Bible. Jeremiah. English. Authorized.

Jeremiah in the book that bears his name was a man who tried to get the people of Jerusalem to believe something that they don’t want to believe. He told them that they are sinners, largely because they are idolaters and oppressors of the poor. He told them that not only were they going to lose their struggle with the king of Babylon, but that said king would be acting as the servant of the Lord when he inevitably ravaged their country. He was unpopular with most of the public. He competed with false prophets who told the people what they want to hear. Worst of all, he was regarded as a demoralizer and possibly a traitor by the political advisors and military leaders of Judah. The strangest part of his story concerns the night visits the king paid to Jeremiah to hear him speak after the king caved into pressure and had him imprisoned. Said king ended up seeing his sons killed before him, before his own eyes are put out. After the sacking of Jerusalem, Jeremiah fought one last fight, an attempt to get the surviving Jews to stay in Judea instead of moving to Egypt, and losing again, was carted off with them. His last prophecies consoled his people by telling of the dreadful things their Lord would do to avenge Judea on Babylon and their other enemies. The last chapter is a recap from Kings of what was done to Jerusalem.
The great work of prophecy is followed by the Lamentations of Jeremiah, a dirge for what is left of Jerusalem.
Kristofer Tabori reads the prophecies as if he was breathing fire. He does overdo it at the beginning, and he would be wearing if I listened to the whole book at once. I instead listened to most of it one chapter at a time, before going to bed, which allowed me to appreciate the art of both the author and the actor. He of course took a different and appropriate tone for Lamentations.… (altro)