that the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> has a message for him.<n id="2" /> Tell him,<n id="3" /> &#8216;On your own initiative<n id="4" /> you sent a letter<n id="5" /> to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah<n id="6" /> and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem.<n id="7" /> In your letter you said to Zephaniah,<n id="8" />

&#8220;Send a message to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> has spoken about Shemaiah the Nehelamite. &#8220;Shemaiah has spoken to you as a prophet even though I did not send him. He is making you trust in a lie.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">Moreover,<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> says,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Sing for joy for the descendants of Jacob.p> <p class="poetry">Utter glad shouts for that foremost of the nations.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Make your praises heard.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Then say, &#8216;<sc>Lordsc>, rescue your people.p> <p class="poetry">Deliver those of Israel who remain alive.&#8217;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> says,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;A sound is heard in Ramah,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">a sound of crying in bitter grief.p> <p class="poetry">It is the sound of Rachel weeping for her childrenp> <p class="poetry">and refusing to be comforted, because her children are gone.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I will restore the people of Judah to their land and to their towns.p> <p class="poetry">When I do, they will again say<n id="2" /> of Jerusalem,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;May the <sc>Lordsc> bless you, you holy mountain,p> <p class="poetry">the place where righteousness dwells.&#8217;<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> has made a promise to Israel.p> <p class="poetry">He promises it as the one who fixed the sun to give light by dayp> <p class="poetry">and the moon and stars to give light by night.p> <p class="poetry">He promises it as the one who stirs up the sea so that its waves roll.p> <p class="poetry">He promises it as the one who is known as the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8220;I will not reject all the descendants of Israelp> <p class="poetry">because of all that they have done.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">That could only happen if the heavens above could be measuredp> <p class="poetry">or the foundations of the earth below could all be explored,&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="3" />p>

For King Zedekiah<n id="1" /> had confined Jeremiah there after he had reproved him for prophesying as he did. He had asked Jeremiah, &#8220;Why do you keep prophesying these things? Why do you keep saying that the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;I will hand this city over to the king of Babylon? I will let him capture it.<n id="2" />

&#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8220;Take these documents, both the sealed copy of the deed of purchase and the unsealed copy. Put them in a clay jar so that they may be preserved for a long time to come.&#8221;&#8217;<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;You and your people<n id="1" /> are right in saying, &#8216;War,<n id="2" /> starvation, and disease are sure to make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylon.&#8217;<n id="3" /> But now I, the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, have something further to say about this city:<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;For I, the <sc>Lordsc>, say:<n id="1" /> &#8216;I will surely bring on these people all the good fortune that I am hereby promising them. I will be just as sure to do that as I have been in bringing all this great disaster on them.<n id="2" />

For I, the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, have something more to say about the houses in this city and the royal buildings which have been torn down for defenses against the siege ramps and military incursions of the Babylonians:<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;I, the <sc>Lordsc>, say:<n id="1" /> &#8216;You and your people are saying<n id="2" /> about this place, &#8220;It lies in ruins. There are no people or animals in it.&#8221; That is true. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem<n id="3" /> will soon be desolate, uninhabited either by people or by animals. But happy sounds will again be heard in these places.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;I, the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all, say:<n id="1" /> &#8216;This place will indeed lie in ruins. There will be no people or animals in it. But there will again be in it and in its towns sheepfolds where shepherds can rest their sheep.

The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> told him, &#8220;Go and speak to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them,<n id="2" /> &#8216;I, the <sc>Lordsc>, say:<n id="3" /> &#8220;You must learn a lesson from this<n id="4" /> about obeying what I say!<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">Then Jeremiah spoke to the Rechabite community, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;You have obeyed the orders of your ancestor Jonadab. You have followed all his instructions. You have done exactly as he commanded you.&#8217;

Tell King Jehoiakim of Judah, &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8220;You burned the scroll. You asked<n id="1" /> Jeremiah, &#8216;How dare you write in this scroll that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and wipe out all the people and animals on it?&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />

So the <sc>Lordsc> says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, &#8220;None of his line will occupy the throne of David.<n id="1" /> His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night.<n id="2" />

&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease.<n id="1" /> Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians<n id="2" /> will live. They will escape with their lives.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc>, the God who rules over all, the God of Israel,<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;You must surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon. If you do, your life will be spared<n id="2" /> and this city will not be burned down. Indeed, you and your whole family will be spared.