< Jeremiah 45 >
1 The words which Jeremiah the prophet said to Baruch, the son of Neriah, when he put these words down in a book from the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah; he said,
This is what Jeremiah the prophet told Baruch son of Neriah when he wrote out on a scroll these messages that Jeremiah dictated. (This happened in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah.)
2 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said of you, O Baruch:
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:
3 You said, Sorrow is mine! for the Lord has given me sorrow in addition to my pain; I am tired with the sound of my sorrow, and I get no rest.
You've been complaining, saying, “I'm in so much trouble because the Lord has given me sorrow to make my pain worse! I've worn myself out with my groans. I can't get any relief.”
4 This is what you are to say to him: The Lord has said, Truly, the building which I put up will be broken down, and that which was planted by me will be uprooted, and this through all the land;
This is what Jeremiah was told to say to Baruch: This is what the Lord says: Across the whole country I'm going to tear down what I have built and uproot what I have planted.
5 And as for you, are you looking for great things for yourself? Have no desire for them: for truly I will send evil on all flesh, says the Lord: but your life I will keep safe from attack wherever you go.
So in your case, do you think you'll get special treatment? Stop looking for something like that! I'm going to bring disaster down on every living thing, declares the Lord. However, I promise you that your reward will be that you will continue living, wherever you go.