Then said I, "Oh LORD God, I cannot speak, for I am yet but young."

And with that, the LORD stretched out his hand, and touched my mouth, and said moreover unto me, "Behold, I put my words in thy mouth,

After this, the LORD spake unto me saying, "Jeremiah, what seest thou?" And I said, "I see a waking rod."

Then said the LORD, "Thou hast seen right, for I will watch diligently upon my word, to perform it."

It happened afterward, that the LORD spake to me again, and said, "What seest thou? And I said: I do see a seething pot, looking out of the north hitherward."

Then said the LORD unto me, "Out of the north shall come a plague upon all the dwellers of the land.

The priests themselves said not once, 'Where is the LORD?' They that have the law in their hands, know me not: The shepherds offend against me. The Prophets do service unto Baal, and follow such things as shall bring them no profit.

The LORD said also unto me, in the time of Josiah the king, "Hast thou seen what that shrinking Israel hath done? How she hath run up upon all high hills, and among all thick trees, and there played the harlot?

Hast thou seen also, when she had done all this, how I said unto her that she should turn again unto me, and yet she is not returned? Judah, that unfaithful sister of hers also saw this:

And the LORD said unto me, "The shrinking Israel is more righteous than the unfaithful Judah:

Then said I, "O LORD God, hast thou then deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'Ye shall have peace,' and now the sword goeth through their lives?"

Then shall it be said to the people and to Jerusalem, "A strong wind in the high places of the wilderness cometh through the way of my people; but neither to fan nor to cleanse.

For thus hath the LORD said, "The whole land shall be desolate, yet will I not then have done.

They have denied the LORD, and said, 'It is not he. Tush, there shall no misfortune come upon us; we shall see neither sword nor hunger.'

As for their gods, it may well be said of them, "They are gods, that made neither heaven nor earth: therefore shall they perish from the earth, and from all things under heaven."

and will keep my promise, that I have sworn unto your fathers: Namely, that I would give them a land which floweth with milk and honey, as ye see it is come to pass unto this day." Then answered I, and said, "Amen. It is even so, O LORD, as thou sayest."

Then the LORD said unto me again, "Preach this in the cities of Judah and round about Jerusalem, and say: Hear the words of this covenant, that ye may keep them.

And the LORD said unto me, "It is found out, that whole Israel and all these citizens of Jerusalem are gone back.

Moreover, thus said the LORD unto me, "Go thy way, and get thee a linen breech, and gird it about thy loins, and let it not be wet."

Then said the LORD unto me:

Yea, even thus said the LORD unto me, "Thou shalt not pray to do this people good.

And the LORD said unto me, "The prophets preach lies unto them in my name. I have not spoken with them, neither gave I them any charge, neither did I send them. Yet they preach unto you false visions, charming vanity, and deceitfulness of their own heart.

"Hast thou then utterly forsaken Judah?" said I, "Doest thou so abhor Zion? Or hast thou so plagued us, that we can be healed no more? We looked for peace, and there cometh no good: for the time of health, and lo, here is nothing but trouble.

Then spake the LORD unto me, and said, "Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet have I no heart to this people. Drive them away, that they may go out of my sight.

"O LORD," said I then, "thou knowest all things. Therefore remember me, and visit me, deliver me from my persecutors: Receive not my cause in thy long wrath; yet thou knowest, that for thy sake I suffer rebuke.

Upon these words, thus said the LORD unto me, "If thou wilt turn again, I shall set thee in my service: and if thou wilt take out the thing that is precious from the vile, thou shalt be even as mine own mouth. They shall convert unto thee, but turn not thou unto them:

"Behold therefore, sayeth the LORD, the days are come that it shall no more be said, 'The LORD liveth, which brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.'

But it shall be said, 'The LORD liveth, that brought the children of Israel from the North, and from all lands where I had scattered them.' For I will bring them again into the land that I gave unto their fathers.

Again, thus hath the LORD said unto me, "Go stand under the gate, wherethrough the people and the kings of Judah go out and in; yea, under all the gates of Jerusalem,

Then said the LORD thus unto me,

Then said they, "Come, let us imagine something against this Jeremiah." Yea, this did even the priests, to whom the law was committed: the Senators, that were the wisest: and the prophets, which wanted not the word of God. "Come," said they, "let us cut out his tongue, and let us not regard his words."

