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Jeremiah’s Lesson at the Temple
26 This message came from the Lord ·soon after Jehoiakim son of Josiah became [L at the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim] king of Judah [C ruled 605–597 bc]. 2 This is what the Lord said: “Jeremiah, stand in the courtyard of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. ·Give this message [L Say] to all the people of the towns of Judah who are coming to ·worship [bow down] at the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. Tell them everything I tell you to say; don’t leave out a word. 3 Maybe they will listen and ·stop [return/repent from] their evil ways. If they will, I will ·change my mind [relent] about bringing on them the ·disaster [evil; trouble] that I am planning because of the evil they have done. 4 Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord says: You must ·obey [listen to] me and follow my ·teachings [instructions; laws] that I gave you. 5 You must listen to what my servants the prophets [25:4] say to you. I have sent them to you again and again, but you did not ·listen [obey]. 6 If you don’t obey me, I will ·destroy my Temple in Jerusalem as I destroyed my Holy Tent at [L make this house like] Shiloh [7:12–14; 1 Sam. 4:1–22; Ps. 78:60–64]. When I do, ·people all over the world will curse Jerusalem [L I will make this city a curse].’”
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 8 When Jeremiah finished speaking ·everything [L all the words] the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, prophets, and all the people ·grabbed [seized] Jeremiah. They said, “You must die! 9 ·How dare [L Why do…?] you prophesy in the name of the Lord that this ·Temple [L house] will be like the one at Shiloh [C destroyed]! ·How dare [L Why do…?] you say that this city [C Jerusalem] will become a ·desert [ruin] without anyone to live in it!” And all the people ·crowded [assembled] around Jeremiah in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.
10 Now when the officers of Judah heard ·about what was happening [L these things/words], they came out of the king’s ·palace [L house] and went up to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate. 11 Then the priests and prophets said to the officers and all the other people, “·Jeremiah [L This man] ·should be killed [L deserves the death sentence]. He prophesied against this city [C Jerusalem], and you heard him ·yourselves [L with your ears].”
12 Then Jeremiah spoke these words to all the officers of Judah and all the other people: “The Lord sent me to ·say [L prophesy] ·everything [L all these words] you have heard about this ·Temple [L house] and this city. 13 Now ·change [improve; mend] your ·lives and start doing good [L ways and your deeds] and ·obey [L listen to the voice of] the Lord your God. Then he will ·change his mind and not bring on you [relent of] the ·disaster [evil; trouble] he has told you about. 14 As for me, I am in your ·power [L hand]. Do to me what you think is good and right in your eyes. 15 But be sure of one thing. If you kill me, you will be ·guilty of killing an innocent person [L placing innocent blood on yourselves; Ex. 23:7; Deut. 19:10, 13]. ·You will make this city and everyone who lives in it guilty, too [L …and on this city and everyone who lives in it]! The Lord truly sent me to ·you to give you this message [L speak this word in your ears].”
16 Then the officers and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “·Jeremiah must not be killed [L This man does not deserve the death penalty]. ·What he told us comes from [L He has spoken to us in the name of] the Lord our God.”
17 Then some of the elders of the land [C of Judah] stood up and said to all the people, 18 “Micah, from the city of Moresheth [Micah 1:1, 14], was a prophet during the ·time Hezekiah was [L days of Hezekiah] king of Judah. Micah said to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple] will be plowed like a field.
·It [L Jerusalem] will become a ·pile of rocks [a heap of ruins],
and the ·hill [L mountain] where the ·Temple [L house] stands will be ·covered with bushes [L a forested high place; Mic. 3:12].’
19 “·Hezekiah king of Judah and the people of Judah did not [L Did Hezekiah king of Judah and people of Judah try to…?] kill Micah. ·You know [L Do you not know…?] that Hezekiah feared the Lord [Prov. 1:7] and ·tried to please [sought the favor of] the Lord. So the Lord ·changed his mind [relented] and did not bring on Judah the ·disaster [evil; harm] he had promised. We will bring a terrible ·disaster [evil; harm] on ourselves [C by hurting Jeremiah]!”
