WELS - Through My Bible On Streams podcast

7:04

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 25 Jeremiah 21 – 22 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 25 Jeremiah 21 – 22 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0325db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible The Lord Rejects King Zedekiah Jeremiah 21 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah along with Zephaniah the priest, the son of Ma’aseiah, [1] to speak to Jeremiah. They said, 2 “Inquire of the Lord for us, because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will perform some of his wonders on our behalf as he did in the past, so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.” 3 But Jeremiah answered them: Tell Zedekiah that 4 the Lord , the God of Israel, says this. I will certainly turn the weapons of war in your hands against you, the ones you are using to fight against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans, [2] who are outside your wall besieging you. And I will bring them inside this city. 5 I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, with furious anger and great wrath. 6 I will strike those who live in this city, both man and animal. They will die of a terrible plague. 7 Afterward, says the Lord , I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, those who serve him, and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword, and famine. I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies and into the hands of those who seek their lives. He will strike them with the sword. He will show them no compassion, no pity, and no mercy. 8 Tell this people this is what the Lord says. I will certainly set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Whoever remains in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but all those who go out and surrender to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will escape with their lives. 10 For I have set my face against this city to bring harm and not good, says the Lord . The city will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it up with fire. 11 Concerning the house of the king of Judah, this is the word of the Lord . 12 The Lord says that you, House of David, are to administer justice in the morning and deliver the victim of robbery from the hand of the oppressor, or my wrath will flare up like fire and burn so that no one can put it out, because of the evil you have done. 13 Look, I am against you, you who live in this valley in the rocky highlands, declares the Lord . I am against you who say, “Who can come against us? Who can enter our homes?” 14 I will punish you according to what you have done, says the Lord . I will kindle a fire in the forest, and it will consume everything around you. Judgment Against Three Evil Kings Jeremiah 22 1 This is what the Lord says. Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and speak this message there. 2 Hear the word of the Lord , king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you, your officials, and your people who enter these gates. 3 This is what the Lord says. Do what is just and right. Rescue the person who has been robbed from the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, to the fatherless, or to the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 If you diligently carry this out, then kings who sit on David’s throne will enter through the gates of this house, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you will not obey these words, then I swear by myself, declares the Lord , that this house will become a ruin. 6 Yes, this is what the Lord says about the house of the king of Judah. You are like Gilead to me, like the peak of Lebanon. You can be sure that I will turn you into a wilderness, like uninhabited towns. 7 I will send destroyers against you, each of them with his weapons. They will cut down your best cedars, and they will throw them into the fire. 8 Many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, “Why did the Lord do such a thing to this great city?” 9 And the answer will be, “It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God. They worshipped other gods and served them.” A Message About Shallum 10 Do not weep for the dead. Do not mourn for him, but weep bitterly for the one who is exiled, because he will never return. He will never see the land of his birth. 11 For this is what the Lord says about Shallum [3] son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned in place of his father Josiah. He has gone out from this place, but he will never return again. 12 He will die in the place where they have led him captive. He will never see this land again. A Message About Jehoiakim 13 Woe to him who builds his house through unrighteousness and his roof with injustice, who makes his neighbors work for nothing and does not pay them, 14 who says, “I will build a huge mansion for myself with spacious upper rooms.” He makes large windows for it, panels it with cedar, and paints it red. 15 Does it make you a king when you are extravagant with cedar? Didn’t your father eat and drink, and do what was just and right? Then it went well for him. 16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and it went well. Isn’t this what it means to know me? declares the Lord . 17 But your eyes and your heart are greedy for gain, for shedding innocent blood, for oppression, and committing violence. 18 Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah: They will not mourn for him, “Oh, my brother! Oh, my sister!” They will not mourn for him, “Oh, my master! Oh, his glory!” 19 He will be buried with the burial of a donkey— dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem. 20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out. Lift your voice in Bashan. Cry out from Abarim, because all your lovers have been destroyed. 21 I spoke to you when you were at peace, but you said, “I will not listen.” This has been your way since your youth. You have never listened to me. 22 Your shepherds will be herded by the wind. Your lovers will go into exile. Then you will be ashamed and humiliated because of all your evil. 23 You who live in Lebanon, you who make your nest in the cedars, how you will groan when pains come upon you, pains like those of a woman in labor! A Message About Coniah 24 As I live, declares the Lord , even if you, Coniah [4] son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off. 25 I will deliver you into the hand of those who want to take your life, those you fear. I will deliver you into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 I will throw you and the mother who bore you into another country, where neither of you were born, and there you will die. 27 They will never return to the land to which they long to return. 28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken pot? Is he a jar no one wants? Why are he and his children thrown out, cast into a land they do not know? 29 Land, land, O land! Hear the word of the Lord ! 30 This is what the Lord says. Record this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime. None of his offspring will prosper by sitting on David’s throne and ruling in Judah. Footnotes Jeremiah 21:1 The stop mark ′ shows that the double vowel is to be pronounced as two syllables. Jeremiah 21:4 The Chaldeans were the ethnic group ruling Babylon at this time. Jeremiah 22:11 Also called Jehoahaz. After the death of good King Josiah, Josiah’s son Shallum/Jehoahaz was exiled to Egypt by Pharaoh Neco. See 2 Kings 23:28-34. Jeremiah 22:24 Also called Jeconiah and Jehoiachin The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 24 6:59

1 day ago6:59

6:59

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 24 Jeremiah 19 – 20 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 24 Jeremiah 19 – 20 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0324db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible A Clay Jar Jeremiah 19 1 This is what the Lord says. Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and some of the priests. 2 Go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, by the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Proclaim there the words I will tell you. 3 Say this to them: Hear the word of the Lord , you kings of Judah and you who live in Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says. Watch out! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of all who hear about it ring, 4 because they have forsaken me and have defiled this place. They have burned incense in it to other gods that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah ever knew. They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. 5 They have built high places to Baal and burned their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, and which did not enter my mind. 6 So listen to this. The days are coming, declares the Lord , when people will no longer call this place Topheth or Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. 7 I will ruin [1] the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hands of those who seek their lives. I will make their dead bodies food for the birds in the sky and the wild animals in the land. 8 I will make this city desolate, and I will make it a target of contempt. Everyone who passes by will be horrified and scoff because of all its wounds. 9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters. They will eat one another’s flesh during the pressure from the siege that their enemies, those who want to kill them, will bring upon them. 10 Then break the jar in the sight of the men who are with you. 11 Tell them this is what the Lord of Armies says. This is how I will break this people and this city, like a potter’s jar that is so smashed that it cannot be made whole again. They will bury people in Topheth until there is no place left to bury. 12 This is what I will do to this place, says the Lord , and to those who live here: I will make this city like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will become defiled—all the houses on whose rooftops they have burned incense to all the army of the heavens and poured out drink offerings to other gods. They will all be defiled like that place Topheth. 14 Then Jeremiah came back from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the courtyard of the House of the Lord and said to all the people: 15 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says. I will certainly bring on this city and on all its towns every disaster that I have proclaimed against it, because they have become stiff-necked, refusing to hear my words.” Jeremiah and Pashhur Jeremiah 20 1 When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who served as the chief officer in the House of the Lord , heard Jeremiah prophesying about these things, 2 Pashhur ordered them to beat Jeremiah the prophet, and he put him in the stocks at the Upper Benjamin Gate in the House of the Lord . 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call you Pashhur, but Magor Missabib, [2] 4 for this is what the Lord says: I will certainly make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will carry the people captive to Babylon, and he will strike them with the sword. 5 Also, the riches of this city, all its property, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah—I will give it all away into the hands of their enemies. They will plunder them, seize them, and carry them off to Babylon. 6 As for you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, you will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon! You will die there, and you will be buried there, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied falsely.” Jeremiah’s Confession 7 You persuaded me, Lord , and I agreed to it. [3] You are stronger than I am, and you won out. I have become a laughingstock all day long, and everyone is mocking me. 8 Whenever I speak, I cry out. I cry out, “Violence and destruction!” But the word of the Lord has brought scorn on me. I am mocked all day long. 9 If I say, “I will not mention him or speak in his name anymore,” then there is a burning fire in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I am weary of holding it in. I cannot! 10 I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” All my close friends, those who are watching for my fall, say, “Denounce him! Let’s denounce him. Perhaps he can be pressured into making a mistake. Then we will have the upper hand against him, and we will take our revenge on him.” 11 But the Lord is with me like a terrifying warrior. So my persecutors will stumble, and they will not gain the upper hand. They will be put to shame completely, because they have not been successful. Their eternal disgrace will never be forgotten. 12 Lord of Armies, you test the righteous. You see the heart and the mind. Let me see your vengeance on them, for I have laid out my case before you. 13 Sing to the Lord ! Praise the Lord , for he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of the wicked. A Curse 14 May the day I was born be cursed. Do not let the day my mother gave birth to me be blessed. 15 May the man be cursed who brought news to my father, “A son is born to you,” the man who brought him great joy. 16 Let that man be like the cities the Lord overthrew without pity. Let him hear a cry in the morning, an alarm for war at noon, 17 because he did not put me to death in the womb, so that my mother would have been my grave, and her womb would have been pregnant forever. 18 Why did I emerge from that womb to see trouble and sorrow, to finish my days in shame? Footnotes Jeremiah 19:7 The Hebrew word baqaq , ruin , sounds like the word baqbuq , jar , in verse 1. Jeremiah 20:3 Magor Missabib means terror on every side. Jeremiah 20:7 Or, more literally, you pressured me, and I was pressured . The Hebrew verb (patah) is the same in both halves of the line, but it has different connotations when applied to God and to Jeremiah. You deceived me and I was deceived is probably too strong a word to express Jeremiah’s accusation against the Lord , but Jeremiah is claiming that the Lord had led him to believe that being a prophet was going to be a great thing. It is hard to find any evidence to justify Jeremiah’s accusation if you read Jeremiah 1–3. The same Hebrew verb occurs again in verse 10. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 23 5:53

