Month: October 2018

The Broken Jar

19 Thus says the Lord, “Go and buy a potter’s earthenware jar, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests ² and go out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom (son of Hinnom), which is near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate; and proclaim there the words that I tell you, ³ and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold (listen carefully), I am going to bring such disaster on this place that the ears of everyone who hears about it will tingle [in shock]. ⁴ Because the people [of Jerusalem] have abandoned (rejected) Me and have made this an alien and profaned place by burning sacrifices and incense in it to other gods, that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent ⁵ and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind (heart); ⁶ therefore, listen very closely, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when this place shall no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.^{(A) 7} I will pour out and nullify the counsel (plans) of [the men of] Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will make their people fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their lives; and I will give their dead bodies as food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth. ⁸ I will make this city a desolation and an object of hissing; everyone who passes by it will be amazed and will hiss [in scorn] because of all its plagues and disasters. ⁹ And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and each one will eat one another’s flesh during the siege and distress brought by their enemies and those who seek their lives.”’

¹⁰ “Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you, ¹¹ and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “This is the way I will break this people and this city as one breaks a potter’s vessel, so that it cannot be mended. They will bury [corpses] in Topheth until there is no more room left [in that place] to bury [the dead]. ¹² This I will do to this place,” says the Lord, “and to its inhabitants; and I will even make this city like Topheth. ¹³ The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like this place, Topheth, all the houses on whose rooftops incense has been burned to all the host of heaven (sun, moon, stars), and where drink offerings have been poured out to other gods.”’”^(B)

¹⁴ Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the Lord’s house and said to all the people: ¹⁵ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and on all its towns, all the devastation that I have declared against it, because they have become stiff-necked and refused to hear and obey My words.’”

Pashhur Persecutes Jeremiah

20 Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest, who was [also] chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. ² Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate by the house of the Lord.^{(C) 3} And the next day Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name Pashhur, but Magor-missabib (terror on every side). ⁴ For thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; they will fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon; he will carry them away to Babylon as captives and will slaughter them with the sword. ⁵ Moreover, I will hand over all the riches of this city, all the result of its labor, all its precious things; even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will hand over to their enemies, and they will plunder them, and take them away and carry them to Babylon. ⁶ And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; you will go to Babylon, and there you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have falsely prophesied.’”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah

21 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the priest the son of Maaseiah, saying, ² “Please inquire of the Lord for us, because ^[a]Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal [favorably] with us according to all His wonderful works and force him to withdraw from us.”

³ Then Jeremiah said to them, “Say this to Zedekiah: ⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Behold, I will turn back and dull the edge of the weapons of war that are in your hands, [those] with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the ^[b]Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls; and I will bring them into the center of this city (Jerusalem). ⁵ I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm in anger, in fury, and in great indignation and wrath. ⁶ I will also strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great virulent disease. ⁷ Then afterward,” says the Lord, “I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the virulent disease, the sword, and the famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemy, into the hand of those who seek their lives. And he will strike them with the edge of the sword; he will not spare them nor have mercy and compassion on them.”’

⁸ “And to this people you (Jeremiah) shall also say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹ He who remains in this city [of Jerusalem] will die by the sword and by famine and by virulent disease. But he who goes outside and surrenders to the ^[c]Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and his life will be like a prize of war to him. ¹⁰ For I have set My face against this city to do harm and not good,” says the Lord. “It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.”’

¹¹ “And concerning the royal house of the king of Judah [you shall say], ‘Hear the word of the Lord, ¹² O house of David, thus says the Lord:

Christian Conduct

¹² Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to appreciate those who diligently work among you [recognize, acknowledge, and respect your leaders], who are in charge over you in the Lord and who give you instruction, ¹³ and [we ask that you appreciate them and] hold them in the highest esteem in love because of their work [on your behalf]. Live in peace with one another. ¹⁴ We [earnestly] urge you, believers, admonish those who are out of line [the undisciplined, the unruly, the disorderly], encourage the timid [who lack spiritual courage], help the [spiritually] weak, be very patient with everyone [always controlling your temper].^{(A) 15} See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek that which is good for one another and for all people. ¹⁶ Rejoice always and delight in your faith; ¹⁷ be unceasing and persistent in prayer; ¹⁸ in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹ Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit. ²⁰ Do not scorn or reject gifts of prophecy or prophecies [spoken revelations—words of instruction or exhortation or warning]. ²¹ But test ^[a]all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil [withdraw and keep away from it].

