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42 While there, Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah [or Azariah; 43:2] son of Hoshaiah ·went to [approached] Jeremiah the prophet. All the army officers and all the people, from the least important to the greatest, went along, too. 2 They said to him, “Jeremiah, ·please listen to what we ask [L let our pleas for help/supplications fall before you]. Pray to the Lord your God for all ·the people left alive from the family of Judah [L this remnant]. At one time there were many of us, but ·you can see that [L as your eyes can see] there are few of us now. 3 So pray that the Lord your God will tell us ·where we should go [L the path on which we should go] and what we should do.”
4 Then Jeremiah the prophet answered, “I ·understand what you want me to do [L hear]. I will pray to the Lord your God ·as you have asked [L according to your works]. I will tell you ·everything he says [all his answers] and not ·hide [L keep back] anything from you.”
5 Then the people said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and ·loyal [faithful] witness against us if we don’t do everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. 6 ·It does not matter if we like the message or not [L Whether good or bad…]. We will ·obey [listen to] the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you. We will ·obey [listen to] what he says so good things will happen to us.”
7 Ten days later the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. 8 Then Jeremiah called for Johanan son of Kareah, the army officers with him, and all the other people, from the least important to the greatest. 9 Jeremiah said to them, “You sent me to ·ask the Lord for what you wanted [L make your supplications/fall before him]. This is what the God of Israel says: 10 ‘If you will stay in this land [C Judah], I will build you up and not tear you down. I will plant you and not ·pull [tear] you up [1:10], because I am ·sad [sorry] about the ·disaster [evil; trouble] I ·brought on [L did to] you. 11 Now you fear the king of Babylon, but don’t be afraid of him. Don’t be afraid of him,’ says the Lord, ‘because I am with you. I will save you and ·rescue [protect] you from his ·power [L hand]. 12 I will be ·kind [compassionate; merciful] to you, and he will also treat you with ·mercy [kindness; compassion] and ·let you stay [restore you] in your land.’
13 “But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land [C Judah],’ you will ·disobey [not listen to the voice of] the Lord your God. 14 Or you might say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt. There we will not see war, or hear the trumpets of ·war [battle], or ·be hungry [famine].’ 15 If you say that, listen to the message of the Lord, ·you who are left alive from [remnant of] Judah. This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: ‘If you ·make up your mind [are determined] to go and live in Egypt, these things will happen: 16 ·You are afraid of war, but it will find you [L The sword you fear will overtake you there,] in the land of Egypt. And ·you are worried about hunger, but it will follow you into [L the famine you dread will cling after you there in] Egypt, and you will die there. 17 Everyone who ·goes to live in [L sets their face to go to] Egypt will die ·in war [L by sword] or from ·hunger [famine] or ·terrible disease [plague; pestilence]. ·No one who goes to Egypt will live; no one will escape [L There will be no remnant or survivor from] the ·terrible things [harm; L evil] I will bring to them.’
18 “This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: ‘I ·showed [poured out] my anger against the people of Jerusalem. In the same way I will ·show [pour out] my anger against you when you go to Egypt. Other nations will speak evil of you. People will be ·shocked [horrified] by what will happen to you. You will become a curse word, and people will ·insult [ridicule] you. And you will never see this place [C Judah] again.’
19 “·You who are left alive in [Remnant of] Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Don’t go to Egypt.’ Be sure you ·understand [know] this; I warn you today 20 that you ·are making a mistake that will cause your deaths [made a fatal mistake; L have erred with your life]. You sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us. Tell us everything the Lord our God says, and we will do it.’ 21 So today I have ·told [proclaimed to] you, but you have not ·obeyed [listened to the voice of] the Lord your God in all that he sent me to tell you. 22 So now be sure you ·understand [know] this: You want to go to live in Egypt, but you will die there by ·war [L sword], ·hunger [famine], or ·terrible diseases [plague; pestilence].”
43 So Jeremiah finished telling the people the message from the Lord their God; he told them everything the Lord their God had sent him to tell them.
2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah [42:1], Johanan son of Kareah, and some other men were ·too proud [arrogant]. They said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to ·live [sojourn; wander] there.’ 3 Baruch son of Neriah [C Jeremiah’s assistant; chs. 35; 45] is causing you to be against us. He wants you to hand us over to the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans] so they can kill us or ·capture us and take [exile] us to Babylon.”
