The Deceitful Heart

The Sabbath Must Be Kept

¹⁹ Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and stand in the ^[i]public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as in all the gates of Jerusalem; ²⁰ and say to them, ‘^(AP)Listen to the word of the Lord, ^(AQ)kings of Judah, and all Judah and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates: ²¹ Thus says the Lord, “^(AR)Take heed for yourselves, and ^(AS)do not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. ²² You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the sabbath day ^(AT)nor do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I ^(AU)commanded your ^[j]forefathers. ²³ Yet they ^(AV)did not listen or incline their ears, but ^(AW)stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction.

²⁴ “But it will come about, if you ^(AX)listen attentively to Me,” declares the Lord, “to ^(AY)bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, ^(AZ)but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, ^25 (BA)then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes ^(BB)sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this ^(BC)city will be inhabited forever. ²⁶ They will come in from the ^(BD)cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the ^(BE)lowland, from the hill country and from the ^(BF)Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. ²⁷ But ^(BG)if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then ^(BH)I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will ^(BI)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and ^(BJ)not be quenched.”’”

The Potter and the Clay

18 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, ² “Arise and ^(BK)go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” ³ Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the ^[k]wheel. ⁴ But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, ⁶ “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the ^(BL)clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. ⁷ At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to ^(BM)uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; ^8 (BN)if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will ^[l](BO)relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. ⁹ Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to ^(BP)build up or to plant it; ¹⁰ if it does ^(BQ)evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will ^[m](BR)think better of the good with which I had promised to ^[n]bless it. ¹¹ So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am ^(BS)fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh ^(BT)turn back, each of you from his evil way, and ^[o]reform your ways and your deeds.”’ ¹² But ^(BU)they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the ^(BV)stubbornness of his evil heart.’

¹⁸ Then they said, “Come and let us ^(CK)devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the ^(CL)law is not going to be lost to the priest, nor ^(CM)counsel to the sage, nor the divine ^(CN)word to the prophet! Come on and let us ^(CO)strike at him with our tongue, and let us ^(CP)give no heed to any of his words.”

The Broken Jar

19 Thus says the Lord, “Go and buy a ^(DD)potter’s earthenware ^(DE)jar, and take some of the ^(DF)elders of the people and some of the ^[ab](DG)senior priests. ² Then go out to the ^(DH)valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and ^(DI)proclaim there the words that I tell you, ³ and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O ^(DJ)kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold I am about to bring a ^(DK)calamity upon this place, at which the ^(DL)ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. ⁴ Because they have ^(DM)forsaken Me and have ^(DN)made this an alien place and have burned ^[ac]sacrifices in it to ^(DO)other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the ^(DP)blood of the innocent ⁵ and have built the ^(DQ)high places of Baal to burn their ^(DR)sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My ^[ad]mind; ⁶ therefore, behold, ^(DS)days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called ^(DT)Topheth or ^(DU)the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter. ⁷ I will ^(DV)make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and ^(DW)I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will give over their ^(DX)carcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. ⁸ I will also make this city a ^(DY)desolation and an object of hissing; ^(DZ)everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its ^[ae]disasters. ⁹ I will make them ^(EA)eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them.”’

¹⁰ “Then you are to break the ^(EB)jar in the sight of the men who accompany you ¹¹ and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Just so will I ^(EC)break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will ^(ED)bury in Topheth ^[af]because there is no other place for burial. ¹² This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. ¹³ The ^(EE)houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be ^(EF)defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the ^(EG)houses on whose rooftops they burned ^[ag]sacrifices to ^(EH)all the heavenly host and ^(EI)poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”

¹⁴ Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the ^(EJ)court of the Lord’s house and said to all the people: ¹⁵ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it, because they have ^(EK)stiffened their necks so ^(EL)as not to heed My words.’”

Pashhur Persecutes Jeremiah

20 When Pashhur the priest, the son of ^(EM)Immer, who was ^(EN)chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, ² Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet ^(EO)beaten and put him in the ^(EP)stocks that were at the upper ^(EQ)Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord. ³ On the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has ^(ER)called you, but rather ^[ah](ES)Magor-missabib. ⁴ For thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am going to make you a ^(ET)terror to yourself and to all your friends; and while ^(EU)your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will ^(EV)give over all Judah to the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away as ^(EW)exiles to Babylon and will slay them with the sword. ⁵ I will also give over all the ^(EX)wealth of this city, all its produce and all its costly things; even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give over to the ^(EY)hand of their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away and bring them to Babylon. ⁶ And you, ^(EZ)Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your ^(FA)friends to whom you have ^(FB)falsely prophesied.’”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

Testing Your Faith

1 ^[a](A)James, a ^(B)bond-servant of God and ^(C)of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To ^(D)the twelve tribes who are ^[b](E)dispersed abroad: ^(F)Greetings.

^2 (G)Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter ^(H)various ^[c]trials, ³ knowing that ^(I)the testing of your ^(J)faith produces ^[d](K)endurance. ⁴ And let ^[e](L)endurance have its perfect ^[f]result, so that you may be ^[g](M)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ But if any of you ^(N)lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and ^[h]without reproach, and ^(O)it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ^(P)ask in faith ^(Q)without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, ^(R)driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a ^[i](S)double-minded man, ^(T)unstable in all his ways.

^9 (U)But the ^[j]brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; ¹⁰ and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because ^(V)like ^[k]flowering grass he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with ^[l](W)a scorching wind and ^(X)withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

^12 (Y)Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has ^[m]been approved, he will receive ^(Z)the crown of life which the Lord ^(AA)has promised to those who ^(AB)love Him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “^(AC)I am being tempted ^[n]by God”; for God cannot be tempted ^[o]by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵ Then ^(AD)when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when ^(AE)sin ^[p]is accomplished, it brings forth death. ^16 (AF)Do not be ^[q]deceived, ^(AG)my beloved brethren. ¹⁷ Every good thing given and every perfect gift is ^(AH)from above, coming down from ^(AI)the Father of lights, ^(AJ)with whom there is no variation or ^[r]shifting shadow. ¹⁸ In the exercise of ^(AK)His will He ^(AL)brought us forth by ^(AM)the word of truth, so that we would be ^[s]a kind of ^(AN)first fruits ^[t]among His creatures.

^19 [u]This ^(AO)you know, ^(AP)my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, ^(AQ)slow to speak and ^(AR)slow to anger; ²⁰ for ^(AS)the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore, ^(AT)putting aside all filthiness and all ^[v]that remains of wickedness, in ^[w]humility receive ^(AU)the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ^22 (AV)But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his ^[x]natural face ^(AW)in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, ^[y]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who looks intently at the perfect law, ^(AX)the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but ^[z]an effectual doer, this man will be ^(AY)blessed in ^[aa]what he does.

²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not ^[ab](AZ)bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion ^(BA)in the sight of our God and Father is this: to ^(BB)visit ^(BC)orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained ^[ac]by ^(BD)the world.