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1 Thessalonians 5:4-28
English Standard Version
1 Thessalonians 5:4-28
English Standard Version
4 But you (A)are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all (B)children[a] of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then (C)let us not sleep, as others do, but let us (D)keep awake and (E)be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, (F)are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, (G)having put on the breastplate of (H)faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for (I)wrath, but (J)to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 (K)who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Final Instructions and Benediction
12 We ask you, brothers, (L)to respect those who labor among you and (M)are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. (N)Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish (O)the idle,[b] (P)encourage the fainthearted, (Q)help the weak, (R)be patient with them all. 15 See that (S)no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always (T)seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 (U)Rejoice always, 17 (V)pray without ceasing, 18 (W)give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 (X)Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise (Y)prophecies, 21 but (Z)test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may (AA)the God of peace himself (AB)sanctify you completely, and may your (AC)whole (AD)spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at (AE)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 (AF)He who calls you is faithful; (AG)he will surely do it.
25 (AH)Brothers, pray for us.
26 (AI)Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have (AJ)this letter read to all the brothers.
28 (AK)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Thessalonians 5:5 Or sons; twice in this verse
- 1 Thessalonians 5:14 Or disorderly, or undisciplined
1 Thessalonians 5:4-28
New International Version
1 Thessalonians 5:4-28
New International Version
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness(A) so that this day should surprise you like a thief.(B) 5 You are all children of the light(C) and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep,(D) but let us be awake(E) and sober.(F) 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.(G) 8 But since we belong to the day,(H) let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate,(I) and the hope of salvation(J) as a helmet.(K) 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath(L) but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.(M) 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.(N) 11 Therefore encourage one another(O) and build each other up,(P) just as in fact you are doing.
Final Instructions
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard(Q) among you, who care for you in the Lord(R) and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.(S) 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle(T) and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak,(U) be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong,(V) but always strive to do what is good for each other(W) and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always,(X) 17 pray continually,(Y) 18 give thanks in all circumstances;(Z) for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.(AA) 20 Do not treat prophecies(AB) with contempt 21 but test them all;(AC) hold on to what is good,(AD) 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace,(AE) sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul(AF) and body be kept blameless(AG) at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.(AH) 24 The one who calls(AI) you is faithful,(AJ) and he will do it.(AK)
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.(AL) 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.(AM) 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.(AN)
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.(AO)
Jeremiah 19-21
English Standard Version
Jeremiah 19-21
English Standard Version
The Broken Flask
19 Thus says the Lord, “Go, buy (A)a potter's earthenware (B)flask, and take some of (C)the elders of the people and some of (D)the elders of the priests, 2 and go out (E)to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. 3 You shall say, (F)‘Hear the word of the Lord, (G)O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that (H)the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 4 (I)Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; (J)and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, 5 (K)and have built the high places of Baal (L)to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, (M)which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind— 6 therefore, (N)behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or (O)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And in this place (P)I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, (Q)and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. (R)I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. 8 And I will make this city (S)a horror, (T)a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds. 9 (U)And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor (V)in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.’
10 “Then (W)you shall break (X)the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, 11 and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, (Y)as one breaks a potter's vessel, (Z)so that it can never be mended. (AA)Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury. 12 Thus will I do to this place, declares the Lord, and to its inhabitants, making this city (AB)like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah—(AC)all the houses on whose (AD)roofs offerings have been offered (AE)to all the host of heaven, and (AF)drink offerings have been poured out to other gods—shall be defiled (AG)like the place of Topheth.’”
14 Then Jeremiah came from (AH)Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, (AI)and he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people: 15 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, (AJ)because they have stiffened their neck, (AK)refusing to hear my words.”
Jeremiah Persecuted by Pashhur
20 Now (AL)Pashhur the priest, the son of (AM)Immer, who was (AN)chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 Then (AO)Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him (AP)in the stocks that were in the upper (AQ)Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. 3 The next day, when (AR)Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name (AS)Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. 4 For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will make you (AT)a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall strike them down with the sword. 5 Moreover, (AU)I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its (AV)prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon. 6 And you, (AW)Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, (AX)to whom you have prophesied falsely.”
7 O Lord, (AY)you have deceived me,
and I was deceived;
(AZ)you are stronger than I,
and you have prevailed.
