The Daily Audio Bible
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Jeremiah's Complaint
12 (A)Righteous are you, O Lord,
when I complain to you;
yet I would plead my case before you.
(B)Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all (C)who are treacherous thrive?
2 You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and produce fruit;
(D)you are near in their mouth
and far from their heart.
3 (E)But you, O Lord, know me;
(F)you see me, and test my heart toward you.
(G)Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for (H)the day of slaughter.
4 (I)How long will the land mourn
and the grass of every field wither?
(J)For the evil of those who dwell in it
(K)the beasts and the birds are swept away,
because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”
The Lord Answers Jeremiah
5 “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?
And if in a safe land you are so trusting,
what will you do in (L)the thicket of the Jordan?
6 For (M)even your brothers and the house of your father,
(N)even they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
(O)do not believe them,
though they speak friendly words to you.”
7 “I have forsaken my house;
I have abandoned (P)my heritage;
I have given (Q)the beloved of my soul
into the hands of her enemies.
8 (R)My heritage has become to me
like a lion in the forest;
she has lifted up her voice against me;
therefore I hate her.
9 Is (S)my heritage to me like (T)a hyena's lair?
Are the (U)birds of prey against her all around?
Go, (V)assemble all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
(W)they have trampled down my portion;
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
11 They have made it a desolation;
desolate, (X)it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
(Y)but no man lays it to heart.
12 Upon all the bare heights in the desert
destroyers have come,
for the sword of the Lord devours
from one end of the land to the other;
no flesh has peace.
13 (Z)They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
(AA)they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their[a] harvests
(AB)because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”
14 Thus says the Lord concerning all (AC)my evil neighbors (AD)who touch the heritage that (AE)I have given my people Israel to inherit: “Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. 15 And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, (AF)and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land. 16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, (AG)to swear by my name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, (AH)then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. 17 (AI)But if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the Lord.”
The Ruined Loincloth
13 Thus says the Lord to me, “Go and buy a linen loincloth and (AJ)put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.” 2 So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the Lord, and put it around my waist. 3 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, 4 “Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, (AK)go to the Euphrates and hide it there in (AL)a cleft of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. 6 And after many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there (AM)the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took (AN)the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was (AO)spoiled; it was (AP)good for nothing.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Thus says the Lord: (AQ)Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great (AR)pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, (AS)who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is (AT)good for nothing. 11 For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, (AU)that they might be for me a people, (AV)a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.
The Jars Filled with Wine
12 “You shall speak to them this word: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Every jar shall be filled with wine.”’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not indeed know that (AW)every jar will be filled with wine?’ 13 Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: (AX)Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: (AY)the kings who sit on David's throne, (AZ)the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 14 And I will (BA)dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, declares the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.’”
Exile Threatened
15 Hear and give ear; be not proud,
for the Lord has spoken.
16 (BB)Give glory to the Lord your God
(BC)before he brings darkness,
before your feet stumble
on the twilight mountains,
and (BD)while you look for light
he turns it into gloom
and makes it (BE)deep darkness.
17 But if you will not listen,
(BF)my soul will weep in secret for your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears,
because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.
18 Say to (BG)the king and (BH)the queen mother:
“Take a lowly seat,
for (BI)your beautiful crown
has come down from your head.”
19 (BJ)The cities of the Negeb are shut up,
with none to open them;
all Judah is taken into exile,
wholly taken into exile.
20 “Lift up your eyes (BK)and see
those who come from the north.
Where is the flock that was given you,
your beautiful flock?
21 What will you say when they set as head over you
those whom you yourself have taught to be friends to you?
(BL)Will not pangs take hold of you
like those of a woman in labor?
22 And if you say in your heart,
(BM)‘Why have these things come upon me?’
it is for the greatness of your iniquity
that (BN)your skirts are lifted up
and you suffer violence.
23 (BO)Can the Ethiopian change his skin
or (BP)the leopard his spots?
Then also you can do good
who are accustomed to do evil.
24 I will scatter you[b] (BQ)like chaff
driven by the wind from the desert.
25 (BR)This is your lot,
the portion I have measured out to you, declares the Lord,
because (BS)you have forgotten me
and trusted in lies.
