army.


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“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Jehucal and Zephaniah, I know Zedekiah king of Judah sent you to ask me questions. Tell this to King Zedekiah: ‘The army of the king of Egypt marched out of Egypt. They came here to help you against the Babylonian army. But that army will go back to Egypt.


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After that, the Babylonian army will come back here. And they will attack Jerusalem. Then the Babylonian army will take and burn Jerusalem.’


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“This is what the Lord says: People of Jerusalem, do not fool yourselves. Do not say to yourselves: ‘The Babylonian army will surely leave us alone.’ They will not!


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You might defeat all of the Babylonian army that is attacking you. But there would still be a few injured men left in their tents. Even those injured men would come from their tents and burn down Jerusalem!”


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Now Jeremiah wanted to travel from Jerusalem to his home in the land of Benjamin. He was going there to get his share of the property that belonged to his family.


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Jeremiah got to the Benjamin Gate of Jerusalem. But then the captain in charge of the guards arrested him. The captain’s name was Irijah son of Shelemiah son of Hananiah. So Irijah the captain arrested Jeremiah. Irijah said, “You are leaving us to join the Babylonian side!”


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Jeremiah said to Irijah, “That’s not true! I am not leaving to join the Babylonians.” But Irijah refused to listen to Jeremiah. So he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officers of Jerusalem.


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Those rulers were very angry with Jeremiah. They gave an order for him to be beaten. Then they put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the royal assistant. Jonathan’s house had been made into a prison.


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Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and had him brought to the palace. Zedekiah talked to Jeremiah in private. He asked Jeremiah, “Is there any message from the Lord?” Jeremiah answered, “Yes, there is a message from the Lord. Zedekiah, you will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”


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Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crime have I done against you? What crime have I done to your officers or the people of Jerusalem? Why have you thrown me into prison?


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Where are your prophets now? Those prophets prophesied this message to you: ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land of Judah.’


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But now, my master, king of Judah, please listen to me. And please do what I ask of you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the royal assistant. If you do, I will die there!”


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So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be put under guard in the courtyard. And he ordered that Jeremiah be given bread from the street of the bakers. Jeremiah was to be given bread until there was no more bread in the city. So he stayed under guard in the courtyard.


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Jeremiah Is Thrown into a Well Some of the officers heard what Jeremiah was prophesying. They were Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Pashhur son of Malkijah. Jeremiah was telling all the people this message:


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“This is what the Lord says: ‘Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die in war. Or he will die of hunger or terrible diseases. But everyone who surrenders to the Babylonian army will live. They will escape with their lives and live.’


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And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city of Jerusalem will surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. He will capture this city!’”


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Then the officers said to the king, “Jeremiah must be put to death! He is making the soldiers who are still in the city become discouraged. He is discouraging everyone by the things he is saying. He does not want good to happen to us. He wants to ruin the people of Jerusalem.”


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So the officers took Jeremiah and put him into the well of Malkijah, the king’s son. That well was in the courtyard of the guards. The officers used ropes to lower Jeremiah into the well. It did not have any water in it, only mud. And Jeremiah sank down into the mud.


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But Ebed-Melech heard that the officers had put Jeremiah into the well. Ebed-Melech was a Cushite, and he was a eunuch in the palace. King Zedekiah was sitting at the Benjamin Gate.


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“My master and king, the rulers have acted in an evil way. They have treated Jeremiah the prophet badly! They have thrown him into a well! They have left him there to die! When there is no more bread in the city, he will starve.”


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Then King Zedekiah commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite: “Ebed-Melech, take 30 men from the palace with you. Go and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the well before he dies.”


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So Ebed-Melech took the men with him. And he went to a room under the storeroom in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from that room. Then he let those rags down with some ropes to Jeremiah in the well.


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Ebed-Melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms. They will be pads for the ropes.” So Jeremiah did as Ebed-Melech said.


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The men pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the well. And Jeremiah stayed under guard in the courtyard.


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Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Then King Zedekiah sent someone to get Jeremiah the prophet. He had Jeremiah brought to the third entrance to the Temple of the Lord. Then the king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something. Do not hide anything from me. But tell me everything honestly.”


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Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, you will probably kill me. And even if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”


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But King Zedekiah made a secret promise to Jeremiah. He said, “As surely as the Lord lives who has given us breath and life, I will not kill you. And I promise not to give you to the officers who want to kill you.”


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Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘You must surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon. Then your life will be saved. And Jerusalem will not be burned down. And you and your family will live.


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You must not refuse to surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon. If you do, Jerusalem will be given to the Babylonian army. They will burn Jerusalem down. And you will not escape from them.’”


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Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I’m afraid of some of the Jews. They have already gone over to the side of the Babylonian army. I’m afraid the Babylonians may hand me over to them. And they will treat me badly.”


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But Jeremiah answered, “The Babylonians will not hand you over to the Jews. Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then things will go well for you. And your life will be saved.


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All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out. They will be taken to the important officers of the king of Babylon. Your women will make fun of you with this song: ‘Your good friends led you the wrong way and were stronger than you. Those were friends that you trusted. Your feet are stuck in the mud. Your friends have left you.’


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“All your wives and children will be brought out. They will be given to the Babylonian army. You yourself will not even escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylon. And Jerusalem will be burned down.”


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Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not tell anyone that I have been talking to you. If you do, you will die.


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Those officers might find out that I talked to you. Then they will come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to King Zedekiah. And tell us what King Zedekiah said to you. Don’t keep any secrets from us. If you don’t tell us everything, we will kill you.’


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If they ask you, tell them this: ‘I was begging the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die.’”


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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. This was because no one had heard what Jeremiah and the king had discussed.


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The Fall of Jerusalem This is how Jerusalem was captured: Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He surrounded the city to attack it. This was during the tenth month of the ninth year Zedekiah was king of Judah.


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This lasted until the ninth day of the fourth month in Zedekiah’s eleventh year. Then the city wall was broken through.


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And all the officers of the king of Babylon came into Jerusalem. They sat down at the Middle Gate. They were Nergal-Sharezer of the district of Samgar; Nebo-Sarsekim, a chief officer; Nergal-Sharezer, an important leader; and all the other important officers.


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When Zedekiah king of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they ran away. They left Jerusalem at night and went out from the king’s garden. They went through the gate that was between the two walls. Then they headed toward the Jordan Valley.


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But the Babylonian army chased them. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was at Riblah in the land of Hamath. There Nebuchadnezzar passed his sentence on Zedekiah.


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There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah’s sons as he watched. And Nebuchadnezzar killed all the important officers of Judah as Zedekiah watched.


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The Babylonians set fire to the palace. And they set fire to the houses of the people of Jerusalem. And they broke down the walls around Jerusalem.


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Nebuzaradan was commander of the king’s special guards. He took the people left in Jerusalem as captives. He also took those captives who had surrendered to him earlier. And he took the rest of the people of Jerusalem. He carried them all away to Babylon.


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But Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, left some of the poor people of Judah behind. They were the people who owned nothing. So on that day he gave them vineyards and fields.


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So these men sent for Jeremiah: Nebuzaradan, commander of the guards; Nebushazban, a chief officer; Nergal-Sharezer, an important leader; and all the other officers of the king of Babylon.


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They had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. Gedaliah had orders to take Jeremiah back home. So they took him home, and he stayed among his own people.


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“Jeremiah, go and tell Ebed-Melech the Cushite this message: ‘This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: Very soon I will make my words about Jerusalem come true. They will come true through disaster, not through good times. You will see everything come true with your own eyes.


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But I will save you on that day, Ebed-Melech, says the Lord. You will not be handed over to the people you fear.


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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.’”


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Jeremiah Is Set Free The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. This was after Nebuzaradan, commander of the guards, had set Jeremiah free at the city of Ramah. He had found Jeremiah in Ramah bound in chains. He was with all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah. They were being taken away to Babylon.


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When commander Nebuzaradan found Jeremiah, Nebuzaradan said to him, “The Lord your God announced this disaster would come to this place.


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And now the Lord has done everything he said he would do. This disaster happened because the people of Judah sinned against the Lord. You people did not obey the Lord.


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But now I will set you free. I am taking the chains off your wrists. If you want to, come with me to Babylon. And I will take good care of you. But if you don’t want to come, then don’t. Look, the whole country is open to you.”


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Before Jeremiah turned to leave, Nebuzaradan said, “Or go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. The king of Babylon has chosen Gedaliah to be governor over the towns of Judah. Go and live with Gedaliah among the people. Or go anywhere you want.” Then Nebuzaradan gave Jeremiah some food and a present and let him go.


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So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. And Jeremiah stayed with him there. He lived among the people who were left behind in Judah.


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The Short Rule of Gedaliah There were some officers and their men from the army of Judah. These men were still out in the open country. They heard that the king of Babylon had put Gedaliah son of Ahikam in charge. He was put in charge of the people who were left in the land: the men, women and children who were very poor. They were the ones who were not carried off to Babylon as captives.


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So these soldiers came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan sons of Kareah. Also Seraiah son of Tanhumeth and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite came. And Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite and their men came.


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Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, made a promise to them. Gedaliah said, “Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon. Then everything will go well for you.


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I myself will live in Mizpah. I will speak for you before the Babylonians who come here. You harvest the wine, the summer fruit and the oil. Put what you harvest in your storage jars. Live in the towns you control.”


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Some Jews were in Moab, Ammon, Edom and other countries. They heard that the king of Babylon had left a few Jews alive in the land. And they heard the king of Babylon had chosen Gedaliah as governor over them. (Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.)


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When the people of Judah heard this news, they came back to Judah. They came back to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They came from all the countries where they had been scattered. They gathered a large harvest of wine and summer fruit.


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Johanan son of Kareah came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. All the army officers of Judah still in the open country also came.


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Johanan and the officers with him said to Gedaliah, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonite people wants you dead? He has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to kill you.” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.


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Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in private at Mizpah. He said to Gedaliah, “Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah. No one will know anything about it. We should not let Ishmael kill you. All the Jews gathered around you would be scattered to different countries again. Then the few people of Judah who are left alive would be lost.”


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But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Do not kill Ishmael! The things you are saying about Ishmael are not true!”


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In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah came to Gedaliah son of Ahikam. (Nethaniah was the son of Elishama.) Ishmael came with ten of his men to Mizpah. Now Ishmael was a member of the king’s family. He had been one of the officers of the king of Judah. Ishmael and his men ate a meal with Gedaliah at Mizpah.


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While they were eating together, Ishmael and his ten men got up. They killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam with a sword. Gedaliah was the man the king of Babylon had chosen as governor over Judah.


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Ishmael killed all the Jews with Gedaliah at Mizpah, too. He also killed the Babylonian soldiers who were there with Gedaliah.


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The day after Gedaliah was murdered, 80 men came to Mizpah. They were bringing grain offerings and incense to the Temple of the Lord. Those 80 men had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves. They came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria. None of them knew that Gedaliah had been murdered.


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Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them. He cried as he walked. When he met them, he said, “Come with me to meet Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”


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So they went into Mizpah. Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and his men killed 70 of them! They threw the bodies into a deep well.


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But the 10 men who were left alive said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley. And we have oil and honey. We have hidden these things in a field.” So Ishmael let those 10 men alone. He did not kill them with the others.


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Now the well where he had thrown the bodies had been made by King Asa. Asa had made the well as a part of his defenses against Baasha king of Israel. But Ishmael son of Nethaniah put dead bodies in it until it was full.


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Ishmael captured all the other people in Mizpah. He captured the king’s daughters and all the other people who were left there. They were the people whom Nebuzaradan commander of the guard had chosen Gedaliah son of Ahikam to take care of. So Ishmael son of Nethaniah captured those people. And he started to cross over to the country of the Ammonites.


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Johanan son of Kareah heard about all the evil things Ishmael son of Nethaniah had done. All the army officers with him heard it, too.


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So Johanan and the army officers took their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught him near the big pool of water at Gibeon.


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But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan. And they ran away to the Ammonites.


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So Johanan son of Kareah and all his army officers saved the captives. Ishmael son of Nethaniah had murdered Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Then he had taken those people from Mizpah. Among those left alive were soldiers, women, children and court officers. Johanan brought them back from the town of Gibeon.


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The Escape to Egypt Johanan and the other army officers were afraid of the Babylonians. The king of Babylon had chosen Gedaliah son of Ahikam to be governor of Judah. But Ishmael son of Nethaniah had murdered Gedaliah. So Johanan was afraid that the Babylonians would be angry. They decided to run away to Egypt. On the way they stayed at Geruth Kimham, near the town of Bethlehem.


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While there, Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah went to Jeremiah the prophet. All the army officers went with Johanan and Jezaniah. All the people, from the least important to the greatest, all went along, too.


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They said to him, “Jeremiah, please listen to what we ask. Pray to the Lord your God. Pray for all the people left alive from the family of Judah. At one time there were many of us. You can see that there are few of us now.


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So pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go. And pray he will tell us what we should do.”


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Then Jeremiah the prophet answered, “I understand what you want me to do. I will pray to the Lord your God as you have asked. I will tell you everything he says. I will not hide anything from you.”


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Then the people said to Jeremiah, “We will do everything the Lord your God tells us. If we don’t, may the Lord be a true and loyal witness against us. We know he will send you to tell us what to do.


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It does not matter if we like the message or not. We will obey the Lord our God. We are sending you to the Lord for a message from him. We will obey what he says. Then good things will happen to us.”


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Then Jeremiah called for Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him. Jeremiah also called all the other people, from the least important to the greatest.


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Then Jeremiah said to them, “You sent me to ask the Lord for what you wanted. This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:


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‘If you will stay in Judah, I will make you strong. I will not destroy you. I will plant you, and I will not pull you up. This is because I am sad about the disaster I brought on you.


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Now you are afraid of the king of Babylon. But don’t be afraid of him. Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon,’ says the Lord. ‘I am with you. I will save you. I will rescue you from his power.


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I will be kind to you. And the king of Babylon will also treat you with mercy. He will bring you back to your land.’


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“But you might say, ‘We will not stay in Judah.’ If you say that, you will disobey the Lord your God.


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Or you might say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt. We will not be bothered with war there. We will not hear the trumpets of war. And in Egypt we will not be hungry.’


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If you say that, listen to the message of the Lord. It is to you who are left alive from Judah. This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you make up your mind to go and live in Egypt, these things will happen:


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You are afraid of war. But it will defeat you in the land of Egypt. And you are worried about hunger. But you will be hungry in Egypt. You will die there.


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Everyone who goes to live in Egypt will die in war. Or he will die from hunger or terrible disease. No one who goes to Egypt will live. No one will escape the terrible things I will bring to them.’


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“This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I showed my anger against Jerusalem. I punished the people who lived in Jerusalem. In the same way I will show my anger against you when you go to Egypt. Other nations will speak evil of you. People will be shocked by what has happened to you. You will become a curse word. People will insult you. And you will never see Judah again.’


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You are making a mistake that will cause your deaths. You sent me to the Lord your God. You said to me, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us. Tell us everything the Lord says, and we will do it.’


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So today I have told you the message from the Lord. But you have not obeyed the Lord your God. You have not done all that he sent me to tell you to do.


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So now be sure you understand this: You want to go to live in Egypt. But you will die by war, hunger or terrible diseases.”


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So Jeremiah finished telling the people the message from the Lord their God. He told them everything the Lord their God had sent him to tell them.


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Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah and some other men were too proud. They said to Jeremiah, “Jeremiah, you are lying! The Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to live there.’


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Baruch son of Neriah is causing you to be against us. He wants you to hand us over to the Babylonians. Then they will kill us. Or they will capture us and take us to Babylon.”


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So Johanan, the army officers and all the people disobeyed the Lord’s command. He had commanded them to stay in Judah.


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But Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers took those who were left alive from Judah to Egypt. These were the people who had run away from the Babylonians to other countries. But they had come back to Judah.


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Now Johanan and the army officers took the men, women and children. Among those people were the king’s daughters. And they led them to Egypt. Nebuzaradan commander of the guard had put Gedaliah in charge of those people. (Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam son of Shaphan.) Johanan also took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah.


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“Take some large stones. Bury them in the clay in the brick pavement. This is in front of the king of Egypt’s palace in Tahpanhes. Do this while the Jews are watching you.


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Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And I will set his throne over these stones I have buried. He will spread his covering for shade above these stones.


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He will come here and attack Egypt. He will bring death to those who are supposed to die. He will make prisoners of those who are to be taken captive. And he will bring war to those who are to be killed with a sword.


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Nebuchadnezzar will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt. He will burn those temples. And he will take the idols away. A shepherd wraps himself in his clothes. In the same way Nebuchadnezzar will wrap Egypt around him. Then he will safely leave Egypt.


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He will destroy the stone pillars in the temple of the sun god in Egypt. And he will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”


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Disaster in Egypt Jeremiah received a message from the Lord. It was for all the Jews living in Egypt. It was for the Jews in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis and southern Egypt. This was the message:


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“The Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: You saw the terrible things I brought on Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. Those towns are empty ruins today.


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And it is because the people who lived there did evil. Those people burned incense to other gods. And that made me angry! Your people and your ancestors did not worship those gods before.


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I sent my prophets to them again and again. Those prophets were my servants. They spoke my message and said to the people, ‘Don’t do this terrible thing. The Lord hates for you to worship other gods.’


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But they did not listen to the prophets. They did not pay attention. They did not stop doing evil things. They did not stop burning incense to other gods.


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So I showed my great anger against them. I punished the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. My anger made Jerusalem and the towns of Judah empty. They are only ruins and piles of stones today.


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“So the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves by continuing to worship other gods? You are cutting off the men and women, children and babies from the family of Judah. So you leave yourselves without anyone from the family of Judah.


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Why do you want to make me angry by making idols? Why do you burn incense to the gods of Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves. Other nations will speak evil of you. And all the other nations on the earth will make fun of you.


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Have you forgotten about the evil things your ancestors did? And have you forgotten the evil the kings and queens of Judah did? Have you forgotten about the evil you and your wives did? They did these things in Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.


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Even to this day the people of Judah are still too proud. They have not learned to respect me. And they have not followed my teachings. They have not obeyed the laws I gave you and your ancestors!


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“So this is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disasters on you. I will destroy the whole family of Judah.


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There were a few left alive from Judah. They were determined to go to Egypt and settle there. But they will all die in Egypt. They will be killed in war or die from hunger. From the least important to the greatest, they will be killed in war or die from hunger. Other nations will speak evil about them. People will be shocked by what has happened to them. They will become a curse word. People will insult them.


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I will punish those people who have gone to live in Egypt. I will use swords, hunger and terrible diseases to punish them. I will punish them just as I punished Jerusalem.


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Of the people of Judah who were left alive and have gone to Egypt none will escape my punishment. They want to return to Judah and live there. But none of them will live to return to Judah. None of them will return to Judah, except a few people who escape.”


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A large group of the people of Judah, who lived in southern Egypt, were meeting together. Among them were many women of Judah who lived in Egypt. They were burning incense to other gods, and their husbands knew it. All these people said to Jeremiah,


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We promised to make sacrifices to the Queen Goddess! And we will do everything we promised. We will burn incense and pour out drink offerings to worship her. We did that in the past. And our ancestors, kings and officers did that in the past. All of us did those things in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food. We were successful. Nothing bad happened to us.


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But then we stopped making sacrifices to the Queen Goddess. And we stopped pouring out drink offerings to her. Since then we have had problems. Our people have been killed in war and by hunger.”


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The women said, “Our husbands knew what we were doing. We had their permission to burn incense to the Queen Goddess! We had their permission to pour out drink offerings to her. Our husbands knew we were making cakes that looked like her and that we poured out drink offerings to her.”


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He said to them, “The Lord remembered that you burned incense. You burned it in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. You and your ancestors, kings and officers did that. And the people of the land did that. The Lord remembered and thought about it.


