Old/New Testament
The Verdict Has Been Determined
15 The Lord said to me:
Even if Moses and Samuel were standing in front of me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from me. Let them go! 2 When they ask you, “Where should we go?” tell them that this is what the Lord says:
Those doomed[a] to death, to death,
those doomed to the sword, to the sword,
those doomed to famine, to famine,
those doomed to captivity, to captivity.
3 I will punish them in four ways, declares the Lord: The sword will kill, and dogs will drag them away. The birds in the sky and the wild animals in the land will devour and destroy. 4 I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.
5 Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will turn back to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected me, declares the Lord.
You have turned away from me.
So I will stretch out my hand against you and destroy you.
I am weary of showing compassion.
7 I will scatter them with a winnowing fork at the gates of the land.
I will make them childless.
I will destroy my people,
because they have not changed their ways.
8 I will make their widows more numerous than the sand on the seashore.
At noon I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of their
young men.
I will bring anguish and terror down on them suddenly.
9 The mother of seven will grow faint.
She will breathe her last.
Her sun will set while it is still day,
and she will be ashamed and humiliated.
The survivors I will put to the sword in the presence of their enemies,
declares the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Complaint
10 I am so miserable, my mother, that you gave birth to me.
I am the man with whom the whole land argues and quarrels.
I have not lent or borrowed, but everyone curses me.
The Lord’s Response to Jeremiah
11 The Lord said:
I will surely set you free for your own good.
I will surely make your enemies plead with you
in a time of trouble and in a time of distress.
12 Can anyone break iron—iron from the north—or bronze?
13 I will give away your wealth and your treasures as plunder, without cost, because of all your sins throughout all your territory. 14 I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know, for my anger is kindled in me, and you will burn continuously.
Jeremiah Responds
15 O Lord, you understand.
Remember me and care for me.
Take vengeance for me on those who persecute me.
You are slow to anger.
Do not take me away.
Keep in mind that for your sake I bear disgrace.
16 Your words came to me, and I devoured them.
Your words became my joy,
the delight of my heart,
because I bear your name,
O Lord God of Armies.
17 I did not sit with the band of partygoers,
nor did I celebrate with them.
I sat alone, because your hand was upon me.
You filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending?
Why is my wound incurable, refusing to heal?
Will you be as deceptive as an intermittent stream to me,
like a source of water that a person can’t depend on?
The Lord’s Response
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says.
If you repent, I will take you back,
so that you may stand before me.
If what you say is worthwhile and not worthless,
you will be my spokesman.
They must turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you like a bronze wall to this people.
They will fight against you,
but they will not overcome you,
because I am with you to save you
and to rescue you, declares the Lord.
21 I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked,
and I will deliver you from the grasp of the ruthless.
Jeremiah Must Not Marry
16 The word of the Lord came to me.
2 You are not to marry a wife in this place
or to have sons and daughters,
3 because this is what the Lord says
about the sons and daughters born in this place,
about the mothers who bore them,
and about the fathers who conceived them in this land:
4 They will die of deadly diseases.
They will not be mourned.
They will not be buried.
They will lie on the ground like manure.
They will be devoured by sword and famine,
and their carcasses will become food for the birds in the sky
and the wild animals in the land.
5 This is what the Lord says.
Do not enter a house where people are grieving.
Do not go there to mourn for anyone or to comfort anyone,
for I have taken away my peace from this people, declares the Lord,
along with my mercy and my compassion.
6 Both the greatest and the least will die in this land.
No one will bury them or mourn for them.
No one will cut himself or shave himself for them.
7 No one will break bread to comfort those who mourn the dead.
No one will offer a consoling cup, even for a father or a mother.
8 Do not enter a house where there is feasting,
or sit down there to eat and drink.
9 For this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says.
I will certainly put an end to the sounds of joy and happiness in this place,
as well as the voices of bride and groom.
This will take place before your eyes and in your lifetime.
An Evil Day
10 When you tell the people all of this, they will ask you, “Why has the Lord decreed all this great disaster against us? What are we guilty of? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?”
11 Then say this to them:
It is because your fathers abandoned me, declares the Lord, and followed other gods. They served them, and they worshipped them. They abandoned me and did not keep my law. 12 But you have done more evil than your fathers. Look, each of you follows his own stubborn, evil heart, and you do not listen to me. 13 Therefore, I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, and I will show you no mercy.
14 Nevertheless, listen to this. The days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer say, “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel out from the land of Egypt.” 15 But they will say, “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel out from the land in the north and from all the lands to which he exiled them.” For I will restore them to the homeland I gave to their fathers.
16 Look, I am sending for many fishermen, declares the Lord, and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt for them on every mountain, on every high hill, and in the crevices of the rocks. 17 My eyes are watching everything they do. It is not hidden from me, nor is their guilt hidden from my eyes. 18 But first I will pay them double for their guilt and their sin, because they defiled my land with the carcasses of their disgusting idols, and they have filled my inheritance with their abominations.
19 The Lord is my strength and my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
Nations will come to you from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our forefathers possessed only false gods,
worthless idols, and there was nothing good in them.
