WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today's reading is from the book of

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Jeremiah, chapters 37 and 38. Chapter 37. Now

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King Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, reigned instead

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of Coniah, the son of Jehoakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar,

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king of Babylon, made king in the land of Judah.

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But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people

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of the land, gave heed to the words of the Lord,

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which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah. And Zedekiah

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the king sent Jehokal the son of Shalamiah, and

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Zephaniah the son of Masiah the priest, to the

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prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now to the Lord

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our God for us. Now Jeremiah was coming and going

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among the people, for they had not yet put him

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in prison. Then Pharaoh's army came up from Egypt,

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and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem

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heard news of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

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Then the word of the Lord came to the prophet

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Jeremiah, saying, Thus says the Lord, the God

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of Israel, Thus you shall say to the king of

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Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me, Behold,

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Pharaoh's army, which has come up to help you,

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will return to Egypt, to their own land. And

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the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against

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this city, and take it and burn it with fire.

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And it happened, when the army of the Chaldeans

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left the siege of Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's

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army, that Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to

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go into the land of Benjamin to claim his property

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there among the people. And when he was in the

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gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was

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there, whose name was Erijah, the son of Shalamiah,

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the son of Hananiah. And he seized Jeremiah the

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prophet, saying, You are defecting to the Chaldeans.

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Then Jeremiah said, False, I am not defecting

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to the Chaldeans. But he did not listen to him.

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So Ereja seized Jeremiah and brought him to the

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princes. Therefore the princes were angry with

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Jeremiah, and they struck him and put him in

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prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe. For

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they had made that the prison. When Jeremiah

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entered the dungeon and the cells, and Jeremiah

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had remained there many days, then Zedekiah,

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the king, sent and took him out. The king asked

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him secretly in his house and said, Is there

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any word from the Lord? And Jeremiah said, There

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is. Then he said, You shall be delivered into

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the hand of the king of Babylon. Moreover, Jeremiah

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said to king Zedekiah, What offense have I committed

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against you, against your servants, or against

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this people, that you have put me in prison?

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Where now are your prophets who prophesied to

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you, saying, The king of Babylon will not come

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against you or against this land. Therefore please

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hear now, O my lord the king. Please let my petition

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be accepted before you, and do not make me return

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to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die

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there. Then Zedekiah the king commanded that

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they should commit Jeremiah to the court of the

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prison, and that they should give him daily a

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piece of bread from the baker's street until

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all the bread in the city was gone. Thus Jeremiah

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remained in the court of the prison. heard the

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words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people,

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saying, Thus says the Lord, He who remains in

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this city shall die by the sword, by famine,

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and by pestilence. But he who goes over to the

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Chaldeans shall live. His life shall be as a

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prize to him, and he shall live. Thus says the

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Lord, This city shall surely be given into the

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hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall

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take it. Therefore the princes said to the king,

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Please let this man be put to death, for thus

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he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain

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in this city, and the hands of all the people

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by speaking such words to them. For this man

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does not seek the welfare of this people, but

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their harm. Then Zedekiah the king said, Look,

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he is in your hand, for the king can do nothing

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against you. So they took Jeremiah and cast him

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into the dungeon of Malchiah the king's son,

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which was in the court of the prison. And they

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led Jeremiah down with ropes, and in the dungeon

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there was no water but mire. So Jeremiah sank

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in the mire. Now Abed -Melech the Ethiopian,

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one of the eunuchs who was in the king's house,

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heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon.

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When the king was sitting at the gate of Benjamin,

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Abed -Melech went out to the king's house and

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spoke to the king, saying, My lord the king,

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these men have done evil in all that they have

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done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have

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cast into the dungeon. And he is likely to die

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from hunger in the place where he is, for there

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is no more bread in the city. Then the king commanded

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Abd Malik the Ethiopian, saying, Take from here

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thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet

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out of the dungeon before he dies. So Abd Malik

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took the men with him and went into the house

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of the king under the treasury, and took from

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there old clothes and old rags, and led them

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down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah. Then

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Abd Malik the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Please

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put these old clothes and rags under your armpits,

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under the ropes. And Jeremiah did so. So they

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pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him

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out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained in

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the court of the prison. Then Zedekiah the king

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sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to

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him at the third entrance of the house of the

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Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, I will ask

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you something. Hide nothing from me. Jeremiah

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said to Zedekiah, If I declare it to you, will

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you not surely put me to death? And if I give

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you advice, you will not listen to me. So Zedekiah

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the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying,

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As the Lord lives, who made our very souls, I

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will not put you to death, nor will I give you

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into the hand of these men who seek your life.

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Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, Thus says the

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Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, If

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you surely surrender to the king of Babylon's

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princes, then your soul shall live. and you and

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your house shall live. But if you do not surrender

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to the king of Babylon's princes, then this city

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shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

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They shall burn it with fire, and you shall not

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escape from their hand. And Zedekiah the king

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said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who

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have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver

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me into their hand and they abuse me. But Jeremiah

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said, They will not deliver you. Please obey

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the voice of the Lord, which I speak to you,

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so it shall be well with you, and your soul shall

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live. But if you refuse to surrender, this is

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the word that the Lord has shown me. Now behold,

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all the women who are left in the king of Judah's

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house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon's

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princes. And those women shall say, Your close

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friends have set upon you and prevailed against

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you. Your feet have sunk in the mire, and they

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have turned away again. so they shall surrender

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all your wives and children to the chaldeans

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you shall not escape from their hand but shall

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be taken by the hand of the king of babylon and

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you shall cause this city to be burned with fire

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then zedekiah said to jeremiah let no one know

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of these words and you shall not die but if the

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princes hear that i have talked with you and

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they come to you and say to you declare to us

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now what you have said to the king and also what

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the king said to you do not hide it from us and

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we will not put you to death then you shall say

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to them i presented my request before the king

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that he would not make me return to jonathan's

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house to die there Then all the princes came

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to Jeremiah and asked him, and he told them according

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to all these words that the king had commanded.

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So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation

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had not been heard. Now Jeremiah remained in

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the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem

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was taken, and he was there when Jerusalem was

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taken. I hope you enjoyed today's reading as

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much as I did, and I look forward to seeing you

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again tomorrow to continue on our journey. God

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bless you and have a great day.