Jesus Questioned About Fasting^(A)

¹⁸ Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.^(B) Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. ²⁰ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them,^(C) and on that day they will fast.

²¹ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. ²² And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(D)(E)

²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.^{(F) 24} The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”^(G)

²⁵ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest,^(H) he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat.^(I) And he also gave some to his companions.”^(J)

²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man,^(K) not man for the Sabbath.^{(L) 28} So the Son of Man^(M) is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue,^(N) and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely^(O) to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.^{(P) 3} Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians^(Q) how they might kill Jesus.^(R)

Crowds Follow Jesus^(S)

⁷ Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.^{(T) 8} When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.^{(U) 9} Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many,^(V) so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.^{(W) 11} Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”^{(X) 12} But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.^(Y)

Jesus Appoints the Twelve^(Z)

¹³ Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.^{(AA) 14} He appointed twelve^[a](AB) that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have authority to drive out demons.^{(AC) 16} These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter),^{(AD) 17} James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jeremiah and Pashhur

20 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer,^(A) the official^(B) in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, ² he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten^(C) and put in the stocks^(D) at the Upper Gate of Benjamin^(E) at the Lord’s temple. ³ The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name^(F) for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.^{(G) 4} For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes^(H) you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give^(I) all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry^(J) them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. ⁵ I will deliver all the wealth^(K) of this city into the hands of their enemies—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away^(L) as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. ⁶ And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied^(M) lies.’”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request

21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah^(AT) sent to him Pashhur^(AU) son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah^(AV) son of Maaseiah. They said: ² “Inquire^(AW) now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar^[c](AX) king of Babylon^(AY) is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders^(AZ) for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”

³ But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn^(BA) against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians^[d] who are outside the wall besieging^(BB) you. And I will gather them inside this city. ⁵ I myself will fight^(BC) against you with an outstretched hand^(BD) and a mighty arm^(BE) in furious anger and in great wrath. ⁶ I will strike^(BF) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.^{(BG) 7} After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah^(BH) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,^(BI) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(BJ) and to their enemies^(BK) who want to kill them.^(BL) He will put them to the sword;^(BM) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’^(BN)

⁸ “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life^(BO) and the way of death. ⁹ Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.^(BP) But whoever goes out and surrenders^(BQ) to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.^{(BR) 10} I have determined to do this city harm^(BS) and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands^(BT) of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’^(BU)

¹¹ “Moreover, say to the royal house^(BV) of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. ¹² This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king^(CH) of Judah and proclaim this message there: ² ‘Hear^(CI) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne^(CJ)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.^{(CK) 3} This is what the Lord says: Do what is just^(CL) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor^(CM) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,^(CN) and do not shed innocent blood^(CO) in this place. ⁴ For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings^(CP) who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. ⁵ But if you do not obey^(CQ) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear^(CR) by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’”

⁶ For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:

⁸ “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’^{(CY) 9} And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.^(CZ)’”

¹¹ For this is what the Lord says about Shallum^[e](DD) son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. ¹² He will die^(DE) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”

¹⁸ Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

²⁴ “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin^[g](EI) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring^(EJ) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. ²⁵ I will deliver^(EK) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.^{[h] 26} I will hurl^(EL) you and the mother^(EM) who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. ²⁷ You will never come back to the land you long to return^(EN) to.”