DAB Readings – Page 93 – A Walk Through The Word

October 26, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday October 26, 2021 (NIV)

Jeremiah 49:23-50:46

A Message About Damascus

²³Concerning Damascus:^(A)

“Hamath^(B) and Arpad^(C) are dismayed,
for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
troubled like^[a] the restless sea.^(D)
²⁴Damascus has become feeble,
she has turned to flee
and panic has gripped her;
anguish and pain have seized her,
pain like that of a woman in labor.^(E)
²⁵Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
the town in which I delight?
²⁶Surely, her young men^(F) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced^(G) in that day,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
²⁷“I will set fire^(H) to the walls of Damascus;^(I)
it will consume^(J) the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.^(K)”

A Message About Kedar and Hazor

²⁸Concerning Kedar^(L) and the kingdoms of Hazor,^(M) which Nebuchadnezzar^(N) king of Babylon attacked:

This is what the Lord says:

“Arise, and attack Kedar
and destroy the people of the East.^(O)
²⁹Their tents and their flocks^(P) will be taken;
their shelters will be carried off
with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
‘Terror^(Q) on every side!’

³⁰“Flee quickly away!
Stay in deep caves,^(R) you who live in Hazor,^(S)”
declares the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar^(T) king of Babylon has plotted against you;
he has devised a plan against you.

³¹“Arise and attack a nation at ease,
which lives in confidence,”
declares the Lord,
“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;^(U)
its people live far from danger.
³²Their camels^(V) will become plunder,
and their large herds^(W) will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the winds^(X) those who are in distant places^[b]^(Y)
and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
³³“Hazor^(Z) will become a haunt of jackals,^(AA)
a desolate^(AB) place forever.
No one will live there;
no people will dwell^(AC) in it.”

A Message About Elam

³⁴This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,^(AD) early in the reign of Zedekiah^(AE) king of Judah:

³⁵This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will break the bow^(AF) of Elam,
the mainstay of their might.
³⁶I will bring against Elam the four winds^(AG)
from the four quarters of heaven;^(AH)
I will scatter them to the four winds,
and there will not be a nation
where Elam’s exiles do not go.
³⁷I will shatter Elam before their foes,
before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
even my fierce anger,”^(AI)
declares the Lord.
“I will pursue them with the sword^(AJ)
until I have made an end of them.
³⁸I will set my throne in Elam
and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the Lord.

³⁹“Yet I will restore^(AK) the fortunes of Elam
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

A Message About Babylon^(AL)

50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon^(AM) and the land of the Babylonians^[c]:

²“Announce and proclaim^(AN) among the nations,
lift up a banner^(AO) and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;^(AP)
Bel^(AQ) will be put to shame,^(AR)
Marduk^(AS) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols^(AT) filled with terror.’
³A nation from the north^(AU) will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live^(AV) in it;
both people and animals^(AW) will flee away.

⁴“In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together^(AX)
will go in tears^(AY) to seek^(AZ) the Lord their God.
⁵They will ask the way^(BA) to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come^(BB) and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant^(BC)
that will not be forgotten.

⁶“My people have been lost sheep;^(BD)
their shepherds^(BE) have led them astray^(BF)
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill^(BG)
and forgot their own resting place.^(BH)
⁷Whoever found them devoured^(BI) them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,^(BJ)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
the Lord, the hope^(BK) of their ancestors.’

⁸“Flee^(BL) out of Babylon;^(BM)
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.
⁹For I will stir^(BN) up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nations^(BO) from the land of the north.^(BP)
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.^(BQ)
Their arrows^(BR) will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
¹⁰So Babylonia^[d] will be plundered;^(BS)
all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.

¹¹“Because you rejoice and are glad,
you who pillage my inheritance,^(BT)
because you frolic like a heifer^(BU) threshing grain
and neigh like stallions,
¹²your mother will be greatly ashamed;
she who gave you birth will be disgraced.^(BV)
She will be the least of the nations—
a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.^(BW)
¹³Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
but will be completely desolate.^(BX)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;^(BY)
they will scoff^(BZ) because of all her wounds.^(CA)

¹⁴“Take up your positions around Babylon,
all you who draw the bow.^(CB)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,^(CC)
for she has sinned against the Lord.
¹⁵Shout^(CD) against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
her walls^(CE) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance^(CF) of the Lord,
take vengeance on her;
do to her^(CG) as she has done to others.^(CH)
¹⁶Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword^(CI) of the oppressor
let everyone return to their own people,^(CJ)
let everyone flee to their own land.^(CK)

¹⁷“Israel is a scattered flock^(CL)
that lions^(CM) have chased away.
The first to devour^(CN) them
was the king^(CO) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones^(CP)
was Nebuchadnezzar^(CQ) king^(CR) of Babylon.”

¹⁸Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the king^(CS) of Assyria.^(CT)
¹⁹But I will bring^(CU) Israel back to their own pasture,
and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied^(CV)
on the hills^(CW) of Ephraim and Gilead.^(CX)
²⁰In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,^(CY)
and for the sins^(CZ) of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive^(DA) the remnant^(DB) I spare.

²¹“Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.^(DC)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy^[e] them,”
declares the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
²²The noise^(DD) of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
²³How broken and shattered
is the hammer^(DE) of the whole earth!^(DF)
How desolate^(DG) is Babylon
among the nations!
²⁴I set a trap^(DH) for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured^(DI)
because you opposed^(DJ) the Lord.
²⁵The Lord has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weapons^(DK) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.^(DL)
²⁶Come against her from afar.^(DM)
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.^(DN)
Completely destroy^(DO) her
and leave her no remnant.
²⁷Kill all her young bulls;^(DP)
let them go down to the slaughter!^(DQ)
Woe to them! For their day^(DR) has come,
the time^(DS) for them to be punished.
²⁸Listen to the fugitives^(DT) and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zion^(DU)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,^(DV)
vengeance for his temple.^(DW)

²⁹“Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.^(DX)
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.^(DY)
Repay^(DZ) her for her deeds;^(EA)
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied^(EB) the Lord,
the Holy One^(EC) of Israel.
³⁰Therefore, her young men^(ED) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
³¹“See, I am against^(EE) you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day^(EF) has come,
the time for you to be punished.
³²The arrogant^(EG) one will stumble and fall^(EH)
and no one will help her up;^(EI)
I will kindle a fire^(EJ) in her towns
that will consume all who are around her.”

³³This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“The people of Israel are oppressed,^(EK)
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.^(EL)
³⁴Yet their Redeemer^(EM) is strong;
the Lord Almighty^(EN) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause^(EO)
so that he may bring rest^(EP) to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.

³⁵“A sword^(EQ) against the Babylonians!”^(ER)
declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wise^(ES) men!
³⁶A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!^(ET)
They will be filled with terror.^(EU)
³⁷A sword against her horses and chariots^(EV)
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.^(EW)
A sword against her treasures!^(EX)
They will be plundered.
³⁸A drought on^[f] her waters!^(EY)
They will dry^(EZ) up.
For it is a land of idols,^(FA)
idols that will go mad with terror.

³⁹“So desert creatures^(FB) and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.^(FC)
⁴⁰As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah^(FD)
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.^(FE)

⁴¹“Look! An army is coming from the north;^(FF)
a great nation and many kings
are being stirred^(FG) up from the ends of the earth.^(FH)
⁴²They are armed with bows^(FI) and spears;
they are cruel^(FJ) and without mercy.^(FK)
They sound like the roaring sea^(FL)
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.^(FM)
⁴³The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.^(FN)
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.^(FO)
⁴⁴Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets^(FP)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen^(FQ) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?^(FR)
And what shepherd can stand against me?”

⁴⁵Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposed^(FS) against the land of the Babylonians:^(FT)
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
⁴⁶At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;^(FU)
its cry^(FV) will resound among the nations.

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 49:23 Hebrew on or by
Jeremiah 49:32 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
Jeremiah 50:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 25, 35 and 45
Jeremiah 50:10 Or Chaldea
Jeremiah 50:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
Jeremiah 50:38 Or A sword against

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Titus 1

1 Paul, a servant of God^(A) and an apostle^(B) of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth^(C) that leads to godliness^(D)— ²in the hope of eternal life,^(E) which God, who does not lie,^(F) promised before the beginning of time,^(G) ³and which now at his appointed season^(H) he has brought to light^(I) through the preaching entrusted to me^(J) by the command of God^(K) our Savior,^(L)

⁴To Titus,^(M) my true son^(N) in our common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.^(O)

Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good^(P)

⁵The reason I left you in Crete^(Q) was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint^[a] elders^(R) in every town, as I directed you. ⁶An elder must be blameless,^(S) faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe^[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. ⁷Since an overseer^(T) manages God’s household,^(U) he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.^(V) ⁸Rather, he must be hospitable,^(W) one who loves what is good,^(X) who is self-controlled,^(Y) upright, holy and disciplined. ⁹He must hold firmly^(Z) to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine^(AA) and refute those who oppose it.

Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good

¹⁰For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk^(AB) and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.^(AC) ¹¹They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households^(AD) by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. ¹²One of Crete’s own prophets^(AE) has said it: “Cretans^(AF) are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”^[c] ¹³This saying is true. Therefore rebuke^(AG) them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith^(AH) ¹⁴and will pay no attention to Jewish myths^(AI) or to the merely human commands^(AJ) of those who reject the truth.^(AK) ¹⁵To the pure, all things are pure,^(AL) but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.^(AM) In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.^(AN) ¹⁶They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.^(AO) They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.^(AP)

Footnotes:

Titus 1:5 Or ordain
Titus 1:6 Or children are trustworthy
Titus 1:12 From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides

Cross references:

Titus 1:1 : Ro 1:1; Jas 1:1
Titus 1:1 : S 1Co 1:1
Titus 1:1 : S 1Ti 2:4
Titus 1:1 : S 1Ti 2:2
Titus 1:2 : Tit 3:7; 2Ti 1:1
Titus 1:2 : Nu 23:19; Heb 6:18
Titus 1:2 : 2Ti 1:9
Titus 1:3 : 1Ti 2:6; 6:15
Titus 1:3 : 2Ti 1:10
Titus 1:3 : S 1Ti 1:11
Titus 1:3 : S 2Co 1:1; 1Ti 1:1
Titus 1:3 : S Lk 1:47
Titus 1:4 : S 2Co 2:13
Titus 1:4 : S 1Ti 1:2
Titus 1:4 : S Ro 1:7
Titus 1:5 : 1:6-8Ref — 1Ti 3:2-4
Titus 1:5 : Ac 27:7
Titus 1:5 : S Ac 11:30
Titus 1:6 : S 1Th 3:13; 1Ti 3:2
Titus 1:7 : S 1Ti 3:1
Titus 1:7 : 1Co 4:1
Titus 1:7 : S 1Ti 3:3, 8
Titus 1:8 : S Ro 12:13
Titus 1:8 : 2Ti 3:3
Titus 1:8 : Tit 2:2, 5, 6, 12
Titus 1:9 : S 1Co 16:13; 1Ti 1:19; 2Ti 1:13; 3:14
Titus 1:9 : S 1Ti 1:10
Titus 1:10 : 1Ti 1:6
Titus 1:10 : Ac 10:45; 11:2
Titus 1:11 : 1Ti 5:13
Titus 1:12 : Ac 17:28
Titus 1:12 : Ac 2:11
Titus 1:13 : S 1Ti 5:20
Titus 1:13 : Tit 2:2
Titus 1:14 : S 1Ti 1:4
Titus 1:14 : S Col 2:22
Titus 1:14 : 2Ti 4:4
Titus 1:15 : Ps 18:26; Mt 15:10, 11; Mk 7:14-19; Ac 10:9-16, 28; Col 2:20-22
Titus 1:15 : Ro 14:14, 23
Titus 1:15 : 1Ti 6:5
Titus 1:16 : Jer 5:2; 12:2; 1Jn 2:4
Titus 1:16 : Hos 8:2, 3

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 97-98

Psalm 97

¹The Lord reigns,^(A) let the earth be glad;^(B)
let the distant shores^(C) rejoice.
²Clouds^(D) and thick darkness^(E) surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.^(F)
³Fire^(G) goes before^(H) him
and consumes^(I) his foes on every side.
⁴His lightning^(J) lights up the world;
the earth^(K) sees and trembles.^(L)
⁵The mountains melt^(M) like wax^(N) before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.^(O)
⁶The heavens proclaim his righteousness,^(P)
and all peoples see his glory.^(Q)

⁷All who worship images^(R) are put to shame,^(S)
those who boast in idols^(T)—
worship him,^(U) all you gods!^(V)

⁸Zion hears and rejoices
and the villages of Judah are glad^(W)
because of your judgments,^(X) Lord.
⁹For you, Lord, are the Most High^(Y) over all the earth;^(Z)
you are exalted^(AA) far above all gods.
¹⁰Let those who love the Lord hate evil,^(AB)
for he guards^(AC) the lives of his faithful ones^(AD)
and delivers^(AE) them from the hand of the wicked.^(AF)
¹¹Light shines^[a]^(AG) on the righteous^(AH)
and joy on the upright in heart.^(AI)
¹²Rejoice in the Lord,^(AJ) you who are righteous,
and praise his holy name.^(AK)

Psalm 98

A psalm.

¹Sing to the Lord^(AL) a new song,^(AM)
for he has done marvelous things;^(AN)
his right hand^(AO) and his holy arm^(AP)
have worked salvation^(AQ) for him.
²The Lord has made his salvation known^(AR)
and revealed his righteousness^(AS) to the nations.^(AT)
³He has remembered^(AU) his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth^(AV) have seen
the salvation of our God.^(AW)

⁴Shout for joy^(AX) to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
⁵make music to the Lord with the harp,^(AY)
with the harp and the sound of singing,^(AZ)
⁶with trumpets^(BA) and the blast of the ram’s horn^(BB)—
shout for joy^(BC) before the Lord, the King.^(BD)

⁷Let the sea^(BE) resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.^(BF)
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands,^(BG)
let the mountains^(BH) sing together for joy;
⁹let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.^(BI)

Footnotes:

Psalm 97:11 One Hebrew manuscript and ancient versions (see also 112:4); most Hebrew manuscripts Light is sown

Cross references:

Psalm 97:1 : Ex 15:18; Ps 93:1; 96:10; 99:1; Isa 24:23; 52:7
Psalm 97:1 : S Ps 96:11
Psalm 97:1 : S Est 10:1
Psalm 97:2 : S Job 22:14
Psalm 97:2 : S Ex 19:9
Psalm 97:2 : Ps 89:14
Psalm 97:3 : Isa 9:19; Da 7:10; Joel 1:19; 2:3
Psalm 97:3 : Hab 3:5
Psalm 97:3 : S 2Sa 22:9
Psalm 97:4 : S Job 36:30
Psalm 97:4 : S 2Sa 22:8
Psalm 97:4 : S Ps 18:7; 104:32; S Rev 6:12
Psalm 97:5 : S Ps 46:2, 6
Psalm 97:5 : S Ps 22:14
Psalm 97:5 : S Jos 3:11
Psalm 97:6 : Ps 50:6; 98:2
Psalm 97:6 : S Ps 19:1
Psalm 97:7 : S Lev 26:1
Psalm 97:7 : Isa 42:17; Jer 10:14
Psalm 97:7 : S Dt 5:8
Psalm 97:7 : Heb 1:6
Psalm 97:7 : Ex 12:12; Ps 16:4
Psalm 97:8 : S Ps 9:2
Psalm 97:8 : Ps 48:11
Psalm 97:9 : Ps 7:8
Psalm 97:9 : S Job 34:29
Psalm 97:9 : S Ps 47:9
Psalm 97:10 : S Job 28:28; Am 5:15; Ro 12:9
Psalm 97:10 : Ps 145:20
Psalm 97:10 : Ps 31:23; 37:28; Pr 2:8
Psalm 97:10 : S Ps 34:7; Da 3:28; 6:16
Psalm 97:10 : Ps 37:40; Jer 15:21; 20:13
Psalm 97:11 : S Job 22:28
Psalm 97:11 : Ps 11:5
Psalm 97:11 : Ps 7:10
Psalm 97:12 : S Job 22:19; Ps 104:34; Isa 41:16; Php 4:4
Psalm 97:12 : S Ex 3:15; S Ps 99:3
Psalm 98:1 : Ps 30:4
Psalm 98:1 : S Ps 96:1
Psalm 98:1 : Ex 15:1; Ps 96:3; Isa 12:5; Lk 1:51
Psalm 98:1 : S Ex 15:6
Psalm 98:1 : S Jos 4:24; Job 40:9; Isa 51:9; 52:10; 53:1; 63:5
Psalm 98:1 : S Ps 44:3; Isa 59:16
Psalm 98:2 : Isa 52:10; Lk 3:6
Psalm 98:2 : S Ps 97:6
Psalm 98:2 : S Ps 67:2
Psalm 98:3 : S 1Ch 16:15
Psalm 98:3 : S Ge 49:10; S Ps 48:10
Psalm 98:3 : S Ps 50:23
Psalm 98:4 : Ps 20:5; Isa 12:6; 44:23; 52:9; 54:1; 55:12
Psalm 98:5 : Ps 33:2; 92:3; 147:7
Psalm 98:5 : Isa 51:3
Psalm 98:6 : S Nu 10:2; S 2Sa 6:15
Psalm 98:6 : S Ex 19:13
Psalm 98:6 : Ps 20:5; 100:1; Isa 12:6
Psalm 98:6 : Ps 2:6; 47:7
Psalm 98:7 : S Ps 93:3
Psalm 98:7 : S Ps 24:1
Psalm 98:8 : S 2Ki 11:12
Psalm 98:8 : Ps 148:9; Isa 44:23; 55:12
Psalm 98:9 : S Ps 96:10

New International Version (NIV)

Proverbs 26:13-16

¹³A sluggard says,^(A) “There’s a lion in the road,
a fierce lion roaming the streets!”^(B)
¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges,
so a sluggard turns on his bed.^(C)
¹⁵A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.^(D)
¹⁶A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven people who answer discreetly.

