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Jeremiah 3-5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Jeremiah 3-5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Unfaithful Israel
3 If[a] a man divorces his wife
and she goes from him
and becomes another man’s wife,
will he return to her?
Would not such a land be greatly polluted?
You have prostituted yourself with many lovers,
and would you return to me?
says the Lord.(A)
2 Look up to the bare heights[b] and see!
Where have you not been lain with?
By the waysides you sat waiting for lovers,
like a nomad in the wilderness.
You have polluted the land
with your prostitutions and wickedness.(B)
3 Therefore the showers have been withheld,
and the spring rain has not come,
yet you have the forehead of a prostitute;
you refuse to be ashamed.(C)
4 Have you not just now called to me,
“My Father, you are the friend of my youth—(D)
5 will he be angry forever,
will he be indignant to the end?”
This is how you have spoken,
but you have done all the evil that you could.(E)
A Call to Repentance
6 The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree and prostituted herself there?(F) 7 And I thought, “After she has done all this she will return to me,” but she did not return, and her false sister Judah saw it.(G) 8 She[c] saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce, yet her false sister Judah did not fear, but she also went and prostituted herself.(H) 9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree.(I) 10 Yet for all this her false sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart but only in pretense, says the Lord.(J)
11 Then the Lord said to me: Faithless Israel has shown herself less guilty than false Judah.(K) 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say:
Return, faithless Israel,
says the Lord.
I will not look on you in anger,
for I am merciful,
says the Lord;
I will not be angry forever.(L)
13 Only acknowledge your guilt,
that you have rebelled against the Lord your God
and scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree
and have not obeyed my voice,
says the Lord.(M)
14 Return, O faithless children,
says the Lord,
for I am your husband;
I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
and I will bring you to Zion.(N)
15 I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.(O) 16 And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the Lord, they shall no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed, nor shall another one be made.(P) 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no longer stubbornly follow their own evil will.(Q) 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your ancestors for a heritage.(R)
19 I thought
how I would set you among my children
and give you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful heritage of all the nations.
And I thought you would call to me, “My Father,”
and would not turn from following me.(S)
20 Instead, as a faithless wife leaves her husband,
so you have been faithless to me, O house of Israel,
says the Lord.(T)
21 A voice on the bare heights[d] is heard,
the plaintive weeping of Israel’s children,
because they have perverted their way;
they have forgotten the Lord their God:(U)
22 Return, O faithless children,
I will heal your faithlessness.
“Here we come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.(V)
23 Truly the hills are[e] a delusion,
a tumult on the mountains.
Truly in the Lord our God
is the salvation of Israel.(W)
24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our ancestors had labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us, for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our ancestors, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”(X)
4 If you return, O Israel,
says the Lord,
if you return to me,
if you remove your abominations from my presence
and do not waver,(Y)
2 and if you swear, “As the Lord lives!”
in truth, in justice, and in uprightness,
then nations shall be blessed[f] by you,[g]
and by you[h] they shall boast.(Z)
3 For thus says the Lord to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
Break up your fallow ground,
and do not sow among thorns.(AA)
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;
remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or else my wrath will go forth like fire
and burn with no one to quench it,
because of the evil of your doings.(AB)
Invasion and Desolation of Judah Threatened
5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
Blow the trumpet through the land;
shout aloud[i] and say,
“Gather together, and let us go
into the fortified cities!”(AC)
6 Raise a standard toward Zion;
flee for safety; do not delay,
for I am bringing evil from the north
and a great destruction.(AD)
7 A lion has gone up from its thicket;
a destroyer of nations has set out;
he has gone out from his place
to make your land a waste;
your cities will be ruins
without inhabitant.(AE)
8 Because of this put on sackcloth,
lament and wail:
“The fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us.”(AF)
9 On that day, says the Lord, courage shall fail the king and the officials; the priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.(AG) 10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, how utterly you have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ even while the sword is at the throat!”(AH)
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights[j] in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse,(AI) 12 a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgment against them.(AJ)
13 Look! He comes up like clouds,
his chariots like the whirlwind;
his horses are swifter than eagles—
woe to us, for we are ruined!(AK)
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart clean of wickedness
so that you may be saved.
