Jeremiah 16:16-18:23
New American Standard Bible
16 “Behold, I am going to send for many (A)fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will fish for them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will (B)hunt them (C)from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. 17 (D)For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, (E)nor is their wrongdoing concealed from My eyes. 18 I will first repay them (F)double for their wrongdoing and their sin, because they have (G)defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their (H)detestable idols and their abominations.”
19 Lord, my (I)strength and my stronghold,
And my (J)refuge in the day of distress,
To You the (K)nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but (L)falsehood,
Futility, and [a](M)things of no benefit.”
20 Can a person make gods for himself?
But they are (N)not gods!
21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—
This time I will (O)make them know
My [b]power and My might;
And they will (P)know that My name is the Lord.”
The Deceitful Heart
17 The (Q)sin of Judah is written with an (R)iron stylus;
With a diamond point it is (S)engraved on the tablet of their hearts
And on the horns of [c]their altars,
2 As they remember their (T)children,
So they remember their altars and their [d](U)Asherim
By (V)green trees on the high hills.
3 (W)Mountain of Mine in the countryside,
I will (X)turn over your wealth and all your treasures as plunder,
Your high places for sin throughout your borders.
4 And you will, even of yourself, (Y)let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your (Z)enemies
In the (AA)land which you do not know;
For you have (AB)kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“(AC)Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes (AD)flesh his [e]strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 For he will be like a (AE)bush in the desert,
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A (AF)land of salt that is not inhabited.
7 (AG)Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose (AH)trust is the Lord.
8 For he will be like a (AI)tree planted by the water
That extends its roots by a stream,
And does not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of (AJ)drought,
Nor cease to yield fruit.
9 “The (AK)heart is more (AL)deceitful than all else
And is desperately (AM)sick;
Who can understand it?
10 I, the Lord, (AN)search the heart,
I test the [f]mind,
(AO)To give to each person according to his ways,
According to the [g]results of his deeds.
11 As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is a person who (AP)makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the middle of his days it will abandon him,
And in [h]the end he will be a (AQ)fool.”
12 (AR)A glorious throne on high from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, the (AS)hope of Israel,
All who (AT)abandon You will be put to shame.
Those who turn [i]away on earth will be (AU)written down,
Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, that is the Lord.
14 (AV)Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
(AW)Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my (AX)praise.
15 Look, they keep (AY)saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come now!”
16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd following after You,
Nor have I longed for the disastrous day;
(AZ)You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips
Was in Your presence.
17 Do not be a (BA)terror to me;
You are my (BB)refuge in a day of disaster.
18 Let those who persecute me be (BC)put to shame, but as for me, (BD)let me not be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed.
(BE)Bring on them a day of disaster,
And crush them with double destruction!
The Sabbath Must Be Kept
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the [j]public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, ‘(BF)Listen to the word of the Lord, you (BG)kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: “(BH)Take care for yourselves, and (BI)do not carry any [k]load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day (BJ)nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I (BK)commanded your [l]forefathers. 23 Yet they (BL)did not listen or incline their ears, but (BM)stiffened their necks so as not to listen or accept discipline.
24 “But it will come about, if you (BN)give your attention to Me,” declares the Lord, “to (BO)bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, (BP)but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 (BQ)then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and officials (BR)sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this (BS)city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come in from the (BT)cities of Judah and from the areas surrounding Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the (BU)lowland, from the hill country, and from the (BV)Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27 But (BW)if you do not listen to Me, to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then (BX)I will set fire to its gates, and it will (BY)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and (BZ)not go out.”’”
The Potter and the Clay
18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Arise and (CA)go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the (CB)clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (CC)uproot it, to tear it down, or to destroy it; 8 (CD)if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will (CE)relent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (CF)build up or to plant it; 10 if it does (CG)evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will (CH)relent of the good with which I said [m]that I would bless it. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am (CI)forming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now (CJ)turn back, each of you from his evil way, and [n]correct your ways and your deeds!”’ 12 But (CK)they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will [o]persist in the (CL)stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
‘(CM)Just ask among the nations,
Who ever heard anything like [p]this?
