Jeremiah The Last Five Kings of Judah

Lesson #3 for October 17, 2015

Scriptures: [2 Chronicles 34; 36:11-16; Jeremiah 22:1-19; 23:2-8; 29:1-14][i].

1.    In this lesson we will review the histories of the last five kings of Judah. Note that the kingdom of Israel was overrun by the Assyrians long before the events discussed in this lesson. Human beings are incredibly adept at rationalizing their mistakes and their sinful behaviors. The Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky spent four years in a Siberian prison in the 1800s for subversive political activities. While in prison, he talked with many of the other inmates. This was his comment about them after he was released from prison:

In the course of several years, I never saw a sign of repentance among these people; not a trace of despondent brooding over their crimes, and the majority of them inwardly considered themselves absolutely in the right.—Joseph Frank, Dostoevsky, The Years of Ordeal, 1850-1859 (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1990), p. 95.

2.    Dostoevsky might just as well have been talking about the last four kings of Judah, the kings following Josiah. Despite Jeremiah’s repeated warnings, they seemed determined to fall further and further into idolatry, abuse of their citizens, etc.

3.    But, first let us consider some of the details of Josiah’s reign. Josiah was the 16th king to rule in the southern kingdom known as Judah. He reigned from 640-609 B.C. He became king at the age of eight. It is incredible that he was a relatively good king considering the facts that his father was Amon and his grandfather was Manasseh. They were two of the most evil kings in Judah. Manasseh, of course, after being taken captive by the Assyrians, (2 Chronicles 33:10-13ii) tried to undo some of the evil he had created when he was allowed to become king again. Josiah ruled for 31 years; the Bible reports that Josiah “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” (2 Kings 22:2iii)

Born of a wicked king, beset with temptations to follow in his father’s steps, and with few counselors to encourage him in the right way, Josiah nevertheless was true to the God of Israel. Warned by the errors of past generations, he chose to do right, instead of descending to the low level of sin and degradation to which his father and his grandfather had fallen. He “turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” [2 Kings 22:2] As one who was to occupy a position of trust, he resolved to obey the instruction that had been given for the guidance of Israel’s rulers, and his obedience made it possible for God to use him as a vessel unto honor.—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 384.1. [Content in brackets is added.]

4.    In the eighth year of Josiah’s reign, he determined-at the age of 16-to worship the God of his ancestor King David. Over the next few years, he began to destroy the pagan places of worship, the idols of Asherah and Baal, and all the things connected with their worship. We need to remember that the northern kingdom of Israel had been destroyed and dispersed into Assyrian captivity approximately 100 years prior to Josiah’s reign. The people who were living in the northern kingdom in Josiah’s time were a mixture of foreigners and a few of the remaining people from the northern kingdom. But, although he was not officially ruling over that territory, he did not hesitate even to go into the far north, destroying pagan temples, burning the bones of pagan priests on the altars where they had worshiped. (See 1 Kings 13:1-2iv.) He did this throughout the territories of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and Naphtali. He ground the idols to dust and broke into pieces all the incense altars. Josiah’s behavior was predicted more than 200 years in advance. (See 1 Kings 13[v].)

5.    In the 18th year of his reign after he had finished purging the land of its idols, he decided it was time to refurbish the temple in Jerusalem. While that was in progress, they discovered a copy of “The Book of the Law.” We do not know for sure which book that was; but, it is likely that it was the book of Deuteronomy. When the people working on the temple brought the book to the king and read it to him, the king tore his clothes in dismay.

6.    Josiah sought God’s advise by sending his counselors to consult with Huldah, a female prophetess who lived in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 34:22vi) God’s response was that while the terrible consequences of their sins would eventually catch up with Jerusalem, it would not happen in the days of Josiah because he had turned to the Lord. He would die in peace.

7.    There were two aspects to Josiah’s reform: First of all, he did his best to get rid of all traces of pagan idol worship not only in his southern kingdom of Judah but also in the northern “kingdom of Israel” which was nominally under the rule of the Assyrians.

8.    Secondly, after hearing the book of the law read to him, he made a covenant to have it read also to all his people and committed all of them to return to their obedience to the Lord.