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Then he could not be patient with you any longer. He hated the terrible things you did. So he made your country an empty desert. No one lives there now. Other people curse that country.


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All this happened because you burned incense to other gods. You sinned against the Lord. You did not obey him. You did not follow his teachings or the laws he gave you. You did not keep your part of the agreement. This disaster has happened. It is there for you to see.”


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Then Jeremiah spoke to all those men and also to the women. He said, “People of Judah who are now in Egypt, hear the word of the Lord:


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The Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: You women did what you said you would do. You said, ‘We will keep the promises we made. We promised to make sacrifices to the Queen Goddess. And we promised to pour out drink offerings to her.’ So, go ahead. Do the things you promised you would do. Keep your promises.


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But hear the word of the Lord. Listen, all you Jews living in Egypt. The Lord says, ‘I use my great name and make this promise: The people of Judah now living in Egypt will never again use my name to make promises. They will never again say, “As surely as the Lord God lives . . .”


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I am watching over them. I am not watching over them to take care of them, but to hurt them. The Jews who live in Egypt will die from swords or hunger until they are all destroyed.


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Some people will escape being killed by the sword. They will come back to Judah from Egypt. But there will only be a very few who escape. Then, of the people of Judah who came to live in Egypt, those who are left alive will know. They will know whether my word or their word came true.


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I will give you a sign that I will punish you here in Egypt,’ says the Lord. ‘Then you will know my promises to hurt you will really happen.’


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This is what the Lord says: ‘Hophra king of Egypt has enemies who want to kill him. I will hand over King Hophra to his enemies. I will do this just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to kill Zedekiah.’”


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A Message to Baruch It was the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. Jeremiah the prophet told these things to Baruch son of Neriah. And Baruch wrote them on a scroll. This is what Jeremiah said to Baruch:


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Baruch, you have said, ‘How terrible it is for me! The Lord has given me sorrow along with my pain. I am tired because of my suffering. I cannot rest.’”


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The Lord said, “Say this to Baruch: ‘This is what the Lord says: I will tear down what I have built. And I will pull up what I have planted. I will do that everywhere in Judah.


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Baruch, you are looking for great things for yourself. Don’t do that! Don’t look for them because I will bring disaster on all the people. The Lord says these things! You will have to go many places. But I will let you escape alive wherever you go.’”


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This message is about Egypt: This message is about the army of King Neco, king of Egypt. His army was defeated at the city of Carchemish on the Euphrates River. It was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. This was in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. This is the Lord’s message to Egypt:


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Harness the horses. Soldiers, get on your horses! Go to your places for battle. Put on your helmets! Polish your spears. Put on your armor!


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What do I see? That army is terrified. The soldiers are running away. Their warriors are defeated. They run away quickly. They don’t look back. There is terror on every side!” says the Lord.


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“The fast runners cannot run away. The strong soldiers cannot escape. They will stumble and fall in the north, by the Euphrates River.


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Egypt rises up like the Nile River. It is Egypt that comes like that strong, fast river. Egypt says, ‘I will rise up and cover the earth. I will destroy cities and the people in them!’


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Horsemen, charge into battle! Chariot drivers, drive hard! March on, brave soldiers— soldiers from Cush and Put who carry shields. March on, soldiers from Lydia who use bows.


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“But that day belongs to the Master, the Lord of heaven’s armies. At that time he will give those people the punishment they deserve. The sword will kill until it is finished. The sword will kill until it satisfies its thirst for blood. This is because the Master, the Lord of heaven’s armies, will offer a sacrifice. That sacrifice is Egypt’s army in the land of the north, by the Euphrates River.


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“Go to Gilead and get some balm. Go up, people of Egypt! You will make up many medicines, but you will not be healed.


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The nations will hear of your shame. Your cries will fill all the earth. One warrior will run into another. And both of them will fall down together!”


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This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet. This message is about Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon as he came to attack Egypt:


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“Announce this message in Egypt, and prophesy it in Migdol. Preach this message also in Memphis and Tahpanhes: ‘Get ready for war. The battle is all around you.’


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Those soldiers will stumble again and again. They will fall over each other. They will say, ‘Get up. Let’s go back to our own people and our homeland. We must get away from our enemy’s sword!’


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In their homelands those soldiers will say, ‘The king of Egypt is only a lot of noise. His time of glory is over!’”


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The King’s name is the Lord of heaven’s armies. He says, “As surely as I live, a powerful leader will come. He will be strong as great Mount Tabor is higher than other mountains. He will be mighty as Mount Carmel is higher than the sea.


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People of Egypt, pack your things to be taken away as captives. This is because Memphis will be destroyed. The cities will be ruins, and no one will live there.


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The hired soldiers in Egypt’s army are like fat calves. They will all turn and run away together. They will not stand strong against the attack. Their time of destruction is coming. They will soon be punished.


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Egypt is like a hissing snake that is trying to escape. The enemy comes closer and closer. They will come against Egypt with axes. They are like men who cut down trees.


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They will chop down Egypt’s army as if it were a great forest,” says the Lord. “There are more enemy soldiers than locusts. There are too many soldiers to count.


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The Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: “Very soon I will punish Amon, the god of Thebes. And I will punish Egypt, her king and her gods. And I will punish the people who depend on the king.


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I will let all those people be defeated by their enemies. And those enemies want to kill them. I will give them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. But in the future, Egypt will live in peace as it once did,” says the Lord.


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A Message to Israel “People of Jacob, my servants, don’t be afraid. Don’t be frightened, Israel. I will surely save you from those faraway places. I will save your children from the lands where they are captives. The people of Jacob will have peace and safety again. And no one will make them afraid.


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People of Jacob, my servants, do not be afraid. I am with you,” says the Lord. “I scattered you to many different nations. And I will completely destroy all those nations. But I will not completely destroy you. I will punish you fairly. But I cannot let you escape your punishment.”


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A Message About the Philistines The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah the prophet. This message is about the Philistine people. It came before the king of Egypt attacked the city of Gaza.


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This is what the Lord says: “See, the enemy is gathering in the north like rising waters. They will become like an overflowing stream. They will cover the whole country like a flood. They will cover the towns and the people living in them. Everyone living in that country will cry for help. The people will cry painfully.


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They will hear the sound of the running horses. They will hear the noisy chariots. They will hear the rumbling chariot wheels. Fathers will not help their children to safety. Those fathers will be too weak to help.


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The time has come to destroy all the Philistines. It’s time to destroy all who are left alive who could help Tyre and Sidon. The Lord will soon destroy the Philistines. He will destroy those left alive from the island of Crete.


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The people from Gaza will be sad and shave their heads. The people from Ashkelon will be made silent. Those left alive from the valley, how long will you cut yourselves?


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“You cry, ‘Sword of the Lord, how long will you keep fighting? Return to your holder. Stop! Be still.’


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But how can the sword of the Lord rest? The Lord gave it a command. The Lord has ordered it to attack the city of Ashkelon and the seacoast.”


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A Message About Moab This message is about the country of Moab. This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: “How terrible it will be for Nebo. It will be ruined. The town of Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured. The strong city will be disgraced and shattered.


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Moab will not be praised again. Men in the town of Heshbon plan Moab’s defeat. They say, ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation!’ Town of Madmen, you will also be silenced. The sword will chase you.


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Moab’s people go up the path to Luhith. They cry loudly as they go. On the road down to the town of Horonaim, cries of pain and suffering can be heard.


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You trust in the things you do and in your wealth. So you also will be captured. The god Chemosh will be taken into captivity. And his priests and officers will be taken with him.


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The destroyer will come against every town. Not one town will escape. The valley will be ruined. The high plain will be destroyed. The Lord said this would happen.


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Spread salt over the fields in Moab. The country will be an empty desert. Moab’s towns will become empty. No one will live in them.


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A curse will be on anyone who doesn’t do what the Lord says. A curse will be on anyone who keeps back his sword from killing.


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“The people of Moab have never known trouble. They are like wine left to settle. They have never been poured like wine from one jar to another. They have not been taken into captivity. So they taste as they did before. And their smell has not changed.


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A time is coming,” says the Lord. “And I will soon send men to pour you from your jars. Those men will empty Moab’s jars. And they will smash their jugs.


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The people of Israel trusted that god in Bethel. They were ashamed when there was no help. In the same way Moab will be ashamed of their god Chemosh.


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The enemy will attack Moab and destroy their towns. Their best young men will be killed!” says the King. The King’s name is the Lord of heaven’s armies.


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All you who live around Moab, cry for her. All you who know about her, cry for her. Say, ‘The ruler’s power is broken. Moab’s power and glory are gone.’


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“You people living in Dibon, come down from your place of honor. Sit on the dry ground. This is because the destroyer of Moab is coming against you. And he will destroy your strong, walled cities.


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You people living in Aroer, stand next to the road and watch. See the man running away and the woman escaping. Ask them what happened.


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Moab will be ruined and filled with shame. Cry, Moab, cry out! Announce at the Arnon River that Moab is destroyed.


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People on the high plain have been punished. Judgment has come to these towns: Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath;


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“The people of Moab thought they were greater than the Lord. So punish Moab until they act as if they are drunk. Moab will fall and roll around in their own vomit. People will make fun of them.


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Moab, you made fun of Israel. Israel was caught in the middle of a gang of thieves. You often spoke about Israel. And you shook your head and acted as if you were better than Israel.


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People in Moab, leave your towns empty. Go live among the rocks. Be like a dove that makes its nest at the entrance of a cave!


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“We have heard that the people of Moab are proud and very conceited. They are proud and think they are important. They were very proud in their hearts.”


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I cry with the people of Jazer for the grapevines of Sibmah. In the past your vines spread all the way to the sea. They reached as far as the sea of Jazer. But the destroyer has taken your fruit and grapes.


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Joy and happiness are gone from the large fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the winepresses. No one walks on the grapes with shouts of joy. There are shouts, but not shouts of joy.


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“Their crying can be heard from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz. It can be heard from Zoar as far away as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.


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I will stop Moab from making burnt offerings at the places of worship. I will stop them from burning incense to their gods,” says the Lord.


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“My heart cries for Moab like a flute playing a funeral song. It cries for the people from Kir Hareseth. Their money and riches have all been taken away.


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Everyone has a shaved head. Everyone’s beard is cut off. Everyone’s hands are cut. Everyone wears rough cloth around his waist.


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People are crying on every roof in Moab and in every public square. There is nothing but sadness because I have broken Moab like a jar no one wants,” says the Lord.


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“Moab is shattered! The people are crying! Moab turns away in shame! People all around her make fun of her. The things that happened fill them with fear.”


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This is what the Lord says: “Look! An eagle is diving down from the sky. It spreads its wings over Moab.


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The towns of Moab will be captured. The strong, walled cities will be defeated. At that time Moab’s warriors will be frightened. They will feel pain like a woman who is having a baby.


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“People will run from fear. But they will fall into the pits. Anyone who climbs out of the pits will be caught in the traps. I will bring the year of punishment to Moab,” says the Lord.


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“People have run from the powerful enemy. They ran to Heshbon for safety. But fire started in Heshbon. A blaze broke out in Sihon’s town. And it burns the leaders of Moab. It destroys those proud people.


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How terrible it will be for you, Moab! Chemosh’s people are being destroyed. Your sons and daughters are being taken away as captives.


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“But in days to come, I will make good things happen again to Moab,” says the Lord. This ends the judgment on Moab.


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A Message About Ammon This message is about the Ammonite people. This is what the Lord says: “Do you think that Israel has no sons? Do you think there is no one to take the land when the parents die? Maybe that is why Molech took Gad’s land. Maybe that is why Molech’s people live in Gad’s towns.”


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The Lord says, “The time will come when I will make the capital city of Rabbah Ammon hear the battle cry. It will be a hill covered with ruins. And the towns around it will be burned. Those people forced Israel out of that land. But now the people of Israel will force them out!” says the Lord.


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“People in Heshbon, cry because the town of Ai is destroyed! Those who live in Rabbah Ammon, cry out! Put on your rough cloth to show your sadness, and cry loudly. Run here and there for safety inside the walls. This is because the enemy will take Molech away as a captive. They will also take away his priests and officers with him.


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You brag about your valleys. You brag about the fruit in your valleys. You are like an unfaithful child. You believe your treasures will save you. You think, ‘Who would attack me?’


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I will bring terror on you from every side,” says the Master, the Lord of heaven’s armies. “You will all be forced away. No one will be able to gather you.


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A Message About Edom This message is about Edom. This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “Is there no more wisdom in Teman? Can the wise men of Edom no longer give good advice? Have they lost their wisdom?


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You people living in Dedan, run away and hide in deep caves. This is because I will punish the people of Esau with disaster for what they did.


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If workers came and picked the grapes from your vines, they would leave a few grapes behind. If robbers came at night, they would steal only enough for themselves.


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But I will strip Esau bare. I will find all their hiding places. They will not be able to hide from me. The children, relatives and neighbors will die.


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This is what the Lord says: “Some people did not deserve to be punished. But they had to drink from the cup of suffering anyway. People of Edom, you deserve to be punished. So you will not escape punishment. You must drink from the cup of suffering.”


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The Lord says, “I make this promise in my own name. The city of Bozrah will become a pile of ruins! People will be shocked by what happened there. People will insult that city and speak evil of it. And all the towns around Bozrah will become ruins forever.”


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I have heard a message from the Lord. A messenger has been sent among the nations, saying, “Gather your armies to attack it! Get ready for battle!”


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Edom, you frightened other nations. Your pride has fooled you. You live in the hollow places of the cliff. You live on the high places of the hills. Even if you build your home as high as an eagle’s nest, I will bring you down from there!” says the Lord.


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“Edom will be destroyed. People will be shocked to see the destroyed cities. They will be amazed at the injuries.


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Edom will be destroyed like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them,” says the Lord. “No one will live there! No man will stay in Edom.


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“A lion will come from the thick bushes near the Jordan River. And it will go into the rich pastures where people feed their flocks. I am like that lion! I will suddenly chase Edom from their land. Who is the one I have chosen to do this? There is no one like me. There is no one who can challenge me. None of their leaders can stand up against me.”


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So listen to what the Lord has planned to do against Edom. Listen to what he has decided to do to the people in Teman. The Lord will surely drag away the young ones of Edom. Edom’s pastures will surely be destroyed because of them.


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At the sound of Edom’s fall, the earth will shake. Their cry will be heard all the way to the Gulf of Aqaba.


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The Lord is like an eagle swooping down. He is like an eagle spreading its wings over the city of Bozrah. At that time Edom’s soldiers will become very frightened. They will be crying from fear like a woman having a baby.


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A Message About Damascus This message is about the city of Damascus: “The towns of Hamath and Arpad are put to shame. They are afraid because they have heard bad news. They are discouraged. They are troubled like the tossing sea.


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The city of Damascus has become weak. The people want to run away. The people are ready to panic. The people feel pain and suffering like a woman having a baby.


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Surely the young men will die in the public squares of that city. All of her soldiers will be killed at that time,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies.


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“I will set fire to the walls of Damascus. The fire will completely burn the strong cities of Ben-Hadad.”


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A Message About Kedar and Hazor This message is about the tribe of Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated them. This is what the Lord says: “Go and attack the people of Kedar. Destroy the people of the East.


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Their tents and flocks will be taken away. Their tents and all their things will be carried off. Their enemy will take away their goods and camels. Men will shout to them, ‘Terror on every side!’


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“Run away quickly! People in Hazor, find a good place to hide!” says the Lord. “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has made plans against you. He has made plans to defeat you!


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“There is a nation that is comfortable. It is sure that no one will defeat it,” says the Lord. “That nation does not have gates or fences to protect it. Its people live alone. Attack that nation!


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The enemy will steal their camels and their large herds of cattle. I will scatter the Arabs to every part of the earth. And I will bring disaster on them from everywhere,” says the Lord.


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“Hazor will become a place where wild dogs live. It will become an empty desert forever. No one will live there. No man will stay in it.”


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A Message About Elam It was early in the time when Zedekiah was king of Judah. The Lord spoke this word to Jeremiah the prophet. This message is about the nation of Elam.


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I will bring the four winds against Elam. I will bring them from the four corners of the skies. I will scatter the people of Elam everywhere the four winds blow. And its captives will go to every nation.


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I will break Elam to pieces in front of their enemies. The enemies want to destroy Elam. I will bring disaster to Elam. I will show them how angry I am!” says the Lord. “I will send a sword to chase Elam. It will chase them until I have killed them all.


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A Message About Babylon This is the message the Lord spoke about Babylon and the Babylonian people. He spoke this message through Jeremiah the prophet.


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“Announce this to the nations. Lift up a banner and tell them. Speak the whole message and say: ‘Babylon will be captured. The god Bel will be put to shame. The god Marduk will be very afraid. Babylon’s idols will be put to shame. Her idols will be filled with terror!’


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A nation from the north will attack Babylon. That nation will make Babylon like an empty desert. No people will live there. Both men and animals will run away from there.”


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The Lord says, “At that time the people of Israel and Judah will be together. They will cry and look for the Lord their God.


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Those people will ask how to go to Jerusalem. They will start to go in that direction. They will come and join themselves to the Lord. They will make an agreement that will last forever. It will be an agreement that will never be forgotten.


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“My people have been like lost sheep. Their leaders have led them in the wrong way. Their leaders made them wander around in the mountains and hills. They forgot where their resting place was.


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Whoever found my people hurt them. And those enemies said, ‘We did nothing wrong. Those people sinned against the Lord, their true resting place. He was the God their fathers trusted.’


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I will bring against Babylon many nations from the north. This group of nations will take their places for war against Babylon. Babylon will be captured by people from the north. Their arrows are like trained soldiers who do not return from war with empty hands.


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The enemy will take all the wealth from the Babylonians. Those enemy soldiers will get all they want!” says the Lord.


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“Babylon, you are excited and happy. You took my land. You dance around like a young cow in the grain. Your laughter is like the neighing of male horses.


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Your mother will be very ashamed. The woman who gave you birth will be disgraced. Babylonia will be the least important of all the nations. She will be an empty, dry desert.


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The Lord will show his anger. No people will live there. Babylon will be completely empty. Everyone who passes by Babylon will be afraid. They will shake their heads when they see how it has been destroyed.


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“Take your positions for war against Babylon, all you soldiers with bows. Shoot your arrows at Babylon! Do not save any of them. This is because Babylon has sinned against the Lord.


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Soldiers around Babylon, shout the war cry! Babylon has surrendered. Her towers have fallen. Her walls have been torn down. The Lord is giving them the punishment they deserve. You nations should give Babylon what she deserves. Do to her what she has done to others.


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Don’t let the people from Babylon plant their crops. Don’t let them gather the harvest. The soldiers of Babylon treated their captives cruelly. Now, let everyone go back home! Let everyone run to his own country.


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“The people of Israel are like a flock of sheep that are scattered. They are like sheep that have been chased away by lions. The first lion to eat them up was the king of Assyria. The last lion to crush their bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”


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So this is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of Babylon and his country. I will punish him as I punished the king of Assyria.


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But I will bring the people of Israel back to their own pasture. They will eat on Mount Carmel and in Bashan. They will eat and be full. They will eat on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.”


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The Lord says, “At that time people will try to find Israel’s guilt. But there will be no guilt. People will try to find Judah’s sins. But no sins will be found. This is because I am saving the few people left alive from Israel and Judah. And I am forgiving their sins.


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“Attack the land of Merathaim. Attack the people who live in Pekod. Chase them, kill them and completely destroy them. Do everything I commanded you!” says the Lord.


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Babylon was the hammer of the whole earth. But how broken and shattered that hammer is now! Babylon is truly the most ruined of all the nations.


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Babylon, I set a trap for you. And you were caught before you knew it. You fought against the Lord. So you were found and taken prisoner.


