“Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do to him even as he shall tell you.”
Parallel translations
- KJV Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.
- BSB “Take him, look after him, and do not let any harm come to him; do for him whatever he says.”
- NKJV “Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you.”
- NASB “Take him and look after him, and do not do anything harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.”
- NLT “See that he isn’t hurt,” he said. “Look after him well, and give him anything he wants.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jeremiah is to be treated kindly and given freedom of choice. The prophet who proclaimed surrender is now vindicated and cared for.
Overview
Nebuchadnezzar's instruction to do Jeremiah no harm and to grant his requests reverses the abuse he had endured from Judah's leaders. The man imprisoned and thrown into a cistern by his own countrymen is honored by his nation's conquerors. This is God's quiet vindication of His servant, recalling that those who are persecuted for righteousness are ultimately kept by God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Prov 16:7When a man’s ways please Yahweh, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
- Jer 40:4Now, behold, I release you today from the chains which are on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will take care of you; but if it seems bad to you to come with me into Babylon, don’t. Behold, all the land is before you. Where it seems good and right to you to go, there go.”
- Ps 105:14–15He allowed no one to do them wrong. Yes, he reproved kings for their sakes,
- Prov 21:1The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.
- Jer 24:6For I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land. I will build them, and not pull them down. I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
- 1 Pet 3:12–13For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears open to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
- Prov 23:5Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.
- Amos 9:4Though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. I will set my eyes on them for evil, and not for good.
- Acts 7:10and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 39:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.