2 days ago5:53

5:53

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 23 Jeremiah 17:19 – 18:23 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 23 Jeremiah 17:19 – 18:23 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0323db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Jeremiah 17 Keep the Sabbath Day Holy 19 This is what the Lord told me. Go and stand at the Gate of the People, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave, and in all the gates of Jerusalem. 20 Tell them this message. Hear the word of the Lord , you kings of Judah, all of Judah, and all who live in Jerusalem, and all who enter by these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says. Protect your lives. Do not carry a load of things on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day. Do not do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy as I commanded your fathers. 23 But they did not listen or pay attention. They became stiff-necked so that they would not hear or receive instruction. 24 However, if you listen carefully to me, declares the Lord , and if you do not carry any load through the gates of the city on the Sabbath day, but you instead keep the Sabbath day holy and do not do any work, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne and their officials will enter in through the gates of this city, riding in chariots and on horses, along with the men of Judah and with those who live in Jerusalem. They will live in this city forever. 26 They will come from the cities of Judah, from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Shephelah, [1] from the hill country, and from the Negev. [2] They will bring burnt offerings, sacrifices, fellowship offerings, [3] incense, and thank offerings to the House of the Lord . 27 But if you will not listen to me and do not keep the Sabbath day holy, and you enter the gates of Jerusalem carrying a load on the Sabbath day, then I will set fire to its gates. I will burn the public buildings of Jerusalem, and the fire will not be put out. The Potter’s House Jeremiah 18 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord : 2 “Get up, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will reveal my words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and he was making something on the wheel. 4 But the pot he was forming out of the clay was ruined as he shaped it with his hands, so the potter formed it into a different pot, whatever he saw fit to make. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 House of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? declares the Lord . See, like clay in the potter’s hands, that is what you are in my hands, house of Israel. 7 One time I may say that a nation or a kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, 8 but if that nation I spoke about repents of its evil, then I will relent and not bring the disaster I had planned to bring against it. 9 Another time I may say that a nation or a kingdom is to be built and planted, 10 but if they do what is evil in my sight by not listening to my voice, then I will not bring about the good I said I would do for them. 11 Now therefore say this to the men of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says. Look! I am forming a disaster against you. I am devising a plan against you. Turn from your evil ways, each of you, and reform your ways and your actions. 12 But they will say, “It is hopeless! Each of us will always walk in the stubbornness of his own evil heart.” 13 Therefore this is what the Lord says. Ask among the nations, “Who has ever heard anything like this?” Virgin Israel has done a most terrible thing. 14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever disappear from its rocky slopes? Does cold water flowing from a long distance ever run dry? 15 Yet my people have forgotten me. They burn incense to false gods, that make them stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths. They walk on side roads, on roads not built up. 16 They make their land something horrible, a target of lasting contempt. [4] Everyone who passes by will be horrified and shake his head. 17 Like the east wind I will scatter them in front of their enemies. I will show them my back and not my face on the day of their calamity. A Plot Against Jeremiah 18 Some people said, “Come on! Let’s make plans against Jeremiah, because the law will not vanish from the priest, nor guidance from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come on, let’s attack him with words and pay no attention to anything he says.” 19 Listen to me, Lord . Listen to what my opponents are saying. 20 Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before you to speak on their behalf, to turn your anger from them. 21 Therefore, hand their children over to famine, and hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives become childless widows. Let their men be put to death, and their young men be struck in battle by the sword. 22 Let a cry be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring marauders against them, because they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet. 23 But you, Lord , are aware of all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their guilt. Do not blot out their sin from your sight. Let them be overthrown in your presence. Deal with them in the time of your anger. Footnotes Jeremiah 17:26 The western foothills of Judah Jeremiah 17:26 The arid region south of Judah Jeremiah 17:26 Traditionally peace offerings Jeremiah 18:16 Literally hissing The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 22 7:43

3 days ago7:43

7:43

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 22 Jeremiah 16:1 – 17:18 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 22 Jeremiah 16:1 – 17:18 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0322db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Jeremiah Must Not Marry Jeremiah 16 1 The word of the Lord came to me. 2 You are not to marry a wife in this place or to have sons and daughters, 3 because this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this place, about the mothers who bore them, and about the fathers who conceived them in this land: 4 They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned. They will not be buried. They will lie on the ground like manure. They will be devoured by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the birds in the sky and the wild animals in the land. 5 This is what the Lord says. Do not enter a house where people are grieving. Do not go there to mourn for anyone or to comfort anyone, for I have taken away my peace from this people, declares the Lord , along with my mercy and my compassion. 6 Both the greatest and the least will die in this land. No one will bury them or mourn for them. No one will cut himself or shave himself for them. 7 No one will break bread to comfort those who mourn the dead. No one will offer a consoling cup, even for a father or a mother. 8 Do not enter a house where there is feasting, or sit down there to eat and drink. 9 For this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says. I will certainly put an end to the sounds of joy and happiness in this place, as well as the voices of bride and groom. This will take place before your eyes and in your lifetime. An Evil Day 10 When you tell the people all of this, they will ask you, “Why has the Lord decreed all this great disaster against us? What are we guilty of? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?” 11 Then say this to them: It is because your fathers abandoned me, declares the Lord , and followed other gods. They served them, and they worshipped them. They abandoned me and did not keep my law. 12 But you have done more evil than your fathers. Look, each of you follows his own stubborn, evil heart, and you do not listen to me. 13 Therefore, I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, and I will show you no mercy. 14 Nevertheless, listen to this. The days are coming, declares the Lord , when people will no longer say, “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel out from the land of Egypt.” 15 But they will say, “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel out from the land in the north and from all the lands to which he exiled them.” For I will restore them to the homeland I gave to their fathers. 16 Look, I am sending for many fishermen, declares the Lord , and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt for them on every mountain, on every high hill, and in the crevices of the rocks. 17 My eyes are watching everything they do. It is not hidden from me, nor is their guilt hidden from my eyes. 18 But first I will pay them double for their guilt and their sin, because they defiled my land with the carcasses of their disgusting idols, and they have filled my inheritance with their abominations. 19 The Lord is my strength and my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. Nations will come to you from the ends of the earth and say, “Our forefathers possessed only false gods, worthless idols, and there was nothing good in them. 20 Can a man make gods for himself? Yes, but they are not gods!” 21 Therefore I will certainly teach them. This time I will teach them my power and my strength, and then they will know that my name is the Lord . The Sin of Judah Jeremiah 17 1 Judah’s sin is written with an iron stylus. It is engraved with a diamond [1] tip on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of their altars. 2 Even their children remember their altars and their Asherah poles, [2] beside every green tree on the high hills, 3 and on the mountains in the countryside. I will turn all your wealth into plunder because of the sin you committed on the high places throughout all your territory. 4 You will lose your inheritance that I gave you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know. You have started a fire in my anger that will burn forever. Curses and Blessings 5 This is what the Lord says. Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh, and who turns his heart away from the Lord . 6 He will be like a juniper bush in the wasteland. He will not see good things when they come. He lives in a dry place in the wilderness, in a salty land where no one lives. 7 But blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord , whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by water. It sends out its roots to the stream. It does not fear the heat when it comes. Its leaves will remain green. It is not concerned about a time of drought. It does not stop producing fruit. The Deceitful Heart 9 The heart is more deceitful than anything. It is beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10 I, the Lord , am the one who searches the heart and examines the mind, to reward a man according to what he has done, according to what his deeds deserve. 11 Those who accumulate a fortune unjustly are like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay. Midway through life their fortune will be lost, and in the end they will be exposed as fools. 12 The place of our sanctuary is a glorious throne, exalted from the beginning. 13 You are the hope of Israel, Lord . All who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you [3] will be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord , the spring of living water. 14 Heal me, Lord , and I will be healed. Save me, and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. 15 They say to me, “Where is the word of the Lord ? Let it come!” 16 I have not tried to run away from being your shepherd, [4] nor have I wanted to bring the day of incurable pain. You are aware of everything that comes out of my lips. It is not hidden from you. 17 Do not be a terror to me. You are my refuge in the day of disaster. 18 Let my persecutors be put to shame, but do not let me be put to shame. Let them be terrified, but do not let me be terrified. Bring on them the day of disaster and destroy them with double destruction. Footnotes Jeremiah 17:1 Or flint Jeremiah 17:2 Wooden poles were set up to worship the Canaanite fertility goddess Asherah. Jeremiah 17:13 You is the reading of the Greek. The Hebrew reads me. This reading would require a change of speakers to the Lord . Jeremiah 17:16 Some ancient versions read this line as a parallel to the following line: I have not run after you for the sake of disaster. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 21 8:53