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The Lord has opened up his storeroom. He has brought out the weapons of his anger. This is because the Lord God of heaven’s armies has work to do. He has work to do in the land of the Babylonians.


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Come against Babylon from far away. Break open her storehouses of grain. Pile up her dead bodies like big piles of grain. Completely destroy Babylon and do not leave anyone alive.


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Kill all the young men in Babylon. Let them be killed. The time has come for their defeat. How terrible it will be for them! It is time for them to be punished.


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Listen to the people running from the country of Babylon! They are telling Jerusalem how the Lord our God is punishing Babylon as it deserves. This is because Babylon destroyed his Temple.


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“Call for the men who shoot arrows to come against Babylon. Tell them to surround the city. Don’t let anyone escape. Pay her back for the bad things she has done. Do to her what she has done to other nations. Babylon acted with pride against the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.


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So Babylon’s young men will be killed in the streets. All her soldiers will die on that day,” says the Lord.


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“Babylon, you are too proud. And I am against you,” says the Master, the Lord of heaven’s armies. “This is because the time has come for you to be punished.


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Proud Babylon will stumble and fall. And no one will help her get up. I will start a fire in her towns. It will completely burn up everything around her.”


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “The people of Israel and Judah both are slaves. The enemy took them as prisoners. And they won’t let them go.


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But God is strong and will buy them back. His name is the Lord of heaven’s armies. He will defend them with power so he can give rest to their land. But he will not give rest to those living in Babylon.”


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The Lord says, “Let a sword kill the people living in Babylon! Let a sword kill its officers and wise men!


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Let a sword kill its false prophets! They will become fools. Let a sword kill Babylon’s warriors! They will be full of terror.


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Let a sword kill its horses and chariots. Let a sword kill all the soldiers hired from other countries! They will be like frightened women. Let there be a sword against Babylon’s treasures! They will be taken away.


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Let there be a sword against its waters! They will be dried up. It is a land of idols. Those idols will go crazy with fear.


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“Babylon will never be filled with people again. Desert animals and hyenas will live there. Owls will live there. But no people will live there ever again.


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God completely destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them,” says the Lord. “In the same way no people will live in Babylon. No man will stay there.


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“Look! An army is coming from the north. It comes from a powerful nation. Many kings are coming together from all around the world.


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Their armies have bows and spears. The soldiers are cruel and have no mercy. The soldiers come riding on their horses. And the sound is loud like the roaring sea. They stand in their places, ready for battle. They are ready to attack you, city of Babylon.


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The king of Babylon heard about those armies. And he became helpless because of his fear. His fear is like pain. It is like the pain of a woman having a baby.


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“A lion will come from the thick bushes near the Jordan River. It will go into the rich pastures where people feed their flocks. I am like that lion! I will suddenly chase the people of Babylon from their land. Who is the one I have chosen to do this? There is no one like me. There is no one who can challenge me. None of their leaders can stand up against me.”


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So listen to what the Lord has planned to do against Babylon. Listen to what he has decided to do to the people in Babylon. He will surely drag away the young ones of Babylon. Babylon’s pastures will be destroyed because of them.


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At the sound of Babylon’s fall, the earth will shake. People in all nations will hear about their destruction.


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This is what the Lord says: “I will cause a destroying wind to blow. It will blow against Babylon and the Babylonian people.


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I will send foreign people to destroy Babylon like a wind that blows chaff away. Those people will make Babylon empty. Armies will surround the city when disaster comes upon her.


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The Babylonian soldiers will not use their bows and arrows. Those soldiers will not even put on their armor. Don’t feel sorry for the young men of Babylon. Completely destroy her army.


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The Lord God of heaven’s armies did not leave Israel and Judah alone. They are fully guilty of leaving the Holy One of Israel. But he has not left them.


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“Run away from Babylon! Run to save your lives! Don’t stay and be killed because of Babylon’s sins. It is time for the Lord to punish Babylon. Babylon will get the punishment it deserves.


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Babylon was like a gold cup in the Lord’s hand. It made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank Babylon’s wine. So they went crazy.


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Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Cry for her! Get balm for her pain. Maybe she can be healed.


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“Foreigners in Babylon say, ‘We tried to heal Babylon. But she cannot be healed. So let us leave her and each go to his own country. Babylon’s guilt is as high as the clouds. Babylon’s guilt reaches to the sky.’


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“The people of Judah say, ‘The Lord has shown us to be right. Come, let us tell about it in Jerusalem. Let us tell about what the Lord our God has done.’


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“Sharpen the arrows. Pick up your shields! The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes. He has stirred them up because he wants to destroy Babylon. The Lord will give the people of Babylon the punishment they deserve. This is because Babylon destroyed his Temple in Jerusalem.


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Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! Bring more guards. Put the watchmen in their places. Get ready for a secret attack! The Lord will do what he has planned. He will do what he said he would do against the people of Babylon.


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People of Babylon, you live near much water. You are rich with treasures. But your end as a nation has come. It is time for you to be destroyed.


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The Lord of heaven’s armies has promised in his own name: ‘Babylon, I will surely fill you with so many enemy soldiers they will be like a swarm of locusts. They will stand over you and shout their victory.’


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“The Lord made the earth by his power. He used his wisdom to build the world. He used his understanding to stretch out the skies.


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“People are so stupid and know so little. Goldsmiths are made ashamed by their idols. Those statues are only false gods. They have no breath in them.


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“You are my war club. You are my battle weapon. I use you to smash nations. I use you to destroy kingdoms.


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I use you to smash men and women. I use you to smash old men and young men. I use you to smash young men and young women.


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I use you to smash shepherds and flocks. I use you to smash farmers and oxen. I use you to smash governors and officers.


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“But I will pay Babylon back, and I will pay back all the Babylonians for all the evil things they did to Jerusalem,” says the Lord.


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The Lord says, “Babylon, you are a destroying mountain. And I am against you. You have destroyed the whole land. I will put my hand out against you. I will roll you off the cliffs. I will make you a burned-out mountain.


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People will not find any rocks in Babylon big enough for cornerstones. People will not take any rocks from Babylon to use for the foundation of a building. This is because your city will be just a pile of ruins forever,” says the Lord.


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“Lift up the banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Get the nations ready for battle against Babylon. Call these kingdoms to come fight against Babylon: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Choose a commander to lead the army against Babylon. Send so many horses that they are like a swarm of locusts.


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Get the nations ready for battle against Babylon. Get the kings of the Medes ready. Get their governors and all their officers ready. Get all the countries they rule ready for battle against Babylon.


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The land shakes and moves like it is in pain. It will shake when the Lord does what he planned to Babylon. His plan is to make Babylon into an empty desert. No one will live there.


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Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting. They stay in their protected cities. Their strength is gone. They have become like frightened women. Babylon’s houses are burning. The bars of her gates are broken.


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One messenger follows another. Messenger follows messenger. They announce to the king of Babylon that his whole city has been captured.


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The river crossings have been captured. The swamplands are burning. All of Babylon’s soldiers are terribly afraid.”


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: “The city of Babylon is like a threshing floor, where people crush the grain at harvest time. The time to harvest Babylon is coming soon.”


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“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has destroyed us. In the past he took our people away. And we became like an empty jar. He was like a giant snake that swallowed us. He ate everything until he was full of our best things. Then he spit us out.


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Babylon did terrible things to hurt us. Now let those things happen to Babylon,” say the people of Jerusalem. “The people of Babylon are guilty of killing our people. Now let them be punished for the evil they did,” says Jerusalem.


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So this is what the Lord says: “I will defend you, Judah. I will make sure that Babylon is punished. I will dry up Babylon’s sea. And I will make her springs become dry.


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Babylon will become a pile of ruins. Wild dogs will live there. People will be shocked by what happened there. No one lives there anymore.


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While they are stirred up, I will give a feast for them. I will make them drunk. They will shout and laugh. And they will sleep forever and never wake up!” says the Lord.


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“I will take the people of Babylon to be killed. They will be like lambs, like male sheep and goats waiting to be killed.


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“How Babylon will be defeated! The pride of the whole earth will be taken captive. People from other nations will be shocked at what happened to Babylon. And the things they see will make them afraid.


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Babylon’s towns will be ruined and empty. Babylon will become a dry, desert land. It will become a land where no one lives. People will not even travel through Babylon.


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I will punish the god Bel in Babylon. I will make him spit out what he has swallowed. Nations will no longer come to Babylon. And the wall around the city will fall.


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Don’t lose courage. Rumors will spread, but don’t be afraid. One rumor comes this year, and another comes the next year. There will be rumors of terrible fighting in the country. There will be rumors of rulers fighting against rulers.


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The time will surely come when I will punish the idols of Babylon. And the whole land will be disgraced. There will be many dead people lying all around.


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Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy about Babylon. They will shout because the army came from the north and fought against Babylon,” says the Lord.


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“Babylon killed people from Israel. Babylon killed people from everywhere on earth. So Babylon must fall.


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You people escaped being killed with swords. You must hurry and leave Babylon. Don’t wait! Remember the Lord in the faraway land where you are. And think about Jerusalem.”


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“We people of Judah are disgraced. We have been insulted. We have been shamed. This is because strangers have gone into the holy places of the Lord’s Temple!”


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The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will punish the idols of Babylon. Wounded people will cry with pain all over that land.


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Babylon might grow until she touches the sky. She might make her cities strong. But I will send people to destroy that city,” says the Lord.


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“We can hear people crying in Babylon. We hear the sound of people destroying things in the land of the Babylonians.


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The Lord will destroy Babylon. He will make the loud sounds of the city become silent. Enemies will come roaring in like ocean waves. People all around will hear that roar.


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The army will come and destroy Babylon. Babylon’s soldiers will be taken captive. Their bows will be broken. This is because the Lord is a God who punishes people for the evil they do. He gives them the full punishment they deserve.


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I will make Babylon’s rulers and wise men drunk. I will make her governors, officers and soldiers drunk, too. Then they will sleep forever and never wake up,” says the King. His name is the Lord of heaven’s armies.


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This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: “Babylon’s thick wall will be pulled down. Her high gates will be burned. The people will work hard, but it won’t help. Their work will only become fuel for the flames!”


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A Message to Babylon This is the message that Jeremiah the prophet gave to the officer Seraiah. Seraiah was the son of Neriah, who was the son of Mahseiah. Seraiah went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah. This happened in the fourth year Zedekiah was king of Judah.


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Jeremiah had written on a scroll all the terrible things that would happen to Babylon. He had written all these words about Babylon.


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Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “Go to Babylon. Be sure to read this message so all the people can hear you.


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Then say, ‘Lord, you have said that you will destroy this place. You will destroy it so that no people or animals will live in it. It will be an empty ruin forever.’


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Then say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink. It will not rise again. It will sink because of the terrible things I will make happen here. Her people will fall.’” The words of Jeremiah end here.


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The Fall of Jerusalem Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. And he was king in Jerusalem for 11 years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah. She was from Libnah.


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All this happened in Jerusalem and Judah because the Lord was angry with them. Finally, he threw them out of his presence. Zedekiah turned against the king of Babylon.


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Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. They made a camp around the city. Then they built devices all around the city walls to attack it. This happened during Zedekiah’s ninth year, tenth month and tenth day as king.


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So they captured Zedekiah and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah. Riblah is in the land of Hamath. There he passed sentence on Zedekiah.


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There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah’s sons as he watched. The king also killed all the officers of Judah.


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Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes. He put bronze chains on him and took him to Babylon. And the king kept Zedekiah in prison there until the day he died.


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Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king’s special guards. This servant of the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem. This was on the tenth day of the fifth month. This was in Nebuchadnezzar’s nineteenth year as king of Babylon.


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Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, took captive some of the poorest people. And he took those who were left in Jerusalem. He took captive those who had surrendered to the king of Babylon. And he took away the skilled craftsmen who were left in Jerusalem.


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But Nebuzaradan left behind the rest of the poorest people of the land. They were to take care of the vineyards and fields.


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The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the bronze stands and the large bronze bowl, which was called the Sea. These were in the Temple of the Lord. Then they carried all the bronze to Babylon.


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They also took the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, bowls, dishes and all the bronze objects. They were used to serve in the Temple.


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The commander of the king’s special guards took these things away: bowls, pans for carrying hot coals and large bowls; pots, lampstands, pans and bowls used for drink offerings. He took everything that was made of pure gold or silver.


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There was so much bronze that it could not be weighed. There were two pillars. There was the large bronze bowl with the 12 bronze bulls under it. And there were the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the Temple of the Lord.


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Each of the pillars was about 27 feet high. Each pillar was 18 feet around and hollow. The wall of each pillar was 3 inches thick.


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The bronze capital on top of the pillar was about 7½ feet high. It was decorated with a net design and bronze pomegranates all around it. The other pillar also had pomegranates. It was like the first pillar.


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There were 96 pomegranates on the sides of the pillars. There was a total of 100 pomegranates above the net design.


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The commander of the guards took some prisoners. He took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three doorkeepers.


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The commander also took other people who were still in the city. He took the officer in charge of the fighting men. He also took seven people who advised the king. He also took the royal assistant who selected people for the army. And he took 60 other men who were in the city.


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in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan took 745 Jews as captives. Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king’s special guards. In all 4,600 people were taken captive.


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Jehoiachin Is Set Free Jehoiachin king of Judah was in prison in Babylon for 37 years. That year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon. He let Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison that year. He set Jehoiachin free on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month.


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Every day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin an allowance. This lasted as long as he lived, until Jehoiachin died.


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Jerusalem Cries over Her Destruction Jerusalem once was full of people. But now the city is empty. Jerusalem once was a great city among the nations. But now she has become like a widow. She was like a queen of all the other cities. But now she is a slave.


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She cries loudly at night. Tears are on her cheeks. There is no one to comfort her. All her lovers are gone. All her friends have turned against her. They have become her enemies.


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Judah has gone into captivity. She has suffered and worked hard. She lives among other nations. But she has found no rest. Those who chased her caught her. They caught her when she was in trouble.


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The roads to Jerusalem are sad. No one comes to Jerusalem for the feasts. No one passes through her gates. And her priests groan. Her young women are suffering. And Jerusalem suffers terribly.


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Her enemies have become her masters. Her enemies enjoy the wealth they have won. The Lord is punishing her for her many sins. Her children have gone away. They are captives of the enemy in a foreign land.


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The beauty of Jerusalem has gone away. Her rulers are like deer that cannot find food. They are weak and have run away from those who chased them.


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Jerusalem is suffering and homeless. She remembers all the precious things she had in the past. She remembers when her people were defeated by the enemy. There was no one to help her. When her enemies saw her, they laughed to see her ruined.


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Jerusalem sinned terribly. So she has become unclean. Those who honored her hate her now because they have seen her nakedness. Jerusalem groans and turns away.


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Jerusalem made herself unclean by her sins. She did not think about what would happen to her. Her defeat was surprising. There was no one to comfort her. She says, “Lord, see how I suffer. The enemy has won.”


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The enemy reached out and took all her precious things. She even saw foreigners enter her Temple. Lord, you had commanded that they should not enter the meeting of your people.


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All of Jerusalem’s people are groaning. They are looking for bread. They are giving away their precious things for food so they can stay alive. The city says, “Look, Lord, and see. I am hated.”


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Jerusalem says, “You who pass by on the road don’t seem to care. Come, look at me and see. Is there any pain like mine? Is there any pain like that he has caused me? The Lord has punished me on the day of his great anger.


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“The Lord sent fire from above. It went down into my bones. He stretched out a net for my feet. He turned me back. He made me sad and lonely. I am weak all day.


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“He has noticed my sins. They are tied together by his hands. They hang around my neck. He has turned my strength into weakness. The Lord has let me be defeated by those who are stronger than I am.


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“The Lord has rejected all my mighty men inside my walls. He brought an army against me to destroy my young men. As if in a winepress, the Lord has crushed the capital city of Judah.


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“I cry about these things. My eyes overflow with tears. There is no one near to comfort me. There is no one who can give me strength again. My children are left sad and lonely because the enemy has won.”


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Jerusalem reaches out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. The Lord has commanded for the people of Jacob that their enemies surround them. Jerusalem has become unclean like those around her.


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Jerusalem says, “The Lord is right. But I refused to obey him. Listen, all you people. Look at my pain. My young women and men have gone into captivity.


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“I called out to my friends, but they turned against me. My priests and my elders have died in the city. They were looking for food so they could stay alive.


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“Look at me, Lord. I am upset. I am troubled. My heart is troubled because I have been so stubborn. Out in the streets, the sword kills. Inside the houses, death destroys.


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“People have heard my groaning. There is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble. They are happy that you have done this to me. Now bring that day you have announced. Let my enemies be like me.


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“Look at all their evil. Do to them what you have done to me because of all my sins. I groan over and over again, and I am afraid.”


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The Lord Destroyed Jerusalem Look how the Lord in his anger has brought Jerusalem to shame. He has thrown down the greatness of Israel from the sky to the earth. He did not remember the Temple, his footstool, on the day of his anger.


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The Lord swallowed up without mercy all the houses of the people of Jacob. In his anger he pulled down the strong places of Judah. He threw her kingdom and its rulers down to the ground in dishonor.


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In his anger the Lord has removed all the strength of Israel. He took away his power from Israel when the enemy came. He burned against the people of Jacob like a flaming fire that burns up everything around it.


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Like an enemy, the Lord prepared to shoot his bow. He took hold of his sword. Like an enemy, he killed all the good-looking people. He poured out his anger like fire on the tents of Jerusalem.


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The Lord has become like an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces. He has destroyed all her strong places. He has caused more moaning and groaning for Judah.


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He has destroyed his Temple as if it were a garden tent. He has destroyed the place where he met with his people. The Lord has made Jerusalem forget the set feasts and Sabbath days. He has rejected the king and the priest in his great anger.


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The Lord has rejected his altar and abandoned his Temple. He has given to the enemy the walls of Jerusalem’s palaces. The enemy shouted in the Lord’s Temple as if it were a feast day.


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The Lord planned to destroy the wall around Jerusalem. He marked the wall off with a measuring line. He did not stop himself from destroying it. He made the walls and defenses sad. Together they have fallen.


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Jerusalem’s gates have fallen to the ground. He destroyed and smashed the bars of the gates. Her king and her princes are sent away among the nations. The teaching of the Lord has stopped. The prophets have not had any visions from the Lord.


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The elders of Jerusalem sit on the ground and are silent. They pour dust on their heads and put on rough cloth to show how sad they are. The young women of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground in sorrow.


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My eyes are weak from crying. I am troubled. I feel as if I have been poured out on the ground because my people have been destroyed. Children and babies are fainting in the streets of the city.


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They say to their mothers, “Where is some bread and wine?” They faint like wounded soldiers in the streets of the city. They die in their mothers’ arms.


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What can I say about you, Jerusalem? What can I compare you to? What can I say you are like? How can I comfort you, Jerusalem? Your ruin is as big as the sea. No one can heal you.


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Your prophets saw visions about you. But they were false and worth nothing. They did not expose your sins. They did not keep you from being captured. The messages they preached to you were false. They fooled you.


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All who pass by on the road clap their hands at you. They make fun and shake their heads at Jerusalem. They ask, “Is this the city that people called the most beautiful city, the happiest city on earth?”


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All your enemies open their mouths to say things against you. They make fun and grind their teeth in anger. They say, “We have swallowed her up. This is the day we were waiting for. We have finally seen it happen.”


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The Lord has done what he planned. He has carried out the order that he commanded long ago. He has destroyed without mercy. He has made your enemies happy because of what happened to you. He has strengthened your enemies.


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The people cry out to the Lord. Wall of Jerusalem, let your tears flow like a river day and night. Do not stop. Do not let your eyes rest.


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Get up, cry out in the night. Cry all through the night. Pour out your heart like water in prayer to the Lord. Lift up your hands in prayer to him. Pray for the life of your children. They are fainting with hunger on every street corner.


