The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the GW. Switch to the GW to read along with the audio.
The Call of Jeremiah
1 These are the words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the religious leaders at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. 2 The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his rule. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem were taken away.
4 Now the Word of the Lord came to me saying, 5 “Before I started to put you together in your mother, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart as holy. I chose you to speak to the nations for Me.” 6 Then I said, “O, Lord God! I do not know how to speak. I am only a boy.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere I send you. And you must say whatever I tell you. 8 Do not be afraid of them. For I am with you to take you out of trouble,” says the Lord. 9 Then the Lord put out His hand and touched my mouth, and said to me, “See, I have put My words in your mouth. 10 I have chosen you this day to be over the nations and the kings, to dig up and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”
11 And the Word of the Lord came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching to see that My Word is completed.”
13 The Word of the Lord came to me a second time saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, with its face turned away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north trouble will come upon all the people of the land. 15 For, see, I am calling all the families of the nations of the north,” says the Lord. “And they will come. Then every one will set up his throne at the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls around it, and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will tell how they are to be punished for all their sin. For they have turned away from Me and have given gifts to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 Now get ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I tell you. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make trouble for you in front of them. 18 Today I have made you as a strong city ready for war, as a pillar of iron and as walls of brass against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, the rulers, its religious leaders, and the people of the land. 19 And they will fight against you. But they will not have power over you, for I am with you to take you out of trouble,” says the Lord.
Israel Turns Away from God
2 The Word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Go and speak so those in Jerusalem will hear, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I remember how you loved Me when you were young. Your love was as a bride. I remember how you followed Me in the desert, through a land that had not been planted. 3 Israel was holy to the Lord, the first-fruits of His gathering. All who ate of it (Israel) were guilty, and trouble came upon them,” says the Lord.’”
The Sin of Israel’s Early Families
4 Hear the Word of the Lord, O family of Jacob, and all the families of the people of Israel. 5 The Lord says, “What wrong did your fathers find in Me, that they turned so far from Me and followed false gods? 6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord Who brought us up from the land of Egypt? Where is He Who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and deep holes, through a land without water and with much trouble, through a land that no one traveled and where no man lived?’ 7 And I brought you into a rich land to eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and made My land unclean. You made the land I gave you sinful and hated. 8 The religious leaders did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ And those who worked with the Law did not know Me. The rulers sinned against Me. And the men of God spoke by the false god of Baal, and went after things that did not help.
The Lord Speaks against His People
9 “So I will still fight with you,” says the Lord. “And I will fight your children’s children. 10 Go over to the land of Cyprus and see. Or send men to Kedar to watch with care. And see if there has been such a thing as this! 11 Has a nation changed its gods, even when they are not gods? But My people have changed their greatness for that which does not help them. 12 Be full of wonder at this, O heavens. Shake with fear and waste away,” says the Lord. 13 “For My people have done two sinful things: They have turned away from Me, the well of living waters. And they have cut out of the rock wells for water for themselves. They are broken wells that cannot hold water.
What Happens When Israel Is Not Faithful
14 “Is Israel a servant? Is he born as a servant? Why can he be taken away? 15 The young lions have made noise against him. They have made a loud noise. And they have made his land a waste. His cities have been destroyed, and have no people. 16 The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have broken the crown of your head. 17 Have you not brought this upon yourself, by turning away from the Lord your God, when He led you in the way? 18 Now why are you going to Egypt to drink water from the Nile? Or why are you going to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates? 19 Your own sin will punish you. Your turning away from the Lord will punish you. So know and see that it is sinful and bitter for you to leave the Lord your God. You have no fear of Me,” says the Lord God of All.
Israel Turns Its Back on God
20 “Long ago I broke the load from your neck and tore off your chains. But you said, ‘I will not serve!’ For on every high hill and under every green tree you have lain down as a woman who sells the use of her body. 21 Yet I planted you as a vine of much worth, in every way a true seed. How then have you turned away from Me and become a wild vine? 22 Even when you wash yourself with much strong soap, the mark of your sin is still before Me,” says the Lord God. 23 “How can you say, ‘I am clean. I have not gone after the false gods of Baal’? Look at what you did in the valley! Know what you have done! You are like a wild young camel wanting to mate. 24 You are a wild donkey used to the desert, that smells the wind in her desire. In the time of her mating who can turn her away? All who look for her will not become tired. In her month of mating they will find her. 25 Do not run until your shoes wear out or until your mouth is dry. But you said, ‘It is of no use, for I love strange gods, and I will go after them.’
