Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets
Volume I: A Kingdom Divided
Lesson 28 The Fall of Jerusalem
the Second Book of the Kings 25:1–30
the Book of Jeremiah 23:1–8
the Book of Jeremiah 26:1–24
the Book of Jeremiah 29:10–13
the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34
the Book of Jeremiah 36:1–6a
the Book of Jeremiah 36:14–16
the Book of Jeremiah 36:21–24
the Book of Jeremiah 36:27–31
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
This material coordinates with Lesson 28 on pages 172–179 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, and I showed myself their Master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”—the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34
welcome to Volume I of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume I of this Turning to 
God’s Word 
two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided contains 28 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 23-lesson Volume II: Restoration & Redemption also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.
open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:
Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.
let’s review—the Second Book of the Kings 23:31—24:20, the Book of Jeremiah 1:4–10, the Book of Jeremiah 2:1–2, the Book of Jeremiah 3:1, the Book of Jeremiah 3:6–10, the Book of Jeremiah 7:1–4, the Book of Jeremiah 7:16, the Book of Jeremiah 14:13–19, the Book of Jeremiah 19:1–11a, the Book of Jeremiah 19:14–15, the Book of Jeremiah 20:7–13, and the Book of Jeremiah 22:24–30
In Lesson 27 The Weeping Prophet, Judah struggles to survive after the fall of Israel to Assyria. The throne passes from Josiah to his son Jehoahaz, who holds onto it for three months before being ousted by the Egyptian Pharaoh Neco. Neco installs Jehoahaz’s brother Jehoiakim as monarch, and he lasts 11 years on the throne—first by paying tribute to Egypt and later by becoming a vassal of Babylon, the new regional power. Jehoiakim eventually balks at this, and Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem. A number of neighboring nations also are attacking Judah. Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin (sometimes referred to in Scripture as Jeconiah or Coniah) becomes king when his father dies, most likely killed in an assassination. In 597 B.C., Jehoiachin is exiled to Babylon, along with most of his family and a large number of others—including the prophet Ezekiel. The Babylonian king installs Jehoiachin’s uncle Zedekiah to rule over those who remain in Judah. The prophet Jeremiah is active in Judah during the reigns of five kings—Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. His message is that because of the people’s continued infidelity, the LORD cannot be counted on to protect Judah from Babylon.
map notes—passing by Rachel’s tomb
The Book of Jeremiah 31:15–16 includes a reference to Ramah, the location of Rachel’s tomb between Jerusalem and Mizpah: “Thus says the LORD: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are not.’ Thus says the LORD: ‘Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.'” Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original is on page 177 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. Rachel plays a major role in salvation history as Jacob’s favorite wife, and she also is viewed as a type of spiritual mother of all of the descendants of Jacob, much the way the Blessed Virgin Mary is viewed in the Church. Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin, the details of which are recounted in the book of Genesis 35:16–20. She was buried by the side of the road, and Jacob and his family continued on their journey.
Jeremiah’s prophecy about Rachel weeping for her children can be understood to refer to the idea that the people of Jerusalem would have passed by Rachel’s tomb on their way into exile in Babylon, an event that would have caused Rachel to weep. The same prophecy is cited later in the Gospel According to Matthew 2:13–23, which records Herod’s 
slaughter of the innocents at the time of Jesus’ birth. Learn more about Rachel and Jacob in Lesson 17 Jacob & Rachel through Lesson 21 The Birth of Benjamin & the Death of Rachel, in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.
misunderstanding the prophets (59:59)
In the video for Lesson 28, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps 
points out the reason the people seek to do away with Jeremiah is that they miss the divine attribution in Jeremiah’s prophecies. They think that Jeremiah’s a prophet because what he says comes to pass, and they miss that what he says comes to pass because God’s told him it will. Their mistakenly think that Jeremiah is causing their problems by his words, and that if it were possible to stop Jeremiah from speaking, everything would be peachy. The people display a fundamental misunderstanding about 
what a prophet is. The words that Jeremiah speaks are true because they’re God’s words. The people’s negative reaction to Jeremiah is a form of wanting to kill the messenger.