9.    When Josiah made the mistake of going down into the Jordan Valley to fight against King Necho of Egypt, he was wounded by an Egyptian arrow and died. Jehoahaz, his 20-year-old son, succeeded him. For reasons that are not spelled out to us, Jehoahaz opposed Egyptian politics; when the Pharaoh came back from the north, he deposed Jehoahaz after three months, taking him to Egypt where he died. (2 Chronicles 36:4; 2 Kings 23:31-34)vii

10.    King Necho of Egypt placed Jehoiakim, the brother of Jehoahaz, on the throne in his place. Johoiakim ruled from 609-598 B.C., ruling before, during, and after Nebuchadnezzar’s first conquest of Jerusalem. But, Jehoiakim was just as evil as his brother had been and did not do as his father had done. He oppressed the poor, failed to pay people just wages, and even killed innocent people. He was oppressive, even imposing heavy taxes on the people. (2 Kings 23:35viii) That money was needed to pay the taxes imposed by Egypt. We do not know if he might have had any other means of paying those taxes. Unfortunately, Jehoiakim also allowed the idolatrous practices to flourish once again in his kingdom.

11.    Jehoiakim is compared very unfavorably with his father Josiah in Jeremiah 22:16ix: “He [Josiah] gave the poor a fair trial, and all went well with him. That is what it means to know the Lord.” (GNB) [Content in brackets is added.]

12.    In what sense is paying the poor a fair wage a means of “knowing God”? Does it really lead to a more correct knowledge about God? Or, does the fact that one is fair and just to those around him/her mean that s/he already has a right relationship with God?

13.    How would you compare the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:40[x]?

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these members of my family, you did it for me!’”—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation (2nd ed., Matthew 25:40). New York: American Bible Society.

14.    Is it not true that how we relate to others around us reveals a great deal about us?

15.    The 19th king of Judah was Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim. He ruled for only 3% months in the year 598 B.C. When Nebuchadnezzar returned, bringing his forces to Jerusalem and exiling almost all the people, he took the 18-year-old king along with his mother, his wives, and many other captives. In fact, most of the people left in Judah were deported at that time including Ezekiel. It is interesting to note that 37 years later, Jehoiachin was given mercy by Evil-merodach, Nebuchadnezzar’s successor. He was actually granted the right to dine with the king of Babylon and wear his kingly robes. (See 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34.)xi Did they tell Nebuchadnezzar about the 70-year prophecy?

16.    Under God’s instruction, Jeremiah wrote a letter to be sent to the exiles in Babylon. It is recorded in Jeremiah 29:1-14xii. It is a message of hope and comfort to those, no doubt, suffering in exile. Notice the expression in Jeremiah 29:11, “I alone know the plans I have for you,....” What do you think that meant to the people living in Babylonian exile?

17.    But, notice the clear plans that God had for them as recorded in Jeremiah 29:12-13:

12“Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. 13You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart.”—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation (2nd ed., Jeremiah 29:12-13). New York: American Bible Society.

18.    Hasn’t that always been God’s plan for us? Do you think those exiles in Babylon believed the words of Jeremiah? Did God and Jeremiah give them some future hope? Of course, God’s plan for all of us is that we go to heaven to live with Him forever!

19.    Nebuchadnezzar replaced Jehoiachin who was taken into Babylonian captivity with 21-year-old Zedekiah. Unfortunately, Zedekiah was no better than his immediate predecessors. Second Chronicles 36:14 tells us, Judah was following “all the abominations of the nations.” (NKJV) In fact, very serious consequences that were about to come to Jerusalem are clearly predicted by the following verses:

2 Chronicles 36:15-16: 15The LORD, the God of their ancestors, had continued to send prophets to warn his people, because he wanted to spare them and the Temple. 16But they ridiculed God’s messengers, ignoring his words and laughing at his prophets, until at last the LORD’s anger against his people was so great that there was no escape.—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation (2nd ed., 2 Chronicles 36:15-16). New York: American Bible Society.

20.    What do you think Jeremiah was talking about when he said they were doing “all the abominations” of the pagans? Is there a message in that for us?

21.    Read Jeremiah 38:14-28xiii. The king clearly wanted to know what God had to say about his future. But, he was not willing to reform. Jeremiah told him that he could simply surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who had put him in the position of king in the first place; and as a result, the city and the temple would be spared; but, he refused. As a result, a short time later after a terrible siege, Zedekiah, his family, and his high officials tried to escape through a secret passage out through the wall of Jerusalem; but, they were captured; and Zedekiah’s sons and many of his high officials were murdered before his eyes, and then, his eyes were put out. A short time later, he died in Babylon.

22.    Why do you think it was so hard for Zedekiah to follow the advice of Jeremiah? He was worried about what others might think! How often do we make serious mistakes because we are afraid of what others might think? Are we afraid to proclaim God’s message to those around us because we are afraid of what they may think of us? Everything that had been prophesied by the prophets against Jerusalem came to pass.

