Book of Jeremiah bible study chapters 28 through 36

 

            Here are the next 9 chapters in the book of Jeremiah covering chapters 28 through 36, covering more on the same things, including the coming captivity in Babylon and dealing with the many false prophets, who were never sent by the Lord and who say things that the people want to hear, not the truth. There are prophecies on the exact duration of the captivity and also restoration after the end of the exile. This is a continuation of the earlier studies and here is a link to the prior study which covers chapters 19 through 27 of the book of Jeremiah

https://www.facebook.com/notes/jay-dougherty/book-of-jeremiah-bible-study-chapters-19-through-27/10200819991075668

In chapter 28 Jeremiah has to deal with a false prophet who prophesies a quick end to captivity and return of the things of the temple, not so, and he dies as Jeremiah prophesied he would

(Jeremiah 28:1)  In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying,

 

(Jeremiah 28:2)  "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

 

(Jeremiah 28:3)  Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD's house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon.

 

(Jeremiah 28:4)  I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the LORD, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon."

 

(Jeremiah 28:5)  Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD,

 

(Jeremiah 28:6)  and the prophet Jeremiah said, "Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the LORD, and all the exiles.

 

(Jeremiah 28:7)  Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people.

 

(Jeremiah 28:8)  The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms.

 

(Jeremiah 28:9)  As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet."

 

(Jeremiah 28:10)  Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them.

 

(Jeremiah 28:11)  And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, "Thus says the LORD: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years." But Jeremiah the prophet went his way.

 

(Jeremiah 28:12)  Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke-bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

 

(Jeremiah 28:13)  "Go, tell Hananiah, 'Thus says the LORD: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron.

 

(Jeremiah 28:14)  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.'"

 

(Jeremiah 28:15)  And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, "Listen, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie.

 

(Jeremiah 28:16)  Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the LORD.'"

 

(Jeremiah 28:17)  In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.

 

In chapter 29 of Jeremiah, the prophet sends a letter to the exiles in Babylon telling them not to heed the false prophets and their lies more than once and to settle in for the captivity will last seventy years; also Jeremiah encourages the people in exile to seek the Lord diligently so the Lord may be found of them, and pronounces punishment on false prophets

(Jeremiah 29:1)  These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

 

(Jeremiah 29:2)  This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem.

 

(Jeremiah 29:3)  The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said:

 

(Jeremiah 29:4)  "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:

 

(Jeremiah 29:5)  Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.

 

(Jeremiah 29:6)  Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.

 

(Jeremiah 29:7)  But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

 

(Jeremiah 29:8)  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,

 

(Jeremiah 29:9)  for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 29:10)  "For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.

 

(Jeremiah 29:11)  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

 

(Jeremiah 29:12)  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

 

(Jeremiah 29:13)  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

 

(Jeremiah 29:14)  I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

 

(Jeremiah 29:15)  "Because you have said, 'The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,'

 

(Jeremiah 29:16)  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 kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile:

 

(Jeremiah 29:17)  'Thus says the LORD of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten.

 

(Jeremiah 29:18)  I will pursue them with sword, famine, and pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them,

 

(Jeremiah 29:19)  because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the LORD, that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the LORD.'

 

(Jeremiah 29:20)  Hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

 

(Jeremiah 29:21)  'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them down before your eyes.

 

(Jeremiah 29:22)  Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: "The LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,"

 

(Jeremiah 29:23)  because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, they have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. I am the one who knows, and I am witness, declares the LORD.'"

 

(Jeremiah 29:24)  To Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say:

 

(Jeremiah 29:25)  "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

 

(Jeremiah 29:26)  'The LORD has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have charge in the house of the LORD over every madman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and neck irons.

 

(Jeremiah 29:27)  Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who is prophesying to you?

 

(Jeremiah 29:28)  For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, "Your exile will be long; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce."'"

 

(Jeremiah 29:29)  Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

 

(Jeremiah 29:30)  Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

 

(Jeremiah 29:31)  "Send to all the exiles, saying, 'Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie,

 

(Jeremiah 29:32)  therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the LORD, for he has spoken rebellion against the LORD.'"

