During King Josiah’s time, God chose Jeremiah to warn the people of Judah. “They are wicked,” God said. “Babylon will come, and nothing can stop it.”

Jeremiah protested, “I’m too young!” But God promised to guide and protect him.

Jeremiah warned the people for many years, but they didn’t listen. God showed him a potter reshaping clay and said, “Israel is like clay in my hands. I will crush and remake them.” Jeremiah even smashed a clay pot in front of Judah’s leaders to show what would happen to Jerusalem. Angry priests beat him, but God kept him safe.

After Josiah died, his sons became kings, and Egypt took control of Judah. Jeremiah continued to warn the people. God told him to write down His messages, and Baruch, his scribe, copied them into a book. When King Jehoiakim heard the words, he burned the book—but God told Jeremiah to write it again, warning that the king’s body would rot in the sun and his family would lose the throne.

Jeremiah told the people, “Babylon will destroy Jerusalem, and you will be taken into exile for seventy years. But God will bring your children back.” God reassured Baruch, “I will protect you wherever you go, even in the midst of this destruction.”

God warned Jeremiah that Jerusalem faced destruction: stay and die, or surrender to Babylon and live. Furious officials accused him of treason and threw him into a muddy well, but he was rescued and brought back to prison.

After a two-and-a-half-year siege, the Babylonians captured the city. Zedekiah tried to flee but was caught; he watched his sons killed, was blinded, and taken to Babylon. The city and Temple were destroyed, leaving only a few behind.

Nebuchadnezzar ordered Jeremiah to be treated well. Freed from chains, Jeremiah chose to stay in Judah. God also protected the official who had rescued him.

Through it all, God promised that one day a righteous Branch from David’s line would arise, bringing justice and peace, called “The Lord Our Righteousness.”