# verses

text:
<pb/><t>“Be silent before me, you islands! </t><t>Let the nations renew their strength! </t><t>Let them come forward and speak; </t><t>let us meet together at the place of judgment. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Who has stirred up one from the east, </t><t>calling him in righteousness to his service <f>[81]</f>? </t><t>He hands nations over to him </t><t>and subdues kings before him. </t><t>He turns them to dust with his sword, </t><t>to windblown chaff with his bow. </t>


text:
<t>Who has done this and carried it through, </t><t>calling forth the generations from the beginning? </t><t>I, the LORD — with the first of them </t><t>and with the last — I am he.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The islands have seen it and fear; </t><t>the ends of the earth tremble. </t><t>They approach and come forward; </t>


text:
<t>The metalworker encourages the goldsmith, </t><t>and the one who smooths with the hammer </t><t>spurs on the one who strikes the anvil. </t><t>One says of the welding, “It is good.” </t><t>The other nails down the idol so it will not topple. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“But you, Israel, my servant, </t><t>Jacob, whom I have chosen, </t><t>you descendants of Abraham my friend, </t>


text:
<t>I took you from the ends of the earth, </t><t>from its farthest corners I called you. </t><t>I said, ‘You are my servant’; </t><t>I have chosen you and have not rejected you. </t>


text:
<t>So do not fear, for I am with you; </t><t>do not be dismayed, for I am your God. </t><t>I will strengthen you and help you; </t><t>I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“All who rage against you </t><t>will surely be ashamed and disgraced; </t><t>those who oppose you </t><t>will be as nothing and perish. </t>


text:
<t>Though you search for your enemies, </t><t>you will not find them. </t><t>Those who wage war against you </t><t>will be as nothing at all. </t>


text:
<t>For I am the LORD your God </t><t>who takes hold of your right hand </t><t>and says to you, Do not fear; </t><t>I will help you. </t>


text:
<t>Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, </t><t>little Israel, do not fear, </t><t>for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, </t><t>your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. </t>


text:
<t>“See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, </t><t>new and sharp, with many teeth. </t><t>You will thresh the mountains and crush them, </t><t>and reduce the hills to chaff. </t>


text:
<t>You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, </t><t>and a gale will blow them away. </t><t>But you will rejoice in the LORD </t><t>and glory in the Holy One of Israel. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“The poor and needy search for water, </t><t>but there is none; </t><t>their tongues are parched with thirst. </t><t>But I the LORD will answer them; </t><t>I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. </t>


text:
<t>I will make rivers flow on barren heights, </t><t>and springs within the valleys. </t><t>I will turn the desert into pools of water, </t><t>and the parched ground into springs. </t>


text:
<t>I will put in the desert </t><t>the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. </t><t>I will set junipers in the wasteland, </t><t>the fir and the cypress together, </t>


text:
<t>so that people may see and know, </t><t>may consider and understand, </t><t>that the hand of the LORD has done this, </t><t>that the Holy One of Israel has created it. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Tell us, you idols, </t><t>what is going to happen. </t><t>Tell us what the former things were, </t><t>so that we may consider them </t><t>and know their final outcome. </t><t>Or declare to us the things to come, </t>


text:
<t>tell us what the future holds, </t><t>so we may know that you are gods. </t><t>Do something, whether good or bad, </t><t>so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. </t>


text:
<t>But you are less than nothing </t><t>and your works are utterly worthless; </t><t>whoever chooses you is detestable. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes —  </t><t>one from the rising sun who calls on my name. </t><t>He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, </t><t>as if he were a potter treading the clay. </t>


text:
<t>Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, </t><t>or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’? </t><t>No one told of this, </t><t>no one foretold it, </t><t>no one heard any words from you. </t>


text:
<t>I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’ </t><t>I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news. </t>


text:
<t>I look but there is no one —  </t><t>no one among the gods to give counsel, </t><t>no one to give answer when I ask them. </t>


text:
<t>See, they are all false! </t><t>Their deeds amount to nothing; </t><t>their images are but wind and confusion.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, </t><t>my chosen one in whom I delight; </t><t>I will put my Spirit on him, </t><t>and he will bring justice to the nations. </t>


text:
<t>A bruised reed he will not break, </t><t>and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. </t><t>In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; </t>


text:
<t>he will not falter or be discouraged </t><t>till he establishes justice on earth. </t><t>In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>This is what God the LORD says —  </t><t>the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, </t><t>who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, </t><t>who gives breath to its people, </t><t>and life to those who walk on it: </t>


text:
<t>“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; </t><t>I will take hold of your hand. </t><t>I will keep you and will make you </t><t>to be a covenant for the people </t><t>and a light for the Gentiles, </t>


text:
<t>to open eyes that are blind, </t><t>to free captives from prison </t><t>and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“I am the LORD; that is my name! </t><t>I will not yield my glory to another </t><t>or my praise to idols. </t>


text:
<t>See, the former things have taken place, </t><t>and new things I declare; </t><t>before they spring into being </t><t>I announce them to you.” </t>


text:
<t>Sing to the LORD a new song, </t><t>his praise from the ends of the earth, </t><t>you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, </t><t>you islands, and all who live in them. </t>


text:
<t>Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices; </t><t>let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. </t><t>Let the people of Sela sing for joy; </t><t>let them shout from the mountaintops. </t>


text:
<t>The LORD will march out like a champion, </t><t>like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; </t><t>with a shout he will raise the battle cry </t><t>and will triumph over his enemies. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“For a long time I have kept silent, </t><t>I have been quiet and held myself back. </t><t>But now, like a woman in childbirth, </t><t>I cry out, I gasp and pant. </t>


text:
<t>I will lay waste the mountains and hills </t><t>and dry up all their vegetation; </t><t>I will turn rivers into islands </t><t>and dry up the pools. </t>


text:
<t>I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, </t><t>along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; </t><t>I will turn the darkness into light before them </t><t>and make the rough places smooth. </t><t>These are the things I will do; </t><t>I will not forsake them. </t>


text:
<t>But those who trust in idols, </t><t>who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ </t><t>will be turned back in utter shame. </t>


text:
<t>Who is blind but my servant, </t><t>and deaf like the messenger I send? </t><t>Who is blind like the one in covenant with me, </t><t>blind like the servant of the LORD? </t>


text:
<t>You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; </t><t>your ears are open, but you do not listen.” </t>


text:
<t>It pleased the LORD </t><t>for the sake of his righteousness </t><t>to make his law great and glorious. </t>


text:
<t>But this is a people plundered and looted, </t><t>all of them trapped in pits </t><t>or hidden away in prisons. </t><t>They have become plunder, </t><t>with no one to rescue them; </t><t>they have been made loot, </t><t>with no one to say, “Send them back.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Who handed Jacob over to become loot, </t><t>and Israel to the plunderers? </t><t>Was it not the LORD, </t><t>against whom we have sinned? </t><t>For they would not follow his ways; </t><t>they did not obey his law. </t>


text:
<t>So he poured out on them his burning anger, </t><t>the violence of war. </t><t>It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; </t><t>it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But now, this is what the LORD says —  </t><t>he who created you, Jacob, </t><t>he who formed you, Israel: </t><t>“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; </t><t>I have summoned you by name; you are mine. </t>


text:
<t>When you pass through the waters, </t><t>I will be with you; </t><t>and when you pass through the rivers, </t><t>they will not sweep over you. </t><t>When you walk through the fire, </t><t>you will not be burned; </t><t>the flames will not set you ablaze. </t>


text:
<t>For I am the LORD your God, </t><t>the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; </t><t>I give Egypt for your ransom, </t><t>Cush <f>[82]</f> and Seba in your stead. </t>


text:
<t>Since you are precious and honored in my sight, </t><t>and because I love you, </t><t>I will give people in exchange for you, </t><t>nations in exchange for your life. </t>


text:
<t>Do not be afraid, for I am with you; </t><t>I will bring your children from the east </t><t>and gather you from the west. </t>


text:
<t>I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ </t><t>and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ </t><t>Bring my sons from afar </t><t>and my daughters from the ends of the earth —  </t>


text:
<t>everyone who is called by my name, </t><t>whom I created for my glory, </t><t>whom I formed and made.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>All the nations gather together </t><t>and the peoples assemble. </t><t>Which of their gods foretold this </t><t>and proclaimed to us the former things? </t><t>Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, </t><t>so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” </t>


text:
<t>“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, </t><t>“and my servant whom I have chosen, </t><t>so that you may know and believe me </t><t>and understand that I am he. </t><t>Before me no god was formed, </t><t>nor will there be one after me. </t>


text:
<t>I have revealed and saved and proclaimed —  </t><t>I, and not some foreign god among you. </t><t>You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God. </t>


text:
<t>Yes, and from ancient days I am he. </t><t>No one can deliver out of my hand. </t><t>When I act, who can reverse it?” </t>


text:
<t>This is what the LORD says —  </t><t>your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: </t><t>“For your sake I will send to Babylon </t><t>and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, <f>[83]</f> </t><t>in the ships in which they took pride. </t>


text:
<t>This is what the LORD says —  </t><t>he who made a way through the sea, </t><t>a path through the mighty waters, </t>


text:
<t>who drew out the chariots and horses, </t><t>the army and reinforcements together, </t><t>and they lay there, never to rise again, </t><t>extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: </t>


text:
<t>See, I am doing a new thing! </t><t>Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? </t><t>I am making a way in the wilderness </t><t>and streams in the wasteland. </t>


text:
<t>The wild animals honor me, </t><t>the jackals and the owls, </t><t>because I provide water in the wilderness </t><t>and streams in the wasteland, </t><t>to give drink to my people, my chosen, </t>


text:
<t>“Yet you have not called on me, Jacob, </t><t>you have not wearied yourselves for <f>[84]</f> me, Israel. </t>


text:
<t>You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, </t><t>nor honored me with your sacrifices. </t><t>I have not burdened you with grain offerings </t><t>nor wearied you with demands for incense. </t>


text:
<t>You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, </t><t>or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. </t><t>But you have burdened me with your sins </t><t>and wearied me with your offenses. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“I, even I, am he who blots out </t><t>your transgressions, for my own sake, </t><t>and remembers your sins no more. </t>


text:
<t>Review the past for me, </t><t>let us argue the matter together; </t><t>state the case for your innocence. </t>


text:
<t>So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple; </t><t>I consigned Jacob to destruction <f>[85]</f> </t><t>and Israel to scorn.</t>


text:
<t>This is what the LORD says —  </t><t>he who made you, who formed you in the womb, </t><t>and who will help you: </t><t>Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, </t><t>Jeshurun, <f>[86]</f> whom I have chosen. </t>


text:
<t>For I will pour water on the thirsty land, </t><t>and streams on the dry ground; </t><t>I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, </t><t>and my blessing on your descendants. </t>


text:
<t>Some will say, ‘I belong to the LORD’; </t><t>others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; </t><t>still others will write on their hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ </t><t>and will take the name Israel. </t>


text:
<t>“This is what the LORD says —  </t><t>Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: </t><t>I am the first and I am the last; </t><t>apart from me there is no God. </t>


text:
<t>Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. </t><t>Let him declare and lay out before me </t><t>what has happened since I established my ancient people, </t><t>and what is yet to come —  </t><t>yes, let them foretell what will come. </t>


text:
<t>Do not tremble, do not be afraid. </t><t>Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? </t><t>You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? </t><t>No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>All who make idols are nothing, </t><t>and the things they treasure are worthless. </t><t>Those who would speak up for them are blind; </t><t>they are ignorant, to their own shame. </t>


text:
<t>People who do that will be put to shame; </t><t>such craftsmen are only human beings. </t><t>Let them all come together and take their stand; </t><t>they will be brought down to terror and shame. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The blacksmith takes a tool </t><t>and works with it in the coals; </t><t>he shapes an idol with hammers, </t><t>he forges it with the might of his arm. </t><t>He gets hungry and loses his strength; </t><t>he drinks no water and grows faint. </t>


text:
<t>The carpenter measures with a line </t><t>and makes an outline with a marker; </t><t>he roughs it out with chisels </t><t>and marks it with compasses. </t><t>He shapes it in human form, </t><t>human form in all its glory, </t><t>that it may dwell in a shrine. </t>


text:
<t>He cut down cedars, </t><t>or perhaps took a cypress or oak. </t><t>He let it grow among the trees of the forest, </t><t>or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. </t>


text:
<t>It is used as fuel for burning; </t><t>some of it he takes and warms himself, </t><t>he kindles a fire and bakes bread. </t><t>But he also fashions a god and worships it; </t><t>he makes an idol and bows down to it. </t>


text:
<t>Half of the wood he burns in the fire; </t><t>over it he prepares his meal, </t><t>he roasts his meat and eats his fill. </t><t>He also warms himself and says, </t><t>“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” </t>


text:
<t>From the rest he makes a god, his idol; </t><t>he bows down to it and worships. </t><t>He prays to it and says, </t><t>“Save me! You are my god!” </t>


text:
<t>They know nothing, they understand nothing; </t><t>their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, </t><t>and their minds closed so they cannot understand. </t>


text:
<t>No one stops to think, </t><t>no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, </t><t>“Half of it I used for fuel; </t><t>I even baked bread over its coals, </t><t>I roasted meat and I ate. </t><t>Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? </t><t>Shall I bow down to a block of wood?” </t>


text:
<t>Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; </t><t>he cannot save himself, or say, </t><t>“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Remember these things, Jacob, </t><t>for you, Israel, are my servant. </t><t>I have made you, you are my servant; </t><t>Israel, I will not forget you. </t>


text:
<t>I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, </t><t>your sins like the morning mist. </t><t>Return to me, </t><t>for I have redeemed you.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Sing for joy, you heavens, for the LORD has done this; </t><t>shout aloud, you earth beneath. </t><t>Burst into song, you mountains, </t><t>you forests and all your trees, </t><t>for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, </t><t>he displays his glory in Israel. </t>


text:
<t>“This is what the LORD says —  </t><t>your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: <pb/>I am the LORD, </t><t>the Maker of all things, </t><t>who stretches out the heavens, </t><t>who spreads out the earth by myself, </t>


text:
<t>who foils the signs of false prophets </t><t>and makes fools of diviners, </t><t>who overthrows the learning of the wise </t><t>and turns it into nonsense, </t>


text:
<t>who carries out the words of his servants </t><t>and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, <pb/>who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ </t><t>of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’ </t><t>and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’ </t>


text:
<t>who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd </t><t>and will accomplish all that I please; </t><t>he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” </t><t>and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.” ’</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“This is what the LORD says to his anointed, </t><t>to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of </t><t>to subdue nations before him </t><t>and to strip kings of their armor, </t><t>to open doors before him </t><t>so that gates will not be shut: </t>


text:
<t>I will go before you </t><t>and will level the mountains <f>[87]</f>; </t><t>I will break down gates of bronze </t><t>and cut through bars of iron. </t>


text:
<t>I will give you hidden treasures, </t><t>riches stored in secret places, </t><t>so that you may know that I am the LORD, </t><t>the God of Israel, who summons you by name. </t>


text:
<t>For the sake of Jacob my servant, </t><t>of Israel my chosen, </t><t>I summon you by name </t><t>and bestow on you a title of honor, </t><t>though you do not acknowledge me. </t>


text:
<t>I am the LORD, and there is no other; </t><t>apart from me there is no God. </t><t>I will strengthen you, </t><t>though you have not acknowledged me, </t>


text:
<t>so that from the rising of the sun </t><t>to the place of its setting </t><t>people may know there is none besides me. </t><t>I am the LORD, and there is no other. </t>


text:
<t>I form the light and create darkness, </t><t>I bring prosperity and create disaster; </t><t>I, the LORD, do all these things. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; </t><t>let the clouds shower it down. </t><t>Let the earth open wide, </t><t>let salvation spring up, </t><t>let righteousness flourish with it; </t><t>I, the LORD, have created it. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, </t><t>those who are nothing but potsherds </t><t>among the potsherds on the ground. </t><t>Does the clay say to the potter, </t><t>‘What are you making?’ </t><t>Does your work say, </t><t>‘The potter has no hands’? </t>


text:
<t>Woe to the one who says to a father, </t><t>‘What have you begotten?’ </t><t>or to a mother, </t><t>‘What have you brought to birth?’ <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“This is what the LORD says —  </t><t>the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: </t><t>Concerning things to come, </t><t>do you question me about my children, </t><t>or give me orders about the work of my hands? </t>


text:
<t>It is I who made the earth </t><t>and created mankind on it. </t><t>My own hands stretched out the heavens; </t><t>I marshaled their starry hosts. </t>


text:
<t>I will raise up Cyrus <f>[88]</f> in my righteousness: </t><t>I will make all his ways straight. </t><t>He will rebuild my city </t><t>and set my exiles free, </t><t>but not for a price or reward, </t><t>says the LORD Almighty.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, <f>[89]</f> </t><t>and those tall Sabeans —  </t><t>they will come over to you </t><t>and will be yours; </t><t>they will trudge behind you, </t><t>coming over to you in chains. </t><t>They will bow down before you </t><t>and plead with you, saying, </t><t>‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other; </t><t>there is no other god.’ ” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced; </t><t>they will go off into disgrace together. </t>


text:
<t>But Israel will be saved by the LORD </t><t>with an everlasting salvation; </t><t>you will never be put to shame or disgraced, </t><t>to ages everlasting. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>For this is what the LORD says —  </t><t>he who created the heavens, </t><t>he is God; </t><t>he who fashioned and made the earth, </t><t>he founded it; </t><t>he did not create it to be empty, </t><t>but formed it to be inhabited —  </t><t>he says: </t><t>“I am the LORD, </t><t>and there is no other. </t>


text:
<t>I have not spoken in secret, </t><t>from somewhere in a land of darkness; </t><t>I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, </t><t>‘Seek me in vain.’ </t><t>I, the LORD, speak the truth; </t><t>I declare what is right. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Gather together and come; </t><t>assemble, you fugitives from the nations. </t><t>Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, </t><t>who pray to gods that cannot save. </t>


text:
<t>Declare what is to be, present it —  </t><t>let them take counsel together. </t><t>Who foretold this long ago, </t><t>who declared it from the distant past? </t><t>Was it not I, the LORD? </t><t>And there is no God apart from me, </t><t>a righteous God and a Savior; </t><t>there is none but me. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Turn to me and be saved, </t><t>all you ends of the earth; </t><t>for I am God, and there is no other. </t>


text:
<t>By myself I have sworn, </t><t>my mouth has uttered in all integrity </t><t>a word that will not be revoked: </t><t>Before me every knee will bow; </t><t>by me every tongue will swear. </t>


text:
<t>They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone </t><t>are deliverance and strength.’ ” </t><t>All who have raged against him </t><t>will come to him and be put to shame. </t>


text:
<t>But all the descendants of Israel </t><t>will find deliverance in the LORD </t><t>and will make their boast in him.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; </t><t>their idols are borne by beasts of burden. <f>[90]</f> </t><t>The images that are carried about are burdensome, </t><t>a burden for the weary. </t>


text:
<t>They stoop and bow down together; </t><t>unable to rescue the burden, </t><t>they themselves go off into captivity. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, </t><t>all the remnant of the people of Israel, </t><t>you whom I have upheld since your birth, </t><t>and have carried since you were born. </t>


text:
<t>Even to your old age and gray hairs </t><t>I am he, I am he who will sustain you. </t><t>I have made you and I will carry you; </t><t>I will sustain you and I will rescue you. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“With whom will you compare me or count me equal? </t><t>To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? </t>


text:
<t>Some pour out gold from their bags </t><t>and weigh out silver on the scales; </t><t>they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, </t><t>and they bow down and worship it. </t>


text:
<t>They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; </t><t>they set it up in its place, and there it stands. </t><t>From that spot it cannot move. </t><t>Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; </t><t>it cannot save them from their troubles. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Remember the former things, those of long ago; </t><t>I am God, and there is no other; </t><t>I am God, and there is none like me. </t>


text:
<t>I make known the end from the beginning, </t><t>from ancient times, what is still to come. </t><t>I say, ‘My purpose will stand, </t><t>and I will do all that I please.’ </t>


text:
<t>From the east I summon a bird of prey; </t><t>from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. </t><t>What I have said, that I will bring about; </t><t>what I have planned, that I will do. </t>


text:
<t>I am bringing my righteousness near, </t><t>it is not far away; </t><t>and my salvation will not be delayed. </t><t>I will grant salvation to Zion, </t><t>my splendor to Israel.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Go down, sit in the dust, </t><t>Virgin Daughter Babylon; </t><t>sit on the ground without a throne, </t><t>queen city of the Babylonians. <f>[91]</f> </t><t>No more will you be called </t><t>tender or delicate. </t>


text:
<t>Take millstones and grind flour; </t><t>take off your veil. </t><t>Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, </t><t>and wade through the streams. </t>


text:
<t>Your nakedness will be exposed </t><t>and your shame uncovered. </t><t>I will take vengeance; </t><t>I will spare no one.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Sit in silence, go into darkness, </t><t>queen city of the Babylonians; </t><t>no more will you be called </t><t>queen of kingdoms. </t>


text:
<t>I was angry with my people </t><t>and desecrated my inheritance; </t><t>I gave them into your hand, </t><t>and you showed them no mercy. </t><t>Even on the aged </t><t>you laid a very heavy yoke. </t>


text:
<t>You said, ‘I am forever —  </t><t>the eternal queen!’ </t><t>But you did not consider these things </t><t>or reflect on what might happen. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, </t><t>lounging in your security </t><t>and saying to yourself, </t><t>‘I am, and there is none besides me. </t><t>I will never be a widow </t><t>or suffer the loss of children.’ </t>


text:
<t>Both of these will overtake you </t><t>in a moment, on a single day: </t><t>loss of children and widowhood. </t><t>They will come upon you in full measure, </t><t>in spite of your many sorceries </t><t>and all your potent spells. </t>


text:
<t>You have trusted in your wickedness </t><t>and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ </t><t>Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you </t><t>when you say to yourself, </t><t>‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ </t>


text:
<t>Disaster will come upon you, </t><t>and you will not know how to conjure it away. </t><t>A calamity will fall upon you </t><t>that you cannot ward off with a ransom; </t><t>a catastrophe you cannot foresee </t><t>will suddenly come upon you. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Keep on, then, with your magic spells </t><t>and with your many sorceries, </t><t>which you have labored at since childhood. </t><t>Perhaps you will succeed, </t><t>perhaps you will cause terror. </t>


text:
<t>All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! </t><t>Let your astrologers come forward, </t><t>those stargazers who make predictions month by month, </t><t>let them save you from what is coming upon you. </t>


text:
<t>Surely they are like stubble; </t><t>the fire will burn them up. </t><t>They cannot even save themselves </t><t>from the power of the flame. </t><t>These are not coals for warmth; </t><t>this is not a fire to sit by. </t>


text:
<t>That is all they are to you —  </t><t>these you have dealt with </t><t>and labored with since childhood. </t><t>All of them go on in their error; </t><t>there is not one that can save you.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob, </t><t>you who are called by the name of Israel </t><t>and come from the line of Judah, </t><t>you who take oaths in the name of the LORD </t><t>and invoke the God of Israel —  </t><t>but not in truth or righteousness —  </t>


text:
<t>you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city </t><t>and claim to rely on the God of Israel —  </t><t>the LORD Almighty is his name: </t>


text:
<t>I foretold the former things long ago, </t><t>my mouth announced them and I made them known; </t><t>then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. </t>


text:
<t>For I knew how stubborn you were; </t><t>your neck muscles were iron, </t><t>your forehead was bronze. </t>


text:
<t>Therefore I told you these things long ago; </t><t>before they happened I announced them to you </t><t>so that you could not say, </t><t>‘My images brought them about; </t><t>my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’ </t>


text:
<t>You have heard these things; look at them all. </t><t>Will you not admit them? <pb/>“From now on I will tell you of new things, </t><t>of hidden things unknown to you. </t>


text:
<t>They are created now, and not long ago; </t><t>you have not heard of them before today. </t><t>So you cannot say, </t><t>‘Yes, I knew of them.’ </t>


text:
<t>You have neither heard nor understood; </t><t>from of old your ears have not been open. </t><t>Well do I know how treacherous you are; </t><t>you were called a rebel from birth. </t>


text:
<t>For my own name’s sake I delay my wrath; </t><t>for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, </t><t>so as not to destroy you completely. </t>


text:
<t>See, I have refined you, though not as silver; </t><t>I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. </t>


text:
<t>For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. </t><t>How can I let myself be defamed? </t><t>I will not yield my glory to another. </t>


text:
<t>“Listen to me, Jacob, </t><t>Israel, whom I have called: </t><t>I am he; </t><t>I am the first and I am the last. </t>


text:
<t>My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, </t><t>and my right hand spread out the heavens; </t><t>when I summon them, </t><t>they all stand up together. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Come together, all of you, and listen: </t><t>Which of the idols has foretold these things? </t><t>The LORD’s chosen ally </t><t>will carry out his purpose against Babylon; </t><t>his arm will be against the Babylonians. <f>[92]</f> </t>


text:
<t>I, even I, have spoken; </t><t>yes, I have called him. </t><t>I will bring him, </t><t>and he will succeed in his mission. </t>


text:
<pb/>“Come near me and listen to this: <pb/><t>“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; </t><t>at the time it happens, I am there.” <pb/>And now the Sovereign LORD has sent me, </t><t>endowed with his Spirit. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>This is what the LORD says —  </t><t>your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: </t><t>“I am the LORD your God, </t><t>who teaches you what is best for you, </t><t>who directs you in the way you should go. </t>


text:
<t>If only you had paid attention to my commands, </t><t>your peace would have been like a river, </t><t>your well-being like the waves of the sea. </t>


text:
<t>Your descendants would have been like the sand, </t><t>your children like its numberless grains; </t><t>their name would never be blotted out </t><t>nor destroyed from before me.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Leave Babylon, </t><t>flee from the Babylonians! </t><t>Announce this with shouts of joy </t><t>and proclaim it. </t><t>Send it out to the ends of the earth; </t><t>say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob.” </t>


text:
<t>They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; </t><t>he made water flow for them from the rock; </t><t>he split the rock </t><t>and water gushed out. <pb/> </t>


text:
<pb/><t>Listen to me, you islands; </t><t>hear this, you distant nations: </t><t>Before I was born the LORD called me; </t><t>from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. </t>


text:
<t>He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, </t><t>in the shadow of his hand he hid me; </t><t>he made me into a polished arrow </t><t>and concealed me in his quiver. </t>


text:
<t>But I said, “I have labored in vain; </t><t>I have spent my strength for nothing at all. </t><t>Yet what is due me is in the LORD’s hand, </t><t>and my reward is with my God.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>And now the LORD says —  </t><t>he who formed me in the womb to be his servant </t><t>to bring Jacob back to him </t><t>and gather Israel to himself, </t><t>for I am <f>[93]</f> honored in the eyes of the LORD </t><t>and my God has been my strength —  </t>


text:
<t>he says: </t><t>“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant </t><t>to restore the tribes of Jacob </t><t>and bring back those of Israel I have kept. </t><t>I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, </t><t>that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>This is what the LORD says —  </t><t>the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel —  </t><t>to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, </t><t>to the servant of rulers: </t><t>“Kings will see you and stand up, </t><t>princes will see and bow down, </t><t>because of the LORD, who is faithful, </t><t>the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“In the time of my favor I will answer you, </t><t>and in the day of salvation I will help you; </t><t>I will keep you and will make you </t><t>to be a covenant for the people, </t><t>to restore the land </t><t>and to reassign its desolate inheritances, </t>


text:
<t>to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ </t><t>and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ <pb/>“They will feed beside the roads </t><t>and find pasture on every barren hill. </t>


text:
<t>They will neither hunger nor thirst, </t><t>nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. </t><t>He who has compassion on them will guide them </t><t>and lead them beside springs of water. </t>


