Judgment on Coniah (Jehoiachin)

²⁴ As I live, says the Lord, even if King Coniah son of Jehoiakim of Judah were the signet ring on my right hand, even from there I would tear you off^{(D) 25} and give you into the hands of those who seek your life, into the hands of those whom you fear, even into the hands of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and into the hands of the Chaldeans.^{(E) 26} I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die.^{(F) 27} But they shall not return to the land to which they long to return.

Restoration after Exile

23 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord.^{(I) 2} Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. ³ Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.^{(J) 4} I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall no longer fear or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.^(K)

The Righteous Branch of David

⁵ The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.^{(L) 6} In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”^(M)

⁷ Therefore the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, “As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,”^{(N) 8} but “As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he^[b] had driven them.” Then they shall live in their own land.

³¹ Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice.^{(A) 32} Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.^[a](B) 5 ¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,^{(C) 2} and walk in love, as Christ loved us^[b] and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.^(D)

Renounce Pagan Ways

³ But sexual immorality and impurity of any kind or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints.^{(E) 4} Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. ⁵ Be sure of this, that no sexually immoral or impure person or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.^(F)

⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient.^{[c](G) 7} Therefore do not be associated with them, ⁸ for once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light,^{(H) 9} for the fruit of the light^[d] is found in all that is good and right and true. ¹⁰ Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, expose them.^{(I) 12} For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly, ¹³ but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴ for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

¹⁵ Be careful, then, how you live,^[e] not as unwise people but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of the time, because the days are evil.^{(K) 17} So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.^{(L) 18} Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,^{(M) 19} as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to one another, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts,^{(N) 20} giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,^{(O) 21} being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The Good and the Bad Figs

24 The Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. This was after King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem King Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim of Judah, together with the officials of Judah, the artisans, and the smiths, and had brought them to Babylon.^{(A) 2} One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten.^{(B) 3} And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs—the good figs very good and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”^(C)

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁵ Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. ⁶ I will set my eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not pluck them up.^{(D) 7} I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with their whole heart.^(E)

⁸ But thus says the Lord: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who live in the land of Egypt.^{(F) 9} I will make them a horror, an evil thing, to all the kingdoms of the earth—a disgrace, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them.^{(G) 10} And I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them until they are utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them and their ancestors.^(H)

Is This the Christ?

²⁵ Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? ²⁶ And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah?^{[a] 27} Yet we know where this man is from, but when the Messiah^[b] comes no one will know where he is from.”^{(A) 28} Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him.^{(B) 29} I know him because I am from him, and he sent me.”^{(C) 30} Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him because his hour had not yet come.^{(D) 31} Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah^[c] comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?”^[d](E)

Officers Are Sent to Arrest Jesus

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. ³³ Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.^{(F) 34} You will search for me, but you will not find me, and where I am, you cannot come.”^{(G) 35} The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?^{(H) 36} What does he mean by saying, ‘You will search for me, but you will not find me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

Rivers of Living Water

³⁷ On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,^{(I) 38} and let the one who believes in me drink. As^[e] the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart^[f] shall flow rivers of living water.’ ”^{(J) 39} Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive, for as yet there was no Spirit^[g] because Jesus was not yet glorified.^(K)

Division among the People

⁴⁰ When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” ⁴¹ Others said, “This is the Messiah.”^[h] But some asked, “Surely the Messiah^[i] does not come from Galilee, does he?^{(L) 42} Has not the scripture said that the Messiah^[j] is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”^{(M) 43} So there was a division in the crowd because of him. ⁴⁴ Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

The Unbelief of Those in Authority

⁴⁵ Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” ⁴⁶ The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” ⁴⁷ Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived, too, have you? ⁴⁸ Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him?^{(N) 49} But this crowd, which does not know the law, they are accursed.” ⁵⁰ Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus^[k] before and who was one of them, asked, ⁵¹ “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?”^{(O) 52} They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.”

The Woman Caught in Adultery

[[⁵³ Then each of them went home,