Nebuchadnezzar

1While Jehoiakim was king, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, attacked. Jehoiakim had to obey him for three years. Then Jehoiakim turned against him and stopped obeying.

In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.

NoteBabylon was a strong country far to the east. Its king made smaller lands obey him and send him money.

2The LORD sent groups of fighters against Jehoiakim. They came from Babylon, Syria, Moab, and Ammon. They came to ruin Judah. This is what the LORD had said would happen. He said it through his prophets, the men who spoke his words to people.

And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets.

NoteSyria, Moab, and Ammon were lands close to Judah. Judah was the small country around the city of Jerusalem.

3This came upon Judah because the LORD said so. He sent them away from himself. It was because of the sins of Manasseh, an earlier king, and all he did.

Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;

NoteManasseh was a king of Judah many years before this. People still remembered the wrong things he had done.

4It was also because Manasseh killed people who had done nothing wrong. He filled Jerusalem with their blood. The LORD would not forgive that.

And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.

5The other things Jehoiakim did are written down. You can read them in the book of the history of Judah's kings.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

NoteKings kept a big book about the things they did. It was like a diary for the whole country.

6Then Jehoiakim died, like his fathers before him. His son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

NoteThe King James says Jehoiakim "slept with his fathers." That was a gentle way of saying he died.

7The king of Egypt did not march out of his own land again. The king of Babylon had taken all his land. He took it from the brook of Egypt all the way to the Euphrates River.

And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.

NoteThe Euphrates is a very big river far to the north. The brook of Egypt was a small stream far to the south. Naming both shows how much land Babylon now held.

10At that time the soldiers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched to Jerusalem. They surrounded the city so no one could go in or out.

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

NoteSoldiers camped all around the city walls. No food could get in. Waiting like this is called a siege. The soldiers waited until the hungry people gave up.

11Then King Nebuchadnezzar himself came to the city. His soldiers were still holding it shut.

And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.

12Jehoiachin, king of Judah, went out and gave himself up. His mother, his servants, his leaders, and his officers went too. The king of Babylon took him away. This was in Nebuchadnezzar's eighth year as king.

And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.

NotePeople counted years by how long their king had ruled. So this was Nebuchadnezzar's eighth year on the throne.

13He carried off all the treasure from the LORD's house and from the king's house. He cut up all the gold dishes and cups that King Solomon had made for the temple. The LORD had said this would happen.

And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.

NoteThe LORD's house was the temple in Jerusalem. It was the special building where people worshiped God. Solomon was a king long before this. He built the temple and made gold dishes for it.

14He took away the people of Jerusalem: the leaders, the brave soldiers, and every skilled worker who made things from wood and metal. That was ten thousand people in all. Only the poorest people were left in the land.

And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.

NoteA king who won a war often marched people far away. He took the strongest and cleverest ones first. Then the beaten land could not fight back again.

15He took Jehoiachin away to Babylon. He also took the king's mother, the king's wives, his officers, and the important men of the land. He marched them from Jerusalem to Babylon.

And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

NoteKings in those days often had more than one wife. All of them were taken away together.

16The king of Babylon brought seven thousand strong fighting men to Babylon. He also brought a thousand skilled workers who made things from wood and metal. All of them were strong and ready to fight.

And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

17The king of Babylon made Mattaniah the new king. Mattaniah was Jehoiachin's uncle. The king of Babylon changed his name to Zedekiah.

And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

NoteGiving a man a new name showed you were his boss. Zedekiah's first name was Mattaniah.

1It was the ninth year that Zedekiah was king. On day ten of month ten, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem. He brought his whole army. They camped around the city and built dirt walls to attack it.

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.

NoteAn army camping all around a city is called a siege. Nobody could go in or bring food out. The dirt walls let soldiers climb up and shoot over the wall.

2The army stayed around the city and kept it shut in. This lasted until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

NoteThe city was shut in like this for about a year and a half.

3On day nine of month four, the food ran out. The people in the city had nothing left to eat.

