Old/New Testament
Disobedience Brings God’s Judgment
9 Oh, (A)that my head were waters,
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the daughter of my people!
2 Oh, that I had in the wilderness
A lodging place for travelers;
That I might leave my people,
And go from them!
For (B)they are all adulterers,
An assembly of treacherous men.
3 “And like their bow (C)they have bent their tongues for lies.
They are not valiant for the truth on the earth.
For they proceed from (D)evil to evil,
And they (E)do not know Me,” says the Lord.
4 “Everyone(F) take heed to his [a]neighbor,
And do not trust any brother;
For every brother will utterly supplant,
And every neighbor will (G)walk with slanderers.
5 Everyone will (H)deceive his neighbor,
And will not speak the truth;
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6 Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says the Lord.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Behold, (I)I will refine them and [b]try them;
(J)For how shall I deal with the daughter of My people?
8 Their tongue is an arrow shot out;
It speaks (K)deceit;
One speaks (L)peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth,
But [c]in his heart he [d]lies in wait.
9 (M)Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord.
“Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”
10 I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains,
And (N)for the [e]dwelling places of the wilderness a lamentation,
Because they are burned up,
So that no one can pass through;
Nor can men hear the voice of the cattle.
(O)Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled;
They are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem (P)a heap of ruins, (Q)a den of jackals.
I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.”
12 (R)Who is the wise man who may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? Why does the land perish and burn up like a wilderness, so that no one can pass through?
13 And the Lord said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have (S)not obeyed My voice, nor walked according to it, 14 but they have (T)walked according to the [f]dictates of their own hearts and after the Baals, (U)which their fathers taught them,” 15 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will (V)feed them, this people, (W)with wormwood, and give them [g]water of gall to drink. 16 I will (X)scatter them also among the Gentiles, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. (Y)And I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them.”
The People Mourn in Judgment
17 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Consider and call for (Z)the mourning women,
That they may come;
And send for skillful wailing women,
That they may come.
18 Let them make haste
And take up a wailing for us,
That (AA)our eyes may run with tears,
And our eyelids gush with water.
19 For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How we are plundered!
We are greatly ashamed,
Because we have forsaken the land,
Because we have been cast out of (AB)our dwellings.’ ”
20 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O women,
And let your ear receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And everyone her neighbor a lamentation.
21 For death has come through our windows,
Has entered our palaces,
To kill off (AC)the children—[h]no longer to be outside!
And the young men—[i]no longer on the streets!
22 Speak, “Thus says the Lord:
‘Even the carcasses of men shall fall (AD)as refuse on the open field,
Like cuttings after the harvester,
And no one shall gather them.’ ”
23 Thus says the Lord:
(AE)“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his (AF)might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
24 But (AG)let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, [j]judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
(AH)For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
25 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that (AI)I will punish all who are circumcised with the uncircumcised— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and all who are in the (AJ)farthest corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (AK)uncircumcised in the heart.”
Idols and the True God
10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the Lord:
(AL)“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are [k]futile;
For (AM)one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold;
They (AN)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
5 They are upright, like a palm tree,
And (AO)they cannot speak;
They must be (AP)carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For (AQ)they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 Inasmuch as there is none (AR)like You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
7 (AS)Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due.
For (AT)among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether (AU)dull-hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a [l]worthless doctrine.
9 Silver is beaten into plates;
It is brought from Tarshish,
And (AV)gold from Uphaz,
The work of the craftsman
And of the hands of the metalsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all (AW)the work of skillful men.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
He is (AX)the living God and the (AY)everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
11 Thus you shall say to them: (AZ)“The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth (BA)shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”
12 He (BB)has made the earth by His power,
He has (BC)established the world by His wisdom,
And (BD)has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.
13 (BE)When He utters His voice,
There is a [m]multitude of waters in the heavens:
(BF)“And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
14 (BG)Everyone is (BH)dull-hearted, without knowledge;
(BI)Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image;
(BJ)For his molded image is falsehood,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are futile, a work of errors;
In the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16 (BK)The Portion of Jacob is not like them,
For He is the Maker of all things,
And (BL)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
(BM)The Lord of hosts is His name.
The Coming Captivity of Judah
18 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will (BO)throw out at this time
The inhabitants of the land,
And will distress them,
(BP)That they may find it so.”
19 (BQ)Woe is me for my hurt!
My wound is severe.
But I say, (BR)“Truly this is an infirmity,
And (BS)I must bear it.”
20 (BT)My tent is plundered,
And all my cords are broken;
My children have gone from me,
And they are (BU)no more.
There is no one to pitch my tent anymore,
Or set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become dull-hearted,
And have not sought the Lord;
Therefore they shall not prosper,
And all their flocks shall be (BV)scattered.
22 Behold, the noise of the report has come,
And a great commotion out of the (BW)north country,
To make the cities of Judah desolate, a (BX)den of jackals.
23 O Lord, I know the (BY)way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
24 O Lord, (BZ)correct me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.
25 (CA)Pour out Your fury on the Gentiles, (CB)who do not know You,
And on the families who do not call on Your name;
For they have eaten up Jacob,
(CC)Devoured him and consumed him,
And made his dwelling place desolate.
The Broken Covenant
11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: (CD)“Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, (CE)from the iron furnace, saying, (CF)‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 that I may establish the (CG)oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them (CH)‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as it is this day.” ’ ”
And I answered and said, [o]“So be it, Lord.”
6 Then the Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: ‘Hear the words of this covenant (CI)and do them. 7 For I earnestly exhorted your fathers in the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, until this day, (CJ)rising early and exhorting, saying, “Obey My voice.” 8 (CK)Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but (CL)everyone [p]followed the dictates of his evil heart; therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but which they have not done.’ ”
9 And the Lord said to me, (CM)“A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to (CN)the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.”
11 Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to [q]escape; and (CO)though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and (CP)cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. 13 For according to the number of your (CQ)cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.
14 “So (CR)do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.
15 “What(CS) has My beloved to do in My house,
Having (CT)done lewd deeds with many?
And (CU)the holy flesh has passed from you.
When you do evil, then you (CV)rejoice.
16 The Lord called your name,
(CW)Green Olive Tree, Lovely and of Good Fruit.
With the noise of a great tumult
He has kindled fire on it,
And its branches are broken.
17 “For the Lord of hosts, (CX)who planted you, has pronounced doom against you for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal.”
Jeremiah’s Life Threatened
18 Now the Lord gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings. 19 But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, (CY)and let us cut him off from (CZ)the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts,
You who judge righteously,
(DA)Testing the [r]mind and the heart,
Let me see Your (DB)vengeance on them,
For to You I have revealed my cause.
21 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of (DC)Anathoth who seek your life, saying, (DD)‘Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, lest you die by our hand’— 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall (DE)die by famine; 23 and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even (DF)the year of their punishment.’ ”
Honor Masters
6 Let as many (A)bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. 2 And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.
Error and Greed
3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to (B)wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, (C)and to the [a]doctrine which accords with godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 [b]useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. [c]From (D)such withdraw yourself.
6 Now godliness with (E)contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, [d]and it is (F)certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be (G)content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
The Good Confession
11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus (H)who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only [e]Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in (I)unapproachable light, (J)whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
Instructions to the Rich
17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain (K)riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things (L)to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 (M)storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Guard the Faith
20 O Timothy! (N)Guard what was committed to your trust, (O)avoiding the profane and [f]idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— 21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith.
Grace be with you. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.