In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus says the Lord to me: Make yourself bonds and yokes and put them upon your neck, 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 Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem, unto Zedekiah king of Judah, and command them to say unto their masters, Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Thus shall you say unto your masters: 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. ... 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. ... And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of their end come; and after that, many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them. ... 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, says the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. ... 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, says the Lord, and they shall till it and dwell therein.
I spoke also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. ... Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord has spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? ... Therefore, listen not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you saying, You shall not serve the king of Babylon — for they prophesy a lie unto you.
Listen not unto them, serve the king of Babylon and live. ... But if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of Hosts that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord and in the house of the king of Judah and at Jerusalem go not to Babylon. ... For thus says the Lord of Hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city — which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem — yea, thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem: They shall be carried to Babylon and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, says the Lord; then will I bring them up and restore them to this place.
And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year and in the fifth month that Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke unto me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, Thus speaks the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, saying: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. ... Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried them to Babylon. ... And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah that went into Babylon, says the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. ... And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus says the Lord: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years.
For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him; and I have given him the beasts of the field also.
Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders who were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon (after Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths were departed from Jerusalem), by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), saying, Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them; take wives and beget sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daugh
Because you have said, The Lord has raised us up prophets in Babylon — know that thus says the Lord; of the king that sits upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwell in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity, thus says the Lord of Hosts: Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs that cannot be eaten they are so evil. ... Hear therefore the word of the Lord, all you of the captivity whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon; thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie unto you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and he shall slay them before your eyes, and of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, The Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire because they have committed villainy in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name which I have not commanded them.
But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David, their king whom I will raise up unto them.
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. ... For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison which was in the king of Judah’s house. ... For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Why do you prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon and he shall take it, and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes.
Therefore, thus says the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. ... For this city has been to me as a provocation of my anger and of my fury, from the day that they built it even unto this day, that I should remove it from before my face because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah which they have done to provoke me to anger — they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And now therefore thus says the Lord the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: Behold, I will gather them out of all countries to which I have driven them — in my anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath — and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely, and they shall be my people and I will be their God.
For thus says 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: They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I have slain in my anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hidden my face from this city.
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, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. ... And your eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth. ... Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah. ... And with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so shall they burn odors for you. ... Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem 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 fortified cities remained of the cities of Judah.
This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord after the king, Zedekiah, had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them: that every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free, that none should serve himself of them, namely of a Jew — his brother.
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 who have gone up from you.
The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, 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. ... But it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar 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.
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: Take a scroll and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke unto you, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.
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.
When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the Lord, then he went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber, and behold, 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. ... 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.
And they went in to the king, into the court, but they laid up the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king. ... So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the scroll, 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 who stood beside the king. ... Now the king sat in the winter house in the ninth month, and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. ... Yet they were not afraid nor rent their garments — neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.
Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take again another scroll and write in it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. ... And you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus says the Lord: You have burned this scroll, saying, Why have you written therein, saying the king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from there man and beast? ... Therefore, thus says the Lord unto 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.
Then took Jeremiah another scroll, 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 king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
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.
(Old Covenants) Jeremiah 15:10
Then came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Thus shall you say to the king of Judah that sent you unto me to inquire of me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army which has come forth to help you shall return to Egypt, into their own land.