²³ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you [to Himself for your salvation], and He will do it [He will fulfill His call by making you holy, guarding you, watching over you, and protecting you as His own].

²⁵ Brothers and sisters, pray for us.

²⁶ Greet all the believers with a holy ^[b]kiss [as brothers and sisters in God’s family]. ²⁷ I solemnly charge you by the Lord to have this letter read before all the ^[c]congregation.

²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Unjust Judgments Rebuked.

A Psalm of Asaph.

¹⁶ “Behold (listen carefully), I will send for many fishermen,” says the Lord, “and they will fish for them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and out of the clefts of the rocks. ¹⁷ For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their wickedness concealed from My eyes. ¹⁸ I will first doubly repay and punish them for their wickedness and their sin [before I return them to their land], because they have profaned My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and with their abominations.”

The Deceitful Heart

The Sabbath Must Be Kept

¹⁹ Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and stand in the ^[c]public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, and [stand] also in all the gates of Jerusalem; ²⁰ and say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the people of Jerusalem who enter through these gates. ²¹ Thus says the Lord, “Pay attention for your own good, [and for the sake of your future] do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. ²² You shall not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy [by setting it apart as a day of worship], as I commanded your fathers. ²³ Yet they would not listen and obey and control their behavior; but they were stiff-necked in order not to hear and take instruction.

²⁴ But it will come about, if you listen diligently to Me,” says the Lord, “to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, ²⁵ then kings and princes who will sit on the throne of David will enter through the gates of this city, riding in chariots and on horses—the kings and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will be inhabited and endure throughout the ages. ²⁶ People will come from the cities of Judah and the places all around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country and from the South (the Negev), bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. ²⁷ But if you will not listen to Me and keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load as you come in the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in her gates that cannot be extinguished, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”’”

The Potter and the Clay

18 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will make you hear My words.” ³ Then I went down to the potter’s house, and saw that he was working at the wheel. ⁴ But the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled by the potter’s hand; so he made it over, reworking it and making it into another pot that seemed good to him.

⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁶ “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” says the Lord. “Look carefully, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. ⁷ At one moment I might [suddenly] speak concerning a nation or kingdom, that I will uproot and break down and destroy; ⁸ if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will ^[d]relent and reverse My decision concerning the devastation that I intended to do. ⁹ Or at another time I might [suddenly] speak about a nation or kingdom that I will build up or establish; ¹⁰ and if they do evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will reverse My decision concerning the good with which I had promised to bless them. ¹¹ Now then, say to the men of Judah and to the citizens of Jerusalem, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am shaping a disaster and working out a plan against you. Turn back, each of you from his evil way; correct your habits and change your actions for the better.”’ ¹² But they will say, ‘That is hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act in accordance with the stubbornness of his evil heart.’

¹⁸ Then [my enemies] said, “Come and let us work out schemes against Jeremiah. Surely the law is not going to be lost to the priest [as Jeremiah predicts], nor the counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us strike him with our tongue [by making charges against him before the king], and let us ignore anything he says.”

Sanctification and Love

4 Finally, believers, we ask and admonish you in the Lord Jesus, that you follow the instruction that you received from us about how you ought to walk and please God (just as you are actually doing) and that you excel even more and more [pursuing a life of purpose and living in a way that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation]. ² For you know what commandments and precepts we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. ³ For this is the will of God, that you be sanctified [separated and set apart from sin]: that you abstain and back away from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor [being available for God’s purpose and separated from things profane], ⁵ not [to be used] in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God and are ignorant of His will; ⁶ and that [in this matter of sexual misconduct] no man shall transgress and defraud his brother because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we have told you before and solemnly warned you. ⁷ For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness [to be dedicated, and set apart by behavior that pleases Him, whether in public or in private]. ⁸ So whoever rejects and disregards this is not [merely] rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [to dwell in you and empower you to overcome temptation].

