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A Satire on Idolatry
10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord,
“(A)Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens
Although the nations are terrified by them;
3 For the customs of the peoples are [a](B)delusion;
Because (C)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 “They (D)decorate it with silver and with gold;
They (E)fasten it with nails and with hammers
So that it will not totter.
5 “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they,
And they (F)cannot speak;
They must be (G)carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they (H)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 (I)There is none like You, O Lord;
You are (J)great, and great is Your name in might.
7 (K)Who would not fear You, O (L)King of the nations?
Indeed it is Your due!
For among all the (M)wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether (N)stupid and foolish
In their discipline of [b]delusion—[c]their idol is wood!
9 Beaten (O)silver is brought from (P)Tarshish,
And (Q)gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Violet and purple are their clothing;
They are all the (R)work of skilled men.
10 But the Lord is the (S)true God;
He is the (T)living God and the (U)everlasting King.
At His wrath the (V)earth quakes,
And the nations cannot (W)endure His indignation.
11 [d]Thus you shall say to them, “The (X)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will (Y)perish from the earth and from under the [e]heavens.”
12 It is (Z)He who made the earth by His power,
Who (AA)established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has (AB)stretched out the heavens.
13 When He utters His (AC)voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
And He causes the (AD)clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the (AE)wind from His storehouses.
14 Every man is (AF)stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his [f]idols;
For his molten images are deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are (AG)worthless, a work of mockery;
In the (AH)time of their punishment they will perish.
16 The (AI)portion of Jacob is not like these;
For the [g](AJ)Maker of all is He,
And (AK)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The (AL)Lord of hosts is His name.
17 (AM)Pick up your bundle from the ground,
You who dwell under siege!
18 For thus says the Lord,
“Behold, I am (AN)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And will cause them distress,
That they may [h]be found.”
19 (AO)Woe is me, because of my [i]injury!
My (AP)wound is incurable.
But I said, “Truly this is a sickness,
And I (AQ)must bear it.”
20 My (AR)tent is destroyed,
And all my ropes are broken;
My (AS)sons have gone from me and are no more.
There is (AT)no one to stretch out my tent again
Or to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become stupid
And (AU)have not sought the Lord;
Therefore they have not prospered,
And (AV)all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a (AW)report! Behold, it comes—
A great commotion (AX)out of the land of the north—
To (AY)make the cities of Judah
A desolation, a haunt of jackals.
23 I know, O Lord, that (AZ)a man’s way is not in himself,
(BA)Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
24 (BB)Correct me, O Lord, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will [j]bring me to nothing.
25 (BC)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that (BD)do not know You
And on the families that (BE)do not call Your name;
For they have devoured Jacob;
They have (BF)devoured him and consumed him
And have laid waste his [k]habitation.
The Broken Covenant
11 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “(BG)Hear the words of this (BH)covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “(BI)Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your forefathers in the (BJ)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the (BK)iron furnace, saying, ‘(BL)Listen to My voice, and [l]do according to all which I command you; so you shall be (BM)My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to confirm the (BN)oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I said, “(BO)Amen, O Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me, “(BP)Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘(BQ)Hear the words of this covenant and (BR)do them. 7 For I solemnly (BS)warned your fathers in the (BT)day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, [m](BU)warning persistently, saying, “(BV)Listen to My voice.” 8 Yet they (BW)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the (BX)words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “A (BY)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have (BZ)turned back to the iniquities of their [n]ancestors who (CA)refused to hear My words, and they (CB)have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have (CC)broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” 11 Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am (CD)bringing disaster on them which they will (CE)not be able to escape; though they will (CF)cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will (CG)go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they surely will not save them in the time of their disaster. 13 For your gods are [o](CH)as many as your cities, O Judah; and [p]as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the (CI)shameful thing, altars to (CJ)burn incense to Baal.
14 “Therefore (CK)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will (CL)not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.
15 “What right has My (CM)beloved in My house
When (CN)she has done many vile deeds?
Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
[q]So that you can rejoice?”
16 The Lord called your name,
“A (CO)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the (CP)noise of a great tumult
He has (CQ)kindled fire on it,
And its branches are worthless.
