Jeremiah 19-21

New American Standard Bible

The Broken Jar

19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a ^(A)potter’s earthenware ^(B)jar, and take some of the ^(C)elders of the people and some of the ^[a]^(D)senior priests. ²Then go out to the ^(E)Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the ^[b]Potsherd Gate, and ^(F)proclaim there the words that I tell you, ³and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you ^(G)kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold I am going to bring a ^(H)disaster upon this place, at which the ^(I)ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. ⁴Since they have ^(J)abandoned Me and have ^(K)made this place foreign, and have burned ^[c]sacrifices in it to ^(L)other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and since they have filled this place with the ^(M)blood of the innocent ⁵and have built the ^(N)high places of Baal to burn their ^(O)sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I did not command nor speak of, nor did it ever enter My ^[d]mind; ⁶therefore, behold, ^(P)days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called ^(Q)Topheth or ^(R)the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter. ⁷And I will ^(S)frustrate the planning of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and ^(T)I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will make their ^(U)carcasses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. ⁸I will also turn this city into an object of ^(V)horror and ^[e]hissing; ^(W)everyone who passes by it will be appalled and ^[f]hiss because of all its ^[g]disasters. ⁹And I will make them ^(X)eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the siege and in the hardship with which their enemies and those who seek their life will torment them.”’

¹⁰“Then you are to break the ^(Y)jar in the sight of the men who accompany you, ¹¹and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “To the same extent I will ^(Z)break this people and this city, just as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will ^(AA)bury their dead in Topheth, ^[h]because there is no other place for burial. ¹²This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. ¹³The ^(AB)houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be ^(AC)defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the ^(AD)houses on whose rooftops they burned ^[i]sacrifices to ^(AE)all the heavenly ^[j]lights and ^(AF)poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”

¹⁴Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the ^(AG)courtyard of the Lord’s house and said to all the people, ¹⁵“This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and all its towns the entire disaster that I have declared against it, because they have ^(AH)stiffened their necks so ^(AI)as not to listen to My words.’”

Pashhur Persecutes Jeremiah

20 When Pashhur the priest, the son of ^(AJ)Immer, who was ^(AK)chief overseer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, ²Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet ^(AL)beaten and put him in the ^(AM)stocks that were at the upper ^(AN)Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord. ³Then on the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has ^(AO)called you, but rather ^[k]^(AP)Magor-missabib. ⁴For this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to make you a ^(AQ)horror to yourself and to all your friends; and while ^(AR)your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will ^(AS)hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will take them away as ^(AT)exiles to Babylon and will kill them with the sword. ⁵I will also give all the ^(AU)wealth of this city, all its produce and all its valuable things—even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will ^(AV)hand over to their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. ⁶And you, ^(AW)Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your ^(AX)friends to whom you have ^(AY)falsely prophesied.’”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

⁷Lord, You persuaded me and I let myself be persuaded;
You have ^(AZ)overcome me and prevailed.
I have become a ^(BA)laughingstock all day long;
Everyone ^(BB)mocks me.
⁸For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
I ^(BC)proclaim violence and destruction,
Because for me the ^(BD)word of the Lord has ^[l]resulted
In taunting and derision all day long.
⁹But if I say, “I will not ^(BE)remember Him
Nor speak anymore in His name,”
Then in ^(BF)my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am tired of holding it in,
And ^(BG)I cannot endure it.
¹⁰For ^(BH)I have heard the whispering of many,
“^(BI)Terror on every side!
^(BJ)Denounce him; let’s denounce him!”
^[m]All my ^(BK)trusted friends,
Watching for my fall, say:
“Perhaps he will be persuaded, so that we may ^(BL)prevail against him
And take our revenge on him.”
¹¹But the ^(BM)Lord is with me like a powerful champion;
Therefore my ^(BN)persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be put to great shame because they have ^[n]failed,
An ^(BO)everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.
¹²Yet, Lord of armies, who ^(BP)tests the righteous,
Who sees the ^[o]mind and the heart;
Let me ^(BQ)see Your vengeance on them,
For ^(BR)to You I have disclosed my cause.
¹³^(BS)Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord!
For He has ^(BT)saved the soul of the needy one
From the hand of evildoers.