4 days ago8:53

8:53

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 21 Jeremiah 14 – 15 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 21 Jeremiah 14 – 15 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0321db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible The Drought Jeremiah 14 1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought. 2 Judah mourns. Her city gates fall apart. They mourn for the land, and a cry of grief rises from Jerusalem. 3 The strong send the weak to get water. They go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with empty containers. Ashamed and humiliated, they cover their heads. 4 The ground is cracked, because there has been no rain in the land. The farmers are distressed. They cover their heads. 5 Even the doe in the field gives birth and then abandons the fawn, because there is no grass. 6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights. They pant for air like jackals. Their eyes grow dim, because there are no plants to eat. Jeremiah’s Prayers and the Lord ’s Answers 7 Do something, Lord , for the sake of your name, even though our guilt testifies against us. We have rebelled many times, and we have sinned against you. 8 You are Israel’s hope, its Savior in times of trouble. Why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only for the night? 9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a strong warrior who cannot save? You are among us, Lord , and we are called by your name. Do not forsake us! 10 This is what the Lord says concerning this people. They love to wander! They never restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them. Instead, he will remember their guilt and punish their sins. 11 The Lord told me, “Do not pray for the well-being of these people. 12 Even if they fast, I will not listen to their cries for help. Even if they sacrifice burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will finish them off with sword, famine, and plague.” 13 Then I said, “But, Lord God, the prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see sword or famine. I will give you lasting peace in this place.’” 14 Then the Lord said this to me: Those prophets are prophesying lies in my name, but I did not send them. I did not command them, and I did not speak to them. They are prophesying a false vision to you and providing worthless omens—something from their own imagination. 15 Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the prophets who prophesy lies in my name. I did not send them. They say that there will be no sword or famine in this land, but by sword and famine those prophets will die. 16 The people to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and the sword. No one will bury them—them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters. I will pour out on them the destruction that they deserve. 17 You, Jeremiah, are to say this to them: Let my eyes overflow with tears, without stopping night or day, because the virgin daughter of my people has been severely injured. It is a very serious wound. 18 If I go out to the field, I see those who have been run through by the sword. If go into the city, I see those diseased by famine. Both prophet and priest have gone to a land they do not know. The People’s Prayer 19 Lord , have you completely rejected Judah? Do you despise Zion? Why have you afflicted us, so that we cannot be healed? We looked for health, but nothing good came. We hoped for healing, but there was only terror. 20 We acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our fathers. We have sinned against you. 21 For your name’s sake, do not despise us. Do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us, and do not break it. 22 Do the worthless idols of the nations send rain? Do the skies provide the torrential showers? Is it not rather you, who are the Lord our God? Our hope is in you, because you are the one who does all these things. The Verdict Has Been Determined Jeremiah 15 1 The Lord said to me: Even if Moses and Samuel were standing in front of me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from me. Let them go! 2 When they ask you, “Where should we go?” tell them that this is what the Lord says: Those doomed [1] to death, to death, those doomed to the sword, to the sword, those doomed to famine, to famine, those doomed to captivity, to captivity. 3 I will punish them in four ways, declares the Lord : The sword will kill, and dogs will drag them away. The birds in the sky and the wild animals in the land will devour and destroy. 4 I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem. 5 Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem? Who will mourn for you? Who will turn back to ask how you are? 6 You have rejected me, declares the Lord . You have turned away from me. So I will stretch out my hand against you and destroy you. I am weary of showing compassion. 7 I will scatter them with a winnowing fork at the gates of the land. I will make them childless. I will destroy my people, because they have not changed their ways. 8 I will make their widows more numerous than the sand on the seashore. At noon I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of their young men. I will bring anguish and terror down on them suddenly. 9 The mother of seven will grow faint. She will breathe her last. Her sun will set while it is still day, and she will be ashamed and humiliated. The survivors I will put to the sword in the presence of their enemies, declares the Lord . Jeremiah’s Complaint 10 I am so miserable, my mother, that you gave birth to me. I am the man with whom the whole land argues and quarrels. I have not lent or borrowed, but everyone curses me. The Lord ’s Response to Jeremiah 11 The Lord said: I will surely set you free for your own good. I will surely make your enemies plead with you in a time of trouble and in a time of distress. 12 Can anyone break iron—iron from the north—or bronze? 13 I will give away your wealth and your treasures as plunder, without cost, because of all your sins throughout all your territory. 14 I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know, for my anger is kindled in me, and you will burn continuously. Jeremiah Responds 15 O Lord , you understand. Remember me and care for me. Take vengeance for me on those who persecute me. You are slow to anger. Do not take me away. Keep in mind that for your sake I bear disgrace. 16 Your words came to me, and I devoured them. Your words became my joy, the delight of my heart, because I bear your name, O Lord God of Armies. 17 I did not sit with the band of partygoers, nor did I celebrate with them. I sat alone, because your hand was upon me. You filled me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain unending? Why is my wound incurable, refusing to heal? Will you be as deceptive as an intermittent stream to me, like a source of water that a person can’t depend on? The Lord ’s Response 19 Therefore this is what the Lord says. If you repent, I will take you back, so that you may stand before me. If what you say is worthwhile and not worthless, you will be my spokesman. They must turn to you, but you must not turn to them. 20 I will make you like a bronze wall to this people. They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, because I am with you to save you and to rescue you, declares the Lord . 21 I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked, and I will deliver you from the grasp of the ruthless. Footnotes Jeremiah 15:2 Or destined The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 20 4:44

