Symbol of the Broken Jug.

Thus said the THE LORD: Go forth and purchase a potter's earthenware jug. Then take along with you some of the elders of the people and some of the priests, and go forth to the Valley of Ben-hinnom, close to the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you: Hear the word of THE LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is the message of THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL: I am prepared to bring such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.

       For these people have forsaken ME and have profaned this place by offering sacrifices in it to foreign gods whom neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew. They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent, building the high places of Baal to sacrifice their sons as burnt offerings to Baal. I never commanded or mentioned such a thing, nor did it ever enter MY mind.

       Therefore, the days are surely coming, says THE LORD, when this place will no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of Benhinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. In this place, I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hands of those who are determined to slaughter them. Their corpses I will give as food to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth.

       Moreover, I will make this city an object of horror and a source of derision. Every passerby will be horrified at the sight and be amazed at the disaster it has incurred. I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and all will devour one another's flesh during the siege because of the incredible distress with which they have been afflicted by their enemies and those who seek their lives.

       Then you are to break the jug in the presence of the men who have accompanied you and say to them: Thus says THE LORD OF HOSTS: In the same way I will smash this people and this city, as one smashes a potter's earthenware jug so that it can never be repaired, and the dead will be buried in Topheth until no further space for burial remains.

       This is what I am determined to do with this place and its inhabitants, says THE LORD. I will make this city like Topheth. And the houses of Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled like this place, Topheth, all of the houses upon whose roofs they burned incense to all the host of heaven and poured out libations to other gods.

       When Jeremiah returned from Topheth, where THE LORD had sent him to prophesy, he stood in the court of THE LORD's house and proclaimed to all the people, "Thus says THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL: I am now prepared to inflict upon this city and upon all its towns the total disaster with which I threatened it, because they have remained steadfast in their stubbornness and refused to listen to MY words."

       When the priest Pashhur, the son of Immer, who was the chief officer in the house of THE LORD, heard Jeremiah proclaiming this prophecy, he ordered him to be scourged, and then placed him in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the house of THE LORD.

       The next morning, after Passhur had released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, "THE LORD's name for you is not Passhur but 'Terror-on-Every-Side.' For thus says THE LORD, 'I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. And I will deliver all Judah to the king of Babylon, and he will take the people captive and carry them off to Babylon or put them to the sword.

       " 'All the wealth of this city, all of its cherished possessions, and all of the treasures of the kings of Judah I will hand over as plunder to their enemies who will seize it and carry it off to Babylon. Furthermore, you, Passhur, and all the members of your household will be taken into captivity and led off to Babylon. There you will die, and there you will be buried, you and all your friends, because you have prophesied falsely to them.' "

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 19 & CHAPTER 20, VERSES 1 - 6

Jeremiah's Confession

       O LORD, YOU deceived me,

          and I allowed myself to be deceived.

       YOU were too powerful for me,

          and YOU have prevailed.

       All day long I am an object of ridicule;

          everyone mocks me.

       Whenever I speak, I must cry out;

          my message is violence and destruction.

       For the word of THE LORD has caused me to

              endure

          reproach and derision all day long.

       If I say, "I will not mention HIM

          or speak any longer in HIS name,"

       within me I experience a fire burning in my

              heart

          and imprisoned in my bones.

       I am weary holding it in,

          and I can no longer do so.

       For I hear many whispering,

          "Terror surrounds us.

          Denounce him! Let us denounce him!"

       All those who were my close friends

          are waiting for me to stumble, saying,

       "Perhaps we can trick him,

          and we will be able to prevail

          and take our revenge against him."

       But THE LORD is at my side

          like a mighty warrior.

       Therefore, my persecutors will stumble,

          and they will not prevail.

       Because of their failure,

          they will be greatly shamed,

       and the disgrace that they will endure

          will be everlasting and unforgettable.

       O LORD OF HOSTS, YOU test the righteous

          and probe the mind and the heart.

       Let me behold YOUR retribution on them,

          for to YOU I have committed my cause.

       Sing to THE LORD;

          praise THE LORD.

       For HE has rescued the life of the poor

          from the power of the wicked.

       Cursed be the day

          on which I was born!

       May the day when my mother bore me

          be forever unblessed.

       Cursed be the man

          who brought the news to my father.

       "A child, a son, has been born to you,"

          thereby bringing great joy to his heart.

       Let that man be like the cities

          that THE LORD oberthrew without mercy.

