26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and all who are in the (A)farthest corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (B)uncircumcised in the heart.”

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41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies;

if their (A)uncircumcised hearts are (B)humbled, and they (C)accept their guilt—

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(A)When you brought in (B)foreigners, (C)uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it—My house—and when you offered (D)My food, (E)the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations.

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(A)Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My fury come forth like fire,
And burn so that no one can quench it,
Because of the evil of your doings.”

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28 For (A)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew (B)who is one inwardly; and (C)circumcision is that of the heart, (D)in the Spirit, not in the letter; (E)whose [a]praise is not from men but from God.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 2:29 A play on words—Jew is literally praise.

Israel Resists the Holy Spirit

51 You (A)stiff-necked[a] and (B)uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:51 stubborn

32 Their camels shall be for booty,
And the multitude of their cattle for plunder.
I will (A)scatter to all winds those [a]in the farthest corners,
And I will bring their calamity from all its sides,” says the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 49:32 Lit. cut off at the corner, Jer. 9:26; 25:23

The Great Day of the Lord(A)

The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of (B)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

The Great Day of the Lord

“I will [a]utterly consume everything
From the face of the land,”
Says the Lord;

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 1:2 Lit. make a complete end of, Jer. 8:13

Judgments on Israel’s Neighbors

The words of Amos, who was among the (A)sheepbreeders of (B)Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of (C)Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of (D)Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the (E)earthquake.

And he said:

“The Lord (F)roars from Zion,
And utters His voice from Jerusalem;
The pastures of the shepherds mourn,
And the top of (G)Carmel withers.”

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Thus says the Lord God: (A)“No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.

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Symbol of the Cooking Pot(A)

24 Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day—the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem (B)this very day. (C)And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

(D)“Put on a pot, set it on,
And also pour water into it.
Gather pieces of meat in it,
Every good piece,
The thigh and the shoulder.
Fill it with choice [a]cuts;
Take the choice of the flock.
Also pile fuel bones under it,
Make it boil well,
And let the cuts simmer in it.”

‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Woe to (E)the bloody city,
To the pot whose scum is in it,
And whose scum is not gone from it!
Bring it out piece by piece,
On which no (F)lot has fallen.
For her blood is in her midst;
She set it on top of a rock;
(G)She did not pour it on the ground,
To cover it with dust.
That it may raise up fury and take vengeance,
(H)I have set her blood on top of a rock,
That it may not be covered.”

‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:

(I)“Woe to the bloody city!
I too will make the pyre great.
10 Heap on the wood,
Kindle the fire;
Cook the meat well,
Mix in the spices,
And let the [b]cuts be burned up.

11 “Then set the pot empty on the coals,
That it may become hot and its bronze may burn,
That (J)its filthiness may be melted in it,
That its scum may be consumed.
12 She has [c]grown weary with [d]lies,
And her great scum has not gone from her.
Let her scum be in the fire!
13 In your (K)filthiness is lewdness.
Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed,
You will (L)not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore,
(M)Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you.
14 (N)I, the Lord, have spoken it;
(O)It shall come to pass, and I will do it;
I will not hold back,
(P)Nor will I spare,
Nor will I relent;
According to your ways
And according to your deeds
[e]They will judge you,”
Says the Lord God.’ ”

The Prophet’s Wife Dies

15 Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16 “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall (Q)neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh in silence, (R)make no mourning for the dead; (S)bind your turban on your head, and (T)put your sandals on your feet; (U)do not cover your [f]lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.

19 And the people said to me, (V)“Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?”

20 Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, (W)I will profane My sanctuary, [g]your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the [h]delight of your soul; (X)and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. 22 And you shall do as I have done; (Y)you shall not cover your [i]lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow. 23 Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; (Z)you shall neither mourn nor weep, but (AA)you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another. 24 Thus (AB)Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; (AC)and when this comes, (AD)you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

25 ‘And you, son of man—will it not be in the day when I take from them (AE)their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and [j]that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters: 26 that on that day (AF)one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears? 27 (AG)On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 24:4 Lit. bones
  2. Ezekiel 24:10 Lit. bones
  3. Ezekiel 24:12 Or wearied Me
  4. Ezekiel 24:12 Or toil
  5. Ezekiel 24:14 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. I
  6. Ezekiel 24:17 Lit. moustache
  7. Ezekiel 24:21 Lit. the pride of your strength
  8. Ezekiel 24:21 Lit. compassion
  9. Ezekiel 24:22 Lit. moustache
  10. Ezekiel 24:25 Lit. the lifting up of their soul

Judgment on Egypt

46 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against (A)the nations. Against (B)Egypt.

