Font Size
Jeremiah 17-18
Christian Standard Bible
Jeremiah 17-18
Christian Standard Bible
The Persistent Sin of Judah
17 The sin of Judah is inscribed
with an iron stylus.(A)
With a diamond point
it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts(B)
and on the horns of their[a] altars,
2 while their children remember their altars
and their Asherah poles, by the green trees
on the high hills(C)—
3 my mountains in the countryside.
I will give up your wealth
and all your treasures as plunder(D)
because of the sin of your high places[b]
in all your borders.(E)
4 You will, on your own, relinquish your inheritance
that I gave you.
I will make you serve your enemies
in a land you do not know,(F)
for you have set my anger on fire;(G)
it will burn forever.
Curse and Blessing
5 This is what the Lord says:
Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind.(H)
He makes human flesh his strength,(I)
and his heart turns from the Lord.
6 He will be like a juniper in the Arabah;(J)
he cannot see when good comes
but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness,
in a salt land where no one lives.(K)
7 The person who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.(L)
8 He will be like a tree planted by water:(M)
it sends its roots out toward a stream,
it doesn’t fear when heat comes,
and its foliage remains green.
It will not worry in a year of drought
or cease producing fruit.
The Deceitful Heart
10 I, the Lord, examine the mind,
I test the heart[c](P)
to give to each according to his way,
according to what his actions deserve.(Q)
11 He who makes a fortune unjustly
is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn’t lay.
In the middle of his life
his riches will abandon him,
so in the end he will be a fool.(R)
12 A glorious throne(S)
on high(T) from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.(U)
13 Lord, the hope of Israel,(V)
all who abandon you
will be put to shame.
All who turn away from me
will be written in the dirt,
for they have abandoned
the Lord, the fountain of living water.(W)
Jeremiah’s Plea
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
save me, and I will be saved,
for you are my praise.(X)
15 Hear how they keep challenging me,(Y)
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come!”
16 But I have not run away from being your shepherd,
and I have not longed for the fatal day.(Z)
You know my words were spoken in your presence.
17 Don’t become a terror to me.
You are my refuge(AA) in the day of disaster.
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,(AB)
but don’t let me be put to shame.
Let them be terrified, but don’t let me be terrified.
Bring on them the day of disaster;(AC)
shatter them with total[d] destruction.
Observing the Sabbath
19 This is what the Lord said to me, “Go and stand at the People’s Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem. 20 Announce to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the residents of Jerusalem who enter through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: Watch yourselves; do not pick up a load and bring it in through Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day.(AD) 22 Do not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day or do any work,(AE) but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I commanded your ancestors.(AF) 23 They wouldn’t listen or pay attention but became obstinate,(AG) not listening or accepting discipline.
24 “‘However, if you listen to me—this is the Lord’s declaration—and do not bring loads through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it, 25 kings and princes will enter through the gates of this city. They will sit on the throne of David;(AH) they will ride in chariots and on horses(AI) with their officials, the men of Judah, and the residents of Jerusalem. This city will be inhabited forever. 26 Then people will come from the cities of Judah and from the area around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the Judean foothills, from the hill country and from the Negev(AJ) bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and thanksgiving sacrifices to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not listen to me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load while entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, I will set fire to its gates,(AK) and it will consume the citadels(AL) of Jerusalem(AM) and not be extinguished.’”(AN)
Parable of the Potter
18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down at once to the potter’s house;(AO) there I will reveal my words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working away at the wheel.[e] 4 But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter’s hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do.(AP)
5 The word of the Lord came to me: 6 “House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.(AQ) 7 At one moment I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will uproot, tear down, and destroy it.(AR) 8 However, if that nation about which I have made the announcement turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to do to it.(AS) 9 At another time I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it.(AT) 10 However, if it does what is evil in my sight by not listening to me, I will relent concerning the good I had said I would do to it.(AU) 11 So now, say to the men of Judah and to the residents of Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am about to bring harm to you and make plans against you. Turn now, each from your evil way, and correct your ways and your deeds.’(AV) 12 But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless.(AW) We will continue to follow our plans, and each of us will continue to act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”
Deluded Israel
13 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
Ask among the nations,
who has heard things like these?
Virgin Israel has done a most horrible thing.(AX)
14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave the highland crags?
Or does cold water flowing from a distance ever fail?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me.(AY)
They burn incense to worthless idols
that make them stumble in their ways(AZ)
on the ancient roads,(BA)
and make them walk on new paths, not the highway.
