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Warning of Jerusalem’s Fall
22 Thus says the Lord, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who (A)sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3 Thus says the Lord, “(B)Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his (C)oppressor. Also (D)do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not (E)shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you men will indeed perform this thing, then (F)kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting [a]in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, even the king himself and his servants and his people. 5 (G)But if you will not obey these words, I (H)swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a desolation.”’” 6 For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“You are like (I)Gilead to Me,
Like the summit of Lebanon;
Yet most assuredly I will make you like a (J)wilderness,
Like cities which are not inhabited.
7 “For I will set apart (K)destroyers against you,
Each with his weapons;
And they will (L)cut down your choicest cedars
And (M)throw them on the fire.
8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will (N)say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this great city?’ 9 Then they will [b]answer, ‘Because they (O)forsook the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”
10 (P)Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,
But weep continually for the one who goes away;
For (Q)he will never return
Or see his native land.
11 For thus says the Lord in regard to [c](R)Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they led him captive, there he will (S)die and not see this land again.
Messages about the Kings
13 “Woe to him who builds his house (T)without righteousness
And his [d]upper rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And (U)does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will (V)build myself a roomy house
With spacious [e]upper rooms,
And cut out its windows,
[f]Paneling it with (W)cedar and painting it [g]bright red.’
15 “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
And (X)do justice and righteousness?
Then it was (Y)well with him.
16 “He pled the cause of the (Z)afflicted and needy;
Then it was well.
(AA)Is not that what it means to know Me?”
Declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own (AB)dishonest gain,
And on (AC)shedding innocent blood
And on practicing oppression and extortion.”
18 Therefore thus says the Lord in regard to (AD)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah,
“They will not (AE)lament for him:
‘(AF)Alas, my brother!’ or, ‘Alas, sister!’
They will not lament for him:
‘Alas for the master!’ or, ‘Alas for his splendor!’
19 “He will be (AG)buried with a donkey’s burial,
Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
And lift up your voice in Bashan;
Cry out also from (AH)Abarim,
For all your (AI)lovers have been crushed.
21 “I spoke to you in your prosperity;
But (AJ)you said, ‘I will not listen!’
(AK)This has been your practice (AL)from your youth,
That you have not obeyed My voice.
22 “The wind will sweep away all your (AM)shepherds,
And your (AN)lovers will go into captivity;
Then you will surely be (AO)ashamed and humiliated
Because of all your wickedness.
23 “You who dwell in Lebanon,
Nested in the cedars,
How you will groan when pangs come upon you,
(AP)Pain like a woman in childbirth!
24 “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even though [h](AQ)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a (AR)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull [i]you [j]off; 25 and I will (AS)give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 I will (AT)hurl you and your (AU)mother who bore you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 But as for the land to which they desire to return, they will not return to it.
28 “Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
Or is he an (AV)undesirable vessel?
Why have he and his descendants been (AW)hurled out
And cast into a (AX)land that they had not known?
29 “(AY)O land, land, land,
Hear the word of the Lord!
30 “Thus says the Lord,
‘Write this man down (AZ)childless,
A man who will (BA)not prosper in his days;
For no man of his (BB)descendants will prosper
Sitting on the throne of David
Or ruling again in Judah.’”
The Coming Messiah: the Righteous Branch
23 “(BC)Woe to the shepherds who are (BD)destroying and scattering the (BE)sheep of My pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are [k]tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to (BF)attend to you for the (BG)evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord. 3 “Then I Myself will (BH)gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will also raise up (BI)shepherds over them and they will [l]tend them; and they will (BJ)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, (BK)nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
5 “Behold, the (BL)days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous [m](BM)Branch;
And He will (BN)reign as king and [n]act wisely
And (BO)do justice and righteousness in the land.
6 “In His days Judah will be saved,
And (BP)Israel will dwell securely;
And this is His (BQ)name by which He will be called,
‘The (BR)Lord our righteousness.’
7 “(BS)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ 8 (BT)but, ‘As the Lord lives, who (BU)brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”
False Prophets Denounced
9 As for the prophets:
My (BV)heart is broken within me,
All my bones tremble;
I have become like a drunken man,
Even like a man overcome with wine,
Because of the Lord
And because of His holy words.