The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. You can follow along with the video as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 28, “The Fall of Jerusalem,” on pages 172–179 in the study book.
the southern kingdom falls
The twenty-fifth chapter in the Second Book of the Kings records the second wave of the Babylonian Captivity. This time the king of Babylon isn’t leaving any loose ends, and he sends troops to tear down the structures in Jerusalem and cart off anything of any value—including many remaining people. The city has become a nuisance to Babylon. Once Jerusalem falls, the kingdom of Judah is finished. Nebuchadnezzar does appoint a governor to keep the peace, but he rules only a short time before being assassinated by die-hard Judahites, who then are forced to flee to Egypt to avoid being killed themselves by the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans are in the service of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar. The second volume in this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, 
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, focuses on the prophets’ role in salvation history during the post-exilic period.
the problem: God’s people now are in exile
Although few of the kings of Israel or Judah fare well in exile, Jehoiachin eventually is favorably treated in captivity once Evil-Merodach begins reigning in Babylon. The kingdom of Judah remains in shambles, however. Despite God’s promise to David in the seventh chapter in the Second Book of Samuel, there no longer is any visible political kingdom. The priesthood previously lost credibility, and now it appears that the kingship also has failed. That leaves the prophets, who originally were to guide the kings—who then were to guide the people in proper worship of the LORD. As the kings’ devotion to God has lessened, the prophets have begun to focus on guiding the people in correct worship practices. In order for the descendants of Jacob to return to Judah, the character of the people’s relationship with the LORD needs to shift dramatically—and it needs to do this while they’re in exile in Babylon without the Temple in Jerusalem and without access to the land promised to their ancestors. A lot needs to change before the time of Jesus. It’s worth noting that exile actually is a mercy and a kindness when death is 
what’s merited. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King focuses on God’s people prior to their exile in Babylon.
WHAT DO YOU THINK about those who have been shepherding God’s people?
In the Book of Jeremiah 23:1–8, the prophet issues a stern reproach against those who have been leading the descendants of Jacob away from proper worship of the LORD.
? Consider how the shepherds of God’s flock have been leading the people astray.
? Who are the shepherds that Jeremiah warns about who’ve been destroying and scattering the people?
? What might explain why the prophet expresses concern for the house of Israel instead of for the house of Judah?
? What does the LORD propose to do to remedy the situation of bad shepherds?
? How many of the descendants of Jacob does Jeremiah suggest are going to be affected by God’s plan?
? How might people of Jeremiah’s time have been expected to respond to knowing the LORD’s intention to raise up a righteous king from David’s line?
? As shepherds of God’s people, the kings haven’t always acted righteously. What steps might the LORD take to ensure that this won’t be a problem for the future righteous king?
? Who are the shepherds in our Church today?
? Do all of these shepherds always behave righteously?
? What guarantee has been provided by God to protect the Church from being harmed by the actions of shepherds who aren’t able to model proper behavior?
what happened to the tribe of Simeon?
The fate of the tribe of Simeon continues to puzzle scholars to this day. In the thirty-third chapter in the book of Deuteronomy, Simeon is the only tribe that Moses doesn’t bless. Several Old Testament passages—including the Second Book of the Chronicles 5:9 and 34:6—suggest that although descendants of Simeon originally settled in territory surrounded by the tribe of Judah, many members of the tribe of Simeon eventually made their way north and were counted among the tribes in the northern kingdom. After the fall of that kingdom, the tribe of Simeon is considered to be among the 10 lost tribes of Israel. Any descendants of Simeon who remained in the south had long previously been assimilated into the tribe of Judah. Either way, descendants of Simeon are well and truly lost.
sorry, Indiana Jones
Thousands of years after the fall of Jerusalem, the ark of the covenant continues to inspire a number of fictional stories, and in recent times even figured in the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark, an Indiana Jones film in which Nazis attempt to find the ark and use it in their plan for world domination. A variety of other stories circulate regarding the whereabouts of the ark, which disappeared when Jerusalem was razed and the Temple destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. One of the more popular of these unsubstantiated accounts is the claim that the ark somehow made its way to Africa where it still is hidden in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum, Ethiopia. The eyewitness account on which that story is founded apparently was prompted by a visitor to the church who saw a replica of the ark. Many such replicas, however, can be seen in churches around the world.
While the idea of the ark remains shrouded in mystery, Scripture records details about what happened to it and why it’s never yet been found. The second chapter in the Second Book of the Maccabees* describes the prophet Jeremiah sealing in a mountain cave the ark of the covenant, along with the tent that surrounded the Holy of Holies and the altar of incense from the Temple. The Second Book of the Maccabees 2:4–8 goes on to record: “Some of those who followed [Jeremiah] came up to mark the way, but could not find it. When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: ‘The place shall be unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy. And then the LORD will disclose these things, and the glory of the LORD and the cloud will appear, as they were shown in the case of Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should be specially consecrated.'”
what the Book of Jeremiah records about the ark
The Book of Jeremiah 3:14–16 includes one reference to the ark: “Return, O faithless children, says the LORD; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the LORD, they shall no more say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or missed; it shall not be made again.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK about Jeremiah & Jesus?
