Jeremiah

16After I gave the papers to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD. I said:

Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying,

17"Oh, Lord GOD! You made the heavens and the earth. You did it with your great power and your strong arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

Note"Your strong arm" is a way of saying God is very strong. God does not have arms like ours.

18"You show kind love to thousands of people. You also lay the parents' wrongs in the laps of their children after them. You are the great and mighty God. Your name is the LORD who leads heaven's armies."

Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,

Note"The LORD who leads heaven's armies" is a name for God. It means he is in charge of everything in heaven. Laying wrongs "in their laps" means the children feel the trouble their parents caused.

19"Your plans are great and your work is mighty. Your eyes see everything people do. You give each person what his ways and his deeds have earned."

Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:

20"You did signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. You still do them today, in Israel and among all people. You made your name known, right up to this day."

Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day;

Note"Signs and wonders" are amazing things that only God can do.

21"You brought your people Israel out of Egypt. You used signs and wonders, a strong hand, and a strong arm. You did it with great terror."

And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror;

NoteLong before this, God's people were slaves in Egypt. God brought them out and made them free.

22"You gave them this land. You had promised it to their fathers long ago. It is a rich land, full of milk and honey."

And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;

Note"Full of milk and honey" means the land was very good. Animals had grass to eat and bees made plenty of honey.

23"They came in and took the land. But they did not obey you or follow your law. They did not do what you told them. So you brought all this trouble on them."

And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them:

NoteGod's "law" means the rules he gave his people to live by.

24"Look at the dirt ramps the army has piled against the city to capture it. War, hunger, and sickness have come. The city is being handed to the Chaldeans who fight against it. What you said is coming true, and you see it."

Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.

NoteSoldiers piled up dirt ramps to climb over a city wall. While they waited outside, food ran out inside. That is why hunger and sickness came with the war.

25"Yet you, Lord GOD, told me to buy the field with silver and get witnesses. And the city is being handed to the Chaldeans!"

And thou hast said unto me, O Lord GOD, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26Then the LORD gave Jeremiah this message. He said:

Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

27"Look, I am the LORD, the God of every living thing. Is anything too hard for me?"

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

1God spoke to Jeremiah again, a second time. Jeremiah was still shut up in the prison yard.

Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

NoteJeremiah was a prophet. A prophet is someone who tells people what God says. He was shut up in a yard by the palace guards. The king had locked him there because he did not like Jeremiah's words.

2This is what the LORD says. He is the one who made it. He shaped it and set it firmly in place. His name is the LORD.

Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name;

NoteThe word LORD in big letters is God's own name. The word "it" here means the earth. God made the whole world.

3"Call to me, and I will answer you. I will show you great things you do not know."

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

4This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says. He speaks about the houses in this city. He speaks about the palaces of the kings of Judah. They have been torn down because of the enemy's dirt ramps and swords.

For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword;

NoteEnemy soldiers piled up dirt against the city wall. That made a ramp they could climb to get inside. People pulled their own houses down to use the stones for fighting.

5They come to fight against the Chaldeans. But those places will be filled with the bodies of men. God says he struck them down because he was angry. He turned his face away from this city because of all its evil.

They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city.

NoteThe Chaldeans were soldiers from Babylon, a country far away. Babylon was strong, and its army came to attack Jerusalem.

6"But I will bring this city health and healing. I will make its people well. I will give them peace and truth in full."

Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.

7"I will bring Judah and Israel back home from their captivity. I will build them up again, as they were before."

And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.

NoteCaptivity means enemies took people away from their homes. They had to live in a far country and could not leave.

8"I will wash them clean from all the wrong they did against me. I will forgive every sin they did when they turned away from me."

And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.

9"Then this city will make my name known with joy and praise. All the nations will hear the good I do for them. They will shake with wonder at all the good and peace I give."

And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.

NoteNations means all the other countries and the people in them.

10This is what the LORD says. "You say this place is empty, with no people and no animals. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem lie empty. But sounds will be heard here again."

Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast,

11There will be sounds of joy and gladness. There will be the voices of the bride and the groom. People will bring thank offerings to the LORD's house. They will say, "Thank the LORD, for the LORD is good. His faithful love lasts forever." "I will bring the land back from captivity, as it was before," says the LORD.

The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.

NoteA bride and a groom are the two people getting married. Weddings had stopped when the war came. Hearing wedding songs again meant happy days were back. A thank offering was a gift brought to God to say thank you. The LORD's house was the temple in Jerusalem, the big building where people came to worship God.

12This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says. "This place is empty now, with no people and no animals. But here, and in all its towns, shepherds will rest their flocks again."

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.

NoteLORD of Heaven's Armies is a name for God. It means God is stronger than any army.

13"Sheep will pass again under the hand of the man who counts them. This will happen in the hill towns and the low valley towns. It will happen in the dry south, in Benjamin's land, and around Jerusalem. It will happen in all the towns of Judah," says the LORD.

In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the LORD.

NoteA shepherd counted his sheep as they walked past him one by one. He touched each one with his stick as it went by. Benjamin's land was one part of the country. Long ago the land was shared out among the families of Israel.

1This is the message the LORD gave to Jeremiah, a prophet who told people what God said. At that time Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was fighting Jerusalem. His army attacked the city and all the towns around it. The kingdoms and people he ruled fought there too.

The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,

NoteBabylon was a big, strong country far to the east. Its army took over other lands and ruled them. Jerusalem was the main city of God's people.

2The LORD, the God of Israel, said this. Go and speak to Zedekiah, the king of Judah. Tell him what the LORD says. I am going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon. He will burn it down.

Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:

NoteIsrael was the name of God's people, one big family. Judah was the small land where they still lived. Zedekiah was their last king.

3You will not get away from him. You will surely be caught and handed to him. You will look him in the eye. He will talk to you face to face. Then you will go to Babylon.

And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.

NoteWhen a king lost a war, he was taken away. He became a prisoner in the winner's country.

4But listen to what the LORD says, Zedekiah, king of Judah. This is what the LORD says about you. You will not be killed by the sword.

Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:

Note"The sword" is a way of saying war. Zedekiah would not be killed in a battle.

5You will die in peace. People burned sweet spices for the kings who lived before you. They will burn spices for you in the same way. They will cry for you and say, "Oh, our master!" I myself have said this, says the LORD.

But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD.

NoteWhen a king died, people burned sweet-smelling spices. The smoke was a way to honor him. It showed everyone that he mattered.

6So Jeremiah the prophet said all these words to King Zedekiah in Jerusalem.

Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

7At that time the king of Babylon's army was fighting Jerusalem. It was also fighting the towns of Judah that were left. It attacked the towns of Lachish and Azekah. Those were the only towns with strong walls still standing in Judah.

When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.

NoteLachish and Azekah were towns with thick walls around them. Walls like that kept enemies outside. Only these two towns were still standing.

8King Zedekiah made an agreement with all the people in Jerusalem. They promised to set their slaves free. After that, the LORD gave Jeremiah this message.

This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;

NoteIn those days some people owned other people as slaves. A slave had to work and could not leave. An agreement like this was a very serious promise.

9Every man was to free his Hebrew slaves, both the men and the women. No one was to keep a fellow Jew as a slave.

That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.

NoteHebrew and Jew were both names for God's own people. They were not supposed to keep each other as slaves.

10All the leaders and all the people joined this agreement. They heard that everyone must free their slaves and keep them no longer. So they obeyed and let them go.

Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.

11But later they changed their minds. They took back the men and women they had set free. They made them slaves again.

But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.

12Then the LORD gave Jeremiah this message.

Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

13This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says. I made an agreement with your fathers long ago. That was when I brought them out of Egypt. There they had been slaves.

Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,

NoteLong ago God's people were slaves in Egypt. God brought them out and set them free.

14I told them this. Every seventh year, free any Hebrew who sold himself to you. He may work for you six years. Then you must let him go free. But your fathers would not listen to me at all.