 

In Jeremiah chapter 30 the Lord has Jeremiah write all his words spoken to him by God in a book, then promises eventual restoration and blessings to Judah and Israel God’s people

(Jeremiah 30:1)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

 

(Jeremiah 30:2)  "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you.

 

(Jeremiah 30:3)  For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it."

 

(Jeremiah 30:4)  These are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah:

 

(Jeremiah 30:5)  "Thus says the LORD: We have heard a cry of panic, of terror, and no peace.

 

(Jeremiah 30:6)  Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale?

 

(Jeremiah 30:7)  Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it.

 

(Jeremiah 30:8)  "And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.

 

(Jeremiah 30:9)  But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

 

(Jeremiah 30:10)  "Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.

 

(Jeremiah 30:11)  For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

 

(Jeremiah 30:12)  "For thus says the LORD: Your hurt is incurable, and your wound is grievous.

 

(Jeremiah 30:13)  There is none to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you.

 

(Jeremiah 30:14)  All your lovers have forgotten you; they care nothing for you; for I have dealt you the blow of an enemy, the punishment of a merciless foe, because your guilt is great, because your sins are flagrant.

 

(Jeremiah 30:15)  Why do you cry out over your hurt? Your pain is incurable. Because your guilt is great, because your sins are flagrant, I have done these things to you.

 

(Jeremiah 30:16)  Therefore all who devour you shall be devoured, and all your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity; those who plunder you shall be plundered, and all who prey on you I will make a prey.

 

(Jeremiah 30:17)  For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the LORD, because they have called you an outcast: 'It is Zion, for whom no one cares!'

 

(Jeremiah 30:18)  "Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings; the city shall be rebuilt on its mound, and the palace shall stand where it used to be.

 

(Jeremiah 30:19)  Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate. I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.

 

(Jeremiah 30:20)  Their children shall be as they were of old, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all who oppress them.

 

(Jeremiah 30:21)  Their prince shall be one of themselves; their ruler shall come out from their midst; I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me, for who would dare of himself to approach me? declares the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 30:22)  And you shall be my people, and I will be your God."

 

(Jeremiah 30:23)  Behold the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked.

 

(Jeremiah 30:24)  The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. In the latter days you will understand this.

 

In Jeremiah chapter 31 then there are further prophecies and promises of the restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the walls, so the people are encouraged to not be down but be glad

(Jeremiah 31:1)  "At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people."

 

(Jeremiah 31:2)  Thus says the LORD: "The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest,

 

(Jeremiah 31:3)  the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

 

(Jeremiah 31:4)  Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.

 

(Jeremiah 31:5)  Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit.

 

(Jeremiah 31:6)  For there shall be a day when watchmen will call in the hill country of Ephraim: 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.'"

 

(Jeremiah 31:7)  For thus says the LORD: "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, 'O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.'

 

(Jeremiah 31:8)  Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.

 

(Jeremiah 31:9)  With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

 

(Jeremiah 31:10)  "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.'

 

(Jeremiah 31:11)  For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

 

(Jeremiah 31:12)  They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more.

 

(Jeremiah 31:13)  Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

 

(Jeremiah 31:14)  I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD."

 

(Jeremiah 31:15)  Thus says the LORD: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more."

 

(Jeremiah 31:16)  Thus says the LORD: "Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

 

(Jeremiah 31:17)  There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country.

 

(Jeremiah 31:18)  I have heard Ephraim grieving, 'You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God.

 

(Jeremiah 31:19)  For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.'

 

(Jeremiah 31:20)  Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 31:21)  "Set up road markers for yourself; make yourself guideposts; consider well the highway, the road by which you went. Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities.

 

(Jeremiah 31:22)  How long will you waver, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing on the earth: a woman encircles a man."

 

(Jeremiah 31:23)  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes: "'The LORD bless you, O habitation of righteousness, O holy hill!'

 

(Jeremiah 31:24)  And Judah and all its cities shall dwell there together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks.

 

(Jeremiah 31:25)  For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish."

 

(Jeremiah 31:26)  At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me.

 

(Jeremiah 31:27)  "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast.