⁹ Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write you, for you have been [personally] taught by God to love one another [that is, to have an unselfish concern for others and to do things for their benefit].^{(A) 10} For indeed you already do practice it toward all the ^[a]believers throughout Macedonia [by actively displaying your love and concern for them]. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, that you excel [in this matter] more and more, ¹¹ and to make it your ambition to live quietly and peacefully, and to mind your own affairs and work with your hands, just as we directed you, ¹² so that you will behave properly toward outsiders [exhibiting good character, personal integrity, and moral courage worthy of the respect of the outside world], and be dependent on no one and in need of nothing [be self-supporting].

Those Who Died in Christ

¹³ Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life]. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [as in fact He did], even so God [in this same way—by raising them from the dead] will bring with Him those [believers] who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ¹⁵ For we say this to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede [into His presence] those [believers] who have fallen asleep [in death]. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the ^[b]archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord!^{(B) 18} Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words [concerning our reunion with believers who have died].

The Day of the Lord

5 Now as to the ^[c]times and dates, ^[d]brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. ² For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord is coming just as a thief [comes unexpectedly and suddenly] in the night. ³ While they are saying, “Peace and safety [all is well and secure!]” then [in a moment unforeseen] destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains on a woman with child, and they will absolutely not escape [for there will be no way to escape the judgment of the Lord]. ⁴ But you, ^[e]believers, [all you who believe in Christ as Savior and acknowledge Him as God’s Son] are not in spiritual darkness [nor held by its power], that the day [of judgment] would overtake you [by surprise] like a thief; ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We do not belong to the night nor to darkness. ⁶ So then let us not sleep [in spiritual indifference] as the rest [of the world does], but let us keep wide awake [alert and cautious] and let us be sober [self-controlled, calm, and wise]. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we [believers] belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope and confident assurance of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us to [incur His] wrath [that is, He did not select us to condemn us], but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died [willingly] for us, so that whether we are awake (alive) or asleep (dead) [at Christ’s appearing], we will live together with Him [sharing eternal life]. ¹¹ Therefore encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing.

God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.

To the Chief Musician; set to the ^[a]Philistine lute. A Psalm of Asaph.

¹¹ So the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for good things for this people. ¹² Though they fast, I will not hear their cry; and though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them [because they are done as obligations, and not as acts of loving obedience]. Instead I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”

False Prophets

¹³ But I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, the [false] prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I [the Lord] will give you lasting peace in this place.’” ¹⁴ Then the Lord said to me, “The [counterfeit] prophets are prophesying lies in My Name. I have neither sent them nor authorized them nor spoken to them. They are prophesying to you made-up visions [pretending to call forth responses from handmade gods], a worthless divination and the deceit of their own mind. ¹⁵ Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the [false] prophets who are prophesying in My Name, although I did not send them—yet they keep saying, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’: by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end and be consumed. ¹⁶ And the people to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword; and they will have no one to bury them—neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will pour out their [own] wickedness on them [and not only on the imposters posing as prophets, for the people could not have been deceived without their own consent].

Judgment Must Come

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me [interceding for them], My heart would still not be [turned with favor] toward this people [Judah]. Send them away from My presence and out of My sight and let them go! ² And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord:

³ I will appoint four kinds of destroyers over them,” says the Lord, “the sword to slay, the dogs to tear and drag away, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and to destroy. ⁴ I will make them an object of horror to all nations of the earth because of Manasseh [the despicable] son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for the [evil and detestable] things which he did in Jerusalem.^(A)

Jeremiah’s Prayer and God’s Answer

Distresses Foretold

16 The word of the Lord also came to me, saying, ² “You shall not take a wife or have sons and daughters in this place (Jerusalem).” ³ For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who give birth to them, and the fathers who father them in this land: ⁴ “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried; they will be like dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth.”

⁵ For thus says the Lord, “Do not enter a house of mourning, nor go to lament (express grief) or bemoan [the dead], for I have taken My peace away from this people,” says the Lord, “even My lovingkindness and compassion. ⁶ Both great men and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, nor will they be lamented (mourned over with expressions of grief in death), nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them [in mourning]. ⁷ People will not offer food to the mourners, to comfort anyone [as they grieve] for the dead, nor give them a cup of consolation to drink for anyone’s father or mother. ⁸ And you [Jeremiah] shall not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink.” ⁹ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I will remove from this place, before your very eyes and in your time, the sound of joy and the shout of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

¹⁰ “Now when you tell these people all these words and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed all this great tragedy against us? And what is our iniquity, what is the sin which we have committed against the Lord our God?’ ¹¹ Then you are to say to them, ‘It is because your fathers have abandoned (rejected) Me,’ says the Lord, ‘and have walked after other gods and have served them and bowed down to the handmade idols and have abandoned (rejected) Me and have not kept My law, ¹² and because you have done worse [things] than your fathers. Just look, every one of you walks in the stubbornness of his own evil heart, so that you do not listen [obediently] to Me. ¹³ Therefore I will hurl you out of this land [of Judah] into the land [of the Babylonians] which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no compassion.’

