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Anguish over Judah’s Desolation
19 (A)My [a]soul, my [b]soul! I am in anguish! [c]Oh, my heart!
My (B)heart is pounding in me;
I cannot be silent
Because [d]you have heard, O my soul,
The (C)sound of the trumpet,
The shout of war.
20 (D)Destruction upon destruction is called out,
For the (E)whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my (F)tents are devastated,
My curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see the standard
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “(G)For My people are ignorant fools,
They know Me not;
They are simpleminded children
And have no understanding.
They are wise to (H)do evil,
But to do good they do not know.”
23 I saw on the earth, and behold, it was [e](I)formless and void;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I saw on the mountains, and behold, they were (J)quaking,
And all the hills [f]moved to and fro.
25 I saw, and behold, there was no man,
And all the (K)birds of the sky had fled.
26 I saw, and behold, [g]the (L)fruitful orchard was a wilderness,
And all its cities were torn down
Before Yahweh, before His burning anger.
27 For thus says Yahweh,
“The (M)whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will (N)not execute a complete destruction.
28 For this the (O)earth shall mourn
And the (P)heavens above be dark
Because I have (Q)spoken; I have purposed,
And I will not [h]relent, nor will I turn from it.”
29 At the sound of the horseman and bowman (R)every city flees;
They (S)go into the thickets and climb up among the rocks;
(T)Every city is forsaken,
And no man inhabits them.
30 And you, O devastated one, (U)what will you do?
Although you dress in scarlet,
Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold,
Although you (V)enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you make yourself beautiful.
Your [i](W)lovers despise you;
They seek your life.
31 For I heard a sound as of a woman in labor pains,
The distress as of one giving birth to her first child,
The sound of the daughter of Zion (X)gasping for breath,
(Y)Stretching out her [j]hands, saying,
“Ah, woe is me, for my soul faints before murderers.”
Jerusalem Refuses to Repent
5 “(Z)Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
And see now and know,
And seek in her open squares,
If you can (AA)find a man,
(AB)If there is one who does justice, who seeks faithfulness,
Then I will pardon her.
2 And (AC)if they say, ‘As Yahweh lives,’
Then they swear to a lie.”
3 O Yahweh, do not (AD)Your eyes look for faithfulness?
You have (AE)struck them,
But they did not [k]weaken;
You have consumed them,
But they (AF)refused to receive discipline.
They have (AG)made their faces stronger than rock;
They have refused to [l]repent.
4 Then I said, “They are only the poor;
They are foolish;
For they (AH)do not know the way of Yahweh
Or the legal judgment of their God.
5 Let me go to the great
And let me speak to them,
For (AI)they know the way of Yahweh
And the legal judgment of their God.”
But they too, altogether, have (AJ)broken the yoke
And torn apart the bonds.
6 Therefore (AK)a lion from the forest will strike them down;
A (AL)wolf of the deserts will devastate them;
A (AM)leopard is watching their cities.
Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces
Because their (AN)transgressions are many;
Their acts of faithlessness are mighty.
7 “Why should I pardon you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And (AO)sworn by those who are (AP)not gods.
I had satisfied them to the full,
Then they (AQ)committed adultery
And trooped to the harlot’s house.
8 They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing after his (AR)neighbor’s wife.
9 Shall I not punish [m]these people,” declares Yahweh,
“And on a nation such as this
(AS)Shall I not avenge Myself?
10 “Go up through her vine rows and make them a ruin,
But do not make a complete destruction;
Remove her branches,
For they are not Yahweh’s.
11 For the (AT)house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares Yahweh.
12 They have (AU)dealt falsely about Yahweh
And said, “[n](AV)Not He;
Calamity will (AW)not come on us,
And we (AX)will not see sword or famine.
13 The (AY)prophets are as wind,
And the word is not in them.
Thus it will be done to them!”
A Stubborn and Rebellious People
14 Therefore, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts,
“Because you have spoken this word,
Behold, I am (AZ)making My words in your mouth fire
And this people wood, and it will devour them.
