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Jerusalem Captured
39 [a]Now when Jerusalem was captured [b](A)in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it; 2 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city wall was (B)breached. 3 Then all the (C)officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the (D)Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the [c]Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the [d]Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they (E)fled and went out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate (F)between the two walls; and he went out toward the [e]Arabah. 5 But the army of the (G)Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the (H)plains of Jericho; and they seized him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at (I)Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 6 Then the (J)king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah (K)before his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slew all the (L)nobles of Judah. 7 He then (M)blinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in (N)fetters of bronze to bring him to (O)Babylon. 8 The Chaldeans also (P)burned with fire the king’s palace and the houses of the people, and they (Q)broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 As for the rest of the people who were left in the city, the [f](R)deserters who had gone over to him and (S)the rest of the people who remained, (T)Nebuzaradan the (U)captain of the bodyguard carried them into exile in Babylon. 10 But some of the (V)poorest people who had nothing, (W)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard left behind in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields [g]at that time.
Jeremiah Spared
11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders about (X)Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying, 12 “Take him and [h]look after him, and (Y)do nothing harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard sent word, along with Nebushazban the [i]Rab-saris, and Nergal-sar-ezer the [j]Rab-mag, and all the leading officers of the king of Babylon; 14 they even sent and (Z)took Jeremiah out of the court of the guardhouse and entrusted him to (AA)Gedaliah, the son of (AB)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he stayed among the people.
15 Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was (AC)confined in the court of the guardhouse, saying, 16 “Go and speak to (AD)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city (AE)for disaster and not for [k]prosperity; and they will (AF)take place before you on that day. 17 But I will (AG)deliver you on that day,” declares the Lord, “and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread. 18 For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own (AH)life as booty, because you have (AI)trusted in Me,” declares the Lord.’”
Jeremiah Remains in Judah
40 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after (AJ)Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from (AK)Ramah, when he had taken him bound in (AL)chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The (AM)Lord your God promised this calamity against this place; 3 and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people (AN)sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you. 4 But now, behold, I am (AO)freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If [l]you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will [m]look after you; but if [n]you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, [o]never mind. Look, the (AP)whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.” 5 As [p]Jeremiah was still not going back, [q]he said, “Go on back then to (AQ)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has (AR)appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a (AS)ration and a (AT)gift and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to (AU)Mizpah to (AV)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.
7 (AW)Now all the [r]commanders of the forces that were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in charge of the men, women and [s]children, those of the (AX)poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon. 8 So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with (AY)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and (AZ)Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the (BA)Netophathite, and (BB)Jezaniah the son of the (BC)Maacathite, both they and their men. 9 Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, (BD)swore to them and to their men, saying, “(BE)Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you. 10 Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah to (BF)stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, (BG)gather in wine and (BH)summer fruit and oil and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.” 11 Likewise, also all the Jews who were in (BI)Moab and among the sons of (BJ)Ammon and in (BK)Edom and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. 12 Then all the Jews (BL)returned from all the places to which they had been driven away and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.
13 Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of (BM)Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “(BN)Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know! Why should he (BO)take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the (BP)remnant of Judah would perish?” 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “(BQ)Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”
Gedaliah Is Murdered
41 (BR)In the seventh month (BS)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal [t]family and one of the chief officers of the king, along with ten men, came to Mizpah to (BT)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. While they (BU)were eating bread together there in Mizpah, 2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him arose and (BV)struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and (BW)put to death the one (BX)whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.
4 Now it happened on the [u]next day after the killing of Gedaliah, when no one knew about it, 5 that eighty men (BY)came from (BZ)Shechem, from (CA)Shiloh, and from (CB)Samaria with (CC)their beards shaved off and their clothes torn and [v]their bodies (CD)gashed, having grain offerings and incense in their hands to bring to the (CE)house of the Lord. 6 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, (CF)weeping as he went; and as he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!” 7 Yet it turned out that as soon as they came inside the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the men that were with him (CG)slaughtered them and cast them into the cistern. 8 But ten men who were found among them said to Ishmael, “Do not put us to death; for we have (CH)stores of wheat, barley, oil and honey hidden in the field.” So he refrained and did not put them to death along with their companions.
9 Now as for the cistern where Ishmael had cast all the corpses of the men whom he had struck down [w]because of Gedaliah, it was the (CI)one that King Asa had made on (CJ)account of Baasha, king of Israel; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain. 10 Then Ishmael took captive all the (CK)remnant of the people who were in Mizpah, the (CL)king’s daughters and all the people who were left in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had put under the charge of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam; thus Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and proceeded to cross over to the sons of (CM)Ammon.
