Add parallel Print Page Options

The People’s Disobedience

16 As for you, do not pray for this people, do not raise a cry or prayer on their behalf, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink-offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. 19 Is it I whom they provoke? says the Lord. Is it not themselves, to their own hurt? 20 Therefore thus says the Lord God: My anger and my wrath shall be poured out on this place, on human beings and animals, on the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.

21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt-offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. 22 For on the day that I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning burnt-offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them, ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.’ 24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but, in the stubbornness of their evil will, they walked in their own counsels, and looked backwards rather than forwards. 25 From the day that your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day; 26 yet they did not listen to me, or pay attention, but they stiffened their necks. They did worse than their ancestors did.

Read full chapter

16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea(A) or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen(B) to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.(C) They pour out drink offerings(D) to other gods to arouse(E) my anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking?(F) declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?(G)

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign(H) Lord says: My anger(I) and my wrath will be poured(J) out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.(K)

21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices(L) and eat(M) the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands(N) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,(O) 23 but I gave them this command:(P) Obey(Q) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.(R) Walk in obedience to all(S) I command you, that it may go well(T) with you. 24 But they did not listen(U) or pay attention;(V) instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.(W) They went backward(X) and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again(Y) I sent you my servants(Z) the prophets.(AA) 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention.(AB) They were stiff-necked(AC) and did more evil than their ancestors.’(AD)

Read full chapter

Psalm 123

Supplication for Mercy

A Song of Ascents.

To you I lift up my eyes,
    O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
As the eyes of servants
    look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
    to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
    until he has mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
    for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than its fill
    of the scorn of those who are at ease,
    of the contempt of the proud.

Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

I lift up my eyes to you,
    to you who sit enthroned(A) in heaven.
As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
    as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord(B) our God,
    till he shows us his mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
    for we have endured no end of contempt.
We have endured no end
    of ridicule from the arrogant,
    of contempt from the proud.

Look at what is before your eyes. If you are confident that you belong to Christ, remind yourself of this, that just as you belong to Christ, so also do we. Now, even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. I do not want to seem as though I am trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For they say, ‘His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.’ 11 Let such people understand that what we say by letter when absent, we will also do when present.

Read full chapter

You are judging by appearances.[a](A) If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ,(B) they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.(C) So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us(D) for building you up rather than tearing you down,(E) I will not be ashamed of it. I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive(F) and his speaking amounts to nothing.”(G) 11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 10:7 Or Look at the obvious facts