5 days ago4:44

4:44

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 20 Jeremiah 13 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 20 Jeremiah 13 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0320db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible A Linen Undergarment 13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and purchase a linen undergarment [1] for yourself. Put it around your waist. Do not let it touch water.” 2 So I bought an undergarment as the Lord said, and I put it on. 3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time: 4 “Take the undergarment you purchased, the one you are wearing around your waist, and go right now to Perath [2] and hide it there in a cleft in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord commanded me. 6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go to Perath and retrieve the undergarment I told you to hide there.” 7 So I went to Perath and searched. I took the undergarment from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and worthless. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 9 This is what the Lord says. I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem in the same way. 10 These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They follow their own stubborn hearts. They follow after other gods by serving them and worshipping them. They are all like this worthless undergarment. 11 Just as an undergarment fits tightly around a man’s waist, in the same way I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord . I did this so that they would be my people and so that they would bring praise and honor to my name, but they would not listen. The Broken Wine Jar 12 Give this message to them. This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “Every clay jar will be filled with wine.” Then they will say to you, “We know that every clay jar will be filled with wine.” 13 So say to them, “This is what the Lord says. I will certainly make everyone who lives in this land drunk. The kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all those who live in Jerusalem will become drunk. 14 Then I will smash them to pieces—a man against his brother, fathers, and sons, declares the Lord . I will not spare them. I will destroy them without pity or compassion.” 15 Listen and pay attention! Do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken. 16 Honor the Lord your God before he brings darkness, and before your feet stumble on the mountains at dusk. You will look for light, but he will turn it into the shadow of death and change it into deep darkness. 17 If you will not listen, I will cry for you in secret because of your arrogance. My eyes will weep bitterly and overflow with tears, because the Lord ’s flock will be taken captive. 18 Say to the king and to the queen mother, “Come down from your thrones, because your crowns will fall from your heads.” [3] 19 The cities of the Negev are under siege, and no one can get through to them. All of Judah will be taken into exile. They will be carried away completely. 20 Look up and see those who are coming from the north. Where is the flock entrusted to you, the sheep you were so proud of? The Future of Jerusalem 21 What will you say when associates whom you yourself have taught are appointed as masters over you? Won’t pain seize you like a woman in labor? 22 If you ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?” you should know that it is because of your great guilt that your skirt has been torn off, and you have been violated. 23 Can an Ethiopian [4] change the color of his skin? Can a leopard change its spots? Just as little can you, who are disciples of evil, do good. 24 I will scatter you like chaff blown by the desert wind. 25 This is your lot. This is what I have assigned to you, declares the Lord . This will take place because you have forgotten me and trusted in falsehood. 26 I myself will lift your skirt over your head, so that your shame can be seen— 27 your adulteries, your lust-filled neighing, and your shameless prostitution. I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the countryside. Woe to you, Jerusalem! You are unclean. After this, will you ever be clean again? Footnotes Jeremiah 13:1 Suggested translations include loincloth, shorts, wrap , and belt. It was probably a skirt-like garment reaching from the waist to the knees. Jeremiah 13:4 Or the Euphrates. The Hebrew name Perath is often used in the Old Testament as the name for the river Euphrates, which was about 350 miles away. Was Jeremiah told to make the long journey to the Euphrates or to go to a nearby location whose name served as a symbol of the Euphrates? We do not have enough information to answer the question. Jeremiah 13:18 The Greek and other versions support the reading fall from your heads. The meaning of the reading in the Hebrew text is uncertain. Jeremiah 13:23 Hebrew Cushite. Cush was the territory just south of Egypt, present-day Sudan. Cushite refers to black Africans. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 19 7:45

6 days ago7:45

7:45

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 19 Jeremiah 11 – 12 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 19 Jeremiah 11 – 12 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0319db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible The Broken Covenant Jeremiah 11 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord . 2 Listen to the terms of this covenant, and announce them to every man in Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them that this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says. A curse on the man who does not obey the terms of this covenant, 4 the terms I commanded your fathers [1] when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace. I said, “Obey me and do everything that I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God.” 5 Then I will ratify the oath I swore to your fathers, that I would give them a land flowing with milk and honey—as it is today. I answered, “Amen, Lord .” 6 The Lord then told me to proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Listen to the terms of this covenant and obey them. 7 From the time when I brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt until today, I have warned them again and again to obey my voice, 8 but they did not obey. They did not pay attention. Each one lived according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart. So I brought all the curses of this covenant on them. I commanded them to obey, but they did not obey. 9 The Lord also said to me: A conspiracy has been uncovered among the men of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their fathers, who refused to obey my words. They are following other gods and serving them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their fathers. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says. Watch this. I am going to bring a disaster on them that they will not be able to escape. They will cry out to me, but I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem will cry out to the gods to whom they have been burning offerings, but who cannot do anything to save them in the time of trouble. 13 Judah, you have as many gods as you have towns. You have set up as many altars to burn offerings to Shame—that is, to Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem. 14 As for you, Jeremiah, do not pray for this people or lift up a cry or a request for them. I will not listen to them when they call to me in their time of distress. 15 She is my beloved, but what right does she have to be in my temple when she has done so many wicked things? Can consecrated meat prevent you from being punished if you rejoice when you do evil? 16 The Lord called you a green olive tree with beautifully formed fruit. But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it ablaze, and its branches will be broken. 17 The Lord of Armies, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done. They have provoked me to anger by burning incense to Baal. A Plot Against Jeremiah 18 The Lord revealed their plot to me so I became aware of it. He showed me what they were doing. 19 I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I had not realized that they had plotted against me. They were saying: “Let us destroy the tree along with its fruit. Let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered.” 20 But, Lord of Armies, you judge righteously. You test the heart and mind. Let me see your vengeance on them, for I have presented my case to you. 21 Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the men of Anathoth who are seeking your life and saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord , or you will die by our hands.” 22 This is what the Lord of Armies says. I will certainly punish them. Their young men will die by the sword. Their sons and daughters will die by famine, 23 and none of them will be left. I will bring disaster on the men of Anathoth, the year of their punishment. Jeremiah’s Complaint Jeremiah 12 1 Lord , you are righteous whenever I bring a case before you. Nevertheless, I want to speak with you about justice. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do the treacherous live at ease? 2 You plant them, and they take root. They grow, and they produce fruit. You are always on their lips, but far from their hearts. 3 But you know me, Lord . You see me and test the attitude of my heart toward you. Drag them away like sheep for the slaughter, and set them apart for the day when they will be put to death. 4 How long will the land mourn, and the grass in the whole countryside wither? Because of the evil of the people who live there, the animals and birds are dying, for the people have said, “He will not see how things turn out for us.” [2] The Lord ’s Reply 5 If you have raced men on foot and they have tired you out, how will you compete against horses? If you fall in open country, how will you manage in the thickets along the Jordan? 6 Your relatives and the members of your father’s household have betrayed you. They have raised a loud outcry against you. Do not trust them when they speak friendly words to you. 7 I have abandoned my house. I have forsaken my heritage. I have given the one I love dearly into the hands of her enemies. 8 My heritage has become like a lion in the forest to me. She roars at me, so I hate her. 9 For me my heritage has become like a howling hyena, surrounded by scavenging birds of prey. [3] Go and gather all the wild animals. Bring them to devour her. 10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard and trampled down my estate. They will turn my pleasant estate into a desolate wasteland. 11 They have made it a wasteland. It mourns. It is desolate before me. The whole land is laid waste, because there is no one who cares. 12 Looters are swarming over all the barren heights in the wilderness. The Lord has a sword that devours from one end of the land to the other. No one will be safe. 13 They plant wheat, but they reap thorns. They wear themselves out, but they gain nothing. Be ashamed of your harvests, because of the burning anger of the Lord . 14 This is what the Lord says. As for my wicked neighbors, who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will certainly uproot them from their homeland, and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 After I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them. I will return each of them to his own inheritance and each of them to his own land. 16 If they carefully learn the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, “As surely as the Lord lives” (just as they once taught my people to swear by Baal), then they will be established among my people. 17 But if they do not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy that nation, declares the Lord . Footnotes Jeremiah 11:4 Or forefathers or ancestors Jeremiah 12:4 Literally the Hebrew reads he will not see what our end will be. The Greek reads he cannot see our ways. Jeremiah 12:9 Or like a speckled bird of prey, surrounded by other scavenging birds. The Hebrew of the verse is difficult. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 18 5:22

