Jeremiah 22:1-23:20
New American Standard Bible
Warning of Jerusalem’s Fall
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there speak this word, 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who (A)sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3 This is what the Lord says: “(B)Do justice and righteousness, and save one who has been robbed from the power of his (C)oppressor. And (D)do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not (E)shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed perform this [a]instruction, then (F)kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting [b]in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, the king himself, his servants, and his people. 5 (G)But if you will not obey these words, I (H)swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a place of ruins.”’” 6 For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“You are like (I)Gilead to Me,
Like the summit of Lebanon;
Yet most assuredly I will make you a (J)wilderness,
Cities that are not inhabited.
7 For I will set apart (K)destroyers against you,
Each with his weapons;
And they will (L)cut down your choicest cedars
And (M)throw them on the fire.
8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will (N)say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this great city?’ 9 Then they will [c]answer, ‘Because they (O)abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”
10 (P)Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,
But weep deeply for the one who goes away;
For (Q)he will never return
Or see his native land.
11 For this is what the Lord says regarding [d](R)Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of his father Josiah, who went out from this place: “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they took him into exile, there he will (S)die and he will not see this land again.
Messages about the Kings
13 “Woe to him who builds his house (T)without righteousness,
And his upstairs rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And (U)does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will (V)build myself a large house
With spacious upstairs rooms,
And cut out its windows,
[e]Paneling it with (W)cedar and painting it [f]bright red.’
15 Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Did your father not eat and drink
And (X)do justice and righteousness?
Then it was (Y)well for him.
16 He pled the cause of the (Z)afflicted and the poor,
Then it was well.
(AA)Is that not what it means to know Me?”
Declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own (AB)dishonest gain,
And on (AC)shedding innocent blood,
And on practicing oppression and extortion.”
18 Therefore this is what the Lord says regarding (AD)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
“They will not (AE)mourn for him:
‘(AF)Oh, my brother!’ or, ‘Oh, sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Oh, for the master!’ or, ‘Oh, for his splendor!’
19 He will be (AG)buried with a donkey’s burial,
Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
And raise your voice in Bashan;
Cry out also from (AH)Abarim,
For all your (AI)lovers have been crushed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity;
But (AJ)you said, ‘I will not listen!’
(AK)This has been your way (AL)from your youth,
That you have not obeyed My voice.
22 The wind will sweep away all your (AM)shepherds,
And your (AN)lovers will go into captivity;
Then you will certainly be (AO)ashamed and humiliated
Because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in Lebanon,
Nested in the cedars,
How you will groan when sharp pains come on you,
(AP)Pain like a woman in childbirth!
24 “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even if [g](AQ)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a (AR)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull [h]you [i]off; 25 and I will (AS)hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26 I will (AT)hurl you and your (AU)mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.
28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
Or is he an (AV)undesirable vessel?
Why have he and his descendants been (AW)hurled out
And cast into a (AX)land that they had not known?
29 (AY)O land, land, land,
Hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
‘Write this man down as (AZ)childless,
A man who will (BA)not prosper in his days;
For no man among his (BB)descendants will prosper
Sitting on the throne of David
Or ruling again in Judah.’”
The Coming Messiah: the Righteous Branch
23 “(BC)Woe to the shepherds who are causing the (BD)sheep of My pasture to (BE)perish and are scattering them!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says concerning the shepherds who are [j]tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not been concerned about them; behold, I am going to (BF)call you to account for the (BG)evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord. 3 “Then I Myself will (BH)gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will also raise up (BI)shepherds over them and they will [k]tend them; and they will (BJ)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, (BK)nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
5 “Behold, the (BL)days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous [l](BM)Branch;
And He will (BN)reign as king and [m]act wisely
And (BO)do justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In His days Judah will be saved,
And (BP)Israel will live securely;
And this is His (BQ)name by which He will be called,
‘The (BR)Lord Our Righteousness.’
7 “(BS)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of Egypt,’ 8 (BT)but, ‘As the Lord lives, who (BU)brought up and led the descendants of the household of Israel back from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”
False Prophets Denounced
9 As for the prophets:
My (BV)heart is broken within me,
All my bones tremble;
I have become like a drunken man,
And like a man overcome by wine,
Because of the Lord
And because of His holy words.
10 For the land is full of (BW)adulterers;
For the land (BX)mourns because of the curse.
The (BY)pastures of the wilderness have dried up.
Their course is evil
And their might is not right.
11 “For (BZ)both prophet and priest are defiled;
Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their way will be like (CA)slippery paths to them,
They will be driven away into the (CB)gloom and fall down in it;
For I will bring (CC)disaster upon them,
The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.
13 “Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an (CD)offensive thing:
They (CE)prophesied by Baal and (CF)led My people Israel astray.
14 Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a (CG)horrible thing:
The committing of (CH)adultery and walking in deceit;
And they strengthen the hands of (CI)evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.
All of them have become to Me like (CJ)Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says concerning the prophets:
‘Behold, I am going to (CK)feed them wormwood
And make them drink poisonous water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Ungodliness has spread into all the land.’”