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

October 25, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday October 25, 2021 (NIV)

Jeremiah 48:1-49:22

A Message About Moab^(A)

48 Concerning Moab:^(B)

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“Woe to Nebo,^(C) for it will be ruined.
Kiriathaim^(D) will be disgraced and captured;
the stronghold^[a] will be disgraced and shattered.
²Moab will be praised^(E) no more;
in Heshbon^[b]^(F) people will plot her downfall:
‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’^(G)
You, the people of Madmen,^[c] will also be silenced;
the sword will pursue you.
³Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,^(H)
cries of great havoc and destruction.
⁴Moab will be broken;
her little ones will cry out.^[d]
⁵They go up the hill to Luhith,^(I)
weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaim^(J)
anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
⁶Flee!^(K) Run for your lives;
become like a bush^[e] in the desert.^(L)
⁷Since you trust in your deeds and riches,^(M)
you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh^(N) will go into exile,^(O)
together with his priests and officials.^(P)
⁸The destroyer^(Q) will come against every town,
and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
and the plateau^(R) destroyed,
because the Lord has spoken.
⁹Put salt^(S) on Moab,
for she will be laid waste^[f];^(T)
her towns will become desolate,
with no one to live in them.

¹⁰“A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps their sword^(U) from bloodshed!^(V)

¹¹“Moab has been at rest^(W) from youth,
like wine left on its dregs,^(X)
not poured from one jar to another—
she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged.
¹²But days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I will send men who pour from pitchers,
and they will pour her out;
they will empty her pitchers
and smash her jars.
¹³Then Moab will be ashamed^(Y) of Chemosh,^(Z)
as Israel was ashamed
when they trusted in Bethel.^(AA)

¹⁴“How can you say, ‘We are warriors,^(AB)
men valiant in battle’?
¹⁵Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
her finest young men^(AC) will go down in the slaughter,^(AD)”
declares the King,^(AE) whose name is the Lord Almighty.^(AF)
¹⁶“The fall of Moab is at hand;^(AG)
her calamity will come quickly.
¹⁷Mourn for her, all who live around her,
all who know her fame;^(AH)
say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter,^(AI)
how broken the glorious staff!’

¹⁸“Come down from your glory
and sit on the parched ground,^(AJ)
you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,^(AK)
for the one who destroys Moab
will come up against you
and ruin your fortified cities.^(AL)
¹⁹Stand by the road and watch,
you who live in Aroer.^(AM)
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
ask them, ‘What has happened?’
²⁰Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
Wail^(AN) and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon^(AO)
that Moab is destroyed.
²¹Judgment has come to the plateau^(AP)—
to Holon,^(AQ) Jahzah^(AR) and Mephaath,^(AS)
²²to Dibon,^(AT) Nebo^(AU) and Beth Diblathaim,
²³to Kiriathaim,^(AV) Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,^(AW)
²⁴to Kerioth^(AX) and Bozrah^(AY)—
to all the towns^(AZ) of Moab, far and near.
²⁵Moab’s horn^[g]^(BA) is cut off;
her arm^(BB) is broken,”
declares the Lord.

²⁶“Make her drunk,^(BC)
for she has defied^(BD) the Lord.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;^(BE)
let her be an object of ridicule.^(BF)
²⁷Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?^(BG)
Was she caught among thieves,^(BH)
that you shake your head^(BI) in scorn^(BJ)
whenever you speak of her?
²⁸Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,
you who live in Moab.
Be like a dove^(BK) that makes its nest
at the mouth of a cave.^(BL)

²⁹“We have heard of Moab’s pride^(BM)—
how great is her arrogance!—
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
and the haughtiness^(BN) of her heart.
³⁰I know her insolence but it is futile,”
declares the Lord,
“and her boasts^(BO) accomplish nothing.
³¹Therefore I wail^(BP) over Moab,
for all Moab I cry out,
I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.^(BQ)
³²I weep for you, as Jazer^(BR) weeps,
you vines of Sibmah.^(BS)
Your branches spread as far as the sea^[h];
they reached as far as^[i] Jazer.
The destroyer has fallen
on your ripened fruit and grapes.
³³Joy and gladness are gone
from the orchards and fields of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine^(BT) from the presses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy.^(BU)
Although there are shouts,
they are not shouts of joy.

³⁴“The sound of their cry rises
from Heshbon^(BV) to Elealeh^(BW) and Jahaz,^(BX)
from Zoar^(BY) as far as Horonaim^(BZ) and Eglath Shelishiyah,
for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.^(CA)
³⁵In Moab I will put an end
to those who make offerings on the high places^(CB)
and burn incense^(CC) to their gods,”
declares the Lord.
³⁶“So my heart laments^(CD) for Moab like the music of a pipe;
it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.^(CE)
The wealth they acquired^(CF) is gone.
³⁷Every head is shaved^(CG)
and every beard^(CH) cut off;
every hand is slashed
and every waist is covered with sackcloth.^(CI)
³⁸On all the roofs in Moab
and in the public squares^(CJ)
there is nothing but mourning,
for I have broken Moab
like a jar^(CK) that no one wants,”
declares the Lord.
³⁹“How shattered^(CL) she is! How they wail!
How Moab turns her back in shame!
Moab has become an object of ridicule,^(CM)
an object of horror to all those around her.”

⁴⁰This is what the Lord says:

“Look! An eagle is swooping^(CN) down,
spreading its wings^(CO) over Moab.
⁴¹Kerioth^[j]^(CP) will be captured
and the strongholds taken.
In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors^(CQ)
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.^(CR)
⁴²Moab will be destroyed^(CS) as a nation^(CT)
because she defied^(CU) the Lord.
⁴³Terror^(CV) and pit and snare^(CW) await you,
you people of Moab,”
declares the Lord.
⁴⁴“Whoever flees^(CX) from the terror
will fall into a pit,
whoever climbs out of the pit
will be caught in a snare;
for I will bring on Moab
the year^(CY) of her punishment,”
declares the Lord.

⁴⁵“In the shadow of Heshbon
the fugitives stand helpless,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the midst of Sihon;^(CZ)
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls^(DA) of the noisy boasters.
⁴⁶Woe to you, Moab!^(DB)
The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
and your daughters into captivity.

⁴⁷“Yet I will restore^(DC) the fortunes of Moab
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

Here ends the judgment on Moab.

A Message About Ammon

49 Concerning the Ammonites:^(DD)

This is what the Lord says:

“Has Israel no sons?
Has Israel no heir?
Why then has Molek^[k]^(DE) taken possession of Gad?^(DF)
Why do his people live in its towns?
²But the days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I will sound the battle cry^(DG)
against Rabbah^(DH) of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,^(DI)
and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
those who drove her out,^(DJ)”
says the Lord.
³“Wail, Heshbon,^(DK) for Ai^(DL) is destroyed!
Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth^(DM) and mourn;
rush here and there inside the walls,
for Molek^(DN) will go into exile,^(DO)
together with his priests and officials.
⁴Why do you boast of your valleys,
boast of your valleys so fruitful?
Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,^(DP)
you trust in your riches^(DQ) and say,
‘Who will attack me?’^(DR)
⁵I will bring terror on you
from all those around you,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
“Every one of you will be driven away,
and no one will gather the fugitives.^(DS)

⁶“Yet afterward, I will restore^(DT) the fortunes of the Ammonites,”
declares the Lord.

A Message About Edom^(DU)^(DV)

⁷Concerning Edom:^(DW)

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?^(DX)
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
⁸Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,^(DY)
you who live in Dedan,^(DZ)
for I will bring disaster on Esau
at the time when I punish him.
⁹If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?
If thieves came during the night,
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
¹⁰But I will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his hiding places,^(EA)
so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
also his allies and neighbors,
so there is no one^(EB) to say,
¹¹‘Leave your fatherless children;^(EC) I will keep them alive.
Your widows^(ED) too can depend on me.’”

¹²This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup^(EE) must drink it, why should you go unpunished?^(EF) You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. ¹³I swear^(EG) by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah^(EH) will become a ruin and a curse,^[l] an object of horror^(EI) and reproach;^(EJ) and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”^(EK)

¹⁴I have heard a message from the Lord;
an envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Assemble yourselves to attack it!
Rise up for battle!”

¹⁵“Now I will make you small among the nations,
despised by mankind.
¹⁶The terror you inspire
and the pride^(EL) of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,^(EM)
who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nest^(EN) as high as the eagle’s,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
¹⁷“Edom will become an object of horror;^(EO)
all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
because of all its wounds.^(EP)
¹⁸As Sodom^(EQ) and Gomorrah^(ER) were overthrown,
along with their neighboring towns,”
says the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell^(ES) in it.

¹⁹“Like a lion^(ET) coming up from Jordan’s thickets^(EU)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Edom from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is like^(EV) me and who can challenge me?^(EW)
And what shepherd^(EX) can stand against me?”

²⁰Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom,^(EY)
what he has purposed^(EZ) against those who live in Teman:^(FA)
The young of the flock^(FB) will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.^(FC)
²¹At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;^(FD)
their cry^(FE) will resound to the Red Sea.^[m]
²²Look! An eagle will soar and swoop^(FF) down,
spreading its wings over Bozrah.^(FG)
In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors^(FH)
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.^(FI)

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab
Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.
Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.
Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar
Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer
Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away
Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.
Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea
Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of
Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities
Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3
Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

2 Timothy 4

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead,^(A) and in view of his appearing^(B) and his kingdom, I give you this charge:^(C) ²Preach^(D) the word;^(E) be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke^(F) and encourage^(G)—with great patience and careful instruction. ³For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.^(H) Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.^(I) ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.^(J) ⁵But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship,^(K) do the work of an evangelist,^(L) discharge all the duties of your ministry.

⁶For I am already being poured out like a drink offering,^(M) and the time for my departure is near.^(N) ⁷I have fought the good fight,^(O) I have finished the race,^(P) I have kept the faith. ⁸Now there is in store for me^(Q) the crown of righteousness,^(R) which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day^(S)—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.^(T)

Personal Remarks

⁹Do your best to come to me quickly,^(U) ¹⁰for Demas,^(V) because he loved this world,^(W) has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.^(X) Crescens has gone to Galatia,^(Y) and Titus^(Z) to Dalmatia. ¹¹Only Luke^(AA) is with me.^(AB) Get Mark^(AC) and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. ¹²I sent Tychicus^(AD) to Ephesus.^(AE) ¹³When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas,^(AF) and my scrolls, especially the parchments.

¹⁴Alexander^(AG) the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.^(AH) ¹⁵You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.

¹⁶At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.^(AI) ¹⁷But the Lord stood at my side^(AJ) and gave me strength,^(AK) so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.^(AL) And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.^(AM) ¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack^(AN) and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.^(AO) To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.^(AP)

Final Greetings

¹⁹Greet Priscilla^[a] and Aquila^(AQ) and the household of Onesiphorus.^(AR) ²⁰Erastus^(AS) stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus^(AT) sick in Miletus.^(AU) ²¹Do your best to get here before winter.^(AV) Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.^[b]

²²The Lord be with your spirit.^(AW) Grace be with you all.^(AX)

Footnotes:

2 Timothy 4:19 Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla
2 Timothy 4:21 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.

Cross references:

2 Timothy 4:1 : S Ac 10:42
2 Timothy 4:1 : ver 8; S 1Ti 6:14
2 Timothy 4:1 : 1Ti 5:21; 6:13
2 Timothy 4:2 : 1Ti 4:13
2 Timothy 4:2 : Gal 6:6
2 Timothy 4:2 : 1Ti 5:20; Tit 1:13; 2:15
2 Timothy 4:2 : Tit 2:15
2 Timothy 4:3 : S 1Ti 1:10
2 Timothy 4:3 : Isa 30:10
2 Timothy 4:4 : S 1Ti 1:4
2 Timothy 4:5 : 2Ti 1:8; 2:3, 9
2 Timothy 4:5 : Ac 21:8; Eph 4:11
2 Timothy 4:6 : Nu 15:1-12; 28:7, 24; Php 2:17
2 Timothy 4:6 : Php 1:23
2 Timothy 4:7 : S 1Ti 1:18
2 Timothy 4:7 : S 1Co 9:24; Ac 20:24
2 Timothy 4:8 : Col 1:5; 1Pe 1:4
2 Timothy 4:8 : S 1Co 9:25
2 Timothy 4:8 : S 2Ti 1:12
2 Timothy 4:8 : S 1Ti 6:14
2 Timothy 4:9 : ver 21; Tit 3:12
2 Timothy 4:10 : Col 4:14; Phm 24
2 Timothy 4:10 : 1Jn 2:15
2 Timothy 4:10 : S Ac 17:1
2 Timothy 4:10 : S Ac 16:6
2 Timothy 4:10 : S 2Co 2:13
2 Timothy 4:11 : Col 4:14; Phm 24
2 Timothy 4:11 : 2Ti 1:15
2 Timothy 4:11 : S Ac 12:12
2 Timothy 4:12 : S Ac 20:4
2 Timothy 4:12 : S Ac 18:19
2 Timothy 4:13 : S Ac 16:8
2 Timothy 4:14 : Ac 19:33; 1Ti 1:20
2 Timothy 4:14 : Ps 28:4; 109:20; Ro 2:6; 12:19
2 Timothy 4:16 : Ac 7:60
2 Timothy 4:17 : Ac 23:11
2 Timothy 4:17 : S Php 4:13
2 Timothy 4:17 : S Ac 9:15
2 Timothy 4:17 : 1Sa 17:37; Ps 22:21; Da 6:22; 1Co 15:32
2 Timothy 4:18 : Ps 121:7; 2Pe 2:9
2 Timothy 4:18 : ver 1
2 Timothy 4:18 : S Ro 11:36
2 Timothy 4:19 : S Ac 18:2
2 Timothy 4:19 : 2Ti 1:16
2 Timothy 4:20 : Ac 19:22
2 Timothy 4:20 : Ac 20:4; 21:29
2 Timothy 4:20 : Ac 20:15, 17
2 Timothy 4:21 : ver 9; Tit 3:12
2 Timothy 4:22 : S Gal 6:18
2 Timothy 4:22 : S Col 4:18

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 95-96

Psalm 95

¹Come,^(A) let us sing for joy^(B) to the Lord;
let us shout aloud^(C) to the Rock^(D) of our salvation.
²Let us come before him^(E) with thanksgiving^(F)
and extol him with music^(G) and song.