23.    But, even in that disaster, there were some comforting words from God. Read Jeremiah 23:2-8xiv. Who was the King who was to come that would rule wisely and do what was right? Of course, we recognize that it was talking about the eternal rule of Jesus Christ.

24.    What was the state of the nation of Judah after the third siege and conquest by Nebuchadnezzar? The entire nation had been destroyed; not one city was left standing.

Jerusalem was left as nothing but a pile of rubble.

The dark years of destruction and death marking the end of the kingdom of Judah would have brought despair to the stoutest heart had it not been for the encouragements in the prophetic utterances of God’s messengers. Through Jeremiah in Jerusalem, through Daniel in the court of Babylon, through Ezekiel on the banks of the Chebar, the Lord in mercy made clear His eternal purpose and gave assurance of His willingness to fulfill to His chosen people the promises recorded in the writings of Moses. That which He had said He would do for those who should prove true to Him, He would surely bring to pass. “The word of God . . . liveth and abideth forever.” 1 Peter 1:23.—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 464.1.

In the closing years of Judah’s apostasy the exhortations of the prophets were seemingly of but little avail; and as the armies of the Chaldeans came for the third and last time to besiege Jerusalem, hope fled from every heart. Jeremiah predicted utter ruin; and it was because of his insistence on surrender that he had finally been thrown into prison. But God left not to hopeless despair the faithful remnant who were still in the city. Even while Jeremiah was kept under close surveillance by those who scorned his messages, there came to him fresh revelations concerning Heaven’s willingness to forgive and to save, which have been an unfailing source of comfort to the church of God from that day to this.—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 466.1. [Bold type is added.]

25.    What do you think the universe looking on thought of heaven’s “willingness to forgive and to save”? What do you think the universe looking on is thinking about us today? Here we are almost 2000 years after the ministry and death of Jesus and over 170 years following the Great Disappointment in 1844. For what are we waiting? Are we waiting for God?

26.    Read Jeremiah 42:2xv. Try to imagine the few poor people who were left because they were so poor that they owned nothing. They came to Jeremiah and asked him to pray for them. They were just a small remnant. What do we know about another remnant that has been mentioned in Isaiah 10:22-23xvi and Romans 9:27xvii? To what time in history is that referring?

27.    Try to imagine yourself living through the terrible times of Jeremiah! We have not yet even started to discuss many of the terrible things that happened to him. He was even told not to marry.

28.    How do you think God felt about those events? Was there weeping in heaven? Why did the descendants of Josiah so quickly turn back to the evil ways of Manasseh and Amon?

29.    Today, the Seventh-day Adventist Church numbers approximately 20 million members around the world. Does that sound like a remnant to you? How large do you think the remnant will be that will survive at the end of time? The final devastation wreaked on Jerusalem is described in poetic language in Psalm 74:1-8xviii.

30.    Look at this brief account from the archaeology of that day.

Lachish was the second most important city in Judah after Jerusalem during much of the Old Testament history. It was surrounded by vineyards and towered over one of the valleys that provided access to Jerusalem from southern Judah (and Egypt). Archaeology has provided a rare glimpse into the last days of the kingdom of Judah when Nebuchadnezzar marched on Jerusalem in order to destroy it. In 1935, John Starkey excavated the destruction layer caused by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies in Jerusalem, and, among the debris that covered the floor of a guardroom in a monumental gate that provided access to the city, a number of inscribed pieces of pottery (ostraca) were found, which became known as the Lachish Letters. They dramatically describe the final moments of the Southern Kingdom as Nebuchadnezzar systematically destroyed all important cities until only Jerusalem was left. In Letter IV we read: “And may [my lord] know that we keep on the lookout for the fire signals of Lachish.” The letter was possibly sent from Jerusalem by a watchman who was frantically looking for a sign of life coming from Lachish, which would have been communicated by fire signals during the night. It is likely that there was no response to the letter, as it was found in between burned ash layers, toppled over storage jars, and Babylonian arrowheads. God was executing judgment on Judah and Jerusalem, with its temple to be destroyed next. How do we understand a loving God sending the Babylonians to judge His people? (Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide pages 40-41.) [Brackets and content in brackets are present in the original.]

31.    What do you think happened between the days of Josiah and those of his wicked children? Did they just not have any backbone? Or, did he do a poor job of training them?

