Conquest of Egypt Predicted

44 The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt, those who were living in ^(A)Migdol, ^(B)Tahpanhes, ^(C)Memphis, and the land of ^(D)Pathros, saying, ² “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘You yourselves have seen all the disaster that I have brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are in ^(E)ruins and no one lives in them, ^3 (F)because of their wickedness which they committed to ^(G)provoke Me to anger by continuing to ^(H)burn ^[a]sacrifices and to ^(I)serve other gods whom they had not known, neither they, you, nor your fathers. ⁴ Yet I ^(J)sent you all My servants the prophets again and again, saying, “Oh, do not do this ^(K)abominable thing which I hate.” ⁵ But ^(L)they did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their wickedness, so as not to burn ^[b]sacrifices to other gods. ⁶ Therefore My ^(M)wrath and My anger gushed out and burned in the ^(N)cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, so they have become ruins and a ^(O)desolation as it is this day. ⁷ Now then, this is what the Lord God of armies, the God of Israel says: “Why are you ^(P)doing great harm to yourselves, to ^(Q)eliminate from yourselves man and woman, child and infant from among Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant, ^8 (R)provoking Me to anger with the works of your hands, ^(S)burning ^[c]sacrifices to other gods in the land of Egypt where you are entering to reside, so that you may be eliminated and become a ^(T)curse and a disgrace among all the nations of the earth? ⁹ Have you forgotten the ^(U)wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah and the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? ¹⁰ Yet they ^(V)have not become ^[d]contrite even to this day, nor have they feared, nor ^(W)walked in My Law or My statutes, which I placed before you and before your fathers.”’

¹¹ “Therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to ^(X)set My face against you for a disaster, even to eliminate all Judah. ¹² And I will ^(Y)take away the remnant of Judah who have set their ^[e]minds on entering the land of Egypt to reside there, and they will all ^[f](Z)meet their end in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword or meet their end by famine. From the small to the great, they will die by the sword and famine; and they will become a ^(AA)curse, an object of horror, ^[g]an imprecation, and a disgrace. ¹³ And I will ^(AB)punish those who live in the land of Egypt, just as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with plague. ¹⁴ So there will be ^(AC)no survivor or refugee for the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to reside there and then to return to the land of Judah, to which they are ^[h](AD)longing to return to live; for none will ^(AE)return except a few refugees.’”

¹⁵ Then ^(AF)all the men who were aware that their wives were burning ^[i]sacrifices to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, as a large assembly, ^[j]including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying, ¹⁶ “As for the ^[k](AG)message that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, ^(AH)we are not going to listen to you! ¹⁷ But we will certainly ^(AI)carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, ^[l]by burning ^[m]sacrifices to the ^(AJ)queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as ^(AK)we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings, and our leaders did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had ^(AL)plenty of ^[n]food and were well off and saw no ^[o]misfortune. ¹⁸ But since we stopped burning ^[p]sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have ^(AM)lacked everything, and have met our end by the sword and by famine.” ¹⁹ “And,” said the women, “when we were ^(AN)burning ^[q]sacrifices to the queen of heaven and ^[r]pouring out drink offerings to her, was it ^(AO)without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes ^[s]in her image, and poured out drink offerings to her?”

Disaster for the Jews

²⁰ Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women—even to all the people who were giving him such an answer—saying, ²¹ “As for the ^[t](AP)smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the ^(AQ)streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your leaders, and the people of the land, did the Lord not ^(AR)remember them, and did all of this not come into His ^[u]mind? ²² So the Lord was ^(AS)no longer able to endure it, ^(AT)because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed; so your land has become a ^(AU)place of ruins, an object of horror, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it is this day. ²³ Since you have burned ^[v]sacrifices and have sinned against the Lord and ^(AV)not obeyed the voice of the Lord nor ^(AW)walked in His Law, His statutes, or His testimonies, therefore this ^(AX)disaster has happened to you, as it has this day.”

²⁴ Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, “^(AY)Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are ^(AZ)in the land of Egypt! ²⁵ This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel ^[w]says: ‘As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, “We will ^(BA)certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn ^[x]sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” ^(BB)By all means fulfill your vows, and be sure to perform your vows!’ ^26 [y]In return, hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt: ‘Behold, I have ^(BC)sworn by My great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that My name shall ^(BD)never be invoked again by the mouth of anyone of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “^(BE)As the Lord ^[z]God lives.” ²⁷ Behold, I am watching over them ^(BF)for harm and not for good, and ^(BG)all the people of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will ^[aa]meet their end by the sword or by famine until they ^[ab]are completely gone. ^28 (BH)Those who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah ^[ac](BI)few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know ^(BJ)whose word will stand, Mine or theirs. ²⁹ And this will be the ^(BK)sign to you,’ declares the Lord, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that ^(BL)My words will assuredly stand against you for harm.’ ³⁰ This is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to hand ^(BM)Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to his enemies, to those who seek his life, just as I handed ^(BN)Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and was seeking his life.’”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 ^(A)When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, ² “^(B)You know that after two days ^(C)the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be ^(D)handed over for crucifixion.”

^3 (E)At that time the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in ^(F)the courtyard of the high priest named ^(G)Caiaphas; ⁴ and they ^(H)plotted together to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him. ⁵ But they were saying, “Not during the festival, ^(I)otherwise a riot might occur among the people.”

