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21 I did not send those prophets,
yet they were in a hurry to give their message.[a]
I did not tell them anything,
yet they prophesied anyway.
22 But if they had stood in my inner circle,[b]
they would have proclaimed my message to my people.
They would have caused my people to turn from their wicked ways
and stop doing the evil things they are doing.
23 Do you people think[c] that I am some local deity
and not the transcendent God?”[d] the Lord asks.[e]
24 “Do you really think anyone can hide himself
where I cannot see him?” the Lord asks.[f]
“Do you not know that I am everywhere?”[g]
the Lord asks.[h]
25 The Lord says,[i] “I have heard what those prophets who are prophesying lies in my name are saying. They are saying, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’[j] 26 Those prophets are just prophesying lies. They are prophesying the delusions of their own minds.[k] 27 How long will they go on plotting[l] to make my people forget who I am[m] through the dreams they tell one another? That is just as bad as what their ancestors[n] did when they forgot who I am by worshiping the god Baal.[o] 28 Let the prophet who has had a dream go ahead and tell his dream. Let the person who has received my message report that message faithfully. What is like straw cannot compare to what is like grain![p] I, the Lord, affirm it![q] 29 My message is like a fire that purges dross.[r] It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces.[s] I, the Lord, so affirm it![t] 30 So I, the Lord, affirm[u] that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me.[v] 31 I, the Lord, affirm[w] that I am opposed to those prophets who are using their own tongues to declare, ‘The Lord declares.’[x] 32 I, the Lord, affirm[y] that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies.[z] I did not send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all.[aa] I, the Lord, affirm it!”[ab]
33 The Lord said to me, “Jeremiah,[ac] when one of these people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, ‘What burdensome message[ad] do you have from the Lord?’ Tell them, ‘You are the burden,[ae] and I will cast you away.[af] I, the Lord, affirm it![ag] 34 I will punish any prophet, priest, or other person who says “The Lord’s message is burdensome.”[ah] I will punish both that person and his whole family.’”[ai]
35 So I, Jeremiah, tell you,[aj] “Each of you people should say to his friend or his relative, ‘How did the Lord answer? Or what did the Lord say?’[ak] 36 You must no longer say that the Lord’s message is burdensome.[al] For what is ‘burdensome’[am] really pertains to what a person himself says.[an] You are misrepresenting[ao] the words of our God, the living God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[ap] 37 Each of you should merely ask the prophet, ‘What answer did the Lord give you? Or what did the Lord say?’[aq] 38 But just suppose you continue to say, ‘The message of the Lord is burdensome.’ Here is what the Lord says will happen: ‘I sent word to you that you must not say, “The Lord’s message is burdensome.” But you used the words, “The Lord’s message is burdensome,” anyway. 39 So[ar] I will carry you far off[as] and throw you away. I will send both you and the city I gave to you and to your ancestors out of my sight.[at] 40 I will bring on you lasting shame and lasting disgrace that will never be forgotten!’”
Good Figs and Bad Figs
24 The Lord showed me two baskets of figs sitting before his temple. This happened after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deported Jehoiakim’s son, King Jeconiah of Judah. He deported him and the leaders of Judah from Jerusalem, along with the craftsmen and metal workers, and took them to Babylon.[au] 2 One basket had very good-looking figs in it. They looked like those that had ripened early.[av] The other basket had very bad-looking figs in it, so bad they could not be eaten. 3 The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see figs. The good ones look very good. But the bad ones look very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”
4 The Lord’s message came to me, 5 “I, the Lord, the God of Israel, say: ‘The exiles of Judah whom I sent away from here to the land of Babylon[aw] are like those good figs. I consider them to be good. 6 I will look after their welfare[ax] and will restore them to this land. There I will build them up and will not tear them down. I will plant them firmly in the land[ay] and will not uproot them.[az] 7 I will give them the desire to acknowledge that I[ba] am the Lord. I will be their God and they will be my people. For they will wholeheartedly[bb] return to me.’
