Holman Christian Standard Bible (227 page)
Read Holman Christian Standard Bible Online
Authors: B&H Publishing Group
Those destined for death, to death;
those destined for the sword, to the sword.
Those destined for famine, to famine;
those destined for captivity, to captivity.
those destined for the sword, to the sword.
Those destined for famine, to famine;
those destined for captivity, to captivity.
3
“I will ordain four kinds of judgment for them” — this is the
Lord
's declaration — “the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land to devour and destroy.
4
I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
“I will ordain four kinds of judgment for them” — this is the
Lord
's declaration — “the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land to devour and destroy.
4
I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5
Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem?
Who will show sympathy toward you?
Who will turn aside
to ask about your welfare?
6
You have left Me.
This is the
Lord
's declaration.
You have turned your back,
so I have stretched out My hand against you
and destroyed you.
I am tired of showing compassion.
7
I scattered them with a winnowing fork
at the gates of the land.
I made them childless; I destroyed My people.
They would not turn from their ways.
8
I made their widows more numerous
than the sand of the seas.
I brought a destroyer at noon
against the mother of young men.
I suddenly released on her
agitation and terrors.
9
The mother of seven grew faint;
she breathed her last breath.
Her sun set while it was still day;
she was ashamed and humiliated.
The rest of them I will give over to the sword
in the presence of their enemies.”
This is the
Lord
's declaration.
Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem?
Who will show sympathy toward you?
Who will turn aside
to ask about your welfare?
6
You have left Me.
This is the
Lord
's declaration.
You have turned your back,
so I have stretched out My hand against you
and destroyed you.
I am tired of showing compassion.
7
I scattered them with a winnowing fork
at the gates of the land.
I made them childless; I destroyed My people.
They would not turn from their ways.
8
I made their widows more numerous
than the sand of the seas.
I brought a destroyer at noon
against the mother of young men.
I suddenly released on her
agitation and terrors.
9
The mother of seven grew faint;
she breathed her last breath.
Her sun set while it was still day;
she was ashamed and humiliated.
The rest of them I will give over to the sword
in the presence of their enemies.”
This is the
Lord
's declaration.
Jeremiah's Complaint
10
Woe is me, my mother,
that you gave birth to me,
a man who incites dispute and conflict
in all the land.
I did not lend or borrow,
yet everyone curses me.
Woe is me, my mother,
that you gave birth to me,
a man who incites dispute and conflict
in all the land.
I did not lend or borrow,
yet everyone curses me.
The
Lord
's Response
Lord
's Response
11
The
Lord
said:
The
Lord
said:
I will certainly set you free and care for you.
I will certainly intercede for you
in a time of trouble,
in your time of distress, with the enemy.
12
Can anyone smash iron,
iron from the north, or bronze?
13
I will give up your wealth
and your treasures as plunder,
without cost, for all your sins
in all your borders.
14
Then I will make you serve your enemies
in a land you do not know,
for My anger will kindle a fire
that will burn against you.
I will certainly intercede for you
in a time of trouble,
in your time of distress, with the enemy.
12
Can anyone smash iron,
iron from the north, or bronze?
13
I will give up your wealth
and your treasures as plunder,
without cost, for all your sins
in all your borders.
14
Then I will make you serve your enemies
in a land you do not know,
for My anger will kindle a fire
that will burn against you.
Jeremiah's Prayer for Vengeance
15
You know,
Lord
;
remember me and take note of me.
Avenge me against my persecutors.
In Your patience, don't take me away.
Know that I suffer disgrace for Your honor.
16
Your words were found, and I ate them.
Your words became a delight to me
and the joy of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,
•Yahweh
God of
•Hosts
.
17
I never sat with the band of revelers,
and I did not celebrate with them.
Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone,
for You filled me with indignation.
18
Why has my pain become unending,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
You truly have become like a mirage to me —
water that is not reliable.
You know,
Lord
;
remember me and take note of me.
Avenge me against my persecutors.