       Let him hear the cry of warning in the

              morning

          and shouts of battle at noon

       because he did not kill me in the womb.

       Then my mother would have been my grave,

          with her womb confining me forever.

       Why did I come forth from the womb

          to see toil and sorrow

          and spend my days in shame?

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 20, VERSES 7 - 18

GOD's Response to Zedekiah's Prayer.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from THE LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur, the son of Malchiah, and the priest Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, with this request, "Please inquire of THE LORD on our behalf, because Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, is making war against us. Perhaps THE LORD will perform one of HIS wonderful works for us as HE has done in the past and force him to withdraw."

       However, Jeremiah replied to them, "This is what you are to say to Zedekiah: Thus says THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL: I will turn against you the weapons of war with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls, and I will gather them, together in the center of the city. I MYSELF will fight against you with outstretched hand and mighty arm, in anger, fury, and great rage.

       "I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They will die as the result of a terrible plague. After that, says THE LORD, I will deliver King Zedekiah of Judah and his servants and the people, all those in this city who have managed to survive pestilence, war, and famine, into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and into the hands of their enemies and those who are determined to slay them. He will put them to the sword and show them no pity or mercy or compassion.

       "You are to say further to this people: Thus says THE LORD: Behold, I am offering you a choice between the way of life and the way of death. Whoever remains in this city will die by the sword, by famine, or by pestilence, but those who leave and surrender to the Chaldeans who are now besieging you will survive and escape with their lives. For I am determined that this city must endure disaster and not revel in prosperity, says THE LORD. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it to the ground."

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 21, VERSES 1 - 10

Prophecies concerning the Kings

       To the royal houses of Judah, say:

          Listen to the word of THE LORD.

       O house of David,

          thus says THE LORD:

       Dispense justice each morning

          and deliver the victim from his oppressor,

       lest MY wrath burst forth like fire

          that burns and cannot be quenched

          because of your evil deeds.

       Beware! I am against you,

          O residents of the valley,

          O rock of the plain, says THE LORD,

       you who say, "Who can possibly attack us and

              penetrate our places of refuge?"

       I will punish you, says THE LORD,

          as your deeds deserve.

       I will kindle a fire in your forests,

          and it will devour everything around it.

       Thus said THE LORD to me: Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and there deliver this message: Listen to the word of THE LORD, O king of Judah, as you sit on the throne of David--you, your officials, and your people who enter through these gates. Thus says THE LORD: Act justly and with righteousness, and rescue the victim from the hand of his oppressor. Do not ill-treat aliens, orphans, and widows, or show violence toward them, or shed innocent blood in this place.

       If you will indeed be faithful in carrying out these commands, then the kings who succeed to the throne of David will continue to enter through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots or on horseback--they, their officials, and their people. But if you do not obey these commands, then I swear by MYSELF, says THE LORD, that this palace will become a ruin.

       For thus says THE LORD concerning the palace of the king of Judah:

       Although you are like Gilead to ME,

          like a peak of Lebanon,

       I swear that I will turn you into a desert,

          an uninhabited city.

       I will send forth destroyers to annihilate you,

          each man equipped with his weapons.

       They will cut down your finest cedars

          and cast them into the fire.

       People from many nations will pass by this city, and they will ask one another, "Why has THE LORD dealt in this manner with this great city?" And the answer will be given, "Because they abandoned their covenant with THE LORD, their GOD, in order to worship other gods and serve them."

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 21, VERSES 11 - 14 & CHAPTER 22, VERSES 1 - 9

Jehoahaz

       Do not weep for the man who is dead;

          mourn not for him.

       Weep rather for him who has gone into exile,

          for he will never return again

          to see the land of his birth.

       For thus says THE LORD about Shallum, the son of King Josiah of Judah, who succeeded his father Josiah as king and was forced to leave this place, "He will never return. Rather, he will die in the place where he was sent into exile, and he will never see this land again."

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 22, VERSES 10 - 12

Jehoiakim

       Woe to the man who builds his house without

              righteousness

          and his upper room with injustice,

       who forces his neighbors to work for nothing

          and gives them no recompense for their

              labor,

       who says, "I will build myself a spacious

              home

          with large upper rooms,"

       and who inserts windows in it,

          panels it with cedar,

          and paints it with vermilion.

       Are you any better a king

          because your cedar is so splendid?

       Did not your father have enough to eat and

              drink?