The Precious Ointment

^6 (J)Now when Jesus was in ^(K)Bethany, at the home of Simon ^[a]the Leper, ^7 (L)a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume, and she poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table. ⁸ But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this perfume could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you bothering the woman? For she has done a good deed for Me. ¹¹ For you always have ^(M)the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. ¹² For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it ^(N)to prepare Me for burial. ¹³ Truly I say to you, ^(O)wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Judas’ Bargain

^14 (P)Then one of the twelve, named ^(Q)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me ^[b]to ^[c](R)betray Him to you?” And ^(S)they set out for him thirty ^[d]pieces of silver. ¹⁶ And from then on he looked for a good opportunity to ^[e]betray ^[f]Jesus.

^17 (T)Now on the first day of ^[g](U)Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and ^[h]asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ And He said, “Go into the city to ^(V)a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “^(W)My time is near; I am keeping the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’” ¹⁹ The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

The Last Passover

^20 (X)Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the ^[i]twelve. ²¹ And as they were eating, He said, “^(Y)Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” ²² Being deeply grieved, they began saying to Him, each one: “Surely it is not I, Lord?” ²³ And He answered, “^(Z)He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. ²⁴ The Son of Man is going away ^(AA)just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(AB)It would have been good ^[j]for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵ And ^(AC)Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, ^(AD)Rabbi?” Jesus *said to him, “^(AE)You have said it yourself.”

The Lord’s Supper Instituted

^26 (AF)Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and ^[k](AG)after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for ^(AH)this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for ^(AI)many for forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom.”

^30 (AJ)And after singing a ^[l]hymn, they went out to ^(AK)the Mount of Olives.

³¹ Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all ^[m](AL)fall away because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘^(AM)I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be ^(AN)scattered.’ ³² But after I have been raised, ^(AO)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ³³ But Peter replied to Him, “Even if they all ^[n]fall away because of You, I will never fall away!” ³⁴ Jesus said to him, “^(AP)Truly I say to you that ^(AQ)this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ³⁵ Peter *said to Him, “^(AR)Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” All the disciples said the same thing as well.

The Garden of Gethsemane

^36 (AS)Then Jesus *came with them to a place called ^[o](AT)Gethsemane, and *told His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And He took ^(AU)Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and began to be grieved and distressed. ³⁸ Then He *said to them, “^(AV)My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and ^(AW)keep watch with Me.”

³⁹ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let ^(AX)this cup pass from Me; ^(AY)yet not as I will, but as You will.” ⁴⁰ And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and He *said to Peter, “So, you men could not ^(AZ)keep watch with Me for one hour? ^41 (BA)Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; ^(BB)the spirit is ^[p]willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup ^(BC)cannot pass away unless I drink from it, ^(BD)Your will be done.” ⁴³ Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. ⁴⁵ Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “^[q]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, ^(BE)the hour ^[r]is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”

Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest

^47 (BF)And while He was still speaking, behold, ^(BG)Judas, one of the twelve, came ^[s]accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign previously, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him.” ⁴⁹ And immediately Judas went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, ^(BH)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “^(BI)Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him.

⁵¹ And behold, ^(BJ)one of those who were with Jesus ^[t]reached and drew his ^(BK)sword, and struck the ^(BL)slave of the high priest and ^[u]cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for ^(BM)all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. ⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve ^[v](BN)legions of ^(BO)angels? ⁵⁴ How then would ^(BP)the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a man inciting a revolt? ^(BQ)Every day I used to sit within the temple grounds teaching, and you did not arrest Me. ⁵⁶ But all this has taken place so that ^(BR)the Scriptures of the prophets will be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

Jesus before Caiaphas

^57 (BS)Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to ^(BT)Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. ⁵⁸ But ^(BU)Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the ^(BV)courtyard of the high priest, and he came inside and sat down with the ^[w](BW)officers to see the outcome.

⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the entire ^[x](BX)Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. ⁶⁰ They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on ^(BY)two came forward, ⁶¹ and said, “This man stated, ‘^(BZ)I am able to destroy the ^[y]temple of God and to rebuild it ^[z]in three days.’” ⁶² The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You offer no answer for what these men are testifying against You?” ⁶³ But ^(CA)Jesus kept silent. ^(CB)And the high priest said to Him, “I ^(CC)place You under oath by ^(CD)the living God, to tell us whether You are the ^[aa]Christ, ^(CE)the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus *said to him, “^(CF)You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see ^(CG)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and ^(CH)coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest ^(CI)tore his ^[ab]robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? See, you have now heard the blasphemy; ⁶⁶ what do you think?” They answered, “^(CJ)He deserves death!”

^67 (CK)Then they ^(CL)spit in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others ^[ac]slapped Him, ⁶⁸ and said, “^(CM)Prophesy to us, You ^[ad]Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

Peter’s Denials

^69 (CN)Now Peter was sitting outside in the ^(CO)courtyard, and a slave woman came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” ⁷¹ When he had gone out to the gateway, another slave woman saw him and *said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it, with an oath: “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “You really are one of them as well, ^(CP)since even the way you talk ^[ae]gives you away.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the statement that Jesus had ^[af]made: “^(CQ)Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

The Lord, a Provider and the One Who Rescues Me.

A Psalm of David, when he pretended to be insane before ^[a]Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.