4 So Johanan, the army officers, and all the people ·disobeyed the Lord’s command [did not listen to the voice of the Lord] to stay in Judah. 5 But Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers ·led away [L took] ·those who were left alive from [the remnant of] Judah. They were the people who had ·run away from the Babylonians [been driven] to other countries but then had ·come back to live in [returned to] Judah. 6 They ·led away [L took] the men, women, and children, and the king’s daughters. Nebuzaradan commander of the guard had ·put Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan in charge of those people [L left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan; C who had been appointed governor]. Johanan also took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. 7 These people did not listen to the voice of the Lord. So they all went to Egypt to the city of Tahpanhes [C in the eastern region of the Nile Delta].
8 In Tahpanhes the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah: 9 “Take some large stones. Bury them in the clay in the brick pavement in front of the ·king of Egypt’s palace [L house of Pharaoh] in Tahpanhes. Do this ·while the Jews are watching you [L before the eyes of the Judeans]. 10 Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: I will soon send for my servant, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I will set his throne over these stones I have buried, and he will spread his ·covering for shade [canopy] above them. 11 He will come here and ·attack [L strike] Egypt. He will bring death to those who are supposed to die. He will make ·prisoners [exiles] of those who are to be ·taken captive [exiled], and he will bring ·war to [L to the sword] those who are to be killed with a sword. 12 Nebuchadnezzar will ·set [kindle a] fire to the ·temples [L houses] of the gods of Egypt and burn them. And he will take ·the idols [L them] away as captives. As a shepherd ·wraps himself in [or picks lice from] his clothes, so Nebuchadnezzar ·will wrap Egypt around him [or picks the land of Egypt clean]. Then he will safely leave Egypt. 13 He will ·destroy [break] the stone pillars in the ·temple [L house] of the sun god in Egypt, and he will burn ·down [L with fire] the ·temples [L houses] of the gods of Egypt.’”
Disaster in Egypt
44 Jeremiah received a message from the Lord for all the ·Jews [L Judeans] living in Egypt—in the cities of Migdol [C a city in the Nile Delta], Tahpanhes [43:7], Memphis [C a capital city in central Egypt], and in ·southern Egypt [L the land of Pathros]. This was the message: 2 “The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: You saw all the ·terrible things [disasters; evil; troubles] I brought on Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, which are ruins today with no one living in them. 3 It is because the people who lived there did evil. They made me angry by burning incense and ·worshiping [serving] other gods that neither they nor you nor your ·ancestors [fathers] ever knew. 4 I sent all my servants, the prophets, to you again and again. By them I said to you, ‘Don’t do this ·terrible [abominable] thing that I hate.’ 5 But they did not listen or ·pay attention [L incline their ear]. They did not ·stop doing [turn back from] evil things and burning incense to other gods. 6 So I showed my great anger against them. I poured out my anger in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem so they are only ruins and ·piles of stones [a desolation] today.
7 “Now the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such great ·harm [damage; evil] to yourselves? You are cutting off the men and women, children and ·babies [suckling infants] from the ·family [L midst] of Judah, leaving yourselves without ·anyone from the family of Judah [L a remnant]. 8 Why do you want to make me angry by ·making idols [L the work of your hands]? Why do you ·burn incense [make offerings] to the gods of Egypt, where you have come to ·live [sojourn; wander]? You will ·destroy [L cut off] yourselves. Other nations will ·speak evil of [curse] you and ·make fun of [reproach] you. 9 Have you forgotten about the evil things your ·ancestors [fathers] did? And have you forgotten the evil the kings and ·queens [L their wives] of Judah did? Have you forgotten about the evil you and your wives did? These things were done in the country of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. 10 Even to this day the people of Judah ·are still too proud [have shown no remorse]. They have not ·learned to respect [feared] me or ·to follow [L walked in] my ·teachings [laws; instructions]. They have not obeyed the ·laws [statutes; requirements; ordinances] I gave you and your ·ancestors [fathers].
11 “So this is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: I am ·determined [L setting my face against you] to bring ·disasters [evil; trouble] on you. I will ·destroy [L cut off] ·the whole family of [L all] Judah. 12 The ·few who were left alive [remnant] from Judah ·were determined [L set their face] to go to Egypt and ·settle [sojourn; wander] there, but they will all die in Egypt. They will be killed ·in war [L by the sword] or ·die from hunger [L by famine]. From the least important to the greatest, they will be killed ·in war [L by sword] or ·die from hunger [L by famine]. Other nations will ·speak evil about [L curse] them. People will be shocked by what has happened to them. They will become a curse word, and people will ·insult [reproach] them. 13 I will punish those people who have gone to live in Egypt, just as I punished Jerusalem, using swords, ·hunger [famine], and ·terrible diseases [plague; pestilence]. 14 Of the ·people of Judah who were left alive [remnant of Judah] and have gone to ·live [wander; sojourn] in Egypt, none will escape ·my punishment [L or survive]. They want to return to Judah and live there, but none of them will live to return to Judah, except a few people who will escape.”