(BA)I have become a laughingstock all the day;
everyone mocks me.
8 For whenever I speak, I cry out,
I shout, (BB)“Violence and destruction!”
For (BC)the word of the Lord has become for me
(BD)a reproach and (BE)derision all day long.
9 If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
(BF)there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
shut up in my bones,
and (BG)I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
10 (BH)For I hear many whispering.
(BI)Terror is on every side!
“Denounce him! (BJ)Let us denounce him!”
say all my (BK)close friends,
(BL)watching for (BM)my fall.
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then (BN)we can overcome him
and take our revenge on him.”
11 But (BO)the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble;
(BP)they will not overcome me.
(BQ)They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their (BR)eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.
12 O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous,
(BS)who sees the heart and the mind,[a]
let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you have I committed my cause.
13 (BT)Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hand of evildoers.
14 (BU)Cursed be the day
on which I was born!
The day when my mother bore me,
let it not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father,
“A son is born to you,”
(BV)making him very glad.
16 Let that man be like (BW)the cities
that the Lord overthrew without pity;
(BX)let him hear a cry in the morning
and an alarm at noon,
17 (BY)because he did not kill me in the womb;
so my mother would have been my grave,
and her womb forever great.
18 (BZ)Why did I come out from the womb
(CA)to see toil and sorrow,
and spend my days in shame?
Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar
21 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him (CB)Pashhur the son of Malchiah and (CC)Zephaniah the priest, the son of (CD)Maaseiah, saying, 2 (CE)“Inquire of the Lord for us, (CF)for Nebuchadnezzar[b] king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to (CG)all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: (CH)Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. (CI)And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. 5 I myself will fight against you (CJ)with outstretched hand and strong arm, (CK)in anger and in fury and in great wrath. 6 And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. 7 Afterward, declares the Lord, (CL)I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. (CM)He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’
8 “And to this people you shall say: (CN)‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, (CO)I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who stays in this city shall die (CP)by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and (CQ)surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live (CR)and shall have his life as a prize of war. 10 For (CS)I have set my face against this city for harm and (CT)not for good, declares the Lord: (CU)it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’
Message to the House of David
11 “And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord:
(CV)“‘Execute justice (CW)in the morning,
and deliver from the hand of the oppressor
him who has been robbed,
(CX)lest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
because of your evil deeds.’”
13 (CY)“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,
O rock of the plain,
declares the Lord;
you who say, (CZ)‘Who shall come down against us,
or who shall enter our habitations?’
14 (DA)I will punish you according to (DB)the fruit of your deeds,
declares the Lord;
(DC)I will kindle a fire in her forest,
(DD)and it shall devour all that is around her.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 20:12 Hebrew kidneys
- Jeremiah 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, an alternate spelling of Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21–52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency
Jeremiah 19-21
New International Version
Jeremiah 19-21
New International Version
19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter.(A) Take along some of the elders(B) of the people and of the priests 2 and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom,(C) near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings(D) of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster(E) on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.(F) 4 For they have forsaken(G) me and made this a place of foreign gods(H); they have burned incense(I) in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.(J) 5 They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children(K) in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.(L) 6 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth(M) or the Valley of Ben Hinnom,(N) but the Valley of Slaughter.(O)
7 “‘In this place I will ruin[a] the plans(P) of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies,(Q) at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses(R) as food(S) to the birds and the wild animals. 8 I will devastate this city and make it an object of horror and scorn;(T) all who pass by will be appalled(U) and will scoff because of all its wounds.(V) 9 I will make them eat(W) the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh because their enemies(X) will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them.’
10 “Then break the jar(Y) while those who go with you are watching, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash(Z) this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury(AA) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 12 This is what I will do to this place and to those who live here, declares the Lord. I will make this city like Topheth. 13 The houses(AB) in Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled(AC) like this place, Topheth—all the houses where they burned incense on the roofs(AD) to all the starry hosts(AE) and poured out drink offerings(AF) to other gods.’”
14 Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court(AG) of the Lord’s temple and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and all the villages around it every disaster(AH) I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked(AI) and would not listen(AJ) to my words.’”
