Jeremiah 4:10-5:31

New International Version

¹⁰Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived^(A) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’^(B) when the sword is at our throats!”

¹¹At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind^(C) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; ¹²a wind^(D) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments^(E) against them.”

¹³Look! He advances like the clouds,^(F)
    his chariots^(G) come like a whirlwind,^(H)
his horses^(I) are swifter than eagles.^(J)
    Woe to us! We are ruined!^(K)
¹⁴Jerusalem, wash^(L) the evil from your heart and be saved.^(M)
    How long^(N) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
¹⁵A voice is announcing from Dan,^(O)
    proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.^(P)
¹⁶“Tell this to the nations,
    proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,^(Q)
    raising a war cry^(R) against the cities of Judah.^(S)
¹⁷They surround^(T) her like men guarding a field,
    because she has rebelled^(U) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
¹⁸“Your own conduct and actions^(V)
    have brought this on you.^(W)
This is your punishment.
    How bitter^(X) it is!
    How it pierces to the heart!”

¹⁹Oh, my anguish, my anguish!^(Y)
    I writhe in pain.^(Z)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
    My heart pounds^(AA) within me,
    I cannot keep silent.^(AB)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;^(AC)
    I have heard the battle cry.^(AD)
²⁰Disaster follows disaster;^(AE)
    the whole land lies in ruins.^(AF)
In an instant my tents^(AG) are destroyed,
    my shelter in a moment.
²¹How long must I see the battle standard^(AH)
    and hear the sound of the trumpet?^(AI)

²²“My people are fools;^(AJ)
    they do not know me.^(AK)
They are senseless children;
    they have no understanding.^(AL)
They are skilled in doing evil;^(AM)
    they know not how to do good.”^(AN)

²³I looked at the earth,
    and it was formless and empty;^(AO)
and at the heavens,
    and their light^(AP) was gone.
²⁴I looked at the mountains,
    and they were quaking;^(AQ)
    all the hills were swaying.
²⁵I looked, and there were no people;
    every bird in the sky had flown away.^(AR)
²⁶I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;^(AS)
    all its towns lay in ruins^(AT)
    before the Lord, before his fierce anger.^(AU)

²⁷This is what the Lord says:

“The whole land will be ruined,^(AV)
    though I will not destroy^(AW) it completely.
²⁸Therefore the earth will mourn^(AX)
    and the heavens above grow dark,^(AY)
because I have spoken and will not relent,^(AZ)
    I have decided and will not turn back.^(BA)”

²⁹At the sound of horsemen and archers^(BB)
    every town takes to flight.^(BC)
Some go into the thickets;
    some climb up among the rocks.^(BD)
All the towns are deserted;^(BE)
    no one lives in them.

³⁰What are you doing,^(BF) you devastated one?
    Why dress yourself in scarlet
    and put on jewels^(BG) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?^(BH)
    You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers^(BI) despise you;
    they want to kill you.^(BJ)

³¹I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,^(BK)
    a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion^(BL) gasping for breath,^(BM)
    stretching out her hands^(BN) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
    my life is given over to murderers.”^(BO)

Not One Is Upright

5 “Go up and down^(BP) the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,^(BQ)
    search through her squares.
If you can find but one person^(BR)
    who deals honestly^(BS) and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive^(BT) this city.
²Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’^(BU)
    still they are swearing falsely.^(BV)”

³Lord, do not your eyes^(BW) look for truth?
    You struck^(BX) them, but they felt no pain;
    you crushed them, but they refused correction.^(BY)
They made their faces harder than stone^(BZ)
    and refused to repent.^(CA)
⁴I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,^(CB)
for they do not know^(CC) the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
⁵So I will go to the leaders^(CD)
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.^(CE)
⁶Therefore a lion from the forest^(CF) will attack them,
    a wolf from the desert will ravage^(CG) them,
a leopard^(CH) will lie in wait near their towns
    to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
    and their backslidings many.^(CI)

⁷“Why should I forgive you?
    Your children have forsaken me
    and sworn^(CJ) by gods that are not gods.^(CK)
I supplied all their needs,
    yet they committed adultery^(CL)
    and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.^(CM)
⁸They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
    each neighing for another man’s wife.^(CN)
⁹Should I not punish them for this?”^(CO)
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge^(CP) myself
    on such a nation as this?

¹⁰“Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
    but do not destroy them completely.^(CQ)
Strip off her branches,
    for these people do not belong to the Lord.
¹¹The people of Israel and the people of Judah
    have been utterly unfaithful^(CR) to me,”
declares the Lord.