26 (BT)I myself will lift up your skirts over your face,
and your shame will be seen.
27 I have seen (BU)your abominations,
your adulteries and (BV)neighings, your lewd whorings,
(BW)on the hills in the field.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
How long will it be (BX)before you are made clean?”
Famine, Sword, and Pestilence
14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning (BY)the drought:
2 (BZ)“Judah mourns,
and (CA)her gates languish;
her people lament on the ground,
and (CB)the cry of Jerusalem goes up.
3 Her nobles send their servants for water;
they come to the cisterns;
they find no water;
they return with their vessels empty;
they are (CC)ashamed and confounded
and (CD)cover their heads.
4 Because of the ground that is dismayed,
since there is (CE)no rain on the land,
the farmers are ashamed;
they cover their heads.
5 Even (CF)the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.
6 (CG)The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
they pant for air like jackals;
their eyes fail
because there is no vegetation.
7 “Though our iniquities testify against us,
act, O Lord, (CH)for your name's sake;
(CI)for our backslidings are many;
(CJ)we have sinned against you.
8 (CK)O you hope of Israel,
its savior in time of trouble,
why should you be like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
9 Why should you be like a man confused,
(CL)like a mighty warrior who cannot save?
Yet (CM)you, O Lord, are in the midst of us,
and (CN)we are called by your name;
(CO)do not leave us.”
Greeting
1 Paul, (A)Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the (B)Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
(C)Grace to you and peace.
The Thessalonians' Faith and Example
2 (D)We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly[a] (E)mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before (F)our God and Father (G)your work of faith and labor of (H)love and (I)steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, (J)brothers[b] loved by God, (K)that he has chosen you, 5 because (L)our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and (M)in the Holy Spirit and with full (N)conviction. You know (O)what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And (P)you became imitators of us (Q)and of the Lord, for (R)you received the word in much affliction, (S)with the (T)joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord (U)sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth (V)everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of (W)reception we had among you, and how (X)you turned to God (Y)from idols to serve the living and (Z)true God, 10 and (AA)to wait for his Son (AB)from heaven, (AC)whom he raised from the dead, Jesus (AD)who delivers us from (AE)the wrath to come.
Paul's Ministry to the Thessalonians
2 For you yourselves know, brothers,[c] that our (AF)coming to you (AG)was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated (AH)at Philippi, as you know, (AI)we had boldness in our God (AJ)to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much (AK)conflict. 3 For (AL)our appeal does not spring from (AM)error or (AN)impurity or (AO)any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God (AP)to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not (AQ)to please man, but to please God (AR)who tests our hearts. 5 (AS)For we never came with words of flattery,[d] as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—(AT)God is witness. 6 (AU)Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, (AV)though we could have made (AW)demands as (AX)apostles of Christ. 7 But we were (AY)gentle[e] among you, (AZ)like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God (BA)but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
How Long, O Lord?
A Psalm of (A)Asaph.
79 O God, (B)the nations have come into your (C)inheritance;
they have defiled your (D)holy temple;
they have (E)laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given (F)the bodies of your servants
to the birds of the heavens for food,
the flesh of your (G)faithful to (H)the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was (I)no one to bury them.
4 We have become (J)a taunt to our neighbors,
(K)mocked and derided by those around us.
5 (L)How long, O Lord? Will you be angry (M)forever?
Will your (N)jealousy (O)burn like fire?
6 (P)Pour out your anger on the nations
that (Q)do not know you,
and on the kingdoms
that (R)do not call upon your name!
7 For they have devoured Jacob
and laid waste his habitation.
8 (S)Do not remember against us (T)our former iniquities;[a]
let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are (U)brought very low.
9 (V)Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and (W)atone for our sins,
for your (X)name's sake!
10 (Y)Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let (Z)the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes!
11 Let (AA)the groans of the prisoners come before you;
according to your great power, preserve those (AB)doomed to die!
12 Return (AC)sevenfold into the (AD)lap of our neighbors
the (AE)taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
13 But we your people, the (AF)sheep of your pasture,
will (AG)give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
30 (A)I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man (B)lacking sense,
31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone (C)wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw and (D)considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
33 (E)A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.