20 (Now there was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord. His name was Uriah son of Shemaiah from the city of Kiriath Jearim. He ·preached [L prophesied] the same things against this city [C Jerusalem] and this land [C Judah] that Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim, all his army officers, and all the leaders of Judah heard ·Uriah preach [L his words], King Jehoiakim ·wanted [sought] to kill Uriah. But Uriah heard about it and was afraid. So he escaped to Egypt. 22 Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Acbor and some other men to Egypt, 23 and they brought Uriah back from Egypt. Then they took him to King Jehoiakim, who had Uriah ·killed [L struck] with a sword. His body was thrown into the burial place where ·poor [common] people are buried.)
24 ·Ahikam son of Shaphan supported [L The hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with] Jeremiah [2 Kin. 22:3, 8–10]. So Ahikam did not hand Jeremiah over to be killed by the people.
Nebuchadnezzar Is Made Ruler
27 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah soon after ·Zedekiah [or Jehoiakim] son of Josiah was made king of Judah. 2 This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke out of straps and poles, and put it on the back of your neck. 3 Then send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, ·Ammon [L the sons of Ammon], Tyre, and Sidon by their messengers who have come to Jerusalem to see Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Tell them to give this message to their masters: ‘The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: “Tell your masters: 5 I made the earth, its people, and all its animals with my great power and ·strength [L outstretched hand]. I can give the earth to anyone ·I want [L that is right in my eyes]. 6 Now I have given all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant. I will make even the wild animals ·obey [L serve] him. 7 All nations will serve Nebuchadnezzar and his son and grandson. Then the time will come for Babylon to be defeated, and many nations and great kings will make Babylon their ·servant [or slave].
8 “‘ “But if some nations or kingdoms refuse to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and refuse to ·be under his control [L put their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon], I will punish them with ·war [L the sword], ·hunger [famine], and ·terrible diseases [plague; pestilence], says the Lord. ·I will use Nebuchadnezzar to destroy them [L …until I have completed its destruction by its hand]. 9 So don’t listen to your prophets, ·those who use magic to tell the future [your diviners], ·those who explain dreams [your dreamers], the mediums, or magicians. They all tell you, ‘·You will not be slaves to [L Do not serve] the king of Babylon.’ 10 They are ·telling [L prophesying to] you lies that will cause you to be taken far from your homeland. I will ·force you to leave [drive you from] your homes, and you will ·die in another land [perish]. 11 But the nations who ·put themselves under the control [L bring their necks under the yoke] of the king of Babylon and serve him I will let stay in their own country, says the Lord. The people from those nations will live in their own land and farm it.”’”
12 I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Put yourself under the ·control [L yoke] of the king of Babylon and serve him, and you will live. 13 Why should you and your people die from ·war [L sword], ·hunger [famine], or ·disease [pestilence], as the Lord said would happen to those who do not serve the king of Babylon? 14 But the prophets [C false prophets] are saying, ‘You will ·never be slaves to [L not serve] the king of Babylon.’ Don’t listen to them because they are prophesying lies to you! 15 ‘I did not send them,’ says the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies ·and saying the message is from me [L in my name]. So I will ·send you away [drive you out; C said to Judah]. And you and those prophets who prophesy to you will ·die [perish; Deut. 18:21–22].’”
16 Then I [C Jeremiah] said to the priests and all this people, “This is what the Lord says: Those false prophets are saying, ‘The ·Babylonians will soon return what they took from the Temple of the Lord [L vessels of the house of the Lord will be returned from Babylon; 2 Kin. 24:13; Dan. 1:2].’ Don’t listen to them! They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Don’t listen to those prophets. But serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. ·There is no reason for you to cause Jerusalem to [L Why should this city…?] become a ruin. 18 If they are prophets and have the ·message from [word of] the Lord, let them ·pray to [L intercede with] the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. Let them ask that the ·items [vessels] which ·are still [L remain] in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and in the king’s ·palace [L house] and in Jerusalem not ·be taken away [L go] to Babylon.
19 “This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says about those ·items [vessels] left in this city [C Jerusalem]: the pillars [1 Kin. 7:15–22], the Sea [1 Kin. 7:23–26], the stands [1 Kin. 7:27–37] and other things [C bronze basins, various altars, lampstands, and more]. 20 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take these away when he ·took as captives [exiled] Jehoiachin [L Jeconiah] son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the ·other important people [nobles] from Judah and Jerusalem to Babylon. 21 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says about the ·items [vessels] left in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and in the king’s ·palace [L house] and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘·All of them will also be taken [L They will be brought] to Babylon. And they will stay there until the day I ·go to get [attend to] them,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and return them to this place.’”