16 They have made their land a horror,(BB)
a perpetual object of scorn;[f](BC)
all who pass by it will be appalled(BD)
and shake their heads.(BE)
17 I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind.(BF)
I will show them[g] my back and not my face(BG)
on the day of their calamity.
Plot against Jeremiah
18 Then certain ones said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah,(BH) for instruction will never be lost from the priest,(BI) or counsel from the wise, or a word from the prophet.(BJ) Come, let’s denounce him[h] and pay no attention to all his words.”
19 Pay attention to me, Lord.
Hear what my opponents are saying!(BK)
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me.(BL)
Remember how I stood before you
to speak good on their behalf,
to turn your anger from them.
21 Therefore, hand their children over to famine,(BM)
and give them over to the power of the sword.
Let their wives become childless and widowed,
their husbands slain by deadly disease,[i]
their young men struck down by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring raiders against them,
for they have dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden snares for my feet.(BN)
23 But you, Lord, know
all their deadly plots against me.
Do not wipe out their iniquity;(BO)
do not blot out their sin before you.
Let them be forced to stumble before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger.
Jeremiah 17-18
New International Version
Jeremiah 17-18
New International Version
17 “Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool,(A)
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their hearts(B)
and on the horns(C) of their altars.
2 Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles[a](D)
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.(E)
3 My mountain in the land
and your[b] wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,(F)
together with your high places,(G)
because of sin throughout your country.(H)
4 Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritance(I) I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies(J)
in a land(K) you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burn(L) forever.”
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,(M)
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.(N)
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places(O) of the desert,
in a salt(P) land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed(Q) is the one who trusts(R) in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.(S)
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought(T)
and never fails to bear fruit.”(U)
9 The heart(V) is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart(W)
and examine the mind,(X)
to reward(Y) each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”(Z)
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
and in the end they will prove to be fools.(AA)
12 A glorious throne,(AB) exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are the hope(AC) of Israel;
all who forsake(AD) you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust(AE)
because they have forsaken the Lord,
the spring of living water.(AF)
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;(AG)
save(AH) me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.(AI)
15 They keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it now be fulfilled!”(AJ)
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips(AK) is open before you.
17 Do not be a terror(AL) to me;
you are my refuge(AM) in the day of disaster.(AN)
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but keep me from shame;
let them be terrified,
but keep me from terror.
Bring on them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction.(AO)
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People,[c] through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.(AP) 20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem(AQ) who come through these gates.(AR) 21 This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath(AS) day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.(AT) 23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention;(AU) they were stiff-necked(AV) and would not listen or respond to discipline.(AW) 24 But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy(AX) by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne(AY) will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.(AZ) 26 People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev,(BA) bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not obey(BB) me to keep the Sabbath(BC) day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire(BD) in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”(BE)
At the Potter’s House
18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay(BF) in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,(BG) Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,(BH) torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent(BI) and not inflict on it the disaster(BJ) I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built(BK) up and planted, 10 and if it does evil(BL) in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider(BM) the good I had intended to do for it.(BN)
11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster(BO) for you and devising a plan(BP) against you. So turn(BQ) from your evil ways,(BR) each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’(BS) 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use.(BT) We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.(BU)’”
13 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“Inquire among the nations:
Who has ever heard anything like this?(BV)
A most horrible(BW) thing has been done
by Virgin(BX) Israel.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon
ever vanish from its rocky slopes?
Do its cool waters from distant sources
ever stop flowing?[d]
15 Yet my people have forgotten(BY) me;
they burn incense(BZ) to worthless idols,(CA)
which made them stumble(CB) in their ways,
in the ancient paths.(CC)
They made them walk in byways,
on roads not built up.(CD)
16 Their land will be an object of horror(CE)
and of lasting scorn;(CF)
all who pass by will be appalled(CG)
and will shake their heads.(CH)
17 Like a wind(CI) from the east,
I will scatter them before their enemies;
I will show them my back and not my face(CJ)
in the day of their disaster.”
18 They said, “Come, let’s make plans(CK) against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest(CL) will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise,(CM) nor the word from the prophets.(CN) So come, let’s attack him with our tongues(CO) and pay no attention to anything he says.”
19 Listen to me, Lord;
hear what my accusers(CP) are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?(CQ)
Yet they have dug a pit(CR) for me.
Remember that I stood(CS) before you
and spoke in their behalf(CT)
to turn your wrath away from them.
21 So give their children over to famine;(CU)
hand them over to the power of the sword.(CV)
Let their wives be made childless and widows;(CW)
let their men be put to death,
their young men(CX) slain by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry(CY) be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit(CZ) to capture me
and have hidden snares(DA) for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, know
all their plots to kill(DB) me.