text:
<t>See, they will come from afar —  </t><t>some from the north, some from the west, </t><t>some from the region of Aswan. <f>[94]</f>” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Shout for joy, you heavens; </t><t>rejoice, you earth; </t><t>burst into song, you mountains! </t><t>For the LORD comforts his people </t><t>and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast </t><t>and have no compassion on the child she has borne? </t><t>Though she may forget, </t><t>I will not forget you! </t>


text:
<t>Lift up your eyes and look around; </t><t>all your children gather and come to you. </t><t>As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, </t><t>“you will wear them all as ornaments; </t><t>you will put them on, like a bride. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Though you were ruined and made desolate </t><t>and your land laid waste, </t><t>now you will be too small for your people, </t><t>and those who devoured you will be far away. </t>


text:
<t>The children born during your bereavement </t><t>will yet say in your hearing, </t><t>‘This place is too small for us; </t><t>give us more space to live in.’ </t>


text:
<t>Then you will say in your heart, </t><t>‘Who bore me these? </t><t>I was bereaved and barren; </t><t>I was exiled and rejected. </t><t>Who brought these up? </t><t>I was left all alone, </t><t>but these — where have they come from?’ ” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the Sovereign LORD says: <pb/><t>“See, I will beckon to the nations, </t><t>I will lift up my banner to the peoples; </t><t>they will bring your sons in their arms </t><t>and carry your daughters on their hips. </t>


text:
<t>Kings will be your foster fathers, </t><t>and their queens your nursing mothers. </t><t>They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; </t><t>they will lick the dust at your feet. </t><t>Then you will know that I am the LORD; </t><t>those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Can plunder be taken from warriors, </t><t>or captives be rescued from the fierce <f>[95]</f>? </t>


text:
<pb/>But this is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, </t><t>and plunder retrieved from the fierce; </t><t>I will contend with those who contend with you, </t><t>and your children I will save. </t>


text:
<t>I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; </t><t>they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. </t><t>Then all mankind will know </t><t>that I, the LORD, am your Savior, </t><t>your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”</t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce </t><t>with which I sent her away? </t><t>Or to which of my creditors </t><t>did I sell you? </t><t>Because of your sins you were sold; </t><t>because of your transgressions your mother was sent away. </t>


text:
<t>When I came, why was there no one? </t><t>When I called, why was there no one to answer? </t><t>Was my arm too short to deliver you? </t><t>Do I lack the strength to rescue you? </t><t>By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, </t><t>I turn rivers into a desert; </t><t>their fish rot for lack of water </t><t>and die of thirst. </t>


text:
<t>The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, </t><t>to know the word that sustains the weary. </t><t>He wakens me morning by morning, </t><t>wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. </t>


text:
<t>The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears; </t><t>I have not been rebellious, </t><t>I have not turned away. </t>


text:
<t>I offered my back to those who beat me, </t><t>my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; </t><t>I did not hide my face </t><t>from mocking and spitting. </t>


text:
<t>Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, </t><t>I will not be disgraced. </t><t>Therefore have I set my face like flint, </t><t>and I know I will not be put to shame. </t>


text:
<t>He who vindicates me is near. </t><t>Who then will bring charges against me? </t><t>Let us face each other! </t><t>Who is my accuser? </t><t>Let him confront me! </t>


text:
<t>It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me. </t><t>Who will condemn me? </t><t>They will all wear out like a garment; </t><t>the moths will eat them up. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Who among you fears the LORD </t><t>and obeys the word of his servant? </t><t>Let the one who walks in the dark, </t><t>who has no light, </t><t>trust in the name of the LORD </t><t>and rely on their God. </t>


text:
<t>But now, all you who light fires </t><t>and provide yourselves with flaming torches, </t><t>go, walk in the light of your fires </t><t>and of the torches you have set ablaze. </t><t>This is what you shall receive from my hand: </t><t>You will lie down in torment.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness </t><t>and who seek the LORD: </t><t>Look to the rock from which you were cut </t><t>and to the quarry from which you were hewn; </t>


text:
<t>look to Abraham, your father, </t><t>and to Sarah, who gave you birth. </t><t>When I called him he was only one man, </t><t>and I blessed him and made him many. </t>


text:
<t>The LORD will surely comfort Zion </t><t>and will look with compassion on all her ruins; </t><t>he will make her deserts like Eden, </t><t>her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. </t><t>Joy and gladness will be found in her, </t><t>thanksgiving and the sound of singing. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Listen to me, my people; </t><t>hear me, my nation: </t><t>Instruction will go out from me; </t><t>my justice will become a light to the nations. </t>


text:
<t>My righteousness draws near speedily, </t><t>my salvation is on the way, </t><t>and my arm will bring justice to the nations. </t><t>The islands will look to me </t><t>and wait in hope for my arm. </t>


text:
<t>Lift up your eyes to the heavens, </t><t>look at the earth beneath; </t><t>the heavens will vanish like smoke, </t><t>the earth will wear out like a garment </t><t>and its inhabitants die like flies. </t><t>But my salvation will last forever, </t><t>my righteousness will never fail. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Hear me, you who know what is right, </t><t>you people who have taken my instruction to heart: </t><t>Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals </t><t>or be terrified by their insults. </t>


text:
<t>For the moth will eat them up like a garment; </t><t>the worm will devour them like wool. </t><t>But my righteousness will last forever, </t><t>my salvation through all generations.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Awake, awake, arm of the LORD, </t><t>clothe yourself with strength! </t><t>Awake, as in days gone by, </t><t>as in generations of old. </t><t>Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, </t><t>who pierced that monster through? </t>


text:
<t>Was it not you who dried up the sea, </t><t>the waters of the great deep, </t><t>who made a road in the depths of the sea </t><t>so that the redeemed might cross over? </t>


text:
<t>Those the LORD has rescued will return. </t><t>They will enter Zion with singing; </t><t>everlasting joy will crown their heads. </t><t>Gladness and joy will overtake them, </t><t>and sorrow and sighing will flee away. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“I, even I, am he who comforts you. </t><t>Who are you that you fear mere mortals, </t><t>human beings who are but grass, </t>


text:
<t>that you forget the LORD your Maker, </t><t>who stretches out the heavens </t><t>and who lays the foundations of the earth, </t><t>that you live in constant terror every day </t><t>because of the wrath of the oppressor, </t><t>who is bent on destruction? </t><t>For where is the wrath of the oppressor? </t>


text:
<t>The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; </t><t>they will not die in their dungeon, </t><t>nor will they lack bread. </t>


text:
<t>For I am the LORD your God, </t><t>who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar —  </t><t>the LORD Almighty is his name. </t>


text:
<t>I have put my words in your mouth </t><t>and covered you with the shadow of my hand —  </t><t>I who set the heavens in place, </t><t>who laid the foundations of the earth, </t><t>and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’ ” </t>


text:
<t>Awake, awake! </t><t>Rise up, Jerusalem, </t><t>you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD </t><t>the cup of his wrath, </t><t>you who have drained to its dregs </t><t>the goblet that makes people stagger. </t>


text:
<t>Among all the children she bore </t><t>there was none to guide her; </t><t>among all the children she reared </t><t>there was none to take her by the hand. </t>


text:
<t>These double calamities have come upon you —  </t><t>who can comfort you? —  </t><t>ruin and destruction, famine and sword —  </t><t>who can <f>[96]</f> console you? </t>


text:
<t>Your children have fainted; </t><t>they lie at every street corner, </t><t>like antelope caught in a net. </t><t>They are filled with the wrath of the LORD, </t><t>with the rebuke of your God. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>This is what your Sovereign LORD says, </t><t>your God, who defends his people: </t><t>“See, I have taken out of your hand </t><t>the cup that made you stagger; </t><t>from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, </t><t>you will never drink again. </t>


text:
<t>I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, </t><t>who said to you, </t><t>‘Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.’ </t><t>And you made your back like the ground, </t><t>like a street to be walked on.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Awake, awake, Zion, </t><t>clothe yourself with strength! </t><t>Put on your garments of splendor, </t><t>Jerusalem, the holy city. </t><t>The uncircumcised and defiled </t><t>will not enter you again. </t>


text:
<t>Shake off your dust; </t><t>rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem. </t><t>Free yourself from the chains on your neck, </t><t>Daughter Zion, now a captive. </t>


text:
<pb/>For this is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“You were sold for nothing, </t><t>and without money you will be redeemed.” </t>


text:
<pb/>For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: <pb/><t>“At first my people went down to Egypt to live; </t><t>lately, Assyria has oppressed them. </t>


text:
<pb/>“And now what do I have here?” declares the LORD. <pb/><t>“For my people have been taken away for nothing, </t><t>and those who rule them mock, <f>[97]</f>” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“And all day long </t><t>my name is constantly blasphemed. </t>


text:
<t>Therefore my people will know my name; </t><t>therefore in that day they will know </t><t>that it is I who foretold it. </t><t>Yes, it is I.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>How beautiful on the mountains </t><t>are the feet of those who bring good news, </t><t>who proclaim peace, </t><t>who bring good tidings, </t><t>who proclaim salvation, </t><t>who say to Zion, </t><t>“Your God reigns!” </t>


text:
<t>Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; </t><t>together they shout for joy. </t><t>When the LORD returns to Zion, </t><t>they will see it with their own eyes. </t>


text:
<t>Burst into songs of joy together, </t><t>you ruins of Jerusalem, </t><t>for the LORD has comforted his people, </t><t>he has redeemed Jerusalem. </t>


text:
<t>The LORD will lay bare his holy arm </t><t>in the sight of all the nations, </t><t>and all the ends of the earth will see </t><t>the salvation of our God. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Depart, depart, go out from there! </t><t>Touch no unclean thing! </t><t>Come out from it and be pure, </t><t>you who carry the articles of the LORD’s house. </t>


text:
<t>But you will not leave in haste </t><t>or go in flight; </t><t>for the LORD will go before you, </t><t>the God of Israel will be your rear guard. </t>


text:
<t>See, my servant will act wisely <f>[98]</f>; </t><t>he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. </t>


text:
<t>Just as there were many who were appalled at him <f>[99]</f> —  </t><t>his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being </t><t>and his form marred beyond human likeness —  </t>


text:
<t>so he will sprinkle many nations, <f>[100]</f> </t><t>and kings will shut their mouths because of him. </t><t>For what they were not told, they will see, </t><t>and what they have not heard, they will understand.</t>


text:
<t>He grew up before him like a tender shoot, </t><t>and like a root out of dry ground. </t><t>He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, </t><t>nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. </t>


text:
<t>He was despised and rejected by mankind, </t><t>a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. </t><t>Like one from whom people hide their faces </t><t>he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Surely he took up our pain </t><t>and bore our suffering, </t><t>yet we considered him punished by God, </t><t>stricken by him, and afflicted. </t>


text:
<t>But he was pierced for our transgressions, </t><t>he was crushed for our iniquities; </t><t>the punishment that brought us peace was on him, </t><t>and by his wounds we are healed. </t>


text:
<t>We all, like sheep, have gone astray, </t><t>each of us has turned to our own way; </t><t>and the LORD has laid on him </t><t>the iniquity of us all. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>He was oppressed and afflicted, </t><t>yet he did not open his mouth; </t><t>he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, </t><t>and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, </t><t>so he did not open his mouth. </t>


text:
<t>By oppression <f>[101]</f> and judgment he was taken away. </t><t>Yet who of his generation protested? </t><t>For he was cut off from the land of the living; </t><t>for the transgression of my people he was punished. <f>[102]</f> </t>


text:
<t>He was assigned a grave with the wicked, </t><t>and with the rich in his death, </t><t>though he had done no violence, </t><t>nor was any deceit in his mouth. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, </t><t>and though the LORD makes <f>[103]</f> his life an offering for sin, </t><t>he will see his offspring and prolong his days, </t><t>and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. </t>


text:
<t>After he has suffered, </t><t>he will see the light of life <f>[104]</f> and be satisfied <f>[105]</f>; </t><t>by his knowledge <f>[106]</f> my righteous servant will justify many, </t><t>and he will bear their iniquities. </t>


text:
<t>Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, <f>[107]</f> </t><t>and he will divide the spoils with the strong, <f>[108]</f> </t><t>because he poured out his life unto death, </t><t>and was numbered with the transgressors. </t><t>For he bore the sin of many, </t><t>and made intercession for the transgressors.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Sing, barren woman, </t><t>you who never bore a child; </t><t>burst into song, shout for joy, </t><t>you who were never in labor; </t><t>because more are the children of the desolate woman </t><t>than of her who has a husband,” </t><t>says the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“Enlarge the place of your tent, </t><t>stretch your tent curtains wide, </t><t>do not hold back; </t><t>lengthen your cords, </t><t>strengthen your stakes. </t>


text:
<t>For you will spread out to the right and to the left; </t><t>your descendants will dispossess nations </t><t>and settle in their desolate cities. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. </t><t>Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. </t><t>You will forget the shame of your youth </t><t>and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. </t>


text:
<t>For your Maker is your husband —  </t><t>the LORD Almighty is his name —  </t><t>the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; </t><t>he is called the God of all the earth. </t>


text:
<t>The LORD will call you back </t><t>as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit —  </t><t>a wife who married young, </t><t>only to be rejected,” says your God. </t>


text:
<t>In a surge of anger </t><t>I hid my face from you for a moment, </t><t>but with everlasting kindness </t><t>I will have compassion on you,” </t><t>says the LORD your Redeemer. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“To me this is like the days of Noah, </t><t>when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. </t><t>So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, </t><t>never to rebuke you again. </t>


text:
<t>Though the mountains be shaken </t><t>and the hills be removed, </t><t>yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken </t><t>nor my covenant of peace be removed,” </t><t>says the LORD, who has compassion on you. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, </t><t>I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, <f>[109]</f> </t><t>your foundations with lapis lazuli. </t>


text:
<t>I will make your battlements of rubies, </t><t>your gates of sparkling jewels, </t><t>and all your walls of precious stones. </t>


text:
<t>In righteousness you will be established: </t><t>Tyranny will be far from you; </t><t>you will have nothing to fear. </t><t>Terror will be far removed; </t><t>it will not come near you. </t>


text:
<t>If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; </t><t>whoever attacks you will surrender to you. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“See, it is I who created the blacksmith </t><t>who fans the coals into flame </t><t>and forges a weapon fit for its work. </t><t>And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc; </t>


text:
<t>no weapon forged against you will prevail, </t><t>and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. </t><t>This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, </t><t>and this is their vindication from me,” </t><t>declares the LORD.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Come, all you who are thirsty, </t><t>come to the waters; </t><t>and you who have no money, </t><t>come, buy and eat! </t><t>Come, buy wine and milk </t><t>without money and without cost. </t>


text:
<t>Why spend money on what is not bread, </t><t>and your labor on what does not satisfy? </t><t>Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, </t><t>and you will delight in the richest of fare. </t>


text:
<t>Give ear and come to me; </t><t>listen, that you may live. </t><t>I will make an everlasting covenant with you, </t><t>my faithful love promised to David. </t>


text:
<t>Surely you will summon nations you know not, </t><t>and nations you do not know will come running to you, </t><t>because of the LORD your God, </t><t>the Holy One of Israel, </t><t>for he has endowed you with splendor.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Let the wicked forsake their ways </t><t>and the unrighteous their thoughts. </t><t>Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, </t><t>and to our God, for he will freely pardon. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, </t><t>neither are your ways my ways,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“As the heavens are higher than the earth, </t><t>so are my ways higher than your ways </t><t>and my thoughts than your thoughts. </t>


text:
<t>As the rain and the snow </t><t>come down from heaven, </t><t>and do not return to it </t><t>without watering the earth </t><t>and making it bud and flourish, </t><t>so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, </t>


text:
<t>so is my word that goes out from my mouth: </t><t>It will not return to me empty, </t><t>but will accomplish what I desire </t><t>and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. </t>


text:
<t>You will go out in joy </t><t>and be led forth in peace; </t><t>the mountains and hills </t><t>will burst into song before you, </t><t>and all the trees of the field </t><t>will clap their hands. </t>


text:
<t>Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, </t><t>and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. </t><t>This will be for the LORD’s renown, </t><t>for an everlasting sign, </t><t>that will endure forever.”</t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Maintain justice </t><t>and do what is right, </t><t>for my salvation is close at hand </t><t>and my righteousness will soon be revealed. </t>


text:
<t>Blessed is the one who does this —  </t><t>the person who holds it fast, </t><t>who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, </t><t>and keeps their hands from doing any evil.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Let no foreigner who is bound to the LORD say, </t><t>“The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.” </t><t>And let no eunuch complain, </t><t>“I am only a dry tree.” </t>


text:
<pb/>For this is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, </t><t>who choose what pleases me </t><t>and hold fast to my covenant —  </t>


text:
<t>to them I will give within my temple and its walls </t><t>a memorial and a name </t><t>better than sons and daughters; </t><t>I will give them an everlasting name </t><t>that will endure forever. </t>


text:
<t>And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD </t><t>to minister to him, </t><t>to love the name of the LORD, </t><t>and to be his servants, </t><t>all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it </t><t>and who hold fast to my covenant —  </t>


text:
<t>these I will bring to my holy mountain </t><t>and give them joy in my house of prayer. </t><t>Their burnt offerings and sacrifices </t><t>will be accepted on my altar; </t><t>for my house will be called </t><t>a house of prayer for all nations.” </t>


text:
<t>The Sovereign LORD declares —  </t><t>he who gathers the exiles of Israel: </t><t>“I will gather still others to them </t><t>besides those already gathered.” </t>


text:
<t>Israel’s watchmen are blind, </t><t>they all lack knowledge; </t><t>they are all mute dogs, </t><t>they cannot bark; </t><t>they lie around and dream, </t><t>they love to sleep. </t>


text:
<t>They are dogs with mighty appetites; </t><t>they never have enough. </t><t>They are shepherds who lack understanding; </t><t>they all turn to their own way, </t><t>they seek their own gain. </t>


text:
<t>“Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine! </t><t>Let us drink our fill of beer! </t><t>And tomorrow will be like today, </t><t>or even far better.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The righteous perish, </t><t>and no one takes it to heart; </t><t>the devout are taken away, </t><t>and no one understands </t><t>that the righteous are taken away </t><t>to be spared from evil. </t>


text:
<t>Those who walk uprightly </t><t>enter into peace; </t><t>they find rest as they lie in death. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“But you — come here, you children of a sorceress, </t><t>you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! </t>


text:
<t>Who are you mocking? </t><t>At whom do you sneer </t><t>and stick out your tongue? </t><t>Are you not a brood of rebels, </t><t>the offspring of liars? </t>


text:
<t>You burn with lust among the oaks </t><t>and under every spreading tree; </t><t>you sacrifice your children in the ravines </t><t>and under the overhanging crags. </t>


text:
<t>The idols among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion; </t><t>indeed, they are your lot. </t><t>Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings </t><t>and offered grain offerings. </t><t>In view of all this, should I relent? </t>


text:
<t>You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill; </t><t>there you went up to offer your sacrifices. </t>


text:
<t>Behind your doors and your doorposts </t><t>you have put your pagan symbols. </t><t>Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed, </t><t>you climbed into it and opened it wide; </t><t>you made a pact with those whose beds you love, </t><t>and you looked with lust on their naked bodies. </t>


text:
<t>You went to Molek <f>[110]</f> with olive oil </t><t>and increased your perfumes. </t><t>You sent your ambassadors <f>[111]</f> far away; </t><t>you descended to the very realm of the dead! </t>


text:
<t>You wearied yourself by such going about, </t><t>but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ </t><t>You found renewal of your strength, </t><t>and so you did not faint. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Whom have you so dreaded and feared </t><t>that you have not been true to me, </t><t>and have neither remembered me </t><t>nor taken this to heart? </t><t>Is it not because I have long been silent </t><t>that you do not fear me? </t>


text:
<t>When you cry out for help, </t><t>let your collection of idols save you! </t><t>The wind will carry all of them off, </t><t>a mere breath will blow them away. </t><t>But whoever takes refuge in me </t><t>will inherit the land </t><t>and possess my holy mountain.” </t>


text:
<pb/>And it will be said: <pb/><t>“Build up, build up, prepare the road! </t><t>Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” </t>


text:
<t>For this is what the high and exalted One says —  </t><t>he who lives forever, whose name is holy: </t><t>“I live in a high and holy place, </t><t>but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, </t><t>to revive the spirit of the lowly </t><t>and to revive the heart of the contrite. </t>


text:
<t>I will not accuse them forever, </t><t>nor will I always be angry, </t><t>for then they would faint away because of me —  </t><t>the very people I have created. </t>


text:
<t>I was enraged by their sinful greed; </t><t>I punished them, and hid my face in anger, </t><t>yet they kept on in their willful ways. </t>


text:
<t>I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; </t><t>I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners, </t>


text:
<t>creating praise on their lips. </t><t>Peace, peace, to those far and near,” </t><t>says the LORD. “And I will heal them.” </t>


text:
<t>But the wicked are like the tossing sea, </t><t>which cannot rest, </t><t>whose waves cast up mire and mud. </t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. </t><t>Raise your voice like a trumpet. </t><t>Declare to my people their rebellion </t><t>and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. </t>


text:
<t>For day after day they seek me out; </t><t>they seem eager to know my ways, </t><t>as if they were a nation that does what is right </t><t>and has not forsaken the commands of its God. </t><t>They ask me for just decisions </t><t>and seem eager for God to come near them. </t>


text:
<t>‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, </t><t>‘and you have not seen it? </t><t>Why have we humbled ourselves, </t><t>and you have not noticed?’ <pb/>“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please </t><t>and exploit all your workers. </t>


text:
<t>Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, </t><t>and in striking each other with wicked fists. </t><t>You cannot fast as you do today </t><t>and expect your voice to be heard on high. </t>


text:
<t>Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, </t><t>only a day for people to humble themselves? </t><t>Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed </t><t>and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? </t><t>Is that what you call a fast, </t><t>a day acceptable to the LORD? <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: </t><t>to loose the chains of injustice </t><t>and untie the cords of the yoke, </t><t>to set the oppressed free </t><t>and break every yoke? </t>


text:
<t>Is it not to share your food with the hungry </t><t>and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter —  </t><t>when you see the naked, to clothe them, </t><t>and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? </t>


text:
<t>Then your light will break forth like the dawn, </t><t>and your healing will quickly appear; </t><t>then your righteousness <f>[112]</f> will go before you, </t><t>and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. </t>


text:
<t>Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; </t><t>you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. <pb/>“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, </t><t>with the pointing finger and malicious talk, </t>


text:
<t>and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry </t><t>and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, </t><t>then your light will rise in the darkness, </t><t>and your night will become like the noonday. </t>


text:
<t>The LORD will guide you always; </t><t>he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land </t><t>and will strengthen your frame. </t><t>You will be like a well-watered garden, </t><t>like a spring whose waters never fail. </t>


text:
<t>Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins </t><t>and will raise up the age-old foundations; </t><t>you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, </t><t>Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath </t><t>and from doing as you please on my holy day, </t><t>if you call the Sabbath a delight </t><t>and the LORD’s holy day honorable, </t><t>and if you honor it by not going your own way </t><t>and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, </t>


text:
<t>then you will find your joy in the LORD, </t><t>and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land </t><t>and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” </t><t>The mouth of the LORD has spoken.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, </t><t>nor his ear too dull to hear. </t>


text:
<t>But your iniquities have separated </t><t>you from your God; </t><t>your sins have hidden his face from you, </t><t>so that he will not hear. </t>


text:
<t>For your hands are stained with blood, </t><t>your fingers with guilt. </t><t>Your lips have spoken falsely, </t><t>and your tongue mutters wicked things. </t>


text:
<t>No one calls for justice; </t><t>no one pleads a case with integrity. </t><t>They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; </t><t>they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. </t>


text:
<t>They hatch the eggs of vipers </t><t>and spin a spider’s web. </t><t>Whoever eats their eggs will die, </t><t>and when one is broken, an adder is hatched. </t>


text:
<t>Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; </t><t>they cannot cover themselves with what they make. </t><t>Their deeds are evil deeds, </t><t>and acts of violence are in their hands. </t>


text:
<t>Their feet rush into sin; </t><t>they are swift to shed innocent blood. </t><t>They pursue evil schemes; </t><t>acts of violence mark their ways. </t>


text:
<t>The way of peace they do not know; </t><t>there is no justice in their paths. </t><t>They have turned them into crooked roads; </t><t>no one who walks along them will know peace. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>So justice is far from us, </t><t>and righteousness does not reach us. </t><t>We look for light, but all is darkness; </t><t>for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. </t>


text:
<t>Like the blind we grope along the wall, </t><t>feeling our way like people without eyes. </t><t>At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; </t><t>among the strong, we are like the dead. </t>


text:
<t>We all growl like bears; </t><t>we moan mournfully like doves. </t><t>We look for justice, but find none; </t><t>for deliverance, but it is far away. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>For our offenses are many in your sight, </t><t>and our sins testify against us. </t><t>Our offenses are ever with us, </t><t>and we acknowledge our iniquities: </t>


text:
<t>rebellion and treachery against the LORD, </t><t>turning our backs on our God, </t><t>inciting revolt and oppression, </t><t>uttering lies our hearts have conceived. </t>


text:
<t>So justice is driven back, </t><t>and righteousness stands at a distance; </t><t>truth has stumbled in the streets, </t><t>honesty cannot enter. </t>


text:
<t>Truth is nowhere to be found, </t><t>and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. <pb/>The LORD looked and was displeased </t><t>that there was no justice. </t>


text:
<t>He saw that there was no one, </t><t>he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; </t><t>so his own arm achieved salvation for him, </t><t>and his own righteousness sustained him. </t>


text:
<t>He put on righteousness as his breastplate, </t><t>and the helmet of salvation on his head; </t><t>he put on the garments of vengeance </t><t>and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. </t>


text:
<t>According to what they have done, </t><t>so will he repay </t><t>wrath to his enemies </t><t>and retribution to his foes; </t><t>he will repay the islands their due. </t>


text:
<t>From the west, people will fear the name of the LORD, </t><t>and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. </t><t>For he will come like a pent-up flood </t><t>that the breath of the LORD drives along. <f>[113]</f> <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“The Redeemer will come to Zion, </t><t>to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<pb/>“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants — from this time on and forever,” says the LORD.