32.    A great religious reform occurred in the days of Josiah because they discovered what was probably the book of Deuteronomy and read it first to the king and then to the people. Why do you think that resulted in such a reform? (See Deuteronomy 17:18-20xix.)

33.    We look back at their evil ways, their idolatry, their injustice, etc., and we think that those people were certainly wicked. But, notice how they responded to the reading of God’s Word. What kind of response would we get in our day to the public reading of the book of Deuteronomy? Was that just the result of their choosing to have a monarchy?

34.    In the demise of both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, two things are mentioned repeatedly. First is the idolatry. It seems that the people were worshiping presumably at the temple on Sabbath, but they were worshiping at the pagan fertility cult temples during the rest of the week! How is that possible? Did they really believe that they were purchasing double fire insurance? Did they think that worshiping at the fertility cult temples that were scattered throughout the land would make their crops grow better and their animals more productive? What did the priests in the temple in Jerusalem say to them about that? Or, were they afraid to mention it?

35.    And their second sin, mentioned so frequently, was their injustice to the poor, to widows, to orphans, etc.

36.    Are we involved in any way in social injustice in our day? Do we need to be involved more in social justice issues? Should we be marching in the streets? Are we involved in any kind of modern idolatry? How does God feel about most of the material on television in our day? How does He feel about the movies that are shown in theaters and in so many homes in the forms of DVDs and Blu-ray discs?

37.    Is rebellion just as rampant among God’s professed people today as it was in Jeremiah’s day? Do you think God is about to call a remnant people out of His church today? How could we make sure that we are a part of that remnant?

i-2 Chronicles 34; King Josiah of Judah

34 Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. 2 He did what was pleasing to the LORD; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God.

Josiah Attacks Pagan Worship

3 In the eighth year that Josiah was king, while he was still very young, he began to worship the God of his ancestor King David. Four years later he began to destroy the pagan places of worship, the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and all the other idols. 4 Under his direction the altars where Baal was worshiped were smashed, and the incense altars near them were torn down. They ground to dust the images of Asherah and all the other idols and then scattered the dust on the graves of the people who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the pagan priests on the altars where they had worshiped. By doing all this, he made Judah and Jerusalem ritually clean again. 6 He did the same thing in the cities and the devastated areas of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far north as Naphtali. 7 Throughout the territory of the Northern Kingdom he smashed the altars and the symbols of Asherah, ground the idols to dust, and broke into bits all the incense altars. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

The Book of the Law Is Discovered

8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple by ending pagan worship, King Josiah sent three men to repair the Temple of the LORD God: Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, a high official. 9 The money that the Levite guards had collected in the Temple was turned over to Hilkiah the High Priest. (It had been collected from the people of Ephraim and Manasseh and the rest of the Northern Kingdom, and from the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem.) 10 This money was then handed over to the three men in charge of the Temple repairs, and they gave it to 11 the carpenters and the builders to buy the stones and the timber used to repair the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to decay. 12 The men who did the work were thoroughly honest. They were supervised by four Levites: Jahath and Obadiah of the clan of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the clan of Kohath. (The Levites were all skillful musicians.) 13 Other Levites were in charge of transporting materials and supervising the workers on various jobs, and others kept records or served as guards.

14 While the money was being taken out of the storeroom, Hilkiah found the book of the Law of the LORD, the Law that God had given to Moses. 15 He said to Shaphan, “I have found the book of the Law here in the Temple.” He gave Shaphan the book, 16 and Shaphan took it to the king. He reported, “We have done everything that you commanded. 17 We have taken the money that was kept in the Temple and handed it over to the workers and their supervisors.” 18 Then he added, “I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me.” And he read it aloud to the king.

19 When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay 20 and gave the following order to Hilkiah, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Abdon[a] son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant: 21 “Go and consult the LORD for me and for the people who still remain in Israel and Judah. Find out about the teachings of this book. The LORD is angry with us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the LORD and have not done what this book says must be done.”

22 At the king's command, Hilkiah and the others went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, 23 and she told them to go back to the king and give him 24 the following message from the LORD: “I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people with the curses written in the book that was read to the king. 25 They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. 26 As for the king himself, this is what I, the LORD God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, 27 and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I have heard your prayer, 28 and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace.”

The men returned to King Josiah with this message.