In the Book of Jeremiah 26:14–15, the prophet is depicted doing a very Jesus-like thing. After issuing his unpopular prophecy that Jerusalem will meet the same fate as Shiloh, Jeremiah tells those who wish him dead: “Do with me as seems good and right to you. Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the LORD sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
? How is Jeremiah’s situation similar to that of Jesus at the time of Jesus’ Passion?
? What is unusual about a person showing so little concern for his own life?
? In whose name do both Jeremiah and Jesus claim to be speaking?
? What causes the people to rethink their position regarding Jeremiah?
? What might explain why people at the time of Jesus failed to respond in a similar way to Jesus’ apparent disregard for his own life?
the written word of God emerges
When Jeremiah is kicked out of the Temple and no longer allowed to speak there, he comes up with a novel idea. The scribe Baruch, a man who’s able to read and write, agrees to write down Jeremiah’s prophecies and read them in the Temple. It’s easy for present-day readers to miss the significance of this. Until that time, if a prophet’s words were unpopular, it was a relatively easy thing to shut him up. The culture of the time was mostly illiterate. People weren’t used to communicating in writing. It’s much more difficult to contain the written word, however, especially in a literate society. During the Exile, the people lose access to the Temple and they no longer have a kingdom. They still have the law of Moses, however, which was found in the Temple in written form by the priest Hilkiah. And now they have the beginnings of the writings of the prophets. Baruch represents the first appearance of what will be the new role of scribe. At the time of the return from exile, the people will be led by the priest Ezra, who also is a scribe. A majority of people living in the present day take reading and writing for granted, but the word of God wasn’t always so accessible. The second volume in this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, 
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, looks at those called to speak for God during the post-exilic period.
evil—you could look it up in our archives
Jeremiah has much to say about evil. The word shows up in the Book of Jeremiah 23:2; 26:3; and 36:3, among other places. Jesus’ contrast of good and evil in the twelfth chapter in the Gospel According to Matthew focuses on relative values, with the idea of evil suggesting worthless behavior or uselessness. Consider how the connection between evil and uselessness figures into the prophecies of Jeremiah. Learn more about the meaning of the word “evil” by reading Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.
about Jeremiah’s writings
In Jewish tradition, Jeremiah authored the Book of Jeremiah, the First and Second Books of the Kings, and the Book of Lamentations, with the aid of his scribe Baruch. Readers of the Old Testament may notice that the Book of Jeremiah 52:1–34 repeats the Second Book of the Kings 24:18—25:30.
Jeremiah prophesies about the future
In Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, material from the thirty-sixth chapter in the Book of Jeremiah appears ahead of material from the twenty-ninth and thirty-first chapters. The purpose is to end Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, with two of the more hopeful prophecies that accompanied God’s people into exile. In the Book of Jeremiah 29:10–13, the prophet foretells that the Babylonian Exile will last 70 years. While this is indeed a positive prophecy, the duration of the time in exile shouldn’t be overlooked. Yes, God intends to deliver his people—but only after they learn to seek him with all their hearts while banished to a foreign country.
God’s people are to be given another chance
The Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34 is a beautiful passage that when read in the context of the First and Second Books of the Kings provides insight about the purpose of exile and the meaning of covenant with God. Despite the fact that the people have failed to uphold their end of the covenant made with the LORD through his prophet Moses, God now is promising to enter into another covenant with them. This time, the LORD intends to take steps to prevent the problems the people previously encountered in trying to keep God’s law. According to Jeremiah, the New Covenant—which Christians understand has been instituted by Jesus Christ through his Passion, death, and Resurrection—does away with reliance on leaders to tell the people what to do. The prophet Jeremiah foretells that at some time in the future everyone instinctively will just know what God wants him or her to do in any situation.
Jesus is God’s ultimate plan
The law is in writing, and Jeremiah adds to the law so the people have the writings of the prophets as an extension of the law of God. Those written documents go with the people into exile and are God’s voice. The people who return from the Babylonian Captivity will be dedicated to the written word of God. The covenant agreement will be the same, but it will function differently. By the time of Jesus, Jerusalem will be filled with all kinds of groups claiming that their authority comes from written word of God. Before the fall of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, authority rested with priests, kings, and prophets. At the time of the Babylonian Exile, God imbues his word and power in a book (the Hebrew Scriptures of Old Testament). The New Testament records the surprise shift in which God then makes his word a person, as described in the Gospel According to John 1:1–18. In Jesus Christ, God brings word and person together. Christians aren’t people of the book in the same way as Jews because of the saving action of Jesus, the living word of God that we understand has come to dwell in our hearts. The primary thing isn’t literal words in the Bible—it’s the person of Jesus. In the Book of Jeremiah 31:34, the LORD reveals his ultimate plan: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no 
more.” Learn more about Jesus as the Word of God in Lesson 1 In the Beginning in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.