(C)Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (D)defeated in the (E)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

“Order[a] the [b]buckler and shield,
And draw near to battle!
Harness the horses,
And mount up, you horsemen!
Stand forth with your helmets,
Polish the spears,
(F)Put on the armor!
Why have I seen them dismayed and turned back?
Their mighty ones are beaten down;
They have speedily fled,
And did not look back,
For (G)fear was all around,” says the Lord.
“Do not let the swift flee away,
Nor the mighty man escape;
They will (H)stumble and fall
Toward the north, by the River Euphrates.

“Who is this coming up (I)like a flood,
Whose waters move like the rivers?
Egypt rises up like a flood,
And its waters move like the rivers;
And he says, ‘I will go up and cover the earth,
I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.’
Come up, O horses, and rage, O chariots!
And let the mighty men come forth:
[c]The Ethiopians and [d]the Libyans who handle the shield,
And the Lydians (J)who handle and bend the bow.
10 For this is (K)the day of the Lord God of hosts,
A day of vengeance,
That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries.
(L)The sword shall devour;
It shall be [e]satiated and made drunk with their blood;
For the Lord God of hosts (M)has a sacrifice
In the north country by the River Euphrates.

11 “Go(N) up to Gilead and take balm,
(O)O virgin, the daughter of Egypt;
In vain you will use many medicines;
(P)You shall not be cured.
12 The nations have heard of your (Q)shame,
And your cry has filled the land;
For the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty;
They both have fallen together.”

Babylonia Will Strike Egypt

13 The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and (R)strike the land of Egypt.

14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in (S)Migdol;
Proclaim in [f]Noph and in (T)Tahpanhes;
Say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves,
For the sword devours all around you.’
15 Why are your valiant men swept away?
They did not stand
Because the Lord drove them away.
16 He made many fall;
Yes, (U)one fell upon another.
And they said, ‘Arise!
(V)Let us go back to our own people
And to the land of our nativity
From the oppressing sword.’
17 They cried there,
‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise.
He has passed by the appointed time!’

18 As I live,” says the King,
(W)Whose name is the Lord of hosts,
“Surely as Tabor is among the mountains
And as Carmel by the sea, so he shall come.
19 O (X)you daughter dwelling in Egypt,
Prepare yourself (Y)to go into captivity!
For [g]Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant.

20 “Egypt is a very pretty (Z)heifer,
But destruction comes, it comes (AA)from the north.
21 Also her mercenaries are in her midst like [h]fat bulls,
For they also are turned back,
They have fled away together.
They did not stand,
For (AB)the day of their calamity had come upon them,
The time of their punishment.
22 (AC)Her noise shall go like a serpent,
For they shall march with an army
And come against her with axes,
Like those who chop wood.

23 “They shall (AD)cut down her forest,” says the Lord,
“Though it cannot be searched,
Because they are innumerable,
And more numerous than (AE)grasshoppers.
24 The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed;
She shall be delivered into the hand
Of (AF)the people of the north.”

25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will bring punishment on [i]Amon of (AG)No,[j] and Pharaoh and Egypt, (AH)with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those who (AI)trust in him. 26 (AJ)And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants. (AK)Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old,” says the Lord.

God Will Preserve Israel(AL)

27 “But(AM) do not fear, O My servant Jacob,
And do not be dismayed, O Israel!
For behold, I will (AN)save you from afar,
And your offspring from the land of their captivity;
Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease;
No one shall make him afraid.
28 Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the Lord,
“For I am with you;
For I will make a complete end of all the nations
To which I have driven you,
But I will not make (AO)a complete end of you.
I will rightly (AP)correct you,
For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 46:3 Set in order
  2. Jeremiah 46:3 A small shield
  3. Jeremiah 46:9 Heb. Cush
  4. Jeremiah 46:9 Heb. Put
  5. Jeremiah 46:10 Filled to the full
  6. Jeremiah 46:14 Ancient Memphis
  7. Jeremiah 46:19 Ancient Memphis
  8. Jeremiah 46:21 Lit. calves of the stall
  9. Jeremiah 46:25 A sun god
  10. Jeremiah 46:25 Ancient Thebes

and send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. And command them to say to their masters, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel—thus you shall say to your masters: (A)‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and (B)have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. (C)And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (D)My servant; and (E)the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. (F)So all nations shall serve him and his son and his son’s son, (G)until the time of his land comes; (H)and then many nations and great kings shall make him serve them.