Josiah Makes a Covenant to Obey the LORD

29 King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, 30 and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the Levites and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant, which had been found in the Temple. 31 He stood by the royal column[b] and made a covenant with the LORD to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book. 32 He made the people of Benjamin and everyone else present in Jerusalem promise to keep the covenant. And so the people of Jerusalem obeyed the requirements of the covenant they had made with the God of their ancestors. 33 King Josiah destroyed all the disgusting idols that were in the territory belonging to the people of Israel, and as long as he lived, he required the people to serve the LORD, the God of their ancestors.

36:11-16; King Zedekiah of Judah

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. 12 He sinned against the LORD and did not listen humbly to the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke the word of the LORD.

The Fall of Jerusalem

13 Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to swear in God's name that he would be loyal. He stubbornly refused to repent and return to the LORD, the God of Israel. 14 In addition, the leaders of Judah, the priests, and the people followed the sinful example of the nations around them in worshiping idols, and so they defiled the Temple, which the LORD himself had made holy. 15 The LORD, the God of their ancestors, had continued to send prophets to warn his people, because he wanted to spare them and the Temple. 16 But they made fun of God's messengers, ignoring his words and laughing at his prophets, until at last the LORD's anger against his people was so great that there was no escape.

Jeremiah 22:1-19; Jeremiah's Message to the Royal House of Judah

22 1-2 The LORD told me to go to the palace of the king of Judah, the descendant of David, and there tell the king, his officials, and the people of Jerusalem to listen to what the LORD had said: 3 “I, the LORD, command you to do what is just and right. Protect the person who is being cheated from the one who is cheating him. Do not mistreat or oppress aliens, orphans, or widows; and do not kill innocent people in this holy place. 4 If you really do as I have commanded, then David's descendants will continue to be kings. And they, together with their officials and their people, will continue to pass through the gates of this palace in chariots and on horses. 5 But if you do not obey my commands, then I swear to you that this palace will fall into ruins. I, the LORD, have spoken.

6 “To me, Judah's royal palace is as beautiful as the land of Gilead and as the Lebanon Mountains; but I will make it a desolate place where no one lives. 7 I am sending men to destroy it. They will all bring their axes, cut down its beautiful cedar pillars, and throw them into the fire.

8 “Afterward many foreigners will pass by and ask one another why I, the LORD, have done such a thing to this great city. 9 Then they will answer that it is because you have abandoned your covenant with me, your God, and have worshiped and served other gods.”

Jeremiah's Message concerning Joahaz

10 People of Judah, do not weep for King Josiah;

do not mourn his death.

But weep bitterly for Joahaz, his son;

they are taking him away, never to return,

never again to see the land where he was born.

11 The LORD says concerning Josiah's son Joahaz, who succeeded his father as king of Judah, “He has gone away from here, never to return. 12 He will die in the country where they have taken him, and he will never again see this land.”

Jeremiah's Message concerning Jehoiakim

13 Doomed is the one who builds his house by injustice

and enlarges it by dishonesty;

who makes his people work for nothing

and does not pay their wages.

14 Doomed is the one who says,

“I will build myself a mansion

with spacious rooms upstairs.”

So he puts windows in his house,

panels it with cedar,

and paints it red.

15 Does it make you a better king

if you build houses of cedar,

finer than those of others?

Your father enjoyed a full life.

He was always just and fair,

and he prospered in everything he did.

16 He gave the poor a fair trial,

and all went well with him.

That is what it means to know the LORD.

17 But you can only see your selfish interests;

you kill the innocent

and violently oppress your people.

The LORD has spoken.

18 So then, the LORD says about Josiah's son Jehoiakim, king of Judah,

“No one will mourn his death or say,

‘How terrible, my friend, how terrible!’

No one will weep for him or cry,

‘My lord! My king!’

19 With the funeral honors of a donkey,

he will be dragged away

and thrown outside Jerusalem's gates.”

23:2-8; 2 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the rulers who were supposed to take care of his people: “You have not taken care of my people; you have scattered them and driven them away. Now I am going to punish you for the evil you have done. 3 I will gather the rest of my people from the countries where I have scattered them, and I will bring them back to their homeland. They will have many children and increase in number. 4 I will appoint rulers to take care of them. My people will no longer be afraid or terrified, and I will not punish them again.[a] I, the LORD, have spoken.”

5 The LORD says, “The time is coming when I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land. 6 When he is king, the people of Judah will be safe, and the people of Israel will live in peace. He will be called ‘The LORD Our Salvation.’

7 “The time is coming,” says the LORD, “when people will no longer swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 8 Instead, they will swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of a northern land and out of all the other countries where I had scattered them. Then they will live in their own land.”