text:
<pb/><t>“Arise, shine, for your light has come, </t><t>and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. </t>


text:
<t>See, darkness covers the earth </t><t>and thick darkness is over the peoples, </t><t>but the LORD rises upon you </t><t>and his glory appears over you. </t>


text:
<t>“Lift up your eyes and look about you: </t><t>All assemble and come to you; </t><t>your sons come from afar, </t><t>and your daughters are carried on the hip. </t>


text:
<t>Then you will look and be radiant, </t><t>your heart will throb and swell with joy; </t><t>the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, </t><t>to you the riches of the nations will come. </t>


text:
<t>Herds of camels will cover your land, </t><t>young camels of Midian and Ephah. </t><t>And all from Sheba will come, </t><t>bearing gold and incense </t><t>and proclaiming the praise of the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, </t><t>the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; </t><t>they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, </t><t>and I will adorn my glorious temple. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Surely the islands look to me; </t><t>in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, <f>[114]</f> </t><t>bringing your children from afar, </t><t>with their silver and gold, </t><t>to the honor of the LORD your God, </t><t>the Holy One of Israel, </t><t>for he has endowed you with splendor. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Foreigners will rebuild your walls, </t><t>and their kings will serve you. </t><t>Though in anger I struck you, </t><t>in favor I will show you compassion. </t>


text:
<t>Your gates will always stand open, </t><t>they will never be shut, day or night, </t><t>so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations —  </t><t>their kings led in triumphal procession. </t>


text:
<t>For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; </t><t>it will be utterly ruined. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“The glory of Lebanon will come to you, </t><t>the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, </t><t>to adorn my sanctuary; </t><t>and I will glorify the place for my feet. </t>


text:
<t>The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; </t><t>all who despise you will bow down at your feet </t><t>and will call you the City of the LORD, </t><t>Zion of the Holy One of Israel. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Although you have been forsaken and hated, </t><t>with no one traveling through, </t><t>I will make you the everlasting pride </t><t>and the joy of all generations. </t>


text:
<t>You will drink the milk of nations </t><t>and be nursed at royal breasts. </t><t>Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, </t><t>your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. </t>


text:
<t>Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, </t><t>and silver in place of iron. </t><t>Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, </t><t>and iron in place of stones. </t><t>I will make peace your governor </t><t>and well-being your ruler. </t>


text:
<t>No longer will violence be heard in your land, </t><t>nor ruin or destruction within your borders, </t><t>but you will call your walls Salvation </t><t>and your gates Praise. </t>


text:
<t>The sun will no more be your light by day, </t><t>nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, </t><t>for the LORD will be your everlasting light, </t><t>and your God will be your glory. </t>


text:
<t>Your sun will never set again, </t><t>and your moon will wane no more; </t><t>the LORD will be your everlasting light, </t><t>and your days of sorrow will end. </t>


text:
<t>Then all your people will be righteous </t><t>and they will possess the land forever. </t><t>They are the shoot I have planted, </t><t>the work of my hands, </t><t>for the display of my splendor. </t>


text:
<t>The least of you will become a thousand, </t><t>the smallest a mighty nation. </t><t>I am the LORD; </t><t>in its time I will do this swiftly.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, </t><t>because the LORD has anointed me </t><t>to proclaim good news to the poor. </t><t>He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, </t><t>to proclaim freedom for the captives </t><t>and release from darkness for the prisoners, <f>[115]</f> </t>


text:
<t>to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor </t><t>and the day of vengeance of our God, </t><t>to comfort all who mourn, </t>


text:
<t>and provide for those who grieve in Zion —  </t><t>to bestow on them a crown of beauty </t><t>instead of ashes, </t><t>the oil of joy </t><t>instead of mourning, </t><t>and a garment of praise </t><t>instead of a spirit of despair. </t><t>They will be called oaks of righteousness, </t><t>a planting of the LORD </t><t>for the display of his splendor. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>They will rebuild the ancient ruins </t><t>and restore the places long devastated; </t><t>they will renew the ruined cities </t><t>that have been devastated for generations. </t>


text:
<t>And you will be called priests of the LORD, </t><t>you will be named ministers of our God. </t><t>You will feed on the wealth of nations, </t><t>and in their riches you will boast. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Instead of your shame </t><t>you will receive a double portion, </t><t>and instead of disgrace </t><t>you will rejoice in your inheritance. </t><t>And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, </t><t>and everlasting joy will be yours. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“For I, the LORD, love justice; </t><t>I hate robbery and wrongdoing. </t><t>In my faithfulness I will reward my people </t><t>and make an everlasting covenant with them. </t>


text:
<t>Their descendants will be known among the nations </t><t>and their offspring among the peoples. </t><t>All who see them will acknowledge </t><t>that they are a people the LORD has blessed.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>I delight greatly in the LORD; </t><t>my soul rejoices in my God. </t><t>For he has clothed me with garments of salvation </t><t>and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, </t><t>as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, </t><t>and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. </t>


text:
<t>For as the soil makes the sprout come up </t><t>and a garden causes seeds to grow, </t><t>so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness </t><t>and praise spring up before all nations.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, </t><t>for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, </t><t>till her vindication shines out like the dawn, </t><t>her salvation like a blazing torch. </t>


text:
<t>The nations will see your vindication, </t><t>and all kings your glory; </t><t>you will be called by a new name </t><t>that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. </t>


text:
<t>You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand, </t><t>a royal diadem in the hand of your God. </t>


text:
<t>No longer will they call you Deserted, </t><t>or name your land Desolate. </t><t>But you will be called Hephzibah, <f>[116]</f> </t><t>and your land Beulah <f>[117]</f>; </t><t>for the LORD will take delight in you, </t><t>and your land will be married. </t>


text:
<t>As a young man marries a young woman, </t><t>so will your Builder marry you; </t><t>as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, </t><t>so will your God rejoice over you. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; </t><t>they will never be silent day or night. </t><t>You who call on the LORD, </t><t>give yourselves no rest, </t>


text:
<t>and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem </t><t>and makes her the praise of the earth. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The LORD has sworn by his right hand </t><t>and by his mighty arm: </t><t>“Never again will I give your grain </t><t>as food for your enemies, </t><t>and never again will foreigners drink the new wine </t><t>for which you have toiled; </t>


text:
<t>but those who harvest it will eat it </t><t>and praise the LORD, </t><t>and those who gather the grapes will drink it </t><t>in the courts of my sanctuary.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Pass through, pass through the gates! </t><t>Prepare the way for the people. </t><t>Build up, build up the highway! </t><t>Remove the stones. </t><t>Raise a banner for the nations. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The LORD has made proclamation </t><t>to the ends of the earth: </t><t>“Say to Daughter Zion, </t><t>‘See, your Savior comes! </t><t>See, his reward is with him, </t><t>and his recompense accompanies him.’ ” </t>


text:
<t>They will be called the Holy People, </t><t>the Redeemed of the LORD; </t><t>and you will be called Sought After, </t><t>the City No Longer Deserted.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Who is this coming from Edom, </t><t>from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? </t><t>Who is this, robed in splendor, </t><t>striding forward in the greatness of his strength? <pb/>“It is I, proclaiming victory, </t><t>mighty to save.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“I have trodden the winepress alone; </t><t>from the nations no one was with me. </t><t>I trampled them in my anger </t><t>and trod them down in my wrath; </t><t>their blood spattered my garments, </t><t>and I stained all my clothing. </t>


text:
<t>I looked, but there was no one to help, </t><t>I was appalled that no one gave support; </t><t>so my own arm achieved salvation for me, </t><t>and my own wrath sustained me. </t>


text:
<t>I trampled the nations in my anger; </t><t>in my wrath I made them drunk </t><t>and poured their blood on the ground.” </t>


text:
<t>I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, </t><t>the deeds for which he is to be praised, </t><t>according to all the LORD has done for us —  </t><t>yes, the many good things </t><t>he has done for Israel, </t><t>according to his compassion and many kindnesses. </t>


text:
<t>He said, “Surely they are my people, </t><t>children who will be true to me”; </t><t>and so he became their Savior. </t>


text:
<t>In all their distress he too was distressed, </t><t>and the angel of his presence saved them. <f>[118]</f> </t><t>In his love and mercy he redeemed them; </t><t>he lifted them up and carried them </t><t>all the days of old. </t>


text:
<t>Yet they rebelled </t><t>and grieved his Holy Spirit. </t><t>So he turned and became their enemy </t><t>and he himself fought against them. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Then his people recalled <f>[119]</f> the days of old, </t><t>the days of Moses and his people —  </t><t>where is he who brought them through the sea, </t><t>with the shepherd of his flock? </t><t>Where is he who set </t><t>his Holy Spirit among them, </t>


text:
<t>who sent his glorious arm of power </t><t>to be at Moses’ right hand, </t><t>who divided the waters before them, </t><t>to gain for himself everlasting renown, </t>


text:
<t>who led them through the depths? </t><t>Like a horse in open country, </t><t>they did not stumble; </t>


text:
<t>like cattle that go down to the plain, </t><t>they were given rest by the Spirit of the LORD. </t><t>This is how you guided your people </t><t>to make for yourself a glorious name. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Look down from heaven and see, </t><t>from your lofty throne, holy and glorious. </t><t>Where are your zeal and your might? </t><t>Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us. </t>


text:
<t>But you are our Father, </t><t>though Abraham does not know us </t><t>or Israel acknowledge us; </t><t>you, LORD, are our Father, </t><t>our Redeemer from of old is your name. </t>


text:
<t>Why, LORD, do you make us wander from your ways </t><t>and harden our hearts so we do not revere you? </t><t>Return for the sake of your servants, </t><t>the tribes that are your inheritance. </t>


text:
<t>For a little while your people possessed your holy place, </t><t>but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary. </t>


text:
<t>We are yours from of old; </t><t>but you have not ruled over them, </t><t>they have not been called <f>[120]</f> by your name.</t>


text:
<pb/><t> <f>[121]</f> <n>[1]</n> Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, </t><t>that the mountains would tremble before you! </t>


text:
<t>As when fire sets twigs ablaze </t><t>and causes water to boil, </t><t>come down to make your name known to your enemies </t><t>and cause the nations to quake before you! </t>


text:
<t>For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, </t><t>you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. </t>


text:
<t>Since ancient times no one has heard, </t><t>no ear has perceived, </t><t>no eye has seen any God besides you, </t><t>who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. </t>


text:
<t>You come to the help of those who gladly do right, </t><t>who remember your ways. </t><t>But when we continued to sin against them, </t><t>you were angry. </t><t>How then can we be saved? </t>


text:
<t>All of us have become like one who is unclean, </t><t>and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; </t><t>we all shrivel up like a leaf, </t><t>and like the wind our sins sweep us away. </t>


text:
<t>No one calls on your name </t><t>or strives to lay hold of you; </t><t>for you have hidden your face from us </t><t>and have given us over to <f>[122]</f> our sins. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Yet you, LORD, are our Father. </t><t>We are the clay, you are the potter; </t><t>we are all the work of your hand. </t>


text:
<t>Do not be angry beyond measure, LORD; </t><t>do not remember our sins forever. </t><t>Oh, look on us, we pray, </t><t>for we are all your people. </t>


text:
<t>Your sacred cities have become a wasteland; </t><t>even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation. </t>


text:
<t>Our holy and glorious temple, where our ancestors praised you, </t><t>has been burned with fire, </t><t>and all that we treasured lies in ruins. </t>


text:
<t>After all this, LORD, will you hold yourself back? </t><t>Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; </t><t>I was found by those who did not seek me. </t><t>To a nation that did not call on my name, </t><t>I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ </t>


text:
<t>All day long I have held out my hands </t><t>to an obstinate people, </t><t>who walk in ways not good, </t><t>pursuing their own imaginations —  </t>


text:
<t>a people who continually provoke me </t><t>to my very face, </t><t>offering sacrifices in gardens </t><t>and burning incense on altars of brick; </t>


text:
<t>who sit among the graves </t><t>and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; </t><t>who eat the flesh of pigs, </t><t>and whose pots hold broth of impure meat; </t>


text:
<t>who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me, </t><t>for I am too sacred for you!’ </t><t>Such people are smoke in my nostrils, </t><t>a fire that keeps burning all day. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“See, it stands written before me: </t><t>I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; </t><t>I will pay it back into their laps —  </t>


text:
<t>both your sins and the sins of your ancestors,” </t><t>says the LORD. </t><t>“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains </t><t>and defied me on the hills, </t><t>I will measure into their laps </t><t>the full payment for their former deeds.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes </t><t>and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it, </t><t>there is still a blessing in it,’ </t><t>so will I do in behalf of my servants; </t><t>I will not destroy them all. </t>


text:
<t>I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, </t><t>and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; </t><t>my chosen people will inherit them, </t><t>and there will my servants live. </t>


text:
<t>Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, </t><t>and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, </t><t>for my people who seek me. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“But as for you who forsake the LORD </t><t>and forget my holy mountain, </t><t>who spread a table for Fortune </t><t>and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, </t>


text:
<t>I will destine you for the sword, </t><t>and all of you will fall in the slaughter; </t><t>for I called but you did not answer, </t><t>I spoke but you did not listen. </t><t>You did evil in my sight </t><t>and chose what displeases me.” </t>


text:
<pb/>Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: <pb/><t>“My servants will eat, </t><t>but you will go hungry; </t><t>my servants will drink, </t><t>but you will go thirsty; </t><t>my servants will rejoice, </t><t>but you will be put to shame. </t>


text:
<t>My servants will sing </t><t>out of the joy of their hearts, </t><t>but you will cry out </t><t>from anguish of heart </t><t>and wail in brokenness of spirit. </t>


text:
<t>You will leave your name </t><t>for my chosen ones to use in their curses; </t><t>the Sovereign LORD will put you to death, </t><t>but to his servants he will give another name. </t>


text:
<t>Whoever invokes a blessing in the land </t><t>will do so by the one true God; </t><t>whoever takes an oath in the land </t><t>will swear by the one true God. </t><t>For the past troubles will be forgotten </t><t>and hidden from my eyes. </t>


text:
<t>“See, I will create </t><t>new heavens and a new earth. </t><t>The former things will not be remembered, </t><t>nor will they come to mind. </t>


text:
<t>But be glad and rejoice forever </t><t>in what I will create, </t><t>for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight </t><t>and its people a joy. </t>


text:
<t>I will rejoice over Jerusalem </t><t>and take delight in my people; </t><t>the sound of weeping and of crying </t><t>will be heard in it no more. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Never again will there be in it </t><t>an infant who lives but a few days, </t><t>or an old man who does not live out his years; </t><t>the one who dies at a hundred </t><t>will be thought a mere child; </t><t>the one who fails to reach <f>[123]</f> a hundred </t><t>will be considered accursed. </t>


text:
<t>They will build houses and dwell in them; </t><t>they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. </t>


text:
<t>No longer will they build houses and others live in them, </t><t>or plant and others eat. </t><t>For as the days of a tree, </t><t>so will be the days of my people; </t><t>my chosen ones will long enjoy </t><t>the work of their hands. </t>


text:
<t>They will not labor in vain, </t><t>nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; </t><t>for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, </t><t>they and their descendants with them. </t>


text:
<t>The wolf and the lamb will feed together, </t><t>and the lion will eat straw like the ox, </t><t>and dust will be the serpent’s food. </t><t>They will neither harm nor destroy </t><t>on all my holy mountain,” </t><t>says the LORD.</t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Heaven is my throne, </t><t>and the earth is my footstool. </t><t>Where is the house you will build for me? </t><t>Where will my resting place be? </t>


text:
<t>Has not my hand made all these things, </t><t>and so they came into being?” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/>“These are the ones I look on with favor: </t><t>those who are humble and contrite in spirit, </t><t>and who tremble at my word. </t>


text:
<t>But whoever sacrifices a bull </t><t>is like one who kills a person, </t><t>and whoever offers a lamb </t><t>is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; </t><t>whoever makes a grain offering </t><t>is like one who presents pig’s blood, </t><t>and whoever burns memorial incense </t><t>is like one who worships an idol. </t><t>They have chosen their own ways, </t><t>and they delight in their abominations; </t>


text:
<t>so I also will choose harsh treatment for them </t><t>and will bring on them what they dread. </t><t>For when I called, no one answered, </t><t>when I spoke, no one listened. </t><t>They did evil in my sight </t><t>and chose what displeases me.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Hear the word of the LORD, </t><t>you who tremble at his word: </t><t>“Your own people who hate you, </t><t>and exclude you because of my name, have said, </t><t>‘Let the LORD be glorified, </t><t>that we may see your joy!’ </t><t>Yet they will be put to shame. </t>


text:
<t>Hear that uproar from the city, </t><t>hear that noise from the temple! </t><t>It is the sound of the LORD </t><t>repaying his enemies all they deserve. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Before she goes into labor, </t><t>she gives birth; </t><t>before the pains come upon her, </t><t>she delivers a son. </t>


text:
<t>Who has ever heard of such things? </t><t>Who has ever seen things like this? </t><t>Can a country be born in a day </t><t>or a nation be brought forth in a moment? </t><t>Yet no sooner is Zion in labor </t><t>than she gives birth to her children. </t>


text:
<t>Do I bring to the moment of birth </t><t>and not give delivery?” says the LORD. </t><t>“Do I close up the womb </t><t>when I bring to delivery?” says your God. </t>


text:
<t>“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, </t><t>all you who love her; </t><t>rejoice greatly with her, </t><t>all you who mourn over her. </t>


text:
<t>For you will nurse and be satisfied </t><t>at her comforting breasts; </t><t>you will drink deeply </t><t>and delight in her overflowing abundance.” </t>


text:
<pb/>For this is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“I will extend peace to her like a river, </t><t>and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; </t><t>you will nurse and be carried on her arm </t><t>and dandled on her knees. </t>


text:
<t>As a mother comforts her child, </t><t>so will I comfort you; </t><t>and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>When you see this, your heart will rejoice </t><t>and you will flourish like grass; </t><t>the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants, </t><t>but his fury will be shown to his foes. </t>


text:
<t>See, the LORD is coming with fire, </t><t>and his chariots are like a whirlwind; </t><t>he will bring down his anger with fury, </t><t>and his rebuke with flames of fire. </t>


text:
<t>For with fire and with his sword </t><t>the LORD will execute judgment on all people, </t><t>and many will be those slain by the LORD. </t>


text:
<pb/>“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things — they will meet their end together with the one they follow,” declares the LORD.


text:
<pb/>“And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come <f>[124]</f> and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.


text:
<pb/>“I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations — to Tarshish, to the Libyans <f>[125]</f> and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.


text:
And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD — on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the LORD. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels.


text:
<pb/>“As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure.


text:
From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD.


text:
“And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”


text:
<pb/>The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.


text:
The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah,


text:
and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.


text:
<pb/><t>“Before I formed you in the womb I knew <f>[1]</f> you, </t><t>before you were born I set you apart; </t><t>I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” </t>


text:
<pb/>But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.


text:
<pb/>Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.


text:
See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”


text:
<pb/>The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” <pb/>“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.


text:
<pb/>The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching <f>[2]</f> to see that my word is fulfilled.”


text:
<pb/>The word of the LORD came to me again: “What do you see?” <pb/>“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”


text:
I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the LORD. <pb/><t>“Their kings will come and set up their thrones </t><t>in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; </t><t>they will come against all her surrounding walls </t><t>and against all the towns of Judah. </t>


text:
<t>I will pronounce my judgments on my people </t><t>because of their wickedness in forsaking me, </t><t>in burning incense to other gods </t><t>and in worshiping what their hands have made. </t>


text:
<pb/>“Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.


text:
Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land — against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land.


text:
They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.


text:
“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: <pb/>“This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“ ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, </t><t>how as a bride you loved me </t><t>and followed me through the wilderness, </t><t>through a land not sown. </t>


text:
<t>Israel was holy to the LORD, </t><t>the firstfruits of his harvest; </t><t>all who devoured her were held guilty, </t><t>and disaster overtook them,’ ” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“What fault did your ancestors find in me, </t><t>that they strayed so far from me? </t><t>They followed worthless idols </t><t>and became worthless themselves. </t>


text:
<t>They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD, </t><t>who brought us up out of Egypt </t><t>and led us through the barren wilderness, </t><t>through a land of deserts and ravines, </t><t>a land of drought and utter darkness, </t><t>a land where no one travels and no one lives?’ </t>


text:
<t>I brought you into a fertile land </t><t>to eat its fruit and rich produce. </t><t>But you came and defiled my land </t><t>and made my inheritance detestable. </t>


text:
<t>The priests did not ask, </t><t>‘Where is the LORD?’ </t><t>Those who deal with the law did not know me; </t><t>the leaders rebelled against me. </t><t>The prophets prophesied by Baal, </t><t>following worthless idols. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Therefore I bring charges against you again,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“And I will bring charges against your children’s children. </t>


text:
<t>Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and look, </t><t>send to Kedar <f>[3]</f> and observe closely; </t><t>see if there has ever been anything like this: </t>


text:
<t>Has a nation ever changed its gods? </t><t>(Yet they are not gods at all.) </t><t>But my people have exchanged their glorious God </t><t>for worthless idols. </t>


text:
<t>Be appalled at this, you heavens, </t><t>and shudder with great horror,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“My people have committed two sins: </t><t>They have forsaken me, </t><t>the spring of living water, </t><t>and have dug their own cisterns, </t><t>broken cisterns that cannot hold water. </t>


text:
<t>Lions have roared; </t><t>they have growled at him. </t><t>They have laid waste his land; </t><t>his towns are burned and deserted. </t>


text:
<t>Have you not brought this on yourselves </t><t>by forsaking the LORD your God </t><t>when he led you in the way? </t>


text:
<t>Now why go to Egypt </t><t>to drink water from the Nile <f>[4]</f>? </t><t>And why go to Assyria </t><t>to drink water from the Euphrates? </t>


text:
<t>Your wickedness will punish you; </t><t>your backsliding will rebuke you. </t><t>Consider then and realize </t><t>how evil and bitter it is for you </t><t>when you forsake the LORD your God </t><t>and have no awe of me,” </t><t>declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Long ago you broke off your yoke </t><t>and tore off your bonds; </t><t>you said, ‘I will not serve you!’ </t><t>Indeed, on every high hill </t><t>and under every spreading tree </t><t>you lay down as a prostitute. </t>


text:
<t>I had planted you like a choice vine </t><t>of sound and reliable stock. </t><t>How then did you turn against me </t><t>into a corrupt, wild vine? </t>


text:
<t>Although you wash yourself with soap </t><t>and use an abundance of cleansing powder, </t><t>the stain of your guilt is still before me,” </t><t>declares the Sovereign LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled; </t><t>I have not run after the Baals’? </t><t>See how you behaved in the valley; </t><t>consider what you have done. </t><t>You are a swift she-camel </t><t>running here and there, </t>


text:
<t>a wild donkey accustomed to the desert, </t><t>sniffing the wind in her craving —  </t><t>in her heat who can restrain her? </t><t>Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves; </t><t>at mating time they will find her. </t>


text:
<t>Do not run until your feet are bare </t><t>and your throat is dry. </t><t>But you said, ‘It’s no use! </t><t>I love foreign gods, </t><t>and I must go after them.’ <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“As a thief is disgraced when he is caught, </t><t>so the people of Israel are disgraced —  </t><t>they, their kings and their officials, </t><t>their priests and their prophets. </t>


text:
<t>They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’ </t><t>and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ </t><t>They have turned their backs to me </t><t>and not their faces; </t><t>yet when they are in trouble, they say, </t><t>‘Come and save us!’ </t>


text:
<t>Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? </t><t>Let them come if they can save you </t><t>when you are in trouble! </t><t>For you, Judah, have as many gods </t><t>as you have towns. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Why do you bring charges against me? </t><t>You have all rebelled against me,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“In vain I punished your people; </t><t>they did not respond to correction. </t><t>Your sword has devoured your prophets </t><t>like a ravenous lion. </t>


text:
<pb/>“You of this generation, consider the word of the LORD: <pb/><t>“Have I been a desert to Israel </t><t>or a land of great darkness? </t><t>Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam; </t><t>we will come to you no more’? </t>


text:
<t>Does a young woman forget her jewelry, </t><t>a bride her wedding ornaments? </t><t>Yet my people have forgotten me, </t><t>days without number. </t>


text:
<t>How skilled you are at pursuing love! </t><t>Even the worst of women can learn from your ways. </t>


text:
<t>On your clothes is found </t><t>the lifeblood of the innocent poor, </t><t>though you did not catch them breaking in. </t><t>Yet in spite of all this </t>


text:
<t>you say, ‘I am innocent; </t><t>he is not angry with me.’ </t><t>But I will pass judgment on you </t><t>because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ </t>


text:
<t>Why do you go about so much, </t><t>changing your ways? </t><t>You will be disappointed by Egypt </t><t>as you were by Assyria. </t>


text:
<t>You will also leave that place </t><t>with your hands on your head, </t><t>for the LORD has rejected those you trust; </t><t>you will not be helped by them.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“If a man divorces his wife </t><t>and she leaves him and marries another man, </t><t>should he return to her again? </t><t>Would not the land be completely defiled? </t><t>But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers —  </t><t>would you now return to me?” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“Look up to the barren heights and see. </t><t>Is there any place where you have not been ravished? </t><t>By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, </t><t>sat like a nomad in the desert. </t><t>You have defiled the land </t><t>with your prostitution and wickedness. </t>


text:
<t>Therefore the showers have been withheld, </t><t>and no spring rains have fallen. </t><t>Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; </t><t>you refuse to blush with shame. </t>


text:
<t>will you always be angry? </t><t>Will your wrath continue forever?’ </t><t>This is how you talk, </t><t>but you do all the evil you can.” </t>


text:
<pb/>During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there.


text:
I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it.


text:
I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.


text:
Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood.


text:
In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.


text:
Go, proclaim this message toward the north: <pb/><t>“ ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD, </t><t>‘I will frown on you no longer, </t><t>for I am faithful,’ declares the LORD, </t><t>‘I will not be angry forever. </t>


text:
<t>Only acknowledge your guilt —  </t><t>you have rebelled against the LORD your God, </t><t>you have scattered your favors to foreign gods </t><t>under every spreading tree, </t><t>and have not obeyed me,’ ” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<pb/>“Return, faithless people,” declares the LORD, “for I am your husband. I will choose you — one from a town and two from a clan — and bring you to Zion.


text:
Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.


text:
In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the LORD, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.


text:
At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.


text:
In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.


text:
<pb/>“I myself said, <pb/><t>“ ‘How gladly would I treat you like my children </t><t>and give you a pleasant land, </t><t>the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ </t><t>I thought you would call me ‘Father’ </t><t>and not turn away from following me. </t>


text:
<t>But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, </t><t>so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>A cry is heard on the barren heights, </t><t>the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel, </t><t>because they have perverted their ways </t><t>and have forgotten the LORD their God. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Return, faithless people; </t><t>I will cure you of backsliding.” <pb/>“Yes, we will come to you, </t><t>for you are the LORD our God. </t>


text:
<t>Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills </t><t>and mountains is a deception; </t><t>surely in the LORD our God </t><t>is the salvation of Israel. </t>


text:
<t>From our youth shameful gods have consumed </t><t>the fruits of our ancestors’ labor —  </t><t>their flocks and herds, </t><t>their sons and daughters. </t>


text:
<t>Let us lie down in our shame, </t><t>and let our disgrace cover us. </t><t>We have sinned against the LORD our God, </t><t>both we and our ancestors; </t><t>from our youth till this day </t><t>we have not obeyed the LORD our God.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“If you, Israel, will return, </t><t>then return to me,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“If you put your detestable idols out of my sight </t><t>and no longer go astray, </t>


text:
<t>and if in a truthful, just and righteous way </t><t>you swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ </t><t>then the nations will invoke blessings by him </t><t>and in him they will boast.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: <pb/><t>“Break up your unplowed ground </t><t>and do not sow among thorns. </t>


text:
<t>Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, </t><t>circumcise your hearts, </t><t>you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, </t><t>or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire </t><t>because of the evil you have done —  </t><t>burn with no one to quench it. </t>


text:
<t>“Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: </t><t>‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’ </t><t>Cry aloud and say: </t><t>‘Gather together! </t><t>Let us flee to the fortified cities!’ </t>


text:
<t>Raise the signal to go to Zion! </t><t>Flee for safety without delay! </t><t>For I am bringing disaster from the north, </t><t>even terrible destruction.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>A lion has come out of his lair; </t><t>a destroyer of nations has set out. </t><t>He has left his place </t><t>to lay waste your land. </t><t>Your towns will lie in ruins </t><t>without inhabitant. </t>


text:
<t>So put on sackcloth, </t><t>lament and wail, </t><t>for the fierce anger of the LORD </t><t>has not turned away from us. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“In that day,” declares the LORD, </t><t>“the king and the officials will lose heart, </t><t>the priests will be horrified, </t><t>and the prophets will be appalled.” </t>


text:
<pb/>Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! How completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our throats!”