And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.

NoteNo farmer could bring food in while soldiers surrounded the city. That is why the food ran out.

4Then the enemy broke a hole in the city wall. Babylon's soldiers were all around the city. At night all the fighting men ran away. They went out the gate between the two walls, near the king's garden. They headed toward the flat land in the valley.

And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.

NoteThe flat land in the valley is the low ground near the Jordan River. It lies east of Jerusalem, on the way out of the hills.

5But Babylon's army chased the king. They caught him on the flat land near Jericho. His own soldiers had scattered and left him alone.

And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.

NoteJericho was an old town down in that valley, near the Jordan River.

6They took the king to the king of Babylon at a town called Riblah. There they decided how he would be punished.

So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.

NoteRiblah was a town far to the north. The king of Babylon stayed there with his army camp.

7They killed Zedekiah's sons while he watched. Then they blinded his eyes. They tied him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.

And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

NoteBronze is a hard metal made from copper mixed with tin. Blinding a beaten king was a punishment kings used long ago. It meant he could never lead soldiers again.

8It was month five, day seven, in Nebuchadnezzar's nineteenth year as king of Babylon. Nebuzaradan came to Jerusalem. He was the captain of the king's guard and served the king of Babylon.

And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:

NoteThe captain of the guard led the king's own special soldiers. He was one of Babylon's most important men.

9He burned down the LORD's temple, the king's palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every large building was burned.

And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.

NoteThe temple was the special building in Jerusalem where people worshiped God. The palace was the house where the king lived.

10The whole army of Babylon was with the captain of the guard. They broke down the walls all around Jerusalem.

And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.

NoteThick walls kept a city safe from enemies. Once the walls were down, the city could not fight back.

11Nebuzaradan took away the people still living in the city. He also took the ones who had gone over to Babylon's side. He took the rest of the crowd too. They were all marched away to another land.

Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.

NoteBeing marched away to live in another land is called exile. The people could not go home again.

12But the captain of the guard let some of the poorest people stay. They stayed to care for the grapevines and work the fields.

But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.

NoteBabylon wanted the fields and vineyards to keep growing food. Someone had to stay and work them.

13In the LORD's temple there were tall bronze pillars, bronze stands, and a huge bronze bowl. Babylon's soldiers broke them all in pieces. They carried the bronze back to Babylon.

And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.

NoteThe huge bronze bowl was called the Sea. It held water that the priests used for washing at the temple.

14They also took the pots, shovels, lamp trimmers, and dishes. They took all the bronze tools used in the temple.

And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.

NoteLamp trimmers were little tools for snipping the burnt part off a lamp wick.

15The captain of the guard also took the fire pans and the bowls. He took everything made of gold and everything made of silver.

And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away.

NoteFire pans were pans for carrying hot coals. Sweet smelling spices were burned on them at the temple.

16Solomon had made the two pillars, the big bowl, and the stands for the LORD's temple. There was so much bronze in them that nobody could weigh it.

The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

NoteSolomon was a king of Israel long before this. He built the temple in Jerusalem.

17Each pillar stood eighteen cubits tall. On top of each pillar sat a bronze cap three cubits high. Around the cap was bronze lattice work, with bronze fruit hanging on it. Both pillars looked the same.

The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work.

NoteA cubit was about eighteen inches, the length of a grown-up's arm from elbow to fingertips. So each pillar stood about as tall as three grown men. The fruit shapes were pomegranates, a round red fruit full of seeds.

18The captain of the guard took away Seraiah, the chief priest. He also took Zephaniah, the next priest under him, and three men who guarded the door.

And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:

NotePriests were the men who served God at the temple. The chief priest was their leader. The door guards kept watch over the temple doors.

19From the city he took a leader who was in charge of the soldiers. He took five men who gave advice to the king. He took the chief writer of the army, who signed men up to fight. He also took sixty other men he found in the city.

And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king’s presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city:

NoteArmies took away a beaten country's leaders on purpose. Without leaders, the people could not start a new fight.

20Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took all these men. He brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:

21There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon had them all killed. So the people of Judah were taken away from their own land.

And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.

NoteHamath was a land north of Israel. Judah was the southern part of Israel, and Jerusalem was its main city.

5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD his God.

Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

NoteEvil in the eyes of the LORD means God saw what the king did. God saw that it was wrong.

6Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came to fight him. He tied Jehoiakim with chains to take him to Babylon.

Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.

NoteBabylon was a big, strong country far to the east. Its army beat many other lands.

7Nebuchadnezzar also took some things from the LORD's house, the building in Jerusalem where people worshiped God. He carried them to Babylon and put them in his own temple there.

Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

NoteThe LORD's house is the temple, the special building in Jerusalem for worshiping God. A winning king often took the gold bowls and cups from a beaten land. He put them in his own god's temple to show that he had won.

8The rest of the things Jehoiakim did are written down. So are the disgusting things he did and all that was found against him. You can read them in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin became king after him.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

NoteThe disgusting things were ways of worshiping other gods. The book of the kings was a record book people kept long ago. It is not part of the Bible, and nobody has it now.

9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD.

Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

NoteSome very old copies of this book say eighteen years old instead of eight.

10In the spring King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him. He brought Jehoiachin to Babylon along with the fine things from the LORD's house. He made Zedekiah, a relative of Jehoiachin, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

NoteSpring was when armies traveled. The rain had stopped and the roads were dry again.

11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years.

Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

12He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD his God. He would not listen humbly to Jeremiah, a prophet who spoke the words God gave him.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.

13Zedekiah also turned against King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had made him promise in God's name. But Zedekiah was stubborn and hard inside. He would not turn back to the LORD, the God of Israel.

And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.

NotePromising in God's name means making a very serious promise with God listening. The old words say Zedekiah stiffened his neck. It is a picture of an animal that will not turn its head.

14The leaders of the priests and the people were unfaithful again and again. They copied the disgusting things the other nations did. They spoiled the LORD's house in Jerusalem, which God had set apart for himself.

Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.

NotePriests were men whose job was to lead worship at God's house. Set apart means the house was kept only for God and nothing else.

15The LORD, the God of their fathers, kept sending messages to them. He sent his messengers again and again. He did this because he cared about his people and about his house.

And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:

NoteThe messengers were prophets. A prophet was someone who told people what God said.

16But they laughed at God's messengers. They ignored his words and made fun of his prophets. At last the LORD became angry with his people. By then nothing could fix it.

But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

17So God brought the king of the Chaldeans, that is Babylon, against them. That king killed their young men with swords, even inside the holy house. He showed no pity for young men or young women. He showed no pity for old people or those bent over with age. God handed them all over to him.

Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.

NoteThe holy house was the temple. People thought it was the safest place of all.

18He carried everything off to Babylon. He took all the things from God's house, big and small. He took the treasures of the LORD's house, and of the king and his officials.

And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.

NoteOfficials were the king's helpers who ran the country for him.

19They burned God's house down. They broke down the wall around Jerusalem. They burned all its palaces and destroyed everything of value.

And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.

NoteCities had a high wall all around to keep enemies out. Once the wall was broken down, the city could not keep anyone out.

20The people who lived through the fighting were taken away to Babylon. There they had to serve the king and his sons. That lasted until Persia became the ruling kingdom.

And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:

NoteWhen people are taken from home to live in another country, it is called exile. The people of Judah had to live in Babylon, far away.

21This happened just as the LORD had said through Jeremiah. The land finally got its sabbaths, its times of rest. It lay empty and rested for seventy years.

To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

NoteA sabbath is a rest day. God's law also said farmers should let their fields rest every seventh year. Now the empty land got all its rest at once.

1A message came to Jeremiah from the LORD. King Zedekiah had sent two men to him. They were Pashur son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, a priest.

The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,

NoteJeremiah was a prophet. A prophet told people what God was saying. Zephaniah was a priest. Priests worked at God's temple and helped people pray. When LORD is written in big letters, it stands for God's own name.