Moreover, thus said the LORD unto Jeremiah, "Go thy way, and buy thee an earthen pitcher, and bring forth the Senators, and the chief priests

The next day following, Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks again. Then said Jeremiah unto him, "The LORD shall call thee no more Pashhur, that is, excellent and increasing; but Magormissabib, that is, fearful and afraid everywhere.

Thus said the LORD also, "Go down in to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there these words,

And therefore behold, the time cometh, sayeth the LORD, that it shall no more be said, 'The LORD liveth, which brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt':

Behold, here am I, sayeth the LORD, against the prophets that take upon their tongues to speak: The LORD hath said it.

Then said the LORD unto me, "What seest thou Jeremiah?" I said, "Figs, whereof some be very good, and some so evil that no man may eat them."

He said, 'Turn again every man from his evil way, and from your wicked imaginations, and so shall ye dwell forever in the land that the LORD promised you and your forefathers:

and this whole land shall become a wilderness, and they shall serve the said people and the king of Babylon, three score years and ten.

all kings toward the north, whether they be far or nigh, everyone with his neighbours; Yea, and all the kingdoms that are upon the whole earth. The king of Sheshach, said he, shall drink with them also.

Now when he had spoken out all the words that the LORD commanded him to preach unto all the people, then the priests, the prophets and all the people took hold upon him, and said, "Thou shalt die.

Then said Jeremiah unto the rulers and to all the people, "The LORD hath sent me to preach against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.

Then said the rulers and the people unto the priests and prophets, "This man may not be condemned to death, for he hath preached unto us in the name of the LORD our God."

The Elders also of the land stood up, and said thus unto all the people,

All these things told I Zedekiah the king of Judah, and said, "Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, that ye may live.

And this was done in the same year: even in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. But in the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth Month, it happened, that Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet of Gibeon, spake to me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, and said,

And the prophet Jeremiah said, "Amen, the LORD do that, and grant the thing which thou hast prophesied: that he may bring again all the ornaments of the LORD's house, and restore all the prisoners from Babylon into this place.

and with that said Hananiah, that all the people might hear, "Thus hath the LORD spoken: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, from the neck of all nations; yea, and that within this two years." And so the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto the prophet Hananiah, "Hear me, I pray thee, Hananiah: The LORD hath not sent thee, but thou bringest this people into a false belief.

Then shall it no more be said, 'The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.'

And Jeremiah said, "Thus hath the LORD spoken unto me,

And so, Hananel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison, according to the word of the LORD - and said unto me, 'Buy my land, I pray thee, that lieth in Anathoth in the country of Benjamin: for by heritage thou hast right to loose it out for thyself; therefore redeem it.' Then I perceived, that this was the commandment of the LORD,

Therefore thus said the LORD, 'Behold, I shall deliver this city into the power of the Chaldeans, and into the power of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon: they shall take it in.

And before the sons of the kindred of the Rechabites, I set pots full of wine, and cups, and said unto them, "Drink wine."

But they said, "We drink no wine, for Jonadab the

But now that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came up into the land, we said, 'Come, let us go to Jerusalem, that we may escape the host of the Chaldeans and the Assyrians: and so we dwell now at Jerusalem.'"

And they said unto him, "Sit down, and read the book that we may hear also." So Baruch read, that they might hear.

Now when they had heard all the words, they were abashed one upon another, and said unto Baruch, "We will certify the king of all these words."

Then said the princes unto Baruch, "Go thy way, and hide thee with Jeremiah, so that no man know where ye be."

Then said Jeremiah, "It is not so, I go not to the Chaldeans." Nevertheless Irijah would not believe him, but brought Jeremiah bound before the princes.

Then Zedekiah the king sent for him and called him, and asked him quietly in his own house, saying, "Thinkest thou this business, that now is in hand, cometh of the LORD?" Jeremiah answered, "Yea, that it doth: and thou, said he, shalt be delivered in to the king of Babylon's power."

