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Jeremiah’s Plea
12 (A)Righteous are You, O Yahweh, when I would plead my case with You;
Indeed I would (B)speak matters of justice with You:
Why has the (C)way of the wicked succeeded?
Why are all those who (D)deal in treachery complacent?
2 You have (E)planted them; they have also taken root;
They grow; they have even produced fruit.
You are (F)near [a]to their lips
But far from their [b]inmost being.
3 But You, O Yahweh, You (G)know me;
You see me;
And You (H)test my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter
And [c]set them apart for a (I)day of carnage!
4 How long is the (J)land to mourn
And the (K)plants of every field to dry up?
Because of the (L)evil of those who inhabit it,
(M)Animals and birds have been swept away,
Because men have said, “He will not see our latter (N)ending.”
Yahweh Answers Jeremiah
5 “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out,
Then how can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the [d](O)thicket of the Jordan?
6 For even your (P)brothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have called aloud after you.
Do not believe them, although they may say (Q)nice things to you.”
7 “I have (R)forsaken My house;
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have given the (S)beloved of My soul
Into the hand of her enemies.
8 My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has (T)given forth its voice against Me;
Therefore I have come to (U)hate her.
9 Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the (V)birds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the (W)beasts of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 Many (X)shepherds have ruined My (Y)vineyard;
They have (Z)trampled down My portion;
They have made My (AA)desired portion
A desolate wilderness.
11 [e]It has been made a desolation;
Desolate, it (AB)mourns [f]before Me;
The (AC)whole land has been made desolate
Because no man (AD)sets it upon his heart.
12 On all the [g](AE)bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For a (AF)sword of Yahweh is devouring
From one end of the land even to the [h]other;
There is (AG)no peace for any flesh.
13 They have (AH)sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
They have (AI)strained themselves [i]to no profit.
But be ashamed of your (AJ)produce
Because of the (AK)burning anger of Yahweh.”
14 Thus says Yahweh concerning all My (AL)evil neighbors who (AM)beat at the inheritance with which I have caused My people Israel to inherit, “Behold, I am about to uproot them from their land and will (AN)uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will (AO)return and have compassion on them; and I will (AP)cause them to return, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. 16 Then if they will really (AQ)learn the ways of My people, to (AR)swear by My name, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ even as they taught My people to (AS)swear by Baal, they will be (AT)built up in the midst of My people. 17 But if they will not listen, then I will (AU)uproot that nation, uproot and make it perish,” declares Yahweh.
The Ruined Belt
13 Thus Yahweh said to me, “Go and (AV)buy yourself a linen belt and put it around your loins, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the belt in accordance with the (AW)word of Yahweh and put it around my loins. 3 Then the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the belt that you have bought, which is around your loins, and arise, go to [j]the (AX)Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, (AY)as Yahweh had commanded me. 6 Now it happened that after many days Yahweh said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the belt which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the belt from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the belt was ruined; it was totally worthless.
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Just so will I ruin the (AZ)pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who (BA)refuse to listen to My words, who (BB)walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have walked after other gods to serve them and to worship them, let them be just like this belt which is totally worthless. 11 For as the belt clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah (BC)cling to Me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for a (BD)name, for (BE)praise, and for beauty; but they (BF)did not listen.’
The Magnitude of Israel’s Iniquity
12 “Therefore you are to say this word to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Every jug is to be filled with wine.”’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?’ 13 Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land—the kings that sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with (BG)drunkenness! 14 I will (BH)shatter them against each other, both the (BI)fathers and the sons together,” declares Yahweh. “I will (BJ)not spare nor show pity nor have compassion so as not to ruin them.”’”
15 Listen and give ear, do not be (BK)haughty,
For Yahweh has spoken.
16 (BL)Give glory to Yahweh your God,
Before He brings (BM)darkness
And before your (BN)feet [k]stumble
On the dusky mountains;
And while you are hoping for light,
He makes it into the (BO)shadow of death
And turns it into dense gloom.
17 But (BP)if you will not listen to it,
My soul will (BQ)cry in secret for such pride;
And my eyes will bitterly weep
And flow down with tears
Because the (BR)flock of Yahweh has been taken captive.
18 Say to the (BS)king and the queen mother,
“(BT)Take a lowly seat,
For your beautiful (BU)crown
Has come down from your head.”
19 The (BV)cities of the Negev have been closed up,
And there is no one to open them;
All (BW)Judah has been taken away into exile,
Wholly taken away into exile.
20 “Lift up your eyes and see
Those coming (BX)from the north.
Where is the (BY)flock that was given you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 What will you say when He appoints over you—
And you yourself had taught them—
Former [l](BZ)companions to be head over you?
Will not (CA)pangs seize you
Like a woman in childbirth?
22 If you (CB)say in your heart,
‘(CC)Why have these things happened to me?’
Because of the (CD)magnitude of your iniquity
(CE)Your skirts have been uncovered
And your heels have suffered violence.
23 (CF)Can the Ethiopian change his skin
Or the leopard his spots?
Then you also can (CG)do good
Who are accustomed to doing evil.
24 Therefore I will (CH)scatter them like chaff passing away
Into the wilderness (CI)wind.
25 This is your (CJ)lot, the portion measured to you
From Me,” declares Yahweh,
“Because you have (CK)forgotten Me
And trusted in lies.
26 So I Myself have also (CL)stripped your skirts off over your face,
That your disgrace may be seen.
27 As for your (CM)adulteries and your lustful neighings,
The (CN)lewdness of your prostitution
On the (CO)hills in the field,
I have seen your detestable things.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
(CP)How long will you not cleanse yourself?”
