Jeremiah 7:21-34

New International Version

²¹“‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices^(A) and eat^(B) the meat yourselves! ²²For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands^(C) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,^(D) ²³but I gave them this command:^(E) Obey^(F) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.^(G) Walk in obedience to all^(H) I command you, that it may go well^(I) with you. ²⁴But they did not listen^(J) or pay attention;^(K) instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.^(L) They went backward^(M) and not forward. ²⁵From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again^(N) I sent you my servants^(O) the prophets.^(P) ²⁶But they did not listen to me or pay attention.^(Q) They were stiff-necked^(R) and did more evil than their ancestors.’^(S)

²⁷“When you tell^(T) them all this, they will not listen^(U) to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.^(V) ²⁸Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction.^(W) Truth^(X) has perished; it has vanished from their lips.

²⁹“‘Cut off^(Y) your hair and throw it away; take up a lament^(Z) on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned^(AA) this generation that is under his wrath.

The Valley of Slaughter

³⁰“‘The people of Judah have done evil^(AB) in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols^(AC) in the house that bears my Name and have defiled^(AD) it. ³¹They have built the high places of Topheth^(AE) in the Valley of Ben Hinnom^(AF) to burn their sons and daughters^(AG) in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.^(AH) ³²So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter,^(AI) for they will bury^(AJ) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. ³³Then the carcasses^(AK) of this people will become food^(AL) for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.^(AM) ³⁴I will bring an end to the sounds^(AN) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom^(AO) in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,^(AP) for the land will become desolate.^(AQ)

Read full chapter

Psalm 78:1-39

New International Version

Psalm 78

A maskil^[a] of Asaph.

¹My people, hear my teaching;^(A)
    listen to the words of my mouth.
²I will open my mouth with a parable;^(B)
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
³things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.^(C)
⁴We will not hide them from their descendants;^(D)
    we will tell the next generation^(E)
the praiseworthy deeds^(F) of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders^(G) he has done.
⁵He decreed statutes^(H) for Jacob^(I)
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
⁶so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,^(J)
    and they in turn would tell their children.
⁷Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget^(K) his deeds
    but would keep his commands.^(L)
⁸They would not be like their ancestors^(M)—
    a stubborn^(N) and rebellious^(O) generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
    whose spirits were not faithful to him.

⁹The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,^(P)
    turned back on the day of battle;^(Q)
¹⁰they did not keep God’s covenant^(R)
    and refused to live by his law.^(S)
¹¹They forgot what he had done,^(T)
    the wonders he had shown them.
¹²He did miracles^(U) in the sight of their ancestors
    in the land of Egypt,^(V) in the region of Zoan.^(W)
¹³He divided the sea^(X) and led them through;
    he made the water stand up like a wall.^(Y)
¹⁴He guided them with the cloud by day
    and with light from the fire all night.^(Z)
¹⁵He split the rocks^(AA) in the wilderness
    and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
¹⁶he brought streams out of a rocky crag
    and made water flow down like rivers.

¹⁷But they continued to sin^(AB) against him,
    rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
¹⁸They willfully put God to the test^(AC)
    by demanding the food they craved.^(AD)
¹⁹They spoke against God;^(AE)
    they said, “Can God really
    spread a table in the wilderness?
²⁰True, he struck the rock,
    and water gushed out,^(AF)
    streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
    Can he supply meat^(AG) for his people?”
²¹When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
    his fire broke out^(AH) against Jacob,
    and his wrath rose against Israel,
²²for they did not believe in God
    or trust^(AI) in his deliverance.
²³Yet he gave a command to the skies above
    and opened the doors of the heavens;^(AJ)
²⁴he rained down manna^(AK) for the people to eat,
    he gave them the grain of heaven.
²⁵Human beings ate the bread of angels;
    he sent them all the food they could eat.
²⁶He let loose the east wind^(AL) from the heavens
    and by his power made the south wind blow.
²⁷He rained meat down on them like dust,
    birds^(AM) like sand on the seashore.
²⁸He made them come down inside their camp,
    all around their tents.
²⁹They ate till they were gorged—^(AN)
    he had given them what they craved.
³⁰But before they turned from what they craved,
    even while the food was still in their mouths,^(AO)
³¹God’s anger rose against them;
    he put to death the sturdiest^(AP) among them,
    cutting down the young men of Israel.

³²In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;^(AQ)
    in spite of his wonders,^(AR) they did not believe.^(AS)
³³So he ended their days in futility^(AT)
    and their years in terror.
³⁴Whenever God slew them, they would seek^(AU) him;
    they eagerly turned to him again.
³⁵They remembered that God was their Rock,^(AV)
    that God Most High was their Redeemer.^(AW)
³⁶But then they would flatter him with their mouths,^(AX)
    lying to him with their tongues;
³⁷their hearts were not loyal^(AY) to him,
    they were not faithful to his covenant.
³⁸Yet he was merciful;^(AZ)
    he forgave^(BA) their iniquities^(BB)
    and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger^(BC)
    and did not stir up his full wrath.
³⁹He remembered that they were but flesh,^(BD)
    a passing breeze^(BE) that does not return.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term

Romans 4:13-25

New International Version

¹³It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise^(A) that he would be heir of the world,^(B) but through the righteousness that comes by faith.^(C) ¹⁴For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,^(D) ¹⁵because the law brings wrath.^(E) And where there is no law there is no transgression.^(F)

¹⁶Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace^(G) and may be guaranteed^(H) to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.^(I) ¹⁷As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”^[a]^(J) He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life^(K) to the dead and calls^(L) into being things that were not.^(M)

¹⁸Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations,^(N) just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”^[b]^(O) ¹⁹Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead^(P)—since he was about a hundred years old^(Q)—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.^(R) ²⁰Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened^(S) in his faith and gave glory to God,^(T) ²¹being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.^(U) ²²This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”^(V) ²³The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴but also for us,^(W) to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him^(X) who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.^(Y) ²⁵He was delivered over to death for our sins^(Z) and was raised to life for our justification.^(AA)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Romans 4:17 Gen. 17:5
Romans 4:18 Gen. 15:5

John 7:37-52

New International Version

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the festival,^(A) Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.^(B) ³⁸Whoever believes^(C) in me, as Scripture has said,^(D) rivers of living water^(E) will flow from within them.”^[a]^(F) ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit,^(G) whom those who believed in him were later to receive.^(H) Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.^(I)

⁴⁰On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”^(J)

⁴¹Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?^(K) ⁴²Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants^(L) and from Bethlehem,^(M) the town where David lived?” ⁴³Thus the people were divided^(N) because of Jesus. ⁴⁴Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.^(O)

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

⁴⁵Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶“No one ever spoke the way this man does,”^(P) the guards replied.

⁴⁷“You mean he has deceived you also?”^(Q) the Pharisees retorted. ⁴⁸“Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?^(R) ⁴⁹No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

⁵⁰Nicodemus,^(S) who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ⁵¹“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

⁵²They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”^(T)

Read full chapter