| Former half | Relation | Latter half |
| 1 Introduction (1:1-3) 1:2 The word of the LORD first came to him in the days of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign, 1:3 and continued through the reign of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, | The word of the LORD in the reign of Jehoiakim | 41 Jeremiah's prophecies in the temple (26:1-19) 26:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, this message came from the LORD: |
| 2 Jeremiah's call and commission (1:4-19) 1:14 And from the north, said the LORD to me, evil will boil over upon all who dwell in the land. | Attack person comes | 40 The cup of God's wrath (25:15-38) 25:32 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Lo! calamity stalks from nation to nation; A great storm is unleashed from the ends of the earth. |
| 3 God pleads with Israel to repent (2:1-3:5) 2:5 thus says the LORD: What fault did your fathers find in me that they withdrew from me, Went after empty idols, and became empty themselves? | People don't listen to the LORD | 39 The Babylonian captivity foretold (25:1-14) 25:3 Since the thirteenth year of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day-- these three and twenty years-- the word of the LORD has come to me and I spoke to you untiringly, but you would not listen. |
| 4 A call to repentance (3:6-13) 3:11 Then the LORD said to me: Rebel Israel is inwardly more just than traitorous Judah. | Two nations | 38 The good and the bad figs (24:1-10) 24:3"Figs," I replied; "the good ones are very good, but the bad ones very bad, so bad they cannot be eaten." |
| 4 A call to repentance (3:6-13) 3:12Return, rebel Israel, says the LORD, | Return to the LORD | 38 The good and the bad figs (24:1-10) 24:7 I will give them a heart with which to understand that I am the LORD. They shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart. |
| 5 Return to Zion (3:14-18) 3:17 At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD'S throne; there all nations will be gathered together to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem, and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness. | Prophecy about Jerusalem | 37 False prophets of hope denounced (23:9-40) 23:39 therefore I will lift you on high and cast you from my presence, you and the city which I gave to you and your fathers. |
| 6 A call to repentance (3:19-4:4) 3:22 Return, rebellious children, and I will cure you of your rebelling. | Return | 36 Restoration after exile (23:1-8) 23:8 but rather, "As the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of the house of Israel up from the land of the north"-- and from all the lands to which I banished them; they shall again live on their own land. |
| 6 A call to repentance (3:19-4:4) 4:2Then you can swear, "As the LORD lives," in truth, in judgment, and in justice; Then shall the nations use his name in blessing, and glory in him. | Justice | 36 Restoration after exile (23:1-8) 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: "The LORD our justice." |
| 7 Invasion and desolation of Judah threatened (4:5-31) 4:26 I looked and behold, the garden land was a desert, with all its cities destroyed before the LORD, before his blazing wrath. | Land becomes desert | 35 Exhortation to repent (22:1-30) 22:6Though you be to me like Gilead, like the peak of Lebanon, I will turn you into a waste, a city uninhabited. |
| 8 The utter corruption of God's people (5:1-31) 5:14 Now, for this that you have said, says the LORD, the God of hosts- Behold, I make my words in your mouth, a fire, And this people is the wood that it shall devour!-- | Rage like a fire | 34 Jerusalem will fall to Nebuchadrezzar (21:1-14) 21:12Lest my fury break out like fire which burns without being quenched, because of the evil of your deeds. |
| 8 The utter corruption of God's people (5:1-31) 5:12 They denied the LORD, saying, "Not he-- No evil shall befall us, neither sword nor famine shall we see. | People deny punishment | 34 Jerusalem will fall to Nebuchadrezzar (21:1-14) 21:13You who say, "Who will attack us, who can penetrate our retreats?" |
| 9 The imminence and horror of the invasion (6:1-30) 6:11 Therefore my wrath brims up within me, I am weary of holding it in; | Prophet's fatigue | 33 Jeremiah denounces his persecutors (20:7-18) 20:9 I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it. |