 

(Jeremiah 31:28)  And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 31:29)  In those days they shall no longer say: "'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.'

 

(Jeremiah 31:30)  But everyone shall die for his own sin. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

 

(Jeremiah 31:31)  "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,

 

(Jeremiah 31:32)  not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 31:33)  But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

 

(Jeremiah 31:34)  And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

 

(Jeremiah 31:35)  Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD of hosts is his name:

 

(Jeremiah 31:36)  "If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever."

 

(Jeremiah 31:37)  Thus says the LORD: "If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the LORD."

 

(Jeremiah 31:38)  "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

 

(Jeremiah 31:39)  And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah.

 

(Jeremiah 31:40)  The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the LORD. It shall not be uprooted or overthrown anymore forever."

 

In Jeremiah chapter 32 even though the city is going to be captured Jeremiah buys a field from his uncle, then prays, where the Lord asks if that there is anything that is too hard for Him, then after the captivity and capture of the city the Lord again promises to restore his people back from captivity and bless them abundantly

(Jeremiah 32:1)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

 

(Jeremiah 32:2)  At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah.

 

(Jeremiah 32:3)  For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, "Why do you prophesy and say, 'Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall capture it;

 

(Jeremiah 32:4)  Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye.

 

(Jeremiah 32:5)  And he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I visit him, declares the LORD. Though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed'?"

 

(Jeremiah 32:6)  Jeremiah said, "The word of the LORD came to me:

 

(Jeremiah 32:7)  Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you and say, 'Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.'

 

(Jeremiah 32:8)  Then Hanamel my cousin came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the LORD, and said to me, 'Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 32:9)  "And I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver.

 

(Jeremiah 32:10)  I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales.

 

(Jeremiah 32:11)  Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions and the open copy.

 

(Jeremiah 32:12)  And I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my cousin, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard.

 

(Jeremiah 32:13)  I charged Baruch in their presence, saying,

 

(Jeremiah 32:14)  'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time.

 

(Jeremiah 32:15)  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.'

 

(Jeremiah 32:16)  "After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying:

 

(Jeremiah 32:17)  'Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

 

(Jeremiah 32:18)  You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts,

 

(Jeremiah 32:19)  great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.

 

(Jeremiah 32:20)  You have shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all mankind, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day.

 

(Jeremiah 32:21)  You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror.

 

(Jeremiah 32:22)  And you gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.

 

(Jeremiah 32:23)  And they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or walk in your law. They did nothing of all you commanded them to do. Therefore you have made all this disaster come upon them.

 

(Jeremiah 32:24)  Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it.

 

(Jeremiah 32:25)  Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, "Buy the field for money and get witnesses"--though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.'"

 

(Jeremiah 32:26)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

 

(Jeremiah 32:27)  "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?

 

(Jeremiah 32:28)  Therefore, thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall capture it.

 

(Jeremiah 32:29)  The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs offerings have been made to Baal and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger.

 

(Jeremiah 32:30)  For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth. The children of Israel have done nothing but provoke me to anger by the work of their hands, declares the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 32:31)  This city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the day it was built to this day, so that I will remove it from my sight

 

(Jeremiah 32:32)  because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah that they did to provoke me to anger--their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

 

(Jeremiah 32:33)  They have turned to me their back and not their face. And though I have taught them persistently, they have not listened to receive instruction.

 

(Jeremiah 32:34)  They set up their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it.

 

(Jeremiah 32:35)  They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

 

(Jeremiah 32:36)  "Now therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence':

 

(Jeremiah 32:37)  Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety.

 

(Jeremiah 32:38)  And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

 

(Jeremiah 32:39)  I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them.

 

(Jeremiah 32:40)  I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.

 

(Jeremiah 32:41)  I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.

 

(Jeremiah 32:42)  "For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them.

 

(Jeremiah 32:43)  Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, 'It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.'

 

(Jeremiah 32:44)  Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the LORD."