ex libris—get a head start on the rest of this Bible study
Considered by devotees as one of Pope Benedict XVI’s greatest works, The 
Spirit of the Liturgy is aimed at helping readers deepen their understanding of the “great prayer of the Church.” An important theme in the book deals with the Jewish roots of Christian prayer and the impact that ancient history around the time of the Exile and Return had on the development of Christianity and on the Christian worship practices of the present day. At ex libris—main bookshelf, read excerpt and learn more about The Spirit of the Liturgy and other works related to Bible study.
WHAT DO YOU THINK about this Catholic Bible study?
Send us an email to share your experience studying Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. We’d love to hear from you.
? Which passage from the writings of the prophets or about one of the prophets who was the focus of this study did you find to be the most relevant in your life, and why?
? How have your ideas about the Catholic faith changed as a result of studying Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided?
? What’s one unexpected way that this Bible study has touched your life?
? What’s something you’ve learned from studying the Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided that you’d like to share with others?
? To whom would you like to recommend Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided?
? What book of the Bible would you like to study next, and why?
what’s happening when & where
Click on the timeline for Lesson 28 to expand it. It also appears on page 178 in the study book. (Jehoiachin is referred to as Coniah or Jeconiah in the Book of Jeremiah.)
one final chart
In addition, the back page of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided features a chart showing all of the prophets and rulers active in Judah and Israel from the death of Solomon until the Babylonian Captivity. Click on the chart to enlarge it. The same chart appears with Lesson 1, “How the Divided Kingdom Came to An End,” in the second volume of this study, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.
the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the following passages from this lesson: the Second Book of the Kings 25:1–30, the Book of Jeremiah 23:1–8, the Book of Jeremiah 26:1–24, the Book of Jeremiah 29:10–13, the Book of Jeremiah 36:1–6a, the Book of Jeremiah 36:14–16, the Book of Jeremiah 36:21–24, and the Book of Jeremiah 36:27–31.
the Book of Jeremiah 31:1–40—paragraph 1611
the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34—paragraphs 64, 715, 762, 1965
the Book of Jeremiah 31:33—paragraphs 368, 580, 2713
ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out 
persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant 
cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.
ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.
wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
the Second Book of the Kings 25:1–30 (NIV)
the Book of Jeremiah 23:1–8 (NIV)
the Book of Jeremiah 26:1–24 (NIV)
the Book of Jeremiah 29:10–13 (NIV)
the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34 (NIV)
the Book of Jeremiah 36:1–6a (NIV)
the Book of Jeremiah 36:14–16 (NIV)
the Book of Jeremiah 36:21–24 (NIV)
the Book of Jeremiah 36:27–31 (NIV)
close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical texts.
O God, you sent the Old Testament prophets
to warn your people of the consequences of sin.
The prophet Jeremiah also announced the LORD’s plan
to institute something unimaginable—a New Covenant
paired with access to the grace to seek your will in all things.
Grant that we always may honor the sacrifice made
on our behalf by your Son Jesus Christ,
and help us to strive to reflect your love for us
in our love for others. Amen.
Lesson 27 Jeremiah: The Weeping Prophet—the Second Book of the Kings 23:31—24:20, the Book of Jeremiah 1:4–10, the Book of Jeremiah 2:1–2, the Book of Jeremiah 3:1, the Book of Jeremiah 3:6–10, the Book of Jeremiah 7:1–4, the Book of Jeremiah 7:16, the Book of Jeremiah 14:13–19, the Book of Jeremiah 19:1–11a, the Book of Jeremiah 19:14–15, the Book of Jeremiah 20:7–13, and the Book of Jeremiah 22:24–30
you also may like Volume II of our prophets study
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption examines the biblical prophets after the Babylonian Exile in 586 B.C. It views the history of God’s people leading to the time of Jesus, and concludes with a look at John the Baptist and John of Patmos in the New Testament. Volume II of this Catholic Bible study builds on Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.
start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets— Volume I: A Kingdom Divided
. 
Information about beginning this or one of our other Turning to God’s Word Bible studies can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I always are available to answer your Bible-study questions or concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer
*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?
Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Scripture on the online study pages for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided links to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE). The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.
The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. A handful of significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.
Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.
You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.