Add parallel Print Page Options

Warning to David’s Heirs

22 Thus said Adonai: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and speak this word:

‘Hear the word of Adonai, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David—you, your servants, and your people who enter by these gates.’ Thus says Adonai: ‘Execute justice and righteousness. Rescue the one who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. Do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the fatherless or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place. For if you really carry out this word, then through the gates of this palace will enter kings sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses—himself, his servants, and his people. But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself,’ declares Adonai, ‘that this palace will become a ruin.’”

For thus says Adonai concerning the house of the king of Judah:

“You are Gilead to Me—
the summit of Lebanon,
yet I will surely make you into a wilderness,
uninhabited cities.
I will consecrate destroyers against you,
each with his own weapons.
They will cut down your choice cedars
and cast them into the fire.

Many nations will pass by this city, and they will say, each to his neighbor, ‘Why has Adonai done such a thing to this great city?’ Then they will answer: ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of Adonai their God, and worshipped other gods and served them.’”

10 Weep not for the dead or bemoan him.
Weep bitterly for him who departs,
for he will never return,
or see his native country again.

11 For thus says Adonai to Shallum, son of King Josiah of Judah, who became king in place of his father Josiah: “He who went forth from this place will never return there. 12 Instead, in the place where they led him captive, there will he die—he will see this land no more.”

13 Oy to him who builds his house by unrighteousness,
and his roof-chambers by injustice,
that makes his neighbor work without pay,
never giving him his wages,
14 who says: “I will build myself a big house with spacious rooms
and cut out my windows for it,
and panel it with cedar,
and paint it with vermilion!
15 Did you become king
just to be striving with cedar?
Did your father not eat and drink,
and do justice and righteousness?
Then it went well with him.
16 He pled the case of the poor and weak,
so it went well.
Is not this knowledge of Me?”
It is a declaration of Adonai.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
are only on your unjust gain,
and on shedding innocent blood,
and committing extortion and fraud.”

18 Therefore thus says Adonai about Jehoiakim son of King Josiah of Judah:

“They will not lament for him,
Oy, my brother!’ or ‘Oy, sister!’
They will not lament for him,
Oy, master!’ or ‘Oy, his majesty!’
19 With a donkey’s burial will he be buried,
dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
and lift up your voice in Bashan,
and cry from Abarim—
    for all your lovers are broken.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
but you said, ‘I won’t listen!’
This has been your way since your youth—
for you never listened to My voice.
22 The wind will shepherd away all of your shepherds,
and your lovers will go into exile.
Surely then you will be ashamed
and humbled by all your wickedness.
23 O inhabitant of Lebanon,
nestled in the cedars,
how you will groan when pangs come on you,
pain like a woman in travail!

24 “As I live,” declares Adonai, “even if Coniah son of King Jehoiakim of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off, 25 and give you over into the hand of those seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 So I will cast you out, with your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born—and there will you die. 27 But as for the land where they long to return, they will never return there.”

28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered pot—
a jar with no delight in it?
Why are he and his seed cast out
into the land they do not know?
29 O land, land, land,
hear the word of Adonai!
30 Thus says Adonai:
“Write this man childless,
a man who will not prosper in his days.
For no man of his seed will prosper,
sitting on the throne of David
and ruling again in Judah.”

Gathering His Flock

23 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” It is a declaration of Adonai.

Therefore thus says Adonai, the God of Israel, about the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and have not taken care of them. I will soon visit on you the evil of your deeds.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

“I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and will bring them back to their folds, and they will be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will feed them. They will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any be missing,” It is a declaration of Adonai.

The Righteous Branch

“Behold, days are coming”
—it is a declaration of Adonai
“when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
and He will reign as king wisely[a],
and execute justice and righteousness in the land.
In His days Judah will be saved,
and Israel will dwell in safely;
and this is His Name by which He will be called:
Adonai our righteousness.

“Therefore behold, days are coming,” says Adonai, “when they will no longer say: ‘As Adonai lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.’ Rather, ‘As Adonai lives, who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ So they will dwell in their own soil.

