Jeremiah 49:23-50:46
A Prophecy against Damascus
23 This is a message about Damascus.
“Hamath and Arpad are worried because they heard the bad news.
They melt in fear.
They are troubled like a sea that can’t be calmed.
24 The people of Damascus are weak.
They turn to flee, but panic grips them.
Anguish and pain grip them like a woman in labor.
25 Why isn’t that famous, happy city abandoned?
26 That is why its young men will die in the streets,
and its soldiers will be silenced that day,”
declares Yahweh Tsebaoth.
27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus
and burn down Benhadad’s palaces.”
A Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor
28 This is about the tribe of Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated. This is what Yahweh says:
Get ready, attack Kedar,
and loot the people from the east.
29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken.
Their tent curtains, utensils, and camels will be carried away.
People will shout to them, “Terror is all around!”
30 Run far away! Find a place to hide,
inhabitants of Hazor, declares Yahweh.
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has made plans against you
and intends to attack you.
31 Get ready! Attack the nation living peacefully and securely,
declares Yahweh.
It is a nation with no gates or bars.
Its people live alone.
32 Their camels will be taken as prizes.
Their large herds will be taken as loot.
I will scatter to the winds
those who shave the hair on their foreheads.
I will bring disaster on them from every side,
declares Yahweh.
33 Hazor will be a place where only jackals live.
It will become a permanent wasteland.
No one will live there.
No human will stay there.
A Prophecy against Elam
34 Early in the rule of King Zedekiah of Judah, Yahweh spoke his word to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam.
35 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says:
I’m going to break the bows of Elam’s archers,
the most important weapon of their strength.
36 I’ll bring the four winds
from the four corners of heaven against Elam
and scatter its people in every direction.
There won’t be a nation
where Elam’s refugees won’t go.
37 I’ll defeat the people of Elam in the presence of their enemies,
in the presence of those who want to kill them.
I’ll bring disaster with my burning anger, declares Yahweh.
I’ll send armies after them until I put an end to them.
38 I’ll set my throne in Elam and destroy its king and officials,
declares Yahweh.
39 But afterward, I’ll return the captives of Elam, declares Yahweh.
A Prophecy against Babylon
50 This is the message that Yahweh spoke about Babylon and the land of the Babylonians through the prophet Jeremiah.
2 “Announce this among the nations, and spread the news.
Raise a flag, and announce it.
Don’t hide anything.
Say, ‘Babylon will be captured.
Bel will be put to shame.
Marduk will be filled with terror.
Babylon’s statues will be put to shame.
Its idols will be filled with terror.’
3 A nation from the north will attack Babylon
and destroy its land so that no one will live in it.
People and animals will run away.
4 “In those days and at that time,” declares Yahweh,
“the people of Israel and Judah will cry as they go together
to seek Yahweh their Elohim.
5 They will ask which road goes to Zion and turn in that direction.
They will go there to make a permanent agreement with Yahweh.
It will not be forgotten.
6 My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray.
They wander around on the mountains.
They go from mountains to hills.
They have forgotten their resting place.
7 Everyone who finds them eats them.
Their enemies say, ‘We’re not guilty.
They have sinned against Yahweh, their true pasture.
They have sinned against Yahweh, the hope of their ancestors.’
8 “Run away from Babylon.
Leave the land of the Babylonians.
Be like the male goats that lead the flock.
9 I am going to stir up an alliance of strong nations from the north
and bring it against Babylon.
Those nations will take up positions against Babylon.
Babylon will be captured from the north.
Its enemy’s arrows will be like skilled soldiers
who don’t come back empty-handed.
10 The Babylonians will become the prize.
All who loot them will get everything they want,”
declares Yahweh.
11 “You are happy and excited.
You have looted the people who belong to me.
You dance around like calves on the grass
and neigh like stallions.
12 But your mother will be greatly ashamed.
The woman who gave birth to you will be disgraced.
Babylon, you will be the least important nation.
You will become a parched desert.
13 No one will live in Babylon because of Yahweh’s anger.
It will be completely abandoned.
Everyone who passes by Babylon will be horrified
and hiss at all its wounds.
14 “Take up your positions around Babylon, all you archers with bows.
Shoot at it; don’t save any arrows,
because the people of Babylon have sinned against Yahweh.
15 Shout a war cry against them on every side.
They’ll surrender.
