False Religion Worthless

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand(A) at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:

“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways(B) and your actions, and I will let you live(C) in this place. Do not trust(D) in deceptive(E) words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change(F) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,(G) if you do not oppress(H) the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood(I) in this place, and if you do not follow other gods(J) to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land(K) I gave your ancestors(L) for ever and ever.

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The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.

Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.

For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;

If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:

Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.

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But look, you are trusting(A) in deceptive(B) words that are worthless.

“‘Will you steal(C) and murder,(D) commit adultery(E) and perjury,[a](F) burn incense to Baal(G) and follow other gods(H) you have not known, 10 and then come and stand(I) before me in this house,(J) which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?(K) 11 Has this house,(L) which bears my Name, become a den of robbers(M) to you? But I have been watching!(N) declares the Lord.

12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh(O) where I first made a dwelling(P) for my Name,(Q) and see what I did(R) to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke(S) to you again and again,(T) but you did not listen;(U) I called(V) you, but you did not answer.(W) 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh(X) I will now do to the house that bears my Name,(Y) the temple(Z) you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence,(AA) just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’(AB)

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 7:9 Or and swear by false gods

Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;

10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?

11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.

12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;

14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.

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Psalm 92[a]

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

It is good to praise the Lord
    and make music(A) to your name,(B) O Most High,(C)
proclaiming your love in the morning(D)
    and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre(E)
    and the melody of the harp.(F)

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
    I sing for joy(G) at what your hands have done.(H)
How great are your works,(I) Lord,
    how profound your thoughts!(J)
Senseless people(K) do not know,
    fools do not understand,
that though the wicked spring up like grass
    and all evildoers flourish,
    they will be destroyed forever.(L)

But you, Lord, are forever exalted.

For surely your enemies(M), Lord,
    surely your enemies will perish;
    all evildoers will be scattered.(N)
10 You have exalted my horn[b](O) like that of a wild ox;(P)
    fine oils(Q) have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
    my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.(R)

12 The righteous will flourish(S) like a palm tree,
    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;(T)
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
    they will flourish in the courts of our God.(U)
14 They will still bear fruit(V) in old age,
    they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.(W)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 92:1 In Hebrew texts 92:1-15 is numbered 92:2-16.
  2. Psalm 92:10 Horn here symbolizes strength.

92 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:

To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.

For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.

When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:

But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.

For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.

12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

15 To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

42 So will it be(A) with the resurrection of the dead.(B) The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;(C) 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;(D) it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.(E)

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[a];(F) the last Adam,(G) a life-giving spirit.(H) 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.(I) 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth;(J) the second man is of heaven.(K) 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.(L) 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man,(M) so shall we[b] bear the image of the heavenly man.(N)

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood(O) cannot inherit the kingdom of God,(P) nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.(Q) 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery:(R) We will not all sleep,(S) but we will all be changed(T) 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,(U) the dead(V) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:45 Gen. 2:7
  2. 1 Corinthians 15:49 Some early manuscripts so let us

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

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53 For the perishable(A) must clothe itself with the imperishable,(B) and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[a](C)

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”[b](D)

56 The sting of death is sin,(E) and the power of sin is the law.(F) 57 But thanks be to God!(G) He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.(H)

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,(I) because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.(J)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:54 Isaiah 25:8
  2. 1 Corinthians 15:55 Hosea 13:14

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

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39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?(A) 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.(B)

41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit(C)

43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.(D) People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.(E)

The Wise and Foolish Builders(F)

46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’(G) and do not do what I say?(H) 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice,(I) I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

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39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:

48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

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