| 10 Jeremiah proclaims God's judgment on the nation (7:1-15) 7:1 The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 7:2 Stand at the gate of the house of the LORD, and there proclaim this message: Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD! | Prophecy of Jeremiah | 32 Jeremiah persecuted by Pashhur (20:1-6) 20:1 Jeremiah was heard prophesying these things by the priest Pashhur, son of Immer, chief officer in the house of the LORD. |
| 11 The people's disobedience (7:16-8:3) 7:32 Therefore, beware! days will come, says the LORD, when Topheth and the Valley of Ben-hinnom will no longer be called such, but rather the Valley of Slaughter. | Ben-hinnom | 31 The broken earthenware jug (19:1-15) 19:6 Therefore, days will come, says the LORD, when this place will no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather, the Valley of Slaughter. |
| 12 The prophet perversity of the whole nation (8:4-9:5) 8:8 How can you say, "We are wise, we have the law of the LORD"? | Wise man | 30 A plot against Jeremiah (18:18-23) 18:18 "Come," they said, "let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah. It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests, nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets. And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue; let us carefully note his every word." |
| 13 The prophet mourns for the people (9:6-25) 9:6I will smelt them and test them; how else should I deal with their wickedness? | The LORD tests people | 29 The potter and the clay (18:1-17) 18:11Thus says the LORD: Take care! I am fashioning evil against you and making a plan. Return, each of you, from his evil way; reform your ways and your deeds. |
| 14 Idolatory has brought ruin on Israel (10:1-16) Prohibition of idolatry | The law | 28 Hallow the sabbath day (17:19-27) To keep shabbat |
| 15 The coming exile (10:17-25) 10:24 Punish us, O LORD, but with equity, not in anger, lest you have us dwindle away. | Do not be my ruin | 27 Jeremiah prays for vindication (17:14-18) 17:17 Do not be my ruin, you, my refuge in the day of misfortune. |
| 16 Israel and Judah have broken the covenant (11:1-17) 11:13 For as numerous as your cities are your gods, O Judah! And as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars for offering sacrifice to Baal. | Sin of Judah | 26 Judah's sin and punishment (17:1-13) 17:1 The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus, Engraved with a diamond point upon the tablets of their hearts.(And the horns of their altars, 17:2 when their sons remember their altars and their sacred poles, beside the green trees, on the high hills, |
| 17 Jeremiah complains to God (11:18-12:6) 11:18 I knew it because the LORD informed me; at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings. | Knowledge from the LORD | 25 God will restore Israel (16:14-21) 16:21 Look, then: I will give them knowledge; this time I will leave them in no doubt Of my strength and my power: they shall know that my name is LORD. |
| 18 God replies to Jeremiah (12:7-17) 12:9 My heritage is a prey for hyenas, is surrounded by vultures; Come, gather together, all you beasts of the field, come and eat! | Corpses become food for wild beasts | 24 Jeremiah's celibacy and message (16:1-13) 16:4 Of deadly disease they shall die. Unlamented and unburied they will lie like dung on the ground. Sword and famine will make an end of them, and their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field. |
| 19 The linen loincloth (13:1-14) 13:13Thus says the LORD: Beware! I am filling with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land, the kings who succeed to David's throne, the priests and prophets, and all the citizens of Jerusalem. | Filled with drunkenness / anger | 23 Jeremiah complains again and is reassured (15:10-21) 15:17 I did not sit celebrating in the circle of merrymakers; Under the weight of your hand I sat alone because you filled me with indignation. |
| 20 Exile threatened (13:15-27) 13:24 I will scatter them like chaff that flies when the desert wind blows. | Scattered people | 22 Punishment is inevitable (15:1-9) 15:7 I winnowed them with the fan in every city gate. I destroyed my people through bereavement; |
| Former half | Relation | Latter half |
| 41 Jeremiah's prophecies in the temple (26:1-19) 26:13 Now, therefore, reform your ways and your deeds; listen to the voice of the LORD your God, so that the LORD will repent of the evil with which he threatens you. | Stop of punishment | 81 Jehoiachin favored in captivity (52:31-34) 52:31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, in the inaugural year of his reign, took up the case of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, and released him from prison. |