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Jerusalem says: “Look, Lord, and see. You have never done this to anyone else. Women eat their own babies, the children they have cared for. Priests and prophets are killed in the Temple of the Lord.


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“Young men and old men lie on the ground in the streets of the city. My young women and young men have been killed by the sword. You, Lord, killed them on the day of your anger. You killed them without mercy.


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“You invited terrors to come against me on every side. It was as if you were inviting them to a feast. No one escaped or remained alive on the day of the Lord’s anger. My enemy has killed those whom I gave birth to and brought up.”


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The Meaning of Suffering I am a man who has seen the suffering that comes from the rod of the Lord’s anger.


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The Attack on Jerusalem See how the gold has lost its shine! See how the good gold has changed! The stones of the Temple are scattered at every street corner.


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The precious people of Jerusalem were more valuable than gold. But now they are thought of as clay jars made by the hands of a potter.


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Even wild dogs give their milk to feed their young. But my people are cruel like ostriches in the desert.


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The baby is so thirsty that his tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth. Children beg for bread. But no one breaks off a piece to share with them.


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Those who once ate fine foods are now starving in the streets. The people who grew up wearing nice clothes now pick through trash piles.


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My people have been punished more than Sodom was. Sodom was destroyed suddenly. No hands reached out to help her.


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Our princes were purer than snow. They were whiter than milk. Their bodies were redder than rubies. Their faces shined like sapphires.


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But now they are blacker than coal. No one even recognizes them in the streets. Their skin is stretched over their bones. It is as dry as wood.


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Those people who were killed by the sword had it better than those killed by hunger. They starved in pain and died because there was no food from the field.


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With their own hands kind women cooked their own children. The children became food for their parents. This happened when my people were destroyed.


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The Lord turned loose all of his anger. He poured out his strong anger. He set fire to Jerusalem. It burned down to the foundations.


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Kings of the earth and people of the world could not believe it. They could not believe that enemies could come through the gates of Jerusalem.


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But it happened because her prophets had sinned. And her priests had done evil. They killed in the city the people who did what was right.


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They wandered in the streets like blind men. They became dirty with blood. So no one could touch their clothes.


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“Go away! You are unclean,” people shouted at them. “Get away! Get away! Do not touch us!” So they left and wandered around. The other nations said, “Don’t stay here.”


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The Lord himself scattered them. He did not look after them anymore. He did not respect the priests. He showed no mercy to the elders.


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Also, our eyes grew tired looking for help that never came. We kept watch from our towers for a nation to save us.


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Our enemies hunted us so we could not even walk in the streets. Our end came near. Our time was up. Our end came.


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The men who chased us were faster than eagles in the sky. They ran us into the mountains. They ambushed us in the desert.


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The Lord’s appointed king, who was our very breath, was caught in their traps. We had said about him, “We will be protected by him among the nations.”


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Be happy and glad, people of Edom, you who live in the land of Uz. But the Lord’s anger is like a cup of wine that you also will have to drink. Then you will get drunk on it and make yourselves naked.


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Your punishment is complete, Jerusalem. He will not keep you in captivity any longer. But the Lord will punish your wrongs, people of Edom. He will uncover your sins.


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Ezekiel’s Vision of Living Things It was the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month of our captivity. I, Ezekiel, was by the Kebar River in Babylon. I was among the people who had been carried away as captives from the land of Judah. The sky opened, and I saw visions of God.


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It was the fifth year that King Jehoiachin had been a prisoner. It was on the fifth day of the month.


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The Lord spoke his word to Ezekiel son of Buzi. This was in the land of the Babylonians by the Kebar River. There he felt the power of the Lord.


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When I looked, I saw a stormy wind coming from the north. There was a great cloud with a bright light around it. Fire was flashing out of it. And there was something that looked like glowing metal in the center of the fire.


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Their legs were straight. Their feet were like a calf’s hooves. And they sparkled like polished bronze.


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The living creatures had men’s hands. They were under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings.


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And their wings touched each other. The living creatures did not turn when they moved. Each went straight ahead.


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Their faces looked like this: In front each living creature had the face of a man. Each one had the face of a lion on the right side. Each one had the face of an ox on the left side. And in back each one had the face of an eagle.


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This was what their faces looked like. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two wings that touched one of the other living creatures. Each living creature had two wings that covered its body.


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Each went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, the living creatures would also go. When they went, they did not turn.


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The living creatures looked like burning coals of fire. They were like torches. Fire went back and forth among the living creatures. It was bright, and lightning flashed from it.


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Now I looked at the living creatures. And I saw a wheel on the ground by each of the living creatures with its four faces.


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The wheels and the way they were made were like this: They looked like sparkling chrysolite. All four of them looked the same. The wheels looked like one wheel crossways inside another wheel.


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When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the living creatures were lifted up from the ground, the wheels also were lifted up.


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Wherever the spirit would go, the living creatures would go. And the wheels were lifted up beside them. This is because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.


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When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved. When the living creatures stopped, the wheels stopped. And when the living creatures were lifted from the ground, the wheels were lifted beside them. This is because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.


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Now there was something like a dome over the heads of the living creatures. It sparkled like ice and was frightening.


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And under the dome the wings of the living creatures were stretched out straight toward one another. Each living creature also had two wings covering its body.


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I heard the sound of their wings as they moved. It was like the roaring sound of the sea. It was like the voice of God All-Powerful. It was a roaring sound like a noisy army. When the living creatures stood still, they lowered their wings.


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And a voice came from above the dome over the heads of the living creatures. When the living creatures stood still, they lowered their wings.


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Now above the dome there was something that looked like a throne. It looked like a sapphire gem. And on the throne was a shape like a man.


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Then I noticed what he looked like from the waist up. He looked like glowing metal with fire inside it. And from his waist down he looked like fire. I saw a bright light all around him.


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The glow around him looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. It seemed to look like the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I bowed facedown on the ground. And I heard a voice speaking.


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The Lord Speaks to Ezekiel He said to me, “Human being, stand up on your feet. Then I will speak with you.”


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While he spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and put me on my feet. Then I heard the Lord speaking to me.


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He said, “Human being, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are a nation of people who turned against me. They broke away from me. They and their ancestors have sinned against me until this very day.


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And I am sending you to people who are stubborn. They do not obey. You will say this to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’


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The people may listen, or they may not. They are a people who turn against me. But whatever they do, they will know that a prophet has been among them.


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You, human being, don’t be afraid of the people or their words. Thorny branches and thorns may be all around you. And you may live with insects that sting with poison. Don’t be afraid of their words. Don’t be afraid of their looks. They are a people who turn against me.


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But you, human being, listen to what I say to you. Don’t turn against me as those people do. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”


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The Lord opened the scroll in front of me. The scroll was written on the front and back. Funeral songs, sad writings and troubles were written on the scroll.


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Then the Lord said to me, “Human being, eat what you find. Eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the people of Israel.”


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The Lord said to me, “Human being, eat this scroll which I am giving you. Fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it. And it was sweet like honey in my mouth.


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You are not being sent to people whose speech you can’t understand. Their language is not difficult. You are being sent to Israel.


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You are not being sent to many nations whose speech you can’t understand. The language of Israel is not difficult. You are not being sent to people whose words you cannot understand. If I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.


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But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you. This is because they are not willing to listen to me. Yes, all the people of Israel are stubborn and will not obey.


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I have made you as hard as a diamond, harder than stone. Don’t be afraid of them. Don’t be frightened by them. They are a people who turn against me.”


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Also, the Lord said to me, “Human being, believe all the words that I will speak to you. And listen carefully.


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Go to the captives, your people. And speak to them, whether they listen or not. Tell them, ‘The Lord God says this.’”


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Then the Spirit lifted me up. And I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me. A voice said, “Praise God in heaven.”


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I heard the wings of the living creatures touching each other. And I heard the sound of the wheels by them. It was a loud rumbling sound.


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So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I was unhappy and angry. I felt the great power of the Lord.


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I came to the captives from Judah. They lived by the Kebar River at Tel Abib. I sat there seven days where these people lived. I was shocked.


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“Human being, I have made you a watchman for Israel. Any time you hear a word from my mouth, warn them for me.


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When I say to an evil person, ‘You will surely die,’ you must warn him. If you don’t speak out to warn the evil person to leave his evil way, he will die in his sin. But I will hold you responsible for his death.


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You must warn the evil person. Then if he does not turn from his wickedness or his evil ways, he will die because of his sin. But you will have saved yourself.


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“Again, a person who does right may turn away from his goodness. He may do evil. If I caused him to sin, he will die. Because you have not warned him, he will die because of his sin. And the good he did will not be remembered. But I will hold you responsible for his death.


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But if you do warn that good person not to sin, he may not sin. Then he will surely live. This is because he was warned. And you will save yourself.”


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Then I felt the power of the Lord there. He said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain. There I will speak to you.”


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So I got up and went out to the plain. I saw the glory of the Lord standing there. It was like the glory I saw by the Kebar River. And I bowed facedown on the ground.


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Then the Spirit entered me and made me stand on my feet. He spoke to me and said, “Go, shut yourself up in your house.


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As for you, human being, the people will tie you up with ropes. They will tie you up, and you will not be able to go out among them.


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Also, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth. Then you will be silent. And you will not be able to argue with the people, even though they turn against me.


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But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth. And you will say, ‘The Lord God says this.’ Whoever will listen, let him listen. Whoever refuses, let him refuse. They are a people who turn against me.


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The Map of Jerusalem “Now, human being, get yourself a brick. Put it in front of you and draw a map of Jerusalem on it.


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Then surround it with an army. Build battle works against the city. Build a road of earth to the top of the city walls. Set up camps around it. Put heavy logs in place to break down the walls.


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Then get yourself an iron plate. Put it up like an iron wall between you and the city. Turn your face toward the city as if to attack it. Then surround it and attack it. This is a sign to Israel.


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“Then lie down on your left side. Take the guilt of Israel on yourself. Their guilt will be on you for the number of days you lie on your left side.


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I have given you the same number of days as the years of the people’s sin. So you will have the guilt of Israel’s sin on you for 390 days.


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“When you have finished these 390 days, lie down a second time. This time lie on your right side. You will then have the guilt of Judah on you. I have given it to you for 40 days. This is a day for each year of their sin.


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Then you will turn your face toward the army attacking Jerusalem. With your arm bare, you will prophesy against Jerusalem.


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I will put ropes on you so you cannot turn from one side to the other. This will last until you have finished the days of your attack on Jerusalem.


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“Take wheat, barley, beans, small peas and millet seeds. And put them in one bowl. Make them into bread for yourself. You will eat it the 390 days you lie on your side.


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Then the Lord said, “In the same way Israel will eat unclean food. They will eat it among the nations where I force them to go.”


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But I said, “No, Lord God! I have never been made unclean. From the time I was young until now I’ve never eaten anything that died by itself. And I’ve never eaten anything torn by animals. Unclean meat has never entered my mouth.”


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“Very well,” he said. “Then I will give you cow’s dung instead of human dung. You may use it for your fire to bake your bread.”


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Then the Lord said to me, “Human being, look! I am going to cut off the supply of bread to Jerusalem. They will eat the bread that is measured out to them. And they will worry as they eat it. They will drink water that is measured out to them. And they will be in shock as they drink it.


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This is because bread and water will be hard to find. And the people will be shocked at the sight of each other. They will become weak because of their sin.


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Ezekiel Cuts His Hair “Now, human being, take a sharp sword. Use it like a barber’s razor to shave your head and beard. Then take scales and weigh and divide the hair.


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Burn one-third with fire when the days of the attack on Jerusalem are over. Burn it in the middle of the city. Then take one-third and cut it up with the knife all around the city. And scatter one-third to the wind. This is how I will chase them with a sword.


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Take a few more and throw them into the fire and burn them up. From there a fire will spread to all the people of Israel.


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“This is what the Lord says: This is Jerusalem. I have put her at the center of the nations with countries all around her.


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But she has refused to obey my laws. She has been more evil than the nations. She has refused to obey my rules even more than those around her. The people of Jerusalem have rejected my laws and have not lived by my rules.


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“So this is what the Lord God says: You caused more confusion than the nations around you. You did not follow my rules or obey my laws. You have not even obeyed the laws of the nations around you.


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“So this is what the Lord God says: I myself am against you. I will punish you and the nations will watch.


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I will do things among you that I have not done before. I will never do anything like them again. I will do them because you do the things I hate.


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So fathers among you will eat their children. And children will eat their fathers. I will punish you. I will scatter to the winds all who are left alive.


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So the Lord God says: As surely as I live, you have made my Temple unclean. You have done it with all your evil idols and the hated things you do. Because of this I will cut you off. I will have no pity. I will show no mercy.


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A third of you will die by disease or be destroyed by hunger inside your walls. A third will fall dead by the sword outside your walls. And a third I will scatter in every direction. I will chase them with a sword.


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Then my anger will come to an end. I will use it up against them. Then I will be satisfied. Then they will know that I, the Lord God, have spoken. After I have carried out my anger against them, they will know how strongly I felt.


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“I will make you a ruin. And I will make you a shame among the nations around you. All who pass by will see this.


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Then you will be shamed by the nations around you. They will make fun of you. You will be a warning to them. They will be terrified. This will happen when I punish you in my great anger. I, the Lord, have spoken.


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I will send a time of hunger to destroy you. Then I will make your hunger get even worse. I will cut off your supply of food.


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I will send a time of hunger and wild animals against you. They will kill your children. Disease and death will sweep through your people. I will bring the sword against you to kill you. I, the Lord, have spoken.”


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Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord God. The Lord God says this to the mountains, the hills, the ravines and the valleys: I will bring a sword against you. I will destroy your places of idol worship.


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Your altars will be destroyed. Your incense altars will be broken down. Your people will be killed in front of your idols.


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I will lay the dead bodies of the Israelites before their idols. And I will scatter your bones around your altars.


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In all the places you live, cities will become empty. And the places of idol worship will be ruined. Your altars will become lonely ruins. Your idols will be broken and brought to an end. Your incense altars will be cut down. And the things you made will be wiped out.


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“‘But I will leave some people alive. Some will not be killed by the nations when you are scattered among the foreign lands.


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Then those who have escaped will remember me. They will be living among the nations where they have been taken as captives. They will remember how I was hurt because they were unfaithful to me. They had turned away from me. They will remember how I was hurt because they desired to worship their idols. They will hate themselves because of the evil things they did that I hate.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet. Say, “Oh!” because the people of Israel have done terrible things. So they will die by war, hunger and disease.


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The person who is far away will die by disease. The one who is nearby will die in war. The person who is still alive and has escaped these will die from hunger. So I will carry out my anger on them.


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Their people will lie dead among their idols around the altars. They will be on every high hill, on all the mountain tops and under every green tree and leafy oak. These are the places where they offered sweet-smelling incense to their idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord.


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I will use my power against them. I will make the land empty and wasted from the desert to Diblah, wherever they live. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”


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“Human being, the Lord says this to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come on the four corners of the land.


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Now the end has come for you. I will send my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived. I will make you pay for your terrible actions.


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I will have no pity on you. I will not hold back punishment from you. I will make you pay for your ways and for your terrible actions. Then you will know that I am the Lord.


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The end has come for you who live in the land! The time has come. The day of confusion is near. There will be no happy shouting on the mountains.


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Soon I will pour out my anger against you. I will carry out my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived. I will make you pay for all the things you have done that I hate.


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I will show no pity. I will not hold back punishment. I will pay you back for the way you have lived and the terrible things you have done. Then you will know that I am the Lord who punishes.


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“Look, the day is here. It has come. Destruction has come. Violence has grown. There is more pride than ever.


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Violence has grown into a weapon for punishing wickedness. None of the people will be left. None of that crowd, none of their wealth, and nothing of value will be left among them.


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The time has come. The day has arrived. Don’t let the buyer be happy or the seller be sad. My burning anger is against the whole crowd.


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Sellers will not return to the land they have sold as long as they live. This is because the vision against all that crowd will not be changed. Because of their sins, no one will save his life.


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They have blown the trumpet, and everything is ready. But no one is going to the battle. My anger is against all that crowd.


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“The sword is outside. Disease and hunger are inside. The person who is in the field will die by the sword. Hunger and disease will destroy those in the city.


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Those who are left alive and who escape will be on the mountains. They will moan like doves of the valleys. Each person will groan about his own sin.


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They will put on rough cloth to show how sad they are. They will tremble all over with fear. Their faces will show their shame. And all their heads will be shaved.


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The people will throw their silver into the streets. Their gold will be like trash. Their silver and gold will not save them from the Lord’s anger. It will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs. It was what caused them to fall into sin.


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They were proud of their beautiful jewelry. They used it to make their idols, which I hate, and their evil statues. So I will turn their wealth into something they hate.


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And I will give it to the foreigners as treasures from war. I will give it to the evil people of the earth as treasure. These foreigners and evil people will dishonor the people’s jewelry.


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I will also turn away from the people of Israel. They will dishonor my treasured place. Then robbers will enter and dishonor it.


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So I will bring the worst of the nations to take over the people’s houses. I will also end the pride of the rich. And their holy places will be dishonored.


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Disaster will come on top of disaster. Rumor will be added to rumor. Then they will try to get a vision from a prophet. Even the teachings of God from the priest will be lost. And advice from the elders will also be lost.


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The king will cry greatly. The prince will give up hope. The hands of the people who owned land will shake with fear. I will punish them for the way they have lived. The way they have judged others is the way I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”


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Ezekiel’s Vision of Jerusalem It was the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month of our captivity. I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah before me. There I felt the power of the Lord God.


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I looked and saw something that looked like a man. From his waist down he looked like fire. From his waist up he looked like bright glowing metal.


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He stretched out the shape of a hand. And he caught me by the hair on my head. The Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the sky. He took me in the visions of God to Jerusalem. He took me to the entrance to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the Temple. The courtyard was where the idol was that caused God to be jealous.


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Then God said to me, “Human being, now look toward the north.” So I looked up toward the north. I saw an altar to the north of the gate. The idol that caused God to be jealous was in the entrance.


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The Lord said to me, “Human being, do you see what they are doing? Do you see how many hated things the people of Israel are doing here? This will drive me far away from my Temple. But you will see things more hated than these.”


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The Lord said to me, “Human being, dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall and saw an entrance.


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So I entered and looked. And I saw pictures of every kind of crawling thing. I saw awful beasts and all the idols of the people of Israel. They were carved on the wall all around.


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Seventy of the elders of Israel were standing there. They were in front of these carvings and idols. Jaazaniah son of Shaphan stood with them. Each man had his pan for burning incense in his hand. A sweet-smelling cloud of incense was rising.


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Then the Lord said to me, “Human being, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the dark? Have you seen each man in the room of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord doesn’t see us. The Lord has left the land.’”


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Then the Lord brought me to the opening of the north gate of the Temple. And I saw women sitting there crying for Tammuz.


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Then the Lord brought me into the inner courtyard of the Temple. And I saw about 25 men. They were at the entrance to the Temple, between the porch and the altar. Their backs were turned to the Temple of the Lord. They faced east. They were worshiping the sun in the east.


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The Lord said to me, “Do you see, human being? Is it unimportant that the people of Judah are doing the terrible things they have done here? They have filled the land with violence. They continually make me angry. Look, they are insulting me every way they can.


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So I will act in anger. I will have no pity. I will not show mercy. Even if they shout in my ears, I won’t listen to them.”


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Vision of the Angels The Lord shouted with a loud voice in my ears. He said, “You who are chosen to punish this city, come near. Bring your weapon in your hand.”


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Then six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north. Each had his powerful weapon in his hand. Among them was a man dressed in linen. At his side he had things to write with. The men went in and stood by the bronze altar.