17 The Lord of hosts, who (CR)planted you, has (CS)pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have [r]done to provoke Me by [s](CT)offering up sacrifices to Baal.
Plots against Jeremiah
18 Moreover, the Lord (CU)made it known to me and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle (CV)lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had (CW)devised plots against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its [t]fruit,
And (CX)let us cut him off from the (CY)land of the living,
That his (CZ)name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts, who (DA)judges righteously,
Who (DB)tries the [u]feelings and the heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You have I [v]committed my cause.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of (DC)Anathoth, who (DD)seek your life, saying, “(DE)Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you will not (DF)die at our hand”; 22 therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, I am about to (DG)punish them! The (DH)young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine; 23 and a remnant (DI)will not be left to them, for I will (DJ)bring disaster on the men of Anathoth—(DK)the year of their punishment.”
Family Relations
18 (A)Wives, (B)be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 (C)Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. 20 (D)Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing [a]to the Lord. 21 (E)Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.
22 (F)Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters [b]on earth, (G)not with [c]external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do your work [d]heartily, (H)as for the Lord [e]rather than for men, 24 (I)knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward [f]of (J)the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you (K)serve. 25 For (L)he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and [g](M)that without partiality.
Fellow Workers
4 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, (N)knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
2 (O)Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time (P)for us as well, that God will open up to us a (Q)door for (R)the word, so that we may speak forth (S)the mystery of Christ, for which I have also (T)been imprisoned; 4 that I may make it clear (U)in the way I ought to speak.
5 [h](V)Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward (W)outsiders, [i](X)making the most of the opportunity. 6 (Y)Let your speech always be [j]with grace, as though seasoned with (Z)salt, so that you will know how you should (AA)respond to each person.
7 (AB)As to all my affairs, (AC)Tychicus, our (AD)beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 8 (AE)For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may (AF)encourage your hearts; 9 [k]and with him (AG)Onesimus, our faithful and (AH)beloved brother, (AI)who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here.
10 (AJ)Aristarchus, my (AK)fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also (AL)Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received [l]instructions; (AM)if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only (AN)fellow workers for the kingdom of God (AO)who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. 12 (AP)Epaphras, (AQ)who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always (AR)laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may [m]stand [n](AS)perfect and [o]fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has [p]a deep concern for you and for those who are in (AT)Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 (AU)Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also (AV)Demas. 15 Greet the brethren who are in (AW)Laodicea and also [q]Nympha and (AX)the church that is in [r]her house. 16 (AY)When [s]this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part (AZ)read [t]my letter that is coming from (BA)Laodicea. 17 Say to (BB)Archippus, “Take heed to the (BC)ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may [u]fulfill it.”
18 [v]I, Paul, (BD)write this greeting with my own hand. (BE)Remember my [w](BF)imprisonment. (BG)Grace be with you.
56 Yet they [a](A)tempted and (B)rebelled against the Most High God
And did not keep His testimonies,
57 But turned back and (C)acted treacherously like their fathers;
They (D)turned aside like a treacherous bow.
58 For they (E)provoked Him with their (F)high places
And (G)aroused His jealousy with their (H)graven images.
59 When God heard, He [b]was filled with (I)wrath
And greatly (J)abhorred Israel;
60 So that He (K)abandoned the (L)dwelling place at Shiloh,
The tent [c]which He had pitched among men,
61 And gave up His (M)strength to captivity
And His glory (N)into the hand of the adversary.
62 He also (O)delivered His people to the sword,
And [d]was filled with wrath at His inheritance.
63 (P)Fire devoured [e]His young men,
And [f]His (Q)virgins had no wedding songs.
64 [g]His (R)priests fell by the sword,
And [h]His (S)widows could not weep.
65 Then the Lord (T)awoke as if from sleep,
Like a (U)warrior [i]overcome by wine.
66 He [j](V)drove His adversaries backward;
He put on them an everlasting reproach.
67 He also (W)rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount (X)Zion which He loved.
69 And He (Y)built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has founded forever.
70 He also (Z)chose David His servant
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From [k](AA)the care of the [l]ewes (AB)with suckling lambs He brought him
To (AC)shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel (AD)His inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them according to the (AE)integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.