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JER EM IAH 25
page 689
prophecy is from the Lord!’ 32 I am against
these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams
are flagrant lies that lead my people into sin.
I did not send or appoint them, and they have
no message at all for my people. I, the Lord,
have spoken!
False Prophecies and False Prophets
33 “Suppose one of the people or one of the
prophets or priests asks you, ‘What prophecy
has the Lord burdened you with now?’ You
must reply, ‘You are the burden!* The Lord says
he will abandon you!’
34 “If any prophet, priest, or anyone else says,
‘I have a prophecy from the Lord,’ I will punish
that person along with his entire family. 35 You
should keep asking each other, ‘What is the
Lord’s answer?’ or ‘What is the Lord saying?’
36 But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the
Lord.’ For people are using it to give authority
to their own ideas, turning upside down the
words of our God, the living God, the Lord of
Heaven’s Armies.
37 “This is what you should say to the
prophets: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’ or ‘What
is the Lord saying?’ 38 But suppose they respond, ‘This is a prophecy from the Lord!’ Then
you should say, ‘This is what the Lord says:
Because you have used this phrase, “prophecy
from the Lord,” even though I warned you not
to use it, 39 I will forget you completely.* I will
expel you from my presence, along with this city
that I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 And I
will make you an object of ridicule, and your
name will be infamous throughout the ages.’”
Good and Bad Figs
After King Nebuchadnezzar* of Babylon exiled Jehoiachin* son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, to Babylon along with the
officials of Judah and all the craftsmen and
artisans, the Lord gave me this vision. I saw
two baskets of figs placed in front of the Lord’s
Temple in Jerusalem. 2 One basket was filled
with fresh, ripe figs, while the other was filled
with bad figs that were too rotten to eat.
3 Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see,
Jeremiah?”
I replied, “Figs, some very good and some
very bad, too rotten to eat.”
4 Then the Lord gave me this message: 5 “This
is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The
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23:33 As in Greek version and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew reads
What burden? 23:39 Some Hebrew manuscripts and
Greek version read I will surely lift you up. 24:1a Hebrew
Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar.
24:1b Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin.
24:5 Or Chaldeans. 25:1a The fourth year of Jehoiakim’s
reign and the accession year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign was
605 b.c. 25:1b Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling
of Nebuchadnezzar; also in 25:9. 25:3 The thirteenth year
of Josiah’s reign was 627 b.c. 25:9 The Hebrew term used
here refers to the complete consecration of things or people
to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as
an offering.
good figs represent the exiles I sent from Judah
to the land of the Babylonians.* 6 I will watch
over and care for them, and I will bring them
back here again. I will build them up and not
tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people,
and I will be their God, for they will return to
me wholeheartedly.
8 “But the bad figs,” the Lord said, “represent King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, all
the people left in Jerusalem, and those who live
in Egypt. I will treat them like bad figs, too rotten to eat. 9 I will make them an object of horror
and a symbol of evil to every nation on earth.
They will be disgraced and mocked, taunted
and cursed, wherever I scatter them. 10 And I will
send war, famine, and disease until they have
vanished from the land of Israel, which I gave
to them and their ancestors.”
Seventy Years of Captivity
This message for all the people of Judah
came to Jeremiah from the Lord during
the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah.*
This was the year when King Nebuchadnezzar*
of Babylon began his reign.
2 Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people
in Judah and Jerusalem, 3 “For the past twentythree years—from the thirteenth year of the
reign of Josiah son of Amon,* king of Judah,
until now—the Lord has been giving me his
messages. I have faithfully passed them on to
you, but you have not listened.
4 “Again and again the Lord has sent you
his servants, the prophets, but you have not
listened or even paid attention. 5 Each time the
message was this: ‘Turn from the evil road you
are traveling and from the evil things you are
doing. Only then will I let you live in this land
that the Lord gave to you and your ancestors
forever. 6 Do not provoke my anger by worshiping idols you made with your own hands. Then
I will not harm you.’
7 “But you would not listen to me,” says the
Lord. “You made me furious by worshiping
idols you made with your own hands, bringing
on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer.
8 And now the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
Because you have not listened to me, 9 I will
gather together all the armies of the north under
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have
appointed as my deputy. I will bring them all
against this land and its people and against the
surrounding nations. I will completely destroy*
you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever. 10 I will take away your
happy singing and laughter. The joyful voices
of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be
heard. Your millstones will fall silent, and the
lights in your homes will go out. 11 This entire
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