29:1-14Jeremiah's Letter to the Jews in Babylonia

29 I wrote a letter to the priests, the prophets, the leaders of the people, and to all the others whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia. 2 I wrote it after King Jehoiachin, his mother, the palace officials, the leaders of Judah and of Jerusalem, the engravers, and the skilled workers had been taken into exile. 3 I gave the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah was sending to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. It said:

4 “The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those people whom he allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia: 5 ‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what you grow in them. 6 Marry and have children. Then let your children get married, so that they also may have children. You must increase in numbers and not decrease. 7 Work for the good of the cities where I have made you go as prisoners. Pray to me on their behalf, because if they are prosperous, you will be prosperous too. 8 I, the LORD, the God of Israel, warn you not to let yourselves be deceived by the prophets who live among you or by any others who claim they can predict the future. Do not pay any attention to their[a] dreams. 9 They are telling you lies in my name. I did not send them. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken.’

10 “The LORD says, ‘When Babylonia's seventy years are over, I will show my concern for you and keep my promise to bring you back home. 11 I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.[b] 12 Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. 13 You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart. 14 Yes, I say, you will find me, and I will restore you to your land. I will gather you from every country and from every place to which I have scattered you, and I will bring you back to the land from which I had sent you away into exile. I, the LORD, have spoken.’

ii-2 Chronicles 33:10-13Manasseh Repents

10 Although the LORD warned Manasseh and his people, they refused to listen. 11 So the LORD let the commanders of the Assyrian army invade Judah. They captured Manasseh, stuck hooks in him, put him in chains, and took him to Babylon. 12 In his suffering he became humble, turned to the LORD his God, and begged him for help. 13 God accepted Manasseh's prayer and answered it by letting him go back to Jerusalem and rule again. This convinced Manasseh that the LORD was God.

iii-2 Kings 22:2

2 Josiah did what was pleasing to the LORD; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God.

iv-1 Kings 13:1-2

13 At the LORD's command a prophet from Judah went to Bethel and arrived there as Jeroboam stood at the altar to offer the sacrifice. 2 Following the LORD's command, the prophet denounced the altar: “O altar, altar, this is what the LORD says: A child, whose name will be Josiah, will be born to the family of David. He will slaughter on you the priests serving at the pagan altars who offer sacrifices on you, and he will burn human bones on you.”

v-1 Kings 13

13 At the LORD's command a prophet from Judah went to Bethel and arrived there as Jeroboam stood at the altar to offer the sacrifice. 2 Following the LORD's command, the prophet denounced the altar: “O altar, altar, this is what the LORD says: A child, whose name will be Josiah, will be born to the family of David. He will slaughter on you the priests serving at the pagan altars who offer sacrifices on you, and he will burn human bones on you.” 3 And the prophet went on to say, “This altar will fall apart, and the ashes on it will be scattered. Then you will know that the LORD has spoken through me.”

4 When King Jeroboam heard this, he pointed at him and ordered, “Seize that man!” At once the king's arm became paralyzed so that he couldn't pull it back. 5 The altar suddenly fell apart and the ashes spilled to the ground, as the prophet had predicted in the name of the LORD. 6 King Jeroboam said to the prophet, “Please pray for me to the LORD your God, and ask him to heal my arm!”

The prophet prayed to the LORD, and the king's arm was healed. 7 Then the king said to the prophet, “Come home with me and have something to eat. I will reward you for what you have done.”

8 The prophet answered, “Even if you gave me half of your wealth, I would not go with you or eat or drink anything with you. 9 The LORD has commanded me not to eat or drink a thing, and not to return home the same way I came.” 10 So he did not go back the same way he had come, but by another road.

The Old Prophet of Bethel

11 At that time there was an old prophet living in Bethel. His sons[a] came and told him what the prophet from Judah had done in Bethel that day and what he had said to King Jeroboam. 12 “Which way did he go when he left?” the old prophet asked them. They showed him[b] the road 13 and he told them to saddle his donkey for him. They did so, and he rode off 14 down the road after the prophet from Judah and found him sitting under an oak tree. “Are you the prophet from Judah?” he asked.

“I am,” the man answered.

15 “Come home and have a meal with me,” he said.

16 But the prophet from Judah answered, “I can't go home with you or accept your hospitality. And I won't eat or drink anything with you here, 17 because the LORD has commanded me not to eat or drink a thing, and not to return home the same way I came.”

18 Then the old prophet from Bethel said to him, “I, too, am a prophet just like you, and at the LORD's command an angel told me to take you home with me and offer you my hospitality.” But the old prophet was lying.

