Jeremiah 16-17

English Standard Version

Famine, Sword, and Death

16 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. ³For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who bore them and the fathers who fathered them in this land: ⁴^(A)They shall die of deadly diseases. ^(B)They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. ^(C)They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. ^(D)They shall perish by the sword and by famine, ^(E)and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth.

⁵“For thus says the Lord: ^(F)Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the Lord. ⁶Both great and small shall die in this land. ^(G)They shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or ^(H)cut himself ^(I)or make himself bald for them. ⁷No one shall ^(J)break bread for the mourner, to comfort him for the dead, nor shall anyone give him the cup of consolation to drink for his father or his mother. ⁸You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink. ⁹For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(K)Behold, I will silence in this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

¹⁰“And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, ^(L)‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ ¹¹then you shall say to them: ^(M)‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and ^(N)have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, ¹²and because ^(O)you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, ^(P)every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me. ¹³Therefore ^(Q)I will hurl you out of this land into ^(R)a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, ^(S)and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’

The Lord Will Restore Israel

¹⁴^(T)“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ^(U)‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ ¹⁵but ^(V)‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel ^(W)out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For ^(X)I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.

¹⁶“Behold, ^(Y)I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out ^(Z)of the clefts of the rocks. ¹⁷For ^(AA)my eyes are on all their ways. ^(AB)They are not hidden from me, ^(AC)nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes. ¹⁸But first ^(AD)I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and ^(AE)have filled my inheritance with their abominations.”

¹⁹^(AF)O Lord, my strength and my stronghold,
    ^(AG)my refuge in the day of trouble,
^(AH)to you shall the nations come
    from the ends of the earth and say:
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies,
    ^(AI)worthless things in which there is no profit.
²⁰Can man make for himself ^(AJ)gods?
    Such are not gods!”

²¹“Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that ^(AK)my name is the Lord.”

The Sin of Judah

17 “The sin of Judah is written with ^(AL)a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on ^(AM)the tablet of their heart, and on ^(AN)the horns of their altars, ²while ^(AO)their children remember their altars and their ^(AP)Asherim, ^(AQ)beside every green tree and on the high hills, ³^(AR)on the mountains in the open country. ^(AS)Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory. ⁴You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, ^(AT)and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, ^(AU)for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.”

⁵Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man ^(AV)who trusts in man
    and makes flesh his strength,^[a]
    whose heart turns away from the Lord.
⁶^(AW)He is like a shrub in the desert,
    ^(AX)and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
    in ^(AY)an uninhabited salt land.

⁷^(AZ)“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    ^(BA)whose trust is the Lord.
⁸^(BB)He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

⁹The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?
¹⁰^(BC)“I the Lord search the heart
    ^(BD)and test the mind,^[b]
^(BE)to give every man according to his ways,
    according to the fruit of his deeds.”

¹¹Like the ^(BF)partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,
so is ^(BG)he who gets riches but not by justice;
^(BH)in the midst of his days they will leave him,
^(BI)and at his end he will be a fool.

¹²A glorious throne set on high from the beginning
    is the place of our sanctuary.
¹³O Lord, ^(BJ)the hope of Israel,
    ^(BK)all who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you^[c] ^(BL)shall be written in the earth,
    for ^(BM)they have forsaken ^(BN)the Lord, the fountain of living water.

Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance

¹⁴^(BO)Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
    save me, and I shall be saved,
    for ^(BP)you are my praise.
¹⁵^(BQ)Behold, they say to me,
    “Where is the word of the Lord?
    Let it come!”
¹⁶I have not run away from being your shepherd,
    nor have I desired the day of sickness.
^(BR)You know ^(BS)what came out of my lips;
    it was before your face.
¹⁷Be not a terror to me;
    ^(BT)you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
¹⁸^(BU)Let those be put to shame who persecute me,
    but let me not be put to shame;
^(BV)let them be dismayed,
    but let me not be dismayed;
^(BW)bring upon them the day of disaster;
    destroy them with double destruction!

Keep the Sabbath Holy

¹⁹Thus said the Lord to me: “Go and stand in the People's Gate, by which ^(BX)the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, ²⁰and say: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, ^(BY)you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. ²¹Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and ^(BZ)do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. ²²And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath ^(CA)or do any work, but ^(CB)keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. ²³Yet ^(CC)they did not listen or incline their ear, ^(CD)but stiffened their neck, that they ^(CE)might not hear and receive instruction.