8 “I, the Lord, also solemnly assert: ‘King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the people who remain in Jerusalem or who have gone to live in Egypt are like those bad figs. I consider them to be just like those bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.[bc] 9 I will bring such disaster on them that all the kingdoms of the earth will be horrified. I will make them an object of reproach, a proverbial example of disaster. I will make them an object of ridicule, an example to be used in curses.[bd] That is how they will be remembered wherever I banish them.[be] 10 I will bring war, starvation, and disease[bf] on them until they are completely destroyed from the land I gave them and their ancestors.’”[bg]
Seventy Years of Servitude for Failure to Give Heed
25 In the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah[bh] concerning all the people of Judah. (That was the same as the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.)[bi] 2 So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the people who were living in Jerusalem. 3 “For the last twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was ruling in Judah[bj] until now, the Lord’s messages have come to me and I have told them to you over and over again.[bk] But you would not listen. 4 Over and over again[bl] the Lord has sent[bm] his servants the prophets to you. But you have not listened or paid attention.[bn] 5 He said through them,[bo] ‘Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and stop doing the evil things you are doing.[bp] If you do, I will allow you to continue to live here in the land that I gave to you and your ancestors as a lasting possession.[bq] 6 Do not pay allegiance to[br] other gods and worship and serve them. Do not make me angry by the things that you do.[bs] Then I will not cause you any harm.’ 7 So, now the Lord says,[bt] ‘You have not listened to me. But[bu] you have made me angry by the things that you have done.[bv] Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.’
8 “Therefore, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[bw] says, ‘You have not listened to what I said.[bx] 9 So I, the Lord, affirm that[by] I will send for all the peoples of the north[bz] and my servant,[ca] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy[cb] the land, its inhabitants, and all the surrounding nations[cc] and make them everlasting ruins.[cd] I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn.[ce] 10 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and the glad celebration of brides and grooms in these lands.[cf] I will put an end to the sound of people grinding meal. I will put an end to lamps shining in their houses.[cg] 11 This whole area[ch] will become a desolate wasteland. These nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years.’[ci]
12 “‘But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation[cj] for their sins. I will make the land of Babylon[ck] an everlasting ruin.[cl] I, the Lord, affirm it![cm] 13 I will bring on that land everything that I said I would. I will bring on it everything that is written in this book. I will bring on it everything that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.[cn] 14 For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and his nation[co] too. I will repay them for all they have done.’”[cp]
Judah and the Nations Will Experience God’s Wrath
15 So[cq] the Lord, the God of Israel, spoke to me in a vision:[cr] “Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my wrath.[cs] Take it and make the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro[ct] and act insane. For I will send wars sweeping through them.”[cu]
17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I made all the nations to whom he sent me drink the wine of his wrath.[cv] 18 I made Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials drink it.[cw] I did it so Judah would become a ruin. I did it so Judah, its kings, and its officials would become an object of[cx] horror and of hissing scorn, an example used in curses.[cy] Such is already becoming the case![cz] 19 I made all these other people drink it: Pharaoh, king of Egypt;[da] his attendants, his officials, his people, 20 the foreigners living in Egypt;[db] all the kings of the land of Uz;[dc] all the kings of the land of the Philistines,[dd] the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the people who had been left alive from Ashdod;[de] 21 all the people of Edom,[df] Moab,[dg] Ammon;[dh] 22 all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon;[di] all the kings of the coastlands along the sea;[dj] 23 the people of Dedan, Tema, Buz,[dk] all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples;[dl] 24 all the kings of Arabia who[dm] live in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri;[dn] all the kings of Elam;[do] all the kings of Media;[dp] 26 all the kings of the north, whether near or far from one another; and all the other kingdoms that are on the face of the earth. After all of them have drunk the wine of the Lord’s wrath,[dq] the king of Babylon[dr] must drink it.
27 Then the Lord said to me,[ds] “Tell them that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[dt] says,[du] ‘Drink this cup[dv] until you get drunk and vomit. Drink until you fall down and can’t get up.[dw] For I will send wars sweeping through you.’[dx] 28 If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, tell them that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says,[dy] ‘You most certainly must drink it![dz] 29 For take note, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that I call my own.[ea] So how can you possibly avoid being punished?[eb] You will not go unpunished. For I am proclaiming war against all who live on the earth. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[ec] affirm it!’[ed]
30 “Then, Jeremiah,[ee] make the following prophecy[ef] against them:
‘Like a lion about to attack,[eg] the Lord will roar from the heights of heaven;
from his holy dwelling on high he will roar loudly.