God Will Restore Them

¹⁴ “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ ¹⁵ but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries to which He had driven them.’ And I will bring them back to their land which I gave to their fathers.

¹³ And we also thank God continually for this, that when you received the word of God [concerning salvation] which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its inherent, supernatural power in those of faith]. ¹⁴ For you, ^[a]brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same [kind of] persecution from your own countrymen, as they did from the Jews, ¹⁵ who ^[b]killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and harassed and drove us out; and [they] continue to be highly displeasing to God and [to show themselves] hostile to all people, ¹⁶ forbidding us from speaking to the Gentiles (non-Jews) so that they may be saved. So, as always, they fill up [to the brim] the measure of their sins [allotted to them by God]. But [God’s] wrath has come upon them at last [completely and forever].^(A)

¹⁷ But since we were taken away from you, believers, for a little while—in person, but not in heart—we endeavored, with great longing to see you face to face. ¹⁸ For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again [wanted to come], but Satan hindered us. ¹⁹ For who is [the object of] our hope or joy or our victor’s wreath of triumphant celebration [when we stand] in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? ²⁰ For you are [indeed] our glory and our joy!

Encouragement of Timothy’s Visit

3 Therefore, when we could no longer endure our separation [from you], we thought it best to be left behind, alone at Athens, ² and so we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in [spreading] the good news of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you [exhorting, comforting, and establishing you] in regard to your faith, ³ so that no one would be unsettled by these difficulties [to which I have referred]. For you know that we have been destined for this [as something unavoidable in our position]. ⁴ For even when we were with you, we warned you plainly in advance that we were going to experience persecution; and so, as you know, it has come to pass. ⁵ For this reason, when I could no longer endure the suspense, I sent someone to find out about your faith [how you were holding up under pressure], for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our work [among you] would prove to be ineffective.

⁶ But now that Timothy has come back to us from [his visit with] you, and has brought us good news of your [steadfast] faith and [the warmth of your] love, and [reported] that you always think kindly of us and treasure your memories of us, longing to see us just as we long to see you, ⁷ for this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our distress and suffering we have been comforted and greatly encouraged about you because of your faith [your unwavering trust in God—placing yourselves completely in His loving hands]; ⁸ because now we really live [in spite of everything], if you stand firm in the Lord. ⁹ For what [adequate] thanks can we offer to God for you in return for all the joy and delight we have before our God on your account? ¹⁰ We continue to pray night and day most earnestly that we may see you face to face, and may complete whatever may be imperfect and lacking in your faith.

¹¹ Now may our God and Father Himself, and Jesus our Lord guide our steps to you [by removing the obstacles that stand in our way]. ¹² And may the Lord cause you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; ¹³ so that He may strengthen and establish your hearts without blame in holiness in the sight of our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His ^[c]saints (God’s people).

God Implored to Rescue His People from Their Calamities.

To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] “Lilies, a Testimony.” A Psalm of Asaph.

Similitudes, Instructions

25 These are also the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:^(A)

Jeremiah’s Prayer

God’s Answer

¹⁴ Thus says the Lord regarding all My evil neighbors (Gentile nations) who strike at the inheritance which I have granted to My people Israel, “Behold, I will uproot them from their land and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. ¹⁵ And it shall come about that after I have uprooted them, I will return and have compassion on them; and I will bring them back again, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. ¹⁶ And if these [neighboring nations] will diligently learn the ways of My people, to swear by My Name, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’—even as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they will be built up among My people. ¹⁷ But if [any nation] will not listen and obey, I will [completely] uproot and destroy that nation, says the Lord.”