text:
<pb/>At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse;


text:
<pb/><t>Look! He advances like the clouds, </t><t>his chariots come like a whirlwind, </t><t>his horses are swifter than eagles. </t><t>Woe to us! We are ruined! </t>


text:
<t>Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved. </t><t>How long will you harbor wicked thoughts? </t>


text:
<t>“Tell this to the nations, </t><t>proclaim concerning Jerusalem: </t><t>‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land, </t><t>raising a war cry against the cities of Judah. </t>


text:
<t>They surround her like men guarding a field, </t><t>because she has rebelled against me,’ ” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“Your own conduct and actions </t><t>have brought this on you. </t><t>This is your punishment. </t><t>How bitter it is! </t><t>How it pierces to the heart!” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Oh, my anguish, my anguish! </t><t>I writhe in pain. </t><t>Oh, the agony of my heart! </t><t>My heart pounds within me, </t><t>I cannot keep silent. </t><t>For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; </t><t>I have heard the battle cry. </t>


text:
<t>Disaster follows disaster; </t><t>the whole land lies in ruins. </t><t>In an instant my tents are destroyed, </t><t>my shelter in a moment. </t>


text:
<t>“My people are fools; </t><t>they do not know me. </t><t>They are senseless children; </t><t>they have no understanding. </t><t>They are skilled in doing evil; </t><t>they know not how to do good.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>I looked at the earth, </t><t>and it was formless and empty; </t><t>and at the heavens, </t><t>and their light was gone. </t>


text:
<t>I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; </t><t>all its towns lay in ruins </t><t>before the LORD, before his fierce anger. </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“The whole land will be ruined, </t><t>though I will not destroy it completely. </t>


text:
<t>Therefore the earth will mourn </t><t>and the heavens above grow dark, </t><t>because I have spoken and will not relent, </t><t>I have decided and will not turn back.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>At the sound of horsemen and archers </t><t>every town takes to flight. </t><t>Some go into the thickets; </t><t>some climb up among the rocks. </t><t>All the towns are deserted; </t><t>no one lives in them. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>What are you doing, you devastated one? </t><t>Why dress yourself in scarlet </t><t>and put on jewels of gold? </t><t>Why highlight your eyes with makeup? </t><t>You adorn yourself in vain. </t><t>Your lovers despise you; </t><t>they want to kill you. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>I hear a cry as of a woman in labor, </t><t>a groan as of one bearing her first child —  </t><t>the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, </t><t>stretching out her hands and saying, </t><t>“Alas! I am fainting; </t><t>my life is given over to murderers.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, </t><t>look around and consider, </t><t>search through her squares. </t><t>If you can find but one person </t><t>who deals honestly and seeks the truth, </t><t>I will forgive this city. </t>


text:
<t>Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ </t><t>still they are swearing falsely.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t> LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? </t><t>You struck them, but they felt no pain; </t><t>you crushed them, but they refused correction. </t><t>They made their faces harder than stone </t><t>and refused to repent. </t>


text:
<t>I thought, “These are only the poor; </t><t>they are foolish, </t><t>for they do not know the way of the LORD, </t><t>the requirements of their God. </t>


text:
<t>So I will go to the leaders </t><t>and speak to them; </t><t>surely they know the way of the LORD, </t><t>the requirements of their God.” </t><t>But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke </t><t>and torn off the bonds. </t>


text:
<t>Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, </t><t>a wolf from the desert will ravage them, </t><t>a leopard will lie in wait near their towns </t><t>to tear to pieces any who venture out, </t><t>for their rebellion is great </t><t>and their backslidings many. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Why should I forgive you? </t><t>Your children have forsaken me </t><t>and sworn by gods that are not gods. </t><t>I supplied all their needs, </t><t>yet they committed adultery </t><t>and thronged to the houses of prostitutes. </t>


text:
<t>Should I not punish them for this?” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“Should I not avenge myself </t><t>on such a nation as this? <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Go through her vineyards and ravage them, </t><t>but do not destroy them completely. </t><t>Strip off her branches, </t><t>for these people do not belong to the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>The people of Israel and the people of Judah </t><t>have been utterly unfaithful to me,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>They have lied about the LORD; </t><t>they said, “He will do nothing! </t><t>No harm will come to us; </t><t>we will never see sword or famine. </t>


text:
<t>The prophets are but wind </t><t>and the word is not in them; </t><t>so let what they say be done to them.” </t>


text:
<pb/>Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty says: <pb/><t>“Because the people have spoken these words, </t><t>I will make my words in your mouth a fire </t><t>and these people the wood it consumes. </t>


text:
<t>People of Israel,” declares the LORD, </t><t>“I am bringing a distant nation against you —  </t><t>an ancient and enduring nation, </t><t>a people whose language you do not know, </t><t>whose speech you do not understand. </t>


text:
<t>They will devour your harvests and food, </t><t>devour your sons and daughters; </t><t>they will devour your flocks and herds, </t><t>devour your vines and fig trees. </t><t>With the sword they will destroy </t><t>the fortified cities in which you trust. </t>


text:
And when the people ask, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.’


text:
<t>Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, </t><t>who have eyes but do not see, </t><t>who have ears but do not hear: </t>


text:
<t>Should you not fear me?” declares the LORD. </t><t>“Should you not tremble in my presence? </t><t>I made the sand a boundary for the sea, </t><t>an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. </t><t>The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; </t><t>they may roar, but they cannot cross it. </t>


text:
<t>But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; </t><t>they have turned aside and gone away. </t>


text:
<t>They do not say to themselves, </t><t>‘Let us fear the LORD our God, </t><t>who gives autumn and spring rains in season, </t><t>who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’ </t>


text:
<t>“Among my people are the wicked </t><t>who lie in wait like men who snare birds </t><t>and like those who set traps to catch people. </t>


text:
<t>Like cages full of birds, </t><t>their houses are full of deceit; </t><t>they have become rich and powerful </t>


text:
<t>and have grown fat and sleek. </t><t>Their evil deeds have no limit; </t><t>they do not seek justice. </t><t>They do not promote the case of the fatherless; </t><t>they do not defend the just cause of the poor. </t>


text:
<t>The prophets prophesy lies, </t><t>the priests rule by their own authority, </t><t>and my people love it this way. </t><t>But what will you do in the end?</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! </t><t>Flee from Jerusalem! </t><t>Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! </t><t>Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! </t><t>For disaster looms out of the north, </t><t>even terrible destruction. </t>


text:
<t>Shepherds with their flocks will come against her; </t><t>they will pitch their tents around her, </t><t>each tending his own portion.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Prepare for battle against her! </t><t>Arise, let us attack at noon! </t><t>But, alas, the daylight is fading, </t><t>and the shadows of evening grow long. </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“Cut down the trees </t><t>and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. </t><t>This city must be punished; </t><t>it is filled with oppression. </t>


text:
<t>As a well pours out its water, </t><t>so she pours out her wickedness. </t><t>Violence and destruction resound in her; </t><t>her sickness and wounds are ever before me. </t>


text:
<t>Take warning, Jerusalem, </t><t>or I will turn away from you </t><t>and make your land desolate </t><t>so no one can live in it.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“Let them glean the remnant of Israel </t><t>as thoroughly as a vine; </t><t>pass your hand over the branches again, </t><t>like one gathering grapes.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>To whom can I speak and give warning? </t><t>Who will listen to me? </t><t>Their ears are closed <f>[5]</f> </t><t>so they cannot hear. </t><t>The word of the LORD is offensive to them; </t><t>they find no pleasure in it. </t>


text:
<t>But I am full of the wrath of the LORD, </t><t>and I cannot hold it in. <pb/>“Pour it out on the children in the street </t><t>and on the young men gathered together; </t><t>both husband and wife will be caught in it, </t><t>and the old, those weighed down with years. </t>


text:
<t>Their houses will be turned over to others, </t><t>together with their fields and their wives, </t><t>when I stretch out my hand </t><t>against those who live in the land,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“From the least to the greatest, </t><t>all are greedy for gain; </t><t>prophets and priests alike, </t><t>all practice deceit. </t>


text:
<t>They dress the wound of my people </t><t>as though it were not serious. </t><t>‘Peace, peace,’ they say, </t><t>when there is no peace. </t>


text:
<t>Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? </t><t>No, they have no shame at all; </t><t>they do not even know how to blush. </t><t>So they will fall among the fallen; </t><t>they will be brought down when I punish them,” </t><t>says the LORD. </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Stand at the crossroads and look; </t><t>ask for the ancient paths, </t><t>ask where the good way is, and walk in it, </t><t>and you will find rest for your souls. </t><t>But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ </t>


text:
<t>I appointed watchmen over you and said, </t><t>‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ </t><t>But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ </t>


text:
<t>Therefore hear, you nations; </t><t>you who are witnesses, </t><t>observe what will happen to them. </t>


text:
<t>Hear, you earth: </t><t>I am bringing disaster on this people, </t><t>the fruit of their schemes, </t><t>because they have not listened to my words </t><t>and have rejected my law. </t>


text:
<t>What do I care about incense from Sheba </t><t>or sweet calamus from a distant land? </t><t>Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; </t><t>your sacrifices do not please me.” </t>


text:
<pb/>Therefore this is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“I will put obstacles before this people. </t><t>Parents and children alike will stumble over them; </t><t>neighbors and friends will perish.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Look, an army is coming </t><t>from the land of the north; </t><t>a great nation is being stirred up </t><t>from the ends of the earth. </t>


text:
<t>They are armed with bow and spear; </t><t>they are cruel and show no mercy. </t><t>They sound like the roaring sea </t><t>as they ride on their horses; </t><t>they come like men in battle formation </t><t>to attack you, Daughter Zion.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>We have heard reports about them, </t><t>and our hands hang limp. </t><t>Anguish has gripped us, </t><t>pain like that of a woman in labor. </t>


text:
<t>Do not go out to the fields </t><t>or walk on the roads, </t><t>for the enemy has a sword, </t><t>and there is terror on every side. </t>


text:
<t>Put on sackcloth, my people, </t><t>and roll in ashes; </t><t>mourn with bitter wailing </t><t>as for an only son, </t><t>for suddenly the destroyer </t><t>will come upon us. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“I have made you a tester of metals </t><t>and my people the ore, </t><t>that you may observe </t><t>and test their ways. </t>


text:
<t>They are all hardened rebels, </t><t>going about to slander. </t><t>They are bronze and iron; </t><t>they all act corruptly. </t>


text:
<t>The bellows blow fiercely </t><t>to burn away the lead with fire, </t><t>but the refining goes on in vain; </t><t>the wicked are not purged out. </t>


text:
“Stand at the gate of the LORD’s house and there proclaim this message: <pb/>“ ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD.


text:
This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place.


text:
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!”


text:
if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm,


text:
<pb/>“ ‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, <f>[6]</f> burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known,


text:
and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe” — safe to do all these detestable things?


text:
Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.


text:
<pb/>“ ‘Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel.


text:
While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer.


text:
Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors.


text:
I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’


text:
<pb/>“So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you.


text:
The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger.


text:
But am I the one they are provoking? declares the LORD. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?


text:
<pb/>“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place — on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land — and it will burn and not be quenched.


text:
<pb/>“ ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves!


text:
For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices,


text:
but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.


text:
But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.


text:
From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets.


text:
But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’


text:
<pb/>“When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.


text:
Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the LORD its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.


text:
<pb/>“ ‘Cut off your hair and throw it away; take up a lament on the barren heights, for the LORD has rejected and abandoned this generation that is under his wrath.


text:
<pb/>“ ‘The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the LORD. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it.


text:
They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire — something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.


text:
So beware, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.


text:
Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.


text:
I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate.


text:
<pb/>“ ‘At that time, declares the LORD, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves.


text:
They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.


text:
Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life, declares the LORD Almighty.’


text:
<pb/>“Say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“ ‘When people fall down, do they not get up? </t><t>When someone turns away, do they not return? </t>


text:
<t>Why then have these people turned away? </t><t>Why does Jerusalem always turn away? </t><t>They cling to deceit; </t><t>they refuse to return. </t>


text:
<t>I have listened attentively, </t><t>but they do not say what is right. </t><t>None of them repent of their wickedness, </t><t>saying, “What have I done?” </t><t>Each pursues their own course </t><t>like a horse charging into battle. </t>


text:
<t>Even the stork in the sky </t><t>knows her appointed seasons, </t><t>and the dove, the swift and the thrush </t><t>observe the time of their migration. </t><t>But my people do not know </t><t>the requirements of the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“ ‘How can you say, “We are wise, </t><t>for we have the law of the LORD,” </t><t>when actually the lying pen of the scribes </t><t>has handled it falsely? </t>


text:
<t>The wise will be put to shame; </t><t>they will be dismayed and trapped. </t><t>Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, </t><t>what kind of wisdom do they have? </t>


text:
<t>Therefore I will give their wives to other men </t><t>and their fields to new owners. </t><t>From the least to the greatest, </t><t>all are greedy for gain; </t><t>prophets and priests alike, </t><t>all practice deceit. </t>


text:
<t>They dress the wound of my people </t><t>as though it were not serious. </t><t>“Peace, peace,” they say, </t><t>when there is no peace. </t>


text:
<t>Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? </t><t>No, they have no shame at all; </t><t>they do not even know how to blush. </t><t>So they will fall among the fallen; </t><t>they will be brought down when they are punished, </t><t>says the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“ ‘I will take away their harvest, </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>There will be no grapes on the vine. </t><t>There will be no figs on the tree, </t><t>and their leaves will wither. </t><t>What I have given them </t><t>will be taken from them. <f>[7]</f>’ ” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Why are we sitting here? </t><t>Gather together! </t><t>Let us flee to the fortified cities </t><t>and perish there! </t><t>For the LORD our God has doomed us to perish </t><t>and given us poisoned water to drink, </t><t>because we have sinned against him. </t>


text:
<t>We hoped for peace </t><t>but no good has come, </t><t>for a time of healing </t><t>but there is only terror. </t>


text:
<t>The snorting of the enemy’s horses </t><t>is heard from Dan; </t><t>at the neighing of their stallions </t><t>the whole land trembles. </t><t>They have come to devour </t><t>the land and everything in it, </t><t>the city and all who live there. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“See, I will send venomous snakes among you, </t><t>vipers that cannot be charmed, </t><t>and they will bite you,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Listen to the cry of my people </t><t>from a land far away: </t><t>“Is the LORD not in Zion? </t><t>Is her King no longer there?” <pb/>“Why have they aroused my anger with their images, </t><t>with their worthless foreign idols?” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Is there no balm in Gilead? </t><t>Is there no physician there? </t><t>Why then is there no healing </t><t>for the wound of my people?</t>


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<pb/><t> <f>[9]</f> <n>[1]</n> Oh, that my head were a spring of water </t><t>and my eyes a fountain of tears! </t><t>I would weep day and night </t><t>for the slain of my people. </t>


text:
<t>Oh, that I had in the desert </t><t>a lodging place for travelers, </t><t>so that I might leave my people </t><t>and go away from them; </t><t>for they are all adulterers, </t><t>a crowd of unfaithful people. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“They make ready their tongue </t><t>like a bow, to shoot lies; </t><t>it is not by truth </t><t>that they triumph <f>[10]</f> in the land. </t><t>They go from one sin to another; </t><t>they do not acknowledge me,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“Beware of your friends; </t><t>do not trust anyone in your clan. </t><t>For every one of them is a deceiver, <f>[11]</f> </t><t>and every friend a slanderer. </t>


text:
<t>Friend deceives friend, </t><t>and no one speaks the truth. </t><t>They have taught their tongues to lie; </t><t>they weary themselves with sinning. </t>


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<t>You <f>[12]</f> live in the midst of deception; </t><t>in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<pb/>Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“See, I will refine and test them, </t><t>for what else can I do </t><t>because of the sin of my people? </t>


text:
<t>Their tongue is a deadly arrow; </t><t>it speaks deceitfully. </t><t>With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors, </t><t>but in their hearts they set traps for them. </t>


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<t>Should I not punish them for this?” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“Should I not avenge myself </t><t>on such a nation as this?” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>I will weep and wail for the mountains </t><t>and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands. </t><t>They are desolate and untraveled, </t><t>and the lowing of cattle is not heard. </t><t>The birds have all fled </t><t>and the animals are gone. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, </t><t>a haunt of jackals; </t><t>and I will lay waste the towns of Judah </t><t>so no one can live there.” </t>


text:
<pb/>Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the LORD and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?


text:
<pb/>The LORD said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.


text:
Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.”


text:
Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water.


text:
I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.”


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“Consider now! Call for the wailing women to come; </t><t>send for the most skillful of them. </t>


text:
<t>Let them come quickly </t><t>and wail over us </t><t>till our eyes overflow with tears </t><t>and water streams from our eyelids. </t>


text:
<t>The sound of wailing is heard from Zion: </t><t>‘How ruined we are! </t><t>How great is our shame! </t><t>We must leave our land </t><t>because our houses are in ruins.’ ” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Now, you women, hear the word of the LORD; </t><t>open your ears to the words of his mouth. </t><t>Teach your daughters how to wail; </t><t>teach one another a lament. </t>


text:
<t>Death has climbed in through our windows </t><t>and has entered our fortresses; </t><t>it has removed the children from the streets </t><t>and the young men from the public squares. </t>


text:
<pb/>Say, “This is what the LORD declares: <pb/><t>“ ‘Dead bodies will lie </t><t>like dung on the open field, </t><t>like cut grain behind the reaper, </t><t>with no one to gather them.’ ” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom </t><t>or the strong boast of their strength </t><t>or the rich boast of their riches, </t>


text:
<t>but let the one who boasts boast about this: </t><t>that they have the understanding to know me, </t><t>that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, </t><t>justice and righteousness on earth, </t><t>for in these I delight,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<pb/>“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh — 


text:
Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places. <f>[13]</f> For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”


text:
This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Do not learn the ways of the nations </t><t>or be terrified by signs in the heavens, </t><t>though the nations are terrified by them. </t>


text:
<t>For the practices of the peoples are worthless; </t><t>they cut a tree out of the forest, </t><t>and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. </t>


text:
<t>They adorn it with silver and gold; </t><t>they fasten it with hammer and nails </t><t>so it will not totter. </t>


text:
<t>Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, </t><t>their idols cannot speak; </t><t>they must be carried </t><t>because they cannot walk. </t><t>Do not fear them; </t><t>they can do no harm </t><t>nor can they do any good.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Who should not fear you, </t><t>King of the nations? </t><t>This is your due. </t><t>Among all the wise leaders of the nations </t><t>and in all their kingdoms, </t><t>there is no one like you. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish </t><t>and gold from Uphaz. </t><t>What the craftsman and goldsmith have made </t><t>is then dressed in blue and purple —  </t><t>all made by skilled workers. </t>


text:
<t>But the LORD is the true God; </t><t>he is the living God, the eternal King. </t><t>When he is angry, the earth trembles; </t><t>the nations cannot endure his wrath. </t>


text:
<pb/>“Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’ ” <f>[14]</f>


text:
<pb/><t>But God made the earth by his power; </t><t>he founded the world by his wisdom </t><t>and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. </t>


text:
<t>When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; </t><t>he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. </t><t>He sends lightning with the rain </t><t>and brings out the wind from his storehouses. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; </t><t>every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. </t><t>The images he makes are a fraud; </t><t>they have no breath in them. </t>


text:
<t>They are worthless, the objects of mockery; </t><t>when their judgment comes, they will perish. </t>


text:
<t>He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, </t><t>for he is the Maker of all things, </t><t>including Israel, the people of his inheritance —  </t><t>the LORD Almighty is his name. </t>


text:
<t>For this is what the LORD says: </t><t>“At this time I will hurl out </t><t>those who live in this land; </t><t>I will bring distress on them </t><t>so that they may be captured.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Woe to me because of my injury! </t><t>My wound is incurable! </t><t>Yet I said to myself, </t><t>“This is my sickness, and I must endure it.” </t>


text:
<t>My tent is destroyed; </t><t>all its ropes are snapped. </t><t>My children are gone from me and are no more; </t><t>no one is left now to pitch my tent </t><t>or to set up my shelter. </t>


text:
<t>The shepherds are senseless </t><t>and do not inquire of the LORD; </t><t>so they do not prosper </t><t>and all their flock is scattered. </t>


text:
<t>Listen! The report is coming —  </t><t>a great commotion from the land of the north! </t><t>It will make the towns of Judah desolate, </t><t>a haunt of jackals. </t>


text:
<t> LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; </t><t>it is not for them to direct their steps. </t>


text:
<t>Discipline me, LORD, but only in due measure —  </t><t>not in your anger, </t><t>or you will reduce me to nothing. </t>


text:
<t>Pour out your wrath on the nations </t><t>that do not acknowledge you, </t><t>on the peoples who do not call on your name. </t><t>For they have devoured Jacob; </t><t>they have devoured him completely </t><t>and destroyed his homeland.</t>


text:
“Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem.


text:
Tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant — 


text:
the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God.


text:
Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’ — the land you possess today.” <pb/>I answered, “Amen, LORD.”


text:
<pb/>The LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them.


text:
From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.”


text:
But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’ ”


text:
<pb/>Then the LORD said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem.


text:
They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.


text:
Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.


text:
The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes.


text:
You, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’


text:
<pb/>“Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.


text:
<pb/><t>“What is my beloved doing in my temple </t><t>as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes? </t><t>Can consecrated meat avert your punishment? </t><t>When you engage in your wickedness, </t><t>then you rejoice. <f>[15]</f>” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The LORD called you a thriving olive tree </t><t>with fruit beautiful in form. </t><t>But with the roar of a mighty storm </t><t>he will set it on fire, </t><t>and its branches will be broken. </t>


text:
<pb/>The LORD Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused my anger by burning incense to Baal.


text:
<pb/>Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing.


text:
I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, <pb/><t>“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; </t><t>let us cut him off from the land of the living, </t><t>that his name be remembered no more.” </t>


text:
<t>But you, LORD Almighty, who judge righteously </t><t>and test the heart and mind, </t><t>let me see your vengeance on them, </t><t>for to you I have committed my cause. </t>


text:
<pb/>Therefore this is what the LORD says about the people of Anathoth who are threatening to kill you, saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD or you will die by our hands” — 


text:
therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine.


text:
Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”


text:
<pb/><t>You are always righteous, LORD, </t><t>when I bring a case before you. </t><t>Yet I would speak with you about your justice: </t><t>Why does the way of the wicked prosper? </t><t>Why do all the faithless live at ease? </t>


text:
<t>You have planted them, and they have taken root; </t><t>they grow and bear fruit. </t><t>You are always on their lips </t><t>but far from their hearts. </t>


text:
<t>Yet you know me, LORD; </t><t>you see me and test my thoughts about you. </t><t>Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! </t><t>Set them apart for the day of slaughter! </t>


text:
<t>How long will the land lie parched </t><t>and the grass in every field be withered? </t><t>Because those who live in it are wicked, </t><t>the animals and birds have perished. </t><t>Moreover, the people are saying, </t><t>“He will not see what happens to us.” </t>


text:
<t>“If you have raced with men on foot </t><t>and they have worn you out, </t><t>how can you compete with horses? </t><t>If you stumble <f>[16]</f> in safe country, </t><t>how will you manage in the thickets by <f>[17]</f> the Jordan? </t>


text:
<t>Your relatives, members of your own family —  </t><t>even they have betrayed you; </t><t>they have raised a loud cry against you. </t><t>Do not trust them, </t><t>though they speak well of you. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“I will forsake my house, </t><t>abandon my inheritance; </t><t>I will give the one I love </t><t>into the hands of her enemies. </t>


text:
<t>My inheritance has become to me </t><t>like a lion in the forest. </t><t>She roars at me; </t><t>therefore I hate her. </t>


text:
<t>Has not my inheritance become to me </t><t>like a speckled bird of prey </t><t>that other birds of prey surround and attack? </t><t>Go and gather all the wild beasts; </t><t>bring them to devour. </t>


text:
<t>Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard </t><t>and trample down my field; </t><t>they will turn my pleasant field </t><t>into a desolate wasteland. </t>


text:
<t>It will be made a wasteland, </t><t>parched and desolate before me; </t><t>the whole land will be laid waste </t><t>because there is no one who cares. </t>


text:
<t>Over all the barren heights in the desert </t><t>destroyers will swarm, </t><t>for the sword of the LORD will devour </t><t>from one end of the land to the other; </t><t>no one will be safe. </t>


text:
<t>They will sow wheat but reap thorns; </t><t>they will wear themselves out but gain nothing. </t><t>They will bear the shame of their harvest </t><t>because of the LORD’s fierce anger.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the people of Judah from among them.


text:
But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country.


text:
And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’ — even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal — then they will be established among my people.