In Your patience, don't take me away.
Know that I suffer disgrace for Your honor.
16
Your words were found, and I ate them.
Your words became a delight to me
and the joy of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,
•Yahweh
God of
•Hosts
.
17
I never sat with the band of revelers,
and I did not celebrate with them.
Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone,
for You filled me with indignation.
18
Why has my pain become unending,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
You truly have become like a mirage to me —
water that is not reliable.
Jeremiah Told to Repent
19
Therefore, this is what the
Lord
says:
Therefore, this is what the
Lord
says:
If you return, I will restore you;
you will stand in My presence.
And if you speak noble words,
rather than worthless ones,
you will be My spokesman.
It is they who must return to you;
you must not return to them.
20
Then I will make you a fortified wall of bronze
to this people.
They will fight against you
but will not overcome you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you.
This is the
Lord
's declaration.
21
I will deliver you from the power of evil people
and redeem you from the control of the ruthless.
you will stand in My presence.
And if you speak noble words,
rather than worthless ones,
you will be My spokesman.
It is they who must return to you;
you must not return to them.
20
Then I will make you a fortified wall of bronze
to this people.
They will fight against you
but will not overcome you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you.
This is the
Lord
's declaration.
21
I will deliver you from the power of evil people
and redeem you from the control of the ruthless.
Jeremiah
No Marriage for Jeremiah
16
The word of the
Lord
came to me:
2
“You must not marry or have sons or daughters in this place.
3
For this is what the
Lord
says concerning sons and daughters born in this place as well as concerning the mothers who bear them and the fathers who father them in this land:
4
They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like manure on the face of the earth. They will be finished off by sword and famine. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.
The word of the
Lord
came to me:
2
“You must not marry or have sons or daughters in this place.
3
For this is what the
Lord
says concerning sons and daughters born in this place as well as concerning the mothers who bear them and the fathers who father them in this land:
4
They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like manure on the face of the earth. They will be finished off by sword and famine. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.
5
“For this is what the
Lord
says: Don't enter a house where a mourning feast is taking place. Don't go to lament or sympathize with them, for I have removed My peace from these people” — this is the
Lord
's declaration — “as well as My faithful love and compassion.
6
Both great and small will die in this land without burial. No lament will be made for them, nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them.
7
Food won't be provided for the mourner to comfort him because of the dead. A cup of consolation won't be given him because of the loss of his father or mother.
8
You must not enter the house where feasting is taking place to sit with them to eat and drink.
9
For this is what the
Lord
of
•Hosts
, the God of Israel, says: I am about to eliminate from this place, before your very eyes and in your time, the sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the bride.
“For this is what the
Lord
says: Don't enter a house where a mourning feast is taking place. Don't go to lament or sympathize with them, for I have removed My peace from these people” — this is the
Lord
's declaration — “as well as My faithful love and compassion.
6
Both great and small will die in this land without burial. No lament will be made for them, nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them.
7
Food won't be provided for the mourner to comfort him because of the dead. A cup of consolation won't be given him because of the loss of his father or mother.
8
You must not enter the house where feasting is taking place to sit with them to eat and drink.
9
For this is what the
Lord
of
•Hosts
, the God of Israel, says: I am about to eliminate from this place, before your very eyes and in your time, the sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the bride.
Abandoning the
Lord
and His Law
Lord
and His Law
10
“When you tell these people all these things, they will say to you, ‘Why has the
Lord
declared all this great disaster against us? What is our
•guilt
? What is our sin that we have committed against the
Lord
our God? '
11
Then you will answer them: Because your fathers abandoned Me” — this is the
Lord
's declaration — “and followed other gods, served them, and worshiped them. Indeed, they abandoned Me and did not keep My instruction.
12
You did more evil than your fathers. Look, each one of you was following the stubbornness of his evil heart, not obeying Me.
13
So I will hurl you from this land into a land that you and your fathers are not familiar with. There you will worship other gods both day and night, for I will not grant you grace.
