Jeremiah 27
The Nations to Submit to Nebuchadnezzar
In the beginning of the reign of aZedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying— 2 thus says the Lord to me—“Make for yourself abonds and byokes and put them on your neck, 3 and send word to the king of aEdom, to the king of aMoab, to the king of the sons of aAmmon, to the king of aTyre and to the king of aSidon by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Command them to go to their masters, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, thus you shall say to your masters, 5 “aI have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth bby My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will cgive it to the one who is pleasing in My sight. 6 Now I ahave given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, bMy servant, and I have given him also the cwild animals of the field to serve him. 7 aAll the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson buntil the time of his own land comes; then cmany nations and great kings will make him their servant.
8 “It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which awill not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the bsword, with famine and with pestilence,” declares the Lord, “until I have destroyed it by his hand. 9 But as for you, ado not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ 10 For they prophesy a alie to you in order to bremove you far from your land; and I will drive you out and you will perish. 11 But the nation which will abring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will blet remain on its land,” declares the Lord, “and they will till it and dwell in it.”’”
12 I spoke words like all these to aZedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why will you adie, you and your people, by the sword, famine and pestilence, as the Lord has spoken to that nation which will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 So ado not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a blie to you; 15 for aI have not sent them,” declares the Lord, “but they bprophesy falsely in My name, in order that I may cdrive you out and that you may perish, dyou and the prophets who prophesy to you.”
16 Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Behold, the avessels of the Lord’s house will now shortly be brought again from Babylon’; for they are prophesying a blie to you. 17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city abecome a ruin? 18 But aif they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them now bentreat the Lord of hosts that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon. 19 For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the apillars, concerning the sea, concerning the stands and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he acarried into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. 21 Yes, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem, 22 ‘They will be acarried to Babylon and they will be there until the bday I visit them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will cbring them back and restore them to this place.’”
Jeremiah 28
Hananiah’s False Prophecy
Now in the same year, ain the beginning of the reign of bZedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, cHananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was from dGibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, 2 “aThus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I am going to bring back to this place aall the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 I am aalso going to bring back to this place bJeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the cexiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the dyoke of the king of Babylon.’”
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who were standing in the ahouse of the Lord, 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “aAmen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord confirm your words which you have prophesied to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all the exiles, from Babylon to this place. 7 Yet ahear now this word which I am about to speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people! 8 The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times aprophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms, of war and of calamity and of pestilence. 9 The prophet who prophesies of peace, awhen the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”
10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the ayoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11 Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “aThus says the Lord, ‘Even so will I break within two full years the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.
12 The aword of the Lord came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made instead of them ayokes of iron.” 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “I have put a ayoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will bserve him. And cI have also given him the beasts of the field.”’” 15 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and ayou have made this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘aBehold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to bdie, because you have ccounseled rebellion against the Lord.’”
17 So Hananiah the prophet died in the same year in the seventh month.
Jeremiah 29
Message to the Exiles
Now these are the words of the aletter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King aJeconiah and the bqueen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of aHilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have asent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ‘aBuild houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take awives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7 aSeek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and bpray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your aprophets who are in your midst and your diviners bdeceive you, and do not listen to cthe dreams which they dream. 9 For they aprophesy falsely to you in My name; bI have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.
10 “For thus says the Lord, ‘When aseventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My bgood word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the aplans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for bwelfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a chope. 12 Then you will acall upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will blisten to you. 13 You will aseek Me and find Me when you bsearch for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be afound by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will brestore your fortunes and will cgather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will dbring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’
15 “Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up aprophets for us in Babylon’— 16 for thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who did anot go with you into exile— 17 thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the asword, famine and pestilence, and I will make them like bsplit-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, with famine and with pestilence; and I will amake them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a bcurse and a horror and a chissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have anot listened to My words,’ declares the Lord, ‘which I sent to them again and again by bMy servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the Lord. 20 You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have asent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are aprophesying to you falsely in My name, ‘Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will slay them before your eyes. 22 Because of them a acurse will be used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon broasted in the fire, 23 because they have aacted foolishly in Israel, and bhave committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have cspoken words in My name falsely, which I did not command them; and I am He who dknows and am a witness,” declares the Lord.’”
24 To aShemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying, 25 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have sent aletters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to bZephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the aoverseer in the house of the Lord over every bmadman who cprophesies, to dput him in the stocks and in the iron collar, 27 now then, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of aAnathoth who prophesies to you? 28 For he has asent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘The exile will be blong; cbuild houses and live in them and plant gardens and eat their produce.’”’”
29 aZephaniah the priest read this letter to Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, saying, 31 “Send to aall the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning bShemaiah the Nehelamite, “Because Shemaiah has cprophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has dmade you trust in a lie,” 32 therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am about to apunish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants; he will bnot have anyone living among this people, cand he will not see the good that I am about to do to My people,” declares the Lord, “because he has dpreached rebellion against the Lord.”’”
Jeremiah 24
Baskets of Figs and the Returnees
After aNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two bbaskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord! 2 One basket had very good figs, like afirst-ripe figs, and the other basket had bvery bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness. 3 Then the Lord said to me, “aWhat do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard aas good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. 6 For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will abring them again to this land; and I will bbuild them up and not overthrow them, and I will cplant them and not pluck them up. 7 I will give them a aheart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be bMy people, and I will be their God, for they will creturn to Me with their whole heart.
8 ‘But like the abad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness—indeed, thus says the Lord—so I will abandon bZedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the cremnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of dEgypt. 9 I will amake them a terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a breproach and a proverb, a taunt and a ccurse in all places where I will scatter them. 10 I will send the asword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’”
James 4
Things to Avoid
What is the source of quarrels and aconflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage bwar in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you acommit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and ado not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You aadulteresses, do you not know that friendship with bthe world is chostility toward God? dTherefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture aspeaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires bthe Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But aHe gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “bGod is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 aSubmit therefore to God. bResist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 aDraw near to God and He will draw near to you. bCleanse your hands, you sinners; and cpurify your hearts, you ddouble-minded. 9 aBe miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 aHumble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
11 aDo not speak against one another, bbrethren. He who speaks against a brother or cjudges his brother, speaks against dthe law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not ea doer of the law but a judge of it. 12 There is only one aLawgiver and Judge, the One who is bable to save and to destroy; but cwho are you who judge your neighbor?
13 aCome now, you who say, “bToday or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. aYou are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “aIf the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; aall such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, ato one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
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