³For the Lord is the great God,^(H)
the great King^(I) above all gods.^(J)
⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth,^(K)
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
⁵The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.^(L)

⁶Come, let us bow down^(M) in worship,^(N)
let us kneel^(O) before the Lord our Maker;^(P)
⁷for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,^(Q)
the flock under his care.

Today, if only you would hear his voice,
⁸“Do not harden your hearts^(R) as you did at Meribah,^[a]^(S)
as you did that day at Massah^[b] in the wilderness,^(T)
⁹where your ancestors tested^(U) me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
¹⁰For forty years^(V) I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,^(W)
and they have not known my ways.’^(X)
¹¹So I declared on oath^(Y) in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”^(Z)

Psalm 96^(AA)

¹Sing to the Lord^(AB) a new song;^(AC)
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
²Sing to the Lord, praise his name;^(AD)
proclaim his salvation^(AE) day after day.
³Declare his glory^(AF) among the nations,
his marvelous deeds^(AG) among all peoples.

⁴For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;^(AH)
he is to be feared^(AI) above all gods.^(AJ)
⁵For all the gods of the nations are idols,^(AK)
but the Lord made the heavens.^(AL)
⁶Splendor and majesty^(AM) are before him;
strength and glory^(AN) are in his sanctuary.

⁷Ascribe to the Lord,^(AO) all you families of nations,^(AP)
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
⁸Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering^(AQ) and come into his courts.^(AR)
⁹Worship the Lord^(AS) in the splendor of his^[c] holiness;^(AT)
tremble^(AU) before him, all the earth.^(AV)
¹⁰Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.^(AW)”
The world is firmly established,^(AX) it cannot be moved;^(AY)
he will judge^(AZ) the peoples with equity.^(BA)

¹¹Let the heavens rejoice,^(BB) let the earth be glad;^(BC)
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
¹²Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest^(BD) sing for joy.^(BE)
¹³Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge^(BF) the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness^(BG)
and the peoples in his faithfulness.^(BH)

Footnotes:

Psalm 95:8 Meribah means quarreling.
Psalm 95:8 Massah means testing.
Psalm 96:9 Or Lord with the splendor of

Cross references:

Psalm 95:1 : Ps 34:11; 80:2
Psalm 95:1 : S Ps 5:11
Psalm 95:1 : Ps 81:1; Isa 44:23; Zep 3:14
Psalm 95:1 : S 2Sa 22:47
Psalm 95:2 : Ps 100:2; Mic 6:6
Psalm 95:2 : S Ps 42:4
Psalm 95:2 : Ps 81:2; S Eph 5:19
Psalm 95:3 : Ps 48:1; 86:10; 145:3; 147:5
Psalm 95:3 : S Ps 47:2
Psalm 95:3 : Ps 96:4; 97:9
Psalm 95:4 : S Ps 63:9
Psalm 95:5 : S Ge 1:9; Ps 146:6
Psalm 95:6 : S 2Sa 12:16; Php 2:10
Psalm 95:6 : S Ps 22:29
Psalm 95:6 : 2Ch 6:13
Psalm 95:6 : Ps 100:3; 149:2; Isa 17:7; 54:5; Da 6:10-11; Hos 8:14
Psalm 95:7 : S Ps 74:1
Psalm 95:8 : Mk 10:5; Heb 3:8
Psalm 95:8 : S Ex 17:7; S Dt 33:8; Heb 3:15*; 4:7
Psalm 95:8 : S Ps 78:40
Psalm 95:9 : S Nu 14:22; 1Co 10:9
Psalm 95:10 : S Ex 16:35; S Nu 14:34; Ac 7:36; Heb 3:17
Psalm 95:10 : Ps 58:3; 119:67, 176; Pr 12:26; 16:29; Isa 53:6; Jer 31:19; 50:6; Eze 34:6
Psalm 95:10 : S Dt 8:6
Psalm 95:11 : S Nu 14:23
Psalm 95:11 : Dt 1:35; Heb 3:7-11*; 4:3*
Psalm 96:1 : 96:1-13pp — 1Ch 16:23-33
Psalm 96:1 : Ps 30:4
Psalm 96:1 : Ps 33:3; S 40:3; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isa 42:10; S Rev 5:9
Psalm 96:2 : S Ps 68:4
Psalm 96:2 : Ps 27:1; 71:15
Psalm 96:3 : Ps 8:1
Psalm 96:3 : S Ps 71:17; Rev 15:3
Psalm 96:4 : S Ps 48:1
Psalm 96:4 : S Dt 28:58; S 1Ch 16:25; Ps 89:7
Psalm 96:4 : S Ps 95:3
Psalm 96:5 : S Lev 19:4
Psalm 96:5 : S Ge 1:1; S 2Ch 2:12
Psalm 96:6 : S Ps 21:5
Psalm 96:6 : Ps 29:1; 89:17
Psalm 96:7 : Ps 29:1
Psalm 96:7 : Ps 22:27
Psalm 96:8 : Ps 45:12; S 51:19; 72:10
Psalm 96:8 : Ps 65:4; 84:10; 92:13; 100:4
Psalm 96:9 : Ex 23:25; Jnh 1:9
Psalm 96:9 : S Ps 93:5
Psalm 96:9 : S Ex 15:14; Ps 114:7
Psalm 96:9 : Ps 33:8
Psalm 96:10 : Ps 97:1
Psalm 96:10 : Ps 24:2; 78:69; 119:90
Psalm 96:10 : S Ps 93:1
Psalm 96:10 : Ps 58:11
Psalm 96:10 : Ps 67:4; 98:9
Psalm 96:11 : S Rev 12:12
Psalm 96:11 : Ps 97:1; Isa 49:13
Psalm 96:12 : Isa 44:23; 55:12; Eze 17:24
Psalm 96:12 : Ps 65:13
Psalm 96:13 : Rev 19:11
Psalm 96:13 : S Ps 7:11; Ac 17:31
Psalm 96:13 : Ps 86:11

New International Version (NIV)

Proverbs 26:9-12

⁹Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.^(A)
¹⁰Like an archer who wounds at random
is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
¹¹As a dog returns to its vomit,^(B)
so fools repeat their folly.^(C)
¹²Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?^(D)
There is more hope for a fool than for them.^(E)

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

October 24, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday October 24, 2021 (NIV)

Jeremiah 44:24-47:7

²⁴Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,^(A) “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.^(B) ²⁵This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives^(C) 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.’^(D)

“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!^(E) ²⁶But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt:^(F) ‘I swear^(G) 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^(H) Lord lives.”^(I) ²⁷For I am watching^(J) over them for harm,^(K) not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish^(L) by sword and famine^(M) until they are all destroyed.^(N) ²⁸Those who escape the sword^(O) and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.^(P) Then the whole remnant^(Q) of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand^(R)—mine or theirs.^(S)

²⁹“‘This will be the sign^(T) to you that I will punish^(U) you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’^(V) ³⁰This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh^(W) Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah^(X) king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’”^(Y)

A Message to Baruch

45 When Baruch^(Z) son of Neriah^(AA) wrote on a scroll^(AB) the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(AC) son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: ²“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: ³You said, ‘Woe^(AD) to me! The Lord has added sorrow^(AE) to my pain;^(AF) I am worn out with groaning^(AG) and find no rest.’^(AH) ⁴But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot^(AI) what I have planted,^(AJ) throughout the earth.^(AK) ⁵Should you then seek great^(AL) things for yourself? Do not seek them.^(AM) For I will bring disaster^(AN) on all people,^(AO) declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape^(AP) with your life.’”^(AQ)

A Message About Egypt

46 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:^(AR)

²Concerning Egypt:^(AS)

This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho^(AT) king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish^(AU) on the Euphrates^(AV) River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(AW) son of Josiah king of Judah:

³“Prepare your shields,^(AX) both large and small,
and march out for battle!
⁴Harness the horses,
mount the steeds!
Take your positions
with helmets on!
Polish^(AY) your spears,
put on your armor!^(AZ)
⁵What do I see?
They are terrified,
they are retreating,
their warriors are defeated.
They flee^(BA) in haste
without looking back,
and there is terror^(BB) on every side,”
declares the Lord.
⁶“The swift cannot flee^(BC)
nor the strong escape.
In the north by the River Euphrates^(BD)
they stumble and fall.^(BE)

⁷“Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like rivers of surging waters?^(BF)
⁸Egypt rises like the Nile,^(BG)
like rivers of surging waters.
She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;
I will destroy cities and their people.’^(BH)
⁹Charge, you horses!
Drive furiously, you charioteers!^(BI)
March on, you warriors—men of Cush^[a]^(BJ) and Put who carry shields,
men of Lydia^(BK) who draw the bow.
¹⁰But that day^(BL) belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty—
a day of vengeance^(BM), for vengeance on his foes.
The sword will devour^(BN) till it is satisfied,
till it has quenched its thirst with blood.^(BO)
For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice^(BP)
in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.^(BQ)

¹¹“Go up to Gilead and get balm,^(BR)
Virgin^(BS) Daughter Egypt.
But you try many medicines in vain;
there is no healing^(BT) for you.
¹²The nations will hear of your shame;
your cries will fill the earth.
One warrior will stumble over another;
both will fall^(BU) down together.”

¹³This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(BV) to attack Egypt:^(BW)

¹⁴“Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;
proclaim it also in Memphis^(BX) and Tahpanhes:^(BY)
‘Take your positions and get ready,
for the sword devours^(BZ) those around you.’
¹⁵Why will your warriors be laid low?
They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.^(CA)
¹⁶They will stumble^(CB) repeatedly;
they will fall^(CC) over each other.
They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back
to our own people^(CD) and our native lands,
away from the sword of the oppressor.’^(CE)
¹⁷There they will exclaim,
‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;^(CF)
he has missed his opportunity.^(CG)’

¹⁸“As surely as I live,” declares the King,^(CH)
whose name is the Lord Almighty,
“one will come who is like Tabor^(CI) among the mountains,
like Carmel^(CJ) by the sea.
¹⁹Pack your belongings for exile,^(CK)
you who live in Egypt,
for Memphis^(CL) will be laid waste^(CM)
and lie in ruins without inhabitant.

²⁰“Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
but a gadfly is coming
against her from the north.^(CN)
²¹The mercenaries^(CO) in her ranks
are like fattened calves.^(CP)
They too will turn and flee^(CQ) together,
they will not stand their ground,
for the day^(CR) of disaster is coming upon them,
the time^(CS) for them to be punished.
²²Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent
as the enemy advances in force;
they will come against her with axes,
like men who cut down trees.^(CT)
²³They will chop down her forest,”
declares the Lord,
“dense though it be.
They are more numerous than locusts,^(CU)
they cannot be counted.
²⁴Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,
given into the hands of the people of the north.^(CV)”

²⁵The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,^(CW) on Pharaoh,^(CX) on Egypt and her gods^(CY) and her kings, and on those who rely^(CZ) on Pharaoh. ²⁶I will give them into the hands^(DA) of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king^(DB) of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited^(DC) as in times past,” declares the Lord.

²⁷“Do not be afraid,^(DD) Jacob^(DE) my servant;^(DF)
do not be dismayed, Israel.
I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.^(DG)
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
²⁸Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant,
for I am with you,”^(DH) declares the Lord.
“Though I completely destroy^(DI) all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”

A Message About the Philistines

47 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines^(DJ) before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:^(DK)

²This is what the Lord says:

“See how the waters are rising in the north;^(DL)
they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
all who dwell in the land will wail^(DM)
³at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,
at the noise of enemy chariots^(DN)
and the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not turn to help their children;
their hands will hang limp.^(DO)
⁴For the day has come
to destroy all the Philistines
and to remove all survivors
who could help Tyre^(DP) and Sidon.^(DQ)
The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines,^(DR)
the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.^[b]^(DS)
⁵Gaza will shave^(DT) her head in mourning;
Ashkelon^(DU) will be silenced.
You remnant on the plain,
how long will you cut^(DV) yourselves?

⁶“‘Alas, sword^(DW) of the Lord,
how long till you rest?
Return to your sheath;
cease and be still.’^(DX)
⁷But how can it rest
when the Lord has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”^(DY)

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile region
Jeremiah 47:4 That is, Crete

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

2 Timothy 2:22-3:17

²²Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love^(A) and peace, along with those who call on the Lord^(B) out of a pure heart.^(C) ²³Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.^(D) ²⁴And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.^(E) ²⁵Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,^(F) ²⁶and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil,^(G) who has taken them captive to do his will.

3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.^(H) ²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,^(I) boastful, proud,^(J) abusive,^(K) disobedient to their parents,^(L) ungrateful, unholy, ³without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴treacherous,^(M) rash, conceited,^(N) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵having a form of godliness^(O) but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.^(P)

⁶They are the kind who worm their way^(Q) into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, ⁷always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.^(R) ⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses,^(S) so also these teachers oppose^(T) the truth. They are men of depraved minds,^(U) who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. ⁹But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men,^(V) their folly will be clear to everyone.

A Final Charge to Timothy

¹⁰You, however, know all about my teaching,^(W) my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch,^(X) Iconium^(Y) and Lystra,^(Z) the persecutions I endured.^(AA) Yet the Lord rescued^(AB) me from all of them.^(AC) ¹²In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,^(AD) ¹³while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse,^(AE) deceiving and being deceived.^(AF) ¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,^(AG) ¹⁵and how from infancy^(AH) you have known the Holy Scriptures,^(AI) which are able to make you wise^(AJ) for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed^(AK) and is useful for teaching,^(AL) rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,^(AM) ¹⁷so that the servant of God^[a]^(AN) may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.^(AO)

Footnotes:

2 Timothy 3:17 Or that you, a man of God,

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 94

¹The Lord is a God who avenges.^(A)
O God who avenges, shine forth.^(B)
²Rise up,^(C) Judge^(D) of the earth;
pay back^(E) to the proud what they deserve.
³How long, Lord, will the wicked,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?^(F)

⁴They pour out arrogant^(G) words;
all the evildoers are full of boasting.^(H)
⁵They crush your people,^(I) Lord;
they oppress your inheritance.^(J)
⁶They slay the widow^(K) and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.^(L)
⁷They say, “The Lord does not see;^(M)
the God of Jacob^(N) takes no notice.”

⁸Take notice, you senseless ones^(O) among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
⁹Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?^(P)
¹⁰Does he who disciplines^(Q) nations not punish?
Does he who teaches^(R) mankind lack knowledge?
¹¹The Lord knows all human plans;^(S)
he knows that they are futile.^(T)

¹²Blessed is the one you discipline,^(U) Lord,
the one you teach^(V) from your law;
¹³you grant them relief from days of trouble,^(W)
till a pit^(X) is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴For the Lord will not reject his people;^(Y)
he will never forsake his inheritance.
¹⁵Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,^(Z)
and all the upright in heart^(AA) will follow it.

¹⁶Who will rise up^(AB) for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?^(AC)
¹⁷Unless the Lord had given me help,^(AD)
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.^(AE)
¹⁸When I said, “My foot is slipping,^(AF)”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
¹⁹When anxiety^(AG) was great within me,
your consolation^(AH) brought me joy.

²⁰Can a corrupt throne^(AI) be allied with you—
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?^(AJ)
²¹The wicked band together^(AK) against the righteous
and condemn the innocent^(AL) to death.^(AM)
²²But the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God the rock^(AN) in whom I take refuge.^(AO)
²³He will repay^(AP) them for their sins
and destroy^(AQ) them for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will destroy them.

