Updated American Standard Version
Giving Bible readers what God said not what translators think God meant
The Book of Jeremiah, also called The Prophecy Of Jeremias, one of the major prophetical writings of the Old Testament. As a prophet, Jeremiah pronounced God's judgment upon the people of his time for their wickedness. He was concerned especially with false and insincere worship and failure to trust Yahweh in national affairs. He denounced social injustices but not so much as some previous prophets, such as Amos and Micah.
Jeremiah began his ministry at about twenty years of age in the thirteenth year of Josiah, that is, 626 B.C. For the greater part of his life he lived in his hometown of Anathoth (for he was of a priestly family) and appeared at Jerusalem at the annual feast days of the Jewish religious year.
"The two books of Kings were written originally as one book. Even though they describe events long ago and far away, they bring a message that is surprisingly current and relevant." - Max Anders
The material known as the Book of Lamentations consists of five chapters containing material related to the fall of Jerusalem. Each chapter seems to be an independent poem. The author of these five literary and spiritual masterpieces wrote against the background of the greatest tragedy Jerusalem's inhabitants had ever experienced. The mighty city lay in ruins, having been ravished by Babylon's mighty war machine. Bible scholars are in virtual unanimity that Nebuchadnezzar's recent invasions of 597 and 586 B.C. served as the occasion for the destruction." - Max Anders; Fred M. Wood; Ross H. McLaren