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Then the glory of the God of Israel went up. It had been above the creatures with wings. It moved to the place in the Temple where the door opened. Then the Lord called the man dressed in linen. He had the things to write with at his side.


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The Lord said to him, “Go through Jerusalem. Put a mark on the foreheads of the people who groan and cry about all the terrible things being done among them.”


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As I listened, the Lord spoke to the other men. He said, “Go through the city behind the man dressed in linen and kill. Don’t pity anyone. Don’t show mercy.


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Kill and destroy old men, young men and women, little children and older women. But don’t touch anyone who has the mark on him. Start at my Temple.” So they started with the elders who were in front of the Temple.


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And the Lord said to the men, “Make the Temple unclean. Fill the courtyards with those who have been killed. Go out!” Then the men went out and killed the people in the city.


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While the men were killing the people, I was left alone. I bowed facedown on the ground. I cried out, “Oh, Lord God! Will you destroy everyone left alive in Israel when you turn loose your anger on Jerusalem?”


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Then the Lord said to me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is very great. The land is filled with people who murder. And the city is full of people who are not fair. The people say, ‘The Lord has left the land. And the Lord does not see.’


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But I will have no pity. I will show no mercy. But I will bring their evil acts back on their heads.”


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Then the man dressed in linen reported to the Lord. He was the man who had things to write with at his side. He said, “I have done just as you have commanded me.”


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The Coals of Fire Then I looked and saw the sky above the heads of the living creatures. I saw something like a sapphire gem. It looked like a throne.


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The Lord said to the man dressed in linen, “Go in between the wheels under the living creatures. And fill your hands with coals of fire from between the living creatures. Scatter the coals over the city.” As I watched, the man with linen clothes went in.


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Now the living creatures were standing on the south side of the Temple when the man went in. And the cloud from the Lord filled the inner courtyard.


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Then the glory of the Lord went up from the living creatures. And it stood over the door of the Temple. The Temple was filled with the cloud. And the courtyard was full of the brightness from the glory of the Lord.


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The sound of the wings of the living creatures was heard all the way to the outer courtyard. It was like the voice of God All-Powerful when he speaks.


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The Lord commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from between the wheels, from between the living creatures.” Then the man went in and stood by a wheel.


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One living creature put out his hand to the fire that was among them. The living creature took some of the fire. And he put it in the hands of the man dressed in linen. The man took the fire and went out.


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The Wheels and the Creatures Something that looked like a man’s hand appeared under the wings of the living creatures.


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I saw the four wheels by the living creatures. One wheel was by each living creature. The wheels looked like shining chrysolite.


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When the wheels moved, they went in any of the directions that the four living creatures faced. The wheels did not turn about. The living creatures did not turn their bodies as they went. But they followed wherever their faces pointed.


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All their bodies, their backs, hands, wings and the wheels were full of eyes all over. Now each of the four living creatures had a wheel.


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Each living creature had four faces. The first face was the face of a creature with wings. The second face was the face of a man. The third was the face of a lion. And the fourth was the face of an eagle.


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And when the living creatures moved, the wheels moved by their sides. The living creatures lifted their wings to fly up from the ground. And the wheels did not leave their sides.


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When the living creatures stopped, the wheels stopped. When the creatures went up, the wheels went up also. This was because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.


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The living creatures spread their wings. And they flew up from the ground while I watched. As they went up, the wheels stayed by their sides. They stood where the east gate of the Temple of the Lord opened. The glory of the God of Israel was over them.


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These are the living creatures I had seen under the God of Israel. This was by the Kebar River. I knew they were called cherubim.


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Each one had four faces. Each one had four wings. Things that looked like a man’s hands were under their wings.


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Their faces looked the same as the ones I had seen by the Kebar River. They each went straight ahead.


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Prophecies Against Evil Leaders The Spirit lifted me up. And he brought me to the front gate of the Temple of the Lord. This gate faces east. I saw 25 men where the gate opens. I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah. They were leaders of the people. They were among these 25 men.


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Then the Lord said to me, “Human being, these are the men who plan evil. And they give wicked advice in this city of Jerusalem.


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They say, ‘It is almost time for us to build houses. This city is like a cooking pot. And we are like the best meat.’


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Then the Spirit of the Lord entered me. He told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: You have said these things, people of Israel. But I know what is going through your mind.


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“So this is what the Lord God says: Those people you have killed and left in the middle of the city are like the best meat. And this city is like the cooking pot. But I will force you out of the city.


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You will die by the sword. I will punish you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.


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This city will not be your cooking pot. You will not be the best meat in the middle of the city. I will punish you at the border of Israel.


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Then you will know that I am the Lord. You did not live by my rules. You did not obey my laws. You did the same things that the nations around you do.”


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As I prophesied, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I bowed facedown on the ground. I shouted with a loud voice and said, “Oh no, Lord God! Will you completely destroy the Israelites who are left alive?”


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“Human being, the people still in Jerusalem have spoken about your relatives. And they have spoken about all the people of Israel who are captives with you. The people still in Jerusalem have said, ‘They are far from the Lord. This land was given to us as our property.’


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“So say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I sent the people far away among the nations. I scattered them among the countries. But for a little while I have become a Temple to them in the countries where they have gone.’


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“So say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I will gather you from the nations. And I will bring you together from the countries where you have been scattered. Then I will give you back the land of Israel.’


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“They will come to this land. Then they will take away all the hated idols from the land. They will take all the terrible images from there.


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I will give them a desire to respect me completely. I will put a new way to think inside them. I will take out the stubborn heart like stone from their bodies. Then I will give them an obedient heart of flesh.


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Then they will live by my rules. They will obey my laws and keep them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.


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But some people will want to serve their evil statues and hated idols. And I will pay them back for their evil ways, says the Lord God.”


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Ezekiel’s Vision Ends Then the living creatures lifted their wings. The wheels went beside them. And the glory of the God of Israel was above them.


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The glory of the Lord went up from inside Jerusalem. And it stopped on the mountain on the east side of the city.


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The Spirit lifted me up. And he brought me to the captives who had been taken from Judah to Babylonia. He did this in a vision given by the Spirit of God. Then the vision I had seen ended.


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“Human being, you are living among a people who refuse to obey. They have eyes to see, but they do not see. They have ears to hear, but they do not hear. This is because they are a family that refuses to obey.


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“So, human being, pack your things as if you will be taken away captive. And walk away like a captive. Do this in the daytime with the people watching. Move from your place to another with the people watching. Maybe they will understand, even though they are a people who refuse to obey.


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Bring out the things you would pack as a captive. Do it during the day when the people are watching. At evening go out with the people watching. Go like those who are taken away as captives from their country.


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Lift them onto your shoulders with the people watching. Carry them out in the dark. Cover your face so you cannot see the ground. I have made you a sign to the people of Israel.”


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I did these things as I was commanded. In the daytime I brought out my things. I was packed, ready to go away as a captive. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I brought my things out in the dark. I carried them on my shoulders. And the people saw all this.


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“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: This message is about the king in Jerusalem. And it is about all the people of Israel who live there.’


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Say, ‘I am a sign to you.’ “The same things I have done will be done to the people in Jerusalem. They will be taken away from their country as captives.


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The king among them will put his things on his shoulder in the dark. And he will leave. The people will dig a hole through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the ground.


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But I will spread my net over him. He will be caught in my trap. Then I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Babylonians. He will not see that land, but he will die there.


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All who are around the king I will scatter in every direction. I will scatter his helpers and all his army. I will chase them with a sword.


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“Then they will know that I am the Lord. I will scatter them among the nations. And I will spread them among the countries.


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But I will save a few of them from the sword. I will save a few from hunger and disease. Then they can tell about their hated actions among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”


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Then say to the people of the land: ‘This is what the Lord God says about the people who live in Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their food with fear. And they will drink their water in shock. This is because their land will be made empty. This is because of the violence of the people who live in it.


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And the cities where people live will become ruins. The land will become empty. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”


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“Human being, what is this saying you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’?


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So say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I will make them stop saying this. Then nobody in Israel will use it anymore.’ But tell them, ‘The time is near when every vision will come true.


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This is because I, the Lord God, will speak. What I say will be done. It will not be delayed. You are a people who refuse to obey. And in your time I will say the word and do it, says the Lord God.’”


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“Human being, look! The people of Israel are saying this: ‘The vision that Ezekiel sees is for a time many years from now. He is prophesying about times far away.’


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“So say to them: ‘The Lord God says this: None of my words will be delayed anymore. What I have said will be done, says the Lord God.’”


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“Human being, prophesy against the prophets of Israel. Say to those who make up their own prophecies: ‘Listen to the word of the Lord.


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This is what the Lord God says: How terrible it will be for the foolish prophets. They are the ones who follow their own ideas. And they have not seen a vision from me.


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Israel is like a house in ruins. But you have not gone up into the broken places. Your prophets have not repaired the wall. So how can Israel hold back the enemy in the battle on the Lord’s day of judging?


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Your prophets see false visions. They prophesy lies. They say, “This is the message of the Lord.” The Lord has not sent them. But they still hope their words will come true.


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You said, “This is the message of the Lord.” But that is a false vision. Your prophecies are lies because I have not spoken.


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“‘So this is what the Lord God says: You prophets spoke things that are false. You saw visions that do not come true. That is why I am against you, says the Lord God.


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So I will punish the prophets who see false visions and prophesy lies. They will have no place among my people. Their names will not be written on the list of the people of Israel. They will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.


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“‘It is because they led my people away. They said, “Peace!” but there is no peace. When the people build a weak wall, the prophets cover it with whitewash to make it look strong.


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So tell those who cover a weak wall with whitewash that it will fall down. Rain will pour down. Hailstones will fall. And a stormy wind will break the wall down.


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“‘So this is what the Lord God says: I will break the wall with a stormy wind. In my anger rain will pour down. And hailstones will destroy the wall.


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I will tear down the wall on which you put whitewash. I will level it to the ground. Then people will see the wall’s foundation. And when the wall falls, you will be destroyed under it. Then you will know that I am the Lord.


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So I will carry out my anger on the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. Then I will tell you, “The wall is gone. And those who covered it with whitewash are also gone.


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The prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem will be gone. And those who see visions of peace for Jerusalem will be gone also. There will be no peace, says the Lord God.”’


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False Women Prophets “Now, human being, reject the women among your people who make up their own prophecies. Prophesy against them.


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Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: How terrible it will be for women who sew magic charms on their wrists. How terrible it will be for those who make veils of every length. These women do this to trap people. You ruin the lives of my people but try to save your own lives!


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And you have dishonored me among my people. You have done it for handfuls of barley and pieces of bread. You have killed people who should not die. And you have kept alive those who should die. You have done this by lying to my people. And my people are willing to listen to lies.


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“‘So this is what the Lord God says: I am against your magic charms. You use them to trap people as if they were birds. I will tear these charms off your arms. I will free those people you have trapped like birds.


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I will also tear off your veils. I will save my people from your hands. They will no longer be in your power. You will not trap them. Then you will know that I am the Lord.


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By your lies you caused the heart of the person who did right to be sad. I did not make him sad. You have encouraged the evil person not to stop being evil. And that would have saved his life.


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So you will not see any more false visions. You will not prophesy anymore. And I will save my people from your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”


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“Human being, these men love to worship idols. They put up evil things that cause people to sin. Should I allow them to ask me for help?


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So speak to them. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Any person in Israel might want to worship idols. He might even put up evil things that cause people to sin. Then he might come to the prophet. When he does, I, the Lord, will answer him. I will put him to death because he worshiped idols.


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“So say this to the people of Israel: ‘This is what the Lord God says: Change your hearts and lives. Stop worshiping idols. Stop doing all the things I hate.


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Any Israelite or any foreigner in Israel can separate himself from me. He can do this by wanting to worship idols. Or he can put up the things that cause people to sin. Then if he comes to the prophet to ask me questions, I, the Lord, will answer him myself.


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I will reject him. I will make him a sign and an example. I will separate him from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.


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“‘But the prophet may be tricked into giving a prophecy. Then it is because I, the Lord, have tricked that prophet to speak. Then I will use my power against him. I will destroy him from among my people Israel.


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The prophet will be as guilty as the one who asks him for help. They both will be responsible for their guilt.


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Then the nation of Israel will not leave me anymore. And they will not make themselves unclean anymore with all their sins. Then they will be my people. And I will be their God, says the Lord God.’”


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“Human being, sometimes the people of a country will sin against me by not being loyal. When that happens, I will use my power against them. I will cut off their supply of food. I will send them a time of hunger. I will destroy both their people and animals.


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Three great men like Noah, Daniel and Job might be in that country. But their goodness could save only themselves, says the Lord God.


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“I might even send wild animals into that land. They would leave the land empty and without children. Then no one would pass through it because of the animals.


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As surely as I live, says the Lord God, not even Noah, Daniel and Job could help. Even if they were in the land, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They could only save themselves. And that country would remain empty.


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“Or, I might bring a war against that country. I might say, ‘Let a war be fought in that land. Let it destroy its men and animals.’


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As surely as I live, says the Lord God, not even these three men could help. Even if they were in the land, they could not save their sons or daughters. They could only save themselves.


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“Or, I might cause a disease to spread in that country. I might pour out my anger against that country, destroying and killing people and animals.


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As surely as I live, says the Lord God, not even Noah, Daniel and Job could help. Even if they were in the land, they could not save their son or daughter. They could save only themselves because they did what was right.


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“This is what the Lord God says: I will send my four terrible punishments against Jerusalem. They are war, hunger, wild animals and disease. They will destroy people and animals from Jerusalem.


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But some people will escape. Some sons and daughters will be led out. They will come out to you. You will see how they live. Then you will be comforted after the disasters I have brought against Jerusalem. You will be comforted after all the things I will bring against it.


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You will be comforted when you see how they live. You will know there was a good reason for what I did to Jerusalem, says the Lord God.”


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“Human being, what good is the wood of the vine? Is it better than the wood of a tree in the forest?


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Can wood be taken from the vine to make anything? Can you use it to make a peg on which to hang something?


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The vine is thrown into the fire for fuel. The fire burns up both ends and starts to burn the middle. Then is it useful for anything?


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When the vine was whole, it couldn’t be made into anything. When the fire has burned it completely, it certainly cannot be made into anything.”


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So this is what the Lord God says: “Out of all the trees in the forest, I gave the wood of the vine as fuel for fire. In the same way I have given up the people who live in Jerusalem.


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I will turn against them. They came through one fire. But fire will still destroy them. When I turn against them, you will know that I am the Lord.


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Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says to Jerusalem: Your beginnings and your ancestors were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite. And your mother was a Hittite.


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On the day you were born, your cord was not cut. You were not washed with water for cleansing. You were not rubbed with salt. You were not wrapped in cloths.


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No one felt sorry for you. No one would do any of these things for you. No, you were thrown out into the open field. This is because you were hated on the day you were born.


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I made you grow like a plant in the field. You grew up and became tall. You grew up and became like a beautiful jewel. Your breasts formed. Your hair grew. But you were naked and without clothes.


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“‘Later I passed by you and looked at you. I saw that you were at the time for love. So I spread my robe over you and covered your nakedness. I also made a marriage promise to you. I entered into an agreement with you. Then you became mine, says the Lord God.


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I put beautiful clothes made with needlework on you. I put sandals of fine leather on your feet. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.


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So you wore gold and silver. Your dress was made of fine linen, silk and beautiful needlework. You ate fine flour, honey and olive oil. You were very beautiful and became a queen.


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Then you became famous among the nations because you were so beautiful. Your beauty was perfect, because of the glory I gave you, says the Lord God.


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Jerusalem Becomes a Prostitute “‘But you trusted in your beauty. You became a prostitute because you were so famous. You had physical relations with anyone who passed by.


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And you took some of your clothes and made your places of worship colorful. This is where you carried on your prostitution. These things should not have happened. They should never happen again.


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You also took your beautiful jewelry. It was made from gold and silver I had given you. Then you made for yourselves male idols. And you were a prostitute with them.


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Then you took your clothes with beautiful needlework and covered the idols. You gave my oil and incense as an offering to them.


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Also, you took the bread I gave you. You took the fine flour, oil and honey I gave you to eat. And you offered them before the false gods as a pleasing smell. This is what happened, says the Lord God.


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“‘Also, you took your sons and daughters who were my children. And you sacrificed them to idols as food. Your sexual sins were not enough for you.


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You did all your hated acts and sexual sins. But you did not remember when you were young. At that time you were naked and had no clothes. You were left in your blood.


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“‘How terrible! How terrible it will be for you, says the Lord God. This is what you did after all these evil things.


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You built yourself a place to worship false gods. You made for yourself a place of worship in every city square.


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You built a place of worship at the head of every street. You made your beauty hateful. You offered your body for sex to anyone who passed by. Your sexual sins became worse and worse.


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You also committed shameful acts with the Egyptians. They were your neighbors and partners in sexual sins. Your sexual sins became even worse. And they caused me to be angry.


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So then, I used my power against you. I took away some of your land. I let those who hated you defeat you. They were the Philistine women. Even they were ashamed of your evil ways.


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Also, you committed shameful acts with the Assyrians because you could not be satisfied. You sinned sexually with them, but you still were not satisfied.


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You did even more sexual sins in the land of Babylonia. The Babylonians were traders. But you were not satisfied even with this.


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You built your place to worship false gods at the beginning of every street. And you made places of worship in every city square. But you were not like a prostitute because you refused payment.


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Men pay prostitutes, but you pay all your lovers. You pay them to come to you. And they come from all around and sin sexually.


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So you are different from other prostitutes. No one acts like a prostitute the same way you do. You give money, and no money is given to you. Yes, you are different.


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This is what the Lord God says: You showed your riches to other countries. And you uncovered your body in your sexual sins with your lovers. And you even did it with all your hated idols. You killed your children and offered their blood to your idols.


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So I will gather all your lovers with whom you found pleasure. Yes, I will gather all those you loved and those you hated. Yes, I will gather them against you from all around. I will strip you naked in front of them. Then they will be able to see your nakedness.


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So I will punish you as judges punish women guilty of adultery. I will punish you as murderers are punished. I will put you to death because I am angry and jealous.


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I will also hand you over to your lovers. They will tear down your places of worship. They will destroy the places where you worship false gods. They will tear off your clothes and take away your jewelry. They will leave you naked and bare.


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They will bring a crowd against you. They will throw stones at you and cut you into pieces with their swords.


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They will burn your houses with fire. They will punish you in front of many women. Then I will put an end to your sexual sins. And you will no longer pay your lovers.


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Then I will rest from my anger against you. I will stop being jealous. I will be quiet and not angry anymore.


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“‘You didn’t remember when you were young. So you have made me angry in all these ways. And I will repay you for what you have done, says the Lord God. Didn’t you add sexual sins to all your other acts which I hate?


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You are like your mother. She hated her husband and children. You are also like your sisters. They hated their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite. And your father was an Amorite.


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Now your older sister is Samaria. She lived north of you with her daughters. And your younger sister Sodom lived south of you with her daughters.


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You followed their ways. And you did what they did. But you were even worse than they were in everything you did.


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As surely as I live, says the Lord God, this is true. Your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.


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“‘This was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were proud. They had plenty of food. They lived in great comfort. But she did not help the poor and needy.


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So Sodom and her daughters were proud. And they did things I hate in front of me. So I got rid of them when I saw what they did.


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Also, Samaria did not do half the sins you do. You have done more hated things than they did. So you make your sisters look good because of all the hated things you have done.


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You will suffer disgrace because you have provided an excuse for your sisters. They are more right than you are. Your sins were even more terrible than theirs. Be ashamed and suffer disgrace because you made your sisters seem right.


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“‘But I will give Sodom and her daughters their riches back. I will give Samaria and her daughters their riches back. And with them I will also give you back your riches.