Do not forgive(DC) their crimes
or blot out their sins from your sight.
Let them be overthrown before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger.(DD)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 17:2 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
- Jeremiah 17:3 Or hills / 3 and the mountains of the land. / Your
- Jeremiah 17:19 Or Army
- Jeremiah 18:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
Ephesians 2
Christian Standard Bible
Ephesians 2
Christian Standard Bible
From Death to Life
2 And you were dead(A) in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world,(B) according to the ruler of the power of the air,(C) the spirit(D) now working in the disobedient.[a] 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly(E) desires, carrying out the inclinations(F) of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath(G) as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy,(H) because of his great love(I) that he had for us,[b] 5 made us alive(J) with Christ even though we were dead(K) in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,(L) 7 so that in the coming ages(M) he might display the immeasurable riches(N) of his grace through his kindness(O) to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace(P) through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created(Q) in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time(R) for us to do.
Unity in Christ
11 So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,”(S) which is done in the flesh by human hands.(T) 12 At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise,(U) without hope(V) and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood(W) of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one(X) and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create(Y) in himself one(Z) new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body(AA) through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.[c] 17 He came and proclaimed the good news(AB) of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.(AC) 18 For through him we both have access(AD) in one Spirit to the Father.(AE) 19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,(AF) with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together,(AG) grows into a holy temple in the Lord.(AH) 22 In him you are also being built together(AI) for God’s dwelling(AJ) in the Spirit.
Ephesians 2
New International Version
Ephesians 2
New International Version
Made Alive in Christ
2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,(A) 2 in which you used to live(B) when you followed the ways of this world(C) and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,(D) the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.(E) 3 All of us also lived among them at one time,(F) gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a](G) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us,(H) God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions(I)—it is by grace you have been saved.(J) 6 And God raised us up with Christ(K) and seated us with him(L) in the heavenly realms(M) in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,(N) expressed in his kindness(O) to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace(P) you have been saved,(Q) through faith(R)—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works,(S) so that no one can boast.(T) 10 For we are God’s handiwork,(U) created(V) in Christ Jesus to do good works,(W) which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ
11 Therefore, remember that formerly(X) you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)(Y)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners(Z) to the covenants of the promise,(AA) without hope(AB) and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once(AC) were far away have been brought near(AD) by the blood of Christ.(AE)
14 For he himself is our peace,(AF) who has made the two groups one(AG) and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh(AH) the law with its commands and regulations.(AI) His purpose was to create in himself one(AJ) new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross,(AK) by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace(AL) to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.(AM) 18 For through him we both have access(AN) to the Father(AO) by one Spirit.(AP)
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers,(AQ) but fellow citizens(AR) with God’s people and also members of his household,(AS) 20 built(AT) on the foundation(AU) of the apostles and prophets,(AV) with Christ Jesus himself(AW) as the chief cornerstone.(AX) 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple(AY) in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.(AZ)
Footnotes
- Ephesians 2:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
Psalm 113
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 113
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 113
Praise to the Merciful God
1 Hallelujah!
Give praise, servants of the Lord;
praise the name of the Lord.(A)
2 Let the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and forever.(B)
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
let the name of the Lord be praised.(C)
4 The Lord is exalted above all the nations,(D)
his glory above the heavens.(E)
5 Who is like the Lord our God—
the one enthroned on high,(F)
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?(G)
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the trash heap(H)
8 in order to seat them with nobles—
with the nobles of his people.(I)
9 He gives the childless woman a household,
making her the joyful mother of children.(J)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 113
New International Version
Psalm 113
New International Version
Psalm 113
Praise the Lord, you his servants;(B)
praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised,(C)
both now and forevermore.(D)
3 From the rising of the sun(E) to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is exalted(F) over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.(G)
5 Who is like the Lord our God,(H)
the One who sits enthroned(I) on high,(J)
6 who stoops down to look(K)
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor(L) from the dust
and lifts the needy(M) from the ash heap;
8 he seats them(N) with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless(O) woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
Footnotes
- Psalm 113:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9
Proverbs 24:21-22
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 24:21-22
Christian Standard Bible
21 My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,(A)
and don’t associate with rebels,[a]
22 for destruction will come suddenly from them;
who knows what distress these two can bring?
Footnotes
- 24:21 Or those given to change
Proverbs 24:21-22
New International Version
Proverbs 24:21-22
New International Version
Saying 30
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.