Jeremiah 34

• 1. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with all the armies from the kingdoms he ruled, and he fought against Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. At that time this message came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
• 2. "Go to King Zedekiah of Judah, and tell him, `This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it.
• 3. You will not escape his grasp but will be taken into captivity. You will stand before the king of Babylon to be judged and sentenced. Then you will be exiled to Babylon.'
• 4. "But listen to this promise from the LORD, O Zedekiah, king of Judah. This is what the LORD says: `You will not be killed in war
• 5. but will die peacefully among your people. They will burn incense in your memory, just as they did for your ancestors. They will weep for you and say, "Alas, our king is dead!" This I have decreed, says the LORD.'"
• 6. So Jeremiah the prophet delivered the message to King Zedekiah of Judah.
• 7. At this time the Babylonian army was besieging Jerusalem, Lachish, and Azekah--the only cities of Judah with their walls still standing.
• 8. This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah made a covenant with the people, proclaiming freedom for the slaves.
• 9. He had ordered all the people to free their Hebrew slaves--both men and women. No one was to keep a fellow Judean in bondage.
• 10. The officials and all the people had obeyed the king's command,
• 11. but later they changed their minds. They took back the people they had freed, making them slaves again.
• 12. So the LORD gave them this message through Jeremiah:
• 13. "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors long ago when I rescued them from their slavery in Egypt.
• 14. I told them that every Hebrew slave must be freed after serving six years. But this was never done.
• 15. Recently you repented and did what was right, following my command. You freed your slaves and made a solemn covenant with me in my Temple.
• 16. But now you have shrugged off your oath and defiled my name by taking back the men and women you had freed, making them slaves once again.
• 17. "Therefore, this is what the LORD says: Since you have not obeyed me by setting your countrymen free, I will set you free to be destroyed by war, famine, and disease. You will be considered a disgrace by all the nations of the earth.
• 18. Because you have refused the terms of our covenant, I will cut you apart just as you cut apart the calf when you walked between its halves to solemnize your vows.
• 19. Yes, I will cut you apart, whether you are officials of Judah or Jerusalem, court officials, priests, or common people--for you have broken your oath.
• 20. I will give you to your enemies, and they will kill you. Your bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.
• 21. I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials to the army of the king of Babylon. And though Babylon's king has left this city for a while,
• 22. I will call the Babylonian armies back again. They will fight against this city and will capture and burn it. I will see to it that all the towns of Judah are destroyed and left completely empty."

Jeremiah 35

• 1. This is the message the LORD gave Jeremiah when Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah:
• 2. "Go to the settlement where the families of the Recabites live, and invite them to the LORD's Temple. Take them into one of the inner rooms, and offer them some wine."
• 3. So I went to see Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah and grandson of Habazziniah and all his brothers and sons--representing all the Recabite families.
• 4. I took them to the Temple, and we went into the room assigned to the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God. This room was located next to the one used by the palace officials, directly above the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum, the Temple gatekeeper.
• 5. I set cups and jugs of wine before them and invited them to have a drink,
• 6. but they refused. "No," they said. "We don't drink wine, because Jehonadab son of Recab, our ancestor, gave us this command: `You and your descendants must never drink wine.
• 7. And do not build houses or plant crops or vineyards, but always live in tents. If you follow these commands, you will live long, good lives in the land.'
• 8. So we have obeyed him in all these things. We have never had a drink of wine since then, nor have our wives, our sons, or our daughters.
• 9. We haven't built houses or owned vineyards or farms or planted crops.
• 10. We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed all the commands of Jehonadab, our ancestor.
• 11. But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon arrived in this country, we were afraid of the Babylonian and Aramean armies. So we decided to move to Jerusalem. That is why we are here."
• 12. Then the LORD gave this message to Jeremiah:
• 13. "The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and say to the people in Judah and Jerusalem, `Come and learn a lesson about how to obey me.
• 14. The Recabites do not drink wine because their ancestor Jehonadab told them not to. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you refuse to listen or obey.
• 15. I have sent you prophet after prophet to tell you to turn from your wicked ways and to stop worshiping other gods, so that you might live in peace here in the land I gave to you and your ancestors. But you would not listen to me or obey.
• 16. The families of Recab have obeyed their ancestor completely, but you have refused to listen to me.'
• 17. "Therefore, the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Because you refuse to listen or answer when I call, I will send upon Judah and Jerusalem all the disasters I have threatened."
• 18. Then Jeremiah turned to the Recabites and said, "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You have obeyed your ancestor Jehonadab in every respect, following all his instructions.
• 19. Because of this, Jehonadab son of Recab will always have descendants who serve me. I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, have spoken!"

