Jeremiah 48:1-49:22
A Prophecy against Moab
48 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Elohim of Israel, says about Moab:
How horrible it will be for Nebo; it will be destroyed.
Kiriathaim will be put to shame; it will be captured.
Its stronghold will be put to shame and torn down.
2 People will no longer praise Moab.
The people in Heshbon will plan Moab’s destruction.
“Let’s destroy that nation!”
You will be silenced, city of Madmen.
Death will come after you.
3 People will cry out from Horonaim, “Looting and great destruction!”
4 Moab will be broken.
Its little ones will cry out.
5 People go up the pass of Luhith, crying bitterly as they go.
On the road down to Horonaim they have heard
the distressful cry of destruction.
6 “Run away! Run for your lives!
Run like a wild donkey in the desert.”
7 Since you trust the things you do and your treasures,
you will be captured.
Chemosh will go into captivity with all its priests and officials.
8 The destroyer will come to every city, and no city will escape.
The valley will be destroyed, and the plain will be laid waste
as Yahweh has threatened.
9 Put salt on Moab.
It will be destroyed.
Its cities will become deserted ruins.
10 Cursed are those who neglect doing Yahweh’s work.
Cursed are those who keep their swords from killing.
11 “Moab has lived securely ever since it was young.
Its people are like wine left to settle in a jar.
They aren’t poured from one jar to another.
They haven’t gone into captivity.
That is why its flavor has remained the same,
and its aroma hasn’t changed.
12 That is why the days are coming,” declares Yahweh,
“when I will send people to pour Moab out of its jars
and to smash its pitchers.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh
as the nation of Israel was ashamed when it trusted Bethel.
14 “How can you say, ‘We are soldiers and warriors’?
15 The enemy will attack Moab and destroy its cities.
Its finest young men will be slaughtered,”
declares the Melek, whose name is Yahweh Tsebaoth.
16 “Moab’s destruction is coming near; disaster is coming quickly.
17 Mourn over it, all of its neighbors and everyone who knows its fame.
Say, ‘Look at the strong staff, the beautiful rod, that is broken!’
18 “People of Dibon, come down from your place of honor
and sit on the dry ground.
The destroyers of Moab will attack you.
They will destroy your fortresses.
19 Stand by the road in Aroer, and watch.
Ask those who are fleeing
and those who are escaping what is happening.
20 They will answer, ‘Moab is disgraced; it is defeated.
Shout loudly, and cry.
Tell the news in Arnon that Moab is destroyed.’
21 “Judgment has come to all the cities on the plain: to Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath, 22 Dibon, Nebo, Beth Diblathaim, 23 Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, Beth Meon, 24 Kerioth, Bozrah, and on all the cities of Moab, far and near.
25 “Moab’s horn is cut off, and its arm is broken,”
declares Yahweh.
26 “Get the people of Moab drunk; they have spoken against Yahweh.
They will wallow in their own vomit, and people will laugh at them.
27 People of Moab, didn’t you laugh at the people of Israel?
Were they caught among thieves?
Whenever you talk about them you shake your heads in contempt.
28 People of Moab, abandon your cities.
Live among the cliffs.
Be like doves that make their nests at the entrance of a cave.
29 “We have heard about the arrogance of Moab’s people.
They are very arrogant.
They are very arrogant, conceited, and boastful.
30 I know how arrogant they are,” declares Yahweh,
“but it isn’t right.
They brag and don’t do what they say.
31 That is why I will weep for Moab and cry for all of Moab.
I will moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.
32 I will cry for you as Jazer cries.
I will cry for you, grapevines of Sibmah.
Your branches once spread as far as the sea,
and they reached as far as the sea of Jazer.
The destroyer will destroy your ripened fruits and your grapes.
33 Joy and gladness have disappeared from the orchards and fields of Moab.
I will stop the wine flowing from the winepresses.
No one will stomp on grapes with shouts of joy.
There will be shouts, but not shouts of joy.
34 “The cry will be heard from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz. It will be heard from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah. Even the streams of Nimrim will dry up. 35 I will stop those in Moab who come to worship sites, those who bring offerings to their gods,” declares Yahweh. 36 “That is why I moan for Moab like a flute. I sound like a flute for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they gained has disappeared.
37 “Every head is shaved, and every beard is cut off. There are gashes on every hand and sackcloth on every waist. 38 People in Moab will mourn on every rooftop and in every street. There will be mourning everywhere, because I will break Moab like a jar that no one wants,” declares Yahweh. 39 “They will cry, ‘Look how Moab is defeated! Moab turns away in shame!’ Moab has become something ridiculed and something held in contempt by everyone around it.