 

In Jeremiah chapter 33 the Lord again encourages the people to seek Him always and again makes promises for the peoples’ eventual restoration from captivity and of blessing them at that time

(Jeremiah 33:1)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard:

 

(Jeremiah 33:2)  "Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it--the LORD is his name:

 

(Jeremiah 33:3)  Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

 

(Jeremiah 33:4)  For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to make a defense against the siege mounds and against the sword:

 

(Jeremiah 33:5)  They are coming in to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil.

 

(Jeremiah 33:6)  Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.

 

(Jeremiah 33:7)  I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first.

 

(Jeremiah33:8)  I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.

 

(Jeremiah 33:9)  And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.

 

(Jeremiah 33:10)  "Thus says the LORD: In this place of which you say, 'It is a waste without man or beast,' in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again

 

(Jeremiah 33:11)  the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD: "'Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!' For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 33:12)  "Thus says the LORD of hosts: In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be habitations of shepherds resting their flocks.

 

(Jeremiah 33:13)  In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 33:14)  "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

 

(Jeremiah 33:15)  In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

 

(Jeremiah 33:16)  In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'

 

(Jeremiah 33:17)  "For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,

 

(Jeremiah 33:18)  and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever."

 

(Jeremiah 33:19)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

 

(Jeremiah 33:20)  "Thus says the LORD: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time,

 

(Jeremiah 33:21)  then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers.

 

(Jeremiah 33:22)  As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me."

 

(Jeremiah 33:23)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

 

(Jeremiah 33:24)  "Have you not observed that these people are saying, 'The LORD has rejected the two clans that he chose'? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight.

 

(Jeremiah 33:25)  Thus says the LORD: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth,

 

(Jeremiah 33:26)  then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them."

 

In Jeremiah chapter 34 Jeremiah prophesies the King of Babylon’s eventual capture and exile of Zedekiah the king of Judah ( but Zedekiah will not be killed), then chastises the people for taking their slaves again when they had freed them in the first place, and yet again prophesies the taking and destruction of Jerusalem in judgment for their evils

(Jeremiah 34:1)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities:

 

(Jeremiah 34:2)  "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

 

(Jeremiah 34:3)  You shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.'

 

(Jeremiah 34:4)  Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the LORD concerning you: 'You shall not die by the sword.

 

(Jeremiah 34:5)  You shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, "Alas, lord!"' For I have spoken the word, declares the LORD."

 

(Jeremiah 34:6)  Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem,

 

(Jeremiah 34:7)  when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, Lachish and Azekah, for these were the only fortified cities of Judah that remained.

 

(Jeremiah 34:8)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them,

 

(Jeremiah 34:9)  that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother.

 

(Jeremiah 34:10)  And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free.

 

(Jeremiah 34:11)  But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves.

 

(Jeremiah 34:12)  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

 

(Jeremiah 34:13)  "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,

 

(Jeremiah 34:14)  'At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must set him free from your service.' But your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me.

 

(Jeremiah 34:15)  You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name,

 

(Jeremiah 34:16)  but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.

 

(Jeremiah 34:17)  "Therefore, thus says the LORD: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the LORD. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

 

(Jeremiah 34:18)  And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts--

 

(Jeremiah 34:19)  the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf.

 

(Jeremiah 34:20)  And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.

 

(Jeremiah 34:21)  And Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon which has withdrawn from you.

 

(Jeremiah 34:22)  Behold, I will command, declares the LORD, and will bring them back to this city. And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant."

 

In Jeremiah chapter 35 Jeremiah is sent to a house, and then later relates a story that those who won’t obey will then be taken into captivity as a result of their disobedience but those of the house where the prophet was staying  did obey and will be blessed as a result of their obedience to the Lord and what He said through the various prophets that he sent.

(Jeremiah 35:1)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

 

(Jeremiah 35:2)  "Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak with them and bring them to the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers; then offer them wine to drink."

 

(Jeremiah 35:3)  So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites.

 

(Jeremiah 35:4)  I brought them to the house of the LORD into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the chamber of the officials, above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold.

 

(Jeremiah 35:5)  Then I set before the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, "Drink wine."

 

(Jeremiah 35:6)  But they answered, "We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, 'You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons forever.

 

(Jeremiah 35:7)  You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.'