19 So the prophet from Judah went home with the old prophet and had a meal with him. 20 As they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the old prophet, 21 and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, “The LORD says that you disobeyed him and did not do what he commanded. 22 Instead, you returned and ate a meal in a place he had ordered you not to eat in. Because of this you will be killed, and your body will not be buried in your family grave.”

23 After they had finished eating, the old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet from Judah, 24 who rode off. On the way a lion met him and killed him. His body lay on the road, and the donkey and the lion stood beside it. 25 Some men passed by and saw the body on the road, with the lion standing near by. They went on into Bethel and reported what they had seen.

26 When the old prophet heard about it, he said, “That is the prophet who disobeyed the LORD's command! And so the LORD sent the lion to attack and kill him, just as the LORD said he would.” 27 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle my donkey for me.” They did so, 28 and he rode off and found the prophet's body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion still standing by it. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey. 29 The old prophet picked up the body, put it on the donkey, and brought it back to Bethel to mourn over it and bury it. 30 He buried it in his own family grave, and he and his sons mourned over it, saying, “Oh my brother, my brother!” 31 After the burial the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in this grave and lay my body next to his. 32 The words that he spoke at the LORD's command against the altar in Bethel and against all the places of worship in the towns of Samaria will surely come true.”

Jeroboam's Fatal Sin

33 King Jeroboam of Israel still did not turn from his evil ways but continued to choose priests from ordinary families to serve at the altars he had built. He ordained as priest anyone who wanted to be one. 34 This sin on his part brought about the ruin and total destruction of his dynasty.

vi-2 Chronicles 34:22

22 At the king's command, Hilkiah and the others went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened,

vii-2 Chronicles 36:4

4 Neco made Joahaz' brother Eliakim king of Judah and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Joahaz was taken to Egypt by Neco.

2 Kings 23:31-34King Joahaz of Judah

31 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from the city of Libnah. 32 Following the example of his ancestors, he sinned against the LORD. 33 His reign ended when King Neco of Egypt took him prisoner in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and made Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute. 34 King Neco made Josiah's son Eliakim king of Judah as successor to Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Joahaz was taken to Egypt by King Neco, and there he died.

viii-2 Kings 23:35King Jehoiakim of Judah

35 King Jehoiakim collected a tax from the people in proportion to their wealth, in order to raise the amount needed to pay the tribute demanded by the king of Egypt.

ix-Jeremiah 22:16(GNT)

16 He gave the poor a fair trial,

and all went well with him.

That is what it means to know the LORD.

x-Matthew 25:40

40 The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!’

xi-2 Kings 25:27-30 Jehoiachin Is Released from Prison

27 In the year that Evilmerodach became king of Babylonia, he showed kindness to King Jehoiachin of Judah by releasing him from prison. This happened on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year after Jehoiachin had been taken away as prisoner. 28 Evilmerodach treated him kindly and gave him a position of greater honor than he gave the other kings who were exiles with him in Babylonia. 29 So Jehoiachin was permitted to change from his prison clothes and to dine at the king's table for the rest of his life. 30 Each day, for as long as he lived, he was given a regular allowance for his needs.

Jeremiah 52:31-34

31 In the year that Evil-merodach became king of Babylonia, he showed kindness to King Jehoiachin of Judah by releasing him from prison. This happened on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year after Jehoiachin had been taken away as a prisoner. 32 Evil-merodach treated him kindly and gave him a position of greater honor than he gave the other kings who were exiles with him in Babylonia. 33 So Jehoiachin was permitted to change from his prison clothes and to dine at the king's table for the rest of his life. 34 Each day for as long as he lived, he was given a regular allowance for his needs.

xii-Jeremiah 29:1-14Jeremiah's Letter to the Jews in Babylonia

29 I wrote a letter to the priests, the prophets, the leaders of the people, and to all the others whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia. 2 I wrote it after King Jehoiachin, his mother, the palace officials, the leaders of Judah and of Jerusalem, the engravers, and the skilled workers had been taken into exile. 3 I gave the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah was sending to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. It said:

4 “The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those people whom he allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia: 5 ‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what you grow in them. 6 Marry and have children. Then let your children get married, so that they also may have children. You must increase in numbers and not decrease. 7 Work for the good of the cities where I have made you go as prisoners. Pray to me on their behalf, because if they are prosperous, you will be prosperous too. 8 I, the LORD, the God of Israel, warn you not to let yourselves be deceived by the prophets who live among you or by any others who claim they can predict the future. Do not pay any attention to their[a] dreams. 9 They are telling you lies in my name. I did not send them. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken.’