Israel Should Be Punished
26 “As a robber is put to shame when he is caught, so the family of Israel is put to shame: they, their kings, their rulers, their religious leaders, and their men of God. 27 They say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Rise up and save us.’ 28 But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble. For you have as many gods as cities, O Judah.
29 “Why do you complain against Me? You have all sinned against Me,” says the Lord. 30 “I have punished your children for nothing, for they would not learn from it. Your sword has destroyed your men of God like a destroying lion.
4 So, my dear Christian brothers, you are my joy and crown. I want to see you. Keep on staying true to the Lord, my dear friends.
2 I ask Euodias and Syntyche to agree as Christians should. 3 My true helper, I ask you to help these women who have worked with me so much in preaching the Good News to others. Clement helped also. There are others who worked with me. Their names are in the book of life.
4 Be full of joy always because you belong to the Lord. Again I say, be full of joy! 5 Let all people see how gentle you are. The Lord is coming again soon. 6 Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. 7 The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Christian brothers, keep your minds thinking about whatever is true, whatever is respected, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever can be loved, and whatever is well thought of. If there is anything good and worth giving thanks for, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing all the things you learned and received and heard from me. Do the things you saw me do. Then the God Who gives peace will be with you.
10 The Lord gives me a reason to be full of joy. It is because you are able to care for me again. I know you wanted to before but you did not have a way to help me. 11 I am not saying I need anything. I have learned to be happy with whatever I have. 12 I know how to get along with little and how to live when I have much. I have learned the secret of being happy at all times. If I am full of food and have all I need, I am happy. If I am hungry and need more, I am happy. 13 I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.
14 It was kind of you to help me when I was in trouble. 15 You Philippians also know that when I first preached the Good News, you were the only church that helped me. It was when I left for the country of Macedonia. 16 Even while I was in the city of Thessalonica you helped me more than once. 17 It is not that I want to receive the gift. I want you to get the pay that is coming to you later. 18 I have everything I need and more than enough. I am taken care of because Epaphroditus brought your gift. It is a sweet gift. It is a gift that cost you something. It is the kind of gift God is so pleased with. 19 And my God will give you everything you need because of His great riches in Christ Jesus. 20 Now may our God and Father be honored forever. Let it be so.
21 Greet all those who belong to Christ Jesus. The Christian brothers here with me greet you. 22 All those who belong to Christ say hello, and most of all, those who live in Caesar’s house. 23 May your spirit have the loving-favor of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God Puts Down the Proud and Lifts Up Those Who Are Right with Himself
75 We give thanks to You, O God. We give thanks that Your name is near. Men tell about the great things You have done. 2 You say, “When the right time has come, I will be right and fair in deciding who is guilty or not. 3 When the earth and all its people shake, it is I Who will hold it together. 4 I said to the proud, ‘Do not speak with pride.’ And I said to the sinful, ‘Do not lift up the horn. 5 Do not lift your horn up high. Do not speak in your pride.’”
6 For honor does not come from the east or the west or from the desert. 7 But God is the One Who decides. He puts down one and brings respect to another. 8 For there is a cup in the Lord’s hand. It is full of strong wine that is well mixed. He pours out from it, and all the sinful people of the earth must drink all of it.
9 But as for me, I will tell of it forever. I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. 10 He will cut off all the horns of the sinful. But the horns of those who are right with God will be lifted up.
17 Do not be full of joy when the one who hates you falls. Do not let your heart be glad when he trips. 18 The Lord will see it and will not be pleased, and He will turn away His anger from him.
19 Do not worry yourself because of those who do wrong, and do not be jealous of the sinful. 20 For there will be no future for the sinful man. The lamp of the sinful will be put out.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.