          But because he did what was right and just,

          all went well with him.

       Because he dispensed justice to the poor and

              needy

          things continued to go well for him.

       Is this not what it means to know ME?

          asks THE LORD.

       But your eyes and your heart

          are concerned only with your own interests;

       you do not hesitate to shed innocent blood

          and to perpetrate oppression and violence.

       Therefore, thus says THE LORD concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, the son of Josiah:

       They will not lament for him, saying,

          "Alas, my brother!" or "Alas, sister!"

       They will not mourn for him.

          "Alas, my master!" "Alas, his splendor!"

       He will be buried like a dead donkey

          dragged forth and cast out

          beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 22, VERSES 13 - 19

Jeconiah

       Go up to Lebanon and cry out;

          lift up your voice in Bashan.

       Cry out from Abarim,

          for all your lovers have been crushed.

       I spoke to you when you enjoyed prosperity,

          but you replied, "I will not listen."

       You have behaved this way from your youth,

          refusing to listen to MY voice.

       The wind will carry away all your shepherds,

          and your lovers will go off into captivity.

       Then you will be ashamed and blush

          because of all your wickedness.

       You who live in Lebanon

          and make your nest among the cedars,

       how you will groan when anguish overcomes

              you,

          pangs like those of a woman in labor.

       As I live, says THE LORD, even if you, King Coniah of Judah, the son of Jehoiakim, were the signet ring on MY right hand, I would still tear you off and deliver you into the hands of those who seek your life, into the hands of those whom you fear, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and into the hands of the Chaldeans. I will fling you and the mother who bore you into another country, where neither of you were born, and there you both will die. You will never return to the country to which you so desperately long to return.

       Is this man Coniah a despised damaged pot,

          a vessel in which no one is interested?

       Why are he and his offspring cast out

          and thrown into a land

          that they know nothing about?

       O land, land, land,

          hear the word of THE LORD!

       Thus says THE LORD:

          Designate this man as childless,

          a man who will not prosper during his

              lifetime.

       No descendant of his will succeed;

          none will sit on the throne of David

          or rule again over Judah.

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 22, VERSES 20 - 30

Messianic Oracles.

Woe to the shepherds who lead astray and scatter the sheep of MY pasture, says THE LORD. Therefore, this is what THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, has to say in regard to the shepherds who shepherd MY people: You have scattered MY flock and driven them away, and you showed not the slightest concern about taking care of them. Therefore, I will not hesitate to punish you for your evil deeds, says THE LORD.

       I MYSELF will gather the remnant of MY flock from all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their meadows where they will be fruitful and multiply. I will appoint shepherds for them who will treat them kindly, so that they will no longer fear or experience terror, nor will any be discovered missing, says THE LORD.

       Behold, the days are coming, says THE

              LORD,

          when I will raise up a righteous branch

          from the line of David.

       HE will reign as king and rule wisely

          and ensure justice and righteousness in the

              land.

       In HIS days Judah will live in safety,

          and Israel will dwell in security.

       And this is the name that will be given to

              HIM:

          "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

       Therefore, the days are coming, says THE LORD, when people will no longer say, "As THE LORD lives who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt," but rather, "As THE LORD lives who brought forth the offspring of the house of Israel up from the land of the north and out of all the lands where HE had dispersed them." Then they will again inhabit their own land.

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 23, VERSES 1 - 8

The False Prophets

       As for the prophets,

         my heart is broken within me,

          and all my bones never cease to tremble.

       I have become like a drunken man,

          like someone overcome with wine,

       because of THE LORD

          and because of HIS holy words.

       For the land swarms with adulterers;

          because of them the country mourns

          and the pastures in the desert have withered.

       Both the prophets and the priests are godless;

          even in MY own house have I observed their

              wickedness,

          says THE LORD.

       Therefore, they will find that the paths they

              travel

          will be slippery beneath their feet;

       in the darkness where they are driven,

          they will fall headlong.

       For I will inflict disaster upon them

          in the year of their punishment,

          says THE LORD.

       Among the prophets of Samaria

          I beheld this repulsive deed:

       they prophesied in the name of Baal

          and led MY people astray.

       But among the prophets of Jerusalem

          I have seen deeds that are even more

              shocking:

       they commit adultery and persist in lying

          and uphold those who are evil

          so that no one turns away from wickedness.

       To ME they have all become like Sodom,

          and its inhabitants are like Gomorrah.