7 days ago5:22

5:22

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 18 Jeremiah 9:23 – 10:25 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 18 Jeremiah 9:23 – 10:25 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0318db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Jeremiah 9 23 This is what the Lord says. The wise man should not boast in his wisdom. The strong man should not boast in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches. 24 Instead, let those who boast boast about this: that they have understanding, and that they know me. They know that I am the Lord , who shows mercy, justice, and righteousness on earth, for I delight in these things, declares the Lord . 25 Watch! The days are coming, declares the Lord , when I will punish all those who are circumcised only in the flesh— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all who cut their hair short [1] and who live in the wilderness. [2] Actually, these are all uncircumcised nations. And the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in their hearts. False Gods and the True God Jeremiah 10 1 Hear the word that the Lord is speaking to you, house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says. Do not learn the ways of the nations, or be frightened by signs in the heavens, although the nations are frightened by them. 3 The rituals of the peoples are worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest. Then the hands of a craftsman work it with an ax. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold, but they have to nail it down with hammers, so that it will not tip over. 5 Their idols are like a scarecrow in a melon [3] patch. They cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them. They can do no harm, nor can they do any good. 6 No one is like you, Lord . You are great and your name is powerful. 7 Is there anyone who should not fear you, King of the Nations? That is what you deserve. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. 8 They are stupid and foolish, because they are instructed by worthless idols made of wood. 9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold is brought from Uphaz. The handiwork of a goldsmith and the work of a craftsman, their idols are dressed in blue and purple. But they are nothing but the work of skilled craftsmen. 10 But the Lord is the true God. He is the living God, the eternal King. The earth quakes at his wrath. The nations cannot endure his fury. 11 You are to say this to them: “These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” [4] 12 But the one who made the earth by his power, established the world by his wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by his understanding— 13 he thunders, and the waters in the heavens roar. He makes storm clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings out the wind from his warehouses. 14 But as for mankind, they are all stupid. Their knowledge has dried up. Every goldsmith is embarrassed by his idols. The images he makes are false. There is no breath in them. 15 They are worthless, an achievement to be mocked. At the time of their punishment, they will perish. 16 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, because he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe that belongs to him. The Lord of Armies is his name. 17 Pick up your pack from the ground, you who live under siege. 18 For this is what the Lord says. Watch, I am going to throw out those who live in the land at this time. I am going to bring them distress that they will feel. Jeremiah’s Lament 19 Woe to me because of my wound! My injury is severe! But I said, “Yes, this is my suffering, and I must bear it.” 20 My tent is destroyed. All its ropes are broken. My children are gone, and they are no more. No one is left to pitch my tent or to set up my dwelling. 21 The shepherds have become as senseless as animals. They do not seek the Lord . That is why they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered. 22 Listen! I hear noise— a great commotion from a land in the north. It will make the cities of Judah desolate. It will make them a haunt for jackals. Jeremiah’s Prayer 23 I know, Lord , that a man’s way is not his own, nor can a man direct his own steps. 24 Correct me, Lord , but with justice, not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing. 25 Pour out your wrath on the nations who do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name, for they have devoured Jacob. They have devoured him completely and made his homeland desolate. Footnotes Jeremiah 9:26 Cutting the hair short was often done in honor of a pagan god and was forbidden in Leviticus 19:27. Jeremiah 9:26 Or and all who live in the distant corners of the desert Jeremiah 10:5 Or cucumber Jeremiah 10:11 This verse is in Aramaic. The word for make ( ‘ avad) sounds like the word for perish (’avad). The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 17 7:53

8 days ago7:53

7:53

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 17 Jeremiah 8:4 – 9:22 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 17 Jeremiah 8:4 – 9:22 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0317db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Jeremiah 8 4 You are to tell them that this is what the Lord says: Do people fall and not get up again? If a person turns away, doesn’t he turn back again? 5 Then why has this people turned away? Why is Jerusalem always turning away? They hang on to deception and refuse to let it go. 6 I have paid attention and listened, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness. No one asks, “What have I done?” Everyone pursues his own course, like a horse charging into battle. 7 Even the stork in the sky knows her seasons. The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush [1] observe the right time for their migration. But my people do not recognize the just judgments of the Lord . 8 How can you say, “We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us,” when in reality the lying pen of the scribes has changed it into a lie? 9 Your wise men will be put to shame. They will be shattered and captured. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord , what kind of wisdom do they have? 10 That is why I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners, because, from the least to the greatest, all of them are greedy for gain. From prophet to priest, everyone practices deceit. 11 They dress the wound of the daughter of my people [2] as if it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace. 12 Are they ashamed when they do such a detestable thing? No, they have no shame at all. They do not even know how to blush. That is why they will fall among the fallen. They will be brought down when I punish them, says the Lord . 13 I will take away their harvest, [3] declares the Lord . There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the fig tree, and the leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken away from them. The People React 14 Why are we just sitting here? Let’s get together! Let us go into the fortified cities and die there. The Lord our God has condemned us to die by giving us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against him. 15 We hoped for peace, but no good came. We hoped for a time of healing, but there is only terror. 16 The snorting of horses is heard from Dan. At the sound of the neighing of mighty stallions, the whole land trembles. They have come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who live there. The Lord Responds 17 Look, I am sending snakes among you, venomous snakes that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you, declares the Lord . Jeremiah Reacts 18 My joy is gone, grief is upon me, [4] and my heart is sick. 19 I hear the cry of my dear people from a distant land: “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not there?” The Lord Responds Why have they provoked my anger with their carved images, with their worthless foreign idols? The People 20 The harvest is past, summer has ended, and we have not been saved. Jeremiah’s Grief 21 Because my people are crushed, I have been crushed. I am in mourning, and horror seizes me. 22 Is there no balm in Gilead? [5] Is there no physician there? Why has the health of my people not been restored? Jeremiah 9 1 I wish my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears. Then I would weep day and night for the fallen of my people. [6] 2 I wish there was a lodging place for travelers in the wilderness. Then I would leave my people and get away from them. They are all adulterers, a society of traitors. The Lord Gives a Warning 3 They bend their tongues like bows, to deceive. It is not by faithfulness that they prevail in the land. They go from evil to evil, and they do not acknowledge me, declares the Lord . 4 Everyone should be on guard against his friend. Do not trust any brother, for every brother is really a deceiver, and every friend spreads slander. 5 Everyone betrays his friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie. They wear themselves out with sinning. 6 You, Jeremiah, live in the midst of deception! In their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me, declares the Lord . 7 Therefore this is what the Lord of Armies says. Watch me. I will refine them and test them. What else can I do for my dear people? 8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows. They speak deceitfully. With their mouths they speak peacefully to their neighbors, but in their hearts they set traps. 9 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord . Shall I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? Jeremiah’s Grief 10 I will cry and sob for the mountains. I will sing a lament for the pastures in the wilderness. They are desolate and untraveled, and not even the lowing of cattle is heard. From the birds in the sky to all the animals below, everything has fled. They are all gone. The Lord ’s Threat 11 I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a jackals’ den, and I am going to lay waste to the cities of Judah, so that no one can live there. Jeremiah’s Question 12 Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord so that he can explain it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one can pass through it? The Lord ’s Answer 13 The Lord said: This happened because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them. They did not listen to my voice or live according to it. 14 Instead, they followed the stubbornness of their hearts, and they have followed the Baals as their fathers taught them. 15 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says. Watch me. I am going to make this people eat wormwood and drink bitter water. 16 I will scatter them among nations that they and their fathers have not known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have destroyed them. 17 This is what the Lord of Armies says. Consider this, and call for the wailing women. Send for those who are the most skilled. The People Mourn [7] 18 They should hurry and sob over us. Our eyes will run with tears. Our eyelids will stream with water. 19 The sound of sobbing is heard from Zion. “We are ruined! We are so ashamed! We must leave our land because they have torn down our dwellings.” 20 Listen to the word of the Lord , you women. Pay attention to the word from his mouth. Teach your daughters how to sob. Each of you should teach her neighbor a lament. 21 Death has climbed in through a window and entered our citadels. It has taken away the children from the streets and the young men from the city squares. 22 This is what the Lord says. Dead bodies will fall like manure on the ground, like freshly cut grain after the reaper, with no one to gather it. Footnotes Jeremiah 8:7 The precise identification of these species of birds is uncertain. Jeremiah 8:11 An affectionate way of addressing Judah as his dear people Jeremiah 8:13 The translation follows the Greek text. The Hebrew reads I will completely snatch them away. Jeremiah 8:18 Or My comforter, grief is upon me . The meaning of one Hebrew word in this line is uncertain. Jeremiah 8:22 A region east of the Jordan, known for plants such as the storax tree, which is useful for medicinal purposes Jeremiah 9:1 English 9:1 is Hebrew 8:23. The other English verse numbers in chapter 9 are one number higher than the Hebrew verse numbers. Jeremiah 9:18 In these chapters the warnings of the Lord and the responses of the people are interwoven in such a way that it is sometimes difficult to separate them. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 16 6:47