How long shall your evil schemes
lodge within you?(AL)
15 For a voice declares from Dan
and proclaims disaster from Mount Ephraim.
16 Tell the nations, “Here they are!”
Proclaim against Jerusalem,
“Besiegers come from a distant land;
they shout against the cities of Judah.(AM)
17 They have closed in around her like watchers of a field
because she has rebelled against me,
says the Lord.(AN)
18 Your ways and your doings
have brought this upon you.
This is your doom; how bitter it is!
It has reached your very heart.”(AO)
Sorrow for a Doomed Nation
19 My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!
Oh, the walls of my heart!
My heart is beating wildly;
I cannot keep silent,
for I[k] hear the sound of the trumpet,
the alarm of war.(AP)
20 Disaster overtakes disaster;
the whole land is laid waste.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed,
my curtains in a moment.(AQ)
21 How long must I see the standard
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “For my people are foolish;
they do not know me;
they are stupid children;
they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil
but do not know how to do good.”(AR)
23 I looked on the earth, and it was complete chaos,
and to the heavens, and they had no light.(AS)
24 I looked on the mountains, and they were quaking,
and all the hills moved to and fro.(AT)
25 I looked, and there was no one at all,
and all the birds of the air had fled.(AU)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert,
and all its cities were laid in ruins
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(AV)
27 For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation, yet I will not make a full end.(AW)
28 Because of this the earth shall mourn
and the heavens above grow black,
for I have spoken; I have purposed;
I have not relented, nor will I turn back.(AX)
29 At the noise of horseman and archer
every town takes to flight;
they enter thickets; they climb among rocks;
all the towns are forsaken,
and no one lives in them.(AY)
30 And you, O desolate one,
what do you mean that you dress in crimson,
that you deck yourself with ornaments of gold,
that you enlarge your eyes with paint?
In vain you beautify yourself.
Your lovers despise you;
they seek your life.(AZ)
31 For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor,
anguish as of one bringing forth her first child,
the cry of daughter Zion gasping for breath,
stretching out her hands,
“Woe is me! I am fainting before killers!”(BA)
The Utter Corruption of God’s People
5 Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and take note!
Search its squares and see
if you can find one person
who acts justly
and seeks truth—
so that I may pardon Jerusalem.[l](BB)
2 Although they say, “As the Lord lives,”
yet they swear falsely.(BC)
3 O Lord, do your eyes not look for truth?
You have struck them,
but they felt no anguish;
you have consumed them,
but they refused to take correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
they have refused to turn back.(BD)
4 Then I said, “These are only the poor;
they have no sense,
for they do not know the way of the Lord,
the law of their God.(BE)
5 Let me go to the rich[m]
and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
the law of their God.”
But they all alike had broken the yoke;
they had burst the bonds.(BF)
6 Therefore a lion from the forest shall kill them;
a wolf from the desert shall destroy them.
A leopard is watching against their cities;
everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces,
because their transgressions are many;
their faithlessness is great.(BG)
7 How can I pardon you?
Your children have forsaken me
and have sworn by those who are no gods.
When I fed them to the full,
they committed adultery
and trooped to the houses of prostitutes.(BH)
8 They were well-fed lusty stallions,
each neighing for his neighbor’s wife.(BI)
9 Shall I not punish them for these things?
says the Lord,
and shall I not bring retribution
on a nation such as this?(BJ)
10 Go up through her vine rows and destroy,
but do not make a full end;
strip away her branches,
for they are not the Lord’s.(BK)
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
have been utterly faithless to me,
says the Lord.(BL)
12 They have spoken falsely of the Lord
and have said, “He will do nothing.
No evil will come upon us,
and we shall not see sword or famine.”(BM)
13 The prophets are nothing but wind,
for the word is not in them.
Thus shall it be done to them!(BN)
14 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts:
Because you have spoken this word,
I am now making my words in your mouth a fire
and this people wood, and the fire shall devour them.(BO)
15 I am going to bring upon you
a nation from far away, O house of Israel,
says the Lord.