Pray for Us
3 ·And now [or Finally], brothers and sisters, pray for us that the Lord’s ·teaching [message; word] ·will continue to spread quickly [L might run (forward)] and ·that people will give honor to that teaching [L be honored/glorified], just as happened with you. 2 And pray that we will be ·protected [or rescued; delivered] from ·stubborn [or perverse; worthless; wicked] and evil people, because not all people ·believe [have faith].
3 But the Lord is faithful and will give you strength and will protect you from the Evil One [C Satan]. 4 ·The Lord makes us feel sure [L We have confidence about you in the Lord] that you are doing and will continue to do the things we ·told [instructed; commanded] you. 5 May the Lord ·lead [guide; direct] your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s ·patience [endurance; perseverance].
The Duty to Work
6 Brothers and sisters, ·by the authority [L in the name] of our Lord Jesus Christ we command you to stay away from any ·believer [L brother (or sister)] who ·refuses to work [or behaves irresponsibly; L lives/walks in idleness/disorder] and does not follow the ·teaching we gave you [L tradition you received from us]. 7 [L For] You yourselves know that you should ·live as we live [follow our example; imitate us]. [L Because] We were not ·lazy [idle; undisciplined] when we were with you. 8 And when we ate another person’s ·food [bread], we always paid for it. We worked ·very hard [L with labor and toil] night and day so we would not be an ·expense [financial burden] to any of you. 9 ·We had [L It was not because we do not have] the right to ask you to help us, but we worked ·to take care of ourselves so we would [L in order to] be an example for you to ·follow [imitate]. 10 [L For even] When we were with you, we gave you this ·rule [instruction; command]: “Anyone who ·refuses [is not willing] to work should not eat.”
11 [L For; or Yet] We hear that some people in your group ·refuse to work [or are behaving irresponsibly; L are living/walking in idleness/disorder]. They do nothing but ·busy themselves [meddle; interfere] in other people’s lives. 12 We command ·those [such] people and ·beg [urge; encourage; exhort] them in the Lord Jesus Christ to ·work quietly [or settle down] and ·earn [L eat] their own ·food [bread]. 13 But you, brothers and sisters, never become tired of doing good.
14 If some people do not obey what we tell you in this letter, then take note of them. ·Have nothing to do [Do not associate] with them so they will ·feel ashamed [or be shamed]. 15 But do not ·treat [regard] them as enemies. ·Warn [Admonish] them as ·fellow believers [L a brother (or sister)].
Final Words
16 Now may the Lord of peace [L himself] give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
17 I, Paul, ·end this letter now [write this greeting] in my own ·handwriting [L hand]. All my letters have this ·to show they are from me [sign]. This is the way I write.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
A Prayer for the Nation
For the director of music. A psalm of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22].
85 Lord, you ·have been kind to [delight in] your land;
you ·brought back [restored the fortunes of; C perhaps at the end of the exile] the people of Jacob [C another name for Israel].
2 You forgave the guilt of the people
and covered all their sins. ·
3 You ·stopped [drew back from] all your anger;
you turned back from your ·strong [burning] anger.
4 God our Savior, ·bring us back again [restore us again].
Stop being angry with us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you ·stay angry [draw out your anger against us] from now on?
6 Won’t you give us life again?
Your people would rejoice in you.
7 Lord, show us your ·love [loyalty],
and ·save us [L give to us your salvation/victory].
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says.
He has ·ordered [spoken; promised] ·peace [prosperity] for ·those who worship him [L his people, his saints/loyal ones].
Don’t let them go back to foolishness.
9 ·God will soon save those who respect him [L His salvation/victory is near to those who fear him; Prov. 1:7],
and his glory will ·be seen [L dwell] in our land.
10 ·Love [Loyalty] and ·truth [faithfulness] ·belong to God’s people [L meet];
·goodness [righteousness] and ·peace [prosperity] ·will be theirs [L kiss].
11 ·On earth people will be loyal to God [Faithfulness sprouts/blooms from the earth/land],
and ·God’s goodness [righteousness] will ·shine [look] down from heaven.
12 The Lord will give his ·goodness [or good gifts],
and the land will give its crops.
13 ·Goodness [Righteousness] will go before ·God [L him]
and prepare the way for ·him [L his steps].
16 If you find honey, ·don’t eat too much [eat the right amount],
or it will make you full and you will throw up.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.