Jeremiah 36

• 1. During the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king in Judah, the LORD gave this message to Jeremiah:
• 2. "Get a scroll, and write down all my messages against Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Begin with the first message back in the days of Josiah, and write down every message you have given, right up to the present time.
• 3. Perhaps the people of Judah will repent if they see in writing all the terrible things I have planned for them. Then I will be able to forgive their sins and wrongdoings."
• 4. So Jeremiah sent for Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote down all the prophecies that the LORD had given him.
• 5. Then Jeremiah said to Baruch, "I am a prisoner here and unable to go to the Temple.
• 6. So you go to the Temple on the next day of fasting, and read the messages from the LORD that are on this scroll. On that day people will be there from all over Judah.
• 7. Perhaps even yet they will turn from their evil ways and ask the LORD's forgiveness before it is too late. For the LORD's terrible anger has been pronounced against them."
• 8. Baruch did as Jeremiah told him and read these messages from the LORD to the people at the Temple.
• 9. This happened on the day of sacred fasting held in late autumn, during the fifth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah. People from all over Judah came to attend the services at the Temple on that day.
• 10. Baruch read Jeremiah's words to all the people from the Temple room of Gemariah son of Shaphan. This room was just off the upper courtyard of the Temple, near the New Gate entrance.
• 11. When Micaiah son of Gemariah and grandson of Shaphan heard the messages from the LORD,
• 12. he went down to the secretary's room in the palace where the administrative officials were meeting. Elishama the secretary was there, along with Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Acbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the others with official responsibilities.
• 13. When Micaiah told them about the messages Baruch was reading to the people,
• 14. the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, grandson of Shelemiah, and great-grandson of Cushi, to ask Baruch to come and read the messages to them, too. So Baruch took the scroll and went to them.
• 15. "Sit down and read the scroll to us," the officials said, and Baruch did as they requested.
• 16. By the time Baruch had finished reading, they were badly frightened. "We must tell the king what we have heard," they said.
• 17. "But first, tell us how you got these messages. Did they come directly from Jeremiah?"
• 18. So Baruch explained, "Jeremiah dictated them to me word by word, and I wrote down his words with ink on this scroll."
• 19. "You and Jeremiah should both hide," the officials told Baruch. "Don't tell anyone where you are!"
• 20. Then the officials left the scroll for safekeeping in the room of Elishama the secretary and went to tell the king.
• 21. The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi brought it from Elishama's room and read it to the king as all his officials stood by.
• 22. It was late autumn, and the king was in a winterized part of the palace, sitting in front of a fire to keep warm.
• 23. Whenever Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took his knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up.
• 24. Neither the king nor his officials showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard.
• 25. Even when Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll, he wouldn't listen.
• 26. Then the king commanded his son Jerahmeel, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch and Jeremiah. But the LORD had hidden them.
• 27. After the king had burned Jeremiah's scroll, the LORD gave Jeremiah another message. He said,
• 28. "Get another scroll, and write everything again just as you did on the scroll King Jehoiakim burned.
• 29. Then say to the king, `This is what the LORD says: You burned the scroll because it said the king of Babylon would destroy this land and everything in it.
• 30. Now this is what the LORD says about King Jehoiakim of Judah: He will have no heirs to sit on the throne of David. His dead body will be thrown out to lie unburied--exposed to hot days and frosty nights.
• 31. I will punish him and his family and his officials because of their sins. I will pour out on them and on all the people of Judah and Jerusalem all the disasters I have promised, for they would not listen to my warnings.'"
• 32. Then Jeremiah took another scroll and dictated again to his secretary Baruch. He wrote everything that had been on the scroll King Jehoiakim had burned in the fire. Only this time, he added much more!

New Living Translation: 270 of 324 days.