9 days ago6:47

6:47

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 16 Jeremiah 7:1 – 8:3 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 16 Jeremiah 7:1 – 8:3 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0316db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Your False Religion Is Useless Jeremiah 7 1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord . 2 Stand in the gate of the House of the Lord and proclaim this message there. Hear the word of the Lord , all you people of Judah who are coming through this gate to worship the Lord . 3 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says. Reform your ways and your actions, and I will establish you in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord , the temple of the Lord , the temple of the Lord .” 5 Sincerely reform your ways and your actions. Carry out justice between a man and his neighbor. 6 Do not oppress the alien who lives in your land, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place. Do not follow after other gods to your own harm. If you avoid these things, 7 I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your fathers forever and ever. 8 Take warning. You are trusting in deceptive words that cannot help you. 9 Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and swear falsely? Will you offer sacrifices to Baal and follow other gods you do not know? 10 Will you come and stand before me in this temple that bears my Name, and say, “We are safe,” the whole time you do all these detestable things? 11 This house bears my Name! Have you made it a den of robbers? Watch out! I myself have been watching, declares the Lord . Heed the Warning of Shiloh 12 Go to my place in Shiloh, where I first made a dwelling place for my Name. See what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 You have done all these things, declares the Lord . Even though I spoke to you again and again, you did not listen. I called you, but you did not answer. 14 Because of this, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name—the place in which you trust, the place I gave to you and to your fathers. 15 I will drive you out of my sight just as I drove away all of your brothers, the people of Ephraim. Do Not Pray for This People 16 As for you, Jeremiah, do not pray for this people or lift up a cry or a request for them, and do not plead with me. I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers light a fire, and their wives knead dough to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to make me angry. 19 Am I the one they are frustrating? declares the Lord . No, they are frustrating themselves, to their own shame. 20 Therefore this is what the Lord God says. You may be sure that my burning anger will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field, and on the fruit of the land. It will burn and not be put out. Their Sacrifices Are Useless 21 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says. Go ahead. Grab your burnt offerings, along with your other sacrifices, and eat the meat yourselves! 22 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, I said nothing to them about burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 I gave them only this command: “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Walk entirely in the way I commanded you to walk, so that it may go well with you.” 24 But they did not obey me or listen to me. They followed their own advice and the stubbornness of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your fathers left Egypt until today, I have sent all my servants, the prophets, to them again and again. 26 But they did not obey me or listen to me. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their fathers. 27 So say all these things to them, but they will not listen to you. Call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 Say to them, “This is the nation that did not obey the Lord its God or accept discipline. Faithfulness has perished, and it has disappeared from their lips. 29 Cut off your hair and throw it away. Sing a lament on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and forsaken this generation under his wrath.” 30 The people of Judah have committed evil in my sight, declares the Lord . They set up their disgusting idols in the house that bears my Name, and they have defiled it. 31 They built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—a thing I did not command, nor did it enter my mind. 32 That is why the days are coming, declares the Lord , when that place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth because there will be no other place left. 33 The corpses of those people will become food for the birds in the sky and the wild animals in the land, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 34 In the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, I will bring the sounds of joy and happiness to an end, as well as the voices of groom and bride, for the land will become desolate. Jeremiah 8 1 At that time, declares the Lord , the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people who live in Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. 2 They will be exposed to the sun, to the moon, and to all the army of the heavens, which they loved and served and followed and consulted and worshipped. They will not be gathered up again. They will not be reburied. They will lie on the ground like manure. 3 Death will be chosen rather than life for [1] the entire remnant left from this evil family, wherever I banish them, declares the Lord of Armies. Footnotes Jeremiah 8:3 Or by The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 15 10:50

10 days ago10:50

10:50

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 15 Jeremiah 5 – 6 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 15 Jeremiah 5 – 6 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0315db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible A Dialogue About Jerusalem’s Sin The Lord [1] Jeremiah 5 1 Hurry here and there through the streets of Jerusalem. Look and take note. Search her public squares. See if you can find just one person who deals justly and who seeks to be faithful. If you can, I will forgive her. 2 Though they say, “As surely as the Lord lives,” they are still swearing falsely. The Prophet 3 Lord , don’t your eyes look for faithfulness? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You crushed them, but they refused discipline. They made their faces harder than rock and refused to repent. 4 Then I said: These are only the poor. They are foolish, because they do not know the way of the Lord and the just verdict of their God. 5 I will go to the great men and speak to them. Certainly they know the way of the Lord , the just verdict of their God. But all of them together have broken the yoke and have torn off their chains. 6 That is why a lion from the forest will strike them. A wolf from the desert will attack them, and a leopard is watching their cities. Everyone who comes out of them will be torn to pieces because their rebellions are so many, and their unfaithfulness is so great. The Lord 7 Why should I forgive you? Your children have abandoned me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and crowded into prostitutes’ houses. 8 They are well-fed, lusty [2] stallions, each one neighing for his neighbor’s wife. 9 Should I not punish them for this? declares the Lord . Should I not avenge myself on a nation like this one? 10 Go through her vineyards and destroy them, but do not destroy them completely. Cut away the branches, because they do not belong to the Lord . 11 The house of Israel and the house of Judah have been completely unfaithful to me, declares the Lord . 12 They have lied about the Lord . They say, “He is nothing. No disaster will come upon us. We will not see sword or famine. 13 The prophets are only wind. The word is not in them, so let what they say come upon them.” [3] 14 Therefore this is what the Lord , the God of Armies, says. Because they have said this, I will make my words in your mouth a fire. These people are the wood, and it will burn them up. 15 Now, O house of Israel, I am bringing against you a nation from far away, declares the Lord . I am bringing an enduring nation, an ancient nation. They are a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. 16 Their quiver is like an open grave. They are all strong warriors. 17 They will consume your harvest and your bread. They will consume your sons and daughters. They will consume your flocks and herds, and they will consume your vines and fig trees. With their swords they will beat down your fortified cities, the places in which you trust. 18 Yet even in those days, declares the Lord , I will not destroy you completely. 19 When the people ask, “Why has the Lord our God done this to us?” answer them, “Just as you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.” 20 Declare this to the house of Jacob! Proclaim it in Judah! 21 Hear this, you foolish, senseless people! You have eyes but you cannot see. You have ears but you cannot hear. 22 Do you not fear me? declares the Lord . Do you not tremble before me? I made sand as the boundary for the sea, a permanent barrier that it cannot cross. The waves toss back and forth, but they cannot get past it. The towering waves crash, but they cannot pass over it. 23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart. They have turned aside and wandered away. 24 They do not say to themselves, “We should fear the Lord our God, who sends autumn rains and spring rains at the right time, who reserves for us enough weeks for the harvest.” 25 But your guilty actions have kept these things at a distance. Your sins have kept these good things away from you. 26 Wicked men are found among my people. Like men who trap birds, they lie in wait for my people to set traps and catch people. [4] 27 Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit. That is how they became powerful and rich. 28 They have become fat and sleek. They have gone beyond evil words. [5] They do not argue a case for the fatherless to help them win, and they do not seek justice for the poor. 29 Should I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord . Should I not avenge myself on a nation like this one? 30 A terrible thing has taken place. A horrible thing has happened in the land. 31 Prophets prophesy lies, priests rule by their own authority, and my people love this. But what will you do in the end? The Siege Is Coming The Lord [6] Jeremiah 6 1 Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Get out of Jerusalem! Blow the ram’s horn in Tekoa. [7] Raise a signal over Beth Hakkerem! Disaster and great destruction threaten from the north. 2 I will silence the beautiful, pampered daughter of Zion. [8] 3 Shepherds and their flocks will come against her. They will pitch their tents all around. Each one will pasture his flock in his own spot. The Enemy 4 Consecrate yourselves for war against her. Rise up, we will attack at noon! The People of Judah We are doomed! The day is ending. The evening shadows are getting longer. The Enemy 5 We should get up and attack at night and destroy its citadels. The Lord 6 This is what the Lord of Armies says. Cut down her trees. Raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished. There is nothing but oppression inside her. 7 Just as a well pours out fresh [9] water, she pours out fresh evil. Violence and destruction are heard in her. Sickness and wounds are always before me. 8 Be warned, Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you. I will make your land desolate, so that no one can live there. 9 This is what the Lord of Armies says. They will glean what remains of Israel as thoroughly as a vine. Like someone gathering grapes, pass your hand over the branches again. 10 Who can I speak to? Who will listen to my warning? [10] Look! Their ears are uncircumcised. They will not be able to hear. Indeed, to them the word of the Lord is an embarrassment. They take no pleasure in it. 11 I am full of the Lord ’s wrath, [11] and I cannot hold it in. Pour it out on the children in the street and on the young men gathered together. Both husband and wife will be taken, the old along with the very old. 12 Their houses will be turned over to others, together with their fields and their wives, because I will stretch out my hand against those who live in the land, declares the Lord . 13 From the least of them to the greatest, all of them are greedy for gain. From prophets to priests, they all practice deceit. 14 They have treated the wound of my people as if it were nothing serious. They say, “Peace, peace,” but there is no peace! 15 Are they ashamed of the detestable things they have done? No, they are not ashamed at all! They do not know how to be ashamed. So they will fall with the fallen. They will be thrown down when I punish them, says the Lord . 16 This is what the Lord says. Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask about the ancient paths. Ask where the good road is. Walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, “We will not walk in it.” 17 I set watchmen over you and said, “Listen to the sound of the ram’s horn!” But you said, “We will not listen.” 18 Therefore, listen, you nations! You witnesses, observe what will happen to them. 19 Listen, O earth. I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words, and they have rejected my law. 20 What use to me is incense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not appealing to me. Your sacrifices do not please me. 21 Therefore this is what the Lord says. Look, I am going to place obstacles in front of this people. Parents and children alike will stumble over them. Friends and neighbors will perish. 22 This is what the Lord says. Look, a nation is coming from a land in the north. A great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth. 23 Its warriors grip bows and spears. They are cruel and merciless. They sound like the roaring sea. They ride horses, arranged like soldiers ready for battle against you, O daughter of Zion. The People of Judah 24 We have heard the news about them, and our hands hang limp. Anguish grips us like a woman in labor. 25 Do not go out to the field. Do not walk on the road, because the enemy has a sword. There is terror on every side. 26 Put on sackcloth, daughter of my people. Roll in ashes. Mourn as you would for an only son, because suddenly the destroyer will come upon us. The Lord 27 I have made you like someone who tests metals. My people are the ore that is being tested. Observe them, and examine their ways. 28 They are all stubborn rebels, walking in slander. They are as hard as bronze and iron, and all of them are contaminated. 29 The bellows blows hot to melt away the refining agent [12] with fire. The refining agent is completely used up, but the evil is not removed. 30 They are classified as rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them. Footnotes Jeremiah 5:1 The Hebrew text does not provide introductory words to mark the frequent changes of speaker. The translation provides headings to help the reader track these changes. Jeremiah 5:8 The meaning of each of these two adjectives is uncertain. Jeremiah 5:13 This closing quotation mark may be placed at the end of verse 12. Jeremiah 5:26 The meanings of two Hebrew words in this verse are uncertain. Jeremiah 5:28 Or their evil deeds overflow Jeremiah 6:1 On the basis of the context and the gender of the Hebrew pronouns, the captions identify various speakers: the Lord , the enemy , and the people. In some instances these captions and divisions of the text are debatable. Jeremiah 6:1 The Hebrew word taka , blow , sounds like the name of the village Tekoa. Jeremiah 6:2 The meanings of two Hebrew words in this verse are uncertain. Jeremiah 6:7 Literally cool Jeremiah 6:10 The translation observes the traditional distinction between who and whom in formal prose but also recognizes the lessening use of this distinction in conversation. Jeremiah 6:11 The Lord refers to himself in the third person. This is not unusual in Hebrew poetry. Jeremiah 6:29 Literally lead The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 14 9:26