2The men said, "Please ask the LORD about us. Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon, is making war on us. Maybe the LORD will do great wonders like he did long ago. Then the king of Babylon will go away and leave us alone."

Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.

NoteBabylon was a strong country far away. Its king sent an army to take over Jerusalem. King Zedekiah wanted Jeremiah to find out God's answer for him. Long ago God had rescued his people from Egypt. The king hoped God would do something big like that again.

3Then Jeremiah said to them, "Here is what you must tell Zedekiah."

Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:

4The LORD, the God of Israel, says this: Look, I will turn your own weapons back against you. You are using them to fight the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans, his army. They have camped all around outside your wall. I will bring that army right into the middle of this city.

Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.

NoteThe Chaldeans were the people of Babylon. Their soldiers sat in camps all around the city wall. This was called a siege. No food could get in, and nobody could get out.

5I myself will fight against you. My hand will be stretched out, and my arm will be strong. I will come in anger, in burning anger, and in very great anger.

And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

Note"With an outstretched hand and with a strong arm" meant God's full strength. Those same words once told how God saved his people. Here that strength is turned against them.

6I will strike down the people who live in this city, and the animals too. They will die from a terrible sickness that spreads fast.

And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.

7After that, says the LORD, I will hand over Zedekiah, king of Judah. I will hand over his helpers and the people too. That means the ones still alive after the sickness, the fighting, and the hunger. I will give them to Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon. I will give them to their enemies, who want them dead. He will kill them with the sword. He will not spare them or feel sorry for them at all.

And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.

Note"The sword" is a way of saying war and killing. The King James calls the hunger "famine." That is when a city runs out of food.

8And you must say this to the people. The LORD says: Look, I am setting two paths in front of you. One path leads to life. One path leads to death.

And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

9Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, by hunger, or by sickness. But whoever goes out and gives himself up to the Chaldeans outside will live. He will get to keep his own life, and nothing more.

He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.

NoteSoldiers who won a battle carried home prizes. The King James calls such a prize a "prey." Here the only thing a person carries away is his own life.

10I have set my face against this city to bring harm, not good, says the LORD. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon. He will burn it down with fire.

For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

NoteTo "set my face against" something meant to decide firmly. God has made up his mind about this city.

1This message came to Jeremiah about all the people of Judah. It came in the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah. Jehoiakim was the son of Josiah. That same year was the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;

NoteJudah was the small country where God's people lived. Babylon was a huge, strong country far to the east. Nebuchadnezzar was its king, and his army was very powerful.

2Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah. He also spoke to everyone living in Jerusalem. He said:

The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

NoteJerusalem was the most important city in Judah. God's temple, his special house, was there. A prophet is someone who tells people what God says.

3"Josiah, the son of Amon, was king of Judah. From his thirteenth year until today, the LORD has spoken to me. That is twenty-three years. I told you his words again and again. But you have not listened.

From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.

NoteLong ago people counted years by their king. "His thirteenth year" means thirteen years after Josiah became king. When the Bible writes LORD in big letters, it means God's own special name.

4The LORD also sent you all his servants the prophets, again and again. But you did not listen. You would not even turn your ear to hear.

And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.

5They said, 'Each of you, turn away from your evil ways. Stop the bad things you are doing. Then you can keep living in the land. The LORD gave this land to you and to your fathers forever.

They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:

Note"Your fathers" means grandparents and great-grandparents from long ago.

6Do not follow other gods. Do not serve them or bow down to them. Do not make me angry with the things your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.'

And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.

NoteOther gods were statues made of wood, stone, or metal. People bowed down to them and asked them for help.

7"But you did not listen to me," says the LORD. "You made me angry with the things your hands made. You only brought harm on yourselves."

Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

8So the LORD of Heaven's Armies says this. "You have not obeyed my words.

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,

Note"The LORD of Heaven's Armies" is a name for God. It means he is the leader of countless mighty helpers. He is the God who leads great armies.

