I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows respect for me. They will want to do that for their own good and the good of the children who descend from them.

I will make a lasting covenant with them that I will never stop doing good to them. I will fill their hearts and minds with respect for me so that they will never again turn away from me.

I will take delight in doing good to them. I will faithfully and wholeheartedly plant them firmly in the land.'

"For I, the Lord, say: 'I will surely bring on these people all the good fortune that I am hereby promising them. I will be just as sure to do that as I have been in bringing all this great disaster on them.

You and your people are saying that this land will become desolate, uninhabited by either people or animals. You are saying that it will be handed over to the Babylonians. But fields will again be bought in this land.

Fields will again be bought with silver, and deeds of purchase signed, sealed, and witnessed. This will happen in the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, the towns in Judah, the southern hill country, the western foothills, and southern Judah. For I will restore them to their land. I, the Lord, affirm it!'"

And the word of Jehovah will be to Jeremiah the second time, and he yet shut up in the enclosure of the prison, saying,

Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things which you still do not know about.'

The defenders of the city will go out and fight with the Babylonians. But they will only fill those houses and buildings with the dead bodies of the people that I will kill in my anger and my wrath. That will happen because I have decided to turn my back on this city on account of the wicked things they have done.

But I will most surely heal the wounds of this city and restore it and its people to health. I will show them abundant peace and security.

I will restore Judah and Israel and will rebuild them as they were in days of old.

I will purify them from all the sin that they committed against me. I will forgive all their sins which they committed in rebelling against me.

All the nations will hear about all the good things which I will do to them. This city will bring me fame, honor, and praise before them for the joy that I bring it. The nations will tremble in awe at all the peace and prosperity that I will provide for it.'

"I, the Lord, say: 'You and your people are saying about this place, "It lies in ruins. There are no people or animals in it." That is true. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem will soon be desolate, uninhabited either by people or by animals. But happy sounds will again be heard in these places.

Once again there will be sounds of joy and gladness and the glad celebrations of brides and grooms. Once again people will bring their thank offerings to the temple of the Lord and will say, "Give thanks to the Lord who rules over all. For the Lord is good and his unfailing love lasts forever." For I, the Lord, affirm that I will restore the land to what it was in days of old.'

"I, the Lord who rules over all, say: 'This place will indeed lie in ruins. There will be no people or animals in it. But there will again be in it and in its towns sheepfolds where shepherds can rest their sheep.

I, the Lord, say that shepherds will once again count their sheep as they pass into the fold. They will do this in all the towns in the southern hill country, the western foothills, the southern hill country, the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, and the towns of Judah.'

"I, the Lord, affirm: 'The time will certainly come when I will fulfill my gracious promise concerning the nations of Israel and Judah.

In those days and at that time I will raise up for them a righteous descendant of David. "'He will do what is just and right in the land.

Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety and Jerusalem will live in security. At that time Jerusalem will be called "The Lord has provided us with justice."

For I, the Lord, promise: "David will never lack a successor to occupy the throne over the nation of Israel.

Nor will the Levitical priests ever lack someone to stand before me and continually offer up burnt offerings, sacrifice cereal offerings, and offer the other sacrifices."'"

And the word of Jehovah will be to Jeremiah, saying,

"I, Lord, make the following promise: 'I have made a covenant with the day and with the night that they will always come at their proper times. Only if you people could break that covenant

could my covenant with my servant David and my covenant with the Levites ever be broken. So David will by all means always have a descendant to occupy his throne as king and the Levites will by all means always have priests who will minister before me.

I will make the children who follow one another in the line of my servant David very numerous. I will also make the Levites who minister before me very numerous. I will make them all as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sands which are on the seashore.'"

And the word of Jehovah will be to Jeremiah, saying,

"You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven't you? They are saying, 'The Lord has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah that he chose.' So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation.

Just as surely as I have done this, so surely will I never reject the descendants of Jacob. Nor will I ever refuse to choose one of my servant David's descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, I will restore them and show mercy to them."

The Lord God of Israel told Jeremiah to go and give King Zedekiah of Judah a message. He told Jeremiah to tell him, "The Lord says, 'I am going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon and he will burn it down.