Their towers will fall and their walls will be torn down.
Since this is Yahweh’s vengeance, take revenge against them.
Do to them what they did to others.
16 Don’t allow anyone in Babylon to plant or harvest.
Everyone will turn to his own people and flee to his own homeland
because of the enemies’ swords.
17 “The people of Israel are like scattered sheep that lions have chased.
The first to devour them was the king of Assyria.
The last to gnaw at their bones was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
18 “This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Elohim of Israel, says:
I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 I will bring the people of Israel back to their pastures.
They will eat on Mount Carmel and Mount Bashan.
They will eat until they are full
on the mountains of Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days and at that time,” declares Yahweh,
“people will look for Israel’s crimes, but they will find none.
They will look for Judah’s sins, but none will be found.
I will forgive the faithful few whom I have spared.
21 Attack the land of Merathaim
and the people who live in Pekod.
Claim them for me by killing them with a sword,”
declares Yahweh.
“Do everything I commanded you.
22 The noise of battle and great destruction fills the land.
23 The hammer of the whole earth is broken and shattered.
See how desolate Babylon is of all the nations!
24 I will set traps for you, Babylon.
You will be caught, but you won’t know it.
You will be found and captured
because you have opposed Yahweh.
25 Yahweh will open his armory
and bring out the weapons of his fury,
because Adonay Yahweh Tsebaoth
has a job to do in the land of the Babylonians.
26 Attack them from a distance,
open their storehouses,
pile up their corpses like piles of grain,
claim them for me by destroying them,
and don’t leave anyone behind.
27 Kill all their young bulls.
Let them go to be slaughtered.
How horrible it will be for them when their time has come,
the time for them to be punished.
28 Listen! Fugitives and refugees from Babylon
are coming to Zion to tell about
the vengeance of Yahweh our Elohim, the vengeance for his temple.
29 “Call together the archers, the soldiers with bows, against Babylon.
Set up blockades around it. Don’t let anyone escape.
Pay the people of Babylon back for what they have done.
Do to them what they did to others.
They have disobeyed Yahweh, Qedosh Yisrael.
30 That is why their young men will die in the streets,
and all their soldiers will be silenced that day,”
declares Yahweh.
31 “I’m against you, you arrogant city,”
declares Adonay Yahweh Tsebaoth.
“Your day has come, the time when I will punish you.
32 Those arrogant people will stumble and fall,
and there will be no one to help them get up.
I will light a fire in their cities
that will burn up everything around them.”
33 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says:
All the people of Israel and Judah are oppressed.
All their enemies have captured them.
They refuse to let them go.
34 Their Go’el is strong.
His name is Yahweh Tsebaoth.
He will certainly take up their cause
in order to bring rest to the land of Israel
and unrest to the people who live in Babylon.
35 “A sword will kill the Babylonians and everyone who lives in Babylon,”
declares Yahweh.
“A sword will kill their officials and their wise men.
36 A sword will kill the false prophets.
They will become fools.
A sword will kill their soldiers and defeat them.
37 A sword will kill their horses, their chariots,
and all the foreigners within their ranks.
They will become women.
A sword will destroy their treasures, and they will be looted.
38 A drought will diminish their water supply, and it will dry up.
Babylon is a land of idols, statues that will go crazy with fear.
39 That is why desert animals will live with hyenas.
Desert owls will also live there.
It will no longer be inhabited or lived in for generations.
40 Babylon will be like Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighboring cities
when I, Elohim, destroyed them.
No one will live there.
No human will stay there,” declares Yahweh.
41 “People are going to come from the north.
A great nation and many kings will rise from the ends of the earth.
42 They will take hold of bows and spears.
They will be cruel and have no compassion.
They will sound like the sea when it roars.
They will ride horses.
They are ready for war, ready to attack you, people of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them, and he loses courage.
Anguish will grip him as pain grips a woman in labor.
44 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 Babylon whomever I choose.
Who is like me? Who can challenge me?
Is there any leader who can stand up to me?
45 Listen to the plans that Yahweh is making against Babylon
and the things he intends to do to the land of the Babylonians.
He will surely drag away the little ones of the flock.
He will surely destroy the pasture because of the Babylonians.