¹²They have lied^(CS) about the Lord;
    they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;^(CT)
    we will never see sword or famine.^(CU)
¹³The prophets^(CV) are but wind^(CW)
    and the word is not in them;
    so let what they say be done to them.”

¹⁴Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:

“Because the people have spoken these words,
    I will make my words in your mouth^(CX) a fire^(CY)
    and these people the wood it consumes.^(CZ)
¹⁵People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
    “I am bringing a distant nation^(DA) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
    a people whose language^(DB) you do not know,
    whose speech you do not understand.
¹⁶Their quivers^(DC) are like an open grave;
    all of them are mighty warriors.
¹⁷They will devour^(DD) your harvests and food,
    devour^(DE) your sons and daughters;
they will devour^(DF) your flocks and herds,
    devour your vines and fig trees.^(DG)
With the sword^(DH) they will destroy
    the fortified cities^(DI) in which you trust.^(DJ)

¹⁸“Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy^(DK) you completely. ¹⁹And when the people ask,^(DL) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods^(DM) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners^(DN) in a land not your own.’

²⁰“Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
    and proclaim^(DO) it in Judah:
²¹Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,^(DP)
    who have eyes^(DQ) but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear:^(DR)
²²Should you not fear^(DS) me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble^(DT) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,^(DU)
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar,^(DV) but they cannot cross it.
²³But these people have stubborn and rebellious^(DW) hearts;
    they have turned aside^(DX) and gone away.
²⁴They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear^(DY) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains^(DZ) in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’^(EA)
²⁵Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.^(EB)

²⁶“Among my people are the wicked^(EC)
    who lie in wait^(ED) like men who snare birds
    and like those who set traps^(EE) to catch people.
²⁷Like cages full of birds,
    their houses are full of deceit;^(EF)
they have become rich^(EG) and powerful
²⁸    and have grown fat^(EH) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
    they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;^(EI)
    they do not defend the just cause of the poor.^(EJ)
²⁹Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge^(EK) myself
    on such a nation as this?

³⁰“A horrible^(EL) and shocking thing
    has happened in the land:
³¹The prophets prophesy lies,^(EM)
    the priests^(EN) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?^(EO)

Philippians 3:1-4

New International Version

No Confidence in the Flesh

3 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again,^(A) and it is a safeguard for you. ²Watch out for those dogs,^(B) those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. ³For it is we who are the circumcision,^(C) we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus,^(D) and who put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴though I myself have reasons for such confidence.^(E)

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised^(F) on the eighth day, of the people of Israel,^(G) of the tribe of Benjamin,^(H) a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;^(I) ⁶as for zeal,^(J) persecuting the church;^(K) as for righteousness based on the law,^(L) faultless.

⁷But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss^(M) for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing^(N) Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ^(O) ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,^(P) but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness^(Q) that comes from God on the basis of faith.^(R) ¹⁰I want to know^(S) Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings,^(T) becoming like him in his death,^(U) ¹¹and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection^(V) from the dead.

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,^(W) but I press on to take hold^(X) of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.^(Y) ¹³Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind^(Z) and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on^(AA) toward the goal to win the prize^(AB) for which God has called^(AC) me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Paul’s Example

¹⁵All of us, then, who are mature^(AD) should take such a view of things.^(AE) And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.^(AF) ¹⁶Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

¹⁷Join together in following my example,^(AG) brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.^(AH) ¹⁸For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears,^(AI) many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.^(AJ) ¹⁹Their destiny^(AK) is destruction, their god is their stomach,^(AL) and their glory is in their shame.^(AM) Their mind is set on earthly things.^(AN) ²⁰But our citizenship^(AO) is in heaven.^(AP) And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,^(AQ) ²¹who, by the power^(AR) that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies^(AS) so that they will be like his glorious body.^(AT)

Closing Appeal for Steadfastness and Unity

4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for,^(AU) my joy and crown, stand firm^(AV) in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

Footnotes

Philippians 3:9 Or through the faithfulness of

Psalm 116:1-11

New International Version

Psalm 116

¹I love the Lord,^(A) for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry^(B) for mercy.^(C)
²Because he turned his ear^(D) to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.

³The cords of death^(E) entangled me,
    the anguish of the grave came over me;
    I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
⁴Then I called on the name^(F) of the Lord:
    “Lord, save me!^(G)”

⁵The Lord is gracious and righteous;^(H)
our God is full of compassion.^(I)
⁶The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low,^(J) he saved me.^(K)

⁷Return to your rest,^(L) my soul,
for the Lord has been good^(M) to you.

⁸For you, Lord, have delivered me^(N) from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling,
⁹that I may walk before the Lord^(O)
    in the land of the living.^(P)