11 days ago9:26

9:26

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 14 Jeremiah 3:6 – 4:31 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 14 Jeremiah 3:6 – 4:31 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0314db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Jeremiah 3 Unfaithful Israel, Treacherous Judah 6 In the days of King Josiah, the Lord asked me: Have you seen what unfaithful Israel did? She has gone up onto every high hill and under every green tree and acted like a prostitute there. 7 I told myself that after she did all this, she would return to me, but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 Unfaithful Israel committed adultery, so I sent her away. I gave her a certificate of divorce, yet I saw that in spite of this, her treacherous sister Judah had no fear. She also went and acted like a prostitute. 9 Since Israel regarded her sexual sins so lightly, she defiled the land by committing adultery with stones and trees. 10 In spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah did not turn back to me with all her heart, but only pretended, declares the Lord . 11 Then the Lord said to me: Unfaithful Israel is more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, proclaim these words to the north. Return, unfaithful Israel, declares the Lord . I will no longer frown on you, because I am merciful, declares the Lord . I will not be angry forever. 13 At least acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God. You have distributed your favors to strangers under every green tree, and you have not listened to me, declares the Lord . 14 Return, unfaithful people, declares the Lord , because I am your husband. I will take you—one from a city, two from a family—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when you have been fruitful and increased in number in the land, declares the Lord, men will no longer say, “The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.” It will not enter their minds. It will not be remembered. It will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 Then they will call Jerusalem “The Throne of the Lord .” All nations will gather there in Jerusalem for the sake of the name of the Lord . No longer will they stubbornly follow their own evil hearts. 18 In those days the house of Judah will join with the house of Israel, and together they will come from a land in the north to the land I gave your fathers as an inheritance. A Dialogue Between the Lord and Israel About True Repentance The Lord 19 I myself said that I would like to treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most splendid inheritance among the entire army of nations. I thought you would call me Father and would no longer turn away from me. 20 But you, O house of Israel, have been unfaithful to me, like a wife who is unfaithful to her husband, declares the Lord . 21 A cry is heard on the bare hills, the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel, because they have perverted their way. They have forgotten the Lord their God. 22 Return, unfaithful people. I will cure you of your unfaithfulness. The People Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God! 23 Yes, there has been deception from the hills, and commotion in the mountains, but there is salvation for Israel in the Lord our God. 24 Since our younger days, shameful gods have consumed the results of our fathers’ hard work, their sheep and cattle, and their sons and daughters. 25 We will lie down in that shame. Our disgrace covers us. We have sinned against the Lord our God, both we and our fathers. From our younger days until today, we have not obeyed the Lord our God. The Lord Jeremiah 4 1 Israel, if you will return, declares the Lord , return to me. If you remove your disgusting idols from my sight, and do not go astray, 2 and if you swear, “As surely as the Lord lives,” in truth, justice, and righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by him, and they will take pride in him. 3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. 4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord . Circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah, you who live in Jerusalem. Otherwise my rage will burn like fire, fire that cannot be put out, because of the evil that you have done. The Lord Brings Judgment From the North 5 Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem. Blow the ram’s horn throughout the land. Shout loudly and say, “Gather together! We must flee into the fortified cities!” 6 Raise a signal flag to flee to Zion! Flee for safety! Do not stay behind! I am bringing disaster from the north. I am bringing terrible destruction. 7 A lion has come out of his den. A destroyer of nations has set out. He has come out of his lair to lay waste to the land. Your cities will lie in ruins with no one living in them. 8 So put on sackcloth, mourn and wail, because the burning anger of the Lord has not turned away from us. 9 When that day comes, declares the Lord , the heart of the king will fail, and the hearts of the officials as well. The priests will be stunned. The prophets will be dumbfounded. Jeremiah’s Grief 10 Then I said: Oh no, Lord God! You have completely deceived these people and Jerusalem as well. You said, “You will have peace,” but the sword is at our throats! Further Warning From the Lord 11 At that time it will be said to these people and to Jerusalem: “A hot wind from the bare hills in the wilderness blows toward my dear people, but not to winnow or purify. 12 A wind too strong for that is being sent by me. Now I am passing judgment on them.” 13 Look! He rises up like clouds. His chariots are like a whirlwind. His horses are faster than eagles! “We are doomed! We are ruined!” 14 Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart so that you will be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts live inside you? 15 A voice declares from Dan, [1] and a report of disaster comes from the hills of Ephraim. 16 Announce this to the nations. Make Jerusalem hear it. A besieging army is coming from a distant land, raising a war cry against the cities of Judah. 17 They have surrounded her like men watching a field, because she has rebelled against me, declares the Lord . 18 The way you live and the things you did have brought this on you. This is your punishment. It is bitter! It strikes your heart! Jeremiah’s Grief 19 My agony! My agony! [2] I am writhing in pain. Oh my heart! The walls of my heart are quivering! I cannot keep silent, because I hear the sound of the ram’s horn. It is the signal for war! 20 One disaster after another is announced. All the land is ruined. Suddenly my tents are destroyed. My tent curtains are torn apart in an instant. 21 How long must I see the battle flag and hear the sound of the ram’s horn? The Lord ’s Grief 22 My people are fools. They do not know me. They are ignorant children. They do not understand. They are experts at doing evil, and they do not know how to do good. 23 I looked at the earth. It was undeveloped and empty. [3] I looked at the heavens, but there were no lights. 24 I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking. All the hills were shaking. 25 I looked and there was no one there. Every bird in the sky had flown away. 26 I looked and saw that the fertile land was a wilderness. All the cities were torn down, because of the Lord and his burning anger. 27 This is what the Lord says. The land will be laid waste, but I will not destroy it completely. 28 Because of this, the earth will mourn, and the sky above will grow dark. I have spoken. I have made plans. I will show no pity, and I will not turn back from this. 29 At the sound of riders and archers, the people of every city will flee. They will go off into the brush. They will climb up into the rocks. Every city will be abandoned. There will not be anyone to live in them. 30 You are destroyed! What are you doing? Why do you dress in scarlet and put on gold jewelry? Why do you put makeup on your eyes? You are making yourself look beautiful for nothing. Your lovers reject you. They seek your life. 31 Listen, I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor, a cry of pain like that of a woman giving birth to her first child, the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands and saying, “Oh no, it is hopeless! My life is slipping away in the presence of murderers.” Footnotes Jeremiah 4:15 Dan was in the far north of Israel, the first place to be reached by an invasion from the north. Jeremiah 4:19 Literally my guts, my guts Jeremiah 4:23 As it was on the first day of creation The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 13 7:51