You yourself will not escape his clutches, but will certainly be captured and handed over to him. You must confront the king of Babylon face to face and answer to him personally. Then you must go to Babylon.

However, listen to what I, the Lord, promise you, King Zedekiah of Judah. I, the Lord, promise that you will not die in battle or be executed.

You will die a peaceful death. They will burn incense at your burial just as they did at the burial of your ancestors, the former kings who preceded you. They will mourn for you, saying, "Poor, poor master!" Indeed, you have my own word on this. I, the Lord, affirm it!'"

And Jeremiah the prophet will speak to Zedekiah king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem.

And all the chiefs will hear, and all the people which came into the covenant, to send away a man his servant and a man his maid, free, no more to serve with them, and they will hear and will send away.

And they will turn back after this, and they will cause their servants and their maids to turn back whom they sent away free, and they subdued them for servants and for maids.

And the word of Jehovah will be to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

And ye will turn back to-day and do the straight in mine eyes, to call liberty a man to his neighbor; and ye will cut out a covenant before me in the house which my name was called upon it

And ye will turn back and pollute my name, and ye will cause to turn back a man his servant and a man his maid, whom ye sent away free to their soul, and ye will subdue them to be to you for servants and for maids

So I, the Lord, say: "You have not really obeyed me and granted freedom to your neighbor and fellow countryman. Therefore, I will grant you freedom, the freedom to die in war, or by starvation or disease. I, the Lord, affirm it! I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to you.

I will punish those people who have violated their covenant with me. I will make them like the calf they cut in two and passed between its pieces. I will do so because they did not keep the terms of the covenant they made in my presence.

I will punish the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the other people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf.

I will hand them over to their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.

I will also hand King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials over to their enemies who want to kill them. I will hand them over to the army of the king of Babylon, even though they have temporarily withdrawn from attacking you.

For I, the Lord, affirm that I will soon give the order and bring them back to this city. They will fight against it and capture it and burn it down. I will also make the towns of Judah desolate so that there will be no one living in them."'"

But they said, “We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us: ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons, forever.

Do not build houses. Do not plant crops. Do not plant a vineyard or own one. Live in tents all your lives. If you do these things you will live a long time in the land that you wander about on.'

And we will hear to the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab our father, for all which he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters;

And we will dwell in tents, and we will hear and we will do according to all which Jonadab our father commanded us.

And it will be in the coming up of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel, to the land, and we shall say, Come, and we will go to Jerusalem from the face of the army of the Chaldean, and from the face of the army of Aram, and we will dwell in Jerusalem.

And the word of Jehovah will be to Jeremiah, saying,

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not receive instruction by listening to My words and honoring them?” says the Lord.

Also I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, sending them again and again, saying: ‘Turn now every man from his evil way and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to worship them. Then you will dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers; but you have not inclined your ear or listened to Me.

So I, the Lord, the God who rules over all, the God of Israel, say: "I will soon bring on Judah and all the citizens of Jerusalem all the disaster that I threatened to bring on them. I will do this because I spoke to them but they did not listen. I called out to them but they did not answer."'"

And Jeremiah said to the house of the Reehabites, Thus said Jehovah of armies, God of Israel, Because that ye heard to the command of Jonadab your father, and ye will watch all his commands, and ye will do all which he commanded you:

So the Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, 'Jonadab son of Rechab will never lack a male descendant to serve me.'"

And it will be in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah king of Judah, this word being to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the disaster I intend to bring on them, they will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. If they do, I will forgive their sins and the wicked things they have done."

And Jeremiah will call Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch will write from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Jehovah which he spake to him upon the roll of the book.

And Jeremiah will command Baruch, saying, I being shut up shall not be able to go into the house of Jehovah:

Perhaps then they will ask the Lord for mercy and will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. For the Lord has threatened to bring great anger and wrath against these people."

And Baruch son of Neriah will do according to all which Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, to read in the book the words of Jehovah in the house of Jehovah.

And it will be in the fifth year to Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, they called a fast before Jehovah to all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people coming from the cities of Judah into Jerusalem.

And Baruch will read in the book all the words of Jeremiah hi the house of Jehovah in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the enclosure the highest of the entrance of the new gate of the house of Jehovah, in the ears of all the people.

And Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan, will hear all the words of Jehovah from the book

And he will go down to the house of the king to the scribe's chamber, and behold, there all the chiefs sitting, Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan son of Achbor, and Gemariah son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the chiefs.

And Micaiah will announce to them all the words which he heard in the reading of Baruch in the book in the ears of the people.

And all the chiefs will send to Baruch, Jehudi, son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi, saying, The roll in which thou readest in the ears of the people, take it in thy hand and come. And Baruch the son of Neriah will take the roll in his hand, and come to them.

And they will say to him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears And Baruch will read in their ears.

Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.

And Baruch will say to them, From his mouth he will read to me all these words, and I will write upon the book with ink.

And the chiefs will say to Baruch, Go hide, thou, and Jeremiah; and a man not knowing where ye are.

And they will come in to the king to the enclosure, and they deposited the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and they will announce all the words in the ears of the king.

And the king will send Jehudi to take the roll: and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi will read in the ears of the king and in the ears of all the chiefs standing from about the king.

And the king will sit in the winter house in the ninth month, and a furnace burning before him.

And it will be as Jehudi read three columns and four, he will rend it with the knife of the scribe, and cast into the fire which was in the furnace, even till all the roll was consumed upon the fire which was upon the furnace.

And the king commanded Jerahmeel, son of the king, and Seraiah, son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; and Jehovah will hide them..

And the word of Jehovah will be to Jeremiah after the king burnt the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

Tell King Jehoiakim of Judah, 'The Lord says, "You burned the scroll. You asked Jeremiah, 'How dare you write in this scroll that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and wipe out all the people and animals on it?'"

So the Lord says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, "None of his line will occupy the throne of David. His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night.

I will punish him and his descendants and the officials who serve him for the wicked things they have done. I will bring on them, the citizens of Jerusalem, and the people of Judah all the disaster that I threatened to do to them. I will punish them because I threatened them but they still paid no heed."'"

And Jeremiah took another roll, and he will give it to Baruch son of Neriah the scribe; and he will write upon it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoialtim king of Judah burnt in the fire: and he added. yet to them many words like them.

And king Zedekiah son of Josiah will reign instead of Coniah son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel made king in the land of Judah.

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

And Pharaoh's army came forth out of Egypt; and the Chaldeans pressing upon Jerusalem will hear their report, and they will come up from Jerusalem

And the word of Jehovah, will be to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

"The Lord God of Israel says, 'Give a message to the king of Judah who sent you to ask me to help him. Tell him, "The army of Pharaoh that was on its way to help you will go back home to Egypt.

Then the Babylonian forces will return. They will attack the city and will capture it and burn it down.

Moreover, I, the Lord, warn you not to deceive yourselves into thinking that the Babylonian forces will go away and leave you alone. For they will not go away.

And he will be in the gate of Benjamin, and there a master of the ward and his name Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah; and he will take Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest to the Chaldeans.

And Jeremiah will say, A falsehood; I fall not to the Chaldean: And he heard not to him: and Irijah will seize upon Jeremiah and he will bring him to the chiefs.

And the chiefs will be angry against Jeremiah and they struck him, and gave him to the house of bonds the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they made it for a house of prison.

Then King Zedekiah had him brought to the palace. There he questioned him privately and asked him, "Is there any message from the Lord?" Jeremiah answered, "Yes, there is." Then he announced, "You will be handed over to the king of Babylon."

Jeremiah said, "There is," and then he said, "You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon." Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, "What offense have I committed against you, your officials, or these people that you have put me in prison?

Where now are your prophets who said to you, The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land?

But now please listen, your royal Majesty, and grant my plea for mercy. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary. If you do, I will die there."

And king Zedekiah will command, and they will commit Jeremiah to the enclosure of the prison, and giving to him a round of bread for the day from the street of the baker's, till all the bread was consumed out of the city. And Jeremiah dwelt in the enclosure of the prison.

And Shephatiah son of Mattan, will hear, and Gedaliah son of Pashur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashur son of Malchiah, the words which Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying,

"The Lord says, 'Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives.'"

They had also heard him say, "The Lord says, 'This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. They will capture it.'"