Cross references:

Psalm 94:1 : S Ge 4:24; Ro 12:19
Psalm 94:1 : S Dt 33:2; Ps 80:1
Psalm 94:2 : S Nu 10:35
Psalm 94:2 : S Ge 18:25; Heb 12:23; S Jas 5:9
Psalm 94:2 : S Ps 31:23
Psalm 94:3 : Ps 13:2
Psalm 94:4 : Jer 43:2
Psalm 94:4 : S Ps 52:1
Psalm 94:5 : Ps 44:2; 74:8; Isa 3:15; Jer 8:21
Psalm 94:5 : Ps 28:9
Psalm 94:6 : S Dt 10:18; S Isa 1:17
Psalm 94:6 : Dt 24:19
Psalm 94:7 : S Job 22:14
Psalm 94:7 : S Ge 24:12
Psalm 94:8 : S Dt 32:6; S Ps 73:22
Psalm 94:9 : Ex 4:11; Pr 20:12
Psalm 94:10 : S Ps 39:11
Psalm 94:10 : S Ex 35:34; Job 35:11; Isa 28:26
Psalm 94:11 : Ps 139:2; Pr 15:26; S Mt 9:4
Psalm 94:11 : 1Co 3:20*
Psalm 94:12 : S Job 5:17; 1Co 11:32; Heb 12:5
Psalm 94:12 : S Dt 8:3; S 1Sa 12:23
Psalm 94:13 : S Ps 86:7
Psalm 94:13 : S Ps 7:15; S 55:23
Psalm 94:14 : S Dt 31:6; Ps 37:28; Ro 11:2
Psalm 94:15 : Ps 97:2
Psalm 94:15 : Ps 7:10; 11:2; S 36:10
Psalm 94:16 : Nu 10:35; Ps 17:13; Isa 14:22
Psalm 94:16 : S Ps 59:2
Psalm 94:17 : Ps 124:2
Psalm 94:17 : S Ps 31:17
Psalm 94:18 : S Dt 32:35; S Job 12:5
Psalm 94:19 : Ecc 11:10
Psalm 94:19 : S Job 6:10
Psalm 94:20 : Jer 22:30; 36:30
Psalm 94:20 : S Ps 58:2
Psalm 94:21 : S Ps 56:6
Psalm 94:21 : Ps 106:38; Pr 17:15, 26; 28:21; Isa 5:20, 23; Mt 27:4
Psalm 94:21 : S Ge 18:23
Psalm 94:22 : S Ps 61:2
Psalm 94:22 : S 2Sa 22:3; S Ps 18:2
Psalm 94:23 : S Ex 32:34; S Ps 54:5
Psalm 94:23 : Ps 9:5; 37:38; 145:20

New International Version (NIV)

Proverbs 26:6-8

⁶Sending a message by the hands of a fool^(A)
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
⁷Like the useless legs of one who is lame
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.^(B)
⁸Like tying a stone in a sling
is the giving of honor to a fool.^(C)

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

October 23, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday October 23, 2021 (NIV)

Jeremiah 42:1-44:23

Warning against Going to Egypt

42 Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah (Azariah) the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached ²and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition be presented before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, that is, for all this remnant [of the people of Judah]; for we were once many, but now [only] a few of us are left, as you see with your own eyes, [so please pray] ³that the Lord your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.” ⁴Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Now hear me, I will pray to the Lord your God in accordance with your words; and I will declare to you whatever message the Lord answers; I will keep nothing back from you.” ⁵Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we fail to act in accordance with all the things that the Lord your God sends you to tell us. ⁶Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to and honor the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.”

⁷Now after ten days [of prayer] had passed the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. ⁸Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest, ⁹and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: ¹⁰‘If you will indeed remain in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent and be satisfied concerning the disaster that I have inflicted on you [as discipline, and I will replace judgment with compassion].^(A) ¹¹Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear [as if he were deity]; do not be afraid of him,’ says the Lord, ‘for [he is a mere man, but I am the living, omniscient God and] I am with you [always] to protect you and to deliver you from his hand. ¹²And I will show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own land. ¹³But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” and [in so doing] do not listen to the voice of the Lord your God, ¹⁴saying, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of the [warrior’s] trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there,” ¹⁵then in that case listen to the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “If you are really determined to go to Egypt and to reside there [temporarily], ¹⁶then the sword, of which you are afraid, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine of which you are afraid will follow closely after you in Egypt, and you will die there. ¹⁷So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there [temporarily] will die by the sword, by famine and by virulent disease; none of them will remain or survive the disaster that I am going to bring on them.”’”

¹⁸For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “As My anger and My wrath have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so My wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will become detested, an object of horror, a curse and a people scorned; and you will no longer see this place.” ¹⁹The Lord has spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, “Do not go into Egypt!” Know with certainty that I [Jeremiah] have warned you and testified to you this day ²⁰that you have deceived yourselves; for you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, “Pray for us to the Lord our God; and whatever the Lord our God says, declare it to us and we will do it.” ²¹And so I have told you today, but you have not listened to the voice of the Lord your God, in anything that He has sent me to tell you. ²²Now therefore know for certain that you will die by the sword, by famine, and by virulent disease in the land [of Egypt] where you wish to reside [temporarily].

In Egypt Jeremiah Warns of Judgment

43 Now it happened when Jeremiah, whom the Lord their God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the Lord their God—that is, all these words— ²Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the proud and insolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are not telling the truth! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘Do not go into Egypt to live there.’ ³But Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Chaldeans, so they may [either] put us to death or exile us to Babylon.” ⁴So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces and all the people disobeyed the voice of the Lord [which told them] to stay in the land of Judah. ⁵But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to live in the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been driven— ⁶the men, women, and children, the king’s daughters (ladies of the court), and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan; he also took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. ⁷So they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the Lord) and they went in as far as ^[a]Tahpanhes.

⁸Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, ⁹“Take some large stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar in the brickwork [of the terrace] which is at the entrance of Pharaoh’s ^[b]house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some of the men of Judah; ¹⁰and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am going to send and get ^[c]Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I am going to set his throne over these stones that I have hidden; and his [majestic, royal] canopy will be spread over them.^(B) ¹¹He will also come and ^[d]strike the land of Egypt, giving those who are [destined] for death, to death, and those who are [destined] for captivity, to captivity, and those who are [destined] for the sword, to the sword. ¹²And [through him] I will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them (Egyptian idols) captive. He will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself with his garment, and he will go away from there safely. ¹³Nebuchadnezzar will also break the images and shatter the obelisks of ^[e]Heliopolis in the land of Egypt; and he will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.”’”

Conquest of Egypt Predicted

44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who were living in the land of Egypt—at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, saying, ²“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘You have seen all the disaster that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and see, this day they are desolated and no one lives in them ³because of the wickedness which they committed, provoking Me to anger by continuing to burn sacrifices and incense to serve other gods that they had not known, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. ⁴Yet I sent to you all My servants the prophets, again and again, saying, “Oh, do not do this shamefully vile thing which I hate.” ⁵But they did not listen or turn [obediently] from their wickedness, and stop burning sacrifices and incense to other gods. ⁶Therefore My wrath and My anger were poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; so they have become a ruin and a desolation, as it is this day. ⁷Therefore now thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, “Why did you commit this great evil against yourselves [bringing disaster] that will cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant? ⁸Why do you [deliberately] provoke Me to anger with the works (idols) of your hands, burning sacrifices and incense to [make-believe] gods in the land of Egypt, where you [of your own accord] have come to live [as temporary residents], that you might be cut off and become a curse and a disgrace [an object of taunts] among all the nations of the earth? ⁹Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives [who served their foreign gods], your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives [who imitated the sin of the queens], which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? ¹⁰They have not become apologetic [for their guilt and sin] even to this day; they have not feared [Me with reverence] nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.”’^(C)

¹¹“Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to set My face against you for woe—even to cut off (destroy) all Judah [from the land]. ¹²And I will take the remnant of Judah who have decided to go into the land of Egypt to live there [instead of surrendering to the Chaldeans as directed], and they will all fall and die in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword or perish by famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by the sword or by famine; and they will become detestable, an object of horror, a curse, and a disgrace. ¹³For I will punish all the inhabitants of the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with virulent disease; ¹⁴so none of the survivors from the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to live there will survive, even though they lift up their souls in longing to return to the land of Judah, [the place] to which they long to return to live; none will return except a few refugees.’”

¹⁵Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning ^[f]sacrifices to other gods, and all the women who were standing by, a large group, including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah, saying, ¹⁶“As for the word (message) that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we are not going to listen to you. ¹⁷But rather we will certainly perform every word of the vows we have made: to burn sacrifices to the ^[g]queen of heaven (Ishtar) and to pour out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves and our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for [then] we had plenty of food and were prosperous and saw no misfortune. ¹⁸But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” ¹⁹And said the wives, “When we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without [the knowledge and approval of] our husbands that we made cakes [in the shape of a star] to represent her and pour out drink offerings to her?”

Tragedy for the Jews

²⁰Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and to the women and to all the people who had given him that answer, ²¹“The smoking sacrifices (incense) that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem—you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land—did not the Lord remember [in detail your idolatry] and did it not all come into His mind? ²²The Lord could no longer endure it, because of the evil of your acts and the repulsive acts which you have committed; because of them your land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day. ²³Because you have burned sacrifices [to idols] and because you have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in His law and in His statutes and in His testimonies, therefore this tragedy has fallen on you, as it has this day.”

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 43:7 See note 2:16.
Jeremiah 43:9 A secondary palace.
Jeremiah 43:10 See note 21:2.
Jeremiah 43:11 Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt in 568-567 b.c. during the reign of Pharaoh Amasis.
Jeremiah 43:13 Heb Beth-shemesh; i.e. the house of the sun-god. The site was famous for its tall (70’) “sacred” pillars.
Jeremiah 44:15 Or incense.
Jeremiah 44:17 See note 7:18.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

2 Timothy 2:1-21

Be Strong

2 So you, my son, be strong [constantly strengthened] and empowered in the grace that is [to be found only] in Christ Jesus. ²The things [the doctrine, the precepts, the admonitions, the sum of my ministry] which you have heard me teach ^[a]in the presence of many witnesses, entrust [as a treasure] to reliable and faithful men who will also be capable and qualified to teach others. ³Take with me your share of hardship [passing through the difficulties which you are called to endure], like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴No soldier in active service gets entangled in the [ordinary business] affairs of civilian life; [he avoids them] so that he may please the one who enlisted him to serve. ⁵And if anyone competes as an athlete [in competitive games], he is not crowned [with the wreath of victory] unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶The hard-working farmer [who labors to produce crops] ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. ⁷Think over the things I am saying [grasp their application], for the Lord will grant you insight and understanding in everything.

⁸Remember Jesus Christ [the ever-living Lord who has] risen from the dead, [as the prophesied King] descended from David [king of Israel], according to my gospel [the good news that I preach],^(A) ⁹for that [gospel] I am suffering even to [the point of] wearing chains like a criminal; but the word of God is not chained or imprisoned! ¹⁰For this reason I [am ready to] patiently endure all things for the sake of those who are the elect (God’s chosen ones), so that they too may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it the reward of eternal glory. ¹¹This is a faithful and trustworthy saying:

If we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
¹²
If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He will also deny us;
¹³
If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself.

An Unashamed Workman

¹⁴Remind the people of these facts, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God to avoid petty controversy over words, which does no good, and [upsets and undermines and] ruins [the faith of] those who listen. ¹⁵Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. ¹⁶But avoid all irreverent babble and godless chatter [with its profane, empty words], for it will lead to further ungodliness, ¹⁷and their teaching will spread like gangrene. So it is with Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸who have deviated from the truth. They claim that the resurrection has already taken place, and they undermine the faith of some. ¹⁹Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God [which He has laid] stands [sure and unshaken despite attacks], bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord stand apart from wickedness and withdraw from wrongdoing.”^(B)

²⁰Now in a large house there are not only ^[b]vessels and objects of gold and silver, but also vessels and objects of wood and of earthenware, and some are for honorable (noble, good) use and some for dishonorable (ignoble, common). ²¹Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things [which are dishonorable—disobedient, sinful], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified [set apart for a special purpose and], useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

Footnotes:

2 Timothy 2:2 Lit through.
2 Timothy 2:20 Like Rom 9:20-23, the analogy here has its roots in OT poetry (e.g. Ps 31:12; Prov 26:23) and prophecy (e.g. Is 45:9; Jer 18:2-6). Paul speaks of believers and unbelievers in Rom 9, but here he seems to be describing God’s household or family, in which all the vessels (containers, utensils) represent believers. While the objects in Rom 9:21 do not change, the vessels here are capable of changing their status and the use to which God puts them by keeping themselves from sinful behavior and influences (v 21).

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Psalm 92-93

Praise for the Lord’s Goodness.

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day.

92 It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord,
To sing praises to Your name, O Most High,
²
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night,
³
With an instrument of ten strings and with the harp,
With a solemn sound on the lyre.
⁴
For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works;
At the works of Your hands I joyfully sing.

⁵
How great are Your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep [beyond man’s understanding].
⁶
A senseless man [in his crude and uncultivated state] knows nothing,
Nor does a [self-righteous] fool understand this:
⁷
That though the wicked sprout up like grass
And all evildoers flourish,
They will be destroyed forever.
⁸
But You, Lord, are on high forever.
⁹
For behold, Your enemies, O Lord,
For behold, Your enemies will perish;
All who do evil will be scattered.

¹⁰
But my horn [my emblem of strength and power] You have exalted like that of a wild ox;
I am anointed with fresh oil [for Your service].
¹¹
My eye has looked on my foes;
My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me.
¹²
The righteous will flourish like the date palm [long-lived, upright and useful];
They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic and stable].
¹³
Planted in the house of the Lord,
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴
[Growing in grace] they will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper in old age;
They will flourish and be ^[a]vital and fresh [rich in trust and love and contentment];
¹⁵
[They are living memorials] to declare that the Lord is upright and faithful [to His promises];
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.^(A)

The Majesty of the Lord.

93 The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty and splendor;
The Lord has clothed and encircled Himself with strength;
the world is firmly established, it cannot be moved.
²
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.

³
The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their pounding waves.
⁴
More than the sounds of many waters,
More than the mighty breakers of the sea,
The Lord on high is mighty.
⁵
Your precepts are fully confirmed and completely reliable;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O Lord, forever.

Footnotes:

Psalm 92:14 Lit fat and very green.

Cross references:

Psalm 92:15 : Rom 9:14

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Proverbs 26:3-5

³
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
And a rod for the backs of fools [who refuse to learn].
⁴
Do not answer [nor pretend to agree with the frivolous comments of] a [closed-minded] fool according to his folly,
Otherwise you, even you, will be like him.
⁵
Answer [and correct the erroneous concepts of] a fool according to his folly,
Otherwise he will be wise in his own eyes [if he thinks you agree with him].^(A)

Cross references:

Proverbs 26:5 : Matt 16:1-4; 21:24-27

Amplified Bible (AMP)

October 22, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday October 22, 2021 (NIV)

Jeremiah 39-41

Jerusalem Captured

39 Now regarding the capture of Jerusalem: In the ninth year of [the reign of] Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it;^(A) ²and in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, they breached the wall and broke into the city. ³Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate [establishing both military control of the city and their authority to judge the captives]: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the Rab-saris (chief of the eunuchs), and ^[a]Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag (chief of the magicians), with all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. ⁴When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they fled and escaped from the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls; and the king went out toward the Arabah (Jordan Valley). ⁵But the Chaldean (Babylonian) army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. When they had seized him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the [Aramean] land of Hamath, where he passed sentence on him. ⁶Then at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; the king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah. ⁷Moreover, he blinded Zedekiah and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.^(B) ⁸The Chaldeans also burned down the king’s palace and the houses of the people, and they broke down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹Then Nebuzaradan the [chief executioner and] captain of the bodyguard took the rest of the people who remained in the city, along with those who had deserted and surrendered to him, and the rest of the [so-called better class of] people who were left and carried them into exile in Babylon. ¹⁰But Nebuzaradan the [Babylonian] captain of the bodyguard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at that time.

Jeremiah Spared

¹¹Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying, ¹²“Take him and look after him; do nothing to harm him, but rather deal with him just as he asks of you.” ¹³So Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard sent word, along with Nebushazban the Rab-saris (chief of the high officials), and Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag (chief of the magicians), and all the leading officers of the king of Babylon; ¹⁴they even sent and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guardhouse and entrusted him to Gedaliah [a prominent citizen], the son of Ahikam [who had once saved Jeremiah’s life], the son of Shaphan, to take him home [with him to Mizpah]. So Jeremiah [was released and] lived among the people.^(C)

¹⁵Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was [still] confined in the court of the guardhouse, saying, ¹⁶“Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to bring My words [of judgment] against this city through disaster and not for good; and they will take place before you on that day. ¹⁷But I will ^[b]protect you [Ebed-melech] on that day,” says the Lord, “and you will not be handed over to the men of whom you are afraid.^(D) ¹⁸For I will certainly rescue you; and you will not fall by the sword, but you will have your [own] life as a reward of battle, because you have placed your trust in Me,” says the Lord.’”

