Then the leaders of Judah and King Rehoboam were sorry and humbled themselves. They said, “The Lord is right.”
Jeremiah 18:8 - Easy To Read Version But the people of that nation might change their hearts and lives. The people in that nation might stop doing evil things. Then I would change my mind. I would not follow my plans to bring disaster to that nation. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 if that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition And if [the people of] that nation concerning which I have spoken turn from their evil, I will relent and reverse My decision concerning the evil that I thought to do to them. American Standard Version (1901) if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. Common English Bible but if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I’ll relent and not carry out the harm I intended for it. Catholic Public Domain Version If that nation, against which I have spoken, will repent from their evil, I too will repent from the evil that I have decided I would do to them. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version If that nation against which I have spoken shall repent of their evil, I also will repent of the evil that I have thought to do to them. |
Then the leaders of Judah and King Rehoboam were sorry and humbled themselves. They said, “The Lord is right.”
God always remembered his Agreement {\cf2\super [563]} \par and comforted them with his great love.\par
The Lord punished the nations.\par But the Lord was kind to his servants.\par
{But if you destroy your people,} then the Egyptians can say, ‘The Lord planned to do bad things to his people. That is why he led them out of Egypt. He wanted to kill them in the mountains. He wanted to wipe them off the earth.’ So don’t be angry at your people. Please change your mind! Don’t destroy your people.
So the Lord felt sorry {for the people}. The Lord did not do the thing that he said he might do—he did not destroy the people.
I want those people to learn their lessons well. In the past, those people taught my people to use Baal’s {\cf2\super [102]} name to make promises. Now, I want those people to learn their lessons just as well. I want those people to learn to use my name. I want those people to say, ‘As the Lord lives …’ If those people do that, then I will allow them to be successful and I will let them live among my people.
Jerusalem, you left me.”\par This message is from the Lord.\par “Again and again you left me!\par So I will punish and destroy you.\par I am tired of holding back your punishment.\par
You people change your lives! You must start doing good things! You must obey the Lord your God. If you do that, then the Lord will change his mind. The Lord will not do the bad things he told you about.
“Hezekiah was the king of Judah. And Hezekiah didn’t kill Micah. None of the people of Judah killed Micah. You know that Hezekiah respected the Lord. He wanted to please the Lord. The Lord had said he would do bad things to Judah. But Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, and the Lord changed his mind. The Lord didn’t do those bad things. If we hurt Jeremiah, then we will bring many troubles on ourselves. And those troubles will be our own fault.”
Maybe they will listen and obey my message. Maybe they will stop living such evil lives. If they change, then I might change my mind about my plans to punish them. I am planning this punishment because of many bad things those people have done.
Maybe the family of Judah will hear what I am planning to do to them. And maybe they will stop doing bad things. If they will do that, I will forgive them for the bad sins they have done.”
‘If you people will stay in Judah, I will make you strong—I will not destroy you. I will plant you, and I will not pull you up. I will do this because I am sad about the terrible things that I made happen to you.
“Now, if a bad person changes his life then he will live and not die. That person might stop doing all the bad things he did. He might begin to carefully obey all my laws. He might become fair and good.
“You must say to them, ‘The Lord my Master says: On my life, I promise, I don’t enjoy seeing people die—not even evil people! I don’t want them to die. I want those evil people to come back to me. I want them to change their lives so they can really live! So come back to me! Stop doing bad things! Why must you die, family of Israel?’
“And Son of man, {\cf2\super [268]} say to your people: ‘The good things a person did in the past won’t save him if he becomes bad and begins to sin. And the bad things a person did in the past won’t destroy him if he turns from his evil. So remember, the good things a person did in the past won’t save him if he begins to sin.’
“Maybe I will tell a good person that he will live. But maybe that good person will begin to think that the good things he did in the past will save him. So he might begin to do bad things. But I won’t remember the good things he did in the past! No, he will die because of the bad things he begins to do.
“Or maybe I will tell a bad person that he will die. But he might change his life. He might stop sinning and begin to live right. He might become good and fair.
“Ephraim, {\cf2\super [121]} I don’t want to give you up.\par Israel, I want to protect you.\par I don’t want to make you like Admah! {\cf2\super [122]} \par I don’t want to make you like Zeboiim! {\cf2\super [123]} \par I am changing my mind.\par My love for you is too strong.\par
Hate evil and love goodness.\par Bring fairness back into the courts.\par Maybe then the Lord God All-Powerful\par will be kind to the survivors {\cf2\super [70]} \par from Joseph’s family.\par
Jonah complained to the Lord and said, “I knew this would happen! I was in my own country, and you told me to come here. At that time, I knew that you would forgive the people of this evil city. So I decided to run away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a kind God! I knew that you show mercy and don’t want to punish people! I knew that you are full of kindness! I knew that if these people stopped sinning, you would change your plans to destroy them.
“The Lord will judge his people. They are his servants, and he will show them mercy. He will see that their power is gone. He will see that they are all helpless— the slaves and free people, too.
Many times the enemies of Israel did bad things to the people. So the people of Israel would cry for help. And each time, the Lord felt sorry for the people. Each time he sent a judge to save the people from their enemies. The Lord was always with those judges. So each time, the people of Israel were saved from their enemies.