The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, "From the thirteenth year of Josiah, the son of Amon, the king of Judah, even up to this day, these twenty-three years the word of Yahweh has come to me, and I have spoken to you over and over again, but you have not listened. And though Yahweh has sent all his servants the prophets to you over and over again you have not listened, and you have not inclined your ear to hear, saying, ‘Turn back please, each one from his evil way, and from the evil of your deeds, and live on the land that Yahweh has given to you and to your ancestors from a long time back and until forever, and you must not go after other gods to serve them, and to bow in worship to them, and you must not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands, then I will not do something bad to you.’ ‘Yet you have not listened to me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘so that you have provoked me to anger with the work of your hands for your own harm.’

Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Because you have not obeyed my words, look, I am going to send and take all the clans of the north,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations all around, and I will destroy them, and I will make them a horror, and an object of hissing, and everlasting ruins. And I will exterminate from them the sound of jubilation, and the sound of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp. And all this land will become a site of ruins, a desolation, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

And then when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares Yahweh, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and I will make it an everlasting waste. And I will bring upon that land all my words that I have spoken against it, everything that is written in this scroll which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings will let them work, even them, and I will repay them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.’" For thus said Yahweh, the God of Israel, to me, "Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand, and you must give it to all the nations to whom I am sending you to drink. And they will drink, and they will stagger, and they will act like madmen because of the presence of the sword that I am sending among them."

So I took the cup from the hand of Yahweh and I gave it to all the nations to whom Yahweh sent me to drink: Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, and its kings, and its officials, to make them a site of ruins, a horror, an object of hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his servants, and his officials, and all his people; and all the other people; and all the kings of the land of Uz; and all the kings of the land of the Philistines—Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; Edom, and Moab, and the Ammonites; and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastland that is across the sea; and Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all those who are trimmed to the side; and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the other people who dwell in the desert; and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media; and all the kings of the north, near and far, each one to his brother, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach, he will drink after them.

"And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Drink and become drunk, and vomit, and fall, and you must not rise because of the presence of the sword that I am sending among you."’ And it will happen, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "You must certainly drink! For look, on the city that is called by my name I am beginning to inflict harm, and you indeed, will you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth," declares Yahweh of hosts.’

And you yourself shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them:

Thus says Yahweh of hosts,

The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying, "Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak with them, and bring them to the house of Yahweh into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink." So I took Jaazaniah, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole of the house of the Rechabites, and I brought them to the house of Yahweh, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was beside the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah, the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold.

Then I set before the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine and cups, and I said to them, "Drink wine." But they answered, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your children, forever. And you shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed, and you shall not plant a vineyard, and it shall not be for you, but in tents you shall live all your days, so that you may live many days on the surface of the land where you are dwelling as aliens.’ And we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, and not to build houses for our living, and there is not vineyard, or field, or seed for us. But we have lived in tents, and we have obeyed, and we have done all that Jehonadab, our ancestor, commanded us. But then at the coming up against the land of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, then we said, ‘Come and let us go to Jerusalem before the army of the Chaldeans, and before the army of the Arameans.’ That is why we are living in Jerusalem."

And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Go and say to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Can you not learn a lesson to listen to my words?" declares Yahweh. "The words of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, that he commanded his descendants to not drink, have been carried out, and they have not drunk until this day, for they have obeyed the command of their ancestor. But I have spoken to you over and over again, and you have not listened to me. And I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, I have sent them over and over again, saying, ‘Turn back please each one from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and you must not go after other gods to serve them, so that you may live on the land that I gave to you and to your ancestors.’ But you did not incline your ear and you did not listen to me. For the descendants of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, have carried out the command of their ancestor that he commanded them, but this people did not listen to me."

Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, "Look, I am going to bring to Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem every disaster that I have spoken against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, and I have called to them and they have not answered."’" But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have listened to the command of Jonadab your ancestor, and you have kept all his commands, and you have done all that he commanded you,’ therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘A man will not be cut off for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, to stand before me always.’"

And then in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, "Take for yourself a scroll and you must write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day that I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, and until this day. Perhaps when the house of Judah hears all the disasters that I am planning to do to them, then they may turn back each one from his evil way, and I will forgive their guilt and their sin."