15 A large group of the people [C of Judah] who lived in ·southern Egypt [L Pathros] were ·meeting [assembling] together. Among them were many women who were ·burning incense [or making offerings] to other gods, and their husbands knew it. All these people said to Jeremiah, 16 “We will not listen to the ·message from [L the word in the name of] the Lord that you spoke to us. 17 We promised to make sacrifices to the Queen Goddess [C a female astral deity, probably Ashtart or Asherah], and we will certainly do everything ·we promised [L that came out of our mouths]. We will ·burn incense [or make offerings] and pour out drink offerings to worship her, just as we, our ·ancestors [fathers], kings, and officers did in the past. All of us did these things in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were ·successful [fine], and ·nothing bad happened to us [L we saw/experienced no evil]. 18 But since we stopped ·making sacrifices [or offering incense] to the Queen Goddess and stopped pouring out drink offerings to her, we have ·had great problems [L lacked everything]. Our people have also been killed ·in war [L by sword] and by ·hunger [famine].”
19 The women said, “Our husbands knew what we were doing. We had their permission to ·burn incense [or make offerings] to the Queen Goddess and to pour out drink offerings to her. Our husbands knew we were making cakes ·that looked like her [with her image] and were pouring out drink offerings to her.”
20 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people—men and women—who answered him. 21 He said to them, “·The Lord remembered [L Did not the Lord remember…?] that you and your ·ancestors [fathers], kings and officers, and the people of the land ·burned incense [or made offerings] in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. He remembered and ·thought [set/L lifted up his mind/heart] about it. 22 Then he could not be patient with you any longer. He hated the ·terrible things [abominations] you did. So he made your country an ·empty desert [desolation and a ruin], where no one lives. Other people curse that country. And so it is today. 23 All this happened because you ·burned incense to other gods [or made offerings]. You sinned against the Lord. You did not ·obey him [L listen to the voice of the Lord] or follow his ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah] or the ·laws [statutes; requirements; ordinances] he gave you. You did not ·keep your part of the agreement with him [L walk in his testimonies]. So this ·disaster [evil; trouble] has happened to you. ·It is there for you to see [L …according to this day].”
A Loyal Soldier of Christ Jesus
2 You then, Timothy, my child, be strong in the grace we have in Christ Jesus. 2 You should ·teach [entrust to; or pass on to] people ·whom you can trust [who are faithful/reliable] the things you have heard me say ·in the presence of [or confirmed by] many witnesses. Then they will be able to teach others. 3 ·Share in the troubles we have [or Join me in suffering] like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 A soldier wants to please the ·enlisting [or commanding] officer, so no one serving in the army ·wastes time with [gets involved/entangled with] ·everyday matters [civilian affairs]. 5 Also an athlete who takes part in a contest must ·obey all [play by] the rules in order to ·win [L be crowned; C with the victor’s wreath]. 6 The farmer who works hard should be the first person to get some of the food that was grown. 7 Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you the ability to understand everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead, who is from the ·family [L seed] of David [2 Sam. 7:12–16]. ·This is the Good News I preach [L …according to my Gospel], 9 and I am suffering because of it to the point of being bound with chains like a criminal. But God’s ·teaching [message; word] is not in chains. 10 So I ·patiently accept [endure] all these troubles so that those whom God has chosen can ·have [receive; obtain] the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. With that salvation comes ·glory that never ends [eternal glory].
11 This ·teaching is true [saying/word is trustworthy; 1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Titus 3:8; C what follows may be an early Christian hymn]:
If we died with him, we will also live with him.
12 If we ·accept suffering [endure; persevere], we will also ·rule [reign] with him.
If we ·say we don’t know [deny; disown; renounce] him, he will ·say he doesn’t know [deny; disown; renounce] us.
13 If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful,
because he ·must be true to who he is [L cannot deny/disown himself].
A Worker Pleasing to God
14 ·Continue teaching [L Remind them of] these things, ·warning people [L solemnly testifying/declaring] in God’s presence not to ·argue [quarrel] about words. It ·does not help anyone [is good for nothing], and it ruins those who listen. 15 ·Make every effort [Do your best; Be diligent] to ·give [present] yourself to God as the kind of person he will approve. Be a worker who ·is not ashamed [or will not be shamed] and who ·uses the true teaching in the right way [correctly handles the true message/word of truth; or holds carefully to the true message/word of truth]. 16 Stay away from ·foolish, useless talk [godless/irreverent chatter; 1 Tim. 1:3–4; 4:7; 6:20], because that will lead people ·further away from God [into even more ungodliness]. 17 Their evil teaching will spread like ·a sickness inside the body [L gangrene]. Hymenaeus [1 Tim. 1:20] and Philetus are like that [C probably false teachers and opponents of Paul from Ephesus]. 18 They have ·left [strayed away from] the ·true teaching [truth], saying that the ·rising from the dead [resurrection] has already taken place, and so they are ·destroying [undermining; overturning] the faith of some people. 19 But God’s strong foundation continues to stand, ·sealed [inscribed; engraved] with these words: “The Lord knows those who belong to him [Num. 16:5],” and “Everyone who ·wants to belong to [L names the name of] the Lord must ·stop doing wrong [L turn away from wickedess/injustice].”