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.”


text:
“Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath <f>[18]</f> and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.”


text:
<pb/>Many days later the LORD said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.”


text:
So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.


text:
“This is what the LORD says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.


text:
These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt — completely useless!


text:
For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the LORD, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.’


text:
<pb/>“Say to them: ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’


text:
then tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem.


text:
I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the LORD. I will allow no pity or mercy or compassion to keep me from destroying them.’ ”


text:
<t>Give glory to the LORD your God </t><t>before he brings the darkness, </t><t>before your feet stumble </t><t>on the darkening hills. </t><t>You hope for light, </t><t>but he will turn it to utter darkness </t><t>and change it to deep gloom. </t>


text:
<t>If you do not listen, </t><t>I will weep in secret </t><t>because of your pride; </t><t>my eyes will weep bitterly, </t><t>overflowing with tears, </t><t>because the LORD’s flock will be taken captive. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Say to the king and to the queen mother, </t><t>“Come down from your thrones, </t><t>for your glorious crowns </t><t>will fall from your heads.” </t>


text:
<t>The cities in the Negev will be shut up, </t><t>and there will be no one to open them. </t><t>All Judah will be carried into exile, </t><t>carried completely away. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Look up and see </t><t>those who are coming from the north. </t><t>Where is the flock that was entrusted to you, </t><t>the sheep of which you boasted? </t>


text:
<t>What will you say when the LORD sets over you </t><t>those you cultivated as your special allies? </t><t>Will not pain grip you </t><t>like that of a woman in labor? </t>


text:
<t>And if you ask yourself, </t><t>“Why has this happened to me?” —  </t><t>it is because of your many sins </t><t>that your skirts have been torn off </t><t>and your body mistreated. </t>


text:
<t>Can an Ethiopian <f>[19]</f> change his skin </t><t>or a leopard its spots? </t><t>Neither can you do good </t><t>who are accustomed to doing evil. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>This is your lot, </t><t>the portion I have decreed for you,” </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>“because you have forgotten me </t><t>and trusted in false gods. </t>


text:
<t>your adulteries and lustful neighings, </t><t>your shameless prostitution! </t><t>I have seen your detestable acts </t><t>on the hills and in the fields. </t><t>Woe to you, Jerusalem! </t><t>How long will you be unclean?”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Judah mourns, </t><t>her cities languish; </t><t>they wail for the land, </t><t>and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. </t>


text:
<t>The nobles send their servants for water; </t><t>they go to the cisterns </t><t>but find no water. </t><t>They return with their jars unfilled; </t><t>dismayed and despairing, </t><t>they cover their heads. </t>


text:
<t>The ground is cracked </t><t>because there is no rain in the land; </t><t>the farmers are dismayed </t><t>and cover their heads. </t>


text:
<t>Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights </t><t>and pant like jackals; </t><t>their eyes fail </t><t>for lack of food.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Although our sins testify against us, </t><t>do something, LORD, for the sake of your name. </t><t>For we have often rebelled; </t><t>we have sinned against you. </t>


text:
<t>You who are the hope of Israel, </t><t>its Savior in times of distress, </t><t>why are you like a stranger in the land, </t><t>like a traveler who stays only a night? </t>


text:
<t>Why are you like a man taken by surprise, </t><t>like a warrior powerless to save? </t><t>You are among us, LORD, </t><t>and we bear your name; </t><t>do not forsake us! </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says about this people: <pb/><t>“They greatly love to wander; </t><t>they do not restrain their feet. </t><t>So the LORD does not accept them; </t><t>he will now remember their wickedness </t><t>and punish them for their sins.” </t>


text:
Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”


text:
<pb/>But I said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”


text:
<pb/>Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries <f>[20]</f> and the delusions of their own minds.


text:
Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine.


text:
And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them, their wives, their sons and their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.


text:
<pb/>“Speak this word to them: <pb/><t>“ ‘Let my eyes overflow with tears </t><t>night and day without ceasing; </t><t>for the Virgin Daughter, my people, </t><t>has suffered a grievous wound, </t><t>a crushing blow. </t>


text:
<t>If I go into the country, </t><t>I see those slain by the sword; </t><t>if I go into the city, </t><t>I see the ravages of famine. </t><t>Both prophet and priest </t><t>have gone to a land they know not.’ ” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Have you rejected Judah completely? </t><t>Do you despise Zion? </t><t>Why have you afflicted us </t><t>so that we cannot be healed? </t><t>We hoped for peace </t><t>but no good has come, </t><t>for a time of healing </t><t>but there is only terror. </t>


text:
<t>We acknowledge our wickedness, LORD, </t><t>and the guilt of our ancestors; </t><t>we have indeed sinned against you. </t>


text:
<t>For the sake of your name do not despise us; </t><t>do not dishonor your glorious throne. </t><t>Remember your covenant with us </t><t>and do not break it. </t>


text:
<t>Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? </t><t>Do the skies themselves send down showers? </t><t>No, it is you, LORD our God. </t><t>Therefore our hope is in you, </t><t>for you are the one who does all this.</t>


text:
<pb/>Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!


text:
And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“ ‘Those destined for death, to death; </t><t>those for the sword, to the sword; </t><t>those for starvation, to starvation; </t><t>those for captivity, to captivity.’ </t>


text:
<pb/>“I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” declares the LORD, “the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds and the wild animals to devour and destroy.


text:
I will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.


text:
<pb/><t>“Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem? </t><t>Who will mourn for you? </t><t>Who will stop to ask how you are? </t>


text:
<t>You have rejected me,” declares the LORD. </t><t>“You keep on backsliding. </t><t>So I will reach out and destroy you; </t><t>I am tired of holding back. </t>


text:
<t>I will winnow them with a winnowing fork </t><t>at the city gates of the land. </t><t>I will bring bereavement and destruction on my people, </t><t>for they have not changed their ways. </t>


text:
<t>I will make their widows more numerous </t><t>than the sand of the sea. </t><t>At midday I will bring a destroyer </t><t>against the mothers of their young men; </t><t>suddenly I will bring down on them </t><t>anguish and terror. </t>


text:
<t>The mother of seven will grow faint </t><t>and breathe her last. </t><t>Her sun will set while it is still day; </t><t>she will be disgraced and humiliated. </t><t>I will put the survivors to the sword </t><t>before their enemies,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth, </t><t>a man with whom the whole land strives and contends! </t><t>I have neither lent nor borrowed, </t><t>yet everyone curses me. </t>


text:
<pb/>The LORD said, <pb/><t>“Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; </t><t>surely I will make your enemies plead with you </t><t>in times of disaster and times of distress. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Your wealth and your treasures </t><t>I will give as plunder, without charge, </t><t>because of all your sins </t><t>throughout your country. </t>


text:
<t>I will enslave you to your enemies </t><t>in <f>[21]</f> a land you do not know, </t><t>for my anger will kindle a fire </t><t>that will burn against you.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t> LORD, you understand; </t><t>remember me and care for me. </t><t>Avenge me on my persecutors. </t><t>You are long-suffering — do not take me away; </t><t>think of how I suffer reproach for your sake. </t>


text:
<t>When your words came, I ate them; </t><t>they were my joy and my heart’s delight, </t><t>for I bear your name, </t><t> LORD God Almighty. </t>


text:
<t>I never sat in the company of revelers, </t><t>never made merry with them; </t><t>I sat alone because your hand was on me </t><t>and you had filled me with indignation. </t>


text:
<t>Why is my pain unending </t><t>and my wound grievous and incurable? </t><t>You are to me like a deceptive brook, </t><t>like a spring that fails. </t>


text:
<pb/>Therefore this is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“If you repent, I will restore you </t><t>that you may serve me; </t><t>if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, </t><t>you will be my spokesman. </t><t>Let this people turn to you, </t><t>but you must not turn to them. </t>


text:
<t>I will make you a wall to this people, </t><t>a fortified wall of bronze; </t><t>they will fight against you </t><t>but will not overcome you, </t><t>for I am with you </t><t>to rescue and save you,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“I will save you from the hands of the wicked </t><t>and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel.”</t>


text:
For this is what the LORD says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers:


text:
“They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like dung lying on the ground. They will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”


text:
<pb/>For this is what the LORD says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity from this people,” declares the LORD.


text:
“Both high and low will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut themselves or shave their head for the dead.


text:
No one will offer food to comfort those who mourn for the dead — not even for a father or a mother — nor will anyone give them a drink to console them.


text:
For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place.


text:
<pb/>“When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the LORD decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?’


text:
then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the LORD, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.


text:
But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me.


text:
So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’


text:
<pb/>“However, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’


text:
but it will be said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors.


text:
<pb/>“But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the LORD, “and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.


text:
My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.


text:
I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.”


text:
<pb/><t> LORD, my strength and my fortress, </t><t>my refuge in time of distress, </t><t>to you the nations will come </t><t>from the ends of the earth and say, </t><t>“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods, </t><t>worthless idols that did them no good. </t>


text:
<t>“Therefore I will teach them —  </t><t>this time I will teach them </t><t>my power and might. </t><t>Then they will know </t><t>that my name is the LORD.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, </t><t>inscribed with a flint point, </t><t>on the tablets of their hearts </t><t>and on the horns of their altars. </t>


text:
<t>Even their children remember </t><t>their altars and Asherah poles <f>[22]</f> </t><t>beside the spreading trees </t><t>and on the high hills. </t>


text:
<t>My mountain in the land </t><t>and your <f>[23]</f> wealth and all your treasures </t><t>I will give away as plunder, </t><t>together with your high places, </t><t>because of sin throughout your country. </t>


text:
<t>Through your own fault you will lose </t><t>the inheritance I gave you. </t><t>I will enslave you to your enemies </t><t>in a land you do not know, </t><t>for you have kindled my anger, </t><t>and it will burn forever.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, </t><t>who draws strength from mere flesh </t><t>and whose heart turns away from the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; </t><t>they will not see prosperity when it comes. </t><t>They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, </t><t>in a salt land where no one lives. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>They will be like a tree planted by the water </t><t>that sends out its roots by the stream. </t><t>It does not fear when heat comes; </t><t>its leaves are always green. </t><t>It has no worries in a year of drought </t><t>and never fails to bear fruit.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The heart is deceitful above all things </t><t>and beyond cure. </t><t>Who can understand it? <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“I the LORD search the heart </t><t>and examine the mind, </t><t>to reward each person according to their conduct, </t><t>according to what their deeds deserve.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay </t><t>are those who gain riches by unjust means. </t><t>When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them, </t><t>and in the end they will prove to be fools. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t> LORD, you are the hope of Israel; </t><t>all who forsake you will be put to shame. </t><t>Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust </t><t>because they have forsaken the LORD, </t><t>the spring of living water. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; </t><t>save me and I will be saved, </t><t>for you are the one I praise. </t>


text:
<t>They keep saying to me, </t><t>“Where is the word of the LORD? </t><t>Let it now be fulfilled!” </t>


text:
<t>I have not run away from being your shepherd; </t><t>you know I have not desired the day of despair. </t><t>What passes my lips is open before you. </t>


text:
<t>Let my persecutors be put to shame, </t><t>but keep me from shame; </t><t>let them be terrified, </t><t>but keep me from terror. </t><t>Bring on them the day of disaster; </t><t>destroy them with double destruction. </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People, <f>[24]</f> through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.


text:
Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem who come through these gates.


text:
This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem.


text:
Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.


text:
Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline.


text:
But if you are careful to obey me, declares the LORD, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it,


text:
then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.


text:
People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the LORD.


text:
But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’ ”


text:
But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.


text:
He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.


text:
and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.


text:
and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.


text:
<pb/>“Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’


text:
But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.’ ”


text:
<pb/>Therefore this is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Inquire among the nations: </t><t>Who has ever heard anything like this? </t><t>A most horrible thing has been done </t><t>by Virgin Israel. </t>


text:
<t>Does the snow of Lebanon </t><t>ever vanish from its rocky slopes? </t><t>Do its cool waters from distant sources </t><t>ever stop flowing? <f>[25]</f> </t>


text:
<t>Yet my people have forgotten me; </t><t>they burn incense to worthless idols, </t><t>which made them stumble in their ways, </t><t>in the ancient paths. </t><t>They made them walk in byways, </t><t>on roads not built up. </t>


text:
<t>Their land will be an object of horror </t><t>and of lasting scorn; </t><t>all who pass by will be appalled </t><t>and will shake their heads. </t>


text:
<t>Like a wind from the east, </t><t>I will scatter them before their enemies; </t><t>I will show them my back and not my face </t><t>in the day of their disaster.” </t>


text:
<pb/>They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”


text:
<t>Should good be repaid with evil? </t><t>Yet they have dug a pit for me. </t><t>Remember that I stood before you </t><t>and spoke in their behalf </t><t>to turn your wrath away from them. </t>


text:
<t>So give their children over to famine; </t><t>hand them over to the power of the sword. </t><t>Let their wives be made childless and widows; </t><t>let their men be put to death, </t><t>their young men slain by the sword in battle. </t>


text:
<t>Let a cry be heard from their houses </t><t>when you suddenly bring invaders against them, </t><t>for they have dug a pit to capture me </t><t>and have hidden snares for my feet. </t>


text:
<t>But you, LORD, know </t><t>all their plots to kill me. </t><t>Do not forgive their crimes </t><t>or blot out their sins from your sight. </t><t>Let them be overthrown before you; </t><t>deal with them in the time of your anger.</t>


text:
<pb/>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 of the priests


text:
and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you,


text:
and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, you kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.


text:
For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned incense in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.


text:
They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal — something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.


text:
So beware, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.


text:
<pb/>“ ‘In this place I will ruin <f>[26]</f> the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds and the wild animals.


text:
I will devastate this city and make it an object of horror and scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.


text:
I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh because their enemies will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them.’


text:
and say to them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.


text:
This is what I will do to this place and to those who live here, declares the LORD. I will make this city like Topheth.


text:
The houses in Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled like this place, Topheth — all the houses where they burned incense on the roofs to all the starry hosts and poured out drink offerings to other gods.’ ”


text:
<pb/>Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the LORD’s temple and said to all the people,


text:
“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and all the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.’ ”


text:
<pb/>When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the official in charge of the temple of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,


text:
he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the LORD’s temple.


text:
The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD’s name for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.


text:
For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword.


text:
I will deliver all the wealth of this city into the hands of their enemies — all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon.


text:
And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’ ”


text:
<pb/><t>You deceived <f>[27]</f> me, LORD, and I was deceived <f>[28]</f>; </t><t>you overpowered me and prevailed. </t><t>I am ridiculed all day long; </t><t>everyone mocks me. </t>


text:
<t>Whenever I speak, I cry out </t><t>proclaiming violence and destruction. </t><t>So the word of the LORD has brought me </t><t>insult and reproach all day long. </t>


text:
<t>But if I say, “I will not mention his word </t><t>or speak anymore in his name,” </t><t>his word is in my heart like a fire, </t><t>a fire shut up in my bones. </t><t>I am weary of holding it in; </t><t>indeed, I cannot. </t>


text:
<t>I hear many whispering, </t><t>“Terror on every side! </t><t>Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!” </t><t>All my friends </t><t>are waiting for me to slip, saying, </t><t>“Perhaps he will be deceived; </t><t>then we will prevail over him </t><t>and take our revenge on him.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; </t><t>so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. </t><t>They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; </t><t>their dishonor will never be forgotten. </t>


text:
<t> LORD Almighty, you who examine the righteous </t><t>and probe the heart and mind, </t><t>let me see your vengeance on them, </t><t>for to you I have committed my cause. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Sing to the LORD! </t><t>Give praise to the LORD! </t><t>He rescues the life of the needy </t><t>from the hands of the wicked. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, </t><t>who made him very glad, saying, </t><t>“A child is born to you — a son!” </t>


text:
<t>May that man be like the towns </t><t>the LORD overthrew without pity. </t><t>May he hear wailing in the morning, </t><t>a battle cry at noon. </t>


text:
<t>For he did not kill me in the womb, </t><t>with my mother as my grave, </t><t>her womb enlarged forever. </t>


text:
<t>Why did I ever come out of the womb </t><t>to see trouble and sorrow </t><t>and to end my days in shame?</t>


text:
<pb/>The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said:


text:
“Inquire now of the LORD for us because Nebuchadnezzar <f>[29]</f> king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the LORD will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”


text:
‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians <f>[30]</f> who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city.


text:
I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath.


text:
I will strike down those who live in this city — both man and beast — and they will die of a terrible plague.


text:
After that, declares the LORD, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’


text:
<pb/>“Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.


text:
Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.


text:
I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the LORD. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’


text:
This is what the LORD says to you, house of David: <pb/><t>“ ‘Administer justice every morning; </t><t>rescue from the hand of the oppressor </t><t>the one who has been robbed, </t><t>or my wrath will break out and burn like fire </t><t>because of the evil you have done —  </t><t>burn with no one to quench it. </t>


text:
<t>I am against you, Jerusalem, </t><t>you who live above this valley </t><t>on the rocky plateau, declares the LORD —  </t><t>you who say, “Who can come against us? </t><t>Who can enter our refuge?” </t>


text:
<t>I will punish you as your deeds deserve, </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>I will kindle a fire in your forests </t><t>that will consume everything around you.’ ”</t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there:


text:
‘Hear the word of the LORD to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne — you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.


text:
This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.


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For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people.


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But if you do not obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’ ”


text:
<pb/>For this is what the LORD says about the palace of the king of Judah: <pb/><t>“Though you are like Gilead to me, </t><t>like the summit of Lebanon, </t><t>I will surely make you like a wasteland, </t><t>like towns not inhabited. </t>


text:
<t>I will send destroyers against you, </t><t>each man with his weapons, </t><t>and they will cut up your fine cedar beams </t><t>and throw them into the fire. </t>


text:
<pb/>“People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’


text:
And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’ ”


text:
<pb/><t>Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss; </t><t>rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled, </t><t>because he will never return </t><t>nor see his native land again. </t>


text:
<pb/>For this is what the LORD says about Shallum <f>[31]</f> son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return.


text:
<pb/><t>“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, </t><t>his upper rooms by injustice, </t><t>making his own people work for nothing, </t><t>not paying them for their labor. </t>


text:
<t>He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace </t><t>with spacious upper rooms.’ </t><t>So he makes large windows in it, </t><t>panels it with cedar </t><t>and decorates it in red. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Does it make you a king </t><t>to have more and more cedar? </t><t>Did not your father have food and drink? </t><t>He did what was right and just, </t><t>so all went well with him. </t>


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<t>He defended the cause of the poor and needy, </t><t>and so all went well. </t><t>Is that not what it means to know me?” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“But your eyes and your heart </t><t>are set only on dishonest gain, </t><t>on shedding innocent blood </t><t>and on oppression and extortion.” </t>


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<pb/>Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: <pb/><t>“They will not mourn for him: </t><t>‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ </t><t>They will not mourn for him: </t><t>‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’ </t>


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<t>He will have the burial of a donkey —  </t><t>dragged away and thrown </t><t>outside the gates of Jerusalem.” <pb/> </t>


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<t>“Go up to Lebanon and cry out, </t><t>let your voice be heard in Bashan, </t><t>cry out from Abarim, </t><t>for all your allies are crushed. </t>


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<t>I warned you when you felt secure, </t><t>but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ </t><t>This has been your way from your youth; </t><t>you have not obeyed me. </t>


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<t>The wind will drive all your shepherds away, </t><t>and your allies will go into exile. </t><t>Then you will be ashamed and disgraced </t><t>because of all your wickedness. </t>


text:
<t>You who live in ‘Lebanon, <f>[32]</f>’ </t><t>who are nestled in cedar buildings, </t><t>how you will groan when pangs come upon you, </t><t>pain like that of a woman in labor! </t>


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<pb/>“As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Jehoiachin <f>[33]</f> son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.


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I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear — Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians. <f>[34]</f>


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I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die.


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<pb/><t>Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, </t><t>an object no one wants? </t><t>Why will he and his children be hurled out, </t><t>cast into a land they do not know? </t>


text:
<t>This is what the LORD says: </t><t>“Record this man as if childless, </t><t>a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, </t><t>for none of his offspring will prosper, </t><t>none will sit on the throne of David </t><t>or rule anymore in Judah.”</t>


text:
<pb/>“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD.


text:
Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD.


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“I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.


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I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD.


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<pb/><t>“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, </t><t>“when I will raise up for David <f>[35]</f> a righteous Branch, </t><t>a King who will reign wisely </t><t>and do what is just and right in the land. </t>


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<t>In his days Judah will be saved </t><t>and Israel will live in safety. </t><t>This is the name by which he will be called: </t><t>The LORD Our Righteous Savior. </t>


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<pb/>“So then, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’


text:
but they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”


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<pb/>Concerning the prophets: <pb/><t>My heart is broken within me; </t><t>all my bones tremble. </t><t>I am like a drunken man, </t><t>like a strong man overcome by wine, </t><t>because of the LORD </t><t>and his holy words. </t>


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<t>The land is full of adulterers; </t><t>because of the curse <f>[36]</f> the land lies parched </t><t>and the pastures in the wilderness are withered. </t><t>The prophets follow an evil course </t><t>and use their power unjustly. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“Both prophet and priest are godless; </t><t>even in my temple I find their wickedness,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“Therefore their path will become slippery; </t><t>they will be banished to darkness </t><t>and there they will fall. </t><t>I will bring disaster on them </t><t>in the year they are punished,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“Among the prophets of Samaria </t><t>I saw this repulsive thing: </t><t>They prophesied by Baal </t><t>and led my people Israel astray. </t>


text:
<t>And among the prophets of Jerusalem </t><t>I have seen something horrible: </t><t>They commit adultery and live a lie. </t><t>They strengthen the hands of evildoers, </t><t>so that not one of them turns from their wickedness. </t><t>They are all like Sodom to me; </t><t>the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.” </t>


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<pb/>Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says concerning the prophets: <pb/><t>“I will make them eat bitter food </t><t>and drink poisoned water, </t><t>because from the prophets of Jerusalem </t><t>ungodliness has spread throughout the land.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; </t><t>they fill you with false hopes. </t><t>They speak visions from their own minds, </t><t>not from the mouth of the LORD. </t>


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<t>They keep saying to those who despise me, </t><t>‘The LORD says: You will have peace.’ </t><t>And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts </t><t>they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’ </t>


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<t>But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD </t><t>to see or to hear his word? </t><t>Who has listened and heard his word? </t>


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<t>See, the storm of the LORD </t><t>will burst out in wrath, </t><t>a whirlwind swirling down </t><t>on the heads of the wicked. </t>


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<t>The anger of the LORD will not turn back </t><t>until he fully accomplishes </t><t>the purposes of his heart. </t><t>In days to come </t><t>you will understand it clearly. </t>


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<t>I did not send these prophets, </t><t>yet they have run with their message; </t><t>I did not speak to them, </t><t>yet they have prophesied. </t>


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<t>But if they had stood in my council, </t><t>they would have proclaimed my words to my people </t><t>and would have turned them from their evil ways </t><t>and from their evil deeds. <pb/> </t>


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<t>Who can hide in secret places </t><t>so that I cannot see them?” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“Do not I fill heaven and earth?” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<pb/>“I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’


text:
How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds?


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They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship.


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Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD.


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<pb/>“Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.


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Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The LORD declares.’


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Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the LORD.


text:
<pb/>“When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message from the LORD?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’


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If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message from the LORD,’ I will punish them and their household.


text:
This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the LORD’s answer?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’


text:
But you must not mention ‘a message from the LORD’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the LORD Almighty, our God.


text:
This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the LORD’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’


text:
Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the LORD,’ this is what the LORD says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the LORD,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the LORD.’


text:
Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors.


text:
<pb/>After Jehoiachin <f>[37]</f> son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the LORD.


text:
One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten.


text:
<pb/>Then the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” <pb/>“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”


text:
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. <f>[38]</f>


text:
My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them.


text:
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.


text:
<pb/>“ ‘But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.


text:
I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a curse <f>[39]</f> and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish them.


text:
I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.’ ”


text:
<pb/>The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.


text:
For twenty-three years — from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day — the word of the LORD has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.


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<pb/>And though the LORD has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.


text:
They said, “Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the LORD gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever.


text:
Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”


text:
<pb/>“But you did not listen to me,” declares the LORD, “and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves.”


text:
I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the LORD, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy <f>[40]</f> them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin.


text:
I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp.


text:
This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.


text:
<pb/>“But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, <f>[41]</f> for their guilt,” declares the LORD, “and will make it desolate forever.


text:
I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations.


text:
They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.


text:
Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn, a curse <f>[42]</f> — as they are today;


text:
and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines (those of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod);


text:
and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other — all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak <f>[44]</f> will drink it too.


text:
<pb/>“Then tell them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.’


text:
But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: You must drink it!


text:
See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the LORD Almighty.’


text:
<pb/>“Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them: <pb/><t>“ ‘The LORD will roar from on high; </t><t>he will thunder from his holy dwelling </t><t>and roar mightily against his land. </t><t>He will shout like those who tread the grapes, </t><t>shout against all who live on the earth. </t>


text:
<t>The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, </t><t>for the LORD will bring charges against the nations; </t><t>he will bring judgment on all mankind </t><t>and put the wicked to the sword,’ ” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“Look! Disaster is spreading </t><t>from nation to nation; </t><t>a mighty storm is rising </t><t>from the ends of the earth.” </t>


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<pb/>At that time those slain by the LORD will be everywhere — from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.


text:
<pb/><t>Weep and wail, you shepherds; </t><t>roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. </t><t>For your time to be slaughtered has come; </t><t>you will fall like the best of the rams. <f>[45]</f> </t>


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<t>The shepherds will have nowhere to flee, </t><t>the leaders of the flock no place to escape. </t>


text:
<t>Hear the cry of the shepherds, </t><t>the wailing of the leaders of the flock, </t><t>for the LORD is destroying their pasture. </t>


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<t>Like a lion he will leave his lair, </t><t>and their land will become desolate </t><t>because of the sword <f>[46]</f> of the oppressor </t><t>and because of the LORD’s fierce anger.</t>


text:
“This is what the LORD says: Stand in the courtyard of the LORD’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the LORD. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word.


text:
Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done.


text:
Say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you,


text:
and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened),


text:
then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse <f>[47]</f> among all the nations of the earth.’ ”


text:
<pb/>The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD.


text:
But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die!


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Why do you prophesy in the LORD’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?” And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.


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<pb/>When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the LORD and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD’s house.


text:
Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”


text:
<pb/>Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard.


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Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God. Then the LORD will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you.


text:
Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”


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<pb/>Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death! He has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.”


text:
“Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“ ‘Zion will be plowed like a field, </t><t>Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, </t><t>the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.’ <f>[48]</f> </t>


text:
<pb/>“Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah fear the LORD and seek his favor? And did not the LORD relent, so that he did not bring the disaster he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!”


text:
<pb/>(Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim was another man who prophesied in the name of the LORD; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did.


text:
When King Jehoiakim and all his officers and officials heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death. But Uriah heard of it and fled in fear to Egypt.


text:
They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)


text:
<pb/>Furthermore, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.


text:
<pb/>Early in the reign of Zedekiah <f>[49]</f> son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:


text:
Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.


text:
Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters:


text:
With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.


text:
Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.


text:
All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.


text:
<pb/>“ ‘ “If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I destroy it by his hand.


text:
So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’


text:
They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish.


text:
But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares the LORD.” ’ ”


text:
<pb/>I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.


text:
Why will you and your people die by the sword, famine and plague with which the LORD has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?


text:
Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies to you.


text:
‘I have not sent them,’ declares the LORD. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name. Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’ ”


text:
<pb/>Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles from the LORD’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you.


text:
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this city become a ruin?


text:
If they are prophets and have the word of the LORD, let them plead with the LORD Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the LORD and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon.


text:
For this is what the LORD Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea, the movable stands and the other articles that are left in this city,


text:
which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiachin <f>[50]</f> son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem — 


text:
yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the LORD and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem:


text:
‘They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’ ”


text:
<pb/>In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people:


text:
“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.


text:
Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the LORD’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon.


text:
I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin <f>[51]</f> son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”


text:
<pb/>Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD.


text:
He said, “Amen! May the LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the LORD’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.


text:
From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms.


text:
But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true.”


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and he said before all the people, “This is what the LORD says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’ ” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.


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<pb/>After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:


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“Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the LORD says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron.


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This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.’ ”


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<pb/>Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.


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Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.’ ”


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<pb/>This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.


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(This was after King Jehoiachin <f>[52]</f> and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.)


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He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:


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<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:


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Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.


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Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”


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Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.


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<pb/>This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.


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For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.


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I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. <f>[53]</f> I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”


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but this is what the LORD says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile — 


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yes, this is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.


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I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse <f>[54]</f> and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them.


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For they have not listened to my words,” declares the LORD, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the LORD.


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<pb/>Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.


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This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes.


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Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the LORD treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.’


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For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies — which I did not authorize. I know it and am a witness to it,” declares the LORD.


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“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah,


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‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the LORD; you should put any maniac who acts like a prophet into the stocks and neck-irons.


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He has sent this message to us in Babylon: It will be a long time. Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’ ”


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“Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the LORD says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies,


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this is what the LORD says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares the LORD, because he has preached rebellion against me.’ ”


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“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.


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The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity <f>[55]</f> and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the LORD.”