 

(Jeremiah 35:8)  We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters,

 

(Jeremiah 35:9)  and not to build houses to dwell in. We have no vineyard or field or seed,

 

(Jeremiah 35:10)  but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

 

(Jeremiah 35:11)  But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, 'Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Syrians.' So we are living in Jerusalem."

 

(Jeremiah 35:12)  Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

 

(Jeremiah 35:13)  "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 35:14)  The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father's command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me.

 

(Jeremiah 35:15)  I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, 'Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.' But you did not incline your ear or listen to me.

 

(Jeremiah 35:16)  The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command that their father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me.

 

(Jeremiah 35:17)  Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered."

 

(Jeremiah 35:18)  But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done all that he commanded you,

 

(Jeremiah 35:19)  therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me."

 

In Jeremiah chapter 36 the Lord had dictated scrolls to Baruch who wrote them and then read them to the various parties hoping for repentance but they would not hear of the message indeed burned the scroll in fire so punishment is then decreed and another scroll is made to replace the burned one

(Jeremiah 36:1)  In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

 

(Jeremiah 36:2)  "Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today.

 

(Jeremiah 36:3)  It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin."

 

(Jeremiah 36:4)  Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD that he had spoken to him.

 

(Jeremiah 36:5)  And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, "I am banned from going to the house of the LORD,

 

(Jeremiah 36:6)  so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the LORD's house you shall read the words of the LORD from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities.

 

(Jeremiah 36:7)  It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the LORD, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people."

 

(Jeremiah 36:8)  And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the LORD in the LORD's house.

 

(Jeremiah 36:9)  In the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the LORD.

 

(Jeremiah 36:10)  Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the LORD's house.

 

(Jeremiah 36:11)  When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll,

 

(Jeremiah 36:12)  he went down to the king's house, into the secretary's chamber, and all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the officials.

 

(Jeremiah 36:13)  And Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the scroll in the hearing of the people.

 

(Jeremiah 36:14)  Then all the officials sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, "Take in your hand the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come." So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them.

 

(Jeremiah 36:15)  And they said to him, "Sit down and read it." So Baruch read it to them.

 

(Jeremiah 36:16)  When they heard all the words, they turned one to another in fear. And they said to Baruch, "We must report all these words to the king."

 

(Jeremiah 36:17)  Then they asked Baruch, "Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?"

 

(Jeremiah 36:18)  Baruch answered them, "He dictated all these words to me, while I wrote them with ink on the scroll."

 

(Jeremiah 36:19)  Then the officials said to Baruch, "Go and hide, you and Jeremiah, and let no one know where you are."

 

(Jeremiah 36:20)  So they went into the court to the king, having put the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words to the king.

 

(Jeremiah 36:21)  Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king.

 

(Jeremiah 36:22)  It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him.

 

(Jeremiah 36:23)  As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot.

 

(Jeremiah 36:24)  Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments.

 

(Jeremiah 36:25)  Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

 

(Jeremiah 36:26)  And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the LORD hid them.

 

(Jeremiah 36:27)  Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

 

(Jeremiah 36:28)  "Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned.

 

(Jeremiah 36:29)  And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, 'Thus says the LORD, You have burned this scroll, saying, "Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?"

 

(Jeremiah 36:30)  Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night.

 

(Jeremiah 36:31)  And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.'"

 

(Jeremiah 36:32)  Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

 

Jeremiah had the difficult job of prophesying in a very difficult and very evil time in Israel’s people when the people were becoming more backslidden and reprobate, and I see much the same things happening today as then, but in different ways. God wants all today to repent of wickedness as He did then, and will judge now all evil as He did then. The one thing we have now that Jeremiah’s people didn’t is the fact that Jesus did come and die for our sins, giving us a way to find forgiveness, eternal life, and most of all relationship with a God who truly loves us and is grieved by all evil, no matter where it comes from or how. His love is so great that He did send His only Son, Jesus to die for our sins so relationship can be restored, and there is nothing like a relationship with God, nothing can compare to it at all. I am now including a prayer which will invite Jesus into your heart and begin this wonderful relationship or even you can return to it through this prayer repenting of what may have separated you from Jesus. Please do pray this prayer with me

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.

God bless you and yours