It is an enduring nation;
it is an ancient nation,
a nation whose language you do not know,
nor can you understand what they say.(BP)
16 Their quiver is like an open tomb;
all of them are mighty warriors.(BQ)
17 They shall eat up your harvest and your food;
they shall eat up your sons and your daughters;
they shall eat up your flocks and your herds;
they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;
they shall destroy with the sword
your fortified cities in which you trust.(BR)
18 But even in those days, says the Lord, I will not make a full end of you.(BS) 19 And when your people say, “Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?” you shall say to them, “As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.”(BT)
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob;
proclaim it in Judah:
21 Hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear.(BU)
22 Do you not fear me? says the Lord;
Do you not tremble before me?
I placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;
though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
though they roar, they cannot pass over it.(BV)
23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
they have turned aside and gone away.(BW)
24 They do not say in their hearts,
“Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives the rain in its season,
the autumn rain and the spring rain,
and keeps for us
the weeks appointed for the harvest.”(BX)
25 Your iniquities have turned these away,
and your sins have deprived you of good.(BY)
26 For the wicked are found among my people.
They lie in wait like hunters;
destroyers,[n] they catch humans.(BZ)
27 Like a cage full of birds,
their houses are full of treachery;
therefore they have become great and rich;(CA)
28 they have grown fat and sleek.
They know no limits in deeds of wickedness;
they do not judge with justice
the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper,
and they do not defend the rights of the needy.(CB)
29 Shall I not punish them for these things?
says the Lord,
and shall I not bring retribution
on a nation such as this?(CC)
30 An appalling and horrible thing
has happened in the land:(CD)
31 the prophets prophesy falsely,
and the priests rule as the prophets direct;[o]
my people love to have it so,
but what will you do when the end comes?(CE)
Footnotes
- 3.1 Gk Syr: Heb Saying, If
- 3.2 Or the trails
- 3.8 Gk mss Syr: Heb I
- 3.21 Or the trails
- 3.23 Gk Syr Vg: Heb Truly from the hills is
- 4.2 Or shall bless themselves
- 4.2 Cn: Heb him
- 4.2 Cn: Heb him
- 4.5 Or shout, take your weapons: Heb shout, fill (your hand)
- 4.11 Or the trails
- 4.19 Or for you, O my soul,
- 5.1 Heb it
- 5.5 Or the great
- 5.26 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 5.31 Or rule by their own authority
Jeremiah 3-5
New International Version
Jeremiah 3-5
New International Version
3 “If a man divorces(A) his wife
and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
Would not the land be completely defiled?(B)
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers(C)—
would you now return to me?”(D)
declares the Lord.
2 “Look up to the barren heights(E) and see.
Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadside(F) you sat waiting for lovers,
sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land(G)
with your prostitution(H) and wickedness.
3 Therefore the showers have been withheld,(I)
and no spring rains(J) have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen(K) look of a prostitute;
you refuse to blush with shame.(L)
4 Have you not just called to me:
‘My Father,(M) my friend from my youth,(N)
5 will you always be angry?(O)
Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
but you do all the evil you can.”
Unfaithful Israel
6 During the reign of King Josiah,(P) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless(Q) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree(R) and has committed adultery(S) there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister(T) Judah saw it.(U) 8 I gave faithless Israel(V) her certificate of divorce(W) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;(X) she also went out and committed adultery. 9 Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land(Y) and committed adultery(Z) with stone(AA) and wood.(AB) 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return(AC) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,(AD)” declares the Lord.(AE)
11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous(AF) than unfaithful(AG) Judah.(AH) 12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(AI)
“‘Return,(AJ) faithless(AK) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(AL) declares the Lord,
‘I will not be angry(AM) forever.
13 Only acknowledge(AN) your guilt—
you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods(AO)
under every spreading tree,(AP)
and have not obeyed(AQ) me,’”
declares the Lord.