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<t>Ask and see: </t><t>Can a man bear children? </t><t>Then why do I see every strong man </t><t>with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, </t><t>every face turned deathly pale? </t>


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<t>How awful that day will be! </t><t>No other will be like it. </t><t>It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, </t><t>but he will be saved out of it. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“ ‘In that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, </t><t>‘I will break the yoke off their necks </t><t>and will tear off their bonds; </t><t>no longer will foreigners enslave them. </t>


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<t>Instead, they will serve the LORD their God </t><t>and David their king, </t><t>whom I will raise up for them. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“ ‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; </t><t>do not be dismayed, Israel,’ </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>‘I will surely save you out of a distant place, </t><t>your descendants from the land of their exile. </t><t>Jacob will again have peace and security, </t><t>and no one will make him afraid. </t>


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<t>I am with you and will save you,’ </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>‘Though I completely destroy all the nations </t><t>among which I scatter you, </t><t>I will not completely destroy you. </t><t>I will discipline you but only in due measure; </t><t>I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’ </t>


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<pb/>“This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“ ‘Your wound is incurable, </t><t>your injury beyond healing. </t>


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<t>There is no one to plead your cause, </t><t>no remedy for your sore, </t><t>no healing for you. </t>


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<t>All your allies have forgotten you; </t><t>they care nothing for you. </t><t>I have struck you as an enemy would </t><t>and punished you as would the cruel, </t><t>because your guilt is so great </t><t>and your sins so many. </t>


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<t>Why do you cry out over your wound, </t><t>your pain that has no cure? </t><t>Because of your great guilt and many sins </t><t>I have done these things to you. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“ ‘But all who devour you will be devoured; </t><t>all your enemies will go into exile. </t><t>Those who plunder you will be plundered; </t><t>all who make spoil of you I will despoil. </t>


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<t>But I will restore you to health </t><t>and heal your wounds,’ </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>‘because you are called an outcast, </t><t>Zion for whom no one cares.’ </t>


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<pb/>“This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“ ‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents </t><t>and have compassion on his dwellings; </t><t>the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, </t><t>and the palace will stand in its proper place. </t>


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<t>From them will come songs of thanksgiving </t><t>and the sound of rejoicing. </t><t>I will add to their numbers, </t><t>and they will not be decreased; </t><t>I will bring them honor, </t><t>and they will not be disdained. </t>


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<t>Their children will be as in days of old, </t><t>and their community will be established before me; </t><t>I will punish all who oppress them. </t>


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<t>Their leader will be one of their own; </t><t>their ruler will arise from among them. </t><t>I will bring him near and he will come close to me —  </t><t>for who is he who will devote himself </t><t>to be close to me?’ </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


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<t>See, the storm of the LORD </t><t>will burst out in wrath, </t><t>a driving wind swirling down </t><t>on the heads of the wicked. </t>


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<t>The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back </t><t>until he fully accomplishes </t><t>the purposes of his heart. </t><t>In days to come </t><t>you will understand this.</t>


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<pb/>“At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”


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<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“The people who survive the sword </t><t>will find favor in the wilderness; </t><t>I will come to give rest to Israel.” </t>


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<pb/>The LORD appeared to us in the past, <f>[56]</f> saying: <pb/><t>“I have loved you with an everlasting love; </t><t>I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. </t>


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<t>I will build you up again, </t><t>and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. </t><t>Again you will take up your timbrels </t><t>and go out to dance with the joyful. </t>


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<t>Again you will plant vineyards </t><t>on the hills of Samaria; </t><t>the farmers will plant them </t><t>and enjoy their fruit. </t>


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<t>There will be a day when watchmen cry out </t><t>on the hills of Ephraim, </t><t>‘Come, let us go up to Zion, </t><t>to the LORD our God.’ ” </t>


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<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Sing with joy for Jacob; </t><t>shout for the foremost of the nations. </t><t>Make your praises heard, and say, </t><t>‘LORD, save your people, </t><t>the remnant of Israel.’ </t>


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<t>See, I will bring them from the land of the north </t><t>and gather them from the ends of the earth. </t><t>Among them will be the blind and the lame, </t><t>expectant mothers and women in labor; </t><t>a great throng will return. </t>


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<t>They will come with weeping; </t><t>they will pray as I bring them back. </t><t>I will lead them beside streams of water </t><t>on a level path where they will not stumble, </t><t>because I am Israel’s father, </t><t>and Ephraim is my firstborn son. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“Hear the word of the LORD, you nations; </t><t>proclaim it in distant coastlands: </t><t>‘He who scattered Israel will gather them </t><t>and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’ </t>


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<t>For the LORD will deliver Jacob </t><t>and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. </t>


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<t>They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; </t><t>they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD —  </t><t>the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, </t><t>the young of the flocks and herds. </t><t>They will be like a well-watered garden, </t><t>and they will sorrow no more. </t>


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<t>Then young women will dance and be glad, </t><t>young men and old as well. </t><t>I will turn their mourning into gladness; </t><t>I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. </t>


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<t>I will satisfy the priests with abundance, </t><t>and my people will be filled with my bounty,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


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<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“A voice is heard in Ramah, </t><t>mourning and great weeping, </t><t>Rachel weeping for her children </t><t>and refusing to be comforted, </t><t>because they are no more.” </t>


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<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Restrain your voice from weeping </t><t>and your eyes from tears, </t><t>for your work will be rewarded,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“They will return from the land of the enemy. </t>


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<t>So there is hope for your descendants,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“Your children will return to their own land. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: </t><t>‘You disciplined me like an unruly calf, </t><t>and I have been disciplined. </t><t>Restore me, and I will return, </t><t>because you are the LORD my God. </t>


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<t>After I strayed, </t><t>I repented; </t><t>after I came to understand, </t><t>I beat my breast. </t><t>I was ashamed and humiliated </t><t>because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’ </t>


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<t>Is not Ephraim my dear son, </t><t>the child in whom I delight? </t><t>Though I often speak against him, </t><t>I still remember him. </t><t>Therefore my heart yearns for him; </t><t>I have great compassion for him,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“Set up road signs; </t><t>put up guideposts. </t><t>Take note of the highway, </t><t>the road that you take. </t><t>Return, Virgin Israel, </t><t>return to your towns. </t>


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<t>How long will you wander, </t><t>unfaithful Daughter Israel? </t><t>The LORD will create a new thing on earth —  </t><t>the woman will return to <f>[57]</f> the man.” </t>


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<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, <f>[58]</f> the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The LORD bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’


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People will live together in Judah and all its towns — farmers and those who move about with their flocks.


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<pb/>“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals.


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Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the LORD.


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“In those days people will no longer say, <pb/><t>‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, </t><t>and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ </t>


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<pb/>Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes — their own teeth will be set on edge.


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<pb/><t>“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, </t><t>“when I will make a new covenant </t><t>with the people of Israel </t><t>and with the people of Judah. </t>


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<t>It will not be like the covenant </t><t>I made with their ancestors </t><t>when I took them by the hand </t><t>to lead them out of Egypt, </t><t>because they broke my covenant, </t><t>though I was a husband to <f>[59]</f> them, <f>[60]</f>” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


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<t>“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel </t><t>after that time,” declares the LORD. </t><t>“I will put my law in their minds </t><t>and write it on their hearts. </t><t>I will be their God, </t><t>and they will be my people. </t>


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<t>No longer will they teach their neighbor, </t><t>or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ </t><t>because they will all know me, </t><t>from the least of them to the greatest,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“For I will forgive their wickedness </t><t>and will remember their sins no more.” </t>


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<pb/>This is what the LORD says, <pb/><t>he who appoints the sun </t><t>to shine by day, </t><t>who decrees the moon and stars </t><t>to shine by night, </t><t>who stirs up the sea </t><t>so that its waves roar —  </t><t>the LORD Almighty is his name: </t>


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<t>“Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>“will Israel ever cease </t><t>being a nation before me.” </t>


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<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Only if the heavens above can be measured </t><t>and the foundations of the earth below be searched out </t><t>will I reject all the descendants of Israel </t><t>because of all they have done,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


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<pb/>“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.


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The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the LORD. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”


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<pb/>This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.


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The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah.


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<pb/>Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.


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Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians <f>[61]</f> but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes.


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He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’ ”


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Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’


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<pb/>“Then, just as the LORD had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’ <pb/>“I knew that this was the word of the LORD;


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so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels <f>[62]</f> of silver.


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I took the deed of purchase — the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy — 


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and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.


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‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time.


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For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’


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<pb/>“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.


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You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD Almighty,


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great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.


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You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours.


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You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror.


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They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them.


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<pb/>“See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see.


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And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign LORD, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.’ ”


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Therefore this is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it.


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The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.


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<pb/>“The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the LORD.


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From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove it from my sight.


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The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done — they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem.


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They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.


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They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded — nor did it enter my mind — that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.


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<pb/>“You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:


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I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.


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I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.


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I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.


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I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.


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<pb/>“This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.


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Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’


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Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes, <f>[63]</f> declares the LORD.”


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<pb/>While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him a second time:


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“This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it — the LORD is his name:


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For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword


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in the fight with the Babylonians <f>[64]</f>: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.


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<pb/>“ ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.


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I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity <f>[65]</f> and will rebuild them as they were before.


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I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.


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Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’


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<pb/>“This is what the LORD says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more


text:
the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD, saying, <pb/><t>“Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, </t><t>for the LORD is good; </t><t>his love endures forever.” </t> <pb/>For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the LORD.


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<pb/>“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals — in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.


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In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the LORD.


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<pb/>“ ‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.


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<pb/><t>“ ‘In those days and at that time </t><t>I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; </t><t>he will do what is just and right in the land. </t>


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<t>In those days Judah will be saved </t><t>and Jerusalem will live in safety. </t><t>This is the name by which it <f>[66]</f> will be called: </t><t>The LORD Our Righteous Savior.’ </t>


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<pb/>For this is what the LORD says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel,


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nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’ ”


text:
“This is what the LORD says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,


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then my covenant with David my servant — and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me — can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.


text:
I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’ ”


text:
“Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two kingdoms <f>[67]</f> he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation.


text:
This is what the LORD says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth,


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then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes <f>[68]</f> and have compassion on them.’ ”


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<pb/>While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:


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“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.


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You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.


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<pb/>“ ‘Yet hear the LORD’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the LORD says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;


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you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas, master!” I myself make this promise, declares the LORD.’ ”


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while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out — Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah.


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<pb/>The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves.


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Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.


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So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free.


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But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.


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“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I said,


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‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’ <f>[69]</f> Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention to me.


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Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people. You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.


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But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.


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<pb/>“Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares the LORD — ‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.


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Those who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.


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The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf,


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I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.


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<pb/>“I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon, which has withdrawn from you.


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I am going to give the order, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take it and burn it down. And I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there.”


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<pb/>This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:


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“Go to the Rekabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the LORD and give them wine to drink.”


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<pb/>So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons — the whole family of the Rekabites.


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I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.


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Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”


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<pb/>But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab <f>[70]</f> son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.


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Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’


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We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine


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But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian <f>[71]</f> and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”


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“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?’ declares the LORD.


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‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me.


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Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened to me.


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The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’


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<pb/>“Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.’ ”


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<pb/>Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’


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Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.’ ”


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<pb/>In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:


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“Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now.


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Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.”


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<pb/>So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated all the words the LORD had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.


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So you go to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting and read to the people from the scroll the words of the LORD that you wrote as I dictated. Read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns.


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Perhaps they will bring their petition before the LORD and will each turn from their wicked ways, for the anger and wrath pronounced against this people by the LORD are great.”


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<pb/>Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at the LORD’s temple he read the words of the LORD from the scroll.


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In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting before the LORD was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah.


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From the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the LORD’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.


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<pb/>When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll,


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he went down to the secretary’s room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.


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all the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand.


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When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear and said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.”


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<pb/>“Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”


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<pb/>Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide. Don’t let anyone know where you are.”


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<pb/>After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him.


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The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him.


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It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him.


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Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.


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The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.


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Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.


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Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.


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<pb/>After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:


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“Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up.


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Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what the LORD says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from it both man and beast?”


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Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night.


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I will punish him and his children and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.’ ”


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<pb/>So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.


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<pb/>Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin <f>[72]</f> son of Jehoiakim.


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Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.


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<pb/>King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehukal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: “Please pray to the LORD our God for us.”


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Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt, and when the Babylonians <f>[73]</f> who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.


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“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt.


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<pb/>“This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves, thinking, ‘The Babylonians will surely leave us.’ They will not!


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Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian <f>[74]</f> army that is attacking you and only wounded men were left in their tents, they would come out and burn this city down.”


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Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property among the people there.


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But when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”


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<pb/>“That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.


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They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.


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Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there any word from the LORD?” <pb/>“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.”


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<pb/>Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crime have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison?


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Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’?


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But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there.”


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<pb/>King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.


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<pb/>Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehukal <f>[75]</f> son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said,


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“This is what the LORD says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians <f>[76]</f> will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’


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And this is what the LORD says: ‘This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’ ”


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<pb/>Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”


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<pb/>So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.


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<pb/>But Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, <f>[77]</f> an official <f>[78]</f> in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,


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“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.”


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<pb/>Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”


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<pb/>So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.


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Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,


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and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.


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<pb/>Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the LORD. “I am going to ask you something,” the king said to Jeremiah. “Do not hide anything from me.”


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<pb/>Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.”


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<pb/>But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly to Jeremiah: “As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us breath, I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.”


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<pb/>Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.


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But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will not escape from them.’ ”


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<pb/>King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”


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<pb/>“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the LORD by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared.


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All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you: <pb/><t>“ ‘They misled you and overcame you —  </t><t>those trusted friends of yours. </t><t>Your feet are sunk in the mud; </t><t>your friends have deserted you.’ </t>


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<pb/>“All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon; and this city will <f>[79]</f> be burned down.”


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<pb/>Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you may die.


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If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’


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then tell them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.’ ”


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<pb/>All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king.


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<pb/>And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured. <pb/>This is how Jerusalem was taken:


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<pb/>In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it.


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And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through.


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Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon.


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When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah. <f>[80]</f>


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<pb/>But the Babylonian <f>[81]</f> army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him.


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There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah.


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<pb/>The Babylonians <f>[82]</f> set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.


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Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest of the people.


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But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.


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<pb/>Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard:


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So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers of the king of Babylon


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sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.


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<pb/>While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him:


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“Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city — words concerning disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes.


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But I will rescue you on that day, declares the LORD; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear.


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I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the LORD.’ ”


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<pb/>The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon.


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When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The LORD your God decreed this disaster for this place.


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And now the LORD has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against the LORD and did not obey him.


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But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.”


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However, before Jeremiah turned to go, <f>[83]</f> Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.” <pb/>Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go.


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So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.


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<pb/>When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon,


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they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah — Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah <f>[84]</f> the son of the Maakathite, and their men.


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Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians, <f>[85]</f>” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.


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I myself will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine, summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars, and live in the towns you have taken over.”


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<pb/>When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom and all the other countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them,


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they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered. And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.


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<pb/>Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah


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and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.


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<pb/>Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?”


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<pb/>But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”


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<pb/>In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there,


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Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.


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Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian <f>[86]</f> soldiers who were there.


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eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the LORD.


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Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”


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When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.


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But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.” So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others.


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Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa had made as part of his defense against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.


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<pb/>Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah — the king’s daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.


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<pb/>When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed,


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they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool in Gibeon.


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When all the people Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad.


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<pb/>Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived, whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam — the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon.


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to escape the Babylonians. <f>[87]</f> They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.


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<pb/>Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah <f>[88]</f> son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached


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Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left.


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<pb/>“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the LORD your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the LORD says and will keep nothing back from you.”


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<pb/>Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us.


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Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God.”


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So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.


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He said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says:


text:
‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.


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Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands.


text:
and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’


text:
then hear the word of the LORD, you remnant of Judah. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there,


text:
then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.


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Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’


text:
This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse <f>[89]</f> and an object of horror, a curse <f>[90]</f> and an object of reproach; you will never see this place again.’


text:
<pb/>“Remnant of Judah, the LORD has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today


text:
that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, ‘Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’


text:
I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the LORD your God in all he sent me to tell you.


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So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle.”


text:
<pb/>When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God — everything the LORD had sent him to tell them — 


text:
Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’


text:
But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, <f>[91]</f> so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”


text:
<pb/>So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the LORD’s command to stay in the land of Judah.


text:
Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.


text:
They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan — the men, the women, the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah along with them.


text:
“While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes.


text:
Then say to them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy above them.


text:
He will come and attack Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword.


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He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive. As a shepherd picks his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart.


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There in the temple of the sun <f>[92]</f> in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’ ”


text:
<pb/>This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt — in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis — and in Upper Egypt:


text:
“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins


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because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew.


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Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’


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But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods.


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Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.


text:
<pb/>“Now this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?


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Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse <f>[93]</f> and an object of reproach among all the nations on earth.


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Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?


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To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your ancestors.


text:
<pb/>“Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah.


text:
I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.


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None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”


text:
<pb/>Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present — a large assembly — and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah,


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We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.


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But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.”


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<pb/>The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?”


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“Did not the LORD remember and call to mind the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your ancestors, your kings and your officials and the people of the land?


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When the LORD could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today.


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Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the LORD and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see.”


text:
<pb/>Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah in Egypt.


text:
This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’ <pb/>“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!


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But hear the word of the LORD, all you Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says the LORD, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign LORD lives.”


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For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed.


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Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand — mine or theirs.


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<pb/>“ ‘This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,’ declares the LORD, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’


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This is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’ ”


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<pb/>When Baruch son of Neriah wrote on a scroll the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch:


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You said, ‘Woe to me! The LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.’


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But the LORD has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the LORD says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the earth.


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Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the LORD, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.’ ”


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<pb/>Concerning Egypt: <pb/>This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:


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<t>Harness the horses, </t><t>mount the steeds! </t><t>Take your positions </t><t>with helmets on! </t><t>Polish your spears, </t><t>put on your armor! </t>


text:
<t>What do I see? </t><t>They are terrified, </t><t>they are retreating, </t><t>their warriors are defeated. </t><t>They flee in haste </t><t>without looking back, </t><t>and there is terror on every side,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“The swift cannot flee </t><t>nor the strong escape. </t><t>In the north by the River Euphrates </t><t>they stumble and fall. <pb/> </t>


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<t>Egypt rises like the Nile, </t><t>like rivers of surging waters. </t><t>She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; </t><t>I will destroy cities and their people.’ </t>


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<t>Charge, you horses! </t><t>Drive furiously, you charioteers! </t><t>March on, you warriors — men of Cush <f>[94]</f> and Put who carry shields, </t><t>men of Lydia who draw the bow. </t>


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<t>But that day belongs to the Lord, the LORD Almighty —  </t><t>a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes. </t><t>The sword will devour till it is satisfied, </t><t>till it has quenched its thirst with blood. </t><t>For the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will offer sacrifice </t><t>in the land of the north by the River Euphrates. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“Go up to Gilead and get balm, </t><t>Virgin Daughter Egypt. </t><t>But you try many medicines in vain; </t><t>there is no healing for you. </t>


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<t>The nations will hear of your shame; </t><t>your cries will fill the earth. </t><t>One warrior will stumble over another; </t><t>both will fall down together.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is the message the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to attack Egypt:


text:
<pb/><t>“Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol; </t><t>proclaim it also in Memphis and Tahpanhes: </t><t>‘Take your positions and get ready, </t><t>for the sword devours those around you.’ </t>


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<t>Why will your warriors be laid low? </t><t>They cannot stand, for the LORD will push them down. </t>


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<t>They will stumble repeatedly; </t><t>they will fall over each other. </t><t>They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back </t><t>to our own people and our native lands, </t><t>away from the sword of the oppressor.’ </t>


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<t>There they will exclaim, </t><t>‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; </t><t>he has missed his opportunity.’ <pb/> </t>


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<t>“As surely as I live,” declares the King, </t><t>whose name is the LORD Almighty, </t><t>“one will come who is like Tabor among the mountains, </t><t>like Carmel by the sea. </t>


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<t>Pack your belongings for exile, </t><t>you who live in Egypt, </t><t>for Memphis will be laid waste </t><t>and lie in ruins without inhabitant. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Egypt is a beautiful heifer, </t><t>but a gadfly is coming </t><t>against her from the north. </t>


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<t>The mercenaries in her ranks </t><t>are like fattened calves. </t><t>They too will turn and flee together, </t><t>they will not stand their ground, </t><t>for the day of disaster is coming upon them, </t><t>the time for them to be punished. </t>


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<t>Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent </t><t>as the enemy advances in force; </t><t>they will come against her with axes, </t><t>like men who cut down trees. </t>


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<t>They will chop down her forest,” </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>“dense though it be. </t><t>They are more numerous than locusts, </t><t>they cannot be counted. </t>


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<t>Daughter Egypt will be put to shame, </t><t>given into the hands of the people of the north.” </t>


text:
<pb/>The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh.


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I will give them into the hands of those who want to kill them — Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past,” declares the LORD.


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<pb/><t>“Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; </t><t>do not be dismayed, Israel. </t><t>I will surely save you out of a distant place, </t><t>your descendants from the land of their exile. </t><t>Jacob will again have peace and security, </t><t>and no one will make him afraid. </t>


text:
<t>Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, </t><t>for I am with you,” declares the LORD. </t><t>“Though I completely destroy all the nations </t><t>among which I scatter you, </t><t>I will not completely destroy you. </t><t>I will discipline you but only in due measure; </t><t>I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”</t>


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<pb/>This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“See how the waters are rising in the north; </t><t>they will become an overflowing torrent. </t><t>They will overflow the land and everything in it, </t><t>the towns and those who live in them. </t><t>The people will cry out; </t><t>all who dwell in the land will wail </t>


text:
<t>at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, </t><t>at the noise of enemy chariots </t><t>and the rumble of their wheels. </t><t>Parents will not turn to help their children; </t><t>their hands will hang limp. </t>


text:
<t>For the day has come </t><t>to destroy all the Philistines </t><t>and to remove all survivors </t><t>who could help Tyre and Sidon. </t><t>The LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, </t><t>the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor. <f>[95]</f> </t>


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<t>Gaza will shave her head in mourning; </t><t>Ashkelon will be silenced. </t><t>You remnant on the plain, </t><t>how long will you cut yourselves? <pb/> </t>


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<t>“ ‘Alas, sword of the LORD, </t><t>how long till you rest? </t><t>Return to your sheath; </t><t>cease and be still.’ </t>


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<t>But how can it rest </t><t>when the LORD has commanded it, </t><t>when he has ordered it </t><t>to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”</t>


text:
<pb/>Concerning Moab: <pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: <pb/><t>“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. </t><t>Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; </t><t>the stronghold <f>[96]</f> will be disgraced and shattered. </t>


text:
<t>Moab will be praised no more; </t><t>in Heshbon <f>[97]</f> people will plot her downfall: </t><t>‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’ </t><t>You, the people of Madmen, <f>[98]</f> will also be silenced; </t><t>the sword will pursue you. </t>


text:
<t>They go up the hill to Luhith, </t><t>weeping bitterly as they go; </t><t>on the road down to Horonaim </t><t>anguished cries over the destruction are heard. </t>


text:
<t>Since you trust in your deeds and riches, </t><t>you too will be taken captive, </t><t>and Chemosh will go into exile, </t><t>together with his priests and officials. </t>


text:
<t>The destroyer will come against every town, </t><t>and not a town will escape. </t><t>The valley will be ruined </t><t>and the plateau destroyed, </t><t>because the LORD has spoken. </t>


text:
<t>Put salt on Moab, </t><t>for she will be laid waste <f>[101]</f>; </t><t>her towns will become desolate, </t><t>with no one to live in them. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD’s work! </t><t>A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed! <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Moab has been at rest from youth, </t><t>like wine left on its dregs, </t><t>not poured from one jar to another —  </t><t>she has not gone into exile. </t><t>So she tastes as she did, </t><t>and her aroma is unchanged. </t>


text:
<t>But days are coming,” </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>“when I will send men who pour from pitchers, </t><t>and they will pour her out; </t><t>they will empty her pitchers </t><t>and smash her jars. </t>


text:
<t>Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, </t><t>as Israel was ashamed </t><t>when they trusted in Bethel. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; </t><t>her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” </t><t>declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty. </t>


text:
<t>Mourn for her, all who live around her, </t><t>all who know her fame; </t><t>say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, </t><t>how broken the glorious staff!’ <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Come down from your glory </t><t>and sit on the parched ground, </t><t>you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon, </t><t>for the one who destroys Moab </t><t>will come up against you </t><t>and ruin your fortified cities. </t>


text:
<t>Stand by the road and watch, </t><t>you who live in Aroer. </t><t>Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, </t><t>ask them, ‘What has happened?’ </t>


text:
<t>Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. </t><t>Wail and cry out! </t><t>Announce by the Arnon </t><t>that Moab is destroyed. </t>


text:
<t>Moab’s horn <f>[102]</f> is cut off; </t><t>her arm is broken,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Make her drunk, </t><t>for she has defied the LORD. </t><t>Let Moab wallow in her vomit; </t><t>let her be an object of ridicule. </t>


text:
<t>Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? </t><t>Was she caught among thieves, </t><t>that you shake your head in scorn </t><t>whenever you speak of her? </t>


text:
<t>Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, </t><t>you who live in Moab. </t><t>Be like a dove that makes its nest </t><t>at the mouth of a cave. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“We have heard of Moab’s pride —  </t><t>how great is her arrogance! —  </t><t>of her insolence, her pride, her conceit </t><t>and the haughtiness of her heart. </t>


text:
<t>I know her insolence but it is futile,” </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>“and her boasts accomplish nothing. </t>


text:
<t>Therefore I wail over Moab, </t><t>for all Moab I cry out, </t><t>I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth. </t>


text:
<t>I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, </t><t>you vines of Sibmah. </t><t>Your branches spread as far as the sea <f>[103]</f>; </t><t>they reached as far as <f>[104]</f> Jazer. </t><t>The destroyer has fallen </t><t>on your ripened fruit and grapes. </t>


text:
<t>Joy and gladness are gone </t><t>from the orchards and fields of Moab. </t><t>I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; </t><t>no one treads them with shouts of joy. </t><t>Although there are shouts, </t><t>they are not shouts of joy. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“The sound of their cry rises </t><t>from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz, </t><t>from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, </t><t>for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up. </t>


text:
<t>In Moab I will put an end </t><t>to those who make offerings on the high places </t><t>and burn incense to their gods,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; </t><t>it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. </t><t>The wealth they acquired is gone. </t>


text:
<t>Every head is shaved </t><t>and every beard cut off; </t><t>every hand is slashed </t><t>and every waist is covered with sackcloth. </t>


text:
<t>On all the roofs in Moab </t><t>and in the public squares </t><t>there is nothing but mourning, </t><t>for I have broken Moab </t><t>like a jar that no one wants,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“How shattered she is! How they wail! </t><t>How Moab turns her back in shame! </t><t>Moab has become an object of ridicule, </t><t>an object of horror to all those around her.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Look! An eagle is swooping down, </t><t>spreading its wings over Moab. </t>


text:
<t>Kerioth <f>[105]</f> will be captured </t><t>and the strongholds taken. </t><t>In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors </t><t>will be like the heart of a woman in labor. </t>


text:
<t>“Whoever flees from the terror </t><t>will fall into a pit, </t><t>whoever climbs out of the pit </t><t>will be caught in a snare; </t><t>for I will bring on Moab </t><t>the year of her punishment,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“In the shadow of Heshbon </t><t>the fugitives stand helpless, </t><t>for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, </t><t>a blaze from the midst of Sihon; </t><t>it burns the foreheads of Moab, </t><t>the skulls of the noisy boasters. </t>


text:
<t>Woe to you, Moab! </t><t>The people of Chemosh are destroyed; </t><t>your sons are taken into exile </t><t>and your daughters into captivity. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab </t><t>in days to come,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t> <pb/>Here ends the judgment on Moab.


text:
<pb/>Concerning the Ammonites: <pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Has Israel no sons? </t><t>Has Israel no heir? </t><t>Why then has Molek <f>[106]</f> taken possession of Gad? </t><t>Why do his people live in its towns? </t>


text:
<t>But the days are coming,” </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>“when I will sound the battle cry </t><t>against Rabbah of the Ammonites; </t><t>it will become a mound of ruins, </t><t>and its surrounding villages will be set on fire. </t><t>Then Israel will drive out </t><t>those who drove her out,” </t><t>says the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! </t><t>Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah! </t><t>Put on sackcloth and mourn; </t><t>rush here and there inside the walls, </t><t>for Molek will go into exile, </t><t>together with his priests and officials. </t>


text:
<t>Why do you boast of your valleys, </t><t>boast of your valleys so fruitful? </t><t>Unfaithful Daughter Ammon, </t><t>you trust in your riches and say, </t><t>‘Who will attack me?’ </t>


text:
<t>I will bring terror on you </t><t>from all those around you,” </t><t>declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty. </t><t>“Every one of you will be driven away, </t><t>and no one will gather the fugitives. <pb/> </t>


text:
<pb/>Concerning Edom: <pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? </t><t>Has counsel perished from the prudent? </t><t>Has their wisdom decayed? </t>


text:
<t>Turn and flee, hide in deep caves, </t><t>you who live in Dedan, </t><t>for I will bring disaster on Esau </t><t>at the time when I punish him. </t>


text:
<t>If grape pickers came to you, </t><t>would they not leave a few grapes? </t><t>If thieves came during the night, </t><t>would they not steal only as much as they wanted? </t>


text:
<t>But I will strip Esau bare; </t><t>I will uncover his hiding places, </t><t>so that he cannot conceal himself. </t><t>His armed men are destroyed, </t><t>also his allies and neighbors, </t><t>so there is no one to say, </t>


text:
<t>‘Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive. </t><t>Your widows too can depend on me.’ ” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it.