The (CN)virgin of Israel
Has done a most (CO)appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 For (CP)My people have forgotten Me,
(CQ)They burn incense [q]to worthless gods.
And they [r]have stumbled in their ways,
In the (CR)ancient roads,
To walk on paths,
Not on a (CS)highway,
16 To make their land a (CT)desolation,
An object of perpetual (CU)hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And (CV)shake his head.
17 Like an (CW)east wind I will (CX)scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will [s]show them (CY)My back and not My face
(CZ)In the day of their disaster.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let’s (DA)devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the (DB)Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor (DC)advice by the wise, nor the divine (DD)word by the prophet! Come, and let’s (DE)strike at him with our tongue, and let’s (DF)pay no attention to any of his words.”
19 Give Your attention to me, Lord,
And listen to [t]what my opponents are saying!
20 (DG)Should good be repaid with evil?
For they have (DH)dug a pit for [u]me.
Remember how I (DI)stood before You
To speak good in their behalf,
So as to turn Your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, (DJ)give their children over to famine
And turn them over to the [v]power of the sword;
And let their wives become (DK)childless and (DL)widowed.
Let their men also be slaughtered to death,
Their (DM)young men struck and killed by the sword in battle.
22 May a (DN)cry be heard from their houses
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
(DO)For they have dug a pit to capture me
And (DP)hidden snares for my feet.
23 But You, Lord, know
All their [w]deadly schemes against me;
(DQ)Do not [x]forgive their wrongdoing
Or wipe out their sin from Your sight.
But may they be [y](DR)overthrown before You;
Deal with them in the (DS)time of Your anger!
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 16:19 Lit there is nothing profitable in them
- Jeremiah 16:21 Lit hand
- Jeremiah 17:1 As in ancient versions; MT your
- Jeremiah 17:2 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
- Jeremiah 17:5 Lit arm
- Jeremiah 17:10 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 17:10 Lit fruit
- Jeremiah 17:11 Lit his
- Jeremiah 17:13 Lit away from Me
- Jeremiah 17:19 Lit gate of the sons of the people
- Jeremiah 17:21 Or burden
- Jeremiah 17:22 Lit fathers
- Jeremiah 18:10 Lit to do it good
- Jeremiah 18:11 Lit make good
- Jeremiah 18:12 Lit do the
- Jeremiah 18:13 Lit these
- Jeremiah 18:15 Lit to worthlessness
- Jeremiah 18:15 As in ancient versions; MT caused them to
- Jeremiah 18:17 As in ancient versions; MT look them in the back and not in the face
- Jeremiah 18:19 Lit the voice of my opponents
- Jeremiah 18:20 Lit my soul
- Jeremiah 18:21 Lit hands of
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit unto death
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit cover over, atone for
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit ones made to stumble
1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3
New American Standard Bible
Sanctification and Love
4 (A)Finally then, (B)brothers and sisters, we request and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us as to how you ought to [a](C)walk and (D)please God (just as you actually do [b]walk), that you (E)excel even more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you [c]by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you (F)abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that (G)each of you know how to [d]possess his own [e](H)vessel in sanctification and (I)honor, 5 not in [f](J)lustful passion, like the Gentiles who (K)do not know God; 6 and that no one violate the rights and (L)take advantage of his brother or sister (M)in the matter, because (N)the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also (O)told you previously and solemnly warned you. 7 For (P)God has not called us for [g](Q)impurity, but in sanctification. 8 Therefore, the one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who (R)gives His Holy Spirit to you.
9 Now as to the (S)love of the brothers and sisters, you (T)have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are (U)taught by God to love one another; 10 for indeed (V)you practice it toward all the brothers and sisters who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to (W)excel even more, 11 and to make it your ambition (X)to lead a quiet life and (Y)attend to your own business and (Z)work with your hands, just as we instructed you, 12 so that you will [h](AA)behave properly toward (AB)outsiders and [i](AC)not be in any need.