14 “Return,(AR) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.(AS) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds(AT) after my own heart,(AU) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark(AV) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;(AW) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne(AX) of the Lord, and all nations(AY) will gather in Jerusalem to honor(AZ) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(BA) 18 In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,(BB) and together(BC) they will come from a northern(BD) land to the land(BE) I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
19 “I myself said,
“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
and give you a pleasant land,(BF)
the most beautiful inheritance(BG) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’(BH)
and not turn away from following me.
20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
so you, Israel, have been unfaithful(BI) to me,”
declares the Lord.
21 A cry is heard on the barren heights,(BJ)
the weeping(BK) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten(BL) the Lord their God.
“Yes, we will come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.
23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills(BP)
and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
is the salvation(BQ) of Israel.
24 From our youth shameful(BR) gods have consumed
the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,(BS)
and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned(BT) against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors;(BU)
from our youth(BV) till this day
we have not obeyed(BW) the Lord our God.”
4 “If you, Israel, will return,(BX)
then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols(BY) out of my sight
and no longer go astray,
2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear,(BZ) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(CA)
then the nations will invoke blessings(CB) by him
and in him they will boast.(CC)”
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“Break up your unplowed ground(CD)
and do not sow among thorns.(CE)
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
circumcise your hearts,(CF)
you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath(CG) will flare up and burn like fire(CH)
because of the evil(CI) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(CJ) it.
Disaster From the North
5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim(CK) in Jerusalem and say:
‘Sound the trumpet(CL) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
‘Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!’(CM)
6 Raise the signal(CN) to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster(CO) from the north,(CP)
even terrible destruction.”
7 A lion(CQ) has come out of his lair;(CR)
a destroyer(CS) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to lay waste(CT) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins(CU)
without inhabitant.
8 So put on sackcloth,(CV)
lament(CW) and wail,
for the fierce anger(CX) of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,(CY)
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”(CZ)
10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived(DA) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’(DB) when the sword is at our throats!”
11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind(DC) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind(DD) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments(DE) against them.”
13 Look! He advances like the clouds,(DF)
his chariots(DG) come like a whirlwind,(DH)
his horses(DI) are swifter than eagles.(DJ)
Woe to us! We are ruined!(DK)
14 Jerusalem, wash(DL) the evil from your heart and be saved.(DM)
How long(DN) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan,(DO)
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.(DP)
16 “Tell this to the nations,
proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,(DQ)
raising a war cry(DR) against the cities of Judah.(DS)
17 They surround(DT) her like men guarding a field,
because she has rebelled(DU) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
18 “Your own conduct and actions(DV)
have brought this on you.(DW)
This is your punishment.
How bitter(DX) it is!
How it pierces to the heart!”
19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!(DY)
I writhe in pain.(DZ)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds(EA) within me,
I cannot keep silent.(EB)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;(EC)
I have heard the battle cry.(ED)
20 Disaster follows disaster;(EE)
the whole land lies in ruins.(EF)
In an instant my tents(EG) are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard(EH)
and hear the sound of the trumpet?(EI)
22 “My people are fools;(EJ)
they do not know me.(EK)
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.(EL)
They are skilled in doing evil;(EM)
they know not how to do good.”(EN)
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;(EO)
and at the heavens,
and their light(EP) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;(EQ)
all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.(ER)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;(ES)
all its towns lay in ruins(ET)
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(EU)
27 This is what the Lord says:
“The whole land will be ruined,(EV)
though I will not destroy(EW) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn(EX)
and the heavens above grow dark,(EY)
because I have spoken and will not relent,(EZ)
I have decided and will not turn back.(FA)”
29 At the sound of horsemen and archers(FB)
every town takes to flight.(FC)
Some go into the thickets;
some climb up among the rocks.(FD)
All the towns are deserted;(FE)
no one lives in them.
30 What are you doing,(FF) you devastated one?
Why dress yourself in scarlet
and put on jewels(FG) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?(FH)
You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers(FI) despise you;
they want to kill you.(FJ)
31 I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,(FK)
a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion(FL) gasping for breath,(FM)
stretching out her hands(FN) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
my life is given over to murderers.”(FO)
Not One Is Upright
5 “Go up and down(FP) the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,(FQ)
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person(FR)
who deals honestly(FS) and seeks the truth,
I will forgive(FT) this city.
