Jeremiah 10-11
English Standard Version
Idols and the Living God
10 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord:
“Learn not the way of the nations,
nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens
because the nations are dismayed at them,
3 (A)for the customs of the peoples are vanity.[a]
(B)A tree from the forest is cut down
and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
4 (C)They decorate it with silver and gold;
(D)they fasten it with hammer and nails
so that it cannot move.
5 Their idols[b] are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
and (E)they cannot speak;
(F)they have to be carried,
for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
(G)for they cannot do evil,
neither is it in them to do good.”
6 (H)There is none like you, O Lord;
you are great, and your name is great in might.
7 (I)Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
For this is your due;
for among all the wise ones of the nations
and in all their kingdoms
there is none like you.
8 (J)They are both (K)stupid and foolish;
the instruction of idols is but wood!
9 (L)Beaten silver is brought from (M)Tarshish,
and gold from (N)Uphaz.
(O)They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith;
their clothing is violet and purple;
(P)they are all the work of skilled men.
10 (Q)But the Lord is the true God;
(R)he is the living God and the everlasting King.
At his wrath the earth quakes,
and the nations cannot endure his indignation.
11 Thus shall you say to them: (S)“The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth (T)shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”[c]
12 (U)It is he who (V)made the earth by his power,
(W)who established the world by his wisdom,
and (X)by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
13 (Y)When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
(Z)and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
(AA)He makes lightning (AB)for the rain,
(AC)and he brings forth the wind (AD)from his storehouses.
14 (AE)Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
(AF)every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
(AG)and there is no breath in them.
15 They are worthless, a work of delusion;
at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16 Not like these is he who is (AH)the portion of Jacob,
for he is the one who formed all things,
(AI)and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
(AJ)the Lord of hosts is his name.
17 (AK)Gather up your bundle from the ground,
O you who dwell under siege!
18 For thus says the Lord:
(AL)“Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land
at this time,
(AM)and I will bring distress on them,
that they may feel it.”
19 Woe is me because of my hurt!
(AN)My wound is grievous.
But I said, “Truly this is an affliction,
and I must bear it.”
20 (AO)My tent is destroyed,
and all my cords are broken;
my children have gone from me,
(AP)and they are not;
there is no one to spread my tent again
and (AQ)to set up my curtains.
21 (AR)For the shepherds (AS)are stupid
and do not inquire of the Lord;
therefore they have not prospered,
(AT)and all their flock is scattered.
22 A voice, a rumor! Behold, it comes!—
(AU)a great commotion out of the north country
to make (AV)the cities of Judah a desolation,
(AW)a lair of jackals.
23 (AX)I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself,
that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
24 (AY)Correct me, O Lord, but in justice;
not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.
25 (AZ)Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not,
and on the peoples that call not on your name,
(BA)for they have devoured Jacob;
they have devoured him and consumed him,
and have laid waste his habitation.
The Broken Covenant
11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 (BB)“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3 You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: (BC)Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant 4 that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, (BD)from the iron furnace, saying, (BE)Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. (BF)So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, 5 (BG)that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers, (BH)to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me, (BI)“Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: (BJ)Hear the words of this covenant and do them. 7 For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, (BK)warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, (BL)Obey my voice. 8 (BM)Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, (BN)but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all (BO)the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”
9 Again the Lord said to me, (BP)“A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to (BQ)the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. (BR)They have gone after other gods to serve them. (BS)The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. (BT)Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (BU)will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, (BV)but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. 13 (BW)For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, (BX)altars to make offerings to Baal.
14 “Therefore (BY)do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, (BZ)for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. 15 (CA)What right has my beloved in my house, (CB)when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? (CC)Can you then exult? 16 The Lord once called you (CD)‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But (CE)with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and (CF)its branches will be consumed. 17 The Lord of hosts, (CG)who planted you, has decreed disaster against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, (CH)provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.”
18 The Lord made it known to me and I knew;
then you showed me their deeds.
19 But I was (CI)like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
I did not know (CJ)it was against me
they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
(CK)let us cut him off from (CL)the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
who (CM)tests (CN)the heart and the mind,
(CO)let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you have I committed my cause.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of (CP)Anathoth, (CQ)who seek your life, and say, (CR)“Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will 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 die by famine, 23 and none of them shall be left. For I will bring disaster upon the men of (CS)Anathoth, (CT)the year of their punishment.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 10:3 Or vapor, or mist
- Jeremiah 10:5 Hebrew They
- Jeremiah 10:11 This verse is in Aramaic
Colossians 3:18-4
English Standard Version
Rules for Christian Households
18 (A)Wives, submit to your husbands, as (B)is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and (C)do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents (D)in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey (E)in everything those who are your earthly masters,[a] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 (F)Whatever you do, work heartily, (G)as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord (H)you will receive the inheritance as your reward. (I)You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
4 Masters, treat your bondservants[b] justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Further Instructions
2 (J)Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it (K)with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may (L)open to us a door for the word, (M)to declare the mystery of Christ, (N)on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
5 (O)Walk in wisdom toward (P)outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always (Q)be gracious, (R)seasoned with salt, (S)so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus will tell you (T)all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant[c] in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him (U)Onesimus, our faithful and (V)beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
10 (W)Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark (X)the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—(Y)if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called (Z)Justus. (AA)These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and (AB)they have been a comfort to me. 12 (AC)Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always (AD)struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand (AE)mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 (AF)Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does (AG)Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers[d] at Laodicea, and to Nympha and (AH)the church in her house. 16 And when (AI)this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to (AJ)Archippus, “See that you fulfill (AK)the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, (AL)write this greeting with my own hand. (AM)Remember (AN)my chains. (AO)Grace be with you.
Footnotes
- Colossians 3:22 Or your masters according to the flesh
- Colossians 4:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for servant in verse 12
- Colossians 4:7 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word sundoulos, see Preface
- Colossians 4:15 Or brothers and sisters
Psalm 78:56-72
English Standard Version
56 Yet they (A)tested and (B)rebelled against the Most High God
and did not keep his testimonies,
57 but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;
they twisted like (C)a deceitful bow.
58 For they (D)provoked him to anger with their (E)high places;
they (F)moved him to jealousy with their (G)idols.
59 When God heard, he was full of (H)wrath,
and he utterly rejected Israel.
60 He (I)forsook his dwelling at (J)Shiloh,
the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
61 and delivered his (K)power to captivity,
his (L)glory to the hand of the foe.
62 He (M)gave his people over to the sword
and (N)vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 (O)Fire devoured their young men,
and their young women had no (P)marriage song.
64 Their (Q)priests fell by the sword,
and their (R)widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord (S)awoke as from sleep,
like a strong man shouting because of wine.
66 And he (T)put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting shame.
67 He rejected the tent of (U)Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he (V)loves.
69 He (W)built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70 He (X)chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from (Y)following the nursing ewes he brought him
to (Z)shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his (AA)inheritance.
72 With (AB)upright heart he shepherded them
and (AC)guided them with his skillful hand.
Proverbs 24:28-29
English Standard Version
28 (A)Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, (B)“I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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