“When you tell these people all these things, they will say to you, ‘Why has the
Lord
declared all this great disaster against us? What is our
•guilt
? What is our sin that we have committed against the
Lord
our God? '
11
Then you will answer them: Because your fathers abandoned Me” — this is the
Lord
's declaration — “and followed other gods, served them, and worshiped them. Indeed, they abandoned Me and did not keep My instruction.
12
You did more evil than your fathers. Look, each one of you was following the stubbornness of his evil heart, not obeying Me.
13
So I will hurl you from this land into a land that you and your fathers are not familiar with. There you will worship other gods both day and night, for I will not grant you grace.
14
“However, take note! The days are coming” — the
Lord
's declaration — “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the
Lord
lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,'
15
but rather, ‘As the
Lord
lives who brought the Israelites from the land of the north and from all the other lands where He had banished them.' For I will return them to their land that I gave to their ancestors.
“However, take note! The days are coming” — the
Lord
's declaration — “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the
Lord
lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,'
15
but rather, ‘As the
Lord
lives who brought the Israelites from the land of the north and from all the other lands where He had banished them.' For I will return them to their land that I gave to their ancestors.
Punishment of Exile
16
“I am about to send for many fishermen” — this is the
Lord
's declaration — “and they will fish for them. Then I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and out of the clefts of the rocks,
17
for My gaze takes in all their ways. They are not concealed from Me, and their guilt is not hidden from My sight.
18
I will first repay them double for their guilt and sin because they have polluted My land. They have filled My inheritance with the lifelessness of their detestable and abhorrent idols.”
“I am about to send for many fishermen” — this is the
Lord
's declaration — “and they will fish for them. Then I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and out of the clefts of the rocks,
17
for My gaze takes in all their ways. They are not concealed from Me, and their guilt is not hidden from My sight.
18
I will first repay them double for their guilt and sin because they have polluted My land. They have filled My inheritance with the lifelessness of their detestable and abhorrent idols.”
19
Lord
, my strength and my stronghold,
my refuge in a time of distress,
the nations will come to You
from the ends of the earth, and they will say,
“Our fathers inherited only lies,
worthless idols of no benefit at all.”
20
Can one make gods for himself?
But they are not gods.
21
“Therefore, I am about to inform them,
and this time I will make them know
My power and My might;
then they will know that My name is
•Yahweh
.”
Lord
, my strength and my stronghold,
my refuge in a time of distress,
the nations will come to You
from the ends of the earth, and they will say,
“Our fathers inherited only lies,
worthless idols of no benefit at all.”
20
Can one make gods for himself?
But they are not gods.
21
“Therefore, I am about to inform them,
and this time I will make them know
My power and My might;
then they will know that My name is
•Yahweh
.”
Jeremiah
The Persistent Sin of Judah
17
The sin of Judah is written
with an iron stylus.
With a diamond point
it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts
and on the horns of their altars,
2
while their children remember their altars
and their
•Asherah
poles, by the green trees
on the high hills —
3
My mountains in the countryside.
I will give up your wealth
and all your treasures as plunder
because of the sin of your
•high
places
in all your borders.
4
You will, on your own, relinquish your inheritance
that I gave you.
I will make you serve your enemies
in a land you do not know,
for you have set My anger on fire;
it will burn forever.
The sin of Judah is written
with an iron stylus.
With a diamond point
it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts
and on the horns of their altars,
2
while their children remember their altars
and their
•Asherah
poles, by the green trees
on the high hills —
3
My mountains in the countryside.
I will give up your wealth
and all your treasures as plunder
because of the sin of your
•high
places
in all your borders.
4
You will, on your own, relinquish your inheritance
that I gave you.
I will make you serve your enemies
in a land you do not know,
for you have set My anger on fire;
it will burn forever.
Curse and Blessing
5
This is what the
Lord
says:
This is what the
Lord
says:
The man who trusts in mankind,
who makes human flesh his strength
and turns his heart from the
Lord
is cursed.