Jeremiah and Pashhur
20 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer,(AK) the official(AL) in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten(AM) and put in the stocks(AN) at the Upper Gate of Benjamin(AO) at the Lord’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name(AP) for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.(AQ) 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes(AR) you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give(AS) all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry(AT) them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. 5 I will deliver all the wealth(AU) of this city into the hands of their enemies—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away(AV) as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied(AW) lies.’”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
7 You deceived[b](AX) me, Lord, and I was deceived[c];
you overpowered(AY) me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed(AZ) all day long;
everyone mocks(BA) me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.(BB)
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach(BC) all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word
or speak anymore in his name,”(BD)
his word is in my heart like a fire,(BE)
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;(BF)
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whispering,
“Terror(BG) on every side!
Denounce(BH) him! Let’s denounce him!”
All my friends(BI)
are waiting for me to slip,(BJ) saying,
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail(BK) over him
and take our revenge(BL) on him.”
11 But the Lord(BM) is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors(BN) will stumble and not prevail.(BO)
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;(BP)
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,(BQ)
let me see your vengeance(BR) on them,
for to you I have committed(BS) my cause.
13 Sing(BT) to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues(BU) the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.(BV)
14 Cursed be the day I was born!(BW)
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns(BX)
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing(BY) in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,(BZ)
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb(CA)
to see trouble(CB) and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?(CC)
God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request
21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah(CD) sent to him Pashhur(CE) son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah(CF) son of Maaseiah. They said: 2 “Inquire(CG) now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar[d](CH) king of Babylon(CI) is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders(CJ) for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”
3 But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn(CK) against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians[e] who are outside the wall besieging(CL) you. And I will gather them inside this city. 5 I myself will fight(CM) against you with an outstretched hand(CN) and a mighty arm(CO) in furious anger and in great wrath. 6 I will strike(CP) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.(CQ) 7 After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah(CR) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,(CS) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(CT) and to their enemies(CU) who want to kill them.(CV) He will put them to the sword;(CW) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’(CX)
8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life(CY) and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.(CZ) But whoever goes out and surrenders(DA) to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.(DB) 10 I have determined to do this city harm(DC) and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands(DD) of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’(DE)
11 “Moreover, say to the royal house(DF) of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. 12 This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:
“‘Administer justice(DG) every morning;
rescue from the hand of the oppressor(DH)
the one who has been robbed,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire(DI)
because of the evil(DJ) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(DK) it.
13 I am against(DL) you, Jerusalem,
you who live above this valley(DM)
on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord—
you who say, “Who can come against us?
Who can enter our refuge?”(DN)
14 I will punish you as your deeds(DO) deserve,
declares the Lord.
I will kindle a fire(DP) in your forests(DQ)
that will consume everything around you.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 19:7 The Hebrew for ruin sounds like the Hebrew for jar (see verses 1 and 10).
- Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
- Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
- Jeremiah 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Jeremiah and Ezekiel
- Jeremiah 21:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 9
Psalm 82
English Standard Version
Psalm 82
English Standard Version
Rescue the Weak and Needy
A Psalm of (A)Asaph.
82 (B)God (C)has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of (D)the gods he (E)holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and (F)show partiality to (G)the wicked? Selah
3 (H)Give justice to (I)the weak and the fatherless;
(J)maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
4 (K)Rescue the weak and the needy;
(L)deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 (M)They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
(N)they walk about in darkness;
(O)all the foundations of the earth are (P)shaken.
6 (Q)I said, “You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, like men (R)you shall die,
and fall like any prince.”[a]
Footnotes
- Psalm 82:7 Or fall as one man, O princes
Psalm 82
New International Version
Psalm 82
New International Version
Psalm 82
A psalm of Asaph.
2 “How long will you[a] defend the unjust
and show partiality(C) to the wicked?[b](D)
3 Defend the weak and the fatherless;(E)
uphold the cause of the poor(F) and the oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5 “The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.(G)
They walk about in darkness;(H)
all the foundations(I) of the earth are shaken.
Footnotes
- Psalm 82:2 The Hebrew is plural.
- Psalm 82:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Proverbs 25:9-10
English Standard Version
Proverbs 25:9-10
English Standard Version
9 (A)Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
and do not reveal another's secret,
10 lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute have no end.
Proverbs 25:9-10
New International Version
Proverbs 25:9-10
New International Version
9 If you take your neighbor to court,
do not betray another’s confidence,
10 or the one who hears it may shame you
and the charge against you will stand.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.