10 “The LORD says, ‘When Babylonia's seventy years are over, I will show my concern for you and keep my promise to bring you back home. 11 I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.[b] 12 Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. 13 You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart. 14 Yes, I say, you will find me, and I will restore you to your land. I will gather you from every country and from every place to which I have scattered you, and I will bring you back to the land from which I had sent you away into exile. I, the LORD, have spoken.’

xiii-Jeremiah 38:14-28Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah's Advice

14 On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the Temple, and he said, “I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth.”

15 I answered, “If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you won't pay any attention.”

16 So King Zedekiah promised me in secret, “I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you.”

17 Then I told Zedekiah that the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, “If you surrender to the king of Babylonia's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. 18 But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will burn it down, and you will not escape from them.”

19 But the king answered, “I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured.”

20 I said, “You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey the LORD's message; then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. 21 But the LORD has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. 22 In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went:

‘The king's best friends misled him,

they overruled him.

And now that his feet have sunk in the mud,

his friends have left him.’”

23 Then I added, “All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians, and you yourself will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia, and this city will be burned to the ground.”

24 Zedekiah replied, “Don't let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. 25 If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. 26 Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there.” 27 Then all the officials came and questioned me, and I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. 28 And I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.

xiv-Jeremiah 23:2-8

2 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the rulers who were supposed to take care of his people: “You have not taken care of my people; you have scattered them and driven them away. Now I am going to punish you for the evil you have done. 3 I will gather the rest of my people from the countries where I have scattered them, and I will bring them back to their homeland. They will have many children and increase in number. 4 I will appoint rulers to take care of them. My people will no longer be afraid or terrified, and I will not punish them again.[a] I, the LORD, have spoken.”

5 The LORD says, “The time is coming when I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land. 6 When he is king, the people of Judah will be safe, and the people of Israel will live in peace. He will be called ‘The LORD Our Salvation.’

7 “The time is coming,” says the LORD, “when people will no longer swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 8 Instead, they will swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of a northern land and out of all the other countries where I had scattered them. Then they will live in their own land.”

xv-Jeremiah 42:2

2 and said to me, “Please do what we ask you! Pray to the LORD our God for us. Pray for all of us who have survived. Once there were many of us; but now only a few of us are left, as you can see.

xvi-Isaiah 10:22-23

22 Even though now there are as many people of Israel as there are grains of sand by the sea, only a few will come back. Destruction is in store for the people, and it is fully deserved. 23 Yes, throughout the whole country the Sovereign LORD Almighty will bring destruction, as he said he would.

xvii-Romans 9:27

27 And Isaiah exclaims about Israel: “Even if the people of Israel are as many as the grains of sand by the sea, yet only a few of them will be saved;

xviii-Psalm 74:1-8A Prayer for National Deliverance[a]

74 Why have you abandoned us like this, O God?

Will you be angry with your own people forever?

2 Remember your people, whom you chose for yourself long ago,

whom you brought out of slavery to be your own tribe.

Remember Mount Zion, where once you lived.

3 Walk over these total ruins;

our enemies have destroyed everything in the Temple.

4 Your enemies have shouted in triumph in your Temple;

they have placed their flags there as signs of victory.

5 They looked like woodsmen

cutting down trees with their axes.[b]

6 They smashed all the wooden panels

with their axes and sledge hammers.

7 They wrecked your Temple and set it on fire;

they desecrated the place where you are worshiped.

8 They wanted to crush us completely;

they burned down every holy place in the land.

xix-Deuteronomy 17:18-20

18 When he becomes king, he is to have a copy of the book of God's laws and teachings made from the original copy kept by the levitical priests. 19 He is to keep this book near him and read from it all his life, so that he will learn to honor the LORD and to obey faithfully everything that is commanded in it. 20 This will keep him from thinking that he is better than other Israelites and from disobeying the LORD's commands in any way. Then he will reign for many years, and his descendants will rule Israel for many generations.

Table of Contents

i

ii

iii

iv

v

vi

vii

viii

ix

x

xi

xii

xiii

xiv

xv

xvi

xvii

xviii

xix

i-

ii-

iii-

iv-

v-

vi-

vii-

viii-

ix-

x-

xi-

xii-

xiii-

xiv-

xv-

xvi-

xvii-

xviii-

xix-