| 42 Death of Uriah (26:20-24) 26:23 to bring Uriah back to the king, who had him slain by the sword and his corpse cast into the common grave (26:23) | Murder | 80 The destruction of Jerusalem (52:12-30) 52:27 who had them struck down and put to death in Riblah (52:27) |
| 43 The sign of the yoke (27:1-22) 27:8 if any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, or will not bend its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation (27:8) | Judgement by Babylon | 79 The reign of Zedekiah (52:1-11) 52:11 he blinded Zedekiah, bound him with fetters, and had him brought to Babylon and kept in prison until the day of his death (52:11) |
| 44 Hananiah opposes Jeremiah and dies (28:1-17) 28:11 within two years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar | Showing the ruin of Babylon | 78 Jeremiah's command to Seraiah (51:59-64) 51:64 Thus shall Babylon sink |
| 45 Restoration promised (29:1-23) 29:11 I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe | The plan of the LORD | 77 Judgment on Babylon (50:1-51:58) 50:45 Hear the plans he has made against the land of the Chaldeans |
| 46 The letter of Shemaiah (29:24-32) 29:32 None of them shall survive among this people | Destruction | 76 Judgment on Elam (49:34-39) 49:37 I will send the sword to pursue them until I have completely made an end of them |
| 47 Distress and salvation of Jacob (30:1-24) 30:6 Inquire, and see: since when do men bear children? Why, then, do I see all these men, with their hands on their loins like women in childbirth? Why have all their faces turned deathly pale? | Like women in childbirth | 75 Judgment on nations (47:1-49:33) 49:22On that day the hearts of Edom's heroes shall be like the heart of a woman in travail. |
| 47 Distress and salvation of Jacob (30:1-24) 30:11 for I am with you, says the LORD, to deliver you. I will make an end of all the nations among which I have scattered you; | Judgment on nations | 75 Judgment on nations (47:1-49:33) Judgment on nations |
| 48 The joyful return of the exiles (31:1-26) 31:8 Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, The mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng. | Promise of return | 74 Babylonia will strike Egypt (46:13-28) 46:27 But you, my servant Jacob, fear not; be not dismayed, O Israel. Behold, I will deliver you from the far-off land, your descendants, from their land of exile. Jacob shall again find rest, shall be tranquil and undisturbed. |
| 49 A new covenant (31:27-40) 31:32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; | Salvation from / obedience to Egypt | 73 Judgment on Egypt (46:1-12) 46:8 Egypt surges like the Nile, like rivers of billowing waters. "I will surge forward," he says, "and cover the earth, destroying the city and its people. |
| 50 Jeremiah is imprisoned (32:1-5) 32:3"How dare you prophesy: Thus says the LORD: | Prophecy of Jeremiah | 72 A word of comfort to Baruch (45:1-5) 45:1 This is the message that the prophet Jeremiah gave to Baruch, son of Neriah, when he wrote in a book the prophecies that Jeremiah dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah: |
| 51 Jeremiah buys a field during the siege (32:6-15) 32:8 Then, as the LORD foretold, Hanamel, my uncle's son, came to me to the quarters of the guard and said, | Fulfillment of the words of the LORD | 71 Denunciation of persistent idolatry (44:1-30) 44:29 That you may know how surely my threats of punishment for you shall be fulfilled, this shall be a sign to you, says the LORD, that I will punish you in this place. |
| 52 Jeremiah prays for understanding (32:16-25) 32:24 See, the siegeworks have arrived at this city to breach it; the city will be handed over to the Chaldeans who are attacking it, amid sword, famine, and pestilence. | Sword, famine, pestilence | 70 Jeremiah warns of judgment (43:8-13) 43:11 He shall come and strike the land of Egypt: with death, whoever is marked for death; with exile, everyone destined for exile; with the sword, all who are intended for the sword. |
| 53 God's assurance of the people's return (32:26-44) 32:41 I will take delight in doing good to them: I will replant them firmly in this land, with all my heart and soul. | The LORD commands to live in the promised land | 69 Escape to Egypt (43:1-7) 43:2"You lie; it was not the LORD, our God, who sent you to tell us not to go to Egypt to settle. |