6
He will be like a juniper in the
•Arabah
;
he cannot see when good comes
but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7
The man who trusts in the
Lord
,
whose confidence indeed is the
Lord
, is blessed.
8
He will be like a tree planted by water:
it sends its roots out toward a stream,
it doesn't fear when heat comes,
and its foliage remains green.
It will not worry in a year of drought
or cease producing fruit.
who makes human flesh his strength
and turns his heart from the
Lord
is cursed.
6
He will be like a juniper in the
•Arabah
;
he cannot see when good comes
but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7
The man who trusts in the
Lord
,
whose confidence indeed is the
Lord
, is blessed.
8
He will be like a tree planted by water:
it sends its roots out toward a stream,
it doesn't fear when heat comes,
and its foliage remains green.
It will not worry in a year of drought
or cease producing fruit.
The Deceitful Heart
9
The heart is more deceitful than anything else,
and incurable — who can understand it?
10
I,
•Yahweh
, examine the mind,
I test the heart
to give to each according to his way,
according to what his actions deserve.
11
He who makes a fortune unjustly
is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn't lay.
In the middle of his days
his riches will abandon him,
so in the end he will be a fool.
The heart is more deceitful than anything else,
and incurable — who can understand it?
10
I,
•Yahweh
, examine the mind,
I test the heart
to give to each according to his way,
according to what his actions deserve.
11
He who makes a fortune unjustly
is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn't lay.
In the middle of his days
his riches will abandon him,
so in the end he will be a fool.
12
A throne of glory
on high from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
13
Lord
, the hope of Israel,
all who abandon You
will be put to shame.
All who turn away from Me
will be written in the dirt,
for they have abandoned
the
Lord
, the fountain of living water.
A throne of glory
on high from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
13
Lord
, the hope of Israel,
all who abandon You
will be put to shame.
All who turn away from Me
will be written in the dirt,
for they have abandoned
the
Lord
, the fountain of living water.
Jeremiah's Plea
14
Heal me,
Lord
, and I will be healed;
save me, and I will be saved,
for You are my praise.
15
Hear how they keep challenging me,
“Where is the word of the
Lord
?
Let it come! ”
16
But I have not run away from being Your shepherd,
and I have not longed for the fatal day.
You know my words were spoken in Your presence.
17
Don't become a terror to me.
You are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18
Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but don't let me be put to shame.
Let them be terrified, but don't let me be terrified.
Bring on them the day of disaster;
shatter them with total destruction.
Heal me,
Lord
, and I will be healed;
save me, and I will be saved,
for You are my praise.
15
Hear how they keep challenging me,
“Where is the word of the
Lord
?
Let it come! ”
16
But I have not run away from being Your shepherd,
and I have not longed for the fatal day.
You know my words were spoken in Your presence.
17
Don't become a terror to me.
You are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18
Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but don't let me be put to shame.
Let them be terrified, but don't let me be terrified.
Bring on them the day of disaster;
shatter them with total destruction.
Observing the Sabbath
19
This is what the
Lord
said to me, “Go and stand at the People's Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem.
20
Announce to them: Hear the word of the
Lord
, kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the residents of Jerusalem who enter through these gates.
21
This is what the
Lord
says: Watch yourselves; do not pick up a load and bring it in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.
22
You must not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day or do any work, but you must consecrate the Sabbath day, just as I commanded your ancestors.
23
They wouldn't listen or pay attention but became obstinate, not listening or accepting discipline.
This is what the
Lord
said to me, “Go and stand at the People's Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem.
20
Announce to them: Hear the word of the
Lord
, kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the residents of Jerusalem who enter through these gates.
21
This is what the
Lord
says: Watch yourselves; do not pick up a load and bring it in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.
22
You must not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day or do any work, but you must consecrate the Sabbath day, just as I commanded your ancestors.
23
They wouldn't listen or pay attention but became obstinate, not listening or accepting discipline.
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