text:
I swear by myself,” declares the LORD, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and a curse, <f>[107]</f> an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”


text:
<pb/><t>I have heard a message from the LORD; </t><t>an envoy was sent to the nations to say, </t><t>“Assemble yourselves to attack it! </t><t>Rise up for battle!” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The terror you inspire </t><t>and the pride of your heart have deceived you, </t><t>you who live in the clefts of the rocks, </t><t>who occupy the heights of the hill. </t><t>Though you build your nest as high as the eagle’s, </t><t>from there I will bring you down,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“Edom will become an object of horror; </t><t>all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff </t><t>because of all its wounds. </t>


text:
<t>As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown, </t><t>along with their neighboring towns,” </t><t>says the LORD, </t><t>“so no one will live there; </t><t>no people will dwell in it. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets </t><t>to a rich pastureland, </t><t>I will chase Edom from its land in an instant. </t><t>Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? </t><t>Who is like me and who can challenge me? </t><t>And what shepherd can stand against me?” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Therefore, hear what the LORD has planned against Edom, </t><t>what he has purposed against those who live in Teman: </t><t>The young of the flock will be dragged away; </t><t>their pasture will be appalled at their fate. </t>


text:
<t>At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble; </t><t>their cry will resound to the Red Sea. <f>[108]</f> </t>


text:
<t>Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, </t><t>spreading its wings over Bozrah. </t><t>In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors </t><t>will be like the heart of a woman in labor. </t>


text:
<pb/>Concerning Damascus: <pb/><t>“Hamath and Arpad are dismayed, </t><t>for they have heard bad news. </t><t>They are disheartened, </t><t>troubled like <f>[109]</f> the restless sea. </t>


text:
<t>Damascus has become feeble, </t><t>she has turned to flee </t><t>and panic has gripped her; </t><t>anguish and pain have seized her, </t><t>pain like that of a woman in labor. </t>


text:
<t>Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; </t><t>all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,” </t><t>declares the LORD Almighty. </t>


text:
<t>“I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; </t><t>it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.” </t>


text:
<pb/>Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked: <pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“Arise, and attack Kedar </t><t>and destroy the people of the East. </t>


text:
<t>Their tents and their flocks will be taken; </t><t>their shelters will be carried off </t><t>with all their goods and camels. </t><t>People will shout to them, </t><t>‘Terror on every side!’ <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Flee quickly away! </t><t>Stay in deep caves, you who live in Hazor,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has plotted against you; </t><t>he has devised a plan against you. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Arise and attack a nation at ease, </t><t>which lives in confidence,” </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>“a nation that has neither gates nor bars; </t><t>its people live far from danger. </t>


text:
<t>Their camels will become plunder, </t><t>and their large herds will be spoils of war. </t><t>I will scatter to the winds those who are in distant places <f>[110]</f> </t><t>and will bring disaster on them from every side,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“Hazor will become a haunt of jackals, </t><t>a desolate place forever. </t><t>No one will live there; </t><t>no people will dwell in it.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah:


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“See, I will break the bow of Elam, </t><t>the mainstay of their might. </t>


text:
<t>I will bring against Elam the four winds </t><t>from the four quarters of heaven; </t><t>I will scatter them to the four winds, </t><t>and there will not be a nation </t><t>where Elam’s exiles do not go. </t>


text:
<t>I will shatter Elam before their foes, </t><t>before those who want to kill them; </t><t>I will bring disaster on them, </t><t>even my fierce anger,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“I will pursue them with the sword </t><t>until I have made an end of them. </t>


text:
<t>I will set my throne in Elam </t><t>and destroy her king and officials,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<pb/>This is the word the LORD spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians <f>[111]</f>:


text:
<pb/><t>“Announce and proclaim among the nations, </t><t>lift up a banner and proclaim it; </t><t>keep nothing back, but say, </t><t>‘Babylon will be captured; </t><t>Bel will be put to shame, </t><t>Marduk filled with terror. </t><t>Her images will be put to shame </t><t>and her idols filled with terror.’ </t>


text:
<t>A nation from the north will attack her </t><t>and lay waste her land. </t><t>No one will live in it; </t><t>both people and animals will flee away. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“In those days, at that time,” </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together </t><t>will go in tears to seek the LORD their God. </t>


text:
<t>They will ask the way to Zion </t><t>and turn their faces toward it. </t><t>They will come and bind themselves to the LORD </t><t>in an everlasting covenant </t><t>that will not be forgotten. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“My people have been lost sheep; </t><t>their shepherds have led them astray </t><t>and caused them to roam on the mountains. </t><t>They wandered over mountain and hill </t><t>and forgot their own resting place. </t>


text:
<t>Whoever found them devoured them; </t><t>their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty, </t><t>for they sinned against the LORD, their verdant pasture, </t><t>the LORD, the hope of their ancestors.’ <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Flee out of Babylon; </t><t>leave the land of the Babylonians, </t><t>and be like the goats that lead the flock. </t>


text:
<t>For I will stir up and bring against Babylon </t><t>an alliance of great nations from the land of the north. </t><t>They will take up their positions against her, </t><t>and from the north she will be captured. </t><t>Their arrows will be like skilled warriors </t><t>who do not return empty-handed. </t>


text:
<t>So Babylonia <f>[112]</f> will be plundered; </t><t>all who plunder her will have their fill,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Because you rejoice and are glad, </t><t>you who pillage my inheritance, </t><t>because you frolic like a heifer threshing grain </t><t>and neigh like stallions, </t>


text:
<t>your mother will be greatly ashamed; </t><t>she who gave you birth will be disgraced. </t><t>She will be the least of the nations —  </t><t>a wilderness, a dry land, a desert. </t>


text:
<t>Because of the LORD’s anger she will not be inhabited </t><t>but will be completely desolate. </t><t>All who pass Babylon will be appalled; </t><t>they will scoff because of all her wounds. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Take up your positions around Babylon, </t><t>all you who draw the bow. </t><t>Shoot at her! Spare no arrows, </t><t>for she has sinned against the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>Shout against her on every side! </t><t>She surrenders, her towers fall, </t><t>her walls are torn down. </t><t>Since this is the vengeance of the LORD, </t><t>take vengeance on her; </t><t>do to her as she has done to others. </t>


text:
<t>Cut off from Babylon the sower, </t><t>and the reaper with his sickle at harvest. </t><t>Because of the sword of the oppressor </t><t>let everyone return to their own people, </t><t>let everyone flee to their own land. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Israel is a scattered flock </t><t>that lions have chased away. </t><t>The first to devour them </t><t>was the king of Assyria; </t><t>the last to crush their bones </t><t>was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.” </t>


text:
<pb/>Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: <pb/><t>“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land </t><t>as I punished the king of Assyria. </t>


text:
<t>But I will bring Israel back to their own pasture, </t><t>and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan; </t><t>their appetite will be satisfied </t><t>on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead. </t>


text:
<t>In those days, at that time,” </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>“search will be made for Israel’s guilt, </t><t>but there will be none, </t><t>and for the sins of Judah, </t><t>but none will be found, </t><t>for I will forgive the remnant I spare. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Attack the land of Merathaim </t><t>and those who live in Pekod. </t><t>Pursue, kill and completely destroy <f>[113]</f> them,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“Do everything I have commanded you. </t>


text:
<t>How broken and shattered </t><t>is the hammer of the whole earth! </t><t>How desolate is Babylon </t><t>among the nations! </t>


text:
<t>I set a trap for you, Babylon, </t><t>and you were caught before you knew it; </t><t>you were found and captured </t><t>because you opposed the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>The LORD has opened his arsenal </t><t>and brought out the weapons of his wrath, </t><t>for the Sovereign LORD Almighty has work to do </t><t>in the land of the Babylonians. </t>


text:
<t>Come against her from afar. </t><t>Break open her granaries; </t><t>pile her up like heaps of grain. </t><t>Completely destroy her </t><t>and leave her no remnant. </t>


text:
<t>Kill all her young bulls; </t><t>let them go down to the slaughter! </t><t>Woe to them! For their day has come, </t><t>the time for them to be punished. </t>


text:
<t>Listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon </t><t>declaring in Zion </t><t>how the LORD our God has taken vengeance, </t><t>vengeance for his temple. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Summon archers against Babylon, </t><t>all those who draw the bow. </t><t>Encamp all around her; </t><t>let no one escape. </t><t>Repay her for her deeds; </t><t>do to her as she has done. </t><t>For she has defied the LORD, </t><t>the Holy One of Israel. </t>


text:
<t>Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets; </t><t>all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“See, I am against you, you arrogant one,” </t><t>declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty, </t><t>“for your day has come, </t><t>the time for you to be punished. </t>


text:
<t>The arrogant one will stumble and fall </t><t>and no one will help her up; </t><t>I will kindle a fire in her towns </t><t>that will consume all who are around her.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“The people of Israel are oppressed, </t><t>and the people of Judah as well. </t><t>All their captors hold them fast, </t><t>refusing to let them go. </t>


text:
<t>Yet their Redeemer is strong; </t><t>the LORD Almighty is his name. </t><t>He will vigorously defend their cause </t><t>so that he may bring rest to their land, </t><t>but unrest to those who live in Babylon. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“A sword against the Babylonians!” </t><t>declares the LORD —  </t><t>“against those who live in Babylon </t><t>and against her officials and wise men! </t>


text:
<t>A sword against her false prophets! </t><t>They will become fools. </t><t>A sword against her warriors! </t><t>They will be filled with terror. </t>


text:
<t>A sword against her horses and chariots </t><t>and all the foreigners in her ranks! </t><t>They will become weaklings. </t><t>A sword against her treasures! </t><t>They will be plundered. </t>


text:
<t>A drought on <f>[114]</f> her waters! </t><t>They will dry up. </t><t>For it is a land of idols, </t><t>idols that will go mad with terror. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, </t><t>and there the owl will dwell. </t><t>It will never again be inhabited </t><t>or lived in from generation to generation. </t>


text:
<t>As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah </t><t>along with their neighboring towns,” </t><t>declares the LORD, </t><t>“so no one will live there; </t><t>no people will dwell in it. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Look! An army is coming from the north; </t><t>a great nation and many kings </t><t>are being stirred up from the ends of the earth. </t>


text:
<t>They are armed with bows and spears; </t><t>they are cruel and without mercy. </t><t>They sound like the roaring sea </t><t>as they ride on their horses; </t><t>they come like men in battle formation </t><t>to attack you, Daughter Babylon. </t>


text:
<t>The king of Babylon has heard reports about them, </t><t>and his hands hang limp. </t><t>Anguish has gripped him, </t><t>pain like that of a woman in labor. </t>


text:
<t>Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets </t><t>to a rich pastureland, </t><t>I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant. </t><t>Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? </t><t>Who is like me and who can challenge me? </t><t>And what shepherd can stand against me?” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Therefore, hear what the LORD has planned against Babylon, </t><t>what he has purposed against the land of the Babylonians: </t><t>The young of the flock will be dragged away; </t><t>their pasture will be appalled at their fate. </t>


text:
<t>At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble; </t><t>its cry will resound among the nations.</t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“See, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer </t><t>against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai. <f>[115]</f> </t>


text:
<t>I will send foreigners to Babylon </t><t>to winnow her and to devastate her land; </t><t>they will oppose her on every side </t><t>in the day of her disaster. </t>


text:
<t>Let not the archer string his bow, </t><t>nor let him put on his armor. </t><t>Do not spare her young men; </t><t>completely destroy <f>[116]</f> her army. </t>


text:
<t>For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken </t><t>by their God, the LORD Almighty, </t><t>though their land <f>[118]</f> is full of guilt </t><t>before the Holy One of Israel. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Flee from Babylon! </t><t>Run for your lives! </t><t>Do not be destroyed because of her sins. </t><t>It is time for the LORD’s vengeance; </t><t>he will repay her what she deserves. </t>


text:
<t>Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD’s hand; </t><t>she made the whole earth drunk. </t><t>The nations drank her wine; </t><t>therefore they have now gone mad. </t>


text:
<t>Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. </t><t>Wail over her! </t><t>Get balm for her pain; </t><t>perhaps she can be healed. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“ ‘We would have healed Babylon, </t><t>but she cannot be healed; </t><t>let us leave her and each go to our own land, </t><t>for her judgment reaches to the skies, </t><t>it rises as high as the heavens.’ <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“ ‘The LORD has vindicated us; </t><t>come, let us tell in Zion </t><t>what the LORD our God has done.’ <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Sharpen the arrows, </t><t>take up the shields! </t><t>The LORD has stirred up the kings of the Medes, </t><t>because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. </t><t>The LORD will take vengeance, </t><t>vengeance for his temple. </t>


text:
<t>Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! </t><t>Reinforce the guard, </t><t>station the watchmen, </t><t>prepare an ambush! </t><t>The LORD will carry out his purpose, </t><t>his decree against the people of Babylon. </t>


text:
<t>You who live by many waters </t><t>and are rich in treasures, </t><t>your end has come, </t><t>the time for you to be destroyed. </t>


text:
<t>The LORD Almighty has sworn by himself: </t><t>I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts, </t><t>and they will shout in triumph over you. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“He made the earth by his power; </t><t>he founded the world by his wisdom </t><t>and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. </t>


text:
<t>“Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; </t><t>every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. </t><t>The images he makes are a fraud; </t><t>they have no breath in them. </t>


text:
<t>He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, </t><t>for he is the Maker of all things, </t><t>including the people of his inheritance —  </t><t>the LORD Almighty is his name. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“You are my war club, </t><t>my weapon for battle —  </t><t>with you I shatter nations, </t><t>with you I destroy kingdoms, </t>


text:
<t>with you I shatter man and woman, </t><t>with you I shatter old man and youth, </t><t>with you I shatter young man and young woman, </t>


text:
<t>with you I shatter shepherd and flock, </t><t>with you I shatter farmer and oxen, </t><t>with you I shatter governors and officials. </t>


text:
<pb/>“Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia <f>[119]</f> for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the LORD.


text:
<pb/><t>“I am against you, you destroying mountain, </t><t>you who destroy the whole earth,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t><t>“I will stretch out my hand against you, </t><t>roll you off the cliffs, </t><t>and make you a burned-out mountain. </t>


text:
<t>No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone, </t><t>nor any stone for a foundation, </t><t>for you will be desolate forever,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Lift up a banner in the land! </t><t>Blow the trumpet among the nations! </t><t>Prepare the nations for battle against her; </t><t>summon against her these kingdoms: </t><t>Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. </t><t>Appoint a commander against her; </t><t>send up horses like a swarm of locusts. </t>


text:
<t>Prepare the nations for battle against her —  </t><t>the kings of the Medes, </t><t>their governors and all their officials, </t><t>and all the countries they rule. </t>


text:
<t>The land trembles and writhes, </t><t>for the LORD’s purposes against Babylon stand —  </t><t>to lay waste the land of Babylon </t><t>so that no one will live there. </t>


text:
<t>Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting; </t><t>they remain in their strongholds. </t><t>Their strength is exhausted; </t><t>they have become weaklings. </t><t>Her dwellings are set on fire; </t><t>the bars of her gates are broken. </t>


text:
<t>One courier follows another </t><t>and messenger follows messenger </t><t>to announce to the king of Babylon </t><t>that his entire city is captured, </t>


text:
<t>the river crossings seized, </t><t>the marshes set on fire, </t><t>and the soldiers terrified.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: <pb/><t>“Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor </t><t>at the time it is trampled; </t><t>the time to harvest her will soon come.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us, </t><t>he has thrown us into confusion, </t><t>he has made us an empty jar. </t><t>Like a serpent he has swallowed us </t><t>and filled his stomach with our delicacies, </t><t>and then has spewed us out. </t>


text:
<t>May the violence done to our flesh <f>[120]</f> be on Babylon,” </t><t>say the inhabitants of Zion. </t><t>“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,” </t><t>says Jerusalem. </t>


text:
<pb/>Therefore this is what the LORD says: <pb/><t>“See, I will defend your cause </t><t>and avenge you; </t><t>I will dry up her sea </t><t>and make her springs dry. </t>


text:
<t>Babylon will be a heap of ruins, </t><t>a haunt of jackals, </t><t>an object of horror and scorn, </t><t>a place where no one lives. </t>


text:
<t>But while they are aroused, </t><t>I will set out a feast for them </t><t>and make them drunk, </t><t>so that they shout with laughter —  </t><t>then sleep forever and not awake,” </t><t>declares the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>“I will bring them down </t><t>like lambs to the slaughter, </t><t>like rams and goats. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“How Sheshak <f>[121]</f> will be captured, </t><t>the boast of the whole earth seized! </t><t>How desolate Babylon will be </t><t>among the nations! </t>


text:
<t>Her towns will be desolate, </t><t>a dry and desert land, </t><t>a land where no one lives, </t><t>through which no one travels. </t>


text:
<t>I will punish Bel in Babylon </t><t>and make him spew out what he has swallowed. </t><t>The nations will no longer stream to him. </t><t>And the wall of Babylon will fall. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Come out of her, my people! </t><t>Run for your lives! </t><t>Run from the fierce anger of the LORD. </t>


text:
<t>Do not lose heart or be afraid </t><t>when rumors are heard in the land; </t><t>one rumor comes this year, another the next, </t><t>rumors of violence in the land </t><t>and of ruler against ruler. </t>


text:
<t>For the time will surely come </t><t>when I will punish the idols of Babylon; </t><t>her whole land will be disgraced </t><t>and her slain will all lie fallen within her. </t>


text:
<t>Then heaven and earth and all that is in them </t><t>will shout for joy over Babylon, </t><t>for out of the north </t><t>destroyers will attack her,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain, </t><t>just as the slain in all the earth </t><t>have fallen because of Babylon. </t>


text:
<t>You who have escaped the sword, </t><t>leave and do not linger! </t><t>Remember the LORD in a distant land, </t><t>and call to mind Jerusalem.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“We are disgraced, </t><t>for we have been insulted </t><t>and shame covers our faces, </t><t>because foreigners have entered </t><t>the holy places of the LORD’s house.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“But days are coming,” declares the LORD, </t><t>“when I will punish her idols, </t><t>and throughout her land </t><t>the wounded will groan. </t>


text:
<t>Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens </t><t>and fortifies her lofty stronghold, </t><t>I will send destroyers against her,” </t><t>declares the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, </t><t>the sound of great destruction </t><t>from the land of the Babylonians. <f>[122]</f> </t>


text:
<t>The LORD will destroy Babylon; </t><t>he will silence her noisy din. </t><t>Waves of enemies will rage like great waters; </t><t>the roar of their voices will resound. </t>


text:
<t>A destroyer will come against Babylon; </t><t>her warriors will be captured, </t><t>and their bows will be broken. </t><t>For the LORD is a God of retribution; </t><t>he will repay in full. </t>


text:
<t>I will make her officials and wise men drunk, </t><t>her governors, officers and warriors as well; </t><t>they will sleep forever and not awake,” </t><t>declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty. </t>


text:
<pb/>This is what the LORD Almighty says: <pb/><t>“Babylon’s thick wall will be leveled </t><t>and her high gates set on fire; </t><t>the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, </t><t>the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.” </t>


text:
<pb/>This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign.


text:
Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon — all that had been recorded concerning Babylon.


text:
Then say, ‘LORD, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.’


text:
Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people will fall.’ ” <pb/>The words of Jeremiah end here.


text:
<pb/>So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it.


text:
<pb/>By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.


text:
Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians <f>[123]</f> were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, <f>[124]</f>


text:
but the Babylonian <f>[125]</f> army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,


text:
and he was captured. <pb/>He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him.


text:
There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah.


text:
Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.


text:
<pb/>On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.


text:
The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.


text:
Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen <f>[126]</f> and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.


text:
But Nebuzaradan left behind the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.


text:
<pb/>The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the LORD and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.


text:
They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.


text:
The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands, dishes and bowls used for drink offerings — all that were made of pure gold or silver.


text:
<pb/>The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the LORD, was more than could be weighed.


text:
Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference <f>[127]</f>; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.


text:
The bronze capital on top of one pillar was five cubits <f>[128]</f> high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar.


text:
There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates above the surrounding network was a hundred.


text:
Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city.


text:
This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: <pb/><t>in the seventh year, <pb/>3,023 Jews; <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>in his twenty-third year, <pb/>745 Jews taken into exile by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard. <pb/>There were 4,600 people in all. </t>


text:
<pb/>In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison.


text:
Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived, till the day of his death.


text:
<pb/><t> <f>[1]</f> <n>[1]</n> How deserted lies the city, </t><t>once so full of people! </t><t>How like a widow is she, </t><t>who once was great among the nations! </t><t>She who was queen among the provinces </t><t>has now become a slave. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Bitterly she weeps at night, </t><t>tears are on her cheeks. </t><t>Among all her lovers </t><t>there is no one to comfort her. </t><t>All her friends have betrayed her; </t><t>they have become her enemies. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>After affliction and harsh labor, </t><t>Judah has gone into exile. </t><t>She dwells among the nations; </t><t>she finds no resting place. </t><t>All who pursue her have overtaken her </t><t>in the midst of her distress. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The roads to Zion mourn, </t><t>for no one comes to her appointed festivals. </t><t>All her gateways are desolate, </t><t>her priests groan, </t><t>her young women grieve, </t><t>and she is in bitter anguish. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Her foes have become her masters; </t><t>her enemies are at ease. </t><t>The LORD has brought her grief </t><t>because of her many sins. </t><t>Her children have gone into exile, </t><t>captive before the foe. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>All the splendor has departed </t><t>from Daughter Zion. </t><t>Her princes are like deer </t><t>that find no pasture; </t><t>in weakness they have fled </t><t>before the pursuer. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>In the days of her affliction and wandering </t><t>Jerusalem remembers all the treasures </t><t>that were hers in days of old. </t><t>When her people fell into enemy hands, </t><t>there was no one to help her. </t><t>Her enemies looked at her </t><t>and laughed at her destruction. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Jerusalem has sinned greatly </t><t>and so has become unclean. </t><t>All who honored her despise her, </t><t>for they have all seen her naked; </t><t>she herself groans </t><t>and turns away. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Her filthiness clung to her skirts; </t><t>she did not consider her future. </t><t>Her fall was astounding; </t><t>there was none to comfort her. </t><t>“Look, LORD, on my affliction, </t><t>for the enemy has triumphed.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The enemy laid hands </t><t>on all her treasures; </t><t>she saw pagan nations </t><t>enter her sanctuary —  </t><t>those you had forbidden </t><t>to enter your assembly. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>All her people groan </t><t>as they search for bread; </t><t>they barter their treasures for food </t><t>to keep themselves alive. </t><t>“Look, LORD, and consider, </t><t>for I am despised.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? </t><t>Look around and see. </t><t>Is any suffering like my suffering </t><t>that was inflicted on me, </t><t>that the LORD brought on me </t><t>in the day of his fierce anger? <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“From on high he sent fire, </t><t>sent it down into my bones. </t><t>He spread a net for my feet </t><t>and turned me back. </t><t>He made me desolate, </t><t>faint all the day long. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“My sins have been bound into a yoke <f>[2]</f>; </t><t>by his hands they were woven together. </t><t>They have been hung on my neck, </t><t>and the Lord has sapped my strength. </t><t>He has given me into the hands </t><t>of those I cannot withstand. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“The Lord has rejected </t><t>all the warriors in my midst; </t><t>he has summoned an army against me </t><t>to <f>[3]</f> crush my young men. </t><t>In his winepress the Lord has trampled </t><t>Virgin Daughter Judah. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“This is why I weep </t><t>and my eyes overflow with tears. </t><t>No one is near to comfort me, </t><t>no one to restore my spirit. </t><t>My children are destitute </t><t>because the enemy has prevailed.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Zion stretches out her hands, </t><t>but there is no one to comfort her. </t><t>The LORD has decreed for Jacob </t><t>that his neighbors become his foes; </t><t>Jerusalem has become </t><t>an unclean thing among them. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“The LORD is righteous, </t><t>yet I rebelled against his command. </t><t>Listen, all you peoples; </t><t>look on my suffering. </t><t>My young men and young women </t><t>have gone into exile. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“I called to my allies </t><t>but they betrayed me. </t><t>My priests and my elders </t><t>perished in the city </t><t>while they searched for food </t><t>to keep themselves alive. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“See, LORD, how distressed I am! </t><t>I am in torment within, </t><t>and in my heart I am disturbed, </t><t>for I have been most rebellious. </t><t>Outside, the sword bereaves; </t><t>inside, there is only death. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“People have heard my groaning, </t><t>but there is no one to comfort me. </t><t>All my enemies have heard of my distress; </t><t>they rejoice at what you have done. </t><t>May you bring the day you have announced </t><t>so they may become like me. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Let all their wickedness come before you; </t><t>deal with them </t><t>as you have dealt with me </t><t>because of all my sins. </t><t>My groans are many </t><t>and my heart is faint.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t> <f>[4]</f> <n>[1]</n> How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion </t><t>with the cloud of his anger <f>[5]</f>! </t><t>He has hurled down the splendor of Israel </t><t>from heaven to earth; </t><t>he has not remembered his footstool </t><t>in the day of his anger. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Without pity the Lord has swallowed up </t><t>all the dwellings of Jacob; </t><t>in his wrath he has torn down </t><t>the strongholds of Daughter Judah. </t><t>He has brought her kingdom and its princes </t><t>down to the ground in dishonor. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>In fierce anger he has cut off </t><t>every horn <f>[6]</f> <f>[7]</f> of Israel. </t><t>He has withdrawn his right hand </t><t>at the approach of the enemy. </t><t>He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire </t><t>that consumes everything around it. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Like an enemy he has strung his bow; </t><t>his right hand is ready. </t><t>Like a foe he has slain </t><t>all who were pleasing to the eye; </t><t>he has poured out his wrath like fire </t><t>on the tent of Daughter Zion. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The Lord is like an enemy; </t><t>he has swallowed up Israel. </t><t>He has swallowed up all her palaces </t><t>and destroyed her strongholds. </t><t>He has multiplied mourning and lamentation </t><t>for Daughter Judah. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden; </t><t>he has destroyed his place of meeting. </t><t>The LORD has made Zion forget </t><t>her appointed festivals and her Sabbaths; </t><t>in his fierce anger he has spurned </t><t>both king and priest. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The Lord has rejected his altar </t><t>and abandoned his sanctuary. </t><t>He has given the walls of her palaces </t><t>into the hands of the enemy; </t><t>they have raised a shout in the house of the LORD </t><t>as on the day of an appointed festival. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The LORD determined to tear down </t><t>the wall around Daughter Zion. </t><t>He stretched out a measuring line </t><t>and did not withhold his hand from destroying. </t><t>He made ramparts and walls lament; </t><t>together they wasted away. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Her gates have sunk into the ground; </t><t>their bars he has broken and destroyed. </t><t>Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, </t><t>the law is no more, </t><t>and her prophets no longer find </t><t>visions from the LORD. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The elders of Daughter Zion </t><t>sit on the ground in silence; </t><t>they have sprinkled dust on their heads </t><t>and put on sackcloth. </t><t>The young women of Jerusalem </t><t>have bowed their heads to the ground. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>My eyes fail from weeping, </t><t>I am in torment within; </t><t>my heart is poured out on the ground </t><t>because my people are destroyed, </t><t>because children and infants faint </t><t>in the streets of the city. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>They say to their mothers, </t><t>“Where is bread and wine?” </t><t>as they faint like the wounded </t><t>in the streets of the city, </t><t>as their lives ebb away </t><t>in their mothers’ arms. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>What can I say for you? </t><t>With what can I compare you, </t><t>Daughter Jerusalem? </t><t>To what can I liken you, </t><t>that I may comfort you, </t><t>Virgin Daughter Zion? </t><t>Your wound is as deep as the sea. </t><t>Who can heal you? <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The visions of your prophets </t><t>were false and worthless; </t><t>they did not expose your sin </t><t>to ward off your captivity. </t><t>The prophecies they gave you </t><t>were false and misleading. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>All who pass your way </t><t>clap their hands at you; </t><t>they scoff and shake their heads </t><t>at Daughter Jerusalem: </t><t>“Is this the city that was called </t><t>the perfection of beauty, </t><t>the joy of the whole earth?” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>All your enemies open their mouths </t><t>wide against you; </t><t>they scoff and gnash their teeth </t><t>and say, “We have swallowed her up. </t><t>This is the day we have waited for; </t><t>we have lived to see it.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The LORD has done what he planned; </t><t>he has fulfilled his word, </t><t>which he decreed long ago. </t><t>He has overthrown you without pity, </t><t>he has let the enemy gloat over you, </t><t>he has exalted the horn <f>[8]</f> of your foes. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The hearts of the people </t><t>cry out to the Lord. </t><t>You walls of Daughter Zion, </t><t>let your tears flow like a river </t><t>day and night; </t><t>give yourself no relief, </t><t>your eyes no rest. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Arise, cry out in the night, </t><t>as the watches of the night begin; </t><t>pour out your heart like water </t><t>in the presence of the Lord. </t><t>Lift up your hands to him </t><t>for the lives of your children, </t><t>who faint from hunger </t><t>at every street corner. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Look, LORD, and consider: </t><t>Whom have you ever treated like this? </t><t>Should women eat their offspring, </t><t>the children they have cared for? </t><t>Should priest and prophet be killed </t><t>in the sanctuary of the Lord? <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Young and old lie together </t><t>in the dust of the streets; </t><t>my young men and young women </t><t>have fallen by the sword. </t><t>You have slain them in the day of your anger; </t><t>you have slaughtered them without pity. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“As you summon to a feast day, </t><t>so you summoned against me terrors on every side. </t><t>In the day of the LORD’s anger </t><t>no one escaped or survived; </t><t>those I cared for and reared </t><t>my enemy has destroyed.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t> <f>[9]</f> <n>[1]</n> I am the man who has seen affliction </t><t>by the rod of the LORD’s wrath. </t>