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But you will have to suffer disgrace. You will feel ashamed for all the things you have done. You even gave comfort to your sisters in their sins.


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Your sisters are Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters. They will return to what they were before. You and your daughters will also return to what you were before.


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Nor would you mention her before your evil was uncovered. And now the Edomite women and their neighbors say bad things about you. Even the Philistine women say bad things about you. Those around you hate you.


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God Keeps His Promises “‘This is what the Lord God says: I will give you what you should have. You hated and broke the marriage agreement.


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But I will remember my agreement I made with you when you were young. I will make an agreement that will continue forever with you.


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Then you will remember what you have done. You will be ashamed when you receive your sisters—both your older and your younger sisters. I will give them to you like daughters. But it will not be because of my agreement with you.


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You will remember and be ashamed. You will not open your mouth again because of your shame. This is because I will forgive you for all the things you have done, says the Lord God.’”


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Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: A great eagle came to Lebanon. He had great wings with long feathers of many different colors. The eagle took hold of the top of a cedar tree.


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He pulled off the top branch. And he brought it to a land of traders. The eagle planted it in a city of traders.


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“‘The eagle took a young plant from the land. And he planted it in a good field near plenty of water. He planted it to grow like a willow tree.


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The plant grew and became a low vine that spread over the ground. The vine’s branches turned toward the eagle. The vine’s roots were under the eagle. So the plant became a vine. And its branches grew, sending out leaves.


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“‘But there was another eagle with great wings and many feathers. The vine then bent its roots toward this eagle. The vine also sent out its branches toward the eagle so he could water it. The vine turned away from the area where it was planted.


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It was planted in a good field. It was by plenty of water so it could grow branches and give fruit. It could have become a fine vine.’


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“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: The vine will not continue to grow. The first eagle will pull up the vine’s roots and strip off its fruit. Then the vine will dry up. All its new leaves will dry up and die. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull the vine up by its roots.


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It might be planted again. But it will not continue to grow. It will completely die when the east wind hits it. It will dry up in the area where it grew.’”


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“Say now to the people who refuse to obey: ‘Do you know what these things mean?’ Say: ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem. He took the king and important men of Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon.


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Then he took a member of the family of the king of Judah. He made an agreement with him. The king of Babylon made this person promise to support him. The king also took away the leaders of Judah.


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He did this to make the kingdom of Judah weak so it would not be strong again. Then the kingdom of Judah could continue only by keeping its agreement with the king of Babylon.


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But the king of Judah turned against the king of Babylon. The king of Judah sent his messengers to Egypt. He asked the Egyptians for horses and many soldiers. Will the king of Judah succeed? Will the one who does such things escape? He cannot break the agreement and escape.


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“‘As surely as I live, says the Lord God, he will die in Babylon. He will die in the land of the king who made him king of Judah. The king of Judah hated his promise. He broke his agreement with the king of Babylon.


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The king of Egypt will not help the king of Judah in the war. He will not help with his mighty army and many people. The Babylonians will build devices to attack the cities and to kill many people.


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The king of Judah showed that he hated the promise by breaking the agreement. He promised to support Babylon, but he did all these things. So he will not escape.


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“‘So this is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, this is true: I will pay back the king of Judah for hating my promise and breaking my agreement.


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I will spread my net over him. He will be caught in my trap. Then I will bring him to Babylon. There I will judge him for the unfaithful acts he did against me.


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And all the best of his soldiers who escape will die by the sword. Those who live will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: I myself will also take a young branch from the top of a cedar tree. And I will plant it. I will cut off a small twig. It will be from the top of the tree’s young branches. I will plant it on a high and great mountain.


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I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel. Then it will grow branches and give fruit. And it will become a great cedar tree. Birds of every kind will build nests in it. They will live in the shelter of the tree’s branches.


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Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord. I am the one who brings down the high tree. I make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree. And I make the dry tree grow. I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do it.’”


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“What do you mean by using this saying about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes. And that caused the children to grind their teeth from the sour taste’?


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“As surely as I live, says the Lord God, this is true: You will not use this saying in Israel anymore.


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Every living thing belongs to me. The life of the father is mine. And the life of the son is mine. The person who sins will die.


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He does not eat at the mountain places of worship. He does not look to the idols of Israel for help. He does not commit adultery with his neighbor’s wife. He does not have physical relations with a woman during her time of monthly bleeding.


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He does not mistreat anyone. But he returns what was given as a promise for a loan. He does not rob other people. He gives bread to hungry people. He gives clothes to those who have no clothes.


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He does not lend money to get too much interest or profit. He keeps his hand from doing wrong. He judges fairly between men.


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He lives by my rules and obeys my laws faithfully. The person who does all these things is good. He will surely live, says the Lord God.


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“But this person might have a wild son who murders people. This son may do any of these other bad things.


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(But the father himself has not done any of these things.) This son eats at the mountain places of worship. He commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife.


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He mistreats the poor and needy. He steals things. He refuses to return what was promised for a loan. He looks to idols for help. He does things which I hate.


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He lends money for too much interest and profit. Will this son live? No, he will not live! He has done all these hated things. He will surely be put to death. He will be responsible for his own sins.


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“But this son might have a son who has seen the sins his father did. But after seeing them, he does not do those things.


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He does not eat at the mountain places of worship. He does not look to the idols of Israel for help. He does not commit adultery with his neighbor’s wife.


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He does not mistreat anyone. He does not keep something promised for a loan. He does not steal. But he gives bread to the hungry people. He gives clothes to people without clothes.


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He keeps his hand from doing wrong. He does not take too much interest or profit when he lends money. He obeys my laws and lives by my rules. He will not die for his father’s sin. He will surely live.


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But his father took other people’s money unfairly. He robbed his brother. He did what was wrong among his people. So he will die for his own sin.


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“But you ask, ‘Why is the son not punished for the father’s sin?’ The son has done what is fair and right. He obeys all my rules. So he will surely live.


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It is the person who sins that will die. The son will not be punished for the father’s sin. The father will not be punished for the son’s sin. The person who does right is responsible for his own goodness. The evil person is responsible for his own evil.


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“But the evil person might stop doing all the sins he has done. And he might obey all my rules and do what is fair and right. Then he will surely live. He will not die.


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I do not really want the evil person to die, says the Lord God. I want him to stop his bad ways and live.


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“But a person who does right might stop doing good and do wrong. And he might do the same hated things an evil person does. Will he live? All his good acts will be forgotten. This is because he became unfaithful. He has sinned. So he will die because of his sins.


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“But you say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t fair.’ Hear now, people of Israel. I am fair. It is what you do that is not fair!


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A good person might stop doing good. He might do wrong and die because of it. He will die because he did wrong.


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An evil person might stop doing the evil things he has done. And he might do what is fair and right. He will save his life.


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He thought about it and stopped doing all the sins he had done. He will surely live. He will not die.


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But the people of Israel still say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t fair.’ People of Israel, I am fair. It is what you do that is not fair.


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“So I will judge you, people of Israel. I will judge each person by what he does, says the Lord God. Change your hearts. Stop all your sinning. Then sin will not bring your ruin.


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Get rid of all the sins you have done. And get for yourselves a new heart and a new way to think. Why do you want to die, people of Israel?


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She brought up one of her cubs. And he became a strong lion. He learned to tear the animals he hunted. And he ate people.


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The nations heard about him. He was trapped in their pit. And they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.


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“‘The mother lion waited and saw that there was no hope for her cub. So she took another one of her cubs and made him a strong lion.


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This cub roamed among the lions. He was now a strong lion. He learned to tear the animals he hunted. And he ate people.


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He destroyed their strong places. He destroyed their cities. The land and everything in it were terrified by the sound of his roar.


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Then the nations came against him from areas all around. And they spread their net over him. He was trapped in their pit.


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Then they put him into a cage with chains. And they brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him into prison. Then his roar could not be heard again on the mountains of Israel.


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“‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard. It was planted beside the water. The vine had many branches and gave much fruit because there was plenty of water.


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The vine had strong branches. They were good enough for a king’s scepter. The vine became tall among the thick branches. And it was seen because it was tall with many branches.


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But it was pulled up by its roots in anger. It was thrown down to the ground. The east wind dried it up. Its fruit was torn off. Its strong branches were broken off. They were burned up.


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And fire has spread from the vine’s main branch. It has destroyed its fruit. There is not a strong branch left on it that could become a scepter for a king.’ This is a funeral song. It is to be used as a funeral song.”


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Israel Has Refused God It was the seventh year, in the fifth month of our captivity. It was the tenth day of the month. Some of the elders of Israel came to ask about the Lord. They sat down before me.


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“Human being, speak to the elders of Israel. Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: Did you come to ask me questions? As surely as I live, I will not let you ask me questions.’


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“Will you judge them? Will you judge them, human being? Let them know the hated things their fathers did.


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Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I chose Israel and made a promise to the descendants of Jacob. At that time I made myself known to them in Egypt. I promised them, “I am the Lord your God.”


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At that time I promised them I would bring them out of Egypt. I promised to bring them into a land I had chosen for them. This is a land where much food grows. It is the best of all lands.


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I said to them, “Each one of you must throw away the hateful idols you have set your eyes on. Don’t make yourselves unclean with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”


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“‘But they turned against me and refused to listen to me. They did not throw away the hated idols which they saw and liked. They did not leave the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out my anger against them in the land of Egypt.


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But I acted to show who I am. I did not allow myself to be dishonored before the nations where the Israelites lived. I made myself known to the Israelites. I did this by bringing them out of Egypt while the nations were watching.


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I also gave them my Sabbaths. They were to be a sign between us. Then they would know that I am the Lord. I make them holy.


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“‘But in the desert Israel turned against me. They did not follow my rules. They rejected my laws. But if a person obeys them, he will live. They dishonored my Sabbaths. Then I decided to pour out my anger against them and destroy them in the desert.


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But I acted for the sake of my name. I did not allow it to be dishonored before the nations. As the nations watched, I had brought the Israelites out of Egypt.


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But in the desert I had to make another promise to the Israelites. I had to promise I would not bring them into the land I had given them. It is a land where much food grows. It is the best of all the lands.


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This is because they rejected my laws. They did not follow my rules. They dishonored my Sabbaths. They would rather worship their idols.


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I said to their children in the desert, “Don’t live by the rules of your fathers. Don’t obey their laws. Don’t make yourselves unclean with their idols.


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Keep my Sabbaths holy. They will be a sign between me and you. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”


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“‘But the people turned against me. If a person obeys my laws, he will live. But they did not live by my rules. They were not careful to obey my laws. They dishonored my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out my anger against them. I decided to carry out my anger against them in the desert.


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But I held back my anger. I acted for the sake of my name. Then my name would not be dishonored with the nations watching. As the nations watched, I had brought the Israelites out from Egypt.


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Also in the desert I had to make a promise to the Israelites. I had to promise to scatter them among the nations and spread them among the countries.


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This is because they did not obey my laws. They had rejected my rules and dishonored my Sabbaths. And they worshiped the idols of their ancestors.


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I also allowed them to follow rules that were not good. And they followed laws by which they could not live.


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I let the Israelites make themselves unclean by the gifts they brought to their false gods. They sacrificed their oldest children in the fire. This is how I shocked them so they would know that I am the Lord.’


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“So, human being, speak to the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Your ancestors spoke against me by being unfaithful to me in this way:


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I had brought them into the land I promised to give them. They saw every high hill and every leafy tree. There they offered their sacrifices to false gods. They brought offerings that made me angry. There, also, they burned their incense. There they poured out their drink offerings.


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Then I said to them: What is this place where you go to worship false gods?’” (It is still called High Place today.)


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“So say to the people of Israel: ‘This is what the Lord God says: Will you make yourselves unclean as your ancestors did? Will you be unfaithful and desire their hated idols?


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You offer your children as gifts to the false gods. You sacrifice them in the fire. You make yourselves unclean with all your idols even today. So, people of Israel, should I let you ask me questions? As surely as I live, says the Lord God, I will not accept questions from you.


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“‘What you want will not come true. You say, “We want to be like the other nations and the people in other lands. We want to worship idols made of wood and stone.”


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As surely as I live, says the Lord God, I will rule you. I will rule you with my great power and strength and anger.


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I will bring you out from the foreign nations. I will gather you from the lands where you are scattered. I will do this with my great power and strength and anger.


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I will bring you among the nations as I brought your ancestors into the desert with Moses. There I will judge you face to face.


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I will judge you the same way I judged your ancestors. That was in the desert of the land of Egypt. So I will judge you, says the Lord God.


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I will get rid of those who refuse to obey me and who turn against me. I will bring them out of the land where they are now living. But they will never enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: People of Israel, go serve your idols for now. But later you will listen to me. You will not continue to dishonor my holy name with your gifts and false gods.


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My holy mountain is the high mountain of Israel. There all Israel will serve me in the land, says the Lord God. There I will accept you. There I will look for your offerings. I will look for the first harvest of your offerings and all your holy gifts.


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I will accept you like a pleasing smell. This will happen when I bring you out from the foreign nations. It will take place when I gather you from the lands where you are scattered. Then through you I will show how holy I am. The nations will see it.


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When I bring you into the land of Israel, you will know that I am the Lord. I will bring you into the land I promised your ancestors.


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There you will remember everything you did that made you unclean. Then you will hate yourselves for all the evil things you have done.


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I will deal with you to show who I am. Then you will know I am the Lord, people of Israel. But it’s not because of your evil ways or unclean actions, says the Lord God.’”


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“Human being, look toward the south. Prophesy against the south. Prophesy against the forest of the southern area.


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Say to that forest: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord God says: I am ready to start a fire in you. The fire will destroy all your green trees and all your dry trees. The flame that burns will not be put out. All the land from south to north will be burned by the fire.


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“Human being, look toward Jerusalem and speak against their holy place. Prophesy against the land of Israel.


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Say to Israel: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will pull my sword out of its holder. I will separate you from both wicked people and those who do right.


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I am going to separate the wicked and those who do right. So my sword will come out from its holder. And it will come against all people from south to north.


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Then all people will know that I, the Lord, have pulled my sword out from its holder. My sword will not go back in again.’


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“So, human being, groan with breaking heart and great sadness. Make these sad sounds in front of the people.


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They will ask you, ‘Why do you make these sad sounds?’ Then you will say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear. All hands will become weak. Everyone will be afraid. All knees will become weak as water. Look, it is coming. It will happen, says the Lord God.’”


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“Human being, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: A sword, a sword, made sharp and polished.


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It is made sharp for the killing. It is polished to flash like lightning. “‘You are not happy about this horrible punishment by the sword. But my son, Judah, you did not change when you were only beaten with a rod.


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The sword should be polished. The sword is meant to be held in the hand. It is made sharp and polished. It is made ready for the hand of the killer.


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Shout and yell, human being. This is because the sword is against my people. It is against all the rulers of Israel. They will be killed by the sword, along with my people. So beat your chest in sadness.


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“‘The test will come. And Judah, who is hated by the armies of Babylon, will not last, says the Lord God.’


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“So, human being, prophesy. And clap your hands. Let the sword hit two or three times. It is the sword for killing. It is the sword for much killing. This sword surrounds the people.


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Their hearts will melt with fear. And many people will die. I have placed the killing sword at all their gates. Oh! The sword is made to flash like lightning. It is held, ready for killing.


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“Human being, mark two roads that the king of Babylon and his sword can follow. Both of these roads will start from the same country. And make signs where the road divides and one way goes toward the city.


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One sign shows the road he can take with his sword to Rabbah. It is in the land of the Ammonites. And the other sign shows the road he can take to Judah and Jerusalem. Jerusalem is protected with strong walls.


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The king of Babylon will come to where the road divides into two. He will use magic. He will throw lots with arrows. He will ask questions of his family idols. He will look at the liver of a sacrificed animal to learn where he should go.


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The lots will tell him to go toward his right to Jerusalem. They will tell him these things: Use logs to break down the city gates. Shout the battle cry and give the order to kill. Build a dirt road to the top of the walls and devices to attack the walls.


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The people of Jerusalem have made agreements with other nations to help them fight Babylon. So they will think this prediction is wrong. But the king of Babylon will remind them of their sin. And he will capture them.


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“So this is what the Lord God says: ‘You have shown how sinful you are by turning against the Lord. Your sins are seen in all the things you do. So you will be taken captive by the enemy.


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“‘You unclean and evil leader of Israel, you will be killed! The time of your final punishment has come.


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This is what the Lord God says: Take off the turban. Take off the crown. Things will change. Those who are important now will be made unimportant. And those who are unimportant now will be made important.


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A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! This place will not be rebuilt until the one comes who has a right to be king. Then I will give it to him.’


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The Punishment of Ammon “And you, human being, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord God says about the people of Ammon and their insults: A sword, a sword is pulled out of its holder. It is polished to kill and destroy. It will flash like lightning!


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Prophets see false visions about you and prophesy lies about you. The sword will be put on the necks of these evil people who are to be killed. Their day has come. The time of your final punishment has come.


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Put the sword back in its holder. I will judge you in the place where you were created. I will judge you in the land where you were born.


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I will pour out my anger against you. I will breathe on you with the fire of my anger. I will hand you over to cruel men who are skilled in destruction.


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You will be like fuel for the fire. You will die in the land. You will not be remembered. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”


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“And you, human being, will you judge? Will you judge the city of murderers? Then tell her about all her hated acts.


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You will say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: You are a city that kills those who come to live there. You make yourself unclean by making idols.


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You have become guilty of murder. And you have become unclean by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your time of punishment near. You have come to the end of your years. So I have made you a thing of shame to the nations. All lands will laugh at you.


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Those near and those far away will laugh at you. You will have a bad name. You will be full of confusion.


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The people in you hate their fathers and mothers. They mistreat the foreigners in you. They wrong the orphans and widows in you.


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The men in you tell lies to cause the death of others. The people in you eat food offered to idols at the mountain places of worship. They do sexual sins in you.


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The people in you sin sexually with their fathers’ wives. The men in you have physical relations with women who are unclean, during their time of monthly bleeding.


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One person in you does a hated act with his neighbor’s wife. Another has shamefully violated his daughter-in-law. And another rapes his half sister.


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The people in you take money to kill people. You take unfair interest and profits. You make profits by mistreating your neighbor. And you have forgotten me, says the Lord God.


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I will scatter you among the nations. I will spread you through the countries. I will get rid of your uncleanness.


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But you, yourself, will be dishonored in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”


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“Human being, the people of Israel have become useless like scum to me. They are like the copper, tin, iron and lead left in the furnace. These are left when silver is purified by melting.


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So this is what the Lord God says: ‘You have become useless like scum. I am going to gather you into Jerusalem.


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People gather silver, copper, iron, lead and tin into a furnace. Then they melt it in a blazing fire. In the same way I will gather you in my hot anger. I will put you in Jerusalem and melt you.


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Silver is melted in the furnace. In the same way you will be melted in the city. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my anger against you.’”


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Israel’s rulers make evil plans. They are like a roaring lion that tears the animal it has caught. They have destroyed lives. They have taken treasure and valuable things. They have caused many women to become widows.


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Israel’s priests do cruel things to my teachings. They do not honor my holy things. They make no difference between holy and unholy things. They teach there is no difference between clean and unclean things. They do not remember my Sabbaths. So I am dishonored by them.


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And the prophets try to cover this up by false visions and by lying. They say, ‘This is what the Lord God says’ when the Lord has not spoken.


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The people cheat others. They steal. They hurt people who are poor and needy. They cheat foreigners and don’t treat them fairly.


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“I looked for someone to build up the walls. I looked for someone to stand before me where the walls are broken to defend these people. Then I would not have to destroy them. But I did not find anyone.


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So I will let them see my anger. I will destroy them with an anger that is like fire. This is because of all the things they have done, says the Lord God.”


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While they were young, they went to Egypt and became prostitutes. They let men touch and hold their breasts.


