The Daily Audio Bible
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11 The Lord said to me, “Don’t pray for the good of these people. 12 Even if they go without food, I won’t listen to their cries for help. Even if they sacrifice burnt offerings and grain offerings, I won’t be pleased with them. But I will destroy these people with wars, famines, and plagues.”
13 Then I said, “Almighty Lord, prophets are saying to them, ‘You won’t see wars or famines, because I, the Lord, will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”
14 Then the Lord told me, “These are the lies that the prophets are telling in my name: They claim that I sent them, commanded them, and spoke to them. They dreamed up the visions they tell you. Their predictions are worthless. They are the products of their own imagination.
15 “I didn’t send these prophets. Yet, they prophesy in my name that there will be no wars or famines in this land. So this is what I, the Lord, say about them: Wars and famines will bring an end to these prophets. 16 The people they prophesy to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem. They will be victims of famines and wars. No one will bury them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters. I will pour on them the destruction that they deserve.
17 “Say this to them:
‘My eyes flow with tears day and night without stopping
because my dear people will suffer massive destruction.
It will be a very serious blow.’ ”
18 If I go to the field, I see those killed because of war.
If I go to the city, I see those sick because of famine.
Prophets and priests wander through a land they haven’t heard of.
19 Have you completely rejected Judah?
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you struck us so hard that we cannot heal?
We hope for peace, but no good comes from it.
We hope for a time of healing, but there’s only terror.
20 O Lord, we realize our wickedness
and the wrongs done by our ancestors.
We have sinned against you.
21 For the sake of your name, don’t despise us.
Don’t dishonor your glorious throne.
Remember your promise [a] to us; don’t break it.
22 The worthless gods of the nations can’t make it rain.
By themselves, the skies can’t give showers.
But you can, O Lord our God.
We have hope in you because you do all these things.
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were standing in front of me, I would not feel sorry for these people. Send them away from me, and let them go. 2 When they ask you where they should go, say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
Those who are destined to die will die.
Those who are destined to die in wars will die in wars.
Those who are destined to die in famines will die in famines.
Those who are destined to die in captivity will die in captivity.’
3 “I will devise four ways to punish them,” declares the Lord. “I will send swords to kill, dogs to drag away, and birds and animals to devour and destroy. 4 I will make these people a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms on the earth. This will happen because of what Judah’s King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, did in Jerusalem.
5 No one will take pity on you, Jerusalem.
No one will mourn for you.
No one will bother to ask how you are doing.
6 You have left me,” declares the Lord.
“You have turned your back on me.
So I will use my power against you and destroy you.
I’m tired of showing compassion to you.
7 “I will separate them with a winnowing [b] shovel at the city gates.
I will make them childless.
I will destroy my people because they will not change their ways.
8 Their widows will be more numerous
than the grains of sand on the seashore.
At noontime I will send a destroyer against the mothers of young men.
I will suddenly bring anguish and terror to them.
9 A mother who gives birth to seven sons will grow faint
and breathe her last.
She will die, ashamed and humiliated,
while it is still daylight.
I will put survivors from these people to death
in the presence of their enemies,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah Complains Bitterly
10 I’m so miserable! Why did my mother give birth to me?
I am a man who argues and quarrels with the whole earth.
I have never lent or borrowed anything.
Yet, everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said,
“I will certainly rescue you for a good reason.
I will certainly make your enemies plead with you
in times of disaster and in times of distress.
12 (No one can break iron, iron from the north, or bronze.)
13 I will give away your wealth and treasures as loot
as the price for all the sins that you have committed
throughout your territory.
14 I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you haven’t heard of,
because my anger has started a fire.
It will burn you.”
15 O Lord, you understand.
Remember me, take care of me,
and take revenge on those who persecute me.
Be patient, and don’t take me away.
You should know that I’ve been insulted because of you.
16 Your words were found, and I devoured them.
Your words are my joy and my heart’s delight,
because I am called by your name, O Lord God of Armies.
17 I didn’t keep company with those who laugh and have fun.
I sat alone because your hand was on me.
You filled me with outrage.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound incurable, refusing to heal?
Will you disappoint me like a stream
that dries up in summertime?
19 This is what the Lord says:
If you will return, I will take you back.
If you will speak what is worthwhile and not what is worthless,
you will stand in my presence.
The people will return to you, but you will not return to them.
20 I will make you like a solid bronze wall in front of these people.
They will fight you, but they will not defeat you.
I am with you, and I will save you and rescue you,
declares the Lord.
21 I will rescue you from the power of wicked people
and free you from the power of tyrants.
The Lord Tells Jeremiah Not to Marry
16 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, 2 “Don’t marry! Don’t have any sons or daughters in this place! 3 This is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this place and about the mothers and fathers who have children in this land: 4 They will die horrible deaths. No one will mourn for them or bury them. They will be like manure on the ground. Wars and famines will bring them to an end. Their bodies will be food for birds and animals.
5 “This is what the Lord says: Don’t go into a house where people are grieving. Don’t go to mourn or to grieve for them. I’m taking my peace, love, and compassion away from these people,” declares the Lord. 6 “Old and young alike will die in this land. No one will mourn for them or bury them. No one will cut his own body or shave his own head for them. 7 No one will offer food to comfort those who mourn the dead. No one will give a consoling drink to those who have lost their fathers or mothers.
8 “Don’t even go into a home where there is a banquet. Don’t sit with them to eat and drink. 9 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I’m going to put a stop to the sounds of joy and happiness and the sounds of brides and grooms in this place. This will happen in your lifetime, while you watch.