       Therefore, thus says THE LORD OF HOSTS in regard to the prophets:

       I intend to give them wormwood to eat

          and force them to drink poisoned water.

       For from the prophets of Jerusalem

          ungodliness has spread throughout the land.

       Thus says THE LORD OF HOSTS:

          Do not listen to the words of the prophets;

          their prophecies are designed to delude you.

       They concoct visions from their own minds

          and not from the mouth of THE LORD.

       To those who despise the word of THE LORD

          they say, "Peace will be yours."

       To those who follow their own stubborn

              inclinations

          they say, "No harm will befall you."

       Yet which of them has stood in the council of

              THE LORD

          to see or to hear HIS word?

          Which of them has heeded HIS word and

              proclaimed it?

       Behold the storm of THE LORD!

          HIS wrath bursts forth

       like a frightening tempest

          that whirls around the heads of the wicked.

       The anger of THE LORD will not subside

          until HE has fully accomplished

          the purposes HE has in mind.

       When the time comes,

          you will understand this clearly.

       I did not send these prophets,

          yet they went forth in haste.

       I did not speak to them,

          yet they prophesied.

       But if they had stood in MY council,

          they would have then proclaimed MY words

              to MY people

       and caused them to turn back from their evil

              ways

          and from the wickedness of their deeds.

       THE LORD asks:

          Am I a GOD only when I am near at hand,

          but not when I am far away?

       Can someone hide in a secret place

          so that I cannot see him?

          Do I not fill heaven and earth?

       I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in MY name. "I have had a dream," they cry out. "I have had a dream." How much longer must we endure prophets who prophesy lies and proclaim their own delusions? By means of the dreams that they relate to one another, they believe that they will make MY people forget MY name, just as their fathers forgot MY name and replaced it with Baal. Let the prophet who has a dream relate his dream, but let the one who receives MY word deliver it truthfully.

       What does straw have in common with wheat?

          asks THE LORD.

       Is not MY word like fire, says THE LORD,

          like a hammer shattering a rock?

       Therefore, says THE LORD, I have set MYSELF in opposition to the prophets who steal MY words from one another. I am against those prophets who concoct their own prophecies and then assert, "Thus says THE LORD." I am against those prophets who prophesy lying dreams, says THE LORD, and then recount them, thereby leading MY people astray with their lies and reckless bragging. They have not received any commission from ME, and so they are of no benefit to this people in any way, says THE LORD.

       And when this people or a prophet or a priest asks you, "What is the burden of THE LORD?" you are to reply, "You are the burden, and I will cast you off," says THE LORD. If a prophet or a priest or anyone else speaks of "the burden of THE LORD," I will punish that man and his household.

       Therefore, when speaking to one another, you are to ask, "What answer did THE LORD give?" or "What did THE LORD say?" But you must never again speak of "the burden of THE LORD," because each man's word becomes his own burden, and you therefore pervert the words of THE LIVING GOD, THE LORD OF HOSTS, our GOD.

       Therefore, you are to ask a prophet, "What answer has THE LORD given?" or "What has THE LORD said?" But if you say "the burden of THE LORD," THE LORD will reply, "Because you have used the words 'the burden of THE LORD' when I forbade you to use that expression, therefore, I will lift you up and cast you away from MY presence, both you and the city that I gave to you and your ancestors. And I will inflict upon you everlasting disgrace and eternal and unforgettable shame."

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 23, VERSES 9 - 40

The Good and Bad Figs.

THE LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of THE LORD. This occurred after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had exiled from Jerusalem Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, the artisans, and the skilled workers, and brought them to Babylon. One basket contained excellent figs that tend to ripen early; the other basket had figs of an extremely poor quality, so bad that they could not be eaten. THE LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "Figs," I answered. "The good figs are superb, but the poor ones are so bad that they are not fit to eat."

       Then the word of THE LORD came to me: Thus says THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL: Just as these figs are good, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will watch over them carefully to ensure their welfare, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart that will enable them to know that I AM THE LORD. They will be MY people and I will be their GOD, for they will return to ME with their whole heart.

       As for the bad figs that are so dreadful that they cannot be eaten, thus says THE LORD: In the same way I will treat King Zedekiah of Judah and his princes, the remnant of Jerusalem remaining in this land, and those who live in the land of Egypt. I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all the places where I will drive them. And I will send against them the sword, famine, and pestilence, until they have completely vanished from the land that I gave to them and their ancestors.

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 24