Yahweh Will Not Listen to Their Cry
14 That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah in regard to the (CQ)drought:
2 “Judah mourns,
And (CR)her gates languish;
They sit on the ground (CS)in mourning,
And the (CT)outcry of Jerusalem has gone up.
3 Their mighty ones have (CU)sent their [m]underlings for water;
They have come to the (CV)trenches and found no water.
They have returned with their vessels empty;
They have been (CW)put to shame and dishonored,
And they (CX)cover their heads.
4 Because the (CY)ground is [n]dismayed,
For there has been (CZ)no rain on the land,
The (DA)farmers have been put to shame;
They have covered their heads.
5 For even the doe in the field has given birth only to forsake her young
Because there is (DB)no grass.
6 The (DC)wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals;
Their eyes fail
For there is (DD)no vegetation.
7 Although our (DE)iniquities answer against us,
O Yahweh, act (DF)for Your name’s sake!
Truly our (DG)acts of faithlessness have been many;
We have (DH)sinned against You.
8 O (DI)Hope of Israel,
Its (DJ)Savior in (DK)time of distress,
Why are You like a sojourner in the land
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent to lodge for the night?
9 Why are You like a man confused,
Like a mighty man who (DL)cannot save?
Yet (DM)You are in our midst, O Yahweh,
And we are (DN)called by Your name;
Do not leave us!”
10 Thus says Yahweh to this people, “Even so they have (DO)loved to wander; they have not (DP)kept their feet in check. Therefore Yahweh does (DQ)not accept them; now He will (DR)remember their iniquity and punish their sins.”
Thanksgiving
1 (A)Paul and (B)Silvanus and (C)Timothy,
To the (D)church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: (E)Grace to you and peace.
2 (F)We give thanks to God always for all of you, (G)making mention of you in our prayers; 3 remembering without ceasing your (H)work of faith and labor of (I)love and [a](J)steadfastness of hope [b]in our Lord Jesus Christ before (K)our God and Father, 4 knowing, (L)brothers beloved by God, (M)your election, 5 for our (N)gospel did not come to you in word only, but also (O)in power and in the Holy Spirit and with (P)full assurance; just as you know (Q)what kind of men we [c]proved to be among you for your sake. 6 You also became (R)imitators of us and of the Lord, (S)having received (T)the word in much affliction with the (U)joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became a model to all the believers in (V)Macedonia and in (W)Achaia. 8 For (X)the word of the Lord has (Y)sounded forth from you, not only in (Z)Macedonia and (AA)Achaia, but also (AB)in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. 9 For they themselves report about us what kind of an (AC)entrance we had [d]with you, and how you (AD)turned to God (AE)from [e]idols to serve [f](AF)a living and true God, 10 and to (AG)wait for His Son from [g]heaven, whom He (AH)raised from the dead, Jesus, who (AI)rescues us from (AJ)the wrath to come.
Entrusted with the Gospel
2 For you yourselves know, brothers, that our (AK)entrance to you (AL)was not in vain, 2 but after we had already suffered and been (AM)mistreated in (AN)Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God (AO)to speak to you the (AP)gospel of God amid much (AQ)struggle. 3 For our (AR)exhortation does not come from (AS)error or (AT)impurity or [h]by way of (AU)deceit; 4 (AV)but just as we have been approved by God to be (AW)entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, (AX)not as pleasing men, but God who [i](AY)examines our hearts. 5 For we never came with a flattering word, as you know, nor with (AZ)a pretext for greed—(BA)God is witness— 6 nor (BB)seeking glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as (BC)apostles of Christ we [j]could have been a burden to you. 7 But we [k]proved to be [l](BD)gentle [m]among you, (BE)as a nursing mother [n]tenderly cares for her own children. 8 In this way, having fond affection for you, we were pleased to (BF)impart to you not only the (BG)gospel of God but also our own [o]lives, because you had become beloved to us.
How Long, O Yahweh?
A Psalm of Asaph.
79 O God, the (A)nations have come into (B)Your inheritance;
They have defiled Your (C)holy temple;
They have (D)laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the (E)dead bodies of Your slaves for food to the birds of the heavens,
The flesh of Your holy ones to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem;
And there was (F)no one to bury them.
4 We have become a (G)reproach to our neighbors,
A mockery and derision to those around us.
5 (H)How long, O Yahweh? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your (I)jealousy (J)burn like fire?
6 (K)Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which (L)do not know You,
And upon the kingdoms which (M)do not call upon Your name.
7 For they have (N)devoured Jacob
And (O)laid waste his [a]abode.
8 (P)Do not remember our former iniquities against us;
Let Your compassion quickly (Q)approach us,
For we are (R)brought very low.
9 (S)Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of (T)Your name;
And deliver us and (U)atone for our sins (V)for Your name’s sake.
10 (W)Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Let it be known among the nations before our eyes:
(X)Vengeance for the blood of Your slaves which has been poured out.
11 Let (Y)the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your [b]power preserve [c]those who are (Z)doomed to die.
12 And return to our neighbors (AA)sevenfold (AB)into their bosom
[d]The (AC)reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
13 But as for us, as Your people and the (AD)sheep of Your pasture,
We will (AE)give thanks to You forever;
From generation to generation we will (AF)recount Your praise.
30 I passed by the field of the sluggard
And by the vineyard of the man (A)lacking a heart of wisdom,
31 And behold, it was completely [a](B)overgrown with thistles;
[b](C)Nettles have covered its surface,
And its stone (D)wall has been torn down.
32 And I beheld, I set my heart upon it;
I saw, I received discipline.
33 “(E)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come as [c]a robber
And your want like [d]an armed man.
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