Jeremiah Remains in Judah

40 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being taken as exiles to Babylon. ²And the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God promised this disaster on this place. ³Now the Lord has brought it about and has done just as He promised. Because you [people of Judah] have sinned against the Lord and did not listen to and honor His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you. ⁴But now, listen carefully, [because of your innocence] I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you [carefully]; but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, then do not do so. Look, all the land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right (convenient) for you to go.” ⁵While Jeremiah was still hesitating, the captain of the bodyguard said, “Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed [governor] over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go wherever it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him an allowance of food and a gift and let him go. ⁶Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

⁷Now when all the commanders of the forces that were [scattered] in the open country [of Judah] and their men heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land [of Judah] and had put him in charge of the men, women, and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon, ⁸they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. ⁹Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans; stay in this land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you. ¹⁰As for me, I am going to stay at Mizpah to stand [for you] before the Chaldeans who come to us [ministering to them and looking after the king’s interests]; but as for you, gather in wine, summer fruit and oil and store them in your utensils [designed for such purposes], and live in your cities that you have taken over.” ¹¹Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab and among the people of Ammon and in Edom and who were in all the [other] countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant [of the people] in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan over them [as governor], ¹²then all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been driven and came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered a great abundance of wine and summer fruits.

¹³Moreover, Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were [scattered] in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah ¹⁴and said to him, “Do you know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. ¹⁵Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know [who is responsible]. Why should he kill you and cause all the Jews who are gathered near you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?” ¹⁶But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you are lying about Ishmael.”

Gedaliah Is Murdered

41 Now in the ^[c]seventh month Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family [of David] and one of the princes of the king, came [at the instigation of the Ammonites] with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam in Mizpah. As they were eating a meal together there in Mizpah, ²Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and killed the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed [governor] over the land.^(E) ³Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were [at the banquet] with Gedaliah at Mizpah, in addition to the Chaldean soldiers who were there.

⁴Now it happened on the second day after the killing of Gedaliah, before anyone knew about it, ⁵that eighty men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria with their beards shaved off and their clothes torn and their bodies cut, carrying in their hands grain offerings and incense to present at the [site of the] house of the Lord [in Jerusalem]. ⁶Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping [false tears] as he went. As he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!” ⁷Yet when they came into the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into the cistern (underground water reservoir). ⁸But ten men who were among them said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us! We have stores of wheat and barley and oil and honey hidden in the field.” So he stopped and did not kill them along with their companions.

⁹Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the corpses of the men whom he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one which King Asa [of Judah] had made [about three hundred years earlier] on account of King Baasha of Israel [believing that Baasha would lay siege to Mizpah]. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with [the bodies of] those who were killed. ¹⁰Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah—even the king’s daughters (ladies of the court) and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had put under the charge of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and crossed over [the Jordan] to [meet his allies] the Ammonites.

Johanan Rescues the People

¹¹But when Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him heard of the murderous behavior of Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, ¹²they took all their men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and found him by the great pool in Gibeon. ¹³Now when all the [captive] people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him, they were glad. ¹⁴So all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and joined Johanan the son of Kareah. ¹⁵But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to join the Ammonites. ¹⁶Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him took from Mizpah all the people whom he had rescued from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: the soldiers, the women, the children, and the high officials whom Johanan had brought back from Gibeon. ¹⁷And they went and stayed in Geruth [the lodging place of] Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, intending to go to Egypt ¹⁸because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed [governor] over the land [and whose death the king might avenge].

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 39:3 Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, the son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar, ascended to the Babylonian throne in 560 b.c. after causing the death of Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Evil-merodach. Nergal-sar-ezer then ruled the Babylonian Empire until 556 b.c.
Jeremiah 39:17 Lit deliver.
Jeremiah 41:1 The year in which the assassination occurred is uncertain, but it was probably two or three years after the Babylonian conquest.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

2 Timothy 1

Timothy Charged to Guard His Trust

1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed) by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

²to Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³I thank God, whom I worship and serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, ⁴and as I recall your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. ⁵I remember your sincere and unqualified faith [the surrendering of your entire self to God in Christ with confident trust in His power, wisdom and goodness, a faith] which first lived in [the heart of] your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am confident that it is in you as well. ⁶That is why I remind you to ^[a]fan into flame the gracious gift of God, [that inner fire—the special endowment] which is in you through the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination]. ⁷For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

⁸So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord or about me His prisoner, but with me take your share of suffering for the gospel [continue to preach regardless of the circumstances], in accordance with the power of God [for His power is invincible], ⁹for He delivered us and saved us and called us with a holy calling [a calling that leads to a consecrated life—a life set apart—a life of purpose], not because of our works [or because of any personal merit—we could do nothing to earn this], but because of His own purpose and grace [His amazing, undeserved favor] which was granted to us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago], ¹⁰but now [that extraordinary purpose and grace] has been fully disclosed and realized by us through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus who [through His incarnation and earthly ministry] abolished death [making it null and void] and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ¹¹for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher [of this good news regarding salvation]. ¹²This is why I suffer as I do. Still, I am not ashamed; for I know Him [and I am personally acquainted with Him] whom I have believed [with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in the truth of His deity], and I am persuaded [beyond any doubt] that He is able to guard that which I have entrusted to Him until ^[b]that day [when I stand before Him].^(A) ¹³Keep and follow the pattern of sound teaching (doctrine) which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴Guard [with greatest care] and keep unchanged, the treasure [that precious truth] which has been entrusted to you [that is, the good news about salvation through personal faith in Christ Jesus], through [the help of] the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

¹⁵You are aware of the fact that all who are in [the province of] Asia turned away and deserted me, Phygelus and Hermogenes among them. ¹⁶The Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and showed me kindness [comforting and reviving me like fresh air] and he was not ashamed of my chains [for Christ’s sake]; ¹⁷but [instead] when he reached Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— ¹⁸the Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord on ^[c]that [great] day. You know very well how many things he did for me and what a help he was at Ephesus [you know better than I can tell you].

Footnotes:

2 Timothy 1:6 In ancient times embers were kept slowly burning so that they could be fanned into flames when a fire was needed.
2 Timothy 1:12 Also called the Day of Christ when Christians will be called to account for their actions (2 Cor 5:10).
2 Timothy 1:18 See note v 12.

Cross references:

2 Timothy 1:12 : 1 Cor 1:8, 3:13; Phil 1:6

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Psalm 90-91

Book Four

God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.

A Prayer of Moses the man of God.

90 Lord, You have been our dwelling place [our refuge, our sanctuary, our stability] in all generations.
²
Before the mountains were born
Or before You had given birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are [the eternal] God.

³
You turn man back to dust,
And say, “Return [to the earth], O children of [mortal] men!”
⁴
For a ^[a]thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it is past,
Or as a watch in the night.^(A)
⁵
You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep [forgotten as soon as they are gone];
In the morning they are like grass which grows anew—
⁶
In the morning it flourishes and springs up;
In the evening it wilts and withers away.

⁷
For we have been consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been terrified.
⁸
You have placed our wickedness before you,
Our secret sins [which we tried to conceal, You have placed] in the [revealing] light of Your presence.
⁹
For all our days pass away in Your wrath;
We have finished our years like a whispered sigh.^(B)
¹⁰
The days of our life are ^[b]seventy years—
Or even, if because of strength, eighty years;
Yet their pride [in additional years] is only labor and sorrow,
For it is soon gone and we fly away.
¹¹
Who understands the power of Your anger? [Who connects this brevity of life among us with Your judgment of sin?]
And Your wrath, [who connects it] with the [reverent] fear that is due You?
¹²
So teach us to number our days,
That we may cultivate and bring to You a heart of wisdom.

¹³
Turn, O Lord [from Your fierce anger]; how long will it be?
Be compassionate toward Your servants—revoke Your sentence.
¹⁴
O satisfy us with Your lovingkindness in the morning [now, before we grow older],
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
¹⁵
Make us glad in proportion to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have suffered evil.
¹⁶
Let Your work [the signs of Your power] be revealed to Your servants
And Your [glorious] majesty to their children.
¹⁷
And let the [gracious] favor of the Lord our God be on us;
Confirm for us the work of our hands—
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

Security of the One Who Trusts in the Lord.

91 He who ^[c]dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].
²
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!”
³
For He will save you from the trap of the fowler,
And from the deadly pestilence.
⁴
He will cover you and completely protect you with His pinions,
And under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and a wall.

⁵
You will not be afraid of the terror of night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
⁶
Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction (sudden death) that lays waste at noon.
⁷
A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But danger will not come near you.
⁸
You will only [be a spectator as you] look on with your eyes
And witness the [divine] repayment of the wicked [as you watch safely from the shelter of the Most High].
⁹
Because you have made the Lord, [who is] my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,^(C)
¹⁰
No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.

¹¹
For He will command His angels in regard to you,
To protect and defend and guard you in all your ways [of obedience and service].
¹²
They will lift you up in their hands,
So that you do not [even] strike your foot against a stone.^(D)
¹³
You will tread upon the lion and cobra;
The young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.^(E)

¹⁴
“Because he set his love on Me, therefore I will save him;
I will set him [securely] on high, because he knows My name [he confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon him, no, never].
¹⁵
“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
¹⁶
“With a long life I will satisfy him
And I will let him see My salvation.”

Footnotes:

Psalm 90:4 This was understood by the ancient rabbis to mean that a “thousand years” are literally only one day in God’s reckoning, and Peter seems to confirm the idea in 2 Pet 3:8.
Psalm 90:10 This psalm is credited to Moses, who is interceding with God to remove the curse which made it necessary for every Israelite over twenty years of age (when they rebelled against God at Kadesh-barnea) to die before reaching the promised land of Canaan (Num 14:26-35). Moses himself lived to be 120 years old, Aaron 123, Miriam several years older, and Joshua 110 years of age; but it is conceivable that Moses considered such longevity the exception. The ancient rabbis taught that by the time of David, 70 was the age of death for an old man and 80 for a vigorous old man.
Psalm 91:1 The wonderful promises of this chapter are dependent upon one’s meeting the conditions stated in these first two verses (see Ex 15:26).

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Proverbs 26:1-2

Similitudes, Instructions

26 Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest,
So honor is not fitting for a [shortsighted] ^[a]fool.^(A)
²
Like the sparrow in her wandering, like the swallow in her flying,
So the curse without cause does not come and alight [on the undeserving].^(B)

Footnotes:

Proverbs 26:1 See note 1:7.

Cross references:

Proverbs 26:1 : Is 32:6
Proverbs 26:2 : Num 23:8

Amplified Bible (AMP)

October 21, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday October 21, 2021 (NIV)

Jeremiah 37-38

Jeremiah Warns against Trust in Pharaoh

37 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah the son of Josiah king in the land of Judah so he reigned as king instead of Coniah (also called Jeconiah and Jehoiachin) the son of Jehoiakim. ²But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord which He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.

³Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah [along] with Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Please pray [now] to the Lord our God for us.” ⁴Now Jeremiah was coming and going among the people, for they had not [yet] put him in prison. ⁵Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the news about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

⁶Then the word of the Lord came to the prophet Jeremiah: ⁷“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘This is what you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, will return to Egypt, to their own land. ⁸And the Chaldeans [of Babylon] will come again and fight against this city, and they will capture it and set it on fire.”’ ⁹Thus says the Lord, ‘Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will certainly stay away from us,” for they will not stay away. ¹⁰For even if you had defeated the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained only the wounded men among them, yet they would rise up, every man confined in his tent, and burn down this city with fire.’”

Jeremiah Imprisoned

¹¹Now it happened when the army of the Chaldeans departed from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s [approaching] army, ¹²that Jeremiah left Jerusalem [during the withdrawal of the Chaldean invaders] to go to [Anathoth, his hometown, in] the land of Benjamin to take possession of [the title to] the land [which he had purchased] there among the people.^(A) ¹³When he was at the Gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah the son of Hananiah was there; and he seized and arrested Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to join the Chaldeans [of Babylon]!” ¹⁴But Jeremiah said, “That is a lie! I am not deserting to join the Chaldeans.” But the guard would not listen to him. So Irijah took Jeremiah and brought him to the princes (court officials). ¹⁵The princes were enraged with Jeremiah and beat him and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe—for they had made that the prison. ¹⁶When Jeremiah had come into ^[a]the vaulted cell in the dungeon and had remained there many days,

¹⁷Zedekiah the king sent and brought him out; and in his palace the king secretly asked him, “Is there any word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said, “There is!” Then he said, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.” ¹⁸Moreover, Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “In what way have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? ¹⁹Where then are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land?’ ²⁰Therefore now, please listen, O my lord the king; please let my petition come before you and be acceptable and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I may not die there.” ²¹Then King Zedekiah commanded, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guardhouse, and a [round] loaf of bread from the bakers’ street was given to him daily, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained [imprisoned] in the court of the guardhouse.

Jeremiah Thrown into the Cistern

38 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal (also called Jehucal) the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying, ²“So says the Lord, ‘He who remains in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by virulent disease (pestilence), but he who goes out to the Chaldeans [of Babylon] will live and have his [own] life as a reward and stay alive.’^(B) ³Thus says the Lord, ‘This city will certainly be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and he will take it.’” ⁴Therefore the princes (court officials) said to the king, “Please [we implore you] let this man [Jeremiah] be put to death; for [speaking] in this way he discourages and weakens [the will of] the soldiers who remain in this city and he discourages and weakens [the will of] all the people by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but rather their harm.” ⁵Then King Zedekiah [fearing the princes] said, “Listen, he is in your hand; for the king is in no position to do anything against you.” ⁶So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the ^[b]cistern of Malchijah the king’s son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down [into the cistern] with ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. ⁷Now Ebed-melech the Ethiopian (Cushite), one of the eunuchs who was in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern, and while the king was sitting in the Gate of Benjamin, ⁸Ebed-melech went out of the king’s palace and spoke to the king, saying, ⁹“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have thrown into the cistern; and he will die [of hunger] where he is because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.” ¹⁰Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” ¹¹So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went into the palace of the king to a place under the storeroom and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes and let them down by ropes into the cistern to Jeremiah. ¹²Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your armpits, then place the ropes under the padding”; and Jeremiah did so. ¹³So they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and took him up out of the cistern; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guardhouse.

¹⁴Then King Zedekiah sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance that is in the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something; hide nothing from me.” ¹⁵Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not certainly put me to death? Even if I do give you advice, you will not listen to me.” ¹⁶But King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives, who made our lives, be assured that I will not put you to death or put you into the hand of these men who are seeking your life.”

Interview with Zedekiah

¹⁷Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘If you will go out and surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live and this city will not be burned with fire; and you and your household will live. ¹⁸But if you will not go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans [of Babylon] and they will set it on fire; and you yourself will not escape from their hand.’” ¹⁹Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews [my former subjects] who have deserted to join the Chaldeans, for the enemy may put me into their hand and they will mock me and abuse me.” ²⁰But Jeremiah said, “They will not hand you over [to them]. Please obey [the voice of] the Lord [who speaks to you through me] in what I am saying to you. Then it will go well with you and you will live. ²¹But if you keep refusing to go out and surrender to them, this is the word [and the vision] which the Lord has shown me: ²²‘Then behold, all the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon and those women will say [to you, King Zedekiah],

“Your close friends
Have prevailed against your better judgment and have overpowered and deceived you;
While your feet were sunk in the mire [of trouble],
They turned back.”

²³Also, all your wives and your children will be brought out to the Chaldeans; and you yourself will not escape from their hand, but you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city [Jerusalem] will be burned down with fire.’”

²⁴Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about this conversation and you will not die. ²⁵But if the princes (court officials) hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us now what you said to the king and what he said to you; do not hide it from us and we will not execute you,’ ²⁶then you are to say to them, ‘I was presenting my [humble] petition and plea to the king so that he would not send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.’” ²⁷Then all the princes (court officials) came to Jeremiah and asked him [just what King Zedekiah had anticipated they would ask], and he reported to them in accordance with all that the king had commanded. So they stopped questioning him, since the conversation [with the king] had not been overheard. ²⁸So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guardhouse until the day that Jerusalem was captured [by the Chaldeans of Babylon].