16 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“(CL)Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are (CM)leading you into futility;
They tell a (CN)vision of their own [n]imagination,
Not (CO)from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They keep saying to those who (CP)despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, “(CQ)You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the (CR)stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘(CS)Disaster will not come on you.’
18 But (CT)who has stood in the council of the Lord,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has paid (CU)attention to [o]His word and listened?
19 Behold, the (CV)storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling tempest;
It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 The (CW)anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has (CX)performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
(CY)In the last days you will clearly understand it.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 22:4 Lit word
- Jeremiah 22:4 Lit for David
- Jeremiah 22:9 Lit say
- Jeremiah 22:11 I.e., Jehoahaz
- Jeremiah 22:14 Or Paneled
- Jeremiah 22:14 Or vermilion
- Jeremiah 22:24 I.e., Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 22:24 I.e., Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 22:24 Lit off from there
- Jeremiah 23:2 Lit shepherding
- Jeremiah 23:4 Or shepherd
- Jeremiah 23:5 Lit Sprout
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or succeed
- Jeremiah 23:16 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 23:18 Another reading is My
2 Thessalonians 1
New American Standard Bible
Giving Thanks for Faith and Perseverance
1 (A)Paul, (B)Silvanus, and (C)Timothy,
To the (D)church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 (E)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We ought always (F)to give thanks to God for you, (G)brothers and sisters, as is only fitting, because your faith is increasing abundantly, and the (H)love of each and every one of you toward one another grows ever greater. 4 As a result, we ourselves (I)speak proudly of you among (J)the churches of God for your [a]perseverance and faith [b](K)in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. 5 This is [c]a (L)plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be (M)considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you indeed are suffering. 6 [d]For after all (N)it is only right [e]for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us, [f](O)when the Lord Jesus will be revealed (P)from heaven (Q)with [g]His mighty angels 8 (R)in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who (S)do not know God, and to those who (T)do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These people will pay the penalty of (U)eternal destruction, (V)away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be (W)glorified among His [h]saints on that (X)day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—because our (Y)testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end also we (Z)pray for you always, that our God will (AA)consider you worthy of your (AB)calling, and fulfill every desire for (AC)goodness and the (AD)work of faith with power, 12 so that the (AE)name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, in accordance with the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Footnotes
- 2 Thessalonians 1:4 Or steadfastness
- 2 Thessalonians 1:4 Or during all
- 2 Thessalonians 1:5 Or proof of
- 2 Thessalonians 1:6 Lit If indeed
- 2 Thessalonians 1:6 Or in the sight of
- 2 Thessalonians 1:7 Lit at the revelation of the Lord Jesus
- 2 Thessalonians 1:7 Lit the angels of His power
- 2 Thessalonians 1:10 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
Psalm 83
New American Standard Bible
God Implored to Confound His Enemies.
A Song, a Psalm of Asaph.
83 God, (A)do not remain quiet;
(B)Do not be silent and, God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies (C)make an uproar,
And (D)those who hate You have [a](E)exalted themselves.
3 They (F)make shrewd plans against Your people,
And [b]conspire together against (G)Your [c]treasured ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and (H)let’s wipe them out [d]as a nation,
So that the (I)name of Israel will no longer be remembered.”
5 For they have [e](J)conspired together with one mind;
They make a covenant against You:
6 The tents of (K)Edom and the (L)Ishmaelites,
(M)Moab and the (N)Hagrites;
7 (O)Gebal, (P)Ammon, and (Q)Amalek,
(R)Philistia with the inhabitants of (S)Tyre;
8 (T)Assyria also has joined them;
They have become [f]a help to the (U)children of Lot. Selah
9 Deal with them (V)as with Midian,
As (W)with Sisera and Jabin at the river of Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who (X)became like dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like (Y)Oreb and Zeeb,
And all their leaders like (Z)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “(AA)Let’s possess for ourselves
The (AB)pastures of God.”
13 My God, make them like the [g](AC)whirling dust,
Like (AD)chaff before the wind.
14 Like (AE)fire that burns the forest,
And like a flame that (AF)sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them (AG)with Your heavy gale,
And terrify them with Your storm.
16 (AH)Fill their faces with dishonor,
So that they will seek Your name, Lord.
17 May they be (AI)ashamed and dismayed forever,
And may they be humiliated and perish,
18 So that they will (AJ)know that (AK)You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the (AL)Most High over all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 83:2 Lit lifted up the head
- Psalm 83:3 Or consult
- Psalm 83:3 Or hidden ones
- Psalm 83:4 Lit from
- Psalm 83:5 Or consulted
- Psalm 83:8 Lit an arm
- Psalm 83:13 Or tumbleweed
Proverbs 25:11-14
New American Standard Bible
11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver,
Is a (A)word spoken at [a]the proper time.
12 Like [b]an (B)earring of gold and a (C)jewelry piece of (D)fine gold,
Is a wise person who offers rebukes to a (E)listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the [c]time of harvest
Is a (F)faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like (G)clouds and (H)wind without rain
Is a person who boasts [d]of his gifts falsely.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 25:11 Lit its time
- Proverbs 25:12 Or a nose ring
- Proverbs 25:13 Lit day
- Proverbs 25:14 Lit in a gift of falsehood
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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