The Ruined Waistband

13 Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and buy yourself a linen waistband and put it on your ^[b]loins, but do not put it in water.” ² So I bought the waistband according to the word of the Lord and put it on my loins. ³ Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, ⁴ “Get up and take the waistband that you have bought, which is [wrapped] around your loins, and go to the [river] Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” ⁵ So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord had commanded me. ⁶ And after many days the Lord said to me, “Get up, go to the Euphrates and get the waistband which I commanded you to hide there.” ⁷ Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the waistband was decayed and ruined; it was completely worthless.

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁹ “Thus says the Lord, ‘In this same way I shall destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ These wicked and malevolent people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubborn way of their heart and have followed other gods [which are nothing—just man-made carvings] to serve them and to worship them, let them be just like this waistband which is completely worthless. ¹¹ For as the waistband clings to the body of a man, so I caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,’ says the Lord, ‘that they might be for Me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory; but they did not listen and obey.’

Captivity Threatened

¹² “Therefore you are to speak this word to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Every jar should be filled with wine.”’ The people will say to you, ‘Do we not already know that every jar should be filled with wine?’ ¹³ Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am about to fill with drunkenness all the people of this land, even the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all the people of Jerusalem. ¹⁴ I will smash them one against another, both the fathers and the sons together,” says the Lord. “I shall destroy them [nothing will restrain Me]; I will not show pity nor be sorry nor have compassion.”’”

Drought and a Prayer for Mercy

14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

¹⁰ Thus says the Lord to this people [Judah], “In the manner and to the degree [already pointed out] they have loved to wander; they have not restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does not accept them; He will now remember [in detail] their wickedness and punish them for their sins.”

Thanksgiving for These Believers

1 Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being from God].

² We give thanks to God always for all of you, continually mentioning you in our prayers; ³ recalling unceasingly before our God and Father your work energized by faith, and your service motivated by love and unwavering hope in [the return of] our Lord Jesus Christ.^{(A) 4 [a]}Brothers and sisters beloved by God, we know that He has chosen you; ⁵ for our good news [regarding salvation] came to you not only in word, but also in [its inherent] power and in the Holy Spirit and with great conviction [on our part]. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your benefit. ⁶ You became imitators of us and [through us] of the Lord, after you welcomed our message in [a time of] great trouble with the joy supplied by the Holy Spirit; ⁷ so that you became an example to all the believers in ^[b]Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸ For the word of the Lord has resounded from you and has echoed [like thunder], not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place [the news of] your [great] faith in God has spread, so that we never need to say anything about it. ⁹ For they themselves report about us, telling what kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to [look forward and confidently] wait for [the coming of] His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who [personally] rescues us from the coming wrath [and draws us to Himself, granting us all the privileges and rewards of a new life with Him].

Paul’s Ministry

2 For you know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you has not been ineffective (fruitless, in vain), ² but after we had already suffered and been outrageously treated in Philippi, as you know, yet in [the strength of] our God we summoned the courage to proclaim boldly to you the good news of God [regarding salvation] amid great opposition. ³ For our appeal does not come from delusion or impure motives, nor [is it motivated] by deceit [our message is complete, accurate, and based on the truth—it does not change]. ⁴ But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel [that tells the good news of salvation through faith in Christ], so we speak, not as [if we were trying] to please people [to gain power and popularity], but to please God who examines our hearts [expecting our best]. ⁵ For as you well know, we never came with words of flattery nor with a pretext for greed—God is our witness— ⁶ nor did we seek glory and honor from people, neither from you nor from anyone else, though as apostles of Christ we had the power to assert our authority. ⁷ But we behaved gently when we were among you, like a devoted mother tenderly caring for her own children. ⁸ Having such a deep affection for you, we ^[c]were delighted to share with you not only God’s good news but also our own lives, because you had become so very dear to us.

⁹ For you remember, ^[d]believers, our labor and hardship. We worked night and day [practicing our trade] in order not to be a [financial] burden to any of you while we proclaimed the gospel of God to you. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is God, how unworldly and just and blameless was our behavior toward you who believe [in our Lord Jesus Christ]. ¹¹ For you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you just as a father does [in dealing with] his own children, [guiding you] ¹² to live lives [of honor, moral courage, and personal integrity] worthy of the God who [saves you and] calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

A Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem, and Prayer for Help.

A Psalm of Asaph.