15 Behold, I am (BA)bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares Yahweh.
“It is an enduring nation;
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose (BB)tongue you do not know,
Nor can you [o]understand what they say.
16 Their (BC)quiver is like an (BD)open grave;
All of them are mighty men.
17 They will (BE)devour your harvest and your food;
They will devour your sons and your daughters;
They will devour your flocks and your herds;
They will devour your (BF)vines and your fig trees;
They will demolish with the sword your (BG)fortified cities in which you trust.
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares Yahweh, “I will not make you a complete destruction. 19 It shall come about (BH)when [p]they say, ‘Why has Yahweh our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will (BI)serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And cause it to be heard in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Now hear this, O people who are simpleminded fools and without a heart of wisdom,
Who have (BJ)eyes but do not see,
Who have ears but do not hear.
22 Do you not (BK)fear Me?’ declares Yahweh.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have (BL)placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
A perpetual statute, so it cannot cross over it.
Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.
23 But this people has a (BM)stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and gone away.
24 They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear Yahweh our God,
Who (BN)gives rain in its season,
Both (BO)the [q]early rain and the [r]late rain,
Who keeps for us
The (BP)appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 Your (BQ)iniquities have turned these away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.
26 For wicked men are found among My people;
They (BR)watch like fowlers [s]lying in wait;
They set a [t]trap;
They catch men.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of (BS)deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.
28 They are (BT)fat, they are sleek;
They also [u]excel in deeds of evil;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the [v](BU)orphan, that they may succeed;
And they do not [w]render justice for the poor.
29 (BV)Shall I not punish [x]these people?’ declares Yahweh,
‘On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?’
30 “A horrible and (BW)appalling thing
Has happened in the land:
31 The (BX)prophets prophesy with lying,
And the priests have dominion [y]by their own hand;
And My people (BY)love it so!
But what will you do at the end of it?
Yahweh Disciplines Israel
6 “Flee for safety, O sons of (BZ)Benjamin,
From the midst of Jerusalem!
Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa
And raise a signal over [z](CA)Beth-haccerem,
For evil looks down from the (CB)north,
As well as great destruction.
2 The comely and (CC)delicate one, (CD)the daughter of Zion, I will ruin.
3 (CE)Shepherds and their flocks will come to her;
They will (CF)pitch their tents [aa]around her;
They will pasture each in his [ab]place.
4 (CG)Set yourselves apart for war against her;
Arise, and let us go up at (CH)noon.
Woe to us, for the day declines,
For the shadows of the evening stretch out!
5 Arise, and let us go up by night
And [ac](CI)destroy her [ad]palaces!”
6 For thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“(CJ)Cut down her trees
And cast up a (CK)siege against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
In whose midst there is only (CL)oppression.
7 (CM)Like a well [ae]keeps its waters fresh,
So she [af]keeps fresh her evil.
(CN)Violence and devastation are heard in her;
(CO)Sickness and wounds are continually before Me.
8 (CP)Heed discipline, O Jerusalem,
Lest (CQ)My soul become disgusted at you,
Lest I make you a desolation,
A land not inhabited.”
9 Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“They will (CR)thoroughly glean as the vine the (CS)remnant of Israel;
Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer
Over the branches.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning
That they may hear?
Behold, their (CT)ears are uncircumcised,
And they cannot give heed.
Behold, (CU)the word of Yahweh has become a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
11 But I am (CV)full of the wrath of Yahweh;
I am (CW)weary of holding it in.
“(CX)Pour it out on the infants in the street
And on the [ag]gathering of choice men together;
For both husband and wife shall be captured,
The aged with the one full of days.
12 Their (CY)houses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together,
For I will (CZ)stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares Yahweh.
13 “For (DA)from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is (DB)greedy for gain,
And from the prophet even to the priest
Everyone practices lying.
14 They have (DC)healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
15 Were they (DD)ashamed because of the abomination they have done?
They were not even ashamed at all;
They did not even know how to feel dishonor.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says Yahweh.