He will roar mightily against his land.[eh]
He will shout in triumph, like those stomping juice from the grapes,[ei]
against all those who live on the earth.
31 The sounds of battle[ej] will resound to the ends of the earth.
For the Lord will bring charges against the nations.[ek]
He will pass judgment on all humankind
and will hand the wicked over to be killed in war.’[el]
The Lord so affirms it![em]
32 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says,
‘Disaster will soon come on one nation after another.[en]
A mighty storm of military destruction[eo] is rising up
from the distant parts of the earth.’
33 Those who have been killed by the Lord at that time
will be scattered from one end of the earth to the other.
They will not be mourned over, gathered up, or buried.[ep]
Their dead bodies will lie scattered over the ground like manure.
34 Wail and cry out in anguish, you rulers!
Roll in the dust, you who shepherd flocks of people![eq]
The time for you to be slaughtered has come.
You will lie scattered and fallen like broken pieces of fine pottery.[er]
35 The leaders will not be able to run away and hide.[es]
The shepherds of the flocks will not be able to escape.
36 Listen to the cries of anguish of the leaders.
Listen to the wails of the shepherds of the flocks.
They are wailing because the Lord
is about to destroy their lands.[et]
37 Their peaceful dwelling places will be laid waste[eu]
by the fierce anger of the Lord.[ev]
38 The Lord is like a lion who has left his lair.[ew]
So their lands will certainly[ex] be laid waste
by the warfare of the oppressive nation[ey]
and by the fierce anger of the Lord.”
The Day of the Lord
2 Now regarding the arrival[a] of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him,[b] we ask you, brothers and sisters,[c] 2 not to be easily[d] shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us,[e] to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes[f] and the man of lawlessness[g] is revealed, the son of destruction.[h] 4 He[i] opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat[j] in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.[k] 5 Surely you recall[l] that I used to tell you these things while I was still with you. 6 And so[m] you know what holds him back,[n] so that he will be revealed in his own time. 7 For the hidden power of lawlessness[o] is already at work. However, the one who holds him back[p] will do so until he is taken out of the way, 8 and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord[q] will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival. 9 The arrival of the lawless one[r] will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles[s] and signs and false wonders, 10 and with every kind of evil deception directed against[t] those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth[u] so as to be saved. 11 Consequently[v] God sends on them a deluding influence[w] so that they will believe what is false. 12 And so[x] all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.[y]
Call to Stand Firm
13 But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters[z] loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning[aa] for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 He called you to this salvation[ab] through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.[ac] 15 Therefore, brothers and sisters,[ad] stand firm and hold on to the traditions that we taught you, whether by speech or by letter.[ae] 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you[af] in every good thing you do or say.[ag]
Psalm 84[a]
For the music director, according to the gittith style;[b] written by the Korahites, a psalm.
84 How lovely is the place where you live,[c]
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies![d]
2 I desperately want to be[e]
in the courts of the Lord’s temple.[f]
My heart and my entire being[g] shout for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the birds find a home there,
and the swallow[h] builds a nest,
where she can protect her young[i]
near your altars, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
my King and my God.
4 How blessed[j] are those who live in your temple
and praise you continually. (Selah)
5 How blessed are those who[k] find their strength in you,
and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple.[l]
6 As they pass through the Baca Valley,[m]
he provides a spring for them.[n]
The rain[o] even covers it with pools of water.[p]
7 They are sustained as they travel along;[q]
each one appears[r] before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,[s]
hear my prayer.
Listen, O God of Jacob. (Selah)
9 O God, take notice of our shield.[t]
Show concern for your chosen king.[u]
10 Certainly[v] spending just one day in your temple courts is better
than spending a thousand elsewhere.[w]
I would rather stand at the entrance[x] to the temple of my God
than live[y] in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector.[z]
The Lord bestows favor[aa] and honor;
he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.[ab]
12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[ac]
how blessed are those who trust in you.[ad]
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