Grief over Zion

[a](A)Oh, that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For those slain of the (B)daughter of my people!
[b](C)Oh that I had in the desert
A travelers’ lodging place;
So that I might leave my people
And go away from them!
For all of them are (D)adulterers,
An assembly of (E)treacherous people.
“They (F)bend their tongues like their bows;
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they (G)proceed from evil to evil,
And they (H)do not know Me,” declares the Lord.
“Let everyone (I)be on guard against his neighbor,
And (J)do not trust any brother;
Because every (K)brother utterly [c]betrays,
And every neighbor (L)goes about as a slanderer.
Everyone (M)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth.
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (N)weary themselves committing wrongdoing.
Your (O)dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (P)refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.

Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says:

“Behold, I will refine them and (Q)put them to the test;
For (R)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
Their (S)tongue is a deadly arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one (T)speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he (U)sets an ambush for him.
(V)Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord.
“Shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?

10 “I will take up a weeping and wailing for the (W)mountains,
And for the pastures of the (X)wilderness a song of mourning,
Because they are (Y)laid waste so that no one passes through,
And the sound of the livestock is not heard;
Both the (Z)birds of the sky and the animals have fled; they are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem a (AA)heap of ruins,
A haunt of (AB)jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a (AC)desolation without inhabitant.”

12 Who is the (AD)wise person who may understand this? And who is he to whom (AE)the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? (AF)Why is the land destroyed, laid waste like the desert, so that no one passes through? 13 The Lord said, “Because they have (AG)abandoned My Law which I put before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have (AH)followed the stubbornness of their heart and the (AI)Baals, [d]as their (AJ)fathers taught them,” 15 therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, (AK)I will feed this people wormwood; and I will give them (AL)poisoned water to drink. 16 I will also (AM)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the (AN)sword after them until I have put an end to them.”

17 This is what the Lord of armies says:

“Consider and call for the (AO)mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the [e](AP)skillful women, that they may come!
18 Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us,
So that our (AQ)eyes may shed tears,
And our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a voice of (AR)wailing is heard from Zion:
(AS)How devastated we are!
We are put to great shame,
For we have (AT)abandoned the land
Because they have torn down our homes.’”
20 Now hear the word of the Lord, you (AU)women,
And let your ears receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And have every woman teach her neighbor a song of mourning.
21 For (AV)death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our palaces
To eliminate the (AW)children from the streets,
The young men from the public squares.
22 Speak, “This is what the Lord says:
‘The corpses of people will fall (AX)like dung on the open field,
And like the sheaf after the reaper,
But no one will gather them.’”

23 This is what the Lord says: “(AY)Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the (AZ)mighty man boast of his might, nor a (BA)rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts (BB)boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who (BC)exercises [f]mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I (BD)delight in these things,” declares the Lord.

25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet (BE)uncircumcised— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and (BF)all those inhabiting the desert who trim the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (BG)uncircumcised of heart.”

A Satire on Idolatry

10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, house of Israel. This is what the Lord says:

(BH)Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens,
Although the nations are terrified by them;
For the customs of the peoples are (BI)futile;
For (BJ)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
They (BK)decorate the idol with silver and gold;
They (BL)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not totter.
They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
And they (BM)cannot speak;
They must be (BN)carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they (BO)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”

(BP)There is none like You, Lord;
You are (BQ)great, and Your name is great in might.
(BR)Who would not fear You, O (BS)King of the nations?
For it is Your due!
For among all the (BT)wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
But they are altogether (BU)stupid and foolish;
The instruction from idols is nothing but wood!
Beaten (BV)silver is brought from (BW)Tarshish,
And (BX)gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Their clothing is of violet and purple;
They are all the (BY)work of skilled people.
10 But the Lord is the (BZ)true God;
He is the (CA)living God and the (CB)everlasting King.
The (CC)earth quakes at His wrath,
And the nations cannot (CD)endure His indignation.

11 [g]This is what you shall say to them: “The (CE)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will (CF)perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”

12 It is (CG)He who made the earth by His power,
Who (CH)established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has (CI)stretched out the heavens.
13 When He utters His (CJ)voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens,
And He makes the (CK)clouds ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the (CL)wind from His storehouses.
14 Every person is (CM)stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
For his cast metal images are deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are (CN)worthless, a work of mockery;
At the (CO)time of their punishment they will perish.
16 The (CP)Portion of Jacob is not like these;
For He is the [h](CQ)Maker of everything,
And (CR)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The (CS)Lord of armies is His name.

17 (CT)Pick up your bundle from the ground,
You who live under siege!
18 For this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, I am (CU)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And I will cause them distress,
So that they may [i]be found.”

19 (CV)Woe to me, because of my [j]injury!
My (CW)wound is incurable.
But I said, “This certainly is a sickness,
And I (CX)must endure it.”
20 My (CY)tent is destroyed,
And all my ropes are broken.
My (CZ)sons have gone from me and are no more.
There is (DA)no one to stretch out my tent again
Or to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become stupid
And (DB)have not sought the Lord.
Therefore they have not prospered,
And (DC)all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a (DD)report! Behold, it is coming—
A great roar (DE)from the land of the north—
To (DF)make the cities of Judah
A desolation, a haunt of jackals.

