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Book 24 of 66 · Old Testament

Jeremiah

The "weeping prophet" who warned of Jerusalem's fall for forty years — and promised a new covenant.

52 chapters1,364 versesWritten in HebrewSet Judah and Jerusalem, its final years (c. 627–586 BC)

Overview

Jeremiah prophesied through the last forty years of the kingdom of Judah, warning — to no avail — that Jerusalem would fall to Babylon unless the people turned back to God. He is called the "weeping prophet" for his anguish over his people and his own suffering: beaten, imprisoned, thrown into a pit. Yet in the middle of the doom he promises a "new covenant," written on the heart. The book ends with Jerusalem in ruins.

Book facts

Author
Jeremiah, with BaruchJeremiah dictated much of it to his scribe Baruch.
Date written
c. 627–580 BCAcross the last decades of Judah and the fall of Jerusalem.
Original language
HebrewHebrew poetry and prose, some of it deeply personal.
Setting
Judah and Jerusalem, its final years (c. 627–586 BC)Warning of Babylon while the nation refused to listen.

How it came to be

Jeremiah is named as the prophet, and often speaks in the first person. He dictated much of the book to his scribe Baruch, who wrote it on a scroll.

Its material is not in strict order, mixing his oracles, his life, and his laments.

What is arguedHow the book reached its present form. Its Greek version is notably shorter and in a different order, suggesting a complex history.

The whole book, chapter by chapter

ChapterWhat happensWho is in itWhere it takes place
Warnings to Judah — the call to repent before Babylon comes, chapters 1–25
Chapter 1The prophet calledGod calls the young Jeremiah, set apart before his birth to be "a prophet unto the nations."—
Chapter 2The broken cisternsIsrael has forsaken God, the fountain of living waters, for broken cisterns.——
Chapter 3The backsliding childrenGod pleads with his faithless people to return.——
Chapter 4The lion from the thicketDisaster is coming from the north unless Judah repents.——
Chapter 5The search through JerusalemNot one just person can be found in the city.—
Chapter 6The trumpet in TekoaJudgment gathers from the north; the people refuse the good old paths.—
Chapter 7The temple sermonIn the temple gate Jeremiah warns that the temple will not save an unjust people.
Chapter 8The harvest past"The harvest is past... and we are not saved."——
Chapter 9The weeping prophetJeremiah weeps day and night over his doomed people.—
Chapter 10The idols and the MakerThe idols are powerless; the Lord is the true God and Maker.——
Chapter 11The broken covenantJudah has broken the covenant, and a plot is made against Jeremiah's life.
Chapter 12The prosperous wickedJeremiah asks why the wicked prosper.—
Chapter 13The linen girdleA ruined linen belt pictures a ruined, proud people.——
Chapter 14The droughtA drought, and Jeremiah's plea that God will not accept.——
Chapter 15The four destroyersJudgment is fixed; Jeremiah laments his lonely calling.—
Chapter 16The forbidden marriageJeremiah is told not to marry, as a sign of the coming disaster.—
Chapter 17The heart's deceit"The heart is deceitful above all things"; trust in the Lord alone.——
Chapter 18The potter's houseAt the potter's house, God shows he can reshape a nation like clay.——
Chapter 19The broken bottleJeremiah smashes a clay jar as a sign of Jerusalem's ruin.
Chapter 20The fire in the bonesBeaten and mocked, Jeremiah feels God's word as a fire he cannot hold in.—
Chapter 21The two waysKing Zedekiah is offered the way of life or death as Babylon approaches.,
Chapter 22The kings of JudahOracles against the last kings of Judah.
Chapter 23The righteous branchAgainst false shepherds and prophets, and a promise of a "righteous Branch" from David.——
Chapter 24The two baskets of figsGood and bad figs picture the exiles and those left behind.——
Chapter 25The seventy yearsJudah will serve Babylon seventy years, then Babylon itself will fall.
The prophet's ordeal — Jeremiah's suffering and the fall of the city, chapters 26–45
Chapter 26The trial of JeremiahJeremiah is put on trial for his temple sermon and narrowly escapes death.
Chapter 27The yoke of BabylonJeremiah wears a yoke to urge submission to Babylon., —
Chapter 28Hananiah's false wordThe prophet Hananiah breaks Jeremiah's yoke and falsely promises quick deliverance.—
Chapter 29The letter to the exilesJeremiah writes to the exiles in Babylon: build houses, and seek the city's peace.
Chapter 30The captivity returnedA promise that God will restore the fortunes of his people.——
Chapter 31The new covenantGod promises a new covenant, written on the heart, and the forgiveness of sins.——
Chapter 32The field in AnathothJeremiah buys a field as a sign that houses will be bought again in the land.,
Chapter 33The great and mighty thingsGod promises to heal the city and raise up the Branch of David.—
Chapter 34The freed slaves retakenJudah frees its slaves, then takes them back, and is condemned.
Chapter 35The RechabitesThe faithful Rechabites' obedience shames unfaithful Judah.——
Chapter 36The burned scrollKing Jehoiakim burns Jeremiah's scroll, which is then rewritten., —
Chapter 37The prophet imprisonedJeremiah is arrested and imprisoned as Babylon besieges the city.,
Chapter 38The miry dungeonJeremiah is thrown into a muddy cistern and rescued by Ebed-melech., ,
Chapter 39The city takenJerusalem falls; Zedekiah is captured and blinded.,
Chapter 40Gedaliah the governorGedaliah is made governor over those left in the land., —
Chapter 41The murder of GedaliahGedaliah is assassinated, throwing the land into fear.—
Chapter 42The remnant's questionThe remnant asks Jeremiah whether to flee to Egypt; he tells them to stay.—
Chapter 43The flight to EgyptAgainst his word, the remnant flees to Egypt, taking Jeremiah with them.
Chapter 44The queen of heavenIn Egypt the people persist in idolatry, and Jeremiah warns them once more.
Chapter 45The word to BaruchA short word of comfort to Baruch the scribe.—
Against the nations — oracles on the nations, and Jerusalem's fall, chapters 46–52
Chapter 46The word against EgyptAn oracle against Egypt.—
Chapter 47The word against PhilistiaAn oracle against the Philistines.——
Chapter 48The word against MoabAn oracle against Moab.—
Chapter 49The word against AmmonOracles against Ammon, Edom, and others.—,
Chapter 50The word against BabylonAn oracle of Babylon's own fall.—
Chapter 51The sea over BabylonBabylon's judgment continues, and the oracle is sunk in the Euphrates.—
Chapter 52The fall of JerusalemA closing account of Jerusalem's capture, the temple's destruction, and the exile., ,

All 52 chapters. Start reading →

Worth knowing

Key people

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Key places

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Known for

Some of the best-known passages in Jeremiah — tap the verse to read it.