A Satire on Idolatry

10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. ² Thus says the Lord,

¹¹ In this manner you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

The Broken Covenant

11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, ² “Hear the words of this [solemn] covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the people of Jerusalem. ³ Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant ⁴ which I commanded your fathers at the time that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice and do according to all that I command you. So you shall be My people, and I will be your God,’ ⁵ that I may complete the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land [of plenty] ^[d]flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I answered, “Amen (so be it), O Lord.”

⁶ And the Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Hear the words of this [solemn] covenant and do them. ⁷ For I solemnly warned your fathers at the time that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, warning them persistently, saying, “Obey My voice.” ⁸ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear [to listen to Me], but everyone walked in the stubborn way of his [own] evil heart. Therefore I brought on them all [the suffering threatened in] the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”

⁹ Then the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the people of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They have returned to the wickedness of their ancestors who refused to hear My words; they have followed other gods [in order] to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My [solemn] covenant which I made with their fathers.” ¹¹ Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am bringing disaster and suffering on them which they will not be able to escape; though they cry to Me, I will not listen to them. ¹² Then the cities of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry to the [man-made] gods to whom they burn incense, but they cannot save them in the time of their disaster. ¹³ For [as many as] the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah; and [as many as] the number of the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.

¹⁴ “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, for I shall not listen when they cry to Me in the time of their disaster.

¹⁷ For the Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil and horror against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me [to anger] by offering sacrifices and burning incense to Baal.

Plots against Jeremiah

²¹ Therefore thus says the Lord regarding the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you will not die by our hand.” ²² Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, I am about to punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and their daughters will die by famine; ²³ and there will be no remnant [of the conspirators] left, for I will bring disaster and horror on the men of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”

Family Relations

¹⁸ Wives, be ^[a]subject to your husbands [out of respect for their position as protector, and their accountability to God], as is proper and ^[b]fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives [with an affectionate, sympathetic, selfless love that always seeks the best for them] and do not be embittered or resentful toward them [because of the responsibilities of marriage]. ²⁰ Children, obey your parents [as God’s representatives] in all things, for this [attitude of respect and obedience] is well-pleasing ^[c]to the Lord [and will bring you God’s promised blessings]. ²¹ Fathers, do not provoke or irritate or exasperate your children [with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by favoritism or indifference; treat them tenderly with lovingkindness], so they will not lose heart and become discouraged or unmotivated [with their spirits broken].

²² Servants, in everything obey those who are your masters on earth, not only with external service, as those who merely please people, but with sincerity of heart because of your fear of the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, ²⁴ knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve. ²⁵ For he who does wrong will be punished for his wrongdoing, and [with God] there is no partiality [no special treatment based on a person’s position in life].

Fellow Workers

4 Masters, [on your part] deal with your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.^(A)

² Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving. ³ At the same time pray for us, too, that God will open a door [of opportunity] to us for the word, to proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have been imprisoned; ⁴ that I may make it clear [and speak boldly and unfold the mystery] in the way I should.

⁵ Conduct yourself with wisdom in your interactions with outsiders (non-believers), make the most of each opportunity [treating it as something precious]. ⁶ Let your speech at all times be gracious and pleasant, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to answer each one [who questions you].

⁷ As to all my affairs, ^[d]Tychicus, who is a much-loved brother and faithful assistant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will give you all the information.^{(B) 8} I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are doing and that he may encourage your hearts; ⁹ and with him is ^[e]Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will let you know everything about the situation here [in Rome].

¹⁰ Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, wishes to be remembered to you; as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); ¹¹ and from Jesus, who is called Justus. These are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision (Jewish Christians), and they have proved to be an encouragement and a comfort to me. ¹² Epaphras, who is one of you and a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. [He is] always striving for you in his prayers, praying with genuine concern, [pleading] that you may [as people of character and courage] stand firm, [spiritually mature] and fully assured in all the will of God. ¹³ For I testify for him that he has worked strenuously for you and for the believers in Laodicea and those in Hierapolis. ¹⁴ Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. ¹⁵ Give my greetings to the ^[f]brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house. ¹⁶ When this letter has been read among you, see that it is read in the church of the Laodiceans; and also that you in turn read ^[g]my letter [that is coming to you] from Laodicea. ¹⁷ And say to Archippus, “See to it that you fulfill [carefully the duties of] the ministry which you have received in the Lord.”

¹⁸ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. May grace (God’s unmerited favor and blessing) be with you.