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The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was named Oholibah. They were mine and had sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.


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Samaria became a prostitute for all the important men in Assyria. And she made herself unclean with all the idols of everyone she desired.


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She continued the prostitution she began in Egypt. When she was young, she slept with men. They touched her breasts and sinned sexually with her.


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They stripped her naked and took away her sons and daughters. Then they killed her with a sword. Women everywhere began talking about how she had been punished.


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“Her sister Jerusalem saw what happened to Samaria. And so Jerusalem became worse than her sister in her sexual desire and prostitution.


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She also desired the Assyrians. All of them—governors, commanders, warriors dressed in uniform, and horsemen—were handsome.


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and had belts around their waists. They wore turbans on their heads. They all looked like chariot officers born in Babylonia.


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So these Babylonian men came and had sinful physical relations with her. They made her unclean. After that, she became sick of them.


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But she continued her prostitution so that everyone knew about it. And I finally became sick of her, as I had her sister.


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But she remembered how she was a young prostitute in Egypt. So she took part in even more prostitution.


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In the same way you desired to do the sinful things you had done in Egypt. There men touched and held your young breasts.


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God’s Judgment on Jerusalem “So, Jerusalem, this is what the Lord God says: You have tired of your lovers. So now I will make them angry with you. And they will surround you.


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Men from Babylon and all Babylonia and men from Pekod, Shoa and Koa will come against you. All the Assyrians will come against you. They are governors, commanders, chariot drivers and important men, all riding horses.


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Those men will come with great armies. They will come with their weapons, chariots and wagons. They will surround you with large and small shields and with helmets. And I will hand you over to them for punishment. And they will punish you with their own kind of punishment.


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Then you will see how strong my anger can be. They will punish you in their anger. They will cut off your noses and ears. They will take away your sons and daughters. Those who are left will be burned.


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I will put a stop to the sinful life you began when you were in Egypt. You will not desire these things anymore. And you will not remember Egypt anymore.


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“This is what the Lord God says: You became sick of your lovers. But I am giving you to those men you now hate.


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They will treat you with hate and take away everything you worked for. They will leave you empty and naked. Everyone will know about the sinful things you did. Your sexual sins


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“This is what the Lord God says: You will drink the same cup your sister did. And that cup is deep and wide. Everyone will make fun of you, because the cup is full.


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It will make you miserable and drunk. It is the cup of fear and ruin. It is the cup of your sister Samaria.


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You will drink everything in it. Then you will smash it and tear at your breasts. I have spoken, says the Lord God.


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“So this is what the Lord God says: You have forgotten me and turned your back on me. So you will be punished for your sexual sins.”


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Judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem The Lord said to me: “Human being, will you judge Samaria and Jerusalem? Then show them their hated acts.


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They are guilty of adultery and murder. They have taken part in adultery with their idols. They even offered their children as sacrifices in the fire. They were to be food for these idols.


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They have also done this to me: They made my Temple unclean at the same time they dishonored my Sabbaths.


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They offered their children to their idols. Then they entered my Temple at that very time to dishonor it. That is what they did inside my Temple.


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“They even sent for men from far away. A messenger was sent to them, and they came. The two sisters bathed themselves for them, painted their eyes and put on jewelry.


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“There was the noise of a reckless crowd in the city. Common people gathered, and drunkards were brought from the desert. They put bracelets on the hands of the two sisters. And they put beautiful crowns on their heads.


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Then I said about the one who was worn out by her acts of adultery, ‘Let them continue their sexual sins with her. She is nothing but a prostitute.’


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They kept going to her as they would go to a prostitute. So they continued to go to Oholah, which was Samaria, and Oholibah, which was Jerusalem. These were the shameful women.


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But men who do right will judge them as they judge women who take part in adultery. And they will judge them as they judge women who murder people. This is because Samaria and Jerusalem are guilty of adultery and murder.


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“This is what the Lord God says: Bring together a mob against Samaria and Jerusalem. And hand them over to be frightened and robbed.


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Let the mob kill them by throwing stones at them. Let the mob cut them down with their swords. Let them kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses with fire.


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“So I will put an end to sexual sins in the land. Then all women will be warned. And they will not do the sexual sins you have done.


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You will be punished for your sexual sins and the sin of worshiping idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.”


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The Pot and the Meat The Lord spoke his word to me. It was in the ninth year, in the tenth month of our captivity. It was on the tenth day of the month. He said:


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“Human being, write for yourself this date, this very date. The king of Babylon has surrounded Jerusalem this very day.


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And tell a story to the people who refuse to obey me. Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: Put on the pot. Put it on and pour water in it.


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Put in the pieces of meat. Put in the best pieces—the legs and the shoulders. Fill it with the best bones.


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Take the best of the flock. Pile wood under the pot. Boil the pieces of meat until even the bones are cooked.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: How terrible it will be for the city of murderers! How terrible it will be for the rusty pot! Its rust will not go away! Take the meat out of it, piece by piece. Don’t choose any special piece.


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“‘The blood from her killings is still in the city. She poured the blood on the bare rock. She did not pour it on the ground where dust would cover it.


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To stir up my anger and revenge, I put the blood she spilled on the bare rock. So it will not be covered.


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“‘So this is what the Lord God says: How terrible it will be for the city of murderers! I will also pile the wood high for burning.


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Pile up the wood and light the fire. Finish cooking the meat. Mix in the spices. And let the bones burn.


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Then set the empty pot on the coals. It will become hot, and its copper sides will glow. The dirty scum stuck inside it may then melt and its rust burn away.


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“‘In your sinful action there is shame. I wanted to cleanse you, but you are still unclean. You will never be cleansed from your sin until my anger against you is carried out.


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“‘I, the Lord, have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back punishment. I will not feel pity. I will judge you by your ways and actions, says the Lord God.’”


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“Human being, I am going to take your wife from you. She is the desire of your eyes. She will die suddenly. But you must not be sad or cry loudly for her. You must not shed any tears.


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Groan silently. Do not cry loudly for the dead. Tie on your turban, and put your sandals on your feet. Do not cover your face. And do not eat the food people eat when they are sad about a death.”


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So I spoke to the people in the morning. Then my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.


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‘Say to the people of Israel, This is what the Lord God says: I am going to dishonor my Temple. You think it gives you strength. You are proud of it. You love to look at it. It makes you happy. But your sons and daughters that you left behind in Jerusalem will fall dead by the sword.


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And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your face. You will not eat the food people eat when they are sad about a death.


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Your turbans will be on your heads. And your sandals will be on your feet. You will not cry loudly. But you will rot away in your sins. You will groan to each other.


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So Ezekiel will be a sign for you. You will do all the same things he did. When it happens, you will know that I am the Lord God.’


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“And as for you, human being, this is how it will be. I will take away the Temple that gives them strength. It makes them happy and proud. They love to look at it. It makes them happy. And I will take away their sons and daughters also.


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At that time your mouth will be opened. You will speak and be silent no more. So you will be a sign for them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”


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Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord God. This is what the Lord God says: You were glad when my Temple was dishonored. You were glad when the land of Israel was ruined. And you were glad when the people of Judah were taken away as captives.


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So I am going to give you to the people of the East to be theirs. They will set up their camps among you. They will make their homes among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk.


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And I will make the city of Rabbah a pasture for camels. And the land of Ammon will become a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord.


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This is what the Lord God says: You clapped your hands and stamped your feet. You are happy about all the insults you have made against the land of Israel.


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So I will use my power against you. I will give you to the nations as if you were valuables taken in war. I will wipe you out of the lands so you will no longer be a nation. I will destroy you. And you will know that I am the Lord.’”


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Prophecy Against Moab and Edom “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Moab and Edom say, “The people of Judah are like all the other nations.”


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So I am going to take away the cities that protect Moab’s borders. They are the best cities in that land. They are Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon and Kiriathaim.


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Then I will give Moab, along with the Ammonites, to the people of the East. They will take over these people. Then along with the Ammonites, Moab will not be a nation anymore.


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Prophecy Against Edom “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Edom took revenge on the people of Judah. And the Edomites became guilty because of it.


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So this is what the Lord God says: I will use my power against Edom. I will kill every man and animal in Edom. And I will destroy Edom all the way from Teman to Dedan. The Edomites will die in battle.


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I will take revenge on Edom through my people Israel. So the Israelites will do to Edom what my hot anger demands. Then the Edomites will know my revenge, says the Lord God.’”


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Prophecy Against Philistia “This is what the Lord God says: ‘The Philistines have taken revenge with hateful hearts. Because of their strong hatred, they have tried to destroy Judah.


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So this is what the Lord God says: I will use my power against the Philistines. I will remove the Kerethites. I will destroy those people still alive on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.


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I will punish them in my anger until they have had enough. They will know that I am the Lord when I punish them.’”


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Prophecy Against Tyre It was the eleventh year, on the first day of the month of our captivity. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said:


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“Human being, the city of Tyre has spoken against Jerusalem: ‘The city that traded with the nations is destroyed. Now we can be the trading center. The city Jerusalem is ruined. Now we can make money.’


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So this is what the Lord God says: I am against you, Tyre. I will bring many nations against you. They will come like the sea beating its waves on your island shores.


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They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers. I will also scrape away her ruins. I will make Tyre a bare rock.


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Tyre will be an island where fishermen dry their nets. I have spoken, says the Lord God. The nations will steal valuable things from Tyre.


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Also, her villages on the shore across from the island will be destroyed by war. Then they will know that I am the Lord.


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Nebuchadnezzar to Attack Tyre “This is what the Lord God says: I will bring a king from the north against Tyre. He is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the greatest king. He will bring horses, chariots, horsemen and a great army.


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He will fight a battle and destroy your villages on the shore across from the island. He will set up devices to attack you. He will build a road of earth to the top of the walls. He will raise his shields against you.


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He will bring logs to pound through your city walls. And he will break down your towers with his iron bars.


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His horses will be so many that they will cover you with their dust. Your walls will shake at the noise of horsemen, wagons and chariots. The king of Babylon will enter your city gates. He will enter as men enter a city where the walls are broken through.


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The hooves of his horses will run over your streets. He will kill your people with the sword. Your strong pillars will fall down to the ground.


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Also, his men will take away your riches. They will steal the things you sell. They will break down your walls and destroy your nice houses. They will throw your stones, wood and trash into the sea.


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I will make you a bare rock. You will be a place for drying fishing nets. You will not be built again. This is because I, the Lord, have spoken, says the Lord God.


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“This is what the Lord God says to Tyre: The people who live along the seacoast will shake with fear when they hear your defeat. Those of you who are injured and dying will groan.


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Then all the leaders of the seacoast will go down from their thrones. They will take off their beautiful needlework clothes. They will clothe themselves with fear. They will sit on the ground. They will shake with fear all the time. They will be shocked when they see you.


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They will begin singing a funeral song about you. They will say to you: ‘Tyre, you famous city, you have been destroyed! Once seamen lived in you. You and your people had great power on the seas. All the people around you were afraid of you.


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Now the people who live by the coast will shake with fear on the day you fall. The islands of the sea will be afraid because you have been defeated.’


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“This is what the Lord God says: I will make you an empty city. You will be like the cities that have no people living in them. I will bring the deep ocean waters over you. The Mediterranean Sea will cover you.


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At that time I will send you down to the place of the dead. You will join the people who died long ago. I will make you live with the dead below the earth among old ruined places. You will not come back from there. People will never live in you again.


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Other people will be afraid of what happened to you. It will be the end of you. People will look for you. But they will never find you again, says the Lord God.”


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Speak to Tyre that is at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. For the people of many lands along the seacoast, Tyre is a place for trade. ‘This is what the Lord God says: Tyre, you have said, “I am like a beautiful ship.”


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Your builders made all your boards of fir trees from Mount Hermon. They have taken a cedar tree from Lebanon. They took it to make a ship’s mast for you.


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They made your oars from oak trees in Bashan. They made your deck from cypress trees from the coast of Cyprus. Your deck has ivory set into it.


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Your sail of linen with designs sewed on it came from Egypt. Your sail became like a flag for you. Your cloth shades over the deck were blue and purple. They came from the island of Cyprus.


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Men from Sidon and Arvad used oars to row you. Tyre, your skilled men were the sailors on your deck.


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Workers of Byblos were on board ship with you. They put caulk in your ship’s seams. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came alongside to trade with you.


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“‘Men of Persia, Lydia and Put were soldiers in your army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls. Their victories made you famous.


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Men of Arvad and Celicia guarded your city walls all around. Men of Gammad were in your watchtowers. They hung their shields around your walls. They made your beauty perfect.


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“‘Tarshish traded with you for many kinds of things. They paid for them with silver, iron, tin and lead.


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“‘People of Greece, Tubal and Meshech traded with you. They traded slaves and bronze things for the things you sell.


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“‘People of Rhodes traded with you. You sold your things on many coastlands. They paid you with ivory tusks and valuable black wood.


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“‘Aram traded with you because you had so many good things to sell. They traded turquoise, purple cloth and cloth with designs sewed on. They also traded fine linen, coral and rubies for the things you sell.


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“‘Judah and Israel traded with you. They paid for the things you sell with wheat from Minnith. They also paid with honey, olive oil and balm.


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“‘Damascus traded with you because you have many good things. They paid for them with wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar.


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“‘The Greeks from Uzal traded for the things you sold. They paid with wrought iron, cassia and sugar cane for your good things.


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“‘Arabia and all the rulers of Kedar traded with you. They traded lambs, male sheep and goats to you.


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“‘The traders of Sheba and Raamah traded with you. They paid with all the best spices, valuable gems and gold.


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They paid with the best clothes, blue cloth and cloth with designs sewed on. They traded carpets of many colors and tightly wound ropes.


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“‘Trading ships carried the things you sold. You were like a ship full of heavy cargo in the middle of the sea.


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The men who rowed you brought you out into the high seas. But the east wind has broken you to pieces in the middle of the sea.


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Your wealth, your trade and the things you sell will sink. Your seamen, your sailors and your workers will sink. Your traders, your soldiers, and everyone else on board will sink into the sea. This will happen on the day your ship is wrecked.


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All the men who row will leave their ships. The seamen and the sailors of other ships will stand on the shore.


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They will cry loudly about you. They will cry very much. They will throw dust on their heads. They will roll in ashes to show they are sad.


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They will shave their heads for you. And they will put on rough cloth to show they are upset. They will cry very much for you. They will cry loudly.


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And in their loud crying they will sing a funeral song for you. “No one was ever destroyed like Tyre, surrounded by the sea.”


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The things you traded went out over the seas. You met the needs of many nations. With your great wealth and things you sold, you made kings of the earth rich.


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But now you are broken by the sea. You have sunk to the bottom. The things you sell and all your people have gone down with you.


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All those who live along the shore are shocked by what happened to you. Their kings are terribly afraid. Their faces show their fear.


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The traders among the nations hiss at you. You have come to a terrible end. And you are gone forever.’”


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“Human being, say to the ruler of Tyre: ‘This is what the Lord God says: You are too proud. And you say, “I am a god. I sit on the throne of a god in the middle of the seas.” You think you are as wise as a god. But you are a man, not a god.


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Through your wisdom and understanding you have made yourself rich. You have gained gold and silver. And you have saved it in your storerooms.


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Through your great skill in trading, you have made your riches grow. You are too proud because of your riches.


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But I will bring foreign people against you. They will be the cruelest nation. They will pull out their swords and destroy all that your wisdom has built. And they will dishonor your greatness.


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While they are killing you, you will not be able to say anymore, “I am a god.” You will be only a man, not a god, when your murderers kill you.


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“Human being, sing a funeral song for the king of Tyre. Say to him: ‘This is what the Lord God says: You were an example of what was perfect. You were full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.


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You had a wonderful life, like those in Eden, the garden of God. Every valuable gem was on you: ruby, topaz and emerald, yellow quartz, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and chrysolite. Your jewelry was made of gold. It was prepared on the day you were created.


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I appointed a living creature to guard you. I put you on the holy mountain of God. You walked among the gems of fire.


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Because you traded with countries far away, you learned to be cruel, and you sinned. So I threw you down in disgrace from the mountain of God. And the living creature who guarded you forced you out from among the gems of fire.


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You became too proud because of your beauty. You ruined your wisdom because of your greatness. I threw you down to the ground. Your example taught a lesson to other kings.


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You dishonored your places of worship through your many sins and dishonest trade. So I set your city on fire. And it burned up. I turned you into ashes on the ground for all those watching to see.


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All the nations who knew you are shocked about you. Your punishment was so terrible. And you are gone forever.’”


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Say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am against you, Sidon. I will show my greatness among you. Then people will know that I am the Lord when I have punished Sidon. I will show my holiness by defeating her.


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I will send diseases to Sidon, and blood will flow in her streets. Those who are wounded in Sidon will fall dead. She will be attacked from all sides. Then they will know that I am the Lord.


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God Will Help Israel “‘No more will neighboring nations be like thorny branches or sharp stickers to hurt Israel. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: I will gather the people of Israel from the nations where they are scattered. I will show my holiness when the nations see what I do to my people. Then they will live in their own land—the land I gave to my servant Jacob.


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Then they will live safely in the land. They will build houses and plant vineyards. They will live in safety after I have punished all the nations around who hate them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”


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Prophecy Against Egypt It was the tenth year, in the tenth month of our captivity. It was on the twelfth day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said:


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Say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am against you, king of Egypt. You are like a great crocodile that lies in the Nile River. You say, “The Nile is mine. I made it for myself.”


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But I will put hooks in your jaws. I will make the fish of the Nile stick to your sides. I will pull you up out of your rivers, with all the fish sticking to your sides.


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I will leave you in the desert. I will leave you and all the fish from your rivers. You will fall on the open field. You will not be picked up or buried. I have given you to the wild animals. And I have given you to the birds of the sky for food.


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Then all the people who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord. “‘Israel tried to lean on you for help. But you were like a crutch made out of a weak stalk of grass.


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When their hands grabbed you, you splintered and tore open their shoulders. When they leaned on you, you broke and made all their backs twist.


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“‘So this is what the Lord God says: I will cause an enemy to attack you. He will kill your men and animals.


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Then Egypt will become an empty desert. They will know that I am the Lord. “‘This is because you said, “The Nile River is mine. And I have made it.”


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So, I am against you. I am against your rivers. I will destroy the land of Egypt. It will be empty desert from Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south. It will be empty all the way to the southern border of Cush.


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I will make the land of Egypt the emptiest country of all. And her cities will be the emptiest of all ruined cities for 40 years. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. And I will spread them among the countries.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: After 40 years I will gather Egypt from the nations where they have been scattered.


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I will bring back the Egyptian captives. I will make the Egyptians return to southern Egypt. They will return to the land that they came from. They will become a weak kingdom there.


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It will be the weakest kingdom. It will never again rule other nations. I will make it so weak it will never again rule over the nations.


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The Israelites will never again depend on Egypt. Egypt’s punishment will remind the Israelites of their sin. They turned to Egypt for help and not to God. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.’”


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Egypt Is Given to Babylon It was the twenty-seventh year of our captivity, in the first month. It was on the first day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said:


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“Human being, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army fight hard against Tyre. Every soldier’s head was rubbed bare. Every shoulder was rubbed raw. But Nebuchadnezzar and his army gained nothing from fighting Tyre.


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So this is what the Lord God says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar will take away Egypt’s people. He will take Egypt’s wealth and its valuable things as pay for his army.


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I have given Nebuchadnezzar the land of Egypt. It is a reward for working hard to defeat Egypt for me. That is what the Lord God says.


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“On that day I will make Israel grow strong again. I will let you, Ezekiel, speak to them. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”


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“Human being, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Cry and say, “The terrible day is coming.”


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The day is near. The Lord’s day of judging is near. It is a cloudy day. It is a time when the nations will be judged.