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 37:16 Lit the house of the cistern.
Jeremiah 38:6 An underground tank or reservoir for storing water.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

1 Timothy 6

Instructions to Those Who Minister

6 All who are under the yoke as bond-servants (slaves) are to regard their own masters as worthy of honor and respect so that the name of God and the teaching [about Him] will not be spoken against. ²Those who have believing masters are not to be disrespectful toward them because they are brothers [in Christ], but they should serve them even better, because those who benefit from their kindly service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these [duties and principles].

³If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine and teaching which is in agreement with godliness (personal integrity, upright behavior), ⁴he is conceited and woefully ignorant [understanding nothing]. He has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, which produces envy, quarrels, verbal abuse, evil suspicions, ⁵and perpetual friction between men who are corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth, who think that godliness is a source of profit [a lucrative, money-making business—withdraw from them]. ⁶But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]. ⁷For we have brought nothing into the world, so [it is clear that] we cannot take anything out of it, either. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery]. ¹⁰For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.

¹¹But as for you, ^[a]O man of God, flee from these things; aim at and pursue righteousness [true goodness, moral conformity to the character of God], godliness [the fear of God], faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness.^(A) ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³I solemnly charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and [in the presence] of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession [in His testimony] before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴to keep all His precepts without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which He will bring about in His own time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign [the absolute Ruler], the King of those who reign as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords, ¹⁶He alone possesses immortality [absolute exemption from death] and lives in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal power and dominion! Amen.

¹⁷As for the rich in this present world, instruct them not to be conceited and arrogant, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share [with others]. ¹⁹In this way storing up for themselves the enduring riches of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

²⁰O Timothy, guard and keep safe the deposit [of godly truth] entrusted to you, turn away from worldly and godless chatter [with its profane, empty words], and the contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge”— ²¹which some have professed and by doing so have erred (missed the mark) and strayed from the faith.

Grace be with you.

Footnotes:

1 Timothy 6:11 An OT title referring to a man who officially spoke to God. In the NT this title is used only in reference to Timothy.

Cross references:

1 Timothy 6:11 : 2 Tim 3:17

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Psalm 89:38-52

³⁸
But [in apparent contradiction of all this] You [the faithful Lord] have cast off and rejected;
You have been full of wrath against Your anointed.
³⁹
You have spurned and repudiated the covenant with Your servant;
You have profaned his crown [by casting it] in the dust.
⁴⁰
You have broken down all his [city] walls;
You have brought his strongholds to ruin.
⁴¹
All who pass along the road rob him;
He has become the scorn of his neighbors.
⁴²
You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
You have made all his enemies rejoice.
⁴³
Also, You have turned back the edge of his sword
And have not made him [strong enough] to stand in battle.
⁴⁴
You have put an end to his splendor
And have hurled his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵
You have shortened the days of his youth;
You have covered him with shame. Selah.

⁴⁶
How long, O Lord?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷
Remember how fleeting my lifetime is;
For what vanity, [for what emptiness, for what futility, for what wisp of smoke] You have created all the sons of men!
⁴⁸
What man can live and not see death?
Can he rescue his soul from the [powerful] hand of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead)? Selah.

⁴⁹
O Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses [so abundant in the days of David and Solomon],
Which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
⁵⁰
Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants [scorned, insulted, and disgraced];
How I bear in ^[a]my heart the reproach of all the many peoples,
⁵¹
With which Your enemies have taunted, O Lord,
With which they have mocked the footsteps of Your anointed.

⁵²
Blessed be the Lord forevermore!
Amen and Amen.

Footnotes:

Psalm 89:50 Lit the fold of my garment.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Proverbs 25:28

²⁸
Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected]
Is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble].^(A)

Cross references:

Proverbs 25:28 : Prov 16:32

Amplified Bible (AMP)

October 20, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday October 20, 2021 (NIV)

Jeremiah 35-36

The Rechabites’ Obedience

35 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: ²“Go to the house of the ^[a]Rechabites and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the [side] chambers; then give them [who are pledged not to drink wine] some wine to drink.” ³So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites, ⁴and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the chamber of the princes, above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum the doorkeeper. ⁵Then I set before the men of the house of the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, “Drink wine.” ⁶But they said, “We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us: ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons, forever. ⁷Nor shall you build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard or own one; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners (temporary residents).’ ⁸We have obeyed the words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, in all our days we have never drunk wine, nor have our wives, our sons, or our daughters, ⁹nor have we built ourselves houses to live in; nor do we have vineyards or fields or seed. ¹⁰We have lived only in tents, and have obeyed and done [everything] according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. ¹¹But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans [who rule Babylon] and for fear of the army of the Arameans.’ So we have lived in Jerusalem.”

Judah Rebuked

¹²Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, saying, ¹³“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not receive instruction by listening to My words and honoring them?” says the Lord. ¹⁴“The command which Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons not to drink wine has been observed [as a custom for more than two hundred years]. To this day they do not drink wine, for they have obeyed their father’s command. But I have repeatedly spoken to you, yet you have not listened to Me. ¹⁵I have also sent to you all My servants the prophets, sending them repeatedly, saying, ‘Let every one of you turn now from his evil way and alter your behavior, and do not follow other gods to worship and serve them; and then you will live in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers. But you have not submitted or listened to Me. ¹⁶Indeed, the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have observed the command of their father which he gave them, but this people has not listened to Me.’”’ ¹⁷Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold (hear this), I am bringing on Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them, but they have not listened, and I have called to them, but they have not answered.’”

¹⁸Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and have kept all his commands and have done according to all that he commanded you, ¹⁹therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never fail to have a man (descendant) to stand before Me always.”’”

Jeremiah’s Scroll Read in the Temple

36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ²“Take a scroll [of parchment] and write on it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel and Judah, and all the nations, from the day I [first] spoke to you in the days of [King] Josiah until this day. ³It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster which I plan to bring on them, so that each one will turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their wickedness and their sin.”^(A)

⁴Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on the scroll of the book all the words which Jeremiah dictated, [words] which the Lord had spoken to him. ⁵Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am [in hiding, virtually] restrained; I cannot go into the house of the Lord. ⁶So you go to the Lord’s house on a day of fasting and read from the scroll the words of the Lord to the people which you have written as I dictated. And also you shall read them to all the people of Judah who come from their cities. ⁷It may be that their supplication [for mercy] will come before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” ⁸Baruch the son of Neriah did everything that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading from [Jeremiah’s scroll] the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.

⁹Now in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, a fast was proclaimed before the Lord for all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came to Jerusalem from the cities of Judah. ¹⁰Then Baruch read to all the people the words of Jeremiah from the scroll of the book in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.

¹¹When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, ¹²he went down to the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber; and behold, all the princes were sitting there: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the [other] princes. ¹³Then Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read from the scroll to all the people. ¹⁴Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll from which you have read to the people and come [to us].” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and went to them. ¹⁵And they said to him, “Sit down now and read it to us.” So Baruch read it to them. ¹⁶Now when they had heard all the words, they turned one to another in fear and said to Baruch, “We must surely report all these words to the king.” ¹⁷And they asked Baruch, “Tell us now, how did you write all these words? At his (Jeremiah’s) dictation?” ¹⁸Then Baruch answered them, “He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink on the scroll.” ¹⁹Then the princes said to Baruch, “Go and hide, you and Jeremiah, and do not let anyone know where you are.”

The Scroll Is Burned

²⁰Then they went into the court to the king, but they [first] put the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; then they reported all the words to the king. ²¹So the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the princes who stood beside the king. ²²Now it was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, with a fire burning there in the brazier before him. ²³And after Jehudi had read three or four columns [of the scroll], King Jehoiakim would cut off that portion with a scribe’s knife and throw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until the [entire] scroll was consumed by the fire. ²⁴Yet the king and all his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, nor did they tear their clothes. ²⁵Even though Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. ²⁶And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.

The Scroll Is Replaced

²⁷Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll containing the words which Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah: ²⁸“Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were on the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned. ²⁹And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You have burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off man and beast from it?’” ³⁰Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, “^[b]He shall have no heir to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be thrown out to the heat of the day and to the frost of the night. ³¹I will also punish him and his descendants and his servants for their wickedness, and I will bring on them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah all the destruction that I have declared against them—but they would not listen.”’”

³²Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them.

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 35:2 A nomadic tribe that maintained an austere lifestyle. During Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion they were forced to settle in or near Jerusalem. They had an amicable relationship with the children of Israel.
Jeremiah 36:30 This prophecy concerning King Jehoiakim was fulfilled several years after these events. The king rebelled against Babylon (2 Kin 24:1) and was attacked by armies from various nations controlled by Babylon (2 Kin 24:2). He suffered a violent death and a disgraceful burial just as Jeremiah had foretold (Jer 22:13-19). In that passage, after scathing censure of the king, the Lord foretells through his prophet that Jehoiakim will be buried like a donkey—that is, with his body thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem (22:19).

Cross references:

Jeremiah 36:3 : Jer 18:7-10; 26:3

Amplified Bible (AMP)

1 Timothy 5

Honor Widows

5 Do not sharply reprimand an older man, but appeal to him as [you would to] a father, to younger men as brothers, ²to older women as mothers, to younger women as sisters, in all purity [being careful to maintain appropriate relationships].

³Honor and help those widows who are truly widowed [alone, and without support]. ⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren [who are adults], see to it that these first learn to show great respect to their own family [as their religious duty and natural obligation], and to compensate their parents or grandparents [for their upbringing]; for this is acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God. ⁵Now a woman who is really a widow and has been left [entirely] alone [without adequate income] trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. ⁶Whereas she who lives for pleasure and self-indulgence is spiritually dead even while she still lives. ⁷Keep instructing [the people to do] these things as well, so that they may be blameless and beyond reproach. ⁸If anyone fails to provide for his own, and especially for those of his own family, he has denied the faith [by disregarding its precepts] and is worse than an unbeliever [who fulfills his obligation in these matters].

⁹A widow is to be put on the list [to receive regular assistance] only if she is over sixty years of age, [having been] the wife of one man, ¹⁰and has a reputation for good deeds; [she is eligible] if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the feet of the saints (God’s people), if she has assisted the distressed, and has devoted herself to doing good in every way. ¹¹But refuse [to enroll the] younger widows, for when they feel their natural desires in disregard of Christ, they wish to marry again, ¹²and so they incur condemnation for having set aside their ^[a]previous pledge. ¹³Now at the same time, they also learn to be idle as they go from house to house; and not only idle, but also gossips and ^[b]busybodies [meddlers in things that do not concern them], talking about things they should not mention. ¹⁴So I want younger widows to get married, have children, manage their households, and not give opponents of the faith any occasion for slander. ¹⁵Some [widows] have already turned away [from the faith] to follow Satan. ¹⁶If any believing woman has [dependent] widows [in her household], ^[c]she must assist them [according to her ability]; and the church must not be burdened [with them], so that it may assist those who are truly widows [those who are all alone and are dependent].

Concerning Elders

¹⁷The elders who perform their leadership duties well are to be considered worthy of double honor (financial support), especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching [the word of God concerning eternal salvation through Christ]. ¹⁸For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain [to keep it from eating],” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages [he deserves fair compensation].”^(A) ¹⁹Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it is based on [the testimony of at least] two or three witnesses.^(B) ²⁰As for those [elders] who continue in sin, reprimand them in the presence of all [the congregation], so that the rest will be warned. ²¹I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels that you guard and keep these rules without bias, doing nothing out of favoritism. ²²Do not hurry to lay hands on anyone [ordaining and approving someone for ministry or an office in the church, or in reinstating expelled offenders], and thereby share in the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.

²³No longer ^[d]continue drinking [only] water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

²⁴^[e]The sins of some people are conspicuous, leading the way for them into judgment [so that they are clearly not qualified for ministry]; but the sins of others appear later [for they are hidden and follow behind them]. ²⁵Likewise, good deeds are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be hidden [indefinitely].

Footnotes:

1 Timothy 5:12 Lit first faith. In saying this, Paul indicates that young widows were being required to pledge a life of celibacy in service to God in order to be put on the list for assistance.
1 Timothy 5:13 Paul levels the same criticism against the people in 2 Thess 3:10, 11.
1 Timothy 5:16 This repeats the admonition given to the men in v 8.
1 Timothy 5:23 Timothy, whose mother was Jewish (Acts 16:1), may have voluntarily taken a lifelong vow to abstain from wine, as Nazirites (from the Hebrew “devoted” or “consecrated”) sometimes did (cf Samson, Judg 13:7). Evidently he never developed a tolerance for water, which was often contaminated and which, in the absence of wine, he would have to drink.
1 Timothy 5:24 VV 24, 25 continue the advice given in v 22 regarding the selection of church leaders.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Psalm 89:14-37

¹⁴
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.
¹⁵
Blessed and happy are the people who know the joyful sound [of the trumpet’s blast]!
They walk, O Lord, in the light and favor of Your countenance!
¹⁶
In Your name they rejoice all the day,
And in Your righteousness they are exalted.
¹⁷
For You are the glory of their strength [their proud adornment],
And by Your favor our horn is exalted.
¹⁸
For our shield belongs to the Lord,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹
Once You spoke in a vision to Your godly ones,
And said, “I have given help to one who is mighty [giving him the power to be a champion for Israel];
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
²⁰
“I have found David My servant;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,^(A)
²¹
With whom My hand shall be established and steadfast;
My arm also shall strengthen him.
²²
“The enemy will not outwit him,
Nor will the wicked man afflict or humiliate him.
²³
“I will crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
²⁴
“My faithfulness and My steadfast lovingkindness shall be with him,
And in My name shall his horn be exalted [great power and prosperity shall be conferred upon him].
²⁵
“I will also ^[a]set his hand on the [Mediterranean] sea,
And his right hand on the rivers [the tributaries of the Euphrates].
²⁶
“He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.’
²⁷
“I will also make him My firstborn (preeminent),
The highest of the kings of the earth.^(B)
²⁸
“My lovingkindness I will keep for him forevermore,
And My covenant will be confirmed to him.
²⁹
“His descendants I will establish forever,
And his throne [will endure] as the days of heaven.^(C)

³⁰
“If his children ^[b]turn away from My law
And do not walk in My ordinances,
³¹
If they break My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
³²
Then I will punish their transgression with the rod [of discipline],
And [correct] their wickedness with stripes.^(D)
³³
“Nevertheless, I will not break off My lovingkindness from him,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
³⁴
“My covenant I will not violate,
Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
³⁵
“Once [for all] I have sworn by My holiness, [My vow which cannot be violated];
I will not lie to David.
³⁶
“His ^[c]descendants shall endure forever
And his throne [will continue] as the sun before Me.^(E)
³⁷
“It shall be established forever like the moon,
And the witness in the heavens is ever faithful.”^(F) Selah.

Footnotes:

Psalm 89:25 I.e. extend his area of influence.
Psalm 89:30 Lit forsake.
Psalm 89:36 Lit seed.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Proverbs 25:25-27

²⁵
Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
So is good news from a distant land.
²⁶
Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring
Is a righteous man who yields and compromises his integrity before the wicked.
²⁷
It is not good to eat much honey,
Nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

October 19, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday October 19, 2021 (NIV)

Jeremiah 33-34

Restoration Promised

33 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard, saying, ²“Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name, ³‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’ ⁴For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah which are torn down to make a defense against the siege ramps and against the sword,^(A) ⁵‘While they (the besieged Jews) are coming to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill the houses with the dead bodies of men whom I have slain in My anger and in My wrath, for I have hidden My face [in disgust] from this city because of all their wickedness. ⁶Behold, [in the restored Jerusalem] I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace (prosperity, security, stability) and truth. ⁷I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and will rebuild them as they were at first. ⁸I will cleanse them from all their wickedness (guilt) by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon (forgive) all their sins by which they rebelled against Me. ⁹Jerusalem will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for it, and they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace (prosperity, security, stability) that I provide for it.’

¹⁰“Thus says the Lord, ‘Yet again there will be heard in this place of which you say, “It is a [desolate] waste, without man and without animal”—even in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without animal— ¹¹the [sound of the] voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the [song-filled] voice of those who say,

“Give praise and thanks to the Lord of hosts,
For the Lord is good;
For His [steadfast] lovingkindness (mercy) endures forever”;

and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says the Lord.

