Jeremiah 1:11-19

New King James Version

¹¹Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”

And I said, “I see a ^[a]branch of an almond tree.”

¹²Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ^[b]ready to perform My word.”

¹³And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?”

And I said, “I see ^(A)a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.”

¹⁴Then the Lord said to me:

“Out of the ^(B)north calamity shall break forth
On all the inhabitants of the land.
¹⁵For behold, I am ^(C)calling
All the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord;
“They shall come and ^(D)each one set his throne
At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,
Against all its walls all around,
And against all the cities of Judah.
¹⁶I will utter My judgments
Against them concerning all their wickedness,
Because ^(E)they have forsaken Me,
Burned ^(F)incense to other gods,
And worshiped the works of their own ^(G)hands.

¹⁷“Therefore ^(H)prepare yourself and arise,
And speak to them all that I command you.
^(I)Do not be dismayed before their faces,
Lest I dismay you before them.
¹⁸For behold, I have made you this day
^(J)A fortified city and an iron pillar,
And bronze walls against the whole land—
Against the kings of Judah,
Against its princes,
Against its priests,
And against the people of the land.
¹⁹They will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you.
For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Jeremiah 1:11 Lit. rod
Jeremiah 1:12 Lit. watching

2 Corinthians 1:1-2:11

New King James Version

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and ^(B)Timothy our brother,

To the church of God which is at Corinth, ^(C)with all the saints who are in all Achaia:

²^(D)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Comfort in Suffering

³^(E)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴who ^(F)comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any ^[a]trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵For as ^(G)the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our ^[b]consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶Now if we are afflicted, ^(H)it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that ^(I)as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

Delivered from Suffering

⁸For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of ^(J)our ^[c]trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should ^(K)not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, ¹⁰^(L)who delivered us from so great a death, and ^[d]does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, ¹¹you also ^(M)helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on ^[e]our behalf ^(N)for the gift granted to us through many.

Paul’s Sincerity

¹²For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in ^[f]simplicity and ^(O)godly sincerity, ^(P)not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. ¹³For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end ¹⁴(as also you have understood us in part), ^(Q)that we are your boast as ^(R)you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Sparing the Church

¹⁵And in this confidence ^(S)I intended to come to you before, that you might have ^(T)a second benefit— ¹⁶to pass by way of you to Macedonia, ^(U)to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea. ¹⁷Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan ^(V)according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? ¹⁸But as God is ^(W)faithful, our ^[g]word to you was not Yes and No. ¹⁹For ^(X)the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, ^(Y)Silvanus, and ^(Z)Timothy—was not Yes and No, ^(AA)but in Him was Yes. ²⁰^(AB)For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. ²¹Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and ^(AC)has anointed us is God, ²²who ^(AD)also has sealed us and ^(AE)given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

²³Moreover ^(AF)I call God as witness against my soul, ^(AG)that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. ²⁴Not ^(AH)that we ^[h]have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for ^(AI)by faith you stand.

Paul Urges Forgiveness

2 But I determined this within myself, ^(AJ)that I would not come again to you in sorrow. ²For if I make you ^(AK)sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

Forgive the Offender

³And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, ^(AL)I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, ^(AM)having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. ⁴For out of much ^[i]affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, ^(AN)not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.

⁵But ^(AO)if anyone has caused grief, he has not ^(AP)grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. ⁶This punishment which was inflicted ^(AQ)by the majority is sufficient for such a man, ⁷^(AR)so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. ⁸Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. ⁹For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are ^(AS)obedient in all things. ¹⁰Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For ^[j]if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 1:4 tribulation
2 Corinthians 1:5 comfort
2 Corinthians 1:8 tribulation
2 Corinthians 1:10 NU shall
2 Corinthians 1:11 M your behalf
2 Corinthians 1:12 The opposite of duplicity
2 Corinthians 1:18 message
2 Corinthians 1:24 rule
2 Corinthians 2:4 tribulation
2 Corinthians 2:10 NU indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes

Jeremiah 2:1-13

New King James Version

God’s Case Against Israel

2 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord:

“I remember you,
The kindness of your ^(A)youth,
The love of your betrothal,
^(B)When you ^[a]went after Me in the wilderness,
In a land not sown.
³^(C)Israel was holiness to the Lord,
^(D)The firstfruits of His increase.
^(E)All that devour him will offend;
Disaster will ^(F)come upon them,” says the Lord.’ ”

⁴Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. ⁵Thus says the Lord:

^(G)“What injustice have your fathers found in Me,
That they have gone far from Me,
^(H)Have followed ^[b]idols,
And have become idolaters?
⁶Neither did they say, ‘Where is the Lord,
Who ^(I)brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who led us through ^(J)the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and pits,
Through a land of drought and the shadow of death,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no one dwelt?’
⁷I brought you into ^(K)a bountiful country,
To eat its fruit and its goodness.
But when you entered, you ^(L)defiled My land
And made My heritage an abomination.
⁸The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the ^(M)law did not know Me;
The rulers also transgressed against Me;
^(N)The prophets prophesied by Baal,
And walked after things that do not profit.

⁹“Therefore ^(O)I will yet ^[c]bring charges against you,” says the Lord,
“And against your children’s children I will bring charges.
¹⁰For pass beyond the coasts of ^[d]Cyprus and see,
Send to ^[e]Kedar and consider diligently,
And see if there has been such a ^(P)thing.
¹¹^(Q)Has a nation changed its gods,
Which are ^(R)not gods?
^(S)But My people have changed their Glory
For what does not profit.
¹²Be astonished, O heavens, at this,
And be horribly afraid;
Be very desolate,” says the Lord.
¹³“For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the ^(T)fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.