Avoid Ungodly Prophets

As for the prophets:
    My heart within me is broken,
        all my bones shake.
    I am like a drunken man,
    like a man overcome by wine
        because of Adonai,
        because of His holy words.
10 For the land is full of adulterers.
The land mourns because of a curse.
Pastures of the wilderness are dry.
    Their running is evil,
and their might is not right.
11 For both prophet and kohen are ungodly.
Even in My House I found their evil.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.
12 “Therefore their way will be for them like slippery places in the gloom.
They will be driven away and fall there,
for I will bring calamity on them,
even the year of their visitation.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.
13 Moreover, I have seen unseemliness
in the prophets of Samaria:
they prophesied by Baal,
and led My people Israel astray.
14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen a horrible thing:
committing adultery and walking in lies.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers.
No one turns back from his evil.
They are all like Sodom to Me
and her inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
15 Therefore thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot concerning the prophets:
“I myself will feed them wormwood
and make them drink poisoned water.
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
pollution has spread into all the land.”
16 Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot:
“Do not listen to the words of prophets
who are prophesying to you.
They are leading you into illusion,
speaking a vision of their own heart
and not out of the mouth of Adonai.
17 They keep saying to those who despise Me,
Adonai has said, you will have shalom.’
To everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart they say:
‘No evil will come on you.’”

18 For who has stood in the council of Adonai,
that he should see and hear His word?
Who has heard to His word and obeyed?
19 Look, a storm of Adonai goes out in fury,
yes, a whirling tempest will swirl down
on the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of Adonai will not turn
until He has executed and fulfilled
the purposes of His heart.
In the last days you will discern it clearly.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 23:5 Or, and prosper.

Greetings

Paul, Silvanus,[a] and Timothy,

To the community of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah:

Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah!

Troubles From an Eternal Perspective

We ought to always thank God for you, brothers and sisters, as is appropriate, because your faithfulness grows wonderfully, and the love of each one of you for one another continually increases. Therefore, we ourselves boast of you among the communities of God—about your perseverance and faithfulness through all the persecutions and troubles that you endure. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.

(For after all, it is right in the sight of God to pay back trouble to those who trouble you, and relief to you who suffer trouble along with us. At the revelation of the Lord Yeshua from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,[b] He will command judgment on those who do not know God and do not heed the Good News of our Lord Yeshua. [c] They will pay the price of eternal ruin, away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power[d] 10 on that Day when He comes to be glorified among His kedoshim and marveled at by all who have believed,[e] because our testimony to you was believed.)

11 With this in mind, we pray for you constantly, that our God may consider you worthy of the calling and fulfill with power every good desire and work of faith, 12 so the name of our Lord Yeshua may be glorified in you, and you in Him, in keeping with the grace of our God and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

Read full chapter

Nations Conspire Against Israel

Psalm 83

A song: a psalm of Asaph.
God, do not keep silent.
Do not hold Your peace, O God.
Do not be still.
For look, Your enemies make an uproar.
Those who hate You lift up their head.
They make a shrewd plot against Your people,
conspiring against Your treasured ones.
“Come,” they say, “let’s wipe them out as a nation!
Let Israel’s name be remembered no more!”
For with one mind they plot together.
Against You do they make a covenant.
The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
Gebal, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre,
even Assyria has joined them,
becoming a strong arm for Lot’s sons. Selah

10 Do to them as You did to Midian,
to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River,
11 who perished at En-dor—
they became as dung for the ground.
12 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb—
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
13 who said,
“Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.”
14 My God, make them like tumbleweed,
like chaff before the wind.
15 As a fire burns a forest,
    and as a flame sets mountains ablaze,
16 so pursue them with Your tempest,
    and terrify them with Your storm.
17 Cover their faces with shame,
so they may seek Your Name—Adonai.
18 Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever.
Let them be humiliated and perish.

Read full chapter

A Fitting Reproof is Precious

11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver
is a word aptly spoken.
12 Like a gold earring or a gold ornament
is a wise reproof to a receptive ear.
13 Like the coolness of snow at harvest time
is a faithful messenger to those who send him
for he refreshes his master’s soul.
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is one who boasts about a gift not given.

Read full chapter