9So I will call for all the families from the north, says the LORD. I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and the people who live here. I will bring them against all the nations around here too. I will destroy them completely. People will stare in shock and whisper about them. The land will lie empty forever.

Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.

NoteThe families from the north are armies from countries up north. Armies coming to attack Judah traveled that way. To "stare in shock and whisper" means people would be amazed at the ruins.

10I will take away every happy sound among them. No more laughing. No more glad voices. No more voices of a bride and groom at a wedding. No more sound of grinding grain. No more light from a lamp.

Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.

NoteGrinding grain was the sound of two heavy stones. Women rubbed them together to make flour for bread. Every home did this each morning. Lamps were little clay bowls of oil with a burning string. Losing these sounds and lights means nobody lives there anymore.

11This whole land will become empty and ruined. People will stare at it in shock. These nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

NoteSeventy years is longer than most people lived back then. Babies born then would be old before it ended.

12But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon. I will punish his nation too, the land of the Chaldeans, for the wrong they did, says the LORD. I will leave their land empty forever.

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

NoteChaldeans is another name for the people of Babylon.

13I will bring on that land everything I said against it. That means everything written in this book. These are the words Jeremiah spoke against all the nations.

And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.

Note"This book" means the scroll where Jeremiah's messages were written down. A scroll was a long roll of paper you unrolled to read.

14Many nations and great kings will make the people of Babylon their slaves. I will pay them back for what they did. I will pay them back for the work of their own hands."

For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.

1Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. When his rule began, a message came to Jeremiah from the LORD.

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

NoteA prophet was someone who told people what God said. Jeremiah was one. Judah was a small country with its own king. The word LORD in big letters is God's own name.

2The LORD said to me, "Make a yoke out of straps and wooden bars. Put it on your own neck."

Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

NoteA yoke is a wooden bar laid across the necks of two oxen. It makes them pull a plow or a cart together. Wearing a yoke was a picture of belonging to someone else.

3Messengers have come to Jerusalem to see Zedekiah, king of Judah. Send word through them to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon.

And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;

NoteEdom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon were small countries near Judah. Each one had its own king. Zedekiah was the king ruling in Jerusalem at that time. Messengers carried words between kings, because there were no letters or phones.

4Tell the messengers to say this to their own kings. "This is what the LORD of Hosts says. He is the God of Israel, and he commands great armies."

And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;

5"I made the earth by my great power and my strong arm. I made the people and the animals that live on it. I give the land to anyone I choose."

I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.

Note"My strong arm" is a picture. It means God is strong enough to do whatever he plans.

6"Now I have handed all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. He works for me. I have given him the wild animals too."

And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

NoteBabylon was a huge, powerful country far to the east. Nebuchadnezzar was its king, and his army beat everyone nearby. God calls him "my servant" here. That means God was using him to do what God had planned.

7"All nations will serve him, then his son, then his grandson. Then the time for his own land will come. Many nations and great kings will make him serve them."

And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

NoteBabylon looked like it would last forever. God says it will not. One day other kings will rule over Babylon instead.

8"Some nation may refuse to serve Nebuchadnezzar. It may refuse to put its neck under his yoke. Then I will punish that nation, says the LORD. War, hunger, and deadly sickness will come. They will last until Nebuchadnezzar has wiped that nation out."

And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

NoteWhen an army surrounded a city, no food could get in. People grew hungry, and sickness spread fast. That is why war, hunger, and sickness are named together.

9"So do not listen to your prophets or your fortune tellers. Do not listen to people who read dreams or do magic. They tell you, 'You will not serve the king of Babylon.'"

Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

NoteFortune tellers said they could tell you what would happen next. Some watched the stars, and some read dreams. People paid them to hear good news. These men were guessing, not hearing from God.

10"They are telling you lies. Their lies will pull you far from your land. I will send you away, and you will die."

For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

11"But some nation may put its neck under Babylon's yoke and serve him. I will let that nation stay in its own land, says the LORD. Its people will farm it and live there."

But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.