20 In a ·large house [wealthy household] there are not only ·things [vessels; dishes] made of gold and silver, but also ·things [vessels; dishes] made of wood and clay. Some things are used for ·special [honorable; noble] purposes, and others are made for ·ordinary [dishonorable; ignoble] jobs [C such as garbage or excrement]. 21 All who make themselves clean from ·evil [L these things; C the false teaching described in vv. 16–18] will be used for ·special [honorable; noble] purposes. They will be made holy, useful to the Master, ready to do any good work.
Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness
A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day [Ex. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15].
92 It is good to ·praise [thank] you, Lord,
to ·sing praises to [L make a psalm to the name of] God Most High.
2 It is good to ·tell of [proclaim] your ·love [loyalty] in the morning
and of your ·loyalty [faithfulness] at night.
3 It is good to praise you with the ten-stringed lyre
and ·with the soft-sounding [melody of the] harp.
4 Lord, you have made me ·happy [rejoice] by what you have done;
I will ·sing [shout] for joy about ·what your hands have done [L the works of your hand].
5 Lord, ·you have done such great things [L how great are your works]!
How deep are your thoughts [Is. 55:8; Rom. 11:33–34]!
6 ·Stupid [Senseless; Dull-witted] people don’t know these things,
and fools don’t understand.
7 Wicked people ·grow [may sprout] like the grass.
Evil people ·seem to do well [may blossom/flourish],
but they will be ·destroyed [doomed] forever.
8 But, Lord, you will be ·honored [exalted] forever.
9 Lord, surely your enemies,
surely your enemies will ·be destroyed [perish],
and all who do evil will be scattered.
10 But you have ·made me as strong as [exalted my horn like; C symbol of strength] an ox.
You have poured ·fine [rich; fresh] oils on me [C a gesture of hospitality].
11 When ·I [L my eyes] looked, I saw my enemies;
I heard the cries of those who ·are against me [L rose against me with evil; C he sees and hears the defeat of his enemies].
12 But ·good [righteous] people will ·grow [sprout] like palm trees [1:3; 52:8];
they will ·be tall [grow great] like the cedars of Lebanon [C trees that are strong, majestic, and long-lived].
13 Like trees planted in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord,
they will ·grow strong [sprout] in the courtyards of our God.
14 When they are old, they will still produce fruit;
they will be healthy and ·fresh [green; verdant].
15 They will ·say [proclaim] that the Lord is ·good [virtuous; full of integrity; upright].
He is my Rock [28:1; 42:9; 62:2; Deut. 32:4], and there is no wrong in him.
The Majesty of the Lord
93 The Lord ·is king [reigns; 47:2; 96:10; 97:1; 98:6; 99:1; Rev. 19:6]. He is ·clothed [robed] in majesty.
The Lord is ·clothed [robed] in majesty
and ·armed [girded] with strength.
The world is ·set [established],
and it ·cannot be moved [will not totter].
2 Lord, your ·kingdom [L throne] was ·set up [established] long ago;
you are everlasting.
3 Lord, the ·seas [L rivers; C perhaps referring to currents within the sea] raise,
the ·seas [L rivers] raise their voice.
The ·seas [L rivers] raise up their pounding waves [C representing chaos].
4 The sound of the water is loud;
the ·ocean waves [L breakers of the sea] are ·powerful [majestic],
but the Lord above is much ·greater [more powerful/majestic; C God is in control of chaos].
5 Lord, your ·laws [decrees; testimonies] ·will stand forever [are very faithful/true].
·Your Temple will be holy forevermore [L At your house holiness is fitting/appropriate and will be for length of days].
3 Whips are for horses, and ·harnesses [bridles] are for donkeys,
·so paddles are good for fools [L and rods for the backs of fools].
4 Don’t answer fools when they speak foolishly,
or you will be just like them.
5 Answer fools when they speak foolishly,
or they will ·think they are really wise [L be wise in their own eyes; C a wise person must read the situation to know whether to answer or not].
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