²⁴“‘But if you listen to me, declares the Lord, and ^(CF)bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but ^(CG)keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it, ²⁵then ^(CH)there shall enter by the gates of this city kings and princes who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city shall be inhabited forever. ²⁶And people shall come from ^(CI)the cities of Judah ^(CJ)and the places around Jerusalem, ^(CK)from the land of Benjamin, ^(CL)from the Shephelah, from the hill country, ^(CM)and from ^(CN)the Negeb, bringing ^(CO)burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and ^(CP)bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. ²⁷But if you do not listen to me, to ^(CQ)keep the Sabbath day holy, ^(CR)and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will ^(CS)kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall ^(CT)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and ^(CU)shall not be quenched.’”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 17:5 Hebrew arm
Jeremiah 17:10 Hebrew kidneys
Jeremiah 17:13 Hebrew me

Psalm 96

English Standard Version

Worship in the Splendor of Holiness

96 ^(A)Oh sing to the Lord ^(B)a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth!
²Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
    ^(C)tell of his salvation from day to day.
³Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples!
⁴For ^(D)great is the Lord, and ^(E)greatly to be praised;
    he is to be feared above ^(F)all gods.
⁵For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
    but the Lord ^(G)made the heavens.
⁶Splendor and majesty are before him;
    ^(H)strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

⁷Ascribe to the Lord, O ^(I)families of the peoples,
    ^(J)ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
⁸Ascribe to the Lord ^(K)the glory due his name;
    bring ^(L)an offering, and ^(M)come into his courts!
⁹Worship the Lord in ^(N)the splendor of holiness;^[a]
    ^(O)tremble before him, all the earth!

¹⁰Say among the nations, ^(P)“The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will ^(Q)judge the peoples with equity.”

¹¹Let ^(R)the heavens be glad, and let ^(S)the earth rejoice;
    let ^(T)the sea roar, and all that fills it;
¹²    let ^(U)the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all ^(V)the trees of the forest sing for joy
¹³    before the Lord, for he comes,
    for he comes ^(W)to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
    and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Footnotes

Psalm 96:9 Or in holy attire

John 16

English Standard Version

16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. ²^(A)They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, ^(B)the hour is coming when ^(C)whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. ³And they will do these things ^(D)because they have not known the Father, nor me. ⁴But ^(E)I have said these things to you, that when ^(F)their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, ^(G)because I was with you. ⁵But now ^(H)I am going to him who sent me, and ^(I)none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶But because I have said these things to you, ^(J)sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for ^(K)if I do not go away, ^(L)the Helper will not come to you. But ^(M)if ^(N)I go, ^(O)I will send him to you. ⁸^(P)And when he comes, he will ^(Q)convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹concerning sin, ^(R)because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰^(S)concerning righteousness, ^(T)because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; ¹¹^(U)concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world ^(V)is judged.

¹²“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³When ^(W)the Spirit of truth comes, ^(X)he will ^(Y)guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but ^(Z)whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴He will ^(AA)glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵^(AB)All that the Father has is mine; ^(AC)therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy

¹⁶^(AD)“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and ^(AE)again a little while, and you will see me.” ¹⁷So ^(AF)some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ^(AG)‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ^(AH)‘because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? ^(AI)We do not know what he is talking about.” ¹⁹^(AJ)Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? ²⁰Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(AK)you will weep and lament, but ^(AL)the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but ^(AM)your sorrow will turn into joy. ²¹^(AN)When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²²^(AO)So also you have sorrow now, but ^(AP)I will see you again, and ^(AQ)your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. ²³^(AR)In that day you will ^(AS)ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(AT)whatever you ask of the Father in my name, ^(AU)he will give it to you. ²⁴Until now you have asked nothing in my name. ^(AV)Ask, and you will receive, ^(AW)that your joy may be full.

I Have Overcome the World

²⁵“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. ^(AX)The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; ²⁷^(AY)for the Father himself loves you, because ^(AZ)you have loved me and ^(BA)have believed that I came from God.^[a] ²⁸^(BB)I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now ^(BC)I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

²⁹His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not ^(BD)using figurative speech! ³⁰Now we know that ^(BE)you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that ^(BF)you came from God.” ³¹Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ³²Behold, ^(BG)the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when ^(BH)you will be scattered, each to his own home, and ^(BI)will leave me alone. ^(BJ)Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. ³³I have said these things to you, that ^(BK)in me you may have peace. ^(BL)In the world you will have ^(BM)tribulation. But ^(BN)take heart; ^(BO)I have overcome the world.”