18 And He is the (A)head of (B)the body, the church;
Who is (C)the beginning, (D)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
19 For in Him [a]all (E)the fullness of God (F)was pleased to dwell,
20 And through Him to (G)reconcile all things to Himself, having made (H)peace through (I)the blood of His cross—through Him—(J)whether things on earth or things in [b]heaven.
21 And although you were (K)formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds, 22 but now He (L)reconciled you in the (M)body of His flesh through death, in order to (N)present you before Him (O)holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in [c]the faith firmly (P)grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the (Q)hope of the gospel, which you have heard, which was proclaimed (R)in all creation under heaven, (S)and of which I, Paul, [d]was made a [e](T)minister.
24 (U)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and (V)I fill up what is lacking of Christ’s afflictions in my flesh, on behalf of (W)His body, which is the church, 25 (X)of which I [f]was made a minister according to the (Y)stewardship from God given to me for you, so that I might [g]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, (Z)the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His [h]saints, 27 to whom (AA)God willed to make known what is (AB)the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is (AC)Christ in you, the (AD)hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, (AE)admonishing every man and teaching every man [i]with all (AF)wisdom, so that we may (AG)present every man [j](AH)complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose I also (AI)labor, (AJ)striving (AK)according to His working, which He works in me in power.
Alive with Christ
2 For I want you to understand how great a (AL)struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at (AM)Laodicea, and for all those who have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 so that their (AN)hearts may be encouraged, having been (AO)held together in love, even unto all (AP)the wealth of the full assurance of understanding, unto the (AQ)full knowledge of (AR)God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all (AS)the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 (AT)I say this so that no one will delude you with (AU)persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am (AV)absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing [k]to see your (AW)good order and the (AX)stability of your faith in Christ.
6 Therefore as you received (AY)Christ Jesus the Lord, so [l](AZ)walk in Him, 7 having been firmly (BA)rooted and being (BB)built up in Him, and having been (BC)established [m]in your faith—just as you (BD)were instructed—and abounding [n]with thanksgiving.
In My Distress I Sought the Lord
For the choir director. According to [a]Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A Psalm.
77 My voice rises to God, and I must (A)cry aloud;
My voice rises to God, and He will hear me.
2 In the (B)day of my distress I sought the Lord;
(C)In the night my (D)hand was stretched out [b]without weariness;
My soul (E)refused to be comforted.
3 I remember God and I am (F)disturbed;
I (G)muse and (H)my spirit faints. [c]Selah.
4 You have held my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I (I)cannot speak.
5 I give thought to the (J)days of old,
The years of long ago.
6 I remember my (K)music in the night;
I (L)am musing with my heart,
And my spirit is searching:
7 Will the Lord (M)reject evermore?
And will He (N)not be favorable again?
8 Has His (O)lovingkindness ceased forever?
Has His [d](P)word ended [e]from generation to generation?
9 Has God (Q)forgotten to be gracious,
Or has He in anger shut up His (R)compassion? Selah.
10 Then I said, “(S)It is my [f]grief,
That the (T)right hand of the Most High has changed.”
11 I shall remember the (U)deeds of Yah;
Surely I will (V)remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will (W)meditate on all Your work
And muse on Your deeds.
13 O God, Your way is (X)holy;
(Y)What god is great like God?
14 You are the (Z)God who works wonders;
You have (AA)made known Your strength among the peoples.
15 You have by Your arm (AB)redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and (AC)Joseph. Selah.
16 The (AD)waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were in anguish;
The deeps also trembled.
17 The (AE)clouds poured out water;
The skies (AF)gave forth a sound;
Your (AG)arrows went here and there.
18 The (AH)sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The (AI)lightnings lit up the world;
The (AJ)earth trembled and shook.
19 Your (AK)way was in the sea
And Your paths in the mighty waters,
But Your footprints were not known.
20 You (AL)led Your people like a flock
By the hand of (AM)Moses and Aaron.
23 These also are (A)sayings of the wise.
To [a](B)show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He (C)who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
(D)Peoples will curse him, nations will be indignant with him;
25 But (E)to those who reprove the wicked, it will be pleasant,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
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