20 Can a man make gods for himself?
Yes, but they are not gods!”
21 Therefore I will certainly teach them.
This time I will teach them my power and my strength,
and then they will know that my name is the Lord.
The Sin of Judah
17 Judah’s sin is written with an iron stylus.
It is engraved with a diamond[b] tip on the tablet of their hearts
and on the horns of their altars.
2 Even their children remember their altars and their Asherah poles,[c]
beside every green tree on the high hills,
3 and on the mountains in the countryside.
I will turn all your wealth into plunder
because of the sin you committed on the high places
throughout all your territory.
4 You will lose your inheritance that I gave you,
and I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know.
You have started a fire in my anger that will burn forever.
Curses and Blessings
5 This is what the Lord says.
Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind,
who seeks his strength from human flesh,
and who turns his heart away from the Lord.
6 He will be like a juniper bush in the wasteland.
He will not see good things when they come.
He lives in a dry place in the wilderness,
in a salty land where no one lives.
7 But blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 He will be like a tree planted by water.
It sends out its roots to the stream.
It does not fear the heat when it comes.
Its leaves will remain green.
It is not concerned about a time of drought.
It does not stop producing fruit.
The Deceitful Heart
9 The heart is more deceitful than anything.
It is beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 I, the Lord, am the one who searches the heart
and examines the mind,
to reward a man according to what he has done,
according to what his deeds deserve.
11 Those who accumulate a fortune unjustly
are like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay.
Midway through life their fortune will be lost,
and in the end they will be exposed as fools.
12 The place of our sanctuary is a glorious throne,
exalted from the beginning.
13 You are the hope of Israel, Lord.
All who forsake you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you[d] will be written in the earth,
because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed.
Save me, and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.
15 They say to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come!”
16 I have not tried to run away from being your shepherd,[e]
nor have I wanted to bring the day of incurable pain.
You are aware of everything that comes out of my lips.
It is not hidden from you.
17 Do not be a terror to me.
You are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but do not let me be put to shame.
Let them be terrified,
but do not let me be terrified.
Bring on them the day of disaster
and destroy them with double destruction.
Keep the Sabbath Day Holy
19 This is what the Lord told me.
Go and stand at the Gate of the People, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave, and in all the gates of Jerusalem. 20 Tell them this message.
Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, all of Judah, and all who live in Jerusalem, and all who enter by these gates.
21 This is what the Lord says. Protect your lives. Do not carry a load of things on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day. Do not do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy as I commanded your fathers.
23 But they did not listen or pay attention. They became stiff-necked so that they would not hear or receive instruction.
24 However, if you listen carefully to me, declares the Lord, and if you do not carry any load through the gates of the city on the Sabbath day, but you instead keep the Sabbath day holy and do not do any work, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne and their officials will enter in through the gates of this city, riding in chariots and on horses, along with the men of Judah and with those who live in Jerusalem. They will live in this city forever. 26 They will come from the cities of Judah, from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Shephelah,[f] from the hill country, and from the Negev.[g] They will bring burnt offerings, sacrifices, fellowship offerings,[h] incense, and thank offerings to the House of the Lord. 27 But if you will not listen to me and do not keep the Sabbath day holy, and you enter the gates of Jerusalem carrying a load on the Sabbath day, then I will set fire to its gates. I will burn the public buildings of Jerusalem, and the fire will not be put out.
Encouragement to Be Strong
2 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Entrust the things you heard from me, in the presence of many witnesses, to faithful men who will also be able to teach others.
3 Share hardships as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the affairs of everyday life. If he does, he will not please the one who enlisted him. 5 Also, if someone competes as an athlete, he does not receive a crown unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should receive a share of the crops first. 7 Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, a descendant[a] of David, in accordance with my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they also may obtain[b] the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, along with eternal glory. 11 This saying is trustworthy:
Indeed, if we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 If we endure, we will also reign with him;
If we deny him, he will also deny us;
13 If we are faithless, he remains faithful,
because he cannot deny himself.
Correctly Handle the Word of Truth
14 Remind people of these things, as you solemnly charge them in the presence of God[c] not to fight about words, which does no good and only ruins those who listen. 15 Make every effort to present yourself to God as one who is approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, correctly handling[d] the word of truth. 16 As for pointless chatter, avoid it, for it will lead to an ever greater measure of godlessness, 17 and their message will spread like gangrene. This includes Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have veered away from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are overturning the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, God’s foundation stands firm, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,”[e] and “Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord keep away from wickedness.”[f]
20 In a large house there are articles[g] not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay—some for honorable use and some for dishonorable use. 21 So if anyone cleanses himself thoroughly from these things, he will be an instrument[h] for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master, and prepared to do every good work.
22 Flee from the lusts young people have and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and ignorant arguments, since you know they breed quarrels. 24 It is necessary that a servant of the Lord not quarrel but be kind toward everyone, able to teach, able to bear evil without resentment, 25 and gentle in correcting those who oppose him. God may grant them repentance, leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap, after they were captured by him to do his will.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.