Zephaniah

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.

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.

24The LORD also told Jeremiah to send a message to Shemaiah the Nehelamite.

Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,

NoteNehelamite is a name that may mean Shemaiah came from a place called Nehelam.

25The LORD who leads heaven's armies, the God of Israel, says this. You sent letters in your own name to the people in Jerusalem. You sent them to Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests. You wrote:

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

NoteSending letters in your own name means he spoke for himself. But he wanted people to think God had sent his message.

26"The LORD made you a priest in place of Jehoiada. You are in charge at the LORD's house. Any wild man who acts like a prophet is your job. You must lock him up in chains and stocks."

The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

NoteThe LORD's house was the temple, a large building made for worship. Priests worked there and took care of everything inside. Stocks were heavy wooden blocks that held a person's feet. Chains could be locked around the neck or hands. Both kept a person from moving or getting away.

27"So why have you not scolded Jeremiah from Anathoth? He is acting like a prophet among you."

Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?

NoteAnathoth was a small town near Jerusalem. Jeremiah grew up there, and his family were priests.

28"He even sent a letter to us here in Babylon. He said we will be away a long time. He told us to build houses and live in them. He told us to plant gardens and eat their food."

For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

29Zephaniah the priest read this letter out loud to Jeremiah the prophet.

And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

NoteMost people then could not read. Letters were read out loud so everyone could hear them.

30Then the LORD gave Jeremiah a message. He said:

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

31Send word to all the people far from home. The LORD says this about Shemaiah from Nehelam. Shemaiah spoke to you as a prophet, but I did not send him. He made you trust a lie.

Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

32So the LORD says this. I will punish Shemaiah and his children after him. He will have no family left among these people. He will not see the good I will do for my people, says the LORD. He told people to turn against the LORD.

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.

NoteHis children after him means his family for years to come. Families counted on children to carry on their name. Having no family left was a very sad thing then.

1Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. He made Zedekiah the king of Judah. Zedekiah was the son of Josiah. He became king instead of Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim.

And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

NoteBabylon was a strong country far away from Judah. Its army had beaten Judah. So the king of Babylon got to choose who ruled Judah. Zedekiah was king, but he had to do what Babylon said.

2But Zedekiah did not obey what the LORD said. His helpers and the people did not obey either. The LORD had spoken these words through Jeremiah, a prophet who told people what God said.

But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.

NoteWhen you see LORD in big letters, it is God's own special name. The Bible writers used it for God alone.

3Still, King Zedekiah sent two men to Jeremiah. They were Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah. They said, "Please pray to the LORD our God for us."

And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.

NoteA priest was a man whose job was helping people worship God. He worked at the temple, God's special house in Jerusalem.

4At that time Jeremiah could still come and go among the people. No one had put him in prison yet.

Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison.

5The army of Egypt had marched out of its land. The army of Babylon was camped all around Jerusalem. When they heard that Egypt was coming, they left the city.

Then Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

NoteThe King James Version says "the Chaldeans." Chaldeans was another name for the people of Babylon. Egypt was a big country to the south. Its king was called Pharaoh.

6Then the LORD gave a message to Jeremiah the prophet.

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

7The LORD, the God of Israel, said: Tell this to the king of Judah, who sent men to ask me. The army of Egypt came out to help you. But it will go back home to Egypt.

Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.

NoteGod is speaking here. He tells Jeremiah the words to say to the king.

8Then the army of Babylon will come back here. They will fight against this city. They will take it and burn it down.

And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.

NoteCities then had thick walls around them. An army would sit outside and wait. No food could get in, so the people grew very hungry. That is what "besieged" means.

9The LORD says: Do not fool yourselves. Do not say, "The army of Babylon is gone for good." They are not gone.

Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.

10Even if you beat their whole army, they would not stay down. Even if only hurt men were left lying in their tents, they would get up. They would still burn this city down.

For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

NoteThe King James Version says "smitten," which means beaten in a fight.

24The captain of the guard took Seraiah, the chief priest. He took Zephaniah, the priest just under him. He took the three men who guarded the temple doors.

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

NoteA priest worked at the temple and helped people worship God. The chief priest was the leader of all the priests.

25From the city he took a palace officer who was in charge of the soldiers. He took seven men who helped the king closely. He took the army's chief writer, who signed men up to fight. He also took sixty ordinary men found in the city.

He took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near the king’s person, which were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.

NoteThe King James Bible calls this man “an eunuch”. That word meant a trusted helper who lived and worked in the palace.

26Nebuzaradan the captain took all these men to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

27There 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 put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.

NoteNow almost all the people of Judah lived far away in Babylon.