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behold, I will send and take (A)all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (B)My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and (C)make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will [a]take from them the (D)voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, (E)the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy (F)years.

12 ‘Then it will come to pass, (G)when [b]seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the Lord; (H)‘and I will make it a perpetual desolation. 13 So I will bring on that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied concerning all the nations. 14 (I)(For many nations (J)and great kings shall (K)be served by them also; (L)and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.)’ ”

Judgment on the Nations

15 For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: “Take this (M)wine cup of [c]fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. 16 And (N)they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.”

17 Then I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations drink, to whom the Lord had sent me: 18 Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its princes, to make them (O)a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and (P)a curse, as it is this day; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, and all his people; 20 all the mixed multitude, all the kings of (Q)the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the (R)Philistines (namely, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and (S)the remnant of Ashdod); 21 (T)Edom, Moab, and the people of Ammon; 22 all the kings of (U)Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastlands which are across the (V)sea; 23 (W)Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who are in the farthest corners; 24 all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the (X)mixed multitude who dwell in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of (Y)Elam, and all the kings of the (Z)Medes; 26 (AA)all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. Also the king of [d]Sheshach shall drink after them.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 25:10 Lit. cause to perish from them
  2. Jeremiah 25:12 Beginning circa 605 b.c. (2 Kin. 24:1) and ending circa 536 b.c. (Ezra 1:1)
  3. Jeremiah 25:15 wrath
  4. Jeremiah 25:26 A code word for Babylon, Jer. 51:41

24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, 25 whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria (A)the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

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Proclamation Against Babylon

13 The (A)burden[a] against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

“Lift(B) up a banner (C)on the high mountain,
Raise your voice to them;
(D)Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
I have commanded My [b]sanctified ones;
I have also called (E)My mighty ones for My anger—
Those who (F)rejoice in My exaltation.”

The (G)noise of a multitude in the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts musters
The army for battle.
They come from a far country,
From the end of heaven—
The (H)Lord and His [c]weapons of indignation,
To destroy the whole (I)land.

Wail, (J)for the day of the Lord is at hand!
(K)It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Therefore all hands will be limp,
Every man’s heart will melt,
And they will be afraid.
(L)Pangs[d] and sorrows will take hold of them;
They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;
They will be amazed at one another;
Their faces will be like flames.

Behold, (M)the day of the Lord comes,
Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,
To lay the land desolate;
And He will destroy (N)its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not give their light;
The sun will be (O)darkened in its going forth,
And the moon will not cause its light to shine.

11 “I will (P)punish the world for its evil,
And the wicked for their iniquity;
(Q)I will halt the arrogance of the proud,
And will lay low the haughtiness of the [e]terrible.
12 I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold,
A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 (R)Therefore I will shake the heavens,
And the earth will move out of her place,
In the wrath of the Lord of hosts
And in (S)the day of His fierce anger.
14 It shall be as the hunted gazelle,
And as a sheep that no man [f]takes up;
(T)Every man will turn to his own people,
And everyone will flee to his own land.
15 Everyone who is found will be thrust through,
And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their children also will be (U)dashed to pieces before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives (V)ravished.

17 “Behold,(W) I will stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not [g]regard silver;
And as for gold, they will not delight in it.
18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces,
And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
Their eye will not spare children.
19 (X)And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew (Y)Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 (Z)It will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,
Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
21 (AA)But wild beasts of the desert will lie there,
And their houses will be full of [h]owls;
Ostriches will dwell there,
And wild goats will caper there.
22 The hyenas will howl in their citadels,
And jackals in their pleasant palaces.
(AB)Her time is near to come,
And her days will not be prolonged.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 13:1 oracle, prophecy
  2. Isaiah 13:3 consecrated or set apart
  3. Isaiah 13:5 Or instruments
  4. Isaiah 13:8 Sharp pains
  5. Isaiah 13:11 Or tyrants
  6. Isaiah 13:14 gathers
  7. Isaiah 13:17 esteem
  8. Isaiah 13:21 Or howling creatures

And (A)the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

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