At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.

NoteA poor man could sell himself to work off money he owed. God's rule said he worked six years only. In the seventh year he had to go free.

15A short while ago you changed and did what is right. Each of you set your neighbors free. You made this promise in front of me. You made it in the temple, the house that carries my name.

And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

NoteThe temple was the special building in Jerusalem for worshiping God. A promise made there was the most serious kind.

16But then you changed again and made my name dirty. Each of you took back the servants you had freed. You had let them go wherever they wanted. Now you have forced them to be your slaves again.

But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

NoteThey had used God's name when they made the promise. Breaking it made his name look small and cheap.

17So this is what the LORD says. You did not obey me. You did not set your brothers and neighbors free. So now I will set something free for you, says the LORD. I will set loose war, sickness, and hunger. Every kingdom on earth will be shocked when they see you.

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

NoteThe LORD turns their own words back on them. They would not set people free. So he sets trouble free instead. Hunger here means famine, when no food will grow.

18Some people broke my agreement. They did not keep the promise they made in front of me. They had cut a young cow in two and walked between the pieces. I will make them like that cow.

And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,

NoteThis was how people made a big promise back then. They cut an animal in two and walked between the halves. It meant, let this happen to me if I break my word.

19This means the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. It also means the king's officials, the priests, and all the people of the land. They all walked between the pieces of the cow.

The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;

NoteThe king's officials were the men who worked in his palace. Priests were the men who led worship at the temple.

20I will hand them over to their enemies, who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds and the wild animals.

I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.

NoteBack then, not being buried was the saddest ending people knew. Families always wanted to bury someone they loved.

21I will also hand over Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his leaders. Their enemies want to kill them. I will hand them to the army of the king of Babylon. That army has marched away from you for now.

And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which are gone up from you.

NoteThe Babylonian army had marched away to fight Egypt's army. The people in the city hoped it would not come back.

22Listen, says the LORD. I will give the order and bring that army back to this city. They will fight it, take it, and burn it down. I will leave the towns of Judah empty, with no one living in them.

Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

1This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD. It came when Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah.

The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

NoteJeremiah was a prophet, someone who told people what God said. Judah was the small country where God's people lived, ruled by a king. When LORD is printed in big letters, it stands for God's own name.

2God said, "Go to the Rechabite family and speak to them. Bring them into one of the rooms in the house of the LORD. Then offer them wine to drink."

Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.

NoteThe house of the LORD was the temple in Jerusalem. It was the big building where people came to worship God. The Rechabites were one large family, all related to each other. Wine is a strong drink made from grapes that grown-ups drink.

3So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, whose grandfather was Habazziniah. I also took his brothers and all his sons. That was the whole Rechabite family.

Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;

4I brought them into the house of the LORD. We went into the room used by the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God. That room was near the room of the leaders. It was above the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum, who guarded the door.

And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door:

NoteThe temple had many small rooms built along its sides. Leaders, helpers and teachers used them for meetings and work. A "man of God" meant a person who spoke for God.

5I set pitchers full of wine and some cups in front of the Rechabite men. I said to them, "Have some wine."

And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.

NoteA pitcher is a big jug used for pouring drinks. Jeremiah set the wine out where everyone could see it.

6But they said, "We do not drink wine. Our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab gave us a rule. He said we must never drink wine, and neither must our children."

But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:

NoteA forefather is a family member who lived long, long ago. Jonadab lived about two hundred years before this day. His family still kept the rule he gave them.

7"He also said: never build a house. Do not plant seeds or grape vines, and do not own any. Live in tents all your lives. Then you will live many years in this land, where you move from place to place."

Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.

NoteA vineyard is a field where grapes grow on vines. Building houses and planting seeds means staying in one place. This family lived in tents and moved around instead, like shepherds. They lived in the land without owning any of it.

8"We have obeyed our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab in everything he told us. We have never drunk wine. Not us, not our wives, not our sons or daughters."

Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

9"We have not built houses to live in. We own no grape fields, no farm fields, and no seed."

Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

10"We have lived in tents instead. We have obeyed and done just what our forefather Jonadab told us."

But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11"But then Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, marched into our land. We said, 'Come, let us go into Jerusalem.' We were afraid of the army of Babylon and the army of Aram. So now we are living in Jerusalem."

But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem.

NoteBabylon was a huge, strong country far to the east. Its king, Nebuchadnezzar, marched his army into Judah. Aram was another country, up to the north. Jerusalem had thick walls, so people ran inside them when armies came.

12Then a message from the LORD came to Jeremiah. He said:

Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

13"The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says this. Go and tell the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem, 'Will you not learn, and listen to my words?' says the LORD."

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD.

Note"The LORD of Hosts" means the LORD who leads the armies of heaven. It is a name that shows how strong he is.

14"Jonadab son of Rechab told his sons not to drink wine, and they obeyed. To this day they drink none, because they obey their forefather. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you did not listen to me."

The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.

NoteThe King James says God kept "rising early and speaking" to them. That was a way of saying he spoke again and again, starting early.

15"I also sent you all my servants the prophets, again and again. They said, 'Each of you, stop doing wrong. Change the way you act. Do not follow other gods and serve them. Then you may live in the land I gave you and your fathers.' But you would not listen to me at all."

I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.

NoteA prophet was a person who carried God's messages to people. "Other gods" were statues that other nations prayed to. "Your fathers" means the grandparents and great grandparents from long ago.

16"Jonadab's family did what their forefather told them to do. But these people have not listened to me."

Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me:

17"So the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says this. I will bring on Judah and on everyone in Jerusalem all the trouble I warned about. I spoke to them, and they did not listen. I called to them, and they did not answer."

Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

18Then Jeremiah said to the Rechabite family, "The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says this. You obeyed what your forefather Jonadab told you. You kept all his rules and did everything he asked."

And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:

NoteThe King James says they kept his "precepts." A precept is simply a rule someone is told to follow.

19"So the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says this. Jonadab son of Rechab will always have someone from his family to serve me."

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.

NoteTo "stand before" someone meant to serve them, like a helper waiting close by. God promised that Jonadab's family would never die out.

1It was the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah. He was the son of Josiah. God gave a message to Jeremiah.

And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

NoteJudah was a small land where God's people lived. People counted years by how long a king had ruled.

2God said, "Get a scroll and write on it. Write all the words I have told you about Israel, Judah, and every nation. Write everything from the days of King Josiah until today."

Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.

NoteA scroll was a long strip of paper, rolled up. You unrolled it a little at a time to read it. Israel and Judah were two lands. God's people had once lived together in just one.

3"Maybe the people of Judah will hear about the trouble I plan to send. Maybe each one will stop doing wrong. Then I will forgive the wrong things they have done."

It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.

4So Jeremiah called a man named Baruch, the son of Neriah. Jeremiah said the words out loud. Baruch wrote them all on a scroll.

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.

5Then Jeremiah told Baruch, "I am not allowed to go to the LORD's house."

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD:

NoteThe LORD's house was the temple in Jerusalem. It was the special building where people came to pray.

6"So you go instead. Go on a day when the people do not eat and they pray. Read the LORD's words from the scroll so all the people hear. Read them to everyone from Judah who comes in from their towns."

Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD’s house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.

NoteGoing without food on purpose is called fasting. People fasted to show God they were sad or sorry.

7"Maybe they will pray to the LORD and ask him for help. Maybe each one will stop doing wrong. The LORD is very angry with these people."

It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people.

8Baruch did just what Jeremiah told him. Jeremiah was a prophet, a man who told people what God said. Baruch read the LORD's words in the LORD's house.

And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD’s house.

9It was the ninth month of Jehoiakim's fifth year as king. The people were told to go without food and pray to the LORD. This was for everyone in Jerusalem and everyone who came from Judah's towns.