¹²“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘There will again be in this desolate place—[a place] without man or animal—and in all its cities, pastures for shepherds who rest their flocks. ¹³In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South (the Negev), in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

The Davidic Kingdom

¹⁴‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good word and promise which I have made regarding the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He (the Messiah) shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.^(B) ¹⁶In those days Judah will be saved and [the people of] Jerusalem will live in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the Lord Our Righteousness (Justice).’ ¹⁷For thus says the Lord, ‘David shall never lack a man (descendant) to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; ¹⁸and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man (descendant) to offer burnt offerings before Me and to burn grain offerings and to prepare sacrifices all day long.’”

¹⁹The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁰“Thus says the Lord, ‘If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night do not take place at their appointed times, ²¹then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and [My covenant may also be broken] with the Levitical priests, My ministers. ²²As the host of [the stars of] heaven cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’”

²³And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁴“Have you not noticed what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families [Israel the northern kingdom, and Judah the southern kingdom] which the Lord chose, He has rejected’? Thus they despise My [chosen] people, no longer are they [considered] as a nation in their sight. ²⁵Thus says the Lord, ‘If My covenant with day and night does not stand, and if I have not established the fixed patterns of heaven and earth, [the whole order of nature,] ²⁶then I would [also] reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes, and will have mercy on them.’”^(C)

A Prophecy against Zedekiah

34 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army, with all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his sovereignty and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem and against all of its cities: ²“Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him: “Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will set it on fire and burn it down. ³You will not escape from his hand, for you will definitely be captured and handed over to him; you will see the king of Babylon eye to eye, and he will speak with you face to face; and you will go to Babylon.’”’ ⁴Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you, ‘You will not die by the sword. ⁵You will die in peace; and as spices were burned for [the memory and honor of] your fathers, the former kings who reigned before you, so shall a [ceremonial] burning be made for you; and people will lament (grieve) for you, saying, “Alas, lord (master)!”’ For I have spoken the word,” says the Lord.

⁶Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem ⁷when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the remaining cities of Judah, against Lachish and Azekah, for these were the [only] fortified cities among the cities of Judah.

⁸The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant (solemn pledge) with all the [Hebrew] people who were [slaves] in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them: ⁹that every man should let his Hebrew slaves, male and female, go free, so that no one should make a slave of a Jew, his brother. ¹⁰So all the princes and all the people who had entered into the covenant agreed that everyone would let his male servant and his female servant go free, and that no one would keep them in bondage any longer; they obeyed, and set them free. ¹¹But afterward they backed out [of the covenant] and made the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free return [to them], and brought the male servants and the female servants again into servitude.

¹²Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ¹³“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I made a covenant (solemn pledge) with your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying, ¹⁴“At the end of seven years each of you shall set free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself [into servitude] or who has been sold to you and has served you six years, you shall release him from [serving] you; but your forefathers did not listen [submissively] to Me or obey Me.^(D) ¹⁵So then you recently turned and repented, doing what was right in My sight, each man proclaiming release [from servitude] to his countryman [who was his bond servant]; and you had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My ^[a]Name. ¹⁶Yet you backed out [of the covenant] and profaned My Name, and each man took back his servants, male and female, whom had been set free in accordance with their desire, and you brought them into servitude [again] to be your male servants and your female servants.”’

¹⁷“Therefore says the Lord, ‘You have not obeyed Me; you have not proclaimed liberty to your brother and your countryman. Behold (listen very carefully), I am proclaiming liberty to you—[liberty to be put] to the sword, [liberty] to [be ravaged by] the virulent disease, and [liberty] to [be decimated by] famine,’ says the Lord; ‘and I will make you a horror and a warning to all the kingdoms of the earth. ¹⁸The men who have violated My covenant, who have not kept the terms of the solemn pledge which they made before Me when they split the [sacrificial] calf in half, and then afterwards walked between its separated pieces [sealing their pledge to Me by placing a curse on themselves should they violate the covenant—those men I will make like the calf]!^(E) ¹⁹The princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the high officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf, ²⁰I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. And [like the body of the calf] their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. ²¹Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes I will place into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon which has withdrawn from you. ²²Behold, I am going to command [the Chaldeans who rule Babylon],’ says the Lord, ‘and I will bring them back to this city; and they will fight against it and take it and set it on fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.’”

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 34:15 See note Deut 12:5.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

1 Timothy 4

Apostasy

4 But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons, ²[misled] by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared as with a branding iron [leaving them incapable of ethical functioning], ³who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from [certain kinds of] foods which God has created to be gratefully shared by those who believe and have [a clear] knowledge of the truth. ⁴For everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; ⁵for it is sanctified [set apart, dedicated to God] by means of the word of God and prayer.

A Good Minister’s Discipline

⁶If you point out these instructions to the ^[a]brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished [through study] on the words of the faith and of the good [Christian] doctrine which you have closely followed. ⁷But have nothing to do with irreverent folklore and silly myths. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness [keeping yourself spiritually fit]. ⁸For physical training is of some value, but godliness (spiritual training) is of value in everything and in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come. ⁹This is a faithful and trustworthy saying worthy of full acceptance and approval. ¹⁰It is for this that we labor and strive [often called to account], because we have fixed our [confident] hope on the living God, who is the ^[b]Savior of all people, especially of those who believe [in Him, recognize Him as the Son of God, and accept Him as Savior and Lord].

¹¹Keep commanding and teaching these things. ¹²Let no one look down on [you because of] your youth, but be an example and set a pattern for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in [moral] purity. ¹³Until I come, devote yourself to public reading [of Scripture], to preaching and to teaching [the sound doctrine of God’s word]. ¹⁴Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, [that special endowment] which was intentionally bestowed on you [by the Holy Spirit] through prophetic utterance when the ^[c]elders laid their hands on you [at your ordination]. ¹⁵Practice and work hard on these things; be absorbed in them [completely occupied in your ministry], so that your progress will be evident to all. ¹⁶Pay close attention to yourself [concentrate on your personal development] and to your teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

Footnotes:

1 Timothy 4:6 Lit brethren.
1 Timothy 4:10 God is the Savior of all mankind in the sense that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient for the entire world (1 John 2:2); however, personal faith is essential for salvation.
1 Timothy 4:14 Or presbytery.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Psalm 89:1-13

The Lord’s Covenant with David, and Israel’s Afflictions.

A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem, of Ethan the Ezrahite.

89 I will sing of the goodness and lovingkindness of the Lord forever;
With my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness from generation to generation.
²
For I have said, “Goodness and lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens [unchangeable and majestic] You will establish Your faithfulness.”
³
[God has said] “I have made a covenant with My chosen one;
I have sworn to David My servant,
⁴
I will establish your seed forever
And I will build up your throne for all generations.”^(A) Selah.

⁵
The heavens (angels) praise Your wonders, O Lord,
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
⁶
For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the divine beings is like the Lord,
⁷
A God greatly feared and reverently worshiped in the council of the holy [angelic] ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him?
⁸
O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds You [as an intrinsic, unchangeable part of Your very being].
⁹
You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.^(B)
¹⁰
You have crushed Rahab (Egypt) like one who is slain;
You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

¹¹
The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all that is in it, You have founded and established them.^(C)
¹²
The north and the south, You have created them;
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon shout for joy at Your name.
¹³
You have a strong arm;
Mighty is Your hand, Your right hand is exalted.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Proverbs 25:23-24

²³
The north wind brings forth rain;
And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.
²⁴
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop [on the flat roof, exposed to the weather]
Than in a house shared with a quarrelsome (contentious) woman.^(A)

Cross references:

Proverbs 25:24 : Prov 21:9

Amplified Bible (AMP)

October 18, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday October 18, 2021 (NIV)

Jeremiah 31:27-32:44

A New Covenant

²⁷“Behold (listen carefully), the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. ²⁸It will be that as I have watched over them to uproot and to break down, to overthrow, destroy, and afflict with disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant [with good],” says the Lord.

²⁹
“In those days they will not say again,
‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’^(A)

³⁰But everyone will die [only] for his own wickedness; every man who eats sour grapes—his [own] teeth shall be set on edge.

³¹“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the ^[a]house of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and with the house of Judah (the Southern Kingdom),^(B) ³²not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” says the Lord. ³³“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. ³⁴And each man will no longer teach his neighbor and his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me [through personal experience], from the least of them to the greatest,” says the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness, and I will no longer remember their sin.”^(C)

³⁵
Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for light by day
And the fixed order of the moon and of the stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea’s roaring billows or stills the waves when they roar;
The Lord of hosts is His name:
³⁶
“If this fixed order departs
From before Me,” says the Lord,
“Then the descendants of Israel also will cease
From being a nation before Me forever.”

³⁷Thus says the Lord,

“If the heavens above can be measured
And the foundations of the earth searched out below,
Then I will also cast off and abandon all the descendants of Israel
For all that they have done,” says the Lord.

³⁸“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when the city [of Jerusalem] will be rebuilt for the Lord from the ^[b]Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. ³⁹The measuring line will go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to ^[c]Goah. ⁴⁰And the whole valley (Hinnom) of the dead bodies and [the hill] of the ashes [long dumped there from the temple sacrifices], and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the Lord. It (the city) will not be uprooted or overthrown anymore to the end of the age.”^(D)

Jeremiah Imprisoned

32 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of ^[d]Nebuchadnezzar. ²Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the house of the king of Judah. ³For Zedekiah [the last] king of Judah had locked him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy [disaster] and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; ⁴and Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hand of the ^[e]Chaldeans, but he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye; ⁵and he will lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him [for evaluation and judgment],” says the Lord. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed”’?”^(E)

⁶And Jeremiah [answered King Zedekiah and] said, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁷‘Behold (listen carefully), Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, “Buy my field that is in ^[f]Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to buy it [in accordance with the law].”’ ⁸Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the guard in accordance with the word of the Lord, and he said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is at Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin, for you have the right of inheritance and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.

⁹“I bought the field that was at Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle’s son, and weighed out the money for him, seventeen shekels of silver. ¹⁰I signed the deed and sealed it, and called in witnesses, and weighed out the money on the scales. ¹¹So I took the deeds of the purchase, both the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, and the unsealed copy; ¹²and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle’s son and in sight of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, in the presence of all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard. ¹³And I commanded Baruch in their presence, saying, ¹⁴‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this unsealed deed, and put them in an earthen jar, that they may last a long time.” ¹⁵For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Houses and fields and vineyards will again be purchased in this land.”’

Jeremiah Prays and God Explains

¹⁶“Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying, ¹⁷‘Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! There is nothing too difficult or too wonderful for You— ¹⁸You who show lovingkindness to thousands, but repay the wickedness (sin, guilt) of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], O great and mighty God; the Lord of hosts is His name; ¹⁹great [are You] in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to reward or repay each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds; ²⁰who set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day [continues to do so] both in Israel and among mankind; and You have made a name for Yourself, as at this day. ²¹You brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terror; ²²and gave them this land, which You swore to their forefathers to give them, a land [of plenty] ^[g]flowing with milk and honey. ²³They entered and took possession of it, but they did not obey Your voice or walk in Your law; they have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do. Therefore You have caused all this disaster and suffering to come upon them. ²⁴See the siege ramps [of mounded earth that the enemy has built against the walls]; they have come up to the city to capture it. And the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans [of Babylon] who fight against it, because of the sword, the famine and the virulent disease [that have overcome the people]. What You have spoken has come to pass, and behold, You see it. ²⁵Yet, O Lord God, You said to me, “Buy the field with money and get witnesses,” even though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.’”

²⁶Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁷“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too difficult for Me?” ²⁸Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it. ²⁹The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come in and set this city on fire and burn it, along with the houses on whose roofs incense has been offered to Baal and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods to provoke Me to anger.^(F) ³⁰For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil in My sight from their youth; for the children of Israel have been provoking Me to anger by the [idols that are the] work of their hands,” says the Lord. ³¹“From the day that they built it [during the reign of ^[h]Solomon], even to this day, this city has been such a provocation of My anger and My wrath, that I must remove it from My sight,^(G) ³²because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ³³They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them repeatedly, yet they would not listen and receive instruction. ³⁴But they put their detestable things (idols) in the house which is called by My ^[i]Name, to defile it. ³⁵They built the high places [for worship] of Baal in the Valley of Ben-hinnom (son of Hinnom) to make their sons and their daughters pass through the fire to [worship and honor] Molech—which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this repulsive thing, to cause Judah to sin.^(H)

³⁶“Now therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword and by famine and by virulent disease.’ ³⁷Behold, I will gather them out of all countries to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them live in safety. ³⁸They will be My people, and I will be their God; ³⁹and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may [reverently] fear Me forever, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. ⁴⁰I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will do them good and not turn away from them; and I will put in their heart a fear and reverential awe of Me, so that they will not turn away from Me.^(I) ⁴¹I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul. ⁴²For thus says the Lord, ‘Just as I have brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them. ⁴³Fields will be bought in this land of which you say, “It is desolate, without man or animal; it is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.” ⁴⁴People will buy fields for money, sign deeds, seal them, and call in witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South (the Negev); for I will restore their fortunes and release them from exile,’ says the Lord.”

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 31:31 The kingdom was united under David and his successor, Solomon, but split after Solomon’s son, Rehoboam became king.
Jeremiah 31:38 Many times after the days of the Old Testament, Jerusalem was destroyed. Travelers in later centuries reported it to be an almost deserted city—its buildings were ruins filled with rubble, its inhabitants were few. Yet not only did God’s word declare that it would be rebuilt, but also drew a detailed word map of the outline the city would follow—from a well-known tower to the gate at a certain corner, then on over a particular hill, coming now outside the walls of the original city and taking in a large area marked by familiar landmarks. Eight recognizable details are given here, and Zechariah adds another (14:10). Also, the city’s expansion was to be toward the northwest. Twenty-five hundred years later, in 1935, the prophecy had been fulfilled, as if indeed with God’s “measuring line” (v 39). So unlikely seemed this prophecy’s fulfillment that some early commentators suggested that it should be interpreted spiritually.
Jeremiah 31:39 The exact location of Goah remains unknown.
Jeremiah 32:1 In Hebrew there are two ways of spelling the name of the ruler of Babylon resulting in two English variations: Nebuchadnezzar and Nebuchadrezzar.
Jeremiah 32:4 The ruling tribe in Babylonia.
Jeremiah 32:7 See note 1:1.
Jeremiah 32:22 This phrase referred to the abundant fertility of the land of Canaan. Milk (typically that of goats and sheep) was associated with abundance; “honey” referred mainly to syrups made from dates or grapes and was the epitome of sweetness. Bees’ honey was very rare and was considered the choicest of foods.
Jeremiah 32:31 Solomon was the first king of Israel to participate in idolatry.
Jeremiah 32:34 See note Deut 12:5.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

1 Timothy 3

Overseers and Deacons

3 This is a faithful and trustworthy saying: if any man [eagerly] seeks the office of ^[a]overseer (bishop, superintendent), he desires an excellent task. ²Now an overseer must be blameless and beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³not addicted to wine, not ^[b]a bully nor quick-tempered and hot-headed, but gentle and considerate, free from the love of money [not greedy for wealth and its inherent power—financially ethical]. ⁴He must manage his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity [keeping them respectful and well-behaved] ⁵(for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?). ⁶and He must not be a new convert, so that he will not [behave stupidly and] become conceited [by appointment to this high office] and fall into the [same] condemnation incurred by the devil [for his arrogance and pride].^(A) ⁷And he must have a good reputation and be well thought of by those outside the church, so that he will not be discredited and fall into the devil’s trap.

⁸^[c]Deacons likewise must be men worthy of respect [honorable, financially ethical, of good character], not double-tongued [speakers of half-truths], not addicted to wine, not greedy for dishonest gain, ⁹but upholding and fully understanding the mystery [that is, the true doctrine] of the [Christian] faith with a clear conscience [resulting from behavior consistent with spiritual maturity]. ¹⁰These men must first be tested; then if they are found to be blameless and beyond reproach [in their Christian lives], let them serve as deacons. ¹¹^[d]Women must likewise be worthy of respect, not malicious gossips, but self-controlled, [thoroughly] trustworthy in all things. ¹²Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. ¹³For those who have served well as deacons gain a high standing [having a good reputation among the congregation], and great confidence in the faith which is [founded on and centered] in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴I hope to come to you before long, but I am writing these instructions to you ¹⁵in case I am delayed, so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. ¹⁶And great, we confess, is the mystery [the hidden truth] of godliness:

He (Jesus Christ) who was revealed in human flesh,
Was justified and vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.