10 “When you tell the people all these things, they will ask you, ‘Why does the Lord threaten us with all these disasters? What have we done wrong? How have we sinned against the Lord our God?’ 11 Then say to them, ‘It’s because your ancestors abandoned me, declares the Lord. They followed other gods, served them, worshiped them, and abandoned me. They didn’t obey my teachings. 12 You have done worse than your ancestors. All of you are following your own stubborn, evil ways that keep you from obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land that you and your ancestors haven’t heard of. There you will serve other gods day and night because I will no longer have pity on you.’
14 “That is why the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when people will no longer begin an oath with, ‘The Lord brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. As the Lord lives….’ 15 But they will say, ‘The Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of the north and all the lands where he had scattered them. As the Lord lives….’ They will say this because I will bring them back to the land that I gave their ancestors.
9 You remember, brothers and sisters, our work and what we did to earn a living. We worked night and day so that we could bring you the Good News of God without being a burden to any of you. 10 You and God are witnesses of how pure, honest, and blameless we were in our dealings with you believers. 11 You know very well that we treated each of you the way a father treats his children. We comforted you and encouraged you. Yet, we insisted that 12 you should live in a way that proves you belong to the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
Paul Remembers How the Thessalonians Received God’s Word
13 Here is another reason why we never stop thanking God: When you received God’s word from us, you realized it wasn’t human words. Instead, you accepted it for what it really is—God’s word. This word is at work in you believers.
14 You, brothers and sisters, were like the churches of God in Judea that are united with Christ Jesus. You suffered the same persecutions from the people of your own country as those churches did from the Jews 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and who have persecuted us severely. They are displeasing to God. They are enemies of the whole human race 16 because they try to keep us from telling people who are not Jewish how they can be saved. The result is that those Jews always commit as many sins as possible. So at last they are receiving ⌞God’s⌟ anger.
17 Brothers and sisters, we have been separated from you for a little while. Although we may not be able to see you, you’re always in our thoughts. We have made every possible effort to fulfill our desire to see you. 18 We wanted to visit you. I, Paul, wanted to visit you twice already, but Satan made that impossible.
19 Who is our hope, joy, or prize that we can brag about in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Isn’t it you? 20 You are our glory and joy!
Timothy’s Report to Paul
3 We thought it best to remain in Athens by ourselves. But, because we couldn’t wait any longer ⌞for news about you⌟, 2 we sent our brother Timothy to you. He serves God by spreading the Good News about Christ. His mission was to strengthen and encourage you in your faith 3 so that these troubles don’t disturb any of you. You know that we’re destined to suffer persecution. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we told you ahead of time that we were going to suffer persecution. And as you know, that’s what happened. 5 But when I couldn’t wait any longer, I sent ⌞Timothy⌟ to find out about your faith. I wanted to see whether the tempter had in some way tempted you, making our work meaningless.
6 But Timothy has just now come back to us from you and has told us the good news about your faith and love. He also told us that you always have fond memories of us and want to see us, as we want to see you. 7 So brothers and sisters, your faith has encouraged us in all our distress and trouble. 8 Now we can go on living as long as you keep your relationship with the Lord firm.
9 We can never thank God enough for all the joy you give us as we rejoice in God’s presence. 10 We pray very hard night and day that we may see you again so that we can supply whatever you still need for your faith. 11 We pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus will guide us to you. 12 We also pray that the Lord will greatly increase your love for each other and for everyone else, just as we love you. 13 Then he will strengthen you to be holy. Then you will be blameless in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all God’s holy people.
For the choir director; according to shoshannim eduth; by Asaph; a psalm.
80 Open your ears, O Shepherd of Israel,
the one who leads ⌞the descendants of⌟ Joseph like sheep,
the one who is enthroned over the angels.[a]
2 Appear in front of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Wake up your power, and come to save us.
3 O God, restore us and smile on us
so that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God, commander of armies, how long will you smolder in anger
against the prayer of your people?
5 You made them eat tears as food.
You often made them drink ⌞their own⌟ tears.
6 You made us a source of conflict to our neighbors,
and our enemies made fun of us.
7 O God, commander of armies, restore us and smile on us
so that we may be saved.
8 You brought a vine from Egypt.
You forced out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it
so that it took root and filled the land.
10 Its shade covered the mountains.
Its branches covered the mighty cedars.
11 It reached out with its branches to the Mediterranean Sea.
Its shoots reached the Euphrates River.
12 Why did you break down the stone fences around this vine?
All who pass by are picking its fruit.
13 Wild boars from the forest graze on it.
Wild animals devour it.
14 O God, commander of armies, come back!
Look from heaven and see!
Come to help this vine.
15 Take care of what your right hand planted,
the son you strengthened for yourself.
16 The vine has been cut down and burned.
Let them be destroyed by the threatening look on your face.
17 Let your power rest on the man you have chosen,
the son of man you strengthened for yourself.
18 Then we will never turn away from you.
Give us life again, and we will call on you.
19 O Lord God, commander of armies, restore us, and smile on us
so that we may be saved.
25 These also are Solomon’s proverbs that were copied by the men of King Hezekiah of Judah.
Advice for Kings
2 It is the glory of God to hide things
but the glory of kings to investigate them.
3 ⌞Like⌟ the high heavens and the deep earth,
so the mind of kings is unsearchable.
4 Take the impurities out of silver,
and a vessel is ready for the silversmith to mold.
5 Take a wicked person away from the presence of a king,
and justice will make his throne secure.
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