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(FU)
still they are swearing falsely.(FV)”
3 Lord, do not your eyes(FW) look for truth?
You struck(FX) them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.(FY)
They made their faces harder than stone(FZ)
and refused to repent.(GA)
4 I thought, “These are only the poor;
they are foolish,(GB)
for they do not know(GC) the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.
5 So I will go to the leaders(GD)
and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
and torn off the bonds.(GE)
6 Therefore a lion from the forest(GF) will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will ravage(GG) them,
a leopard(GH) will lie in wait near their towns
to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
and their backslidings many.(GI)
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn(GJ) by gods that are not gods.(GK)
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery(GL)
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.(GM)
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man’s wife.(GN)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”(GO)
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(GP) myself
on such a nation as this?
10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
but do not destroy them completely.(GQ)
Strip off her branches,
for these people do not belong to the Lord.
11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah
have been utterly unfaithful(GR) to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 They have lied(GS) about the Lord;
they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(GT)
we will never see sword or famine.(GU)
13 The prophets(GV) are but wind(GW)
and the word is not in them;
so let what they say be done to them.”
14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:
“Because the people have spoken these words,
I will make my words in your mouth(GX) a fire(GY)
and these people the wood it consumes.(GZ)
15 People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
“I am bringing a distant nation(HA) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
a people whose language(HB) you do not know,
whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their quivers(HC) are like an open grave;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour(HD) your harvests and food,
devour(HE) your sons and daughters;
they will devour(HF) your flocks and herds,
devour your vines and fig trees.(HG)
With the sword(HH) they will destroy
the fortified cities(HI) in which you trust.(HJ)
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy(HK) you completely. 19 And when the people ask,(HL) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods(HM) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners(HN) in a land not your own.’
20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim(HO) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(HP)
who have eyes(HQ) but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:(HR)
22 Should you not fear(HS) me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble(HT) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(HU)
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar,(HV) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(HW) hearts;
they have turned aside(HX) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear(HY) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(HZ) in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(IA)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.(IB)
26 “Among my people are the wicked(IC)
who lie in wait(ID) like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps(IE) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;(IF)
they have become rich(IG) and powerful
28 and have grown fat(IH) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(II)
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(IJ)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(IK) myself
on such a nation as this?
1 Timothy 4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
1 Timothy 4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
False Asceticism
4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later[a] times some will renounce[b] the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,(A) 2 through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. 3 They forbid marriage and abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.(B) 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving,(C) 5 for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.
A Good Minister of Jesus Christ
6 If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant[c] of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching that you have followed.(D) 7 Have nothing to do with profane and foolish tales. Train yourself in godliness,(E) 8 for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.(F) 9 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and suffer reproach,[d] because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.(G)
11 Command and teach these things.(H) 12 Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.(I) 13 Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture,[e] to exhorting, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.(J) 15 Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.(K)
1 Timothy 4
New International Version
1 Timothy 4
New International Version
4 The Spirit(A) clearly says that in later times(B) some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits(C) and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.(D) 3 They forbid people to marry(E) and order them to abstain from certain foods,(F) which God created(G) to be received with thanksgiving(H) by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good,(I) and nothing is to be rejected(J) if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God(K) and prayer.
6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,[a] you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith(L) and of the good teaching that you have followed.(M) 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales;(N) rather, train yourself to be godly.(O) 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,(P) holding promise for both the present life(Q) and the life to come.(R) 9 This is a trustworthy saying(S) that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God,(T) who is the Savior of all people,(U) and especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach these things.(V) 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you(W) because you are young, but set an example(X) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith(Y) and in purity. 13 Until I come,(Z) devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture,(AA) to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy(AB) when the body of elders(AC) laid their hands on you.(AD)
15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save(AE) both yourself and your hearers.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 4:6 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.