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Yahweh that he had spoken to him on a scroll. And Jeremiah instructed Baruch, saying, "I am held back, I am not able to enter the temple of Yahweh. So you must go and you shall read aloud from the scroll that you have written from my mouth the words of Yahweh in the hearing of the people in the temple of Yahweh on a day of fast, and also you shall read aloud in the hearing of all those of Judah who came from their towns. Perhaps their plea will fall before Yahweh and each one will turn away from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that Yahweh pronounced against this people." And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet instructed him, to read aloud from the scroll the words of Yahweh in the temple of Yahweh.

And then in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the towns of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before Yahweh. Then Baruch read aloud from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the temple of Yahweh, in the chamber of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, the secretary, in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate of the temple of Yahweh in the hearing of all the people.

When Micaiah, the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of Yahweh from the scroll, he went down to the house of the king, to the chamber of the secretary, and look, all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, and Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah, the son of Hananiah, and all the other officials. And Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard at the reading aloud of Baruch from the scroll in the hearing of the people.

Then all the officials sent Jehudi, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, "The scroll that you read aloud from in the hearing of the people, take it in your hand and come." And Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and he came to them. And they said to him, "Sit please and read it aloud in our hearing." So Baruch read aloud in their hearing. And then, the moment of their hearing all the words, they turned to one another in alarm and they said to Baruch, "We must certainly report all these words to the king!" Then they asked Baruch, saying, "Tell us please, how did you write all these words, from his mouth?" And Baruch said to them, "From his mouth. He dictated to me all these words and I was writing on the scroll with the ink." Then the officials said to Baruch, "Go, hide yourself, you and Jeremiah, and let not a man know where you are."

And they went to the king, to the courtyard, and they put the scroll for safe-keeping in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words in the hearing of the king. Then the king sent Jehudi to take the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and Jehudi read it aloud in the hearing of the king, and in the hearing of all the officials who stood next to the king. Now the king was sitting in the quarters of the winter in the ninth month, and a fire-pot was burning before him. And then, as Jehudi read three or four columns, he would cut it up in pieces with the knife of the scribe, and he would throw it into the fire that was in the fire-pot until the whole of the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire-pot. And the king and any of his servants who heard all these words were not startled, and they did not tear their garments. And even when Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel, the son of the king, and Seraiah, the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, the son of Abdeel, to arrest Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but Yahweh hid them.

And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah after the king burned the scroll and the words that Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, "Take again for yourself another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, has burned. And concerning Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, you shall say, ‘Thus says Yahweh, "You have burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why have you written in it, saying, "The king of Babylon will certainly come and he will destroy this land, and he will cause to disappear from it humankind and animals"?’" Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, "There will not be for him one who sits on the throne of David. And his dead body will be thrown out to the heat in the day and to the frost in the night. And I will punish him, and his offspring, and his servants for their guilt, and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah all the disaster with which I have threatened them, but they would not listen."’" Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the secretary, and he wrote on it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, had burned in the fire, and furthermore was added to them many words like these.

The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch, the son of Neriah, at his writing these words on a scroll from the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying, "Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: ‘You said, "Woe please to me, for Yahweh has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary in my groaning and I do not find rest."’ Thus you will say to him: ‘Thus says Yahweh, "Look, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to pluck up, it is all the land. And you, do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek great things, for look, I am about to bring disaster upon all flesh," declares Yahweh, "but to you I will give your life as booty in all the places where you may go."’"

A song of ascents. Of David.

Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a greater judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual, able to hold in check his whole body also. And if we put bits in the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. Behold also ships: although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot wishes. So also the tongue is a small member of the body and boasts great things. Behold how small a fire sets ablaze how great a forest! And the tongue is a fire! The world of unrighteousness, the tongue, is set among our members, defiling the whole body and setting on fire the course of human existence, being set on fire by hell.

For every species of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures, is being tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no human being is able to tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so! A spring does not pour forth from the same opening fresh and bitter water, does it? A fig tree is not able, my brothers, to produce olives, or a grapevine figs. Neither can a saltwater spring produce fresh water.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good behavior his works, with the humility of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, obedient, full of mercy and good fruits, nonjudgmental, without hypocrisy, And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace among those who make peace.