¹⁴Cursed be the ^(BU)day when I was born;
May the day when my mother gave birth to me not be blessed!
¹⁵Cursed be the man who brought the news
To my father, saying,
“A ^[p]^(BV)boy has been born to you!”
And made him very happy.
¹⁶But may that man be like the cities
Which the Lord ^(BW)overthrew without ^[q]relenting,
And may he hear an ^(BX)outcry in the morning
And ^[r]an alarm for war at noon;
¹⁷Because he did not ^(BY)kill me ^[s]before birth,
So that my mother would have been my grave,
And her womb forever pregnant.
¹⁸Why did I ever come out of the womb
To ^(BZ)look at trouble and sorrow,
So that my ^(CA)days have been spent in ^(CB)shame?

Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah

21 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when ^(CC)King Zedekiah sent to him ^(CD)Pashhur the son of Malchijah and ^(CE)Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, ²“Please ^(CF)inquire of the Lord in our behalf, because ^(CG)Nebuchadnezzar king of ^(CH)Babylon is making war against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us ^(CI)in accordance with all His ^[t]wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”

³But Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: ⁴‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to ^(CJ)turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you are making war against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will ^(CK)gather them into the middle of this city. ⁵And I ^(CL)Myself will make war against you with an ^(CM)outstretched hand and a mighty arm, and in ^(CN)anger, wrath, and great indignation. ⁶I will also strike the inhabitants of this city, both the people and the animals; they will die of a great ^(CO)plague. ⁷Then afterward,” declares the Lord, “^(CP)I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, that is, those who survive in this city from the plague, the sword, and the famine, over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to their enemies, and to those who seek their lives; and he will strike and kill them with the edge of the sword. He ^(CQ)will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’

⁸“You shall also say to this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am ^(CR)setting before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹Anyone who ^(CS)stays in this city will die by the ^(CT)sword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who leaves and goes over to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as plunder. ¹⁰For I have ^(CU)set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be ^(CV)handed over to the king of Babylon and he will ^(CW)burn it with fire.”’

¹¹“Then say to the household of the ^(CX)king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, ¹²^(CY)house of David, this is what the Lord says:

“^(CZ)Administer justice ^[u]every ^(DA)morning;
And save the person who has been robbed from the ^[v]power of his oppressor,
^(DB)So that My wrath will not spread like fire
And ^(DC)burn, with no one to extinguish it,
Because of the evil of their deeds.

¹³“Behold, ^(DD)I am against you, you inhabitant of the ^(DE)valley,
You ^[w]rocky plain,” declares the Lord,
“You who say, ‘^(DF)Who will come down against us?
Or who will enter our dwellings?’
¹⁴But I will punish you ^(DG)according to the ^[x]results of your deeds,” declares the Lord,
“And I will ^(DH)kindle a fire in its forest
So that it may devour all its surroundings.”’”

Notas al pie

Jeremiah 19:1 Or elders of the
Jeremiah 19:2 I.e., pottery fragment
Jeremiah 19:4 Or incense
Jeremiah 19:5 Lit heart
Jeremiah 19:8 Or whistling
Jeremiah 19:8 Or whistle
Jeremiah 19:8 Lit wounds
Jeremiah 19:11 Or until there is no place left to bury
Jeremiah 19:13 Or incense
Jeremiah 19:13 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
Jeremiah 20:3 I.e., horror on every side
Jeremiah 20:8 Lit become
Jeremiah 20:10 Lit Every man of my peace
Jeremiah 20:11 Lit not succeeded; or not acted wisely
Jeremiah 20:12 Lit kidneys
Jeremiah 20:15 Lit male child
Jeremiah 20:16 Lit being sorry
Jeremiah 20:16 Or a trumpet blast
Jeremiah 20:17 Lit from the womb
Jeremiah 21:2 Or miracles
Jeremiah 21:12 Or in the
Jeremiah 21:12 Lit hand
Jeremiah 21:13 Lit rock of the level place
Jeremiah 21:14 Lit fruit