And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

NoteThe ninth month came near the end of their year. It was the cold, rainy time.

10Baruch read Jeremiah's words from the scroll in the LORD's house. He stood in the room of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan. The room was in the upper courtyard, by the New Gate. All the people heard him read.

Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD’s house, in the ears of all the people.

NoteA scribe was someone whose job was writing things down. Most people then could not read or write at all.

11Micaiah was the son of Gemariah and the grandson of Shaphan. He heard all the LORD's words read from the scroll.

When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD,

12So he went down to the king's palace, to the scribe's room. All the king's helpers were sitting there. They were Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and the rest of them.

Then he went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.

NoteThe king's helpers were important men who worked for the king. They gave him advice and carried out his orders.

13Micaiah told them all the words he had heard. He told them what Baruch had read to the people.

Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.

14So the king's helpers sent a man named Jehudi to Baruch. Jehudi was the son of Nethaniah, the grandson of Shelemiah, the great-grandson of Cushi. They said, "Bring the scroll you read to the people, and come here." So Baruch took the scroll and came.

Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.

NotePeople were named by their father and grandfather. That way everyone knew which Jehudi was meant.

15They said, "Please sit down and read it to us." So Baruch read it to them.

And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.

16When they heard all the words, they looked at each other, afraid. They said to Baruch, "We must tell the king all of this."

Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.

17They asked Baruch, "Tell us. How did you write all these words? Did Jeremiah say them to you?"

And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

18Baruch said, "Yes. He said all these words out loud to me. I wrote them down with ink on the scroll."

Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.

NoteInk was a black liquid, a little like paint. Scribes wrote with a sharpened reed, the way we use a pen.

19Then the king's helpers said to Baruch, "Go and hide, you and Jeremiah. Do not let anyone know where you are."

Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.

20They put the scroll away in the room of Elishama the scribe. Then they went to the king in the courtyard. They told him everything.

And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.

21The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi brought it from Elishama's room. He read it to the king and to all the helpers standing beside him.

So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.

22It was the ninth month, the cold part of the year. The king was sitting in his winter room. A fire was burning in a pot in front of him.

Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.

NoteRich houses had a warmer room to use in winter. The fire burned in a metal pot, not in a fireplace.

23Jehudi would read three or four columns of the scroll. Then the king cut them off with a small knife. He threw the pieces into the fire. He did this until the whole scroll was burned up.

And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.

NoteWriting on a scroll was set out in tall strips called columns. The small knife was one scribes used to sharpen their pens.

24The king and his servants heard all these words. But they were not afraid. They did not tear their clothes.

Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

NoteTearing your own clothes showed that you were very upset. It was how people showed sorrow, or that they were sorry.

25Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll. But he would not listen to them.

Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.

26Instead the king gave an order to three men. They were Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel. He told them to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.

But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them.

27Baruch had written the scroll while Jeremiah spoke the words. After the king burned it, the LORD spoke to Jeremiah again.

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

28"Get another scroll. Write on it all the same words that were on the first one. Jehoiakim king of Judah burned that first scroll."

Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

29"Say this to Jehoiakim king of Judah. The LORD says: You burned that scroll. You asked, 'Why did you write that the king of Babylon will surely come? Why did you write that he will destroy this land and empty it of people and animals?'"

And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?

NoteBabylon was a strong country far to the east. Its army was huge, and it took over other lands.

30"So this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah. He will have no one to sit on David's throne. His dead body will be thrown outside. It will lie in the hot sun by day and the frost by night."

Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

NoteDavid was a great king long before this. The kings of Judah all came from his family. So this means Jehoiakim's family will stop being kings. And leaving a body outside, with no burial, was a shame.

31"I will punish him, his children, and his servants for the wrong they have done. I warned them all, but they would not listen. I will bring all that trouble on them. I will bring it on the people of Jerusalem and Judah too."

And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.

32So Jeremiah got another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, son of Neriah. Jeremiah spoke, and Baruch wrote down every word of the burned scroll. Many more words like them were added too.

Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.