Moreover, Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, "What have I offended against thee, against thy servants or against this people, that ye have caused me to be put in prison?

Where are your prophets which have prophesied unto you, and said that the king of Babylon should not come against you and this land?

Then said the princes unto the king, "Sir, we beseech you let this man be put to death; For thus he discourageth the hands of the soldiers that be in this city, and the hands of all the people, when he speaketh such words unto them. This man verily laboureth not for peace of the people, but mischief."

Zedekiah the king answered and said, "Lo, he is in your hands, for the king may deny you nothing."

Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian and said, "Take from hence thirty men whom thou wilt, and draw up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die."

And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto the prophet Jeremiah, "O put these rags and clothes under thine arm holes, betwixt them and the cords." And Jeremiah did so.

Then Zedekiah the king sent and caused Jeremiah the prophet be called unto him, into the third entry, that was by the house of the LORD. And the king said unto Jeremiah, "I will ask thee somewhat, but hide nothing from me."

Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, "Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: If cause be, that thou wilt go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, thou shalt save thy life, and this city shall not be burnt, yea both thou and thy household shall escape with your lives.

And Zedekiah said unto Jeremiah, "I am afraid for the Jews, that are fled unto the Chaldeans, lest I come in their hands, and so they to have me in derision."

Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, "Look that nobody know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

But if the princes perceive that I have talked with thee, and come unto thee, saying, 'O speak, what said the king to thee? hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death. Tell us, we pray thee: what said the king to thee?'

The chief Captain called for Jeremiah, and said unto him, "The LORD thy God spake mightily before of the misery upon this place:

Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the Host, that were scattered on every side in the land, came to Gedaliah to Mizphah, and said unto him,

Then said Johanan the son of Kareah unto Gedaliah in Mizphah these words, secretly, "Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, so that nobody shall know it. Wherefore will he kill thee? That all the Jews which resort unto thee, might be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?"

Then said Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Johanan the son of Kareah, "Thou shalt not do it, for they are but lies, that men say of Ishmael."

And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth of Mizphah weeping, to meet them. Now when he met them, he said, "Go your way to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam."

Among these eighty men there were ten, that said unto Ishmael, "Oh slay us not, for we have yet a great treasure in the field, of wheat, barley, oil and honey." So he spared them, and slew them not with their brethren.

and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, "O hear our petition, that thou mayest pray for us unto the LORD thy God, and for the remnant, whereof there be very few left of many, as thou seest us:

Then Jeremiah the Prophet said unto them, "I have heard you. Behold, I will pray unto God your LORD, as ye have required me: and look what answer the LORD giveth you, I shall certify you thereof, and keep nothing back from you."

And they said to Jeremiah, "The LORD of truth and faithfulness be our record, that we will do all that the LORD thy God commandeth us;

and said unto them, "Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel unto whom ye sent me, to lay forth your prayers before him:

For ye sent me unto the LORD your God and said, 'O pray thou the LORD our God for us: and look what answer the LORD our God giveth thee, that bring us again, and we shall do thereafter.'

Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah with all the proud persons, said unto Jeremiah, "Thou liest! The LORD our God hath not sent thee to speak unto us, that we should not go into Egypt, and dwell there:

Then all the men which knew that their wives had offered unto strange gods, and a great sort of wives that stood there, yea and all the people that dwelt there in Egypt in the city of Pathros, answered Jeremiah, and said,

Then said Jeremiah unto all the people, to the men, to the women, and to all the folk, which had given him that answer,

Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: Ye and your wives have spoken with your own mouth, the thing that ye have fulfilled in deed. Yea, thus have ye said, 'We will not fail, but do the thing that pleaseth us: we will do sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of heaven.' Purposely have ye set up your own good meanings, and hastily have ye fulfilled your own intent.

All they that came upon them, have devoured them: and their enemies said, 'We have made no fault against them, for they have displeased the LORD, yea even the LORD which is the beauty of their righteousness, and that defended their fathers.'

Thus hath the LORD said, "Behold, I will raise up a perilous wind against Babylon and her citizens, that bear evil will against me.

Moreover, the LORD hath said unto the bowmen, and to them that climb over the walls in breastplates: He shall not spare her young men; kill down all her host.