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18 They will give back everything they worked for.
    Their wealth will bring them no joy.

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18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;(A)
    he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.(B)

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44 And I will punish Bel, the god of Babylon,
    and make him vomit up all he has eaten.
The nations will no longer come and worship him.
    The wall of Babylon has fallen!

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44 I will punish Bel(A) in Babylon
    and make him spew out(B) what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
    And the wall(C) of Babylon will fall.

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A Message about Jehoiakim

13 And the Lord says, “What sorrow awaits Jehoiakim,[a]
    who builds his palace with forced labor.[b]
He builds injustice into its walls,
    for he makes his neighbors work for nothing.
    He does not pay them for their labor.

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Footnotes

  1. 22:13a The brother and successor of the exiled Jehoahaz. See 22:18.
  2. 22:13b Hebrew by unrighteousness.

13 “Woe(A) to him who builds(B) his palace by unrighteousness,
    his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
    not paying(C) them for their labor.

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12 Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave[a];
    let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:12 Hebrew like Sheol.

12 let’s swallow(A) them alive, like the grave,
    and whole, like those who go down to the pit;(B)

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15 They will vomit the wealth they swallowed.
    God won’t let them keep it down.

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15 He will spit out the riches(A) he swallowed;
    God will make his stomach vomit(B) them up.

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10 Their children will beg from the poor,
    for they must give back their stolen riches.

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10 His children(A) must make amends to the poor;
    his own hands must give back his wealth.(B)

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24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel![a]

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Footnotes

  1. 23:24 See Lev 11:4, 23, where gnats and camels are both forbidden as food.

24 You blind guides!(A) You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

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13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 23:13 Some manuscripts add verse 14, What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, you will be severely punished. Compare Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!(A) You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.(B)

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“They have planted the wind
    and will harvest the whirlwind.
The stalks of grain wither
    and produce nothing to eat.
And even if there is any grain,
    foreigners will eat it.
The people of Israel have been swallowed up;
    they lie among the nations like an old discarded pot.

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“They sow the wind
    and reap the whirlwind.(A)
The stalk has no head;
    it will produce no flour.(B)
Were it to yield grain,
    foreigners would swallow it up.(C)
Israel is swallowed up;(D)
    now she is among the nations
    like something no one wants.(E)

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34 “King Nebuchadnezzar[a] of Babylon has eaten and crushed us
    and drained us of strength.
He has swallowed us like a great monster
    and filled his belly with our riches.
    He has thrown us out of our own country.

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Footnotes

  1. 51:34 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar.

34 “Nebuchadnezzar(A) king of Babylon has devoured(B) us,(C)
    he has thrown us into confusion,
    he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
    and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
    and then has spewed(D) us out.

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17 “But you! You have eyes only for greed and dishonesty!
    You murder the innocent,
    oppress the poor, and reign ruthlessly.”

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17 “But your eyes and your heart
    are set only on dishonest gain,(A)
on shedding innocent blood(B)
    and on oppression and extortion.”(C)

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15 “What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple,
    when they have done so many immoral things?
Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction?
    They actually rejoice in doing evil!
16 I, the Lord, once called them a thriving olive tree,
    beautiful to see and full of good fruit.
But now I have sent the fury of their enemies
    to burn them with fire,
    leaving them charred and broken.

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15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple
    as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
    Can consecrated meat(A) avert your punishment?(B)
When you engage in your wickedness,
    then you rejoice.[a]

16 The Lord called you a thriving olive tree(C)
    with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
    he will set it on fire,(D)
    and its branches will be broken.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 11:15 Or Could consecrated meat avert your punishment? / Then you would rejoice

The grapevines waste away,
    and there is no new wine.
    All the merrymakers sigh and mourn.
The cheerful sound of tambourines is stilled;
    the happy cries of celebration are heard no more.
    The melodious chords of the harp are silent.
Gone are the joys of wine and song;
    alcoholic drink turns bitter in the mouth.
10 The city writhes in chaos;
    every home is locked to keep out intruders.
11 Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine.
    Joy has turned to gloom.
    Gladness has been banished from the land.

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The new wine dries up(A) and the vine withers;(B)
    all the merrymakers groan.(C)
The joyful timbrels(D) are stilled,
    the noise(E) of the revelers(F) has stopped,
    the joyful harp(G) is silent.(H)
No longer do they drink wine(I) with a song;
    the beer is bitter(J) to its drinkers.
10 The ruined city(K) lies desolate;(L)
    the entrance to every house is barred.
11 In the streets they cry out(M) for wine;(N)
    all joy turns to gloom,(O)
    all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.

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