Jeremiah 42
English Standard Version
Warning Against Going to Egypt
42 Then (A)all the commanders of the forces, and (B)Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of (C)Hoshaiah, and all the people (D)from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let (E)our plea for mercy come before you, and (F)pray to the Lord your God for us, for all (G)this remnant—(H)because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— 3 that (I)the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” 4 Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and (J)whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. (K)I will keep nothing back from you.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, (L)“May the Lord be a true and (M)faithful witness against us (N)if we do not act according to all the word (O)with which the Lord your God sends you to us. 6 Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, (P)that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”
7 (Q)At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 Then he summoned (R)Johanan the son of Kareah and (S)all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people (T)from the least to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, (U)to whom you sent me to present your plea for mercy before him: 10 If you will remain in this land, (V)then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; (W)for I relent of the disaster that I did to you. 11 (X)Do not fear the king of Babylon, (Y)of whom you are afraid. (Z)Do not fear him, declares the Lord, (AA)for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand. 12 (AB)I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land. 13 (AC)But if you say, ‘We will not remain in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God 14 and saying, ‘No, (AD)we will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war or (AE)hear the sound of the trumpet or (AF)be hungry for bread, and we will dwell there,’ 15 then hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (AG)If you set your faces to enter Egypt (AH)and go to live there, 16 then the sword (AI)that you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are afraid shall follow close after you to Egypt, (AJ)and there you shall die. 17 All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. They shall have (AK)no remnant or survivor from the disaster that I will bring upon them.
18 “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (AL)As my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. (AM)You shall become an execration, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. You shall see this place no more. 19 The Lord has said to you, O remnant of Judah, (AN)‘Do not go to Egypt.’ (AO)Know for a certainty that I have warned you this day 20 that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. (AP)For you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, (AQ)‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and (AR)whatever the Lord our God says, declare to us and we will do it.’ 21 And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in anything (AS)that he sent me to tell you. 22 (AT)Now therefore know for a certainty that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live.”
Psalm 18
English Standard Version
The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, (A)the servant of the Lord, (B)who addressed the words of this (C)song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
18 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my (D)rock and my (E)fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my (F)rock, in (G)whom I take refuge,
my (H)shield, and (I)the horn of my salvation, my (J)stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is (K)worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 (L)The cords of death encompassed me;
(M)the torrents of destruction assailed me;[a]
5 (N)the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 (O)In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his (P)temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth (Q)reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,[b]
and devouring (R)fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He (S)bowed the heavens and (T)came down;
(U)thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on (V)the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his (W)canopy around him,
thick clouds (X)dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
(Y)hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13 The Lord also (Z)thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his (AA)voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his (AB)arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and (AC)routed them.
15 Then (AD)the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your (AE)rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of (AF)the breath of your nostrils.
16 He (AG)sent from on high, he took me;
he (AH)drew me out of (AI)many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were (AJ)too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into (AK)a broad place;
he rescued me, because he (AL)delighted in me.
20 The Lord dealt with me (AM)according to my righteousness;
according to (AN)the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have (AO)kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For (AP)all his rules[c] were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was (AQ)blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 With (AR)the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with (AS)the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save (AT)a humble people,
but (AU)the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my (AV)lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can (AW)leap over (AX)a wall.
30 This God—his way is (AY)perfect;[d]
the word of the Lord (AZ)proves true;
he is (BA)a shield for all those who (BB)take refuge in him.
31 For (BC)who is God, but the Lord?
And who is (BD)a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who (BE)equipped me with strength
and made my way (BF)blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a (BG)deer
and set me secure on (BH)the heights.
34 He (BI)trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand (BJ)supported me,
and your (BK)gentleness made me great.
36 You (BL)gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies (BM)turn their backs to me,[e]
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 (BN)They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as (BO)dust before the wind;
I cast them out like (BP)the mire of the streets.
43 You delivered me from (BQ)strife with the people;
you made me (BR)the head of the nations;
(BS)people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
(BT)foreigners (BU)came cringing to me.
45 (BV)Foreigners lost heart
and (BW)came trembling out of their fortresses.
46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and (BX)subdued peoples under me,
48 who rescued me from my enemies;
yes, you (BY)exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from (BZ)the man of violence.
49 (CA)For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and (CB)sing to your name.
50 Great (CC)salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his (CD)anointed,
to (CE)David and his offspring forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 18:4 Or terrified me
- Psalm 18:8 Or in his wrath
- Psalm 18:22 Or just decrees
- Psalm 18:30 Or blameless
- Psalm 18:40 Or You gave me my enemies' necks
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.