26:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim (a king of Judah from 608 to 598 BCE) the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the Lord, saying,

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, &c. — The preceding chapter is dated in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, but ascribed, with probability, to the early part of that year. This chapter is dated in the beginning of the same reign. Hence it has been concluded, that this must have preceded the former in order of time. “But the conclusion,” says Blaney, “will not hold, if we consider that, (Jeremiah 28:1,) the beginning of Zedekiah’s reign is expressly declared to mean the fourth year and the fifth month of it. The same therefore may be the case here,” and this chapter may be allowed to speak of events subsequent to those of the foregoing one, though taking place immediately after them.

2 Thus saith the Lord; Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:

3 If so be they will (lunar Cancer ear) hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.

4 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord; If ye will not (lunar Cancer ear) hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,

5 To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets (Gemini), whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;

6 Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.(585 B.C.)

7 So the priests (Gemini) and the prophets (Gemini) and all the people (Gemini) heard (lunar Cancer ear) Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.

8 Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto all the people (Gemini), that the priests (Gemini) and the prophets (Gemini) and all the people (Gemini) took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.

9 Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant (585 B.C.)? And all the people (Gemini) were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

10 When the (Gemini) princes of Judah (lunar Cancer ear) heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the Lord, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house (sun gates).

11 Then spake the (Gemini) priests and the (Gemini) prophets unto the (Gemini) princes and to all the (Gemini) people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your (lunar Cancer ears) ears.

12 Then spake Jeremiah unto all the (Gemini) princes and to all the (Gemini) people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have (lunar Cancer ear) heard.

13 Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.

14 As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.

15 But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves (Gemini), and upon this city, and upon the (Gemini) inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your (lunar Cancer ears) ears.

16 Then said the (Gemini) princes and all the (Gemini) people unto the (Gemini) priests and to the (Gemini) prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.

17 Then rose up certain of the (Gemini) elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,

18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the (Gemini) people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.

19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the Lord, and besought the Lord, and the Lord repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.

20 And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah.

21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, (lunar Cancer ear) heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;

22 And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.

23 And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who (red radius line) slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.

24 Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death .

God's Promises to the Obedient

"And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Ps. 50:15).

"Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Ps. 81:10)

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass" (Ps. 37:3-5).

"The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy" (Ps. 145:18-20).

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19).

"And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight" (1 John 3:22)

"Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it" (Isa. 58:6-14).

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 3:10-12).

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8; ESV)

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl" (Deut. 28:1-14; ESV).

"Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off" (Ps. 37:34).

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (Pr. 3:5-6; ESV).

"The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm" (Pr. 19:23; ESV).

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free" (Eph. 6:5-9; ESV).

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him" (1 John 5:14-15).

"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil". (2 Thess. 3:3).

"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it" (John 14:14).

"And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of". (Gen. 28:15).

"The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry" (Ps. 34:15).

"The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore" (Ps. 121:7-8).

"The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him". (Nahum 12:7)

"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock". (Ps. 27:5).

"No good thing will he withhold from him who walketh uprightly" (Ps. 84:11).