12 days ago7:51

7:51

Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 13 Jeremiah 2:1 – 3:5 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – March 13 Jeremiah 2:1 – 3:5 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0313db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Israel Has Forsaken the Lord Jeremiah 2 1 The word of the Lord came to me. 2 Go and proclaim this in the hearing of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says. This is what I remember concerning you: your faithfulness when you were young, and your love when you were pledged in marriage. I remember how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land that has never been planted. 3 Israel was set apart as holy to the Lord , the firstfruits of his harvest. All those who devoured Israel became guilty, and disaster came upon them, declares the Lord . 4 Hear the word of the Lord , you house of Jacob. All you families of the house of Israel, 5 this is what the Lord says. What fault did your fathers find in me, that they departed so far from me? They followed worthless idols, and so they became worthless themselves. 6 They did not say, “Where is the Lord , who brought us up from the land of Egypt? Where is the one who led us through the wilderness, through a desert wasteland filled with ravines, through a land of drought and the shadow of death, a land which no one passes through, a land where no human being lives?” 7 I brought you into a fertile land, to eat its fruit and its good things. But you defiled my land and made my inheritance repulsive. 8 The priests did not ask, “Where is the Lord ?” The experts in the law did not acknowledge me. Their shepherds rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and went after useless idols. 9 So I am bringing charges against you again, declares the Lord , and I am bringing charges against your children’s children. 10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus [1] and look. Send someone to Kedar [2] and observe carefully. See if there has ever been anything like this. 11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods (even though they are not gods at all)? Yet my people have exchanged their Glory [3] for useless idols. 12 Be appalled at this, you heavens. Be horrified and wither away completely, declares the Lord . 13 For my people have committed two evils: They have abandoned me, the spring of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that hold no water! 14 Is Israel a servant, born into slavery? Why then has Israel been plundered? 15 Young lions have roared at him. They have growled loudly. They have made his land desolate. His towns are burned and deserted. 16 The men of Memphis [4] and Tahpanhes have shaved the top of your head. [5] 17 Have you not brought this on yourself by deserting the Lord your God while he led you on the way? 18 So why are you on the road to Egypt to drink the water of the Shihor? [6] And why are you on the road to Assyria to drink the water of the River? [7] 19 It is your own evil that will bring discipline on you. Your backsliding will judge you. Know and see how evil and bitter it is for you to forsake the Lord your God, to have no fear of me, declares the Lord God of Armies. 20 Long ago I broke your yoke. I [8] tore off your chains, but you said, “I will not serve you!” Instead, on every high hill and under every green tree you sprawl out like a prostitute. 21 But I planted you as a very good vine, healthy and from reliable stock. How then did you turn against me? How then did you turn into a wild vine? 22 Even if you scrub yourself with cleanser and use a lot of strong soap, the stain of your guilt is before me, declares the Lord . 23 How can you say, “I have not defiled myself. I have not gone after the Baals”? Look what you did in the valley! Think about what you did! You were a fast female camel running wildly all over the place, 24 or a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness, sniffing the wind in her passion. Who can control her when she is in heat? None of the males who pursue her will become tired. They will find her in her mating time. 25 Stop before your shoes wear out and your throat becomes dry! But you say, “It’s hopeless! I love strange gods, and I must pursue them.” 26 As a thief is shamed when he is caught, so the house of Israel will be shamed— the people, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets. 27 They say to wood, “You are my father.” They say to stone, “You gave birth to me.” They have turned their backs to me and not their faces. But when a time of trouble comes, they say, “Get up and save us!” 28 Where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them rise up, if they are able to save you in a time of trouble. After all, Judah, you have as many gods as you have towns. 29 Why do you bring charges against me? You have all rebelled against me, declares the Lord . 30 I punished your people in vain. They did not respond to correction. Your own sword has devoured your prophets, like a raging lion. 31 You people of this generation, consider the word of the Lord . Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of deep darkness? Why do my people say, “We are free to wander. We will not come to you anymore”? 32 Does a virgin about to be married forget her jewelry? Does a bride forget her veil? [9] But my people have forgotten me for countless days. 33 How practiced you are in the ways that you pursue love! Even the most evil women could learn from your ways. 34 The lifeblood of poor, innocent people is found on your skirt, even though you did not catch them breaking in. In spite of all this, 35 you say, “I am innocent. He will not be angry with me.” But I have indeed judged you because you say, “I have not sinned.” 36 How fickle you are in changing your direction! You will be disappointed by Egypt, just as you were by Assyria. 37 So you will leave there with your hands on your head, because the Lord has rejected the ones you trust. You will receive no help from them. Jeremiah 3 1 If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, can he return to her again? [10] Wouldn’t acting like that completely defile the land? But you have lived like a prostitute with many lovers. And now you want to return to me? declares the Lord . 2 Look up to the bare hills and see. Is there any place where you have not engaged in sex? [11] You sat by the roadsides waiting for lovers, like a nomad [12] in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. 3 That is why the showers have been withheld, and the spring rains have not come. Yet you have the shameless look of a prostitute. You refuse to be ashamed. 4 Did you not just call to me, “My father! You are my close friend from my youth!”? 5 You say, “Will he be angry for so long? Will he keep up his wrath forever?” Yes, that is what you say, but you do whatever evil you can. Footnotes Jeremiah 2:10 Hebrew Kittim. The term may include other areas in the Mediterranean basin besides Cyprus. Jeremiah 2:10 An area in Arabia Jeremiah 2:11 Or their glory. This reading follows the main Hebrew text. An alternate Hebrew reading is my glory. Jeremiah 2:16 Hebrew Noph. The English names of Egyptian cities are usually based on the Greek forms of their names rather than the Hebrew forms. Jeremiah 2:16 Or have cracked your skull Jeremiah 2:18 A branch of the Nile Jeremiah 2:18 That is, the Euphrates Jeremiah 2:20 The translation follows the Hebrew reading. The Greek Old Testament reads you. Jeremiah 2:32 Literally sash Jeremiah 3:1 Deuteronomy 24:1-4 says that he cannot. Jeremiah 3:2 The main Hebrew reading uses a blunt sexual term. The reading written in the margin of the Hebrew text substitutes a milder term. The translation above splits the difference. Jeremiah 3:2 Or an Arab The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entry Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by Mail Link to Flickr Link to Instagram Link to Vimeo…

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Through My Bible Yr 02 – March 12 3:13

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