40 “This is what Yahweh says:
The enemy will swoop down like eagles and spread their wings over Moab.
41 The cities will be taken, and the fortified places will be captured.
On that day Moab’s soldiers will be like women in childbirth.
42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation,
because it spoke against Yahweh.
43 Disasters, pits, and traps are in store for those who live in Moab,”
declares Yahweh.
44 “Whoever flees from a disaster will fall into a pit.
Whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a trap.
I will bring a year of punishment to Moab,” declares Yahweh.
45 “Those who flee will stand exhausted in the shadow of Heshbon.
A fire will come out of Heshbon and a flame from Sihon.
It will burn the foreheads of the people of Moab
and the skulls of those noisy people.
46 How horrible it will be for you, Moab.
You people of Chemosh will die.
Your sons will be taken away into exile,
and your daughters will be taken away into captivity.
47 But I will restore Moab in the last days,” declares Yahweh.
The judgment against Moab ends here.
A Prophecy against Ammon
49 This is what Yahweh says about the people of Ammon:
Doesn’t Israel have any children? Doesn’t it have any heirs?
Why, then, has the god Milcom[a] taken over the inheritance
of Gad’s descendants?
Why do Milcom’s people live in Gad’s cities?
2 That is why the days are coming, declares Yahweh,
when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah,
where the people of Ammon live.
It will become a pile of rubble.
Its villages will be burned down.
Then Israel will take possession of its inheritance, says Yahweh.
3 Cry loudly, Heshbon, because Ai is destroyed.
Cry, people of Rabbah, put on your sackcloth, and mourn.
Run back and forth between the walls.
Milcom will be taken away into captivity
with its priests and officials.
4 Why do you brag about your valleys,
your fertile valleys, you unfaithful people?
You trust your treasures.
You think, “Who would attack me?”
5 I am going to bring terror on you from all around,
declares Adonay Yahweh Tsebaoth.
Everyone will be scattered.
No one will gather the refugees.
6 But afterward, I will return the captives of Ammon, declares Yahweh.
A Prophecy against Edom(A)
7 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says about Edom:
Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman?
Has wisdom disappeared from your people?
Has their wisdom vanished?
8 Turn and run.
Hide in deep caves, inhabitants of Dedan.
When I punish them,
I will bring disaster on the descendants of Esau.
9 If people come to pick your grapes,
won’t they leave a few grapes behind?
If thieves come during the night,
won’t they steal only until they’ve had enough?
10 Yet, I will strip the descendants of Esau.
I will find their hiding places.
They won’t be able to hide.
Their children and relatives will be destroyed.
None of their neighbors will say,
11 “Abandon your orphans, and I will keep them alive.
Your widows can trust me.”
12 This is what Yahweh says: If those who don’t deserve to drink from the cup still drink from it, why should you go unpunished? You won’t go unpunished. You must drink from it. 13 I take an oath on myself, declares Yahweh, that Bozrah will become a pile of rubble. It will become something horrifying, ridiculed, ruined, and cursed. All its cities will lie in ruins permanently.
14 I heard a message from Yahweh.
A messenger was sent among the nations to say,
“Assemble, and attack Edom.
Get ready for battle.”
15 “Edom, I will make you the smallest of nations
and despised among humanity.
16 You have frightened other people.
Your arrogance has deceived you.
You live on rocky cliffs
and occupy the highest places in the hills.
Even though you build your nest as high as an eagle,
I will bring you down from there,” declares Yahweh.
17 “Then Edom will become something horrible.
Everyone who passes by it will be horrified
and hiss at all its wounds.
18 Edom will be like Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighboring cities
when they were destroyed.
No one will live there.
No human will stay there,” says Yahweh.
19 “I will suddenly chase them from their places
like a lion coming out of the jungle
along the Jordan River into pastureland.
I will appoint over Edom whomever I choose.
Who is like me? Who can challenge me?
Is there any leader who can stand up to me?”
20 Listen to the plans that Yahweh is making against Edom
and the things he intends to do to those who live in Teman.
He will surely drag away the little ones of the flock.
He will surely destroy the pasture
because of the people who live in Teman.
21 The earth will quake at the sound of their downfall.
The sound of their crying will be heard at the Red Sea.
22 The enemy will swoop down like eagles
and spread their wings over Bozrah.