10 For the land is full of (BW)adulterers;
For the land (BX)mourns because of the curse.
The (BY)pastures of the wilderness have dried up.
Their course also is evil
And their might is not right.
11 “For (BZ)both prophet and priest are polluted;
Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their way will be like (CA)slippery paths to them,
They will be driven away into the (CB)gloom and fall down in it;
For I will bring (CC)calamity upon them,
The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.
13 “Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an (CD)offensive thing:
They (CE)prophesied by Baal and (CF)led My people Israel astray.
14 “Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a (CG)horrible thing:
The committing of (CH)adultery and walking in falsehood;
And they strengthen the hands of (CI)evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.
All of them have become to Me like (CJ)Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets,
‘Behold, I am going to (CK)feed them wormwood
And make them drink poisonous water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Pollution has gone forth into all the land.’”
16 Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“(CL)Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are (CM)leading you into futility;
They speak a (CN)vision of their own [o]imagination,
Not (CO)from the mouth of the Lord.
17 “They keep saying to those who (CP)despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, “(CQ)You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the (CR)stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘(CS)Calamity will not come upon you.’
18 “But (CT)who has stood in the council of the Lord,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has given (CU)heed to [p]His word and listened?
19 “Behold, the (CV)storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling tempest;
It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 “The (CW)anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has (CX)performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
(CY)In the last days you will clearly understand it.
Thanksgiving for Faith and Perseverance
1 (A)Paul and (B)Silvanus and (C)Timothy,
To the (D)church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 (E)Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We ought always (F)to give thanks to God for you, (G)brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the (H)love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; 4 therefore, we ourselves (I)speak proudly of you among (J)the churches of God for your [a]perseverance and faith (K)in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. 5 This is a (L)plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be (M)considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. 6 [b]For after all (N)it is only just [c]for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted [d]and to us as well [e](O)when the Lord Jesus will be revealed (P)from heaven (Q)with [f]His mighty angels (R)in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who (S)do not know God and to those who (T)do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of (U)eternal destruction, (V)away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be (W)glorified [g]in His [h]saints on that (X)day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our (Y)testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end also we (Z)pray for you always, that our God will [i](AA)count you worthy of your (AB)calling, and fulfill every desire for (AC)goodness and the (AD)work of faith with power, 12 so that the (AE)name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God Implored to Confound His Enemies.
A Song, a Psalm of Asaph.
83 O God, (A)do not remain quiet;
(B)Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies (C)make an uproar,
And (D)those who hate You have [a](E)exalted themselves.
3 They (F)make shrewd plans against Your people,
And [b]conspire together against (G)Your [c]treasured ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and (H)let us wipe them out [d]as a nation,
That the (I)name of Israel be remembered no more.”
5 For they have [e](J)conspired together with one mind;
Against You they make a covenant:
6 The tents of (K)Edom and the (L)Ishmaelites,
(M)Moab and the (N)Hagrites;
7 (O)Gebal and (P)Ammon and (Q)Amalek,
(R)Philistia with the inhabitants of (S)Tyre;
8 (T)Assyria also has joined with them;
They have become [f]a help to the (U)children of Lot. [g]Selah.
9 Deal with them (V)as with Midian,
As (W)with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who (X)became as dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like (Y)Oreb and Zeeb
And all their princes like (Z)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “(AA)Let us possess for ourselves
The (AB)pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like the [h](AC)whirling dust,
Like (AD)chaff before the wind.
14 Like (AE)fire that burns the forest
And like a flame that (AF)sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them (AG)with Your tempest
And terrify them with Your storm.
16 (AH)Fill their faces with dishonor,
That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be (AI)ashamed and dismayed forever,
And let them be humiliated and perish,
18 That they may (AJ)know that (AK)You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the (AL)Most High over all the earth.
11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver
Is a (A)word spoken in [a]right circumstances.
12 Like [b]an (B)earring of gold and an (C)ornament of (D)fine gold
Is a wise reprover to a (E)listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the [c]time of harvest
Is a (F)faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like (G)clouds and (H)wind without rain
Is a man who boasts [d]of his gifts falsely.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.