text:
<t>Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, </t><t>for his compassions never fail. </t>


text:
<t>Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, </t><t>and let him be filled with disgrace. <pb/> </t>


text:
<pb/><t> <f>[10]</f> <n>[1]</n> How the gold has lost its luster, </t><t>the fine gold become dull! </t><t>The sacred gems are scattered </t><t>at every street corner. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>How the precious children of Zion, </t><t>once worth their weight in gold, </t><t>are now considered as pots of clay, </t><t>the work of a potter’s hands! <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Even jackals offer their breasts </t><t>to nurse their young, </t><t>but my people have become heartless </t><t>like ostriches in the desert. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Because of thirst the infant’s tongue </t><t>sticks to the roof of its mouth; </t><t>the children beg for bread, </t><t>but no one gives it to them. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Those who once ate delicacies </t><t>are destitute in the streets. </t><t>Those brought up in royal purple </t><t>now lie on ash heaps. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The punishment of my people </t><t>is greater than that of Sodom, </t><t>which was overthrown in a moment </t><t>without a hand turned to help her. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Their princes were brighter than snow </t><t>and whiter than milk, </t><t>their bodies more ruddy than rubies, </t><t>their appearance like lapis lazuli. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>But now they are blacker than soot; </t><t>they are not recognized in the streets. </t><t>Their skin has shriveled on their bones; </t><t>it has become as dry as a stick. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Those killed by the sword are better off </t><t>than those who die of famine; </t><t>racked with hunger, they waste away </t><t>for lack of food from the field. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>With their own hands compassionate women </t><t>have cooked their own children, </t><t>who became their food </t><t>when my people were destroyed. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The LORD has given full vent to his wrath; </t><t>he has poured out his fierce anger. </t><t>He kindled a fire in Zion </t><t>that consumed her foundations. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The kings of the earth did not believe, </t><t>nor did any of the peoples of the world, </t><t>that enemies and foes could enter </t><t>the gates of Jerusalem. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>But it happened because of the sins of her prophets </t><t>and the iniquities of her priests, </t><t>who shed within her </t><t>the blood of the righteous. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Now they grope through the streets </t><t>as if they were blind. </t><t>They are so defiled with blood </t><t>that no one dares to touch their garments. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>“Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them. </t><t>“Away! Away! Don’t touch us!” </t><t>When they flee and wander about, </t><t>people among the nations say, </t><t>“They can stay here no longer.” <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The LORD himself has scattered them; </t><t>he no longer watches over them. </t><t>The priests are shown no honor, </t><t>the elders no favor. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Moreover, our eyes failed, </t><t>looking in vain for help; </t><t>from our towers we watched </t><t>for a nation that could not save us. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>People stalked us at every step, </t><t>so we could not walk in our streets. </t><t>Our end was near, our days were numbered, </t><t>for our end had come. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Our pursuers were swifter </t><t>than eagles in the sky; </t><t>they chased us over the mountains </t><t>and lay in wait for us in the desert. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>The LORD’s anointed, our very life breath, </t><t>was caught in their traps. </t><t>We thought that under his shadow </t><t>we would live among the nations. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom, </t><t>you who live in the land of Uz. </t><t>But to you also the cup will be passed; </t><t>you will be drunk and stripped naked. <pb/> </t>


text:
<t>Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion; </t><t>he will not prolong your exile. </t><t>But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom, </t><t>and expose your wickedness.</t>


text:
<pb/>In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.


text:
the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. <f>[1]</f> There the hand of the LORD was on him.


text:
<pb/>I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north — an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal,


text:
and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.


text:
<pb/>Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.


text:
Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body.


text:
Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.


text:
The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it.


text:
<pb/>As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces.


text:
This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel.


text:
As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went.


text:
<pb/>When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose.


text:
Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.


text:
When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.


text:
<pb/>Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome.


text:
Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body.


text:
When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, <f>[2]</f> like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.


text:
<pb/>Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.


text:
Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.


text:
I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.


text:
Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. <pb/>This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.


text:
<pb/>He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day.


text:
The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’


text:
And whether they listen or fail to listen — for they are a rebellious people — they will know that a prophet has been among them.


text:
And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.


text:
But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”


text:
<pb/>And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.”


text:
<pb/>Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.


text:
You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel — 


text:
not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.


text:
But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.


text:
I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.”


text:
<pb/>And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you.


text:
Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.”


text:
<pb/>Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the LORD rose from the place where it was standing. <f>[4]</f>


text:
It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.


text:
The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD on me.


text:
I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days — deeply distressed.


text:
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.


text:
When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for <f>[5]</f> their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.


text:
But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.


text:
<pb/>“Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.


text:
But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”


text:
<pb/>The hand of the LORD was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.”


text:
So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.


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<pb/>Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.


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And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.


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I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people.


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But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.


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<pb/>“Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.


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Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.


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Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel.


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<pb/>“Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself. <f>[6]</f> You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side.


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I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.


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<pb/>“After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.


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I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.


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<pb/>“Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side.


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Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.”


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The LORD said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”


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<pb/>Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign LORD! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.”


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<pb/>“Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”


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<pb/>He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair,


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for food and water will be scarce. They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of <f>[9]</f> their sin.


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<pb/>“Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard. Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair.


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When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword.


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Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to all Israel.


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<pb/>“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.


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Yet in her wickedness she has rebelled against my laws and decrees more than the nations and countries around her. She has rejected my laws and has not followed my decrees.


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<pb/>“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: You have been more unruly than the nations around you and have not followed my decrees or kept my laws. You have not even <f>[10]</f> conformed to the standards of the nations around you.


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<pb/>“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations.


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Because of all your detestable idols, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again.


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Therefore in your midst parents will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will inflict punishment on you and will scatter all your survivors to the winds.


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Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will shave you; I will not look on you with pity or spare you.


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A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds and pursue with drawn sword.


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<pb/>“Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside, and I will be avenged. And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the LORD have spoken in my zeal.


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<pb/>“I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by.


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You will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and an object of horror to the nations around you when I inflict punishment on you in anger and in wrath and with stinging rebuke. I the LORD have spoken.


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When I shoot at you with my deadly and destructive arrows of famine, I will shoot to destroy you. I will bring more and more famine upon you and cut off your supply of food.


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I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will leave you childless. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I the LORD have spoken.”


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and say: ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.


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Your altars will be demolished and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will slay your people in front of your idols.


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I will lay the dead bodies of the Israelites in front of their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars.


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Wherever you live, the towns will be laid waste and the high places demolished, so that your altars will be laid waste and devastated, your idols smashed and ruined, your incense altars broken down, and what you have made wiped out.


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<pb/>“ ‘But I will spare some, for some of you will escape the sword when you are scattered among the lands and nations.


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Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember me — how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices.


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<pb/>“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Strike your hands together and stamp your feet and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked and detestable practices of the people of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine and plague.


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One who is far away will die of the plague, and one who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who survives and is spared will die of famine. So will I pour out my wrath on them.


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And they will know that I am the LORD, when their people lie slain among their idols around their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every spreading tree and every leafy oak — places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols.


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And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land a desolate waste from the desert to Diblah <f>[11]</f> — wherever they live. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’ ”


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“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to the land of Israel: <pb/><t>“ ‘The end! The end has come </t><t>upon the four corners of the land! </t>


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<t>The end is now upon you, </t><t>and I will unleash my anger against you. </t><t>I will judge you according to your conduct </t><t>and repay you for all your detestable practices. </t>


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<t>I will not look on you with pity; </t><t>I will not spare you. </t><t>I will surely repay you for your conduct </t><t>and for the detestable practices among you. </t> <pb/>“ ‘Then you will know that I am the LORD.’


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<pb/>“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: <pb/><t>“ ‘Disaster! Unheard-of <f>[12]</f> disaster! </t><t>See, it comes! </t>


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<t>The end has come! </t><t>The end has come! </t><t>It has roused itself against you. </t><t>See, it comes! </t>


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<t>Doom has come upon you, </t><t>upon you who dwell in the land. </t><t>The time has come! The day is near! </t><t>There is panic, not joy, on the mountains. </t>


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<t>I am about to pour out my wrath on you </t><t>and spend my anger against you. </t><t>I will judge you according to your conduct </t><t>and repay you for all your detestable practices. </t>


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<t>I will not look on you with pity; </t><t>I will not spare you. </t><t>I will repay you for your conduct </t><t>and for the detestable practices among you. </t> <pb/>“ ‘Then you will know that it is I the LORD who strikes you.


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<pb/><t>“ ‘See, the day! </t><t>See, it comes! </t><t>Doom has burst forth, </t><t>the rod has budded, </t><t>arrogance has blossomed! </t>


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<t>Violence has arisen, <f>[13]</f> </t><t>a rod to punish the wicked. </t><t>None of the people will be left, </t><t>none of that crowd —  </t><t>none of their wealth, </t><t>nothing of value. </t>


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<t>The time has come! </t><t>The day has arrived! </t><t>Let not the buyer rejoice </t><t>nor the seller grieve, </t><t>for my wrath is on the whole crowd. </t>


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<t>The seller will not recover </t><t>the property that was sold —  </t><t>as long as both buyer and seller live. </t><t>For the vision concerning the whole crowd </t><t>will not be reversed. </t><t>Because of their sins, not one of them </t><t>will preserve their life. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“ ‘They have blown the trumpet, </t><t>they have made all things ready, </t><t>but no one will go into battle, </t><t>for my wrath is on the whole crowd. </t>


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<t>Outside is the sword; </t><t>inside are plague and famine. </t><t>Those in the country </t><t>will die by the sword; </t><t>those in the city </t><t>will be devoured by famine and plague. </t>


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<t>The fugitives who escape </t><t>will flee to the mountains. </t><t>Like doves of the valleys, </t><t>they will all moan, </t><t>each for their own sins. </t>


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<t>They will put on sackcloth </t><t>and be clothed with terror. </t><t>Every face will be covered with shame, </t><t>and every head will be shaved. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“ ‘They will throw their silver into the streets, </t><t>and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean. </t><t>Their silver and gold </t><t>will not be able to deliver them </t><t>in the day of the LORD’s wrath. </t><t>It will not satisfy their hunger </t><t>or fill their stomachs, </t><t>for it has caused them to stumble into sin. </t>


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<t>They took pride in their beautiful jewelry </t><t>and used it to make their detestable idols. </t><t>They made it into vile images; </t><t>therefore I will make it a thing unclean for them. </t>


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<t>I will give their wealth as plunder to foreigners </t><t>and as loot to the wicked of the earth, </t><t>who will defile it. </t>


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<t>I will turn my face away from the people, </t><t>and robbers will desecrate the place I treasure. </t><t>They will enter it </t><t>and will defile it. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“ ‘Prepare chains! </t><t>For the land is full of bloodshed, </t><t>and the city is full of violence. </t>


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<t>I will bring the most wicked of nations </t><t>to take possession of their houses. </t><t>I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, </t><t>and their sanctuaries will be desecrated. </t>


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<t>Calamity upon calamity will come, </t><t>and rumor upon rumor. </t><t>They will go searching for a vision from the prophet, </t><t>priestly instruction in the law will cease, </t><t>the counsel of the elders will come to an end. </t>


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<t>The king will mourn, </t><t>the prince will be clothed with despair, </t><t>and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. </t><t>I will deal with them according to their conduct, </t><t>and by their own standards I will judge them. </t> <pb/>“ ‘Then they will know that I am the LORD.’ ”


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<pb/>In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign LORD came on me there.


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I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. <f>[14]</f> From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal.


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He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood.


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<pb/>Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy.


text:
<pb/>And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing — the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.”


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So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel.


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In front of them stood seventy elders of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.


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<pb/>He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’ ”


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<pb/>Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz.


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He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this.”


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<pb/>He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.


text:
<pb/>He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose!


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Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.”


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<pb/>Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.”


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And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.


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<pb/>Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side


text:
and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”


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<pb/>As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion.


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Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple.


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<pb/>Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city.


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While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”


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<pb/>He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’


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So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”


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<pb/>Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”


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<pb/>I looked, and I saw the likeness of a throne of lapis lazuli above the vault that was over the heads of the cherubim.


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The LORD said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.


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<pb/>Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.


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Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the LORD.


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The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty <f>[15]</f> when he speaks.


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<pb/>When the LORD commanded the man in linen, “Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel.


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Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand to the fire that was among them. He took up some of it and put it into the hands of the man in linen, who took it and went out.


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<pb/>I looked, and I saw beside the cherubim four wheels, one beside each of the cherubim; the wheels sparkled like topaz.


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As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the cherubim faced; the wheels did not turn about <f>[16]</f> as the cherubim went. The cherubim went in whatever direction the head faced, without turning as they went.


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Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their wings, were completely full of eyes, as were their four wheels.


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Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.


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When the cherubim moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not leave their side.


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When the cherubim stood still, they also stood still; and when the cherubim rose, they rose with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in them.


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<pb/>Then the glory of the LORD departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.


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While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the LORD’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.


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<pb/>These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River, and I realized that they were cherubim.


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Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kebar River. Each one went straight ahead.


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<pb/>Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.


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The LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city.


text:
They say, ‘Haven’t our houses been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot, and we are the meat in it.’


text:
<pb/>Then the Spirit of the LORD came on me, and he told me to say: “This is what the LORD says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind.


text:
<pb/>“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot, but I will drive you out of it.


text:
I will drive you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners and inflict punishment on you.


text:
You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


text:
This city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.


text:
And you will know that I am the LORD, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.”


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<pb/>Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?”


text:
“Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land was given to us as our possession.’


text:
<pb/>“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’


text:
<pb/>“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’


text:
I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.


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Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.


text:
But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.”


text:
<pb/>Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.


text:
The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia <f>[17]</f> in the vision given by the Spirit of God. <pb/>Then the vision I had seen went up from me,


text:
“Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.


text:
<pb/>“Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious people.


text:
During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile.


text:
Put them on your shoulder as they are watching and carry them out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign to the Israelites.”


text:
<pb/>So I did as I was commanded. During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched.


text:
<pb/>“Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This prophecy concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the Israelites who are there.’


text:
Say to them, ‘I am a sign to you.’ <pb/>“As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as captives.


text:
<pb/>“The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder at dusk and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land.


text:
I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die.


text:
I will scatter to the winds all those around him — his staff and all his troops — and I will pursue them with drawn sword.


text:
<pb/>“They will know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries.


text:
But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”


text:
Say to the people of the land: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their food in anxiety and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there.


text:
The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”


text:
“Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’?


text:
Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.’ Say to them, ‘The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled.


text:
But I the LORD will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ ”


text:
“Son of man, the Israelites are saying, ‘The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.’


text:
<pb/>“Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ ”


text:
“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the LORD!


text:
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish <f>[18]</f> prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!


text:
You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD.


text:
Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the LORD has not sent them, they say, “The LORD declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words.


text:
Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The LORD declares,” though I have not spoken?


text:
<pb/>“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign LORD.


text:
My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.


text:
<pb/>“ ‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash,


text:
therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth.


text:
<pb/>“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury.


text:
I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it <f>[19]</f> falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the LORD.


text:
So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it,


text:
those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign LORD.” ’


text:
<pb/>“Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them


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and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own?


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You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.


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<pb/>“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds.


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I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


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Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives,


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therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”


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“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?


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Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the LORD will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry.


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I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.’


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<pb/>“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!


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<pb/>“ ‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire of me, I the LORD will answer them myself.


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I will set my face against them and make them an example and a byword. I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


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<pb/>“ ‘And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the LORD have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.


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Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ ”


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“Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals,


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even if these three men — Noah, Daniel <f>[20]</f> and Job — were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD.


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<pb/>“Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts,


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as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.


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<pb/>“Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals,


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as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.


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<pb/>“Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals,


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as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.


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<pb/>“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments — sword and famine and wild beasts and plague — to kill its men and their animals!


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Yet there will be some survivors — sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem — every disaster I have brought on it.


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You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign LORD.”


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“Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest?


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And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?


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If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?


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<pb/>“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem.


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I will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the LORD.


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and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.


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On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.


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No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.


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<pb/>“ ‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!” <f>[21]</f>


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I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.


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<pb/>“ ‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.


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I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments.


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So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.


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And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD.


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<pb/>“ ‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his.


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You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty. <f>[22]</f>


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You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.


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And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them.


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Also the food I provided for you — the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat — you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign LORD.


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<pb/>“ ‘And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?


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In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood.


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At every street corner you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.


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You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity.


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So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct.


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You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.


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Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, <f>[23]</f> a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.


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<pb/>“ ‘I am filled with fury against you, <f>[24]</f> declares the Sovereign LORD, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!


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When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.


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All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.


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So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.


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This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood,


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therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked.


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I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger.


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Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked.


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They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers.


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Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.


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<pb/>“ ‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign LORD. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?


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<pb/>“ ‘Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.”


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You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.


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Your older sister was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom.


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You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they.


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As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.


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<pb/>“ ‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.


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They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.


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Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done.


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Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.


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<pb/>“ ‘However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them,


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And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.


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before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom <f>[25]</f> and all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines — all those around you who despise you.


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<pb/>“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant.


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Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.


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Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you.


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Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ ”


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Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar,


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he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.


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<pb/>“ ‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,


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and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.


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<pb/>“ ‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.


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It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’


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<pb/>“Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.


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It has been planted, but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it — wither away in the plot where it grew?’ ”


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“Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon.


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Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,


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so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty.


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But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?


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<pb/>“ ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.


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Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.


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He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.


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<pb/>“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant.


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I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there because he was unfaithful to me.


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All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken.


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<pb/>“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.


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On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.


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All the trees of the forest will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. <pb/>“ ‘I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.’ ”


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“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: <pb/><t>“ ‘The parents eat sour grapes, </t><t>and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? </t>


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<pb/>“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.


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For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child — both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.


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<t>He does not eat at the mountain shrines </t><t>or look to the idols of Israel. </t><t>He does not defile his neighbor’s wife </t><t>or have sexual relations with a woman during her period. </t>


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<t>He does not oppress anyone, </t><t>but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. </t><t>He does not commit robbery </t><t>but gives his food to the hungry </t><t>and provides clothing for the naked. </t>


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<t>He does not lend to them at interest </t><t>or take a profit from them. </t><t>He withholds his hand from doing wrong </t><t>and judges fairly between two parties. </t>


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<t>He follows my decrees </t><t>and faithfully keeps my laws. </t><t>That man is righteous; </t><t>he will surely live, </t><t>declares the Sovereign LORD. </t>


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(though the father has done none of them): <pb/><t>“He eats at the mountain shrines. </t><t>He defiles his neighbor’s wife. </t>


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<t>He oppresses the poor and needy. </t><t>He commits robbery. </t><t>He does not return what he took in pledge. </t><t>He looks to the idols. </t><t>He does detestable things. </t>


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<t>He lends at interest and takes a profit. </t> <pb/>Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.


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<pb/>“But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:


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<pb/><t>“He does not eat at the mountain shrines </t><t>or look to the idols of Israel. </t><t>He does not defile his neighbor’s wife. </t>


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<t>He does not oppress anyone </t><t>or require a pledge for a loan. </t><t>He does not commit robbery </t><t>but gives his food to the hungry </t><t>and provides clothing for the naked. </t>


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<t>He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor </t><t>and takes no interest or profit from them. </t><t>He keeps my laws and follows my decrees. </t> <pb/>He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live.


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But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.


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<pb/>“Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live.


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The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.


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<pb/>“But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die.


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None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live.


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Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?


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<pb/>“But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.


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<pb/>“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?


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If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die.


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But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life.


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Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die.


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Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?


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<pb/>“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.


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Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?


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and say: <pb/><t>“ ‘What a lioness was your mother </t><t>among the lions! </t><t>She lay down among them </t><t>and reared her cubs. </t>


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<t>She brought up one of her cubs, </t><t>and he became a strong lion. </t><t>He learned to tear the prey </t><t>and he became a man-eater. </t>


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<t>The nations heard about him, </t><t>and he was trapped in their pit. </t><t>They led him with hooks </t><t>to the land of Egypt. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“ ‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled, </t><t>her expectation gone, </t><t>she took another of her cubs </t><t>and made him a strong lion. </t>


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<t>He prowled among the lions, </t><t>for he was now a strong lion. </t><t>He learned to tear the prey </t><t>and he became a man-eater. </t>


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<t>He broke down <f>[27]</f> their strongholds </t><t>and devastated their towns. </t><t>The land and all who were in it </t><t>were terrified by his roaring. </t>


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<t>Then the nations came against him, </t><t>those from regions round about. </t><t>They spread their net for him, </t><t>and he was trapped in their pit. </t>


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<t>With hooks they pulled him into a cage </t><t>and brought him to the king of Babylon. </t><t>They put him in prison, </t><t>so his roar was heard no longer </t><t>on the mountains of Israel. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“ ‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard <f>[28]</f> </t><t>planted by the water; </t><t>it was fruitful and full of branches </t><t>because of abundant water. </t>


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<t>Its branches were strong, </t><t>fit for a ruler’s scepter. </t><t>It towered high </t><t>above the thick foliage, </t><t>conspicuous for its height </t><t>and for its many branches. </t>


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<t>But it was uprooted in fury </t><t>and thrown to the ground. </t><t>The east wind made it shrivel, </t><t>it was stripped of its fruit; </t><t>its strong branches withered </t><t>and fire consumed them. </t>


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<t>Fire spread from one of its main <f>[29]</f> branches </t><t>and consumed its fruit. </t><t>No strong branch is left on it </t><t>fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ </t> <pb/>“This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.”


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<pb/>In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down in front of me.


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“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign LORD.’


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<pb/>“Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors


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and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the LORD your God.”


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On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.


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And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”


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<pb/>“ ‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt.


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But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites.


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I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live.


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Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy.


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<pb/>“ ‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws — by which the person who obeys them will live — and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness.


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But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.


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Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them — a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands — 


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because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols.


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I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols.


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Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.”


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<pb/>“ ‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws, of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness.


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But I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.


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Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries,


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because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parents’ idols.


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I defiled them through their gifts — the sacrifice of every firstborn — that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the LORD.’


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<pb/>“Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In this also your ancestors blasphemed me by being unfaithful to me:


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When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.


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Then I said to them: What is this high place you go to?’ ” (It is called Bamah <f>[30]</f> to this day.)


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<pb/>“Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images?


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When you offer your gifts — the sacrifice of your children in the fire — you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will not let you inquire of me.


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<pb/>“ ‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen.


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As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.


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I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered — with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.


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I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you.


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As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign LORD.


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I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.


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I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


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<pb/>“ ‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols.


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For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, <f>[31]</f> along with all your holy sacrifices.


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I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations.


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Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.


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There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done.


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You will know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ ”


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“Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest of the southland.


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Say to the southern forest: ‘Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it.


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<pb/>Then I said, “Sovereign LORD, they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’ ” <f>[32]</f>


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“Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel


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and say to her: ‘This is what the LORD says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.


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Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.


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Then all people will know that I the LORD have drawn my sword from its sheath; it will not return again.’


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And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every leg will be wet with urine.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD.”


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“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: <pb/><t>“ ‘A sword, a sword, </t><t>sharpened and polished —  </t>


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<t>sharpened for the slaughter, </t><t>polished to flash like lightning! </t> <pb/>“ ‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.


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<pb/><t>“ ‘The sword is appointed to be polished, </t><t>to be grasped with the hand; </t><t>it is sharpened and polished, </t><t>made ready for the hand of the slayer. </t>


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<t>Cry out and wail, son of man, </t><t>for it is against my people; </t><t>it is against all the princes of Israel. </t><t>They are thrown to the sword </t><t>along with my people. </t><t>Therefore beat your breast. </t>


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<pb/>“ ‘Testing will surely come. And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign LORD.’


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<pb/><t>“So then, son of man, prophesy </t><t>and strike your hands together. </t><t>Let the sword strike twice, </t><t>even three times. </t><t>It is a sword for slaughter —  </t><t>a sword for great slaughter, </t><t>closing in on them from every side. </t>


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<t>So that hearts may melt with fear </t><t>and the fallen be many, </t><t>I have stationed the sword for slaughter <f>[34]</f> </t><t>at all their gates. </t><t>Look! It is forged to strike like lightning, </t><t>it is grasped for slaughter. </t>


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<t>Slash to the right, you sword, </t><t>then to the left, </t><t>wherever your blade is turned. </t>


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<t>I too will strike my hands together, </t><t>and my wrath will subside. </t><t>I the LORD have spoken.” </t>


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“Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city.


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Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem.


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For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver.


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Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp and to erect siege works.


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It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive.


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<pb/>“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do — because you have done this, you will be taken captive.


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<pb/>“ ‘You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax,


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this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low.


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A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’


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<pb/>“And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says about the Ammonites and their insults: <pb/><t>“ ‘A sword, a sword, </t><t>drawn for the slaughter, </t><t>polished to consume </t><t>and to flash like lightning! </t>


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<t>Despite false visions concerning you </t><t>and lying divinations about you, </t><t>it will be laid on the necks </t><t>of the wicked who are to be slain, </t><t>whose day has come, </t><t>whose time of punishment has reached its climax. <pb/> </t>


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<t>“ ‘Let the sword return to its sheath. </t><t>In the place where you were created, </t><t>in the land of your ancestry, </t><t>I will judge you. </t>


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<t>I will pour out my wrath on you </t><t>and breathe out my fiery anger against you; </t><t>I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men, </t><t>men skilled in destruction. </t>