23 I know, Lord, that (DG)a person’s way is not in himself,
(DH)Nor is it in a person who walks to direct his steps.
24 (DI)Correct me, Lord, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will [k]bring me to nothing.
25 (DJ)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that (DK)do not know You,
And on the families who (DL)do not call upon Your name;
For they have devoured Jacob;
They have (DM)devoured him and consumed him,
And have laid waste his [l]settlement.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
  2. Jeremiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
  3. Jeremiah 9:4 I.e., like Jacob (a play on words)
  4. Jeremiah 9:14 Lit which
  5. Jeremiah 9:17 I.e., professional mourners
  6. Jeremiah 9:24 Or faithfulness
  7. Jeremiah 10:11 This verse is in Aram
  8. Jeremiah 10:16 Lit Fashioner
  9. Jeremiah 10:18 Lit find
  10. Jeremiah 10:19 Lit breaking
  11. Jeremiah 10:24 Lit diminish me
  12. Jeremiah 10:25 Or pasture

Paul Is Sent to Rome

27 Now when it was decided that (A)we (B)would sail for (C)Italy, they proceeded to turn Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the Augustan [a](D)cohort, named Julius. And we boarded an Adramyttian ship that was about to sail to the regions along the coast of [b](E)Asia, and put out to sea accompanied by (F)Aristarchus, a (G)Macedonian of (H)Thessalonica. The next day we put in at (I)Sidon; and Julius (J)treated Paul with consideration and (K)allowed him to go to his friends and receive care. From there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of (L)Cyprus, because (M)the winds were contrary. When we had sailed through the sea along the coast of (N)Cilicia and (O)Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an (P)Alexandrian ship sailing for (Q)Italy, and he put us aboard it. When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, (R)since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of (S)Crete, off Salmone; and with difficulty (T)sailing past it, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even (U)the [c]fast was already over, Paul started admonishing them, 10 saying to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with (V)damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion was more persuaded by the (W)pilot and the [d]captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. 12 The harbor was not suitable for wintering, so the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of (X)Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

13 [e]When a moderate south wind came up, thinking that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began (Y)sailing along (Z)Crete, closer to shore.

Shipwreck

14 But before very long a violent wind, called [f]Euraquilo, (AA)rushed down from [g]the land; 15 and when the ship was caught in it and could not head up into the wind, we gave up and let ourselves be driven by the wind. 16 Running under the shelter of a small island called Cauda, we were able to get the ship’s [h]boat under control only with difficulty. 17 After they had hoisted it up, they used [i]supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might (AB)run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the [j]sea anchor and let themselves be driven along in this way. 18 The next day as we were being violently tossed by the storm, [k]they began to (AC)jettison the cargo; 19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was slowly abandoned.

21 [l]When many had lost their appetites, Paul then stood among them and said, “[m](AD)Men, you should have followed my advice and not have set sail from (AE)Crete, and thereby spared yourselves this (AF)damage and loss. 22 And yet now I urge you to (AG)keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night (AH)an angel of the God to whom I belong, (AI)whom I also serve, (AJ)came to me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; (AK)you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has graciously granted you (AL)all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 Therefore, (AM)keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that [n]it will turn out exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must (AN)run aground on a certain (AO)island.”

27 But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to suspect that [o]they were approaching some land. 28 And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29 Fearing that we might (AP)run aground somewhere on the [p]rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and [q]prayed for daybreak. 30 But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down (AQ)the ship’s boat into the sea, on the pretense that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain on the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the (AR)ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.

33 Until the day was about to dawn, Paul kept encouraging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken in nothing. 34 Therefore, I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your survival, for (AS)not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” 35 Having said this, he took bread and (AT)gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and he broke it and began to eat. 36 All (AU)of them [r]were encouraged and they themselves also took food. 37 We were 276 [s](AV)people on the ship in all. 38 When they had eaten enough, they began lightening the ship by (AW)throwing the wheat out into the sea.

39 Now when day came, (AX)they [t]could not recognize the land; but they did notice a bay with a beach, and they resolved to run the ship onto it if they could. 40 And casting off (AY)the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and they hoisted the foresail to the wind and were heading for the beach. 41 But they struck a [u]reef where two seas met and ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck firmly and remained immovable, while the stern started to break up due to the force of the waves. 42 The soldiers’ plan was to (AZ)kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; 43 but the centurion, (BA)wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from accomplishing their intention, and commanded that those who could swim were to [v]jump overboard first and get to land, 44 and the rest were to follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that (BB)they all were brought safely to land.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 27:1 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
  2. Acts 27:2 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  3. Acts 27:9 I.e., Day of Atonement in September or October, which was a dangerous time of year for navigation
  4. Acts 27:11 Or owner
  5. Acts 27:13 Lit a south wind having gently blown
  6. Acts 27:14 I.e., a northeaster
  7. Acts 27:14 Lit it
  8. Acts 27:16 Or skiff: a small boat in tow for emergencies, transportation to and from shore, etc.
  9. Acts 27:17 Lit helps
  10. Acts 27:17 Lit implement, an object designed to stabilize a boat from the stern against the wind.
  11. Acts 27:18 Lit they were doing a throwing out
  12. Acts 27:21 Lit there being much lack of appetite
  13. Acts 27:21 Lit O men
  14. Acts 27:25 Lit it will be
  15. Acts 27:27 Lit some land was approaching them
  16. Acts 27:29 Lit rough places
  17. Acts 27:29 Or wished for
  18. Acts 27:36 Lit became cheerful
  19. Acts 27:37 Lit souls
  20. Acts 27:39 Lit were not recognizing
  21. Acts 27:41 Lit place
  22. Acts 27:43 Lit throw themselves

Bible Gateway Recommends