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Jeremiah’s Trust in the Lord

11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs she has not laid,
    so are those who get their wealth by unjust means.
At midlife they will lose their riches;
    in the end, they will become poor old fools.

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11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
    are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
    and in the end they will prove to be fools.(A)

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20 The trustworthy person will get a rich reward,
    but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble.

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20 A faithful person will be richly blessed,
    but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.(A)

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Income from charging high interest rates
    will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor.

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Whoever increases wealth by taking interest(A) or profit from the poor
    amasses it for another,(B) who will be kind to the poor.(C)

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Wealth created by a lying tongue
    is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 21:6 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads mist for those who seek death.

A fortune made by a lying tongue
    is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.[a](A)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts vapor for those who seek death

27 Greed brings grief to the whole family,
    but those who hate bribes will live.

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27 The greedy bring ruin to their households,
    but the one who hates bribes will live.(A)

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14 They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.

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14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce(A) the unstable;(B) they are experts in greed(C)—an accursed brood!(D)

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20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

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20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool!(A) This very night your life will be demanded from you.(B) Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’(C)

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“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. 10 Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.

11 “Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. 12 They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.

13 “Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

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“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice;(A) show mercy and compassion to one another.(B) 10 Do not oppress the widow(C) or the fatherless, the foreigner(D) or the poor.(E) Do not plot evil against each other.’(F)

11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly(G) they turned their backs(H) and covered their ears.(I) 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint(J) and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.(K) So the Lord Almighty was very angry.(L)

13 “‘When I called, they did not listen;(M) so when they called, I would not listen,’(N) says the Lord Almighty.(O)

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Yes, I will punish those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies,
    and those who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

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On that day I will punish
    all who avoid stepping on the threshold,[a](A)
who fill the temple of their gods
    with violence and deceit.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 1:9 See 1 Samuel 5:5.

“But soon their captives will taunt them.
    They will mock them, saying,
‘What sorrow awaits you thieves!
    Now you will get what you deserve!
You’ve become rich by extortion,
    but how much longer can this go on?’
Suddenly, your debtors will take action.
    They will turn on you and take all you have,
    while you stand trembling and helpless.
Because you have plundered many nations,
    now all the survivors will plunder you.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
    and filled the towns with violence.

“What sorrow awaits you who build big houses
    with money gained dishonestly!
You believe your wealth will buy security,
    putting your family’s nest beyond the reach of danger.
10 But by the murders you committed,
    you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives.
11 The very stones in the walls cry out against you,
    and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.

12 “What sorrow awaits you who build cities
    with money gained through murder and corruption!

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“Will not all of them taunt(A) him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
    and makes himself wealthy by extortion!(B)
    How long must this go on?’
Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
    Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
    Then you will become their prey.(C)
Because you have plundered many nations,
    the peoples who are left will plunder you.(D)
For you have shed human blood;(E)
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.(F)

“Woe to him who builds(G) his house by unjust gain,(H)
    setting his nest(I) on high
    to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin(J) of many peoples,
    shaming(K) your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones(L) of the wall will cry out,
    and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed(M)
    and establishes a town by injustice!

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Judgment against Wealthy Oppressors

What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night,
    thinking up evil plans.
You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out,
    simply because you have the power to do so.
When you want a piece of land,
    you find a way to seize it.
When you want someone’s house,
    you take it by fraud and violence.
You cheat a man of his property,
    stealing his family’s inheritance.

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Human Plans and God’s Plans

Woe to those who plan iniquity,
    to those who plot evil(A) on their beds!(B)
At morning’s light they carry it out
    because it is in their power to do it.
They covet fields(C) and seize them,(D)
    and houses, and take them.
They defraud(E) people of their homes,
    they rob them of their inheritance.(F)

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17 “But you! You have eyes only for greed and dishonesty!
    You murder the innocent,
    oppress the poor, and reign ruthlessly.”

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17 “But your eyes and your heart
    are set only on dishonest gain,(A)
on shedding innocent blood(B)
    and on oppression and extortion.”(C)

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A Message about Jehoiakim

13 And the Lord says, “What sorrow awaits Jehoiakim,[a]
    who builds his palace with forced labor.[b]
He builds injustice into its walls,
    for he makes his neighbors work for nothing.
    He does not pay them for their labor.

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Footnotes

  1. 22:13a The brother and successor of the exiled Jehoahaz. See 22:18.
  2. 22:13b Hebrew by unrighteousness.

13 “Woe(A) to him who builds(B) his palace by unrighteousness,
    his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
    not paying(C) them for their labor.

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