Footnotes:

1 Timothy 3:1 Or bishop.
1 Timothy 3:3 I.e. like a bully.
1 Timothy 3:8 Though the Greek word for “deacon” does not occur in Acts (only Paul uses it), it is generally thought that the origin of the office or ministry is found in Acts 6:1-6, where Luke reports that seven men were appointed to assist the church leaders in serving and ministering to members of the congregation.
1 Timothy 3:11 In Greek, the same word is used for both woman and wife. This verse may refer specifically to either deacons’ wives or deaconesses, rather than the congregation in general.

Cross references:

1 Timothy 3:6 : Is 14:12-14

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Psalm 88

A Petition to Be Saved from Death.

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician; set to chant mournfully. A didactic or reflective poem of Heman the Ezrahite.

88 O Lord, the God of my salvation,
I have cried out [for help] by day and in the night before You.^(A)
²
Let my prayer come before You and enter into Your presence;
Incline Your ear to my cry!
³
For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life draws near the grave (Sheol, the place of the dead).
⁴
I am counted among those who go down to the pit (grave);
I am like a man who has no strength [a mere shadow],
⁵
^[a]Cast away [from the living] and abandoned among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in a [nameless] grave,
Whom You no longer remember,
And they are cut off from Your hand.
⁶
You have laid me in the lowest pit,
In dark places, in the depths.
⁷
Your wrath has rested heavily upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves.^(B) Selah.
⁸
You have put my friends far from me;
You have made me an ^[b]object of loathing to them.
I am shut up and I cannot go out.
⁹
My eye grows dim with sorrow.
O Lord, I have called on You every day;
I have spread out my hands to You [in prayer].

¹⁰
Will You perform wonders for the dead?
Shall the departed spirits arise and praise You? Selah.
¹¹
Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave
Or Your faithfulness in Abaddon (the underworld)?
¹²
Will Your wonders be known in the darkness?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness [where the dead forget and are forgotten]?

¹³
But I have cried out to You, O Lord, for help;
And in the morning my prayer will come to You.
¹⁴
O Lord, why do You reject me?
Why do You hide Your face from me?^(C)
¹⁵
I was afflicted and close to death from my youth on;
I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.
¹⁶
Your fierce wrath has swept over me;
Your terrors have destroyed me.
¹⁷
They have surrounded me like flood waters all day long;
They have completely encompassed me.
¹⁸
Lover and friend You have placed far from me;
My familiar friends are in darkness.

Footnotes:

Psalm 88:5 Lit Set free. The ancient rabbis understood this to mean that once a man is dead, he is free from all religious duties.
Psalm 88:8 Lit abomination to them.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Proverbs 25:20-22

²⁰
Like one who takes off a garment in cold weather, or like [a reactive, useless mixture of] vinegar on soda,
Is he who [thoughtlessly] sings [joyful] songs to a heavy heart.^(A)
²¹
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;^(B)
²²
For in doing so, you will ^[a]heap coals of fire upon his head,
And the Lord will reward you.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 25:22 This expression may refer to an Egyptian custom in which a penitent man carried a pan of coals on his head as a sign of repentance. The message of these verses is the admonition to return good for evil in the hope that your enemy will be moved to repentance.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

October 17, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday October 17, 2021 (NIV)

Jeremiah 30:1-31:26

Freedom from Captivity Promised

30 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²“Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Write in a book all the words which I have spoken to you. ³For behold (hear this), the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will return them to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they will take possession of it.’”

⁴Now these are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:

⁵“Thus says the Lord,

‘We have heard a terrified voice
Of panic and dread, and there is no peace.
⁶
‘Ask now, and see
Whether a man can give birth [to a child].
Why then do I see every man
With his hands on his ^[a]loins, as a woman in labor?
Why have all faces turned pale?
⁷
‘Alas! for that day is great,
There is none like it;
It is the time of Jacob’s [unequaled] trouble,
But he will be saved from it.^(A)

⁸‘It shall come about on that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘that I will break the yoke off your neck and I will tear off your bonds and force apart your shackles; and strangers will no longer make slaves of the people [of Israel]. ⁹But they shall serve the Lord their God and [the descendant of] David their King, whom I will raise up for them.^(B)

¹⁰
‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ says the Lord,
‘Nor be dismayed or downcast, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you from a distant land [of exile]
And your descendants from the land of their captivity.
Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease,
And no one will make him afraid.
¹¹
‘For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you;
For I will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you,
But I will not destroy you completely.
But I will judge and discipline you fairly
And will by no means regard you as guiltless and leave you unpunished.’

¹²
“For thus says the Lord,
‘Your wound is incurable
And your injury is beyond healing.
¹³
‘There is no one to plead your cause;
No [device to close and allow the] healing of your wound,
No recovery for you.
¹⁴
‘All your lovers (allies) have forgotten you;
They do not seek and long for you.
For I have injured you with the wound of an enemy,
With the punishment of a cruel and merciless foe,
Because your guilt is great
And your sins are glaring and innumerable.
¹⁵
‘Why do you cry out over your injury [since it is the natural result of your sin]?
Your pain is incurable (deadly).
Because your guilt is great
And your sins are glaring and innumerable,
I have done these things to you.
¹⁶
‘Therefore all who devour you will be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity.
And they who plunder you will become plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will give for prey.
¹⁷
‘For I will restore health to you
And I will heal your wounds,’ says the Lord,
‘Because they have called you an outcast, saying:
“This is Zion; no one seeks her and no one cares for her.”’

Restoration of Jacob

¹⁸
“Thus says the Lord,
‘Behold (hear this), I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
And have mercy on his dwelling places;
The city will be rebuilt on its [old, mound-like] ruin,
And the palace will stand on its rightful place.
¹⁹
‘From them (city, palace) will come [songs of] thanksgiving
And the voices of those who dance and celebrate.
And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished [in number];
I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.
²⁰
‘Their children too will be as in former times,
And their congregation will be established before Me;
And I will punish all their oppressors.
²¹
‘Their prince will be one of them,
And their ruler will come forward from among them.
I will bring him near and he shall approach Me,
For who is he who would have the boldness and would dare [on his own initiative] to risk his life to approach Me?’ says the Lord.
²²
‘Then you shall be My people,
And I will be your God.’”^(C)

²³
Behold, the tempest of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
A sweeping and gathering tempest;
It will burst on the head of the wicked.
²⁴
The fierce (righteous) anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has fulfilled and until He has accomplished
The intent of His heart (mind);
In the latter days you will understand this.

Israel’s Mourning Turned to Joy

31 “At that time,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”

²
Thus says the Lord,
“The people who survived the sword
Found grace in the wilderness [of exile]—
Israel (the Northern Kingdom), when it went to find its rest.”
³
The Lord appeared to me (^[b]Israel) from ages past, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.^(D)
⁴
“Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt,
O Virgin Israel!
You will again be adorned with your tambourines and ^[c]timbrels
And go out to the dances of those who celebrate.^(E)
⁵
“Again you will plant vineyards
On the mountains of Samaria;
The planters will plant
And enjoy the [abundant] fruit [in peace].
⁶
“For there will be a day when the watchmen
On the hills of Ephraim cry out,
‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
To the Lord our God.’”

⁷
For thus says the Lord,
“Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout for the first and foremost of the nations [the chosen people, Israel];
Proclaim, give praise and say,
‘O Lord save Your people,
The remnant of Israel!’
⁸
“Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,
And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them [will be] the blind and the lame,
The woman with child and she who labors in childbirth, together;
A great company, they will return here [to Jerusalem].
⁹
“They will come with weeping [in repentance and for joy],
And by [their] prayer [for the future] I will lead them;
I will make them walk by streams of waters,
On a straight path in which they will not stumble,
For I am a Father to Israel,
And Ephraim (Israel) is My firstborn.”

¹⁰
Hear the word of the Lord, O you nations,
And declare it in the isles and coastlands far away,
And say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him
And will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”
¹¹
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob
And has redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.
¹²
“They will come and sing aloud and shout for joy on the height of Zion,
And will be radiant [with joy] over the goodness of the Lord—
For the grain, for the new wine, for the oil,
And for the young of the flock and the herd.
And their life will be like a watered garden,
And they shall never sorrow or languish again.
¹³
“Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance,
And the young men and old, together,
For I will turn their mourning into joy
And will comfort them and make them rejoice after their sorrow.
¹⁴
“I will fully satisfy the soul of the priests with abundance,
And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” says the Lord.

¹⁵
Thus says the Lord,
“A ^[d]voice is heard in Ramah,
Lamentation (songs of mourning) and bitter weeping.
Rachel (Israel) is weeping for her children;
She refuses to be comforted for her children,
Because they are gone.”^(F)

¹⁶Thus says the Lord,

“Restrain your voice from weeping
And your eyes from tears,
For your work will be rewarded,” says the Lord;
“And your children will return from the enemy’s land.
¹⁷
“There is [confident] hope for your future,” says the Lord;
“Your children will come back to their own country.
¹⁸
“I have surely heard Ephraim (Israel) moaning and grieving,
‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like a bull unaccustomed to the yoke or an untrained calf;
Bring me back that I may be restored,
For You are the Lord my God.
¹⁹
‘After I turned away [from You], I repented;
After I was instructed, I struck my thigh [in remorse];
I was ashamed and even humiliated
Because I carried the disgrace of my youth [as a nation].’
²⁰
“Is Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a darling and beloved child?
For as often as I have spoken against him,
I certainly still remember him.
Therefore My affection is renewed and My heart longs for him;
I will surely have mercy on him,” says the Lord.

²¹
“Place for yourself road signs [toward Canaan],
Make for yourself guideposts;
Turn your thought and attention to the highway,
To the way by which you went [into exile].
Retrace your steps, O virgin of Israel,
Return to these your cities.
²²
“How long will you hesitate [to return],
O you faithless and renegade daughter?
For the Lord has created a ^[e]new thing in the land [of Israel]:
A woman will encompass (tenderly love) a man.”

²³Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Once more they will speak these words in the land of Judah (the Southern Kingdom) and in her cities when I restore their fortunes and release them from exile,

‘The Lord bless you, O habitation of justice and righteousness,
O holy mountain!’

²⁴And [the people of] Judah and all its cities will live there together—the farmer and they who wander about with flocks. ²⁵For I [fully] satisfy the weary soul, and I replenish every languishing and sorrowful person.” ²⁶At this I (Jeremiah) awoke and looked, and my [trancelike] sleep was sweet [in the assurance it gave] to me.

Footnotes:

Jeremiah 30:6 The midsection of the body between the lower ribs and the hips.
Jeremiah 31:3 Also referred to as Samaria, Ephraim, Jacob, and Rachel in this chapter.
Jeremiah 31:4 Small one-headed drums.
Jeremiah 31:15 The mourning at Ramah is associated with the cry of the mothers of the boy babies and toddlers of Bethlehem who would be killed by Herod the Great during his attempt to destroy young Jesus (Matt 2:17, 18). Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife, was the mother of Joseph (Gen 35:24). The tribes descended from Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were the most powerful in the Northern Kingdom.
Jeremiah 31:22 This passage probably personifies Israel as an erring but deeply penitent wife, who will devote herself to winning back and being worthy of the love of her divine husband and Lord, who had rejected her.

Cross references:

Jeremiah 30:7 : Matt 24:29, 30; Rev 7:14
Jeremiah 30:9 : Jer 23:5
Jeremiah 30:22 : Jer 7:23
Jeremiah 31:3 : Deut 7:8
Jeremiah 31:4 : Is 37:22; Jer 18:13
Jeremiah 31:15 : Matt 2:18

Amplified Bible (AMP)

1 Timothy 2

A Call to Prayer

2 First of all, then, I urge that petitions (specific requests), prayers, intercessions (prayers for others) and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all people, ²for ^[a]kings and all who are in [positions of] high authority, so that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. ³This [kind of praying] is good and acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴who ^[b]wishes all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge and recognition of the [divine] truth. ⁵For there is [only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶who gave Himself as a ransom [a substitutionary sacrifice to atone] for all, the testimony given at the right and proper time. ⁷And for this matter I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying [when I say this]—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

⁸Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and disputing or quarreling or doubt [in their mind].

Women Instructed

⁹Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves modestly and appropriately and discreetly in proper clothing, not with [elaborately] braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothes, ¹⁰but instead adorned by good deeds [helping others], as is proper for women who profess to worship God. ¹¹A woman must quietly receive instruction with all submissiveness. ¹²I do not allow a woman to ^[c]teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet [in the congregation]. ¹³For Adam was formed first [by God from the earth], then Eve;^(A) ¹⁴and it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was led astray and ^[d]fell into sin.^(B) ¹⁵But women will be ^[e]preserved (saved) through [the pain and dangers of] the bearing of children ^[f]if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control and discretion.

Footnotes:

1 Timothy 2:2 Nero ruled as emperor of Rome at this time.
1 Timothy 2:4 Salvation is offered to everyone, but each individual must choose to accept or reject God’s gracious offer.
1 Timothy 2:12 The early church evidently followed Jewish practices in religious education. In Israel, mothers taught their daughters, and it was the father’s responsibility to teach his sons in all areas, including religious education. So Paul’s prohibitions here are consistent with the practices of his day.
1 Timothy 2:14 Lit has come to be in.
1 Timothy 2:15 This is considered one of the more difficult verses in the NT to interpret. Part of the difficulty is that the Greek verb rendered “preserved” is literally “saved,” which could refer either to physical preservation or to salvation. Some expositors interpret the verb as referring to the blessings of a woman’s role as wife and mother, especially in regard to raising godly children. However, the wording of the verse seen here reflects the interpretation that Paul is speaking, in broad terms, of protection from the dangers of childbirth.
1 Timothy 2:15 The blessings on a woman are the result of her adherence to the virtues listed.

Cross references:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Psalm 87

The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.

87 His foundation is on the holy mountain.
²
The Lord loves the gates of Zion
More than all the dwellings of Jacob (Israel).
³
Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God [Jerusalem]. Selah.
⁴
“I will mention Rahab (Egypt) and Babylon among those who know Me—
Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia (Cush)—
‘This one was born there.’”
⁵
But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her,”
And the Most High Himself will establish her.
⁶
The Lord will count, when He registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah.
⁷
The singers as well as the players of flutes will say,
“All my springs and sources of joy are in you [Jerusalem, city of God].”

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Proverbs 25:18-19

¹⁸
Like a club and a sword and a piercing arrow
Is a man who testifies falsely against his neighbor (acquaintance).
¹⁹
Like a broken tooth or an unsteady foot
Is confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Jeremiah 49:23-50:46

A Message About Damascus

A Message About Kedar and Hazor

A Message About Elam

A Message About Babylon(AL)

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Titus 1

Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good(P)

Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 97-98

Psalm 97

Psalm 98

A psalm.

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 26:13-16

Cross references:

Jeremiah 48:1-49:22

A Message About Moab(A)

A Message About Ammon

A Message About Edom(DU)(DV)

Footnotes:

Cross references:

2 Timothy 4

Personal Remarks

Final Greetings

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 95-96

Psalm 95

Psalm 96(AA)

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 26:9-12

Cross references:

Jeremiah 44:24-47:7

A Message to Baruch

A Message About Egypt

A Message About the Philistines

Footnotes:

Cross references:

2 Timothy 2:22-3:17

A Final Charge to Timothy

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 94

Psalm 94

Cross references:

Proverbs 26:6-8

Cross references:

Jeremiah 42:1-44:23

Warning against Going to Egypt

In Egypt Jeremiah Warns of Judgment

Conquest of Egypt Predicted

Tragedy for the Jews

Footnotes:

Cross references:

2 Timothy 2:1-21

Be Strong

An Unashamed Workman

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 92-93

Praise for the Lord’s Goodness.

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day.

The Majesty of the Lord.

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 26:3-5

Cross references:

Jeremiah 39-41

Jerusalem Captured

Jeremiah Spared

Jeremiah Remains in Judah

Gedaliah Is Murdered

Johanan Rescues the People

Footnotes:

A Message About Babylon^(AL)

Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good^(P)

A Message About Moab^(A)

A Message About Edom^(DU)^(DV)

Psalm 96^(AA)