²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,

¹⁰ Therefore ^(A)I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. ^(B)For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Final Exhortations

^13 (A)Watch, ^(B)stand fast in the faith, be brave, ^(C)be strong.

^45 (A)Blessed is she who ^[a]believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

^19 (A)And he said, “O man greatly beloved, ^(B)fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!”

So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

Jeremiah Prays for Understanding

¹⁶ “Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: ¹⁷ ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, ^(A)You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. ^(B)There is nothing too ^[a]hard for You. ¹⁸ You show ^(C)lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the Great, ^(D)the Mighty God, whose name is ^(E)the Lord of hosts. ¹⁹ You are ^(F)great in counsel and mighty in ^[b]work, for Your ^(G)eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, ^(H)to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. ²⁰ You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and among other men; and You have made Yourself ^(I)a name, as it is this day. ²¹ You ^(J)have brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror; ²² You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them—^(K)“a land flowing with milk and honey.” ²³ And they came in and took possession of it, but ^(L)they have not obeyed Your voice or walked in Your law. They have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have caused all this calamity to come upon them.

²⁴ ‘Look, the siege mounds! They have come to the city to take it; and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of ^(M)the sword and famine and pestilence. What You have spoken has happened; there You see it! ²⁵ And You have said to me, O Lord God, “Buy the field for money, and take witnesses”!—yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ ”

God’s Assurance of the People’s Return

²⁶ Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁷ “Behold, I am the Lord, the ^(N)God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ^(A)‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, ^(B)for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ^[a]brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. ^17 (C)You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, ^(D)for the Lord is with you.”

¹⁸ And Jehoshaphat ^(E)bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. ¹⁹ Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.

²⁰ So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: ^(F)Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

^13 (A)Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ ^14 (B)I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵ If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and ^(C)do not let me see my wretchedness!”

The Seventy Elders

¹⁶ So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me ^(D)seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and ^(E)officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. ¹⁷ Then I will come down and talk with you there. ^(F)I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. ¹⁸ Then you shall say to the people, ^[a]‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept ^(G)in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. ¹⁹ You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, ^20 (H)but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have ^(I)despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, ^(J)“Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” ’ ”

²¹ And Moses said, ^(K)“The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ ^22 (L)Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”

²³ And the Lord said to Moses, ^(M)“Has^[b] the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether ^(N)what I say will happen to you or not.”

Be Strong in Grace

2 You therefore, ^(A)my son, ^(B)be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.