| 54 Healing after punishment (33:1-18) 33:6 Behold, I will treat and assuage the city's wounds; I will heal them, and reveal to them an abundance of lasting peace. | Promise of rebuilding of Israel | 68 Jeremiah advises survivors not to migrate (42:1-22) 42:10 If you remain quietly in this land I will build you up, and not tear you down; I will plant you, not uproot you; for I regret the evil I have done you. |
| 55 Covenant with David (33:19-26) 33:21 then can my covenant with my servant David also be broken, so that he will not have a son to be king upon his throne, and my covenant with the priests of Levi who minister to me. | Descendants of David | 67 Insurrection against Gedaliah (41:1-18) 41:1 In the seventh month Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of royal descent, one of the kings nobles, came with ten men to Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. And while they were together at table in Mizpah, |
| 56 Death in captivity predicted for Zedekiah (34:1-7) 34:3 Neither shall you escape his hand; rather you will be captured and fall into his hands. You shall see the king of Babylon and speak to him face to face. Then you shall be taken to Babylon. 34:4 But if you obey the word of the LORD, Zedekiah, king of Judah, then, says the LORD to you, you shall not die by the sword. | Serving to king of Babylon | 66 Jeremiah with Gedaliah the governor (40:7-16) 40:9 Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, adjured them and their men not to be afraid to serve the Chaldeans: to stay in the land and submit to the king of Babylon, for their own welfare; |
| 57 Treacherous treatment of slaves (34:8-22) 34:8 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made an agreement with all the people in Jerusalem to issue an edict of emancipation. | Liberation | 65 Jeremiah is released (40:1-6) 40:5The captain of the bodyguard gave him food and gifts and let him go. |
| 58 The Rechabites commended (35:1-19) 35:18Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Since you have obeyed the command of Jonadab, your father, kept all his commands and done everything he commanded you, 35:19 thus therefore says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Never shall there fail to be a descendant of Jonadab, Rechab's son, standing in my service. | Salvation for people who trust in the LORD | 64 Jeremiah, set free, remembers Ebed-melech (39:15-18) 39:18 I will make certain that you escape and do not fall by the sword. Your life shall be spared as booty, because you trusted in me, says the LORD. |
| 59 The scroll read in the temple (36:1-32) 36:30 The LORD now says of Jehoiakim, king of Judah: No descendant of his shall succeed to Davids throne; his corpse shall be cast out, exposed to the heat of day, to the cold of night. 36:31 I will punish him and his descendants and his ministers for their wickedness; against them and the citizens of Jerusalem and the men of Judah I will fulfill all the threats of evil which went unheeded. | Punishment against royal family | 63 The fall of Jerusalem (39:1-14) 39:6 As Zedekiah looked on, his sons were slain at Riblah by order of the king of Babylon, who slew also all the nobles of Judah. 39:7 He then blinded Zedekiah and bound him in chains to bring him to Babylon. |
| 60 Jeremiah is imprisoned (37:1-21) 37:17 Once King Zedekiah had him brought to his palace and he asked him secretly whether there was any message from the LORD. Yes! Jeremiah answered: you shall be handed over to the king of Babylon. | Prophecy to king | 62 Zedekiah consults Jeremiah again (38:14-28) 38:14 Once King Zedekiah summoned the prophet Jeremiah to come to him at the third entrance to the house of the LORD. "I have a question to ask you," the king said to Jeremiah; "hide nothing from me." Jeremiah answered Zedekiah: |
| 60 Jeremiah is imprisoned (37:1-21) 37:21 King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be confined in the quarters of the guard, and given a loaf of bread each day from the bakers' shop until all the bread in the city was eaten up. Thus Jeremiah remained in the quarters of the guard. | Imprisonment of Jeremiah | 62 Zedekiah consults Jeremiah again (38:14-28) 38:28 Thus Jeremiah stayed in the quarters of the guard till the day Jerusalem was taken. When Jerusalem was taken.... |