Jeremiah – Chapter 24

Old Testament10 Verses

1The Lord shewed me: and behold two baskets full of figs, set before the temple of the Lord: after that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried away Jechonias the son of Joakim the king of Juda, and his chief men, and the craftsmen, and engravers of Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.

2One basket had very good figs, like the figs of the first season: and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, because they were bad.

3And the Lord said to me: What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said: Figs, the good figs, very good: and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten because they are bad.

4And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

5Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Juda, whom I have sent forth out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for their good.

6And I will set my eyes upon them to be pacified, and I will bring them again into this land: and I will build them up, and not pull them down: and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

7And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: because they shall return to me with their whole heart.

8And as the very bad figs, that cannot be eaten, because they are bad: thus saith the Lord: So will I give Sedecias the king of Juda, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that have remained in this city, and that dwell in the land of Egypt.

9And I will deliver them up to vexation, and affliction, to all the kingdoms of the earth: to be a reproach, and a byword, and a proverb, and to be a curse in all places, to which I have cast them out.

10And I will send among them the sword, and the famine, and the pestilence: till they be consumed out of the land which I gave to them, and their fathers.

Reflection for Today

Jeremiah Chapter 24 contributes to the biblical theme of judgment, the new covenant, and hope, which Catholic teaching develops throughout the Catechism. Jeremiah's new covenant prophecy is fulfilled in Christ (CIC 1965). The enduring truth that God writes His law on our hearts calls us to response.

The Second Vatican Council's Dei Verbum teaches that "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit" (DV 9). This chapter, like all Scripture, is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.

Catholic tradition encourages daily engagement with Scripture, whether through the Liturgy of the Hours, personal reading, or group study. The Catechism teaches that "prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that a dialogue takes place between God and man" (CIC 2653). May your reading of this chapter be a true encounter with the living God.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

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