²⁴ “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even if ^[a](J)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a ^(K)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull ^[b]you ^[c]off; ²⁵ and I will ^(L)hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. ²⁶ I will ^(M)hurl you and your ^(N)mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. ²⁷ But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.

³⁰ This is what the Lord says:

The Coming Messiah: the Righteous Branch

23 “^(V)Woe to the shepherds who are causing the ^(W)sheep of My pasture to ^(X)perish and are scattering them!” declares the Lord. ² Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says concerning the shepherds who are ^[d]tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not been concerned about them; behold, I am going to ^(Y)call you to account for the ^(Z)evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord. ³ “Then I Myself will ^(AA)gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. ⁴ I will also raise up ^(AB)shepherds over them and they will ^[e]tend them; and they will ^(AC)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, ^(AD)nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

⁷ “^(AL)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of Egypt,’ ^8 (AM)but, ‘As the Lord lives, who ^(AN)brought up and led the descendants of the household of Israel back from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”

^31 (A)All bitterness, wrath, anger, ^[a]clamor, and slander must be ^(B)removed from you, along with all ^(C)malice. ^32 (D)Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, ^(E)just as God in Christ also has forgiven ^[b]you.

Be Imitators of God

5 ^(F)Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; ² and ^(G)walk in love, just as Christ also ^(H)loved ^[c]you and ^(I)gave Himself up for us, an ^(J)offering and a sacrifice to God ^[d]as a ^(K)fragrant aroma.

³ But ^(L)sexual immorality ^[e]or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among ^[f]saints; ⁴ and there must be no ^(M)filthiness ^[g]or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which ^(N)are not fitting, but rather ^(O)giving of thanks. ⁵ For this you know with certainty, that ^(P)no sexually immoral or ^[h]impure or greedy person, which ^[i]amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom ^(Q)of Christ and God.

^6 (R)See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things ^(S)the wrath of God comes upon ^(T)the ^[j]sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become ^(U)partners with them; ⁸ for ^(V)you were once ^(W)darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as ^(X)children of light ⁹ (for ^(Y)the fruit of the light consists in all ^(Z)goodness, righteousness, and truth), ^10 [k](AA)as you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. ^11 (AB)Do not participate in the useless ^(AC)deeds of ^(AD)darkness, but instead even ^(AE)expose them; ¹² for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. ¹³ But all things become visible ^(AF)when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. ¹⁴ For this reason ^[l]it says,

¹⁵ So then, ^[m]be careful how you ^(AJ)walk, not ^(AK)as unwise people but as wise, ^16 [n](AL)making the most of your time, because ^(AM)the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but ^(AN)understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And ^(AO)do not get drunk with wine, ^[o]in which there is ^(AP)debauchery, but be ^(AQ)filled with the Spirit, ^19 (AR)speaking to ^[p]one another in ^(AS)psalms and ^(AT)hymns and spiritual ^(AU)songs, ^(AV)singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; ^20 (AW)always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our ^(AX)God and Father; ^21 [q](AY)and subject yourselves to one another in the ^[r](AZ)fear of Christ.

Baskets of Figs and the Returnees

24 After ^(A)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and metalworkers from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two ^(B)baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. ² One basket had very good figs, like ^(C)first-ripe figs, and the other basket had ^(D)very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness. ³ Then the Lord said to me, “^(E)What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs: the good figs are very good, and the bad ones, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁵ “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard ^(F)as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. ⁶ For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will ^(G)bring them back to this land; and I will ^(H)build them up and not overthrow them, and I will ^(I)plant them and not uproot them. ⁷ I will also give them a ^(J)heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be ^(K)My people, and I will be their God, for they will ^(L)return to Me wholeheartedly.

⁸ ‘But like the ^(M)bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness,’ indeed, this is what the Lord says, ‘so will I give up ^(N)Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the ^(O)remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and the ones who live in the land of ^(P)Egypt. ⁹ I will ^(Q)make them an object of terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a ^(R)disgrace and a proverb, a taunt and a ^(S)curse in all the places where I will scatter them. ¹⁰ And I will send the ^(T)sword, the famine, and the plague upon them until they are eliminated from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’”

²⁵ So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this man not the one whom they are seeking to kill? ²⁶ And yet look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. ^(A)The rulers do not really know that this is the ^[a]Christ, do they? ²⁷ However, ^(B)we know where this man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.” ²⁸ Then Jesus cried out in the temple, ^(C)teaching and saying, “^(D)You both know Me and you know where I am from; and ^(E)I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. ^29 (F)I do know Him, because ^(G)I am from Him, and ^(H)He sent Me.” ³⁰ So they ^(I)were seeking to arrest Him; and yet no one laid a hand on Him, because His ^(J)hour had not yet come. ³¹ But ^(K)many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “^(L)When the ^[b]Christ comes, He will not perform more ^[c](M)signs than those which this man has done, will He?”

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent ^(N)officers to ^(O)arrest Him. ³³ Therefore Jesus said, “^(P)For a little while longer I am going to be with you, and then ^(Q)I am going to Him who sent Me. ^34 (R)You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” ^35 (S)The Jews then said to one another, “^(T)Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He does not intend to go to ^(U)the Dispersion among ^(V)the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, does He? ³⁶ What is this statement that He said, ‘^(W)You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”

³⁷ Now on ^(X)the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “^(Y)If anyone is thirsty, ^[d]let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ The one who believes in Me, ^(Z)as the Scripture said, ‘^[e]From his innermost being will flow rivers of ^(AA)living water.’” ³⁹ But this He said ^(AB)in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for ^(AC)the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet ^(AD)glorified.

People’s Division over Jesus

⁴⁰ Some of the people therefore, after they heard these words, were saying, “This truly is ^(AE)the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others were saying, “This is the ^[f]Christ.” But others were saying, “^(AF)Surely the ^[g]Christ is not coming from Galilee, is He? ⁴² Has the Scripture not said that the Christ comes from ^(AG)the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” ⁴³ So ^(AH)a dissension occurred in the crowd because of Him. ⁴⁴ And ^(AI)some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

⁴⁵ The ^(AJ)officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” ⁴⁶ The ^(AK)officers answered, “^(AL)Never has a man spoken in this way!” ⁴⁷ The Pharisees then replied to them, “^(AM)You have not been led astray too, have you? ^48 (AN)Not one of ^(AO)the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? ⁴⁹ But this crowd that does not know the Law is accursed!” ^50 (AP)Nicodemus (the one who came to Him before, being one of them) *said to them, ⁵¹ “^(AQ)Our Law does not judge the person unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” ⁵² They answered and said to him, “^(AR)You are not from Galilee as well, are you? Examine the Scriptures, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.” ⁵³ [[^[h]And everyone went to his home.