On that day Edom’s soldiers will be like women in childbirth.
Footnotes:
- Jeremiah 49:1 Or “Molech.”
Cross references:
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
2 Timothy 4
Continue to Do Your Work
4 I solemnly call on you in the presence of God and Christ Yeshua, who is going to judge those who are living and those who are dead. I do this because Christ Yeshua will come to rule the world. 2 Be ready to spread the word whether or not the time is right. Point out errors, warn people, and encourage them. Be very patient when you teach.
3 A time will come when people will not listen to accurate teachings. Instead, they will follow their own desires and surround themselves with teachers who tell them what they want to hear. 4 People will refuse to listen to the truth and turn to myths.
5 But you must keep a clear head in everything. Endure suffering. Do the work of a missionary. Devote yourself completely to your work.
6 My life is coming to an end, and it is now time for me to be poured out as a sacrifice to God. 7 I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. 8 The prize that shows I have God’s approval is now waiting for me. The Lord, who is a fair judge, will give me that prize on that day. He will give it not only to me but also to everyone who is eagerly waiting for him to come again.
Paul’s Final Instructions to Timothy
9 Hurry to visit me soon. 10 Demas has abandoned me. He fell in love with this present world and went to the city of Thessalonica. Crescens went to the province of Galatia, and Titus went to the province of Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you. He is useful to me in my work. 12 I’m sending Tychicus to the city of Ephesus as my representative.
13 When you come, bring the warm coat I left with Carpus in the city of Troas. Also bring the scrolls and especially the parchments.[a]
14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will pay him back for what he did. 15 Watch out for him. He violently opposed what we said. 16 At my first hearing no one stood up in my defense. Everyone abandoned me. I pray that it won’t be held against them. 17 However, the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that I could finish spreading the Good News for all the nations to hear. I was snatched out of a lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from all harm and will take me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen.
Final Greetings
19 Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila and the family of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed in the city of Corinth and I left Trophimus in the city of Miletus because he was sick. 21 Hurry to visit me before winter comes. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters send you greetings.
22 The Lord be with you. His good will[b] be with all of you.
Footnotes:
- 2 Timothy 4:13 Parchments are writing materials made from animal skins.
- 2 Timothy 4:22 Or “grace.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
Psalm 95-96
Psalm 95
1 Come, let’s sing joyfully to Yahweh.
Let’s shout happily to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let’s come into his presence with a song of thanksgiving.
Let’s shout happily to him with psalms.
3 Yahweh is a great El and a great Melek above all gods.
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth,
and the mountain peaks are his.
5 The sea is his.
He made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let’s worship and bow down.
Let’s kneel in front of Yahweh, our maker,
7 because he is our Elohim
and we are the people in his care,
the flock that he leads.
If only you would listen to him today!
8 “Do not be stubborn like my people were at Meribah,
like the time at Massah in the desert.
9 Your ancestors challenged me and tested me there,
although they had seen what I had done.
10 For 40 years I was disgusted with those people.
So I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts continue to stray.
They have not learned my ways.’
11 That is why I angrily took this solemn oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest!’”
Psalm 96
1 Sing to Yahweh a new song!
Sing to Yahweh, all the earth!
2 Sing to Yahweh! Praise his name!
Day after day announce that Yahweh saves his people.
3 Tell people about his glory.
Tell all the nations about his miracles.
4 Yahweh is great!
He should be highly praised.
He should be feared more than all other gods
5 because all the gods of the nations are idols.
Yahweh made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are in his presence.
Strength and beauty are in his holy place.
7 Give to Yahweh, you families of the nations.
Give to Yahweh glory and power.
8 Give to Yahweh the glory he deserves.
Bring an offering, and come into his courtyards.
9 Worship Yahweh in his holy splendor.
Tremble in his presence, all the earth!
10 Say to the nations, “Yahweh rules as king!”
The earth stands firm; it cannot be moved.
He will judge people fairly.
11 Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad.
Let the sea and everything in it roar like thunder.
12 Let the fields and everything in them rejoice.
Then all the trees in the forest will sing joyfully
13 in Yahweh’s presence because he is coming.
He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and its people with his truth.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
Proverbs 26:9-12
9 Like a thorn stuck in a drunk’s hand,
so is a proverb in the mouths of fools.
10 Like many people who destroy everything,
so is one who hires fools or drifters.
11 As a dog goes back to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his stupidity.
12 Have you met a person who thinks he is wise?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.