Those Who Died in Christ
13 But (AD)we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who [j](AE)are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed (AF)the rest of mankind do, who have (AG)no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, (AH)so also God will bring with Him (AI)those who have fallen asleep [k]through Jesus. 15 For we say this to you (AJ)by the word of the Lord, that (AK)we who are alive [l]and remain until (AL)the coming of the Lord will not precede (AM)those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord (AN)Himself (AO)will descend from heaven with a [m](AP)shout, with the voice of (AQ)the archangel and with the (AR)trumpet of God, and (AS)the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then (AT)we who are alive, who remain, will be (AU)caught up together with them (AV)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always (AW)be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, [n]comfort one another with these words.
The Day of the Lord
5 Now as to the (AX)periods and [o]times, brothers and sisters, you (AY)have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that (AZ)the day of the Lord is coming (BA)just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “(BB)Peace and safety!” then (BC)sudden destruction [p]will come upon them like (BD)labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Footnotes
- 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Or conduct yourselves
- 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Or conduct yourselves
- 1 Thessalonians 4:2 Lit through the Lord
- 1 Thessalonians 4:4 Or acquire
- 1 Thessalonians 4:4 I.e., body; or wife
- 1 Thessalonians 4:5 Lit passion of lust
- 1 Thessalonians 4:7 I.e., moral corruption
- 1 Thessalonians 4:12 Lit walk
- 1 Thessalonians 4:12 Lit have need of nothing
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13 I.e., have died
- 1 Thessalonians 4:14 I.e., as believers
- 1 Thessalonians 4:15 Lit who
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 Or cry of command
- 1 Thessalonians 4:18 Or encourage
- 1 Thessalonians 5:1 I.e., the end times
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3 Lit is coming
Psalm 81
New American Standard Bible
God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.
For the music director; [a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.
81 (A)Sing for joy to God our (B)strength;
Shout (C)joyfully to the (D)God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, strike (E)the tambourine,
The sweet sounding (F)lyre with the (G)harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the (H)new moon,
At the full moon, on our (I)feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He established it as a testimony in Joseph
When he [b](J)went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a (K)language I did not know:
6 “I [c](L)relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the [d]basket.
7 You (M)called in trouble and I rescued you;
I (N)answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I put you to the test at the (O)waters of Meribah. Selah
8 (P)Hear, My people, and I will admonish you;
Israel, if you (Q)would listen to Me!
9 There shall be no (R)strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship a foreign god.
10 (S)I, the Lord, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
(T)Open your mouth wide and I will (U)fill it.
11 “But My people (V)did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not [e]obey Me.
12 So I (W)gave [f]them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk by their own plans.
13 Oh that My people (X)would listen to Me,
That Israel would (Y)walk in My ways!
14 I would quickly (Z)subdue their enemies
And (AA)turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (AB)Those who hate the Lord would (AC)pretend to obey Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 [g]But I would feed you with the [h](AD)finest of the wheat,
And with (AE)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 81 Title Or according to
- Psalm 81:5 Lit went out over
- Psalm 81:6 Lit removed his shoulder from
- Psalm 81:6 Or brick load
- Psalm 81:11 Lit yield to
- Psalm 81:12 Lit him
- Psalm 81:16 Lit He would feed him
- Psalm 81:16 Lit fat
Proverbs 25:6-8
New American Standard Bible
6 Do not boast in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the same place [a]as great people;
7 For (A)it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.
8 Do not go out (B)hastily to [b]argue your case;
[c]Otherwise, what will you do in [d]the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
Footnotes
- Proverbs 25:6 Lit of
- Proverbs 25:8 Lit contend
- Proverbs 25:8 Lit Lest
- Proverbs 25:8 Lit its
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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