Johanan Rescues the People
11 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the (CN)commanders of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done. 12 So they took all the men and went to (CO)fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and they found him by the (CP)great [x]pool that is in Gibeon. 13 Now as soon as all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and the commanders of the forces that were with him, they were glad. 14 So all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah (CQ)escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the sons of Ammon. 16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him took from Mizpah (CR)all the remnant of the people whom he had [y]recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, that is, the men who were [z]soldiers, the women, the [aa]children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. 17 And they went and stayed in [ab](CS)Geruth Chimham, which is beside Bethlehem, in order to (CT)proceed into Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were (CU)afraid of them, since Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom (CV)the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.
Timothy Charged to Guard His Trust
1 Paul, (A)an apostle of (B)Christ Jesus [a](C)by the will of God, according to the promise of (D)life in Christ Jesus,
2 To (E)Timothy, my beloved [b](F)son: (G)Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 (H)I thank God, whom I (I)serve with a (J)clear conscience [c]the way my forefathers did, (K)as I constantly remember you in my [d]prayers night and day, 4 (L)longing to see you, (M)even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 [e]For I am mindful of the (N)sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and (O)your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh (P)the gift of God which is in you through (Q)the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a (R)spirit of [f]timidity, but of power and love and [g]discipline.
8 Therefore (S)do not be ashamed of the (T)testimony of our Lord or of me (U)His prisoner, but join with me in (V)suffering for the (W)gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has (X)saved us and (Y)called us with a holy (Z)calling, (AA)not according to our works, but according to His own (AB)purpose and grace which was granted us in (AC)Christ Jesus from (AD)all eternity, 10 but (AE)now has been revealed by the (AF)appearing of our Savior (AG)Christ Jesus, who (AH)abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 (AI)for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but (AJ)I am not ashamed; for I know (AK)whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to (AL)guard what I have entrusted to Him [h]until (AM)that day. 13 [i](AN)Retain the (AO)standard of (AP)sound words (AQ)which you have heard from me, in the (AR)faith and love which are in (AS)Christ Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who (AT)dwells in us, the [j](AU)treasure which has been entrusted to you.
15 You are aware of the fact that all who are in [k](AV)Asia (AW)turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord grant mercy to (AX)the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and (AY)was not ashamed of my [l](AZ)chains; 17 but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— 18 the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on (BA)that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at (BB)Ephesus.
BOOK 4
God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.
A Prayer of [a]Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, You have been our [b](A)dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before (B)the mountains were born
[c]Or You (C)gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even (D)from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You (E)turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For (F)a thousand years in Your sight
Are like (G)yesterday when it passes by,
[d]Or as a (H)watch in the night.
5 You (I)have [e]swept them away like a flood, they [f](J)fall asleep;
In the morning they are like (K)grass which [g]sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it (L)flourishes and [h]sprouts anew;
Toward evening it (M)fades and (N)withers away.
7 For we have been (O)consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been [i]dismayed.
8 You have (P)placed our iniquities before You,
Our (Q)secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For (R)all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a [j]sigh.
10 As for the days of our [k]life, [l]they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, (S)eighty years,
Yet their pride is but (T)labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we (U)fly away.
11 Who [m]understands the (V)power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the (W)fear [n]that is due You?
12 So (X)teach us to number our days,
That we may [o](Y)present to You a heart of wisdom.
13 Do (Z)return, O Lord; (AA)how long will it be?
And [p]be (AB)sorry for Your servants.
14 O (AC)satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
That we may (AD)sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 (AE)Make us glad [q]according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the (AF)years we have seen [r]evil.
16 Let Your (AG)work appear to Your servants
And Your (AH)majesty [s]to their children.
17 Let the (AI)favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And [t](AJ)confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, [u]confirm the work of our hands.
Security of the One Who Trusts in the Lord.
91 He who dwells in the (AK)shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the (AL)shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My (AM)refuge and my (AN)fortress,
My God, in whom I (AO)trust!”
3 For it is He who delivers you from the (AP)snare of the trapper
And from the deadly (AQ)pestilence.
4 He will (AR)cover you with His pinions,
And (AS)under His wings you may seek refuge;
His (AT)faithfulness is a (AU)shield and bulwark.
5 You (AV)will not be afraid of the (AW)terror by night,
Or of the (AX)arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the (AY)pestilence that [v]stalks in darkness,
Or of the (AZ)destruction that lays waste at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But (BA)it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes
And (BB)see the recompense of the wicked.
9 [w]For you have made the Lord, (BC)my refuge,
Even the Most High, (BD)your dwelling place.
10 (BE)No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your [x]tent.
11 For He will give (BF)His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
12 They will (BG)bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will (BH)tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the [y]serpent you will trample down.
14 “(BI)Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will (BJ)set him securely on high, because he has (BK)known My name.
15 “He will (BL)call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in [z]trouble;
I will rescue him and (BM)honor him.
16 “With [aa]a (BN)long life I will satisfy him
And [ab](BO)let him see My salvation.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.