1 Thessalonians 5:4-28

New American Standard Bible

⁴But you, brothers and sisters, are not in ^(A)darkness, so that the day would overtake you ^[a]^(B)like a thief; ⁵for you are all ^(C)sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of ^(D)darkness; ⁶so then, let’s not ^(E)sleep as ^[b]^(F)others do, but let’s be alert and ^[c]^(G)sober. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, ^(H)get drunk at night. ⁸But since ^(I)we are of the day, let’s ^(J)be ^[d]sober, having put on the ^(K)breastplate of ^(L)faith and love, and as a ^(M)helmet, the ^(N)hope of salvation. ⁹For God has not destined us for ^(O)wrath, but for ^(P)obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰^(Q)who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. ¹¹Therefore, ^[e]encourage one another and ^(R)build one another up, just as you also are doing.

Christian Conduct

¹²But we ask you, brothers and sisters, to ^(S)recognize those ^(T)who diligently labor among you and ^[f]^(U)are in leadership over you in the Lord, and give you ^[g]instruction, ¹³and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. ^(V)Live in peace with one another. ¹⁴We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish ^(W)the ^[h]unruly, encourage ^(X)the fainthearted, help ^(Y)the weak, be ^(Z)patient with everyone. ¹⁵See that ^(AA)no one repays another with evil for evil, but always ^(AB)seek what is good for one another and for all people. ¹⁶^(AC)Rejoice always, ¹⁷^(AD)pray without ceasing, ¹⁸in everything ^(AE)give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹^(AF)Do not quench the Spirit, ²⁰do not utterly reject ^[i]^(AG)prophecies, ²¹but ^(AH)examine everything; ^(AI)hold firmly to that which is good, ²²abstain from every ^[j]form of evil.

²³Now ^(AJ)may the God of peace ^(AK)Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your ^(AL)spirit and soul and body be kept complete, ^(AM)without blame at ^(AN)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴^(AO)Faithful is He who ^(AP)calls you, and He also will do it.

²⁵Brothers and sisters, ^(AQ)pray for us^[k].

²⁶^(AR)Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. ²⁷I put you under oath by the Lord to ^(AS)have this letter read to all the ^(AT)brothers and sisters.

²⁸^(AU)May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

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Notas al pie

1 Thessalonians 5:4 One early ms like thieves
1 Thessalonians 5:6 Lit the rest (of mankind)
1 Thessalonians 5:6 Or self-controlled
1 Thessalonians 5:8 Or self-controlled
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Or comfort
1 Thessalonians 5:12 Or care for you
1 Thessalonians 5:12 Or admonition
1 Thessalonians 5:14 Or undisciplined
1 Thessalonians 5:20 Or prophetic gifts
1 Thessalonians 5:22 Or appearance
1 Thessalonians 5:25 Two early mss add also

Psalm 82

New American Standard Bible

Unjust Judgments Rebuked.

A Psalm of Asaph.

82 God takes His ^(A)position in ^[a]His assembly;
He ^(B)judges in the midst of the ^(C)gods.
²How long will you ^(D)judge unjustly
And ^(E)show partiality to the wicked? Selah
³^(F)Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
⁴^(G)Rescue the weak and needy;
Save them from the hand of the wicked.

⁵They ^(H)do not know nor do they understand;
They ^(I)walk around in darkness;
All the ^(J)foundations of the earth are shaken.
⁶^[b]I ^(K)said, “You are gods,
And all of you are ^(L)sons of the Most High.
⁷Nevertheless ^(M)you will die like men,
And fall like ^(N)one of the princes.”
⁸^(O)Arise, God, ^(P)judge the earth!
For You ^(Q)possess all the nations.

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Notas al pie

Psalm 82:1 Lit the assembly of God
Psalm 82:6 Lit I, on my part

Proverbs 25:9-10

New American Standard Bible

⁹^[a]^(A)Argue your case with your neighbor,
And ^(B)do not reveal the secret of another,
¹⁰Or one who hears it will put you to shame,
And the evil report about you will not ^[b]pass away.