46 The earth will quake at the news that Babylon has been captured.
Its cry will be heard among the nations.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
Titus 1
Greeting
1 From Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Yeshua Christ. I was sent to lead God’s chosen people to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to a godly life. 2 My message is based on the confidence of eternal life. God, who never lies, promised this eternal life before the world began. 3 God has revealed this in every era by spreading his word. I was entrusted with this word by the command of God our Savior.
4 To Titus, a genuine child in the faith we share.
Good will[a] and peace from God the Father and from Christ Yeshua our Savior are yours!
Guidelines for Leaders in the Church
5 I left you in Crete to do what still needed to be done—appointing spiritual leaders[b] in every city as I directed you. 6 A spiritual leader must have a good reputation. He must have only one wife and have children who are believers. His children shouldn’t be known for having wild lifestyles or being rebellious. 7 Because a bishop[c] is a supervisor appointed by God, he must have a good reputation. He must not be a stubborn or irritable person. He must not drink too much or be a violent person. He must not use shameful ways to make money. 8 Instead, he must be hospitable, love what is good, use good judgment, be fair and moral, and have self-control. 9 He must be devoted to the trustworthy message we teach. Then he can use these accurate teachings to encourage people and correct those who oppose the word.
Correct Whoever Teaches What Is Wrong
10 There are many believers, especially converts from Judaism, who are rebellious. They speak nonsense and deceive people. 11 They must be silenced because they are ruining whole families by teaching what they shouldn’t teach. This is the shameful way they make money.
12 Even one of their own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, savage animals, and lazy gluttons.” 13 That statement is true. For this reason, sharply correct believers so that they continue to have faith that is alive and well. 14 They shouldn’t pay attention to Jewish myths or commands given by people who are always rejecting the truth. 15 Everything is clean[d] to those who are clean. But nothing is clean to corrupt unbelievers. Indeed, their minds and their consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit to do anything good.
Footnotes:
- Titus 1:4 Or “Grace.”
- Titus 1:5 Or “pastors,” or “elders.”
- Titus 1:7 English equivalent difficult.
- Titus 1:15 “Clean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is presentable to God.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
Psalm 97-98
Psalm 97
1 Yahweh rules as king.
Let the earth rejoice.
Let all the islands be joyful.
2 Clouds and darkness surround him.
Righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.
3 Fire spreads ahead of him.
It burns his enemies who surround him.
4 His flashes of lightning light up the world.
The earth sees them and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax in the presence of Yahweh,
in the presence of the Adonay of the whole earth.
6 The heavens tell about his righteousness,
and all the people of the world see his glory.
7 Everyone who worships idols
and brags about false gods will be put to shame.
All the gods will bow to him.
8 Zion hears about this and rejoices.
The people of Judah are delighted with your judgments, O Yahweh.
9 You, O Yahweh Elyon, are above the whole earth.
You are highest. You are above all the gods.
10 Let those who love Yahweh hate evil.
The one who guards the lives of his godly ones
will rescue them from the power of wicked people.
11 Light dawns for righteous people[a]
and joy for those whose motives are decent.
12 Find joy in Yahweh, you righteous people.
Give thanks to him as you remember how holy he is.
Psalm 98
A psalm.
1 Sing a new song to Yahweh
because he has done miraculous things.
His right hand and his holy arm have gained victory for him.
2 Yahweh has made his salvation known.
He has uncovered his righteousness for the nations to see.
3 He has not forgotten to be merciful and faithful
to Israel’s descendants.
All the ends of the earth have seen how our Elohim saves them.
4 Shout happily to Yahweh, all the earth.
Break out into joyful singing, and make music.
5 Make music to Yahweh with a lyre,
with a lyre and the melody of a psalm,
6 with trumpets and the playing of a ram’s horn.
Shout happily in the presence of the Melek, Yahweh.
7 Let the sea, everything in it,
the world, and those who live in it roar like thunder.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands
and the mountains sing joyfully
9 in Yahweh’s presence
because he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice
and its people with fairness.
Footnotes:
- Psalm 97:11 One Hebrew manuscript, Greek, Syriac, Latin; other Hebrew manuscripts “Light is planted for righteous people.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
Proverbs 26:13-16
13 A lazy person says,
“There’s a ferocious lion out on the road!
There’s a lion loose in the streets!”
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
so the lazy person turns on his bed.
15 A lazy person puts his fork in his food.
He wears himself out as he brings it back to his mouth.
16 A lazy person thinks he is wiser than seven people who give a sensible answer.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.