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An enemy will attack Egypt. And Cush will tremble with fear. When the killing begins in Egypt, her wealth will be taken away. Egypt’s foundations will be torn down.


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Cush, Put, Lydia, Arabia, Libya and my people will die. All these who made an agreement with Egypt will fall dead in war.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: Those who fight on Egypt’s side will fall. The power she is proud of will go down. The people in Egypt will fall dead in war from Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south, says the Lord God.


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Then they will know that I am the Lord. This will happen when I set fire to Egypt and when all those nations on her side are crushed.


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“‘At that time I will send messengers in ships. They will frighten Cush which now feels safe. The people of Cush will tremble with fear when Egypt is punished. And that time is sure to come.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: I will destroy great numbers of people in Egypt. I will do it through Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.


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Nebuchadnezzar and his army are the cruelest army of any nation. They will be brought in to destroy the land. They will pull out their swords against Egypt. They will fill the land with those they kill.


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I will make the streams of the Nile River become dry land. Then I will sell the dry land to evil people. I will destroy the land and everything in it. I will do it through the power of strangers. I, the Lord, have spoken.


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Egypt’s Idols Are Destroyed “‘This is what the Lord God says: I will destroy the idols. And I will take away the statues of false gods from the city of Memphis. There will no longer be a leader in Egypt. And I will spread fear through the land of Egypt.


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And I will pour out my anger against Pelusium, the strong place of Egypt. I will destroy great numbers of people in Thebes.


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I will set fire to Egypt. Pelusium will be in great pain. The walls of Thebes will be broken open. And Memphis will have troubles every day.


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The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall dead in war. And the people will be taken away as captives.


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In Tahpanhes the day will be dark when I break Egypt’s power. A cloud will cover Egypt. And her villages will be captured and taken away.


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Egypt Becomes Weak It happened in the eleventh year of our captivity, in the first month. It was on the seventh day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said:


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“Human being, I have broken the powerful arm of the king of Egypt. It has not been tied up so it will not get well. It has not been wrapped with a bandage. So his arm will not be strong enough to hold a sword in war.


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So this is what the Lord God says: I am against the king of Egypt. I will break his arms. I will break both the strong arm and the broken arm. I will make the sword fall from his hand.


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I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong. I will put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of the king of Egypt. Then he will cry out in pain as a wounded man cries out.


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So I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong. But the arms of the king of Egypt will fall. Then they will know that I am the Lord. I will put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon. And he will use the sword in war against Egypt.


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Then I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. And I will spread them among the countries. And they will know that I am the Lord.”


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A Cedar Tree It happened in the eleventh year of our captivity, in the third month. It was on the first day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said:


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Assyria was once like a cedar tree in Lebanon. It had beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It was very tall. Its top was among the clouds.


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Much water made the tree grow. The deep springs of water made the tree tall. Rivers flowed around the bottom of the tree. They sent their streams to all other trees of the field.


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So the tree was taller than all the other trees of the field. Its branches became long and big because of so much water.


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All the birds of the sky made their nests in the tree’s branches. And all the wild animals gave birth under the tree’s branches. All great nations lived in the tree’s shade.


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The cedar trees in the garden of God were not as great as it was. The pine trees did not have such great branches. The plane trees did not have such branches. No tree in the garden of God was as beautiful as this tree.


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I made it beautiful with many branches. And all the trees of Eden in the garden of God wanted to be like it.


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“‘So this is what the Lord God says: The tree has grown tall. Its top has reached the clouds. And it has become proud of its height.


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So I have let a mighty ruler of the nations take care of the tree. The ruler will surely punish the tree. Because it is evil I will get rid of it.


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The cruelest foreign nation cut it down and left it. The tree’s branches fell on the mountains and in all the valleys. Its broken branches were in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth left the shade of that tree.


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The birds of the sky live on the fallen tree. The wild animals live among the tree’s fallen branches.


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Then the trees that grow by the water will not be proud to be tall. They will not put their tops among the clouds. None of the trees that are watered well will grow that tall. They all are meant to die and go under the ground. They will be with those who have died and have gone down to where the dead are.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: On the day when the tree went down to where the dead are, I made people cry loudly. I covered the deep springs and held back their rivers. And the great waters stopped flowing. I made Lebanon cry loudly for the great tree. All the trees of the field dried up and died.


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I made the nations shake with fear at the sound of the tree falling. I brought the tree down to where the dead are. It went with those who go down to the grave. Then trees of Eden and the best trees of Lebanon were comforted. All the well-watered trees were comforted in the earth below.


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But these trees also went down with the great tree to the place where the dead are. They went to join those who were killed in war. They had lived under the great tree’s shade. They were its friends among the nations.


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“‘So no tree in Eden is equal to you in greatness and honor. But you will go down with the trees of Eden to the earth below. You will lie among unclean people who were killed in war. “‘This will happen to the king of Egypt and all his people, says the Lord God.’”


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A Funeral Song It happened in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month of our captivity. It was on the first day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said:


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“Human being, sing a funeral song about the king of Egypt. Say to him: ‘You are like a young lion among the nations. You are like a crocodile in the seas. You splash around in your streams. And you stir up the waters with your feet. You make the rivers muddy.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: I will spread my net over you. And I will use a large group of people to pull you up in my net.


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Then I will throw you on the land. I will toss you into the open field. I will let the birds of the sky rest on you. And I will let the animals of the earth eat you until they are full.


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I will drench the land with your flowing blood. I will soak the mountains, and the ravines will be full of your flesh.


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I will make you disappear. And I will cover the sky and make the stars dark. I will cover the sun with a cloud. And the moon will not shine.


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I will make all the shining lights in the sky become dark over you. I will bring darkness over your land, says the Lord God.


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I will cause many people to be afraid when I have another nation destroy you. Nations you have not known will be afraid because of you.


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I will cause people to be shocked about you. Their kings will tremble with fear because of you when I swing my sword before them. They will shake every moment on the day you fall. Each king will be afraid for his own life.


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I will cause your people to fall by the swords of mighty soldiers. They are the most terrible of all the nations. They will destroy the pride of Egypt. All Egypt’s people will be destroyed.


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I will also destroy all Egypt’s cattle which live alongside many waters. The foot of man will not stir the waters. And the hooves of cattle will not muddy them anymore.


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So I will let the Egyptians’ waters become quiet. I will cause their rivers to run as smoothly as olive oil, says the Lord God.


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I will make the land of Egypt empty. I will take everything that is in the land. I will destroy all those who live in Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’


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“This is the funeral song people will sing for Egypt. The women of the nations will sing it for Egypt. They will sing a funeral song for Egypt and all its people, says the Lord God.”


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Egypt to Be Destroyed It happened in the twelfth year of our captivity. It was on the fifteenth day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said:


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“Human being, cry for the people of Egypt. Bring down Egypt, together with the women of the powerful nations. Bring them down to the earth below. Bring them down with those who go to the place of the dead.


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The Egyptians will fall among those killed by war. Egypt is going to be killed by the sword. The enemy will drag her and all her people away.


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The leaders of the mighty ones will speak from the place of death. They will say about the king of Egypt and the nations which help him: ‘The king and the nations which help him have come down here. They lie killed by the sword among those who are unclean.’


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“Assyria and all its army lie dead there. The graves of their soldiers are all around. All were killed in war.


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Assyria’s grave was put in the deep parts of the place where the dead are. And its army lies around its grave. When they lived, they frightened people in the land of the living. But now all of them have been killed in war.


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“The nation of Elam is there. And all its army is around its grave. All of them were killed in war. They had frightened people on earth and were unclean. So they went down to the lowest parts of the place where the dead are. And they must carry their shame with those who go down to the place where the dead are.


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A bed is made for Elam with all those killed in war. They will be in the place where the dead are. The graves of her soldiers are all around her. Elam’s people are unclean. So they have been killed in war. They also scared people who live on earth. But they must also carry their shame with those who go down to where the dead are. Their graves are with the rest who were killed.


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“Meshech and Tubal are there. The graves of all their soldiers surround them. All of them are unclean. So they have been killed in war. They also frightened people who live on earth.


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But they are not buried with the other unclean soldiers who have been killed in battle. They are not with those who went where the dead are with their weapons of war. These soldiers had their swords laid under their heads and their shields on their bodies. People who live on earth used to be afraid of these mighty soldiers.


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“You, king of Egypt, will be broken and lie among those who are unclean. You will be with those who were killed in war.


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“Edom is there also. Its kings and all its leaders are there. They were mighty. But now they lie in death with those killed in war. They will lie with those who are unclean. And they will be with those who go down to where the dead are.


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“All the rulers of the north are there. And all the Sidonians are there. Their strength frightened people. These rulers of the north and the Sidonians have gone down in shame with those who were killed. They are unclean, lying with those killed in war. They have carried their shame with those who go down to where the dead are.


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“The king of Egypt and his army will see these who have been killed in war. Then the king and all his army will be comforted for all his soldiers killed in war, says the Lord God.


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I made people who live on earth afraid of the king of Egypt. But he and his people will lie among those who are unclean. They will lie with those who were killed by the sword, says the Lord God.”


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“Human being, speak to your people. Say to them: ‘I might bring a war against a land. The people of the land may choose one of their men. They may make him their watchman.


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This watchman might see the enemy coming to attack the land. And he blows the trumpet and warns the people.


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A person might hear the sound of the trumpet, but do nothing. Then the enemy will come and kill him. That person will be responsible for his own death.


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He heard the sound of the trumpet. But he did not do anything. So he is to blame for his own death. If he had done something, he would have saved his own life.


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But the watchman might see the enemy coming to attack and not blow the trumpet. So the people are not warned. Then the enemy comes and kills one of them. That person has died because of his own sin. But I will punish the watchman for the person’s death.’


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“As for you, human being, I have made you a watchman for Israel. If you hear a message from me, you must warn them for me.


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I might say to the wicked person: ‘Wicked man, you will surely die.’ But you might not speak to warn the evil person to stop doing evil. Then he will die while still a sinner. But I will punish you for his death.


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But you might warn a wicked person to stop doing evil. If he does not stop, he will die while still a sinner. But you have saved your life.


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“So you, human being, say to Israel: ‘You have said: Surely our law-breaking and sins are hurting us. They will kill us. What can we do so we will live?’


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Say to them: ‘The Lord God says: As surely as I live, this is true. I do not want a wicked person to die. I want him to stop doing evil and live. Turn back! Turn back from your wicked ways! You don’t want to die, people of Israel.’


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“And you, human being, say to your people: ‘The goodness of a good person will not save him when he sins. The evil of the wicked person will not cause him to be punished if he turns from it. A good person will not be able to live by the good he did earlier if he sins.’


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I might tell the good person, “You will surely live.” But he might think he has done enough good and then do evil. Then none of the good things he did will be remembered. He will die because of the evil he has done.


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Or, I might say to the wicked person, “You will surely die.” But he might turn from his sin and do what is right and honest.


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He returns what somebody gave him as a promise to repay a loan. He pays back what he stole. He lives by the rules that give life. He does not sin. Then that one will surely live. He will not die.


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He will not be punished for any of his sins. He now does what is right and fair. He will surely live.


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You still say: ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Israel, I will judge each of you by his own ways.”


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The Fall of Jerusalem Explained It happened in the twelfth year of our captivity. It was on the fifth day of the tenth month. A person who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me. He said, “Jerusalem has been defeated.”


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Now I had felt the power of the Lord on me the evening before. The Lord had made me able to talk again. He did this before the person came to me in the morning. I could speak. I was not without speech anymore.


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“Human being, people who live in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying: ‘Abraham was only one person. Yet he was given the land as his own. Surely the land has been given to us, who are many, as our very own.’


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So say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: You eat meat with the blood still in it. You ask your idols for help. You murder people. Should you then have the land as your very own?


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You depend on your sword. You do terrible things which I hate. Each of you commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife. So should you have the land?’


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“Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, this is true. Those who are among the city ruins in Israel will be killed in war. Those who live in the country will be eaten by wild animals. People hiding in the strong places and caves will die of disease.


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I will make the land an empty desert. The people’s pride in the land’s power will end. The mountains of Israel will become empty. No one will pass through them.


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They will know that I am the Lord when I make the land an empty desert. This is because of the things they have done that I hate.’


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“But as for you, human being, your people talk against you. They talk by the walls and in the doorways of houses. They say to each other: ‘Come now, and hear the message from the Lord.’


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So they come to you as if they are still my people. They sit before you. They hear your words. But they will not do them. With their mouths they tell me they love me. But their hearts desire their selfish profits.


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To your people you are nothing more than a singer who sings love songs. You are like one who has a beautiful voice. You are like one who plays a musical instrument well. They hear your words, but they will not do them.


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“This will come true. It will surely happen. Then the people will know that a prophet has been among them.”


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“Human being, prophesy against the leaders of Israel, who are like shepherds. Prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: How terrible it will be for the shepherds of Israel who feed only themselves! Why don’t the shepherds feed the flock?


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You eat the milk curds from the sheep. You clothe yourselves with the wool from the sheep. You kill the fat sheep. But you do not feed the flock.


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You have not made the weak strong. You have not healed the sick. You have not put bandages on those that were hurt. You have not brought back those who strayed away. You have not searched for the lost. You ruled the sheep with cruel force.


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The sheep were scattered because there was no shepherd. Then they became food for every wild animal.


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My flock wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over all the face of the earth. And no one searched or looked for them.


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As surely as I live, my flock has been caught. It has become food for all the wild animals. This is because the flock has no shepherd. The shepherds did not search for my flock. No, they fed themselves instead of my flock.


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This is what the Lord God says: I am against the shepherds. I will blame them for what has happened to my sheep. I will not let them tend the flock anymore. Then the shepherds will stop feeding themselves. And I will take my flock from their mouths. My sheep will no longer be their food.


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A shepherd will take care of his scattered flock when it is found. In the same way I will take care of my sheep. I will save them from all the places where they are scattered. I will do this on a cloudy and dark day.


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I will bring them out from the nations. I will gather them from the countries. I will bring them to their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains and in the ravines of Israel. And I will feed them in all the places where people live in the land.


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I will feed them in a good pasture. They will eat grass on the high mountains of Israel. They will lie down on good ground where they eat grass. They will eat in rich grassland on the mountains of Israel.


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I will search for the lost. I will bring back those that were scattered. I will put bandages on those that were hurt. I will make the weak strong. I will destroy those sheep that are fat and strong. I will tend the sheep with fairness.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: And as for you, my flock, I will judge between one sheep and another. I will judge between the male sheep and the male goats.


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Is it not enough for you to eat grass in the good land? Must you crush the rest of the grass with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you make the rest of the water muddy with your feet?


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“‘So this is what the Lord God says to them: I, myself, will judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep.


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You push with your side and with your shoulder. You knock down all the weak sheep with your horns. You do this until you have forced them away.


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Then I will put one shepherd over them, my servant David. He will feed them. He will tend them and will be their shepherd.


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Then I, the Lord, will be their God. And my servant David will be a ruler among them. I, the Lord, have spoken.


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“‘And I will make an agreement of peace with my sheep. I will remove harmful animals from the land. Then the sheep will live safely in the desert. And they will sleep in the woods without danger.


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I will bless them and let them live around my hill. I will cause the rains to come when it is time for them. There will be showers to bless them.


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Also the trees of the field will give their fruit. The land will give its harvest. And the sheep will be safe on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord. I will break the bars of their captivity. And I will save them from the power of those who made them slaves.


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They will not be led captive by the nations again. The wild animals will not eat them. But they will live safely. No one will make them afraid.


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I will give them a place famous for its good crops. Then they will no longer suffer from hunger in the land. They will not suffer the insults of other nations anymore.


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Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them. The nation of Israel will know that they are my people, says the Lord God.


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And you, my sheep, are the sheep of my pasture. You are my people and I am your God, says the Lord God.’”


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Say to it: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am against you, Mount Edom. I will stretch out my hand against you. And I will make you an empty desert.


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“‘This is because you have always been an enemy of Israel. You let them be defeated in war when they were in trouble. It was the time of their final punishment.


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So the Lord God says, As surely as I live, I will let you be murdered. Murder will chase you. You did not hate murdering people, so murder will chase you.


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And I will make Mount Edom an empty ruin. And I will destroy everyone who goes in or comes out of it.


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I will fill its mountains with those who are killed. Those killed in war will fall on your hills. They will fall in your valleys and in all your ravines.


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I will make you a ruin forever. No one will live in your cities. Then you will know that I am the Lord.


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“‘You said, “These two nations, Israel and Judah, and these two lands will be ours. We will take them for our own.” But the Lord was there.


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So this is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, this is true. I will treat you just as you treated them. When you were angry and jealous, you acted hatefully against them. I will punish you. And that is how I will show the Israelites who I am.


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Then you will know that I, the Lord God, have heard all your insults. Those insults were against the mountains of Israel. You said, “They have been ruined. They have been given to us to eat.”


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You were happy when the land of Israel was ruined. But I will do the same thing to you. Mount Edom and all Edom, you will become an empty ruin. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.’”


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Israel to Come Home “Human being, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.


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This is what the Lord God says: The enemy has said this against you: “Now the old places to worship false gods have become ours.”’


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So prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: They have made you an empty ruin. They have crushed you from all around. You belonged to the other nations. People talked and whispered against you.


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So, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. The Lord God speaks to the mountains, hills, ravines and valleys. And he speaks to the empty ruins and abandoned cities that have been robbed and laughed at by the other nations.


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This is what the Lord God says: I have spoken in hot anger against the other nations. I have spoken against Edom. The Edomites took my land for themselves. They did this with joy and with hate in their hearts. They forced out the people and took their pastureland.’


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So prophesy about the land of Israel. Say to the mountains, hills, ravines and valleys: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I speak in my jealous anger. This is because you have suffered the insults of the nations.


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So this is what the Lord God says: I promise that the nations around you will also have to suffer insults.


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“‘But you, mountains of Israel, you will grow branches and fruit for my people. My people will soon come home.


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I will multiply the people who live on you. All the people of Israel will come. The cities will have people living in them. The ruins will be rebuilt.


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I will make the people and animals living on you increase in number. They will grow and be fruitful. You will have people living on you as you did before. I will make you better off than at the beginning. Then you will know that I am the Lord.


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I will cause my people Israel to walk on you. Then they will take you, and you will belong to them. You will never again take their children away from them.


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“‘This is what the Lord God says: People say about you: “You eat people and take children from your nation.”


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You will not destroy people anymore. You will not make your nation stumble anymore, says the Lord God.


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I will not make you listen to insults from the nations anymore. You will not suffer shame from them anymore, says the Lord God.’”


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“Human being, the nation of Israel was living in their own land. But they made it unclean by their ways and the things they did. Their ways were like a woman’s uncleanness in her time of monthly bleeding.


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So I poured out my anger against them. I did it because of the murders they did in the land. And I did it because they made the land unclean with their idols.


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I scattered them among the nations. And they were spread through all the countries. I punished them for how they lived and the things they did.


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They dishonored my holy name in the nations where they went. The nations said about them: ‘These are the people of the Lord. But they had to leave the land which he gave them.’


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But I felt bad about my holy name. The nation of Israel had dishonored it among the nations where they went.


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“So say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Israel, I am going to act, but not for your sake. Israel, I will do something to help my holy name. You have dishonored it among the nations where you went.


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I will prove the holiness of my great name. It has been dishonored among the nations. You have dishonored it among these nations. But the nations will know that I am the Lord. I will prove myself holy before their eyes, says the Lord God.


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“‘I will take you from the nations. I will gather you out of all the lands. And I will bring you back into your own land.


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Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and your idols.


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Also, I will teach you to respect me completely. I will put a new way to think inside you. I will take out the stubborn heart like stone from your bodies. And I will give you an obedient heart of flesh.


