Jeremiah Chapter 37
Showing all 21 verses for Jeremiah Chapter 37.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. "
"Zedekiah son of Josiah became king in place of Coniah (Jehoiachin) son of Jehoiakim — put on the throne by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon."
Even when your circumstances are shaped by forces outside your control, what you do inside them is still yours to choose. Zedekiah's story that follows is really about how he uses — or wastes — the limited freedom he still has.
"But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. "
"But neither he, nor his officials, nor the ordinary people, paid attention to the LORD's words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah."
Knowing what's right isn't the same as doing it. I'm not just asking you to hear the truth — I'm asking you to actually let it change your direction, even when that's harder than simply agreeing with it.
"And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us. "
"King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, with the message: 'Please pray to the LORD our God for us.'"
You can't have a real relationship with the truth on your own terms only — wanting help without wanting guidance is asking for a shortcut that doesn't exist. Come honestly, ready to listen as well as to ask.
"Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison. "
"Now Jeremiah was still moving freely among the people at this point — he had not yet been put in prison."
Freedom, comfort, and safety can all be temporary — don't take today's ease for granted, but also don't let the fear of what might come rob you of using this moment well.
"Then Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem. "
"Meanwhile, Pharaoh's army had marched out of Egypt, and when the Babylonians besieging Jerusalem heard the news, they withdrew from the city."
Not every relief is real rescue. Learn to tell the difference between a genuine turning point and a temporary lull — and don't build your whole hope on something that hasn't actually been proven to last.
"Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "
"Then the LORD's message came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying:"
I don't let you stay comfortably wrong for long if you're open to hearing me. Real love speaks up even when the truth punctures a hope people are enjoying.
"Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. "
"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says — tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask me: 'Look, Pharaoh's army, which came out to help you, is going to go back to Egypt, to its own land.'"
Real guidance answers the actual question you're asking, even when the honest answer isn't the one you were hoping for. Don't settle for comforting vagueness when you're seeking real direction.
"And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. "
"'And the Babylonians will come back, attack this city, capture it, and burn it down.'"
Sometimes clarity is the kindest thing I can offer, even when it's hard to hear — because false comfort only delays the moment you'll need to actually face reality and respond to it.
"Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. "
"This is what the LORD says: 'Don't fool yourselves by saying, The Babylonians are definitely leaving us alone — they are not leaving.'"
Be honest with yourself, especially when you're desperate for good news. Self-deception feels comforting in the moment, but it only sets you up to be blindsided later.
"For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire. "
"'Even if you managed to defeat the entire Babylonian army, leaving only wounded men in their tents, those wounded men would still get up and burn this city to the ground.'"
Some consequences can't be out-strategised or out-fought — they call for a change of heart, not a change of tactics. Recognising when you're fighting the wrong battle is itself a kind of wisdom.
"And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army, "
"Now when the Babylonian army had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of the threat from Pharaoh's army,"
Even brief windows of opportunity call for wise judgement about how to use them — not every open door is one you should walk through without thinking first.
"Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people. "
"Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the territory of Benjamin, to sort out a family property matter among his relatives there."
Ordinary life doesn't stop just because you're in the middle of something significant. Even a prophet has practical matters and family business to attend to — faith doesn't erase your ordinary humanity.
"And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans. "
"But when he reached the Benjamin Gate, an officer of the guard named Irijah, son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, was there, and he arrested Jeremiah, saying, 'You're deserting to the Babylonians!'"
Doing the right thing doesn't guarantee people will understand your motives correctly — sometimes you'll be accused of exactly the opposite of what's true. Stay honest anyway, and trust that the truth eventually holds up.
"Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. "
"Jeremiah said, 'That's not true — I'm not deserting to the Babylonians.' But Irijah wouldn't listen to him; he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials."
Speak the truth plainly, even when you know it might not be believed. Your integrity doesn't depend on whether others accept it in the moment — it depends on whether it's actually true.
"Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison. "
"The officials were furious with Jeremiah; they had him beaten and put in prison in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had turned into a jail."
Sometimes people's anger at you isn't really about the immediate incident — it's the accumulation of every previous truth you've told that they resented. Recognising that can help you respond with patience rather than surprise.
"When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; "
"So Jeremiah went into the dungeon, into its vaulted cells, and he stayed there many days."
Real faithfulness sometimes costs real, extended suffering, not a quick trial that's soon over. I don't promise you an easy road for doing right — I promise I'm with you through the hard one.
"Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. "
"Then King Zedekiah sent for him secretly and asked him privately in the palace, 'Is there any word from the LORD?' Jeremiah said, 'There is — you will be handed over to the king of Babylon.'"
I don't change my answer depending on who's asking or how much power they hold over me. Truth spoken with integrity stays the same truth, whether you're free or in chains, addressing a king or a stranger.
"Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? "
"Jeremiah then said to King Zedekiah, 'What crime have I committed against you, your officials, or this people, that you've put me in prison?'"
You're allowed to name an injustice done to you, even to someone more powerful than you, calmly and without malice. Speaking up for fair treatment isn't the opposite of humility.
"Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? "
"'Where are your prophets now, the ones who told you the king of Babylon would never come against you or this land?'"
Notice who tells you what you want to hear versus who tells you what's actually true — and remember which kind of voice is still standing when the test actually comes.
"Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there. "
"'So now please, my lord the king, listen — let my request be granted: don't send me back to Jonathan the secretary's house, or I'll die there.'"
There's no shame in asking plainly for what you need, even from someone who has power over you. Vulnerability and honesty about your own limits are part of being human, not a failure of faith.
"Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison. "
"So King Zedekiah gave orders to have Jeremiah placed in the courtyard of the guard, and to give him a loaf of bread daily from the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city ran out. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard."
Even flawed, compromised people can still do some good when asked directly — don't write someone off entirely just because they haven't done everything right. A small act of mercy still counts.